No secret.  I am a huge fan of edshelf.  Not only as a curation platform, but as a source of reviews, as a discovery tool, as a lens on the apps and tools other educators I respect are using, as an attractive dashboard for my stakeholders–with the added value of descriptions, tutorials and so much more. Other products do some of this well, but edshelf is one lovely, effective package.

I use it in professional development.  I use the variety of display options to embed shelves throughout my LibGuides, wikis, and sites.  It makes me a better librarian.

When Mike Lee wrote at the beginning of the month to tell me he was shutting down shop, I was devastated.

Over the past several months, he added nearly every app I asked him to add.  He graciously listened to every suggestion I made, even the crazy ones, and implemented most of them.  A man who is admittedly more interested in serving the education community than a financial ROI, Mike started the company to solve educators’ problems, 

When trouble hit, he offered to help me migrate and even went to the trouble of sending me files to ease the migration process.  He’d become a friend.

When friends are in trouble you try to help.

Frankly, over the years, I stood by as if it was a done deal when other platforms I loved disappeared, without bothering to ask how I might help.  I find myself far more connected to vendors and developers.

As connected educators, we now have ways to encourage and support the developers and the start-ups who are in this with us.

They are part of the team.

So I asked how I might help.  But I wasn’t the only fan/friend/teammate.  Alicia Leonard launched the #saveedshelf campaign on Twitter, others wrote wrote amazing blog posts, and buoyed by the support, Mike was persuaded to try a KickStarter Campaign.

Please read more about Mike, about edshelf, about the journey to #saveedshelf. Please consider supporting a tool that works for educators, parents and kids.