#Aa library technology software

Added extrasīook reviews are, of course, a great way of encouraging readers to pick up a title they might not otherwise have considered – and turning a review into a word cloud (which you can do very simply online) can increase the likelihood of that happening, by reducing the number of words, adding colour and varying the font size, thus giving pupils an appealing and accessible first taste of the book that’s being written about.Ĭanva is another great piece of tech – it’s an online graphic design tool that creates amazing posters and bookmarks, really easily. The strength with book apps is how they allow the child to interact independently and have fun so whilst they don’t work as a whole class read, for initiating a love of literature they can be fantastic.

(Morris Lessmore has also been made into a short film, which is equally delightful, and opens up further learning opportunities). With both of these, the reader has to participate in the story to move it on, and they are well put together in terms of graphics and plot development. Two of my personal favourites for the primary age range are The Monster at the End of this Book by Sesame Street, and The Fantastic Flying Books of Morris Lessmore. I know of families who listen to an audio book over dinner and then discuss it together, which can be an incredibly influential, enabling everyone to get involved and now that audio streaming sites and e-audio lending are available it’s a great way for any library to encourage that extra family participation in reading.īook apps are another brilliant way of engaging children – especially those who might think of themselves as ‘reluctant readers’. Again, tech can come to the rescue.įor example, audio books are a powerful way to spark interest, and can help reduce cultural barriers to reading. Breaking barriersīut however keen pupils are, the fact remains that if they face barriers to literacy that aren’t being addressed they are going to struggle meaningfully to participate in a reading culture. Moreover, this sophisticated technology is a huge temptation for another important element of any primary school library – in that it can encourage children to get involved as pupil helpers, which is a great thing. Modern LMS offerings both reduce barriers (such as time spent looking for resources), and increase engagement. Some have integrated Attitude to Reading surveys, single search functions across all resources and reading trackers, and may even be used for uploading and holding school made documents as well.

#Aa library technology software

Most libraries would struggle these days without up to date Library Management Software (or LMS in library speak) keeping track of thousands of resources, group reads, additional worksheets and all the borrowers just isn’t possible in most school libraries without one – and many LMS systems do much more than this, too. Technology can be a helpful tool for all of these areas. School librarians seek to do three main things in their day to day jobs: increase engagement from pupils reduce barriers to learning and support teachers. As everyone who’s worked in them knows, libraries are far from being dust-filled retreats for people who refuse to give up scrolls and their beloved, ancient index cataloguing systems at their best, they are hubs of energy and inspiration – often using the latest technological developments to remain so.