OELMA-Wickline

On Thursday October 14, 2011 I attended the OELMA convention in Columbus, Ohio. I was able to to attend the annual OELMA meeting first thing in the morning, sit in on the keynote speaker's session and attend five other sessions throughout the day. Each session time slot was 45 minutes in length, and provided 9 to 10 topic options. The topics ranged in content from creating a fun library environment to concerns facing today's librarians, and everything in-between. I attended the keynote session //Scoring High// presented by Jamie McKenzie, //Libraries of the Future// also presented by McKenzie, //Discovery Portal-What Can it do for You// - Stephanie Newsom, //eBooks and eReaders: How will this effect my Library?// - Angie Stitzel, //Elf Your Library// - Tim DeFrange and //Exploring Disabilities in Children's Literature// - Nancy Boone.

The two sessions I learned the most in were the //Discovery Portal - What Can it do for You// and //Exploring Disabilities in Children's Literature//.

Summary of //Discovery Portal - What Can it do for You:// During this session the emphasis was on INFOhios Discovery Portal. Until this session I did not have an understanding of what the Discovery Portal was and how to utilize it with students, and explain its importance to teachers. The Portal provides grade level electronic resources that can be used to enhance lessons and strengthen a students understanding of a topic. The resources are found by utilizing the single search portal containing thousands of preselected educational sites and resources. The content is organized by general interest and then can be refined to meet specific curriculum needs. The resources can be used with students, parents and teachers in school or at home. Some of the features for students include educational games for language, reading and math development in the primary grades and a more detailed approach to learning all the curriculum areas in the older grades. Teachers can pre- and post-assess a students understanding of the content, which helps when individualizing each students education. Parents can use the Portal to assist with homework or to educate themselves on topics facing students today. The presenter demonstrated how she uses the Discovery Portal with each grade level within her building. It is a program I will use with students while in the library to assure they are being exposed to resources that will benefit them educationally. I will also encourage teachers and parents to use the Portal to assist students with learning of content and developing the skills needed to become successful learners.

Summary of //Exploring Disabilities in Children's Literature:// The session on disabilities and children's literature was interesting. It provided the background into ways children's literature can be used successfully to create awareness about various disabilities students are facing. The presenter also discussed how to positively use the materials as bibliotherapy for students living with these challenges. A step by step evaluation process to use when selecting material that is appropriate and educational was reviewed and provided for those attending the session. There were things mentioned that I had never thought of when selecting a books on topics related to disabilities. It is important to cover all disabilities when selecting titles and using them with students. Isolating a students differences is not what literature of this genre is supposed to do, it is supposed to bring about acceptance and awareness. A source that was suggested when evaluating books related to disabilities was the site Circle of Inclusion. There were also discussions about award winning books related to disabilities and how the award selection process and requirements for winners.

Over all the experience of attending OELMA was positive. The hot topics this year seem to be related to INFOhio, eBooks and digital resources and applications that can be used by the library and students to promote skills for future success. The vendors were mainly publishers and database providers that were there to promote the newest trends and materials from their companies. This was educational and I was able to see first hand how many choices are out there. It would have been nice to attend all the presentations and it was difficult to narrow down what to see. I was glad I was able to go to the convention and I now have some background into what to expect at future events.

Shari Wickline

The Discovery Portal sounds like a wonderful resource. Is it a subscription database, offered through INFOhio or free? During my own introduction to children's literature this quarter I did not come across many books that featured children with disabilities. The most common were sight and hearing impariment. I am interested in checking out Circle of Inclusion to find more titles to include in my collection.

Tara