Teach your library service students online

As part of my graduate work at Fresno Pacific University, I have been developing an online library service course. This course is a series of ten lessons that combines a total of thirty assignments. I have developed it in Moodle and it is a work in progress.

The interesting thing for me is that I will be offering it to my district for adoption for all of our secondary schools. Unlike in the past, where all of our schools are doing different things, we now offer some of the same resources, use the same circulation system, and are purchasing some of the materials.

Because my district does not currently have access to Moodle or Blackboard, FPU has agreed to host it for the time being. Yet one more reason to respect what is going on over there! I am awaiting a response from the district as we speak.

I presented it to my class today and one student suggested that I consider submitting a presentation for CSLA next year and show others how to create a course like this one. Hard to think that far in advance, but it is an idea.

Thank those who support you!

I had the opportunity to speak at the Fresno Unified School District Board meeting last night. A group of FUSD TLs were there to thank the school board for providing increased funding for our libraries. Since some have asked, I said this:


My name is Tom Nixon and I am the Teacher Librarian at Tehipite Middle School. I am also the Northern Section Region 3 representative for the California School Library Association. This past weekend I was at a board meeting for that organization and I had the pleasure to tell them that:

In Fresno Unified, teacher librarians are valued for their expertise and are supported by the district administration;

In Fresno Unified, the school board and the superintendent understand that there is a research connection that shows that students with higher test scores come from schools with strong library programs;

In Fresno Unified, the school board and the superintendent get the strong connection between literacy, successful library programs, and having credentialed teacher librarians in charge of those programs;

In Fresno Unified, unlike other parts of the state, that funding for libraries and teacher librarians is steady and that it is a priority of the school board and the superintendent.

This does not happen by accident. Clearly, it is due to the work of the board, of Mr. Hanson, and of our director of school libraries, Karen Tozlian.

On behalf of my colleagues, I thank you for your hard work and for your continued support.