Final Thoughts: New Beginnings

As LIBE 465 comes to an end and we wrap up the course with presentations, I am so encouraged by the type of learning that has occurred. As teachers, we all hope to create experiences that engage or students, push them, and result in meaningful, relevant learning. Watching fellow teachers present on how they have transformed both physical and virtual library spaces to improve user access has been really inspirational and left me with more ideas of how I can continue developing the project I began in this class. Some ideas I gleaned from the presentations and hope to incorporate into my web page include:

• linking the library homepage to the local public library web site
• incorporating a space for student reviews
• using Xtranormal videos to introduce librarytopics
• providing links to free online graphic novels 
• posting a new book slide-show
• linking to teacher blogs

I also felt very challenged by our class discussion of the David Walbert's Best Practices in Library Design to continue exploring what factors constitute a strong virtual library space. Exploring his article led me to an interesting slide share, Using your LibraryWebsite in Instruction, that has provoked me to begin viewing my web page as an instructional tool, which certainly will influence my future selection of resources for this space. This slide share ends with a lengthy list of resources that look very helpful in helping me find ways to improve the library web page; some more fun summer reading to do after the course ends. But so it should be with learning- inquiry should lead to more inquiry- the process is cyclical not linear!