KASL

Kansas History Sites

If you've never toured the home of William Allen White in Emporia, summer is a great time to do it. They've just added Sunday afternoon to their schedule.

If you teach Kansas history or use the WAW lists (hopefully that's all of you who work in grades 3-8!), you owe it yourself to tour Mr. White's home and sit on his lovely porch.  
Here are the hours:

New Hours at the W.A. White State Historic Site:
9:30 a.m. - 5 p.m. Wednesday - Saturday

1 - 5 p.m. Sunday

Last tour begins at 4:30 p.m.

$3 adults; $1 students; KSHS, Inc., members and children five and under admitted free

927 Exchange St., Emporia.

I took my thirteen year old niece on a KS History trip in June. We went to Leavenworth, Atchison (for Earhart's house), Topeka (KS History Museum) and WAW's house in Emporia.

Maybe others can recommend good summer "local" trips for teachers/librarians...we know the learning doesn't end when school's out.

Best wishes~

Beverley Buller

Summer Institute

Dear Kansas School Librarians,

I thoroughly enjoyed participating in your Summer Institute. It was a pleasure to share the program with Beverley, Sharon, and Nancy. Thank you to Dr. Dow and the Committee for inviting me.

I want to follow up with a couple of links that may help you incorporate teaching reading comprehension strategies into your teaching repertoires.

Here's a link to the standards/strategies alignment matrix: http://storytrail.com/Impact/matrix.htm

This is where you'll find additional support for teaching the lessons found in my current book:  http://storytrail.com/Impact/how_to.htm

And here's the link to the downloadable bookmarks, graphic organizers, rubrics, teacher resources, and more, housed on the ALA Editions Web site: http://tinyurl.com/impact-g-o

Note: The link in the book itself is incorrect because ALA recently reorganized their Web site. Ugh!

If you are interested in online literature circles using wiki technology, here's the link to the year-long classroom-library collaboration I cofacilitated with Jennifer Hunt and her 8th-grade Pre-AP language arts students at Emily Gray Junior High in 2008-2009: http://wandawiki.wikispaces.com/ The students created their most evolved Web 2.0 work in the Jacqueline Woodson Author Study lit circles: http://wandawiki.wikispaces.com/Woodson+Author+Study

If there's any additional way I can support your work, or if you have further questions, please don't hesitate to contact me at:  info@storytrail.com

Thank you again for a great learning experience and your fine Kansan hospitality.

All the best,

Judi

Judi Moreillon, M.L.S., Ph.D.
Assistant Professor, School of Library and Information Studies
Texas Woman's University, Denton, TX
Author: Collaborative Strategies for Teaching Reading Comprehension: Maximizing Your Impact
http://storytrail.com
info@storytrail.com

Tribute to Don Coldsmith

Kansas literary great Don Coldsmith has died at 83:

http://emporiagazette.com/news/2009/jun/26/acclaimed_author_don_coldsmith_dies/ 

The Kansas Center for the Book nominated Dr Coldsmith for the MPLA Literary Contribution Award earlier this year; he was presented with that award at the joint MPLA/KLA conference in Wichita on April 2.

An overview of Dr Coldsmith's literary career and a bibliography of his works (prepared by Megan Schulz at the State Library for his MPLA award nomination) follows.

Rest in peace, Don Coldsmith.

Rhonda Machlan

State Library of Kansas

300 SW 10th Rm 343

Topeka KS  66612-1593

rmachlan@kslib.info 

http://www.kslib.info 

Don Coldsmith: MPLA Literary Contribution Award Nomination

Don Coldsmith was born, raised and still lives in Kansas, just outside of Emporia on a farm. He began his writing career in the 1960’s mostly writing articles for horse magazines and “some medical, non-technical stuff”.  He has had a self-syndicated weekly newspaper column in various Kansas newspapers including the Emporia Gazette for about 35 years, since the early 1970’s. But what Don Coldsmith is best known for both inside and outside of the Kansas community is for his fiction. His fiction writing career began in the 1970’s during his time in the practice of medicine. Today he is the widest published living Kansas author. Topics of writing include: Historical fiction with Western and Indian themes - focuses on the Indians of the Great Plains from the time of first contact with Europeans.    

Denise Low, Kansas Poet Laureate on Don Coldsmith: “His work is important to Kansans and Midwesterners because he really shows the sweep of geography from Colorado Springs and the Rockies east to the Marais des Cygnes and from the Platt down into northern Oklahoma so you really get a sense of this region and there is not much literature in the country or the world based on that geographic region.” KTWU Sunflower Journeys 1712A - Don Coldsmith, Produced by Bill Shaffer.

Don Coldsmith: “My goal has always been that I would write historically accurate enough that nobody can prove it didn't happen. I don't claim that it did. I claim it could have and I defy anybody to prove it didn't and I think it's intellectually dishonest to distort history and so I'm just not going to do it.” KTWU Sunflower Journeys 1712A - Don Coldsmith, Produced by Bill Shaffer.

o   Misc. information

o   45 books published, 1600 newspaper columns, and over 150 magazine articles

o        More than 6 million copies in print, as well as editions in German, French and Spanish

o        Speaker/Lecturer/Educator (especially on topics dealing with the Great Plains and the American West)

o   Professor - Emporia State University

o   Member of the Speakers’ Bureau for the Kansas Humanities Council

o   Speaker at Kansas Library Tri-Conference (1998)

o   Presenter at the 2006 and 2007 Kansas Book Festivals

o        Western Writers of America - “To promote the literature of the American West,” WWA actively helps its members promote their books and articles, and aggressively promotes the literature of the American West, which it considers this country's unique contribution to world literature

o   Past President of the Western Writers of America -  (1983-1984)

o   Spur Award recipient (6-time finalist) - “Distinguished writing about the American West” (1990)

o        Owen Wister Award - “Lifetime Achievement” in Western history and literature (2003)

o   Native Sons and Daughters of Kansas

o        Distinguished Kansan - “Selection criteria: significant contribution to Kansas and to the history of Kansas, role model and/or mentor who has made exceptional contribution to our Kansas heritage, created an awareness of his/her field of expertise or has created an impact through his/her participation” (1993)

o   Friends of the Library, Kansas City, Kansas Public Library

o        Edgar Wolfe Literary Award - “selects local or regional writers who remain true to the ideals of integrity and creative excellence taught by Edgar Wolfe” (1995)

o   Book of the Month Club

o   1997 selection

o   Doubleday Book Club

o   1997 selection

o        Writers Hall of Fame of America - Founded to foster an interest in writing among people of all ages; recognizes those who made a major contribution to writing, stimulates interest in writing among young people, and promotes lifelong writing

o        Inducted into the Writers Hall of Fame of America- “recognizes writers who have made significant contributions to the art we celebrate” (2000)

o   Listed among the twenty most important writers of the 20^th Century by his fellow professional writers that same year

o   Kansas Authors Club

o        William Allen White Award - “for his contributions to the literary heritage of Kansas” (2004)

o   True West Magazine – “Relates our history back to the present day, to show readers the important role our heritage plays in keeping spirit of the West alive during our everyday travels and adventures out West”. The magazine is the oldest, continuously published Western Americana publication in the world.                                                                                    

o   Voted the “Best Living Western Historical Novelist” (2004)                                            

Spanish Bit Saga

1. Trail of the Spanish Bit (1980)
2. Elk Dog Heritage (1982)
3. Follow the Wind (1983)
4. Buffalo Medicine (1981)
5. Man of the Shadows (1983)
6. Daughter of the Eagle (1984)
7. Moon of Thunder (1985)
8. Sacred Hills (1985)
9. Pale Star (1986)
10. River of Swans (1986)
11. Return to the River (1987)
12. Medicine Knife (1988)
13. Flower in the Mountains (1988)
14. Trail from Taos (1989)
15. Song of the Rock (1989)
16. Fort de Chastaigne (1990)
17. Quest for the White Bull (1990)
18. Return of the Spanish (1991)
19. Bride of the Morning Star (1991)
20. Walks in the Sun (1992)
21. Thunderstick (1993)
22. Track of the Bear (1994)
23. Child of the Dead (1995)
24. Bearer of the Pipe (1995)
25. Medicine Hat (1998)
26. Lost Band (2000)
27. Raven Mocker (2001)
28. Pipestone Quest (2004)

Super Editions

1.     Changing Wind (1991)

2.     Traveler (1991)

3.     World of Silence (1992)

Great Plains Saga

1. Tallgrass (1997)
2. Southwind (1998)

Rivers West Series

1.     Smoky Hill (1989)

Non-Fiction

1. Horsin' Around (1975)
2. Horsin' Around Again (1981)
3. Still Horsin' Around (2004)

General Fiction

1. Runestone (1995)
2. Long Journey Home (2002)

Short Stories (Anthologies)

1. “The Guardians”, in American West (2000)
2. “A Fresh Start”, in Stagecoach (2003)
3. “First Horse”, in Westward (2003)
4. “To Shoe a Horse”, in Lost Trails (2009)

Council Meeting on July 31

When: Friday, July 31, 2009

Where: Salina KS Trinity Methodist Church

We will have our first council meeting on July 31st.  From 8 to 10, we will have committee meetings, district director/asst director planning meeting, and an executive board meeting.  At 10:00, we will start the council meeting.  I will send out an agenda on July 15th.  There will be some breakfast items provided and for $8.00 you can buy lunch (Taco Salad - make your own, fruit and a light dessert).  I am needing a KRA liaison, ass't treasurer, parliamentarian, and Advocacy Committee chair.  I will be putting out something on the list serve about these.  If you would like to change positions, let me know.  If you are a committee chair and need to have a meeting, please let me know how many of your committee members will be attending and if they want lunch.

Barb Bahm

KASL President

Seth Godin Quote

Books are the best information value in the universe. Still. 

Seth Godin 

Author, Blogger & Founder of Squidoo

EasyBib

You are all familiar with the Citation Generators on the web. Personally, I think they are one of the very best things about the web! EasyBib is one of the best and I thought some of you might be interested in the information they have posted at their Teacher and Librarian Center. 

KSDE Update

KSDE will begin a Lexile Framework for Reading Initiative August 1. While library media specialists are already intimately acquainted with the lexile framework and use it effectively with students, teachers, and parents, KSDE intends to begin actively promoting it in tandem with reading assessment results. Check out Lexile's Find a Book site to develop individualized reading lists and notice how other states are using lexiles:  Oregon, Virginia. Many school library catalogs include lexile information with book records and now might be a good time to promote what you do with the Lexile Framework to your teachers and administration.  

Lexile Map

Jackie Lakin also announced that in the fall, the Kansas Learning First Alliance plans to develop a dvd recording responses by different groups to Shift Happens to promote 21st Century Skills. 

You will be hearing more about both of these projects.

Kan-ed Update

Later in the summer, Kan-ed plans to offer free training on distance learning and is currently developing a listserve as well as a web portal so that everything connected to Kan-ed is in one place. The Training/Tutorials link includes training videos and tutorials for Kan-ed services from Backpack to Test Builder.  

Keep supporting Senate Bill 285 for an additional two years of Kan-ed funding.

Interlibrary Loan Courier

Two-hundred and ten libraries have signed up for the Interlibrary Loan Courier service which will be provided by Henry Industries Courier Networks of Wichita. The target implementation date is July 6.

If you do a certain amount of volume in ILL transactions, the courier is definitely worth investigating. We plan to use the public library as a drop off and pick up point, and right now anticipate that it will save the district about 3/4 of the postage costs from last year. Even if it is more sensible in your situation to serve as your own drop off and pick up point, with the rise in postage costs, the courier might be a cost- efficient alternative.

Contact your Regional Library System for more specific information.

Martha House

Council Grove High School

State Librarian Search

The search for a new State Librarian is on, with the idea that the interview process may begin in September. Then the Search Committee makes a recommendation to the governor and if the offer is accepted, a background check is conducted. Then the candidate goes before the Senate Committee in January of 2010 and if approved, the candidate is voted on and confirmed by the full Senate. Realistically, it will be February 2010 before a new State Librarian is instated. In the meantime, Marc Galbraith is serving as interim State Librarian.