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10 Ontario School Library association T h e c o n n e c te d L ib r a r ia n S an dr a Z ie m ni ak T L She's reliable, reasonable, rich in experience... and always right! The theme of this issue of The Teaching Librarian is Celebrate @ your library. The school library has been described as the very core of the school, the hub, a veritable hive of excitement where teachers and students alike come to meet, learn, relax, read, and broaden their horizons. That makes the library a perfect place for celebrations! You can celebrate everything from the books you offer to the people who shelve them. So many things can be worthy of a good old-fashioned celebration: people, places, events, or even your very own programming! Go ahead--think outside the box, no doubt you'll find that libraries are full of reasons to celebrate. And with the help of technology only a click away, we now have even greater access to fantastic ideas, useful resources, and diverse programming sites. To get you headed in the right direction, check out some of the links below. And don't forget, any good celebration really does deserve cake … hmmm … you might just have to bend that "no food in the library" rule! Happy celebrating! celebrate Your Volunteers Volunteer Canada is a great website dedicated to the advocacy of volunteerism. This particular link showcases in creative ways how to recognize and celebrate your library volunteers for all their time and hard work. Ideas range from giving volunteers a small box of raisins accompanied by the saying, "Thanks for raisin all those funds for the library!" to including a personalized "thank you" in the school newsletter. http://volunteer.ca/en/volcan/vol-management/ hints celebrate canada Why not celebrate this wonderful country we call home by showcasing information on upcoming cultural events? Canadian Heritage Canada has a wonderful website promoting awareness and participation in cultural events from coast to coast. Follow the link below and click on the "Calendar of Events" tab on the right side of the page for monthly events, such as Asian Heritage Month in May or Tourism Week in June. http://www.canadianheritage.gc.ca/index-eng.cfm Depending on your school calendar, you might also be interested in applying for funding from the Canadian Heritage site to host your own cultural celebration. The deadline for this year has passed, but if you are thinking of applying in the future, information on the application process can be found at http://www.canadianheritage.gc.ca/special/canada/ invittn/103-eng.cfm celebrate with Presents What is a celebration without presents? If it is in the budget, you can purchase all sorts of cool gifts imprinted with your library's logo at one of Canada's largest promotional stores, 4imprint Canada. Checkout their "Sales and Closeouts" section for really good deals on everything from pens to tote bags. What a great way to introduce your library to parents or new teachers or say thank you to your library volunteers! http://www.4imprint.ca/ celebrate "curiosity Day" in the elementary classroom No one is more curious than Curious George! Now you can celebrate "Curiosity Day" in your classroom with free Curious George resources from the Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Follow the link below to download the Curiosity Day Kit containing lesson plans, colouring sheets, and more. http://www.houghtonmifflinbooks.com/features/ cgsite/ celebrate "ideas" in the Secondary classroom Many high school students think that if it isn't on the Internet, then it isn't really that important. While this statement is certainly untrue, the Internet definitely has a broad appeal to many of our students, and in some cases can offer up-to-the-minute coverage and cutting- edge discussion on a wide variety of contemporary topics. TED (Technology, Entertainment, Design) is a non-profit website dedicated to offering "Ideas Worth Spreading." One of the great features of this site is that much of what is offered is free (thanks to a creative commons agreement), so students have access to a wealth of "YouTube"-type videos that they will love to incorporate into their school presentations. http://www.ted.com/ celebrate Your Favourite Teacher-Librarian! Do you know an outstanding teacher-librarian? Someone who works hard to offer innovative programming, foster collaborative planning, and nurture a love of learning? Why not nominate them for an award? The Ontario Library Association has several awards ranging from a Distinguished Service Award to a Media and Communications Award. In addition, OSLA offers a Teacher-Librarian of the Year Award. Access the link below for more information: http://accessola .com/ola/bins/content_page. asp?cid=130 celebrate OLa's Forest of reading And don't forget to celebrate the love of reading and Canadian Authors with the Ontario Library Associations' Forest of Reading program. For the latest scoop on all the Forest of Reading festival activities visit: http://www.accessola.com/ola/bins/content_page. asp?cid=92 z