Authors Steve Sheinkin and Julie Cummins are keynote speakers at this year’s Summer Symposium on Tuesday, Aug. 5, in the Kent Student Center. The symposium is sponsored by the Kent State University School of Library and Information Science and the Northeast Ohio Regional Library System (NEO-RLS).
Educational sessions include Common Core Apps, Weeding Non-Fiction and eBooks, Research as Detective Work (presented by Steve Sheinkin), and Emerging Technologies. Updates on the latest children’s and young adult titles will also be featured.
Sheinkin and Cummins will sign copies of their latest books during the lunch break. (The Kent State University Bookstore will have books for sale.) In addition to the keynote authors, symposium participants will have a chance to meet award-winning author Angela Johnson. She will sign copies of her latest book, All Different Now: Juneteenth, the First Day of Freedom, and immediately following the symposium, guests are invited to a reception to celebrate the book’s release.
The symposium takes place from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Aug. 5, with concurrent sessions held in the Kent Student Center Governance Chambers. Cost to attend is $75. Registration opens at 8:30 a.m.
Opening Keynote
Steve Sheinkin's 2012 title Bomb: The Race To Build and Steal The World's Most Dangerous Weapon, received a Newbery Honor Award, the Sibert Medal, the YALSA Award for Excellence in Nonfiction for Young Adults, and was a finalist for the National Book Award. His book The Notorious Benedict Arnold won both the YALSA Award for Excellence in Nonfiction and the Boston Globe/Horn Book Award for nonfiction. His most recent titles are Lincoln's Grave Robbers, a true-crime thriller, and El Iluminado, a graphic novel written with Ilan Stavans.
Morning Breakout Sessions
Children's Literature Update
Presented by Carolyn S. Brodie, Ph.D., Kent State SLIS, and Sue McCleaf Nespeca, KidLit Plus Consulting
An update on the latest and greatest K-6 literature that is available to school librarians.
Common Core Apps
Presented by Meghan Harper, Ph.D., and Marianne Martens, Ph.D., Kent State SLIS
A brief talk about the Common Core and some helpful apps to support it. This session will include hands-on iPad activities. (iPads will be provided.)
Almost Everything Librarians Need to Know about INFOhio and Education in Ohio
Presented by Paula Deal, INFOhio
What do all types of librarians need to know about Ohio’s New Learning Standards and upcoming student assessments, early literacy and career and college readiness? INFOhio has the information and the resources.
Research as Detective Work
Presented by Steve Sheinkin
"Often during school visits, while I'm describing the labor intensive process of finding and researching stories for my books, a student will say, 'So, you do homework for a living?' I’ve learned to counter the charge by telling students that what I do is really more like detective work. In this workshop, I'll go through the step-by-step process I use to research stories, and try to make the case that the process of researching a true story is very similar to that of following clues to solve a mystery."
Lunch Break
Book signing with Steve Sheinkin, Julie Cummins and Angela Johnson
Afternoon Breakout Sessions
Young Adult Literature Update
Presented by Christina Getrost, Stow-Munroe Falls Public Library, and Mary Anne Nichols, Kent State SLIS
An update on the latest and greatest young adult (grades 7-12) literature that is available to school librarians.
Weeding Non-Fiction and eBooks: Yes, You Can, and Yes, You SHOULD!
Presented by Belinda Boon, Ph.D., Kent State SLIS
We all know weeding is necessary to maintain up-to-date and useful collections, but how much is “too much," especially when budgets are tight (or non-existent)? And how does one even begin to weed e-materials? This session offers practical tips for weeding specific Dewey categories and highlights the issues involved with weeding e-books.
Common Core Apps
Presented by Meghan Harper, Ph.D., and Marianne Martens, Ph.D., Kent State SLIS
A brief talk about the Common Core and some helpful apps to support it. This session will include hands-on iPad activities. (iPads will be provided.)
Closing Session
Emerging Technologies
Presented by Holly Klingler, Emerging Technologies Librarian, NEO-RLS
Looking for info on the latest techno-trends for teachers, schools, students, and patrons, but don't want to be overwhelmed by too many techie details? Join Holly Klingler for a discussion and a friendly show and tell program where you can learn about what's in and what's out in the world of technology.
Closing Keynote
Julie Cummins is a published author of children's books, including The Inside-outside Book of Libraries, Country Kid, City Kid, Tomboy of the Air: Daredevil Pilot Blanche Stuart Scott, and more recently, Women Explorers and Flying Solo.
Reception
Celebrate the launch of Angela Johnson's new book, All Different Now: Juneteenth, the First Day of Freedom, with cake and punch in the Marantz Picturebook Collection room in the School of Library and Information Science.
