"As of today, Destiny Quest mobile app has been downloaded via Apple iOS (5,929) and Android (1,110), and this continues to grow."

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It’s been about two weeks now since we crossed the 25,000 signatures mark for the White House petition.  From ALA President Molly Raphael’s School Library Task Force to the ALA Think Tank on Facebook who bought ads on Facebook to the vendor community who sent out messages to all their customers to the librarians and their supporters who convinced their families to all sign the petition to the ALA divisions who helped pull in the entire library community to the other national organizations and associations that partner with AASL who spread the word through their websites and memberships as well, it truly was a team effort.   I think the reason we hit 25,000+ is because everyone worked together.

We now wait for the White House response.  There is no timeline given by the White House other than they will respond as quickly as is possible.  The response will be posted on the White House – We the People – website and everyone who signed the petition will receive the response via email.  There is no guarantee that the response will include any action from the White House.   However, the petition will help raise awareness of the issues facing school libraries today.

But, the petition is not a silver bullet.  As we work towards getting school libraries included in the reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, it will be important that we keep up the effort.  We need to be talking to Senators and Representatives, encouraging them to support the Skills Act.  On January 17, U.S. Representative Raul Grijalva (D-AZ, 7th), along with Representatives Rush Holt (D-NJ, 12th) and Lynn Woolsey (D-CA, 6th) introduced the Strengthening Kids’ Interest in Learning and Libraries (SKILLS) Act. The SKILLS Act, numbered H.R. 3776 in the House, is a companion bill of S. 1328 that was introduced in the Senate by Senators Jack Reed (D-RI) and Thad Cochran (R-MS) back on July 6, 2011.

The AASL Congressional Briefing in October, followed by the petition, have been great steps in advocating for school libraries at the Federal level.  But they are just steps in the journey.  We’ve not reach our destination, so we have to keep moving forward as we paint a picture for our legislators about what today’s school libraries can do for students and the importance for each and every student to have access to a quality school library program!

Carl is the librarian at North Elementary School in Noblesville, Indiana and the 2011-2012 President of the American Association of School Librarians.  He can be reached at carl@carl-harvey.com or @caharvey2 on Twitter.  He blogs at Library Ties.

On Jan. 4, 2012, I posted a new petition on the White House website requesting recognition and funding for school libraries in the reauthorization of the Elementary Secondary Education Act.

The link to the petition is here: http://wh.gov/Wgd

Here is where I need your help.  We have until Feb. 4, 2012 to get the 25,000 signatures needed to get a response from the White House.

First, please go and sign the petition yourself.  You’ll need to create an account if you don’t have one already.  A few people who have had trouble have suggested that changing to a different browser or different computer has helped.  Also try logging out and logging back in as well has helped.

Next, spread the word about the petition.  Use Twitter, Facebook, email, or any social network/communication method you have at your disposal.  We need to get the word out to as many people as we possibly can. 

It has to be more than the school library community that signs the petition.  Anyone over the age of 13 is qualified to sign the petition.  Teachers, parents, students, community members are all encouraged to sign the petition.  Contact your family and friends and ask them to sign as well.  This is a perfect opportunity to spread the word about school libraries by asking them to sign the petition.

We can’t wait or assume someone else is going to do this for us.  We have to take action for our programs and for the needs of our students.  This petition will help raise awareness to the White House that our country values school library programs.

Thank you for your support of the petition!

Carl is the librarian at North Elementary School in Noblesville, Indiana and the 2011-2012 President of the American Association of School Librarians.  He can be reached at carl@carl-harvey.com or @caharvey2 on Twitter.  He blogs at Library Ties.

"I love Destiny, I get to see the book covers and then find it in the library!" "Destiny Quest is beastly!" — 3rd and 4th Graders “Beastly” may not seem like a compliment, and these may not seem like the average accolades we get from our clients.   But these are the real, extraordinary comments of 3rd and 4th grade students from Solon Community School District in Iowa.

During the recent American Association of School Librarians conference, two employees from Follett Software met with Destiny® user and school librarian, Kathy Kaldenberg from Solon Community School District, Iowa.  Kathy extended an invitation for Follett Software to Skype (make a video call over the Internet) with her 3rd and 4th graders and discuss Destiny Quest™.

Of course we jumped at the opportunity.

It’s Elementary, Dear Follett

One-by-one each student walked up to the computer and asked their question.

“Where did the name Destiny Quest come from?”
” How many schools around the world have Destiny?"
“How do you get your ideas for Destiny?”

Not only did these savvy Destiny Quest users have questions about their products, they were also brimming with suggestions for new features: 

"Can we make our own Destiny Quest backgrounds?”
“Can we make our own themes for Destiny?”

As the questions continued to broadcast through our Internet Telephony connection, it occurred to us that perhaps we were viewing the future wave of developers at Follett Software.  In any event, we were enlightened and inspired by their candor and enthusiasm for Destiny Quest.

Learn more about their Skype experience with Follett Software by visiting their 4th Grade MC Blog.

K-12 Educators:  We Pose One Question to the Students in Your Classroom

If you could add a new feature to Destiny Quest, what would it be?  We’d love to hear from you with your students’ feedback.  Please let us know by commenting below.

Follett Software.

Destiny Quest is going mobile on December 19th.  The release of our Destiny Quest Mobile app for Apple and Android will give students, librarians, and teachers the ability to search and use their school library’s resources from their mobile device.

It’s All about Your Students' Experience
Today’s students are digital natives.   They want useful applications that are user-friendly and responsive to their needs. Destiny Quest Mobile app, contains some of the same look, feel, and functionality of Destiny Quest, which makes it a complimentary, unique user experience. 

On the ‘Main Screen’ students can access the information and resources they need with just one touch.  They can view their account information and content lists like My Bookshelf, Resource Lists, Top 10 titles to name a few.  Students can even begin to find resources through the Search bar.

Allow your Students to Search Your Local Library Resources with Ease
Using the Search function in the Destiny Quest Mobile app is as easy as physically searching for books in your local library.  Type a keyword query in the search bar, such as the popular book “Hunger Games”, and it will show targeted results via 4 unique searches – Library, WebPath Express, One Search, and Digital.

•    Library Tab - If you have the TitlePeek service it will show the cover of the book and title information such as book title, author, availability, and rating.

•    WebPath Express – Will deliver credible, safe and relevant web search results for accurate, grade-level approved results.

•Digital – If you have digital content, such as videos, they will populate under this tab.

•One Search – With just one search you’ll receive targeted results from multiple databases with multiple resources to use for your research. Free with Destiny 9.9 and higher.

These easy search functions in the Destiny Quest Mobile app make searching for library resources fun for students.

Your Learning Library Will Be Open 24/7

As long as your Destiny  library software platform is available on the web, your students will have 24/7 unlimited access to the resources in their library. Students can place holds on books, checkout Follett Library Resource eBooks, and soon be able to read them through the Follett Digital Reader app.

Get Ready, Get Set for the Destiny Quest Mobile App

With the upcoming release of our Destiny Quest Mobile App on December 19th, it is important to educate your students on how to use Destiny Quest.  We recommend that you give your students their own logins to Destiny and add access to Destiny through your District or school websites.  Learn more about the places students can go with Destiny Quest through Destiny customers who have shared their experiences.

Need to know more about Destiny and what it can do for your library?  Contact us today and we’ll be happy to explore Destiny with you.  If you’re already a Destiny library software customer, let us know what you think about making your library mobile by commenting below.

If you use Destiny you already know the huge assistance it provides in helping you with library automation, textbook management, and school asset management.  Destiny allows you to do more for your students quickly, efficiently, and with fewer resources.  With every new version our goal is to satisfy the evolving needs of our customers. If you are new to Follett Software and our solutions, we invite you to take a peek at what Destiny has to offer your school, library, and district.  Learn what our customers have to say about Destiny.

If you are a current Destiny customer, we want you to know that we have listened to your concerns, and are addressing your challenges by using your feedback to help guide product enhancements.  The newest result of this process is Destiny 10.0 coming to your customer portal December 19th.  This version includes customer suggested improvements to help you maximize your time and resources.

In Destiny 10.0 you’ll find district enhancements to support school-wide needs and maximize student learning and success.  These include:

•    BRAND NEW: A mobile app for convenient 24/7 library access.
•    Better Search results for Students.
•    Improved integration between eBooks and FollettShelf.
•    Increased Control over Destiny Quest Student social media comments.
•    A simple way to track funding.

Learn more about Destiny’s new features here.

In order to upgrade to Destiny 10.0 you’ll need to have the latest version, V9.9 of Destiny on December 19th.  If you need assistance upgrading your current Destiny version to 9.9, Follett Software is here to assist you.   Follett Software’s Implementation Services can perform the upgrades for you for a nominal fee. Visit destinyexpress.com for more information.

Save the date for the roll out of Destiny 10.0 on December 19th to help you improve your experience with Destiny.  If you aren’t a current Destiny customer, we’d be happy to explore what our software can do for your K-12 district.  We’d like you to learn more about us, and give us an opportunity to explore your needs and how we can help to resolve them.

Are you a Destiny user?  We invite you to share your experience with us by commenting below.

Follett Software

The Follett New Leaf in Learning Educational Technologies Conference provides plenty of opportunities for Librarians and K-12 Educators to connect, collaborate, and absorb 2 days worth of knowledge.  Attend  tracks designed to help you grow your classroom library connection.  Learn how to use technology to create innovative and effective methods for resource management.  Attend Pre-Conference training with tracks dedicated to Library Manager and E-Books to provide you with the instruction you need to get the most from your Follett Software investments. 

Invigorating conference tracks designed for library media specialists and librarians include Digital Innovation & Technologies and Next Generation Library.   View the following sample of our concurrent sessions and what you may find when you are at the New Leaf in Learning Conference:

Building a Learning Commons in Your School
Presenter:  David Loertscher, Hi Willow Research & Publishing
Track:  Next Generation Library

Want to move to the center of teaching and learning? Want to really be the hub of the school?  We invite you to attend this session with an open mind as we help you imagine a different approach to the physical space and the virtual space of the "old" library. We will look at what others have done,  review data , think, create,  and plot the way forward as we turn libraries into the most exciting learning spaces in the school.   Learn more here.

Two Libraries.... One Voice: Networked Libraries
Presenters: Shannon McClintock Miller, Iowa District John Schu, Brook Forest Elementary Teacher, IL
Track: Next Generation Library

Shannon McClintock Miller (Van Meter, Iowa District Teacher Librarian) and John Schu (Brook Forest Elementary Teacher Librarian) live over 300 miles apart but have connected their libraries, students, and school communities to each other over the last year.  Through social networking tools such as Skype, Twitter, and Google Docs, they have created rich experiences bringing literacy, technology, and amazing experiences to their students.   You will learn how they make this collaborative relationship work and how it ties into their curriculum, common core, state and AASL/ISTE standards.  Learn more here.

Overcoming Resistance to Teaching with Technology and Online Content Resources
Presenter: Mark Moran, Dulcinea Media
Track: Digital Innovation & Technologies

Discover how library media specialists can become a persuasive, supportive and indispensable resource to classroom teachers who might be reluctant to embrace online resources and educational technology. Mark Moran of Dulcinea Media will discuss a wide array of content resources, discovery tools and education technologies, and how many teachers are using them successfully in class.   Learn more here.

Meet and greet with recognized industry leaders.  Brian Kenney, Director of White Plains Public Library in White Plains, NY and former SLJ Editorial Director is speaking about school library partnerships in his session, “Getting Serious:  Taking the School- Public Library Partnership to the Next Level .  Meet Tiffany Whitehead, Teacher-Librarian and Central Community School System, and Tamara Cox, who will discuss what it means to be a Next Generation Librarian and what you can do to get there.
All Pre-Conference Training and Concurrent Sessions have been posted online at newleafinlearning.com.  Register before December 16th for Early Bird Registration rates.

We hope to see you in March so we can connect, collaborate, innovate and grow.

Follett Software

If you are unfamiliar with Destiny Quest, it is a library search interface for K-12 students.  Destiny Quest provides an online searching experience for students to:

•    See the top 10 books and new arrival titles
•    Search the library connection
•    Browse the scrolling carousel of bookshelves
•    View book covers
•    Link to details from any computer with an internet connection.

One of the sweetest features of Destiny Quest is the ability for students to share and post reviews, promoting safe social networking.  It is a K-12 student-friendly searching interface included with Destiny Library Manager, the comprehensive, award-winning K-12 library automation solution with familiar web-based technology that students embrace.

We scoured the Internet to see what Destiny Quest users are saying.  Here’s a few finds from our trip around the Web:

Top 10 Reasons for Giving your Students a login to Destiny Quest
Our first item is a blog post from Pine Glen Library and Technology’s Blog about the use of Destiny Quest in their school.  This post discusses why students should be given their own logins to Destiny Quest .  Above all reasons reasons echo this message:  “Students are excited about books and love using the library”.

Review:  Destiny Quest
This blog post is from Kristina Weber whose school recently rolled out Destiny Quest to the nearly 1100 students who visit their library.  It turns out that students are buzzing about Destiny Quest and all its cool social features.  As a result, their holds are increasing, their unnoticed materials are getting face time, and students are feeling more independent in their library searches.  Weber also makes some recommendations and observations for improvement of Destiny Quest.  We appreciate her feedback.

Branching Out
We were thrilled to learn from Tara, an ES Librarian, International School Bangkok, in Thailand in her blog post, about the book reviews these students were writing in Destiny Quest.  Click here to see the visual corkboard of their unsolicited literary critiques.  Thanks for sharing Tara.

We enjoy learning about the ways that students are using Destiny Quest and will continue to share these Destiny Quest journeys periodically on our Library Connections blog.  If you have a story to share please provide it in the comments below.  We would love to hear from you.

Follett Software.

The New Leaf in Learning Conference, March 21-23 in Schaumburg, Illinois focuses on bringing K-12 educators together to learn and share ways in which technology can be instrumental in achieving their goals.  This premier educational technology conference includes 40 sessions on your most requested topics, including mobile and digital learning, funding, social media, eBooks, engagement, product-based learning and much more.

Follett believes in professional development that allows education professionals to explore and strengthen skills in their education practices.   The New Leaf in Learning Scholarship program provides educators in all roles at the school or district with the opportunity to win full or partial funding and to attend the Follett Conference. 

Follett is providing an opportunity for five K-12 educators to win a free conference registration, hotel and travel coverage through our New Leaf in Learning Scholarship Program.  An additional 10 K-12 educators will have the opportunity to win partial scholarships (free base registrations).

 It’s easy to enter.  Go to the Educational Technology Conference Scholarship Information Page and read the overview.  On the next page you will be asked to review the description of topics to write about.  You will be able to choose from Administration and Leadership, Curriculum and Instruction, Digital Innovations and Technologies, Next Generation Librarian, and Follett Solutions. 

Your entry will allow you to share your success story and showcase how you have used technology, resources, or strategies to turn over a new leaf in learning and impact student achievement.  The submission period will close and the winners of the New Leaf in Learning Scholarship Program will be announced December 9, 2011. 

Please share this opportunity with your fellow educators.  Like the New Leaf in Learning Conference on Facebook for updates and news of the winners when they are announced.

Don’t miss this opportunity to share your story and a chance to be a winning entry in the New Leaf in Learning Scholarship Program.

Follett Corporation

Follett Software is excited to announce the last 12 winners of the LMC@ The Forefront Webinar Giveaway.  These winners will be able to learn from educational innovators via the convenience of webinars.

Congratulations to these winners: 

• Jessica Wismar
• Meredith Reed
• Andree Anderberg
• Lisa O'Neil
• Kevan Hagen
• Cathy Grochowski
• Mary McCarthy
•  Angie Wells
• Jackie Bennett
• Nancy Gaiewski
•  Debbie Fisher
•  Shelley Avarista

Thanks to all of you who entered the giveaway.  Watch for our Spring Giveaway by following us on Twitter or Facebook.

Follett Software