Oh, Tannenbuch... Or the Evolution of a Book Tree

Making a book tree is not a new thing.  We saw it on a twitter or scoop.it or instagram posting somewhere and decided to give it a try in 2012.  It has now become a tradition to which the students anticipate; they begin asking us about it in mid-November.

Here in Germany, the Christmas tree is called a Tannenbaum.  Since ours is made of books, it has affectionately become our Tannenbuch.  

The first year we built it on a pallet and added a helium balloon star.  It wasn't very tall, very stable, nor very pretty. But it was a hit. And those are actual library book gifts around the base.  (See this post for the details.)

After studying photos of other book trees online, we were more purposefully in our construction and decided to build a "green" tree the next year.  It was quite fun to pull all the green books - far more fun to pull than to reshelve them later.

Year three saw the addition of a little red and a base made of old encyclopedias.

This year we added a little blue for our school colors and built it a little taller.  We have begun housing unused textbooks in the library, and our anti-lumberjack (the name we have for the assistant who builds the tree each year) found that having a surplus of thick, uniform books made construction simpler and more stable. 

No one remembers why, but our tree has become an exercise in estimation.  Students of all grades, as well as staff, are each allowed one educated guess at the number of books used. Prizes have varied from books to movie cards to book fair vouchers. We have done this since year one - but that year we could not give the prizes until we returned from vacation, dismantled the tree, and counted the books.  The next year we grew wiser.  

We now have a patron named Christmas Tree, and every book used in construction is scanned out to Tree.  This method provides an accurate count of books (without actually counting, and marks all of Tree's books as unavailable so we no longer scour the room looking for a book that turns out to be the cornerstone.

Our tree started at one end of the library in 2012 and has moved its way, a little each year, across our space to its present location, right next to the front door.  

So I have to wonder, where will we put it next year?

Baby Steps to creating a Makerspace in the Library

Makerspaces in Your Library

When I entered Fields Elementary Library, it was traditional in every way.  Slowly, I have worked to make it a learning space, one where I can share technology and create a community of shared learning. Gone are the days that the library is just a place to check in and check out books.  Since McAllen ISD is a 1:1 district, I am thrilled to see the potential every student has in this space. 

When I interviewed a month ago for this library position, my principal asked what my vision was for the library.  I told her I envisioned a makerspace, one with a 3D printer, Lego Mind Storm sets, robots, and the opportunity for student's imagination to unfold.  That is a tall order when you have a small budget, but she had access to some grant funds that may

make that 3D printer materialize along with other tech gadgets. So, until then, I am starting out small.  It begins with creating a designated space with the potential to grow.  

The exciting part of this whole concept is that the library holds the potential for collaboration between students in other parts of the country or world.  Imagine students from one makerspace to another makerspace via Skype in Education or Google Connected Classrooms.  What if students worked with other students to solve problems together or create models together within their respective maker spaces?  The video below shows how one public library group is doing in their makerspaces via Google Hangouts.

                                      

For now, our small maker space (Fields Fab Lab) has tools for students to build or experiment with simple materials.  When that 3D printer comes in or the Lego Mind Storm kits, the possibilities are endless.  Who else out there has a maker space or is trying to set one up?  Please share your comments below!