National Hispanic Heritage Month & Book Tasting

Hispanic Heritage Month is celebrated from September 15 - October 15 annually, so this week, we hosted a special book tasting in the library to celebrate! Students had the chance to sample a variety of books, each showcasing Hispanic authors, characters, or historical figures. 

The selection included fiction, nonfiction, and graphic novels, giving everyone a diverse range of genres and stories to explore. From narratives about identity and culture to historical accounts, these books offered something for every reader. 

The tasting sparked great conversations and curiosity, and many students left with new books in hand to continue their reading journey. What a fantastic way to celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month!

👀😍 Button Making is a Hit with Students!

Such a fun advisory activity today with the button maker! It's the first-ever use for the button maker, and based on the smiles and conversation, it's likely that button making will be a regular event during this time!

Last spring the library acquired this button maker in hopes of offering a different kind of activity during advisory. While students often visit during advisory for literacy-based activities, the button maker offers a making and creative outlet for students. After some browsing and learning about different options, this is the button maker purchased:

Find it HERE on Amazon.com

To streamline the process--we have a 25-minute advisory period--tables in the library each held part of the button-making process: sizing (two button sizes were offered today), designing (either hand-drawn or chosen from books), cutting out the design, and making the button.

Students began working, choosing sizes and designing. Once circle were cut out, an efficient button making line formed. Many students created and took with them two buttons today and asked about the next button making session! Lots of smiles and giggles about buttons--a wonderful way to kick off advisory activities for the week!

📕🗓 Back-to-School Book Talks

Several classes visited the library this week for book talks and browsing sessions. It's a great opportunity to introduce students to new books, authors, and genres, as well as share information about the library itself. Students heard many engaging book talks on a variety of books, from new authors (like Scott Reister) to popular favorites (like Neal Shusterman). Later in the period students had time to browse for an independent reading book and talk about books with their classmates. 

Curious about the books featured in the book talks? Here they are!

See something you like? Stop by the library to check out one of these or other books you're considering! See you soon!

📚 Welcome Back to the Library!

We've kicked off the 2024 - 2025 school year! Many things remain the same in the library, like the different look to the shelving and the check-out process, but there's a different look as we prepare for a shared space alongside a hallway to ease congestion during passing time. 

This new construction allowed for some new display space, so after seeing The Book Wrangler's vintage book covers on display in his space, I was inspired to create young adult book covers. These now hang along the wall and are already generating quite a bit of conversation among students!

Back this year is the dynamic shelving that features series and popular authors' books, making browsing more engaging and easier for students. 

Stop by today to see what's new in the space itself, as well as what's new in the collection!

🤩📚 Attending YA Midwest

YA Midwest: A Bookfest for YA Readers was held on July 27 in Naperville, IL. What a great event celebrating all things YA lit! This event brought together both popular and emerging YA writers for a day filled with a shared love for young adult literature.

The highlight of the event was undoubtedly opportunity to hear from authors. Karen McManus was the keynote speaker, and friend and fellow YA author Samira Ahmed joined her in the conversation about McManus's new book Such Charming Liars.

More than 20 panel sessions, each featuring a unique group of authors discussing a variety of engaging topics, were held throughout the day. One panel, "Fresh Perspectives," featured authors Kristin Nilsen, Brittany Cavallaro, Jeff Zentner, Lexi Underwood, and Kristen Simmons, who all shared their experiences writing from mulitple perspectives or POVs.

Another panel, "The Weight of Words," struck a powerful chord as authors like Rex Ogle (author of Free Lunch and Punching Bag) and Jordan Sonnenblick (author of Stepping Out and Drums, Girls, & Dangerous Pie) delved into the importance of addressing heavier subject matter through YA literature. They and their fellow panelists discussed the impact of writing about topics such as mental health, identity, abuse, and poverty emphasizing the role of literature in fostering empathy and understanding among readers.

One panel conversation with Neal Shusterman, Kekla Magoon, Aimee Carter, and June CL Tan related to the impact movement and travel have related to the writing process. Who knew?! Neal Shusterman likes to write on cruise ships and in crowed, bustling settings!

History--not only a writer's personal history but also American and world history--was a focus that another panel addressed. Kekla Magoon, debut author Hayley Dennings, and Kim Johnson joined other authors to share how human history and personal experience can become the basis for YA books.

The event concluded with an author signing session, allowing attendees to meet their favorite writers and get their books signed. How exciting to see the excitement and joy on the faces of attendees as they interacted with the authors they admire! (Eeeek! It's Neal Shusterman!)

These signed copies are now available in the library, along with two more signed copies from Zentner and Cavallaro's new book Silent Nights and Samira Ahmed's This Book Won't Burn. Stop by to take a look when school resumes!

🎊 📚 Celebrating Literacy and Learning in the Library

Our year-end infographic, showcasing the literacy activities, classes, and collection development, highlights the various programs and resources offered to support and inspire students' love for reading and lifelong learning.

From tailored collection development tasks to research skills classes and interactive AO sessions, the library was a hub of activity enriching students' school experience. The diverse collection spans a wide range of genres and subjects, ensuring that every student can find something that captivates their interest.

Take a look the infographic and discover how the library is making a difference in promoting literacy and learning. Whether you're a student, teacher, or parent, there's something here for everyone. Join us in celebrating the vibrant community of readers and learners at our school!

💻 Database Work

English II students visited the library for an interactive lesson related to an upcoming research paper, an argumentative paper related to modern-day witch hunts to correspond with their reading of The Crucible. The classroom teacher asked for a database lesson that would include content like search terms and smart searching, reading a results page, and making the most of a particular search result. We used EBSCOhost Points of View Reference Center, as well as Newspaper Source for our work.

Our students are on a block schedule, and the teacher indicated that students would be in the library for about 1/2 of the period. After talking with one of the instructional coaches, we decided to use a pattern of direct instruction and shared practice to allow for time to practice the database skills the teacher wanted. A portion of the lesson plan appears below:

To introduce the day's lesson, students worked in table groups to identify what research skills or research means to them--these responses helped drive the first part of the lesson, and students returned to the page to complete the other side of the T-chart as their ticket out at the end of the period.

We "upped the ante" on student engagement and movement throughout the lesson in a variety of ways. One was to ask a student from each class to hook up to the projection screen and run a database search with guidance as the teacher and I ran a side-by-side comparison Google search. Another way was to have a search results contest to see how students could use combinations of search terms and search refinements to lessen the number of their search results; students moved about the room sharing their numbers. Finally, a "stand-up/sit down" activity reinforced how Boolean searching can broader or lessen search results numbers. 

Armed with some database information and searching tips, students returned to the library in the following days to conduct some of their research.