👀 #TakeALookTuesday--Year-End Edition

How can it be the last week of school and final #TakeALookTuesday post? It feels like we all just returned to the building, and here we are preparing for end-of-year activities. One of the things we often do is run a variety of library system reports to reflect on the year and plan for the future. One of our favorite reports to consider is the Top Titles report.

So what made the Top 10 titles from the school year? Take a look!

No surprises here! Kids can't get enough of Rufus & Mateo or Charlie and Nick, and mysteries rule! Popular authors like McManus and Shusterman continue to earn spots on the Top 10 year after year, and true military stories are always popular. Graphic novels--the fastest growing section in the library--made the list, and LGBTQ+ stories have grown in popularity. Book-to-movie adaptations, both already on the screen and those coming soon, made the list, too. So much to consider and evaluate when looking at the list!

With McManus and Shusterman releasing new titles this fall, along with Cemetery Boys' author Aiden Thomas, students are sure to find something new to enjoy! And with Where the Crawdads Sing coming to the big screen, and Heartstopper currently on NetFlix, students have options to enjoy these popular reads.

👀 #TakeALookTuesday--Book Return Edition

It's that time of year when school librarians everywhere are collecting books to return to shelves after a year of check-outs. Our seniors are turning in books at a faster rate than our other students as they finish their classes at week's end. However, our students in Grades 9-11 have a visual reminder should they need a prompt to return books:

A special shout-out to all of the librarians who posted similar displays online--their work certainly inspired this small version. 

While check-out ends on Friday, we do have a summer reading opportunity with our first Book Club with Oak View students. (You can read about it here.) If you haven't had a chance to sign up, just stop by the library and we'll get you the information you need. Hope to see you soon!

🌞📘 Summer Book Club

With just a few weeks of school remaining, it's time to start talking about the first Summer Book Club! Students who will attend either the high school or Oak View in the fall are invited to join Book Club. The flier below provides more details:

Feel free to join us at one or all of our book club meetings this summer. We will be meeting  in the Oak View media center on the dates listed. Each month will have a different theme for our reading. If you're unable to stop by the information meeting this week, stop by or fill out the Google Form, and we'll be in touch! Hope you can join us!

👀 #TakeALookTuesday--Makerspace Edition

Several years ago, librarians in the district applied for and received the State of Iowa STEM Scale-Up Grant. We continue to use and offer as activities many of the items we received in the grant, and here at the high school, advisory/AO time is a great time to do so!

Students today could choose from a variety of low or no-tech activities like felting or 3D pens, and they could also choose some "high-tech" options like Spheros, Cubelets, or Root Robot. During the time students had in the library, they could try any of the activities.

A few students were trying activities for the first time, like the Root Robot. Once the app and update were ready to go, she had just a few minutes to code basic line drawing.

CLICK HERE to watch a video.

Those felting were busy creating, and one student remarked that felting was rather therapeutic, which surprised her.

A couple students used the 3D pens, and one tried out the Cubelets, something he'd not used before. Each different cube inspired him to hook them together in new combinations.

Even though our time at school is getting shorter, the makerspace items will be offered again during AO in case you weren't able to join us today--hope to see you then!

🌠🪐 National Astronaut Day

Each year on May 5 we celebrate National Astronaut Day to commemorate Astronaut Alan Shepard, Jr.'s space flight aboard the Freedom 7 space capsule. The 15-minute flight paved the way for future exploration and astronauts' travels into space. You can read more about National Astronaut Day on this website. 

Students could choose to visit the library today to celebrate National Astronaut Day in a small way. We began with two children's book read alouds: Garcia & Colette Go Exploring and Penguinaut!

Students gathered around for a good, old-fashioned, elementary school-style read aloud, where we also talked about the characters and illustrations. Then it was time to make!

Using ideas from different websites, students could make their own space shuttle from a template or a penguin.

From A Little Pinch of Perfect

From Huppie Mamma

Students had time to design, color, and make either (or both, if they wished) craft and take it with them today. They could choose a space shuttle template to cut and assemble, or a plate with orange paper to make their penguins. 

And then students had time to be creative!

👀 #TakeALookTuesday--Asian American & Pacific Islander Heritage Month Edition

During the month of May we celebrate Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month. According to the Asia Society:

"Since 1979, May has been a dedicated time to celebrate Asian Pacific American heritage, but it wasn't until 1992 that May was officially designated Asian Pacific American Heritage Month. Selected to commemorate the immigration of the first Japanese to the U.S. in May 1843 and the completion of the transcontinental railroad in May 1859 that was made possible by thousands of Chinese laborers, APAH Month elevates the stories, contributions, and experiences of Asian and Asian American communities."

Click image to access site

On display in the library this month are several fiction and nonfiction titles that feature authors and characters and stories that reflect Asian Pacific American heritage:

Students could also learn more about Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month by coming to an AO offering that highlighted events, people, and culture of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders. During advisory time, students could access different elements on the 1-pager below:

CLICK HERE to access the 1-pager

Didn't get a chance to sign up for the 1-pager or are interested in taking a closer look at the books on display? Come on in!