May 2016
Hampden Meadows Library
What We've Been Learning
When we were growing up we went to the library and got books out to do a research project. We knew our sources were reliable because it took years of the editing process to get books published. Today students have the internet at their fingertips. This is both a blessing and a curse. Anyone can create a website and put it out into the world. This is why it is important to teach students how to evaluate websites with a critical eye.
Accuracy
- Does the site offer a bibliography to verify where the information came from?
- You should never use just one website- verify with another site to search for discrepancies
- Is the author of the site a well-regarded name you recognize?
- Are you led to additional information about the author through a biography and/or email address?
- Does the site offer links to donate money, games, giveaways, or celebrity endorsements?
- Does the site use words to persuade you rather than inform you?
- Sites ending in .com are commercial sites and may try to persuade you towards their company
- Sites ending in .edu are educational sites but examine the URL and the page's content to be sure it is the institution's page and not a student's page
- Sites ending in .gov are government-related sites and are generally reliable because the document is from a U.S. government-affiliated site.
- Sites ending in .org are non-profit groups such as public interest groups, religious groups, and think tanks. These sites may be biased towards the organization's point of view.
- Is there an "About this Site" link to learn more about the individual, organization, agency, or corporation hosting the site?
- Is there an "About the Author" link? What are the author's credentials? Check a library database to see if the author has published books or articles in scholarly journals.
- Scroll to the bottom of the web page. Every credible web site includes the date that it was created and the date of last update.
- Keep in mind, though, that just because a page was recently updated does not mean that the information is up-to-date. Look for clues that might help you date the information.
- Webster's defines jerry-built as "built poorly, of cheap materials"
- Does the website look like it was just thrown together?
- Does the website have multiple spelling and grammatical errors?
- These are red flags that it is not a reliable site.
Finally, we went over the 5 W's of website evaluation:
- Who wrote the pages and are they an expert in the field?
- What does the author say is the purpose of the site?
- When was the site created, updated, last worked on?
- Where does the information come from?
- Why is the information useful?
Book Trailers
- theme
- main character(s)
- title
- author
- problem
- cliffhanger
Library Statistics
Total Circulations: 3,559
Total Holds Placed: 69
Top Ten Titles
1. El Deafo by Cece Bell - graphic novel - 17
2. Smile by Telgemeier - graphic novel - 15
3. Sunny Side Up by Holm - graphic novel - 15
4. Amulet, Book 6: Escape from Lucien by Kibuishi - graphic novel - 14
5. A Night Divided by Nielsen - historical fiction - 14
6. Guinness World Records, 2016 edited by Glenday- informational - 13
7. Poop Happened! A History of the World from the Bottom Up by Albee - informational - 13
8. Sisters by Telgemeier - graphic novel - 13
9. Amulet, Book 3; The Cloud Searchers by Kibuishi - graphic novel - 12
10. Feathers: Not Just For Flying by Stewart - informational - 12
Top Circulations by Homeroom
1. Ms. Safran - grade 4 - 263
2. Mrs. Ginalski - grade 4 - 232
3. Mrs. Cunningham - grade 5 - 189
4. Ms. Wilson - grade 4 - 188
5. Ms. Reynolds - grade 5 - 186
6. Mrs. Carroll - grade 4 - 184
7. Mrs. Waring - grade 4 - 175
8. Mr. Cassarino - grade 5 - 172
9. Mrs. Clegg - grade 4 - 165
10. Mr. Farley - grade 4 - 163
11. Mrs. DeLory - grade 4 - 161
12. Mrs. Cabral - grade 5 - 154
13. Mrs. Mitchell - grade 4 - 136
14. Mr. Whittaker - grade 5 - 127
15. Mr. Tibbetts - grade 5 - 125
16. Mrs. Hunt - grade 5 - 120
17. Mrs. Burke - grade 5 - 118
18. Mrs. Couto - grade 5 - 103
19. Mrs. Bailey - grade 4 - 101
20. Mr. Tedino - grade 5 - 99
21. Mrs. Myszak - grade 4 - 94
22. Ms. Testa - grade 5 - 75
Keep This Visual in Mind When You're Thinking You'll Just Watch the Movie Version
The Power of Audio Books
Ah, To Listen to A Good Story is a Pleasure!
For parents we have the Audie Award winners.
For children we have the American Library Association Notable Children's Recordings.
Your public library has a myriad of audio choices. And if they don't have what you're looking for, another library can send it over to you to be picked up at your convenience!
You have summer road trip plans in the bag!