Friday Focus
October 20 2023, vol. 11, no. 13
Friday Focus is a quick digest of news and notes
for members of The Indianapolis Public Library Shared System.
So Much Database News for You!
Have you seen the new topic search interface in the Ebsco Explora databases? The whole interface has been given an uplift. One featured topic appears at the top of the launch page. Scroll down slightly, and you’ll find six or more “trending” topics. Today you might find Stephen Curry on the Explora for Elementary Schools, Banned Book Week on Explora for Middle Schools, and Global Militaries on Explora for High Schools.
I selected several of the trending topics. All had age appropriate introductions to the topic at the top of the page. I would suggest sorting the results by title rather than by relevance. Looking at Stephen Curry, the first item listed by relevance was dated 2017. Sorting by date, the item at the top of the result list was dated two days ago!
You can also see which databases Explora is looking into for you, and decide whether to include or exclude any of them to narrow down your search. (For example, you might want to focus on magazine articles, so you could exclude Ebsco eBooks.)
The EBSCO Publication Finder for IndyPL was recently added to the A to Z list of databases . How might you use it? Let’s say you liked looking at Horn Book for book reviews. In Publication Finder, search for the title, and it shows you which databases index Horn Book. Click on the link, and the database opens to the holdings for Horn Book. Select the most recent issue.
Or, if you wanted to know what school libraries were doing with the science of reading, you might look up School Library as the subject in Publication Finder, select School Library Journal, and then click on a database that indexes it. Search for “science of reading” (in quotation marks) in All Text (not the default keyword search. Below that, add School Library Journal and select search by Journal Name (not the default keyword search). This afternoon, there were 50 results.
Students or teachers might want to do a subject search on, for example, ecology, select a journal title that might match their topic, then do a search similar to the science of reading search above.
How you review the results has been updated so the screen looks “cleaner,” and the articles themselves look more like magazine articles. (Although the pdf version really is the original article as it appeared in the journal or magazine.)
Speaking of Banned Books
It's by the author of P Is for Pterodactyl: The Worst Alphabet Book Ever ; All the Letters That Misbehave and Make Words Nearly Impossible to Pronounce. You'll want to check it out after you hear the interview with author Raj Hadal on NPR.
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The Library will be closed on Monday, Nov. 6th for Staff Day.
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Goosebumps Galore
You might let teachers know you've got them, and see if they'd be interested in the R.L.Stine Writing Program. It's on his website, and here is how he describes it:
My writing program includes the following:
1. How to get ideas.
2. How to develop your ideas.
3. How to get started writing.
4. How to never have writers block.
I've enclosed all of my best writing tricks and secrets in this program. It is totally free of charge.
You may download it [it's a PDF] and make as many copies you like.
The writing program is appealing because it's written with a voice much like his books. It's casual, not too hard to read, and, honestly, kind of gripping. His tips are sensible, too. Here's one:
Set a timer for a short amount of time — let’s say 13 minutes. Tell yourself you're going to write something — anything — until that timer goes off. When the timer dings — if the writing is going well — set it for another 13 minutes and keep writing. If it's not going well, set the timer and do something else for 13 minutes. Then go back to your writing.
For those of you who have to design your own curriculum for classes, the writing program would be an easy connection to the curriculum and to engaging reading.
Helping Children Cope with Tragic Events
The Library's blog post, Helping Children Cope with Tragic Events, has been updated to include a link that helps adults learn to talk to children about the Israeli-Palestine Conflict.
That blog post also links to a list in it:
If any of you find new books to add to the book list, or resources you would like to add to the blog post, just let me know.
13 brains wins the game! No experience necessary. Enjoy special Halloween snacks!
Please register!
Digital Indy Goes Global to Answer Reference Question
Did you know that there is a connection between the Indianapolis High Schools and a university in Leuven (Flemish spelling, spelled Louvain in French), Belgium? It turns out the KU Leuven Library was destroyed by German troops during World War I. After the war, many US academic institutions, civic organizations and businesses contributed to the restoration of the library, including high school students of IPS.
In preparation for the university's 600th anniversary in 2025 (old really does mean something different in Europe), Chapter USA (the alumni organization for American students) is reaching out to all the organizations whose names were inscribed into the façade of the library, including “The Indianapolis High Schools” (middle photo). They asked us whether there are any records that capture IPS involvement.
Unsurprisingly, the Shortridge Daily Echo on March 18, 1921 and April 22, 1924 had both the first and last word on the subject. More officially, the Minutes of the Board of School Commissioners on March 25, 1924, show that the fundraising goal for Indianapolis set by the national committee was $15,000 dollars. A letter from the high school principals submitted to the board at the following meeting, while recommending participation, suggests that “emphasis should be on one hundred percent participation rather than on the attempt to raise any definite amount. We suggest further that there be no competition between rooms within the school nor between the high schools themselves; that the funds be sent … as the voluntary contribution of the Indianapolis High School pupils.” The Belgian ambassador to the US spoke to teachers here, and high school principals were invited to a reception with him later that same day.
Fundraising for the university library was international in scope. The US total amount donated was about $1 million, with donations coming from a number of other countries, too.
Unfortunately, I couldn’t find any record of how much money was raised here in Indianapolis, but it’s such a wholesome story of international cooperation, the importance of libraries, and student involvement that I wanted to share it with you all. I also found that for many years afterwards there were regularly IPS graduates who went on to study at the school they helped restore. I can only imagine that while there, seeing the inscription must have been a source of pride, and maybe a little buffer against homesickness, every time they went into the library to study.
Further reading revealed that the library was destroyed a second time during World War II by the Nazis. According to the university website, "Barely 15.000 of the more than 900.000 books and about fifteen manuscripts escaped the disaster."
While there is no nationwide rally to support libraries devastated by the war in Ukraine, the American Library Association has established a Ukraine Library Relief Fund to support almost 200 libraries there.
Natasha Hollenbach
Digital Projects Manager
FREE Día de Muertos Community Celebration
Join the Eiteljorg Museum's annual Día de Muertos Community Celebration from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., Saturday, Oct. 21. Enjoy FREE admission during this day of celebration with performances, art-making, Mercado vendors, community groups and a community-curated art and altar display.
Remember, the Eiteljorg is part of the Shared System! Suzanne Braun-McGee, museum library manager, has a new and improved Día de Muertos BiblioCommons list It's a good starting point for those of you who need to borrow from The Library to augment your collections.
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The entry deadline is November 5, 2023. Entries can be submitted online, through US mail, or by visiting a library branch. You could print copies of the entry form and place them near a display or at the circ desk. Both the entry form and the event flyer (pictured at left) are available on WeShare. Spread the word to teachers, too. English teachers could offer extra credit!
Note to teachers: Each entry must have its own entry form
Quick Advice: Pickup Locations
A from Kimberly: The preferred pickup location was whatever your "registered at" location was when you registered your BiblioCommons account. Your student signed in to her BiblioCommons account when she was a student in middle school. She never updated her location in BiblioCommons. Changing the registered at location has NEVER updated the preferred pickup location in BiblioCommons (this was a common complaint with staff) because Polaris also offers a public catalog and thus has no incentive to help out their competition.
There was no way for staff to update that preferred pickup location in LEAP; it had to be updated in BiblioCommons, but that has now changed!
See the illustration below to see where YOU can change students' preferred pick up locations. They can also change their own in BiblioCommons. After signing in, they should click on their username in the upper right corner and click on My Settings. On the settings page, they will scroll down to Holds and Pickup Locations under Account Preferences. They can choose up three preferred pickup locations. Super helpful if they are regular branch library patrons or need a back up location during the breaks or summer.
Shared System Fall Meeting
We'll cover what's new and different, answer questions, and give away some books and bookish things!
Tuesday, Oct 24, 2023, 01:30 PM
2450 North Meridian Street, Indianapolis, IN, USA
RSVPs are enabled for this event.
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Shared System Staff Meeting | Tuesday, October 24th, 1:30- 4 p.m. REQUIRED
Indiana State Literacy Association Fall Conference | October 28th, time and location TBA
Slammin' Rhymes Entry Deadline | November 5th
Fall Fest and Slammin' Rhymes Reading | Saturday November 18th, noon to 4:00 p.m., Central Library
About Us
Email: sharedsystem@indypl.org
Website: www.indypl.org/about/shared
Location: Library Service Center, North Meridian Street, Indianapolis, IN, United States
Phone: (317) 275-4707