WLPCS Library Newsletter
Q2 -- 2015-2016
Thank you for supporting the library by bringing your classes for research instruction and circulation. Without your engagement and enthusiasm, the library program could not share the good news in this newsletter.
In this newsletter, you will find a mid-year library report, resources about avoiding plagiarism and this year's winners of the ALA Youth Media Awards.
Library Mid-Year Report
Library Classes
Teaching about research and reading is the core of the library program. Here's what was on the instructional agenda for Q2.
- 73 research classes
- Gamestar Mechanic MS elective
- Battle of the Books MS elective
- Research Methods
- Library/ technology internship
Circulation and collection
- Number of materials added to the collection since September: approx. 1,100
- Laptop circulation Q2: 4,271 (including in-library use)
- Book circulation Q2: 1,578 (including in-library use)
Library Programs
- Hour of Code -- Arduino Blink
- Christmas Carol Reading
- Board Game Club
- Puzzle Club Puzzles
Instructional Corner: Avoiding Plagiarism
Avoiding plagiarism regularly comes up as a skill many of our students still need to master. While there are many reasons students struggle to avoid plagiarism, from difficulty reading and restating sources to poor research habits, helping students correctly identify plagiarism and understand citation and paraphrasing expectations is a good starting point for assessing what further work need to be done. Here are some resources that can help:
- Types of plagiarism infographic (via Turnitin).
- 5 steps for avoiding plagiarism (handout and exercise)
If you would like me to work with your class on strategies for avoiding plagiarism, please let me know so we can schedule a time! I can also help customize these resources for your class.
And the winners are...
In January, the American Library Association announced the Youth Media Award winners. These books are noteworthy titles that would make great recommendations to students or a good start to a faculty member's children's or young adult reading list. Any winners not already in the library collection have been ordered and will arrive by the middle of February. Come check them out!
Young CJ rides the bus with his grandmother every Sunday. As he rides, he wonders why his family doesn't have the things he sees, like a car or an iPod. His grandmother helps him see that the beauty in his world does not rely on material possessions.
Coretta Scott King Author Award: Gone Crazy in Alabama by Rita Williams-Garcia
Delphine, Vonetta, and Fern return in another adventure. This time, the girls head to Alabama to visit their grandmother, Big Ma, and meet other members of the family. Though the family hasn't always gotten along, when a crisis comes, the girls learn how families come together in times of need.
Printz Award: Bone Gap by Laura Ruby
Bone Gap, Illinois is a town where magic seeps through the gaps in the fabric of reality. So it's not exactly a surprise when Roza turns up missing, seemingly fallen through one of the towns infamous gaps. Finn, however, knows that Roza didn't just disappear. She was kidnapped.
Pura Belpré Author Award: Enchanted Air: Two Cultures, Two Wings: A Memoir by Margarita Engle
Author Margarita Engle tells the story of growing up in between Cuba and Los Angeles immediately before and during the Cuban Missile Crisis.
Robert F. Sibert Informational Book Award: Funny Bones: Posada and His Day of the Dead Calaveras by Duncan Tonatiuh
Paired with original illustrations and Jorge Posada's artwork, Funny Bones tells the story of how Posada's famous calaveras became an iconic symbol for El Dia de los Muertos.
Stonewall Award (Children's): George by Alex Gino
George wants to play Charlotte in his class production of Charlotte's Web. The problem is, only girls can try out. George knows she's a girl, but when other people see her, they see a boy. With her friend's help, George plans to tell her class about her identity and try out for the play.
Stonewall Award (Young Adult): The Porcupine of Truth by Bill Konigsberg
When Carson has to stay with the alcoholic father he doesn't really know in Montana over the summer, he's understandably upset. Meeting new friend Aisha, who is separated from her family because her father kicked her out after she came out as a lesbian, helps him not only have a better summer, but also explore his own family's past.
YALSA Award for Excellence in Nonfiction for Young Adults: Most Dangerous: Daniel Ellsberg and the Secret History of the Vietnam War by Steve Sheinkin
Sheinkin’s newest book relates the history of Daniel Ellsberg’s release of the Pentagon Papers. The book relates Ellsberg’s personal transformation from public servant to political activist and the resulting political disruption due to his actions, including the Watergate break-ins and Nixon’s resignation. The connection between Ellsberg’s leaks of the Pentagon Papers and the recent Snowden leak is evident, and, at the end of the book, Sheinkin muses on the similarities of the leaks and the questions they’ve left American society to ponder.
Visit the full press release for more information, including honor books and additional awards.