Burbank Library News
December 2016
New Interactive Ebooks
The library has 12 new interactive ebooks called Lightbox available to teachers and students. There are seven books on historical topics such as The Great Depression or World War II as well as five literary analyses on well recognized titles such as Animal Farm and To Kill a Mockingbird. These books are available in our online catalog though you do have to login with your saisd username and password to view them. See the video below for a quick overview on accessing and using Lightbox.
How to Access Lightbox
lightbox
Want $5000 for your classroom?
The SAISD Foundation provides Innovative grants up to $5000 each year to be awarded in May for the 2017-2018 school year. In order to apply for the grant, you must attend at least one of their three grant workshops. The first workshop will be held this Thursday, December 8 at Travis Early College HS from 5:00 to 7:00 and includes dinner. You will need to RSVP to Jennifer Twiss at jtwiss@saisdfoundation.com in order to attend. This is a great way to be creative and get something really cool for your classroom. If you can't make this Thursday's workshop, the next dates are January 11th & February 7th. Deadline to submit grants is February 28, 2016.
Fiction Contest
The San Antonio Book Festival is hosting a fiction contest with cash prizes available. Entries are due January 16 and students must be residents of Bexar County to participate. More information can be found at their website.
Digital Library
Bibliotech is a completely digital library that anyone who lives or works in Bexar county has access to. You can sign up for an account online as long as you are at least 16 years old. You will have access to ebooks, magazines and many other digital resources.
Office 365
Remember that you can use Office 365 for creating and storing documents. Don't rely on a thumb drive - use your cloud storage! Students must sign in with their school email. See Mrs. De Waelsche for more information or to schedule training.
Gale Databases
Gale databases provide a fairly extensive list of research tools that can be accessed anywhere. Twenty different digital resources that encompass a variety of topics are available. Articles can be downloaded, emailed, cited, and read aloud. Once logged into the database, you can connect your research to your Office 365 account. Citations are easy and can be exported in a variety of formats such as MLA or ALA. See the video below to get an overview of using the databases. Mrs. De Waelsche would be delighted to schedule a time with your class to go over using the databases. Contact Mrs. De Waelsche for login information.
Using Gale Databases
GaleDatabases
Book Review: Ready Player One
Anyone who grew up in the 80's will surely love this book. Although the book takes place in the middle of the 21st century, it involves numerous references to 80's pop culture. Wade Watts is a teenager that spends most of his time in the OASIS - an online gaming world that almost everyone uses. The creator of OASIS, James Halliday, died several years before with no heirs. He has offered his entire fortune to a player than can find his hidden "Easter Egg" within the massive OASIS. Wade and several others on the quest to find the egg have immersed themselves into all things 80's - movies like War Games, music like Rush, and many games like Pac Man and Galaga. Epic battles between the players' avatars take place as the quest for the fortune plays out. Even if you're not a total geek or gamer, the 80's references will delight those familiar with that decade.
About the Librarian
Jennifer De Waelsche has been a librarian with SAISD for five years. This is her first year at Burbank High School. She is the recipient of the SAISD Foundation Inspire Award in 2015 and member of the Texas Library Association TALL Texans Class for 2016. She is an active member of San Antonio Librarian's Association, Texas Library Association, and the San Antonio Area School Library Leaders group.
Email: jdewaelsche1@saisd.net
Website: http://tinyurl.com/BurbankLibrary
Location: 1102 Edwards, San Antonio, TX, United States
Phone: 210-228-1210
Twitter: @salibrarylady