Friday Focus
Friday, Dec. 4 . . . vol. 3, no. 15
Statistics Paint a Picture
This is once again emphasizing what we know. Our shared system schools are a vital access point for kids to get books, not just for educational purposes, but also for recreational reading (which is how we make lifelong readers!) Take a look at the top circs for Rachel Renee Russell’s most recent Dork Diary book. The top 3 are all shared system!
Janet also noted "Nativity Catholic School leads in the most number of checkouts of Brian Selznick’s The Marvels, with 15 checkouts in November and 10 checkouts in October. Plus there are 18 hold requests with Nativity as the pickup place!"
Pat Hagerty (NAT) won The Marvels poster and maps in the drawing at our October meeting and I wondered if that might have been the inspiration. Here's the story from Bonnie Kurtz (NAT):
It all started with a smart-alecky student asking me to read the "biggest book" in my library. This was actually early September. I presented him with Hugo Cabret and challenged him to read it (without letting him see that it is mostly pictures). His ego pushed him to accept the challenge and he actually read it! (This being a student who doesn't like to read.) He really enjoyed it, so I used him as an advertisement for the Selznick books. The Marvels came out, and the poster arrived along with the maps, which are a prize for reading all 3 books (Pat's idea), and that's how it all happened. Plus, it just looks mighty impressive to be reading such a thick book. Ahhh, the joy of being a librarian!
IndyPL Receives 3-Star Rating
The survey on which the ratings are based does not include ebooks – an area where we excel.
What can you do to help your library earn more stars? Read more books yourself. Recommend more books to curators, teachers, students, families and friends. And send your many library fans out to visit their branches when you’re not around!
A Book is a Present....
You've heard that saying, "A book is a present you open again and again." You've heard about holiday slide, and about giving kids the gift of reading over the break. Pretty soon, you may hear families ask you for gift ideas for their kids. Are you ready? Be sure to look at Janet's lists under Book Notes. If you want one more place to look, Cuyahoga County Public Library has a cool section on their website called "Great Books for Kids: A Collection of Great Books and Gift Ideas for Kids of All Ages."
You could also mention that a Friends of the Library membership would allow them to support the Library (that supports their students and school) and fill their home library shelves on Friends' Night at the Indy Library Store.
James Patterson is Coming HERE?
And you can become a member of ILF for free! And I quote:
Let your principal know now to budget about $200 for your professional development next fall!
Anime Club
Monday, Dec 21, 2015, 06:00 PM
Brightwood Library, 2435 N. Sherman Drive Indianapolis, IN 46218
Here's some info about the Indiana LIbrary Federation awards and nominees.
(We will be getting copies of all of these titles to supplement our collection, as well as adding any titles that are available digitally or as audiobooks that we do not already own; and Carrie will be creating a page for the on the Kid’s Collection page. More information will be forthcoming in February or March 2016!)
2016 Read Alouds too Good to Miss!
(Includes Primary, Upper Elementary, Middle Grade, High School, Ageless lists)
2016-2017 Eliot Rosewater nominees
(I will be checking our stock of all of these titles to make sure we have sufficient copies for anyone who wants to read their way through the list)
Misc.
Did you know that the YHBA committee provides lesson plans and other resources for each title on the list? Check out the YHBA Resources page! (Pass the word on to your media specialists!!!)
Did you know that the only titles that the YHBA committee considers for the list each year are the titles that are suggested by teachers, students, parents, librarians, and media specialists (that includes you!)? Is there a book that you think would make a great YHBA nominee? Suggest it here!
And for your OWN reading enjoyment, I offer the following tidbits I found interesting this week.
Sendak items for sale!
http://100scopenotes.com/2015/11/23/sendak-for-sale-the-most-unique-items-available-at-sothebys/
Because how could you not love this face?!
What a great post by Loren Long on why picture books are important
http://picturebookmonth.com/2015/11/why-picture-books-are-important-by-loren-long/
The Pout-Pout Fish just doesn’t get any better than this!
http://blogs.publishersweekly.com/blogs/shelftalker/?p=17358
Kwame Alexander aims to win readers who are at the age he hated books
Fascinating…
http://www.npr.org/2012/12/25/167537939/literary-iceland-revels-in-its-annual-christmas-book-flood
Happy Reading!
Janet
After a long time with little attention, an education authorization bill in front of Congress (the Every Student Succeeds Act) includes specific mention of school libraries. ALA has created a succinct summary of the provisions for libraries, ALA's Washington office notes the following as a talking point: "This language is historic: For the first time in half a century Congress, has underscored the importance of effective school library programs by expressly including them in multiple parts of this watershed reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act."
Holiday Learning Slide
Sometimes, students actually make progress over the winter holiday break and return to school more mature, more interested in reading, or even just reading better than before they left. That's not true for everyone. Here's a Webinar on Monday, 12/14 at 3 p.m. called Making Use of Holiday Time.
Don't forget the idea of presenting each student a "gift" book to check out over break. Personal recommendations are still the most popular way to find your next great read. You know your students, and you know books. You're the best person to put them together!
Delivery Schedule
Please help make our drivers feel welcome at your school. Their schedule can be hectic, but they value getting you your materials as fast as they can. Anything you can do to make their jobs easier will be appreciated!
Recycling VHS Tapes Question
Someone asked, and I didn't have an answer. So I asked a librarian. Here is the response I got from Mike Perkins (librarian extraordinaire) just minutes after I sent in my question:
Goodwill was happy to take my VHS tapes in the recent past. I went to the one on S. Emerson in the Southport area and the guy said "we'll take anything except a dead body". I gave them close to 200 VHS tapes.
But two other alternatives just in case:
Plastic Recycling at 2015 S. Pennsylvania (317-780-6100)
http://plastic-recycling.net/locations.htm
RecycleForce
1125 Brookside Avenue, Suite D12, (317.532.1367)
http://www.recycleforce.org/contact-us
Thank you for using Ask-A-Librarian.
Few Early Pioneers Wore Underwear
Hoosiers and the American Story was issued last year by the Indiana Historical Society free to schools and libraries statewide. Fourteen Shared System members have them (CHS - copy is missing). If you didn't get to request one last year - I have more! Just let me know!
This book really is too good not to brag about to your social studies teachers and history buffs. The engaging writing, authentic illustration, beautiful cover and paper combine to make this book a should-read! It includes student guide activities and essential questions. And facts about underwear. Always a crowd pleaser.
Don't Look Now!
Published in the UK, this series is PERFECT for the kids who aren’t quite at the reading level of Diary of a Wimpy Kid (950 Lexile). Don’t Look Now has a Lexile of 360, around a 2.5 in Accelerated Reader. Here's the write-up in NoveList (no login required).
To help you ferret out potential readers, NoveList lists read-alikes such as Big Nate, Captain Underpants, and Stink. Kids who are higher level readers might enjoy a comfortable read, too, so don’t hesitate to recommend it to a wide spectrum of reading levels.
Horizon exact # for the first volume in the series is 1591725. We have seven copies on the shelf right now waiting for your requests!
High Interest, Low Vocab Books Need Higher Use
Just looked at the circ of the hi-lo Orca books you all own (some were gifts from the publisher after the Public Library Association conference here two years ago). Only 60 (12%) of the 500 copies you have were checked out this last calendar year. Your resource teachers are ALWAYS looking for books that they can give to kids who need shorter, easier books that don’t look like little kid books! Make sure they know you have these in your library, and that we have lots more (almost another 500) where those came from!
The fastest way (right now) to find them is to do a keyword search in Sherloc for the words Orca Book Publishers. Then refine your search on the right by your location if you want to see what you own. Once we get the NoveList Select library catalog enrichment, it should be easier. But don’t wait till then to get these books into the hands of the readers who need them!
P.S. These books are well-written! Try one!
About Us
Email: sbatt@indypl.org
Website: www.indypl.org/about/shared
Location: Library Service Center, North Meridian Street, Indianapolis, IN, United States
Phone: (317) 275-4707
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Twitter: @SharedSysIndyPL