Muskie Library eNews
March - April 2015
Weeding the Library...
What is weeding?
Weeding is the systematic removal of library resources based on selected criteria. Wedding is a vital process for an active collection because it ensures the collection stays current, relevant, and in good condition. It also ensures that patrons are able to access useful material quickly, and the librarian can direct them to information more easily.
How much is weeded each year?
MHS library's goal is to weed 2-3 sections each year, mirroring the district's curriculum development cycle. The 2014-2015 school year's sections are: Social Studies/Humanities (300s), Language (400s), and Biography/Autobiography (BIO).
What does weeding include?
The weeding process includes removing books that have out of date information, are in poor physical condition, and/or are not circulating. In addition new books are purchased for each section to replace removed books and to fill-in curricular gaps.
What happens to weeded books?
Most weeded books are thrown away or recycled (especially those with out of date information or in poor physical condition). The remaining books are offered to staff and students for their personal collections (look for announcements at the end of May).
How can teachers help with weeding?
Let Mrs. Keltner know what your curriculum includes and/or what your students are interested in learning -- the most valuable weeding and purchasing a school library can do is academically-driven!
"A well-maintained, well-pruned collection is far more useful than one filled with out-of-date or unused materials"
Sizzling Summer Reads...
The true story of an all-American girl and a boy from Zimbabwe and the letter that changed both of their lives forever.
In this compelling dual memoir, Caitlin and Martin recount how they became best friends -- and better people -- through their long-distance exchange. Their story will inspire you to look beyond your own life and wonder about the world at large and your place in it.(memoir)
Paper Towns by John Green (movie premier in July!)
"The town was paper but the memories were not."
When Margo Roth Spiegelman beckons Quentin Jacobsen in the middle of the night -- dressed like a ninja and plotting an ingenious campaign of revenge -- he follows her. After a lifetime of loving Margo from afar, things are finally looking up for Q... until day breaks and she has vanished. Always an enigma, Margo has now become a mystery. But there are clues. And they're for Q. (realistic fiction)
The 5th Wave by Rick Yancy
"A modern sci-fi masterpiece... should do for aliens what Twilight did for vampires." - USAToday
After the 1st wave, only darkness remains. After the 2nd, only the lucky escape. And after the 3rd, only the unlucky survive. After the 4th wave, only one rule applies: trust no one.
Now it's the dawn of the 5th wave, and on a lonely stretch of highway, Cassie runs from Them. The beings who only look human, who roam the countryside killing anyone they see. Soon Cassie must choose: between trust and despair, between defiance and surrender, between life and death. To give up or to get up. (science fiction - aliens)
Quick Updates...
Iowa High School Book Award
A seriously wonderful read - still my highest recommendation for all MHS students AND staff! The library currently has one copy and is getting another!
The Top 10 Books at MHS
1) Crank by Ellen Hopkins
2) Twilight by Stephanie Meyer
3) If I Stay by Gayle Forman
4) Soul Surfer by Bethany Hamilton
5) The Wedding by Nicholas Sparks
6) Burned by Ellen Hopkins
7) Chronicles of Nick by Sherrilynn Kenyon
8) Insurgent by Veronica Roth
9) The Fault in Our Stars by John Green
10) Marked: House of Night Series by Kristin Cast
How many have you read? (Mrs. K has only read 6!)
School Library Month
How did we celebrate?
By doing what we love - talking about books with students and book lovers around the state. (Mrs. Keltner also attended the Iowa Association of School Library Conference and got to meet an award-winning author, Mike Mullin, and got his newest book autographed!)
"There is no such thing as a kid who hates reading. There are kids who love reading, and kids who are reading the wrong books." - James Patterson
Tech for Teachers // GALE: General One File
One of the library's greatest online resources (provided for free from Iowa AEAOnline) is our largest general interest periodical resource. General OneFile provides periodical and news information through an intuitive, user-friendly search interface for researchers of all levels. Content includes more than 12,000 titles in all with nearly 30 years of coverage. General OneFile puts approximately 80 million (updated daily) records at users' fingertips with a single search.
This database is a GREAT resource for any students doing research as well as teachers looking for close read texts. Take a moment over the summer to explore GALE: General OneFile as well as our other online resources... and make a plan to use it with your students during the 2015-2016 school year.
(Mrs. Keltner also loves to visit classrooms and give short tutorials over our online resources!)
Connect with the Library!
Website: https://sites.google.com/a/mcsdonline.org/muskielibrary/
Location: 2705 Cedar Street, Muscatine, IA, United States
Phone: 5632636141
Facebook: facebook.com/muskielibrary
Twitter: @muskielibrary