LEE High School Library

Thank you for taking the time to check in with the LEE High School Library. It has been a busy month in the library as we have continued to adapt our services for the needs of the LEE and ISA school community. In this newsletter you will learn more about the following:

How is the library enhancing and supporting virtual learning?
What electronic resources are available for students?
What electronic resources are available for teachers to enhance their instruction?


English III - Mrs. Morales English III students (most of whom are Juniors) had the opportunity to learn about electronic book checkouts via OverDrive. While many of these students have visited the LEE HS Library, most had never checked out an eBook or an Audiobook. This is an exciting opportunity for many of them!	Practical Writing and ESOL - Ms. Qaralleh Practical Writing and ESL students were introduced to the vast ebook and audiobook collection available to NEISD students. Using OverDrive (or Sora) these students were shown helpful tools to search for books of interest to them.	English I GT - Mrs. Morales English I GT students researched artists (in any medium) for a project and presentation. These students learned how to use ABC-CLIO and GALE databases to conduct searches for media resources by applying filters. They also learned how to use citation features to simplify their research.

English III - Mrs. Morales

English III students (most of whom are Juniors) had the opportunity to learn about electronic book checkouts via OverDrive. While many of these students have visited the LEE HS Library, most had never checked out an eBook or an Audiobook. This is an exciting opportunity for many of them!

Practical Writing and ESOL - Ms. Qaralleh

Practical Writing and ESL students were introduced to the vast ebook and audiobook collection available to NEISD students. Using OverDrive (or Sora) these students were shown helpful tools to search for books of interest to them.

English I GT - Mrs. Morales

English I GT students researched artists (in any medium) for a project and presentation. These students learned how to use ABC-CLIO and GALE databases to conduct searches for media resources by applying filters. They also learned how to use citation features to simplify their research.

Hispanic Heritage Month (Sept. 15 - Oct. 15) is a time to celebrate the impact that those with Hispanic heritage have had on U.S. society. During this month, the LEE Library highlights authors who share experiences and stories about those with Hispanic or Latinx heritage. All LEE and ISA students are invited to enjoy eBooks and Audiobooks via OverDrive that contribute to this celebration.

Banned Books Week (Sept. 27 - Oct. 3) offered teen readers an opportunity to consider the issue of censorship and the importance of literature. The LEE Library encouraged students to attend a free live virtual presentation that was hosted by Banned Books Week and The National Council for Teachers of English. It featured Gene Luen Yang who wrote the well-known graphic novel "American Born Chinese." Each year, this week serves as a reminder to celebrate the freedom to read!

Virtual Resources for Teachers

Gale eBooks: NEISD Library Services has curated eBook collections to make resources more readily available for content-area teachers. For example, teachers of U.S. History can now directly access a collection of titles curated just for their content area. Gale eBooks also offers users the following features:

Integration with G Suite for Education tools
ReadSpeaker text-to-speech technology
Content delivered in more than a dozen languages

Look for the Gale eBook app on Launchpad. Or - ask the LEE librarian for more information or for a quick how-to session!

The LEE Library saw a huge increase in eBook and Audiobook checkouts (based on the same time periods in the 2019-20 School Year). A huge thank you to the LEE HS English teachers who have promoted the library's electronic collection!

OverDrive Checkouts (eBook and Audiobook combined)

August 17 - August 31: 127

September 1 - September 30: 69

While the library is offering virtual services, September was a perfect month to take inventory of the physical resources on the shelves. Mrs. Wood, the LEE HS library assistant, worked tirelessly to account for books and other materials in the library's collection. Her attention to detail and efficiency made the process go quickly! With the precise information gathered during inventory, objective decisions can be made about how to improve the library's collection.