Book Club- Middle School

     I held  the first meeting for both 7th and 8th grade this past week. The students are really interested and ready to read. 

     I put out books that I had multiple copies of , and let the students select what they wanted to read.

  My 7th grades all boys. They selected to read Chains.  ( I love this book) So they are up and running. The 8th graders will be reading The Absolutely True Diary of a Part Time Indian( Alexie)

    Seventh graders will meeting after school. Eight grades during their lunch.

   We are required by administration to take attendance and minutes which we hand in.We set a date for the next meeting which was good. So now I can prepare a mini poster with dates on it to hang around the school. Last year I never thought to schedule the next meeting so I feel super organized.

  I will still announce each month when the book club is over morning announcements. Usually I start announcements about three days ahead of time.

   Does anyone else do Middle School book clubs? I would love to hear from you!

Building Better Libraries- Public Career Centers

 At the Public library level ,building better libraries means  building career centers for patrons. Yes , there may  be books on different careers. But  more importantly at the public level are databases on careers  and staff to assist instruct on its use Adults may not have the background on how to use these. 

  Also at the public level, development in career programs such as college information and application, government agency assistance, resume writing workshops,business/ entrepreneurship  resources and career counselor are just a few programs that could be provided .

   Patrons could use these resources to assist themselves in better positions and better careers,

Building better libraries- career resources

 Libraries both school and public provide valuable resources for career research and job services, At the school level, many middle and high school have career resources, both print and digital, 

There are also countless websites to assist students in determining what career they might  be interesting in There are also book resources oh specific resources ,  Several teachers did  career research  with students . One year when the goal was thinking about careers, our administrator promoted the career resources  in the morning announcements. 

 On our website we had a career section that had career surveys ( to help students figure out what they would like to do and what they would be good at doing) We also had databases and websites  that highlighted careers and what was necessary to enter in the career.

 Career Resources:

CareerQuiz.com - 

https://careerquiz.org/?msclkid=3b3adcedaea11285ac38bc01cc2599ff

 Occupational  outlook

https://www.bls.gov/ooh/

ProQuest\- 

https://www.proquest.com/

Factcite.org

https://www.factcite.com/texis/user/login.html?to=/

Building Better Libraries-II (Books and digital resources)

 Years and Years ago, when we first started with bar-coding and computers, my principal said to me,"We won't need books anymore" And I strongly disagreed with her, saying "Not in my lifetime!"

 And I still feel that way today! Say you want a particular book- do  you just order it online? You could, but say you go to your  library , do they order it and then give it to you? No . But if the library has it you can borrow it for free,  And other patrons can also borrow it.   The book is stored at the library,

If the library does not have the book, then in most cases, they can get it for you on inter library loan.They even track it down for you , if you can't do it yourself. 

 Card holders can borrow digital books to read on their devices( computers, phones, tables)  This is the most basic common goal of the library. Acquiring books and resources that benefit the community of their patrons. A good library system saves money and builds community.

Building better libraries !

  Librarians and Libraries, both public and academic, are the center of building a new future in their schools and communities. We serve as librarians is to promote reading and learning to all users. In our society today is it most important that all continue to learn and grow as technology and information is ever expanding.

  We need to showcase what librarians have to offer . Within the pandemic , I think more and more school and public libraries have done just this.  I am totally amazed and impressed by my local public libraries  and how they have innovated programs and services during this time The dedication to services and information and the connections to the patrons have been outstanding.

  The community has responded to the new online programs and also the way we get books and materials,  I will highlight in future posts about some of the things they are doing. , I also am  searching for ways both public and academic ( schools k- college)  have in the past year to answer the need for more up to date, innovative and exciting ways that libraries can bring their  importance to the whole community .

 What has your library done that is innovative and draws patrons in? If you know of an exciting program , please leave a comment below!

Summer reading!

 What are you doing for your summer reading lists this year? Does your district want a list attached to the website? Is your library open during summer school( if you have it) . I am going to do a little research and see , so let me know what  your school/district does.  In the last district I was in we had to have a list on the website .  

Bookopolis- on line book-site for teachers and students

 

Bookopolis is a wonderful website to assist teachers and students in their love of books and reading. It is used for students in grades 2-7. Bookopolis give new ideas for reading .Students can also connect with other students about what  they are reading.

Students can explore new books, make a bookshelf, recommend books and invite friends to join,

  Teachers and librarians can use Bookopolis to build a team of readers in their classroom and libraries. Students can produce book reviews and they can give book recommendations to their classmates and peers  ( While doing this they are practicing their writing skills  and typing skills)  Students can keep a reading logs online. 

Bookopolis offers badges and  points for students who use Bookopolis to keep book logs, write reviews and report,  and invite friends to use the site.