Thursday, March 27, 2014

Check Out Our New Look!

For at least the past 10 years, the DCG Middle School library has retained the same look with very little variation: fiction on one side of the room, nonfiction on the other; desktop computers running the center of the room essentially splitting the room in half.




It was time to "walk the walk" with our school theme and Dream Big in the library! In the past month, we've been talking with the principal and IT director--as well as the custodians--about reconfiguring the furniture and desktops. One of our goals was to allow more students to easily view the projection screen. (Can you see it hanging from the ceiling in the picture above that shows the "nonfiction side" of the room?) Another goal was to improve traffic flow, both of people and of mobile laptop carts that come in and out of the library nearly daily. 

Our initial hope was to create 4 pods of 2 tables each. Below are pictures showing our progress toward that effort:




Remember that expression about "best laid plans?" Well, that was us when we discovered that the length of power cords and the placement of floor outlets weren't going to allow for the arrangement we'd hoped for. And that's when the principal strolled in and offered what became Plan B--rather than pods, why not form the tables into a "V" shape? This allowed us to make the most of our outlet placement and cords, as well as equalize the size of the two sides of the space. Here's the work in progress:



So after 4+ hours plotting, dragging, pushing, pulling, crawling, and scooting, we have a new arrangement for our many tables and desktop computers. We couldn't be happier with the setup, and every student and staff member who came to see what we'd done had only positive things to say! 





Many, many thanks to our wonderful library associate Mrs. Howard who helped move everything and plan our furniture arrangement! Also, a big thank you to Mr. Hlas who suggested our now-in-place Plan B, and to our custodians who helped with vacuuming and who provided a quick zip-tie lesson!

Wednesday, March 26, 2014

Thank You for Another Successful Book Fair!

Earlier in the week we wrapped up our second Scholastic Book Fair, and it was a great success! The fiesta theme allowed for all kinds of fun decorating, including our "photo booth." After students made a purchase, they had the opportunity to hit the photo booth!


With the movie release of Veronica Roth's Divergent, it was by far the best-selling item at the Book Fair. The third release in the Lunar Chronicles series, Cress by Marissa Meyer, was a quick mover as well!

Also popular were S.A. Bodeen's The Raft, Jo Knowles' See You at Harry's, and Sarah Beth Durst's Conjured

Didn't get a chance to stop by or didn't make a purchase this time around at the Book Fair? No problem! Look for the BOGO 1/2 Off Book Fair coming later this spring!

Wednesday, March 12, 2014

Connecting with Authors & Others on Twitter

In late January 2013, I joined Twitter as a way to expand my circle of colleagues and to connect with others in my field. What a great year it's been! Not only have I met some wonderful teacher librarians from all parts of the country--and world!--but I've also been surprised and pleased with the interactions with authors and others.

In the last 14 months, many authors have replied to tweets, like David Baldacci, S. A. Bodeen, and Jeff Hirsch:



One of my favorite interactions has been with the author of The Ascendence Trilogy Jennifer Nielsen.

Another interaction that was meaningful to me and many students came from Laurie Halse Anderson when she saw the resilience literature work students completed earlier in the year--you can read about it HERE.

And it's not just authors who tweet responses. Websites like Epic Reads and Heartland AEA11 have people who follow Twitter feeds, and they reply, too!


Twitter has been a great tool for us to connect with the authors and others who relate to our work and reading. We're eager to connect again!

Tuesday, February 25, 2014

Eager for the Book Fair? Check Out Our Online Fair!

It's almost Book Fair time! Eager to see what's available or want to shop online? Check out the video below to see what we may find at our upcoming Book Fair:



We'll have the Book Fair in the library on Fri. Mar. 7 and it will be in the library until conferences are over. You will also be able to shop online--CLICK HERE to visit our Online Fair Home Page.


Gather that loose change, too! We'll again be supporting All for Books, an organization that helps students in need. Scholastic matches donations up to one million books to Kids In Distressed Situations & Kids in Need Foundation.

See you at the Book Fair soon!

Thursday, February 20, 2014

Author Veronica Roth Talks All Things Divergent



Can't wait to see Divergent hit theaters in March? Trying to read all of the books and watch everything you can about the series and characters before you see the movie? Check out these recent videos from PopSugar Entertainment featuring the series author Veronica Roth.

In this video, Roth describes what she loves about Divergent fans:




Next, Roth discusses the people in her life who show divergence:




Finally, Roth shares some advice for those who fight for their identity:



Check out the official website for the movie at http://divergentthemovie.com.

Monday, January 27, 2014

7th Grade Science Disease Brochure Projects

Recently the 7th grade science classes worked on their disease brochure projects. Mr. Jaspering and Ms. Bender asked students to learn about a disease of their choosing and present the information in a brochure format.


Using both print and non-print resources, students evaluated the information they'd like to include on their brochures. To make their searching time faster and easier online, students could access the MS Library Main Page to find links to valid, reliable, current websites to start their work. This is also where they could make a copy of the Google document to work from.

It was a busy day in the library and computer lab when work began, so Mrs. Ellis joined science classes in their classroom. 



One class period combined the two science classes to meet in the library. While it was pretty crowded--almost 50 students--everyone was able to work on a computer and start their brochures.