LMS Media Matters …

I am so excited!  Last Friday I viewed a webinar from Gale about their Virtual Reference Library resources, simply put … e-books!  I have to admit, I have shied away from this type of resource because I was totally ignorant of the many benefits they provide.

• 24/7 access to everyone in your school community
• unlimited # of hits on a resource
• can be accessed by more than one person at a time

What a great way to improve access, while stretching our materials $$!  I’m really looking forward to previewing this resource and assessing its value!  I have emailed the preview  link to my teachers and asked for their input. I certainly hope that they are as excited about their potential as I am!

I’ll let you know what I decide!

With Valentine’s Day just one week away, what better to be reading than Love Stories? I’ve pulled books by L. M. Montgomery, Eve Bunting, Louisa M. Alcott, Nathaniel Hawthorne and more. Some of the books are about teenage love, some of them are about kids whose single parents are falling in love, some of them are classics, and some are old favorites.

The media center is decorated for Valentine’s day and we have special valentines hidden in some of the books; (Thanks Stacey for the idea!) students who find them receive a treat bag. I can’t tell you where we hid the valentines, but I will say that they have a good chance of being found!

Come visit the media center, where “Love is in the Air!”

Mrs. I

Since our spring book fair is about five weeks away, I asked our book fair vendor to send some books that students could read, and then review for the other students in the school.  Scholastic sent five books and during the morning announcements, the office announced that students who were interested in doing this could to come to the media center and see me.  Almost immediately I had five students racing each other to be first in line!  What was the incentive?  They have to read a book and report on it to the school; if they do those two things, they get to keep the book!

What an uplifting experience!

 Keep Reading!  =)

Such excitement!  Such enthusiasm!  Do you remember what it was like to see your friends on the first day back to school?  If you do, you probably know that last Thursday everybody was talking at once, telling about the gifts they received, the trips they took, who they saw, who did what, and it goes on and on!  

Although the teachers had to work hard to get their students’ attention  in the morning … they seemed to be slipping back into their routine by the time lunch rolled around.

Overdue Books & Unpaid Fines notices went home attached to the second nine weeks report cards.  Most students are very conscientious about returning their books on time and taking care of any fines quickly.  However, this year we have a large number of students who owe books and/or fines to the media center.  We appreciate your help in getting your students to resolve these obligations.

 Remember to check in with LMS Media Matters periodically to receive updates on what’s happening in the LMS Media Center!  I hope that you and your students have a great second semester.

Happy Reading! — Mrs. I

It’s day 3 of “The Week before Christmas”, and with the exception of a few cookie crumbs on the carpet, we’ve fared pretty well. I hope that I’m not tempting fate by writing about it before the day is over!

Looking at these photos and seeing the blurriness reminds me what a poor photographer I am!  We are low on digital cameras right now, so my library camera is getting checked out by teachers.  When I go to use it I ALWAYS forget to check the settings!  My fault, my blurry photos!  I need to review some photography tutorials!

Well, enough reflection on the quality of photographs, it’s time to catalog some new equipment.

until later … Mrs. I :)

The media center is a busy place this week, but not just with the normal ebb and flow of researchers and book borrowers. This week we are having a celebration for students who kicked it up a notch in the classroom — their performance, not their voices!  Each core teacher received an “invitation” that they can use to send students to the media center, one at a time, today through Wednesday.

Today was our first day and it was great!  We’ll do this again on Tuesday and Wednesday, I hope that the cookies, hot chocolate, and hot cider (really apple juice with cinnamon sticks added) hold out!

I’ve received quite a few positive comments from teachers; some of them their own, and some of them relaying comments made by students. If this goes well I’ll see about doing it again in May … assuming we can complete our library inventory early!

=) Kim