Homecoming Week

Friday afternoon, finally stopped raining this week, homecoming game tonight, what a way to end the week.

We've been SUPER busy this week. Next week is ISTEP and classes have stormed the Media Center for books. Good thing, the testing week presents tons of downtime for casual reading.

In addition to tons of circulation this week we've seen an increase in human circulation. The new paint has beckoned some to the library this fall.

I attended a good conference Wednesday of this week. I heard a gal from YALSA speak. YALSA is the national version of school library associations. Usually someone who speakes from YALSA attends a state-wide meeting. The day was informational and allowed me a ton of networking with other media specialists. Due to afterschool activities I was forced to leave early.

I've been busy pouring over new books (additions) for the library. I've got to whittle down my budget by year end or face the possibility of loosing it. On my radar screen are books 1200 lexile and above. I've got a really good list, some fiction and some non-fiction. I'm also looking to expand the low end, particularly our new to English group.

I've spent the last two weeks ordering and shopping. I'm now anxiously waiting for the stuff to show up.

New Paint

Over the summer we received a new paint job. Gone is the ugly blue - gray vinyl wallpaper! The moisture of the room caused each seam on the wall to begin to buckle and show its age.

We received a complete strip of the wallpaper and lots of surface prep. After several coats of mud, a coat of primer, and two coats of finish our walls are now bright and clean.

I have designs for future decorating. I'd love to paint the metal trim and introduce a maroon accent color...one of these days.

I'd love to hear comments on the new color, "humble gold". Stay tuned for a future project involving art club! I hope by Christmas to have frames and artwork where there was once posters, staples, and tacks holding up the wallpaper.

Welcome Back!

The start of school was a whirlwind of activity for the PHS Media Center. I've been so busy I've not had a chance to post to the blog. Below is a list of activities we've been busy with:

• Printing, attaching, new sping labels to books
• Cataloging new books
• Purchasing of new books
• Instruction to classes of our new Infocentre Search Tool
• Research instruction to classes - Inspire, CQ Researcher, Facts.com, and Grolier
• Updating of Scholastic: Reading Counts, SRI, and rosters of students in each
• Updating of Infocentre - importing of students from SASI and troubleshooting of missing information
• Re-shelving of the Fiction genres into one collection
• Cataloging of, labeling of, and shelving of a World War II collection of books donated from a local family - 39 books total - they are awesome!

Projects in progress - not yet completed

• Eliot Rosewater - pictures of books on hallway pillars
• Display case - cafeteria
• Research talks to classes - never ending :)

We're ready for another exciting year in the PHS Media Center! As you can see we've been busy and active!