Electronic Serials

As I'm ordering this Spring I'm looking to take advantage of subscriptions that include an online version. Many publishers are attempting to steer clientel to the electronic realm as it is more cost effective for them. For the end user (my patrons) the benefit is 24/7 access. A couple titles I'm working going online with are: Wall Street Journal and Inside Photoshop.

Another benefit to online journals / periodicals are the back issues. Patrons are able to view any of the titles back issues. It remains to be seen at this point what search capability among back issues exist or will exist. The fact that availability is flexible is a step in the right direction.

Equipment

I'm in the beginning stages of getting some new technical equipment. Over the next couple of weeks, especially Spring Break, I'm going to be getting an LCD projector mounted in my ceiling. With the install comes speakers for presentations and two large screens for meetings or presentations. My hope is to be able to do research lessons in the library where kids can physically see the stuff on the shelf I'm referring to.

One screen will be set up for the permanent mounted projector. The second screen will be for portable setup so a larger group can use the library if need be.

Also this spring I'm looking forward to getting my room repainted. I'm unsure when this will take place. I'm anxious to change the look and feel of the room.

Website Update

I've been doing some research on E-Books lately and have posted an entry for Project Gutenberg on my website. E-Books are such a new and untapped resource for students in my building. Students I've spoken too aren't comfortable using them quite yet. As I'm working on my masters program its apparrant many of the readings professors require are electronic format. Preparing students for college needs to include exposure and use of these resources. The bottom line with electronic books is their cost effectiveness. Its cheaper for a publisher to push the e-book to end users than kill trees and pay for ink formulation. The upside for users is it portability and speed of access.

Project Gutenberg is a free online repository for literary works. Users can find titles by the same means they would in my library catalog (OPAC) system; AUTHOR, SUBJECT, TITLE, or by NEWEST posting.

Like the teens roaming the halls of PHS I too have the I-Pod fever. The Gutenberg site also carries books in Audio format. Essentially one could download a book to their I-Pod or portable device and listen wherever and whenever they want. As technology develops so does the need to multi-task. Imagine listening to something for class while working out at the same time. Wow have things come a long way.

New Releases!

I've gathered some book covers from some of the new books that have recently arrived. I'm planning and putting together a new set of display pieces in the hall way display case next to the cafeteria. Wow...hard to believe that room is the same cafeteria from last year.

I'm also going to be turning Mrs. Huff loose on similar book cover designs for the pillars in the library hallway. My hope is this adds some color and invites students to peruse my new items "under the dome".

http://www.plymouth.k12.in.us/~bwaymouth/red%20dots/2.9.06.pdf

On the Horizon...

This week I've been busy ordering. I have several books in my backroom awaiting release to the shelves. These books are awaiting Red Dot quizzes to accompany them. Quizzes for these titles are now ordered and are on the way. Also on the horizon are DVD's to replace some of my most used VHS titles. I intend to keep the old crusty VHS titles as backup however I'm hoping to only buy DVD format from this point forward.

Graphic Novels...coming this Spring

I've been researching several of the latest up for award graphic novels. I'm adding about half-a-dozen titles to the collection with this most current order. If you've never experienced or handled a graphic novel they are thick like a book, they tell a story like a novel, they read like a comic. I'm planning a special display for these books when they arrive.

Back in the Groove:

It's been a long time since my last post. Getting back in the groove from the holiday has taken a couple of days.

With the turn of the calender exciting things are in the works for the Media Center. I will be doing lots of ordering this Spring; books, quizzes, and such. One big addition to library collection this spring will be graphic novels. I've developed a list of the hottest and most popular titles and will be adding several of them. I'm also looking to develop our offerings of magazines adding a few to the collection. On the book front new fiction titles will also be added along with quizzes for red dot to accompany them.

As we head into the long winter stretch come check out our new offerings. Spring Break is only a "few" weeks away.

Rearrangement...

This week the library will be transforming a bit. I'm going to be moving some furniture around to give the place a new look. In particular the computers will be moved slightly and some furniture will be rearranged.

Stop in and check out the new look.

Favorite Holiday Books

Students here's an opportunity to chime in. What is your favorite Holiday movie and book?

Here's mine:

Movie...the one the only...TBS runs it as a marathon on 12/24 every year...CHRISTMAS STORY...you'll shoot your eye out!!!

Book - Christmas After All by Kathryn Lasky...a great book!!...historical fiction...takes place in Indianapolis...the reason for the season

Due Dates & Overdues

With the holiday season approaching and students checking out books I've graciously adjusted my due dates for books. Anything checked out this week is due on Friday, January 6th. School is back in session on Thursday, Jan. 5th. That means students have to return books quickly upon return.

Prior to leaving for break I'm asking that all students pay necessary fines and return all overdue materials. Practice the gift of giving; return your books so others have a chance to enjoy them.

Thanksgiving to Christmas

What a great time of year! Basketball starting up football winding down to the playoffs! This also means back to school after the Thanksgiving holiday. Just remember students the days fly by in early December.

I'm expecting new books to arrive this week and next. I've got two orders from different publishers arriving. I'm gathering titles for a January order at the moment. If you have requests or authors of interest that I don't have in the collection please drop me a posting. Author name and or title is helpful!

In the holiday spirit I challenge students to read a holiday theme book. One of my favorites is from the Dear America Series "Christmas After All". A great Rosewater book that reminds us of what the 'season' is meant for. Check it out!

Turkey Week!

Students post me your favorite dish for Thanksgiving! What makes food item makes "your" dinner or family feast unique?

Here's some of mine:

• Chocolate Milk
• Mashed Potatoes w/ brown gravy

1/3 - New Trimester - 2/3

Today is the beginning of the second trimester. As finals wound down last week we saw several books returned :) We have several still out!! :(

With the new semester brings new challenges for all. Here in the Media Center we're looking forward to the holiday season and the challenges ahead for the remaining two-thirds of the school year.

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Students remember after reading a book leave me some comments here on the blog site. Simply click the "comments" link at the bottom of this message or any message to leave feedback on the book you read; positive or negative. This not only helps me but also relays information to other students wishing, looking, or aspiring to read titles you've read.

Reading - Data

We've been spending this week getting rosters and student sub-groups arranged for the end of the Trimester. Come next week I'm hoping to generate reports from Reading Counts for all those interested. We've been assigning students to specific classes in our management program all week. By week's end I'm hoping to do some caparison with scores and data. Just getting students assigned to their specific subgroup is very time consuming!

Book Review!

Today I received a shipment of books to preview. Several titles in Science, in particular Astronomy, Physics, and Biology. Also several Biographies and Social Studies topics. Teachers will be taking a look and giving suggestions.

We've been cataloging and adding books to the shelves at a pretty good clip. One new series in Reference I'm excited to announce is from Grolier; Pro / Con 24 volumes of arguments for and against. Each volume details a general topic, within each book are series of arguments. Good hard hitting stuff. While we've had several of these on the shelf for over a year our set is now complete with the addition of the final 6 volumes.

At yesterday's faculty meeting I shared several resources with staff that our students have access to. A couple of these resources are items that are subscription based * that come from my budgeted funds. Here's a list of items mentioned:

• Facts.com*
• AP Multimedia Archive*
• Google Scholar
• Google Uncle Sam

On my website I have links to several search engines, Google being one. On the site I link directly to the 'advanced' search page for each engine. Students struggle with keyword searching and this page takes away some of that confusion.

http://www.plymouth.k12.in.us/~bwaymouth

Students...Latin America...research...first hand knowledge...these are just a few keywords a student would type in Google or any other search engines looking for information like this.

http://www.nd.edu/~kellogg/

This site is chocked full of information and studies done by folks in Latin America associated with the University of Notre Dame.

Hurricanes!

With all the devestation with hurricanes this fall I felt the need to post this URL for information on hurricanes past and present.

http://www.nhc.noaa.gov

This week is Fall Break!! Half days Wednesday & Thursday. No school Friday!

I'm looking forward to a bit more free time this week. My graduate work for my media specialist degree is become more and more taxing on my free time. I'm hoping this week presents a bit of a break from the rat race I've found myself running in.

Research!!
Several classes are working on research this week. I've been cramming this morning getting things ready for students! By days end I will have made three presentations to classes regarding research strategies and websites to use.

Over the weekend and all morning today I've been re-tooling my website here at school to reflect my change to the media center from the classroom. I really tried to utilize css styles for the majority of my site. Different from my previous website everyting is done using css coding except for two image files. The address is the same as what it used to be. http://www.plymouth.k12.in.us/~bwaymouth

Online databases...

Last week I renewed the PHS subsription to Facts on File a.k.a. FACTS.com

The service provides students a tremendous amount of information! Articles in any major periodical since 1950 with an emphasis on Current Events. If you need information from periodicals about anything historical and don't want to wade through archives of major news sites this baby is your solution! www.facts.com

Also last week I purchased a year subscription to the multimedia archive of the Associated Press. The Associated Press has been in existence since the 1870's. Their entire database of photos, graphics, audio transcripts, and text articles have been digitized and added to their online database! Students looking for key pieces such as these to support a speech, presentation, or report will love this!! http://ap.accuweather.com/apphoto/index.htm

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