teen holiday hangout with jennifer

camel transportation

Almost forgot to thank our camel transportation manager,
Steve Foster, who is always willing to help Tammie
and the East staff with the heavy lifting and other
random tasks as needed.  We appreciate you, Steve! 

merry christmas from the elves from the east

Our Holiday Storytime was a huge hit with more than 70 children
and parents in attendance!  And we signed up four new library
card users, which means we're reaching outside our four walls!
In addition to our exceptional Elves from the East
(Emma and Tammie), I would also like to extend a special thank
you to Faith Baptist for the loan of the life-sized camel and
to Dustee and Pat Thorbergson for being Mr. & Mrs. Claus.

Emma made this cute clip from an app she learned about

at Paul's iPad session at Staff Development Day.

holiday pajama party express @ south

Photos from the Holiday Pajama Party Express @ South

A special thanks to Dustee and Pat for being Mr. & Mrs. C.
You two are even better than the real thing!

literacy connections "hot spots"

Literacy Connections is the new group/committee that has formed in Rowan County.  The primary purpose of this committee is to develop “Hot Spots” – free Wi-Fi locations run by volunteers where school kids can go to work on homework.  The goal of the school system is to have 100 hot spots set up throughout the county.  Jennifer, Jane, and Melissa are on this committee.

Please periodically visit www.rowanhotspot.com .  Although no “hot spots” are listed to date, there are at least 34 in development.  This is the website you would refer parents & students to when they ask about where the hot spots are.  The website itself is in development as are many of the procedures and policies about setting up a hot spot.

If a student has trouble logging into their school account, they will need to contact their school media coordinator or teacher.  “PowerSchool #” is the unique number assigned to each student that they use to log in to their school account and school library.  There might be some confusion among students as some of the documentation says they can login to “the library” – not making the distinction between the school system libraries and the public library.

We do not have any way to assist students who have forgotten their PowerSchool # or password as this is run through the school system.

message me!

Don't forget to promote November's Teen Program, Message Me!

teen book cover winners

Library Notes from Children's Staff (no byline) on October 12th:

Library Has Monsters, Aliens, and Ghosts, Oh My!

Sunday, October 5, 2014 Library Notes article by Pam Bloom

Stories Of Love May Be Just The Thing For Children by Pam Bloom

Stories-To-Go Library Bookmobile delivers love of reading

Did you see us on the front page?  The Salisbury Post published a great article about Stories To Go on Monday, October 6th. Great interviews with Ashley, Vicki and Jane!

 http://www.salisburypost.com/article/20141006/SP01/141009798/1016/SP0101/stories-to-go-library-s-bookmobile-delivers-love-of-reading

fall in love with reading displays

Tammie has been busy putting together these beautiful displays
to inspire us to fall in love with reading.  Fall is in the air and
we're welcoming it with open arms here at East!

Many phase of Zola

I turned 6months in this pic.

Pool Time with Daddy

HAPPY 4th!!

HEY ALL!!!

Swing ME!!!

Rraawwww

underwater sparkle

Thanks to Tammie for making the fish tank at East sparkle
and for Emma covering the room in the process!

a july that's 'cold as ice'

Hard to believe we're in the final week of Summer Reading!!!

kids ages 3-5 fizz, boom, pop!

Kids ages 3-5 are fizzing, booming, and popping with energy
at the Summer Reading performance on Thurs, 07/17!

(thanks to Emma for creating & sharing the collage)

serving children with autism

Carrie Banks with Sammy the Toucan

Serving children on the autism spectrum can be an intimidating endeavor, particularly if you have little to no experience working with these families.  Suzanne Walker was inspired by “Creating Collaborations:  Successful Partnerships that Serve Children with Autism”, presentations by four librarians who highlighted several different kinds of partnerships available to the vast majority of public libraries.  From working with special education teachers to occupational therapists and museums to hospitals, Walker's article is sure to inspire unique and inclusive programming for children of all ages and abilities.  + more

teen game show challenge

This week teens tested their knowledge of science in
the Game Show Challenge.  Do you know what IBM
stands for or what form of art uses tiny dots?

you iis family and friend

Count Your Blessings

Pam B. found this drawing around the computers
in the children's room @  HQ.

up next for teens: CSI

fun ways to read with your child

Don't forget Jane's doing an excellent workshop called "Fun Ways to Read with your Child" on Monday @ 6:30 pm at HQ.  This will be a fun, free, and interactive workshop for parents of children ages 0-5 years old.  Childcare will be provided by Smart Start Rowan.  One free book and book bag to the first 50 families.  She's asking folks to register at any library location or by phone at 704-216-8234, but no one will be turned away. 

children, teens, and reading

Common Sense Media recently released a research brief called “Children, Teens, and Reading.” The group researched children’s reading habits in the United States and how they have changed in recent decades as technology has been on the rise. See the group’s infographic (left), key findings (below), or read the full report.

Key Findings

• Reading for fun drops off dramatically as children get older, and rates among all children — especially teens —  have fallen precipitously in recent years.
• Reading scores among young children have improved steadily, but achievement among older teens has stagnated.
• A significant reading achievement gap continues to persist between white, black, and Hispanic/Latino children.
• There is a gender gap in reading time and achievement: girls read more and better.
• Reading is still a big part of many children’s lives, but many children do not read well or often.
• Parents’ and children’s attitudes about electronic reading are still in flux.
• Ereading has the potential to significantly change the nature of reading for children and families, but its impact is still unknown.

- from the State Library's Library Development Blog

fizz, boom, FLY! at east

Storyteller Lona Bartlett kept the school-age kids engaged...

and the teens learned how to make it fly this week!

(thanks to Emma @ East for the collage and photo!)

week 2: mad science

Week 2: Mad Science takes the kids Up, Up and Away
This spellbinding special event illustrates the principles of air pressure. Children will be astonished as we use air to levitate different items, and will learn how the forces at work affect the world around us. Mad Scientists will make a hot air balloon out of a garbage bag and have a volunteer demonstrate the science behind an airplane. Watch a vortex generator at work, ride a hovercraft, and see just how strong air pressure is! It’s all possible when you send kids Up, Up and Away!

online registration tips

In addition to these FAQs for the Adult Summer Reading (which also apply to Children and Teens), here are a few additional issues that have come up when people are registering for summer reading:

• Creating a username: although no parameters are specified, it appears that the username must be between 6 and 12 characters long.  If the name is not accepted, the box will turn red and the user must try a different name.
  
• Creating a password: although no parameters are specified, it appears that the minimum length is 5 characters and that passwords must contain 1 digit and 1 letter.  If the password is not accepted, the box will turn red and the user must try a different password.
  
• Thank You message:  this is the message people receive once they have created their account.  It has been updated to help clarify how to log in and begin tracking hours:
  

  We are so excited you have signed up for Summer Reading!  Please close this window and go back to the "Events for [Kids or Teens]" page to sign in with your new account and begin to Track Reading time. 

  When users click on "Continue", they will be looped back to the registration page (there is a problem with the redirect code).  This page is where you sign up for a new account, not where you log in.  As the "thank you" message states, users will need to exit this page, go back to the "Events for Adults" page on our website, and click on "Track Reading" to log in.
  
• Email address optional:  the requirement for users to share their e-mail address has been disabled.  Anyone who wishes to register for summer reading using their library card number and PIN may do so without providing an e-mail address.

If you experience additional issues and would like to share as an FAQ, please send to April.  Thanks!

online registration is LIVE!!!

Online registration for children’s summer reading will go LIVE Friday morning IS LIVE!!!!!!

I know this adds another component to an already hectic kick-off week but we are up to the challenge.

I recommend you register for adult summer reading as a way to become familiar with the system.

If you have not already done so, you need to watch the webinar linked below ASAP!  This webinar is specifically for staff and goes over the online registration process and how online tracking works.  Erika has already added Rowan County Schools.  An email was sent out in May 5th with the same link to all children’s staff.

http://statelibrary.ncdcr.gov/ld/webinars.html

From this link, select:  Summer Reading Online Management Tool: For Staff Users

A few quick FAQ:

Folks do not have to register online in order to participate in summer reading!  Both the paper system and the online system will be used at all branches.

If a parent/guardian/teen does not have an email address, they can still participate online.

An email address is required as part of the registration process but is not required after their account has been set-up.  They may miss out on special announcements and promotions, but will have access to all the online program features.  At this time, Melissa will create their accounts and call them with their login information.  Staff will need to take all the regular summer reading registration information along with a phone number and their branch preference so we can call them with their login information.  Forward this information to Melissa.  Accounts will be set up within 24 hours.

Parents may create an account and then register their children under their account.  Each child will have their own sub-account to track their own individual hours.  When children want to login, they will use their own username and password.  Their parent does not have to login first.

Teens will only be able to track reading hours this summer.  We will look for ways to track activities for next summer.

Anyone who has logged hours the traditional way (purple/orange logs) and later registers online can have those earlier hours added to their online account.   As we don’t have any hours logged yet, this is not an issue but folks need to know this is possible should they choose to register online later on.  The details of how this will be accomplished are in development.

Let the fun begin!

- Melissa

children's at east gets a treasure

Thanks to Charlene (South) for sharing her artistic talents,
and to Dennis (HQ) for helping frame and hang the mural.

top 40 YA novels

Anna Fitzpatrick writes: “In the past decade, young adult literature has gone from a loosely defined term describing books marketed to teenagers to a cultural force that has spawned blockbuster hits. Trying to decide on the most essential books in the genre is a bit like trying to empty the ocean using a thimble. We’ve parsed through hundreds of stories about dystopian societies, supernatural love triangles, awkward first crushes, and many a mixed-tape featuring the Smiths to bring you this core collection of classic staples and overlooked gems.” more...  Rolling Stone, May 22 as cited in ALA Direct, May 28.

Cool Momma Zola

time capsules take students back to the 1960s

In 1967, the Vietnam War, miniskirts, and space travel were on the minds of 8th-grade students at Hermosa Middle School in Farmington, New Mexico. Forty-seven years ago, the students mentioned those topics in letters they wrote to a future generation. School Librarian Lola Delaney found the letters while cleaning the school’s library.  - ALA Direct, 05/14/14.  Check out the full article here.  What would you leave in your letter to future generations?

summer reading book lists

ALSC's Quicklists Consulting Committee has updating our Summer Reading Lists with new and exciting titles!
The lists are full of book titles to keep children engaged in reading throughout the summer.  Three Summer Reading book lists are available for K-2^nd, 3^rd- 5^th and 6^th-8^th grade students.

Each list is available below to download for free in color and black and white.  Lists can be customized to include library information, summer hours and summer reading programs for children before making copies available to schools and patrons.


K - 2nd grade ( Color | B&W )
3rd - 5th grade ( Color | B&W )
6th - 8th grade ( Color | B&W )

meet alex blumenthal

Alex is from Salisbury, North Carolina and is a 5th grader at Overton Elementary School. His video (below) details the essential value of libraries to him and all of North Carolina.

“My name is Alex Blumenthal and I am a fifth grader at Overton Elementary School in Salisbury, NC. I have 1 twin brother, 2 dogs and 3 horses.

My hobbies include theater, reading, playing my trumpet and being active in Boy Scouts. I really enjoy technology and am efficient in the making of Imovies. I love school and am looking forward to middle school next year.

My favorite extra-curricular activity has been Elementary Battle of the Books because it has given me some of my best friends. I love to read because it can take me places I’ve never been and help me feel like I am doing things I’ve never done.

Going to Washington DC to rally Congress about the importance of libraries is one of the most important things I’ve done this year.”

summer reading is almost here!

Registration begins Monday, May 12th!  Let's get ready for another great summer!

princess zola

teen poetry slam tonight!

coloring contest winners

Results are in for our 411 Community Read Coloring Contest:

Ages 7-10
First Place: Ava Heath, Age 9, Cabarrus County
Second Place: Caleb Schell, Age 8, Rowan County
Third Place: Emma Harrison, Age 9, Davidson County

Ages 11-13
First Place: Abigail Mayn, Age 11, Rowan County
Second Place: Laura Nettles, Age 11, Rowan County
Third Place: Jude Smeltzer, Age 11, Rowan County

Ages 14-17
First Place: Dia Lo, Age 15, Rowan County
Second Place: Erin Magee, Age 14, Cabarrus County
Third Place: Ryan Bame, Age 14, Rowan County

baby zola

A big welcome back to Ashley Bowie (HQ)!  Here are a few photos of her new baby girl, Zola, from birth to more recent:

What a sweet girl!

more great websites for kids

ALSC has added six more sites to Great Websites for Kids, its online resource containing hundreds of links to exceptional websites for children. Two sites for Spanish readers, the New York Philharmonic Kidzone, a virtual trip to Mount Everest, and a home page for “SciGirls” are some of the new additions.

sliding into a good book!

Bostian Elementary's kindergarten classes are "sliding into a good book" at South!
(Thanks to Amy for sharing this picture)