What's Happening...

Next week you will be able to take out 10 books!  All books will be due back on January 10. This will give you extra days to remember to bring your books back after the break and avoid collecting fines.

Also, the bookmark contest will end on Monday, December 13. I have received some amazing bookmarks, but would love to have more!

Check out the new books I have added to LibraryThing (left column). They will soon be ready for you to take out! I just got another shipment in today!!

Remember to check out the "Suggest a Book" page if you would like me to look into ordering a book that you would recommend for the library!

Help!

The library needs your help… we are running out of bookmarks! Instead of buying new bookmarks, I have decided to have a Bookmark Contest. There are so many talented artists at this school that I thought it would be great to see what you came up with! There will be two different entries for the contest – bookmarks designed by hand and/or designed on the computer. Copies of the winning bookmarks will be made, laminated and available for everyone in the library. Winners will also receive a special prize!

Some rules: The bookmarks need to be no larger than 5 cm x 18 cm. They should either promote reading/libraries, Christmas or they can be abstract. Please make sure your name is on the back.

I can’t wait to see what all you creative students come up with! If you have any questions come see me in the library! Thanks Rachael, Kendra, and YiYa for your help with this!

New Books!

Be sure to check out the new books that are ready! There will also be a new shipment arriving next week (watch for the new titles on the side of the blog!). Also, check out the resource list (New Books October (Middle)) for the books that are ready to be signed out!

What’s happening in the library…

I can’t believe it is almost the end of October; it has been so busy in the library this month. Grade 7 & 8 classes have had bibliography lessons using books and encyclopedias (Websites will be next week). Grade 6 classes have had a fun “treasure hunt” with prizes going to the winning teams.

I would like to say a huge THANK YOU to all my amazing library helpers! You rock!!


Winners of the Textbook Condition Form draw!

Congratulations Cade Smith, Cierra Skipper, and Sean Galbraith.

What's Happening!

I will be posting the winners of the Textbook Condition Form draw on Monday, but listen for the announcement at the break to hear if you are the winner!

I have received most of the forms back, but if you still have a form you haven't returned it must be handed in to me by October 1. If you have lost your form please come by the library to pick up another copy. It is very important that you fill out the form.

This week we will be going over how to access your library account and review some of the great features that are available to you. I am hoping that you will renew your items or return them before they are overdue. This will be easy to do as you can even renew your items from home! If you cannot access your account please come see me. Lets have a fine free year!!

Catalogue and account info...

Check out the "Catalogue and account info" tab for instructions on how to use the library catalogue!

I hope you all had a GREAT first week at school! It was very busy in the library this week, signing out textbooks to everyone. I was happy to see so many of you come to the library during the breaks to check out other books as well!

Please remember to get your Textbook Condition Forms signed by your parents and handed in by Sept. 17^th so you can enter the draw for the prize!

This week will begin the regular library blocks for all classes. We will start with an orientation so everyone can find what they are looking for, know what is available, and understand the rules of the library etc.

***Be sure to check out the new books that are ready this week!***

Welcome back to school!!

I hope you all had a wonderful summer break. J My summer seemed to fly by so fast but I am excited to be back and I am looking forward to hearing about your summer adventures.

This week you will be coming to the library to sign out your textbooks. You will be given a Textbook Condition Form to fill out and have your parents sign. If you return the form by September 17^th you will be able to enter a draw for an AMAZING prize! Please note that ALL forms must be returned by October 1^st.

Be sure to stop by the library and check out the great new books!

Have a GREAT first week everyone!

Summer Reading Clubs!!

House of James

"Youth Reading Club!" for all youth who have completed Grades 6 -11. Check out their website at http://www.houseofjames.com/browse/Youth%20Reading%20Club for more information.

Sign Up between JUNE 17-19 and be entered to Win Prizes for their Early Bird Draw!!

Also...

Check out the exciting Reading Clubs at your local public library!

Registration begins the middle of June. Phone or drop by your local FVRL location for further details http://www.fvrl.bc.ca/read/libraries.htm

“Reading Rocks!” for grade 6. Check out their website at http://www.kidssrc.ca/

AND

“Get into Character!” for grades 7 & 8. Check out the online Teen Reading Club website at http://www.teenrc.ca/. You could win amazing prizes!

Where to find books this summer?

The House of James has some excellent deals, try searching thrift stores and garage sales, download ebooks, borrow from friends and family...

If you have any other ideas post a comment!

***IMPORTANT DATES***

Time continues to fly by! Here are some dates that you need to know about.

June 9 – Library circulation closes – all library items need to be returned.
June 16 – Textbooks returned – as many as possible!
June 18 – All textbooks need to be back.
June 21 – Library will remain open until 7 pm to pay library fines. Remember, the library is also open before and after school, during nut break and lunch every day.

2010 Summer Reading Clubs

Check out the exciting Reading Clubs at your local public library! Registration begins the middle of June. Phone or drop by your local FVRL location for further details http://www.fvrl.bc.ca/read/libraries.htm

“Reading Rocks!” for grade 6. Check out their website at http://www.kidssrc.ca
AND
“Get into Character!” for grades 7 & 8. Check out the online Teen Reading Club website at www.teenrc.ca. You could win amazing prizes!

Wow! I can’t believe it is already the middle of May. Time is flying by so fast - soon you will be off to enjoy the summer!

New books!

There are some great new books ready to be checked out! For a list of the new materials go to Destiny Quest – Quest Home – Resource Lists – New Novels (Middle) and New Graphic Novels (Middle). You can also check out the two "New" display areas in the library. I will be adding a list for the new research books when they are ready as well.

Exciting news!!

I have ordered several more playaways to add to the collection. When they are ready to be signed out I will add them to a new resource list called "Playaways". If you are interested in seeing the new titles that were ordered there is a list posted by the Special Collections area.

Thanks to those classes who participated in last week’s library activity. There have been lots of changes and rearranging of the shelves so I hope the activity will help you remember where to find everything!

Remember to check your account for overdue items, fines and the status of your holds!

Please check back here next week for some important Year End information.

There is a poll currently being run on NEWS 1130 which is asking if the public is in favour of funding for independent schools. Visit the site and cast your vote!

*** ATTENTION!! ***

This week will be your LAST CHANCE to return or renew your overdue items before the rate increase on May 1st. Please come to the library if you cannot find the items that are checked out to you so we can mark them as “lost” to prevent fines from adding up. For example: if you have a $10 book that is overdue and your estimated fines are $5, if you check in the book after May 1st your new fine estimate will be $25.
If anyone has not accessed their account yet, please see the instructions posted on the library door or come ask me how.

Meet Bryan Davis!!

On May 1st at the House of James you will have an opportunity to meet Bryan Davis, author of the series: Dragons in our Midst, Oracles of Fire, and Echoes from the Edge. Hear about his new series Dragons of Starlight and get a signed copy of Starlighter! (the first book in the new series)

*Registration Deadline is: Thursday, April 29th at 5:00pm*

For more information go to: http://www.houseofjames.com/Bryan_Davis.html

Have a great week everyone!

The library will now be open during the nutrition break for those who cannot come before or after school and for those not wanting to stay for the whole lunch period. Please remember that there is still no food or drinks allowed in the library!
If anyone is having trouble accessing their account, has any questions about the new system, or has discovered something cool please let me know!
Please check out the WebPath Express and let me know what you think of this resource. Feel free to post comments to the blog as well!
When placing holds on books, please keep in mind that the catalogue records for the Middle school library are linked with the Secondary school and the content of some Secondary school library books may not be suitable for students in the younger grades. If students would like to go to the Secondary school for books, a permission slip needs to be filled out and signed by a parent or guardian.
Have a great week everyone!

It has been a very busy and fun week learning how to use the new library system! I hope most of you have had a chance to check out the exciting new features available to you! This week we will continue to learn how to use the new system and make sure everyone can access their accounts. I have finished creating the grade 6 and 7 accounts so you will be able to login to the Catalogue and Destiny Quest using your student number as your user name and your last name as your password. Remember to select the MEI Secondary Library. Once you are in your account, be sure to check out WebPath Express for some great resources to help you with your research. If you have any trouble accessing your account or would like to change your password please come and see me. I will have the grade 8 accounts ready before Wednesday.

As most of you are now aware, the fines for overdue items will be increasing in May. It is very important that you return or renew any overdue items to avoid large fines! If you have lost a book please come to the library so we can mark it as lost so fines do not accumulate. There will be more information about this in the next school newsletter.

For students in classes who do not come to the library please feel free to stop by as I would love to show you how to use the new system, set up your account and show you the great features available to you!

Welcome back! I hope everyone had a great Spring Break!

There have been some exciting new changes during the break. The library has upgraded to a new system called Destiny. We will be spending the next couple of weeks learning how to use this new system and exploring all of the exciting features. This week we will focus on using basic, power and visual searches, browse the shelves and take a brief look at Destiny Quest.

Once your accounts have been set up (hopefully soon!) you will be able to search the library catalogue and place holds from home. Using Destiny Quest you will be able to write reviews, rate books, add friends and recommend books to them, plus so much more! You will also be able to access WebPath Express to find some great online resources to add to your research lists!

Check out the new overdue list that is now organized alphabetically by Grade and remember to bring back all those extra books you took out to read during the break so they don’t start collecting fines. If you enjoyed some of the books you read during the break, or if you would like to recommend your favourite book, please drop by the library and share it with us by writing the book’s title and author on the paper “book” and stapling it to the “M-A-R-C-H Genre” bulletin board. I will be putting some of my favourites up as well!

I can’t believe March is already here! Remember that you will be able to sign out 10 books for over the Spring break. There are some great new books ready to be signed out, or maybe you would like some music to listen to... My goal is to read at least 4 books during the break.
Now that speeches are winding down, hopefully we can get back to the planned lessons for all the Grades this week.
There is quite a waiting list for the new Playaways so after Spring break there will be a one week loan period for them in order to give everyone a chance to try them. Remember to put your name on the waiting list if you want to try this great new format!
Also, please remember to check the overdue list as it is getting larger each week and fines are really adding up.
Have a GREAT Spring break everyone!

I hope everyone is enjoying the Olympics! We will be tracking the medals won by Canadian athletes on the bulletin board so please stop by to let me know when Canada gets a medal. Also, check out the new Olympic books.
A friendly reminder - if you come to the library during the lunch break you need to stay until the bell rings.
Remember to check the overdue list to avoid those fines.
Have a wonderful week!

Congratulations Mrs. Torenvliet!
You have probably heard that Mrs. Torenvliet had a very cute baby boy last Friday. We are looking forward to meeting little Pierce Torenvliet!
This week will be busy in the library! Most classes are doing different activities or finding resources for speeches, so come to the library to find out what your class will be doing this week.
Check out the new books that are displayed on the shelf at the back of the library. There are also new Olympic books ready to be checked out!
Also, please remember to check the overdue list to avoid fines.
Have a great week everyone!

First of all, I would like to thank everyone for their participation in last week’s activity. It was good to get to know all of you a bit better – I even learned a few names last week!
This week, Grade 7 and 8 classes will be developing their Internet searching skills through the Google Game. The Grade 6 classes will be learning how to search the library catalogue (if they have already finished the Fiction Finding lesson).
Later this week you will be able to check out the new Playaways that were purchased with money from the Christmas donations. There are several titles to choose from so bring along your ear buds and listen to some great stories!

I am very excited about this week in the library! There will be a lot to remember as I look after the library while Mrs. Torenvliet is away. I am looking forward to getting to know all of you better – it may take me awhile to learn your names though!

This week Grades 6, 7, and 8 will be doing a short activity that will help me get to know you better. We will continue with the regular lessons next week.

Please remember to check the overdue list to avoid those fines.

Have a great week everyone!

Bon Voyage!!

Just wanted to say a little goodbye on my last day of work before I start my maternity leave! It's been a wonderful year and a half working in the middle school library, I've enjoyed being part of this school community so much! I will miss all you wonderful students and getting to share my excitement about books and reading with you. Enjoy the rest of the school year, and I hope to be back to visit soon with my new baby!

What's Happening in the Library

This week during library, some Grade 7&8 classes will have the subject/keyword searching lesson if they didn't last week, while I hope to move on to an intro on searching the internet and playing the Google Game with other Grade 7&8 classes.
All Grade 6 classes have now looked at the library blog and done a fun scavenger hunt, so we will now move on to ordering and finding fiction books on the shelf, so we'll be putting your alphabetical skills to the test!
I hope that it's a great week for everyone... each day will be special for me, as it will be my last Monday, my last Tuesday, etc.

What's Happening in the Library

Happy Monday! I hope you all had a great weekend and are ready to get back into the swing of things for another week (my second last!!:(
This week with Grade 8 and Grade 7 classes we will be covering how to do subject and keyword searches in the catalogue and do some practice of those searches. With Grade 6 classes we will look at the library blog (because I haven't shown it to them yet if you can believe it) and do a scavenger hunt on the blog.
We printed out quite the overdue list here in the library this morning... please check if your name is on the list and take care of any outstanding books and fines. Fines are collecting each day your books are overdue, so return them on time to avoid those pesky library fines!

What's Happening in the Library

Welcome back! I hope everyone had a great Christmas holiday! I sure did, I stayed very busy getting ready for my baby, and I realized yesterday, I didn't even finish one book over the holidays!
So to remind you once again, all books that were signed out in the two weeks before holidays are due TODAY!! Don't forget to stop by and return them, or renew any books you still want out. Please look at the overdue list on the library window as well and see if you have any overdues, there is quite a list.
This week in the library we will be taking things easy to get back into the swing of things by playing one of our new library games: this week, Library Lingo, for all grades. Have a great week back, and Happy New Year!