Updated:  12/21/11

Library Blog  -  September  - December, 2011

THE LIBRARY:

The Library has had a very busy fall season.  Between new books from the our bookfair making it to the shelves, and new titles beginning to arrive from our very generous budget from SPS this year (mostly federal funds, channeled to our libraries), we have lots of new things to read.   Teachers:  please share this with your students;  Students:  please share this info with your friends, classmates, etc.  Some of the new titles include:

FOR STUDENTS:

• The entire "Leven Thumps" series, by Obert Skye
•  A Large number of Manga and Graphic Novel titles, including Robert Patterson's "Maximum Ride" series, and "Night School"
  
•  Many titles by Sharon Flake, including, "The Skin I'm In", "Who am I Without Him", "Bang", and others...
• The new "Diary of a Wimpy Kid" book, "Cabin Fever"
• A Large number of new drawing books for beginners, including "How to Draw Vampires",  "How to Draw Manga Warriors", "How to draw Horses" ... Birds,  ...Wild Animals, ...Monsters, etc.  Come check these out, artists!
• Double copies of the entire "Bluford High" series - gritty teen novels about inner city life that have been very popular with our students here at Chestnut 
• Multiple copies of the entire "Ranger's Apprentice" series, beginning with "The Ruins of Gorlan".  This series is great!
• A  number of titles by the very popular author, Paul Kropp, including "Death on the Sidewalk", "Foul Shot", "Shooting the Rapids", and "I Didn't Do It"  (and many more)...
• The final book in the Christopher Paolini "Eragon" series, called, "Inheritance" (which is great, so far... - I'm about 1/2 way through it).
• So much more!   And more coming in every day, so get down to the library and check it out.

FOR TEACHERS:   We also have new resource materials for teachers including:

• DVD - Discovery:  The Civil War:  A Nation Divided
•  DVD - Schlesinger:  What is Islam
• DVD -  20th Century Biographies:  Scientists and Inventors
• DVD - History Channel:  Ellis Island
• DVD - Schlesinger:  Immigration and Cultural Change
• DVD -Schlesinger:  Christopher Columbus
• DVD - "Just the Facts":  The United States Constitution and the Bill of Rights
• DVD -Schlesinger:  A History of Slavery in America
• DVD -History Channel:  The American Civil War
• DVD -  Schlesinger:  The Industrial Revolution
• DVD -  History Alive:  Living During the Industrial Revolution
• DVD -  Discovery:  The Holocaust - A Teenager's Experience
• And many more great titles! 

Come check them out.  If you think you might want to use one, borrow it and preview it - make questions, etc.

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TECHNOLOGY:

Around technology, a LOT has happened since the last update.   Our budget from the City has allowed the library to order 24 new, desktop computers for the library (one for the main desk, and 23 for student-use, replacing the ones currently along the wall).  This should make happy all of you who have been in lately cursing them for their slowness and quirkiness...  These will all be running Windows 7 and have the newer versions of Microsoft Office (2010), so there should be no difficulty opening documents from your classroom desktops (as there has been in the past).  Please feel free to make sure of the library computers for your work, just defer to classroom visitors when they are there.

We are also having a projector mounted over the SmartBoard on the far side of the library, eliminating orientation and annoying shadows while working.  Please consider designing a lesson with me and coming down to work on the library's SmartBoard with your class(es).

There are, now, 7 working laptop carts available for use by all teachers in the building.  These are being checked out for 3 days, and then MUST be returned (unless otherwise instructed by an administrator or me).  This is to ensure that they are accessible to all in a fair way.    There is an ADDITIONAL LAPTOP CART that is specifically reserved for Special Education teachers (it was bought with the SPED budget).  If you are a special education teacher, please request this cart.  It's brand new and should be the best one we have, at this point.

We also have an exciting new development here at Chestnut.  Our special education classes have, though a grant, received 23 I-pads, 4 for each classroom (or there about)...  For anyone who hasn't seen it, there is a great special on CBS's "60 Minutes" about the use of I-Pads with autistic children.  It's pretty powerful.  Here's a link to the show, if you want to watch it online:  http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=7385686n&tag=mncol;lst;2.

We are also anxiously awaiting the delivery of 4, Canon PowerShot digital cameras and one Sony camcorder, which will be available for specific projects. but will be monitored carefully.

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That's about it from here. 

See you in the library!

Mr. B

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