Librarian's
Corner

This past weekend I attended the ALA Midwinter conference here in Seattle.  It was wonderful, uplifting, invigorating and exhausting.  I will be sharing more about it in future blogs.  One of the session I went to was a presentation from the Pew Internet and American Life Project (libraries.perinternet.org ) sponsored by the Gates Foundation on the reading habits of American.

Have you ever wondered about the reading habits of younger Americans, those aged between 16 and 29, and how do they compare with the rest of us?  Pew Internet did a poll.   These young Americans read more than any other group.  And the youngest in the study, those age 16-17 are more likely to be reliant on their library for their reading  material.  While it is unclear whether they are talking about their school library or their public library, I find the results heartening.  Of those teens who professed to have read a book in the last year, 76% read for pleasure!

Is the physical book on its way out?  Not according to this study.  Teenagers are reading; 77% read a physical book in the last year.  Ebooks are less popular, only 12% of 16 and 17 year olds read an ebook.  This bears out the research that Rebecca Moore did with the teenagers on our campus – for the most part our readers prefer a physical book.

Teenagers are some of the most active users of libraries –  this high use is readily apparent in our own library.  It was great to have affirmation of teenagers interest in libraries and reading.  Despite the slower interest with teens, Ebooks are trending upwards.  We have begun to foray into the econtent area.   We have 3 Nook readers, preloaded with some great fiction for faculty and student checkout.  Nonfiction ebooks are also well represented in the Overlake Library with over 1,000 volumes  our community can access through our card catalog and  through the Gale Virtual Reference Library (GVRL).

Let us know about your reading?  And if you are reading  econtent.  Currently I am reading Lower River by Paul Theroux.   The main character has looked back with longing his entire adult life to his time in Africa in the Peace Corps in an isolated village.  In his mid 60s he returns to find that things have changed dramatically.  Listed as one of the best books of 2012 – it is a fascinating psychological study.

iPads and QR codes in the library

What’s new in the library?  The 9th graders got a brief look at what is new in the library at their orientation last Friday.  Using one of the 5 library iPads and working in groups, the students roamed the library searching for clues  (in the form of QR codes) to answer their Scavenger Hunt questions.  They used the iPads to read the QR code and then explored our databases, online library catalog and ebooks.  They were also the first group of students to get a look at the new library configuration — we moved a few things around during the summer!

– Ann Ewel

This may sounds like we are sending out for an interesting lunch, but Noodle Tools is a software tool to use when doing research. Students can use Noodle Tools to create their citations, take notes, and organize an outline.

The secret to success with creating a citation in Noodle Tools is to correctly identify the type of resource. Noodle Tools will then ask relevant questions and put all the information into the correct format. At a touch of a button the student can then generate their Works Cited, or Bibliography Page. Not only that, when using Noodle Tools there is no more fear of losing a stack of note cards.

So far Noodle Tools has been used extensively by the 7th grade Social Studies Classes and right now the Juniors who are writing their English Research Papers. But it has also been used by the 5th graders, the 12th grade English Lit, and the Psychology Class. Each student can create their own account and can use Noodle Tools for all of their projects to keep up with their research and citations, so as to avoid plagiarism.

You can find the Noodle Tools link on our Database pages.  –Ann Ewel

This month we are highlighting an excellent resource for the Overlake Community that we have available through the library. Teen Health & Wellness is a database that focuses on the medical health and emotional needs of teenagers. It has won several awards in the best educational website category and attempts to provide accurate, and information-rich answers to real life questions, events,  and influences in the lives of adolescents.  Parents and teenagers will find it a good site for information about such topics as family life, peer pressure, eating disorders, dating, stress,  diseases, and many others. It’s a wonderful place to ask questions that teenagers and parents may be too shy or embarrassed to ask of another person. It is easy to use and provides answers in clear, uncomplicated language and especially important, is available 24/7. Hotlines and phone numbers are included for instant help and information in crisis situations. We encourage everyone to become familiar with and use this incredible resource.

To access this database from off campus, you will first need an Overlake username and password to open the Library page that includes database usernames and passwords. Owlnet login instructions here.