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.

Worried about the copyright issues surrounding your student’s use of media (pictures, sound, etc.) in his or her projects? Thanks to a wonderful librarian blogger, I found this site which is a portal to several dozen sites with, according to the title: “Copyright-Friendly and Copyleft Images and Sound (Mostly!) for Use in Media Projects and Web Pages, Blogs, Wikis, etc.”

http://copyrightfriendly.wikispaces.com/

(“Copyleft is a type of license that attempts to ensure that the public retains the freedom to use, modify, extend and redistribute a creative work and all derivative works (i.e., works based on or derived from it) rather than to restrict such freedoms.” — http://www.linfo.org/copyleft.html)

There is nothing like meeting the author of your favorite books.  Middle School students love the  Wimpy Kid books.  Jeff Kinney, author of the series, will sign copies of his new book, Diary of a Wimpy Kid:  Dog Days at the University Bookstore in Seattle on Saturday, October 18th. 

This is a book signing only.  Buy The Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days and get a free ticket to meet Jeff Kinney.  Books and signing tickets available beginning October 14 while supplies last.  Call 206-545-4363 for details.

As reported earlier, the library will undergo a remodel this summer.  We are packing up the library collection the second week of June.  We will move back into our remodeled space in August.  Stay tuned…

The Overlake Library will undergo a mini remodel this summer.  There will be no changes to the  building’s exterior walls but interior changes will provide space for a computer lab that will seat 18, two quiet study areas and a dedicated Middle School area.   The really exciting change will be a new library circulation desk that will be positioned in the center of the room.  The library staff, with the guidance of Steve Southerland, Johnson Southerland, Inc. , have developed a circulation desk that we are very excited about.  The Library will be packed up right after school is out. The remodeled space will be ready for students when school begins in the fall. 

The Library is staffed by Rebecca Moore, Karen Wright and Cheryl Steele.  Between the three of us we have 63 years of experience working with kids and working in libraries. 

Karen Wright joined the library staff this year.  She is responsible for circulation and technical services and has created thought-provoking displays and bulletin boards.  Karen, who received M.L.S. and B.A. degrees from Brigham Young University and a certificate in Technology/Assistant Program from Lake Washington Technical College, is also the parent of a current Overlake student and an Overlake alum. 

Rebecca Moore teaches  5^th grade library skills classes, catalogs library materials, oversees the Library website, and crafts wonderful Middle School contests and programs. She oversees The Hoot: The Middle School Literary Magazine, and runs a variety of Middle School book clubs.  A full list of Middle School library activities is available here. She, along with many students she has recruited, reviews books for the professional library magazine VOYA: Voice of Youth Advocates. VOYA also published her latest article, “Charmingly Strange: The Synesthetic Experience in Literature,” in October.  Rebecca has received degrees from the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill (M.S.L.S.) and Wellesley College (B.A.). 

Cheryl Steele, as head of the Library, oversees library services at Overlake.   She belongs to the school’s curriculum committee, is responsible for all materials selected for the library, oversees all library programs, and acts as a 6^th grade advisor.   Along with Rebecca, Cheryl provides instruction on use of library resources to students.  Cheryl is also chair-elect of the Independent School Librarians Section of American Association of School Librarians.  Cheryl received degrees from the University of Washington (M.L.S) and Seattle University (B.A). She is also the parent of an Overlake alum.

This is the 27th year that a week has been set aside to celebrate the freedom to read. Banned Books Week promotes the freedom to express an opinion and the freedom to read. This week The Overlake Library has displayed copies of challenged and banned books. What is the difference between a challenged book and a banned book? A book challenge is an attempt to remove or restrict access to a book because of objections of a person or a group. A banned book is a book that has been removed from a library collection or school curriculum.

Judith F. Krug, director of ALA Office for Intellectual Freedom, sums it up when she states: “Free access to information is a core American value that should be protected. Not every book is right for each reader, but an individual’s interpretation of a book should not take away my right to select reading materials for my family or myself.”

The following is a link to the American Library Association’s list of most challenged books in 2007.

Over the summer, we converted our library catalog from Spectrum to Destiny, which is much more powerful and interactive. Log on and give it a shot! It has cover art, web links, subject links to websites and book review authored by students. Search Destiny for the book Owls by Floyd Scholz.  See if you can find the book review written by Hootie.  Hootie also helped the library staff introduce the catalog to middle school students.

It’s that time of year and we need parent, student and faculty help in getting library books back at the end of the school year.  All library materials are due on Friday, May 23^rd.   If students are unsure about what library materials they have checked out, please contact library staff.  Students should also contact  library staff if they need to keep their checked-out materials after May 23^rd , to explain why they need them.  Please remember– in order get a yearbook, all library materials must be returned by May 23^rd.    Questions? Contact Cheryl Steele.

The New York Times describes FreeRice.com  as “a rolling SAT vocabulary quiz”.  For each word you get right, Free Rice donates 20 grains of rice through the UN World Food Program to help end hunger. Challenge your student to a quiz session.