Classroom Read-Alouds and
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Ways to reach out and work together:*See side story Underlined-Click on for linked story Adult Learner Services* Book & a Bite Summer Food followed with Healthy Activities (Libraries and Summer Food) Pop-up Summer Library * Proctor Exams* Reading on the Road * Shared Library Card System* State Book Award Promotion * Teen Internship @ the Public Library Free Digital Books for KidsDigital Librarian's Survival Toolkit & Epic Ebook of Web Tools & Apps--FREE crowdsourced guides.The Epic Ebook of Web Tools & Apps is a 250+ page FREE guide crowdsourced by 50+ educators. Please use this static link to share the book:https://librarian.rocks/epicebookofwebtoolsandapps
The Digital Librarian's Survival Toolkit is a 200+ page FREE guide crowdsourced by 35+ school librarians. Please use this static link to share the ebook: https://librarian.rocks/digitallibrariansurvivaltoolkit Both resources are filled with video tutorials, text, screenshots, and links.You can find more free resources on Kristina Uihlein Holzweiss's website: http://www.bunheadwithducttape.com/ Adult Learner ServicesAt the Weeks Memorial Library in Lancaster, NH they collaborate with North Country Education Services to offer the following free of charge:
*GED Preparation *Sessions to build basic reading, writing and math skills *ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages) STEMExploratorium - The Tinkering Studio Experiments with science, art, technology and delightful ideas.
Makers in the Library Resources to create a makerspace with and for your community - on any budget! Show Me Librarian - All Things STEAM a resource for offering library programming in science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics. Smithsonian Learning Lab is your destination for millions of carefully curated, easily accessible, customizable, and shareable open educational resources. Looking for vetted STEM activities–check out StarNet’s STEM Activity Clearinghouse. There is even a Take & Make category. http://clearinghouse.starnetlibraries.org/ STEM Gems are short discovery-based experiences from the National Afterschool Association. You need to be a member but membership is free. TinkerLab Free hands-on art and science activities for Pre-K & up
We are passionate about inspiring the next generation of scientists. We typically work to accomplish this through a variety of programs including SPARK™, Curiosity Labs™ and the Curiosity Cube®, but as many families are home for a prolonged period of time, we wanted to help bring a little curiosity to you at home.
We’ve created a number of easy and educational science experiments that can be completed at home with materials typically found around the house.
Videos on Supporting Physical and Outdoor Play Eastern Connecticut State University
Reading on the Road - Books on School BusesReading on the Road is a student run program at Keene High School. Their mission is to collect children’s books and then distribute them onto elementary school buses in the SAU 29 school district. They currently have over 550 books circulating on buses that serve elementary schools in the Keene School District. This encompasses Symonds School, Fuller School, Wheelock School, and Franklin School. Each box is full of books for ages 4-12 and kids may browse the books while they ride the bus or take them home to keep. Reading on the Road encourages healthy reading habits, decreases disruptive behavior and provides easy access to books for children who may not have this otherwise.
Shedd-Porter Memorial Library in Alstead helps to supply the boxes with donations and children’s library discards. The program has received such positive feedback that collection boxes in local churches, bookstores and neighboring libraries donations are helping to fill the boxes and expand the program to a neighboring school district. CLiF (Children’s Literacy Foundation) recently sent a box and is featuring the Reading on the Road program on CLiF’s blog. You can follow the project on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/Readingontheroad.khs/ To contact Reading on the Road email Amelia Opsahl at [email protected]. ~Alyson Montgomery Director Shedd Porter Library Alstead NH Cole Middle School, East Greenwich RI - Girl Scout Troop 855 Girl Scouts Catherine Anderson and Eliana Goldwasser have installed a new Little Free Library at 2880 South County Road in East Greenwich, Rhode Island. Both girls are members of Girl Scout Troop 855 in East Greenwich.A Little Free Library is a free book exchange for the local community. Everyone is welcome to take something they want to read, and to donate reading materials they are ready to share.
“We chose this project because we care about child literacy. We want the kids in this neighborhood to have access to books right where they live,” said Eliana Goldwasser. The two Girl Scouts plan to stock the library with lots of childrens’ books and supplies, as well as some adult books. Catherine and Eliana are working on their Girl Scout Silver Award. For this award, the highest a Girl Scout Cadette can earn, the girls wanted to do something that would have a long term impact on their community. Reading is something that both girls are passionate about, and the Little Free Library is a great way to share books with local residents. “It took us a lot longer than we thought it would. We had to learn how to use power tools and we were both nervous about that! The design is based on a Little Free Library plan. We wanted the library to look like a schoolhouse,” said Catherine Anderson
The girls asked Shelley Avarista, the Cole Middle School Librarian, to be their Project Advisor. Ms. Avarista advised the girls on which books to place in the Lending Library as well as helped to provide some books that will no longer be in circulation. “We’re really proud of the Library. It was a lot of hard work.” said Catherine Anderson Shelley Avarista Library Media Specialist Cole Middle School East Greenwich, RI Abbott Library, Sunapee NH - Sunapee Middle and High SchoolIn Sunapee all middle and high school students are required to take Reading Counts tests over the summer. Teachers publicize a reading list, students read and then take a test that is hosted by Scholastic.com. Previously students had to go to the school to take these tests and the school was only open during the summer Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays from 9 to 1. A few years ago, we offered to proctor these tests for the students. The school agreed. We then pulled all of the books on the middle and high school reading lists that Abbott Library owns and put them on display. It's one of those great instances when the school, patrons and the library all benefit!
Mindy Atwood, Director Abbott Library Sunapee, NH Hartford Public Library, Hartford CT - Hartford Public SchoolsIn 2013, the Hartford Public Library and the Hartford Public Schools came together to develop a shared
vision and charge to cooperatively provide effective school and public library services. In this process, a multiyear plan was developed to articulate a focused partnership on “providing an equitable, accessible, and coherent system of relevant resources, programming, and services for Hartford students and families that supports their current and lifelong learning.” Four categories for collaboration were developed after a review of the services and programs that were being delivered by both the Hartford Public Schools and the Hartford Public Library to identify redundancies, gaps and possible overlap. The categories are as follows: school readiness, library services and access, programming for students and families and programs and wrap around services for the entire family. Through Boundless, both institutions have been working closely to achieve the following outcomes for Hartford students: Increase reading levels, reduce learning loss, support meeting academic benchmarks, and increase student and family awareness and perception of the school and branch libraries as welcoming places and valuable resources through three strategies: • A block collaboration strategy • A partnership communication strategy • A technology, resource and access strategy The Boundless card was piloted at 12 schools during the school year 2018-2019. The card: INCREASES access students and families have to high quality public and school library services and materials for children Pre-K to 12. • PROVIDES access for students enrolled in Hartford Public Schools to resources and materials at both Hartford Public Schools’ school libraries and the Hartford Public Library. • COMBINES student’s library activity from both institutions in one account. • ACCESS to print and digital materials that require a library card number. • USE this Boundless card in all Hartford Public Library locations or at your school library. A physical card was issued using each student’s ID number. After the pilot year, we realized the expensive of keeping up with the printing of new and replacement cards was too expensive. We are going to launch virtual accounts for all HPS students this coming school year. All students can log into and check out materials with just their student ID number, no card needed. Since 2013, a menu of programs has evolved that allow for flexibility in developing an action plan for the block that caters to the individual school’s needs. Outside of story times, tours and activities, Hartford Public Library Youth Service Librarians provide the schools in their block options for programs and services that include teacher professional development, materials that support lesson plans and professional development for both School Media Specialists and Youth Service Librarians. The vision for this partnership is to formalize a strong school and library partnership that promotes increased student academic achievement. Through Boundless, we are working towards: Combining school and public libraries that provide library services from a single facility with HPL providing and managing the infrastructure to support School Media Specialists and support staff in addition to expanding the base of users through technology, programmatic and electronic access and HPS providing the infrastructure to support and manage operational needs. In the fall of 2018 we launched the Boundless Library@ Rawson. The library at Rawson School had not had a library media specialist in over a decade. It was sitting unused. We retrofitted the space for school and for public use, updated a collection that was over 20 years old, staffed the location with an HPL Library Media Specialist that works closely with teachers, school administration, and HPL Youth Services staff to continue to support the learning needs of the students, families and the community at large, updated technology and most importantly use of a space and materials that are now circulating. We are now seeking funding to keep the location open for at least three more years. Since 2017, we have expanded zones (every school is paired with one of our locations) , executed a 5 year MOU with the Hartford Public Schools, developed the communication plan with intentional focus on families and students, completed the branding process and collaboratively developed the Boundless website, http://www.boundlesshartford.org/ 
Marie Jarry
Director of Public Services Hartford Public Library Hartford, CT | ||||||
