Libraries store the energy that fuels the imagination. They open up windows to the world and inspire us to explore and achieve, and contribute to improving our quality of life.–Sidney Sheldon
I vividly remember when, as second grade teacher, I taught the science unit of living and nonliving things. It was so exciting to guide students through the inquiry of what is a living thing and what is not because, although it sounds easy, it can also be confusing. We would repeat many times the basic definition of what a living thing is in order to identify why things like air, water or clouds were not living things. A living thing is something that grows and changes. So, does water grow and change? This was a long and exciting inquiry path for us.
After almost two years working as the elementary school librarian, I was reflecting on how our students, teachers and school community think about our library. What came to my mind immediately was that our library is alive! Yes! “It is a living thing!” I said to myself and I couldn’t stop thinking of the connection between the library and the living things. And now how would I explain it to my students? They would be so confused and asking why, why, and why?!? But I can just say that it is true that our library is alive because it has been growing and changing…constantly!
Our library’s collection of books has been growing with the library budget, donations, book fair profits, and the books we get through the rewards of Scholastic catalogs every time parents buy books for their children. We are constantly getting newly released books to keep up with the students’ interests and new trends, while also making sure that our Award winning book collection continues to grow. We have been acquiring books to promote the IB PYP attitudes and learner profiles. Our Spanish collection is flourishing with new titles of Puerto Rican and Latin American authors. To keep up with the technology generation we have incorporated Bookflix, our online library with more than 400 titles, that students can use with any electronic device, not only during school hours, but also at home.
After almost two years working as the elementary school librarian, I was reflecting on how our students, teachers and school community think about our library. What came to my mind immediately was that our library is alive! Yes! “It is a living thing!” I said to myself and I couldn’t stop thinking of the connection between the library and the living things. And now how would I explain it to my students? They would be so confused and asking why, why, and why?!? But I can just say that it is true that our library is alive because it has been growing and changing…constantly!
Our library’s collection of books has been growing with the library budget, donations, book fair profits, and the books we get through the rewards of Scholastic catalogs every time parents buy books for their children. We are constantly getting newly released books to keep up with the students’ interests and new trends, while also making sure that our Award winning book collection continues to grow. We have been acquiring books to promote the IB PYP attitudes and learner profiles. Our Spanish collection is flourishing with new titles of Puerto Rican and Latin American authors. To keep up with the technology generation we have incorporated Bookflix, our online library with more than 400 titles, that students can use with any electronic device, not only during school hours, but also at home.
Our technology resources have also grown and changed with the acquisition of the interactive projector, a computer station, and a Surface Pro cart with twenty computers for our students to use for inquiry and to access Databases like EBSCO and WebPath Express.
The number of books checked out has grown significantly, breaking all previous records. Our students are coming daily to select books to read. More and more students are falling in love with reading through the numerous activities that the library is organizing to create lifelong readers and learners, such as: Reading Extravaganzas, Jumpstart Read for The Record, The International Dot Day, Read Across America Day & Dr. Seuss’ Birthday Celebration, The Puerto Rico Reading Marathon, Book Clubs and reading incentives. These are only some of the many reading activities that our students have been enjoying that promote, motivate and encourage them to read.
The number of books checked out has grown significantly, breaking all previous records. Our students are coming daily to select books to read. More and more students are falling in love with reading through the numerous activities that the library is organizing to create lifelong readers and learners, such as: Reading Extravaganzas, Jumpstart Read for The Record, The International Dot Day, Read Across America Day & Dr. Seuss’ Birthday Celebration, The Puerto Rico Reading Marathon, Book Clubs and reading incentives. These are only some of the many reading activities that our students have been enjoying that promote, motivate and encourage them to read.
Our library is constantly being used by our teachers and their inquisitive students to find answers to their questions during their inquiry lessons and expanding their active minds. Parents and children also come during the afternoon to study, learn and read.
It is not difficult to think that this library is alive when you see the smiling faces of students as they check out books, or the excitement in the eyes of one particular child who waits for me every morning at the library door and lets me know that we are entering “Book Heaven” and that this is her “happy place”. How can you not feel alive when you see students visiting the library during their patio time to read, play “librarian teacher” or ask me to read them a story?
I am honestly mesmerized with the magical feeling that is in this place. When I come in I also feel alive and full of energy because I know that this place is making a difference in the lives of our students. I can only think that if I have to go back again to discuss living things with second graders, I would have a big BIG problem because I am totally convinced that our Robinson School Elementary library is alive…more than ever before!
It is not difficult to think that this library is alive when you see the smiling faces of students as they check out books, or the excitement in the eyes of one particular child who waits for me every morning at the library door and lets me know that we are entering “Book Heaven” and that this is her “happy place”. How can you not feel alive when you see students visiting the library during their patio time to read, play “librarian teacher” or ask me to read them a story?
I am honestly mesmerized with the magical feeling that is in this place. When I come in I also feel alive and full of energy because I know that this place is making a difference in the lives of our students. I can only think that if I have to go back again to discuss living things with second graders, I would have a big BIG problem because I am totally convinced that our Robinson School Elementary library is alive…more than ever before!
Libraries allow children to ask questions about the world and find the answers. And the wonderful thing is that once a child learns to use a library, the doors to learning are always open.–Laura Bush