By Katie Haake, Park Ridge Jr/Sr HS Media Specialist
The bulletin board display was a collaboration between myself and my student library assistant. We were trying to think outside the box for the next bulletin board. We wanted to stay away from seasonal bulletin boards and feature something that we haven’t in the past. I had wanted to shine a light on the the e-library collection so utilizing the bulletin board to do so was a perfect fit. The bulletin board highlights the two apps that are available to students and faculty. These apps provide access to eBooks and eAudiobooks. The students use their public library card for school checkouts so we also decided to feature the BCCLS app for their electronic resources.
Our eBook collection goes well beyond books that are in the school curriculum. The goal was for students and teachers to see how diverse the collection really is. There is quite a variety of titles that were chosen – classics, realistic fiction, romance, coming of age, and fantasy. We also included the two books that were read over the summer for our One Book One School program. We wanted students to know they can access those titles at any time. I try and promote eBooks and eAudiobooks every time I talk about the library resources. I also direct students to the media center’s tutorial page where there are guides to assist them in getting started.
Since the board has been up, there have been a few people who have stopped in to find out more about the e-collection. When promoting the bulletin board to a small class several students mentioned they read eBooks but always paid for them- it was exciting for them to learn there is a cheaper option through their library. Even those who prefer physical books said they love having the option in case they are in a bind. One teacher said she didn’t know anything about eBooks until she was on recent vacation, “We were away on vacation and my daughter needed to start a book for school but she had forgotten to bring the book with her”. Her daughter had an easy fix- she would download the book!