Happy!!

If you've spent ANY time with me at all, you'll know that I love Texas A&M, and that I LOVE libraries!!  The Texas A&M Libraries created this music video and I love it.  Do you think we should make an SJPII library video?  I'm trying to convince the other teachers that it's a good idea.

Welcome Back!

Welcome back to the 2014-2015 school year!  I missed you all over the summer!  There are LOTS of exciting things going on in the library this year.  Stop by and see what's new!  Tell me about your summer!  Check out the bulletin board outside and see what books your teachers love to read.  Write the name of YOUR favorite book on an owl and hang it on the library tree (I'll be paying attention when I'm ordering books soon!).  This is going to be a great year and I can't wait to get started!

JPII In The News!!

Remember the beginning of the year, when my "Wall of Fame" looked like this?

Yesterday, after 9 months of school, many athletic events, service events, scholarship events, graduation preparations, and lots and lots of hard work by all of you, the wall looked like this:

 I spent some time yesterday taking all the articles down and putting them in a binder so that we can keep them forever.  

The wall is empty again, but it's ready for next year when we can fill it up again!!  (I also added the "St." before John Paul 2 on the wall!!)

What About E-Readers?

Do you prefer reading paper or digital books?  Textbooks?  Articles?  I know I prefer paper when I'm reading something important, but if it's just something I don't really need to pay attention to, digital is fine with me.  THIS ARTICLE by Wired explains how different people use different types of media for different purposes.  Most people agree that paper books will always have their place!

Overdue Books!!

If you've got an overdue book (and you know who you are!):

I'm trying to round up all our books before school gets out, so we can have everything in place for the library when school starts up again in the fall.  Your English teachers will be reminding you, as well. Thanks!! 

33 JPII Quotes

Click here for more inspiring quotes by JPII!

 

John Paul II loved artists, filmmakers, and athletes, and encouraged them to use their talents to glorify God.

21 Awesome Facts You Didn't Know About JPII

Our patron is becoming a Saint on Sunday! 

Did you know he knew all TWO THOUSAND bishops by name?
Did you know he continued skiing until he was 73 years old? 

Click here for more facts about John Paul II!


Stay tuned for more JPII articles this week!

April is School Library Month!!!

Happy School Library Month, Guardians! 
Since this is the first year with a real library and my first year as a librarian, we're going to celebrate all month!  Check back often for more fun!

First: how much do YOU know about libraries?  Take this quiz and find out!  (For the record, I got 8/10.  The results said "A great score!  You should be a librarian!  In fact, you probably are one!"  I was very excited :o)
     Library Quiz

Kidd Kraddick Musical!!

Our awesomely talented students created this video for the 2014 Kidd Kraddick Classroom Musical Contest.  They were a runner up in the contest!  Great job and congratulations!

Sweet Primary Sources

When you're doing research, some of your best sources of information are primary sources.  A primary source is an original document, like a photograph, personal letter, recording of a speech, etc.  These sources come from first-hand knowledge of a topic or event. 

Check out this funny video of some students from another high school explaining primary sources (again, headphones, and not during class)!

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Don't Have It?

I know lots of you are in the middle of research papers right now.  What do you do if we don't have a book on your topic in our library?  You've got several options:

--Make sure you search for different subjects relating to your topic.  We may not have a book specifically about Julius Caesar, but we might have books on Rome during his time that would still have important information.

--Go to the databases!  Click on the "RESEARCH" tab, and you'll find a link to the databases.  This will help you find newspaper articles, magazine articles, and information from reference books that we don't have here.

--Visit the public library!  They have many more books than we do.  I've put links to their websites on the "RESEARCH" tab.  Sometimes if they don't have a book you're looking for, they can request them to be mailed from another library. 

--Ask me for help!  That's what I'm here for!

Welcome Back!

I hope you all had a fantastic break, and are ready to get back to work!  Don't forget that the library is here to help with all your information needs...searching databases for research, reading books for pleasure, citing your sources, and anything else you need to know.  Come by and visit, I want to help!