nchslibraryinfo: While the End is in Sight, We Are Still Focused on Instruction

Friday, April 28, 2017

While the End is in Sight, We Are Still Focused on Instruction

Changes in the Library

We anticipate two significant changes in 2017-2018.

A very large incoming freshman class
New carpet in the library

This prompted us to consider which changes to make in the library over the summer in preparation for next year, so we hosted three 20 minute open meetings during lunch on Wednesday, April 26 in the American Studies suite to invite students and faculty help us brainstorm ideas. Turnout was low. Two students and three teachers stopped in, but they did have quite a few ideas to share. Their feedback is linked here. In order to make this process as inclusive as possible, we are opening the opportunity for further input through this form. If you missed the meeting, please add you thoughts by Friday, May 5.

Bibliography Feedback

In our April 1, 2017 post, we featured some changes we've been working on to help students get timely and detailed feedback on their bibliography drafts. Here's what we developed next, and here is what we hope to add.

We showcased the system at last week's faculty meeting, and over 70 students have used it thus far. We hope to make two further and important modification over the next few weeks:

Script an automated email response into the form response spreadsheet to send students their score and coded feedback as soon as we post it
Generate an graph that interacts with the spreadsheet featuring most common NCHS bibliography mistakes. We would embed into the MLA 8 help page.

While grading, we discovered that students who received library instruction on accessing library support resources performed 30% better on their assessments than did those who did not.

Summer Reading

Summer reading is around the corner. That's when we get to catch up on what's new and exciting in publishing. Our summer reading list is primarily recreational. It's purpose is to connect our learners with resources they may enjoy.

We generally keep the list relatively short – under one hundred books so as not to overwhelm. We are mindful of genre, audience, reading levels, and diverse themes. We focus on contemporary publications - the last two years or so, but we also include a few classics. We aim for balance between young adult and adult literature. Please feel free to add your suggestions here.

Keeping in mind that our library users include young teens and adults, our list is thematically comprehensive. Not every book is for every library user. Selection is part of the reading process and we encourage young readers to be reflective about their choices - to contextualize them with their personal and family values - to read reviews and publisher notes, to make predictions about whether a book will suit their interests, and also to switch to a different book when one falls short of their expectations. There are so many books to enjoy. Summer is not the time to slog through a book that holds little appeal.

As in previous years, New Canaan (town) Library runs a dynamic Summer Reading Program. Kathleen Crouse, New Canaan Library’s Teen Librarian will facilitate that, and we sent our copies of the summer reading books to the town library so students may borrow them over the summer months.

We aggregate our summer reading list in GoodReads - which is a social book recommendation site. The entire NCHS learning community is invited to connect, share what they are reading, rate books, and write reviews. Again, the list is here, and the tabs at the bottom of the sheet allow viewers to switch organization – title, author, genre, etc.

Here are some recent pictures from the library: