Author: eaglestafflib

In October, our 711 #ravensreaders checked out 3,635 books and placed 364 holds.  Our books currently with the most holds include:

The Getaway by Jeff Kinney
Wishtree by Katherine Applegate
Swing it Sunny by Jennifer Holm
It by Stephen King
Wizards of Once by Cressida Cowell

The library continues to be a favorite destination for our students, both first and second lunches.  In October first lunch averaged just over 70 students each day and second lunch just of 50 students a day.  In total, almost 2,500 students used our library during lunches in October.

In October, 76 classes came to the library for collaborative lessons and to check out books.  Our LA department has a real commitment to honoring and fueling the reading lives our our students and regular visits to the library are part of that commitment.

Lastly, in October we added 134 new books to our library, 10 magazine titles, 22 playaway audio books, 2 LCD collaborative screens, 5 iPAD catalog stations, a 3D Printer and 15 student iPads.

It is hard to believe we are nearing the end of September.  While there were plenty of bumps along the way, all of our students came to the library during the first 2 weeks of school AND we checked out over 2,500 books!

I caved and bought a copy of It by Stephen King for our collection.  While I want to be able to respond to student interest I also want to be respectful of the wide developmental range our 11-14 year old students have.  In the end, I always tell our readers to “choose what is right for you and your family.”  Middle School is the perfect time for our readers to spread their wings and try new things and book selection is an incredibly empowering act.

Tuesday 9/26 was the publication date of Katherine Applegate’s newest novel Wishtree.  We had 30 holds on this title before it was even published.  A quick trip to the book store Tuesday night and Wednesday morning we delivered 8 copies to our #RavensReaders during first period.

In addition to coming to the library with their classes, students have found that the library is a great place to be 20 minutes before and after school as well as during most lunch periods.  While we are still waiting for our comfortable “soft” furniture, students are making good use of the spaces we do have.

If you’d like to follow our library with more frequent updates, feel free to find us on Twitter or Instagram @eaglestafflib.

I have had a bit of an epiphany regarding summer reading. Year after year librarians publish lists of books to read over the summer.  Often these lists come with a required read or number of reads and often can snuff out the reading fire of our most reluctant readers.  I’ll let you in on a little secret, I hate being told what to do (I always have) and reading lists shut me down as a reader when I was in middle school.

My hope is that students coming to Robert Eagle Staff will continue to feed their reading lives with books that make them excited to read – our list of #unputdownable books.  I’ll add to this list all summer long but for now, here are a few of our teacher #unputdownables:

• The Hate you Give by Angie Thomas (Ms. Wynkoop)
• The Nest by Kenneth Oppel (Ms. Wynkoop)
• The Goldfish Boy by Lisa Thompson (Ms. Wynkoop)
• The Witch’s Boy by Kelly Barnhill (Ms. Roenicke)