📚The Library Lowdown

The Oregon Association of School Libraries Annual Conference is coming to Eugene on Saturday, October 4th at North Eugene High School! We have an incredible day of learning and connecting planned.

This year’s conference will feature School Library Journal’s 2022 National Librarian of the Year, K.C. Boyd! Known for “Bringing the zeal back to librarianship”, Boyd is a teacher librarian in the District of Columbia Public Schools and is a highly sought-after keynote speaker and national presenter.

We’re also excited to welcome authors Makiia Lucier (Dragonfruit), Trudy Ludwig (Calling the Wind), and Will Ritter (The Jackaby Series) for our author breakfast panel and as session presenters.

The conference will offer a full schedule of sessions covering the breadth of our work in school libraries​, including library learning, innovative technology, staff development, best practices, and more.

4J is also hosting a library bus tour as a pre-conference event. The tour will visit Churchill High School, McCornack Elementary, Arts and Technology Academy, Edison Elementary, and Thurston Middle School.

All are welcome to attend! It's a great opportunity to learn more about the work of librarians and how we support literacy. Registration is open until the day before. Visit the conference website to learn more.

Over the past year, Awbrey Park’s Library has been getting a fresh new look—and their book collection has grown right along with it! Teacher librarian, Daletta Gonzales, started by giving the space a makeover: the old circulation desk was replaced, a colorful rug and benches were added, and to make the most of the library's limited space, she brought in lap desks along with a few tables and chairs for classwork.

Thanks to a generous $3,000 grant from Eugene Education Foundation, shelves were stocked with exciting new titles that students can’t wait to dive into, including spooky stories in Fiction, Nonfiction, and Graphic Novels. New signage continues to brighten up the space, making it easier than ever for students to find their next great read.

Best of all, student checkouts nearly doubled last year, and Ms. Gonzales is excited to keep that momentum going!

Beloved South Eugene High School teacher librarian Julie Vignoul, who has been in the position for 16 years, is in high demand. This fall, her schedule filled quickly with ninth-grade library orientations, while teachers from across subject areas bring their classes to learn essential information literacy skills from Ms. Julie. She also supports International Baccalaureate (IB) students as they begin their Extended Essay, a rigorous, research-based project, by ensuring they have the tools to find accurate and reliable information. In September alone, she taught over 50 classes!

Even with such a full teaching load, Ms. Julie still keeps the library doors open for students. This year, she has noticed a remarkable increase in book checkouts. When asked about the change, she credited Governor Kotek’s Executive Order restricting cell phone use in schools, as well as a staff who heavily supports Book Love and the library.

The results are encouraging: circulation is up across high schools in 4J. More students are visiting libraries between classes, at lunch, and before or after school, and while they’re there, they are checking out books more than ever. Librarians are thrilled to see this renewed excitement for reading and are hopeful that even more positive impacts of the cell phone restrictions will emerge in the months ahead.

4J students need to see that reading is for everyone—no matter the job or subject. Whether you teach math, science, CTE, or music, or you serve as a secretary, nurse, principal, director, or custodian, everybody reads!

Help build a strong reading culture across our district by sharing what you’re reading with students. Simply print this template, laminate it, and display it outside your classroom or office, or anywhere students and colleagues stop by.

Your school librarian is also happy to help if you need support.

Happy Reading!

Library circulation in our elementary schools is at record levels, with students returning to school eager to explore and check out new books, thanks to 4J’s dedicated elementary teacher librarians. As students bring books home, parents and caregivers are encouraged to enjoy library books together at home to help spark a lifelong love of reading. Research shows that when parents and caregivers read aloud with children, it boosts comprehension, expands vocabulary, and strengthens parent-child connections.

The Oregon Department of Education (ODE) hosts the Oregon Digital Learning Cadre for any interested school staff. If you’re interested in participating in this monthly online gathering, fill out this brief survey to help ODE with scheduling. This article (scroll to bottom) has more info.

The America250 Oregon Commission announced the Oregon250 Grant Program supporting projects that commemorate the 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States. Public schools and nonprofits are eligible to apply for a grant up to $5,000.

Need a way to grab students' attention and get them thinking critically? Check out our Coding and Robotics library of goodies for all ages. Choose from Edison robots, Ozobots, Micro:Bits, and more! Students have a blast as they work together to build, create, and problem-solve with these fun tech tools. Interested but need help implementing? Contact Justin Huntley (huntley_ju@4j.lane.edu) for support. Click here to view all that is available and reserve for your class today! Have fun!

On Monday, October 13th, we celebrate Indigenous People's Day.

We Are Teachers has great resources and provides information on why we acknowledge this day, "This is a day to learn, to observe, to reflect, to create, and to connect through story and creation. It’s also a day to move beyond recognition and toward action and accountability."

Check out these websites to learn more about Indigenous peoples.

• Native Knowledge 360° is run by the Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian. Check out featured resources for Unlearning Columbus Day Myths.
• PBS’s Native American Heritage Collection takes a look at Indigenous art, history, and culture as told by historians, artists, students, and scientists.
• The Zinn Education Project believes in taking a more engaging and more honest look at the past. Take a look at their resources on Native American topics.

We have an awesome Indigenous People's collection in Sora. Click the image below to check out the fantastic books available 24/7 in this collection.

Fat Bear Week was a week early this year! But never fear, though we missed it, we can still have fun learning about the bears of Katmai National Park in Alaska and witness all the fat they put on over the summer to prepare for a winter of hibernation. Check out their website and learn all about the contestants here. There are resources for teachers to explore with activities and 4J students can enjoy the digital bear books available in Sora and activities found in the choice board below.

Did you know that elementary through college-level students can get help with homework, studying and test preparation, online and free with a Eugene Public Library card? The library's Brainfuse service provides live professional tutoring from 1 p.m. to midnight daily in English and Spanish.

The site also offers 24/7 resources for all ages including a writing help, study guides and test preparation for high school equivalency and U.S. citizenship, resume and career assistance, and more. Try Brainfuse now.

Shelf talkers

Shelf talkers provide a great way to share extra information about titles in our digital collection, like recommendations, trivia, favorite quotations, and other thoughts. Shelf talkers appear on a title’s details page in Sora. Teachers interested in using this cool tool reach out to Amy Page (page_a@4j.lane.edu). It's a great way to create authentic writing opportunities for students. Check out this one here.

Magazines for all ages are always available in Sora with no wait! Readers will find magazines for all interests, and teachers will find a variety of magazines that align with their curriculum: Science, Social Studies and History, and English Language Arts. Check them out anytime! We also have an incredible comic collection filled with popular comics like Marvel, Star Wars, Transformers, and more! All comics are always available, so readers will never have to wait!

Registration for Oregon Battle of the Books (OBOB) is now open! Participating schools can sign up here. OBOB provides a fun opportunity for students to work in teams as they read books together and compete in book trivia battles.

Meet OBOB authors, ask all your questions, and get the inside scoop on these incredible books at the Roundabout Books annual Fall Into OBOB series! Find dates and times and register for these FREE events here.

Resources to assist teams in practicing for battles will continue to be shared as they become available over the next few months via this Padlet. Bookmark it to keep it handy.

Celebrate Digital Citizenship Week, October, 20th-24th! AI is rapidly changing the world around us and students need to learn how to navigate the digital world safely and responsibly. The resources below are a great place to start.

Common Sense Media has K-12 lessons that engage students in conversations and activities relevant to their age level and are clearly laid out . Join Common Sense Media (it's free) to get access to all their lessons. These lessons are easy to implement with little planning.

Be Internet Awesome is Google's digital citizenship curriculum. Kids love the games that keep them thinking while learning about being good digital citizens.

It's already October! We continue to celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month in the month of October as well as Fire Safety Month, Halloween, and more! Have fun!

Email: page_a@4j.lane.edu
Webpage: https://4j.lane.edu/libraries
Location: 2295 Four Oaks Grange, Eugene, OR, USA
Phone: 541-790-7765
Facebook: facebook.com/4jlibrarymediaservices

Instagram: @4jlibrarymediaservices
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