Media Moments

January 2026

I am excited to share with you a trial of Infobase databases that we are free to try for a limited time. Infobase provides a wide variety of high-quality academic databases across many curricular areas. I am gathering feedback from our departments to potentially subscribe to some of these databases next school year. Please use the login information below to browse through the Infobase databases. Let me know if any of the databases look particularly appealing as they relate to your content area. I welcome your input.

To access the trial:

http://online.infobaselearning.com/Direct.aspx?aid=137363&pid=WE00

username: hudsoncitysd

password: digital

This school year, Google released a video editing platform that allows students to generate polished videos on their Chromebooks. Google Vids is an app that provides students with a simple way to create professional-looking videos that integrate other Google apps, such as Slides, with the webcam that is built into their Chromebooks. Templates are provided that make it easy to produce high-quality videos in minutes.

With built-in Google Classroom integration, students can instantly create videos that are linked to assignments. The interface in Google Vids is very familiar. Those who have used Google Slides or Sites will quickly figure out how to navigate Vids. The video below takes you through a tutorial, but I suggest diving in yourself and creating a Vid. You will be surprised how easy it is to create a professional video.

I would love to work with your students on a Google Vids project. Reach out if you would like to plan a project that incorporates Google Vids.

The HHS Library offers a story collection of print books that can be found near the graphic novels. These books contain short stories written by numerous authors. There are a wide variety of titles covering many themes and genres.

We are encouraging students and staff to check out our story collection, as there are many hidden gems to be found. We are highlighting some of our story collection books in a display at the front of the media center this month. You are encouraged to browse through the display or to send students to have a look. There is something for everyone in our story collection!

The media center has two iPad carts that contain 30 devices, which can be reserved by teachers to use in their classrooms. If you are planning any projects that are best suited for the iPad, you are welcome to reserve an iPad cart. You reserve an iPad cart through Google Calendar and then communicate with Tim Ellison to work out the details.

To reserve an iPad cart, create an event in Google Calendar. After specifying the day and times for your request, click on the 'Rooms' tab on the right, navigate to the HS building, and then select one of the iPad carts.

I am happy to plan lessons with you that incorporate the multimedia capabilities of iPads. Reach out if you would like to brainstorm.

The Chrome web browser recently introduced a new feature called split view. It allows you to open two half-screen windows next to each other and work between them seamlessly. Split View is very useful when you find yourself doing a task that requires continual navigation between two windows. More information about activating split view can be found on this site or by viewing the video below.

Have you ever tried to recall a book based on a foggy memory of a scene or a detail on the cover? Try as hard as you may, you simply do not have enough detail to figure out the elusive title. Talpa is new resource that uses AI prompts to help you recall those titles. You give Talpa as much information as you can recall. It might be a small event that happened in the book. Or it might be the fact that the book cover has a dolphin on it. Talpa then works its magic to help you isolate that book title. Give it a whirl and let me know if it works well for you.

https://www.talpasearch.com

Teachers are able to check their library account to see what items they are currently borrowing. Here's how:

1. Click on the iSearch icon on the main library website.
2. Select My Account in the top-right corner.
3. For the User ID, type your 7-digit employee ID number.
4. For the PIN, type your birthday in MMDD format. (Use four digits. Eg., April 9 is 0409.)
5. Select the Checkouts tab to see your current loans.

Email: robitaia@hudson.k12.oh.us
Website: https://hhs.hudson.k12.oh.us/departments/library
Location: Hudson, OH, USA
Phone: (330) 653-1412
Resource repository: https://wakelet.com/@AndrewRobitaille2572

View past newsletters at https://hhs.hudson.k12.oh.us/departments/library/library-newsletters