Future Ready libraries are essential spaces! In addition to offering diverse, culturally responsive collections filled with high-interest books, they are also multi-disciplinary, tech-centric, creative classrooms --- bustling, loud hubs of making, collaborating, and innovating. We offer resources like Makerspaces, digital media, and more.

A Strong School Library is staffed with TWO fabulous library staff (check out our rubric here):

• Certified District Teacher Librarians and site-based Certified Teacher Librarians specialize in teaching K12 schoolwide literacies: reading advocacy, information and media literacy, digital citizenship, and tech integration to amplify teaching and learning. They teach, co-teach, and provide support and resources for classroom instruction.
• Classified Library Aides create welcoming spaces for students and staff to check out books and they conduct read alouds. They ensure books are returned, shelved, and that the library is modern and engaging.

There are all kinds of fun ways to celebrate National School Library Month, but what better way to celebrate than to read?

• Host a book tasting
• Plan a school-wide book challenge
• Hand out a mini-book challenge.
• See who can read the most minutes in Beanstack (log in via Clever).
• Students can write book reviews and even create book trailers both of which can be shared in Destiny, our online catalog.
• Host a maker night, libraries are maker hubs!
• Host a book swap.
• Create a "Student Picks" display.
• Host a poster context or a book cover redesign.

*If you haven't connected your students with Beanstack, now is the time! Get them familiar with it so they're ready and rarin' for our summer reading challenge!

Need support or want to collaborate? Contact Amy Page (page_a@4j.lane.edu).

April 25th is National Library Worker's Day!

Modern-day school libraries are pretty amazing places! Though they still offer the latest and greatest, diverse, culturally responsive collections filled with high-interest books, they are also hubs for creation, collaboration, and innovation.

Certified teacher-librarians specialize in technology integration, information literacy, digital citizenship, and reading advocacy, and provide support and resources for classroom instruction. Our four high school and three elementary teacher-librarians provide support to teachers by teaching information literacy and digital citizenship lessons, promoting reading, and creating welcoming spaces where students can investigate, create, collaborate, as well as find the perfect book.

K-8 classified library managers create welcoming spaces for students to check out books. They ensure books are returned, shelved, and the library space is neat and tidy for teachers as they bring classes for check out. Some are even creating makerspaces!

Check out all our 4J library staff below.

Let's celebrate School Library Month this April! Share what you love about your school library and make your teacher-librarian's or library manager's day when you share with them! Print out the form here, give it to your library staff so they feel appreciated, or share it with us on social media.

Eight certified teacher librarians, along with our district instructional tech team, headed to the Northwest Council for Computer Educators (NCCE) Conference before spring break. It was three days of packed learning inspiring innovation and creativity.

We learned the latest and greatest in digital literacy from teacher librarian guru, Jennifer LeGarde, and laughed along with Joe Debrowski, also known as Mr. D, as he shared tips for teaching in the digital age. If you haven't checked out his infamous spelling test video, do so now for a good laugh.

Workshops ranged from everything from ChatGPT, makerspace fun, Google tools, and building a PLN via social media to the latest in apps for educators, and even tools that help with self-care. We left the conference energized and excited to implement our new learning.

March proved to be our busiest reading month yet in Beanstack. Participating school read over 44,000 minutes in total! That's fantastic! Students were challenged to read and log at least fifteen minutes a day for the month of March. The top three schools were:

1. Chavez
2. Holt
3. Howard

Congratulations and great job reading! The winning school will have a visit from Sluggo!

Our summer reading challenge is just around the bend. Stay tuned for the details and keep reading!

There are some awesome coding and robot kits available for teachers to check out for classroom use or for librarians and library staff to use in library makerspaces! There are Edison Robots, Ozobots, Bloxels, and Microbits! This website is filled with resources to get teachers up and running and also has a form at the top so teachers can reserve kits with ease.

Want to give it a try but are a bit intimidated? No worries, contact Justin Huntley and he can hook you up with all the support you need!

Have fun!

For those of you kicking off spring research projects, check out the K-8 resources that include databases, search engines, and trusted websites.

Library of Things

Your Eugene Public Library card provides opportunities to check out a wide variety of tools, toys, and other items for learning, creativity, and fun. From cameras to sewing machines to robotics kits, our Library of Things offers ways to explore new interests, learn new skills, or borrow instead of buying.

Categories include Arts and Crafts, Baking and Cooking, Board Games, Musical Instruments, Outdoor Games, Science and Technology. Browse the online catalog to place hold requests for pickup. Or visit any library location to find items available for same-day checkout.

Did you know? All 4J students, plus all children ages 0-5 who live within the 4J district, can get a free library card regardless of home address.

Friends of the Library Giant Book Sale

Join in this beloved annual tradition and shop for a good cause at the Friends of Eugene Public Library Book Sale on Saturday, April 15, 9 a.m.-4 p.m., and Sunday, April 16, 10 a.m.-3 p.m., at Lane Events Center (Fairgrounds). The sale features

For students that get stuck on what to read next after reading a fabulous book or are traumatized by reading a horrible book, Eugene Public Library youth services offers a cool tool to help. Their "What to Read Next" form, is easy to fill out and is shared with youth librarian experts that will provide a list of books based on interests, age, book type, favorite authors and previous titles enjoyed. It's a great resource for any reader! Check it out here.

2023 March Book Madness results are in! Check out the winners below!

Email: page_a@4j.lane.edu
Website: https://wakelet.com/@AmyPage5788
Location: 200 North Monroe Street, Eugene, OR, USA
Phone: 541-790-7765
Facebook: facebook.com/4jlibrarymediaservices
Twitter: @AmyPageTL