Schroeder Library Media Center

The Webster secondary librarians are pleased to announce that our district, in conjunction with Monroe #1 BOCES, is now able to offer Swank digital streaming of select films. Now you can incorporate film into your curriculum without losing precious seat time or violating the terms of your home streaming contract. Teachers can assign films by sharing a viewing link with students; check your email for your login credentials.

View the full catalog of over 200 films here or visit the Monroe #1 BOCES LibGuide to browse by subject area and read instructions for using Swank. Our BOCES has also put together a fun instructional video!

Please follow WCSD regulations when showing films (this database has materials with a range of ratings). As a guide, staff should review the following WCSD regulations (5531 and 5532) on our school website, which cover selection of instructional materials.

Swank FAQ's

How do I access Swank?

Teachers can access Swank using their email address and the common password supplied to them via email. TAs do not have Swank accounts at this time. Students do not have access to the Swank catalog, but access individual films through the direct link provided by their teachers. Students log in with Username: Webster Password: Student1

How do I change my password?

Upon first signing in, click on "profile" to change your password from the common one supplied by BOCES to a secure password unique to you.

How do I share a Swank film?

Swank films are available to us through an educational license and should only be posted on a closed platform, like Google Classroom. Click into the film you want, then click "share." Select "copy direct link," then paste the link where your students will access it. To embed the video, click on "copy LMS link."

How can I tell which films are available?

The Monroe #1 BOCEs LibGuide linked about provides a list of the films available. If you search within Swank, only the films with a “Watch” button are available to us. To filter results to only available films, click on filter next to the search bar and select "licensed films.”

What does the request button do?

The “Request” button indicates that a film is not currently available to us, but is available for purchase. Putting in a request does not guarantee that you will get access to a film, but sends a message to BOCES that you would like it considered for purchase.

Are the films captioned?

By clicking on the three dots in the lower right hand side of the film viewing window, you can select closed captioning if it is available.

Mrs. Rox Dailey has created an easy guide to physical DVDs at Schroeder. This tabbed spreadsheet is organized by subject area. If there are resources that you would like to use in class that are not available on this list, remember that we have access to digital media through Swank, Safari Montage, and Discovery Education.

Still not finding what you are looking for? Email Jen Strege to recommend titles for purchase.

Book Circulation went up 89% from October to November, and we are hoping that number continues to climb in December. If you are not assigning homework over this upcoming break, please consider encouraging students to use some of their free time to read!

1222: Total number of student library users

81: Average number of student library users per day

1517: Number of database searches

163: Number of books checked out

If the library plants are looking perkier, the shelves more tidy, and the surfaces more spic and span, it is because we have extra help this year. As part of the St. John Fisher work transition program, Schroeder 2020 graduates Emily B. and Alex S. have been honing their job skills in the library. In addition to keeping up the physical space, Alex and Emily help us weed outdated books from the collection, shelve books that have been returned, pull books from the shelves for projects and displays, and add genre stickers to books so that they are more easily found by library patrons. We asked Alex and Emily a few questions so that the rest of the Schroeder staff and students can get to know them a little better. Check out their responses below.

Alex (left) comes to Schroeder library having worked previously with Mrs. Scibetta at Dewitt Road Library as well as Webster Public Library. She also brings work experience from Savers and Friendly Senior Living. In her spare time Alex enjoys television, her computer, reading, and her King Charles Cavalier Spaniel, Kenzie. One of Alex's favorite things to read about is pop culture. A few days ago I spotted her with a Laurie Halse Anderson Wonder Woman title, so I know she is a gal after Mrs. Goodwine's and Mrs. Strege's hearts.

Emily B. (right) comes to us with work experience from Savers and Maplewood Nursing Home. One of her favorite things to do in the library is cut out laminated items for teachers. Emily adores fairy tales and has trouble choosing just one favorite, but The Princess and the Frog is pretty high on her list. Not only does she view and read fairy tales, she writes them. If you see Emily carrying a notebook, it likely contains her stories and sketches. Right now she is working on a fan fiction mashup titled The Great Mouse Reporter. It was inspired by An American Tale and The Great Mouse Detective. We fully expect to see Emily's book on our own library shelves one day.

Mrs. Candice Lucas, the Willink librarian, has generously shared with use her guide to gifting books this year, which includes a number of local bookstores. She reminds us that "the impact [books] have on children is exponentially returned."

Below are a few reputable lists of recommended titles for kids, young adults, and adults.

Books for kids:

NYT Best Children's Books

Kirkus Reviews Best Picture books of 2020

School Library Journal - Best books for kids 2020NPR's Book Concierge

Books for adults:

NYPL Best of 2020 list

NYT Book Critics Best Books of 2020

Time Magazine's Must-Reads for 2020

Bon Appetit's best cookbooks of 2020

Where to shop:

Places to purchase books online that aren't Amazon

Rochester Bookstores (mostly) locally owned

Descriptions courtesy of publishers.

Adultolescence, Gabby Hanna

From ... comedian and vlogger Gabbie Hanna, known on YouTube as "The Gabbie Show" ... [a collection of over 150 poems presenting] confessional, whimsical, and darkly humorous observations about life, love, and the early years of adulthood.

Dandelion, Gabby Hanna

In this . . . installment of the inner-workings of Gabbie's mind, we're taken on a journey of self-loathing, self-reflection, and ultimately, self-acceptance through deeply metaphorical imagery, chilling twists on child-like rhymes, and popular turns of phrase turned on their heads. Through raw, provocative tidbits, Dandelion explores what it means to struggle with a declining mental health in a world where mental health is both stigmatized and trivialized. The poems range from topics of rage and despair to downright silliness

Ink Knows No Borders: Poems of the Immigrant and Refugee Experience, edited by Patrice Vecchione and Alyssa Raymond

This collection of poems addresses the many issues confronting first- and second- generation young adult immigrants and refugees, such as cultural and language differences, homesickness, social exclusion, human rights, racism, stereotyping, and questions of identity.

Singing School, Robert Pinsky

Robert Pinsky presents an approach to writing and reading poetry using 80 great poems of the past.

Swimming Lessons, Lili Reinhart

The debut collection of poetry from Lili Reinhart, the actress and outspoken advocate for mental health awareness and body positivity. Swimming Lessons explores the euphoric beginnings of young love, battling anxiety and depression in the face of fame, and the inevitable heartbreak that stems from passion.

Violet Bent Backwards Over the Grass, Lana Del Ray

Presents a collection of over thirty poems alongside the original photography of American singer-songwriter, Lana Del Rey.

Whale Day, Billy Collins

A collection of over fifty poems by American poet Billy Collins that explores aging and mortality.

All Boys Aren't Blue: A Memoir Manifesto, George M. Johnson

In a series of personal essays, prominent journalist and LGBTQIA+ activist George M. Johnson explores his childhood, adolescence, and college years in New Jersey and Virginia. From the memories of getting his teeth kicked out by bullies at age five, to flea marketing with his loving grandmother, to his first sexual relationships, this young-adult memoir weaves together the trials and triumphs faced by Black queer boys.

Atomic Habits: Tiny Changes, Remarkable Results: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones, James Clear

A leading expert on habit formation reveals practical strategies to form good habits, break bad ones, and master the tiny behaviors that lead to remarkable results.

The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse, Charlie Mackesy

A modern, illustrated fable for readers of all ages that explores life's universal lessons.

Free Lunch, Rex Ogle

Rex Ogle recounts his first semester in sixth grade in which he and his younger brother often went hungry, wore secondhand clothes, and were short of school supplies, and he was on his school's free lunch program. Grounded in the immediacy of physical hunger and the humiliation of having to announce it every day in the school lunch line, Rex's is a compelling story of a more profound hunger -- that of a child for his parents' love and care.

Notes from a Young Black Chef, Kwame Onwuachi

The author shares his story of leaving behind his life in a gang and selling drugs to become a chef who appeared on "Top Chef" and opened his own restaurant. He highlights his struggles to rise up out the path he was on and his fall from the top when his restaurant shut down shortly after opening.

Sway: The Irresistible Pull of Irrational Behavior, Ori Brafman and Ron Brafman

Explores the ongoing psychological forces that sabotage rational behavior in our personal and business lives, revealing how such factors as loss aversion, commitment, and the diagnosis bias distort logical thought.

Deadpool: Bad Blood, Rob Liefeld

Deadpool has made a lot of enemies, especially Thumper who keeps on showing up, only Wade has no recollection of who he is.

Death Note (vol. 1-3), Tsugumi Oba

When high school student Light Yagami finds the Death Note, a notebook dropped by a Shinigami death god, he discovers that any person whose name is written in it dies, so Light decides to use the notebook to rid the world of evil.

Dragon Hoops, Gene Luen Yang

Gene Luen Yang understands stories -- comic book stories, in particular. Big action. Bigger thrills. And the hero always wins. But Gene doesn't get sports. As a kid, his friends called him 'Stick' and every basketball game he played ended in pain. He lost interest in basketball long ago, but at the high school where he now teaches, it's all anyone can talk about. The men's varsity team, the Dragons, is having a phenomenal season that's been decades in the making. Each victory brings them closer to their ultimate goal: the California State Championship. Once Gene meets these young all-stars, he realizes that their story is just as thrilling as anything he's seen on a comic book page. He knows he has to follow this epic to its end. What he doesn't know yet is that this season is not only going to change the Dragons' lives, but his own life as well.

The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald with art by Aya Morton

A graphic novel adaptation of the tragic story of the wealthy Jay Gatsby and his attempt to win back the love of Daisy Buchanan.

Long Way Down, Jason Reynolds with art by Danica Novgorodoff

As Will, fifteen, sets out to avenge his brother Shawn's fatal shooting, seven ghosts who knew Shawn board the elevator and reveal truths Will needs to know.

Wolverine vs. Deadpool, Larry Hama et. al. with art by Ben Herrera et. al.

Katanas and claws clash in the brutal first meeting of Wolverine and Deadpool--but when someone targets Weapon X survivors, Logan must ride to Wade's rescue! Doctor Bong tolls for our heroes, then things get hairy over a werewolf! And when a bounty is placed on Logan's head, guess who tries to collect! An assault on a Hydra base will have them at each other's throats, while Wolvie plays straight man to Wade's wisecracker in a showdown with a Shi'ar robot. But things really go off the deep end in the main event--one ultimate, over-the-top, slicing-and-dicing slobberknocker!

All This Time, Mikky Daughtry

After a traumatic accident, Kyle feels lost until he meets Marley, who seems like the girl of his dreams, but as they grow closer he fears he is headed for another crash.

The Black Kids, Christina Hammonds Reed

With the Rodney King riots closing in on high school senior Ashley and her family, the privileged bubble she has enjoyed, protecting her from the difficult realities most black people face, begins to crumble.

A Good Girl's Guide to Murder, Holly Jackson

As her senior capstone project, Pippa Fitz-Amobi is determined to find the real killer in a closed, local murder case, but not everyone wants her meddling in the past.

The Vanishing Half, Brit Bennett

The Vignes twin sisters will always be identical. But after growing up together in a small, southern black community and running away at age sixteen, it's not just the shape of their daily lives that is different as adults, it's everything: their families, their communities, their racial identities. Ten years later, one sister lives with her black daughter in the same southern town she once tried to escape. The other secretly passes for white, and her white husband knows nothing of her past. Still, even separated by so many miles and just as many lies, the fates of the twins remain intertwined. What will happen to the next generation when their own daughters' storylines intersect?

Email: jennifer_strege@webstercsd.org
Website: https://www.websterschools.org/districtpage.cfm?pageid=890
Phone: 585-670-5006
Twitter: @wshslmc