Beecher Feature

Just when we thought we were going to get through winter without serious accumulation, Mother Nature decided to make an appearance in Central Indiana after all. We kick off the month of February with two (maybe three) eLearning days - and that is not going to stop us from reading and learning!

The DC Library Media Center is at the ready - whether you're home on an eLearning day or in our building - we are ready to support and enhance learning!

Most are aware that February is a short month that can pack a punch. After the January blues, thrills, and chills, we need to find joy in the month known for love.....and why not highlight our love of great books and highlight the amazing contributions of Black authors to young adult literature!

Book Lists to Entice You!

Check out the lists below to discover some awesome YA books by Black authors.

Teen Romances by Black Authors - Looking for YA romances as Valentine's Day approaches? Here are some great titles by contemporary Black authors to check out!

Young Adult Books About and By Black Authors - Sometimes it's hard to find YA novels with black leads, or even written by a black author. So, this list showcases books written by and about black people in the YA genre.

What To Read After Watching Black Panther - Not quite ready to leave Wakanda? Check out these titles!

YA Aftrofantasy & Afrofuturism - New to these terms? These two distinct subgenres of speculative fiction have their foundation in Black cultures, often (not always) building on and celebrating African mythology and folklore.

Black History, Black Futures: Teen Nonfiction - .....for our nonfiction lovers!

YA Graphic Novels by Black Authors and Illustrators - Do you love graphic novels that are not Manga style? This list is for you.

Explore Black Voices in Teen Literature - Some of our favorites, including Elizabeth Acevedo, Nic Stone, Jason Reynolds, Sharon Flake, and Angie Thomas....just to name (drop) a few!

Black History is Now - Here you'll find nonfiction, memoirs, biographies, and nonfiction graphic novels that examine Black History and the contemporary experiences of Black Americans making history today.

At the bottom of this Beecher Feature, you'll find the PDF version of the bookmarks pictured below. These were created by Theresa Coleman, the Public Services Librarian at the Nora Branch Library. These were passed along to us via our Shared System Manager and Knower of All Things, Sarah Batt, in her Friday Focus newsletter.

Thank you to both Theresa and Sarah!

If you peruse the display shelves in our windows, you'll see we have made some changes. Most of the books you'll see in the spotlight will be books by Black authors and books with Black teen voices. Of course, many of these are so popular they are up all year, when they are on the shelf that is!

We will have more in the rotation as books are checked out. Be on the look out for other displays that honor and celebrate just a few of our favorite YA contemporary authors. Below is a small sampling of the authors we love!

Did you know that the 2020-2022 National Ambassador for Young People's Literature is author Jason Reynolds?? YES! A few of Jason Reynold's books appear on our Indiana Eliot Rosewater nominee (ROSIE) list. His many books include the following:

1. All American Boys (co-written with Brendan Kiely)
2. When I Was the Greatest
3. The Boy in the Black Suit
4. Stamped
5. As Brave as You
6. For Every One
7. the Track series (Ghost, Patina, Sunny, and Lu),
8. Look Both Ways,
9. Stuntboy, in the Meantime
10. Long Way Down, which received a Newbery Honor, a Printz Honor, and a Coretta Scott King Award Honor

In the video below, see New York Times bestselling author Jason Reynolds make his first visit to The Late Show for a fascinating discussion of the novels he writes for children. A personal note just can't be resisted right here....hearing Jason Reynolds speak at the American Library Association (ALA) Conference in June of 2019 was one of the highlights of my career. It was mesmerizing, inspiring, and filled me with hope. Enjoy the video!

Remember that library card you have? Don't forget you have access to some wonderful online databases using your library card number. Your library card is magical.....here is a reminder of the power it gives you!

We have put some specific online databases in the spotlight this month and hope you will remember they are there to utilize all year long.

Back by popular demand, our Blind Date With a Book display.

The month that celebrates love is a great time to remember that we should not judge a book by its cover - both literally and metaphorically speaking. With this in mind, the library media center team picked some fun titles to wrap in Valentine's Day frivolity to conceal the cover. Included on the wrapping you'll find a "one-liner" (usually the first line in the book) and then a small hint underneath to entice you about the genre. (Don't worry....there's a little something for everyone!)

Explore the books in the display - what 'one-liner' and genre/hint speaks to you? Make your selection and then take your "date" to the circulation desk to (ahem.....pardon the pun) check it out.

This fun display was created just before winter break. Our goal was to create something eye catching that will show off some great reading options, including some diverse characters and authors. Keep reading!

Your school library media center has a counter top oven. That's right.....a counter top oven. We are cookin' up some ideas to use it to engage our learners with food science, culture exploration, book club fun, and math extension activities......who's hungry to learn?

Check out some inspirational links!

How is math used in cooking?

YA Books Featuring Food, Cooking, or Baking

The Science of Baking

We were so excited to announce in early December that, thanks to grant funding by CICF, we finally purchased virtual reality hardware and software for our school library media center. We received the equipment and access to the content platform in November of 2021 but unfortunately we have not been able to implement our plan of action - YET.

In collaboration with our technology team, we are working to rectify the technical hiccups we are facing. As soon as we can get online, we will train ourselves, and be ready to share this engaging new technology with our learners!

Email: dbeecher@decaturproud.org
Website: https://www.decaturproud.org/central-high/media-center
Location: 5251 Kentucky Avenue, Indianapolis, IN, USA
Phone: (317)856-5288
Twitter: @dmbeecher