📚The Library Lowdown

Celebrate the incredible accomplishments of women in history! Explore school library displays, dive into Library of Congress resources, browse Destiny Discover or Sora for a great book, and check out the book collections and resources on the choice board below.

Students and staff have access to awesome books to celebrate Women's History Month in our district digital collection. K-5 readers can also find books in the choice board below. Find books that feature amazing women in history for all ages in Sora, our district digital collection, and log in with your 4J username and password.

The Oregon Battle of the Books (OBOB) is a statewide, voluntary reading program designed to motivate students in grades 3–12 to read, enhance comprehension, and foster teamwork and sportsmanship.

Each year, a committee of school and public librarians selects a list of 16 books. Students form teams of 4–5 members to read and discuss the books, preparing for a tournament-style competition where they answer questions in a quiz bowl format. The competition begins at the school level and advances to regional and state tournaments. In February, after months of preparation, teams compete within their schools to determine a champion.

The questions test students' knowledge of book content, requiring careful reading and attention to detail. Teams have a set amount of time to respond, and the team with the most correct answers wins. Success often means reading the books multiple times to retain important details!

Once school champions are determined, they move on to Regionals, where top teams compete for a spot at the state tournament. The top three teams from each regional event will advance.

4J is hosting the Elementary and Middle School regional tournaments!
The elementary tournament is a major event, and we need enthusiastic volunteers to help make it a success. There are various roles available—your support will make a meaningful impact! Sign up here.

Congratulations to all students who participated in OBOB this year, and a huge thank you to the teachers, library staff, and volunteers who made it possible. We appreciate you! Best of luck to those advancing to Regionals!

Regional Tournament Information

📚 Elementary Regional Tournament – March 15 @ Arts & Technology Academy
📚 Middle School Regional Tournament – March 22 @ Roosevelt Middle School
📚 High School Regional Tournament – March 8 @ Elmira High School

Save the date: April 12th OBOB State Tournament.

Looking ahead? Check out the OBOB book lists for 2026 here!

Check out some of last year's school champions below.

March is National Reading Month, and we’re kicking it off with Read Across America! Join the fun as we celebrate the joy of reading. Read Across America Day is March 2nd—learn more about it here.

Celebrate all week long with the choice board below, featuring a daily theme and links to eBooks from Sora.

Enjoy the celebration!

Get ready to embark on an exhilarating literary journey with March Book Madness 2025! March Book Madness celebrates the power of storytelling and the magic of reading. Teachers, students, and families can explore a diverse array of captivating tales, engaging characters, and themes as they read through various books and vote on their favorite to win it all!

The March Book Madness website already has three different brackets: picture books, middle-grade novels, and YA novels. Simply print them out and get started reading. Voting happens on a weekly basis on their website, and results are posted weekly until the first week in April when the winner is chosen. Participants can also make a copy of the bracket below. Many of the titles can be found in Sora, too.

Whether you're a seasoned bookworm or just beginning your literary adventure, March Book Madness offers something for everyone. So, gather your fellow readers, ignite your passion for literature, and let the madness begin!

Storyvoice shared new live author read-alouds coming up in March. These events are a great way for students to connect to authors and are totally free! Sign up to join here.

New updates in Sora make it easier than ever for striving readers to access text.

• Read to Me: An in-app text-to-speech feature to provide students with extra reading support.
• Word pronunciation: An addition to the define functionality, this updated feature allows students to hear how a word is pronounced.

Test out these new features in Sora now! Happy Reading!

Explore these quick, grab-and-go AI lessons for grades 6-12!

According to the site:
Artificial intelligence (AI) is rapidly transforming our world. From using generative AI for schoolwork to navigating misinformation and interacting with AI chatbots, students have much to consider in this ever-evolving landscape.

This collection of short lessons (20 minutes or less!) introduces AI while addressing its social and ethical impacts. Through these lessons, students will:

• Understand what AI is and how it works
• Explore its potential benefits and risks
• Think critically about responsible and ethical AI use

Find these AI lessons and more on the Common Sense Media website.

For those of you digging deep into research, the Library of Congress offers primary resources and tools for classroom use. Their website offers steps to getting started with helpful instructions and video tutorials that make accessing primary documents easily. If you need help, high school teachers and students can contact their librarians for assistance.

Middle and elementary schools beginning research can find all our databases and resources to get you started in this choice board.

On Friday, March 28, 6-9 p.m., all ages are invited to Lasers at the Library, a retro-future sci-fi party on the fourth floor of the Downtown Eugene Public Library. Play, discover and create at this fun festival where memory, innovation and imagination come together in a celebration of community. Free!

This extraterrestrial extravaganza features arcade games, dancing, immersive art, cosmic costumed characters, an intergalactic scavenger hunt and more. Including laser tag, of course (minimum age 10; advance signups required). Learn more about Lasers at the Library.

For more information about Eugene Public Library services, events, hours and locations: visit in person or online www.eugene-or.gov/library, or call 541-682-5450.

Makerspaces are an awesome way to promote critical thinking and collaboration, as well as incorporate engineering and design. A makerspace can be as simple as an origami craft or as techy as programming a mircro:bit into a remote-controlled burglar alarm. 4J has some pretty cool robotics kits available for check out.

Learn about these fun tech tools on our Robotics and Coding website. If you don't know anything about robotics or are a bit intimidated by it all, never fear! The website includes lesson plans and many super helpful tools to get students programming robots in no time! These can be found on the Robotics and Coding website as well. If you're still a little unsure and want a bit more support, contact Justin Huntley and he'll get you up and running!

If you're not quite ready for robotics and coding, but would like to get a makerspace started in your library or classroom, check out the makerspace ideas below to get started with activities that require minimal supplies and start making today!

March is here and so is the new choice board! There is plenty to explore!

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Location: 200 North Monroe Street, Eugene, OR, USA
Phone: 541-790-7765
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