Dear Stinson Community,

What a whirlwind of a month it's been! The library was abuzz with excitement for our annual book fair, and I'm so grateful for your incredible support. Seeing so many students eager to explore new worlds and stories filled my heart with joy. The high number of books checked out is a testament to your love for reading, and it warms my heart to know that you're finding solace, inspiration, and adventure within these pages. As we wrap up this year, I'm filled with a sense of thankfulness for the opportunity to serve you and witness your growth as readers. I can't wait to see what the new year brings, and I look forward to sharing more literary adventures with you all!

Sincerely,

Mrs. Stafford

Thank you so much to everyone who supported our Fall Book Fair. We exceeded our goal, and received a profit of approximately $1200. It was amazing to see so many students, teachers, and community members excited to explore the selection of awesome new books and other interesting gadgets and gizmos. These funds will allow us to restock our Makerspace supplies, invite guest authors to our campus, and provide rewards and incentives to motivated students. Thank you so much to our parent volunteers for helping the book fair run smoothly. Let's do this again next year!

A special thank you to our Biggest Spender, Mrs. Garcia! Way to get those books into kids' hands!😀

Happy Holidays! We recently received over 300 brand new books. Come check out our new book display! There are few pleasures in life greater than being the first person to read a fresh library book. You can also log into Follett Destiny through your portal to browse "recently added titles." New books include fiction, graphic novels, biographies, nonfiction, and Libros en Español. Winter break is the perfect time to cozy up with a warm blanket and a good book. Make sure to stock up!

The Holiday season is upon us, and there are many exciting things happening in the library. This month you can decorate a Gingerbread man ornament to hang on our library tree, try out some Hour of Code Activities, or explore a list of some great books to get us through the Winter Break - the library's genre of the month in December is fantasy! Fantasy is a great genre to take us to new and magical settings and really get lost in a great book. Take a peak at all your library has to offer this month.

Students sometimes ask me how to tell for sure if an image is AI generated. It's not always possible to tell for sure, but I've marked some clues in the picture that might give it away.

Did you look at the picture carefully? AI is everywhere these days. To avoid falling for AI-generated images, carefully examine the image for inconsistencies like unnatural proportions, mismatched shadows, blurry details, especially in hands and backgrounds, use reverse image search to check for duplicates online, and be cautious of images that seem too perfect or unbelievable, especially if they come from unknown sources.

Dewey Decimal System Day is observed annually on December 10.

December 10, 1851 is the birthday of Melvil Dewey (1851-1931) inventor of the Dewey Decimal system of library classification.

The Dewey Decimal Classification (DDC), or Dewey Decimal System, is a proprietary library classification system first published in the United States by Melvil Dewey in 1876. It has been revised and expanded through 23 major editions, the latest issued in 2011, and has grown from a four-page pamphlet in 1876 with fewer than 1,000 classes to a four volume set.

The Decimal Classification introduced the concepts of relative location and relative index which allow new books to be added to a library in their appropriate location based on subject. Libraries previously had given books permanent shelf locations that were related to the order of acquisition rather than topic. The classification’s notation makes use of three-digit Arabic numerals for main classes, with fractional decimals allowing expansion for further detail. A library assigns a classification number that unambiguously locates a particular volume in a position relative to other books in the library based on its subject matter. This makes it possible to find any particular book using the number, and to return it to its proper place on the library shelves. The classification system is used in 200,000 libraries in at least 135 countries.

The major competing classification system to the Dewey Decimal system is the Library of Congress Classification system created by the U.S. Library of Congress. All Northside ISD libraries use the Dewey Decimal Classification system in our libraries.

Click here to learn some interesting facts about the Dewey Decimal Classification System from New York Public Libraries.

This past month, we observed Nonfiction November in the library. Students were able to practice their research skills using our online databases to complete digital scavenger hunts with their ELA classes. We also toured the Nonfiction section of the library and located books to use for individual research projects and to read for enjoyment. Students collaborated and thought outside the box to "Break Out" with Breakout Edu. Book club, Coding Club, and Makerspace Club all welcomed new members. For a short month, November was full of exploration, teamwork, and Book Joy!

Please make a note of library club meeting dates for the month. All meetings will take place at 8:00 a.m. in the library. Check your Schoology group and the Clubs bulletin board for the latest information.

New members are welcome to attend! Please see Mrs. Stafford if you are interested in joining one or more of these clubs.

Book Club: December 5

Coding Club: December 4

Makerspace Club: December 11

Library Palooza (That Author Thing!) will take place at Brandeis HS on February 22, 2025 , 10:00 a.m.-4:30 p.m. This year's authors include: Steve Sheinkin, Guadalupe Garcia McCall, Lamar Giles, Isabel Ibañez, Karen McManus, Lynn Painter, and Jen Wang.

Check the Library Palooza website for details. Hope to see you there!

Thank you to everyone who has purchased items from our Amazon Wish List! If you are still feeling generous, consider donating an item to help our students learn and have fun in the library in the new year.

Be sure to check out your Library course tile in Schoology! Inside you will find links to all of our monthly promotions & contests, weekly book talks and trailers, as well as information about digital resources, password, and research help!

Laura Stafford, Librarian

Email: Laura.Stafford@nisd.net
Location: 13200 Skyhawk Drive, San Antonio, TX, USA
Phone: (210) 397-3633 (circulation desk)

(210) 397-3634 (office)

X (Twitter): @NISDStinsonLib