SLS Update

Hi everyone! I hope your first week back from break has been smooth sailing. I apologize for the "secure messages" that ended up in your inboxes this week. Our filter thought the message contained PII and locked it down. I was trying to tell you about a great new update to TeachingBooks, which you can read about in this newsletter.

While you were on break, I was updating adding pricing to your carts in LibraryFYI. I don't have all pricing yet, but you can log in and see how things are looking. If you need help with LibraryFYI, please let us know and we'll give you a hand.

Ordering will be discussed at the March 26 Communication Coordinator Meeting. SLS purchasing decisions will also be a topic for the council at that meeting.

You may be wondering where things stand with hiring a permanent SLS Coordinator. The position has been offered and that individual has accepted. We're now just waiting for approval from the NYS Division of Library Development.

I wanted to remind you that we have an OPALS user group meeting scheduled for 3/18 in the MakerSpace at Eagle Drive. Harry Chan and John Schuster will be here with a very full agenda of updates usage tips & tricks.

I've been using OPALS since 2008 and I still learn something new at these sessions. I highly encourage you to attend.

They will be discussing the union catalog and ILL in the afternoon. If you are a Destiny school, you could join us just for the afternoon.

Please register as soon as you can. Harry is buying lunch and we will be sending out lunch order forms to registered users in early March.

Join us for an engaging and insightful exploration into the practical application of AI in education as we work our way through the book AI for Educators by Matt Miller. Through discussions and activities participants will gain a deeper understanding of how to leverage AI to improve learning outcomes and save valuable time. This book study is for educators seeking to stay in step with technological advances and implement innovative strategies in their teaching practices.

Please note: This course is asynchronous with weekly assignments due. We will use Google Classroom for assignments and class discussion. The book study runs from March 14- May 9.

Books will be provided. Register by March 7 to ensure your copy is available prior to the start of the course.

I wanted to share a great new update to TeachingBooks with you. Starting today, when you and your students are exploring book or authors on TeachingBooks, there is a direct link to Sora for any titles that we own. See screenshot below.

This will allow students to engage with an author's work directly without adding extra steps.

Don't use Teachingbooks with your kids? Give it a try! They enjoy learning more about their favorite authors and listening to them pronounce their names. You/they can also create book cover puzzles and word searches.

Here are links to Teachingbooks pages for the 3 Apples Book award. Voting opens in April!

Young Reader - Grades k-2

Children - Grades 3-6

Teen - Grades 7-12

Everyone is welcome to attend these meetings! I would love to see as many of you as possible at the January meeting. We have some exciting things planned for this year! Click on the links to register in MyLearningPlan.

March 14-May 9 - Book Study - AI for Educators

March 18 - OPALS user group meeting

March 26 - Council/Communication Coordinator Meeting

May 22 - Council/Communication Coordinator Meeting

June 5 - Jennifer LaGarde

I'm excited to share that our partnership with NY Reads has led to the development of an extensive collection of books to support LOTE in Sora.

With over 3,500 titles in 19 languages (view collection titles by language here), students can dive into the adventures of Diary of a Wimpy Kid, Harry Potter, Percy Jackson and much more! With 960 elementary school titles, 241 middle school titles, and 488 high school titles there’s truly something for everyone in this incredible collection. NO need to add another library - available in NY Reads! *Important note these are NOT simultaneous use titles.

Watch for informational webinars coming soon!