The Library Lowdown

Mrs. Griggs brought a special guest to Howard’s library - Ginger the Therapy Dog! Students were thrilled to spend time reading aloud to Ginger, creating a cozy and encouraging environment to practice their reading skills. In addition, Mrs. Griggs hosted a month-long read-a-thon in the library, encouraging students to read as much as they could throughout the month. One parent shared, “[Student] has become a much stronger reader, in part because of all those hours she spent reading with us and her grandparents during those two weeks.”

Meanwhile at Camas, Mrs. Ardoin launched an exciting book-to-movie reading challenge. Fourth graders dove into Diary of a Wimpy Kid by Jeff Kinney, while fifth graders tackled Holes by Louis Sachar. Students who completed their books were rewarded with a special after-school movie screening of the stories they’d read. We’re proud of their commitment to reaching their recreational reading goals!

Ms. Shelby and ATA teachers hosted a read-in and students were fully engaged. They learned how to access our district digital collection, Sora, filled with great ebooks and audiobooks to keep them reading all summer long!

Celebrate Rainbow Month with great books in Sora and in Destiny Discover (library catalog). Check out more resources via the American Library Association or the Library of Congress. To log in, select Eugene School District and log in with your 4J username and password. This video demonstrates how to log in.

Watch the video below to learn how to access ebooks and audiobooks all year round in Sora.

Starting June 1, Eugene Public Library's Summer Reading program (link will be live on June 1st) helps students keep their skills up while school's out and offers a full calendar of free fun.

Each kid and teen gets to choose a free gift book to keep from an enormous selection with something for everyone.

Plus: play book bingo. Bilingual cards will be distributed in 4J elementary and middle school classrooms this month. And all ages can pick up a card at the library.

All summer, join in fun and learning at free events including hands-on activities, games, performances and more.

For more info, check the library's calendar at eugene-or.gov/library, see @euglibrary on Instagram and Facebook, call 541-682-5450, or drop by in person.

Need any ideas for summer reading? Check out OBOB's 2026 titles and start reading today! Some titles are available in Sora now and others are available at Eugene Public Library. Click here to find printable bookmarks and posters.

National Geographic Kids (NGK) (elem. thru MS), PebbleGo (K-2), and Britannica (K-12)

• NGK is a Gale database geared towards elementary and middle school students, and it has all issues of the National Geographic Kids magazine and over 700 ebooks about science and cultures, including some fiction options. This tip sheet and brief video tutorial can help folks get started. 4J students can access NGK and other Gale databases on the elementary and secondary Find Information pages of OSLIS. Just enter the name of your school district (2nd column).

• PebbleGo is a fantastic, engaging, informative database geared towards K-2 students. Students can find information on almost anything they are interested in, and the read-aloud feature (read by real humans) makes content accessible to non-readers, too.

• Britannica is another database that provides articles for all ages on a plethora of different topics. Username: brit; password: eugene

Reading Lists and Recommendations

• Summer reading lists for children and young teens from the Association for Library Service to Children; four age groups: birth-pre-K, K-2, 3-5, 6-8

• Book Finder from the Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA); database of over 4,000+ books from YALSA’s book awards and book lists for teens from 12 to 18 years old

Gale Books and Authors – To find your next great read, use this database’s advanced search function to limit books by audience – children and young adult. To log in, in the "I know my GALE login" enter password: eugene/username: oslis

Check out these award winners now available in Sora!

4J is hosting the Oregon Association of School Libraries 2025 Fall Conference at North Eugene High School on October 4th!! Now is the time to join in the fun and learn about all things library!!

• We are thrilled to welcome a fantastic panel of talent to this year’s conference. Librarian and National 2022 School Library Journal Magazine "Librarian of the Year, K.C. Boyd is our Keynote speaker. Authors Makiia Lucier, Trudy Ludwig, and William Ritter will join our breakfast author panel and sessions presentations.
• Additionally, we have a full schedule of session that address the breadth of our work in school libraries, revolving around learning, best practice, program implementation, innovation in technology, and staff development.
• You can check out all offerings via our OASL 2025 Fall Conference Website.
• Reach out to Amy Page if you have questions! All are welcome to attend: teacher librarians, library staff, teachers, and administrators! Come and learn with us!
• Registration will open soon!

This journal is filled with activities and can be edited to make it your own. Get creative while learning about all the special days in June.

Amy is available to teach, support, and collaborate with K12 teachers and librarians in reading advocacy and engagement, digital citizenship, information and media literacy, technology integration, and professional development. Book a lesson or time to collaborate via email or phone.

Email: page_a@4j.lane.edu
Website: https://wakelet.com/@AmyPage5788
Location: 200 North Monroe Street, Eugene, OR, USA
Phone: 541-790-7765
Facebook: facebook.com/4jlibrarymediaservices
Twitter: @AmyPageTL