DEAL MS LIBRARY NEWS!

Happy New Year! As one year ends and a new one begins, we have an opportunity to reflect on the previous year. One of my favorite ways to reflect on the past year is to check out all of the best of the year lists! I have compiled a set of some of my favorites below. Don't miss these great books from 2024!

Te lists below include the best YA and middle grade fiction for 2024! More resources are available at the Alice Deal LibGuide. Check out the link for more book recommendations and other resources:

Alice Deal Special Collections and Monthly Themes

DC Library Association Three Star Book Award Nominees for 2024 - https://dcla.org/Three-Stars-Book-Award

DC Library current staff picks - https://www.dclibrary.org/article-types/staff-picks

Good Reads Readers' choice YA of 2024 - https://www.goodreads.com/choiceawards/readers-favorite-ya-fiction-books-2024

International Literacy Association - Notable Books for a Global Society Honorees - https://www.clrsig.org/nbgs-lists.html

The National Book Award Nominees for Young People Literature 2024 Winners - https://www.nationalbook.org/awards-prizes/national-book-awards-2024/?cat=ypl

NPR Books We Love - Best YA of 2024 - https://apps.npr.org/best-books/#tags=young+adult&view=covers&year=2024

School Library Journal - Best of 2024 - https://www.slj.com/story/best-young-adult-books-2024-slj-best-books

YALSA - Best Fiction for Young Adults - https://www.ala.org/yalsa/best-fiction-young-adults

I create a new display of book recommendations each month. This month we are featuring books that were the most popular titles to be checked out from the Deal library in 2024! These are titles that in many cases flew off the shelves both in our physical collection and on our digital platform SORA!

More information about the Must Read lists and digital resources on the web at the Library's LibGuide Page: https://bit.ly/DealMSLibGuide

Give additional feedback using the Deal Library Survey Form:

https://bit.ly/deal_library_survey_2024

A Word of Clarity about library overdue notifications

In December, a system generated email was sent out notifying student patrons of overdue library items. The notices unintentionally included materials that may have been borrowed from other DCPS schools. The notices should not have included information about items from other sites. In the future these notices will only include Deal items and no fines should be assessed. The official position of the Deal library is to waive all patron fines. This is consistent with the DC Public Library policy for minors and the standard at most DCPS schools. These notices are only sent twice a year. I will send out a notice to families through the team newsletters in May about the end of the year notifications. I hope this clears up any remaining confusion about notices. Please feel free to reach out if you have any further questions or concerns.

We will take used hard cover and popular fiction titles for our library

The library accepts donations of used books in good condition that are age-appropriate and purchased within the last 10 years. If you would like to donate any books, reach out to Mr. Reichlen or leave them with the Welcome Center with a note indicating that they are for the library. Popular fiction titles from the last couple of years are especially needed since these are often titles that are in high demand and often end up lost. The first couple of books in popular series are also highly in demand. Teen murder mysteries, high fantasy, romance, and graphic novels are especially popular with students.

Below are some free resources that are available from DC Public Library for free tutoring to and preparing for tests. To access these services, patrons will need to have a DCPL library card. For more information about obtaining a library card go to: https://www.dclibrary.org/get-a-card.

The tools below can be accessed directly through the portal below. The tools are listed alphabetically and can be filtered and searched by topic: https://www.dclibrary.org/research-learn

You will need to put your library card number in to access the databases remotely.

See also: Universal Class - Learn something new today with Universal Class, a library of over 500 free online continuing education classes.

We received a new 3D printer a few weeks ago from a grant for middle school libraries. Since its arrival, it has been one of the most popular features in our library! Students can sign up to use it by coming to the library and talking to Mr. Reichlen. Once a student is signed up, they will be granted access to a TinkerCAD (https://www.tinkercad.com/) account to design an original 3D model.

Many students have taken advantage of this opportunity this year. It has truly been an enriching experience for students to learn about CAD design and create their own original 3D models. The library is looking for donations of 1kg rolls of white PLA 1.75mm filament. One roll can print up to 50 student projects. An example of the filament is included here. Please reach out to the contact info below if you are interested in donating to the library.

The SORA app is located in Clever, the DCPS hub for digital learning. Students have access to thousands of e-books, audiobooks, interactive readers, and magazines! New titles are added on a regular basis. Students can access SORA through the app available for iOS, Kindle, and Android platforms in addition to accessing through the web. Click on the image to learn more.