Every Year is a Little Bit Different
Two significant changes have occurred during the 2018-2019 school year. The change in the schedule from 9 to 8 periods and the size of the class of 2022.
How have these two things impacted the library?
The change in the schedule has led to a decrease in the number of visitors. Last year the library had 27,543 by May 14 and this year we are at 25,553.
However, the number of students visiting with a class has risen from 1,855 to 3,136.
The Freshmen class has been most receptive to the activities and materials in the library.
Any given morning before homeroom there are students studying, reading, coding, and hanging out with friends. They have been an interesting new dynamic in the library. In previous years it has been seniors who were my frequent visitors, and so I am learning about this new group quickly. I have enjoyed being a part of their growing community. They are learning about each other and about what it means to be a Spartan.
Book club continued to participate in Catholic School's Week. This year they read Rainbow Fish to the kindergartners at All Saint's and Rosie Revere the Engineer with 2nd graders.
The 9-10 book club added a meeting day just to talk about Harry Potter. They made wands and Christmas decorations. They played Harry Potter Trivia and enjoyed discussing the books and movies.
The fiction section of the library is slowly be labeled by genre. Color-coded stickers have been placed over the spine label to help students browse and find books that they may like to read. The final step will be to add that information to the online catalog so that students may search by genre.
Our library software allows for analysis of the collection based on publication date. This is a particularly useful tool for evaluating which areas of the collection need to be weeded and updated. This type of data is helpful in the areas of social issues, science, and health. A report such as this helps guide purchasing and research into database selection.
Reading Day
April 17th was our first attempt at a reading day. Teachers could sign up to bring classes to the library to read or students with permission could come to the library to read. We had a small turnout each period. This is program is something that will be continued in the future.
If we value students improving as readers we must give them the opportunity to choose and practice reading.
Classes
Various classes have been to the library to work on projects, research, and writing.
Classes could use the green screen to create videos. They would use the art supplies to create museum brochures or posters.
English and Social Studies teachers brought classes to learn about the databases and research techniques.
Mats for the Homeless
Rachael M. Ali Library
Email: library@smhsspartans.net
Website: www.stmarkshs.net
Location: 2501 Pike Creek Road, Wilmington, DE, USA
Phone: 302-757-8807
