The newsletter of Mount Carmel Area Junior-Senior High School Library
October 2006
Helping round the Clock
Contrary to popular conception, state agencies and bureaus do not spend most of their time manufacturing hoops for people to jump through. Often they are sincere in trying to help.
One of the newest examples of this is found on Access Pennsylvania, a program of the state Department of Education and Office of Commonwealth Libraries.
“Ask Here PA is Pennsylvania's new statewide live chat reference service and is a free service to all residents of Pennsylvania, offering live chat reference 24 hours per day, 7 days per week,” according to the Ask Here PA website. “We'll be here to help you get answers to your questions, any time and anywhere you have Internet access.”
Better yet; the price of this service is right. “Unlike other "expert" sites on the Web, there is no charge to use our service,” notes the site. “We'll be doing what libraries have always done best -quickly getting you the accurate, unbiased information you need.”
Access Pennsylvania is a terrific resource available along with Power Library. It includes 2,948 school, academic, public, special and intermediate unit libraries, and boasts of a database of approximately 13.5 million titles and 61 million items. Virtually any book that you can think of is obtainable through the Interlibrary Loan resource.
Collaboration Welcome
While our subjects and curricula may differ, we all have the same ultimate objective of helping students to become lifelong learners. We strive to prepare them to think critically, make decisions and solve problems in whatever profession or life path they choose. It makes sense to form a partnership of teachers and teacher-librarian in order to accomplish this.
Technology used for technology’s sake has little value. However, when information literacy objectives are incorporated with standards in any curriculum, both benefit. Measuring Up to Standards, a study by Keith Curry Lance and others, demonstrated the value of library information programs and information literacy in Pennsylvania schools.
“Information literate students know how to use information and ideas effectively,” stated the study. One of the conclusions was:
“For school library programs to be successful agents of academic achievement, information literacy must be an integral part of the school’s approach to both standards and curriculum.”
The library website is a work in progress. Resources for all areas of the curriculum will eventually be available. Share your favorite sites with your colleagues by letting the teacher-librarian know.
This month, some of the new Math resources include:
(Use CTRL and click to access the any of the links.)
These and the other newly included sites offer general as well as specific resources. Eventually, there will be a gateway for each of the subject areas offered at Mount Carmel Area, as well as links to websites that will be of use of students for their academic or professional life after graduation.
Library Hours
Keep in mind that you and your students are welcome at the library for recreational reading, as well as for specific academic lessons. A sign-up sheet is kept at the check-out desk if you want to bring your classes to find and check out books, or to locate information in one of the dozens magazines and newspapers we have on hand. You do not necessarily have to have a specific library skill or information technology lesson scheduled in order to take advantage of the library’s many resources.
If you or your students are too busy during Periods 1 through 8, you’re welcome to stop by before the first bell for homeroom in the morning and after the dismissal bell in the afternoon. The library will open at least to 3:02, but it will usually be open until 3:15 or 3:30 p.m. If more time is needed, arrangements should be able to be worked out.
Teachers’ Bookshelf
Thanks to the generosity of the sponsor of the book sales held periodically in the teachers’ lounge and through the efforts of Elaine Baksi, the library has acquired a considerable number of books that will be of interest to the faculty.
For example, we have a wide variety of cookbooks. Quite a few of them are tailored to the harried lifestyle we face. There are one-dish, slow-cooking and 30-minute recipes.
For those of us with even less time, the library’s phone books contain the numbers of a wide variety of pizza places.