Good Time to Grab a Book
As we head into our February break, we again recommend that you take some time for yourself away from technology. Stop in and grab a good book. Ms. Kehe and I have been talking to classes and doing book talks all week. This is one of our favorite things to do as librarians. It gets kids thinking about books and allows us to share titles that may have gone unnoticed.
Speaking of unnoticed, the Tournament of Books, an annual book competition, released its brackets for completion this year. This is a really interesting way to share titles and authors that sometimes have a huge spotlight and pit them against books that are just gaining a following. We were able to time things right this year when we got some of the books from the long list released in December and started reading so we would be ready for the tournament in March. Check out the bracket and see if some of these books don’t pique your interest. If you are having trouble selecting a title just ask, and we will make a recommendation. Below is the bracket:
Notable Contenders for the Tournament of Books
Bell’s Recommendation
A Wish in the Dark is by Christina Soontornvat
This is a great book about young Thai kids in the magical town of Chattana. Most people get around on boats, much like the floating markets here in Thailand. It is Young Adult and sits in the Fantasy Genre. It is a fun book about a couple of orphan boys who struggle with life in a world where light comes from orbs and fire is outlawed. The characters face dilemmas that force them to make difficult decisions. It is a beautiful book, and as a side note, Ms. Soontornvat is coming to ISB in a month! Grab this one or one of her other books and get ready for the visit. The ES Library is also selling some of her titles.
Technology Tools
macOS Ventura is out and it really does have some nice new features. However it is a major change and will take a little getting used to. The download itself is about 12GB so you will need to prepare your computer for this upgrade before installing. Here are some tips and tricks for prepping your computer. Want to know what the new features are? Check out the video below:
Digital Citizenship
I was looking for resources on digital citizenship and came across this really clear infographic, The 9 Elements of Digital Citizenship Your Students Need to Know from Cyper Learning. It shares 9 very easy elements to consider when we think about or teach about being smart online users. While the target audience is students, it actually provides great information for anyone. It is something we always need to keep fresh as the internet is an ever-changing beast.