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OverDrive: ‘Big Library Read’ + What’s New | October 2017

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Secondary Big Library Read October 12-26, 2017

Overdrive Big Read Flyer October 2017

This fall OverDrive is once again sponsoring the “Big Library Read,” a promotion in which we receive unlimited access to a special title for simultaneous, district-wide reading. From October 12-26, 2017, all secondary students and staff members can check out and read The Hundred Lies of Lizzie Lovett by Chelsea Sedoti, available as an ebook or audiobook. Here’s the book’s “jacket” blurb:

Hawthorn wasn’t trying to insert herself into a missing person’s investigation. Or maybe she was. But that’s only because Lizzie Lovett’s disappearance is the one fascinating mystery their sleepy town has ever had. Bad things don’t happen to popular girls like Lizzie Lovett, and Hawthorn is convinced she’ll turn up at any moment-which means the time for speculation is now.

So Hawthorn comes up with her own theory for Lizzie’s disappearance. A theory way too absurd to take seriously…at first. The more Hawthorn talks, the more she believes. And what better way to collect evidence than to immerse herself in Lizzie’s life? Like getting a job at the diner where Lizzie worked and hanging out with Lizzie’s boyfriend. After all, it’s not as if he killed her-or did he?

Told with a unique voice that is both hilarious and heart-wrenching, Hawthorn’s quest for proof may uncover the greatest truth is within herself.

What’s New in OverDrive, October 2017

If you are in an elementary school or if the Big Read book doesn’t match your interests, don’t worry; we have many other new titles of all varieties available in OverDrive. The posters below highlight a few of the titles that have been added to Granite’s OverDrive Digital Library this month. Click on them to download a high quality PDF that you can print out and display in your library or classroom, or right click and save the images to post them on a school or class website.

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(Granite’s OverDrive provides free access to ebooks and digital audiobooks for all students and staff in Granite School District. Granite’s OverDrive can be accessed on the web at http://granite.lib.overdrive.com or via OverDrive apps designed for various mobile devices. For more information or help getting started with OverDrive, visit https://www.graniteschools.org/edtech/overdrive.)

OverDrive posters created by Nikki Gregerson and Cindy Moyle, Granite District Library Media Specialists.

Top Circulating Library Books in Granite School District, 2016-2017

Students and staff in Granite School District checked out over 1.8 million items from school libraries in the 2016-2017 school year. We ran detailed reports, crunched the data, and for the first time ever have compiled lists of the most popular book titles for the school year across the entire district. Keep Reading

Granite Library Presentations at UELMA 2017

Last week the Utah Educational Library Media Association held their Spring conference at the Utah Cultural Celebration Center in West Valley City. Many of our library media educational technology specialists (LMETS) and media clerks attended the conference, and several presented sessions at the conference themselves. Here is a roster of the sessions shared by our specialists, along with links to resources from the sessions if available.

Session TitlePresenter(s)
Book Repair -- Fixing Inner HingesBrad Butcher (LMETS, Evergreen Jr. High)
BookTubeJessica Moody (LMETS, Olympus Jr. High)
Destiny HacksJosh Whiting (Library Media Specialist, Educational Technology Dept.)
Effective Library Web PagesKeith Smedberg (LMETS, Olympus Sr. High)
Engage Your Students through Breakout EDU Games!Stephanie Hamilton (LMETS, Bennion Jr. High) and Davina Sauthoff (LMETS, Wasatch Jr. High)
Genre-fying Your Library Fiction CollectionLorraine Wyness (LMETS, Taylorsville Sr. High)
Hosting an AuthorBrad Butcher (LMETS, Evergreen Jr. High)
Hosting a Book ClubWarren Child (LMETS, Cyprus Sr. High)
I Read. What's Your Superpower? Michelle Asay (LMETS, Granger Sr. High) and Heidi Williams (LMETS, Skyline Sr. High)
Is Your Library Engaging to Culturally Diverse Students?Toni Blattman (LMETS, Kearns Jr. High), Susan Booth (LMETS, Cottonwood Sr. High), and Marcia Ingram (LMETS, Eisenhower Jr. High)
Library Productivity AppsAngela Christensen (LMETS, Kennedy Jr. High)
Picture Books with Secondary StudentsCindy Moyle (Granite District Secondary Libraries Supervisor) and Celia Powell (Granite District Secondary Educational Technology Specialist)
Twitter & Google +Jeff Curran (LMETS, Granite Park Jr. High)

In addition to the above sessions, Quinn Rollins, Granite’s Social Studies Curriculum Specialist, attended and gave an excellent presentation entitled “Beyond Batman: Graphic Novels as Serious Texts.”  Author Emily Wing Smith, a Taylorsville High School alumnus and occasional substitute teacher for Granite, gave the inspiring and relatable morning keynote address on her personal childhood experiences that led her to writing.

We really appreciate all of those from Granite School District who shared their time and expertise in these sessions. We further look forward to next week’s UCET 2017 conference, in which many of our elementary school technology specialists (STS) will present breakout sessions, as well as more of our LMETS.

New Children’s Titles in Granite’s OverDrive for Fall 2016

Poster - New Children's Nonfiction Titles in OverDrive Fall 2016
Poster - New Children's Graphic Novels and Easy Readers in OverDrive Fall 2016
Poster - New Children's Fiction Titles in OverDrive Fall 2016

These images highlight a few of the children’s fiction chapter books, graphic novels, and informational titles that have recently been added to Granite’s OverDrive Digital Library. You can print them out and display them in your library or classroom, or add them to a school or class website.

(Granite’s OverDrive provides free access to ebooks and digital audiobooks for all students and staff in Granite School District. Granite’s OverDrive can be accessed on the web at http://granite.lib.overdrive.com or via OverDrive apps designed for various mobile devices. For more information or help getting started with OverDrive, visit https://www.graniteschools.org/edtech/overdrive.)

Poster - New Children's Fiction Titles in OverDrive Fall 2016

Poster - New Children's Nonfiction Titles in OverDrive Fall 2016

Poster - New Children's Graphic Novels and Easy Readers in OverDrive Fall 2016

Posters created by Nikki Gregerson, Elementary Library Media Supervisor in Granite School District.

New Digital Books in Granite’s OverDrive | August 2016

We have added new books in OverDrive for the new school year! With these additions, students and staff have access to over 7,000 ebooks and digital audiobooks in Granite’s OverDrive Digital Library. The posters below show a few of the latest young adult fiction titles added for junior high and high school students. We also have an extensive selection of age-appropriate titles for elementary students.

To read, or listen to the latest titles, go to http://granite.lib.overdrive.com or download the OverDrive App on your mobile device and search for your school’s name to access Granite’s library. Students and staff use their regular school logins to access Granite’s OverDrive. For more information and help with OverDrive, please visit our OverDrive Resources page, or contact your school’s library or technology specialist.

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Keep Reading

Utah’s Online Library – Student Home Access Login Update

Utah's Online Library - LogoThe student home access login for Utah’s Online Library has been updated for 2016-2017.

This resource is only available for students within the state of Utah, so we cannot post the login on this public web page. Here are several ways that you can learn the new username and password:

Keep Reading

New YA Fiction in OverDrive | May 2016

OverDrive May 2016 Display_Page_1With summer vacation in sight, school librarians will soon remind students to bring in all the checked out books. But this doesn’t mean anyone has to stop reading; summer is the perfect time to dig into a new book, and Granite’s OverDrive Digital Library (http://granite.lib.overdrive.com) will be available all summer long for all students and staff members, wherever they are on almost any computer or mobile device.

We are constantly adding new ebooks and audiobooks to our collection, which now numbers nearly 7,000 titles across K-12. Check out the posters below for some of the latest releases added to the YA collection for May 2016.  We also have many new releases in our juvenile collection, they just aren’t shown here. Log in to OverDrive to check them out.

Keep Reading

2016 Patterson Partnership School Library Grants

Patterson Grant Screenshot

Once again, author James Patterson has made an exceedingly generous pledge (1.75 million dollars) to support school libraries nationwide. Click here to find out more information and apply for a grant for your school library now. Applications/nominations will be accepted until May 31, 2016.

Applications may be submitted by teachers, librarians, administrators, or parents on behalf of any U.S. school that services students in grades PreK through 12. Applications must be made online by completing and submitting the application form found at: scholastic.com/pattersonpartnership. In all cases, the vetting process will include obtaining approval from the principal of the school to confirm that requested funds will be accepted for the purpose defined in the application. A total of $1.75 million will be available for distribution in awards ranging from $1,000 to $10,000. The full list of grant recipients will be announced atscholastic.com/pattersonpartnership by the end of 2016. It is anticipated that all entrants will be notified if they’ll be receiving a grant by the end of September 2016.

In addition to facilitating the Patterson Grants, the Scholastic Reading Club site has some good downloadable resources with tips on spreading the word about your school library, enlisting volunteers, building community partnerships, and finding additional funding sources for your library.

New YA eBooks in OverDrive | March 2016

Check out some of the latest young adult titles available as ebooks and/or audiobooks in Granite’s OverDrive Digital Library. Click here or on each image to download these posters as a printable PDF.

For more information on Granite’s OverDrive Digital Library, which is available to all students and staff in Granite School District, please visit our help and resources page at https://www.graniteschools.org/edtech/overdrive.

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