How To Use NoveList in OPAC Card Catalog

How To Use NoveList in OPAC Card Catalog

We recently were so fortunate to be able to get funding that allowed NoveList Select integrated into our OPAC Card Catalog!

My Library Director and I are HUGE fans of NoveList so to have this Reader's Advisory tool available for our Patrons to use at any time made us a little (read: A LOT) giddy.  Now our Patrons will be able to find Read Alikes of their favorite titles and genres that available in our library.

I created this video as a tutorial for our Patrons so that they would be able to understand how to use this amazing new tool!

Enjoy!

How To Use NoveList Plus

How To Use NoveList Plus

Novelist Plus is by far one of my favorite Reader's Advisory Tools in my Librarianship Tool Belt!  

NoveList powered by EBSCOHost is neatly organized by age group, reader's mood, and genre.    It covers ages 0-8, ages 9-12, teens, and adults.  It also includes various genres from science fiction, historical fiction, Canadian fiction, graphic novels, horror, romance, thrillers, westerns, and many other topics to suit a variety of readers' interests.  It has a drop-down "Browse By" tab that allows readers to select from award winners, genre, and appeal.  It also has a drop-down "Especially for" tab that allows readers to select from "Readers' Advisory" and "Working with Youth."  These tabs would be helpful for teen librarians and parents of teens.  

The various genres and user-friendly layout make it easy for me to recommend it for a library to purchase a subscription to the site.  I believe it is a valuable resource in aiding a librarian with collection development and with Reader Advisory.  

I created this video to show all of the amazing features that are available with NoveList Plus!

Enjoy!

How To Find Legitimate Government Websites on the Internet

How To Find Legitimate Government Websites on the Internet

Searching for legitimate government websites can be a daunting task for some.  If a person were to simply do a Google search for VA form, they would be given a list of nearly 300 million search results.  After I had an encounter with a Patron trying to find a government form and believed they needed to pay a fee to download the form, I decided to create this Library Instruction video teaching Patrons how to find legitimate government websites.  

Here is an article with further information on identifying fake websites:

5 Ways To Determine If A Website Is Fake, Fraudulent Or A Scam

I hope you have found this information helpful!

All About Animals Misc. List

All About Animals Misc. List

Books are not the only materials that children can get a child excited about animals.  

Here is a list of other materials that are about animals that children will love!

#1  DisneyNature's Born in China on DVD and BluRay

DisneyNature always does beautiful work when it comes to capturing the wild.  Born in China tells the story of how a family of pandas, savvy golden monkeys, and snow leopards survive in the wild.  This movie is a great movie for the whole family, but there are scenes involving the snow leopards that my daughters found difficult to watch.

#2  DisneyNature's Born in China on DVD and BluRay

DisneyNature takes the viewer to the depths of the ocean to gain insight into the lives of marine life.  The photography is beautiful and very vivid.  The viewer gets up-close encounters with dolphins, sharks, fish, sea turtles, and seals among other marine animals.  This movie is perfect for the whole family, but there are a few scenes that involve animals being killed that may be difficult for younger children to watch.

#3  Animal Jam hosted by National Geographic

         

Animal Jam Link

Animal Jam is an online game that is hosted by National Geographic.  My girls played this game constantly when they were in elementary school and even now occasionally go check it out.  The game allows kids to interact with other online players using preset phrases only, so there is no exchange personal information.  The educational game teaches kids about various animals' habits, living environments, and what they eat.  This site is geared for kids ages 12 and under.

#4  National Geographic Kids

National Geographic Kids Link

The National Geographic Kids is an educational website teaches kids about animals through games, trivia, videos, and even jokes.  Kids can click on the Animal tab to learn about specific animals or they can click on the Games tab to play games such as taking a personality quiz to find what animal they are most like or the gross quiz to discover all the gross habits of animals.  This site is perfect for kids ages 12 and under.

#5  Zoo Moo Moo! On Playaway

This handheld electronic device has pre-loaded games already installed so there is no need to carry around separate cartridges.  It's geared towards Pre-K kids from ages 3 to 5 years old and teaches kids animal sounds, animals habits, and animal living environments.  Kids can explore the zoo and interact with the animals at the zoo.

I hope you've enjoyed these animal resources!

All About Animals Book List

All About Animals Book List

Ever since my girls were teeny littles they've been obsessed with animals.  Now at the ages of seventeen and thirteen, nothing has changed.  They still obsessively love animals and love watching movies, reading books, and playing games that involve animals.  So, I decided to put together a reading recommendation list for parents of books that are awesome for animal loving kids!


#1  1001 Animals to Spot by Ruth Brocklehurst

 

When my girls were around 6 and 2 years old there was a show called Stanley that played on the Disney channel.  In the show, Stanley was a little boy that loved animals and had a great big book of everything with every imaginable animal in it.  This book reminds me of Stanley's great big book everything.  This book teaches counting by having the children find different sets of objects while transporting them to many different habitats such as the farm, the ocean, and the swamp.  This book would be enjoyable for kids ages 8 years old and under.

#3  The Artist Who Painted A Blue Horse by Eric Carle

Both of my girls are artists so naturally, this book is a favorite.  I love the imagination of children especially when it comes to their interpretation of the world through art.  As usual Carle's artwork in this book is beautifully captured through the use of his tissue paper technique.  This story is about a young artist that paints a blue horse and a red crocodile among other animals.  This book would be enjoyable for kids ages 6 years old and under.

#3  The Cookie Fiasco by Mo Willems and Dan Santat

I don't think it's possible to have a list of animal children's books and not have at least one Mo Willems book on included.  The Cookie Fiasco is one of my favorites because of the dramatic humor involved. The artwork is adorable and full of over the top facial and body expression from the animals.  The story is about the dilemma four friends face when there are only three cookies left.  This book would be great for kids 6 years old and under.

#4  Warriors Series: Into the Wild by Erin Hunter

I chose this book because my youngest daughter was obsessed with this series when she was in elementary school.  It was the perfect transition book for her from Beginning Reader books to Juvenile Fiction.  Her obsession with this series lasted until Middle School.  The Warriors series tells the stories of cats that divided themselves into four clans and live in the forest.  Some of them are peaceful while others battle for territory. This book would be suitable for readers between the ages of 10 and 12 years old.

#5  Farm Animals by Wade Cooper

Growing up in a farm town in rural Kansas, I naturally want to include a book about farm animals on this list.  This Scholastic Reader level 2 book teaches kids a little bit about ten different farm animals and how they contribute to life on the farm.  It's written in rhyme form and has quizzes for kids to take to help with reading comprehension.  This book would be great for kids that are beginning readers between the age of 6 and 8, but younger children would enjoy having a parent read it to them.

I hope this list gave you some ideas of how to satisfy your little animal lover's obsession!