2015 BIS Library Media Centre Annual Report
June, 2015
HIGHLIGHTS: •
Bethany Walk, certified Librarian, was added to the Media Centre team, replacing Alicia Denning, Operations Manager, when she returned to her home country.
•
Birgitt Volmer-Kerlin retired after 10 years at BIS; Liina Tammela became the new morning Library Assistant
•
Two new collections added: tools and games
•
Hosted Project Voice poets Sarah Kay and Phil Kaye
•
Initiated lunch time poetry slam event
•
Began running book bus to increase EL5-G1 access to literature
•
Hosted authors Donna Jo Napoli & Phil McDermott
•
English and German book fairs
•
Essential Questions posted on Media Centre wall
•
Encouraged students to be risk-takers and read new books with “Blind Date with a Book” promotion
•
Co-founded and implemented Hansel & Gretel Reader’s Choice Award
•
Engaged student participation in Tannenbook contest
•
Increased number of Mother Tongue books and languages represented
•
Cataloged and indexed all textbooks for math, science, and english departments; all new teaching materials for other departmeEts
•
Presented on teacher-librarian collaboration at ECIS and AGIS conferences
Students visited our library in person and online, formally and informally, selecting books, writing online reviews, engaging in inquiry, collaborating with others, accessing e-books and databases, documenting sources and taking notes in their EasyBib accounts, using digital storytelling tools, meeting authors, and sharing information.
Spotlight on Resources We added 2.541 print books to our collection this year, bringing the total to 35.158. The materials were split almost equally between primary and secondary; fiction and informational texts to support classroom curriculum. The languages collection saw an increase of 246 items as well as the addition of materials in Bulgarian. Our available databases and eBooks continued to see modest increases in usage. The good news is we are witnessing more students accessing these as their first source of information. Thanks to generous donors, the BIS Library Media Centre added tools and board games to the list of available resources. Mr. Ille, from the BIS Design Technology department, worked with tool manufacturers to acquire three cordless drills and one bicycle maintenance kit. Media Centre staff cataloged and stored the new materials., making items are available for checkout to secondary students and adult patrons over the weekend.
The Book Bus Author Visits 2014-15 saw visits from Spoken Arts poets Sarah Kay and Phil Kaye as well as award-winning author, Donna Jo Napoli and storyteller Phil McDermott. Meeting and speaking with live authors inspires students to put their own voices to paper.
Media&Centre&Expenses& 2014315&
New arrivals for the Tool Library
3%$2%$ 9%$ Books/eBooks/ AudioBooks/other$media$ Databases$ AuthorVisits$ 30%$
56%$
Supplies$ Magazines/Newspapers$
Mother Tongue Collection Language'Representa-on'
Mother'Tongue,Languages, (excluding,English,&,German),
6%$ 9%$
85%$ English$
German$
Other$
Arabic'
Bulgarian'
Chinese'
Danish'
Dutch'
Finnish'
French'
Greek'
Hindi'
Italian'
Japanese'
Korean'
Norwegian'
Polish'
Portuguese'
Russian'
Spanish'
Swedish'
Turkish'
Promoting Reading The Hansel and Gretel Readers’ Choice Award is an initiative begun in 2014 by the librarians at Bonn International School, Dresden International School and Frankfurt International School in Germany. Sixteen nominee books are selected in the Spring of each year. Students in grades 3-6 enrolled at participating schools vote in an elimination tournament with four rounds of voting to select the years' Hansel and Gretel Readers’ Choice Award. The name of the award was selected to identify with our host country, Germany, and to honor the contribution of the Brothers Grimm to children's literature. A variety of books have been selected: modern classics, some that have been around a few years, as well as newly published titles. Students in grades 3 through 6 may participate by reading, or have read to them, at least four of the nominated titles, and they may only vote for a book that they have read - in any language. During this first year of the award, eleven schools around Germany collaborated. At BIS, over 150 students were actively involved in reading the nominated books and voting. We look forward to even more students and schools participating next year.
Staffing Working in an international school means there are always greetings and farewells happening. This year saw the departure of two staff members, one returned home to Australia and the other retired. Our Operations Manager was replaced with certified librarian, Bethany Walk. The addition of Ms. Walk means that students now have access to a certified librarian all day, every day. Working hours and lunchtimes are staggered to ensure one librarian is always on duty. With both librarians teaching classes this year, the total number of lessons taught increased by 61%. Behind the scenes, many tasks were completed such as updating the website and overhauling the magazine collection. Consulting with a librarian has become a require step in both the Extended Essay and Personal Project process. What this means for students is that they get one-on-one feedback about the resources they are using for the research portion of their task. For some it was a starting point, learning to search the library, understanding how and why to evaluate websites for accuracy and reliability, or a personalized introduction to online resources. For others it was a refinement of existing skills, the chance to request topic-specific titles, or a time to learn how to navigate collegiate level resources such as JSTOR and Questia. Liina Tammela was brought into the team as the morning assistant. Also a certified librarian, Ms. Tammela brings a high skill level to the tasks she is assigned. Rosy Ottavi continued as the afternoon assistant. Both colleagues manage the behind-the-desk operations of circulating books, entering and preparing books and other items, creating displays, and answering questions. They make every learner feel welcome, set the tone for the library’s warm atmosphere, and allow the librarians to work directly with teachers and learners in both the library and in the classrooms.
The Research Process Although it is often thought of one concentrated topic, there are over 70 different skills involved in the research process. Teachers and librarians have been working together to improve students’ skills in researching, ensuring they are prepared for a university education when they leave BIS. In the primary grades, a great deal of time is spent teaching students where to locate information and how to select the correct resource. Lesson time in secondary classes is devoted to teaching students about the hidden web and the subject-specific indexed databases, such as those published by Facts on File and Gale, to which the library subscribes. Lesson topics include what a database is, why/when to use them, and how to access the paid resources the BIS Media Centre provides. As students move through the grades, the transition from print to non-print resources is a challenge. Everything on a computer screen looks the same - magazines, webpages, scholarly journals. The Media Centre uses Kathy Schrock’s 5W’s as a tool to help students evaluate online resources, particularly webpages. WHO is the author? WHERE did the information come from? WHEN was it published? WHAT is the purpose? And WHY is it appropriate for my purpose? Citing sources begins in Grade 1 with a simple list of titles and authors and is scaffolded through the grades until students are confidently able to include in-text citations and properly format a bibliography of print and non-print resources for their Extended Essay. EasyBib is an online citation and note-taking tool the Media Centre provides for secondary students. This year, lessons about EasyBib moved down to Grade 5, providing a useful tool for Exhibition work as well as easing the transition to Grade 6. By working together with classroom teachers and focusing on different skills each year, Media Centre staff strives to give students multiple opportunities to improve proficiency in the entire research process.
Use of Media Centre Resources Total"Circula6ons"
39,107" 40,000" 35,354" 33,274"
35,000"
30,000" 22,848"
25,000"
20,000"
15,000"
10,000"
5,000"
0" 2012$
2013$
2014$
2015$
Classes&Taught&by&Grade&Level& 120# 98#
100# 80# 60#
60#
67#
64#
57#
49#
43#
51#
46#
43#
37#
40# 22#
20#
33#
31#
22#
17#
EL3/4#
EL5#
1#
2#
3#
4#
2014#
5#
6#
6# 9#
7#
4#
0#
24#
17#
7#
8#
9#
15# 13#
10#
10# 8# 11#
2015#
Textbook Inventory During the 2014-15 school year, nearly 5,000 textbooks and teaching materials were cataloged and added to the library’s software system. This Herculean task was done in an effort to: • Streamline distribution and collection of textbooks, simplifying management for teachers • Eliminate duplicate ordering of materials already owned and save money • Maintain accurate records of quantities and locations of materials
Lesson Highlights The librarians are the most valuable resource in the library. Together they taught over 525 lessons to groups and classes of students, as well as hundreds “mini-lessons” to individual students, teachers, and parents. Some of our favorite moments this year… • Grade 1 students learned about all the resources beyond books available to them in the library. Many eagerly checked out magazines for the first time. This grade level also learned to search for books with the Visual Search feature of Destiny, allowing them to use icons and pictures to find what they wanted. • Grade 2 students were challenged to grow their symbolic, spatial, and library skills through library mapping and exploration. • Grade 3 students learned to use Encyclopedia Britannica online while researching about explorers. Their bibliography-writing skills were expanded to include copyright year. • Grade 4 students discussed the role of intellectual freedom and the role of libraries while designing their own nations and governments. Students learned the process required to challenge a book and put it into practice. After proper review and discussion, the librarians and students agreed that relocating the title Once Upon a Potty to the Parent Shelf was an acceptable solution. • Grade 5 Exhibition students had unlimited access to library space, resources, and personnel during the research phase of their inquiry. Students were introduced to the processes of building a working bibliography with EasyBib and locating information in advanced online databases such as Opposing Viewpoints.
Lesson Highlights Cont’d • Grade 6 Science students learned to locate materials in the secondary section with a scavenger hunt. • Grade 6 and 8 students reviewed the research process, were introduced to the Opposing Viewpoints database and note-taking features of EasyBib, and learned to find facts to support their opinions when writing a persuasive essay. • Grade 8 students built and shared their own database of reliable websites relating to European geographical, environmental, and political issues before using them to write essays. • Middle grade Maths Studies were held in the library each fortnight to reinforce the concept that math is everywhere and a librarian was available to assist with online learning. Students were read The Number Devil by Hans Magnus Enzensberger to explain numbers. • Native-speakers in secondary German classes were challenged to go on a "blind date" with unknown historical fiction. • Students in secondary English classes were introduced to dystopian readalikes while studying Orwell's Nineteen Eighty-Four. • Research became a more integral part of the Personal Project process as students were required to consult with librarians and discuss needed resources during the research phase. • Connections were made with our IB diploma candidates, especially through our increased involvement with the official process of the Extended Essay at BIS. Sessions were held with students to help them select a topic, narrow their theses, select resources, and take effective notes.
BIS TOP TEN Picture Books
Circulations
Title
Author
32 - I am Extremely Absolutely Boiling by Lauren Child 30 - I Will Surprise My Friend! by Mo Willems 27 - We are in a Book! by Mo Willems 24 - Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus! by Mo Willems 22 - Elephants Cannot Dance! by Mo Willems 21 - Today I Will Fly! by Mo Willems 20 - The Golden Rule by Ilene Cooper 20 - I’m a Frog! by Mo Willems 20 - Watch Me Throw the Ball! by Mo Willems 19 - Dino-Soccer by Lisa Wheeler
Primary Fiction
Circulations
Title
Author
50 - Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Hard Luck by Jeff Kinney 45 - Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Greg Heffley’s Journal by Jeff Kinney 41 - The Brilliant World of Tom Gates by Liz Pichon 40 - Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days by Jeff Kinney 40 - Excellent Excuses (and other Good Stuff) by Liz Pichon 38 - The Wimpy Kid Movie Diary by Jeff Kinney 36 - Diary of a Wimpy Kid: the Last Straw by Jeff Kinney 35 - Genius Ideas (mostly) by Liz Pichon 35 - Tom Gates is Absolutely Fantastic by Liz Pichon 34 - Everything’s Amazing by Liz Pichon
Secondary Fiction Circulations
Title
Author
20 - I am Number Four by Pittacus Lore 20 - The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan 15 - Firestorm by David Klass 15 - The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins 15 - Magyk by Angie Sage 15 - The Maze Runner by Suzanne Collins 14 - Insurgent by Veronica Roth 13 - The Hobbit by J. R. R. Tolkien 12 - Hatchet by Gary Paulsen 11 - Allegiant by Veronica Roth
Quotes From the Student Satisfaction Survey
M Y P
D Y
 P
Goals The mission of the Bonn International School Library is to promote a love of reading, inspire lifelong learning, and develop the abilities to effectively locate, evaluate, and use information.Â
Progress Toward Existing Goals
Goals for 2015-16
Our goals for the 2014-15 school year involved aligning and documenting our curriculum, expanding the collection, and improving pointof-need access. With two certified librarians, more lessons were co-planned and co-taught with classroom teachers than in previous years. Looking ahead, we would like to see the number of lessons for secondary classes continue to rise, but we feel quite positive the foundation has been laid. Connections were made with teachers in subjects we had not worked with before, including more science classes and PE.
Goals for the 2015-16 school year focus on doing more of what we do best. Both librarians would like to see students expand their knowledge of online databases until they are familiar and comfortable using a wide variety. We are excited about the possibilities the new school website brings, making library resources just one click away for students, teachers, and parents, and making us both a physical and virtual information hub. We plan to launch a database-of-the-month campaign to increase awareness and usage. And we would like to increase our virtual presence in general.
The library collection grew to include tools, games, and a greater number of books in a wider variety of languages. Access of eBooks is steadily growing, although most students state they prefer print editions. We are working to see if this is an access issue or stylistic choice. The magazine and periodical collection was evaluated to ensure there was broad coverage for all subjects, and that what we offer is being read. New editions were ordered while some were discontinued. Point-of-need access improved with our “Book Bus� visiting the EL/Grade 1 wing daily, delivering new books to students, increasing exposure to language, vocabulary, and great literature. Both librarians met with grade level teams to co-plan units of inquiry, ensuring students have access to the resources they need when they need them.
Summer Reading We no longer have a library staff member working through the summer. But our s u m m e r re a d i n g p ro g r a m c o n t i n u e d nonetheless. Over 50 families checked out over 500 books in June!
Secondary classes continue to lag behind primary in the number of lessons taught, a trend we would like to see level off. Plans are also underway to encourage visits and co-planning with underrepresented departments, ensuring consistency across curriculum and building our reading culture. The research process is an integral part of inquiry. BIS students are excellent at asking deep questions. This year we would like to focus on helping them organize the information they find with note-taking skills, particularly what to do and how to use notes once they are written, scaffolding the skills for consistent use through the grades.