BIS Library Media Centre Annual Report June 2019
The mission of the BIS Library Media Centre is
to promote a culture of reading, to inspire lifelong learning, and to develop the abilities to effectively locate, evaluate and use information.
The School Year at a GLANCE ● 37, 635 Books in the Collection ● 22,430 Hits made on Britannica online - making us the 6th most active international school ● 2,829 New Books Added this year ● 635 Lessons Led by Librarians ● 171 Individual Librarian-Student Conferences ● 114 Staff READ posters ● 53.7 Circulations per student
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Promote a Culture of Reading
Readers’ Choice Award
Begun as an initiative between three international school libraries in Germany, the Hansel & Gretel Reader’s Choice Award celebrated its 5th year by continuing to excite students about reading. Involvement for 2018-19 included 462 students from 17 schools around the country. Each year 16 books are nominated for the award, with at least one title originally published in German. Most titles are less than three years old, and each year a small number of classics are included. The winner for 2019, selected by students in grades 3-5 around Germany, was Charlotte’s Web, originally published in 1952.
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International School Library Month
Celebrating books and reading with schools all around the world, International School Library Month is held in October each year and concludes at BIS with Book Character Dress Up Day. We ♥ Books!
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BIS Book Cafe
Students in Grade 2-7 visited the BIS Book Cafe, sampling stories and devouring good books. As students arrived in the Media Centre, they were shown to their tables and given a menu in which they could record thoughts about their tastings. In intervals of 5-7 minutes, they selected a book and quietly read for 4 minutes, making notes before moving to a new table for their next course of literary genres. In the final minutes of the period, students were encouraged to return to the books they found the tastiest and check them out.
READ Poster Campaign
Invited to put their creativity and photography skills to work, fourteen students helped make READ posters a visible part of our school community. Supervised by two Grade 12 students as part of their CAS involvement, teachers were contacted for appointments and their photos were taken with their favorite books. Files were uploaded and shared with Ms. Walk who did the magic with Photoshop, adding the BIS, Read, and ISLM logos. Students returned to mat the printed posters and hang them near staff rooms and offices. Throughout the year, Mrs. Rogers worked with the sports coaches to capture varsity athletes with books, celebrating both reading and students who continue to balance sport teams and the DP.
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Reading by the Numbers
Not only did total circulations rise with the increase in enrollment this year, but the average per student rose from last year, from 50.6 to 53.7, indicating an additional 3 books per student.
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BIS Top Ten
Picture Books
Circulations Title Author 43 - 365 Penguins by Jean-Luc Fromental 43 - My New Friend is so Fun! by Mo Willems 31 - I Will Surprise my Friend! by Mo Willems 26 - I Really Like Slop! by Mo Willems 25 - I Will Take a Nap! By Mo Willems 25 - Should I Share my Ice Cream? by Mo Willems 25 - Waiting is Not Easy! by Mo Willems 23 - The book with no pictures by B. J. Novak 23 - Unicorn Thinks He's Pretty Great by Bob Shea 23 - We are in a Book! by Mo Willems
Primary Fiction
Secondary Fiction
Circulations Title Author 39 - Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone b y J.K. Rowling 29 - Captain Underpants and the Sensational Saga of Sir Stinks-A-Lot b y Dav Pilkey 29 - Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Long Haul by Jeff Kinney 28 - Tales from a Not-So-Talented Pop Star by Rachel Renee Russell 26 - Captain Underpants and the Revolting Revenge of the Radioactive Robo-Boxers b y Dav Pilkey 23 - The Great Treehouse War b y Lisa Graff* 23 - Diary of a Wimpy Kid : Greg Heffley's Journal by Jeff Kinney 22 - Tales From a Not-So-Perfect Pet Sitter by Rachel Renee Russell 22 - The 13-Story Treehouse by Andy Griffiths 21 - The Island at the End of Everything by Kiran Hargrave* *Hänsel & Gretel Readers’ Choice titles
Circulations Title Author 19 - The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins 16 - Children of Exile by Margaret Haddix 15 - Then by Morris Gleitzman 15 - Thunderhead by Neal Schusterman 11 - The Crossover by Alexander Kwame 11 - The Worst Years of My Life by James Patterson 11 - Once by Morris Gleitzman 11 - Scythe by Neal Schusterman 10 - Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins 9 - A Dog's Purpose by W. Bruce Cameron
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Inspire Lifelong Learning
BIS Minions
Sixteen students in grades 4 and 5 completed the application and training process to become Library Minions. Donating their time during one recess per week, students helped keep things tidy in the Media Centre, completing a variety of tasks such as straightening shelves, dusting, cleaning keyboards and computer screens, washing tables, watering plants, and the most favorite task of all - making deliveries to classrooms all over the school. Thank you, Minions! Your help is appreciated!
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SA & CAS Volunteers
Our secondary student helpers took a more creative role in helping in the Media Centre this year, designing and creating book displays and capturing photos for our READ poster campaign. “When I started helping at the library I did not think that it was something that I would come to enjoy. Every Wednesday I would arrive at the library to do small jobs to help make the life of the library assistants easier. I noticed that the more I worked the easier it was to find things in the sections that I worked on. I felt great about being involved in this SA because it made me realise how much work is put into the library. I think that the activity itself was something that everyone should do because it would make it so the library would be much cleaner and better. This activity had a lot of value and meant a lot to me. It showed me that if I was committed I could make a difference even if it was something small. Finally, I will extend what I learned to my life by always doing something to help people even if it something small.” ~TR (student volunteer)
BIS PD on the Beach
Affectionately called PD on the Beach, the Media Centre sponsors an optional summer reading program for staff. Titles from a variety of categories (teaching & learning, technology, leadership, leisure) are solicited from and voted on by staff with the BIS Library Media Centre providing digital and audio copies of the top choices for all participating members. Discussion groups, led by staff volunteers, will take place following when school resumes. The titles selected for Summer 2019 were:
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Develop the abilities to effectively locate, evaluate and use information
Implementing the BIS Research Process
Three years after our committee of EL - DP teachers and librarians defined and began implementation of the BIS Research Process, we are seeing significant results. Students in secondary school have become proficient at using the process, taking excellent notes, making sense of complicated information, and properly citing sources. Library lessons have shifted from the basic “how to cite sources” to grade-appropriate refinements. Grade 9 students were introduced to the electronic notetaking tool in Noodletools, providing them with another option for collecting and sorting their notes. More time was spent with all levels to improve students’ ability to find the best resources for their task and additional databases were introduced more often this year than in years past. Teachers have reported that given a choice, many students are opting to use BIS notefact forms even when they are not required.
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Lesson Highlights EL5 had their first introduction to the BIS Research Process, working on identifying the questions they have and what they already know about a topic. Grade 1 students were introduced to looking for books on the OPAC (Online Public Access Catalog). They were quickly able to identify and write down call numbers so that their classroom teacher and library staff members could help them find books. G1 students also began learning about Fair Use images and where to find them, taking their first steps at using the Image Quest photo database from Britannica. Grade 2 students explored the power of signs and symbols, and designed crests to represent what they think is most important about our Library Media Centre. Grade 3 was formally introduced to the BIS Research Process and notetaking forms, using the steps multiple times this year. They learned how to access their individual OPAC accounts where they shared their opinions by writing online book reviews. Grade 4 developed their skills at sharing information, learning what makes a good presentation and why it’s important to use Fair Use images, such as those found in ImageQuest. Grade 5 learned different ways to creatively share their learning using electronic tools, making infographics and book trailers this year. They put all of their Research Process skills to use for the PYP Exhibition, demonstrating high levels of independence and competence as they used Media Centre resources for their research and final displays. Grade 6 used the Media Centre to research trees, wood, microscopes, early humans, natural disasters, and GPS technology. Throughout the year they improved their skills of notetaking and citing sources. Grade 7 did research into World War II, Abrahamic religions, poverty, and water pollutants. They were introduced to using Organized Notefacts, sorting information as they collected it. Grade 9 demonstrated a mastery level of the research process, applying their skills for semester-long essays and Personal Project work. Grade 9 was the first grade introduced to electronic notetaking, preferred by some students and not by others.
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