SC Library

Truth, Justice and the SC Library Way...

2011-12-12T07:48:00.000-08:00

Opt Out paperwork is due Friday, December 16.

Faster than a speeding bullet the library can check out a laptop to you. (If the paperwork has been turned in and you bring your student ID.) Download Opt Out form

Let’s Rocket! Only YOU can prevent a sticky, messy, library and the ants under the library from invading. No food & drink in the library.

Holy ink, Batman! Color printing is four stamps per page! And you need a print card! The first print card of the school year is free. Did you forget it? Buy one for $2 or ask a fellow student to be a super hero and loan one to you.
Click for more library policies.

Who's leaving book sculptures in Scottish libraries?

2011-11-02T07:15:00.000-07:00

It's a mystery.
But Scotland doesn't want it solved.
More @ NPR

Photos: Chris Scott/flickr

2011-10-28T07:18:00.000-07:00

Found on the Random House Facebook page.

Fill in the blank
A book commits suicide every time you _____________.

Post a comment to give us your answer.
If we get 3 to 5 responses we'll do a poll.

Laini Taylor @ SC

2011-10-12T10:51:00.000-07:00

I love it when authors visit SC! Thanks to our fabuous local bookstore, Third Place Books, we have had some amazing “writers in action” over the years. One is coming this Friday!!

As if our week wasn’t packed enough with tests and Homecoming! Laini Taylor, author of some wonderful young adult stories, will be at the Highlands during 5th period to talk about her newest book, Daughter of Smoke and Bone. Selected by Amazon as a Best Book in its initial month of publication, here is a taste of the plot: “Karou is a seventeen-year-old art student with a most unusual family. From his desk in a dusty, otherworldly shop, her mysterious, monstrous father sends her on errands across the globe, collecting teeth for a shadowy purpose. On one such errand, Karou encounters an angel, and soon the mysteries of her life and her family are unraveled--with consequences both beautiful and dreadful.” (amazon.com)

The author has also written the Dreamdark series and a collection of short stories that is not to be missed: Lips Touch Three Times. She loves anything that is mythical, magical, faerie-connected, dark, and fantastical. If you would like to order any of her books, stop by the library for an order form. Ms Taylor will sign your copies and you may pick them up anytime after the assembly. Check out her blog as well @ www.lainitaylor.com. She is a true individual who will pique your interest.

Inklings: One Reader's Journey Begins

2011-09-30T14:19:00.000-07:00

I have been on the school schedule since I was 5 years old. I’ve felt the energy every September as a child and later as an adult – a new year with all the new possibilities it holds. September has paced my life more than January’s New Year resolutions ever have.

I so look forward to returning to school.
Except for one year.

I am the youngest of my family and took full advantage of being my mom’s last child, her baby. Many of you enjoy the same position in your families – the one who tends to get away with behaviors that your older siblings would never dream of trying. Suffice to say that my mother and I were very close while my sisters and I were very, uhmmm…less close.

So when it came time for me to begin kindergarten, I engaged in a behavior that previously was not observed in my house. I cried every single day.

I would start as soon as I woke up, before my little pajamas were cold and my freshly ironed dress was completely buttoned. I cried through my cereal and my french toast. I cried while my mom slopped hair goo on me to keep my bangs from falling in my face. (We weren’t allowed to have bangs once we turned 5 but my hair never got the memo.) I really cranked up when I had to get in the car. I was a total mess by the time we pulled up to school, and my older sisters exited our station wagon in complete disgust. Such distress just couldn’t continue; everyone could see that.

My mom, who seemingly had years of experience under her belt in dealing with little girl meltdowns, hit upon the strategy of bribery. (A dicey strategy as every parent knows. The epitome of the ‘slippery slope’.) So here’s what I was promised every day that I didn’t cry: a brand new Golden Book. The woman was a genius. All I had to do was hit upon the delicate balance of looking like I was going to cry but clenching my jaw to show true determination. And I found that delicate balance and I honed that skill. I had a Golden Book collection that was the envy of the neighborhood.

Is it any wonder I grew up to be a librarian?

Little Golden Books changed publishing history. For the first time, children's books were high quality and low-priced. They were available to almost all children, not just a privileged few. Click to read the story of Little Golden Books.

Character Report Cards?

2011-09-16T09:05:00.000-07:00

From the NY Times article "What if the Secret to Success Is Failure?" By Paul Tough:

“...students who persisted in college were not necessarily the ones who had excelled academically at KIPP; they were the ones with exceptional character strengths, like optimism and persistence and social intelligence. They were the ones who were able to recover from a bad grade and resolve to do better next time; to bounce back from a fight with their parents; to resist the urge to go out to the movies and stay home and study instead; to persuade professors to give them extra help after class.”

Do you think character report cards are a good idea?
KIPP’s New York City schools graduate from school with not only a G.P.A. but also a C.P.A. (character-point average). Do you think it benefits students to know your character strengths and weaknesses? Do you think it could improve your chances of success? Click to see a sample character report card. Tell us how you feel – take the poll on the right.

Are dark themes in youth fiction helpful or harmful to teenagers?

2011-06-10T07:37:00.000-07:00

Are dark themes in youth fiction helpful

or harmful to teenagers?

WSJ poll results as of June 10, 2011

Writer Meghan Cox Gurdon writes about the dark themes – from incest to drug use to suicide to vampires – which permeate youth literature. A strong protest to her article developed online from readers who say the dark themes helped them navigate adolescence. What do you think? Do authors exploit teens' fascination with the macabre? Or is reading anything better than not reading at all?

See the related WSJ article and the response from NPR, by Linda Holmes "Seeing Teenagers As We Wish They Were: The Debate Over YA Fiction"

How do you feel?

Congressman Jay Inslee Visits SC

2011-06-08T06:12:00.000-07:00

Congressman Jay Inslee addressed students in the Senior Civics class on June 8. Mr. Inslee co-authored the book Apollo's Fire: Igniting America's Clean Energy Economy with Bracken Hendricks, we have a copy in our library. (Now it is signed!)

Richard Ford, a Pulitzer Prize winning author

2011-05-10T16:19:00.000-07:00

Mr. Ford's visit is courtesy of our Writers In The Schools program and its tie-in with Seattle Arts & Lectures, so we are very lucky to have this guy!  Richard is best known for his novels The Sportswriter and Independence Day.

SPEAK UP and make the Shorecrest library quiet.

2011-05-05T05:17:00.000-07:00

Ever visited the UW library?
Or how about the Shoreline library?

It’s quiet.

Patrons study, silently use the library’s resources or have short conversations in low tones.

Ever experience this?
I go to the library to study quietly and come in contact with people who are talking. I mean talking not even whispering. It is very frustrating because I get sidetracked very easy.

Help make the Shorecrest library a place where students expect quiet and minimal distractions. (Especially during TAP Intervention.)

Click the comments link and give us your suggestions on how to provide a quiet zone for studying. If your suggestion is appropriate — your name will be entered in a drawing for a FREE print card.

The Preschool Visits

2011-05-02T13:53:00.000-07:00

The Shorecrest library has magazines...

x
Internet access...

x
and books!

Inklings: Fall Reading Highlights

2010-09-22T14:34:00.000-07:00

Welcome back, Scots!

We are off and running with a great year ahead of us. Don’tyou love September? Everyone’s energy is up; people are catching up withfriends and teachers, new friends are forming connections, 9th gradersare making new friends and learning the ropes of high school, and everythingjust seems so full of good possibilities!

The library has been checking books out like mad. SuzanneCollins’ Mockingjay was released the week before school and all of our copiesare out (along with the first 2 books of the series.) But if you’re anxious toread any of these books, stop by the circulation desk and get your name on thereserve list.

But there are other great titles for you to consider. Take alook at our virtual bookshelf on this page – over on the right, underneath thedatabase list. Rest your cursor on the cover image and a brief summary willpop-up to give you an idea of the book’s content or storyline.

I really liked Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater and she also has written Linger which we just got in. Try Malcolm Gladwell’s Outliers if you’re more ofa non-fiction person; his books are thought-provoking and often surprising. With the release of the new Julia Roberts' movie of the same name, you might try reading Elizabeth Gilbert's Eat, Pray, Love; movies can be great but the book is always better!

The Evergreen Award nominees are all in. (Well, with theexception of The Hunger Games but see the reserve list comment above.) Thereare 10 titles to choose from, all very different and all good reads. I justfinished Knucklehead by Jon Scieszka – he is hilarious and uber-imaginative.

Popular authors around here are: Jodi Piccoult, NicholasSparks, Neil Shusterman, Walter Dean Myers, Chris Crutcher, Anna Godberson, andSarah Dessen, just to name a few.

I hope you’ll read at least one book this year that stayswith you, something that makes you smile or sigh or shiver just a bit. Readingnot only provides an escape from our real lives but it introduces us to otherlives, other ideas that make us a bit wiser, more compassionate, and empathetic. ReadOn…..

Choose to be happy!

Decade Lip Dub

2010-06-28T22:24:00.000-07:00

Don't blink and you will see the library staff as Rosie the Riveter(s) & The Andrew Sisters in Shorecrest's Decade Lip Dub: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qviTY9ZcyFE.
While you watch the video you will see boxes show up over different faces and if you move the mouse over the box you will be able to see the character name. It's a pretty cool way to see how many different students (and staff) dressed up as different Pop Culture Characters.

Reader of the Week: Ms. Croffut

2010-05-21T09:18:00.000-07:00

I love to read historical fiction, fiction, non-fiction, biographies, satire, you name it. I love to read. Unfortunately, I cannot find enough time in a day to do all the reading I would like to, but summertime is just around the corner, and I will be up on my deck reading. I will travel to many new worlds during those moments. I will be introduced to new ways of thinking. I will laugh out loud, cry, smile, have "ah ha moments", and I will reflect. And when I run out of recommended books, I will call on my friend Kate Pankiewicz, librarian extraordinaire, and she will always have a title for me. (And she will for you, too, Shorecrest students and staff!)

I have always loved books. My parents and grandparents loved books, and I was read to from a very early age. My favorite high school English teacher had a big influence on me as well. She had us reading Shirley Jackson's, The Lottery and of course, Lord of the Flies (by William Golding), both rather depressing in my opinion, but a bit more thought provoking than “Archie” comic books.

Mr. Majorowicz recently handed me The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie. He has some of his English 9 students reading it. I highly recommend this book!

If you want a get-away, a mini vacation, a respite from the humdrum, pick up a book!

Inklings: Library Mascot

2010-04-13T21:47:00.000-07:00

Introducing the new Shorecrest library “mascot”! She is powerful, intelligent, versatile, and vigilant. (Also, apparently near-sighted, hence the glasses.) And best of all, she has literary origins.

Author Garth Nix has written a wonderful fantasy trilogy and the second book in the series is titled Lireal. It is in this book that we find the inspiration for our new mascot.

The main character, a young girl named Lireal, does not appear to have ‘The Sight’ which is the ability to see into people’s minds as well as the future. Most of the women in her world gain ‘the sight’ as youngsters, so without this gift, she has little status in her community. She longs to work in the library where she would be useful, out of sight, and have access to secrets. Lireal is granted her wish and assigned to the library as a third assistant; here she meets Vancelle, chief librarian, who possess a luminous, silver-bladed sword — a symbol of her power and the symbol of all that Lireal lacks. Lireal does uncover

some amazing secrets in the library and in turn, discovers she has gifts far beyond even Vancelle. And is this not a librarian’s hope? That all her students will gain knowledge and skills that surpass her own?

The character of Vancelle takes on a new dimension at the hands of former Shorecrest student, Mr. Patrick “Danger” Hartley, who actually drew the original sketch of the 21st Century Librarian. We are indebted to Patrick for this small legacy.

So we have borrowed Nix’s character (and Patrick’s artwork) to have our own 21st Century Librarian who symbolizes the power that libraries give to everyone – the power of information.

And this week, I will sign off with the words: Choose to be happy!

The Monday Tech Tip!

2010-04-12T09:42:00.000-07:00

Every Monday, the library blog will feature a technology shortcut or tip that may make your life a little easier. To kick off this series, the 21st Century Librarian has a suggestion that will save your print card squares and get you greater mileage from the little yellow card!
Many of you are asked to print out your Power Point presentations and often print out a slide-per-page when you can easily print out 2, 3, 4 or more slides per page. Here's how:

First, remove whatever background or design you've chosen for your presentation**
Next, open your PowerPoint and select 'Print' (but don't hit the PRINT button!!)
Look carefully at the print dialog box and click on 'Print What - slides' to see what your other choices are
We recommend 3 or 4 per page; 9 slides may be too small for your teacher to read
NOW, hit the print button
Finally, go back and re-apply your background or design**

Viola! Fewer pages, less print squares, happy students. (**The reason for removing your background before you print is to prevent the very dark backgrounds from using so much toner; it is very expensive and not necessary. Print plain slides for your teacher and show the jazzy slides when you project your project!)

Reader of the Week: Mr. Hegarty

2010-04-02T11:28:00.000-07:00

Reading means getting lost, wandering off, and dreaming, quietlythinking about things without distractions. Good with no socks or shoesand your feet up and a cup of tea. (I used to be able to read and listento music, but that changed long ago.) I think I became a reader becauseall my older siblings were readers, and my cousins; I think all of uskids read, but not our parents (that’s odd?).

Right now I’m not reading much at all other than magazines (andthat’s mostly just the old New Yorkers that have stacked up at home).

Over the last break, though, Mrs. Pankiewicz gave me Marcelo inthe Real World (by Francisco X. Stork) which I found I really liked. She knew I had enjoyed TheCurious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time (by Mark Haddon) so passed "Marcelo" onto me. Good book.

My all-time-favorites have changed over the years – as a youngboy it was The Hobbit (by JRR Tokien), and later, as a teenager, it was Tolkien's The Lordof the Rings and everything by Hermann Hesse.

In my twenties I went on a Stephen King binge. In my thirties Idiscovered John Irving (all time favorite book for sure is A Prayer for OwenMeany) – and now in my forties I seem to read more non-fiction, most recentbrilliant gem Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln (by DorisKearns Goodwin). Other great gems of the last few years include Never Let Me Go by Ishiguro, The Graveyard Book (by NeilGaiman), and Reading in the Dark (by Seamus Deane). And so manymore . . .

Inklings: Welcome Scots

2010-03-14T21:35:00.001-07:00

Welcome to the newly designed Shorecrest Library homepage, the virtual center of your universe! Take a minute to look around the site and get comfortable with where things are now located and what new features you might want to use. The goals for this page are:

to help you find information and resources that will support your classes,
to let you know about some great books, and
to maybe spark your interest in some things you’ve never thought of or commented on before.

A portion of the page will display my blog, “Inklings”. I have lots to say and share about reading and about doing research. I have been reading enthusiastically all of my life (well, that’s not quite true…I got off to a very slow start but I’ll talk about that later.) I think the blog will give me an efficient way to reach more of you with great book suggestions as well as great tips about using technology and finding information. And, of course, I’ll probably have to add some of my own ramblings to the mix.

Reading my blog posts, I know, will be the highlight of your day, but once you’ve done that you may want to look for a book in our library. The search box for the SC library collection is labeled “Find a Book @ SC” – clever, eh?! You can search for a title, some keywords from a title if you can’t remember the whole thing, an author’s last name, or a subject. Your list of hits will show you if we have the book and where it is on the shelf, so be sure to look for that information.

Want to reserve the book for yourself? Drop by the library or email Mrs P or Mrs Jordan with your name (very important!!) and the title of the book (also very important!!)

We are always on the lookout for books that students at Shorecrest will enjoy. You are invited to submit a title & author using this blog’s comment feature, by stopping by the library to talk to me in person or use our "submit a book request form". If the book sounds suitable and is available, we’ll add it to our collection.

Along with the book search box, there will also be links to some pertinent resources for you on the right side of the page. I want you to have an easy way to begin using some of the databases that the Shoreline district and Shorecrest provide for you.

There will also be some surprises – guest artists, guest bloggers, and fun features. You all know the SC library can be a very lively place (especially during TAP on Mondays!); I want the library webpage to be an even livelier place that will be useful, efficient, interesting, supportive, and fun.

Reader of the Week: Mr. Barker

2010-03-12T16:06:00.000-08:00

I read to learn, to be intellectually stimulated, to enjoy a good story. I have always enjoyed reading, but my aunt Priscilla really nurtured my love for books by reading aloud to me and giving me wonderful books for my birthdays. She turned me on to Beatrix Potter and E.B.White as a child, Lloyd Alexander as an early teen, and Tolkein when I was in high school. My all-time favorite author is Gabriel Garcia-Marquez, because he weaves fascinating stories with fanciful sentences and gorgeous words (even in translation). Right now I'm reading Don Quixote (by Miguel Cervantes), but I think I'm going to put it away because I'm just not bonding with it. Someone once told me that if you subtract your age from 100, that's how many pages you should give a book you're not enjoying before

you decide to bag it. I gave Cervantes double that, just because it's a classic, but I'm moving on to The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo (by Stieg Larsson). I want to read it before the movie gets released in the US.

Twin Day

2010-03-10T21:39:00.000-08:00

Student Survey: Research

2010-03-09T20:55:00.000-08:00

Your input can improve how we help you do your research projects.Loading...

Thank you for your time!