Showing posts with label scout. Show all posts
Showing posts with label scout. Show all posts

Monday, June 18, 2012

#5 Children's programming and materials


Cheryl built mini candy bars into race cars with Teddy Graham cracker drivers and M&M wheels
Cheryl's Teddy Graham Racers

Ruidoso Public Library is honored to have Cheryl Volosin as Youth Services Supervisor and Kari Dawn Kolander on our Children's Services Team.  This pair packs energy and enthusiasm into every activity, plan, and presentation.  Our Summer Reading Program is off and running with different themes for each week's activities.
Please call 575-258-3704 for dates, times, and ages for each activity this summer
click to view larger version of Summer Schedule

Cheryl and Kari Dawn are go-to gals for questions about how to incorporate more reading into your kid's, or kids', daily schedule.  We have audiobooks to help those not yet reading at their peers' level.  Listening to a book still adds new vocabulary--if you note it and practice the new word.  Audiobooks can really help with attention spans if the child can move around or play a little while listening; perhaps drawing a picture about that part of the story.  In a different side of attention spans, audiobooks can engage all the riders in a long car trip, whether discussing what just happened or guessing what comes next.  Audiobooks are also helpful for undiagnosed dyslexia as they keep literature fun and attainable while the system catches up. 

Our children's department has a growing graphic novel collection.  Graphic novels may contain as many words as early reading books and stretch the reader's visual literacy.  This means learning how to interpret a picture, especially to gain context from the background images and to interpolate events between frames.  I think of graphic novels as a gateway--to reading.  Our Kids' catalog is built upon the same principles: Scout displays images rather than words to help our youngest visitors find books of interest.


Ruidoso Public Library has resources for home schooling, too.  You and your student can access online, anytime, free classes from spelling to writing, science to math.  Khan Academy provides free tutoring recordings in maths, science, economics, and test preparation.  

Overdrive is now available; this means you can access, on your computer or download to many different devices and players, kids' ebooks and kids' e-audiobooks.  

I can't end this post without plugging our Pre-School Story Time, Wednesdays from 10:30 to 11:15.  Kari Dawn, Cheryl, and occasionally Jennifer, bring two or three picture books to life.  Each week has a theme followed by a similar craft project, geared toward 2-5 year olds.  Anyone with a pre-schooler, who can sit still for 15 minutes, is welcome.


Tuesday, August 9, 2011

New Website @ Ruidoso Public Library

I hope you have had a chance to try out Ruidoso Public Library's upgraded online-catalog (search service).  We are still located at youseemore.com/ruidosopl, only now we have added features to search for books.  The library staff looks forward to answering any questions you have about the new system. This website is graphic-intensive, so it may take several moments to load on dial-up.  For dial-up patrons, the classic search layout is still an option, just to the right of the search bar. 




Our favorite part at the library is the "Book River" which is a rolling displays of book covers the librarians are currently highlighting.  The titles will change with special events or other themes.
 
The results have a new layout.  You can sort by:
format (DVD, audio, book), 
age (adult, 10-14, 2-4, etc), 
publication year (2011, 2009), 
author, 
and many more facets. 











If you have a favorite author, please sign up to receive an email when a new title arrives.  You can request it, too.  You can save searches for later or browse book covers by genre (mystery, Christian, suspense, historical, etc).  


This search can suggest alternate spellings for tricky words or names.


Ruidoso Public Library is social now, too.  Feel free to tag your favorite story, or add tags to books you have read.  This helps other searchers decide on a title.  These tags could be “fudge recipe” or “training collies” for a novel that also includes such details. 


The first page has added a graphic, Scout, to the right of the search bar.  Scout looks like a dog and helps our youngest visitors find books through pictures of subjects, topics, or ideas.  Scout organizes books by series and only displays books in the juvenile and young adult sections.  

   If you haven't had a chance to watch someone young use Scout, it is a delight!  Please let us know your favorite new feature in the comments: