Library OPAC (Online Catalog)

Ridgecrest and several other Shoreline schools now have a new OPAC (Online Public Access Catalog) for our library collections. You can access them from any computer with Internet capability and a browser.

The benefits of this online catalog are immense, including:

• students can see covers of many books, increasing interest and their ability to find the book themselves
  
• student use of the OPAC has increased noticeably because it looks familiar to them, more like Google or Yahoo!
• students can reserve titles that are currently checked out
  
• access to the OPAC from home to see what is available in our library at any given time
• links are available on the OPAC home page to AR databases to see if we have tests for books from home or the public library
• the ability to read a short description of a book if it is included in the OPAC
  
• seeing if the library has a book on the research topic your child is doing and comparing that with what is available at the public library (King County Library System online catalog)

The OPAC does not allow you to see what your child has checked out or to pay fines online, like the public library, but we are pleased to offer you this increased access to the Ridgecrest Library collection.

If you as a Ridgecrest parent or guardian would like a Ridgecrest Library card, please contact Ms. Freeman in the library (email: joanna.freeman@shorelineschools.org) or stop by and we would be happy to make you a card and send it home with your child within a few days.

Link to Ridgecrest OPAC

Global Reading Challenge Books

The list for the 2008-09 Global Reading Challenge, sponsored by the King County Library System, is now available on the KCLS GRC website. They are a mix of classics, fabulous recent books, and a few I haven't read, so I'm excited to re-read favorites and some new titles.

• Looking for Bapu by Anjali Banerji
• Room One: A Mystery or Two by Andrew Clements
• Tale of Despereaux by Kate DiCamillo (pronounced "dee-CAM-ill-o" I learned last year)
• Inkheart by Cornelia Funke
• Rules by Cynthia Lord
• Silk Umbrellas by Carolyn Marsden
• Project Mulberry by Linda Sue Park
• Hatchet by Gary Paulsen
• Holes by Louis Sachar
• Emma-Jean Lazarus Fell Out of a Tree by Lauren Tarshis

Global Reading Challenge

Soon the King County Library System's Global Reading Challenge will publish their list of ten books and teams of 4th and 5th graders from Ridgecrest will read as many as possible to prepare for the school and district Challenges.

Fourth and fifth grade classrooms will be hearing more in the next week about the GRC. Any student in those grades is eligible to participate, and we want a variety of reading levels and interests. The only requirements are

• students are willing to read at least four of the ten books
• students will attend weekly team meetings on Thursday afternoons (10/16-12/4) from 3 to 4PM in the library (if you cannot attend because of other events, please talk to Ms. Freeman and we can probably work something out so you can still participate)
  

I am also looking for a parent volunteer or two who would be willing to attend the Thursday meetings and help plan our weekly program, organize the teams. If you would be willing to help us, please call or email me, or just stop by the library to talk.

Last year we had seven teams with 47 students participating. I hope we can equal that amount this year! Turn in your purple forms indicating your interest to Ms. Freeman by Oct. 1st.

Welcome

Ridgecrest Elementary's Library has a blog! It comes right at the end of the school year, but gives me a chance to suggest summer reading and encourage every student to join in the King County Library System's Summer Reading program. Whether your local library is the Shoreline, Lake Forest Park, or Richmond Beach Library, you can sign up and win prizes.

I'll be updating the library website with suggested summer reading lists for every grade level over the next week. I'll be looking for good suggestions from readers, too, so add your favorite books in the comments so everyone can see them.