Fiction Genrefication Project

Fall/Winter 2018 ushered in many changes to the organization of the Iroquois Middle School Library.  After genrefying the biography section last year, I now felt confident in tackling the larger task of genrefying the library's fiction section.

Genrefication is the process of moving a library's collection into topic/subject areas, rather than adhering to other traditional organization structures.  There are clear benefits to genrefication; namely, a genrefied library makes it easier for students to find the materials they are looking for.  Students frequently ask to be pointed in the direction of books about a particular subject or genre.  Now they will be able to target specific fiction sections that are of interest to them!

As with the biography genrefication, Paul Kloster and Christine Tempestoso, the librarians at Orchard Park Middle School, were a great source of knowledge and inspiration during the fiction genrefication process.  They were kind enough to share their planning documents and some helpful suggestions.  Patty Lebrenz from the Erie 1 BOCES Library Automation Team was instrumental in cataloging help.  We spent a full day together updating the fiction records in the library catalog!

Utilizing the suggestions from the Orchard Park librarians, I selected nine different genres for the fiction section.  They are:

• Adventure
• Animals (including fantasy and realistic stories that center around animals)
• Fantasy 
• Historical Fiction
• Horror
• Mystery
• Realistic Fiction
• Science Fiction
• Sports Fiction (realistic fiction centered upon sports)

Placing the books into the appropriate genres required a little legwork.  Instead of pulling all of the books from the shelves, I used Follett Destiny to download a spreadsheet of all of the fiction books in the library.  Utilizing the Destiny catalog, I was able to determine what fiction genre to place each title in.

This spreadsheet came in handy when Patty Lebrenz, Erie 1 BOCES library automation expert, came to the library to help with the cataloging.  We were able to update all of the fiction call numbers to reflect the new fiction genres.  In Destiny, we also added a location which displayed the book's genre as well.

Once the catalog was updated, new spine labels were created that displayed the book's genre as part of the call number.  To make the process of locating books even easier for the students, each genre was assigned a color.  The appropriate colored label protector was placed over each spine label. 

As these supplies are expensive, I was lucky enough to receive a generous $250.00 grant from The Iroquois Foundation to cover the cost of 3,500 new labels protectors!  This will keep the library genrefication efforts afloat for many years to come.

A generous grant from The Iroquois Foundation
funded the fiction genrefication project.

3,500 labels and 13 book stands were purchased with the grant.

We were now ready to utilize the spreadsheets and updated spine labels to make physical changes to the fiction books.  Working on one genre section at a time, Ms. Marcheson, Mrs. Ekstrum, and I pulled all of the fiction books and attached all of the new spine labels!  This project couldn't have happened without the hard work of Ms. Marcheson and Mrs. Ekstrum.

Each fiction book received a new spine label and color coded label protector.

With the sorting and labeling of books complete, our focus was now on the organization and signage accompanying the revamped fiction section.  New shelf labels were created, along with new signage to appear on the tops of each shelf.  This updated signage should make it more efficient for students to find the fiction books they are looking for.

The sports fiction books with yellow labels.

The realistic fiction books with light green labels.

The mystery books with blue labels.

The fantasy books with purple labels.

The adventure books with pink labels.

The science fiction books with orange labels.

The historical fiction books with dark green labels.

The animal fiction books with brown labels.

Since the genrefication and reorganization of the fiction section, students seem to find the books they want quicker and with more ease.  Students are especially excited that all of the horror and sports books are in separate sections, as there is a high demand for both of these topics.

Another benefit to genrefication is that I am able to see which sections do not contain many books.  This will help to target collection development efforts in the areas that need more attention.

Special thanks to The Iroquois Foundation for making this possible!

Iroquois MS Competes in First Lego League

On November 17th, 2018, seven sixth grade students from Iroquois Middle School were the first students to ever represent Iroquois at a First Lego League (FLL) competition.  The regional competition for Buffalo area schools took place at the Nichols School.  Our entry fee for the competition was covered thanks to a generous donation from Dr. Michelle Kavanaugh, director of the WNY STEM Hub.  We were very appreciative of the change to compete.  Mrs. Ferger and I had a great time advising this wonderful team!

There was plenty of planning and preparation leading up to the competition.  We held informational sessions about FLL during lunches.  Interested students needed to apply by providing a parent signature and also a paragraph explaining why they want to join the team.  We stressed that FLL isn't a club in the traditional sense; instead, it requires a high level of commitment.  Once the team was selected, we met for 1.5 hour meetings 14 times leading up to the competition.

For those unfamiliar with FLL, it is a three part competition.  The spontaneous "Core Values" section assesses how well team members work together as a group in order to perform a specific task (mainly a team building activity).  Team members must then discuss how the Core Values of Lego League can be applied to school and other settings.  The Core Values of Lego League are as follows:

We are a team.

We do the work to find solutions with guidance from our coaches and mentors.

We know our coaches and mentors don't have all the answers; we learn together.

We honor the spirit of friendly competition.

What we discover is more important than what we win.

We share our experiences with others.

We display Gracious Professionalism^® and Coopertition^® in everything we do.

We have FUN!

- See more at: http://www.firstlegoleague.org/mission/corevalues#sthash.cVFMw5M0.dpuf

We are a team.

We do the work to find solutions with guidance from our coaches and mentors.

We know our coaches and mentors don't have all the answers; we learn together.

We honor the spirit of friendly competition.

What we discover is more important than what we win.

We share our experiences with others.

We display Gracious Professionalism^® and Coopertition^® in everything we do.

We have FUN!

- See more at: http://www.firstlegoleague.org/mission/corevalues#sthash.cVFMw5M0.dpu

We are a team.

We do the work to find solutions with guidance from our coaches and mentors.

We know our coaches and mentors don't have all the answers; we learn together.

We honor the spirit of friendly competition.

What we discover is more important than what we win.

We share our experiences with others.

We display Gracious Professionalism^® and Coopertition^® in everything we do.

We have FUN!

- See more at: http://www.firstlegoleague.org/mission/corevalues#sthash.cVFMw5M0.dpuf

- Discovery: We explore new skills and ideas.
- Innovation: We use creativity and persistence to solve problems.
- Impact: We apply what we learned to improve the world.
- Inclusion: We respect each other and embrace our differences.
- Teamwork: We are stronger when we work together.

Practicing Core Values challenges during a team meeting.

Core Values practice was a success!

The "Project" section is more of a traditional science project.  Students are given a topic to research first.  This year, the theme was "Into Orbit" and teams were challenged to find a way to improve the lives of astronauts.  The team shares their innovation with a group of people who can benefit from their research.  They then must create a short presentation to show the judges what they learned through the research process.

The team decided to tackle the problem of space trash as the basis of their project.  Through research, they learned that space trash can threaten the safety of astronauts because it could tear a hole in their spacecrafts or spacesuits.  In order to work on an innovative solution to this problem, they contacted an expert.  One of our students has an uncle that works as a contract engineer through NASA!  Mr. Jarrod Bleckinger, an Iroquois graduate, was happy to share his outer space expertise through a Skype visit with our team.

Skyping with engineer Jarrod Bleckinger.

Team members prepared great questions for our Skype visit.

After consulting with Mr. Bleckinger, the team decided that creating solar powered lasers would be the best way to zap space trash.  They created a project board to present their innovative solution, and then prepared a skit to share their findings with the FLL judges.

The team prepared an informative display about their project.

Last but not least is the "Robotics" component.  Students are honing their computer programming skills in order to train a robot to complete missions.  Each mission is worth a predetermined amount of points, so the team that accumulates the most points will win this section of the competition.  This part of the competition requires a lot of trial and error; it is difficult to get the robot's programming just right in order to complete the missions.

The programming for each mission was done on a computer.

Attachments and adjustments were made to the robot prior to competition.

There were many missions the teams could choose to complete.

The team preps the robot for a round of competition.

During the competition, it was very exciting when our team's robot was able to successfully complete three missions!  This was the best our robot had ever performed.

Although no awards were won by Iroquois this year, it was a great season of teamwork, friendship, and exploration of real world science and engineering.  Iroquois hopes to be back at Nichols School again next year for another competition.  In the meantime, some of this year's Lego League participants are keeping their robotics and science skills sharp by participating in the middle school's Bright Minds Club and STREAM class opportunities.  Mrs. Ferger and I will be exploring ways to make FLL bigger and better next year!

Iroquois First Lego League Team 2018

Alan Gratz Author Visit

When I heard that Alan Gratz, a New York Times Bestselling Author, would be visiting Buffalo for the WNY Book Expo, I knew he would be a great candidate for an author visit to Iroquois Middle School.  Thanks to Kim Krug (organizer of WNY Book Expo and owner of Monkey See, Monkey Do Children's Bookstore), we were able to secure Mr. Gratz for a visit!  Not only would Mr. Gratz visit the Middle School, but he would visit the fifth grade Intermediate School and select high school students as well.

Visit Preparations
At the Middle School, preparations and publicity began for the visit as early as September.  As part of library orientation, all students visited the library for a video scavenger hunt.  One of the videos featured the "fun stuff" that the library had planned this year...it was a perfect opportunity to announce the author visit.  From this point on, there was a LONG waiting list for all of Mr. Gratz's books.

A screenshot from the library orientation video announcing Alan Gratz's visit.

In the weeks leading up to the visit, Ms. Chernowski and I hosted an Alan Gratz trivia contest for all fifth grade through eighth grade students.  Interested students picked up an entry form and used Mr. Gratz's website to find the answers to the trivia questions.  Eight lucky students won a copy of Grenade, Mr. Gratz's latest book!

Entry form for the trivia contest

The students weren't told of this, but we had embedded an extra perk into the trivia program.  Each student who chose to enter the trivia contest was invited to an exclusive meet and greet after Alan Gratz's author assemblies.  There were approximately 50 students that entered the trivia contest.  Each of these students received an invitation to the meet and greet event.

A copy of the invitation to the Alan Gratz meet and greet.

On the afternoon prior to Mr. Gratz's visit, students worked on getting welcome signs ready for both the front foyer and the library.  Sixth grade students in the library for study hall were eager to help with this!

Working on decorating the library's whiteboard.

Making a welcome sign for the front foyer.

The completed library whiteboard!

Author Visit Assemblies
When Alan Gratz came to Iroquois, he was scheduled for two assemblies in the Intermediate/Middle School: one for fifth and sixth graders, and another session for seventh and eighth grade students.  During each assembly, Alan Gratz was introduced by a student.  The students who were chosen to introduce him were students who had read (and loved!) a number of Alan's books.  This made for a special experience for these two lucky students.

Alan Gratz's introduction during the 5th/6th grade assembly.

Two Alan Gratz fans were chosen to do the assembly introductions.

Keeping the attention of hundreds of middle schoolers is no easy feat, but Alan Gratz's presentations kept the audience engaged from start to finish!  The "choose your own adventure" format that Mr. Gratz used to structure his presentation gave the students ownership over the content of the assembly, and kept them interested in seeing what would be discussed next.

Alan Gratz's "Choose Your Own Speech" was a huge hit!

Students voted on which story they would like to hear more about.

After the speeches, students were invited to have their books signed by Alan Gratz.  A number of books were purchased prior to the event, so students were happy to get their books signed personally.

Alan Gratz met with students after each assembly.

Students were excited to get their books autographed.

The special meet and greet for the trivia participants took place after the second assembly.  The students were provided with snacks and the opportunity to have a casual chat with Alan Gratz.  He graciously answered the questions students asked him about his life and books.

Students met in the Middle School Library for a meet and greet.

After the meet and greet session, Mr. Gratz was off to the high school to speak to a select group of students.  His high school session was as well received as the middle school assemblies were!


A Really Wonderful Day!
Looking back on the author visit with Alan Gratz, I cannot think of enough great things to say.  His presentation was one of the most engaging and thought-provoking author sessions I have seen in my twelve years as a librarian.  The feedback Ms. Chernowski and I received from students and staff was overwhelmingly positive.  It will definitely be difficult to top this year's author visit.  Thank you Alan Gratz for your willingness to visit Iroquois.

It was great to meet Alan Gratz!

Mr. Gratz and Ms. Chernowski during our 11/7 visit.

September 2018 Updates

Septembers always fly by, and September 2018 was no exception!  It was a great start in the middle school library as we welcomed our students back to Iroquois.

Library Highlights for September 2018

Library Orientation Scavenger Hunt

All sixth through eighth grade ELA classes visited the library for an orientation scavenger hunt and book checkout.  Due to the many changes in the library's overall layout, this orientation included information that was new even for our seasoned eighth graders.  Students used the library iPads to access videos about the library's sections and offerings.  This was a great opportunity to move around the library and get re-acclimated to the space.  When the scavenger hunt was complete, students filled out an interest survey which gave me great ideas for book purchases and future library programming.  In fact, a large order full of student book requests was just placed!  It will be helpful to add these desired titles to the library's collection.

New Initiatives

During the library orientation sessions, students learned about two new library offerings: a special author visit and Free Book Fridays.  Students were excited to hear that Alan Gratz will be visiting Iroquois on November 7th!  In preparation for his visit, many students and classes are reading his titles.  His historical fiction selections are especially popular with Iroquois Middle School students.  Students were also interested in the new "Free Book Friday" promotion.  Each Friday, an Iroquois Middle School student is chosen at random to select a new book to take home.  The students that have won so far have been very appreciative!

Library Catalog Updates

Over the summer, all Iroquois school libraries moved to the Destiny Discover interface when viewing the library catalog.  This new interface supports some new, helpful features.  The main search page shows recently added titles and the status of popular book titles.

It's helpful to see the status of new and popular books.

The new interface also includes a "Collections" feature.  This feature is similar to an online pathfinder, where book lists and web resources can be found in one place.  The feature was especially helpful for Mrs. Maulucci's ELA students.  Her students are encouraged to read a book dealing with the topics they are learning in Mr. Baumgartner's Social Studies classes.  Suggested books were placed into collections and shared with students.  This will be a helpful starting point as they look for books of interest for their extra credit.

Suggested extra credit titles were placed into Collections.

Students could preview books to use for Mrs. Maulucci's extra credit opportunity.

Pay It Forward Introduction

There have been many visits from sixth grade reading classes so far this year.  In addition to reading books independently, each class will be reading a novel as a full class.  Mrs. Nicosia's class is beginning their year by reading Pay It Forward by Catherine Ryan Hyde.  This inspirational book is set in the 1990's, which is well before our middle school students were born.  In order to better understand the setting of the book, students came to the library to participate in a 1990's introduction.  Mrs. Nicosia and I shared information about 1990's events and technology (students seemed particularly horrified by the concept of dial-up internet).  Students then tested their knowledge of 1990's pop culture through a Kahoot competition.  It was a fun way to introduce the book!

Lego League Robotics Team

From feedback gathered last year, it was clear that students wanted more after school offerings from the library.  Mrs. Ferger and I were excited to bring a robotics opportunity to our students by forming a First Lego League team.  We held an informational session about the team, then interested students submitted their applications.  The first team meeting was held after school on September 24th.  We can't wait to see what the Lego League team will accomplish!

First Lego League students worked on a team building challenge.

The FIRST First Lego League team at Iroquois Middle!

Looking Ahead

In October, the library will be undergoing another big transition - the genrefication of our fiction section!

New Year, New Library Layout!

It's nice to be at the beginning of my first full year at Iroquois Middle School!  Plenty of changes took place in the library over the summer.  Most notably, the heating and cooling system had been updated.  This improvement will ensure that the library stays comfortable all year long.

Because thousands of books needed to be boxed up for the construction, summer 2018 was also a perfect time to make other helpful changes to the library.  Two rows of short shelving were removed, making it easier to walk through the fiction and nonfiction areas.  The removal of the shelves also freed up space to spread out the lounge furniture into new spaces in the library.

The view as you enter the library.

High tables are spread out in new areas of the library.

A view of the main lounge area in the library.

The library's fiction section also underwent some changes.  The books used to be located on both tall and short shelving units; this arrangement made it a little tricky to navigate.  The reference section that was formerly housed on tall shelves was moved and this made space for the fiction books to be relocated to the tall shelving.

Textbooks and encyclopedias were relocated to make room for fiction titles.

The condensed reference section is now located under the library windows.

Fiction books are located all along the right hand side of the library.

Another view of the fiction section.

Tables were grouped together to accommodate larger groups.

The signage in all areas of the library was enlarged and updated.  The signage now alerts readers to which types of books they will find on each of the shelves.  Already, it appears that the signage is helping students to select books of interest.  Biographies and nonfiction seem to be especially popular sections for checkout.

The biography section is genrefied, with each section clearly labeled.

Signage in the nonfiction section shows which topics are on each shelf.

The sports nonfiction area is very popular!

The graphic novel section was moved over the summer.

Student and staff visitors to the library have commented that the library looks bigger since the layout changes have been made!  I'm hopeful that this will translate to more book checkouts and classroom visits.

End of Year 2017-2018

Summer is here after an extremely FAST first year at Iroquois Middle School.  The library is undergoing some renovations (mainly to the HVAC system), which presents an opportunity to make some changes to the library layout.  I'm hopeful that these renovations will help to make the library an even more inviting place for our students! 

Reflecting upon this year, there were many wonderful moments in the library as well as opportunities for program growth.  I'll be taking some time to participate in summer professional development sessions in order to gather more ideas for the library.  It will be exciting to see what awaits in 2018-2019!

Iroquois Middle End of Year Report 2017-2018