Highland Park Elementary Library
by Rita Wynn
September 18, 2006
Welcome to the Highland Park
Elementary Library
The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you'll go. ---Dr. Seuss
Welcome…..
The elementary library, with several thousand books on the shelves, is one of the busiest places in our school. The library has a wide range of materials including picture books and chapter books—both fiction and non-fiction—and reference materials. Each week every elementary class visits the library. During their class visit the students are taught short lessons from Mrs. Donaghy about how to use the materials kept in the library. On other visits the classes may enjoy story time. Students also check out books to take home and enjoy.
Our library is also one of the most pleasant rooms in our building. Surrounded by bright colors and child-friendly furnishings, the students enjoy coming to the library to exchange books or to sit and read and study. One of the rooms off the main library serves as a film room. That space is also used for classes to have guest speakers over various topics of interest.
One of the most important functions of the elementary library is to provide students with materials for use with the Accelerated Reader program. Both students and teachers at Highland Park are fortunate to have access to this nationwide program. Participation in the program not only increases a student’s love of reading for pleasure, but AR also helps students better comprehend and retain the meaning when they read content material in their various subjects.
Each year the library hosts several book fairs. Not only do the fairs give students the opportunity to purchase their favorite books to keep, but the profits from the book fairs enable the librarian to add many new materials to the library’s collection.
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Both teachers and students of Highland Park Schools have access to two on-line databases. These databases are provided to staff and students free through a subscription purchased yearly by the school district. All students or staff may use any of the available services for either school or home use. The link below is for GaleNet Elementary and the other is Encyclopedia Britannica School Edition On-Line. The middle/high school version of GaleNet may be accessed through the Highland Park Middle/High School Library’s webpage. To access either of these wonderful sources of information, click on the links below.
GaleNet Elementary: (See Librarian for Password Information)
The GaleNet Elementary database is actually a collection of several databases geared toward elementary curriculum, and on a suitable reading and interest level for elementary students.
Encyclopedia Britannica School Edition On-Line:
(See Librarian for User Name and Password Information)
Encyclopedia Britannica School Edition On-Line gives students and staff access to full text of three encyclopedias—Britannica Elementary, Compton’s Encyclopedia, and Encyclopedia Britannica. In addition the site has a dictionary and thesaurus service and active links to images and video clips on related topics.
Encyclopedia Britannica School Edition On-Line
