Tag Archives: Library Services

Library Services keeps students engaged with reading all summer long

Now that the 2022-2023 school year has come to an end and students are enjoying the freedom from early mornings and classroom schedules, they might be looking for something to do with their excess time.

HISD’s Library Services Department is providing access to Comic Plus and MackinVIA, ebook platforms that keep library books and comics available to students over the summer months and motivate them to read wherever they are. HISD is also encouraging students to take advantage of the Houston Public Library’s John P. McGovern Summer Reading Program.

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HISD libraries are light-years ahead with nontraditional and digital resources for students and staff

Necessity is the mother of invention, and few things can shine a light on unmet needs quite like a global pandemic. Nearly two years of digital and hybrid learning forced everyone to adapt, and HISD school libraries were no exception. In year two of their three-year library improvement and refreshment project, HISD Library Services has adapted to the new digital needs of students and educators by establishing community partnerships and working to increase the equity of library education with digital and online resources.

“Libraries in general, and Houston ISD campus libraries in particular, are engines of equity,” said HISD Library Services Director Len Bryan. “We help level the playing field for students who might not have access to learning materials outside of their classrooms. Books, eBooks, academic databases, makerspace equipment and materials, and most importantly, a caring and professional library staff help our students realize their potential and follow their dreams, regardless of their zip code.”

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Student literati make reading into a team sport with annual Name That Book Competition

Five teams of students sit in tight circles on the stage in the Jane Long Academy Auditorium. It’s 9 a.m. on a school day, so the event is sparsely attended, but the few audience members watch in rapt attention as the teams make selections on tablets passed from hand to hand between them, quietly deliberating, until their 60 allotted seconds have passed.

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Funding the Future: A message from the President and CEO of Barbara Bush Houston Literacy Foundation

As part of HISD’s effort to inform the community about important financial decisions being made ahead of the Board of Education’s budget vote in June, the spotlight has been put on librarians and their significant impact on students.

Dr. Julie Baker Finck, President and CEO of Barbara Bush Houston Literacy Foundation, has shared an editorial providing insight into the benefits of improving library access in HISD under the proposed budget.

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Funding the Future: A message from Houston Public Library on the importance of librarians in schools

The latest edition of HISD’s Funding the Future newsletter aims to highlight the significant impact librarians have on school communities and why these key positions should be adequately funded through the proposed budget.

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Library Services announces summer reading programs and resources

As summer break approaches, the Houston Independent School District Library Services department is announcing its summer reading programs and resources.

HISD encourages all students to participate in a summer reading program to prevent summer learning loss and stay engaged while out of school. Library Services is working with a trio of partners to ensure access to books for all HISD students. 

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Avid Readers Compete to ‘Name That Book’

HISD students were asked to “Name That Book” as part of the district’s annual contest sponsored by the HISD Library Services Department, which has been holding final rounds over the past several months. Avid readers were asked to identify books based on a popular quote from the tomes.

The competition is divided into four levels: lower elementary, upper elementary, middle school, and high school. Students at each campus who joined their school’s Name That Book team started preparing for the spring competition in August, reading 30 or more books that included everything from classics to new fiction and non-fiction.  Click here to see the Name That Book winners for 2012.

Now, let’s see how much you know. Can you guess the following 5 book titles based on one quote? The answers are at the bottom.

1. “Somewhere in la Mancha, in a place whose name I do not care to remember, a gentleman lived not long ago, one of those who has a lance and ancient shield on a shelf and keeps a skinny nag and a greyhound for racing.”

2. “Mother died today.”

3. “Darkness is cheap, and Scrooge liked it.”

4. “Call me Ishmael”

5. “124 was spiteful.”

Answers below:

1. Miguel de Cervantes, Don Quixote
2. Albert Camus, The Stranger
3. Charles Dickens, A Christmas Carol
4. Herman Melville, Moby Dick
5. Toni Morrison, Beloved