Mepham High School Library: MHS Library Orientation 2014

Are you new to Mepham High School? Part of the Class of 2018? Welcome! We are so glad to have you. Click here to view our library orientation video. Missing from the video is our new cart with 30 Chromebooks. Come check them out today!

I created the accompanying handout below with Smore. It's a site that allows you to create online flyers. I upgraded to the education package for $39.00 per year, which allows me to download my flyers in HD and remove the branding.

To view online click here 

Banned Books Week: Virtual Read-Out

Have you ever heard of a virtual read-out? It's okay, neither did I until recently. Apparently, "since the inception of Banned Books Week in 1982, libraries and bookstores throughout the country have staged local read-outs—a continuous reading of banned/challenged books... Now, readers from across the country and around the world will be able to participate virtually during Banned Books Week, September 21 – 27, 2014." Who knew?

According to Bannedbooks.org:

Participants may proclaim the importance of the freedom to read by posting videos that will be featured on a dedicated Banned Books Week Virtual Read-Out YouTube channel.

Video criteria:

• Choose a favorite banned/challenged book and talk about what the book meant to you and how you would feel if someone prevented you from reading it.
• A reading of a banned or challenged book. The video should include information on where and why the book was banned or challenged. You may also wish to add your thoughts on the importance of keeping that particular book on library or bookstore shelves.
• Discuss an eyewitness accounts of local challenges.
• For those who are camera shy, you can still participate in the Banned Books Virtual Read-out by creating a video montage that centers on banned/challenged books. Thomas University created a video last year that can be used as an example.

Submitting your video:

Submit your video by filling out this form. You must have a YouTube/Gmail account in order to upload to YouTube.

Are you looking for a way to celebrating your freedom to read? If you would like to participate in the Virtual Read-Out, please see Ms. Stack in the library.

New Tech Tool: Classtools SMS Generator

This text message between Karl Marx and Adam Smith
 was brought to you by Stu Stein, Social Studies Teacher.

Technology is all about giving our students ways for them to show what they know. It's also about meeting our students where they are and they are text messaging, like all the time!

The Classtools SMS Generator is a FREE website that allows our students to generate an image that looks like a text message. Best of all, it does NOT require students to log-in. Students use the icons at the bottom to create a "chat" between two historical figures or fictional characters. Students can make the message as long as they like. They can also share the message with other students or their teacher via direct link, embed code or download a web shortcut.

Give it a try and tell me what you think! 

Have you been carded?

Image source unknown - is it yours? Email me.

Can you name this storybook character? 

You can't judge a book by its movie

Bulletin board in library

Ya know the old saying, "You can't judge a book by its cover?" Well, you can't judge a book by its movie either. Spoiler Alert: The movie version of My Sister's Keeper had a completely different ending than the book! 

Do you have a favorite book that was turned into a film? What did you think of it?

Welcome Back Pirates!

Welcome back students, faculty and staff! We want to extend a very special welcome to our new ninth grade students, the Class of 2018! We are excited to be back in the Mepham Library and have a lot of cool stuff in store for you this year. We have new desktop computers, along with a ton of new books. For a full list, click here and select "Sept. '14 New Books" from the Resource Lists (which is smack dab in the middle of the page). We also subscribed to some new databases, including ABC-CLIO's African American Experience and ABC-CLIO's World Religions: Belief, Culture and Controversy.

P.S. Are you following the school on Twitter? You should be. We are @MephamHS!