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ASD Libraries Annual Report 2017: Highlights

ES Library Grand Opening Photos

New ES Library Opens

Five years in the planning; fifteen months in the making.

Concrete, wood, steel and glass.

Carpet, paint, seating, tables, bookshelves.

 From office space - to a pile of rubble - to a shell, to a fully functioning building - to a ….

LIBRARY

Audio books, board books, picture books, chapter books.

Sports books, funny books, mystery books, historical books.

BOOKS

Pre-K, Kindergarten,

1st grade, 2nd grade,

3rd grade, 4th grade, 5th grade

Teachers, Parents, Administrators

COMMUNITY

When you put it all together, you have the ASD Elementary Library Community. We have a beautiful new space, great resources and fabulous people. 

It is difficult to put words to the space and the feeling you get when you walk into the library. It is beautiful, airy, peaceful (sometimes), but there is something more.  Students walking in for the first time on February 8th, used words like: amazing, awesome, so cool, best library ever!  And they come back day after day to spend time in this coolest of libraries. On average, we have 250 students visit the library before school, during recesses and after school. This is in addition to the time they spend here for class every week.  They are here to read, meet friends, play games, look at books, draw, build and create, and share the great space.

We want to thank EVERYONE who contributed to this new piece of ASD. From the previous librarians who shared their vision, to the architects, the construction company, the workers, to the parents and teachers and administrators who helped complete this vision of a better place for the elementary students of ASD to learn, grow, and share  – we say a very grateful, heartfelt thank you for making all of this possible.

Library Guiding Statements

This year the library team took the time to update the library's guiding statements.. Here's the result of our work:

ASD Library Guiding Statements

(updated September 2016)


ASD Library Mission

The ASD libraries are committed to the intellectual and personal development of our students by empowering them to be ethical users of information, critical thinkers, and lifelong readers.

ASD Library Vision

ASD libraries are  future-focused communities where learning is...


Integrated

Collaborative

Fun and engaging

Personal and individualized

Sustained by ethical practices

Authentic, solving real-world problems

Supported by print, digital, and AV resources

ASD libraries are . . ..where students are encouraged to extend their own learning

Library Essential Agreements

ASD Teacher Librarians will

  • work collaboratively with classroom teachers to integrate the library and subject area curricula.

  • teach students to evaluate information from diverse sources.

  • guide students through the inquiry process, helping them develop strong research and analytical skills.

  • model and teach the ethical use of information.

  • encourage students to explore and read a variety of literature and discover their personal taste.

  • help students grow as independent learners who are adaptive and flexible

  • provide equitable access to a variety of quality resources

Long-Term Transfer Goals in the Library

Critical Thinking in the Library

Students will evaluate information, apply logic, and analyze outcomes to solve problems and make sound decisions.

Creativity in the Library

Students will apply innovative thinking to a variety of tasks in school and beyond. (same)

Collaboration in the Library

Students will apply skills required to work with and learn from others to achieve common goals in a variety of situations.

Communication in the Library

Students will effectively exchange ideas within a variety of contexts.

Citizenship in the Library

Students will act in a way that demonstrates global citizenship and an ethical use of information.

 

Author Visit Survey Results

Are author visits beneficial? How do we know? 

We've been running an author visit program with the support of the PTA for the last 7 years, so we decided it was time to ask the students about their impressions and memories of the author visit program. Over 350 students from grades 3 through 12 took our survey, and we asked them about every author who visited during their time at ASD.

Here is a list of what ASD students think are the benefits of author visits:

  • The students learn more about writing/illustrating/storytelling. "It impacted me because I did not know that other authors do the writing steps that we do.” - Grade 5 student about Candace Fleming.
  • Author visits are entertaining and fun. “I remember he used to record everything significant to him in his diary which was bound by rubber bands, not a lock. He was hilarious! He also had that story where he would beam light off his watch to his teacher.“ - Grade 10 student about Jack Gantos. (The student would have been in 3rd grade when Jack visted.)
  • The students learn about topics that are discussed in the author's books. “I learned a lot about pearl diving and I thought it was interesting because it was a way to make money a long time ago in a new culture for me." - Grade 4 student about Julia Johnson.

  • The students get more interested in reading, especially non-fiction. “They show me books to read and get me interested in them. Every time they would come I would get one of their books and read it because they made it sound interesting.” - Grade 11 student.

  • The students like to buy the author's books. “I bought two of her poem books and I read them to this day!” - Grade 7 student about Naomi Shihab Nye.

  • The authors make a personal connection with the students.  “She was an amazing person. I remember talking to her about Chains and just having a really good connection.” - Grade 11 student about Laurie Halse Anderson.

 

Author Visit - Candace Fleming and Eric Rohmann

 

The ASD libraries were happy to welcome award winning author Candy Fleming and award winning illustrator Eric Rohman earlier this year. Candy and Eric worked with Elementary to Middle School aged students to share about researching interesting people, writing historical non-fiction, creating beautiful illustrations, and using a variety of techniques in art. Candy is the author of many historical biographies, like "The Lincolns" and"Family Romanov". Students were interested to see techniques they use in their own research being used by a successful writer. Eric met Elementary and Middle School students in art classrooms, sharing his Newberry winning book, "My friend rabbit", and talked about how to share your unique story through images. The MS/HS library hosted a parent presentation on "What parents can learn from children's books". This topic encouraged group sharing and interesting conversation. We appreciate the support of the PTA in helping us bring this valuable author visit program to our students. 

Photo credit: http://www.bluewillowbookshop.com/event/candace-fleming-and-eric-rohmann

   

Summer Reading

The libraries publish summer reading lists via Libguides (see below) and encourage students who will be in Qatar for some or all of the summer to check out library books. Reading lists include suggestions from teachers, students, and national reading lists. Summer 2017 checkout numbers are: over 1800 books from the MS/HS library, and over 1600 books from the ES library.
 

Thank You, Lauren!

When Lauren Elliott arrived in Doha in 2009, she was a fifth grade teacher traveling the world with her husband Rob and dog Blue. In her eight years here she moved from the classroom to the lower elementary library, and then to the middle school library. More importantly, Rob and Lauren added Jack and Sybil to their family. 

Lauren is an integral part of life at ASD middle school. The teachers rely on her knowledge of resources and  information literacy lessons, and the students have come to appreciate the welcoming atmosphere of the library and her fantastic book talks. Lauren has been innovative in the organization of the library, and instrumental in the One Book One Community, Qatar Reads, and PTA author visit programs. We will miss her for her professionalism, kindness, and sense of humor..

Lauren and her family are moving to Shenzhen, China, where she will be the MSHS librarian at Shekhou International School. Good luck, Lauren!

MSHS Library Staff

The MSHS library staff celebrates Twin Day!

Elementary Staff