This year all 9th graders (about 1,600 students!) attended an orientation in the library. Our goal is to help all students learn early on about our resources and how to use them - finding books, locating scholarly journal articles, and seeing the study resources like the computers, textbooks, test prep books as well as areas like the magazines, graphic novels, Makerspace and the Peace Corner.
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Our Makerspace is open and operational! Thanks to generous donations to our Donorschoose.org projects, we are excited to finally open our Makerspace, which will allow students to work creatively in the library this year. Projects will change each month, there will always be at least two projects, and also a trained library monitor to oversee the space and assist. To learn more about the project rationale, see below the photos. We look forward to seeing your creativity! We will post photos on our Instagram account regularly. Check there to see more! @bthslibrary We feel that our students really need a place to UNWIND and BE CREATIVE! A Makerspace is the perfect opportunity for them to explore. While almost all students have STEM (or STEAM) interests, not every student has a chance to build things in a creative way throughout their day.
The library is not simply a place to read; it is a place to create, to think creatively, to explore and to produce; a Makerspace enhances the library's use exponentially! Students will be exposed to a variety of different crafts--everything from basic circuitry to origami, paper mache, embroidery, cardboard sculpture. We are excited that MANY different activities will happen in our Makerspace! We also think it's important to have different resources available for the >1000 students who visit each day. Not everyone might want to embroider on their old pair of jeans, but maybe making a duct tape wallet will appeal--or a wire self-portrait. Currently, students can borrow books, ebooks, graphic novels, DVDs. While in the library, they can borrow textbooks, magazines, and a few games (we want to increase these, too!) Having a stocked Makerspace in addition to our Peace Corner will transform our library further into a place where students can busy themselves while also learning new skills! We’re thrilled to hear that Kazuo Ishiguro was just awarded the Nobel Prize for literature. He’s one of our favorite writers of literary fiction, with strong emphasis on character. He often experiments with different settings, main characters, and genres. We would especially recommend the book capital When We Were Orphans, a haunting story about growing up, sacrifice, and love. But we won’t tell you what genre it is… You need to read it to figure it out. Come to the library and take a look at his books or some of our brand new acquisitions. We loved this NYTimes description of Ishiguro's work:
Quite possibly the most ironic banned book of all time, Fahrenheit 451, by Ray Bradbury, (which can be found in FIC BRA) is going to be our closing book for banned book week!
Those who took freshman English may remember this book as either a fascinating read about censorship and the importance of being culturally aware, or a book that had a cool cover but you used Sparknotes to pass the tests so you didn't read it (for the latter, you missed out on an incredible read.) The book follows Guy Montag, a fireman who's job is to burn books and "keep the public safe" from the horrors of literature. As time goes on Guy realizes the weight of his actions and the importance of books to who we are as a society, and that the most heinous act is to burn knowledge itself. The book has been banned for its use of "bad language" and its depiction of a scene where the Bible gets burned. It portrays a desolate future where humanity's greatest achievements are seen as only kindling, and we here at Brooklyn Tech are celebrating those books that have been deemed burnable not only this week but all year! This Friday is the start of a new trend on this insta called "Fahrenheit Friday" where we will go over a banned book every Friday. --HP Here at BTHS, our own English teacher, Giancarlo Malchiodi, teaches Fahrenheit 451 in a Science Fiction unit. He wants students to think beyond the burning of books and do research about the challenging and banning of ideas. Students learn about some of their favorite books that have been banned or challenged and then share posters of what they have found. Look for them in the halls this spring! --JF Stay tuned for more ! A gripping tale of modern love for a great cause, Two Boys Kissing, by David Levithan, is a heartwarming tale of two boys who intend to break the world record for kissing in honor of those who died from the AIDS epidemic. While well-written and poignant, the book has been challenged at many libraries for "condoning acts of public affection" and for its "provocative" cover. Here at tech we pride (pun intended) ourselves in being a welcoming community and also encourage you to celebrate Banned Books Week by reading a challenged book!
You can find Two Boys Kissing at FIC LEV or on the Banned Book display. Few books have had such a gripping and accurate portrayal of adolescence than The Perks of Being a Wallflower Stephen Chbosky. Following the journal of a boy named Charlie and his experiences, it tackles the very real problems that are faced while growing up and adulthood. While beautifully crafted, the book also ranks as one of the most banned books in American libraries.
Due to its description of drug use, sex, and violence (yes it deals with everything and yes I use the Oxford comma) it has been banned in many places. Despite this we carry it in FIC CHB, and believe that it is always important for you to find a book that relates to you, and we will always help you find it. --HP To kick off national banned book week we will be discussing the most widely banned series of books of all time, Harry Potter. Though widely loved by wizards and muggles alike, the book has been banned and even publicly burned in a variety of places for its political and religious views. Written by J.K Rowling the book follows a the wizard Harry Potter through his adventures at the wizard of school Hogwarts.
The book has been banned for its views portrayal of witchcraft, as many Christians claim that it is in "direct conflict" with the Bible. It has also been banned for being too dark for younger readers to handle or for being a bad influence. Despite all this, we here at the Brooklyn Tech library believe that it is your right to read what you want, and because of that we will always support you in your pursuit of reading! We have the Harry Potter books in FIC ROW and we hope you love it just as much as we do. --HP Did you know that some of the most frequently read books were challenged at some point in history? Celebrate Banned Books Week by borrowing a book that has been banned. We will be featuring new titles all week here and on our Instagram account!
As we wrap up the school year, we have a lot of people to thank. This has been a great year at the library and it could not have been possible without the help of many others.
We look forward to a wonderful new year with you in September and wish the best of luck to our graduating seniors! Ms. Drusin and Ms. Laudi Here's the link to learn more! http://bthslib.weebly.com/how-to-get-involved.html
Be SURE to come see us in the library before starting a video book talk or creating a shelf reader! |
AuthorsMs. Drusin and Ms. Ferguson. Email us at [email protected] Archives
March 2021
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