The Delaware County District Library has always been here to help when a parent, teacher, caregiver, tutor, or friend is looking to help a student in their life. Beyond books, the library has offered research websites, training videos, personalized classroom visits, and more in order to offer assistance in a variety of subjects.
The Youth Services Department and the Community & Family Outreach Services Department lead the way in helping students on their journey of lifelong learning. Recently, these two departments have been working diligently to create a one-stop website to help answer your educational “back-to-school” questions.
Visit www.delawarelibrary.org/student, and the first thing you’ll see is that librarians are easy to reach, whether it’s through an email, a phone call, or the chat function on our website. Our tried and true programs like lending Wi-Fi-enhanced Chromebooks to students and helping you find databases and online research websites will stay the same. Librarians will also continue to help teachers and parents request multiple books to help deepen a study on a specific subject or topic.
New this year, the Delaware library is happy to offer our students free printing for any of their at-home learning needs. Printed document requests can be sent to [email protected] or uploaded to www.delawarelibrary.org/print. Additionally, our librarians are ready to virtually visit your school or at-home learning classrooms. They love to give book recommendations, read a story or two, provide an introduction to our services, or give a virtual tour.
We’ve increased the materials in our collection that will help students practice new skills they’re learning. Workbooks, flashcards, and other books like encyclopedias and world atlases are a click away. Educators are encouraged to either stop by or request a workbook, then copy the pages they need for their students. Flashcards to check out include subjects ranging from telling time and sight words, to money basics and division.
Finally, our librarians have put together a robust list of trusted partner websites and organizations that will enhance learning at home. These resources are all listed at the www.delawarelibrary.org/student page on our website, and they’ll be featured in this fall’s “Check It Out” newsletter.
Though the educational landscape can sometimes feel daunting to navigate, it can be as easy as starting with a phone call to your local Delaware library and asking for help from a librarian. No matter how, we’re always glad you asked. This week’s recommendations feature “Tween Reads,” perfect for your middle school readers.
• “Five Things About Ava Andrews” by Margaret Dilloway. Quiet, creative Ava has anxiety, a heart condition, and a best friend she thought she could depend on. After Ava’s best friend moves away, Ava reluctantly joins an improv group and is shocked to realize that improv helps her unleash her ideas, find her voice, and speak up for the things that matter. Whether or not you relate to Ava’s situation, you’ll be rooting for her throughout this hopeful read.
• “Dress Coded” by Carrie Firestone. Eighth-grader Molly is beyond frustrated by her school’s impossible dress code. Why is it only girls who get in trouble, especially girls who look a certain way? Since the school won’t listen, Molly convinces her classmates to pour their dress code horror stories into a podcast. Artfully told through letters, lists, and transcripts from Molly’s rebellious podcast, readers who like stories that tell it like it is will want to reserve their copy of this one.
• “A Ceiling Made of Eggshells” by Gail Carson Levine. In late 1400s Spain, with the Inquisition threatening the nation’s Jews, young Jewish Paloma travels with her grandfather, Belo, as he uses their family’s influence to keep their community safe. Rich details will make you feel like you’re right there with Paloma as she bravely faces danger and longs to pursue her own dreams. Paloma’s story was inspired by the real-life family history of award-winning author Gail Carson Levine.
• “Glitch” by Laura Martin. The rule: All time-traveling Glitchers are trained to track down history-altering “Butterflies,” but they’re completely forbidden from changing the past themselves. The problem: Glitcher cadet Reagan and her classmate/nemesis Elliot receive a letter from the future warning them of disaster unless they go back in time to change events in U.S. history. If you used to love the blend of history and adventure in the “Magic Tree House” books, you might enjoy this more mature take on a similar idea.
