Radical Reads: Accelerated Reader Resources

CLAIRE CARROLL MARGAGLIO

Claire Carroll Margaglio lives in Lafayette, Louisiana. She can be reached at: cmargaglio@bellsouth.net

Introduction

Ovey Comeaux High School, in Lafayette, Louisiana, is a large high school, serving approximately 2,000 students in grades nine to twelve. There are 115 full time educators, along with two full time librarians. The students and faculty have many library services and resources available to them. The library has more than 35,000 volumes and many electronic resources. Approximately one-fifth of the library is devoted to research materials. Teachers may choose from hundreds of educational videos, and also may borrow items such as laptops, projectors, electronic games, and hand-held educational gaming systems. The library catalog is available online, and it is accessible from each of the twenty-three library computer stations. The catalog is available remotely and users may request material or search. The Comeaux librarians have a website where students can email them and where they post helpful information about research materials, booktalks, and other relevant library information. Many students use of the site, especially when writing research papers.

One search available in the catalog is “AR Bookfind,” which is limited to books for which there is an Accelerated Reader (AR) exam. AR is available online, so students may take tests at home. This article describes the creation of a desktop library bibliography of AR titles. The bibliography is broken down by genre and presents the newest material. It is easy to use, visually-appealing, and includes a brief description of how to use the Comeaux High School Library and where to find certain items, including a library map and Dewey Decimal review.

Objectives:

• Display new literature in a variety of topics and genre
• Create AR list so library patrons may see which books have an AR test
• Assist novice library users in becoming familiar with the layout, procedures, and new literature found in the library
• Assist novice library users in finding materials and familiarize them with the Dewey Decimal Classification System.

Project Background

The Radical Reads program has been in effect at Comeaux High School for the past five years. It was established to help novice library users, mainly freshmen, get accustomed to using the school library. The circulation numbers are high for a school of this size, but many students are unfamiliar with what materials the library offers, where materials are located, and how they can access the online catalog from home. Some students are uncomfortable asking for help, but they have no problem looking in the binders that have been created to help them find material. Radical Reads information is contained in a binder. This project is an expansion of that, and produced a binders with AR titles by genre.

Students are given a library orientation in their freshman year. It can be overwhelming and difficult to remember, especially since many new students are in the “information overload” state their first week of high school. Many students do not feel comfortable with the library until their senior year. That is much too long to wait! Not all teachers require use of library resources, which compounds the problem. Radical Reads was seen as a way to show the students what literature was available to them without making them feel nervous in the library.

Method

My approach to this project was to read the current Radical Reads binder to assess what materials are listed currently. I accessed the purchasing records to see what new materials had been purchased and read reviews of that material. I updated the information in the binder. I spoke with the faculty, staff, and students concerning literature they would like to see in the binder. Since the binder is already divided into sections, this made the searching easier. Some topics overlap, but they will be mentioned in multiple sections to ease confusion.

I posted a few questions on my blog page and see what students are reading and see if it is in our library. Many students I have spoken with spend their own money to buy books. I sketched a map of the library. I scanned the schematics for the school into a computer file and then made a copy for the binder. I downloaded and printed current AR program information and included it in the binder.

I enjoyed the creativity that this project offered and the fact that it can now be easily updated every few months, instead of every few years. Along with the novels I have been exposed to, I have also learned that the library is a wonderful gathering place for the school. Assisting students to find information and materials they need to be successful in school, or just helping them to find pleasurable reading material was a heartwarming experience.

New Non-Fiction

African American Authors

*Author in residence at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette

**Series

Science Fiction and Fantasy

*Series: kiessha'ra book five

**Series: Incarnations of nature book one

***Series: Uglies Book One

****Series: Harper Hall Trilogy Volume One

Great Series

*Partial series sets

**Number of Books about each character

Historical Fiction

Inspirational

Mystery

*Series (Buford high)

Adventure

*Series (book one of the runestone saga)

Romance

*Series (Buford High)

Sports

Oldies but Goodies

Test Prep and Career

*Series: Cutting edge Careers

**A fiction book that teaches 1000 words for the SAT

New Arrivals in Fiction

*Series

Disabilities: Non-fiction

Disabilities: Fiction

Non-Fiction that reads like a novel

*If you like this book, you may like The Life of Pi by Yan Martel