Scholastic Book Fair Success

Thank you for making our Book Fair an outstanding success!

Thanks to your contributions, we sold 469 books at our Fair. We raised over $1300 for our school, which we’ll use to benefit the library program and get more books into the hands of our students. We also collected more than $25 for All for Books™, a program turning Book Fair donations into books for children who cannot afford them.

If your child missed out on the Fair (or already finished every new book), there’s still time to shop! Our Book Fair will continue online through October 6. Your online purchases benefit our school. Click below to shop our Fair: https://bookfairs.scholastic.com/bf/indianriverschool

Good news about eWallets: If your students have unspent money in their eWallets, those funds never expire! They can be used to shop online or go towards funding an eWallet for our next book fair.

I hope to see you and your child at our Holiday Book Fair. Until then, happy reading!

A Genrefied Library

Last year, when I joined IRS, our fiction section was organized by author's last name and was difficult for our students to navigate. They would frequently ask for a specific genre (type/category) of books, but because the collection was not organized by genre, we had to hope that a keyword search in our online catalog would help us find the type of book they were seeking. This caused some frustration for our student patrons who were looking for a specific topic or genre.

Therefore, the library's summer project was reorganizing the fiction collection into genres instead. While the shelves are still "under construction" and lack some signage, the books are now much easier to browse, both in person and online.

I was extremely excited to unveil the new organization system during Library Orientations this year. In addition, to making it easier to browse and find books, there are other major benefits to a genrefied collection:

• Supports Reluctant Readers

Avid readers will find a book no matter the organization system. A genrefied collection makes it easier for reluctant students to find books that align with their interests, instead of getting overwhelmed by shelf after shelf and just grabbing a random book when it’s time to check out.

• Boosts Reader Independence

Genrefication helps students become more independent in the library by offering cues that help them find books they like on their own.

• Increases Student Engagement

The increased ease of use will boost student interest in books, as well as the library as a whole.

• Boost in Circulation

Genrefication can also lead to a boost in circulation, which means more students are READING!

• More Circulation Variety

A genrefied collection can lead students to browse other titles they may not have chosen before.

I look forward to seeing students enjoying the library this year! Happy reading!