eBooks are here!

      eBooks are here!

We have a new eBook collection here at EMS!

eBooks can be read on any computer or laptop with an internet connection, or on an iPad. They are for students AND staff!

Find them in the EMS Library Catalog under Visual Search. Staff must be logged into the library catalog to access eBooks! Students will access the library catalog with their school user name and password.

To use on an iPad you need:
Follett Digital Reader App
Destiny Quest App

Resources to help get you started:
Follett Digital Reader Quick Reference
Follett Digital Reader App



to set up FollettShelf on your iPad, you will need to input the following FollettShelf URL for
 EMS:  https://wbb 30274.follettshelf.com

Do not visit this site to check out eBooks. Simply use it too set up the mobile app.

 If you are a staff member, please submit the form below register for a user ID and password.

Down East Maine

I just returned  from a 5 day road trip with my 80 year old mother. We traveled from Western Massachusetts all the way to the Lubec Maine - about 400 miles. Along the way we traveled through Acadia National Park and I made a connection with a book I had read this summer called Small As An Elephant, which is one of the DCF 2012 selections. It is written by Maine author Jennifer Richard Jacobson. Check out the book trailer she made.

Beach Time

I just returned from two weeks at the beach in Maine. It was a wonderful place to sit in front of the ocean and read. I was also able to indulge in one of my other hobbies - photography. Here is a photo I took of the sunrise one morning. I had to be ready by 5:25 AM!

I am now reading Addie on the Inside by James Howe. It is a companion to another book he wrote called The Misfits. Here's what it's about- 
"Outspoken thirteen-year-old Addie Carle learns about love, loss, and staying true to herself as she navigates seventh grade, enjoys a visit from her grandmother, fights with her boyfriend, and endures gossip and meanness from her former best friend."
If you are a fan of realistic fiction and novels in verse, this book's for you!

Beach Reading

Read this!

I will definitely be purchasing multiple copies of "A Dog's Way Home" for the library collection this year. Each chapter is told in alternating voices of Tam, a Shetland sheepdog and his owner, 11-year-old Abby as they try to find each other after several months of separation following an accident. Set at opposite ends of the Blue Ridge Parkway, I can see doing an activity using Google Earth to follow Tam's journey to be reunited with Abby.

During the next week I will be spending a week at the beach in southern Maine. One of my favorite activities is to get comfy in my beach chair, listen to the sounds of the ocean waves crashing on the shore and reading. Although I have a couple of adult mysteries lined up but will also be putting these titles in my beach bag:

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Power Searching

This week I have been exploring an online mini course called Power Searching with Google. http://www.google.com/insidesearch/ There are 6 classes and I have completed the first three: Introduction, interpreting results and advanced techniques. There are so many tips and tricks to narrow your search that it can be mind-boggling. Here are some highlights for me: images can be filtered by color; control f will help to zero in on finding text; and the advanced techniques setting can focus in on desired file type, domain name or broadening a search by including OR between two quoted subjects.  I think this will be very useful when assisting student doing research as they really need to be "search literate" when sifting through the millions of web sites and information to find what they need

Just finished

Yesterday was hot and sunny and the perfect day to sit under my patio umbrella and read. It didn't take me long to be immersed in "R Name is Rachel", the story of Rachel, and her brother and sister. This story takes place during the Great Depression. When their Dad must leave them alone on an isolated farm while he searches for work,the three siblings must manage to survive. Reading this book gave me an appreciation of the many things I take for granted - food, education, clothing and a safe home. I can think of readers at EMS who like historical fiction and stories about families  would like this book.

What's next?

A Dog's Way Home

Just pulled from the bookshelf- this appealing cover has me hooked. A first glance at the book jacket tells me it is a story about  a  Shetland Sheepdog who gets separated from her owners following an accident. I think I might need to have a box of tissues by my side while reading. Stay tuned.

Google Books

I am exploring Google Books http://books.google.com/ 
So far I have discovered that I can obtain the full text of many out of copyright books, and a limited text selection of new books. For example, here is a screen shot of my search the the title The Hunger Games.



I am able to read the first 40 pages of the book. As you can see by looking at the arrows to the left that I also have choices of purchasing, or finding a library to borrow the book.




As a librarian, this would be a valuable collection development tool as I could look up titles, and be able to read a chapter or two. My students would be able to enter a search term and find resources to support their research.
I will be doing more exploring of this Google tool!