Back to the books

Welcome to a new school year! I'm having fun this week talking to kids about books. We have some new students who are bringing in fresh book recommendations and reading excitement. And our returning students spent the summer growing and expanding their reading horizons. This is the start of my 20th (gulp!) year at Seabury and probably the thing I love most about working here is the chance to get to know each student and his or her reading interests and abilities so well. Unlike the teachers, I get to have them every year. I'm lucky! 

This summer was a summer of technology for me. I'm taking on a bit of a second hat for Seabury. I was pretty involved in helping roll out the new website, and I'll be helping maintain it from here on out. But the most exciting tech news for the library is that we have new library software. It's web-based (You can see what we have from home!) and has lots of features the kids are already excited about. As with any new technology, there's a learning curve and time needed to get it working smoothly. We had a lot of new computers installed this summer, a new server and this complex software - and only one guy taking care of it all for us. And he's a guy who also happens to have another full-time job. If you see Dan Taylor around, make sure to thank him! Anyway, I've just been trained in this software, so it's taking me a bit of time to get it ready for the kids (and families) to explore. Stay tuned for a blog post in the next week or so with the web link and more information about the fun features of Destiny. 

Meanwhile, here's my periodic plug about a way you can help us get more materials for the library. Seabury is registered as an Amazon Associate. Anytime you enter Amazon through the link on this page, or seabury.org (under Give) and shop, we get a credit that's a nice percentage of what you spend - ON ANYTHING. One family bought a water heater! You can also use this easy url: tinyurl.com/amazonseab. I have it bookmarked on my toolbar at home for personal shopping.

This program have resulted in lots of wonderful books for the library since 2006, when we first signed on. The picture above shows just a few new ones that are on my desk for processing. The kids today were very anxious for me to get them out on the shelves!

We also have an Amazon wish list you can see on this page. We've had a birthday book program for many years. When children donate a book on their birthday, we put bookplates inside with their names and the year. (If you buy the books through the Amazon link, it benefits the library twice.)

Many thanks!
Becky Young
Seabury librarian