Welcome to the Northfield Community School Media Center.  Ms. Gill and Mrs. Bonsall look forward to sharing information with you on new book arrivals, great library web sites, and much more.

Here are a few great web sites to start with for you and your family.
 

Parents

• American Library Association

http://www.ala.org/parents

The American Library Association has a parents' page, which is worth a look.  This page includes the Librarians guide to cyberspace for parents and kids and lists the top 10 Internet sites for families.  As you scroll down this page you will be thrilled to see that suggested reading lists are not forgotten.

• Atlantic County home page

http://www.aclink.org

ACLink is the Atlantic County Home page.  From this page you can access county agencies and departments, information on county projects, related services and the county library system.

Library

• Library of Congress

http://www.loc.gov

The Library of Congress in Washington, DC has a wonderful web page.  This site allows visitors to share the resources of our nation’s library without leaving home.  It is easy to navigate and has something for everyone from primary sources to scavenger hunts through the virtual stacks.

• Internet Public Library  

http://www.ipl.org

This is the first public library on the Internet. In the tradition of our local public libraries, this site is committed to providing free services. It is well organized and easy to navigate.  It includes such resources as almanacs, dictionaries, encyclopedias, newspapers, periodical indexes and much more.

• Atlantic County Library System

www.aclink.org/aclibrary

An excellent site that includes information on all nine branches, an online catalog, a family page, and links to other libraries such as the New York Public library.  This page can be accessed from the Atlantic County home page.  

Governor's Book Club

• Governor's Book Club

   www.state.nj.us/bookclub

This monthly book club was initiated by Governor McGreevy to improve literacy.  It allows children to review books, answer comprehensive questions and enjoy a variety of puzzles and games for new books.  Site provides a monthly list of books that you and your children can enjoy.

Reference

• Internet Reference Desk

http://www.refdesk.com

Offers a wide range of resources including most reference books (almanacs, atlases, dictionaries, encyclopedias, etc.) as well as up to the minute information on weather, breaking news, and stock quotes.

•  “Awesome” library

http://www.awesomelibrary.com

Awesome library was created by a consortium of national and local educational organizations and libraries under the Fund for Innovation in Education Program (1996).  It provides resources that have been reviewed for child-safe content.  This site is organized for kids, teens, parents and teachers; and by subject area.  Excellent parent section.

• American Journalism Review

http://ajr.org

News and columns from the American Journalism Review magazine and other features.

• American Journalism Review

http://newslink.org

Links to newspapers, broadcasters and magazines

Library Policies

• Visits

Students in grades kindergarten through four visit the media center on a scheduled basis for instruction and book check out once a week. Students may also visit on an independent basis with teacher permission.

Students in grades five through eight have library skills classes for one marking period a year.  Teachers schedule the library for research and book check out as needed.

Numbers of books students are allowed to check out:

Kindergarten, First	One
Second, Third, Fourth	Two
Fifth-Eighth	Three

Students may keep books for two weeks.

• Overdue Policy

We do not charge for overdue books.  Students are given overdue notices as reminders to please return books as soon as possible so that others may enjoy them. Northfield Community School Media Center hopes to instill a sense of responsibility in all their students.  The child’s care of a book in his/her possession is a part of that process.  We encourage our children to treat books as good friends and return them on time.

• Student Selection

It is our belief that students should be free to select books that interest them.  Students are encouraged, however, to select at least one book they can read independently.  One way to choose an independent reading book is to use the “Five Finger Test.”

Five Finger Test

1. Open the book in the middle. Select a full page of text.
2. Read the page (aloud if possible).
3. Put one finger up for every word you cannot pronounce or do not know.
4. If you get five fingers up on one page, the book is too difficult to read independently.
5. If you do not get any fingers up, but are reading slowly, you’ll probably not enjoy the book.

Book Awards

• Caldecott Medal

   www.ala.org/alsc/caldecott.html

The Caldecott medal is awarded by the Association of Library Service to the artist for the most distinguished picture book for children.

Click here to see what we have in the Media Center

 

• Newbery Medal

   www.ala.org/alsc/newbery.html

The Newbery Medal is awarded annually to the author of the most distinguished contribution to children’s literature in America.

Click here to see what we have in the Media Center

 

• Coretta Scott King Award

  www.ala.org/srrt/csking/index.html

Winners are authors and illustrators of African descent whose books promote an understanding and appreciation of the American dream.

Click here to see what we have in the Media Center

 

• Michael L. Printz Award

  www.ala.org/ala/yalsa/booklistsawards/printzaward/Printz,_Michael_L__Award.htm

The Michael L. Printz award was established in 1999 to recognize, honor and promote excellence in literature for young adults. The author and book title that won the award is bolded. The other books won honorable mention for the year noted.

Click here to see what we have in the Media Center

 

• Laura Ingalls Wilder Award

 www.ala.org/alsc/wilder.html 

This award is given to an author who has made a lasting contribution to children’s literature over a period of years.

• Scott O'Dell Award

 http://www.scottodell.com/awards.html

This award is given annually for the best historical fiction written for young adults.

Summer Reading Lists

Looking for some great books to enjoy over the summer? Ms. Gill has assembled these lists for middle school students. Check them out!

• Grades 5-6 [Microsoft Word .DOC Format, 28kb] | [Adobe Acrobat .PDF Format, 54kb]
• Grades 7-8 [Microsoft Word .DOC Format, 28kb] | [Adobe Acrobat .PDF Format, 54kb]

Search Engines

Check out NetTrekker, the "best-ever" search engine for school projects! http://school.nettrekker.com/
Elementary School Search Engines (K-4)	Middle School Search Engines (5-8)
http://www.yahooligans.com	http://www.google.com
http://www.ajkids.com	http://www.kidsclick.org
http://www.aolatschool.com/elementary/	http://www.aolatschool.com/middleschool/
Databases and Other Resources (K-8)
http://www.fofweb.com (login required)	http://search.epnet.com (login required)
http://www.nytimes.com/learning/	http://citationmachine.net/
These resources were located, reviewed & recommended by: Ms. Marianne Gill - Media Specialist Mrs. Cheryl Bonsall - Media Specialist Mr. Kevin Jarrett - Technology Facilitator

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Check out these Parent Resource Books now available in our school library.

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