Author: webAdmin

  • It’s Time to Beat that Summer Slide!

    By: Samantha Lowe

    Ready or not, it’s back to school time! And the Library is here to help. The Library offers many resources to help your young scholar succeed in school.

    With the influx of AI tools and the constant dissemination of misinformation online, it’s now more important than ever to teach kids how to find reliable information. I tell teens often that even if they’re not planning to go to college, knowing how to use Library databases is going to help them to be better informed, more well-rounded adults. It’s vital that kids learn how to ask questions about what they’re reading such as: who wrote this article and how are they qualified? What’s the goal of the article? Is the author trying to sell me something? When was this written and is the information still accurate or relevant? These are just some of the questions kids can learn to navigate through using our databases and resources.

    Gale and Salem are two database vendors the Library subscribes to. Gale resources especially are designed for different age ranges. Essentially, your elementary schooler won’t see the same database as your high schooler. They’ll open a kid-friendly interface with relevant information for their research projects. And the high schoolers will get something closer to the databases they’ll see in college (if that’s the path they choose). Both Gale and Salem offer articles on a variety of subjects from literature to history to science and so much in between.

    Of course, I can’t talk about research tools without mentioning POWER Library. POWER Library is a Pennsylvania statewide resource that provides access to thousands of articles, newspapers, reference materials, and more. There are even off shoots called POWER Kids and POWER Teens, so that kids and teens get services at their level. So, regardless of what they’re researching, students can feel confident in the information they’re finding.

    The Library’s resources don’t stop at research though. Tutor.com is an online resource where students connect with live tutors to help with reading and math. You can even stick with a tutor you really like. And it’s completely free with your library card! We subscribe to Tutor.com so you can access it all with your library card and pin numbers. This is not a trial version—it’s the full website. Tutors are available to help students in first grade all the way through college. That’s right, adults can use it too. And by using your library card to access tutor.com, you can actually get a more customized experience as well. When purchasing a subscription, there’s anxiety around getting your money’s worth or possibly not being able to afford it if you need to increase your access. With your library card, you get exactly the level of access you need when you need it, with no strings attached.

    Do you have a reluctant or maybe a bit of a picky reader? NoveList Plus is another resource that can help. NoveList Plus categorizes books based on age range, appeal factors, and more to help readers find their next favorite book. Does your child like a strong female protagonist? Or maybe they need a fast-paced adventure. What about a world building saga? With NoveList Plus you can browse books based on exactly what you’re looking for and see if they’re available in the Library right there.

    So whether your child is conducting research, getting some extra help, or looking for their next read, the Library is full of resources to help.

  • Fighting the Summer Slide—One STEM Kit at a Time

    Fighting the Summer Slide—One STEM Kit at a Time

    By: Dwana Pinchock

    Jennifer Eley, Director of Education at Pennon Education, knows that summer vacation can be both a blessing and a challenge for school-aged children. While it’s a time for rest and family, it’s also when many students experience “summer slide”—the tendency to lose academic progress over the break.

    To combat this, Pennon Education created Slide Into Summer, a community-centered event hosted at their public media center. “Our goal is to give families meaningful, flexible ways to keep learning all summer long,” Eley explains. The event emphasizes equity by highlighting free or low-cost resources available in the community and distributing STEM-based learning kits to the first 50 families in attendance.

    Each learning kit contains several weeks of engaging science activities. “Families could use them on a rainy day or spread them out throughout the summer,” Eley says. Activity stations at the event included hands-on learning—like planting seeds in paper towel bags to observe growth, and building marble runs to explore motion and force. Kids received journals to record their observations and were encouraged to keep learning beyond the event.

    Perhaps most notably, every learning station was paired with a themed book, from fiction to nonfiction, designed to spark curiosity. A map guided families through the event, and on the back, they were encouraged to write down at least one or two book titles to borrow from their local library.

    “Our whole team is made up of former educators,” Eley adds. “We know how critical it is to keep kids reading and exploring during the summer months. That’s why we intentionally designed every activity with literacy in mind.”

    From cultivating seedlings to building roller coaster models, Slide Into Summer is more than just a fun day—it’s a strategy to keep young minds growing.

  • Getting to Know the Seed Library with Max Wilkerson 

    By: Rachel Miller

    Christian Maximilian Wilkerson, often referred to as Max, is a 17-year-old Eagle Scout with Boy Scout Troop 77. He enjoys reading, playing video games, and talking with his friends. Max often visits the East Shore Area Library to attend library programs, check out books, and more recently, visit the teen gaming section.  This year, as a project for Boy Scouts, Max created a seed library at the East Shore Area Library that has been a big success with many community members who visit that library.  

    How did you get into Boy Scouts and how has your experience with that impacted you? 

      I got into Boy Scouts when I was in first grade, they were offering Cub Scouts.  I went to the first meeting, and I enjoyed it a lot. I’ve made a lot of friends that I still have now. I think my life would have been very different without the Boy Scouts. It’s the code that Boy Scouts and Cub Scouts live by has really shaped the way I interact with people because it tells me that I need to be trustworthy, loyal, helpful, friendly, courteous, kind, obedient, cheerful, thrifty, brave, clean, and reverent, as well as doing my duty to God and my country. 

    What inspired you to make the seed library at your own library? 

    I got the idea for it in Florida because there’s a seed library at my grandparent’s library, and didn’t think we had many of those in PA. I thought it would be really cool if I could bring it to the East Shore Dauphin County Library and pay them back for all the books they’ve loaned me for the past 17 years. 

    What was your process for putting the seed bank together? 

    First, I had to research different containers to use. Originally, I was going to find one of those card catalogs that libraries used to use, but I found out they were $4,000 a pop. So, I scrapped that idea and went to Amazon to look at some cabinets that were a little smaller. I found the ones that are at the library today for about $75 each. Also, talking with Maria Lagasca (Public Services Director) about what size and what exactly the library wanted for this definitely helped a lot with the decision-making process.  

    Then I researched the different seeds and the types of seeds that would work best. Later in the project, we found out there are actually regulations on seeds that can be distributed. You can’t bring in your own seeds that you took from your garden, which forced me to adjust what you could do with the seed library.  Stauffers of Kissel Hill made a very generous donation that allowed me to purchase a lot of seeds for the seed library’s original stock. 

    I also would like people to buy seeds and if they still have the packages, bring them to the seed library because it needs restocking. Last time I was there, I noticed there were a lot of people who actually took out seeds. It was amazing to see all the people that wrote their phone numbers and names down, but the seed library does end up needing to be restocked. I would be very appreciative if people got that going, so it didn’t fizzle out. 

    What advice would you give to any other young people who want to do a similar project to benefit their community?   

    Looking around and seeing the needs in the community definitely helps find a project. Do the research. Make sure you budget correctly. Keep working no matter what setbacks you have. Just keep moving forward, and don’t give up.