Library Media Center

A stack of books sits on a wooden table in front of a blurred background of bookshelves, with a Spartan helmet and the words %22MEDIA CENTER%22 in the foreground.

The Library Media Center provides a wide variety of print and digital resources, equipment, and services to support the curriculum and to serve the personal needs of students and staff. Available resources include fiction and nonfiction books, print publications, films, online specialized databases and research tools, and a growing e-book and audiobook collection.

All students are invited to visit the library with teacher permission for academic or personal information needs. They are welcome to read, write, study, print or seek help from library staff. The Library Media Center is available to students and faculty from 7:25 a.m. To 3:30 p.m. most school days.

Borrowing Books & Electronics

Book Borrowing Policies

Books may be borrowed for 14 school days and renewed if no one else has requested them.
Students are allowed a 20-school day grace period after the 20-school day loan period.
At the conclusion of the grace period, students will be charged a $5 overdue fee, which will be recorded in PowerSchool.
Students who fail to return their borrowed books will be charged the full replacement cost.
At any point, if a book is not returned and we need to purchase a replacement copy, students will be responsible for the replacement cost. The cost will not be refunded if the student later returns their book after the replacement has been purchased.

Kindle Borrowing Policies

Kindles may be borrowed for two weeks, just like books.
Students are expected to return the charging cord and power adapter loaned out in conjunction with the Kindle.
Students are responsible for replacement costs of any item not returned.
Students are responsible for replacement costs of any damaged items returned.

Helpful Tips

Avoiding Plagiarism

In this PowerPoint presentation & handout, we review ways to avoid plagiarizing on your paper/project by paraphrasing:

Avoiding Plagiarism Presentation

Paraphrasing Handout

Determining Credibility

Use this handout to help you determine whether or not a website is a credible (reliable) source of information:

View Lateral Reading Handout

In this PowerPoint presentation, we examine the importance of determining credibility:

View Credible Sources Slideshow

Email Etiquette

You are all using email to communicate with your teachers more often than in the past. It is important that you understand how to email your peers and teachers appropriately. Please take a moment to view this video about email etiquette:

View the "Email Etiquette" video

Use a proper greeting
Include a subject
Be patient waiting for reply
Don't use text lingo
Check Grammar & Spelling
Sign your name

Library Policies

Acceptable Use Policy

The Amity Regional School District requires that students agree to the Acceptable Use Policy for technology use. Technology access and resources in the library are subject to the same agreement. Computers in the library are to be used for information seeking for personal or school purposes, and not for entertainment (gaming, movies, TV, music videos).

View Acceptable Use Policy

Selection and Deselection Policies

Our selection and deselection policy is outlined in the Board of Education policies.

Challenged Materials Policy

Our challenged materials policy is outlined in the Board of Education policies.

Library Media Center Spaces

The Library Media Center offers a variety of spaces designed to meet your needs throughout the school day. Whether you want to collaborate with classmates, relax with friends, work on a project, or find a quiet place to study, there’s a space for you. Come on down, get comfortable, and choose the space that works best for you that day!

Collaborative Spaces

Need a place to work with classmates? The Library Media Center has several spaces designed for project-based learning, group work, and collaboration. Tables and flexible seating can accommodate groups of different sizes, and a variety of supplies and materials are available to borrow for class activities and projects.

Social Learning Spaces

Sometimes you need a change of scenery or a quick break during the school day. The Library Media Center offers casual, comfortable spaces where you can relax, connect with friends, or recharge. Enjoy comfortable seating, hands-on activities, and other options designed to give your brain a break before heading back to class.

Individual Study Spaces

Looking for a quiet place to focus? Students are always welcome to use the Library Media Center for independent reading, studying, or schoolwork. Find a cozy corner or quiet nook where you can settle in and work independently—either on your own or alongside others who are doing the same.

Portrait of the Graduate

Portrait of the Graduate (POG) outlines the skills, knowledge, and dispositions that students across all grade levels should have. It is a promise that our educators make to ALL our students to prepare our students for the world beyond school. Additionally, a Portrait of the Graduate should reflect what our community values for our graduates.

Learn more about the Portrait of The Graduate

DATABASES

ABC CLIO

ABC CLIO is a great database for History, Biographies and other Primary Source documents. The information found on ABC CLIO existed in print format before you found it on the Internet. It is trustworthy, easy to cite in Noodletools and very informative.

Log into Clever first.
Once logged into Clever, click on the ABC CLIO icon.

VIew Clever Login Portal

Directions for Using ABC-CLIO & Citing in NoodleTools

ABC Series (Databases)

ABC Series

The ABC Series is a large-scale database of information. It is great for research. Some of the topics they include are: culture, history, language, education, food, maps, and national symbols.

ABC Maps Online

ABC World Culture

View ABC The USA

Accessing A to Z World Cultures & NoodleTools Doc

Brain POP

Clever

Common Sense Media

Common Sense Media "is the leading independent nonprofit organization dedicated to helping kids thrive in a world of media and technology. [They] empower parents, teachers, and policymakers by providing unbiased information, trusted advice, and innovative tools to help them harness the power of media and technology as a positive force in all kids’ lives."

Furthermore, they help "families make smart media choices. [They] offer the largest, most trusted library of independent age-based and educational ratings and reviews for movies, games, apps, TV shows, websites, books, and music. [Their] Parent Concerns and Parent Blog help families understand and navigate the problems and possibilities of raising children in the digital age."

View Common Sense Media Website

Destiny

You can look up, request, and learn about books we have in the media center through Destiny. You also have access to our databases and other resources on it. Furthermore, in Destiny's Webpath Express, you can find credible articles and resources to suit your research needs.

Log into Clever first.
Once logged into Clever, click on the Destiny icon.

VIew DESTINY on Clever

Accessing Destiny Information

Discovery Education

Discovery Education has streaming video, digital textbooks, STEM activities, and tons of great resources to support our growing and inquisitive students.

Log into Clever first.
Once logged into Clever, click on the Discovery Education icon

VIew discovery education on Clever

Go to Discovery Education's login page.
Click Sign in with Microsoft.

*If it is the first time you have signed in, you may have to click Allow and then Agree.

View Discovery Education Login

Encyclopedia Britannica

Use Britannica School as your encyclopedia. You can look up articles, biographies, information on countries, images and videos, and a ton of other things using this database. Once you select what you need, it gives you the option to easy refine your search by choosing sub-categories. You can use this database for almost any research project.

Username: amityms
Password: orange

View Encyclopedia BritannicA Login

Video: Britannica School's Middle Level Tour

Video: Britannica's Accessibility & Support Tools

Video: Britannica School's Search Tools

View Britannica School's User Guide

OTHER RESOURCES

Accessibility Tools

Microsoft Read Aloud & Immersive Reader

For websites, online assessments, PDFs, and many other sources, Microsoft's Read Aloud & Immersive Reader work very well.

Use the EDGE browser’s Read Aloud option.
Use this by highlighting any text, right click, and choose Read Aloud. There is also a Read Aloud option (top right of the browser, click on the in the URL bar).
Use Immersive Reader (reads and translates, converts to book-type format).

Use this by copying any text and pasting it into the online version of Word (Office 365 => office.com); then click on the View tab and then Immersive Reader.
Word 365 also has a speech-to-text option. Just click on Dictation from the home menu.
Click on Dictation to start and stop the dictation.

You can log into Office.com with your username@amityregion5.org and your regular school password.

Make sure you Allow the program access to your microphone.

Read&Write Program

All students have access to the free version of Read&Write. Students and teachers can add this Microsoft Edge or Google Chrome extension when logged into their account. It allows students to have anything on the browser read to them. Additionally, it is the text-to-speech extension Google allows for Google apps.

Add the Read&Write extension - chrome

Add the Read&Write extension - Microsoft

It also has a Practice Reading Aloud option although I do not know how accurate it is. Google Docs and other G-Suite programs offer speech-to-text under Tools.

View Information on Practice Reading Aloud

Canva for Education

Canva For Education

Canva for Education allows you to create and personalize your own designs from scratch, or choose from thousands of high-quality, copyright-free educational templates. From presentations to posters, and infographics, to worksheets, project-based learning, and lesson plans, the possibilities are endless.

Make sure you log in by clicking on Continue with email in the purple box. Do NOT use Google (your amityschools account).

To verify that you are logged into the correct account, look for Amity District (AD) in the bottom-left corner with your profile.

Username: your username@amityregion5.org
Password: your school password

View Canva Education Website

Canva for Education Login Directions

Creative Commons

Google Suite

Amity's Google Suite (@amityschools.org) includes most of what you can access in Google (Drive, Docs, Sheets, etc.).

As soon as you sign the Amity Acceptable Use Policy (AUP), Amity creates several accounts for you. One of them is in the Google Suite. Therefore, if you signed the AUP, you already have an Amity Google account created, and you have access to everything in the Amity Google Suite.

You will use this regularly in school, so it is in your best interest to become familiar with it. Because things are stored in the cloud, using the Google Suite is an easy way to work on assignments, projects, etc. at home and at school. If you need help with anything, please come see me.

Username: username@amityschools.org
Password: your Amity password

View Google

Google Drive - Organizing and Sharing

Google Shared Drives

Google Docs - Sharing & Commenting

Google Docs - Dictation/Voice Typing

Google Docs - Inserting and Formatting Images

Google Drawings

Google Hangouts

Google Meet

Google Translate

Clearing Your Browsing History and Cache

Kami

Kami is a Microsoft Edge or Google Chrome extension you can add to your browser. It gives you the ability to edit, annotate, run text recognition, and do many more things.

To download Kami:

Open your browser
Log into your Microsoft account (@amityregion5.org) or Google account (@amityschools.org )
Go to Manage extensions and search for Kami.
Click the button to install the extension, and follow the prompts to Allow.

To use Kami:

Once you have installed the extension, click on the Kami icon to the right of the URL bar. Any files you work on will be saved there.

Add the Kami extension

Kami Help Center

Kami Academy

Kami OCR

Membean

Microsoft Office

Amity's Microsoft Office 365 (@amityregion5.org) is the cloud platform for Microsoft products (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, etc).

As soon as you sign the Amity Acceptable Use Policy (AUP), Amity creates several accounts for you. One of them is in Office 365. Therefore, if you signed the AUP, you already have an office.com account created, and you have access to everything on it.

Because things are stored in the cloud, using office.com is an easy way to work on assignments, projects, etc. at home and at school.

Username: username@amityregion5.org
Password: Amity password

View Microsoft Office 365

Microsoft Layout Handout

Microsoft Reader, Read Aloud & Dictation

Adding OneDrive on Laptop

Creating Folders in OneDrive

Outlook Emailing vs. Schoology Messaging

NoodleTools

NoodleTools is the citation website Amity uses. Be sure to use it to cite all of your sources in class activities and projects that may require citations.

Log into Clever first.
Once logged into Clever, click on the NoodleTools icon.

VIew NOODLETOOLS on Clever

NoodleTools Activation/First Login Handout

NoodleTools Getting Started Handout

Exporting Your Works Cited

Citations Examples

NoodleTools Help Desk

NoRedInk

Schoology

Schoology is an online learning management system teachers use to manage your classroom in multiple ways. On it, you can create and submit assignments, participate in interactive discussions, perform assessments, collaborate with your peers, and much more!

View SchoologY (STUDENTS)

Schoology - Student Help

Schoology - Parent Help

Submitting Assignments - Student Directions

Schoology Login Directions

Microsoft Email vs. Schoology Messaging

Study Island

Tips & Tricks

Pinning to Your Taskbar

All students can pin things to their taskbars. You just can't right click, so to pin something to your taskbar, follow these directions. (A handout is attached below.)

In the search bar, search for the app you want to pin.
Hover over the app and either right-click or click with two fingers on your trackpad.
Click on Pin to taskbar.

Pin to Taskbar

Snipping Tool

The Snipping Tool is a really easy way to take a “screenshot”. You can snip whatever you need, save it as a picture file, and submit it as evidence of your work.

Press the print screen button on your keyboard or in the Microsoft Windows search bar in the bottom left corner of your screen, type in “Snip”.
The Snipping Tool will populate. Click on it.
Pull up whatever you want to snip, and click New in the Snipping Tool dialog box.
- As soon as you click New, you’ll notice your cursor becomes a plus sign +.
Use your + to draw the box around whatever you want to snip.
- It will automatically copy what you snip.
- Then, you can either paste your snip into an email/document or save it as a picture file.
To save it, click File, Save As, and choose where you’d like to save the file.

View The Snipping Tool Handout

DEPARTMENT

Caroline Camera

Titles: Library Media Specialist

Email:

Contact

Barbara Cassesse

Titles: Administrative Assistant

Email:

Contact