Library
Hours (Unless otherwise announced):
Monday & Friday: 7:50 a.m. to 2:45 p.m.
Tuesday & Thursday: 7:50 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
Wednesday: 7:50 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Circulation Policy:
| Books | 2 books for 3 weeks. After 2nd quarter, if a student's account is in good standing--no overdues, a student may be allowed to check out up to 5 books. |
| References materials | Overnight only |
| Overdue Fines | There are no fines for overdue books. There is a fine of $1.00 per day for overdue Reference materials. |
| Lost Books | Students are responsible for the replacement cost of the lost book. |
Our Catalog: Destiny
Great news! Since last year, our students and staff have been able to access our library catalog from anywhere in the world using an Internet connection. Recently, Destiny (the name for the catalog) has been upgraded. Teachers can browse this catalog from their classrooms, and students can search our library collection from the comfort of their own homes! To check Destiny out, go to the SWA Destiny Library Catalog. As a guest, anyone can have access to the search and browse features of the catalog.
We are excited about all of the recent upgrade features, but particular functions of our catalog will help students in deciding which books to check out! The first feature allows students to click on a "Top Ten" link in order to view the current top ten titles (in terms of check-out popularity) at SWA. The second feature, accessible under the "Review" tab for each book, allows our students to see student reviews and ratings for our books that have been written by other middle school students. To see a sample of this feature, students can search for the book entitled Bound by Donna Napoli.
If students log in with their BCPS computer user names and passwords (by clicking on the login button at the top right of the Destiny screen), they will have access to complete the ratings and write reviews for publication themselves.
The Fee-Based Databases are Awesome!
Again this year, our students will have access to a wide variety of online databases, several of which offer full-text retrieval of magazine and newspaper articles as well as reference books, audio/video clips, pictures, maps, and TV/radio transcripts.
Through subscriptions that are licensed by BCPS, through the Maryland MDK-12 Digital Library Project, or through our own local school subscriptions, students (and their teachers and parents) have many high-quality databases to choose from! Click on this link for access to the following databases:
Remember that our students, teachers, and parents are encouraged to use these databases from home. A handout listing all login and password codes needed for home access is always available in the library media center.
Book Lists
· BCPS Strive for 25 Reading Lists (click on "Middle School")
· Maryland Black-Eyed Susan Book Awards
· KidsList (from BCPL)
· Guys Read (Sponsored by author Jon Scieszka)
· BCPS Office of Library Information Services - Reading Page
· Newbery Medal Award Winners
Coretta Scott King Book Awards
2009 SWA Suggested Summer Reading List & Contest Information