Library Catalog 2.0

Many people know that the library catalog is what is used to keep track of books. In the old days, we had card catalogs. I'm not going to tell you how those work because I have no idea. Those are before my time, but Pinterest certainly has some interesting ideas on how to reuse those cabinets. We have been using online catalogs for as long as I can remember. I'm sure you all know that the catalog can be used to look up books, place books on hold, and add books to a list, but were you aware that with Destiny Library Catalog you can review books, recommend books to friends, and add books to "Want to Read", "Now Reading", and "Have Read Shelves." The library catalog has become an interactive reading tool.

This past month I have begun using ChromeBooks in the Media Center. I began with the third graders. My goal was to get them oriented in using the Chromebooks. I thought about different ways I could get them started. I also wanted to show them all the things that they could do on Destiny. It was a perfect time to do both. I created a guide for the students to follow in logging in to the Chromebooks and finding their way around Destiny.

When students first enter Destiny, they see 3 lists. The first list is the most popular books right now. The second is a list of resource guides to different topics. The third list is 15 of our newest books. This gives students some suggestions on what to read.

Once students log in, they see their inbox if they have any personal requests and see their updates if they do not. Their inbox will have the recommendations from friends and invites to be friends. In updates, the students see book reviews their friends have made and which books they have put onto their shelves.




Students are able to search for books and drag them to their shelves. There is a shelf for books you have read and books you want to read.







This was an amazing experience. In other schools, I have seen kids try to send messages to each other about what they were going to do after school, but this group of kids was talking about their books! Students were sharing the books they loved and other students were asking questions about these books. One student moved a Goosebumps book to their "Have Read" shelf. Other students were immediately asking if it was a good book, if it was scary, and questions about the characters. Students were able to get an idea of what books to read next.

My next goal is to create a screencast for the teachers explaining how to use Destiny to interact with their students. I know many of them will not have the time to go into Destiny, but it means a lot to the students when they see what their teachers have read and when the teachers comment on their reviews. If taking 5 minutes of the day to log in and comment will encourage a student to read more, it is worth it.