LOUISVILLE, Ky. — When students are learning virtually, they're already missing out on the classroom experience. But there's something else they're missing too - access to the school's library.
JCPS librarians have found ways to keep kids reading while they’re at home doing NTI.
“We’ve been just taking any pathway to get books in the hands of kids,” Westport Middle School librarian Amy Lyons said.
Kids can come to curbside library pickup, but Lyons also brings kids books by driving to their homes and leaving books on their front porches.
“I have middle schoolers and they can’t always drive and they can’t always get to the curbside pickups at the time that we have that,” Lyons said.
Kids and guardians alike have enjoyed getting the books dropped off – it provides easy and quick access, especially when one book in a series ends on a cliffhanger.
“[Nora] has gotten into this series so keeping it timely where she can get the next book when she’s ready to read it, I think is really important to keeping her engaged in that storyline and engaged in reading,” Westport Middle School mom Chrissy Giban said.
Students can also go to meal distribution sites and check out books from their school’s library.
“We’re not only touching their lives educationally with giving them new books to keep them engaged in, but we’re also touching them emotionally,” Foster Traditional Elementary Library Media Specialist Michelle Chandler said.
Chandler is keeping her students reading with a rolling library and a computer to check out books.
Whether they are picking up a book themselves or having it dropped off – students have the chance to explore something new, even from home.
“It can change a child’s life," Chandler said. "It can connect them to cultures and environments that they would never experience."