Hello! Welcome to Mrs. K in the Library! 

Welcome Back!

Hello and welcome to a new school year in the library! I hope that your time away has been enjoyable, adventurous and filled with fun, relaxing memories (and books!). I know that starting a new school year is exciting, and yes - a bit nerve-wracking - for both you and your child, but rest assured, I am dedicated to your kiddos and look forward to working with them whenever they visit!

What is in store for your child when they visit the library? This year will be filled with excitement, fun STEM projects and lots of reading. I like to incorporate fiction and nonfiction books during storytime, as well as science experiments. There is so much to investigate and the students are always eager to see what's in store for them when they visit. I am looking forward to sharing stories from our growing collection and exploring more of our MakerSpace area. I spent some time working in the library over the summer to make our space more welcoming. I added some quiet reading areas, listening spots, and an area that will celebrate our school and all of the amazing things that we have achieved together. This special section in the Media Center will be called "The Fridge". Just like a refrigerator door at home, "The Fridge" is a special place where I will display photographs of the students having fun in our library, art and drawings they have created and are proud of, and memories that we have made together. As an educator I encourage students to take pride in their accomplishments, and having familiar things around them can be a way to build comfortability and confidence. I hope together we can learn from one another and make this a year to remember. I can't thank you enough for your continued support!

March Madness 2025

A March Madness video to get students excited about our book tournament. Who will win it all this year?

Right to Read Week 2025

The staff at Fairfield Elementary created a promotional video for Right to Read week...High School Musical style. This pump-up video was created to get students excited about books and reading. Panthers, get your head in a book!

Presidents' Day fun 2025: Fairfield Elementary lets us know what they would do if they could be President for one day...

Fairfield gets ready for "Hogwarts at Fairfield" (October 2024)

What's happening Fairfield? 

Pictures from Hogwarts at Fairfield!  It's been a magical month filled with reading, the book fair, frog hunts and magic. What a great month of reading and fun!

MakerSpace

I hope that your children have shared with you that our school has a lot of amazing opportunities for them to be a part of each and every day! One of these opportunities includes hands-on learning in the library. Along with the traditional process of picking out a library book, the library is also a place for students to imagine, create, investigate and problem solve. Our MakerSpace area continues to be a favorite place in the library for our "makers" to create and invent. As our students get to know the school and explore the library, please ask them what they are doing in the Media Center and look for evidence of creativity from your little one soon! 

Library Rules: Be a Panther Do! Not a Panther Don't

Welcome Back, Fairfield! With all of the changes in the library it is very important that we follow the rules in our new space, so that we can enjoy it for years to come. Mr. Besand, and Fairfield's very own Panther, helped me make this video about library rules. Thanks Mr. B, and thank you Panther, for helping our students be a Panther Do...not a Panther Don't! Check it out below...

I want to help! 

We are collecting donations all year to help replenish inventing materials. Some items might be new, but others might often be found at home or in your recycling bin. If you are able to donate, please send them in with your child to the Media Center or front office. 

Suggestions for items that can be donated...Empty TP and Paper Towel Rolls, plastic/paper cups, popsicle sticks, straws, toothpicks, tape, construction paper, aluminum foil, glue sticks...anything that makes you think, "What could a child make out of this?"  Thank you so much to everyone that sent in donations last year! 

Overdue Books and Book Care

*Please return books that were checked out last year as soon as possible! If your student no longer attends Fairfield Elementary, and now attends another Pickerington school, please return overdue books to your current school library. They will send the books to the appropriate library for you. Any books that are not returned will be charged in Infinite Campus.

Your child has access to thousands of books through the library's collection and will not be charged late fines for overdue books. While it is important for students to learn responsibility when it comes to borrowing library books, it's more important to me that the student gets to check out a book that he/she enjoys in the library and develops a love for reading. I want visiting the library to be an enjoyable experience, so you will never see a charge unless in circumstances where items are lost or returned damaged. However, most of the books that are late or overdue are our most popular titles. Please help me in encouraging students to return the books in a timely manner so that all of our students can enjoy our library materials.

Students learn basic book care rules in the library, but please help your child select a safe, dry place to keep their library book at home. It's a good idea to always put them in the same place, away from areas where food and drink, pets and toddlers could cause damage, and where they can be located quickly on library day. Sometimes accidents happen. If a book is damaged, please return what is left to the library. We will determine if the book can be repaired or needs to be replaced and assess the appropriate fines. (Fines are NOT assessed for normal wear and tear.) 

The Power of Choice In The Library

WHAT'S THE BENEFIT TO LETTING KIDS CHOOSE THEIR OWN BOOKS?

Many young readers view reading as work, and once a kid loses interest, it can be difficult to get them back. As a librarian, one of my biggest goals each year is to inspire a love of reading. But how do I actually do that? Researchers tell us it all comes down to finding the right book for our students. But as we all know, that isn't always as easy as it sounds.

I believe that NOTHING compares to letting a child read what interests him/her. We may dislike choices like graphic novels (or what we used to call comics), the potty humor books (yes, that's you, Captain Underpants), or yet another princess, superhero or Minecraft series. However, the freedom to explore empowers young readers. When children choose a book, they practice decision-making and develop a positive relationship with reading. When your child visits the library, I will allow them to choose the book that they are interested in reading. 

Additionally, I will do my best to surround students with diverse reading material, add new titles to our collection on a wide range of topics, and make suggestions based on their interests and reading levels. Exposing new readers to a variety of genres can also help them find the books that they love. Graphic novels and manga were not something I knew much about before becoming a school librarian (and I may still not be a fan of this style of reading material for myself) but, the students eat them up! Graphic novels entice reluctant readers with their unique approach to storytelling, motivate kids to read more and coax kids into looking for deeper meaning within texts and pictures. Reading comics and graphic novels 100% counts as real reading. The world is more visual than ever before...Doesn't it make sense that kids would gravitate toward the visual appeal (again, not for me) of graphic novels? The way I look at it, it's time spent reading instead of staring at screens, and interaction with books and engagement with reading has greatly increased since introducing this section in the library.

Children that have positive experiences reading and interacting with books, no matter their age, will want to do it again.

And when they do it again, they might choose the same book (sometimes it's about comfort), author, or genre; or they may choose to experiment with something different. The key is that THEY are the ones doing the choosing. It is one of the simplest ways we can inspire a child to love reading. 

*If you are ever concerned with what your child is reading from our library,  please don't hesitate to contact me, or send your student back in with their book choice. As a parent myself, I believe that while it's important for children to make book choices on their own, you know your child and what is important to your family and beliefs. If you feel that your child is reading a book that is not appropriate for them, please send them back in to make another choice.