Library

St. Isaac Jogues School Library Media Center (LMC) provides a foundation for lifelong learning, which equips students to become independent and effective users of information in all formats.  This mission is accomplished by:

• Providing physical and intellectual access to an organized collection of print and non-print resources both in and outside the school.
• Providing instruction to foster competence in the location, selection, utilization and evaluation of resources and to stimulate interest in reading, viewing and using information.
• Collaborating with classroom teachers to develop instructional units and design learning strategies that meet the students’ needs.

Kindergarten through Grade 8
Students attend information literacy classes weekly.  Grades 5-8 visit library as part of their LA curriculum; with emphasis on developing an appreciation of various genres of literature, reading widely to discern important information and searching various databases, websites and print sources to obtain information. Students use Google Apps for Education and have lessons from the Common Sense Media Digital Citizenship curriculum.  All students are encouraged to check out books weekly and develop strong independent reading habits.  Author visits are scheduled several times per year to generate enthusiasm for reading.  Students at all levels vote in February for their favorites from the Illinois Reader’s Choice lists.  Students participate in a Poetry Assembly in April and vote for the SIJ Book Award in May.  Subscription databases maintained by the library and accessible via student iPads include NoveList, Worldbook Student and Britannica School. Six desktop Mac computers are available in the Digital Media Lab for various class projects. Students have access via iPads and from home to the Destiny library catalog.

St. Isaac Jogues School LMC resources include:

• 11,000 plus books and periodicals for curriculum integration, research and recreational reading;
• extensive collection of professional magazines and journals;
• several high-quality subscription informational databases with school and at-home access including World Book and Britannica on-line;
• full membership in the RAILS Library System and OCLC enabling the use of materials gathered from statewide sources;
• an instructional classroom and computer lab equipped with 6 desktop Mac computers; and,
• high-speed internet access throughout the St. Isaac Jogues School campus.

For our students’ protection, we maintain a strict Internet access and usage policy that must be signed by parents and students at the beginning of each school year.