Hoffman School Learning Resource Center

Alexandria Online Catalog Lexiles Research Links Visiting Authors Spelling Bee TV Turnoff Week Book Discussion Groups Writers' Workshop Battle of the Books Read Across America Birthday Book Club Newsletters	Welcome to the Hoffman Learning Resource Center! If you think back to your elementary and high school years you may recall that the library in your school was a place to get a book, do homework, use an encyclopedia, or simply somewhere to go during a study hall hour. But today, the traditional school library has given way to a new and dynamic place where it reaches far beyond the notion of it being just a place where there are books. A school library is a critical component of a school’s total education program as it creates a climate that enhances learning opportunities where students discover how to find, analyze, evaluate, interpret and communicate information and ideas (Linking For Learning, 1999). The Hoffman Learning Resource Center is exactly this, an exciting place that plays an integral role in providing children with the knowledge and skills that are crucial for living and working in the 21st century.
	The Book Shelves
	The Mini-Core
	The Presentation Area
	The Check Out Desk
	The Reference Collection
	Learning Resource Center Director * Kirsten Considine * 847-657-2522 Technology Facilitator * Judy Jedlink * 847-657-2528 Learning Resource Center Associate * Diane Holm

The Book Shelves

We use the Dewey Decimal System to arrange books on the shelves. The books are divided into fiction or non fiction. All of the paperbacks are shelved in a separate section. We keep our series books, such as Animorphs, American Girl, Junie B. Jones, Boxcar Children, Dear America, Magic Tree House, The Secrets of Droon, Bailey School Kids, Animan Ark, Encyclopedia Brown, Nancy Drew, and The Hardy Boys on separate shelves.

The Mini-Core

We have 30 eMac workstations, 3 Dell workstations, 4 iMac browse stations, and two laser printers in the Mini-Core. Whole classes or small groups come to the Mini-Core to work on keyboarding, writing, and researching. All of the computers are networked and can be used to access the school network and the internet. All of the computers have Microsoft Office installed. Students work on a variety of multimedia presentation programs such as HyperStudio, AppleWorks Slide Show, and PowerPoint. In addition, the eMacs have iPhoto, iMovie, and Garage Band for use in various projects.

The Presentation Area

The Presentation Area is a unique part of our Learning Center. It is a large open space with nine tables for class work. The area also has track lighting and a beautiful velvet drape that makes a wonderful backdrop for student presentations and guest speakers. The drape can be opened to reveal bulletin boards, a white board and a retractable screen which makes the presentation area useful for all types of presentations. We have a cable hook up so students can take advantage of special television programs and news reports. Our newest addition, is a sound system that includes recessed speakers, an amplifier, a wireless microphone, and a 5 disk cd-player. With this new system we will be able to project student computer and video presentations on the screen and through the speakers.

The Check-Out Desk

Students can go to the book check desk after they have selected the books they need. There is also a book return slot for students to return books when they are due. Mrs. Holm uses our vast database to process each book. This database holds information about each one of our Hoffman students. Our current enrollment is 460 students. The database also holds information on every book in the collection. We currently have about 22,000 books in our collection!!

The Reference Collection

Students who are researching topics for classroom projects, may search for information using several different sources. Students may look for information in encyclopedias, atlases, almanacs, and on-line sources.