Library Lovers Month: Let's Celebrate!

February is Library Lovers Month. This is an excellent time for librarians and teachers to emphasize the love of reading many of the great books that are in the school library for fun, not just for an assignment.

It's also a great time to find out more about the excellent authors that have been recognized with the Nobel Prize in Literature, and also those awarded the Pulitzer Prize for fiction, drama, and poetry that was begun 80 years ago in 1928.

ProQuest has created a variety of BookCart activities that focus on literature:

• African-American Literature
  
• Censorship and Banned Books
  
• Contemporary American Literature and Authors
  
• Edgar Allen Poe--Works and Criticism
  
• Hispanic Authors Writing in English
  
• Nobel Prize in Literature
  
• Reading the Classics
  
• Song Lyrics as Poetry
  
• The Genius of Shakespeare

1. Access eLibrary, then enter your eLibrary CE Teacher Edition by clicking here.
   
   
2. Select the BookCart Admin link at the top-right corner of the page.
   
   
3. Click the ProQuest Carts tab.
   
   
4. Click the Copy icon to the right of one of the titles of interest from above.
   
   
5. Select the Return to My Local Carts link.
   
   
6. Each BookCart you copied should be edited for best use. In turn, click each new BookCart title you just copied to open the BookCart Editor.
   
   
7. Delete "Copy of" from the BookCart title. Make any other changes you wish.
   
   
8. Add your name in the Author boxes, then add any other content you wish to the Cart.
   
   
9. Click Save button at bottom.

Assign students to complete a report of 150-200 words that cites at least three resources. An alternative would be a PowerPoint report of about two to three minutes. Each BookCart includes essential questions for critical thinking that help students use the resources more effectively and promote original thought about the topic/issue. You can add or substitute others if appropriate.

The themes of February -- Library lovers and the major anniversary of the Pulitzer Prize -- lend themselves to learning more about the most famous authors in the world.

Pathfinder #1: Click the Literature icon > Type Nobel Prize authors in the Search box.

Pathfinder #2: Type Pulitzer Prize authors in the Search box.

Assign students a different author to research from the results of the searches. Students should product a report or presentation of 150-200 words that cites at least three resources. If students choose to do a PowerPoint report, then two to three minutes is appropriate.

Each student report should integrate critical thinking skills to challenge student to use original thought. Here are some samples for teachers to consider assigning (at least two) to students (teachers can also create their own):

• Why was this author's work recognized with either the Nobel or Pulitzer Prize?
  
  
• What is the literary criticism related to the work of this author?
  
  
• What is your opinion of any of these works that you may have read?
  
  
• What overall themes does this author focus on and why?
  
  
• What background helped to develop this author's ideas and skills?

Students can use these our new written and Powerpoint models for their reports.