When You Wonder How to Lift Readers

WHEN IT COMES TO LIFTING READERS, it often begins with a great Library System, like Alexandria, and utilizing all its amazing tools to really reach readers. In this blog, we are sharing the best of the best tools Alexandria has to offer—and how to customize them to help you do even more to promote and improve literacy.

Browse & Customize Beautiful Bookshelf Views

In Alexandria, the GENRE category when you process books directly relate to our BROWSE feature, our whole bookshelf view. You may control what you enter in the GENRE entry AND/OR what is in your 655 MARC record, and customize your patrons' search in BROWSE. Your GENRE entry might follow publishing categories, and you might add an L Every Reader category and C Chapter Book section. BROWSE allows you to do the little thing that improves reading schoolwide, using this awesome Full Bookshelf View.

Promote Reading With Targeted Interactives

As Librarians, we create BULLETIN BOARDS to promote reading or a certain book or to really engage our readers. What's nice about Alexandria is that BULLETIN BOARDS are built into the Library System and with them, you can promote anything: a welcome page for the library (shown here and includes a search widget), lessons, shared assessments, encourage tech, link to games, and promote your best student readers. Whatever you might think up, you can create with Interactive BULLETIN BOARDS.

With EXPLORE, you can definitely do more. You can add your first bonus 16 links to tools the school uses a lot. Then, the sky is really the limit as to how you want to create your explore to promote your library, best books, teaching guides, tech tool links, bonus PDs for teachers, or even your entire library. There is so much you can do with EXPLORE.

Create Slideshows & Share Resource Links

SLIDESHOWS are the ideal way to share good reads, so Alexandria took this seriously. Now, you can create a slideshow in 8 to 29 seconds (based on actual tests). As the librarian, you can code a few quick words like ((Smart::R Real Story)) and BOOM! You have the slides flipping on a loop as your students enter the library. Plus there are three predefined searches that take three clicks and about 8 seconds using SLIDESHOWS.

Then there is Alexandria's OTHER button. The OTHER button is otherworldly. It allows you to add on book experiences: links to videos, common assessments, read alouds, teacher guides—and really ignite the love of reading.

Manage MARC Records & Bundle Your Add-ons

BESTMARC is an add-on that offers the ability to keep your MARC records up-to-date, all your award-winners accounted for, and even helps you shift from AAACR2 to RDA. Plus, you may schedule planned clean-ups and program in how you want books to come to you from vendors.

Alexandria also offers LIMITLESS BUNDLES. This allows you to add on certain features, like GG4L or SIS, or additional eBooks—you can decide between our LIMITLESS BUNDLES and select things your district will benefit from the most.

Add a Districtwide Single-Search with Reporting

Nothing is like NAVIGATOR. NAVIGATOR is a powerful Single-Search that will aid learning districtwide. It allows you to add 30 Resources and personalize your search to amp up learning for essay writing and helps you improve learning with this single and brilliant districtwide add-on.

Add ENGAGEMENT+ to this and you open up easy ways to differentiate, like multiple language reading options (simply select and read), text-to-speech, and notetaking (no need to convert and import to another tool). And the best part. The simplicity allows your district to regain more teachable hours.

Add Library Access to eBooks or CampusKey

EBOOKS are so convenient for teaching and Alexandria has worked hard to integrate these right into the library. patrons can open and enjoy, search and review books from OverDrive, GumDrop, Lightbox Interactives, Mackin, Capstone, and more—and these will be searchable throughout your library on any device, even a smartphone from home. We even have an EXPLORE button for all of these in your Alexandria Library.

CAMPUSKEY is a nifty add-on that allows you to expand your online resources while giving you detailed 24/7/365 feedback on reading time, websites visited, and other teaching tools so you can get the data you need to expand and/or streamline efficiencies.