San Jose Campus, Swisher Library: Student Involvement

Be a Friend of the Library!  It's a unique way for students to be involved in supporting their school library, and students can potentially earn approved volunteer time during the school day.  Being a FOTL is also a great way to add flair and uniqueness to student applications and resumes.  

• Opportunities for students to participate are ongoing August through May during the school day  
• Friends participate in ways such as:  draw shelf talkers, adopt library shelves, create art for the library display, or even bigger projects such as creating library tutorials  ... Friends are about enjoying the library and adding to the collective.

FAQ  

 Q: Do Friends have to read or shelve books?

A:  Not unless you want to!  This is not a book club.  

Q:  Why would I be a Friend of the Library?  

A:  Friends is a fun and creative ways to participate by adding to the school library collective even in the smallest of ways.   Participation can also add a unique flair to your applications and resumes and help yours stand out from the crowd.   Friends that take on a seriously involved project, like creating tutorials or initiating literacy events can earn approved volunteer hours.  

Q: I cannot / do not want to attend meetings during 0 hour, Activities or after school.  Can I still be involved? 

A:  Yes!   Friends is not a club with member or meeting requirements.  

Q:  What if I participate in Friends for a while and become too busy with academics/athletics/work to continue participating? 

A:  There are no obligations to fundraise or meet outside of school hours.  Friends is meant to be flexible and easy to participate within the school library.  

Q:  How can I find out more?

A:  Stop by the library and ask Mrs. Moody and / or join the Group Friends of the Library on Schoology

Just for Fun:  Shelf Talkers

 Do you like to review or rate books you read?  Do you like to color or draw?  

• Create a short, appealing description of a book you read, to be displayed on the bookshelf with the book.   Include a star rating.  Shelf Talkers are the size of an index card, see examples below.  Need index cards or color pencils?  We have them for you in Swisher. 
• Skills:  Ability to compose powerful, descriptive short summaries on index cards.  Stencils or drawing enhancement highly desired.  Must be willing to read books.  Must be willing to put your name or initials on your shelf talker and leave a star rating.  
• Shelf Talkers can be created during zero, activities, free period, after school or at home. 

Friend of the Library:  Adopt A Shelf 

Does organizing help you relax?  Are you a stickler for neatness?  If yes we have a zen opportunity for you.

• Adopt a Shelf in Swisher - any shelf you like so long at is is not already adopted.  Already adopted shelves have yellow tags on them.  
• Maintain order and appearance of your adoption.   Rotate featured book on display, choose and feature an eBook or Audiobook from your shelf to display.   Read spine labels and adjust the books that may be out of order.  Keep your adopted shelf looking retail ready.  
• Skills:  Must find happiness in organization and enjoy working alone.  Must have ability to visualize an end result and work towards that goal.   Must enjoy sorting numerically and alphabetically. 
• Talk with either Mrs. Moody, Mrs. Morgan or Ms. Williams if you are ready to adopt.  

Donations are happily accepted during the school year with the understanding that material not suitable for our collection will be donated to another library, literacy organization or to the Art students for repurposing.   

Swisher Library is very proud to display custom Bolles student artwork from current and past graduates.  

A few amazing examples of student artwork:

March Book Madness bracket and voting has concluded!  Congratulations to our four winners!  We will be back in 2023

for fresh bracket and voting.

 A global, digital book club for all students and faculty that enjoy sharing books with one another. 

• How often does the digital book club read and meet to discuss a book?  Seasonally, 3-4x a year. 
• Do I have to purchase my own copy of the book?  Swisher Library provides access to unlimited eBook and audiobook copies available for download using Sora. 
• What is Sora?  Sora is the name of the digital library our school library uses to access eBooks, audiobooks and digital magazines.
• What is my login for Sora?  Bolles username and Bolles password
• Where do I find the book we are reading and discussing?  Will be announced on Schoology and daily announcements.  
• Who picks the books?  Big Library Read is sponsored by OverDrive and they facilitate the selections.
• What if I don’t like the book selection?  This is an optional program to promote reading and discussing books.   No one is required to read or participate in discussions.  If you begin to read the book and do not enjoy it, simply return it or let the eBook / audiobook expire and it will return itself. 
• What if I read the book but don’t want to attend the discussion?  That would be just fine.  This is an optional program to promote reading.  
• Do I have to attend every discussion or read every book to participate in the Big Library Read?  Nope! Read whichever books sound interesting to you and join the corresponding discussion if you choose to.  There is no registration or attendance. 
• Can I read the book on another platform and still join the Swisher Library book discussion?  Yes of course!
• What books have been chosen for BLR in the past?  Past Selections

Over 1,000 books were collected Spring 2022 and were donated to various organizations around Jacksonville including:

• Mission House
• Fleet Retirement Community
• Kids for Kids (Wolfson's)
• Kim's Homeschooling for Vietnamese children
• Hope at Hand
• Sanctuary on 8th 
• Salvation Army