Think back to the beginning of the school year (seems like only yesterday!) Remember that awesome e-resources demo we did for you in August? Okay, maybe it doesn't seem like only yesterday. We want to refresh your memory about a feature we showed you called MackinVia. This is the portal to the variety of digital and electronic books and databases offered by LCPS, as well as the e-books we've invested in at our library this year. We've just recently promoted use of MackinVia for reference to Pre-AP World History and World Languages classes. Many useful features are provided to student researchers, including the ability to save favorite e-book titles, record and save notes and highlights, bookmark pages, check out and download e-books for offline reading, and create citations for works cited pages. All of these are saved in a handy virtual "backpack" that users can access from any computer or tablet. Some fiction titles and audiobooks are included, but the majority of the e-books we've purchased are reference and nonfiction titles for student research and projects. (And if you have titles to request for future purchase, we'd love your suggestions.)
One excellent feature for teachers is the ability to create a list of e-books and databases for your students to use for a lesson, project, or webquest, utilizing the "groups" feature of MackinVia. Analogous to a playlist, the group of books is curated and saved by your librarians upon request, and is available to your class upon login. All students and teachers have MackinVia and backpack accounts, accessed by using the SBHS network login credentials (example: username=mwilburn, password=SBHS network password). A link to MackinVia can be found on our library web page and on the online catalog. A multitude of smartphones, tablets, and devices are supported, and there's also a nifty MackinVia Reader app, free and available from the Apple iTunes store or Google Play. Let us know if you'd like more information. Take a look at the help guide and video tutorials, too.
One excellent feature for teachers is the ability to create a list of e-books and databases for your students to use for a lesson, project, or webquest, utilizing the "groups" feature of MackinVia. Analogous to a playlist, the group of books is curated and saved by your librarians upon request, and is available to your class upon login. All students and teachers have MackinVia and backpack accounts, accessed by using the SBHS network login credentials (example: username=mwilburn, password=SBHS network password). A link to MackinVia can be found on our library web page and on the online catalog. A multitude of smartphones, tablets, and devices are supported, and there's also a nifty MackinVia Reader app, free and available from the Apple iTunes store or Google Play. Let us know if you'd like more information. Take a look at the help guide and video tutorials, too.