Library

The only thing that you absolutely need to know is the location of the library.

Albert Einstein

The EMS Sound

Student newspaper of Emporia Middle School. Read news, sports, fun & games, and issues concerning EMS students today.

SIRS Discoverer

Lexiled newspaper and magazine articles for middle school students.

U.S. BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS Office of Occupational Statistics and Employment Projections

Funbrain

Funbrain, created for kids age preschool through grade 8, offers more than 100 fun, interactive games that develop skills in math, reading, and literacy.

Son of Citation Machine

Citation machine helps students and professional researchers to properly credit the information that they use.

EMS SPARTAN MEDIA

Emporia Middle School's Digital Hub

Fact Monster

Almanac, dictionary, encyclopedia and homework help.

Library Hours:
7:40 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

Students are welcome in the library before school.

Search for Books

Destiny Catalog – Books and eBooks in our library.

Follett Shelf – Access e-books available through our school district.

Lexile.com – Find a lexiled book.

Series and Sequels – Is a book you’re reading part of a series? Find out here.

EMS Tech Resources

Library Policies

Circulation Policies

EMS Students can check out 2 books at a time for personal enjoyment. If books are required for a class, they can get permission to check out additional titles.

Books are checked out for two weeks at a time and can be renewed unless the title has a hold on it from another student.

The individual checking out a book will be responsible for returning the book in good condition. The cost of replacement will be assessed for lost or damaged books. If a student fails to take responsibility for lost or damaged books, library privileges may be restricted or revoked.

If a student has overdue books, the individual will not be able to check out until the book is renewed or returned.

A book can only be renewed if the student has it with them.

All library materials will be due back by May 16, 2022.

* Fines collected will be used to benefit the students, through the purchase of replacement books, reading promotions, and other library materials.

Parental Permission

Welcome to Emporia Middle School! We are excited to work with your child and continue to encourage a love of reading in all students. The transition to middle school is a big step for your child and we want you to be aware of what your child reads in the library.

The EMS Library serves students throughout middle school, in 6th through 8th grades, and our collection of books reflects this. We have books intended for elementary, middle grade, and high school. In order to effectively meet students’ needs and interests, the books in our library vary in content and maturity level. Most books that are considered “young adult” are for 6th through 12th grade and parents may want to reserve the right to monitor what their middle school students read.

If you would like for your child to be able to check out the books marked “Parent Permission Required” due to mature content, please fill out the form and return it to the EMS Library. Your student will still have many options for checkout if you choose not to sign. This form will be available for your student if you prefer to wait and give permission in 7th or 8th grade.

If you have any questions regarding the library or these policies, please feel free to contact me any time at amber.ovsak@usd253.net.

(Look for the red sheet that your student brings home after library orientation!)

Electronic Resources

Kansas Library eCard

This is the card for Kansans that can be obtained at any public, school, or academic library in Kansas. It provides access to digital materials available to all Kansas residents (ebooks/audiobooks, research databases). It is not so much a "card" as it is a login for online materials. (No card is needed for use of the databases).

For more information, visit the library or contact us at ems-library@usd253.net!

BreakoutEDU

EMS teachers and students have access to the Breakout EDU database. You can choose from the ready-made puzzles or create your own! If you have not tried this out in your classroom, you are missing out!

Follett E-Books

There are a wide variety of E-Books available for checkout!

Instructions for Resources

BrainPOP

Did you know that our school has a subscription to BrainPOP? Teachers can log in with their Google accounts and assign lessons and videos through this wonderful resource.

Check Out Brain POP

Teacher Resources

The EMS Library is here to support teachers & students!

We offer help with information Literacy, research skills, and any information-related needs.

Looking for resources to help with your classroom? Beyond books, we also have a wide variety of supplies to help you be successful. Cricut machines for bulletin board help, board games, DVDs, legos and more. We also have a variety of electronic resources such as Bluetooth speakers, Swivls, & projectors to support classroom activities as well.

If you have questions or need assistance, come on in and look around!

Swivl - Recording Device

The Swivl is a recording device for use in classrooms. Teachers have used this as a tool for recording lessons, student presentations, vlogging, or audio recording.

The EMS Library currently has two Swivl devices for teacher use.

Board Games

Board games are available for teachers to check out!

Why board games?

Play is an important part of our mental and social development.
Games provide stories and information, presented in a new format.
Many board games challenge students to think critically.
Playing a board game is an “inquiry-based research process.”
Board games are an effective way to employ cooperative learning in the classroom.

DVD Check Out

EMS Library has a variety of DVDs for teachers to use to support curriculum. DVDs are located in the library storage room. Can't find what you are looking for? Let the librarian know and we will see if we can order it!

ProQuest: SIRS Discoverer

Username: ems1
Password: jrspartan

SIRS® Discoverer® is a multidisciplinary database specifically designed for elementary and middle school learners, researchers, and educators covering curriculum areas such as current events, history, health, language arts, math, science, social studies, and technology. All newspaper, magazine, and reference content is 100% full text, editorially selected and indexed from over 2,200 reliable, high-quality domestic and international sources.

User-friendly advanced search features enable young learners to find exactly what they need by limiting any search by source type and simple searching by grade level and Lexile range.

SIRS Discoverer provides the following features and tools:

Animal Facts
Article Text to Speech
Citation Generator
Integration with Google Drive and Google Classroom
Language Translation
Country Facts & Maps
Current Events
Educators’ Resources
Nonfiction Books
Pro/Con Leading Issues
Responsive design, optimized for viewing on mobile devices
Science Fair Explorer
Spotlight On…
Student Tutorials

Professional Learning Library

Our professional learning library is located in the storage room of the library. We have a variety of instructional books for staff to check out if you are interested or in need of help. This also includes the AVID library.

Little Free Staff Library

While we have a library full of books, some of you might like to read books intended for adults. So, we created our EMS Little Free Staff Library. It is located in the storage room. You are free to donate and take as you wish!

Scholastic Books for Students

Scholastic Dollars collected from school book fairs go towards the purchase of books for EMS students. We have a collection of titles that can be distributed to students as a reward or incentive from a teacher. Contact Mrs. Ovsak for more information.

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