Staff and pupils in Falkirk Council have had automatic access to 1000s of eBooks and eAudiobooks through their Glow account since 2018. We provide this service for every school for free and as pupils/staff already have a Glow log-in there are no barriers to joining the library, just download the app and read or listen. It complements our physical collections and we wanted pupils to have access to a wide-range of audiobooks (CDs were on the way out!). Reading books on a device also offers lots of accessibility options like font-size, spacing, dictionary, colour of background etc. and can be used with Immersive Reader.
We started with a small collection and built it up over the years – new content gets added every month and we regularly give the collections an extra boost. The library has always been well-used but lockdowns and the roll-out of Falkirk Connected iPads has seen our numbers of active users and loans soar! Originally content was only for early years and primary, as that is who we provide our service to, but when lockdown struck we started to add teenage content to support our high schools.
From April 2021 to March 2022 we loaned:
17256 Eaudiobooks
23161 Ebooks
It’s makes our librarian hearts sing to see so many children using the service we provide and reading all these books. However, it’s not without challenges, we can have long waiting lists for popular books no matter how many copies we buy. We also need to keep building our teenage content as the service is quickly growing in popularity with older pupils.
A colourful free e-Book helping to talk through feelings around covid 19 with young children. Available from Oxford University Press here
Winnie and Wilbur Stay at Home from the popular series by Valerie Thomas and Korky Paul is available as an e-Book with fun activities and can be downloaded free here
The RED Book Award, now in its 14th year, was in danger of not going ahead because of the coronavirus, however it was decided to organise the ceremony on-line. Over 70 teachers and pupils gathered on Microsoft Teams on 27/5/2020 to join the 4 wonderful shortlisted authors:
The Q & A session was excellent with the authors answering brilliant questions from the pupils. The ceremony was interrupted with some occasional ‘hand dancing’ by the librarians, teachers, guests and authors! The young people had written alternative endings to the shortlisted books and the overall winner, from Larbert HS, had written another ending to The Closest Thing to Flying, the author, Gill Lewis, said she was “blown away” by the writing.
And then it was time to open the red envelope to reveal the winning book:
The Quiet at the End of the World by Lauren James who was delighted and said it was her first regional book award win!
At this time you may wish to read stories online as one of the many ways to digitally engage children and young people. Many publishers understand this, and have temporarily lifted or adjusted their copyright guidelines and permissions, please visit this website to find out which publishers have adjusted their policies. You will also find guidelines to follow from each participating publisher.
Don’t forget that many others are offering free resources and tools on their websites.
Book Trust have developed this digital hub. It is packed full of free books, videos, games, recipes, competitions, quizzes and much more. Plus, watch live readings and draw-a-longs with celebrated children’s authors and illustrators..
Why not try RadioBlogging – daily shows with interactive activities to keep everyone busy and engaged, brought to you by Pie Corbett, Deputy Mitchell, Ian Rockey and Russell Prue. Just listen and blog, it’s live, fun and interactive with new educational tasks each day for children to engage with at home or in school. CLICK HERE to visit and listen to any of the previous RadioBlogging Shows.
Remember to visit the Scottish Book Trust website for loads of great ideas for reading and writing. You can also meet amazing authors and illustrators on-line – here is what’s on offer in April and May:
Tuesday 14 April, 11am Liz Pichon: Featuring lots of giggles and doodles, author and illustrator Liz Pichon explores the world of her well-loved character, Tom Gates. Suitable for ages 8-11.
Thursday 16 April, 11am Nikesh Shukla: Hear about Nikesh’s powerful novel The Boxer, the impact of experiencing racist abuse, and how sport can empower young people. Suitable for ages 12+.
Tuesday 21 April, 11am Tracey Corderoy and Steven Lenton: Have your drawing supplies at the ready for a fun-filled event with the team behind the hilarious Shifty McGifty and Slippery Sam books. Suitable for ages 6-11.
Thursday 23 April, 11am Nick Sharratt: Learn how illustrator Nick Sharratt creates well-loved characters, such as Jacqueline Wilson’s Tracy Beaker and Kes Gray’s Daisy. Suitable for ages 6-11.
Tuesday 28 April, 11am Julia Donaldson, Julia brings to life some of her best loved heroes and villains with costumes, puppets and song. Suitable for ages 3-6.
Thursday 30 April, 11am Kwame Alexander: Join multi-award winning author Kwame Alexander for a compelling discussion about his books and the power of poetry. Suitable for ages 12+.
Tuesday 5 May, 11am Emily Mackenzie: Draw along with this fantastic event, featuring a wonderful reading of Emily’s picture book There’s Broccoli in My Ice Cream! Suitable for ages 3-6.
Thursday 7 May, 11am Lauren St John and Elizabeth Laird: Explore the importance of looking after the oceans, and hear all about where these amazing authors get their inspiration from! Suitable for ages 6-11.
Falkirk Council’s Learning Resource Service has added e-books and unabridged e-audio books to the resources available to borrow for pupils and school staff. This is a brilliant way to develop and maintain a love of reading especially in the current situation where schools and public libraries are closed.
We have invested in a number of campaign titles allowing simultaneous access to certain titles e.g. Holes, The Wizards of Once and The Boy Who Grew Dragons.
Also, BorrowBox has been working with J.K. Rowling and Pottermore to support the #HarryPotterAtHome initiative and we are offering unlimited loans to the first book, Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone until 30th April 2020.
There are two main ways to log in:
Through an app (available for iOS, Android, Kindle Fire,)
Download the BorrowBox app by Bolinda from your device’s app store
Open the app, in the Library section tap and type “Falkirk Learning Resource Service” Tap on the selection.
In the ID/Barcode section, enter your Glow account username
If there isn’t a tile, click up in App Library at the top of the screen. Search for Bolinda Borrowbox, click on it and Add to My Launchpad. Click back on Launchpad at the top of the screen to return to the main Glow page.
Have a look at the really helpful videos available here to show how to sign in and borrow books.
The shortlisted authors are invited to Falkirk to lead workshop sessions in the secondary schools and to attend the Book Award ceremony in Falkirk Town Hall. A major highlight of the Book Award process is the award ceremony in May, where pupils from each of the secondary schools in Falkirk Council screen their creative digital interpretations of the shortlisted books, meet the authors and celebrate books and reading.
Unfortunately due to Covid 19 the book award ceremony has been cancelled for this year. It is so disappointing that this decision has had to be taken, feedback from previous participants tell us that the RED Book award is one of the highlights of the school year.
The RED Book Award is Falkirk Council’s Book Award in which each secondary school in the authority participate. RED stands for Read, Enjoy, Debate and is all about reading for enjoyment and stimulating lively debate about books. https://twitter.com/readenjoydebate?lang=en
RED Book Award students from Kenya Skype RED Book Award students from Grangemouth HS
At the time of writing this post, the award is now in its 12th year and the shortlist is:
Rebel of the Sands by Alwyn Hamilton
Welcome to Nowhere by Elizabeth Laird
Boy X by Dan Smith
Hell and High Water by Tanya Landman
13 and 14-year-olds from English classes in Bo’ness Academy, Braes High, Denny High, Falkirk High, Graeme High, Grangemouth High, Larbert High and St. Mungo’s High as well as reading groups in Polmont Young Offenders Institute and from a variety of countries take part. This year schools in Kenya, South Africa and The Netherlands are participating.
The young people read the 4 shortlisted titles, vote for their favourite book and produce a creative interpretation of one of the books for the award ceremony. English teachers and school librarians work together to make sure each student gets the most out of being part of the RED Book award.
There is also an art competition, where young people in each school are invited to redesign the front covers of each of the shortlisted books . The schools bring 4 designs to the award ceremony and the authors choose the overall winners.
The Books
The shortlist of books is decided after lengthy debate by school and public librarians, young people feed in their opinions to the debate too. The criteria include books must be available in paperback, the author is available to attend the award ceremony and the books must have the wow factor.
The young people decide the winning book through a secret vote a few weeks before the award ceremony. The winner is revealed by opening the red envelope at the close of the big day!
Key Dates
April – August: A longlist of books is read from which the shortlist is agreed.
September – April: Young people read, enjoy and debate the books.
April: Pupils vote for their favourite book.
May: the 4 shortlisted authors visit the secondary schools and the RED Book Award ceremony is held at the Falkirk Town Hall FTH
The RED Book Award Ceremony
Around 250 young people and invited guests pack into the Falkirk Town Hall to participate in the RED Book Award ceremony. Participants are encouraged to wear a red accessory and there are prizes (sponsored by Bright Red Books, www.brightredpublishing.co.uk) throughout the event for winners of the book review competition (sponsored by Palimpsest, www.palimpsest-bp.co.uk), a book cover design competition and best red accessory. The day is full of energy and fun and packed with a host of activities – from book signings and chatting with the authors to creative interpretations of the books and live entertainment by the young people.
The ceremony culminates in the opening of the red envelope to reveal the winning book.
A colourful free e-Book helping to talk through feelings around covid 19 with young children. A
