In the world of virtual school, the use of the school library dwindles. Students are not able to take study halls, check out books or use other resources, or attend presentations. Books and other media go on without being used while students at home go on without the ability to read new books or have access to the library’s resources. These issues prompted Librarian Ms. Burks to create a new way for students to access the library’s resources, the Book Hub. 

The Book Hub is a way to access the library’s resources by checking out books online. To find the website, go to RCHS’s school website, then scroll down to the ‘Library’ tab. Once you have clicked on the tab and you have been redirected to its page, click on the banner called “Book Hub,” here you will find instructions on how to request a book from the library. Once you have placed a book on hold, either Ms. Burks or librarian Ms. Hilliard will check your book out and place it into a bag with your name on it. That bag will then be placed in the front office where you will be free to pick it up. The website and instructions on how to use the Book Hub can be accessed at https://sites.google.com/rockbridge.k12.va.us/rchs-media-center/catalog-search. 

Another service the library has provided is an e-book and audiobook service called jlgDigital. Here, you are able to access free audiobooks or e-books, with an account the school set up for you. You are able to access this either through the library’s Bitmoji library or through an ios App. Once logged in, a “feed” of suggested books will be presented to you, overtime this feed will adapt to your book preferences. You can find this website at https://jlg.ipublishcentral.com/bookshelf. 

In addition to these resources, Ms. Burks has created a virtual book club as a way to create a sense of community in this online world. The books are chosen off of the VA Readers’ Choice list for 2020-21. Ms. Burks has also created an incentive to encourage readers. If you read six of the titles, you will be placed into a raffle for a $10 gift certificate to Sweet Things Ice Cream in downtown Lexington. If you read all 10 titles, you will be entered to win a gift basket worth $50. A link to the VA Readers’ Choice page is https://sites.google.com/rockbridge.k12.va.us/rchs-media-center/va-readers-choice. All of the VA Readers’ Choice books for this year as well as a few winners from last year are available for check out through the Book Hub as well. 

 For additional updates and information on the Book Hub or the RCHS Library in general, follow @rchslibrarymedia on Instagram or find their website at https://sites.google.com/rockbridge.k12.va.us/rchs-media-center/home.