Unless you got sucked into a portal and have been spending your days riding unicorns (I’m totally jealous of you BTW), you most likely have heard of Netflix. But you might not have heard of Bookflix. That’s why I’m so excited to have Emelia Fleck here to get us in the know of this incredibly fun and relatable resource that’s getting her students (and adults!) pumped about reading.
What is Bookflix and how does it work at your school?
Bookflix is an engaging book promotion tool that mimics Netflix. Students can access Bookflix from out library website (prhslibrary.com) to discover a wide variety of new and exciting titles that are available in the library or through the Sora app (OverDrive) in audio or eBook format.
How did you creat your Bookflix?
I used Google Slides to create my Bookflix. First, I created a homepage to mimic Netflix, featuring 27 titles from a new book order that had just arrived. The second step was to create a page for each title and link the book cover to the corresponding slide. When users are in present mode and click on a book cover, they are brought directly to a slide featuring a variety of information and links, including reviews, author blogs, quotes, book trailers, a book request form and more! If users would like to go back to the home page, they simply press the home button. Some links are not obvious. For instance, there is a link embedded in the profile photo that leads to a page featuring books that the library staff are currently reading (so fun)!
Feel free to copy my template here and use it to create your own. There are also other varieties from animated powerpoints to bulletin boards created by amazing, innovative librarians. Search Twitter or Instagram using the hashtag #bookflix
Have you found it useful to getting teens excited about books?
Yes! Bookflix has generated a lot of excitement within my school and has provided me with the perfect opportunity to attract new readers! I shared Bookflix with the entire school community through email and immediately started receiving replies from students and faculty to save books for them to pick up later in the day (they wanted to make sure that they got the book they wanted first)! I also set up a New Arrivals shelf for the physical collection, and several of the books were checked out within the first hour of sharing the Bookflix. By creating and promoting books in a digital format that students could visually relate to and explore, I was able to reach more of the population in a short amount of time (rather than waiting for students and faculty to discover them on the New Arrivals shelf). The word spread fast, and the excitement was contagious!
Meet Emelia Fleck, media specialist extraordinaire
Emelia Fleck is a certified Library Media Specialist and Technology Integrator at Plymouth Regional High School in Plymouth, New Hampshire. When she is not promoting a passion for curiosity within her school community, she is traveling, working in her apiary, hiking in the White Mountains, discovering a new book, or dreaming up her next adventure (which might be baking a fresh batch of cookies, or traveling to Egypt, who knows)!
Twitter: @EmeliaJane_ | Website: prhslibrary.com
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This is awesome!! I wish we had a media specialist at my high school, but I’m going to pass this idea along to our public library!
This is really cool. Just a quick question. What is the little bell with the number on it mean? (Upper right-hand corner) on the home page of Bookflix.
Priscilla- Hey! So glad this could be a help to you! Here is the response from Emelia on your question: “In Netflix, the little bell with the number informs you how many new arrivals there are for you to investigate. I added the number 27 to the bell because I featured 27 titles within the Bookflix (all new arrivals)! ”
Thank you so much!