Rev John O’Connor Library

We Offer:

  • black & white student printer

  • black & white student copier 

  • access to more than 8,000 books available for check-out

  • inter-library loan services

  • selection of research databases

  • study, collaboration, and relaxed seating areas


Check-Out Policy
Students may check out up to ten books for three weeks using their first and last name or AHS ID card. Materials may be renewed as long as they are not on hold for another patron. The library is fine-free. Replacement costs are charged for lost and damaged materials. Any books still checked out or overdue on the last day of the school year will be charged to the student's account.

Student Access to the Library
The library will be open from 8am-3pm Monday through Friday. Food, cell phones, book bags, purses, and gym bags are not allowed in the library.

Students may choose to spend their study halls in the library. Students should first report to their assigned study hall classroom for attendance and then make their way to the library. Access to the library during study hall may be broken down into two alternating groups by alphabet (A-L and M-Z) depending on the size of study hall class or quantity of study halls in a given class period.

Research

  • GOOGLE SCHOLAR - Google's search engine that limits results to only scholarly material.  

  • PROJECT GUTENBERG - a library of over 60,000 ebooks, with an emphasis on older works for which copyright has expired.

  • ILLINET/I-SHARE - includes resources of 65 Illinois libraries belonging to CARLI, the Consortium of Academic & Research Libraries in Illinois. Use to search for materials at Augustana College and other Illinois university/college libraries who belong to the Illinois Library Computer Systems Organization (ILCSO).


Writing Resources

  • EASYBIB WEBSITE EVALUATION GUIDE - examples of websites that are credible.        

  • EVALUATING RESOURCES, UC BERKELEY - helps explain why a particular source is a good fit for your research project. 

  • PLAGTRACKER - free plagiarism tracker.

  • PURDUE OWL - Purdue University's online writing center. Use this site for tips on the writing process and for research guidelines.                                  

  • ZOTEROBIB - automatic citation generator for MLA, APA, and other styles.  Use this site to create a works cited page. 

Books

  • ONLINE LIBRARY CATALOG - Browse both the Alleman High School library collection, as well as the entire prairiecat consortium, which spreads across northern Illinois. Students are able to request books from other libraries in the consortium to be picked up in the Alleman library. 

  • GOODREADS - social media for book lovers. Get book recommendations, keep track of books you’ve ​read, and recommend books to others.

  • ILLINOIS STATE LIBRARY - official library of the Illinois state government and a department of the Secretary of State.

  • INTERNET ARCHIVE - a non-profit library of millions of free books, movies, software, music, websites, and more.

  • POETS.org - this website is sponsored by the Academy of American Poets. You can search for famous poems, learn about American poets, or browse new poetry. 

  • YALSA BOOK FINDER - search 4,000+ books, audiobooks, and films from the Young Adult Library Services Association’s (YALSA) book awards and book lists.

  • Destiny Discover - the link for the AHS Rev. John O'Connor online library catalog. Browse our collection and put our books on hold for pickup in the library. For your username and password, contact kmihm@bianlifan.com or nhuntley@bianlifan.com

  • The StoryGraph - the best social media for booklovers. Log and review the books you've already read, update your progress on the books you're currently reading, and develop a TBR (to be read) list. Connect with other book lovers to compare your reading habits and discuss your love of books! 


Book Award Winners

  • ISLMA LINCOLN AWARD WINNERS - this program encourages teens to read for pleasure and to become lifelong readers. Named after former President Abraham Lincoln, the Lincoln Award is sponsored by ISLMA (Illinois School Library Media Association).

  • MARGARET A. EDWARDS AWARD - the Margaret A. Edwards Award honors an author, as well as a specific body of his or her work, for significant and lasting contribution to young adult literature. It recognizes an author's work in helping adolescents become aware of themselves and addressing questions about their role and importance in relationships, society, and in the world.  

  • CORETTA SCOTT KING BOOK AWARDS - the Coretta Scott King Book Awards are given annually to outstanding African American authors and illustrators of books for children and young adults that demonstrate an appreciation of African American culture and universal human values.  

  • THE MICHAEL L. PRINTZ AWARD - The Michael L. Printz Award is an award for a book that exemplifies literary excellence in young adult literature. It is named for a Topeka, Kansas school librarian who was a long-time active member of the Young Adult Library Services Association.  The award is sponsored by Booklist, a publication of the American Library Association.  

  • SLJ BEST YOUNG ADULT BOOKS - YALSA’s best fiction for young adults blogging team presents fiction titles published for young adults in the past 14 months that are recommended reading for ages 12 to 18. 

  • YALSA NONFICTION BOOK AWARD - YALSA's Award for Excellence in Nonfiction honors the best nonfiction book published for young adults (ages 12-18) during a Nov. 1 – Oct. 31 publishing year.