Library News

This week, CVHS first year students will visit the library on August 28 or 29 with their English classes to complete their Passport to the Next Level library orientations. 

Students will visit stations set up around the library. My Time, Our Space and Extra Help stations launch first year students toward resources for self-directed learning, accessibility, reading and writing support, civic responsibility and volunteer opportunities. 

All students will take an intake assessment of their research and information literacy skills at a fourth station such that CVHS can begin to build a longitudinal analysis of student outcomes. 

The library will be closed August 28 and 29 to all other students during the school day. 

English teachers may bring their classes to the library on special SSR days.  The following SSR days are reservable in ~20 minute increments, such that multiple classes can visit the library within a period to check out books.

Reserve in advance on the library instruction calendar! 

Please try to schedule all SSR appointments on these dates so that we can best serve your students and additional departments.

• Monday, August 18
• Thursday, August 21
• Friday, August 22
• Monday, September 15
• Thursday, October 2
• Friday, October 3
• Thursday, October 16
• Friday, October 17
• Monday, October 20
• Monday, November 17
• Monday, December 1
• Monday, December 15
• Thursday, January 8
• Friday, January 9
• Monday, January 12
• Monday, January 26
• Monday, February 2
• Monday, February 9
• Monday, February 23
• Monday, March 9
• Monday, March 23
• Monday, April 13
• Monday, May 4

Castro Valley High School teachers, students and staff now have access to JSTOR Secondary Schools Collection through the library. Check it out on the Library Database A-Z list. The database landing page has access information and more.

The JSTOR Collection contains over 2,600 journal titles from the major academic societies, associations and industry publishers worldwide. 

Subject areas: Arts & Sciences, Life Sciences, Business, Jewish Studies, Lives of Literature, Public Health, Security Studies, Sustainability, and Primary Source collections. Images can be searched by many facets (e.g. “graphic design”)

Journal title list and holdings.

JSTOR is a premier e-Resource for students in Advanced Placement and Honors courses. Please use it in AP and Honors courses to prepare CVHS students for college-level research. CVHS students will gain access to the full research version of JSTOR in their future college and university libraries. 

Teachers, please register for a lunchtime PD session in Fall 2025-2026 if you would like a hands on walk through or if you would like to learn from your fellow teachers, workshop style.

Castro Valley High School teachers, students and staff now have access to the Oxford English Dictionary (OED) through the library. It is so much more than your basic dictionary! Check it out on the Library Database A-Z list.

Search for any word in the Oxford English Dictionary and get a definition, pronunciation (British and American English), word history and historical synonyms.  This is a great resource to build your vocabulary or to use in English classes. 

Teachers, please try these databases and provide feedback by March 31st. 

The following trials end March 31st and will inform future subscriptions. If you use news articles (including the New York Times) in any of your classes, please trial these resources to gain the same or better, broader access and provide feedback.

• Proquest Current Newspapers: Major Dailies
  • Evaluation form
• Access World News (castroVALLEY / castroVALLEY)
  • Evaluation form

All Gale Databases are now accessed via Google SSO. 

CVUSD Libraries have transitioned access for all Gale databases from Geolocation technology to Google Single Sign-on. 

The following Gale e-resources are accessible 24/7 via Google Single Sign-on. Students and teachers can now “sign in with Google” to gain access. 

• Gale Interactive: Science (all sites)
• Gale in Context: Environmental Studies Database (all sites)
• Gale in Context: Biography (CVHS only)
• National Geographic Kids (all sites)

Site libraries have begun to transition their links to the new secure links.  Most of CVUSD libraries do not yet have an e-resource management function built into their websites, so this transition make take certain sites longer to implement than others. Thank you for your patience as our libraries modernize!

Why the change?

Authentication to Gale databases via Google Single Sign-on provides three key benefits:

1. Secure 24/7 easy access for students using their existing Google accounts. No usernames and passwords.

2. Students can download articles and push citations directly into their Google Drives and Google docs and teachers can integrate library databases into Google classroom.

3. Librarians can review usage data specific to CVUSD for assessment. Usage data is anonymized. 

Who supports these databases?

The California State Library sponsors access to the Gale Science, Environmental Science and National Geographic databases with a statewide, negotiated publisher license on behalf of all K-12 schools. The statewide license is funded by the California Department of Education (CDE.) 

CVUSD sponsors access to the Gale Biography database at CVHS. It is funded by California Lottery funds for schools. It is not available via the California State Library. 

CVHS Library now offers access to Gale in Context: Biography. 

Biographical research just got better for CVHS students!

Gale In Context: Biography offers authoritative reference content covering historically significant people to present-day changemakers. It is continuously updated to ensure students have access to the very latest information. 

For those who remember the (International) Dictionary of National Biography, this is the database has exclusive rights to that content. The editorial group for the DNB continues to research and create entries in this contemporary e-resource. 

Access

Students, teachers and staff can access the database through the Library's Database A-Z List. Access is now offered via Google Single Sign-on (SSO). 

Navigation: Databases A-Z

Teachers, please do not bookmark library databases. Instead, guide students to access the library homepage, find the Database A-Z list and select a database. This is not only an essential media and information literacy skill that all students need to learn before college, but it is also important as libraries regularly update links to keep our users connected. The publishing and cybersecurity industries change rapidly. Providing durable digital access is a core e-resource management service that modern libraries provide their communities. Please take advantage of it!

Guide students to the Database A-Z list. 

Make an appointment with Ms. Stambaugh if you would like training or would like her to come to one of your classes.

Subject Guides

In the next few weeks, Ms. Stambaugh will update the library subject guides on the library website to integrate Gale in Context: Biography into the guides. 

Subject guides help students and teachers find the best databases available to them in their discipline.

CVUSD is adding new e-resources to support teachers and students. CVHS will gain access to several of them. 

CVHS teachers will find access to the following e-resources on the Library's Database A-Z list in the upcoming weeks:

• JSTOR Secondary Schools Collection (CVHS sitewide)
• Gale in Context: Biography (CVHS sitewide)
• Oxford English Dictionary (CVHS sitewide)
• BookCreator (CVHS, 1 license)

The following resources will become available for other sites:

• BeanStack (4 pilot sites, TBD)
• Pebble & Go

Ms. Stambaugh is currently working with each publisher/vendor to finalize licenses and establish 24/7 access. Whenever possible, Google Single Sign-on will be enabled. 

Once access is enabled with Google SSO, each resource will gradually be included in library subject guides and instructional offerings for all teachers and classes.

CVHS students, teachers and staff now have access to current editions of the New York Times while on the high school campus, compliments of CVHS Library. 

Visit the library website for access to the New York Times (Current Edition) via the Databases A-Z or News Resources.

Knowledge for class. Knowledge for life.

Whether you are prepping course materials or planning for the weekend ahead, discover original, quality journalism that helps you
understand the world — and make the most of every part of life. 

• Connect to school Wifi and begin reading today.
• No user names. No passwords.

About our institutional subscription

All CVHS users have access to 

• New York Times U.S., Spanish, Canadian, Chinese and International editions.
• Current issues via direct institutional subscription with New York Times
• World, Business, Arts, LifeStyle and Opinion sections, NY Times Magazine and Interactive articles
• Does not include Games or Cooking

For older issues, citation management tools, and to download articles, use Proquest. Links to the New York Times via Proquest are on the library website.

Seek the truth. Find new perspectives. Inform your conversations on current topics!
 

Students and teachers can now access the library's subscription citation manager, NoodleTools, through their Google accounts. 

Visit the academic writing guide on the library website to get started (or click on MLA Citation & Paper Format). 

Detailed account setup instructions are on the database page for NoodleTools. 

CVHS Teachers can now place immediate holds or place holds for future dates on multiple copies of the same title using Destiny Back Office. With new faculty privileges, teachers can see real-time inventory and availability, including for Book Club titles. Teachers can also place holds for longer periods of time than typical circulation periods. 

This applies only to library holdings, and it includes Book Club titles. (Textbooks must still be coordinated with Ms. Oliver.)

For more information and how-to videos, visit Teacher Services: Reserve Books on the library website. For step by step instructions, visit our FAQ How can I reserve books in advance for a class?