_Did you know you can search for library books from home? The MBUSD district-wide library catalog is available online at destiny.mbusd.org. Click on the Robinson link at the bottom of the Elementary School section to access our catalog. (You can also access it by clicking on the Destiny Library Manager image on our homepage.)

But, wait -- there's more! You can now search for books on-the-go with the free Destiny Quest app. What's the point of looking for library books away from school or home? I see myself using the app when I'm not on a computer (which is often, at home); when I'm at the public library or the bookstore and I need to find out which books are already in our collection; and when I'm working with colleagues off-site and we're talking about/researching books.

The interface of Destiny Quest is user-friendly and I anticipate it being a helpful tool for primary grade students who are still learning how to type and search online. Second graders will be learning how to use the app in March when it is installed on the school iPads.

The free app, available through the Apple iTunes App Store or Android Marketplace, runs on iPhones, iPod Touches and iPads with iOS 4.2 or later, and on Android 2.1-2.3.7 phones. To download the app to your own device, go to the iTunes App Store or Android Marketplace and search for Destiny Quest, click on the app name, then click on Free and Install to install it.
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_Once the app is installed, you need to set it up by clicking on the "Try Destiny Quest" button and entering our district url: http://destiny.mbusd.org.

Then, select Robinson Elementary from the list of MBUSD schools. You can now access the library as a guest.


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__Here’s some of what you can do with the new app:
  • Search for books in our collection
  • See the top ten recent checkouts
  • See recent additions to our collection
  • Access resource lists of books on different topics
[Click on the images below to enlarge them.]



_For more information on the app and to view a video on how to use it, you can visit the Follett Destiny Quest App website. You are also, of course, more than welcome to come see me in the library for a short demonstration.

[Thank you to Mira Costa Teacher Librarian, Mrs. Lofton, for allowing me to modify her original blog post about the app.]