Beanstack is a free reader’s advisory service that curates and recommends children’s books available within the North Country Library System. For many kids, figuring out what to read can be intimidating, especially since we have over 75,000 different juvenile titles within our sixty-five libraries!
Beanstack is easy to use – parents and caregivers create an online account and register children as participants. Although the program requires some adult contact information, children can be identified simply by a nickname and age.
In order to provide book suggestions, participants are asked to input their reading level and select up to three subjects, three genres, and three types of characters they enjoy reading about. Then, Beanstack’s algorithms select and suggest books that match the child’s preferences. Clicking on a title brings the reader to the North Country Library System’s online catalog where parents and kids can view more information, locate the book in a specific library, or request the item through interlibrary loan.
Kids can maintain a log of books read and earn badges as they reach incremental goals. Users can opt-in to receive weekly or bi-weekly book recommendations via email, and can change their preferences as children grow and interests change. Other features include a wish list of books to read, book list recommendations, and educational apps for Android and iOS devices.
In addition, there are over seventy-five themed guides covering a wide range of topics: seasons, animals, geography, history, culture, and many more. Themed guides typically include an extensive book list, activities, craft projects, and ideas to integrate reading with other forms of experiential learning.
Beanstack may be used in the library, at home, or on a mobile device. Beanstack is available and free to everyone with additional features unlocked for library card holders. To access Beanstack, go to the North Country Library System website at http://www.ncls.org and click on the Beanstack graphic on the right-hand side of the page.
Explore Beanstack’s juvenile book suggestions and visit your local library… there’s sure to be something of interest, so check us out!