A New Kind of Helper in the Library

/ 3rd Grade ELA / By

A New Kind of Helper in the Library

Earlier this week, something exciting happened at a public library in San Francisco. The library got a new helper, but this helper isn’t a person! It is a friendly, orange and white robot named “Goose.” Goose is a special kind of robot that can move around by itself. It started its new job on Monday, helping people find books.

Libraries are wonderful places filled with thousands of books. Sometimes, finding the exact book you want can be like a treasure hunt. You have to know the right section, the right shelf, and sometimes even a special number called a “call number.” This can be tricky! The librarians are always there to help, but they are very busy helping many people at once.

This is where Goose comes in. If you are looking for a book, you can type the title on a screen on Goose’s back. Then, Goose will say, “Follow me!” in a cheerful voice. It will roll smoothly through the aisles, its lights blinking, and lead you right to the correct shelf. It even stops and points a little laser light at the spot where your book is waiting.

Goose doesn’t replace the librarians. Instead, it works with them. The librarians can now spend more time reading stories to children or helping with research projects, while Goose helps with finding books. The idea for Goose came from people who noticed that finding books was the number one question people asked at the library. They thought a robot could make this task faster and more fun.

So far, people at the library think Goose is great. Kids especially love following the robot on its journey through the stacks of books. It makes going to the library feel like a fun adventure.

Robots like Goose are part of a bigger idea called “technology.” Technology is when people use science to create tools that solve problems and make life easier. Robots can do jobs that are repetitive, which means doing the same thing over and over. This lets people focus on jobs that need human kindness, creativity, and thinking.

Not every library has a robot like Goose yet, but the success in San Francisco shows how technology can be a helpful friend in our communities. It reminds us that libraries are changing and growing, just like we are. They are still cozy places for quiet reading and discovery, but now they can have a cool, rolling robot guide, too! Who knows? Maybe one day, a library near you will have a robot helper to lead you to your next favorite book.

(Word Count: 430)

Part A: Vocabulary Development

Score: ___/5

Directions: Match each vocabulary word from the article with its correct definition. Write the letter of the definition on the line provided.

Words:

  1. ____ Robot
  2. ____ Library
  3. ____ Technology
  4. ____ Repetitive
  5. ____ Community

Definitions:
A) The use of science to create tools and machines to solve problems.
B) A group of people living in the same area or having something in common.
C) Doing the same thing again and again.
D) A machine that can be programmed to do certain tasks.
E) A place where books, magazines, and other materials are kept for people to read or borrow.

Part B: Multiple Choice Comprehension

Score: ___/5

Directions: Circle the letter of the best answer for each question.

  1. What is the name of the new library helper?
    A) Duck
    B) Gander
    C) Goose
    D) Swan
  2. When did Goose start working at the library?
    A) Last year
    B) Earlier this week
    C) Next month
    D) Yesterday morning
  3. What is the main job Goose does in the library?
    A) It reads stories to children.
    B) It checks out books for people.
    C) It leads people to the books they are looking for.
    D) It cleans the library shelves.
  4. How does Goose help the human librarians?
    A) It replaces them so they can go home.
    B) It does a repetitive task so they can do other important jobs.
    C) It tells them what to do.
    D) It fixes broken computers.
  5. What is one reason the author gives for why Goose is a good idea?
    A) Robots are cheaper than people.
    B) Finding books was the most common question people asked.
    C) The library had too many librarians.
    D) Children are afraid of human librarians.

Part C: Short Answer Questions

Score: ___/10

Directions: Answer each question in complete sentences. Use details from the article to support your answers.

  1. Describe the steps a person would follow to get help from Goose to find a book.
  2. The article says finding a book can be “like a treasure hunt.” What does this comparison mean?
  3. According to the article, what are two different jobs that human librarians can do now that Goose helps find books?

Part D: Critical Thinking & Personal Connection

Score: ___/5

Directions: Read the question carefully and write your response in the space provided.

The author suggests that robots are good at “repetitive” tasks, while humans are good at jobs needing “kindness, creativity, and thinking.” Do you agree with this idea? Give one example of a task you think is best for a robot and one example of a task best for a human. Explain your choices.

Answer Key & Scoring Guide

Part A: Vocabulary Matching

  1. D – Robot
  2. E – Library
  3. A – Technology
  4. C – Repetitive
  5. B – Community

Scoring: 1 point each (5 points total)

Part B: Multiple Choice

  1. C) Goose
  2. B) Earlier this week
  3. C) It leads people to the books they are looking for.
  4. B) It does a repetitive task so they can do other important jobs.
  5. B) Finding books was the most common question people asked.

Scoring: 1 point each (5 points total)

Part C: Short Answer (Sample Answers)

  1. First, you type the book title on the screen on Goose’s back. Then, Goose says “Follow me!” and rolls through the aisles, leading you to the right shelf. Finally, it stops and points a laser light at the exact spot of your book.
  2. It means finding a book can be challenging and require following clues (like section, shelf, and call number) to discover something valuable, just like following a map to find hidden treasure.
  3. Librarians can now (1) spend more time reading stories to children and (2) help with research projects.

Scoring: Question 1 (3 points), Question 2 (3 points), Question 3 (4 points)

Part D: Critical Thinking (Sample Response)

Yes, I agree. A task best for a robot is assembling the same part in a factory all day because it’s repetitive and needs perfect precision. A task best for a human is being a teacher, because it requires understanding students’ feelings, being creative with lessons, and thinking of new ways to explain difficult concepts.

Scoring: 5 points for clear agreement/disagreement with two well-explained examples

Print Friendly, PDF & Email