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We're taking a break. Next week we're not even going to try and shake off our chocolate-induced hangover (we didn't think you'd mind). See you all on January 3rd.
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| Interview |
| SLJ Talks to the Founders of Flamingnet.com, a Teen Book Review Site |
 The award-winning teen book review site Flamingnet—run by a 16-year-old Baltimore high school student and his physician dad—has taken on a professional editor. SLJ spoke to teen Seth Cassel and his dad, Gary, about how kids who love books can find a voice at Flamingnet.
Tell me about the origins of the site.
Seth: I was a voracious reader back in fourth and fifth grades; I was reading 60 books a year during the school year, and my dad had gotten into programming as a hobby. We combined these interests into a way for me to talk about the books I was reading and a way for him to gain practice in making Web sites. read more... |
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| TechTrends |
BookSwim Offers Titles for Rent
ADVERTISEMENT |
BookSwim, an online service that's promising books for rent, à la the Netflix model, may raise some eyebrows in Library Land.
How does it work? Subscribers create a wish list, and titles are then mailed—without a due date or late fees. While some librarians may bemoan the new company as luring more users away from their beloved institutions, at least one library professional considers BookSwim to be a welcome addition to the bibliophile community. "If people aren't checking out books, that's okay," says Kelly Czarnecki, technology education librarian with ImaginOn, The Public Library of Charlotte Mecklenburg County in North Carolina. "We need to give people more experiences. So they get the book elsewhere. They're still welcome to come in for a book discussion or an exhibit. A library can be a different thing to different people." read more... |
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| SLJ Goes to the Movies |
| Persepolis |
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Marjane and her grandmother. Photo courtesy of Sony Pictures Classics Inc.
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Marjane Satrapi is in a position most writers would envy. The Iranian-born, French-based graphic novelist cowrote and codirected the animated film Persepolis, drawing on her autobiographical books Persepolis (2003) and Persepolis 2 (2004, both Pantheon). Lucky for us, Satrapi is as engaging and wry a storyteller on the screen as she is on the page. Her most difficult decision must have been deciding what to omit from the books.
The film begins at the onset of the Islamic revolution, with nine-year-old Marjane, a Bruce Lee-obsessed pupil at a French secular school. The widespread jubilation of the Shah's fall is swiftly followed with restrictions by the paranoid new regime. Her school closes down—bilingual schools are now deemed symbols of capitalism and decadence, and by decree, she has to wear a veil. read more... |
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 BOOKS
 From SLJ January 2008
Night Running: How James Escaped with the Help of His Faithful Dog
Gr 2-4–Through skillful storytelling, Carbone captures the heroics of a boy and his faithful hunting dog in search of freedom.... |
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 VIDEO/DVD
Cyberbullying: Cruel Intentions
Gr 9 Up–Cell phones, Web journals, My Space, and Zanga are all wonderful avenues for teen expression, but in the wrong hands, they can quickly turn to "weapons of mass destruction" in cyberspace.... |
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 AUDIO
Eclipse
Gr 9 Up–In Stephenie Meyer's sequel (Little, Brown, 2006) to New Moon (Little, Brown, 2006) and the third title in her popular vampire series, Edward and Bella are back and the sexual tension between them has grown even stronger as Bella prepares to graduate from high school and enter into her new life as a vampire.... |
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| News and Views |
| FSU Opens I-CELTIC Research Center for School Librarians |
There's a new research center in town—and its goal is to help media specialists perform better in their jobs. Florida State University's (FSU) College of Information got the go-ahead last week to launch I-CELTIC (Interdisciplinary Center for Leadership, Technology Integration, and Critical Literacies).
The center will bring together the university's Learning System's Institute and its colleges of information studies and education. One of its main purposes will be to analyze how the leadership role of media specialists affects technology integration throughout schools. "The idea is to model and encourage innovative leadership practices for educators and students," says Eliza Dresang, a professor at FSU's College of Information and director of I-CELTIC. "We want to bring school libraries to the table with all other disciplines that have similar interests." read more... |
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| 'Sandpiper' to Remain on Library Shelves at Tuscaloosa School |
Ellen Wittliner's Sandpiper (S & S, 2005) will stay on the shelves at Brookwood High School in Tuscaloosa, AL, following a school board decision to uphold a committee's recommendation.
"Our board upheld the First Amendment of the United States, and I am proud of that," says Jane Smith, the county's library media coordinator. read more... |
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| Web-based Databases Compare High School Accountability |
Two new free databases from the Education Commission of the States (ECS) will allow policy makers to learn what all 50 states are doing when it comes to high school accountability and virtual high schools.
ECS is a Denver-based nonprofit organization that aims to improve public education by promoting the exchange of information between policy makers and educational leaders. read more... |
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| Rembrandt VHS Available—for Free! |
Never say you can't get something for free, but as they say on those cable TV shopping networks: You have to act now.
VHS copies of an animated adaptation of Mike Venezia's Getting to Know the World's Greatest Artists: Rembrandt are available to the first 200 school librarians who send in a request. And, except for postage, the VHS copies are free from the production company Getting to Know, Inc. read more... |
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| Remarkable Reads |
| Alcohol and Teens |
According to research by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, adolescents who begin drinking before age 15 are four times more likely to develop alcohol dependence than those who begin drinking at age 21. Give teens a chance to get information formally, through nonfiction resources, and explore the possible results of teen drinking through fiction.
SHANNON, Joyce Brennfleck, ed. Alcohol Information for Teens: Health Tips about Alcohol and Alcoholism. Omnigraphics. 2005. Tr $65. ISBN 978-0-7808-0741-9.
Gr 7 Up–This title is a compilation of expert articles related to teen alcohol use, contributed by various associations and advocacy groups. Though it is likely that this book will be consulted more often by teens working on research papers than those looking for help with an alcohol-related problem, it serves its purpose well.
read more... |
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| Fresh Approaches: New Editions & Reissues |
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Picture Book Classics Old and New
A 19th-Century Gem
The Huntington Library Press presents Randolph Caldecott's Picture Books, a handsome compilation of nine favorites reproduced from 19th-century copies in their rare book collections, including The House That Jack Built, Sing a Song for Sixpence, The Queen of Hearts, and Hey Diddle Diddle. A brief introduction sets the scene and provides suggestions for further reading. Printed on thick, creamy paper, the vivacious colors of the facsimiles vivify the artist's whimsical, often humorous, illustrations. With a rust-hued cloth binding, the volume is a pleasure to page through. A fine choice for professional and historical children's literature collections, this offering will also find a place beside its modern-day descendants on circulating picture-book shelves. read more... |
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| Shameless SLJ Promotions |
Gale and School Library Journal Announce the 2008 Giant Step Award
Has your school or public library made a significant improvement or created new programs that have had a huge impact on student learning? Then enter our Giant Step Award.
Sponsored by Gale, part of Cengage Learning, and School Library Journal, Giant Step recognizes libraries that have made a difference over the last three years with up to $10,000 in cash prizes. So, don't waste any time—run to your computer and apply today! Nominations will be accepted through February 11, 2008.
U.S. and Canadian school library media centers and the youth services departments of public libraries are eligible to apply. Applicants must be certified librarians.
Click here for more details.
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| Librarian's Internet |
| Is It 2008 Yet? |
| yugop.com/ver3/stuff/03/fla.html |
This New Year's Eve, see the year out in style with this nifty online clock. It contains both the date and time, down to the second, but instead of a boring clock face or standard digital clock display, it's a series of hand-drawn numbers that "rewrite" themselves in a most fascinating way. The time is displayed in 24-hour format and is taken from the time on your computer's clock, so it should automatically display the correct time for your time zone.
After New Year's, use an LCD projector with the clock to let students know how much time they have left to do a task or take a test. And if you're teaching a workshop, displaying a projected image of the clock is a fun way to let folks know when they need to be back from lunch or a break.—Gail Junion-Metz
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| Director of Libraries |
The College of Wooster
Wooster, OH
The Director of Libraries reports to the Vice President for Academic Affairs. A non-tenured member of the faculty, the Director is responsible to the President and to the faculty for the proper administration of the library program. With the Vice President for Academic Affairs and in consultation with the Educational Policy Committee, the Director determines the policies governing development of the library program.
To see all positions available through the SLJ Career Center, click here...
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