You can now reserve the Wii and Xbox systems online!
The invitations for the Adolescent Literacy Workshop, co-sponsored by the DLTCL, are going out next week! Musician, Billy Gorilly has again written a song to go along with the CSLP theme. Librarians may use it without cost. Click here to listen to the song or download it.
Help Get Boys Interested in Reading!
The American Library Association is pleased to announce the release of the new title: "Connecting Boys with Books 2: Closing the Reading Gap" by Michael Sullivan. Sullivan shows how to reinvigorate the sense of excitement that boys felt when they first heard a picture book being read aloud. Sullivan melds his own experiences as an activist with perspectives gleaned from other industry experts to help librarians.
* Learn about the books that boys love to read
* Uncover the signs that point to the reading gap
* Find creative new programming ideas to match boys' interests
* Establish a strategic blueprint for boys and reading
For more information visit the ALA Store.
Three Wisconsin Public Libraries and Three Schools Win ALA Great Stories CLUB Grants to Serve Troubled Teens
The American Library Association (ALA) Public Programs Office and the Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA) have announced that 237 libraries were selected to receive Great Stories CLUB grants, which will support book discussion programs targeting troubled teens. Among those selected to receive grants, 53 sites will additionally receive small cash grants to support program-related expenses. Funding was provided for this program by Oprah's Angel Network.
Wisconsin libraries receiving the grants are Frederic, Milton, and Platteville. Schools receiving the grants are Harvey Philip Charter School in Waukesha, Waunakee High School, and the Verona High School. Congratulations to these libraries and high schools! The complete list of winners is at www.ala.org/greatstories.
Launched in 2005, the Great Stories CLUB (Connecting Libraries, Underserved teens and Books) is a reading and discussion program designed to reach underserved, troubled teen populations through books that are relevant to their lives. Participating libraries will receive 11 sets of three theme-related books to provide to members of a book club. They will also have access to a variety of online resources, designed to help plan and implement programming.
All types of libraries located within or working in partnership with facilities serving troubled teens (such as juvenile detention centers or alternative high schools) in the United States and its territories are eligible to apply. ALA will begin accepting applications for the next round of Great Stories CLUB grants in September 2009. YALSA's Outreach to Young Adults with Special Needs Committee selected "Breaking Boundaries" as the 2009 Great Stories Club theme, along with the following titles:
* "Luna" by Julie Anne Peters (Little, Brown Young Readers, 2004)
* "The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian" by Sherman Alexie (Little, Brown Young Readers, 2007)
* "Black and White" by Paul Volponi (Viking Juvenile, 2005)
2009 ASLC Awards Announced
Caldecott Medal
"The House in the Night" illustrated by Beth Krommes and written by Susan Marie Swanson, Houghton Mifflin Co.
Newbery Medal
"The Graveyard Book" by Neil Gaiman, HarperCollins Children's Books
Batchelder Award
Arthur A. Levine Books, an imprint of Scholastic, Inc., publisher of "Moribito: Guardian of the Spirit" by Nahoko Uehashi, translated from the Japanese by Cathy Hirano
Belpré Author Award
"The Surrender Tree: Poems of Cuba's Struggle for Freedom" by Margarita Engle, published by Henry Holt
Carnegie Medal
Paul R. Gagne and Melissa Reilly, Weston Woods Studios, producers of "March On! The Day My Brother
Martin Changed the World"
Geisel Award
"Are You Ready to Play Outside?" written and illustrated by Mo Willems, Hyperion Books for Children, an imprint of Disney Book Group
Odyssey Award
"The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian," written and narrated by Sherman Alexie, produced by Recorded Books, LLC
Sibert Medal
"We Are the Ship: The Story of Negro League Baseball" written and illustrated by Kadir Nelson, Jump at the Sun/Hyperion Books for Children, an imprint of Disney Book Group
Wilder Medal
Ashley Bryan, author and illustrator of numerous books, including "Dancing Granny," "Beat the Story Drum, Pum-Pum" and "Beautiful Blackbird."
Click here for a full list of the honor books for these awards and more information.
National Library Week, "Worlds Connect @ Your Library"
National Library Week this year will be on April 12-18. New online materials and products are available from the ALA Public Information Office and the Campaign for America's Libraries. Materials are available in both English and Spanish, focusing on the 2009 National Library Week theme, "Worlds Connect @ Your Library." They include a proclamation, sample press release and letter-to-the-editor, as well as scripts for use in radio public service announcements (PSAs). Libraries can download materials at www.ala.org/nlw. In addition to traditional posters and bookmarks, libraries can also purchase mini posters, luggage tags, and a banner. National Library Week themed web banners and button along with all graphics products can be purchased through the ALA Store at www.alastore.ala.org.
There are three new multimedia presentations created by YALSA with a theme of Press Play @ Your Library®, encouraging teens to take advantage of the many technologies available to them free of charge at their libraries.
The presentations - "Getting Started with Teen Tech Week," "Teen Tech Week in School Library Media Centers" and "Teen Tech Week on a Budget" - were created using VoiceThread. Viewers can leave comments in text, video, or audio form on the presentation, suggesting their own ideas for other viewers or to receive feedback from the creators of the presentations. All three presentations, plus a PDF guide on using VoiceThread, are available by visiting www.ala.org/teentechweek and clicking "Resources" at the top of the page.
ALA Debuts Free Cultural Programming Resource
The American Library Association (ALA) Public Programs Office announced a new online resource to assist libraries of all types and sizes in creating cultural and community programs. The Web site, ProgrammingLibrarian.org, includes a resource library, live learning opportunities and a blog to keep librarians informed of upcoming opportunities and provide inspiration for new library programs. As the site continues to develop, users will find more resources, ideas, and opportunities to network with peers and programming experts.
The goal of ProgrammingLibrarian.org is to assist librarians in finding authoritative resources for cultural programming, train librarians in cultural programming techniques using a variety of online methods, and involve library schools in examining the need for courses in cultural programming. In addition to finding ideas and resources, site users are welcome to contribute information and ideas from their own experiences in developing cultural programs of their communities. Live webinars will be held regularly to create not just a resource center, but a community of librarians committed to bringing increased access to literature, music, contemporary issues, art, history, poetry, scholars, writers, and musicians to their communities. To view the new site go to www.programminglibrarian.org/.
Early Learning Resources Available in Somali
Through a grant from the U.S. Department of Education, Office of Special Education Programs, the Washington Learning Systems group has translated a set of parental handouts on Early Learning into Somali.
The Infant-Toddler language and early literacy materials were developed by Angela Notari-Syverson, Ph.D, and Judy Challoner, M.S. To download materials go to www.walearning.com and click on the purple button that says "Free Parent Education Handouts."
These materials include 20 home and community activities for adults and children birth to three that encourage early language and literacy development. They are appropriate for children with disabilities as well as children who are developing typically. Each of the activities includes a description and hints for making the activity fun and developmentally appropriate. In addition to the activities, an activity checklist that helps parents and caregivers notice their children's skills and cues adults to examine and grow their own interactions with children can also be downloaded. The materials are specifically designed to address the three key skills of 1) language development, 2) sounds and rhythms, and 3) general book and print awareness.
For more information please contact Mary Maddox, Washington Learning Systems, Seattle, WA
mmaddox@walearning.com or 206 -310-7401
System Youth Services Liaison Posting
Barbara Huntington, DLTCL
February 2009