Websites of Interest

100 Places to Connect with Other Bibliophiles Online
Reading is no longer an individual activity. Thanks to online book clubs, book trading networks, social media sites, kids' networds and more, connecting with your fellow bibliophiles and gnashing about favorite books is easier than ever. From the Online Education Database (OEDb), a website that lists accredited online colleges. (Copyright 2009 by Librarians' Internet Index, 7/16/09)

American Bookbinders Museum

Information from this San Francisco museum dedicated to the art of bookbinding in the U.S. Its site features images and information about printing presses and other printing equipment (such as stampers, a glue machine, and a stapler), information about dozens of historical bookbinders, examples of endpapers, and descriptions of selected publications in the museum collection. (Copyright 2009 by Librarians' Internet Index, 6/17/09)

Field Trip Earth

Take your students on a world tour as they learn about Appalachian black bears, red wolves of Alligator River, the elephants of Cameroon and many more species without ever leaving the classroom. Students can read field reports and essays from wildlife experts, interview the researchers, listen to recorded phone calls, see videos shot in the field, and discuss conservation issues. Ongoing wildlife conservation projects from around the world are available from an interactive map. Clicking on a choice brings up a full report including a media gallery. There are a wealth of resources available for educators that include more than a dozen fact sheets for emerging readers on various animals such as the hippopotamus, polar bear, and African elephant; information on using the FTE server to create their own animal tracking maps online; reviews of at least twenty children’s books dealing with conservation topics including tips for how they can be used in conjunction with conservation study; an example of a map interpreting exercise; ideas for using paper-based activities alongside the Web site; plus a host of strategies (lesson plans) that have been submitted by other teachers. (Education World Site Reviews, 6/30/09)

Red Hot Jazz Archive

When the Scout Report last reviewed the Red Hot Jazz Archive in the spring of 1997, the site was pretty hot, and it has continued to heat up over the past decade or so. The Archive is primarily concerned with documenting the world of early jazzmen, so visitors will find ample information on Louis Armstrong, King Oliver, Kid Ory, Bunk Johnson, and many others. Visitors can start their journey through the site by clicking on the "Bands" area. Here they will find an extensive list of the bands from the "hot" era organized alphabetically. When visitors click on a band's name, they will be presented with a short summary of the band's accomplishments, and in many cases, some sample recordings. Moving on, the "Films" section is a real treat, as it contains information about some short films made about jazz bands in the late 1920s and early 1930s. What's even better is that four of the films are available in this section, including a version of "St. Louis Blues", as sung by Bessie Smith. Also, the site contains a series of essays by experts like Scott Alexander and George Avakian on the early days of jazz. (From The Scout Report, Copyright Internet Scout Project 1994-2009, http://scout.wisc.edu/, 7/17/09)

Understanding Records and Archives: Principles and Practices

Why do people create records? What are they good for? How can organizations use record-keeping to further their aims and goals? These are but a few of the questions explored by the course "Understanding Records and Archives: Principles and Practices". This site is part of the OpenCourseWare initiative at the University of Michigan, and the course itself was created and taught by Paul Conway. On this site, visitors can access a range of materials from the course, including the syllabus, a reading list, assignments, and a course schedule. In the "Lectures" area, visitors can read the notes from each class meeting, and the topics covered include basic archives concepts, legal issues, and the nature of archives. For anyone involved in information science and library studies, this site will be most useful. (From The Scout Report, Copyright Internet Scout Project 1994-2009, http://scout.wisc.edu/, 7/17/09)

Getting Boys to Read
For many adults, helping a boy find the right book can be a very hard task. This website offers motivation tips, reading suggestions, and ways to offer digital storytelling to engage boys with the love of reading. (American Libraries Direct, June 24, 2009)

Girl Zone

Do you know any teen girls who like to write? The relaunched 'Girl Zone' website is looking for teen girls to submit their creative writing and contribute in other ways to the website.

Girl Zone is a hip and healthy website which provides girls with a chance to voice their opinions. While most traditional media for teen girls only offer up features on beauty, boys and fashion, Girl Zone offers content related to all aspects of a girl’s life. Girl Zone relaunched in April with a fresh, fun website with new features such “Mind-Spirit-Me” and “Girls Get Green” as well as a collection of seven regularly updated blogs.

One of these blogs is “Expresso,” which is looking for submissions of creative writing from teenage girls. Send your poem, essay or short story and it might be featured on the “Expresso” blog! Girl Zone is also currently looking for Movie and Music reviewers and girls to talk up the site on the web and in their communities. There also will be more opportunities for writers in the future.

Visit the Girl Zone website to get involved!

CEO, Youth Services Update, Issue 330; July 31, 2009

Grassroots Meeting - Save the Date!

The annual Grassroots meeting will be held on Tuesday, Sept. 22 from 9:30 am - Noon.

There will be a presentation on manga/anime and our annual "idea swap." We'll also talk about some ideas for next year's SRP Planning Workshop!

The workshop will be worth 2.5 CE credits.

SRP Braille Certificate

In the last installment of LNB, I included some information on ordering tactile graphics for the Summer Reading Program. Barb recently sent me a sample of a SRP certificate (of completion) done in Braille by OSCI in Oshkosh. The Braille certificates cost $.50 each, and they will do a brailled page of text for the same price. OSCI can also do Brailling for libraries year-round.

If your library is interested in having a certificate done in Braille this summer, I can send you a copy of the order form.

2009 ADA Anniversary Tool Kit Available Online

The DBTAC – Network of ADA Centers is pleased to announce the release of the 2009 Americans with Disabilities (ADA) Anniversary Tool Kit. The Tool Kit captures collective achievements and offers informative materials designed to help you plan and publicize your ADA activities during the ADA Anniversary and throughout the year. The Tool Kit includes:

· Overview of the Americans with Disabilities Act and the ADA Amendments Act of 2008

· ADA - Findings, Purpose, and History

· The Americans with Disabilities Act from a Civil Rights Perspective

· Americans with Disabilities Act Resources and Publications

· Americans with Disabilities Act and Olmstead Resources

· ADA Amendments Act of 2008 (ADAAA) Summary and Resources

· Statistics You Can Use

· The White House Agenda on Disabilities

· Tips on Writing a News Release

· Sample Proclamation: ADA Anniversary

· National DBTAC Initiatives

Karla's Reviews...and Wiki!

In a Blue Room by Jim Averbeck
The story begins, "In a blue room, Alice bounces, wide-awake past bedtime," and I am intrigued because the room is clearly not blue. Alice's mother brings her things that Alice rejects because they are not blue: lilacs and lily whites that "give off a gentle scent," orange tea cooling in a brown cup, "lullaby bells to sing (her) to sleep. When Alice asks for the moon, Mama whispers, "Here it comes," and the magic begins. Lovely read-a-loud, lovely illustrations - a necessary bedtime book in a market of too many bedtime stories.


Mouse Was Mad by Linda Urban
Mouse was mad. He was hopping mad, stomping mad, screaming mad, and rolling-around-on-the-ground mad, but he just couldn't express himself as well as the other animals. Until finally, he found his own way - and then he realized... he wasn't mad anymore! Cute book that all kids will be able to relate to.

- Karla Giraldéz, BCL- East Branch

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Karla told me about her wiki on children's books that she has been working on for a few months. She said it's still a work-in progress, but wanted me to let you all know it was available. It's a great example of how a wiki can be used, as well as a good resource of children's materials. Thank you, Karla!!

PS. If anyone else has something like this they would like to share, please let me know!

Simon & Schuster Launches Teen Networking Site

Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing hopes to attract more teens to its books through the creation of a new Pulse It social networking site. The site is aimed at 14- to 18-year-olds and will let teens do things they can do on such places as Facebook—like create personal profiles and befriend other members—as well as read and react to S&S titles. S&S will make two books per month available to be read online for free and members can choose one of those titles and have 60 days to finish the book. Message boards will let readers discuss the book and rank it. The site will also have an author section where teens can interact with their favorite writers.

Simon & Schuster hopes the new site will encourage teens “to buzz our books by spreading the word to their peers on other networks and sites.” The site grew out of the Pulse It advisory board of 3,000 teens who received free physical books in exchange for providing feedback. According to S&S, board members became so active on message boards the company decided to create a site dedicated to them. Pulse It had a soft launch June 8 and currently has about 3,100 members. (PW Daily, 6/18/09)

CEO, 6/24/09