September 17, 2013

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ALA Urges FCC to Accelerate E-Rate Goals

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The American Library Association on Monday asked the Federal Communications Commission to accelerate the goals of E-rate, the program that provides discounted Internet access and telecommunications services to U.S. schools and libraries. ALA’s statement specifically calls for faster deployment of high-capacity broadband and new strategic investments in infrastructure, as well as program changes to save costs and streamline the process so that more schools and libraries can participate in the program.

Florida School Librarians Stretching Resources—Themselves

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Sharing has a whole new meaning for Marion County, FL, elementary school librarians, far beyond the lesson they help teach their young charges. Today, the word refers to the way media specialists manage their jobs—which means each must head two elementary school libraries instead of one.

NCAC: School Visits Nixed for Medina, Rowell

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Planned school visits by YA authors Meg Medina and Rainbow Rowell set to coincide with Banned Books Week (September 22 to 28) have been cancelled due to local challenges over the content of their acclaimed books, the National Coalition Against Censorship reports.

2014 AASL Awards Season Now Open

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Know a deserving school librarian, media specialist, or teacher-librarian? AASL has many opportunities for recognizing their smarts, bravery, and innovative style through its 2014 Awards program. And the online awards database promises to make the nomination process easier than ever.

The 4th Annual NYC Maker Faire Welcomes Educators, Kids

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This weekend, thousands of educators, parents, and kids of all ages will join the crowd of DIY enthusiasts flocking to New York City’s 4th annual World Maker Faire New York to see more than 650 makers present original projects celebrating such areas as technology, education, science, arts, crafts, engineering, and sustainability. The family-friendly festival of invention and creativity will also be offering a “How to Make a Maker Space” workshop ahead of the main event.

Give Children a Choice: Advocating Open Access to Materials | Scales on Censorship

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Chair of the American Library Association’s Intellectual Freedom Committee Pat Scales responds to questions about book challenges, summer reading lists, and boundaries for school library parent volunteers.

Teens Review the Latest from Patrick Ness, Susan Beth Pfeffer, and Others

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Looking for a break from the paranormal genre? The only monsters you’ll find in these books are of the human variety—a maniacal kidnapper, an abusive boyfriend, elitist survivors, and one’s own memory.

Topsy: a game changer for search, e-reputation, & data analysis

Topsy: a game changer for search, e-reputation, & data analysis

I love searching Twitter. And I love sharing how a Twitter search can dramatically impact student research, by connecting them with experts, encouraging them to develop current awareness, allowing them to listen in on the dialog of a particular field or niche, and, in some cases, enabling them to contribute to the conversation. Learning to [...]

UK Study Links Kids’ Pleasure Reading to Strong School Performance

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The University of London’s Institute of Education (IOE) has released a study showing that children who read for pleasure are likely to do significantly better at school than their peers. The study, which is one of the first to examine the effect of reading for pleasure on children’s cognitive development over time, finds that children who read for pleasure made more progress in learning math, vocabulary, and spelling between the ages of 10 and 16 than those who rarely read.

Los Angeles School Employees Charged in Textbook Theft Ring

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Los Angeles County prosecutors have charged 12 school employees, including two librarians, with stealing at least thousands of textbooks from their school districts—four of the nation’s poorest—for a book buyer, who allegedly paid them $200,000 in bribes, the Los Angeles Times has reported.

Horror in YA Lit is a Staple, Not a Trend

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Though R. L. Stine and Christopher Pike may be our quickest associations with teen screams, horror encompasses a wide array of books. Teen librarian and blogger Kelly Jensen highlights the latest titles in teen fiction that are bound to give readers nightmares.

Queens (NY) Librarian Reads to Alligator to Reward Summer Reading

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New York City children’s librarian Susan Scatena of Queens Library at Whitestone this week has fulfilled the promise she made to her young patrons at the start of the summer by reading a story aloud to a live alligator. The unusual storytime fulfilled Scatena’s half of the pact she made with the children that at least 300 of them would register in her summer reading program and read at least 4,000 books. In fact, they exceeded their goal; 344 children registered and read 4,595 books.

This Week’s Comics: Halloween Genius

This Week’s Comics: Halloween Genius

Find magic and adventures in this week’s new releases! IDW continues its My Little Pony Micro-series, this time featuring the ruler of Equestria, Princess Celestia. Papercutz releases the 12th volume in their Disney Fairies series, Tinker Bell and the Lost Treasure, and Seven Seas releases the final volume of Young Miss Holmes, a wonderful series [...]

Small Stories, Big Characters: A Chat with Author Kevin Henkes

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Beloved children’s book author Kevin Henkes has nearly 50 titles to his name, ranging from picture books to novels for young readers. On the heels of his turn as opening keynote speaker at our annual Day of Dialog (DoD), Henkes is joining SLJ again, this time for an exclusive live webcast. As we look forward to hearing him speak and answer questions from kids, parents, and teachers, we sat down with Henkes for an in-depth chat about his career so far, his creative process, and his next projects.

An Administrator’s View: Giving Teacher Librarians an Edge | Pivot Points

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Former teacher librarian and current district administrator Mark Ray continues to reflect on the ways teacher librarians can better connect and work with building and district leaders.

When the Library Is Bigger Than the School

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Imagine a school library bigger than the school it supports—with an auditorium, homework center, and a 6,000-square-foot teen room where hundreds of iPads and computers are at students’ disposal. That’s the reality for 9th and 10th graders at San Diego’s new e3 Civic High School, a public charter school literally inside the recently completed 400,000-square foot, $185-million Central Library.

Power Tumbl’ng: Why Tumblr Is a Great Way to Reach Teen Patrons

Power Tumbl’ng: Why Tumblr Is a Great Way to Reach Teen Patrons

Tumblr can be a successful way to connect to new and diverse audiences, provided you understand who you’ll be attracting to your site and how to use Tumblr to your advantage. Should libraries and librarians use Tumblr? Teen librarian Robin Brenner says yes, and explains why.

Check Out the Math: One Elementary School’s Library-Based Math Program

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Nancy Jo Lambert, librarian at the Ruth Borchardt Elementary School in Plano, TX, created a unique program that connects her school library’s statistics with her students’ classroom math in a fun way. Find out how she did it—and why her students now clamor for this monthly program.

Poetry Writing Contest for Kids; Eric Carle’s ‘Friends’ Exhibit | News Bites

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Publisher Kane Miller is cosponsoring a nonfiction writing contest for budding poets. Educators can enter the “Pin It to Win It” MathMovesU sweepstakes via Pinterest. From September 17, 2013 through March 24, 2014, the Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art in Amherst, MA, is featuring the artwork from Carle’s new picture book, Friends. The Canadian Children’s Book Centre has announced the finalists for its seven major children’s book awards.

ALSC Offers Morris Seminar on Book Evaluation

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The Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC) is seeking applications for its third biennial “Bill Morris Seminar: Book Evaluation Training,” to be held on Friday, January 24, 2014, prior to the ALA Midwinter Meeting in Philadelphia. This invitational seminar supports and honors William C. Morris’s dedication to connecting librarians and children with excellent children’s books.