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August 4th, 2010

Thank you, Library Love Fest, for helping me discover the YouTube video of the Masters of Library Science Croquet tournament—it was a perfect mini-vacation for me. Virginia Stanley, HarperCollins's library marketing manager, claims this video is "reason #7,395 why we love librarians." That's a lot of reasons!-Dodie Ownes, editor

P.S. SLJTeen gave "Media Mania" columnist Joy Fleishhacker and the Biddeford Book Ninjas a mini-vacation, but don't worry, they'll be back in the next issue on August 18.

IN THIS ISSUE

• Teen Read Week, October 17-23—Books with Beat @ your library
  Teen Read Week is an annual literacy initiative of the Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA), a division of the American Library Association (ALA), which encourages teens to take time to "read for the fun of it."
  
  The 2010 Teen Read Week theme, "Books with Beat @ your library," promotes a variety of titles, and YALSA has a wealth of resources on its Teen Read Week website to help you start planning events and programs for your library. more » » » 
  
  
  
• Teens Write: Vision Boarding @ Your Library Workshops
  In our community, as well as in many others, teens like to write, and our library's writing programs always attract a good turnout. Many teens sign up for National Novel Writing Month activities, and there's always a full roster of poets for our annual poetry slam. However, one thing we hear from teens is that they sometimes have a hard time figuring out what to write about. Enter vision boarding. more » » » 
  
  
  
• 'Twihards Take Sides at the Library'
  That's the headline that caught my eye when I was browsing through RSS feeds. It led to an article in the Trib Local Deerfield (IL) about a contest in which teens at Deerfield Public Library (DPL) voted with plastic fangs for either Team Edward or Team Jacob. I couldn't resist, and I soon got in touch with Colleen Seisser, a teen services librarian at DPL, and asked her a few questions about how this great event came together. more » » » 
  

Game Reviews by Young Adults

• Game Reviews by Young Adults
  It's summer time, and the gaming is easy and fun. With no school and no homework, kids have plenty of time to get lost in the new Toy Story 3 Toy Box Mode, building their own worlds. And for those that aren't able to make it to Universal Orlando to experience the Wizarding World of Harry Potter, Lego's introduction of Harry Potter: Year 1-4 lets gamers experience Hogwarts without having to endure the long lines and hot Florida sun. more » » » 

Jen 2.0—Technology for Today

• Can't You Just PictureIt?
  Librarians love books, online or off. When I first saw PictureIt Rare Book Reader (free from the University of Michigan Libraries), dozens of ways to use it flew though my head. I could see myself using this tool with photos, newsletters, children's and teen artwork, library histories, pamphlets, and on and on. The format is so appealing—with the ability to zoom in using the plus tool, the cool little flip of the page when you get near the corner, and the book-like frame—that I had to try it. Goodbye flat looking PDFs, hello digital pages! more » » » 

Seen and Heard

• Libri Foundation: Books for Children
  Thanks to grants from the Libri Foundation Books for Children small, rural public libraries across the country can receive brand-new, quality hardcovers for kids. To be eligible, libraries should be in a rural area, have a limited operating budget, and an active children's department. more » » » 
  
  
• Free YA Literature Audiobook Downloads
  Visit the SYNC site, hosted by Audiobook Community, now through September 1 for two free YA audiobook downloads a week. The two titles currently on the docket are Does My Head Look Big in This? by Randa Abdel-Fattah, and A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith. more » » » 
  
  
  
• Essential Principles of Ocean Sciences
  With oil spreading out of the Gulf of Mexico and into the open ocean, and hurricane season revving up, there's no better time to learn about the part of our world that takes up nearly 70 percent of Earth's surface. The Ocean Literacy Network, made up of teachers, scientists, educators, policy makers, and parents, is committed to the idea of creating an ocean-literate society. more » » »