News & Features

Has the maker movement taken hold in your library yet? Starting a maker space is easier—and less costly—than you may think. Technologies such as robotics, digital video production, computer coding, and 3-D printing may garner the most attention, but traditional activities instill the same spirit of invention, collaboration, and critical thinking of the maker phenomenon.

Librarian Jennifer Prince reviews BiblioBoard, a database offering ebooks, primary sources, and that can store locally created materials.

These first-person narratives introduce readers to the subjects' lives and experiences and help to preserve history through the eyes of someone who was there. They make for compelling reading—and are great choices for meeting the Common Core requirements for nonfiction.

Each member of the Newbery committee will submit three nominations to the chair sometime during the month of October, probably on or around October 15.  Each nomination is submitted with a brief written justification.  My strategy at this point is quite simple: I’m going to nominate the three best titles.  In no particular order. ERUPTION! by [...]

California minors now have the legal right to erase their social media posts, a positive step toward giving them greater control over their online identities—or is it? Online content, after all, is not so easily erasable, according to Gary Price, editor of Library Journal’s INFOdocket.

October is National Bullying Prevention Awareness Month, when organizations nationwide unite to raise awareness on how, with education and support, bullying can be obliterated from schools and communities. SLJ has compiled a list of tools for educators and parents, which includes advice on collection development, plus news and feature articles highlighting authors’ efforts against bullying.

Follett and the American Association of School Librarians (AASL) have announced that applications are being accepted for the 2014 National School Library Program of the Year (NSLPY) Award. The competition is open to K–12 programs that are fully integrated into the school’s curriculum and meet the needs of the changing library environment. The deadline to submit an application is January 1, 2014.

Mary Pope Osborne, children’s literacy advocate and bestselling author of the "Magic Tree House" series, will kick of the first annual Magic Tree House Reading Buddies Week in New York City on Friday, October 11, at the 92nd Street Y, Random House announced today. The week (October 12–19) will be a celebration of reading that pairs younger readers with older, more experienced ones.

The Puyallup Public Library in Washington State celebrated its first annual Festival of Books from September 27-28. In partnership with Fantasium Comics and Valley Arts United, the library hosted a mini-comic convention, the Fandom Dance, an art-inspired poetry contest, and a guest lecture by the acclaimed author Susan Cooper—known for her "Dark is Rising" series and recent Ghost Hawk.