Short Takes

Does a career as a librarian give you a leg up as a Jeopardy! contestant? Carol Hager (above, with host Alex Trebek) thinks it does. The librarian at Thunderbird High School in Phoenix, AZ, won $2,000 for her impressive second-place finish on September 21. “Being a librarian you have to know a little about everything,” says Hager, who prepared by reading books on American history, her weakest area, and rifling through The Arizona Republic to keep up on current events.

The most-watched children’s television program in the classroom is in danger of being pulled off the air. PBS’s award-winning Reading Rainbow, which for 24 years has helped millions of kids discover the joy of reading, is urging supporters to sign a petition appealing for government and corporate sponsorship. Hosted by actor LeVar Burton, Reading Rainbow features books in a magazine-style format, and librarians say kids constantly check out books that appear on the show. You can sign the petition online by visiting savereadingrainbow.org/petition.