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Lauren Barack -- School Library Journal, 3/31/2008 10:33:00 AM

The Library of Congress (LC) has launched a crackerjack of a site for baseball aficionados—and students of the game, too—that went live last month. Featuring treasures from the library’s vast trove, the multimedia site includes highlights such as rare images of baseball games and even the original sheet music to the classic anthem “Take Me Out to the Ball Game.”

Like other multimedia pages sponsored by our nation’s library, the baseball site features educational tools. Lesson plans include “Jackie Steals Home,” which explores the history of racism through the story of famed Dodger Jackie Robinson. Other online resources for teachers and students help bring the sport and its history to vivid life. 

For teachers looking for reading materials, there’s a small bibliography of titles, with recommended grade levels, to help round out lessons on the lore of our nation’s favorite pasttime. Educators are also invited to contribute to this list by submitting their students’ favorite books about the sport.

While the site is far from Bush league, the one rhubarb appears at the top of the LOC’s Learning Page, under the “live chat” feature. The last time it was updated? January 2006.

However, those educators looking for more up-to-date details about the new offering can log in on April 4 at 2 p.m. EDT for a Web conference, hosted by the LOC’s Digital Reference Team, tagged “Batter Up! Baseball at the Library of Congress.” It’s sure to be an ace of a program.