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Practically Paradise   



Posted by Diane Chen on July 4, 2009
I love to play games! Bejeweled. Poppit! Emoticons! I love any of those games that allow you to match 3 or more in a row and stuff jumps around. So are you surprised to read that I was hooked on the Demco game Library Challenge? 

I was checking out a link to Teen Furniture from a post on LM_NET and happened to click a link to Demco furniture. Surprise! I was sucked into the game vortex and barely made it out in less than an hour. Demco has a long list of stuff they'll be doing at ALA and many chances to win prizes. 

I would really like to meet...Read More

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Posted by Diane Chen on July 3, 2009
Check Out Some of Your Favorite 
Macmillan Children's Publishing Group Authors at ALA: 

Saturday July 11th 
Anita Silvey Everything I Need to Know I Learned from a Children's Book 
Signing in Booth 1715 10:00-11:00AM

Uri Shulevitz How I Learned Geography 
Signing in booth 1811 10:00-11:30AM 

Margery Cuyler The Little Dump Truck 
Signing in Booth 1816 11:00AM-12:00PM 

Matthew Cordell Mighty Casey
Signing in Booth 1813 11:00AM-12:00PM 

William Low Machines Go to Work
Signing in Booth 1816 2:00-3:00PM

Peter McCarty Jeremy Draws a Monster
Signing in Bo...Read More

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Posted by Diane Chen on July 3, 2009
Surviving the Angel of Death is the memoir of Eva Mozes Kor, who was a Mengele twin in Auschwitz when she was 10 years old. Written for the YA market, it is the story of a child's survival in unimaginable Surviving Angel of Death covercircumstances. Eva and her co-author, Lisa Rojany Buccieri, will be signing galleys, free to attendees.  July 12th, 11:...Read More

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Posted by Diane Chen on July 3, 2009
The LLAMA SASS Management Practices Committee is sponsoring the following program: 
 
"My Avatar Will Contact Your Avatar: Virtual Worlds, Real Opportunities"
 
When: Monday, July 13, 8:00-10:00 am
Where: McCormick Place West, Room W-178a
 
Panelists: Lori Bell, Director of Innovation, Alliance Library System; Tom Peters, Founder and CEO, TAP Information Services; Kathryn Robinson, Division Head of Reference and Information, Orange County (Florida) Library System
 
The program speakers will discuss the trends and developments in virtual worlds, such as Second Life, Lively, Qwaq, Teen Second Life, and Whyville, and how they are being used by libraries and library-related organizations. T
...Read More

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Posted by Diane Chen on July 3, 2009
You maintain a healthy WISHLIST folder, don't you? Experienced librarians will tell you that you must constantly be seeking requests from your colleagues, students, and administrators so you have immediately on-hand a list of items to purchase. 

Every principal and administrator I have worked with receives last-minute notice of funds to spend. If you develop a good relationship and are the go-to-person, you can help them spend those funds on projects that are truly needs of your school.

Here is what I am focusing on right now and what I will be looking for during ALA annual conference exhibit hall:

My science teachers requested from the administrators "up to date /current periodic tables, cell models, electronic scales, and plant models". Their entire curriculum has changed with some areas being dropped to two grade levels ear...Read More

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Posted by Diane Chen on July 2, 2009
From the ALA's Young Adult Library Services Association, we find The Ultimate Teen BookshelfYALSA's Ultimate Teen Bookshelf (PDF) which highlights must-have teen materials for libraries.developed in conjunction with the United We Serve initiative. 

How did they develop this list of 50 books, five magazines and five audio books? ...Read More

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Posted by Diane Chen on July 2, 2009

AASL President's Program: Literacy, Leadership and Librarian Flair: Engaging 21st-Century Readers with Three Award Winning Young Adult and Children's Authors on Saturday, July 11th at 10:30 a.m. (McCormick Place West, Room W-184). Laurie Halse Anderson, Alan Sitomer, and Jacqueline Woodson will describe ways in which librarians can engage 21st-Century readers. As the members of the ALA Conference committee including Karen Gavigan say, "You don't want to miss this all-star lineup of authors!" 

Susan D. Ballard wrote on the AASLForum list: Like many of you, I wouldn't think of missing the President's Program! And as a warm-up event, the members of AASL's Standards and Guidelines Implementation Task Force hope you will join us as we "Celebrate" Standards fo...Read More

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Posted by Diane Chen on July 1, 2009
John Chrastka of ALA Membership writes: Please join us for this year’s ALA Membership Meetings: Libraries in Hard Times, an open forum highlighting the role of libraries during a recession. Discover new ideas to stretch your budget; learn advocacy techniques from experts; and find out how ALA is helping us help ourselves. Adapt to new fiscal new realities, learn how to help your library and libraries nationwide, and promote library funding through national and local advocacy.

Membership Meetings are an important way that you can affect what ALA does! Make a difference and let your voice be heard! The 2009 Membership Meetings will be held on Saturday, July 11, 3:30 - 5:00 pm & Monday, July 13, 11:30 am - 1:00 pm at McCormick Place Convention Center, Room W375A.

At both of our meetings our pane...Read More

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Posted by Diane Chen on June 30, 2009

Meet the librarians and community members who are fighting to keep library materials on the shelves in West Bend, Wisconsin!

A special panel sponsored by the ALA Intellectual Freedom Committee and the Freedom to Read Foundation at ALA’s Annual Conference in Chicago, Illinois will feature West Bend Community Library director Michael Tyree, young adult librarian Kristin Pekoll, library board president Barbara Deters, former library board member Mary Reilly-Kliss, and community organizer Maria Hanrahan. 

The panelists will share their unique experience and insights gained in addressing multiple challenges to young adu...Read More

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Posted by Diane Chen on June 27, 2009

I was so sad. Dad drove me to the Washta Public Library (housed in the same building as the elementary school library), but it was dark, locked, and had a sign on the door:

Library Closed
No Volunteer
Available

I know my former algebra, geometry, and trig teacher Ms Wych retired from school and is the town "librarian." I realize that most of the staffing is by volunteers. Still, I was sad not to be able to walk in to say "Hello" and browse their new books. I'd like to know what people are reading in the town I was reared. 

Knowing how much both collections could use updating, I was hoping to chat with the librarians about grant writing. Maybe they'll be open on Monday.

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Posted by Diane Chen on June 27, 2009
On Sunday, July 12, a panel of 17 nonfiction authors and a moderator will appear at the American Library Association (ALA) Annual Conference at McCormick Place in Chicago. "Nonfiction Book Blast! Booktalks Your Reluctant Readers Can't Resist" presents booktalks librarians can use to interest young readers in nonfiction. The panel appears from 10:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. in Convention Center Room W181 (Level 1 of the West Building). Participating authors and their books include:

    * Lisa Rondinelli Albert, Stephenie Meyer: Author of the Twilight Saga (Enslow, 2009), So Yo...Read More

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Posted by Diane Chen on June 26, 2009

Booklist Books for Youth Forum: Celebrating Lincoln
Friday, 8:00 pm - 10:00 pm
Westin River North, Grand Ballroom
Celebrate 200 years of Lincoln's legacy at the 2009 Booklist Youth Forum with a group of award-winning  authors and editors. Candace Fleming, Deborah Hopkinson, Jean Feiwel, and Russell Freedman will discuss the stories behind their Lincoln titles, as well as the challenges of creating captivating biographies for children and young adults. 

Speakers:  Candace Fleming, Deborah Hopkinson, Jean Feiwel, Russell Freedman

I read many of these this year and it sounds like a great program. This is the first time I heard about this. I wonder for you readers how many of you have heard about these various programs? There are so many out there yet to highlight so feel free to chime in and add your favorites.
 

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