Reviews of books of interest to librarians, media specialists, and other educators form School Library Journal
Professional Reading 07/01/2009
LOW, Elizabeth Cothen , comp. Big Book of Animal Rhymes, Fingerplays, and Songs . 324p. illus. bibliog. index. score. Web sites. CIP. Libraries Unlimited . 2009. pap. $40. ISBN 978-1-59158-630-2 . LC 2008032664. Low has compiled more 650 rhymes, fingerplays, poems, and songs. Her introduction supports new storytime planners as well as veterans who might need an additional song or poem for a pr...
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Professional Reading 06/01/2009
CRANE, Beverley E. Using Web 2.0 Tools in the K-12 Classroom . 189p. charts. diags. illus. photos. reprods. appendix. further reading. glossary. index. Web sites. CIP. Neal-Schuman . 2009. pap. $59.95. ISBN 978-1-55570-653-1 . LC 2008046167. In this extensive resource, teachers will find a wealth of suggestions, ideas, unit plans, and answers to questions pertaining to how to integrate and us...
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Social Media Specialists?: The use—or nonuse—of social tools sparks Twitterstorm By Lauren Barack - 06/01/2009
A recent firestorm on Twitter involved media specialists and education technology experts who considered whether librarians who don’t engage in social media are jeopardizing their careers not to mention student learning. “Can a media specialist do their job now if they are not also a social media specialist? I’m not sure,” Karl Fisch (on Twitter: karlfisch), director of ...
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Professional Reading 05/01/2009
BOLAN, Kimberly . Teen Spaces: The Step-by-Step Library Makeover . 2nd ed. 225p. charts. diags. illus. photos. reprods. appendix. further reading. index. Web sites. CIP. ALA . 2008. pap. $40. ISBN 978-0-8389-0969-0 . LC 2008026621. An essential guide for any library planning a teen-space project, this second edition presents valuable information.
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ALA Connect: The Mother Ship Evolves By Christopher Harris - 05/01/2009
I wonder if the American Library Association (ALA) truly understands what it’s getting into with its launch of ALA Connect (connect.ala.org). Part of the organization’s new site design, Connect uses the open-source Drupal framework to provide an online collaborative workspace for its members.
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Professional Reading 04/01/2009
CHANCE, Rosemary . Young Adult Literature in Action: A Librarian's Guide . 188p. (Library and Information Science Text Series). bibliog. further reading. index. CIP. Libraries Unlimited . 2008. Tr $65. ISBN 978-1-59158-558-9 ; pap. $50. ISBN 978-1-59158-555-8 . LC 2008027090. This work is designed for use by instructors of YA literature classes and is well suited for that task.
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Twittering Dante By Lauren Barack - 04/01/2009
Cracking Dante’s Inferno is a tough row to hoe for any high school student—but what if the reading assignment was conducted via Twitter? The exercise “Twitter in Hell” was handed to some lucky seniors at University Laboratory High School at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, after reading the classic tome.
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BookExpo America 2009: SLJ's Day of Dialog School Library Journal held a Day of Dialog in conjunction with the annual BookExpo America on May 28, 2009 at the Brooklyn Public Library. Full story: bit.ly/1a0G7o
2008 National Book Awards Nominees in the young people's literature category graced the red carpet on Awards night Nov. 20, 2008.
The Buzz Nov. 2008 So the economy’s gone south, you still need your gadgets.
Folktales from Around the World: The Bear Prince. DVD. 11:56 min. with tchr’s. guide. Prod. by Colman Communications. Dist. by 100% Educational Media (schoolvideos.com). 2008. $39.95.
K-Gr 4–While this animated Mexican fairy tale will be new to most viewers, the story contains familiar elements from such popular tales as “Beauty and the Beast,” “The Little Mermaid,” and “Puss in Boots.”
Let them eat cake! Library aide Shanta Ramkhelawan (left), librarian Camina Raphael, and Colleen McCrea, head of the children's library, served delectable dessert to more than 130 people celebrating the 85th anniversary of the historic Robert Bacon Memorial Children's Library in Westbury, NY. Upon opening its doors in 1924 it was only the third children's library in the world.
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