'Discovery Girls' for Tweens By Debra Lau Whelan - 08/06/2008
It’s not easy being a tween. That’s why Catherine Lee founded Discovery Girls, a bimonthly magazine that targets girls eight to 12. What makes it stand out? It’s all about promoting self-esteem—and a huge chunk of its content is written by its readers. SLJ spoke to Lee about how she started DG and why it’s the No. 4 magazine title at Barnes & Noble for its Family and Children section. More
Keeping It Real: Youth Social Networking By Lauren Barack - 08/01/2008
While teens may appear to live their lives on social networking sites and in multiplayer games, their standing in the virtual world rarely trumps status in the real one, according to danah boyd, an expert on youth social networking (pictured above). Boyd’s theory stems from her recent response to author Clay Shirky’s July post on whether social positioning online has any impact offl...
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SLJ Talks to Teen Philanthropist Sarasi Jayaratne By Debra Lau Whelan - 07/09/2008
Sarasi Jayaratne isn’t your average 18-year-old. When a tsunami struck Sri Lanka in 2004, she began collecting books to create classroom libraries in her parents’ native country. Four years later, Jayaratne’s efforts have turned into a major project and her very own successful charity, Keep Reading.
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Masters of the Universe: the Passively Multiplayer Online Game By Christopher Harris - 05/01/2008
Given the choice, would you promote order or chaos? Not good or evil, mind you, but the absolute structure of order versus the free-flowing randomness of chaos. This may seem to be a rhetorical question for librarians, but let me take this opportunity to speak in support of chaos. Shocking, I know, but it just might be the next big thing for libraries.
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The Evidence-Based Manifesto for School Librarians By Ross Todd - 04/01/2008
Every fall, School Library Journal hosts a national Leadership Summit that brings together a mix of school librarians, administrators, other educators, researchers, and university professors, as well as policy makers and elected officials. While the topics change, the Summit always focuses on an issue of critical importance to school librarians.
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Teenage Riot: It’s Not About You By Tricia Suellentrop - 04/01/2008
“I’m pretty independent, and I like to take risks. Some may see me as rebellious and defiant, but all I want is more experience and adventure in my life. If this doesn’t scare you, maybe we should meet.” No, this isn’t a personal ad. It’s a realistic exchange taking place in the minds of the teens we work with in our libraries.
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The Gaming Life: Ready to Rock? By Kelly Czarnecki - 03/01/2008
Move over Guitar Hero and make room for the new band in town. Released in late fall, teens at the Ann Arbor (MI) District Library call MTV Game’s Rock Band “the ultimate party game” and a video game that “makes rock cool again.” One of the most talked about video games, Rock Band is a lot like Guitar Hero, with drums and vocals added, making play even more fun.
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How does it feel to be the first National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature? “I’m flabbergasted,” says the award-winning author Jon Scieszka, who was officially given the title yesterday at the Mulberry Branch of the New York Public Library . “I’m honored that people would think of me, especially since I had a book with ‘stinky’ in the title.”
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A Fuse #8 Production Elizabeth Bird, Children's Librarian, Donnell Central Children's Room June 11, 2007 Jay Goes Walkabout
So I'm in my library, minding my own business, and who should walk through the door b... More
Podcasts are a great way to expand learning beyond the classroom or library. Here are more recommendations from Tech Chicks Anna Adam and Helen Mowers, following up their Dec. 2007 article Listen Up!
K-Gr 4–Singer/songwriter Katie O’Sullivan and her partner, Steve Borne, once again don their alternate personalities—Princess Katie and Racer Steve—to entertain with ten original songs that cover topics from the holidays to hide and seek to sharing.
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Louis Sachar, author of the Newbery Medal-winning Holes, received the Tulsa Library Trust's 2008 Anne V. Zarrow Award for Young Readers' Literature at Tulsa City-County Central Library (OK). Students Reggie Mayes and Charles Burts had the honor of presenting Sachar with the award in front of more than 500 fans.
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