Digital Resources

Each month we’ll be publishing reviews of some of our favorite apps and enhanced books. The reviews, which were originally featured in our blog Touch and Go, aren’t without criticism, but we feel these products More...

In SLJ’s December 2011 issue, we presented a list of our “Top 10 Apps of 2011.” Moving forward, we’ll be publishing reviews of a selection of our favorite apps and enhanced books each month. The More...

Ladies and gentlemen, encyclopedias have left the building. Slowly but surely, these print standbys are disappearing from shelves. And yet, they’re now more vital than ever. In a world of information overload, schools need a More...

If elementary school research topics are like items on your weekly grocery list, presidents and states are the milk and eggs—staples that will always be in demand. More... More...

Ah, back to school. There’s so much hope in the air. Students and staff alike arrive ready to make it a great year of learning. A common new-school-year resolution for students is to do a More...

How is your sports section doing? If your answer is a sheepish “not so hot,” you’re not alone. Given the always-changing nature of professional sports, it doesn’t take long for materials to get out of More...

Students are invariably interested in ways they can transform their personal passions into tenable careers. Too often, though, career searching online can dead-end with the digital equivalent of classified ads, leaving teens with more questions More...

Indeed, we live in interesting informational times. Every time you turn around, the print and digital realms are combining in unusual and intriguing ways. Few nonfiction resources embody this union more noticeably than Scholastic’s TrueFlix. More...

Computer-based ebook readers get a bad rap in some circles. And it’s not just a matter of “You’ll pry this paper book out of my cold, lifeless hands” traditionalism. Truth is, reading ebooks on a More...

NBC News can trace its roots to the late 1920s when it became America’s first major broadcast network. Though its famous chime is no longer with us, the updated peacock logo evokes a sense of More...

SirsiDynix has released the URSA® 4.2 (Universal Resource Sharing Application) automated interlibrary loan system. It 'communicates with local circulation systems to provide self-service requests that save staff time and speed the delivery of materials to More...

Just before the Ex Libris Users of North America (ELUNA) meeting May 6-8 in Richmond, Ex Libris announced the general availability of its bX article recommendation service. The service takes its cues from "Web 2.0-type" More...

AquaBrowser to be Harvard's search and discovery platformBlackwenn named sales agent for ABC-CLIO ebooksProQuest products shortlisted for SIIA) 24th annual CODiE AwardsSwets signs agreement with Aldipress, for consolidation and logistics activitiesAquaBrowser Library has been tapped More...

New York, Cleveland, King County and others to followDownloads compatible with the iPod® and other MP3 players, most cell phonesDemos at American Library Association ConferenceThe District of Columbia Public Library (DCPL) yesterday became the nation's More...

Psst! I can hook you up with one of the most powerful tools on the Web. This is the good stuff; the juice that runs the Web sites of the White House and the United More...

Also in this article:Climate Change-Kids SiteWhat's Up With the Weather?Global Climate ChangeGlobal WarmingOlogy-Climate ChangeClimate Change-Kids Sitebit.ly/aEQkSVThis site does a great job of making climate change understandable to elementary and middle school students. Do see "The More...

On demand, instant access, available now! For most school librarians, these words seldom reflect what is currently available to their students or teachers. Instead, videotapes, DVDs, and multiple pieces of equipment are still necessary for More...

Buying presentation software can be a very expensive proposition. That's why I'm constantly looking for free, high-performing presentation tools. Fortunately, there are a lot of good ones to choose from, and some of them even More...

Art teachers face a tsunami of budget cuts, despite playing a key role in the development of 21st century skills-sound familiar? I was fortunate enough to attend the annual conference of the National Art Education More...

Are so-called digital natives more engaged in cultural and political causes? Experts are questioning whether the innate facility young people have with technology has truly translated into more thoughtful participation in the political arena-or whether More...

Also in this article:Earthquake Hazards ProgramEarthquake VideosEarthquakesEarthquakes for KidsFaultlineEarthquake Hazards Programearthquake.usgs.govThis comprehensive site, designed for teens and adults, includes real-time event maps, worldwide monitoring programs, earthquake preparedness, and other features. Created by: The U.S. Geological More...

The critical question for me right now is whether, given a choice, without a nurtured bias for paper books, children would select a traditional, printed volume or a digitally enriched electronic version. Not what we More...

Also in this article:MacBook LeatherboundGraphic Tees for Book LoversVodafone's $15 HandsetAs Free as a BirdMake a PDF from any Web PageThe Best Free Tools for Libraries MacBook LeatherboundThe book is a pretty swell design, having More...

The E-Rate program, which provides discounted telecom services to schools-may be getting a 21st-century lift.Supported by Edward J. Markey (D-MA), who crafted the House version of the first E-Rate bill in 1996, which helped bring More...

With the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver coming up, the timing is perfect for the Science of the Olympic Winter Games, a video series from NBCLearn, the education arm of NBC News. Narrated by NBC More...

As budgets get tighter and educational requirements grow broader, it's become more difficult to find science and math databases that won't devour the entire library budget. However, there's one digital database that provides standards-based instructional More...

While the personal papers of Martin Luther King Jr. will be shared with the public for the first time at the Atlanta University Center beginning this month, another important, though lesser-known collection is also seeing More...

Looking for an easy way to feed your head? iMinds lets you listen your way to well-roundedness with knowledge bites (mostly 7 to 13 minutes long), on a huge variety of topics in the following More...

Graphic novel adaptations of the classics are a venerable genre of print comics, so it's surprising that so few webcomics artists have jumped onboard. But what the genre lacks in quantity, it makes up for More...

Also in this article:Bentley Snow Crystal CollectionHow to Make a 3-D Paper SnowflakeMake-a-FlakeSnowCrystals.comSnowDaysSnowflake DesignerThe Snowflake FactoryBentley Snow Crystal Collectionwww.bentley.sciencebuff.orgBorn in 1865, Wilson Bentley grew up in a small town in Vermont, where as a teenager More...

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A national call to boost student mastery in STEM subjects (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) has prompted new initiatives of interest to the K–12 community. 'Reaffirming and strengthening America's role as the world's engine of More...

Facts On File has launched its new Curriculum Video On Demand subscription service, created in partnership with content provider Films for the Humanities and Sciences. Curriculum Video On Demand, which features video content from some More...

From instant messaging to e-books, text referencing to cell phone search, libraries are serving up more mobile resources to patrons, helping to turn 24/7 services into more of a reality, according to speakers at the More...

Even though I love children's picture books, I almost always cringe when a high school art student asks me to help them locate examples of titles that use "woodcuts" or "wash." While I handle these More...

If a pandemic or other significant event made it difficult or impossible for your students, staff, or teachers to physically attend school, how would you make sure that communication and education still take place? This More...

Also in this article:At the Intersection of School & Home-Parent CornerExplore Elmo's ClassroomPBS Parents-Going to SchoolTeacher Helpers-Bulletin Board IdeasTeacher Tools and TemplatesParent CornerSome kids look forward to the start of school-others are less than thrilled More...

www.teachersfirst.com/firstday.cfmAh, the first day of school. For students, educators, and parents alike, it's a remarkable occasion, loaded with excitement, anticipation, and, yes, sometimes even a tear or two. To help get things off to a More...

Pixels are cheaper than paper, so comics publishers are getting into the webcomics act in a big way, using their Web sites to launch new series and offer hard-to-find older titles.Manga fans want their books More...

Also in this article:Kraus Curriculum Development Library OnlineGradeCostThe Big PictureLook & FeelHow It WorksReport CardIf you've ever spent any time on the electronic discussion list LM_NET, you know that librarians are regularly seeking curriculum guides More...

Also in this article:Baseball-As American as Apple PieClub MLBNational Baseball Hall of Fame-Enriching EducationScience of BaseballTake Them Out to the Ball GameBaseball-As American as Apple Piememory.loc.gov/learn/community/cc_baseball.phpThe Library of Congress hosts primary resource materials on all More...

Libraries are asking tough budget questions about subscription databases.Michael Stephens of Tame the Web and Assistant Professor in the Graduate School of Library and Information Science at Dominican University in River Forest, Illinois was invited More...

I picked up my digital camera the other day to find that my teenage daughter had taken several hundred photos in just a few hours, as she does with some regularity. Whether it's trying to More...

TED, the annual gathering of the world's leading 'thinkers and doers,'; has inspired many. Now, thanks to educator Jackie Gerstein, there's 'Teaching with TED,'; a recently launched wiki that aims to bring some of that More...

Navigate to the CBTCafe Web site and select which program you would like to learn. CBTCafe has made it very easy to navigate around this page using the side bar under the main menu. Simply More...

Also in this article:America on the MoveAutomobile in American Life and SocietyCar of the FutureHoratio's Drive-America's First Road TripModel T Road TripThe Showroom of Automotive HistoryAmerica on the Moveamericanhistory.si.edu/onthemoveTry to imagine a world without fast More...

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Some 2,400 public and private schools across Ohio have access to a unique new learning site. Launched by statewide library network INFOhio and library automation firm SirsiDynix, SchoolRooms provides K–12 students with a variety of More...

everydayexplorers.nationalgeographic.comThere's a new user-generated video site, but it's perhaps not what you'd expect. Among the posted clips: a pair of mourning doves, in time-lapse, busily tend a nest atop an air-conditioning unit. A school of More...

As part of National Cyber Security Awareness Month, CyberPatrol has unveiled a series of family-oriented online safety videosthat provide parents, educators, and others with easy to understand and useful advice on how to protect children More...

The United States Marine Corpshas signed a one-year contract to offer Marine families 24/7 access to Tutor.com's Live Homework Help program through base libraries. Students of all ages, from K-12 and adults, can use the More...

There's an underground movement that is seeking an alternative to the PowerPoint presentation. Rather than introducing a unit of study, a staff development presentation, or even a booktalk using the standard presentation software, many librarians More...

Also in this article:Connect Safely-Smart Socializing Starts HereGetNetWise-Social Networking SitesNSTeens-Post-to-be PrivateSocial Networking BasicsStaySafe.org for TeenagersConnect Safely-Smart Socializing Starts Herewww.connectsafely.orgThis up-to-date site designed for adults offers an excellent online discussion forum on social networking sites. You'll More...

onceuponaschool.orgJust about anyone, I think, would be willing to lend a hand to benefit his or her local school. It just takes a little inspiration and some clear direction, which you'll find in abundance at More...

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Kindergarten teacher Maria Knee of Deerfield, NH, is this year's winner of the Kay L. Bitter Vision Award for Excellence in Education, which honors an early education teacher. Check out Knee's collection of online teaching More...

Lugging around an eight-pound laptop may not appeal to students already burdened with overstuffed backpacks. But what if that laptop replaced the books-and the notepads, for that matter-all for just $100? Enter Papyrus, an e-reader More...

Just in time for baseball season, the Library of Congress (LOC) has assembled a Web clearinghouse devoted to America's pastime. The simply named 'Historic Baseball Resources';features multimedia offerings from the library's vast trove, including rare More...

For members of the right-brain camp-like me-math can be a particular challenge. So it's especially important for young learners to get a firm handle on the basics. And you know what that means-practice. The online More...

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There's nothing like letting a child choose their bedtime story-and having one of those titles be their own. Through the new site TikaTok, children can compose the mysteries, adventures, and fantasies bursting from their imaginations, More...

There's nothing like snooping through a person's library to sneak a peak at what they're reading. Now bibliophiles can compare their fave books to those of Ernest Hemingway-just the latest name to join the 'I More...

Yahoo!'s photo-sharing site Flickr has added something new: homemade videos. Aimed at amateurs who want to share short video clips with family and friends, the video technology will compete head-to-head with Google's YouTube, a widely More...

Lookybook.com bills itself as "the world's longest bookshelf" and a "test track" for picture books-all for free. Before buying or committing to a picture book, parents, teachers, and librarians can view the work in its More...

If your students need help in areas of science and math, or if they hate the thought of plowing through maps, globes, and atlases, there are two new products that are certain to bring some More...

Also in this article:SkypeUStreamElluminateOther Tools to Consider Skype Now owned by eBay, this free program for computer-to-computer calls keeps getting better. While technically not a Web-based tool (you download the program and run it from More...

Beware the "summer slide." That's Scholastic's intention this spring, as it rolls out its Scholastic Summer Reading BUZZ! offering kids book lists, interactive book-themed activities, and a chance to donate books to underprivileged children.For every More...

A recent ruling by a U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Minnesota that it is unconstitutional to restrict the sale or rental of violent and mature video games to minors is likely to impact similar More...

To celebrate Women's History month, BrainPOP is offering more than a dozen kid-friendly, animated movies about pioneering women and their accomplishments.The site spotlights influential historical women, from Cleopatra to Oprah, who struggled and broke barriers More...

Today's high school kids might not be as eager as their grandparents were to tote around leather-bound editions of Walt Whitman or Emily Dickinson. But how about "mobile" poems? How about access, from the palm More...

Thinkfinity.org, the popular online hub for educators, is getting a face-lift. The Verizon Foundation, the site's sponsor, announced several improvements to Thinkfinity.org at WNET's Teaching & Learning Celebration, held March 7–8 in New York City.Thinkfinity.org More...

Also in this article:Canada Wide 2008 Virtual Science FairOnline (and Hands-on) ActivitiesNewton's Apple Science Try ItsScience BuddiesScience Fair Project Resource GuideZOOMsciCanada Wide 2008 Virtual Science Fairwww.virtualsciencefair.comFor those about to stage a Web-based event, this site's More...

Here's something guaranteed to get kids excited: the theme of this year's Teen Tech Week, from March 2 to 8, is "Tune In @ Your Library." More than 1,500 libraries nationwide have said they'll participate More...

The International Children's Digital Library (ICDL) just got significantly bigger. The organization has announced that it will team with the Boston Public Library (BPL) to provide digital access to hundreds of titles from the library's More...

Librarians and teachers who want to make President's Day more than just another day off from school will have a rare opportunity on February 13 to connect their classes to Pulitzer Prize-winning historian David McCullough More...

LeapFrog School has launched a new, online version of Link to Lessons, an educator resource featuring easy-to-use classroom tools and activities. Designed for use with LeapFrog School products geared for PreK-Grade 2-such as English Picture More...

For six years, Tom Daccord's online resource, Best of History Web Sites, has offered librarians and other educators a treasure trove of Web sites, augmented with lesson plans, course units, and PowerPoint presentations. Now, Daccord, More...

Last spring, I shared my thoughts on the first-generation Sony Reader (see SLJ March 2007 'Test Drive,'; p. 23). While I found the ebook reading device somewhat flawed, I was quite impressed with its paperlike More...

Flickr, the popular photo-sharing site, just got another subscriber. A big one. In an effort to enhance sharing of its image collection, the Library of Congress (LOC) has uploaded more than 3,000 photos to its More...

About 100 young adult authors will be ready and waiting for young readers' questions as part of a two-week "Pulse Blogfest" taking place March 14–27.Sponsored by Simon & Schuster, the blogfest will feature Scott Westerfeld, More...

If you think your tots would enjoy a lesson from Curious George or the Berenstain Bears, check out Kids Play!, a new subscription-based educational site from PBS.The online neighborhood offers a comprehensive early childhood curriculum More...

Just because today's kids grew up using the Internet doesn't mean they're adept at using the Web, says a new British study. "Information Behaviour of the Researcher of the Future'; says that although there's only More...

From the folks who brought you the failed Deleting Online Predators Act (DOPA) and the successful but little loved Children's Internet Protection Act (CIPA), comes a legislative initiative that librarians may love.It's a proposed $25 More...

If your students have ever ached to climb the Empire State Building, peek in at a New York City cultural event, or bird-watch in Central Park, check out the new Web site MeetMeAtTheCorner. Targeted at More...

Educators looking to put more pizzazz into high school math and science just got a whole lot smarter, thanks to a new Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Web site called Highlights for High School The More...

faculty.washington.edu/chudler/neurok.htmlNow is the time when anxious students think about undertaking a major project. Yes, science fairs are looming in schools across the country, and neuroscientist Eric Chudler is here to help. The director of education More...

Who says gaming encourages a sedentary lifestyle? "The Incredible Adventures of the Amazing Food Detective"is a new video game that teaches kids to fight childhood obesity by staying active. "The Amazing Food Detective" is the More...

For librarians who want to teach about the Holocaust, the Shoah Foundation Institute has streamlined its Web site, adding easily accessible lesson plans and video clips of survivors and witnesses.The free site,based at the University More...

Where do you find an alphabetical listing of words with their meanings, spellings, variant forms, pronunciation, etymology, synonyms, antonyms, usage examples, and more...in five different languages? Well, if you suggested an 'online dictionary,'; then you'd More...

Have you ever introduced students to quality subscription databases and Web sites only to watch them make a beeline for their favorite search engine to select the often dubious-and sometimes downright inappropriate-hits topping their results More...

Mypopstudio.comWith all the diverse content of the Web available to them at the click of a button, it's never been more vital for young people to develop a critical eye toward the media that they More...

The 13th national conference of the American Association of School Librarians (AASL), held October 25–28 in Reno, NV, featured several vendor announcements.Follett Software Companyreleased the latest version of InfoCentre at AASL. InfoCentre 3.0, a new More...

Social networking is a hit with tweens and teens-and now many teachers, parents, and students are taking advantage of these popular online communities within their own schools.More than 200 schools in California, Georgia, Kansas, Massachusetts, More...

The Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) has devised a creative way to help at-risk students and dropouts-it's using YouTube, MySpace, text messaging, and radio stations to get its word out. The program, 'My Future, More...

A new, Web-based game teaches kids about healthy eating-then shuts itself off after 20 minutes to remind youngsters to get active. Available in both Spanish and English, "The Incredible Adventures of the Amazing Food Detective'; More...

Also in this article:After Harry PotterHarry Potter Fan FictionPotterCastAfter Harry Potterwww.bcplonline.org/kidspage/kids_harrypotter.html#ifyoulikeHave your students finished reading the Harry Potter books? On their next visit to the library, share this site, which offers similar reads. The book More...

The Internet Public Library (IPL), an online resource site aimed at students of all ages, is getting an overhaul meant to broaden its current services into a virtual learning lab for both media specialists and More...

Spread the word: Yahoo! has developed a free social networking site that lets teachers and librarians create, modify, and share standards-based curricula.Yahoo for Teachers is a Web-based tool strictly for educators, allowing them to search More...

When it's time to find the answers to a controversial subject, prepare for a heated debate, or write a position paper on today's hottest topic, there shouldn't be any argument that databases provide the best More...

Also in this article:Brain TeasersCrazy QuizGeoBee ChallengeHarry Potter Wizard ChallengeWho's Who and What's WhatBrain Teaserswww.eduplace.com/math/brain/index.htmlDo you know kids (or teachers) who love the challenge of a good math or logic problem? Each week this site More...

In an era when young people derive their news from Comedy Central's The Daily Show-if they have any interest at all in what's going on in the world-what's big media to do? NBC News has More...

Projectnml.org/exemplarsKids out there are creating content like crazy. Easy-to-use tools for blogging, sharing images, mashing, and remixing are freely available online, and countless users-fully half of all teenagers, according to a recent Pew study-are taking More...

In addition to summer book reading, there is also a wealth of online activities that librarians and parents can use to help fight learning loss over the summer months-while also providing great support to classrooms More...

www.eol.orgThe recently announced Web project the Encyclopedia of Life is remarkable enough for its overarching goal-documenting all 1.8 million named species and untold numbers yet to be discovered. But the Web site itself isn't bad More...

Unlike thousands of other teachers or librarians, I have had the unique privilege to chaperone high school students on school-sponsored trips to other countries and around the United States. During each of these trips, I More...

Also in this article:April 16 ArchiveNational Youth Violence Prevention Resource CenterSafe Schools ManualStop Bullying Now!April 16 Archive www.april16archive.org Students and staff at Virginia Tech have created this “digital memory bank” to collect and archive firsthand More...

photojojo.com Taking pictures in the digital age is easy—too easy. The result? About a gazillion or so photos lying about—on CDs, DVDs, external hard drives, or—admittedly, in my sorry case—strewn across the desktop. Online photo More...

What do parents worry about when it comes to their kids? Smoking and drug abuse top the list, at 40 percent and 39 percent, respectively, according to a new, national poll. But Internet safety is More...