INTERVIEW

• To Dye For: An Innovative Teen Summer Reading Program
  Forget ash blonde or sable brunette. Kat Werner, the head of teen services at Benton Public Library in Benton Harbor, MI, prefers the more adventurous shades of the rainbow on the top of her head. That’s why she decided to auction her hair color to a lucky winner in her summer reading program. On September 9, she changed her hair color yet again—this time to yellow and orange.
  
  Talk about innovative programming! What made you decide to auction your hair color?
  I decided to auction my hair color because I tend to dye it interesting colors—pink, purple, blue, green, and more—and the teens are very interested in seeing what colors I will choose next. Some of the teens started making suggestions for me, so I decided that I would make the chance to pick my hair color one of the prizes for our summer reading program. more » » » 

Blogs

• ShelfTalker: A Children's Bookseller's Blog
  Elizabeth Bluemle, Co-owner, Flying Pig Bookstore, Shelburne, Vt.
  A World Full of Color
  Hoo boy, have I got a great list of books to share with you! Ever since the August 27 ShelfTalker post, Where's Ramona Quimby, Black and Pretty?, I've been immersed in the ongoing conversation abou...
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• A Fuse #8 Production
  Elizabeth Bird, Children's Librarian, Children's Center at 42nd Street
  Fusenews: Rhymes with "Sauce 'em"
  I couldn't describe this any better than my boss did when he sent me the link in the first place: "This links to a terrific 30 minute BBC radio program by Michael Rosen on Winnie in Russia! I e...
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• Bowllan's Blog
  Amy Bowllan, The Hewitt School, New York
  Writers Against Racism: George E. Stanley
  George E. Stanley is professor of African and Middle-Eastern Languages and Linguistics Department of English and Foreign Languages ...Read More
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• Nonfiction Matters
  Marc Aronson, AUTHOR, EDITOR, PACKAGER, SPEAKER,
  Another Side of My Reading Life
  Just FYI Here's a short piece about the guys reading group I created -- another chance to read nonfiction -- and hang around with the guys. tinyurl.com/cxj9su
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NEWS

• Hostility Against LGBT Youth Increases in Rural, Low-Income Areas, Report Says
  Discrimination against gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) youth often increases in rural and so-called impoverished areas, according to a new report by the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network (GLSEN), which believes school librarians can play a significant role in helping to stem this kind of harassment.
  
  “We’ve found that having a supportive school staff member can help mitigate these effects,” says Emily Greytak, senior research associate at GLSEN. “And librarians play a unique role in that they have the potential to reach all students, unlike teachers who usually only connect to students in their class.” more » » » 
• Celebrate Banned Books Week, September 26–October 3
  The recent book-banning controversy over Tintin au Congo (Little, Brown, 2005) at New York’s Brooklyn Public Library is yet another reminder of the importance of Banned Books Week, an event in which thousands nationwide will read from banned or challenged books, speak out and learn about censorship, and celebrate the right to choose reading materials without restriction.
  
  The hugely popular "Harry Potter" series, To Kill a Mockingbird, and "Little Red Riding Hood" have all faced removal from library shelves in the United States. And in 2008 alone, the American Library Association’s (ALA) Office for Intellectual Freedom received reports of more than 513 attempts to remove books deemed by some to be inappropriate or even dangerous. more » » » 

REMARKABLE READS

• Ride 'em, Cowboy!
  There’s a ton of history behind cowboys and cowgirls in the United States, with connections going back to herding traditions in Spain that influenced America’s earliest settlers. Older kids looking to do research can visit the Donald C. and Elizabeth M. Dickinson Research Center, which is part of the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City, OK. Little cowpokes just looking for some fun will want to visit the Diamond Ranch Web site, and teachers and librarians will find many useful online study guides and activities. more » » » 

LIBRARIAN'S INTERNET

• Pimp My Bookcart
  For the past three years, Bill Barnes and Gene Ambaum, creators of the library e-comic strip Unshelved, have held an online competition to see how creative folks can get when spiffing up a standard book cart.
  
  The title of the competition is a parody of MTV’s Pimp My Ride and is open to all schools, libraries, and bookstores. The deadline is October 31, so now’s the time to start designing your cart. There’s a special prize just for middle and elementary school students—each kid involved gets an Unshelved book and T-shirt. Grown-up winners get new book carts and gift certificates. more » » » 

JOB OF THE WEEK