Where are my public librarians? Show us a little love and please complete our job satisfaction—or, OK, dissatisfaction—survey. We’ve had three times as many school librarians as public librarians respond. And 10 $50 Amazon certificates are at stake! A feature based on the data will run in September.
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 entirety using the site's whimsical "page-turning" tool. The site was cofounded by former Random House Children's Book publisher Craig Virden and children's illustrator Craig Frazier, best known for his delightful "Stanley" series (Chronicle). SLJ spoke to Frazier about Lookybook's fledgling online book publishing trend—and what it portends for the future of children's
publishing.
How do you get permission to publish these books on the Web? We get permission from the rights holders, which are the publishers. We have in the last eight months conducted an outreach to every major publisher, and we continue to on a regular basis to request publishers' involvement. read more...
Low-income kids from Washington no longer have to worry about who’s paying for college—as long as they keep up their high school grades and stay out of trouble with the law.
State legislators recently passed a bill, dubbed “College Bound,” as part of a recent string of initiatives to help low-income students obtain a college education. In order to qualify for the Washington College Bound Scholarship Program, seventh and eighth grade students must pledge to graduate from high school with at least a C average and not commit any felonies. read more...
Calling all middle school history teachers: here’s your chance to help create a social studies curriculum and lesson plan—and possibly appear on national TV. The creators of Young American Heroes, a new TV series, are seeking teachers to help produce a pilot TV show on Frederick Douglass, along with two Web sites—one for teachers and the other for students—in real time as they are being created.
Young American Heroes is the result of a partnership between Palace Production Center, an award-winning Connecticut media company, and Fairfield University Graduate School of Education, along with a team of top historians from places like Yale University and the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History. read more...
“The grass is always greener on the other side” may be a good subtitle for this set of books. As some of the characters discover, being poor is hard, but there are some things that are even worse. Another teen finds that the very thing she craves in order to be different from her family is exactly what sends her running back to them. Use these titles to prompt discussion on diversity, class distinction, and religious differences.
GARSEE, Jeannine. Before, After, and Somebody in Between. Bloomsbury. 2007. Tr $16.95. ISBN 978-1-59990-022-3 Gr 9-12 –Martha Kowalski lives in the Cleveland projects with her alcoholic mother and her mother’s abusive boyfriend. read more...
Leonardo da Vinci was born on April 15, 1452. Instead of fretting about Tax Day this year, spend some time with the kids in your library celebrating da Vinci’s birthday and teaching them about his many important accomplishments. Besides being one of the most famous left-handers of all time, da Vinci was also a true genius. He was not only an amazing artist, but also an inventor and scientist.
This great Web site has tons of information about da Vinci: “Renaissance Man” tells about his life; “Exploring Leonardo” contains classroom lessons and activities for kids in grades 4–8. Make sure to check out “Inventors Workshop,” “Leonardo’s Perspective,” and “Leonardo Right to Left,” which shows how Leonardo wrote his notes and lets kids try mirror writing themselves. Finally, don’t miss the great glossary in the “Additional Resources.” — Gail Junion-Metz
As Assistant Library Director for Public Services, you will be the customer service leader for an award-winning library system that includes a Central Library, 22 branch libraries and a public school/library partnership. This is your opportunity to strategize, champion and implement cutting-edge public service initiatives. read more...
To see all positions available through the SLJ Career Center, click here...
