Thinking of circulating games? Then read about the experiences at the Guilderland Public Library in upstate New York, where not only have the games been popular, but book borrowing by teens has increased 20 percent since they added games to the collection. Go figure.
Darwin Evolves Online Charles Darwin’s original tracts that gave rise to the theory of natural selection are now available online, thanks to a massive effort by Cambridge University, where the naturalist himself was a student.
More than 20,000 papers—almost 90,000 images—can now be accessed, a valuable trove for students and teachers, as well as the scientific community. While many of his papers have been publicly available for students able to travel to Cambridge, the online collection makes Darwin’s own words and the influence of his work much more immediate. read more...
Hot Picks
BOOKS United Tweets of America by Hudson Talbott
From SLJ 5/1/2008 Gr 2-5–Gather all of your chuckle-bellied trivia snatchers for a rollicking romp through the states. Talbott has created wisecrack-filled cartoons featuring birds in competition for the "United Tweets of America Pageant."
VIDEO/DVD A Very Brave Witch K-Gr 2–Witches, in case you didn’t know, are afraid of humans. After all, humans aren’t green, they don’t cackle and, as a general rule, they’re afraid to fly.
AUDIO Tell Me a Story 2: Animal Magic K-Gr 6–These seven multicultural folktales have been selected from Amy Friedman’s long-running newspaper feature syndicated by Universal Press Syndicate. These timeless, captivating tales span the world, from Nigeria to China, France, Guatemala, and Australia.
School library supporters in Mesa, AZ, are launching a petition and staging a rally in the hope of getting the district’s governing board to reverse its decision to eliminate media specialists over the next three years.
The move is in response to an April 17 story in the Arizona Republic stating that the state’s largest school district—with 87 K–12 schools and close to 74,000 students—was planning to phase out its school librarians, nurses, and speech experts to help trim an estimated $20 million from next year's budget. read more...
Here’s another example of how school librarians get no respect: the TEACH grant, which awards up to $4,000 annually to those studying to become teachers in “high need” fields, makes no mention of library media.
That’s right. The Teacher Education Assistance for College and Higher Education (TEACH) grant program is geared toward helping math, science, foreign language, special education, and reading specialists meet the costs of their postsecondary education. Those areas are designated as “high need” by the Federal Government, state government, or local educational agencies. read more...
Watch and Read: Spotlight on Media Tie-ins
The Return of an Icon Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (not yet rated), directed by Steven Spielberg and produced by George Lucas, opens in theaters on May 22, 2008. Presented by Paramount Pictures and Lucasfilm Ltd, and once again starring Harrison Ford in the title role, this long-awaited sequel follows up a blockbuster trio: Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981), Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984), and Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989). read more...
Multnomah County Library in Portland, Oregon, is seeking a dynamic, service-oriented individual to direct the operations of the Central Library for this nationally recognized library system. The Central Library Director is responsible for directing, overseeing, and participating in the development of the Central Library's vision, goals, and objectives in alignment with the Library Department's vision. This position will work with other senior managers to coordinate and participate in the development of the Library Department's goals and work plan. It will also assign work and mentor four Central management team employees, who supervise various work units at the Central Library, and one administrative assistant. read more...
To see all positions available through the SLJ Career Center, click here...
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BOOKS
Gr 2-5–Gather all of your chuckle-bellied trivia snatchers for a rollicking romp through the states. Talbott has created wisecrack-filled cartoons featuring birds in competition for the "United Tweets of America Pageant."
