Articles

Libraries are a Teen Oasis
The great comic actor Groucho Marx once said, “Outside of a dog, a book is a man's best friend. Inside of a dog it's too dark to read.” While Groucho definitely predates Will Ferrell, this sort of humor might appeal to teen readers during the tenth annual Teen Read Week™, celebrated this year October 14–20.Teen Read Week, an annual teen literacy initiative administered by the Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA), is an opportunity to showcase the library and involve teens in the planning of the events. The theme for 2007 is “LOL @ your library®,” which encourages teens to read something light or humorous, just for the fun of it. Whether having a Guitar Hero tournament, like the Austin (Texas) Public Library or hosting an author visit with Particia McCormick at the Columbus (Ohio) Metropolitan Library, teens should consider the library their destination for hilarity during Teen Read Week in October. READ MORE
School Libraries Promote International Understanding
Inaugurated in 1999 by the International Association of School Librarianship (IASL), International School Library Day highlights school libraries as essential partners in educating young minds, not only in the United States, but around the world, by connecting students from different cultures.On October 22nd school libraries will be embracing the theme Learning Powered by Your School Library.”Last year school libraries in over 30 countries, from Australia to Mozambique to Egypt, connected with libraries in other countries. READ MORE
Haunted Libraries
By George M. EberhartEditor, American Libraries DirectIn the fall, a journalist’s fancy lightly turns to thoughts of ghosts. Newspapers and magazines that haughtily refrain from printing news of the paranormal for 11 months of the year eagerly jump on the Halloween coach in October to regale their audiences with dubious tales of the preternatural. READ MORE
Carvers Bay (SC) Branch Library: Gaming the Way to Literacy
If you thought gaming in libraries is only for the big-city systems, take a look at this library next to a corn field in rural South Carolina.By Betha GutscheA new library for a new century READ MORE
The Digital Television Transition, Libraries and You
Television as you know it is about to change. By law, on February 17, 2009, television stations nationwide must stop transmitting signals in analog format and begin transmitting in digital. That process has come to be known as the Digital Television (DTV) Transition and libraries are set to play a big role. READ MORE
Reading is Still Hot at Keansburg High School
As a high school librarian, I always try to think of ways to stimulate an interest in reading among my students.  At the high school level, students are involved in numerous extracurricular activities making reading a low priority.  Over the past several years, headphones and MP3 players have become an essential part of our students’ wardrobes. READ MORE
Festival of Maps
The Festival of Maps Chicago, with its theme of “Exploration, Discovery, and Mapping,” recently opened on November 2nd and continues into 2008. Festival events take place at over 30 locations throughout the city, highlighting “advances in modern cartography as they apply to our earth and the skies above.” Ongoing exhibits include “Rare African Maps, 1561-1915” at Northwestern University Library; “Mapping Manifest Destiny: Chicago and the American West” at the Newberry Library; “Mapping the Universe” at the Adler Planetarium; and “An Atlas of Radical Cartography” at the University of Illinois at Chicago. Upcoming seminars and lectures include “Mapping the World from Ancient Babylon to the Ottoman Empire,” an all day symposium at the Oriental Institute; and “Cosmic Cartography Journey through the Universe,” a lecture offered by the Art Institute. For more information and a detailed schedule of upcoming events visit the Festival of Maps Chicago website at http://www.festivalofmaps.org.The following is a list of websites offering fun and games with maps; for more ideas, ask your librarian. READ MORE
Ten Ways Adults Can Support Teen Reading
By the Young Adult Library Services AssociationThe National Endowment for the Arts released data (To Read or Not to Read: A Question of National Consequence) this week showing that Americans—and teenagers in particular—are reading less than they did just a few years ago. The number of 17-year-olds who say they never read for pleasure doubled in the past twenty years to 19 percent. But remember, good reading habits start at home and at your library. READ MORE
Idearc Media Helps Makeover Libraries
 Three libraries received makeovers this year thanks to the generosity, talent, and hard work of Idearc Media and its employees…. READ MORE
Chasing Newbery
Every year a Newbery medal book is chosen and recognized as the most distinguished contribution to American literature for children published in the past year. This long history of book selections makes for a rich reading list. For some young book lovers, tackling this collection of literary greats becomes the ultimate reading challenge. READ MORE

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