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Written on: November 5th, 2009 by: in Blog Posts
Here are some of the most popular subject search terms used in the Delaware Library Catalog during October:
Meanwhile, over at Delaware Tech., returning students were interested in the following:
Written on: November 5th, 2009 by: in Blog Posts
Colum McCann’s Let the Great World Spin was recently voted Amazon.com’s best book of 2009- Here’s some more of Amazon’s top 10 titles:
Strength in What Remains by Tracy Kidder
Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel
Brooklyn by Colm Toibin
Crazy for the Storm: a Memoir of Survival by Norman Ollstead
The Girl Who Played with Fire by Steig Larsson
Stitches by David Small (graphic novel)
Here are some selections from the Publishers Weekly top ten:
Written on: November 4th, 2009 by: in
Here’s a quick guide to custom search options, in response to a question from a library user who wanted to know how to search for videos and DVDs specifically in the Delaware Library Catalog
You can limit your search to a particular library from the main search page, but custom search is very handy if you are interested in a specific item media or type, or want to search within a genre or age group.
Written on: November 3rd, 2009 by: in Blog Posts, Learning
(Note: this posting was updated on October 13th, 2010) This month’s Young Adult Library Services, a periodical for library staff who work with young adult and teen users, includes an outstanding article featuring anti-bullying books, magazines, and online resources.
While Delaware schools feature a number of outstanding anti-bullying programs, along with a statutory requirement for school districts to implement, it’s still a national problem that has a terrible impact on children- the NEA estimates that 160,000 children skip school each day to avoid bullying, and it’s the main safety concern of girls aged 8-17, according to a 2003 Harris Poll. For Gay and Lesbian teens, the vast majority suffer some form of bullying on a regular basis, and most do not feel safe at school.
The Delaware Bullying Prevention Association recommends these titles to teachers and parents
UPDATE: The ebook publisher Ebrary recently made these selected titles freely available at their Cyberbullying Information Center, some of which are also available in print through your library
The YALSA article recommends the following novels and short story collections for young adult readers:
One final selection for pre-school and early grades is the multiple award-winning One by Kathryn Otoshi, which mixes fundamental numeracy concepts with a message about difference and acceptance.
The article also recommends a number of websites which provide anti-bullying information to various audiences, including www.pacerkidsagainstbullying.org, a kid-oriented site which includes links for parents and professionals; www.stopbullyingnow.hrsa.org, which is maintained by the U.S. Health Resources and Services Administration, a division of Health and Human Services, is also aimed at kids and provides worksheets, comics, and animated webisodes dealing with the topic. Online resources on cyberbullying include www.cyberbullying.us and www.stopcyberbullying.org. Finally, the George Washington University’s Hamilton Fish Institute is a clearing house for all kinds of information, research and resources on all aspects of school violence including bullying.
UPDATE: In the aftermath of the Tyler Clemente tragedy there has been a renewed focus on the impact of bullying on gay teens. SafeSchools.org produced this factsheet on the issue (opens in a new window), as did the advocacy group Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network (GLSEN). You can view the GLSEN resource page at this link.
Finally, it’s crucial to remind the victims of anti-gay bias: for most, it does get better: Video Testimonials on YouTube
Written on: November 2nd, 2009 by: in Blog Posts
In this week’s New York Times Book Review Dave Eggers reviews the new volume of Kurt Vonnegut’s previously unpublished short fiction Look at the Birdie. These pieces are representative of the work Vonnegut and many other working authors of the post-War era wrote for magazines such as Saturday Evening Post– clever, witty and upbeat, but still demonstrating the emerging off-center worldview and irony that would characterize Vonnegut’s more complete and enduring work. Eggers summarizes the works in this collection as “polished..relentlessly fun to read, and every one of them comes to a neat and satisfying end.”
Turkish author Orhan Pamuk’s new work Museum of Innocence is an “enchanting novel of first love”, according to reviewer Maureen Howard, where the city of Istanbul itself is as much of a subject of the novel as the protagonist Kemal and Fusun, the object of his obsessive ardor.
The actual museum (inspired in part by the novel) in Istanbul that Pamuk recently founded and will open next year- celebrating quotidian artifacts from everyday life- was also the subject of an article in this week’s NYT magazine. Admission is free with the ticket included in the new book, and you can see a slideshow of some of the artifacts at this link.
Also reviewed this week:
Written on: October 30th, 2009 by: in Blog Posts
Author Katherine Hall Page is a popular writer in the mystery/cookbook genre. Her protagonist Faith Fairchild is a “minister’s wife, sometime sleuth, and culinary artist” and has been featured in 18 adventures, and Page has won the prestigious Agatha Award three times
Her new book, the Body in the Sleigh, is dedicated to libraries and librarians. Page writes movingly about her childhood experiences in her local library, and concludes the dedication:
Ultimately librarians are matchmakers. They introduce us to new authors and subjects. They connect us with needed information and, if we like, will teach us how to find it ourselves. They embrace new technology and draw us in, as well. Traveling to libraries all across the country, I have been reminded how they also function as gathering places. New libraries have small auditoria that are available to community groups for meetings and events. Comfortable places to sit and read, yes, but many libraries are adding cafes where patrons can meet for coffee. I loved my little Livingston farmhouse library and the small, gray shingled Chase Emerson Library in Deer Isle, Maine, but I admit to detours whenever I’m in town to see the McKim courtyard and Sargent murals at the Boston Public Library—the oldest municipal public library in the country and the largest—and the Rose Reading Room at The New York Public Library, pausing outside on Fifth Avenue to pat one of the stone lions, “Patience” and “Fortitude”. Our jewel is the crown is, of course, The Library of Congress—again unique in the access it provides and its preservation of books and documents. (There is still a card catalogue as a backup to the Virtual one). The Great Hall is splendid. Participating in a panel at the library was an honor and memory I will always hold dear.
Libraries have functioned as centers of learning since Alexandria, but now more than ever in these economic times, they are providing instruction that individuals cannot afford to take elsewhere. Courses in ESL, literacy, computer literacy, taxes, writing of all sorts, and book groups for every taste are standard fare. Andrew Carnegie suggested “Let There Be Light” with the rays of a rising sun be set in the stone above the entrances to his free libraries. It’s as apt now as it was in the 19th century. Yes, librarians are keepers of the light as well as matchmakers— and it’s a match made in heaven. The dedication of this book is long overdue.
You can read the full dedication here.
Kirkus Reviews gave Page’s newest book the following review:
Drug dealers insufficiently supplied with the Christmas spirit make life dangerous for Faith and Mary. No more mystery than usual for Faith, but the feel-good Christmas theme, pleasant characters and recipes will keep the faithful content.
Written on: October 29th, 2009 by: in Blog Posts
This was the main finding of the recent Pew Research Center study on popular attitudes towards science and scientists in the United States.
You can test your own base level of awareness of current popular scientific knowledge at the Pew Science Quiz. Depending on how you perform, you may want to check out one of these recently published science titles using your Delaware Library Catalog membership:
Or you can browse a list of popular science titles at this link
MAKE magazine recently interviewed some of America’s leading scientists to find out what fascinates them about what they do. You can hear the interviews at this link. I wonder if they, like the Nobel Laureates featured in my blog post of last week, have had their interests shaped by their childhood experiences in public libraries?
Written on: October 28th, 2009 by: in Blog Posts
Click on the links below to get lists of new items available from the DLC in various formats:
All New Items
New Audio Books
New Books
New DVDs
Written on: October 27th, 2009 by: in Blog Posts
I guess that I can’t say I was too surprised when Lucy hauled home the immortal sci-fi novel Dune from her school library last week- my recollection was that I was in 4th grade when I read it for the first time. It’s an interesting bedtime story to read out loud though- I tried to emphasize the fact that for some novels, the enjoyment comes from being thrown into an unfamiliar world without any authorial exposition, and from discovering the world for oneself in the same way that the characters must.
She’s dabbled in some sci-fi before, but the field is so diverse and sometimes hard to read- I was fortunate to discover this primer from the science-fiction gossip blog io9, which contains some very good recommendations on good titles to introduce young children to the genre. I was particularly excited to see John Christopher’s Tripods trilogy included in the list. I had completely forgotten about this incredible author and his mature, dark, and intelligent adventures.
Written on: October 26th, 2009 by: in Blog Posts
Here’s another rapid summary of some of the featured books in this Sunday’s New York Times Book Review, which are now available to borrow or reserve from the Delaware Library Catalog.
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