Dewey - just doesn't cut it any more.

The problem(s) of organizing information are well described by some of the best thinkers in our information age. This is a 9 minute video. Joyce Valenza reflects on how this will impact her students and her teaching here.

Edinburgh (Scotland) Book Festival, August 2011

I am completely sold on the value of book festivals to kids (of all ages) and to the communities they become a part of and enrich in the process. Here's a young man, Patrick, doing an excellent job interviewing Neil Gaiman. I'd love to "read" his "What I did this summer" essay, glog, mashup, or podcast :) Enjoy!

Brushes - an iPad App

This 2.5 minute video briefly explains the iPad app that allows one to paint using only one's fingers.

From Guys Read...Joke Books in the Library.

Looking up authors who will be appearing at this year's National Book Festival, I came across this bit of collaborative fun with Jon Scieszka, Mac Barnett*, Adam Rex, David Yoo, Paul Feig, Kate DiCamillo, Christopher Paul Curtis, Eoin Colfer, Jack Gantos*, David Lubar, and Jeff Kinney.

* Starred authors will be appearing at the 2011 National Book Festival in Washington, D.C.

TED talk - Social Networking: Discovering Mister Splashy Pants

The democracy of an open access web. "Be willing to loose control," advises Alexis Ohanian.

Ira Glass on Writing and Creativity

This very short piece by Ira Glass confirms everything that the wonderful Young Adult authors at Rochester's Teen Book Festival shared with their young audience of potential writers. Write, create, and keep writing. You'll get better. Who can't benefit from such encouragement by those who create, write and know?

Ira Glass on Storytelling from David Shiyang Liu on Vimeo.

"Around the World" by Matt Phelan is due out this October.

Around the World, is Phelan's new graphic novel in which he chronicles the lives of three adventurers: Thomas Stevens, Joshua Slocum, and Nellie Bly. I'm looking forward to reading it and buying a copy when he visits Linden Hall this fall for Lititz's Kid-Lit Festival, Saturday, November 12th.



Lititz's Kid-Lit Festival is generously supported by Linden Hall and Aaron's Books. Kudos to both organizations for connecting kids, teens, books, and authors!

"Sluggers" Series Book Trailer by Phil Bildner and Loren Long

A favorite with third graders.

Amazon's listings.

A Message for Teens, "It Gets Better."

YA authors and illustrators share their life experiences...that life does indeed get better and better. Being a teen, navigating middle and high school, straight or gay, can be challenging. These people remember teen years. And they remember the hundreds and thousands of days and weeks that follow.

Book Trailers

I love the concept and the reality of book trailers - promoting books the way movies have been advertised.
We're all turning into media makers. Literacy skills include more than reading and writing.

Rochester NY's Teen and Children's Book Festivals!

Greater Rochester Teen Book Festival - an annual May event.
Rochester, New York is a gorgeous place and made more so by such spectacular events as a Children's Book Festival each November and a Teen Book Festival in May. I attended this year's Teen Book Festival, affectionately known as "TBF." Below are some YouTube clips of 2010 and 2011. They do a good job portraying what the events look and feel like. Yes, there is that much enthusiasm for YA authors and YA readers! When the first Greater Rochester TBF was held in 2006, 500 attended. This year's event, held Saturday, May 14th at Nazareth College, hosted 28 authors and more than 4000 attendees! Next year's event will be held on Saturday, May 19, 2012, again at Nazareth College aka "Naz," and will host 28 authors. With such stellar organizers, funders, and supporters, it's sure to be another event not to miss! I feel 17 again!!!

TBF Facebook Page

Author A.S. King's Blog about TBF - informative post & pictures. Scroll down to May 2011 to read her reflections and see her pictures of this year's event.

Rochester NY's Children's Book Festival 2010 (November)



Rochester Children's Book Festival Website. Saturday,November 5, 2011, from 10am to 4pm, at Monroe Community College, Brighton Campus, 1000 East Henrietta Rd.

How cool is Rochester? Bibliophile Heaven!

Here are two more Rochester book events:

The annual Antiquarian Book Fair, September 11, 2011.

The annual Jewish Community Center Lane Dworkin Book Festival, October 30-November 6, 2011.

Amy King is right, Rochester Rocks!!!!!!!!

Choose Privacy Week May 2-7, 2011

From the American Library Association (ALA) Office of Intellectual Freedom (OIF).
ALA Booklist offered a thoughtful, informative hour and a half webinar about privacy concerns from online privacy to TSA scans to the USA Patriot Act and its impact on library and bookstore transactions.

Al oif choose_privacyweek_webinar_2011

View more presentations from alapubishing

Recording: Choose Privacy Week Webinar :

Related resources for libraries.
If you have comments or questions, contact the seminar host, ALA Publishing Webinars, at: publishing.webinars@ala.org.

PA's One Book, Every Young Child 2011: "Whose Shoes?" by Stephen R. Swinburne

Here's the link to Pennsylvania Commonwealth Libraries' excellent early literacy program. One Book, Every Young Child. This program began in 2006 and this site archives past years books, programs, and activities making this a site that is useful year round. Make sure to check out one of the trunks that have been developed to go along with the book. The trunks are full of related play materials to enhance children's reading experiences. Where can you check out a trunk? At your local public library. Not every public library received a trunk, so you may have to obtain them through inter-library loan. If you have to wait for the current trunk, order any or all of the past years trunks and books and have fun while you wait.
Here's Amazon's link for Whose Shoes?.
Whose Shoes? presented by Lansdowne Public Library.


Another treasure from Pennsylvania's Commonwealth Libraries is their excellent bookmark - Tips for raising readers and writers.
Scroll down as the bookmark, Easy Things You Can Do At Home to Raise Readers...And Raise Writers, is found under "Youth Services."

Free Comic Book Day - Annual Event

It's always the 1st Saturday in May; this year it's May 7th.
Here's a link to the Free Comic Book Day Website.



Suggestions:

*Search the phone book or the web for your local independent comic book dealer(s).

* Advertise to get the information out to your readers.
-Make up fliers. Post them throughout the school and library.
-Post information on school and library websites.
-Blog about it.
-Provide local PTAs with information for their April Newsletters - hardcopy or electronic.
-Host a graphic novel/ comic book discussion in your classroom or library.
-Invite all school personnel and students to participate. You never know who enjoys comics until you ask.

*Do you need good information to combat misconceptions about the value of reading comic books?
Lean on Stephen Krashen. His The Power of Reading is a treasure trove of information about what makes good readers. You guessed it, comic books are enthusiastically endorsed. While I heartily recommend his book, here's a link to one of Krashen's articles about the value of reading comic books, especially for boys.

Comic Book Reading, Reading Enjoyment, and Pleasure Reading Among Middle Class and Chapter 1 Middle School Students
by Joanne Ujiie and Stephen D. Krashen

Stephen D. Krashen's website.

Reinventing 21st Century Libraries

This is an excellent 8 minute video from MIT's TechTV about the impact of digital information and resources on libraries. It would seem that increased access to (digital) materials has increased students' and patrons' interest and thus increased library activity. As one librarian noted, "it's about the collection and the services." Absolutely!

While this focuses on academic libraries, it's true for all libraries.

8 Keys to Success

Become a work-a-frolic. What's not to love!