Top 100 Chapter Books

Here's a link to a School Library Journal poll on best fiction chapter books.  Click here, and take a look and see what  librarians' favorites are, both new and old.

Library Card Sign-Up Month

September is Library Card Sign up Month

Chances are you have a library card, but New Jersey libraries are always  adding new and improved resources, events and more for patrons to  enjoy.  

There's a lot more than just checking out books.  Here's a list of things you can do at the library:

  1.  Take the kids to see a free movie.

  2.  Download an e-book.

  3.  Update your Facebook page.

  4.  Learn about job seeking resources.

  5.  Find out about childcare centers in the area.

  6.  Learn about local candidates for office.

  7.  Pick up voter registration information.

  8.  Check out your favorite graphic novel.

  9.  Pick up a DVD

10. Get free wireless access11. Attend a family game night.

12. Attend a resume writing workshop.

13. Get new ideas for redecorating your house.

14. Attend a family crafts workshop.

15. Attend a lecture or workshop.

16. Book a meeting room for your club or community organization.

17. Attend preschool story hour with your child.

18. Get help with homework.

19. Look up all kinds of health information.

20. Trek to another planet in a Sci-Fi novel.

21. Research your term paper.

22 Learn about the history or your city or town.

23. Decide which computer to buy using a consumer guide.

24. Explore new opportunities: research of schools and colleges.

25. Borrow or download an audiobook for your next road trip or commute.

26. Use the library’s resources to start a small business.

27. See a new art exhibit.

28. Volunteer as a literacy tutor.

29. Broaden your world by checking out cookbooks from other cultures.

30. Ask for a recommended reading list for your kids.

31. Learn a new language with books or online databases.

32. Get a book from interlibrary loan.

33. Enroll your child in a summer reading program.

34. Take a computer class.

35. Find a new hobby.

36. Take out the latest fashion magazine.

37. Enjoy a concert.

38. Trace your family tree.

39. Check out a special collection of rare books.

40. Investigate a legal questioner issue.

41. Follow your friends on Twitter.

42. Learn about home improvement.

43. Take a class on how to use your new digital device.

44. Get involved – join you library’s Friends group or teen advisory board.

45. Pick up tax forms.

46. Connect with other people in the community.

47. Find a quiet spot, curl up with a book and enjoy.

A New Year in the Library

Mount Prospect Library is at the heart of the school, and reading is at the heart of learning.  Here is the library preview that was shown to students in grades 4 and 5.  I've asked your children what kind of students they want to be this year.

Click below to watch the Mount Prospect Library video slideshow on Youtube.

What Parents Should Know

The American Association of School Librarians (AASL), a division of the American Library Association (ALA) has among its stated goals:  addressing issues, anticipating trends, and setting the future agenda for the school library profession.

There is a parent section to their website that you may find of interest.  You may be surprised at what librarians do and what roles libraries can play. 

Check it out!  Click here to go to AASL and the parent resources.

Your Teacher Librarian

We all think we know what librarians do. After all, we've all been in libraries and checked out books or even asked the occasional reference question.

Aahh, but do you really know what's going on behind the desk and behind the scenes in school libraries across the country? Take a look at the graphic below for an in depth look at today's librarians. Click on the weblink to see a larger image and to get more interactive with the topics.

http://yourteacherlibrarian.wikispaces.com/Are+You+Ready%3F

The Magic Garden

"A book is like a magic garden carried in your pocket." This old Chinese proverb pops up from time to time, most recently last fall in a Public Television episode of Sherlock Holmes. Whether it actually is a Chinese proverb I cannot answer from the resources at hand. Surely you know "I heard it on TV" or "I found it on the Internet" are no guarantees of absolute truth.

Old proverb or not, I love the image of a book as a magic garden. That bit of enchantment when you are lost in a good book is hard to duplicate with other media. I spent part of the vacation rereading a favorite book: Jane Austen's Persuasion, the last of her novels. Then I watched the film version. Need I say which was more engaging, compelling and wholly captivating?

The wonderful thing about reading is that the reader partners with the author to create the scene of the book. The reader's imagination is an integral part of the process. You're only a couch potato if you're looking at a screen. If you and your children are reading for pleasure or information, you brains are firing on all cylinders. What better resolution for 2011 than to read more? What better family activity than reading every day to enjoy each other's company and expand everyone's horizons?

The Harder They Fall

Out sick with a bad cold and sinus infection. One of the few pleasures of being ill has been having the time for the New York Times crossword puzzles. The other day there was a major theme of words starting with "sh." Anyone would have gotten this clue without that little hint: "Librarian's admonition" could be nothing but "shh," right? One of our society's longstanding cliches is the librarian with the bun, the glasses, the sensible shoes and the stern demeanor with a finger to her lips, shushing her patrons. Never mind that librarians have embraced new technologies, love to serve their patrons, and have poked fun at themselves for years (who else has book cart drill team competitions at their national conventions?)

Even though your school librarian has glasses, a bun, and sensible shoes (you try standing on concrete floors for 20 years. . .), I like to think I am also in the moment with new books, new ideas, new technologies to help carry your students into the world they will live in in the 21st century.

Libraries have always combined the best of the past (The Brothers Grimm, Peter Rabbit, Curious George, Treasure Island, The Hobbitt) with best of the present (Knuffle Bunny, Harry Potter, Percy Jackson, The Grimm Sisters). Keep coming back to the library -- there's always something old and something new to be explored and enjoyed.