The ALSC Quicklists Consulting Committee has created a booklist, Books on Islam for Children and Teens, to assist members who may be receiving requests for book titles on Islam, Muslims and the Qur’an in response to a planned public burning of the Qur’an by Rev. Terry Jones of the Dove World Outreach Center in Gainesville, Florida. The suggested reading list is now available on the ALSC website. The list is a mixture of fiction and nonfiction; and is divided by preschoolers, elementary school students and teenagers. The Committee expects to refine the list in the weeks to come, so please check back for updates. Also, in Chicago, librarians and library advocates will speak out and support the freedom to read by assembling on the step of ALA headquarters on Saturday, September 11th at 1pm and will make a statement against book burning and will read from the Qur’an. For more…
Author: admin
Let the information sink in…
I recently finished taking a ALSC online class, “Reading Instruction and Children’s Books,” taught by Katherine Todd. It is one of several courses offered from ALSC via ALA Online Learning. I’d like to echo Rebecca Dash’s blog entry (“What the Heck is Level Q?” posted Tuesday, May 12th, 2009) and say that I also thought it was well worth my time. The content of the course was relevant and something that I really felt that I needed to know about at work. The class briefly covered four different reading theories, and then looked at different ways that grade levels for reading materials are assigned. I felt like I was opening up a mysterious box at long last, so I really enjoyed doing the reading and homework. The best part of the course for me was the final project, since it forced me to really think about what I learned. My…
Welcoming the 2010 ALSC Spectrum Scholarship Recipient
2009-2010 ALSC President Thom Barthelmess talks with 2010 ALSC sponsored Spectrum Scholar Sylvia Franco. [youtube ZNWYSfHFb28 nolink]
Seeking Suggestions for
Sibert Informational Book Award
The 2011 ALSC/Robert F. Sibert Informational Book Award Committee is asking the ALSC membership to submit titles for consideration. The Sibert Award is presented annually to the author, author/illustrator, co-authors or author and illustrator of the most distinguished informational book published during the preceeding year. Honor books may be named. Informational books are defined as those written and illustrated to present, organize, and interpret documentable factual material for children from birth through age fourteen. Poetry and traditional literature are not eligible. Authors and illustrators must be U.S. citizens or residents. Other terms and criteria can be found on the ALSC website: http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/alsc/awardsgrants/bookmedia/sibertmedal/ sibertterms/sibertmedaltrms.cfm The 2011 Sibert Commitee calls on ALSC members to submit titles for consideration. Please remember, only informational books from the 2010 publishing year are under consideration for this award. Suggestions will be solicited and accepted throughout the year. Please submit your suggestions to the committee chair, Barbara…
Dominican University Publishes a Study in Support of Summer Reading
“The Graduate School of Library and Information Science at Dominican University received a National Leadership Grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) for a three-year research study to answer the question: do public library summer reading programs impact student achievement? Conducted between 2006 and 2009, the study has its roots in programming that began in the late 1800s…” Click here to read more about the study.
My First ALA Annual Conference: Reflections from a Penguin Award Winner
I have had an incredible week at the 2010 ALA Annual Conference in Washington DC. By the fifth day, I got out of bed at 7:00 am and hobbled to the bathroom on swollen feet. I cursed my shoes and decided that fashion be damned, I was wearing my dirty running shoes to the conference that day. Certainly there was little time for running or working out in the swanky gym at the Grand Hyatt. My husband and I arrived by train on Thursday and after a night without sleep, I was ready to get settled and unpacked in our hotel room. Early to bed, I arose the Friday morning refreshed and headed to the preconference, Drawn to Delight sponsored by ALSC at the Corcoran Gallery. This was a delightful day. One of the best conferences I have ever attended, I was able to spend time with Timothy Basil Ering,…
Nuts about the Newbery
I love books: reading them, talking about them and writing about them. I really LOVE great books which is why I am Nuts about the Newbery, so nuts that I have read every book that ever won the medal. Knowing that much about me will tell you why I am STILL smiling from the amazing adventure I had last week. I went to the 2010 American Library Association Annual Conference in DC. If you have never gone I am here to tell you, GO! I had the most amazing time, met tons of my favorite authors/heroes, got several (lots) of new books, learned tons at sessions on topics like poetry and blogging, and had an AMAZING, magical evening at the Newbery/Caldecott Gala. For the Gala I wore my purple poof dress. Before the event even started, I got to meet Grace Lin and Jerry Pinkney. I now have a set…
To Thrive on Change: A Student Perspective of ALA Annual
Being a part of the 2010 ALA Annual Conference was incredible. The energy and sheer scale of the conference was at times overwhelming, and I was so fortunate to be able to experience it as both an attendee and a volunteer through the Student to Staff program working with ALSC. At the ALSC preconference “Drawn to Delight,” I recorded the dynamic Timothy Basil Ering improvise a landscape in ink and acrylics. I was struck by his words as well as the artwork forming in front of my lens; he delighted in spontaneity and insisted that mistakes were just opportunities for change. As wet ink dribbled down the paper, his eyes lit up in recognition of not an irreversible error but a chance to turn a landscape into a waterscape. What a great lesson for me as a conference attendee! As the weekend flew by, I found a willingness to adapt…