BookNews from the Library
January 2009

Renovation of the Adult Department

The renovation of the Adult Department at the Main Library is almost complete; just a few details need to be finished.  The painting is done, new carpeting has been installed, the reference staff has a new desk, and the shelves are reconfigured.  There are more computers available for you to use and the Teen Zone has its own space.  All these new things come with the same great service you expect from the Library.  Come and take a look.

Happy 100th Birthday!

The Main Library building is now 100 years old.  The actual birthday was December 19, 2008, but with the renovation of the Adult Department, the celebration was postponed until Sunday, January 25.  Come join us for our Centennial Birthday Party. Bagpipers will begin at 1:30 and members of the Mansfield Youth Symphony will perform at 2:00.  Other surprise guests and performers will also be there.  Refreshments will be served and you’ll have a chance to check out the Adult Department renovations.

Poetry Contests

There will be poetry contests again this year for both children and teens.
Children’s Poetry Contest: This is for children in grades 3-5.  They may submit one piece of poetry that they have written themselves.  The maximum length is one page and it must be neat and submitted on paper.  The contest runs March 2-27 and winners will be announced at the poetry program at the Main Library on March 31 at 6:30.  The prize for 1st place is a $25 gift card from Barnes and Noble, 2nd place is a $20 card and 3rd place is a $15 card.  Entry forms are available at any Library location.

Teen Poetry Contest: This is for students in grades 6-12.  They may submit one poem they have written up to 30 lines, along with cover art.  Entries will be accepted through March 19.  Three winners will be chosen from grades 6-8 and from grades 9-12.  Each will receive $25 and their poems will be published in miniature books to be distributed during National Library Week, April 13-18. Entries are available at any Library location.
Please encourage your students to enter these contests.

Picturing America

The Mansfield/Richland County Public Library has a program called Picturing America from The National Endowment for the Humanities.  This program has 40 reproductions of art and a resource book with lesson plans to help you teach students about American history through looking at the art of a particular time period.  These materials will be available for checkout by the end of February.

Best Books of 2008

This is the time of year that lists of the best books come out.  School Library Journal’s Best Books 2008 can be found at http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/article/CA6617203.html
BookLinks has a list of favorite 2008 books with strong ties to the curriculum at http://www.ala.org/ala/aboutala/hqops/publishing/booklinks/
resources/lc2008.pdf
Booklist’s Editors’ Choice 2008 list is at http://www.booklistonline.com/default.aspx?page=show_product&
pid=3292962
These are great places to find new material that you can incorporate into your lessons.

Children’s Book Awards

The Newbery Medal, Caldecott Medal, Printz Award, Coretta Scott King Award and other children’s book awards will be announced by the Association for Library Service to Children and the Young Adult Library Association of the American Library Association at 7:45 am Mountain Time on January 26.  You can track the ALA Youth Media Awards Webcast - Live Jan. 26, 2009, 7:45 a.m. MT at: http://www.unikron.com/clients/ala-webcast-2009 , or go to http://www.ala.org/ala/awardsgrants/booksprintmedia/
childrenyngadults/index.cfm for information on each of the awards. 

The Inside Story

“When you’re looking to get your hands on the right title or want to do something more, like share a good book with a class or access full-text volumes from a vast collection, technology can help.” School Library Journal explains several digital tools that offer the full contents of picture books, novels and more in this article.  http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/article/CA6617664.html

We Can Change the World Challenge

The Siemens We Can Change the World Challenge gives middle school students the opportunity to create sustainable, replicable solutions to environmental problems, and to win prizes as well.  This partnership between Siemens, National Science Teachers Association and Discovery Education encourages students to use a science inquiry approach to address an ecological problem in their community and come up with a solution.  Go to http://www.wecanchange.com to learn more.  The deadline is March 15.

Diary of a Wimpy Kid Contest

Children in ages 6-16 can create an original comic and win a visit by author Jeff Kinney to their school.  Visit http://www.wimpykid.com/contest.pdf for more information.  The deadline is January 31.

Booktalks

Booktalking is a great way to get kids interested in reading.  Scholastic has a site with dozens of booktalks that you can use to get your students excited about books.  Some have been made into video booktalks that your students can watch online.  http://teacher.scholastic.com/products/tradebooks/booktalks.htm

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