Book Clubs for Philanthropy

An article in Philanthropy Today was about the charity Mercy Corp, which is organizing book clubs that read, discuss, and donate to womens causes in developing countries. According to the Chronicle of Philanthropy's column on Prospecting:

A project by Mercy Corps centered on a new book Half the Sky by journalists Nicholas Kristof and Sheryl Wudunn. Kristof and Wudunn argue that many of society’s problems can be alleviated by improving the status of women. Mercy Corps' focus is primarily on alleviating hunger in developing countries.

Room-to-Read Supported by Twitter

Charity events that include fun and wine are off to a good start.

On October 15, 2009 Twitter picked a charity for its Fledgling Initiative. They will promote donating to Room-to-Read, a San Francisco-based non-profit that establishes schools and libraries in underdeveloped countries. According to the press release, Twitter staff is planning a "fun experiment to create wine with the San Francisco-based custom winery, Crushpad. Five dollars from every bottle sold will go directly to Room to Read to support our global education programs. The wine’s own micro-site will feature news and updates documenting the wine’s development each step of the way."

Room-to-Read's theme is World Change Starts with Educated Children. Co-founder John Wood speaks about the organization he started.

Dewey's 24 Hour Read-A-Thon

On Saturday, October 24, 2009, participants in Dewey's 24-Hour Read-A-Thon read books, posted to their blogs about what they were reading, and visited other readers’ blogs. They also participate in mini-challenges throughout the day. Mark your calendar and get ready for the next one! It happens twice a year, in April and in October. The first one was held in October 2007.

San Marcos High School Teacher Librarian Helen Murdock shared her Read-a-thon day with fellow librarians.

Check out the dozen or so Read-a-thon buttons for your blog or website.
Read the list of tips for surviving a full day of reading. I like the one about not sitting in the same chair the full time -- get up and move around. My tip would be to listen to a book while walking to the YMCA, then spend an hour or two with a fast-paced mystery book while walking/climbing at 3.1 mph on an incline machine or treadmill set at various levels of incline, from 3-24. That is how I keep in shape and have a daily excuse for reading mysteries. :)

Follow Library Advocate on Twitter

There is a Twitter account @ 4Libraries that "tweets" about Library Advocate blog topics and other items in 140 characters or less. At this time, there are about 35 "followers". I've been reading a guide to Twitter in order to better understand how to use it to get the word out about innovative and important library issues and activities.

I'd like to see how Twitter can be used to:

• increase awareness and participation in CSLA introductory tutorials, such as School Library Learning 2.0, Classroom Learning 2.0, Learning web 2.0 for Teens, Athletes as Readers and Leaders, and "Best Sellers" Campaign for Strong School Libraries.
• promote new state school library standards, key legislation, grants, programs, and opportunities.
  

Free Pancakes in the Library - Getting Boys to Read

The Getting Boys to Read blog carried an item on how to host a pancake breakfast to bring in (always) hungry teen boys. The article, "Free Pancakes in the library! We do it and so can you" was written by Getting Boys to Read's Mike McQueen. Mike starts by asking "Food in the library! Are we crazy? If you want boys to read, get them into the library by going after their stomachs! As part of our Extreme Library Makeover, we allow students to eat and drink in the library any time they want - even at the computers. Are we crazy? Maybe little, but heck, most adults eat and drink at their computer all the time. Are adults more careful thanks kids?..." Learn how to set up pancake breakfasts in your library and comments from other librarians on their fun food events.

To follow Mike on Twitter: MrMLibrarian

Book Bike at Chicago Banned Books Event

Gabe Levinson and his Book Bike has been giving books away in Chicago parks for the past two summers. See earlier post. This year, he was invited to be a part of a Chicago Banned Books Read-Out on September 26, 2009.

William Kamkwamba and Library Book on Windmills

Here's a video you MUST WATCH and SHARE widely. See Daily Show with William Kamkwamba

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart	Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c
William Kamkwamba
www.thedailyshow.com
Daily Show Full Episodes Political Humor Ron Paul Interview

See also the powerful ABC Interview on how William had to drop out of school, so he looked through the school library and found a book on energy from the wind... Now, neighbors come to his home to power up cell phones thanks to the windmill that William built.

See also the Public Library Association e-mail interview with village school librarian Ms. Edith Sikelo. Be sure to share William's story!

More on William Kamkwamba is available on Ted.com

"I'll Fight You For The Library" - YouTube Video

This is a "must see" video. *****(5 stars)

"I'll Fight You For The Library" performed by Taylor Mali as part of the Page Meets Stage Series at the Bowery Poetry Club in New York City on April 29, 2009

"I'll Fight You For The Library" performed by Taylor Mali as part of the Page Meets Stage Series at the Bowery Poetry Club in New York City on April 29, 2009

Category: Entertainment

Tags:

Page Meets Stage Taylor Mali Bowery Poetry Club Spoken Word Poetry

Image Chef - Word Mosaic

It has been a while since I've played with Image chef, so I checked it out again when a friend mentioned that it now offered word mosaic applications. It's October, so I used orange and black.

There's No Place Like the Library - Wizard of Oz (YouTube)

ALA has 5 favorite library videos. Here is one of them, "The Wizard of Oz".


YouTube info: Originally presented at the 2007 ALA Conference in Washington DC. A simple tale about library circulation. Presented by Salt Lake County Library. Created for Salt Lake County Library. Executive Producer - Jim Cooper; Producer / Writer- Greg Near; Director - Ernest Q. Bourne; Camera - Adam Hill; Key Grip - Brent Roberts; Dorothy - Telesa Rountree; Librarian - Beverly Dusserre; Witch - Darlene Dineen; Scarecrow / Tinman - Karl Gilchrist; Lion - Alexis Alires; Extras - Jamie Jensen, Rosemary Healy, Angie Rawlings.

10 Ways to Support English Language Learners in Libraries

Colorin’ Colorado posted an excellent article by Jacqueline Jules on "10 Ways to Support ELLs in the school library". Here is the list, but see the full article for details and a short video.

1. Provide Foreign Language Materials in Easy-Access Displays. There are a number of ways to keep bilingual or foreign language books front and center in the library, and to integrate them into the curriculum.
2. Provide Books and Information on Countries of Origin. ELLs love seeing colorful pictures from their birth countries in books or online. You can offer them access to those resources by making these materials available.
3. Provide Electronic Access to Materials in Other Languages. Many online resources are also available in other languages.
4. Provide Audio Materials and Instruction on How to Use Them. Audio materials can be very helpful to ELL learners, from books on CD to free podcasts.
5. Share Culturally Meaningful Stories. With curricular demands, classroom teachers have little time to acknowledge holidays through stories and read-alouds. This can be done in the library.
6. Watch Your Words! ELLs sometimes need help with instructions, vocabulary, or understanding a key piece of background knowledge in a story. It's important not to take their comprehension for granted as you might for English-speaking students.
7. Make Story Time Interactive. Interactive story time is a favorite activity for many ELLs at our library.
8. Use Visuals at Story Time. Using visuals will help ELLs learn new vocabulary words and will add meaning to stories or read-alouds.
9. Use Visuals in Your Correspondence Home. The concept of a lending library may be new to immigrant families. You can help them get familiar with library books.
10. Promote the Public Library, too! There are a number of things that school librarians can do to encourage ELL families to use the public library, including library cards, inviting a public librarian to a school event, arranging a family night at the public library.