A 'Library' Outside the Library

October is Down Syndrome Awareness Month.

The ALSC Blog has a post about Down Syndrome Awareness Month with a link to reviews for a couple of children’s books on Down syndrome that are now available for e-readers.  There is also a list of books for children with Down syndrome or about Down syndrome.  Each book is linked to WorldCat so that you can see which library in your area has it available for check out.  I think that is a really neat way to link to library collections.

I remembered that the Buddy Walk is this weekend in Champaign-Urbana, which is sponsored by the Champaign County Down Syndrome Network.  I went to their website and found that they have a lending library with a link to their catalog of books and other materials available for checkout.  They have a lot of resources and books for children and adults available for check out.

I work with someone who is involved with the Champaign County Down Syndrome Network and she brought me the new parent bag that they give to parents after the birth of a child with Down syndrome. It has videos and books for parents, a great book for younger siblings (one of the books that went digital), and a book for older siblings.  There is also a community resource guide/notebook for parents.

So how do you get the word out about these ‘libraries’ that are outside the library?   The person I spoke to told me that they get the word out through the initial contact with the parents, meetings, and events like the Buddy Walk.  It is a volunteer run organization and they maintain their library.

As I looked through the tote of information, I found bookmarks from the National Association for Down Syndrome (NADS) here and there.  One of the suggestions they list on their site to promote awareness is to have NADS posters and bookmarks at schools and libraries.  Perhaps they could also have informational fliers about events like the Buddy Walk or organizations like the Champaign County Down Syndrome Network listing resources they might offer.

One of the bookmarks marked a story printed in Gifts 2: How People with Down Syndrome Enrich the World edited by Kathryn Lynard Soper.  The story was one written by a woman I know.  The bookmark was not just here or there but in a place for my awareness.

New Blog to My List

I was reading one of the blogs that I am following, Abby the Librarian, who was at the Association for Library Services to Children institute recently.  She posted about sessions she attended, literacy skills, and storytime programs.    

This led me to the Association for Library Services to Children (ALSC) blog.  There is an interesting post on Common Core standards, which lists some ways libraries can collaborate with schools.  I am familiar with Common Core standards from a teacher and school perspective and appreciate the seeing it from a library perspective. 

I think I am going to add ALSC to my blog list.  

Today was the day....

I got up this morning and put on a fall appropriate outfit—yes, fall not Fall.  I chose an outfit that would survive an on stage fall.  Today was the day I was going to do the hip-hop dance at the bullying assembly that I mentioned in an earlier post.  I reported to rehearsal on time—didn’t always keep time with my steps but learned the moves and made it through the performance.  Luckily there was another teacher, about 15 school kids, and the group presenting dancing on stage—I could blend in a bit. 

The assembly was really good.  The performers were all middle school and high school aged kids.  They talked about local incidents as well as national.  They sang, they danced, and they acted out some scenarios.  They related to the students and got the message across.   Their message for the kids was about stopping bullying and making a difference.  They also talked about how important it is to have trusted adults who work with kids like teachers, principals, coaches, and youth services librarians and the importance of reporting for both kids and adults. 

I am planning a lesson to continue the discussion and I am sure there will be more lessons to follow.  I might use part of Flowers for Algernon (there is an excerpt in our Literature books) and talk about how Charlie was treated to reinforce the message.  

Youth Literature Festival

I saw a billboard in town for the upcoming Youth Literature Festival to be held on October 4^th-6^th in Champaign-Urbana.  Check out the webpage for the festival that includes a Community Day Celebration on October 6^th that is free to the public. 

I was thinking of ways a school library could incorporate this event before and/or after the author visits the school. 

Hang fliers prior to the event

Have a display of the book(s) written by the author visiting the school

Have a display of the books written by all the authors participating in the festival

Have the kids create book jackets or posters for the books written by the participating authors to display

Hang/display crafts or projects done at the festival/community day by the kids who were there

Other ideas?

What the boys were reading

This week was standardized testing week at my school.  I asked the kids to bring in homework or a book to read if they finished the section before time was up.  About mid-week I had finished with this week’s class reading and decided to see what the boys were reading.

Here is the list:

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by J.K. Rowling

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

Showcase Presents: Martian Manhunter, Vol. 1 by Janck Miller and Joe Certa

I had a couple of boys who put their head down after finishing a test.  I encouraged them to go to the bookshelf and pick out something to read.  They chose the following:

Do Not Open: An Encyclopedia of the World’s Best-kept Secrets by John Farndon

The White House: An Illustrated History by Catherine O. Grace

I feel like they were right inline with what the readings said the boys would read.  We had adventure, fantasy, history, a graphic novel, and a random fact book.  

McKechnie, Lynne (2006). Becoming a Reader: Childhood Years.  In Ross, Catherine Sheldrick, McKechnie, Lynne, and Rothbauer, Paulette M. (Eds). Reading Matters: What the Research Reveals About Reading, Libraries, and Community (p. 63-100) . Westport, CT: Libraries Unlimited.

Sullivan, M. (2004). Why Johnny Won't Read. School Library Journal, 50(8), 36-39.

Books to Movies

I have been thinking about books that have become movies and it seems that I am not the only one.  One of the blogs I have been following posted a list of YA books that are being released as movies. 

I was thinking about a couple of books to movies that were not on that list.  One would be the Twilight series with the upcoming release of the last Twilight movie.  I remember when the first one was released in 2008.  All the girls in my class had read the book and were going to the opening night screening (yes, they went to a midnight show on a school night).  They were so excited and couldn’t wait to tell me about it the next day.  I don’t recall any of the ones released after that getting the same reaction.  One of my students did tell me today that she was looking forward to seeing the next one.

This year it was The Hunger Games.  All spring students were talking about the books and the movie.   Not just the girls in the class but the boys read these books and saw the movie as well.   I feel like the Harry Potter books/movies generated enthusiasm with the girls and boys as each one was released. 

Twilight, Harry Potter, and The Hunger Games were popular books at the time they were made into movies.  I feel like a lot of kids and adults read or reread the Narnia books when the movies were released and the same goes for the Lord of the Rings movies. 

So, will kids read books like The Hobbit when the movie is released?  Do libraries have books that are movies displays in the YA and children’s sections?  Should they?  What about having a launch party at the library when the movie is about to release?  Win copy of the book in a raffle? Or better yet, check out the book and get your name in a drawing for free movie tickets (maybe the theater will donate a couple of tickets)?