Book Fair time!!

Wow, it's been almost two weeks since the last entry. I'm sorry! But, I bet what I'm about to tell you will win your forgiveness!

December 3-7 is the SCCS Book Fair! Yay!

Monday through Wednesday Elementary and Middle School students will have the opportunity to come with their classes to pick from over 500 books. Each student may purchase no more than 2 books during these first few days. High school students may also peruse the Book Fair during their free time.

On Thursday and Friday, during free time and until 5 pm, anyone may purchase as many of the remaining books as they'd like. Parents, students, teachers and anyone from the SCCS community are more than welcome to haul away titles for holiday presents or personal reading.

I can't wait to see everyone at the Book Fair.

(FYI, there will be a second Book Fair in April or May, 2008.)

Transportation strikes

It's quite interesting that both France and Bolivia are having transportation strikes at the same time, though over different issues. Read this BBC article (in English) to further understand the French strike. The BBC also has a short article on the Bolivian strike. El Deber has a more indepth article (in Spanish).

To find out more about this issue, or anything else in the news, Google News is a great place to start your search.

Veterans Day

Yesterday was Veterans Day in the United States. This holiday is a time for us to "honor all who served" in the military. War has a large presence in the literary world, many classic books have been written about both the glory and the horror of battle. The library has quite of few of these titles, and here are some general recommendations:

For younger readers a picture book called The Blue and the Gray, by Eve Bunting, has two young friends remembering the American Civil War. Good fiction books for adults on the Civil War include Cold Mountain, by Charles Frazier and The Killer Angels, by Michael Shaara.

Johnny Tremain, by Esther Forbes is a Newbery-award winning book for middle readers based during the American Revolutionary War. Sarah Bishop, by Scott O'Dell and The Pox Party, by MT Anderson are two other books written about that era.

If you prefer non-fiction works, They Marched into Sunlight, by David Maraniss, is a great read about different fronts in the Vietnam War. This work is recommended for older readers. For middle readers, Fallen Angels, by Walter Dean Myers, is a fiction book about one young man's experience in the same war.

Please come to the library to find other books about war and veterans.

Volunteer opportunities, local and international!

Are you looking for something to do to help you community or the world at large? Here are a couple of ideas and ways to get started:

Mr. Vande Loo has put together an extensive list of contact information of local volunteer opportunities. Check it out on the SCCS website!

Amnesty International focuses on human rights and political detentions. If human rights are important to you, look at this website to see what opportunities there are to become involved.

PETA, or People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, focus on animal rights. If treating animals in a humane and responsible way is something you believe in, see what you can do to contribute to their mission.

Locally, contact VEDA if you are interested in working with animals.

Greenpeace “exists because this fragile Earth deserves a voice. It needs solutions. It needs change. It needs action.” If you are interested in the environment this is a great organization to support!

For more volunteer ideas, check out the Idealist website.

And, come to the library to check out a book from our display on community service! From leaders like Gandhi and President Carter, to fiction books about helping the environment, we have something to interest and inspire you!

Free demo from ABC-CLIO online reference

SCCS has a free demo from ABC-CLIO online reference. The demo is of a variety of ebooks at middle and high school reading level. They cover a broad range of topics, including US and world history, religion, geography, technology, pop culture, folklore and government. Please come to the library for a password and login to explore the resource. The link will expire on December 15th, 2007.

This could be an incredible useful resource during the uncertain next few weeks when we may have possible school closings.

If you like the online ebook format, or find it useful, please comment either through the blog, or directly to Ms. Hanneman in the library.

Bolivia's Biodiversity

I spent this weekend hiking in the lovely Amboro National Park, just hours outside of busy Santa Cruz. I was reminded how diverse and beautiful the country of Bolivia is. While hiking I was lucky enough to see an ocelot, two different kinds of monkeys, a wide variety of butterflies, fish and birds, as well as beautiful trees, plants and flowers.

If you're not able to get out of the city to view such lovley parts of Bolivia's heritage, come to the library to see Retratos de Biodiversidad - Bolivia / Biodiversity Portraits of Bolivia, a book full of beautiful pictures of nature. This book may also be helpful to report writers as there are limited resources on plants and animals specific to Bolivia. (It is currently on the new book shelf, but will soon be moved to its permanent location in the non-fiction 500s section of the library.)

Running out of batteries? Go for a run!

Everyone uses portable gadets these days, MP3 players, cell phones, blackberries, that kind of thing. Ever run out of batteries when you really needed them? Here's a new tech solution in the making: wear your recharger as clothing!

The technology behind the idea would be woven into the fabric of your clothing, and every time you moved, you could recharge your portable device! What a great form of renewable energy.

Check out the details and a full article from the Sydney (Australia) Morning Herald.