Summer reading?

First, sorry it's been so long since there's been a post. End of the year bustle is my only excuse!

There has been some discussion here in the library as to whether we should allow vacation check outs. We are still deciding, but here is a definite: books are due back on May 26th. All books. No exceptions.

If we do allow vacation checking out, that will begin on June 9th. You must have returned all your normal school year books in order to be allowed to check out books over vacation. If we decide to do it. Which we probably will.

In the meantime, Ms. Zapata just sent me a wonderful article from Colorin Colorado on how helpful vacation time reading can be. Check it out here. There are a couple of wonderful things in the article that you should know, even if you don't read the whole thing:

• The number of books read during the summer is consistently related to academic gains.
• Children who read six or more books over the summer gained more in reading achievement than children who did not.
• The use of the public library during the summer is more predictive of vocabulary gains than attending summer school is.

[Direct quotes from the article!!]

So read this vacation! Please! If you're in the states, use your local public library. If you're here in Santa Cruz, come by the SCCS library.

Post-Earth Day ways to green your computer

Lifehacker has recently posted several ways to make your computer more energy efficient. If you missed out on doing something good for the planet on Earth Day, these easy steps would be great to follow!

It's great if we all do something special on Earth Day to protect our delicate planet, but it's even better if we make an effort every day to create a better world!

New Google Earth available for download

Are you a Google Earth fan? The new version 4.3 is now available for download! Get all the information and details from the Google Earth Blog.

Rowling vs. lexographer

JK Rowling, famous author of the Harry Potter books, recently testified in New York against Steven Vander Ark, a lexographer of her series. The Michigan man in question put together a comprehensive dictionary of the Potter world and wishes to have it published. Rowling and Warner Brothers Entertainment are suing, stating that the proposed dictionary is plagarism. For more details on the case, read a recently published New York Times' article.

After reading the article, let us know if you think it is biased in Rowling's or Vander Ark’s direction. Is it completely balanced?

Reference question

Have you ever come to the library to ask a reference question? Reference questions are what you ask when you're looking for information. Recent SCCS reference questions have centered on Mrs. Battistoni's World War II research project and Ms. Skidmore's poetry extravaganza.

"What were storm troopers?" and "What is a concrete poem?" both qualify as reference questions.

For a funny look at reference questions at academic (university) libraries, check out the video at this link that the American Library Association posted as part of Library Week in the US. (All examples are of real references questions!)

YouTube vs. Flickr

You've heard of YouTube, right? If not, you're surely living under a rock! It's a video sharing website that allows you to upload your own videos and watch other people's. Recently Flickr, a well known photo sharing site has decided to try video sharing, as well. If you've used YouTube, you might want to compare it to Flickr...though it seems like YouTube is already winning the competition by simply being there before its rival!

Have you tried both? Which do you like better? Why?

110 books you must have in your library?

English newspaper The Telegraph recently published a list of the 110 books that are needed to create the perfect library. After looking through the list, I'm sad to report that we don't have all of the books, especially some of the older titles. Luckily, though, we do have quite a few of the recognized classics and the newer books! The list is separated into the following categories for easy browsing:

CLASSICS
POETRY
LITERARY FICTION
ROMANTIC FICTION
CHILDREN'S BOOKS
SCI-FI
CRIME
BOOKS THAT CHANGED THE WORLD
BOOKS THAT CHANGED YOUR WORLD
HISTORY
LIVES

Here are some of my favorites from The Telegraph's list (which we also have in the library):

Treasure Island, by Robert Louis Stevenson
Pride and Prejudice, by Jane Austen
War and Peace, by Lev (Leo) Tolstoy
The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, CS Lewis
Brave New World, Aldous Huxley
1984, George Orwell
Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, Douglas Adams

Which ones are your favorites? Are there any titles that we don't have in the SCCS library that you'd like to see?

10 Questions...from copyblogger

Have you ever thought of starting your own blog? Here's a quick list from copyblogger of 10 Questions Every Blogger Should Ask Themselves Before Posting.

While the list is blog specific, many of the questions could be applied to any of your writing!

Favorite reads for British Teens

An article in the Guardian (UK) talks about British teen reading habits. The first entry on the list of favorite things to read is a celebrity gossip magazine, followed by online song lyrics, gaming cheats and info, and blogs and fan fiction. Harry Potter books are the first paper entries on the list, and Anne Frank, Alex Rider and the Narnia series fill out the top ten.

What are your favorite things to read? Do your tastes match those of British teens?

Free software? Show me where!

According to PC Magazine, this list shares the best free software.

Here's a little teaser:

"We did the math: If you bought popular apps instead of trying their gratis counterparts, at the manufacturers' list prices you'd be out $5,183 and change! Why spend money when you can get what you need for nothing? Sometimes, you do get what you don't pay for."