03.29.06
Posted in General at 9:39 pm by Paloma Cruz
I know that the libraries I’ve worked with have very specific policies stating they can’t act in the place of parents and that they aren’t daycares (but they made it sound tactful). However, do librarians have to report kids in the library who they suspect are truant?
LibraryLawBlog answers this question with a resounding “NO!”
Essentially, public librarians are not in loco parentis and have no duty to report suspected truancy.
Of course, this is for Florida, so you should probably check with you library’s attorney if you work in another state. Just trying to be helpful.
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Posted in News at 1:22 am by Paloma Cruz
The Houston Chronicle ran a story about the recent student protests over the proposed immigration laws. What’s important in this article is the way the students organized, kept in contact and did their post-mortem: MySpace, email and text messaging. Read and learn:
Teenager says any repercussions of the walkout will be worth it
– reported by the Houston Chronicle
[snip]
Quintero has watched the debate over immigration reform swell over the past few weeks. He and his mother, Margie Quintero, feel Hispanics are being singled out in this debate.
Margie Quintero, who was born in the Rio Grande Valley, sees a bleak future where “I’m going to have to show my I.D. to prove my nationality, and I don’t feel I should have to do it.”
Sunday night was a tipping point — a moment when Jesse Quintero decided he had to make his voice heard after watching others do so on television news reports. Together with his peers, he organized a school walkout. He and a few friends started by reaching their friends, mainly through the Internet and cell phones.
Over the Internet, he contacted friends using the social Web site MySpace. Using his cell phone, he sent bulletins, emails or text messages.
Word spread quickly, and by Monday morning the plan was set to go — and 150 nervous high school students walked out to march for immigrants rights. For many, it was their first strides of political activism.
Hours after the event, Quintero was still feeling the exhilaration of marching.
[snip]
As he and about 150 other students marched toward an immigration office nine miles away on Monday, a passer-by in an automobile yelled out to the group, “Go back to where you came from,” Quintero said. He retorted by saying Hispanics “were here first.”
Throughout the evening Monday, Quintero’s phone was ringing and text messages rolled in constantly.
One text message swirling Monday evening among high schoolers was: “WuAll highskoo latinos students r being asked 2 wear a white tee 2marrow n any flag dat represent latinos! represent n stand up 4 wat u believe in … pass it on.”
[snip]
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Posted in News at 12:05 am by Paloma Cruz
OverDrive introduces video library
– reported by Crain’s Cleveland Business
The Denver Public Library is pioneering library use of video download technology of OverDrive Inc. in Valley View.
The library today began offering free downloads of videos that can’t be copied so that its patrons can access a range of films from the Academy Award-nominated Imax movie “The Living Sea,” narrated by Meryl Streep and featuring songs and music by Sting, to cult classics such as “The Endless Summer.” Plus, OverDrive Video offers concerts, educational materials and television shows.
The same service will be coming to Northeast Ohio libraries, too, said Loree Potash, a company spokeswoman.
[snip]
Users will enjoy another perk: no late fees.
OverDrive videos automatically reset themselves in the library catalog when due.
Oooohh.. aaaahhhhhh… I wonder when Houston area libraries will get this?
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03.27.06
Posted in News at 10:43 pm by Paloma Cruz
What’s the most popular book in libraries, worldwide? According to the list of 1000 from OCLC, it’s the Bible.
This list, updated for 2005, contains the “Top 1000″ titles owned by OCLC member libraries—the intellectual works that have been judged to be worth owning by the “purchase vote” oflibraries around the globe.
Number 2 is the Census, Number 3 is Mother Goose, Number 4 is Dante’s Divine Comedy, and Number 5 is Homer’s Odyssey. Certainly books to check out, if you haven’t already.
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03.05.06
Posted in Resources, News at 1:03 pm by Paloma Cruz
Get Ready for Young People’s Poetry Week, April 10–16
– reported by the School Library Journal
Librarians get ready—April 10–16 is Young People’s Poetry Week, and those who work with children and young adults are urged to celebrate this official part of National Poetry Month.
Young People’s Poetry Week will offer kids a chance to share the reading, writing, and poetry that they’ve experienced year-round. And librarians are expected to host poetry readings, poetry contests, and other high-energy activities that will help kids feel more confident in themselves as readers and writers.
Sponsored by the Children’s Book Council, librarians are encouraged to visit www.cbcbooks.org to find an extensive list of online resources and ideas, such as crossword puzzles, lists of poetry books for kids, and printable interviews with well-known children’s book poets.
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