TEEN READ WEEK October 19, 2009
Posted by Ms. Klemundt in Reading Recommendations.add a comment
Teen Read Week, which is sponsored by the Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA) started yesterday. TRW is a celebration of, you guessed it, teen reading! I hope you’ll check out the programs and events at your local public library. The Library Club here at Res has invited librarians from the Niles and Park Ridge public libraries to come and talk about some new books they are recommending.
This year’s theme for TRW is “Read Beyond Reality” and I thought I’d share a couple of books I’ve read recently that I thoroughly enjoyed and that fit with this theme.
Singing the Dogstar Blues by Alison Goodman. This book is set in a future Australia where time-travel student Joss Aronson is teamed up with Makvel, an alien who has come to earth to study. It’s a kind of sci-fi thriller that works because Joss is such a great character. She’s smart and sarcastic and about to be expelled from yet another school, but she’s also courageous and kind-hearted and willing to risk everything for what is right.
The King of Attolia by Megan Whalen Turner. Although this is the 3rd book in the series (following The Thief and The Queen of Attolia), you don’t need to have read the first two to enjoy this one. Eugenides, the Thief of Eddis, having married the Queen of Attolia, is now installed as the King. But some in the Queen’s court and some neighbors and rivals of Attolia, are doing their best to get rid of him. I thoroughly enjoyed the humor in the interactions between the King and Queen and how that humor was a sign of the strength of their relationship. I also identified with Costis, a good and loyal foot soldier whose determination to do the right thing played a crucial role in support of his Queen and King against those who would sacrifice others for their own self-interest.
Feed by M.T. Anderson. Like Singing the Dogstar Blues, this book is set in the near future, a future where most people have computer implants in their brains — “The Feed.” Titus meets Violet at a party on the moon and the book traces their relationship as Violet’s “feed” begins to malfunction. It’s an intriguing, yet discomforting, story as you see how easily people give up thinking for themselves.
One that I haven’t read yet, but is on my list, is Terrier by Tamora Pierce. This is the first book in a new series that connects with Pierce’s character, Alanna. School Library Journal summarizes the plot as follows:
“Orphaned Beka Cooper, 16, is a trainee-a “Puppy”-in the Provost’s Guard. Having spent the first half of her life in Tortall’s slums, she is driven by the need to do what is right and see justice done. Paired with two of the best Guards, or “Dogs,” in the organization and aided by her own gifts of magic, Beka learns her job, makes friends with two mages and a thief, and uncovers two serial killers who prey on the poor and unnoticed.”
I’ve not read any Tamora Pierce and I’m looking forward to “reading beyond reality” in her new book!
DIVORCE PROJECT October 1, 2009
Posted by Ms. Klemundt in Help with Assignments.add a comment
For students in Ms. Boe’s Sociology class, here are the links I promised to post for you. You will need our Username and Password to access the subscription databases. You should have received a blue sheet listing all the Usernames and Passwords when you visited the library with your class. Consult the hand-out you received for suggestions about how to best use these resources. If you find an article you need, but it’s not available in the database in full text, print out the citation and bring it to the library and we will try and get it for you through interlibrary loan.
Res Library’s Creating Your Bibliography web page (http://www.reshs.org/snav/164/page.htm)
Res Library’s Online Databases web page (http://www.reshs.org/snav/162/page.htm) This page contains links to all of our subscription databases.
Readers’ Guide Full Text Select (http://vnweb.hwwilsonweb.com/hww/)
FirstSearch (http://firstsearch.oclc.org)
Current Issues : Reference Shelf Plus (http://vnweb.hwwilsonweb.com/hww/)
EBSCO Science Reference Center (http://search.ebscohost.com/)
CQ Researcher Online (http://library.cqpress.com/)
Issues & Controversies (http://www.fofweb.com/)
Google Scholar (http://scholar.google.com)
Purdue OWL APA Formatting and Style Guide (http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/560/01)
Purdue OWL MLA Formatting and Style Guide (http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/557/01)
DAILY LIFE THROUGH HISTORY PREMIUM September 24, 2009
Posted by Ms. Klemundt in General Research Help.add a comment
In an earlier post, we told you about a new database for us this year: Greenwood Publishing’s Daily Life through History Premium. We’ve put together a short guide sheet to help you, so click on the link below for an introduction to using this database. The guide sheet is also available from the Library’s Online Databases web page. If you need the username and password to access this database, pick up a blue sheet in the Library.
Daily Life Through History Premium Guide Sheet
OPEN MIC NIGHT September 21, 2009
Posted by Ms. Klemundt in Announcements.add a comment
St. Patrick High School is hosting an Open Mic Night on Friday, October 9th at 7:00 p.m. All Resurrection High School students are welcome and encouraged to come and participate. See the flyer in the library for more information.
CHICAGO HISTORY 1750-1850 September 9, 2009
Posted by Ms. Klemundt in Help with Assignments, Web Resources.1 comment so far
Here are some online resources for students in Ms. Boe’s History of Chicago course who are working on their group projects. I will be covering print resources as well as some tips for researching in my presentation tomorrow. If, in the course of your research, you find other good sources, whether print or online, I hope you will post them here to share with others.
Encyclopedia of Chicago Online (http://www.encyclopedia.chicagohistory.org)
Librarians’ Internet Index (http://www.lii.org)
Britannica Online (http://www.school.eb.com)
Internet Public Library–Stately Knowledge–Illinois (http://www.ipl.org/div/kidspace/stateknow/il1.html)
Daily Life Online — War of 1812 and other general U.S. History topics (http://dailylife.greenwood.com)
Illinois Harvest — a public gateway to digitized and born digital resources on Illinois (http://illinoisharvest.grainger.uiuc.edu)
Chicago Ancestors — Newberry Library — 1834 Map of Chicago (http://www.chicagoancestors.org) Go to Tools menu, then look for “Other Maps” along the right side.
Newberry Library — Mapping the French Empire in North America (http://www.newberry.org/smith/exhibits/fe/fe.html)
NEW BOOKS IN THE LIBRARY September 8, 2009
Posted by Ms. Klemundt in New books in the Library, Reading Recommendations.add a comment
The Rock and the River; by Kekla Magoon
(Find it on our shelves at FIC MAG)
In 1968, 14-year-old Sam Childs is caught in a conflict between his father’s nonviolent approach to seeking civil rights for African Americans, and his older brother who has joined the Black Panther Party.
SOME OTHERS YOU MIGHT LIKE:
All My Patients have Tales : Favorite Stories From a Vet’s Practice; by Jeff Wells (636.089 WEL)
Paper Towns; by John Green (FIC GRE)
The Woman Behind the New Deal : The Life of Frances Perkins, FDR’s Secretary of Labor and His Moral Conscience; by Kristin Downey (921 PER)
Secret Keeper; by Mitali Perkins (FIC PER)
What Paul Meant; by Garry Wills (225.92 WIL)
Lock and Key : A Novel; by Sarah Dessen (FIC DES)
The Voice That Challenged a Nation : Marian Anderson and the Struggle for Equal Rights; by Russell Freedman (921 AND)
Same Difference; by Siobhan Vivian (FIC VIV)
Why We Make Mistakes : How We Look Without Seeing, Forget Things in Seconds, and Are All Pretty Sure We Are Way Above Average; by Joseph T. Hallian (153 HAL)
Stravaganza : City of Secrets; by Mary Hoffman (FIC HOF)
Acts of Light : Martha Graham in the Twenty-First Century; by John Deane (792.8 DEA)
NEW DATABASE August 31, 2009
Posted by Ms. Klemundt in Announcements, Help with Assignments, Web Resources.add a comment
Welcome to a new school year! This year, we’ve added a new online database to our line-up — Daily Life Through History Premium, provided by Greenwood Publishing.
This database combines content from the Daily Life Through History and World Cultures Today databases. Together, they are a rich source of historical background that can also be connected to contemporary society around the globe. Daily Life Through History Premium provides access to material from hundreds of Greenwood’s print titles and is especially strong in social history resources. It will be valuable for many projects in a variety of subject areas. The database also includes primary documents, maps, timelines, and many folk tales and fairy tales from around the world.
We are working on a guidesheet to help you navigate this new database and take advantage of all that it offers. We will post the completed guidesheet here on the blog and print copies will be available in the library.
You can access this database from home or school by using this URL:
http://dailylife.greenwood.com
Stop by the library and pick up a “blue sheet” with the usernames and passwords for all 10 of our subscription databases.
LIBRARY DEDICATION August 3, 2009
Posted by Ms. Klemundt in Announcements.add a comment
As we told you last April, the library is being renovated over the summer. Now we’d like to invite you to the dedication of the renovated space. Please join us on Sunday, August 16, 2009 at 2:00 p.m. for the blessing and ribbon-cutting (and light refreshments). Please RSVP to Carol Marchetti in the Development Offfice at: cmarchetti AT reshs DOT org.
Hope to see you there!
IDEA #10 — CHILDREN June 3, 2009
Posted by Ms. Klemundt in Uncategorized.add a comment
If the last 9 posts haven’t motivated you to get off the couch, I have one more suggestion — plan a summer of fun for some little kids. Maybe you have little brothers and sisters or cousins, or maybe your friends have younger brothers and sisters. Give them a summer they’ll remember, a summer that’s filled with “adventures.” Most of the museums, nature centers, and libraries listed in previous posts have activities and events for small children and many are free or low-cost. For a really cheap outing, take them to story-hour at the library or even just to a different park or playground. Take them to a local bookstore like Burke’s Books in Park Ridge (http://www.booksatburkes.com) or Magic Tree in Oak Park (http://www.magictreebooks.com). Even browsing books for 45 minutes or so can be a surprisingly fun trip for both you and the kids. If you have some spare cash, set a spending limit (like $5 or $10) and let them pick a book to take home. For a special day, take them down to Millenium Park (http://www.millenniumpark.org) and let them find their reflection in Cloud Gate (”The Bean”) or splash around in the Crown Fountain or run across the serpentine BP Bridge.
If you don’t have any kids handy, voluteer to work with kids at a library or church or community center. Be a coach or instructor at sports or dance camps. You might be surprised at how much fun you’ll have spending your summer planning some fun for a bunch of little kids.
I hope these 10 ideas have been helpful and have sparked some great ideas (and great experiences) of your own. Have a good summer!
IDEA #9 — JOB/VOLUNTEER/INTERNSHIP June 2, 2009
Posted by Ms. Klemundt in Uncategorized.add a comment
Although it might not top your list of fun summer activities, getting a job, volunteering, or participating in internship opportunities can be a valuable experience that can help you:
- earn money,
- establish contacts,
- get experience,
- learn something new,
- get out of the house.
Try and make the best of a bad economy. Jobs may be for shorter lengths of time (a few weeks instead of the whole summer) or shorter hours each week or day, but you’ll still have a chance to earn some money. If no jobs are available, consider volunteering or an internship position. You won’t make money, but you’ll still get experience that you can add to your resume and references who will put in a good word for you when you apply for other positions or jobs.
Check these sources for jobs, internships, and volunteer opportunities:
- Guidance Department here at Res,
- local neighborhood newspaper,
- job board at your local public library,
- websites of organizations or companies,
- church bulletins,
- park districts and community centers,
- nursing homes,
- day-care centers.
