24
August
2007
Set in Fairbanks, this new tween novel, depicts young Deet, whose world changes when his father goes to jail. This novel will be of interest to kids who may be in the same boat. With the growing incarcerated population in the U.S. and Alaska, more and more students face this experience, a fact they may choose not make known at school. Publication Information:Margaret K. McElderry Publisher, January 2007 , ISBN-13: 978-1-4169-1400-6, Grades 4-9.
Kirkpatrick Hill is the author of such Alaskana modern classics as Toughboy and Sister and The Year of Miss Agnes.
Add your comments if you’ve read the book. Click on the grey number next to the post title above. You can also read anyone else’s comments, if the number is greater than zero, by clicking on the number. Try it!
Posted: Books
6
December
2006
ONLINE CLASSES / COMING UP TALLER AWARD / ART-Y SCHOOLS? / NEVER TOO LATE / GREAT NEW BOOK?
ONLINE CLASSES FOR LIBRARIANS WHO SERVE TEENS YALSA, the Young Adult Services Association of the American Library Association, announces that, on December 15, registration will open for several online classes that YALSA is offering in February and March. Most of the classes last 6 weeks. Among the course offerings are:
- FINDING THE RIGHT BOOK FOR THE RIGHT TEEN AT THE RIGHT TIME
- NEW TECHNOLOGY AND NEW LITERACIES FOR TEENS
- OUTREACHING TEENS
- PAIN IN THE BRAIN: ADOLESCENT DEVELOPMENT AND LIBRARY BEHAVIOR
- POWER PROGRAMMING FOR TEENS
To find out more about these and other online courses, how to register, the tuition, and tech requirements, go to:http://www.ala.org/ala/yalsa/onlinecourses/info.htm
COMING UP TALLER AWARDS One of the questions the Alaska State Library receives most often from school and public librarians is: Are there any grants available for my library? This fall I have included news of at least one grant possibility in almost every e-newsletter. This week’s award is one from the Institute of Museum and Library Services and the National Endowment for the Humanities called the Coming Up Taller Award that provides a grant of $10,000 to “recognize and reward” outstanding after-school and out-of-school programs in the arts and humanities. The deadline for this grant is January 31, 2007. For more information, see http://www.imls.gov/news/2006/112906.shtm I urge Alaska libraries with something special to share to go for awards or grants like this one. You may feel like your library is small and far from the Center of the Library Universe, but small Alaska school and public libraries have won such national grants and awards as the U.S. Department of Education’s Improving Literacy through School Libraries, the National Endowment for the Humanities Prime Time Family Reading Award, Laura Bush Foundation Grants, NEH Bookshelf Awards, IMLS Leadership and Enhancement grants, and many more. Most recently the Anchorage Municipal Libraries and the branch of UAA in Homer were two of 72 national winners of National Endowment for the Arts BIG READ awards. Anchorage chose the Ray Bradbury book Fahrenheit 451 and will be sharing their program with the state; Homer will focus on The Joy Luck Club and is planning to have author Amy Tan there in person.
ART IN SCHOOLS? Does your school principal go all out to create an active and vibrant art program in your school? Is there a principal in your district who is known for making art education happen in a big way despite all the pressures of NCLB? If so, the Alaska State Council on the Arts is looking for names and addresses. They would like our cooperation in finding some outstanding instructional leaders who have integrated arts into a wide range of school activities and curricula. If you know of someone who fits this description, please let me know, and I’ll pass the principal and school names along to Charlotte Fox, the director of the Arts Council.
IT’S NOT TOO LATE I am receiving more school library censuses every day, so don’t be shy or feel like you’ll be the only or last one. If you need one of those pesky forms, please send me an email and I’ll get another one to you. And who knows, you might even get a nice Red Lantern award if you are indeed the last to turn in your school’s form! And if the prospect of a possible award isn’t enough, just think: if you turn your completed in form, you won’t have to hear from me on this subject again! A big thanks to those who have returned forms to me this week and to Lynn McNamara of the Anchorage School District, who spearheaded a local effort!
GREAT NEW BOOKS? This week, rather than listing more of the new professional books that we’ve received here at the State Library in Anchorage, I am going to turn the tables and ask you to let us know what the best new book that’s arrived at your library this fall is. It doesn’t have to be a 2006 title, just something that you have read or library has just added. You can respond in this blog version by clicking on the grey number to the right of the #10 above. Cheers!
Posted: Books, Grants, School Libraries
3
November
2006
SAYL MailNovember 3, 2006
FUNDS RAISED / TRAVEL GRANTS /BATTLE OF THE BOOKS / LEARNING COMMUNITY GRANTS / MORE NEW PROFESSIONAL TITLES
You can add a comment or question by clicking on the grey number next to the blogletter number above.
FUND RAISERS SCORE BIG TIME
Tiki Levinson of the Delta-Greely School District reports a recent $10,000+ book sale that put $3,000 in the elementary school library budget. Amanda Austin of the Tri-Valley School/Community Library in Healy wrote to say that their Mystery Night, directed by school librarian
Peggy Menke, raised over $16,000. Both of these communities are lucky to have these active and energetic librarians. Have you had a fundraising success? Let me know what you did and how it worked, and I’ll be glad to share the information.
TRAVEL GRANTS FOR THE AKLA CONFERENCE – Deadline November 15 
The Alaska Association of School Librarians will be awarding 15 travel grants for up to $600 for school librarians and $250 for Southeast members to attend the Alaska Library Association Conference in
Juneau from February 22-25, 2007. Watch the AkLA site (http://www.akla.org/juneau2007/index.html) for additional conference presenters and information about the conference. To apply for the grant, send a letter of interest to Suzanne Richards bethelbooks2@aol.com. Describe your library position. Tell if and when you have attended AkLA conferences in the past, and if you have ever received an AkASL travel grant. Describe how attendance at this conference will affect you, your school, and your students. Tell if you will be receiving any other monies for attendance of this conference from other funding sources. Those selected to receive the grant will be required to write an informative article about a beneficial conference session attended. These articles will be published in the AkASL newsletter, the Puffin.
BATTLE OF THE BOOKS
SALE ITEMS FROM SHELLY LOGSDON
As you start your Battle of the Books groups, remember we have several cool items for sale to help advertise
Battle in your school.
- The new
Battle of the Book Bracelets come in 2 different sizes, colors, and slogans. These are a big hit with students young and old.
- A great tip from
Bonnie Cavanaugh: To help support Battle in her school she purchased
Battle of the Book posters for her teachers to show their interest in battle.
- Don’t forget to keep them from folding the pages in your battle books, by giving students the
Battle bookmarks.
- Have your students/teachers wear the battle logo with pride in the form of battle pins.
Remember proceeds help keep the registration costs down and also go to the B. Jo Morse Scholarship Fund. Check out the Sale Items @ http://www.akla.org/akasl/bb/salesitems.pdf
GRANTS FOR 21st CENTURY LEARNING COMMUNITIES
The Alaska Department of Education is advertising the availability of federal grant money for community learning centers that promote after-school activities that will extend the academic enrichment programs as well as activities that complement the regular academic program (sounds like it could be a library to me!) at: http://www.eed.state.ak.us/forms/SharedForms/05-07-039.doc These centers are supposed to provide students and their families opportunities to “continue to learn new skills and discover new abilities after school.” Public or private organizations are eligible to apply, and priority (10 bonus points on the application scoring) will be given to proposals that will serve students in schools designated as in need of improvement AND that are “submitted jointly by school districts receiving Title I funds and community-based organizations or public or private organizations.” The range of the grants appears to be $50,000 -125,000. The grant outline specifically mentions programs outside of regular school hours including the summertime, and lists extended library hours, homework help, and parent involvement activities as desirable activities. There are school libraries in the state that have benefited from these funds in the past. Check out the link above, and take this to your school or district administrator if you have a good plan for how your library could create a competitive proposal. The deadline for letting the Alaska Department of Education and Early Development know that you intend to apply is November 30, 2006, and the deadline for the actual grant proposal is December 29, 2006 by 4 PM.
MORE NEW PROFESSIONAL TITLES
To borrow any of these new books for school and youth librarians, please contact: Priscilla McAdara at: priscilla_mcadara at eed.state.ak.us If you want them mailed to you, please be sure that you include your complete mailing address for your library. BIG IDEAS IN SMALL PACKAGES: USING PICTURE BOOKS WITH OLDER READERS by Molly Pearson (Linworth, 2005)
BRINGING FANTASY ALIVE FOR CHILDREN AND YOUNG ADULTS by Tim Wadham (Linworth, 1999)
BRINGING MYSTERIES ALIVE FOR CHILDREN AND YOUNG ADULTS by Jeanette Larson (Linworth, 2004) Get a head start on next summer’s statewide summer reading theme: Get A CLUE @ YOUR LIBRARY!
COLLABORATING FOR REAL LITERACY: LIBRARIAN, TEACHER, AND PRINCIPAL by Sharon M. Pitcher (Linworth, 2005)
GET THEM THINKING: USE MEDIA LITERACY TO PREPARE STUDENTS FOR STATE ASSESSMENTS by Sue L. Summers (Linworth, 2005)
NATIONAL BOARD CERTIFICATION IN LIBRARY MEDIA: A CANDIDATE’S JOURNAL by Peggy Milam (Linworth, 2005)
Posted: Books, Grants, Scholarships
