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From owner-pubyac@nysernet.org Sun Nov 9 23:35:54 1997
From: "Renee McGrath" <renee1023@worldnet.att.net>
Subject: Re: mass assignments
Sorry if this is dated, but behind in my mail:
On Oct. 30th Mary K wrote:
I also think that "mass assignments," like the poor, will always be
with
us. If every teacher told you in advance about every possible assignment,
what would you do, since that seems to be the communal fantasy among public
library youth services people?
Mary K.
I had to respond to your comment Mary K. because we are going through a
"mass assignment" right now at our library. In my opinion, a mass
assignment is not really defined as one teacher's class, but either
multiple classes, or indeed the whole grade. Read on...
Every 2nd grader in one of our schools (there are over 100 students) needs
a book on Thanksgiving in order to answer a set of questions designed to
help them write a report.
Thanks to the fast thinking of my boss, we were able to put books for this
age group (there were not that many of them to begin with) on temporary
reference and now at least we have something to offer them when they come
in. Needless to say, there is no way we could possibly provide every 2nd
grader with a book.
Yes, I think it would have been extremely appropriate for the school to get
in touch with us in advance so that we could have been ready for this and
they in turn could have warned the parents that the assignment needed to be
done in the library. Most parents had to go home and get the assignment
sheets until we copied it and now have it for them in the library.
People are busier than ever. I am a busy parent/librarian myself. If it
were my child I would have complained to the school directly for the
inconvenience and short sightedness of the school not to think this
through.
My last comment is that I think we have at least learned one thing from
this thread. Assignment Alerts and the like DO NOT WORK. I think it is
unproductive. Think of it this way, what company in its right mind would
keep sending out an advertisement that did not work. Do you think if they
could show that almost no one came into the store because of their ad they
would keep putting their efforts in the same place? NO.
If you are short staffed or not having any response, let it go. Stop
trying where its not worth it. Put your efforts into educating the parents
and children. I gently let them know the situation. Either its not
possible to answer that question with the resources available, or there
simply was not enough books to go around. Nothing will change without the
support of the parents. When they get fed up and start complaining to
their local educators, that's when something will happen. Otherwise your
just wasting your precious time.
Well, that's my rather lengthy opinion, and as usual they are my own and
not necessarily that of my employer.
Renee McGrath
Lynbrook Public Library
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From owner-pubyac@nysernet.org Sun Nov 9 23:35:57 1997
From: EEIFERT@camden.lib.nj.us
Subject: High School Book Fairs
I am posting a question from my town's high school librarian. She would like
to know of any company which does a school book fair specifically for high
schools. She is not happy with the selection from Scholastic, and like
companies, for YAs. Please answer me directly, and I will post any
suggestions I receive to the list. Thanks for your help, as always.
Ellen Eifert, Children's Librarian, Pennsauken Public LIbrary, 5605 Crescent
Blvd., Pennsauken, NJ 08110 eeifert@camden.lib.nj.us
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From owner-pubyac@nysernet.org Sun Nov 9 23:35:54 1997
From: KRIPARANIR@Queens.Lib.NY.US
Subject: Re: Impossible assignments
Hi,
You could tell the parent to help him with the experiment. The "New
True Books" are meant for that age group basically.
Rani Raghavan
QBPL, New York
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From owner-pubyac@nysernet.org Sun Nov 9 23:35:58 1997
From: Peter Meny <u13744@snet.net>
Subject: BIB: Multicultural Resources for Youth and YA
Deb Meny thanks all who shared ³Multicultural Library Resources² last
month. Our colleagues recommended:
1. _Culturally Diverse Library Collections for Children_ (Herman
Totten and Risa W. Brown (Neal-Schuman Publishers, Inc., 1994):
Covers multicultural books for younger children. (Thanks to
Eleclibrn@aol.com -- Charles Harmon, Neal-Schuman Publishers, Inc.)
2. _Culturally Diverse Library Collections for Youth_ (Herman Totten,
Risa W. Brown, and Carolyn Garner (Neal-Schuman Publishers, Inc.,
1996): Covers multicultural books and videos for older children and
young adults. (Thanks to Eleclibrn@aol.com --Charles Harmon,
Neal-Schuman Publishers, Inc.)
3. For Reference, check out the UXL catalog; also check out _Sweet
Clara and the Freedom Quilt_ by Deborah Hopkins(?) - ³a wonderful book
to share with K-5² (Thanks to jmwhiteside@starbase1.htls.lib.il.us --
Jane M. Whiteside, Head of Children¹s Services at Fountaindale Public
Library District in Bolingbrook, IL)
4. A Popular Paperbacks booklist for ³Multicultural Fiction² is on
the YALSO homepage; also check in _ALA¹s Guide to Best Reading 1997_.
(Thanks to mhuebscher@cuyahoga.lib.oh.us -- Mary Huebscher, Chair,
Popular Paperbacks)
5. Folk tales and Crafts from Around the World, with a German folk
tale while making a Schultute was well received by 3-6th graders.
Also Cooking from Around the World with similar action plan; and ³try
one of the gorier Grimm tales with a group of boys!² (Thanks to Jen
Vanston -- jvanston@suffolk.lib.ny.us)
6. ALA¹s ³Directory of Ethnic and Multicultural Publishers,
Distributors, and Resource Organizations² was shared by Marge Fauver,
Eastside Branch Library in Santa Barbara, CA -- <sbeast@rain.org>
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From owner-pubyac@nysernet.org Sun Nov 9 23:35:58 1997
From: MARYJO9@aol.com
Subject: Re: School Librarians
I would like to respond to Jeanine's post about school librarians working
when the kids need it most. As many of you know, I recently started working
in a school library. One of the teacjer's mentioned at a faculty meeting how
nice it would be to have the after school study hall, which was housed in the
library, re-instituted this year. I volunteered to stay after school and run
this. I was told by the principal that the district has always paid for
extras such as this and until contracts are negotiated and signed, teachers
could not add extra duties. So it's not necessarily a matter of school
librarians not wanting to stay after. Sometimes it's purely a matter of
school politics. I think it's time we stop pointing fingers at each other,
and start collectively pointing them (loudly) towards school administrators
and boards. :-) This is how we'll be able to see a change made. Just my two
or three cents worth. Thanks.
Mary J. Konieczka
Heritage Middle School Librarian
maryjo9@aol.com
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From owner-pubyac@nysernet.org Sun Nov 9 23:35:58 1997
From: Carolyn Caywood <carolyn@infi.net>
Subject: Re: STUMPER: Cinderella
Please continue to be pedantic, Lesley, and tell me if "East of the
Sun and West of the Moon," "The Lame Dog," and "The Black
Bull of
Norroway" qualify as authentic folk tradition? I understand your
point, but when a literary fable so captures the folk imagination that
is is echoed across a continent and a millenium, surely there is more
going on?
Carolyn
>
> Not to be pedantic, but "Eros and Psyche" or more properly
"Cupid
> and Psyche", since we only know it only from its Roman form in the
"Golden
> Ass" of Lucius Apuleius, is probably not a Greek myth in the sense of
an
> authentic folk story, but rather a literary fable constructed to make a
> specific philosophical/religious point. I wouldn't have brought this up
> except for the ongoing debate about "real" folktales and legends
vs.
> "constructed" ones (e.g., Paul Bunyan, a number of the
"Native American"
> folktales and legends books), we ought to recognize that the practice of
> making up legends is very ancient, and just because a story is old doesn't
> mean that it is part of an authentic folk tradition.
<snip>
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From owner-pubyac@nysernet.org Sun Nov 9 23:35:56 1997
From: RichardGuy@aol.com
Subject: Re: Handling school assignments
try:
Diamante Poetry
http://www3.nbnet.nb.ca/lawstnap/poetry.htm
http://www.uoregon.edu/~leslieob/diamantes.html
http://www.nettech.org/District20/ps102/diamante.htm
http://oakview.fcps.edu/~kennedy/poetry-act1/diadesc.html
http://teams.lacoe.edu/documentation/projects/math/poetry/diamante.html
Diamante poems are written in the shape of a diamond.
The word 'diamante' comes from the french word
diamant, meaning sparkling-like a diamond. It is
pronounced "dE-ah-man-tA". This form of poetry is
composed of seven lines and 16 words. These seven lines
contain: 1 noun, 2 adjectives, 3 "ing" verbs, 4 nouns, 3
"ing" verbs, 2 adjectives, and 1 noun - in that order.
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From owner-pubyac@nysernet.org Sun Nov 9 23:36:00 1997
From: Carolyn Caywood <carolyn@infi.net>
Subject: Re: Juvenile bindings
>
> I am wondering if anyone know of any statistics regarding library bindings
> vs. trade bindings. The discount difference between the two is 20% and I
> am curious whether or not the price difference is worth it. I have
> searched EBSCO to no avail and I have also looked at picture books with the
> two types of bindings and to my eye, the difference was not readily
> apparent. I imagine that the quality of binding varies from publisher to
> publisher. Does anyone have any info on binding quality by publisher?
> TIA.
>
Personal opinion: I find I have to discard picture books on account
of the condition of the pages at least as often as on account of trade
bindings. Therefore, I've never seen the extra expense as worth it.
Carolyn Caywood % Save the time of the Reader %
carolyn@infi.net % --Ranganathan's 4th Law %
http://www6.pilot.infi.net/~carolyn/ FAX:757-464-6741
936 Independence Blvd. Virginia Beach, VA 23455 757-460-7519
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From owner-pubyac@nysernet.org Sun Nov 9 23:36:08 1997
From: "Susan N. Hill" <hillsa@oplin.lib.oh.us>
Subject: Re: food for fines for the holidays
Greetings All! The Paulding County Carnegie Library in Ohio is
sponsoring a "Food for Fines" the two weeks preceeding Thanksgiving.
The program will serve three purposes:
1. Provide opportunities for patrons with fine charges on their records
to start the new year with a clean slate...
2. To "get books back" which may be held out because the patron fears
the overdue charges...
3. To help "fill" the local food pantry.
As the new director, I found that many patrons had "old" fines on
their
accounts dating back a few years. And, our library fees are a bit
stiff. So, this program turns out to be a "Win-Win" proposition for
our
county. The library gets books back... the patrons are happy... and,
the food bank is filled!
Our county serves a rural population of around 20,000 through a main
library in Paulding and two branches in two smaller communities. The
entire library system (including branches) is participating in this
program. A local grocery store has donated the use of shopping carts to
place the food. Local newspapers have already run press releases.
Another point... this may or may not be a "yearly" event. We do not
want patrons to "hang on" to books until this "free" period.
At other
times, our overdue policies will be strictly enforced with whatever
options are available, including the aid of the local county prosecutor.
As far as how much food to give: I just advise patrons to give what
they feel justifies the fine. No dented or bulging cans, though. I
think "Food for Fines" can be a good PR tool for your library.
Susan Hill, Director
Rural Library Services Newsletter, Editor
Paulding County Carnegie Library
205 S. Main Street
Paulding, Ohio 45879
hillsa@oplin.lib.oh.us
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From owner-pubyac@nysernet.org Sun Nov 9 23:35:56 1997
From: TBrown5958@aol.com
Subject: Re: BIB: fairy tale retellings (summary)
I would add the series of books about Politically Correct Fairy Tales.
Tom Brown
West Wyandotte Branch
Kansas City Kansas Public Library
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From owner-pubyac@nysernet.org Sun Nov 9 23:35:57 1997
From: Mary Ann Gilpatrick <magilpat@zelda.walnet.walla-walla.wa.us>
ubject: Re: Impossible assignments
Mudpies to magnets.
Bubbles, rainbows, and worms.
Frist Step Science series (My apple, My magnet, My boat, My drum).
At 04:54 PM 11/7/97, you wrote:
>Here's my impossible assignment example of the day:
>
>A KINDERGARTNER, you read right, is looking for books AT HIS LEVEL, on
>doing science fair experiments. Yes, it is an assignment. Yes, they have
>to do an "experiment." And yes, he was in with his mother, who
will have
>to do the planning and reading involved. I asked whether "he" had
any idea
>what kind of topic he wanted to work on and the answer was no. Why is a
>kindergartner involved in such an assignment. He can't even read yet!
Mary Ann Gilpatrick
Young Peoples' Librarian
Walla Walla Public Library
238 E. Alder
509-527-4550
fax: 509-527-3748
magilpat@walnet.walla-walla.wa.us
opinions my own, not WWPL, etc etc
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From owner-pubyac@nysernet.org Sun Nov 9 23:35:55 1997
From: MARYJO9@aol.com
Subject: Re: School Assignments
I like the coments made by Bonnie K. about the cooperation between school and
public librarians. I was the latter and am now the former. I have been at
my school for three weeksand have already talked to both public libraries
that we feed into. I was not able to give a complete assignment alert
because I don't have all the specifics yet, but I was at least able to alert
them to the basic assignment. We need to continue to work together and stop
blaming each other. Just my two cents worth.
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From owner-pubyac@nysernet.org Sun Nov 9 23:57:16 1997
From: RUTLAND_FREE@dol.state.vt.us
Subject: kidspeak
Dear PUBYACers,
Our library is looking for some humorous ways kids and adults have stated
their requests for books or subjects. If you have a memorable one to share,
please send it to my attention at Rutland_Free@dol.state.vt.us
If there is interest, I will post to the list.
Thank you.
June Osowski Children's LIbrarian Rutland Free Library
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