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From: "PUBYAC: PUBlic librarians serving Young Adults and
Children" <pubyac@prairienet.org>
To: "PUBYAC: PUBlic librarians serving Young Adults and Children"
<pubyac@prairienet.org>
Sent: Wednesday, November 14, 2001 9:19 PM
Subject: PUBYAC digest 608
PUBYAC Digest 608
Topics covered in this issue include:
1) srp reader records
by "Ruhama J. Kordatzky" <rkordatz@burlington.lib.wi.us>
2) animal rhyme
by Kelly Vikstrom <vikstrom@mail.pratt.lib.md.us>
3) RE: Favorite Preschool Storytime Craft -and/or book
by "Kathy Crawford" <kathy_crawford@hotmail.com>
4) Looking for 'Fire singer?'
by "Becky Smith" <BSMITH@loganutah.org>
5) Stumper: Old man and the best gift
by "Vasilik, Patricia" <vasilik@palsplus.org>
6) Storytime Core Collection RESPONSES
by Jennie Depakakibo <Jennie.Depakakibo@cityofcarrollton.com>
7) YA Research Topics (LONG)
by Mary K Chelton <mchelton@optonline.net>
----------------------------------------------------------------------
From: "Ruhama J. Kordatzky" <rkordatz@burlington.lib.wi.us>
To: "'pubyac'" <pubyac@prairienet.org>
Subject: srp reader records
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Date: Wed, 14 Nov 2001 22:17:03 CST
Hi everyone--
The theme that much of the midwest is doing this coming summer is "Join
the
Winner's Circle--Read!" and our system in Wisconsin is no exception.
What
we would like to do differently is our reader record format. We have
decided to focus on a sports related theme, and have our records reflect
that.
If any of you have samples of reader records that you could send to me, I
would REALLY appreciate it!
:) ruhama
Ruhama Kordatzky
Youth Services Librarian
Burlington Public Library
166 E. Jefferson St.
Burlington, WI 53105
rkordatz@burlington.lib.wi.us
------------------------------
From: Kelly Vikstrom <vikstrom@mail.pratt.lib.md.us>
To: pubyac@prairienet.org
Subject: animal rhyme
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Date: Wed, 14 Nov 2001 22:17:33 CST
Does anyone out there know the full text of this rhyme? I had a couple of
preschoolers here this afternoon and they could only remember the first
part and then they got confused. I was able to find part of it on the
internet by typing the beginning of it into google. Unfortunately, what I
found was exactly as much as the kids could remember and no more. They do
rembember that "bobolink " and "toerat" are two animals
that are in the
rhyme, but they couldn't remember that part. Here is the first part:
Alligator, hedgehog
Anteater, bear.
Rattlesnake, buffalo,
Anaconda, hare.
Bullfrog, woodchuck,
Wolverine, goose.
Whippoorwill, chipmunk,
Jackal, moose.
Mud turtle, whale,
Glow worm, bat.
Salamander, snail,
Maltese cat.
Thanks in advance for any help you can give!
Kelly Vikstrom
Enoch Pratt Free Library,
Roland Park Branch
Baltimore, MD
------------------------------
From: "Kathy Crawford" <kathy_crawford@hotmail.com>
To: pubyac@prairienet.org
Subject: RE: Favorite Preschool Storytime Craft -and/or book
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Date: Wed, 14 Nov 2001 22:17:53 CST
One of my MANY favorite things is a snow storytime, using Lois Ehlert's
Snowballs. After looking at the collage art snowpeople, we lay out paper
plates in 2 sizes, quilt batting, ribbon, buttons, pasta- any and everything
in the way of "add ons" for them to create their own snowpeople.
We have
used them in displays along with the book to brighten up a gloomy January in
the library.
Among my favorite "food" programs are "If you give a
mouse a cookie" and
"The doorbell rang" for a cookie program, and "Pancakes,
pancakes" with The
story of Little Babaji. There are tons of things to do with both programs,
and they are guaranteed crowd-pleasers.
Kathy Crawford
LaRue County Public Library
201 S. Lincoln Blvd.
Hodgenville, Ky. 42748
Phone:270.358.3851
Fax:270.358.8647
kathy_crawford@hotmail.com
------------------------------
From: "Becky Smith" <BSMITH@loganutah.org>
To: <pubyac@prairienet.org>
Subject: Looking for 'Fire singer?'
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Date: Wed, 14 Nov 2001 22:18:11 CST
A patron is trying to locate a SF/Fantasy novel for teens she read several =
years ago. It begins with the destruction of a planet, and its people
=
being scattered. The people have magical powers that only manifest
when =
they begin to mature, and only when they are partnered with someone from a =
different race. They develop tattoo-like markings which signify their
=
talents.
The main character is a girl who is a Fire singer, partnered with a boy =
who is either a Water or Earth singer. They are searching for other =
survivors, and hear of another pair like themselves, who are being held by =
slavers. The four of them have to work their way out of a pit (?) and
=
somewhere along the way they make friends with a snake.
Does this sound familiar to anyone? I'd appreciate any suggestions.
Becky Ann Smith
Youth Services Librarian
Logan Library
Logan, UT
bsmith@loganutah.org
------------------------------
From: "Vasilik, Patricia" <vasilik@palsplus.org>
To: "'PUBYAC@prairienet.org'"
<PUBYAC@prairienet.org>
Subject: Stumper: Old man and the best gift
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Date: Wed, 14 Nov 2001 22:18:31 CST
I'm turning to the great brain and have every confidence someone will
recognize this title. A gentleman saw this in a bookstore not too long
ago,
and thinks the title has either present or gift in it. The book is
similar
in concept to the Giving Tree (but that's not it). The patron is sure
it's
a picture book, with text on one side, pictures on the other. The plot
has
a young boy meeting an old man in the park. The man asks the boy what
is
the best present. This scene is repeated with the boy getting older at
each
encounter. His answers change as he grows, but the old man says he
hasn't
guessed the best gift yet. In the end, the old man dies, the
"boy", now a
man himself, sits on the bench, and finally realizes what the best gift is.
I've searched our database, A to Zoo, and Amazon, for books called Best
Present, Best Gift, and just the Gift -- as well as keyword searches under a
variety of things, but so far no matches.
Answers -- or guesses can be sent directly to me at
vasilik@palsplus.org
I'll let you know. Thanks!
Pat Vasilik
Children's Coordinator
Clifton Public Library
Clifton, NJ
vasilik@palsplus.org
------------------------------
From: Jennie Depakakibo <Jennie.Depakakibo@cityofcarrollton.com>
To: "Pubyac (E-mail)" <pubyac@prairienet.org>
Subject: Storytime Core Collection RESPONSES
MIME-Version: 1.0
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Date: Wed, 14 Nov 2001 22:19:00 CST
THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU everyone who responded to my request for items
you would consider a part of a core Storytime collection for infants,
toddlers, and preschoolers. You all helped me out immensely.
I've turned
in my assignment and am posting a compilation of the results. I may
have
accidentally deleted some permanently along the line, so if you don't see
yours I'm sorry but I probably DID get your message so THANKS.
Anyway, this is not a complete list of the titles I compiled from my
project. If you want to see the whole thing, which is about 10 pages
long,
please e-mail me and I will send it to you as an attachment. Please
note, I
took into consideration some titles that may have already resided in the
collection, so some titles may have been left out because we already
"owned"
them. The list includes audio, jumbo books, picture books,
professional
resources, and a few serials.
Thanks again for all your help!
Jennie A. Depakakibo
Youth Services Library Assistant
Carrollton Public Library at Hebron and Josey
Jennie.Depakakibo@cityofcarrollton.com
Hi Jennie - books that I love and are always checked out -
Brown bear, brown bear, what do you see
Goodnight Moon
Eric Carle books
and some Eve Bunting books are those that immediately come to mind. Hope
this helps!
Hi,
My library just started a Baby Storytime (6 to 18 months) in
March. We
don't
use tapes - I sing instead. Either way, music really helps to focus
the
children's attention. I sing everything from "baa baa black
sheep" and
"hickory, dickory dock" to Raffi's "Popcorn" and the
"Cottleston Pie" song
from
Winnie the Pooh.
For Baby Storytime, I love Margaret Miller's board books
(What's on my
head?,
Baby Food, and others). The books aren't huge, but the pictures are
big
enough
for the dozen child/caregiver pairs to see. Also I like Brown bear,
brown
bear...(Martin and Carle), In the tall, talll grass (Fleming), "More,
more,
more" said the baby (by Williams), baby! talk! (a board book by Penny
Gentieu; I
read the book, and the participants do the activities), One Red Sun (Keats),
any
Old MacDonald book to sing with, and many others. Marc Brown did a
series
of
books (Party rhymes and two others) that include fingerplays.
There are many good websites out there; one of my favorites is:
http://www.itg.uiuc.edu/people/mcdowell/laptime/index.html
Hope this helps! E-mail me at aangell@snap.lib.ca.us
if you have any
questions.
Allison Angell, Children's Librarian
Benicia (CA) Public Library
aangell@snap.lib.ca.us
Coming from the queen of "wait till the last minute" book pulling
for
programs, I can understand the value of such a collection. In fact, I
inherited a very large one at my library--about 900 or more items.
With the
exception of big books and pop-ups, however, I have returned most of them to
the circulating collection.
Since I know my story time/toddler time/special program subjects well in
advance (whether I act on it or not), I feel that I have the upper hand in
putting holds on items I want to use for particular programs.
Do I miss the "story time collection"--yes, at times. But if
an item is
that popular, I would rather have it available for the enjoyment of the very
kids for whom it was purchased. I can justify not circulating the big
books
and pop-ups; these are items that do not hold up well with circulation and
are a real asset to story times for any age.
When we started to run out of room in our "story time closet," I
started
doing the math: If I used an average of four books per week for a
particular program, it would take me over four years to use every book in
that collection....IF I didn't repeat any (and let's face it, we all have
our favorite holiday books that we use year after year or a book that must
be used at least once a year--if not more--because it is such a winner).
The rest of the books were literally collecting dust.
I know this isn't what you were looking for, and I suspect I am in the
minority in this opinion. But, as a professional, that is what I
think. I
love resources such as I'm a Little Tea Pot, and use them for starting
points. With so many wonderful new books coming out all the time, I
sometimes end up not using but maybe half of what was recommened (opting for
introducing them to some new favorites), but I certainly get great ideas
from them!
Beverly Kirkendall
Library Manager-Youth Services
Hurst Public Library
Hurst, TX
The opinions expressed are my own--nobody else will claim them!
Hi Jennie,
We have what we call "Staff Kits". They live in the Youth Office
and the
books
are not a part of the circulating collection. We have about 30 Staff Kits
each
in its own cloth bag. Each kit has: 10-12 books ranging from baby time to
PreK
levels, copies of story times we have done complete with hand outs of
fingerplays, songs, etc. We also note the puppets, flannelboards, etc. we
used.
A chart on the front is filled out each time the kit is used so we know when
that story time was last done and for which age group (we have three also).
In
the Youth office we keep a shelf of "favorite flap and pop-ups"
like Wide
Mouth
Frog for our use, boxes of puppets and a file of flannelboards. We
also
have a
small collection of book on videos. We can put together a story time for any
age in a very short amount of time. We still pull books from the
collection
if
we want something not in the bag, but it is not essential to do so. We have
been using Staff Kits for two years and we add to them as we find new
materials. They are a wonderful time saver!
Hope this helps!!
Linda in Rapid City
Jennie,
In my MGT sessions, I love using Piggies by Audrey and Don Wood and Brown
Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See by Bill Martin. Others I've used
successfully are Jamberry by Bruce Degen and The Saucepan Game by Jan
Ormerod, just to name a few.
Jennifer Harshberger
Librarian, Children's Services
Harmony Library
4616 S. Shields
Fort Collins, CO 80526
970-204-8408
jharsh@julip.ci.fort-collins.co.us
I wasn't doing baby times at my last library (that was someone else's
speciality) but I did do several toddler times a week.
I've found that these books work particularly well for ages 18-36 months!
Big Fat Hen by Keith Baker
Toad by Ruth Brown
Big Egg by Molly Coxe
Olivia by Ian Falconer
anything at all by Denise Fleming (my favorite favorites)
The Beastly Feast by Bruce Goldstone
The Father Who Had Ten Children by Benedicte Guettier
The Surprise Garden by Zoe Hall
Wolf's Chicken Stew by Keiko Kaszka
Upstairs Cat by Karla Kuskin
Pickin' Peas by Margaret Read MacDonald
My Friend Gorilla by Morozumi
Mouse Mess by Linnea Riley
Scarecrow by Cynthia Rylant
Saturday Night at the Dinosaur Stomp by Carol Shield
Tractor Mac by Billy Steers
Rolling Rose by James Stevenson
Dinosaur Roar by Paul Stickland
Hi Pizza Man by Virginia Walter
Our Granny by Margaret Wild
How Do Dinosaurs Say Goodnight by Jane Yolen
Our most popular fingerplay, hands down, was:
Five plump peas in a pea pod pressed
First one grew, then two grew,
Then so did all the rest.
They grew and they grew and they never stopped
They grew so big that the pea pods POPPED! (of course we all got to jump
into the air at the end, and because I'm so tall I was able to touch the
ceiling, very impressive for 3-6 year olds).
Good luck!
Shawn Thrasher
Young Adult Services
Pasadena Public Library
Pasadena, CA
I regard the books of Denise Fleming, Nancy Tafuri, and Sandra Boynton as
essential. I use a lot of Lois Ehlert and Martin Waddell, although he is
slightly older in aim. Marc Brown's "Hand Rhymes" and "Finger
Rhymes" are
also kept close. The Angus books by Flack and some of the Max books by Wells
are also good as are the bear/moon books by Asch.
I would be interested in seeing the list of all the suggestions. Plaease
post it.
Gladys Seaman
gseaman@sgrl.org
Funny you should bring this up. This is always happening to me.
The book I
need for storytime is checked out. When I suggested we buy
certain titles
only for stroytime my director was NOT pleased. She insisted that
every
book we own be available for patrons. Well... over the years I have
bought
a few books just for storytime. I just purchased My Very First Mother
Goose
by Iona Opie for that collection. I also just purchased Whose Ears?,
Whose
Feet?, and Whose Nose? All three by Jeannetter Rowe. These three
books are
lift the flap books that will be used for are one year old storytime.
Hope this helps,
Margaret Borchers
Derby Neck Library, CT
mborchers@biblio.org
Hi Jennie - saw your message on Pubyac and wanted to make sure you knew
about these resources.
Lapsit Services for the Very Young (Neal-Schuman, 1995)
Lapsit Services for the Very Young II (Neal-Schuman, 2001)
These both contain "tried and true" titles that work with with the
very
young. Although aimed at the 12-24 month range they also work with 2's
which many call toddlers. Lapsit Services for the Very Young was set
up
as a pathfinder to help librarians get started
in this area of library service. Lapsit II has current information
concerning brain development, working with special groups but most of it
is an annotated bibliography I think you will find useful. I wrote
these
books to answer many of the questions you raised and give you the
material you are looking for. I hope you will look them over and
perhaps
let me know what you think of them. (both have been reviewed in various
journals)
I'm not sure where you are located but two performers I have found very
good with this age group and use their CD's quite often are Nancy Stewart
and MaryLee Sunseri. One book that I would say should be a core title for
the Mother Goose group is Brown Bear, Brown Bear by Maritn. Hope this
helps and love to hear more on your project!
Linda Ernst
Author, Workshop Presenter and Children's Librarian
Lapsit Services for the Very Young (Neal-Schuman, 1995)
Lapsit Services for the Very Young II (Neal-Schuman, 2001)
King County Library System
lindaern@kcls.org
Hi,
Saw your request on PUBYAC and just had to respond.
My all time favorite storyhour resource for almost any age is "We're
Going
on a Bear Hunt" retold by Michael Rosen and illustrated by Helen
Oxenbury.
My second "must have" is "Over in the Meadow" which is a
county rhyme. I
really love the edition illustrated by David A. Carter but I believe it is
out of print. Paul Galdone's edition is also breat and I think it is
still
available and may even be in the Big Book format.
Linda Rutz
Youth Services Librarian
Way Public Library
Perrysburg, OH
Hello
One of my favorite stories to read at storytime is The
Napping House ny Audry Wood. It is one of my all time
favorite stories.
Another of course is Brown Bear Brown Bear What Do You
See by Bill Martin.
I also love I went Walking
Hope this helps
Jennifer PArker
jparker@ocln.org
Of course, Eric Carle's Very Hungry Caterpillar and Very Busy Spider, and
his new one Does a Kangaroo Have a Mother, Too? Also, Brown Bear,
Brown
Bear and Polar Bear, Polar Bear by Bill Martin, Jr. Keith Baker has
two
really good ones - Big Fat Hen and Who is the Beast? Laura Numeroff
If You
Give a Mouse a Cookie and the others. Audrey and Don Wood Silly Sally
and
The Little Mouse, the Red Ripe Strawberry and The Big Hungry Bear.
Jane
Yolen's How do Dinosaurs Say Goodnight? and Debra Guarino's Is Your Mama a
Llama? and Paul Stickland's Ten Terrible Dinosaurs. All
excellent.
Harper Growing Tree has books that indicate the age they are best suited for
on the cover. I use many of these titles for my Mother Goose Time.
They
include Where do Bears Sleep?, Mrs. McNosh Hangs up her Wash, and many more.
If you need further information like publishers and ISBNs just let me know.
Stacey Irish
Youth Services Librarian
Denton Public Library
502 Oakland
Denton, TX 76201
Jennie, I have two books that I regularly use when I do tours (which usually
include a short storytime). The first is The Library by Sarah Stewart
and
the second is I Took My Frog to the Library by Eric Kimmel. It's nice
to
have something library related for general visits. I am also fond of
"Finger Frolics" compiled by Liz Cromwell which has ideas for lots
and lots
of fingerplays to break up the regular storytime book sequence with a little
activity. I also check Google for fingerplay ideas. Another
thing that we
keep in reference is a variety of lift the flap, moveable and toy, and pop
up books. They are fun and interactive especially with a small group)
and
don't last long when put out for circulation. (An example would be The
Wheels on the Bus by Paul Zelinsky or Dinosaur Stomp by Paul Strickland.)
I
hope this helps. The idea to have this kind of collection is so
important
so that you can be ready at a moment's notice. Good luck on your
project!
Leslie
Leslie Johnson
Children's Librarian
Golden Public Library
Jefferson County Public Library
1019 Tenth St, Golden CO 80401
303-279-4585
ljohnson@jefferson.lib.co.us
Jennie,
You might want to look at the book TODDLE ON OVER: developing infant &
toddler literature programs / Robin Works Davis, which lists many good
books for that age. anything that is lift-the-flap, like the Spot
books,
are a big hit.
Good luck on your assignment!
Karen Gardner
Anderson Public Library
Anderson, IN 46016
kgardner@and.lib.in.us
Dear Jennie, I am one of 5 Youth Services Specialists at Tacoma
Public Library who does regular storytimes for preschool age
children. I have a fairly large (26) volume Big Book collection that
I use and a list of about 45-50 other books that I keep in my
storytime collection. I will send the list to you if you wish bit
the caveat is----not one of us here uses the same books. The only
common "I can't live without this books" is 1001 Rhymes and
Fingerplays by Totline. I personally use more music that most of my
companions so I have several Raffi, Peter,Paul and Mary and Sesame
Street cd's that I use. I also have a copy of Burl Ive's "Little
White Duck" cd of my own that I bring in to use. Most of my
storytimes use animal, color or seasonal themes as I have found that
most of my toddlers and pre-schoolers like these and respond to them
best. I now have a comfortable backlog of about 50 storytimes that I
can pull together rather quickly but I still use circulating books at
every session for two reasons. 1. They are newer. 2. Parents can
check them out after storytime is over to take home and reinforce the
theme of the storytime. I also give a handout of the fingerplays we
do at each session and include a short bibliography. I do occasional
flannel boards but one of my companions uses a film strip at every
session. As far as intro's go everyone does something different and
uses what they are comfortable with. One uses "Head &
Shoulders,
Feet & Toes" one uses an electric candle to "light the
way to the
story room" and I use a song. When I find a book I want to use
regularly I order a copy and ask the tech services people to not
catalog it and just send it out for storytime. If it's out of print
I try second hand stores or ask everyone to send me their copies if
they have to withdraw them for some reason.
If I've missed anything be sure to e-mail me at:
larmstrong@tpl.lib.wa.us
Loralee Armstrong
Tacoma Public Library
------------------------------
From: Mary K Chelton <mchelton@optonline.net>
To: publib@sunsite.berkeley.edu,
PUBYAC@prairienet.org
Subject: YA Research Topics (LONG)
MIME-version: 1.0
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Date: Wed, 14 Nov 2001 22:19:19 CST
Thanks for responding. Here are what people said.
Mary K.
***************************************************************************=
*
Mary K. Chelton, Ph. D.
Associate Professor, Graduate School of
Library and Information Studies, 254 Rosenthal Library,
Queens College, 65-30 Kissena Blvd., Flushing, NY 11367;
Phones: (718) 997-3667 (direct/voice/voicemail),
3790 (general office), 3797 (fax).
Home: 35 Mercury Ave., East Patchogue, NY 11772.
Phone: (631)286-4255, no home fax.
E-mail: mchelton@optonline.net
***************************************************************************=
*
Frequent or Favorite YA Research Topics: Responses from a Post to PUBLIB,
PUBYAC, YALSA-BK, YALSA-L and ALSC-L.
The original post:
From: Mary K Chelton <mchelton@optonline.net>
Date: Thu, 25 Oct 2001 09:39:00 -0400
To: YALSA-BK <yalsa-bk@ala.org>
Subject: [YALSA-BK:20012] YA research topics
My apologies for asking a question tangential to this list, so ignore it if
you have to, but I need quick access to public librarians working with YAs
for this. I've also sent it to YALSA-L and ALSC-L, and am rejoining PUBYAC
and PUBLIB for queries. Any other relevant list suggestions are
welcome.
For research I am doing, could any of you who work in public libraries give
me a laundry list of what you perceive to be frequent or favorite research
topics among middle and high school students ? If anyone is
interested, I
will share back with the list?
Thank you,
Mary K.
****************************************
The responses:
Hello All,=20
Greek Mythology
Ancient Civilizations-Greek Roman and Egyptian
Countries of the World, particularly social life and customs such as
holidays, foods, sports and games.
AIDS/STD's
Rainforest & Environmental problems
Capital Punishment
Free Speech
School Uniforms
Careers
Legalization of drugs
Tattoing and Body Piercing
Music and its affects on academic achievement, memory, plants, etc.
High School Seniors in our City-County school system have to do what is
called a Senior Exit Project.
This is a year long project that can be on any topic the senior chooses.
They have to use a variety of materials, including the internet, for
research, and they must produce a research paper, a visual product, and
give a oral presentation.
Topics have varied over the years, but some I remember are: Y2K ( in 1999),
Kennedy Assasination, Seatbelt use, Jet Ski (water craft)safety,
career
that the student
is going into, birth defects, assistance animals, etc.
Sarah Hudson
Information Specialist
Independence Regional Library
shudson@plcmc.org
****************************************
A big one here is the Egyptian project. The students need to know
about
tools
used in that era and clothing worn and food, shelter, daily life, etc.
We
also
have many Native American projects that go on at various times throughout
the
school year.
Hope this helps,
Debbie Elliotto
244 Main Street
Geneva, New York 14456
315-789-5303 phone
****************************************
Here are a few of the "regular" school research topics that I can
think of:
Tree/leaf identification
Artists
Biomes
HTH,
Sarah
Sarah Prielipp
Youth Services Associate
Veterans Memorial Library
Mount Pleasant, Michigan
***************************************
I would say that the most popular topics for research
are those age old ones like: abortion, the death
penalty, teen suicide, eating disorders, racism/Ku
Klux Klan, HIV/AIDS, occasionally Woodstock (the
original), and animal testing.
We have had a few interesting projects given by some
local schools. One is on religion and involves
researching Copernicus, Galileo, world religions, and
Martin Luther amongst other things. The other school
does a "word" project. The teacher assigns each
student a word and they have to look for it in a poem,
in the Shakespeare Concordance, in the Bible
concordance, in the OED, in a thesaurus, etc.
I don't know if this will help, but that's what I
perceive to be common in our neck of the woods.
Jennifer Halla
Branch Manager
Carondelet Branch Library
***************************************
Mary K.,
Some frequent ones that pop up around here are:
African Americans and biographies - especially during Black History
Month
Any science project - particularly plants, soils, etc.
Violence in schools and among teens
Abortion
Gangs
Women's rights
Famous scientists
Hope this helps you,
Kimberlee Ried
YA Specialist
Kansas City, Kansas Public Library
625 Minnesota Ave.
Kansas City, KS 66101
PH. 913.279.2373
Fax: 913.279.2032
Email: kried@kckpl.lib.ks.us
*****************************************
These are the most commonly researched topics among 9-12 graders at my
school:
abortion
capital punishment
drug legalization
drug testing (our school tests all students in excurricular activities)
school uniforms
whether or not school should be mandatory
graduated licensing (for teen drivers)
athletes and whether or they are/should be role models
the effect/importance of Title IX
animal testing
genetic modification of food
cloning
women in the military
gays in the military
gay marriage
gay adoption
Cathy Belben, Librarian
Burlington-Edison High School
301 N. Burlington Blvd.
Burlington, WA 98233
(360) 757-4074 ext. 3128
cbelben@be.wednet.edu
http://www.be.wednet.edu/Hs/library/library.htm
***************************************
Mary K.
Our biggest middle school topics are ancient
civilizations of
the world (not just Egypt, Greece, and Rome, but China, Africa, India,
etc.); biographies; science fair; the killer "Compare any animal to the
crayfish" project; amendments to the Constitution and relevant court
cases; immigration to the United States; explorers; and wars/battles
(Revolution, Civil, WWI, WWII). Hope this helps-- in-depth books for
6th graders on each dynasty of China are the hardest for us to find.
Catherine Mau
Catherine Mau
Head of Young People's Services
Barrington Area Library
http://www.barringtonarealibrary.org
505 N. Northwest Highway
Barrington, IL 60010
847.382.1300x250
mailto:cmau@barringtonarealibrary.org
***************************************
Hi Mary K.,
[personal note from former student omitted]
Also, the main Jr. High and High School research topics I see at
Whitmore Public Library in Salt Lake City are:
The Civil War
Careers
Drugs, illegal
Diseases
Energy
Pollution
Inventors and Inventions
Famous Americans
Musicians (mostly classical)
The main thing I notice about high school research papers is that very
few are assigned. I5 doesn't seem that the students do much writing at
all.. .
Thanks again,
Janell Mattheus
******************************************
In this public library, the assigned research topics that come to mind
include:
Immigration
Drugs--abuse, legalization
Debate topics, such as abortion, gun control, etc.
Poetry
Literary Criticism
Ecology
AIDS
Native Americans
Local History and controversies
Countries
When given free choice, some topics that emerge include:
Astrology
Dreams
Witchcraft
Organized Crime/serial killers
Teen Problems such as suicide, date rape, domestic
violence, eating
disorders, teen parenting,
etc.
=20
I'll be interested to see everyone's input--Thanks!
Sally Leahey, YA Services
McArthur Library
Biddeford, Maine
**************************************
Definitely: drunk driving
drugs
animal
rights (shark finning)
sex
discrimination and harassments
hate
crimes
color
leagues
literary
topics
local
history
pornography, apparently, considering what pops up on
computer screens
I'd appreciate a share back.
Cassie Wilson
**************************************
I am finding Pocahontas, John Smith, John Rolfe and
Lord Delaware topics.. as well as Leaves of Virginia
and Outlaws topics.
Karen Mance
Samuels Library
Front Royal VA=20
***************************************
Here's just a few of the topics I've seen recently that seem to be of
interest
to teens, whether for homework or personal interest:
Immigration
Witchcraft/Wicca
Boxing (biographies of contemporary fighters)
Astrology
Gang violence & juvenile crime
These are some of the more notable topics I've heard. Otherwise, it's
a lo=
t
of
the standard homework stuff like the constitution, science fairs, etc.
--Layne Arens
Chicago Public Library
***************************************
Hi Mary,=20
My supervisor, Jeanette Larson, forwarded your request to me. I run a 6
terminal computer center for kids ages 8-18, teach computer classes and do
1-1 homework instruction. Most of the kids are doing posterboard
presentations where they gather their info and some pictures, paste it all
to a poster board and give a class presentation with the board. Here
are
some of the topics I have been asked to help with this semester:
Country reports (kid is assigned a country and they have to give a
presentation about the geography, people, economy, government, etc...).
I
usually start them out at the CIA World Factbook online.
State reports - same thing as counrty reports but I send them to
www.50states.com.=20
Biomes - Pick a geological phenomenon (desert, rainforest, tundra, etc...)
and present the climate, flora, fauna, impact from humans, etc...
Chemical elements - pick an element and describe the atom composition, show
images of the atom, tell how it interacts with other elements, etc...
Current events - pick a current event and write a report using 3 articles
about the event.=20
Biography reports - pick a famous person and write a biography of them and
include a picture.=20
Hope this helps! I would love to see your list when your research is
complete!=20
Good luck,=20
Lindsey=20
Lindsey E. Schell=20
Wired for Youth Librarian
Manchaca Road Branch
Austin Public Library
5500 Manchaca Road=20
Austin, TX 78745=20
lindsey. schell@ci.austin.tx.us
512-447-6652 work=20
512-444-5132 fax=20
**********************************
Hello,
Egypt and the Middle Ages - these are two major projects that the 6th
graders are assigned. It alternates from year to year. Another is
Presidents and First Ladies.
Janice
****************************************
From: "Phyllis Sherwin" <psherwin@acpl.lib.in.us>
Date: Thu, 25 Oct 2001 10:42:41 -0500
To: <yalsa-bk@ala.org>
Subject: [YALSA-BK:20022] Re: YA research topics
I won't say these are favorites but we always get:
Ancient Egypt - any and all subjects
Fertile Crescent
Westward Expansion or the "West - particularly newspaper accounts
or
journals
Fruit Fly
Coleus plant
American Renaissance - artists, writers
Victorian England (anything Victorian)
Native Americans
Various careers
Diseases
American Civil War - any and all subjects, ie. music, food, weapons,
battles,=20
generals, soldiers, etc.
Others that seem "chosen" as opposed to "assigned" are:
Abortion
Teen Smoking
Teen Suicide
Concentration camps of WWII
Gun Control
Prayer in school
Drug abuse
STDs
Anorexia/Bulemia
Animal rights/testing/experimentation
School violence
Teenage drinking
Drugs and Sports
These are the ones that come to mind off the top of my head. I may be
able
to send a few more later. It will be interesting to see what's popular
in
other parts of the country - probably the same topics I would imagine, but
maybe not.
Phyllis Sherwin
Dupont Branch
Allen County Public Library
Ft. Wayne, IN
**************************************
Here's just a few of the topics I've seen recently that seem to be of
interest
to teens, whether for homework or personal interest:
Immigration
Witchcraft/Wicca
Boxing (biographies of contemporary fighters)
Astrology
Gang violence & juvenile crime
These are some of the more notable topics I've heard. Otherwise, it's
a lo=
t
of
the standard homework stuff like the constitution, science fairs, etc.
--Layne Arens
Chicago Public Library
**************************************
Professor Chelton,
Here is a
list of frequent research topics that teens request
at Central Library:
Biographies of African-
Americans, Hispanic Americans, explorers,
inventors, scientists, and mathematics. (The teachers give them a
choice
and they do not know they want. Too me, that's really sad.)
Native American tribes
Countries =20
=20
Janet Ng
I don't say we all ought to misbehave, but we ought to look as we could.
Orson Welles
***************************************
I'm at Valencia Public Library in Los Angeles County. Frequent topics here
are:
* civil war
* decades (the student chooses, for example the 1920's, and finds what was
happening in the arts, music, etc)
* current hot topics (abortion, AIDS, stem cell research)
* chosen foreign country current events
Unfortunately, the most favorite research method here is via parent, while
the students are at after school activities. They often aren't quite sure o=
f
the assignment, so we do a LOT of assuming.
Elaine
*************************************
Mary Kay,
In CLearwater some of the topics are:
Country reports
Dead scientists - especially how they died!
cells - particularly info and pix of diseased cells
Historical reports from different periods in history - worldwide, i.e.
Renaissance, Medieval, WWII
literature papers based about an American author - their life, works, and
themes
Jana Fine
*************************************
Here in Harford County, MD, we are always innundated in the fall by patrons
requesting books on leaf identification. This is a project which seems
to
span all level of school from elementary to high school. We can't keep
enough books on the shelf to meet the demand in our Children's or Adult's
Department!
While high schoolers around here tend to ask more for research on
literature projects, the middle school patrons ask each year mostly for
information on:
- Native Americans
- Biographies=20
- Explorers
- Egypt, Rome, Greece
- Medievel life
Amy K. Long
Young Adult Librarian
Harford County Public Library
**************************************
Hi Dr. Chelton:
I've worked at the Queens Borough Public Library for years and off the top
of my head the following are popular research topics for YAs:
saints, dinosaurs, scientists, American Indians, inventors, fashions of the
past, WWI, WWII, biographies, science experiments, deserts, and volcanoes.
Hope this helps,
Flo (from your GLIS 765 class)
***************************************
I wouldnt call our YA research topics "favorites". The YA in our
area tend
to be geared towards school assignments.They rarely come in to do research
out of their own curiousities. Most frequent topics among our YA's are
memoirs, science projects for science fairs, and lately more current
affairs. Our local middle school has started a "Consumer Olympics"
report,
which is fun and challenging for us. Other than that, the standard
reports=
,
nothing more unusual than the next.
Hope this helps.
Maryann
M. Ferro
Youth Services Department
Hewlett-Woodmere Public Library
Hewlett, New York 11557
*******************************************
At my particular branch so far, students seem to be assigned various topics
by their teachers. Number one is book reports from a given book list
(whic=
h
the student will usually wait until the night before to come in and try to
get the book which is either already
checked out, at another branch, or too long to read in one night).
Other
topics at this particular location (L.H. Bluford, Kansas City
Public Library) is African or African-American history and biographies.
Ancient African kingdoms were popular this year. Among biographies
student=
s
were given a choice of famous musicians, artists, writers, scientists, etc.
Usually in addition to a page or two
of biographical information, sometimes they were to bring in samples of the
person's work when appropriate.
We also had a students researching Native American tribes, and planning moc=
k
vacations to the location of their choice.
Just as an interesting side note--for non-school research topics, I've
noticed a lot of older male teens looking up stuff on the Internet
or requesting books on Tupac Shakar. Apparently there is an elaborate
conspiracy theory going on about how he faked his own
death--so there are these guys asking for Machivelli since he wrote about
faking one's own death to fool one's enemies.
B_Teresa(Teresa Gorelich) B_Teresa@kclibrary.org
**************************************
Mary K:
Our "gifted" sixth grade class does annual debates. The topics
they
choose often include the death penalty, animal rights and gun control.
We get many many requests for science projects. Kids are required
to complete a science project to fulfill state graduation standards.
We get last-minute desperate requests for instructions on building
a chemical volcano.
Requests are almost always curriculum-driven. Civil war in high
school. Holocaust and voyageurs in 6th grade. Chemical elements
in junior high and again in high school.
Mary Kay Feltes
Assistant Director
Owatonna Public Library
Owatonna MN 55060
marykay@mnic.net
****************************************
Unfortunately, in Inglewood and environs teachers frequently give
off-the-wall assignments. In one, the kids are supposed to research a
chemical element, resulting in questions to the librarians such as:
"Do
you got any books on boron?"
There are also the ever-popular biography assignments when the kids are
asked to find out about obscure African Americans who took out a patent.
We have one teacher in the middle school who delights in giving his
students handouts with a list of things they should find out about. No
context given. =20
A high school teacher, who had "Dr." in front of his name (and
should
therefore know what he's doing, right?) asked the students to
"define"
the Los Angeles county board of supervisors.
Finally, there's a teacher who gives students the name of a court case
and asks the kids to find out about it. A complete legal citation is
beyond this teacher's ken, and a hint of what court would have handed
down the opinion is really too much help. (We do have the U.S. Supreme
Court reporter, as well as the California Appellate and Supreme Court
decisions, but if the case turns up to have been in a lower federal
court or a state other than CA we can't help. Court reports in various
jurisdictions may be on the 'Net, but they may be fee-based.)
Sorry for the rant, but the quality of teaching in public schools is not
exactly high. The same hold true for many of the private schools.
Hope you, Dorothy, and the critters are well.
Your friendly CyberGoddess and ALA Councilor-at-Large,
Sue Kamm
Truest of the Blue, Los Angeles Dodgers Think Blue Week 2000
email: suekamm@mindspring.com
Visit my web page: http://suekamm.home.mindspring.com/index.htm
"Good is not good when better is expected." -- Vin Scully
****************************************
Hi Mary K.,
Frequent Requests:
Leaf Idenitification
Chemisty Project -- find a chemical in 10 household products
Read a Civil War fiction novel
Read a book set between the fall of Rome and the War of 1812
Greek Gods & Godesses
Read a book by an American author about an American historical event (after
Sept
11)
Country report (detailed, multipart -- need maps, currency, travel etc.)
Beth Gallaway, YA Librarian
egallaway@mailserv.mvlc.lib.ma.us
Haverhill Public Library
99 Main Street Haverhill MA 01830
(978)373-1586 FAX (978) 373-8466
****************************************
Inventors and inventions (usually in the Fall)
African-Americans in history (February)
Important women in history (March)
Shorts reports on the background of various chemical elements (again,
usually in the fall)
Heather Clark
Young Adult Coordinator
Cumberland County Public Library & Information Center
"The Very Best Place to Start"
I forgot to add careers/jobs projects (JrHi/HS). Those are year-round.
Kate Wolicki
-----Original Message-----
From: Kate Wolicki=20
Sent: Sunday, October 28, 2001 2:02 PM
To: 'mchelton@optonline.net'
Subject: RE:YA Research Topics
Our kids do birthday (day-you-were-born) projects (jrhi), Medieval projects
(jr hi/HS), World Wars I and II (?), Modern Authors (like a review of a
number of the author's works and info about the authors, too)(HS), colonial
states projects (HS), science fair stuff (!!!!!)(jrHi/HS), a "build a
nuclear power plant" project(HS), women mathematicians(HS), medieval
scientists(JrHi), inventors (JrHi), black inventors/scientists (JrHi),
folktale/myth/religion comparisons (HS). I think those are the most
common
ones that repeat every year. Other projects include whatever social
issue
is big at the moment - cloning, abortion, prison conditions, etc, and we
have so many books on those topics we don't always see the kids at the ref
desk for intensive help. I marked JrHi or HS for each project -- some
of
those JrHi might really be upper elementary.
I'd love to see what other people find to be most common.
Kate Wolicki
YA Nonfic/ History librarian
AYA Reference Dept.
Niles Public Library District, Niles, IL
*****************************************
Hi, Mary:
Over the years, I have seen a lot of the same topics (over and over
and over and over and over and over...) being done by students,
both high school and middle.
What I perceive to be topics assigned by teachers (rather than
selected by the kids themselves):
Egypt (this is popular at one local school where the teacher
requests "five sources" for some of the most obscure topics ever
dreamed up--Cleopatra's needles, lesser known pyramids and
Sphinx statues....)
Countries and States (which are interchangeable in the minds of
our students...I've been asked for a book about the united state of
Holland and the foreign country of Michigan...actually, I've been to
Michigan and maybe they aren't that far off...)
Planets, solar systems, space travel
Various historical wars and battles (never a specificaspect, you
understand..."I need everything you got about the Revolution" is
the
usual request.)
Famous people
Black History Month profiles
These fall into four categories:
1) People who actually made a difference (Martin Luther King,
Mary Mcleod Bethune, C.J. Walker, etc.)
2) Black Celebrities (Snoop Doggy Dogg, Puff Daddy, Tupac
Shukar, Naomi Campbell)
3) Scholars/Scientists/Inventors Present/Past (Mae
Jemison,
George Washington Carver)
4) People whose names the teacher found in the patent listings
from the early 1900s when race was listed along with the inventor's
name...it never occurs to the teacher that there were about 125
people listed right alongside the "first black inventor of the clothes
hanger" who were also black..and white...and asian...and that the
patent listing may be the ONLY place you will find any information
about ANY of those individuals of whatever race.
The Salem witch trials
Pilgrims
Slavery in America
Civic institutions (what does a school do? what do firemen do?)
Then we get into topics where the child has been asked to select
an "important" social issue to explore in a research report.
I will
preface this with an anecdote. A student asked me "Miss Michele,
can you come up with a topic that ISN'T teenage pregnancy,
teenage sex, drugs, violence, pollution or shoplifting?"
So I came back with :
-Welfare Moms and whether they are being stereotyped
-Freedom of religion or freedom FROM religion
-Trade problems between the U.S. and China
-Understanding other cultures as a way to understand how to do
business with them
-Do racial divisions exist in our lives or our minds
-What's a cult and why do people participate in them...
-The continuing war over censorship/pornography/obscenity
(when is it obscene and when is it just erotica?)
The child looked at me (she was 17) and her eyes got a
little
glazed...and she said "I guess I'll stick with sex or drugs or
violence."
So, when they choose a topic for themselves it is usually:
Teen pregnancies
Teen sexual practice
AIDS
Drugs
Child Sexual abuse (ALWAYS sexual abuse--not
verbal,
physical or emotional)
Witchcraft
Gangs
Pollution
They rarely (if ever) choose one aspect of these
topics...as with
the other assigned topics, it's "I want to write about everything, so
give me enough to fill up ten pages".
I hope this helps with your research.
Michele Jacobson
Bridgeport Public Library
Connecticut
************************************
Mary,
At the middle school level, we work pretty closely with several schools on
annual research topics. One school has its eighth graders do a group
project on colonial/pioneer/plantation life. Another brings each grade
level (6th, 7th, and 8th) to research contemporary issues for speeches.
Contemporary issues of all kinds, ranging from media violence to animal
rights, are constantly researched at middle and high school levels.
Severa=
l
big high schools from neighboring counties bring their students in (30-60 a=
t
a time) to do research on contemporary issues, biographies, country studies=
,
and more. Science projects are major in this town, and we keep a
separate
section of books on science projects just for this, since most schools in
the county participate, mostly elementary and middle schools. Ancient
Egypt, the Middle Ages, Native Americans, country studies, state studies,
American history are also perennial favorites. Recent additions are
alternate school schedules, school uniforms, teens and limited driver
licenses, school violence.
I work at the main library of our system, with a LARGE YA section (30,000+
volumes)
Kat Kan
kkan@acpl.lib.in.us
******************************************
Hi!
Neat question.
--visgoths, celts, middle ages
--current events - right now - Afganistan, Pakistan, Islam, terrorism,
World Trade Center -students needed 3 books, 3 articles, and 3 database (or
internet) pieces on each. ( we never determined the value of 3 )
--volcanoes
--Native Americans
--science projects
--biographies - non specific
--information on their city; by interview, city website and by using books
--animals
--endangered animals
--country reports (rarely United States or Canada - shift away in the
last
five years)
--festivals and celebrations, especially Halloween or Christmas around the
world
These are the ones that flowed from my fingers, so they must be the ever
present. I would love to see a list. You will most likely not
find that
we are so very different. If we are, send the questions to me. I
need a
new one! Have fun with this. Kitty Robinson Children's
Services Russell
Library 123 Broad St. Middletown, CT 06457
***************************************
Over the past 10 years or so, these topics have been fairly consistent:
Middle School:
hot air balloons (history)
bridges (research one famous bridge)
1920's
post-Civil War reconstruction
invention convention (find the history of an invention [e.g., the
flashlight] and invent your own new product)
High School:
Bill of Rights (research on one of the amendments, including relevant court
cases)
Our library is located in a suburb of Providence, RI
Nancy Christy
Barrington Public Library
****************************************
Hello.
=20
At the small Frederick County Public Library branch in Maryland where I'm
employed, a popular topic for teens this fall has been career research.
They choose a probable career they're interested in pursuing and come to
look at Occupational Outlook, the web and to order books that might have
more information.=20
Erin Dingle
=20
erindingle@hotmail.com
=20
Thurmont Branch Library, Thurmont, Md.
******************************************
10/29/01
Dr. Chelton,
Ann Scott (Homewood Public Library, Birmingham, AL) asked me to forward
a list of frequent YA assignments to you.
--Edward Eggleston
Artists of the 1920s-1940s.
Biomes
Black History
Countries
Diseases
Early American history
Elections, Voting
Endangered animals
Explorers
Great Britain, Chaucer, Middle Ages
Hispanic history
Insects
Mythology
The 1920's
Paris monuments
Poetry explication and American authors
Presidents
Saints
States of the United States
Surnames
Victorian Age/ Jane Eyre
Women artists
WWI
WWII
Young Adult authors
**************************************
Dear Mary K,
At present diseases,biological warfare and weaponry and mass destruction
are the hot ones as had a class from our largest private school yesterday
and they were doing anthrax and diseases of that nature and today the
students from our Urban school which is fed from the motivated studetns at
our 5 public high schools were doing diseases(not viral). Another
topic
recently was countries such as Greece,Turkey and the Middled East
(culture,food,architecture,folklore,etc.) Greenhouse affect has always been
popular, Sexually transmitted diseases also, Biography and fiction of
BCE
up to and through the Middle Ages is also popular with Western Cultures and
Literature classes from The Signature School(urban one) each year. They had
a teacher who was a buff re dinosaurs and he had a huge class each year
researching them by species. WW11 and Vietnam are often a choice
of some
students when they can make choices at random.
I do hope this helps
Happy holidays [personal greeting for housemate, deleted]
Lola
*************************************
Hello, Mary K!
In our library, it seems the most frequent research topic requests we get
from teens are biographical. Often, they are focusing on biographies of
famous literary figures. Usually the biographical research accompanies the
study of works by that writer.
Other research topics for which we frequently get requests are those
dealing with social issues. The main ones are gun control, school violence,
abortion, child abuse, drinking & driving, tobacco use/abuse and drug
abuse.
A third topic area that stands out is career exploration. They are assigned
to research a career they might hope to pursue in the future.
I'd say those are the standouts here.
Hope all is well with you!
Best, Diane
*****************************************
Egypt - History - Mummies
Dreams
Witchcraft
Eating Disorders, Depression, Child Labor, Pornography, Environmental
Preservation and Gun Control.. you know, all the light-hearted, fun stuff!
Hope this helps, Melissa
Most of the YA's in our library seem to be doing literary criticisms,
social issues such as gun control, abortion, etc., ancient civilizations,
and inventions and inventors. I hope this helps.
Kay Bowes
Concord Pike Library
Wilmington, DE
**************************************
Favorite YA research topics (we buy nearly any and all books on these
subjects):
=20
Drugs (esp. marijuana, ecstasy, cocaine, crack, and heroine)
Capital Punishment
Child Abuse
Sexually Transmitted Diseases (especially AIDS and herpes)
Smoking
Domestic Violence
Teen Pregnancy
Rape
Date Rape
Native Americans
Explorers
=20
And favorite topics they don't do reports on:
Sex
Sexuality
Puberty
Girls guides to growing up
=20
I'm interested to see other responses.
=20
Kathleen Conger
St Paul Public Libraries
***************************************
Mary,
These past few months, it seems that the most requested
materials for research papers has been on terrorism,
Nostadamus, Islam, Muslim women, along with economics.
I hope this is of some help.
Debi
Deborah Landon
Young Adult Librarian
Newark Public Library
101 W. Main Street
Newark, OH 43055
740/349-5552
dlandon@npls.org
****************************************
I have started tracking repeated YA research topics at our library in an
effort to meet their needs in a small suburban library.
This time of year we have kids investigating bridge construction for a
project making matchstick bridges. I've found very few nonfiction
books
that offer much to this topic (the best has been Macaulay's Building Big.)
so I have made a list of relevant websites for the students.
A few years ago English students were coming in looking for information
about the Globe theatre (making a model of the Globe was an alternative to
writing a report) so I bought many of the new books about the Globe.
Unfortunately, with the new writing requirements in schools, students no
longer have made this option.
Spanish language students are required to do a project for Spanish class
that can include making a craft from a Spanish-speaking land. I had an
old
book about pi=F1atas that I didn't weed long after it started looking shabby
just because it had the clearest description about this craft.
Another repeated research theme is the reports for Science Fair projects,
but this is mostly done by elementary and middle-school students.
Mary Helen Sakellarios
Palm Springs Library
****************************************
Hi Mary K,
How are you? I got your email about research topics in YA and I am
sorry t=
o
say that the most pressing topic is sex and it is for titillation only.
An=
y
books on terrorism are of interest and I have actually gotten a request, by
a=20
student, to remove them from the shelf.
Currently the research project for the local highschool is important leader=
s
and rulers of the world (9th grade World History) 7th graders are
researching marine biology, concentrating on a specific organism.
Hope this helps you.
Katherine Welch
North Shore Public Library
250 Route 25A
Shoreham, NY 11786=20
****************************************
Mary,
I work at a public library in Martin County, Florida as a reference
librarian and prior to that I was a children's librarian. I would like
som=
e
very popular topics for middle school and high school students would be:
Black history/Women in history in February, Science Fair projects-what to
pick for a project and how to do it, Biographies in general-Presidents etc.=
,
Literary criticism- ex. Discuss a theme and critique an author or work-
(literary criticisms are used often for this. In addition in Martin
County
we are trying to get "Homework helpers" in all of our libraries to
attract
more patrons of this age group.
Emma Castle
Reference Librarian
(I'd like to know how it turns out)
***************************************
Dr. Chelton:
In response to your e-mail about the topics
which middle and high school students research. Some topics that are
asked about frequently include literary criticism, the history of wars
esp. the Civil War, WW II, and Vietnam; capital punishment, decades,
cultural history of the US, Pennsylvania cities, American
history in
general, biography, mythology, and exploration and discovery.
Statistics, primary source material, and chronologies are also needed.
Share this info with the list if you would like.
=20
Tom Muldowney
Adult Reference
Mt. Lebanon Public Library
16 Castle Shannon Blvd.
Pittsburgh, Pa. 15228
412-531-1912
muldowneyt@einetwork.net
***************************************
Hello. Hope this isn't too late.
Bermuda Triangle
Sexual harrassment
Heroin, Ecstacy, etc.
Fetal Alcohol Syndrome
Ancient Cultures
Abortion - pros and cons
Censorship
Capital punishment - pros and cons
Cindy
-------------------------------
Cindy Sampson Fleet
Youth Librarian
Captain William Spry Public Library
Phone: (902) 490-5796
Fax: (902) 490-5741
**************************************
Hi!=20
A colleague passed your request for information on research topics on
to
me. We get groups looking for information about any number of topics.
So
far this year I have had a 9th grade and a 10th grade group trying to find
projects to do for science fair; a high school group of juniors and seniors
looking for info. on the Cold War, nuclear energy, and nuclear weapons; an
8th middle school group looking up information about specific authors to us=
e
for a report; and another group of 8th grade middle schoolers who were
researching personal heroes. We also got a request for information
about
different African countries from students who were coming in on their own t=
o
do research for a class. This last was a request that came in from the
reference desk--not a scheduled tour or information gathering session.
Hope this helps.
Cheers,
Martha Gronniger
Young Adult Librarian
Topeka & Shawnee County Public Library
Topeka, KS =20
****************************************
Hi Mary,
Our branch serves an area with 4 high schools and
3 middle schools. Last year everyone was doing papers
on gangs, prayer in schools, teen pregnancy, viral
hemmorraghic fevers, and the environment. So far this
year its capital punishment, the Gilded Age, Japanese
internment camps, facsimile primary documents for
everything, and weapons. Perennial topics are drug
abuse, WWII, slavery, the civil war, the Great
Depression, the plays of Shakespeare.
Hope this helps,
Gail Lancaster
Southwest Branch Supervisor
Kern County Library, CA
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End of PUBYAC Digest 608
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