02-08-04 or 1338
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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: Sunday, February 08, 2004 11:01 PM
Subject: PUBYAC digest 1338
Topics covered in this issue include: 1) Re: Love Your Library Month by Stephanie Stokes <stephanie@ssdesign.com> 2) Spine label responses by Mitzi Thomas <mthomas@co.st-johns.fl.us> 3) Hit: Titles for father abandonment by Betsy Ford <betsyford@yahoo.com> 4) In the States by "Don Wood" <dwood@ala.org> 5) Next Harry Potter Movie by Ed Goldberg <longislandlibrarian@yahoo.com> 6) Mystery books by Geraldine Garretson <raven@interkan.net> 7) responses for recommendations on performers by Lorraine Getty <lgetty1969@yahoo.com> 8) Dallas/Ft. Worth Author Program by Jeanette Larson <larsonlibrary@yahoo.com> 9) Grandfatherly story stumper by Nancy Opalko <n_opalko@yahoo.com> 10) RE: Snack Programs by "Lisa Haliburton" <Lisa.Haliburton@cityofcarrollton.com> 11) policies re: use of another family member's library card by "Pam Castle" <apublib@pvtnetworks.net> 12) literacy kits (more) by Laurel Sharp <lsharp@mailbox.lpl.org> 13) Resources for craft progams for k-3rd graders by "Stacey Irish-Keffer" <Stacey.Irish-Keffer@cityofdenton.com> 14) Interview with Patrick Jones on teenlibrarian.com by "Miranda Doyle" <mdoyle@teenlibrarian.com> 15) mystery kits from Upstart by Lorraine Getty <lgetty1969@yahoo.com> 16) Book suggestions -- pregnancy by Erika Burge <eburge@esls.lib.wi.us> ---------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Stephanie Stokes <stephanie@ssdesign.com> To: PUBYAC: Subject: Re: Love Your Library Month Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"; format=flowed Date: Sun, 8 Feb 2004 19:59:13 CST At 10:15 PM 2/5/04 -0600, you wrote: >From: "Stephanie Oliver" <SOLIVER@cml.lib.oh.us> >Subject: Love Your Library Month > >I am doing a program at the end of February for "Love Your Library" >Month. Does anyone have any activity ideas for children ages 5-12. >Stephanie OHHHH I'm so-o-o-o glad you asked! Stephanie Stokes ;-> Roses are red. Violets are blue. I love my library. How about you. My heart fills with love as I stroll through the stacks and now is the time to give something back(s). Library Lovers' Month arrives with a bang. It's time to praise that library gang. This is the month for library hugging, donating, giving and photo shot mugging. The library's filled with voluminous tomes, I hope they will help me write better poems. February is Library Lovers' Month. Put a little love between those pages for the month of February with the Library Lovers' bookmark collection... http://www.ssdesign.com/librarypr/content/p021101a.shtml Free web graphics, ideas and lots of last minute ideas may be found at... http://www.librarysupport.net/librarylovers/ # # # ------------------------------ From: Mitzi Thomas <mthomas@co.st-johns.fl.us> To: PUBlic librarians serving Young Adults and Children Subject: Spine label responses MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; Date: Sun, 8 Feb 2004 19:59:53 CST Mitzi Thomas <mthomas@co.st-johns.fl.us> wrote: I would be interested in hearing from anyone in a PUBLIC LIBRARY about the practice cataloging picture books. Does your system catalog and label picture books just like J fic, YA fic, and adult fiction books? Does you system use a cataloging code such as "E" and the first initial of the author's last name on the spine? Is your system doing something else? Our system is currently torn between which is the best practice to use. Any insights would be much appreciated and I'd love to hear which method you prefer and why. Respond off list and I'll compile results and post if anyone is interested. Mitzi Thomas, Librarian mitzi@nefllin.org The results are in from the above question: Total number of Replies: 77 Percentage of libraries using 3 or more letters of author's last name to label and shelve books: 82% Percentage of libraries using 1st initial of author's last name to label and shelve books: 17% Percentage of libraries using an unknown method: 1% Most respondents stated that they converted from 1st initial to 3 or more letters on spine label and the process to change was a major undertaking, in some cases taking a year or more. Of those who answered from libraries using only 1st initial only one library had positive things to say about that method: i.e. The books are easy to put away. All respondents stated that once a collection gets to be a certain size the books MUST be in alphabetical order by author otherwise it is impossible to find anything in a timely fashion. All agreed that having the spine label with 3 or more letters was the best way to label the books and made keeping the books in order easy. To everyone who took the time to respond thank you very much. Your input has helped our library system deal with a difficult and polarizing issue. We were able to make a decision based on other libraries experience. Our picture book collection will soon be labeled with first 4 letters of author and filed alpha accordingly. Finally, this seems to be a passionate issue. Most responses indicated that there was disagreement within their system especially with Tech Services vs. children's librarians. For anyone interested, I also did a survey of online public access catalog pages in the state of Florida looking for data about how Florida county library systems are cataloging their picture book collection. Findings: out of 67 counties total , 5 counties use the 1st initial of the author's last name. 57 counties use the first three or more letters of the author's last name and 5 counties are unknown. Thanks again for all the help. If you have anything to add or just want to discuss the issue further please write me off list. ------------------------------ From: Betsy Ford <betsyford@yahoo.com> To: pubyac@prairienet.org Subject: Hit: Titles for father abandonment Date: Sun, 8 Feb 2004 20:00:44 CST Hello all! Here are the titles I received in response to my request for titles for a 7 year old boy whose father abandoned the family when the boy was young and who has refused to have contact with the boy since. Thanks to all. The boy's mother was extemely appreciative! Thanks again. Betsy Do I have a Daddy? a story about a single-parent child with a special section for single mothers by Jeanne Warren Lindsay. Morning Glory Press, Buena Vista CA, 2000. Hardcover ISBN: 1885356625 Paperback ISBN 1885356633. Reading level K-2 The boy in the story (looks to be preschool-aged) is at his friend's house. He drops a pan on his friend's foot, and she is going to tell her daddy. He said he was going to tell his daddy too, and she said he doesn't have a daddy. The boy then discusses it with his mother, who explains the absence of his father. Includes section with suggestions for answering the question, "Do I have a daddy?". Reading level K-3 If Daddy Only Knew by Lila McGinnis is a story about a girl whose father left the family years ago. The book leaves hope that there will be a place in her heart for her dad if he wants to re-enter her life. Both the abandoned children are girls. I Wish I Had My Father by Norma Simon Story about a boy having to make a Father's Day card for a Father he doesn't see. Reading Level K-3 Father's Day Blues: What Do You Do About Father's Day When All You Have Are Mothers? by Irene Smalls-Hector, Kevin McGovern, Irene Smalls Cheryl confronts her sadness about her absent father when she tries to write a class composition for Father's Day. The art here is a bit stiff, but the story is realistic, and the characters are strongly individualized. Her loving mother reassures Cheryl that her daddy's absence is not her fault. By the time Cheryl reads her composition to the sympathetic teacher, we have seen that, in fact, people are different, families are different, and love is what makes a family. There is also a great book by Claudia Jewett called helping children cope with grief and loss. http://www.tapestrybooks.com/ Subject headings to consider: 1. Children of single parents--Psychology--Juvenile literature. 2. Paternal deprivation--Juvenile literature. 3. Single-parent family. 4. Unmarried mothers. The Mulberry Bird by Anne Braff Brodzinsky THE MULBERRY BIRD is an enchanting story about a mother bird who decides to place her baby bird for adoption. It explains why a birthmother (or birthbird) might consider an adoption plan for her child. The use of birds instead of people helps to present the subject matter in a nonthreatening manner. My then four-year-old adopted friend, Rachel, chose this book over all others as her read-aloud book. This book needs to be shared with a child. Oliver by Lois Wickstrom Today is not a good day for OLIVER, an alligator-like animal. While being punished in his room, he daydreams about his birthparents. He wonders what life would be like if he were still living with them. Of course he imagines that it would be much more exciting than his real life and family. This excellent book was a winner of the 1999 annual Read, America! collection. (Hardcover, 32 pages, 1991, ages 2 to 10) Even though it is about a mom and child: Never Never Never Will She Stop Loving You by Jolene Durrant A child who is adopted often has many questions, such as, "Does my birth mother ever think about me?" "Why didn't she keep me?" and "What was it like for her when she was pregnant?" NEVER NEVER NEVER WILL SHE STOP LOVING YOU is the story of a birth mother, Annie, and the baby she placed for adoption. It is a wonderfully reassuring book for adopted children about how they are loved and wanted, both by their new family and their birth mother. Did My First Mother Love Me by Kathryn Ann Miller What a natural and normal question for an adopted child to ask, "DID MY FIRST MOTHER LOVE ME?" Children may fear that their birthparents gave them away because they weren't loved or even lovable. They can't imagine any positive circumstances that may have caused a birthparent to make an adoption plan. This book tells of one birthmother's wishes, hopes, and dreams for her baby. It helps to reassure younger children that their birthmother did indeed love them and want the best for them. Betsy Ford Children's Librarian Monroe County Public Library Key West, FL ------------------------------ From: "Don Wood" <dwood@ala.org> To: <publib@sunsite.berkeley.edu> Subject: In the States Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Content-Disposition: inline Date: Sun, 8 Feb 2004 20:01:06 CST In the States http://www.ala.org/ala/oif/ifissues/inthestates/inthestates.htm Includes links to Contacting Elected Officials Resolutions of State Library Associations Supporting Legal Action by the American Library Association to Challenge CIPA in Federal Courts State and Regional Library Associations State Intellectual Freedom Committee Chairs State Legislation (NEW) http://www.ala.org/ala/oif/ifissues/inthestates/statelegislation.htm State Privacy Laws regarding Library Records USA Patriot Act Resolutions of State Library Associations Don Wood Program Officer/Communications American Library Association, Office for Intellectual Freedom 50 East Huron Street, Chicago, IL 60611 1-800-545-2433, ext. 4225; Fax: 312-280-4227; dwood@ala.org http://www.ala.org/oif ------------------------------ From: Ed Goldberg <longislandlibrarian@yahoo.com> To: PUBYAC <PUBYAC@prairienet.org>, YALSA-BK <yalsa-bk@ala.org>, YALSA-L <yalsa-l@ala1.ala.org> Subject: Next Harry Potter Movie Date: Sun, 8 Feb 2004 20:01:20 CST I just read that the next H P movie is due out June 4. Anyone hear anything about the next book? Ed Ed Goldberg Syosset Public Library longislandlibrarian@yahoo.com ------------------------------ From: Geraldine Garretson <raven@interkan.net> To: PUBYAC <PUBYAC@prairienet.org> Subject: Mystery books Mime-Version: 1.0 (Apple Message framework v553) Content-Type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII; format=flowed Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Date: Sun, 8 Feb 2004 20:01:34 CST I'm compiling a list of the best children's and YA mysteries, from picture books on up and focusing on those published since 1990. I'd love to hear your suggestions of what you and your patrons like best. Also, I'm curious about how you define mysteries for these age groups. When I asked for favorite mysteries among public and school librarians in my area, at least half of the books suggested were not what I would normally call mysteries (ghost stories, suspense, for instance). One librarian from Maryland told me that in their adult section, to be labeled a mystery, the plot must involve death, but since that seldom occurs in children's books, mystery was more likely to involve some kind of puzzle to be solved. Do you rely on LC or Sears subject headings in making a decision about whether a book is a mystery? Thanks for your help! Jerri Garretson (formerly children's librarian at Manhattan Public Library, Manhattan KS) Ravenstone Press http://www.ravenstonepress.com ------------------------------ From: Lorraine Getty <lgetty1969@yahoo.com> To: PUBYAC <pubyac@prairienet.org> Subject: responses for recommendations on performers MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Date: Sun, 8 Feb 2004 20:01:47 CST A while back I asked if anyone had experience with certain performers; these were the responses I received. Thanks to all who responded. I found this info very helpful. Lorraine Getty Forsyth, IL concerning Erin Moore - the "Hip-Hopper" from the Chicago area Erin Moore is terrific - energetic and lots of fun! Wendy Birkemeier District Coordinator of Children's Services Fountaindale Public Library District 300 West Briarcliff Rd., Bolingbrook, IL 60440 Phone 630-759-2102, ext. 18, Fax 630-759-9519 wbirkemeier@fountaindale.lib.il.us --------------------- concerning Randy Erwin - the singing, yodeling cowboy from Springfield, IL (formerly of Texas) I received 4 responses about Randy, but unfortunately, I deleted two of them before I could include them in this posting.....however, I will summarize them following the two actual responses. Response # 1 I have had Randy Erwin in my library a couple of times before (back when he used to live in Texas) and I can highly recommend him. The program he did here was singing through the first half, and then demonstrating rope tricks during the second. Because he does the older cowboy songs--the ones popularized by Gene Autry, Roy Rogers, and the like--you can get plenty of older people coming to the program as well. (I have never seen so many retirement-age men at one of our programs before!) Even though the kids may not be familiar with the songs, they really enjoy them, especially the yodeling parts. Randy has a very clear, light voice that gently kisses the notes--he doesn't oversell the songs or the lyrics. Then he gets out the rope and starts with an explanation of how rope twirling works and how important it is to find a good rope that fits you. Last time he was here, I had a number of moms comment on how he managed to slip in an explanation of Newton's Laws of Thermodynamics while he's getting the rope going in a good loop. He does a number of tricks, including some that call on volunteers from the audience. After the program, we always had kids who wanted to come and talk to him and touch the ropes. He was very good at taking the time to talk to them. One other point--there is a Disney movie coming out this summer called (I think) Home on the Range. Randy recorded some of the singing for that movie. Hope this helps, Susan Harding Mesquite (TX) Public Library ------------------ Response # 2 We had Randy for our Summer Reading Club Finale in 2002. His singing and yodeling is excellent. The rope tricks were good, too, and he explained how kids could make a lasso of their own. If you want any details on what he does, let me know...don't know anything about the other performers. Mr. Chris Accardo Librarian Grand Prairie Memorial Library 901 Conover Grand Prairie, TX 75051 972.237.5715 caccardo@gptx.org Response #3 (summary) highly recommend; soft-spoken person, so might not work with very large groups, but great with little kids; very patient; especially good in one-to-one situations with kids and showing them rope tricks. Response #4 (Summary) held audience's attention most of time; a couple of older kids had to be disciplined, however, as he went into some explanation of his tricks; professional; punctual; entertaining ------------------------------ From: Jeanette Larson <larsonlibrary@yahoo.com> To: Pubyac <pubyac@prairienet.org>, lm_net <lm_net@listserv.syr.edu> Subject: Dallas/Ft. Worth Author Program MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Date: Sun, 8 Feb 2004 20:02:01 CST I apologize for duplicate messages. Elaine Scott, an award-winning non-fiction author from Houston, will be in the Dallas area on Friday, April 16, visiting private schools. If you would like to book a school or library visit earlier in the week, she has indicated that there won't be any travel costs. For information about Elaine, visit her website at www.elainescott.com or email her at scottent@aol.com. Elaine is a friend but has also done several programs for me at Austin Public Library and at Mesquite Public Library. I have also seen her do school programs and she is great. Her books appeal to boys as well as girls and are appropriate for grades 1 - 8. If you need more specific information about my experiences with her, just ask! ===== Jeanette Larson Youth Services Manager Austin Public Library P.O. Box 2287 Austin, TX 78768-2287 512-974-7405 larsonlibrary@yahoo.com ------------------------------ From: Nancy Opalko <n_opalko@yahoo.com> To: "PUBYAC: PUBlic librarians serving Young Adults & Children" Subject: Grandfatherly story stumper MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Date: Sun, 8 Feb 2004 20:02:15 CST I have a patron who remembers a book that was read to her when she was a child (she is now in her early 20s) that she thinks is a picture book about a grandfather (or possibly an uncle) who has a grandson/nephew who constantly asks questions. One day, the grandfather gets fed up with the questions and locks the little boy in the attic and tells him he can't come out until the attic is clean. The little boy finds a magic vacuum cleaner that allows him to clean up things pretty quick and the grandfather lets him out. Hmmmmm...any ideas????? Please send me replies at n_opalko@yahoo.com Thanks! Nancy Opalko ------------------------------ From: "Lisa Haliburton" <Lisa.Haliburton@cityofcarrollton.com> To: "PUBlic librarians serving Young Adults and Children" Subject: RE: Snack Programs content-class: urn:content-classes:message MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Date: Sun, 8 Feb 2004 20:02:30 CST Snacks Program Reply : Many years ago at my library, we provided a snacks/food program called = Un-cooked Goodies. We featured recipes which required no heat or conventional oven use to = prepare. The program targeted ages 7 and up. In hindsight, It probably should = have been 8 and up. The program was scheduled to last 90 minutes. We limited registration = to 40. We scheduled 4 recipes. Three recipes would have been better. The = recipes included a bagel face, chocolate graham cracker and chocolate = pudding napoleons, strawberry smoothies and ice cream in a coffee can. = I do not remember the cost. I believe it was around $20-25. All the recipes (with the exception of ice cream in a coffee can)were = easy to execute and a big hit in terms of ease of preparation and taste = . That ice cream activity was a little noisy. And because I left out one = ingredient, only one table of kids were able to get the ice cream to = freeze. Here are two books with easy-to-follow recipes : Molly Katzen's "Pretend = Soup" & Honest Pretzels (which has the bagel face recipe). I hope this helps Lisa Haliburton Carrollton Public Library Carrollton, Texas ------------------------------ From: "Pam Castle" <apublib@pvtnetworks.net> To: <PUBYAC@prairienet.org> Subject: policies re: use of another family member's library card MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Date: Sun, 8 Feb 2004 20:02:46 CST In our library, we have had numerous incidents of a family member (for instance, mother) wanting to use another family member's library card (child) because the mother has a large fine and cannot check out on her own. Other combinations similar to this have occurred. Sometimes it results in the entire family having fines. Our current policy does not prohibit use of another family member's card if that person is agreeable. We are now considering a policy that would prohibit a person who has fines from using another family member's card. Do any of you have a similar policy? Does it have any effect on customer relations? Any suggestions would be welcome. Pam Castle Artesia Public Library apublib@pvtnetworks.net ------------------------------ From: Laurel Sharp <lsharp@mailbox.lpl.org> To: pubyac@prairienet.org Subject: literacy kits (more) Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" ; format="flowed" Date: Sun, 8 Feb 2004 20:03:01 CST I didn't reply before because I wasn't sure that what we do corresponds to what you want. We make Storytime Theme kits with 8-10 books, a video, an audio, a flannel story, and a booklet of fingerplays, songs, and rhymes. We promote them to nursery schools and daycare centers, but some families check them out as well. They are packaged in rubbermaid "sweater-sized" boxes. Some of the most popular are "transportation," "community helpers," "alphabet," "weather," and "all about me" but we have almost 30 of them. I can get you more info. if you need it. Carol Levin There are TONS of resources/templates with kit and activity suggestions under literacy backpacks on the site http://www.buddyproject.org/default.asp. They are arranged by theme and have printable cards, suggestions, instructions for each backpack. Jennifer -- Laurel Sharp Liverpool Public Library 310 Tulip Street Liverpool, NY 13088 315 457-0310 x123 Fax 315 453-7867 lsharp@mailbox.lpl.org ------------------------------ From: "Stacey Irish-Keffer" <Stacey.Irish-Keffer@cityofdenton.com> To: <pubyac@prairienet.org> Subject: Resources for craft progams for k-3rd graders Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Content-Disposition: inline Date: Sun, 8 Feb 2004 20:03:15 CST I am looking for magazine that makes suggestions for literature-based craft programs for children k-3rd grade. My library has been subscribing to Bookbag: Teacher's Idea Magazine for children's literature by The MAILBOX magazine publisher. Although this magazine fit our needs perfectly when we started subscribing to it three years ago with books and crafts for younger kids, now it seems to be primarliy for upper elementary. The Mailbox magazines are too classroom oriented and don't feature literature. Is there another great magazine out there that would fit our needs? Thanks in advance for any help you can give. Stacey Irish-Keffer Denton Public Library 502 Oakland Denton, Texas 76201 940.349.7738 Stacey.Irish-Keffer@cityofdenton.com ------------------------------ From: "Miranda Doyle" <mdoyle@teenlibrarian.com> To: pubyac@prairienet.org Subject: Interview with Patrick Jones on teenlibrarian.com MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1 Date: Sun, 8 Feb 2004 20:06:13 CST Please excuse the crossposting -- I'm also sending this to YALSA-BK. I've just posted a new interview with Patrick Jones on my site, teenlibrarian.com. Here's the introduction: "Patrick Jones is a giant in the field of young adult librarianship -- a nationally aclaimed writer, advocate and presenter of professional seminars. So far he's better known for his many nonfiction books and articles, but now, with the publication of his first young adult novel, he makes the move to fiction. In an interview with Teenlibrarian.com, he discusses the 17-year journey toward the publication of "Things Change", how he ended up writing about dating violence, and the creation of his two main characters, Paul and Johanna." To go directly to the interview, use this URL: http://www.teenlibrarian.com/pjones.htm I hope you'll find his comments as interesting and useful as I did! Miranda ------------------------------ From: Lorraine Getty <lgetty1969@yahoo.com> To: PUBYAC <pubyac@prairienet.org> Subject: mystery kits from Upstart MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Date: Sun, 8 Feb 2004 20:06:27 CST Dear Group, These are the responses I got concerning my request for recommendations regarding the "Anyone's Guess" mystery kits for grades 3-5 from Upstart. If anyone else knows of other mystery event kits for kids ages 8-12, please let me know about them. Otherwise I'm going to try one of these. Lorraine Getty Forsyth Public Library Forsyth, IL ------------------ I love these kits! I really wish they would come out with more for that age range. I actually got both of them when they were still owned by some other company but as far as I know they have not changed. The thing I really want to stress to you is how EASY and fun they are. I had never done anything like this as either a participant or a leader so I was a nervous wreck. But the kits are so complete and the instructions so fabulous there is no room for error. I also feared that the clues/evidence would not add up for the kids and that no one would solve the mystery but I was wrong..they did great. Basically how it works is you get "evidence" in the packet that you photocopy and lay out according to the directions....one sheet might be a birthday card let's say that you should copy onto colored paper and the instructions tell you where to put it in the "scene". I set up the scenes with props in our meeting room but apparently you can do the whole thing sitting at the table and just passing the evidence around (not as much fun I think). I could get way into it over email but trust me, the instructions point out everything! Definitely go through the kits first and make sure you have all the pieces though! I had a teen volunteer help me both times I have done it. I highly recommend that just because it gives you a little added peace of mind and you really can use the help....setting up the scenes, answering questions, helping the kids out, serving snacks, etc. Also the younger kids thought it was cool to have this older boy hanging out with them. I plan to do this again but I have to space myself out because the solution is always the same so I need to make sure I don't get the same kids for the same mystery (why they need to create more!) Both times I did it we had a pretty good number of kids...like 15 or so. If you had more than that I would say have another volunteer or coworker. It only takes about an hour total (not including set up). I gave out first, second, and third prizes. The kids write their answers on sheets (that come with the kit) and when they hand them in you number them (I also let them work in teams of 2 if they wanted). Whoever gets the correct answer first is the first prize winner. Correct answer second is the second prize winner and I gave the third prize to the "most creative" which was the completely wrong answer but they had really made this effort and hod good reasons for their opinion...but they didn't know about that prize beforehand. Then I have something small for everyone like pencils or bookmarks and of course we have snacks and juice! I know I might seem like I went on and on but I was just surprised how much fun I had, I really can't recommend them enough! I might even use the format myself to come up with my own program because as I said they only have the 2. Good luck and if you have other questions please let me know! April Mazza Youth Services Wayland Public Library (508) 358-2308 AMazza@minlib.net --------------------------- A couple of years ago we picked up "The Pharaoh's Curse" kit to try with a group of young adults. We chose this one because it wasn't a murder mystery -- for some reason, all the other kits involve someone dying. You can have kids take on the parts of the suspects if you want, but We just told the participants that they were all detectives; we had a "briefing", where another woman and myself presented the suspects (pictures out of magazines and other sources), and outlined the "crime". We had set up three areas the kids could investigate: the prom scene, the chief inspector's desk, and the crime scene itself. The kit comes with almost everything you need to put on the program. The text sets up the situation, there are instructions and suggestions for setting up the three places to investigate, there are copies of letters and other clues to be planted in each investigation area. We even had one of our teen assistants videotaped as a news reporter, although that wasn't necessary -- as Chief Inspectors, we could have just fed the kids the information. There was a moderate amount of set-up work involved, but all we really had to do was follow the directions in the kit. We divided the group in half; each one got a set amount of time to inspect the three areas and discuss among themselves what they had found and which things were real clues. At the end of the evening, we all sat down as a group and worked our way through the clues together. For the most part, the kids had a good time. If they paid attention and thought about what they were doing, they could solve the crime. I think our program ran about an hour and a half, but that would depend on the size of the group and how long you wanted to spend investigating the scenes. If you have any question, please feel free to contact me. Maryse Quinn Johnson City, NY jc.maryse@4cls.org -------------------------- I am going to be using an Anyone's Guess mystery with elementary ages in March, but so far I've only used the non-roleplaying mysteries for teens in a program at the library. With the teens it works very well - I do a lot of prep work, setting up basic scenes in different locations in the library, and I make posters of each of the suspects. I've done two with the teens so far and they've both gone very well, so I'm anticipating the same format will work well with the younger kids, too! Natasha Forrester, Children's Services Librarian Winfield Public Library 605 College Winfield, KS 67156 (620) 221-4470 --------------------- I have not purchased these kits before, but I have done 3 or murder mysteries in the past that I wrote myself for the 9-12 year olds. The kids were the suspects, victim, and killer as well as the audience/detectives. About a month before the event I would look for my killer and about 6 or 7 uspects. They would be sworn to secrecy and couldn't tell any of their riends. Once I knew who my actors were I would make up a word game to identify them as suspects. Usually it would be some kind of play off their ast name. Then I would write my script and give those out to the killer/victim the week before. The suspects would get their interrogation ines that day but had to come before anyone else, since the suspects were till not identified yet. On the day of the program I would have the victim show up early and hide somewhere- they were invariably already in full make-up- until we were ready to start. I would also take various pieces of evidence and lay them around try to do it outside!). Everyone signed in on a big sheet of paper using heir first and last names, as we would use those later to pull out the uspects. When we were ready I would tell all who gathered that there had een a murder in the library and that the police had not yet arrived. As I as explaining what would happen, the victim ould come out and get in osition. When he/she was ready, I would show the kids where the body as and we would examine it and try to determine how they died and so on. I would also tell them that there were X number of pieces of evidence to find and they would look until they were all found. At this point we all went back to the main area (our victim, too! :)) where I would identify the suspects. I had chairs set up at the front for them to sit. After they were identified I would ask them where they were when the victim was killed and explain why they were chosen. Next, the kids would vote on who they thought the real killer was. Finally, the killer was revealed to cheers. (How often does that happen? LOL) If there is time remaining, then the "death scene" is played out (script) and if not, then I tell the kids why the killer did what he did. The program ends as the suspect/killer is led away. Sometimes we have certificates to give out to all the kids, with special ones given to the actors. Hope this helps. Let me know if you have any questions. Take care! Richard Bryce West Milford Township Library bryce@palsplus.org 973-728-2823 ------------------------------ From: Erika Burge <eburge@esls.lib.wi.us> To: pubyac@prairienet.org Subject: Book suggestions -- pregnancy MIME-version: 1.0 Content-type: text/plain; format=flowed; charset=us-ascii Content-transfer-encoding: 7BIT Date: Sun, 8 Feb 2004 20:07:52 CST I want to thank everyone who shared book recommendations and ideas about when mom is having a baby for siblings. I've saved the lists -- I'll order a few to update our collection and share the lists with the patron who is lloking for the books -- and others who ask! Thanks so much. Erika Erika Burge Children's Librarian Cedarburg Public Library W63 N583 Hanover Avenue Cedarburg, WI 53012 ------------------------------ End of PUBYAC Digest 1338 *************************
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