All posts by Theresa

Academic, General, Public, School Media Specialist, Special

JSTOR Daily: Your Favorite New(s) Site

x_l-p4ODIn June, JSTOR started their new online magazine, JSTOR Daily.  The site features news stories that focus on Arts & Culture, Business & Economics, Politics & History, Science & Environment, and Education & Tech.  The stories use articles in JSTOR’s collection as resources to “provide insight, commentary, and analysis of ideas, research, and current events.”  Each week contains feature articles as well as daily blog posts.  JSTOR Daily believes that a good story is one that:

  • tells thought-provoking stories that appeal to a general reader
  • draws on scholarly research to provide fresh insight into the news media and current affairs
  • deepens our understanding of the world
  • highlights the amazing content found on JSTOR
  • exposes the work of scholars who are using JSTOR to conduct their research

The online magazine is where “news meets its scholarly match,” and could be key in introducing students to what JSTOR has to offer.

Academic, General, Public, School Media Specialist, Special

Apply for a Free 3D Printer for your MakerLab!

PuzzleThe Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA), a division of the American Library Association (ALA), is teaming up with The MakerLab Club to offer free 3D printers to libraries and museums around the country.  The MakerLab Club, according to YALSA’s blog, “is a brand new community of thousands of U.S. libraries and museums committed to advancing 3D digital literacy via dedicated equipment, staff training and increased public access.”  Applications can be completed online here.  They’re due on Monday, November 17th, 2014!

Image credit: http://tinyurl.com/lg3todg, licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0
General

Featured Book: The Strange and Beautiful Sorrows of Ava Lavender

The Strange...This post is part of an original series created by librarians/media specialists across Central Minnesota featuring books.

Title: The Strange and Beautiful Sorrows of Ava Lavender
Written by Maria Burnham, Media Specialist at Sauk Rapids-Rice High School

Ava Lavender was born with a special gift – the gift of wings.  Kept as a recluse from the world for fear of being ridiculed, Ava, along with her grandmother, mother and twin brother (born catatonic and wingless) keep to themselves.  But eventually, the family starts to venture out in to the wide world, one by one, and the world slowly adjusts to them.  A coming-of-age tale that is heartbreaking and inspirational, this book is one to remember.

I truly enjoyed this book for so many reasons.  First, I loved that the story was multi-generational.  To hear about where a family comes from and why they are the way they are was so satisfying and enthralling.  I also loved that the story is a mix of true love and tragic love as well as teen curiosity and personal bravery.

There were times when this book reminded me of Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children.  The characters are lovable and complicated.  So much so that I didn’t want the story to end.  I highly recommend this book for upper middle school through adult readers!

5 stars.

 

Image credit: Candlewick Press
Academic, General, Public, School Media Specialist, Special

Recommended App: Pocket

Pocket iconRecently, the American Association of School Librarians (AASL) came out with their 25 Best Apps for Teaching & Learning for 2014.  The apps were chosen because they foster innovation, creativity, active participation, and collaboration.

Pocket is one such app.  It’s a ‘save-for-later’ app that allows users to save items as they find them online, then read them later.  It’s even integrated into some other apps like Twitter and Zite.  AASL recommends having students collect their research articles using the app to make the bibliographic process easier.

The app is free and is available on iOS and Android.  It can also be used on any computer via your web browser.  It is recommended for grades 3-12.  Check out the promotional video for more information:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=205gjDFTC9w

For more apps, check out our 2014 Recommended App archive!