Category Archives: Books

Books, Young Adults

Young Adult Nonfiction Display

Shelves of Language Books in LibraryPassing this on, to get your suggestions!

“I am working on a presentation at the end of April on boosting our youth NF collection and want to see what everyone is doing out there. The more we can share, the merrier!
So far, I have seen/heard/done:
CATALOGING
  • Grouping NF in larger non-dewey order using BISAC or METIS
  • Combining non-fiction and picture books together under broad categories
  • Simplifying NF by radically shortening Dewey numbers and creatively replacing Cutter # (so all football books become 796 F; all baseball books become 796 B)
DISPLAY
  • Lots of face-out displays in or on top of shelves
  • Creating “book bundles” with 2-4 related NF books inc. bios and poetry and/or mixed bundles of NF and fiction
  • Include in “blind date with a book” and “mystery read” packs
OUTREACH
  • Include NF in all grade specific booklists
  • Include NF in booktalks at school
  • Include NF in book collections sent out to schools, day care sites and etc
PROGRAMMING
  • Display NF books in all STEM/STEAM programming
  • Include NF in any passive programs or room scavenger hunts
What else do you have?
I will share results on the Tiny Tips blog in May!
TIA, Marge”
Books, Resources

Book Suggestions for Autism Acceptance Month

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April is Autism Acceptance Month, and a great way to learn more about autism is through reading about the experiences of others.

This list from Read it Forward features six titles with a mixture of fiction and nonfiction. Some of the titles include:

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon
“This bestselling-novel has seen great success on Broadway after it was adapted for the stage in 2014. Haddon’s fifteen-year-old main character Christopher John Francis Boone knows all of the world’s capitals and prime numbers up to 7,057 but can’t stand to be touched and hates the color yellow. His well-ordered life goes off the rails when his neighbor’s dog is murdered, but Christopher sets off to solve the mystery, using—of course—logic.”

The Reason I Jump by Naoki Higashida
“His unique book truly shines a light on what goes on inside an autistic brain; author Naoki Higashida was thirteen when he painstakingly penned this book—a collection of answers to frequently asked questions about autism, like “Why do people with Autism talk so loudly and weirdly?” and “Why don’t you make eye contact when you speak?” Brought to English translation by David Mitchell (Cloud Atlas, The Bone Clocks) and his wife, this disarmingly honest read is illuminating and beautifully written.”

Make sure to check out this list of picture books compiled and reviewed by a school librarian! Some of her picks include:

Andy and his Yellow Frisbee by Mary Thompson
“I loved this subtle story of acceptance, probably because Sarah reminds me of my daughter. Between Sarah’s effort and Rose’s calm but protective wait-and-see, this story gently conveys to typical children that there is no magic formula for interacting with someone who is autistic.”

Ian’s Walk: A Story about Autism by Laurie Lears, illustrated by Karen Ritz
“Ian’s Walk is a beautiful story with a simple plot, but one that conveys the complex sibling relationships inherent in special needs families. It’s an obvious story to share with siblings of autistic and special needs children (or even in support groups for such)”

National Autism Resources has several lists of children’s books to choose from, or check out this one from the nonprofit literacy group Books for Bay.

Find more suggestions for books and other publications from the Autistic Self Advocacy Network here.

Books, Resources, Tech

Let’s learn technology: A Sideways Dictionary!

English-English and English-Persian dictionaries
One of the coolest things about being in the library profession is seeing the big diversity of dictionaries, and other exciting reference sources! (Yes, I’m a big library nerd – it’s a happy thing!)

And now there is a neat new dictionary: a Sideways Dictionary of technology terms. “It’s like a dictionary, but using analogies instead of definitions. Use it as a tool for finding and sharing helpful analogies to explain technology. Because if everyone understands technology better, we can make technology work better for everyone.

Here are a few samples:

Bandwidth —
  • It’s like a water pipe
    that serves the shower, washing machine and dishwasher in your apartment. If you run all three at the same time, you’ll notice a drop in pressure and whoever’s in the shower will get annoyed.
  • It’s like a road.
    A single-lane highway has low bandwidth and things clog up, especially in rush hour. A multi-lane highway is wider and faster, so even if a big file is chugging down the inside lane, there’s plenty of room to overtake.
  • It’s like a stream supplying several paddy fields.
    Sometimes your neighboring rice farmer will try to hog the supply or sneakily divert some of your water into his field. Time to change your WiFi password.
  • It’s like the stairway in an office block.Easily big enough for the normal comings and goings of the hundreds of people who work there. But suddenly pretty narrow when there’s a fire alarm and everyone rushes out at once.
IP Address —
  • It’s like a postal address for the internet.
    This is a numeric address that identifies where a destination computer is attached to the Internet, similar to a postal address for a destination residence or business.
  • It’s like telephone numbers.
    The telephone system works because each number is different. The numbers also contain general information about which country and region you are in. With IP addresses, you can have a static address (the same number all the time – like your landline), or a dynamic address (a temporary number assigned each time you make a call – like using a random payphone).
  • It’s like the number on your team shirt.
    Michael Jordan will always be 23. Wayne Gretsky will always be 99. But most players will take whatever number they’re given.
  • It’s like the postal system of the internet.
    You address a package, drop it into the system, and someone gets a nice web page through their letterbox.

Check it out for yourself, and share it with your patrons!

Books

New releases to help with your 2017 Goodreads Challenge

Are you participating in a Reading Challenge on Goodreads this year? I decided to aim high this year, and set my goal to read 100 books. Since I’ve only finished 17 so far, I’ve got some work to do! Perhaps you’d like some extra motivation, or are just curious what other people are reading during their challenge.

This post from Goodreads shares some of the most popular new releases from this year that people are reading during their challenge. Here are a few from the list:

The Girl Before by J.P. Delaney
“In the tradition of The Girl on the Train, The Silent Wife, and Gone Girl comes an enthralling psychological thriller that spins one woman’s seemingly good fortune, and another woman’s mysterious fate, through a kaleidoscope of duplicity, death, and deception.”

 

Lincoln in the Bardo by George Saunders
“On February 22, 1862, two days after his death, Willie Lincoln was laid to rest in a marble crypt in a Georgetown cemetery. That very night, shattered by grief, Abraham Lincoln arrives at the cemetery under cover of darkness and visits the crypt, alone, to spend time with his son’s body.”

 

My Not So Perfect Life by Sophie Kinsella
“Katie Brenner has the perfect life: a flat in London, a glamorous job, and a super-cool Instagram feed.
Ok, so the real truth is that she rents a tiny room with no space for a wardrobe, has a hideous commute to a lowly admin job, and the life she shares on Instagram isn’t really hers.
But one day her dreams are bound to come true, aren’t they?”

The article also links to their short reading suggestions, which is helpful if you’re like me and need to increase your numbers of finished books 🙂

Books, CMLE

Read with us in April!

We think spring is a great time to read, especially because it can sometimes be done outside in the sunshine. If you are looking for books to join you outdoors as the weather warms up, we’ve got a few great choices for you with our Goodreads groups.

This month in our Librarians Enjoying Books group we are reading The Time Traveler’s Wife by Audrey Niffenegger.

“A most untraditional love story, this is the celebrated tale of Henry DeTamble, a dashing, adventuresome librarian who inadvertently travels through time, and Clare Abshire, an artist whose life takes a natural sequential course. Henry and Clare’s passionate affair endures across a sea of time and captures them in an impossibly romantic trap that tests the strength of fate and basks in the bonds of love.”

Plus, the author has a great love and appreciation for libraries! From her Acknowledgements: “I would also like to thank
the librarians of the Reference Desk at the Evanston Public Library,
for their patient assistance with all sorts of wack queries.”

The Evanston Public Library was our Spotlight Library during Episode 4 of our CMLE podcast, check it out here.

In our CMLE Librarian Professionals group, we will be reading Radical Candor: Be a Kickass Boss Without Losing your Humanity by Kim Malone Scott.

“Radical Candor offers a guide to those bewildered or exhausted by management, written for bosses and those who manage bosses. Taken from years of the author’s experience, and distilled clearly giving actionable lessons to the reader; it shows managers how to be successful while retaining their humanity, finding meaning in their job, and creating an environment where people both love their work and their colleagues.”

In fact, author Gretchen Rubin (who wrote our December book The Happiness Project!) recommends this book: “I’ve known Kim Scott for many years. She and I worked at the Federal Communications Commission together. After that job, I switched to being a full-time writer, and she worked in a bunch of different places, including three failed start-ups, Google, and Apple. I love talking to Kim about workplace issues. She has such interesting things to say about how to be a terrific boss or colleague who has high standards, and who can help people grow and improve, but also be kind. It can be a tough balance.”

Join us this month and let’s read together!