Tuesday, December 22, 2009

Christmas with Sherlock Holmes!


Sherlock Holmes the movie will be opening at big screens around the country on Christmas Day. Visit the Waterford Library to check-out a book on Sherlock Holmes before you head to the theatre, or check-out a book on CD so that you can listen to Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's stories in their original form.


Book included in our collection at the Waterford Library:


The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle


Sherlock Holmes: The Long Stories by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle


The Rivals of Sherlock Holmes; Early Detective Stories by Sir Hugh Greene


Sherlock Holmes Scrapbook by Peter Haining


and much, much more! Just click on the "SHARE" catalogue to find even more great Sherlock Holmes titles! Merry Christmas!

Milwaukee County Teen Book Award

The Milwaukee County Federated Library System Young Adult Services Committee (wow, what a mouthful!) is thrilled to announce the first annual Milwaukee County Teen Book Award! The MCTBA was created this year to promote teen reading and literature by highlighting books published for teens of both quality and appeal, especially in regard to teens in Milwaukee County. The 2010 award finalists were selected from books published between September 1, 2008, and August 31, 2009. So, without further ado, our 2010 finalists are... Wintergirls by Laurie Halse AndersonGraceling by Kristin CashoreGeektastic: Stories from the Nerd Herd edited by Holly Black and Cecil CastellucciThe Hunger Games by Suzanne CollinsCarter Finally Gets It by Brent CrawfordAlong for the Ride by Sarah DessenIf I Stay by Gayle FormanKing of the Screw-Ups by K.L. GoingJumping Off Swings by Jo KnowlesHero Type by Barry LygaPeace, Love, and Baby Ducks by Lauren MyracleThe Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick NessBurn by Suzanne PhillipsResponse by Paul VolponiThe Chosen One by Carol Lynch Williams Teens can vote for their favorite by going to http://mctba.wordpress.com/, checking out the MCTBA ballot, and emailing, snail mailing, or dropping off their vote. Voting runs through March 1st, and the winner and up to three honor titles will be announced April 1st. We just wanted to share our excitement about getting this award off the ground with all you fellow YA book lovers!

Thursday, December 17, 2009

How BIG are your fines??



BOOK 99 YEARS OVERDUE GETS RETURNED TO MASS LIBRARY


AP – Stanley Dudek waits for New Bedford Mass., library director Stephen Fulchino so he can return a book …
Tue Dec 15, 7:45 pm ET
NEW BEDFORD, Mass. – The book returned to the New Bedford Public Library in Massachusetts this week wasn't overdue by a week, a month or even a year. It was nearly a century overdue, and the fine came to $361.35.
"Facts I Ought to Know about the Government of My Country" was supposed to have been returned by May 10, 1910.
Stanley Dudek told the Standard Times newspaper he came across the book while going through things that had belonged to his mother, who died about 10 years ago. He decided that returning the book to the city was the right thing to do.
The overdue book fine was a penny a day in 1910. But Dudek wasn't asked to pay it.
The library plans to display the book in its special collection.

Wednesday, December 16, 2009

Raves at the Library?? A New Approach on College Campuses...

Flash mobs and raves, both loud and silent, have become something of a tradition at campus libraries

Josh Hadro -- Library Journal, 12/10/2009
Go back to the Academic Newswirefor more stories
Gatherings organized via Facebook
Some library staffs prepared, add security
Is stress relief a library concern?
As students are consumed by final exams, many embrace their campus library more than at any other time in the semester. For most, that means making use of 24/7 study halls, and perhaps extended reference hours. But for some, it means getting down in the hallowed halls, and letting off steam while transgressing against the traditional idea of the library as a staid and quiet place.
Library raves, flash-mobs, and parties are nothing new, and many librarians are now attuned to sources like Twitter and Facebook groups that often serve as organizing platforms for these events.
Still, massive student gatherings can be quickly coordinated with relatively little effort via social media networks, as seems to have been the case Sunday night at James Madison University's (Harrisonburg, VA) East Campus Library around 10 p.m.
According to student paper The Breeze, library staffers were surprised as hundreds of students swarmed the library. Hundreds more remained outside as police locked the doors in an effort get control of the situation.
The gathering dispersed by 10:30 p.m., the paper reports, a far more peaceful result than at a gathering in April at the University of Tennessee (UT) Chattanooga, also spearheaded by a Facebook group. There, police sprayed mace over the heads of students in the crowd to break up the rave. Later, five students were arrested and one issued a misdemeanor citation.
Raving at a dull roar?Apparently taking note of the brouhaha at its sister campus, staffers at the Knoxville campus of UT monitored Facebook for similar events planned by students. Thus alerted to an upcoming flash-mob event this past Friday night, they were able to have plain clothes and uniformed officers onhand at the library, "keeping everything to a low roar," according to WBIR.com.
In both the JMU and the UT Knoxville cases, everything apparently returned to business as usual at the libraries within half an hour.Stress-relief on-camera at CarletonDocumentation of the gatherings is frequently posted to video sharing sites like YouTube. In one video making the rounds in library circles, a silent dance party wends its way through the Gould Library of Carleton College in Northfield, MN. (The silent variation involves students gathering at an appointed time and place, dancing with headphones and listening to music synchronized to a starting signal.)
Jennifer Edwins, assistant to the college librarian and loan services manager, told LJ the event itself—held November 23, during reading week at Carleton—came as something of a surprise to the library staff who were not privy to the students' plans, but added that there was such a long tradition of such activities that "now it's part of the culture." A photo of the event on Facebook calls the silent dance "one of Carleton's newer finals-week traditions."
Edwins found the students' antics amusing, though also recognized that stress-relief strategies can play in important role during finals time. She said library staffers felt strongly that it was important to offer additional services to students during the period leading up to exams. The library has developed stress-relief programs, serving cocoa, bagels, and even sponsoring study-break massage sessions.
Amy Harris, information literacy coordinator and reference librarian at the University of North Carolina, Greensboro (UNCG), expressed a similar sentiment.
Offering cookies, lemonade and board games chosen for their nostalgic appeal, UNCG's "stress free zone" events leading up to finals are designed to remind students of a less stressful time in their lives—"harking back to childhood," Harris told LJ.
Contact the author: josh.hadro@reedbusiness.com
Read more Newswire stories:
Baker & Taylor Acquires Blackwell North America, Will Merge into YBP

Go Green this Christmas!


Want to help save the planet? So does Action For Nature, an international environmental organization that’s based in San Francisco. The plucky nonprofit group is encouraging kids to take practical steps to protect the environment by awarding cash prizes of up to $500 to young eco-heroes from around the world. Youngsters, ages 8 to 16, who have participated in projects that promote environmental advocacy, health, research, or protection are eligible to apply for the prizes. But don’t dawdle: the deadline for applications is February 28, 2010.

Tuesday, December 15, 2009

Monthly Teen Contest! Win free books!




Teenreads.com's Grab Bag of Books Contest

Every month in our Grab Bag of Books contest, five readers are awarded a Teenreads.com signature tote bag filled with some of the hottest books --- and may even include a sneak peek at titles that haven’t been released yet!This contest period’s winners will each receive a copy of Meg Cabot's AIRHEAD and BEING NIKKI: An Airhead Novel, SHADOWLAND: The Immortals, Book 3 by Alyson Noel, and TEMPTED: A House of Night Novel by P.C. Cast and Kristin Cast. All you have to do to enter is fill out this form by Monday, December 14th.
-Click here for the winners of our past giveaways.
Click here for all the contest details.

Also, be sure to check out Teen reads.com if you haven't done so before. Not only does the site contain neat contests like the one I listed, but it also lists all the lastest book releases, book trivia, news, and more!

Friday, December 11, 2009

The Next Stephanie Meyer?



That a publisher is championing the notion it’s landed the next Stephenie Meyer isn’t very surprising, but Dutton Children’s Books certainly seems to be speaking in more than hyperbole when it compares its newest author to the bestselling scribe from Arizona. Last week the Penguin Young Readers Group imprint laid down a seven-figure advance for three books from Ally Condie, in a heated auction featuring seven other houses. Condie, a Brigham Young University alum and stay-at-home mom of three boys (like Meyer), grew up in Utah and is repped by Jodi Reamer at Writers House (also like Meyer). Her first book, Matched, is a dystopian novel that Dutton likens to Brave New World and The Handmaid’s Tale.
In the novel, a 17-year-old girl, who has waited her entire life to be told by a group known as “the Society” who her soul mate is, has her world upended when she discovers she’s in love with someone other than the group’s pick. Don Weisberg, president of Penguin Young Readers Group, along with Lauri Hornik, president and publisher of Dutton Children’s Books, and Julie Strauss-Gabel, associate publisher of Dutton Children’s, all worked on the deal, which is for North American rights. Gabel, who will edit the book, said that it “will make readers crave the passion of uncertainty and cherish the power of the written word.” And Reamer, expectedly perhaps, drew the Meyer parallel, saying reading Matched reminded her of the first time she read Twilight.

Teen Advisory Board Reminder

If you are interested, don't forget to call or email Emily and get an application for this years' teen advisory board. In addition to helping the library and gaining those very important volunteer hours, you'll get to engage in great discussion, fun activities, and you may even make some new friends! Call the library at 534-3988 or email Emily Scherrer escherrer@waterford.lib.wi.us to get more information. The next teen advisory board is in January and we'd love to see you there!

Tuesday, December 8, 2009

Check-Out a New Author!


YALSA names 2010 William C. Morris Award shortlist


CHICAGO – The Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA) selected five books as finalists for the 2010 William C. Morris Award, which honors a book written for young adults by a previously unpublished author. YALSA will name the 2010 winner at the Youth Media Awards on Jan. 18, during the American Library Association’s Midwinter Meeting in Boston.
The 2010 finalists are:


“Ash” by Malinda Lo, by published by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
“Beautiful Creatures” by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl, published by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
“The Everafter” by Amy Huntley, published by Balzer + Bray, an imprint of HarperCollins

Publishers
“Flash Burnout” by L.K. Madigan, published by Houghton Mifflin/Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
“hold still” by Nina LaCour, published by Dutton Children’s Books, a Division of Penguin Young Readers Group
“The five finalists represent a terrific field of new YA talent with writing styles ranging from first person narratives to gothic horror, lyrical retelling of fairy tales to stark contemporary issues,” said Judy Nelson, 2010 Morris committee chair. “The committee wrestled with the selections but chose writers and stories that were fresh, compelling, unusual and believable.”
More information on the finalists and the award can be found at www.ala.org/morris. YALSA sells finalist seals to librarians and publishers to place on books at http://www.alastore.ala.org/. YALSA will host a reception honoring the shortlist authors and the winner, as well as YALSA’s Excellence in Nonfiction Award winners, at a free reception from 8-10 p.m. on Jan. 18 at the Westin Copley Place Essex Center South.
The award is named for William C. Morris, an influential innovator in the publishing world and an advocate for marketing books for children and young adults. William “Bill” Morris left an impressive mark on the field of children’s and young adult literature. He was beloved in the publishing field and the library profession for his generosity and marvelous enthusiasm for promoting literature for children and teens.
Members of the 2010 William C. Morris Award are: Chair Judy Nelson, Pierce County Library System, Tacoma, Wash.; Jeana Actkinson, Bridgeport (Texas) High School; Dr. Joni Richards Bodart, School of Library and Information Science-San Jose (Calif.) State University; Susan Fichtelberg, Public Library of Woodbridge, N.J.; Angela Frederick, Nashville (Tenn.) Public Library; Clio Hathaway, Martin Memorial Library, York, Pa.; Melanie Koss, Northern Illinois University DeKalb, Ill.; Anne Leon, Alvin Sherman Library-Nova Southeastern University, Fort Lauderdale, Fla.; Gail Zachariah, Keene (N.H.) Public Library; David Durante, administrative assistant, Pierce County Library System, Graham, Wash.; and Booklist Consultant, Ilene Cooper, Chicago.
For more than 50 years, YALSA has been the world leader in selecting books, videos, and audio books for teens. For more information about YALSA or for lists of recommended reading, viewing and listening, go to www.ala.org/yalsa/booklists.

Monday, December 7, 2009

Hunger Games 3 Relase Date Set....


Hunger Games fans have just eight more months to wait: the as yet untitled third and final book in Suzanne Collins’s dystopian fantasy trilogy will be released in English worldwide on August 24, 2010. An audio version from Scholastic Audio will be released simultaneously.
In other news, the trade paperback edition of the first book in the trilogy, The Hunger Games, will be released on July 6, 2010.
The Hunger Games, released in September 2008, has 800,000 copies in print; book two, Catching Fire, came out this past September and has more than 750,000 copies in print. Foreign rights for the books have been sold into 37 territories to date, and Lionsgate has optioned movie rights.
The title for book three will be announced early next year.

Friday, December 4, 2009

Celebrate 25 years of the Polar Express!!


Celebrate 25 years of the Polar Express by visiting http://www.polarexpress.com/. The website has games, recipes, worksheets, and more fun things to do!
Here's a recipe you can try at home so you have something unique to share with your family and friends this Christmas:

Polar Chocolate Nougat Caramel Squares
Ingredients:
1 cup flour
1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1/3 cup butter or margarine (room temperature)
5 candy bars—chocolate with nougat and caramel (hint: the initials are MW)
1/4 cup milk
2 eggs, slightly beaten
1 tsp. vanilla
2 tbls. flour
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 can (3 1/2 oz.) blanched sliced almonds
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350. Grease a 13 x 9 x 2-inch baking pan.
2. Combine 1 cup flour with the brown sugar in a medium-sized bowl.
Mix in the butter until crumbly dough forms. Press dough into greased pan.
3. Bake for 12 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on wire rack.
4. Melt candy bars with milk in small saucepan
over medium-low heat.
5. Cool the mixture slightly, then slowly add the
eggs. (Beat constantly to keep from curdling.)
6. Add the vanilla, 2 tablespoons of flour, and
the baking powder to the candy mixture, then
pour every thing over the crust (which has been
cooling on the rack). Sprinkle almonds on top.
7. Bake at 350 for 25 minutes or until the top
is firm. Let cool.
MMmmmm! Delicious!

Thursday, December 3, 2009

Attention Stephanie Meyer Fans!!


Judge Rules in Favor of Meyer in Plagiarism Case

Dismisses Jordan Scott's claim of copyright infringement
By Lynn Andriani -- Publishers Weekly, 12/3/2009

A judge has ruled in favor in Stephenie Meyer and Hachette Book Group, dismissing Jordan Scott’s claim of copyright infringement. Scott had accused Meyer of plagiarism.
The Honorable Otis D. Wright II of the U.S. District Court said in his ruling that Breaking Dawn and Scott’s 2006 vampire novel The Nocturne (Yorkshire Publishing Group, 2009) have little in common and that the “characters in the two works are vastly different.” The decision scolded Scott for “the deceptive presentation of the alleged similarities” and noted that she “has twice manipulated aspects of the subject works in order to create the appearance of similarity.”
Scott filed the suit in federal court in California in August of this year. At the time, Hachette called the suit a “publicity stunt to further Ms. Scott’s career,” and said it expected the court would dismiss it, according to Reuters. Following Wright’s ruling, a Hachette spokesperson said today, “While an attempt to ride on someone else’s success may not be surprising, it is encouraging that the courts and the public are not so easily misled.”

Wednesday, December 2, 2009

Holiday Basket Contest

HOLIDAY BASKET OF CHEER CONTEST
Celebrate the season with Teenreads.com's Fourth Annual Holiday Basket of Cheer feature and contest! From November 13th through December 10th, you can enter to win a "Basket of Holiday Reading and Fun."Five winners each will receive a festive basket that includes 10 of the holiday's hottest books --- THE AMANDA PROJECT: BOOK 1: INVISIBLE I by Melissa Kantor, DEADLY LITTLE LIES by Laurie Faria Stolarz, HOW TO SAY GOODBYE IN ROBOT by Natalie Standiford, IT’S ALL GOOD: A So For Real Novel by Nikki Carter, A MAP OF THE KNOWN WORLD by Lisa Ann Sandell, NEED by Carrie Jones, SECRET SOCIETY by Tom Dolby, SPLENDOR: A Luxe Novel by Anna Godbersen, THE VAMPIRE DIARIES: THE AWAKENING by L.J. Smith, and VIOLA IN REEL LIFE by Adriana Trigiani.Along with the books, winners will find their basket stocked with tons of seasonal goodies --- a kit to make a mini gingerbread village, Ghirardelli Hot Chocolate mix, peppermint bark candy, a snowflake patterned fleece blanket, red woolen gloves, a snowman ceramic coffee mug, plush warm socks, snowflake tissues, and gourmet hand-cut vanilla marshmallows. For Contest rules click here