More to love @ your library
Posted on April 28, 2009
Filed Under Uncategorized | Comments Off
What do you do when all your students want to read the same popular book? Being on the waitlist can be frustrating, so give them something in the meantime - try our readalikes lists! They are perfect for printing and sharing. We’ve got everything from Twilight to The Da Vinci Code and more.
And if nothing strikes their fancy, show students Novelist. It’s one of our favorite databases that will let you plug in key words and phrases so you can find similar books, and you can also generate booklists on a topic that you’re studying in the classroom. It’s easy to use and you can access it anywhere you have your Johnson County Library card and internet access!
All of these resources and more are linked from our Find a Good Book page. We’re always taking suggestions, so if you don’t find what you need there let us know so we can create new and useful content!
(picture courtesy of Stephen Poff CC:Flickr)
How’s your bracket?
Posted on April 2, 2009
Filed Under SLJ, books | Comments Off
No, I’m not talking about your NCAA basketball picks. That’s over. Tide yourself over until baseball season with this year’s newest sporting event: the School Library Journal Battle of the Kids’ Books! 
This spring competition uses authors and other kidlit experts to judge rounds where the best books of 2008 are pitted against each other until the bitter end and an ultimate all-round winner is declared. Will the teen titles crush the youth titles? Could a last minute upset mean a picture book trounces the Newbery winner? You’ll have to fill out your bracket and see who ends up as the Big Kahuna of kidlit!
Help students make wise career decisions!
Posted on March 31, 2009
Filed Under Uncategorized, careers, teens, videos | Comments Off
The library has many resources for job-hunting teens, but when it comes to providing information about potential careers you may be stumped. More traditional career advice books can overwhelm those who are just starting to think about their potential paths. Luckily, there’s Johnny Bunko.
If you’ve read A Whole New Mind by Daniel Pink, you’ll love Johnny Bunko. The Adventures of Johnny Bunko: The Last Career Guide You’ll Ever Need is a paperback that packs a lot of punch! Daniel Pink collaborated with illustrator Rob Ten Pas to create a manga-style parable that will really reach today’s teens. Johnny is an erstwhile cube dweller who finds his current job a real drag. Through the help of magical chopsticks, Johnny is able to summon an assistant whose mission is to help him evaluate his career direction. There are six major lessons Johnny must learn, and Diana helps him through each one with humor and sass.
Check out the book trailer here:
If you want to learn more, the book’s site is at www.johnnybunko.com/.
What do the librarians read?
Posted on March 6, 2009
Filed Under Uncategorized | Comments Off
It used to be tough to get an answer to this question. You’d have to choose a library to visit, show up in person, and ask the staff member who happened to be working that day. What a pain!
Thanks to technology, things are a lot easier. We’ve joined a site called Goodreads, which allows us to share the books we read with each other… and with you! Goodreads is a social networking site that helps you keep track of books you’ve read, books you’d like to read, and books that you’re currently reading. It also lets you see hundreds and thousands of user reviews, so you can get advice from the people who know books best - the readers!
If you’re looking for a good way to organize your reading, a site like Goodreads might be for you.
Prepare yourself with Learning Express Library!
Posted on February 25, 2009
Filed Under Uncategorized | Comments Off
Did you know that your library card is the key to free, online skill building? For every level of education from elementary schoolers to adult learners, Learning Express Library can work for you. Whether you’re studying for your GED, a tough AP test, or even preparing for US Citizenship - this is the database that will help you be ready for the big day. General skill building assessments are available at all levels, and there are resources in Spanish too!
Each level has different assessments - check it out!
Elementary School: Math Skills Improvement and Reading Skills Improvement
Middle School: Math Skills Improvement, Reading Comprehension Skills Improvement, Writing Skills Improvement, and High School Entrance Exams Preparation
High School: Math Skills Improvement, Reading Comprehension Skills Improvement, Vocabulary and Spelling Skills Improvement, Writing and Grammar Skills Improvement, College Preparation, ACT Preparation, SAT Preparation, PSAT/NMSQT Preparation, Advanced Placement (AP) Preparation, TOEFL iBT Preparation, CLEP Preparation, CUNY Skills Assessment Tests Preparation, and THEA Preparation.
College Students: Math and Reasoning Skills Improvement, Reading Comprehension Skills Improvement, Vocabulary and Spelling Skills Improvement, Writing and Grammar Skills Improvement, Graduate School Entrance Exams Preparation, and Technical and Career College Skills.
GED Preparation: GED Practice Exams, GED Preparation Courses, and GED Skills Improvement.
Job Search & Workplace Skills: Business Communication Skills Improvement and Job and Career Success
Jobs & Careers: Civil Service, Cosmetology, Emergency Medical Services, Firefighter, Law Enforcement, Military, Nursing and Allied Health, Real Estate, and Teaching
Skill Building for Adults: Math and Reasoning Skills Improvement, Reading Skills Improvement, and Writing and Grammar Skills Improvement
U.S. Citizenship: U.S. Citizenship Preparation
Recursos para Hispanohablantes: Mejora de las habilidades de lectura y escritura, y Mejora de las habilidades matemáticas
Get free homework help - every night of the week!
Posted on January 14, 2009
Filed Under Uncategorized | Comments Off
As you go back to school, remember that you can get help every evening from Live Homework Help. Using your library card, you can get free access to a live tutor who can help walk you through everything from geometry problems to that history essay you’ve been putting off. Talk with the tutor via chat, draw on the whiteboard so they can see what your problem looks like, and share web links to great resources that are homework-ready. Try Live Homework Help today from 4-11 PM at www.jocolibrary.org/homework
Searching made simple
Posted on September 25, 2008
Filed Under Uncategorized, common craft, videos | Comments Off
I find it helpful to break up lectures with short videos so that we can engage visual learners. One of my favorite video websites to use with students is the Common Craft show. This week’s new video is a short explanation:Web Search Strategies in Plain English!
Common Craft manages to make these tips easily digestible and memorable - who can forget sand shark vs. “sand shark” ? For your visual learners, complex concepts can be very easy to understand through a simple instructional video a la Common Craft.
My other favorites, some of which are educational and others just plain fun!
Electing a US President in Plain English
Zombies in Plain English (great for Halloween)
Social Bookmarking in Plain English
CFL Light Bulbs in Plain English
Making history more fun, one tapestry at a time
Posted on September 24, 2008
Filed Under Uncategorized | 1 Comment
Here’s one way to make studying English history and the Norman Conquest a bit more fun:
Try the Historic Tale Construction Kit! It’s a flash-based story maker that features elements that could have been lifted directly from the Bayeux Tapestry. Link several panels together to make an entire story - 1066 CE style!
-
-
Library Staff Are Reading:- An error has occurred; the feed is probably down. Try again later.
-
What I've been reading
