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SEPTEMBER 30, 2011
Rights of the Reader

1.The right to not read,

2.The right to skip pages,

3.The right to not finish a book,

4.The right to reread,

5.The right to read anything,

6.The right to "Bovary-ism," a textually-transmitted disease,

7.The right to read anywhere,

8.The right to sample and steal ("grappiller")

9.The right to read out-loud, and,

10.The right to be silent.


--Daniel Pennac

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posted by Jenna, Standley Lake Library

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SEPTEMBER 29, 2011
Quotes about Censorship

Are you feeling inspired yet? Here are some great quotes about censorship and the importance of keeping books available for everyone:

“If we don’t believe in freedom of expression for people we despise, we don’t believe in it at all.”  -Noam Chomsky, U.S. Professor of Linguistics.

“Books and ideas are the most effective weapons against intolerance and ignorance.”  -Lyndon B. Johnson, U.S. President.

“A censor is a man who knows more than he thinks you ought to.”  -Dr. Laurence Johnson Peter.

“Censorship is telling a man he can’t have a steak just because a baby can’t chew it.”  -Mark Twain.

“I may disagree with what you have to say, but I shall defend to the death your right to say it.”  -Voltaire, 1756.

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posted by Jessie, Columbine Library

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SEPTEMBER 28, 2011
Books About Banning Books

Nobody can show you the effects of censorship quite like a favorite character. Here are some books that take place in worlds where the spread of information is carefully controlled.


Delirium by Lauren Oliver: In a futuristic world where love is considered a disease and all citizens over the age of eighteen must be “cured,” the government has destroyed all but 100 approved poems. After all, you wouldn’t want someone to read a love poem and risk the disease, would you?


The Sledding Hill by Chris Crutche: Billy, recently deceased, keeps an eye on his best friend and helps him stand up to an English teacher who is orchestrating a censorship challenge.


The Giver by Lois Lowry: Jonas lives in a perfect world—there is no war, fear, or pain. But when he becomes a “Receiver of Memory” and learns about these hardships along with things like snow, sunshine and color, he’s forced to question whether he wants to live in a world where everything is the same.

Have you read any of these books? What other books can you think of?


 

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posted by Jessie, Columbine Library

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SEPTEMBER 27, 2011
Challenged Books

Some of my favorite books were challenged over the past year.

  

See the Books Challenged or Banned list for more details. Has your favorite book been challenged (scroll down to view lists from the past 7 years)? How do you feel about that?

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posted by Jessie, Columbine Library

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SEPTEMBER 26, 2011
Move, Learn, Eat

“3 guys, 44 days, 11 countries, 18 flights, 38 thousand miles, an exploding volcano, 2 cameras and almost a terabyte of footage... all to turn 3 ambitious linear concepts based on movement, learning and food ....into 3 beautiful and hopefully compelling short films.....”

MOVE

See also Learn and Eat.

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posted by Rene, Evergreen Library

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SEPTEMBER 25, 2011
Banned Books Week Starts Today!

Banned Books Week is September 24-October 1, and libraries everywhere are celebrating your right to read! Books are challenged all over the world, but libraries, teachers, members of the community work hard to make sure that people have access to all books. Here are answers to some questions you may have about Banned Books Week.

What is a Banned Book?
When a book is banned, it is removed from a library or school because a person or group objected to the content of the book. The term "Banned Books" usually refers to challenged books as well. A challenge is an attempt to remove, censor, or restrict access to a book because of it's content. Most book challenges do not result in the book being banned.

Why do books get challenged?
Books are challenged for all different reasons, including sexuality, drugs, and language, among other things. But remember, there’s a huge range within these topics. For example, My Teacher Glows in the Dark by Bruce Coville was challenged for language—because it includes the words “farting” and “armpit farts.” Some people may be offended by this, others may not.

Why should I care?
It may be easy for you to say that you don’t want to read a book, or that you don’t think your little brother or sister should read a particular book, but do you want a stranger deciding that something isn’t appropriate for you? Books like Twilight, Harry Potter and The Hunger Games have all been challenged. If all challenges were successful you might never have been allowed to read your favorite books.

What should I do if I don’t like a book I find in the library?
Since the library has such a wide range of materials, it is likely that you won’t agree with every book on our shelf. That’s ok! Talk to your teen librarian and we can help you find books that you will enjoy and be comfortable reading.

Any Questions? Talk to your teen librarian!

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posted by Jessie, Columbine Library

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SEPTEMBER 24, 2011
Science Saturday - The Blue Whale

Did you know the blue whale can produce sounds up to 188 decibels?  This makes it the loudest animal in the world.  The blue whale can also be 72 feet long and weigh as much as 150 tons making it also the largest animal in the world.  In order to reach this amazing size the blue whale has to eat a LOT.  In one whale 2 tons of krill were discovered in it's stomach. 

Want to know more?  Check out our database: International Wildlife

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posted by Arra - Lakewood Library

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SEPTEMBER 23, 2011
Reading Confessions
logoGlendale (Arizona) Public Library sent their Teen Advisory Board members out to record reading confessions of their friends and classmates. Check out the videos on their Facebook page

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posted by Jenna, Standley Lake Library

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SEPTEMBER 22, 2011
Nice Girls

girls hanging outA reporter for The New York Times Magazine wrote a lovely article about how he eavesdropped on some "nice girls" on the bus one day.  With all the reports of "mean girls," which I'm sure you deal with all the time in school, he found hope in the supportive and friendly conversation he overheard.

Do you know nice girls?  Is the mean girls thing as bad as it seems?

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posted by Jenna, Standley Lake Library

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SEPTEMBER 20, 2011
InterroBang?!

InterroBang"When is a problem not a problem? When it's a game!

"InterroBang?! is a game where you get to have fun with problems. Students complete real-world missions with deeds that can win prizes, improve problem solving skills, and connect them with others to do things that just might change the world."

You pick a mission, figure out a way to help, do it, and then tell the world about it.

What will you do?

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posted by Jenna, Standley Lake Library

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SEPTEMBER 19, 2011
John Green's new book is extra special

All preorders of John Green’s new book will be signed. By him. Personally (despite the clone reference in this video). Are you as excited as we are??

150,000 Autographs

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posted by Rene, Evergreen Library

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SEPTEMBER 18, 2011
Standley Lake Teen Time

Teen Time logo

We have a special guest!  Officer Jennings, a crime scene photographer with the Jefferson County Sherriff's Department, will be visiting to talk all about

CRIME SCENE INVESTIGATION!!

He'll talk about the different types of investigation and give hints about how you could get into such a career. 

He promises it won't be *too* gruesome!

Wednesday, September 21, 7-8pm
Standley Lake Library
 

 

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posted by Jenna, Standley Lake Library

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SEPTEMBER 17, 2011
Science Saturday - From the Telegraph to the Cell Phone

             

How do we communicate across large distances? In 1776 when the U.S. declared its independence it took 48 days for the news to cross the Atlantic Ocean. Here is a small peek at the telecommunication timeline:

 1794 Claude Chappe, a French inventor, created the telegraph to warn of an invasion. It used two arms at the top of a tall tower with ropes and pulleys to move the arms into different positions. The towers were positioned 6-19 miles apart and the messages were read by telescope. 
 
1832 Morse code was invented by Samuel Morse. It is based on interrupting the flow of electricity so that a message could be heard. 
 
1892 Alexander Graham Bell opened the New York to Chicago telephone line.   Bell had created the first working telephone in 1876. In an interesting side note: Bell left school at the age of 14 to assist in the family business of teaching elocution, the art of public speaking.
 
1973 Dr. Martin Cooper created the cell phone. His first call was to his rival Joel Engel, head of Bell Laboratories. We’ve come a long way!

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posted by Arra, Lakewood Library

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SEPTEMBER 16, 2011
Super Monkey!

In this game, pop as many balloons as possible.  Yeah, simple, but you're a monkey!  A flying monkey!

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posted by Jenna, Standley Lake Library

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SEPTEMBER 15, 2011
Harvard College Entrance Exam circa 1869

Compare Athens with Sparta.

Divide 33368949.63 by 0.007253.  What is the quotient of 3336.894963 by 72530?  What is the third power of 0.1? of 100?  Write these answers in words.

Prove that two angles are to each other in the ratio of two acrs described from their vertices as centres with equal radii.

Latin and Greek.  History and Geography.  Arithmetic from algebra all the way to trig (before calculators!).  Could you pass?  Check out these sample questions, and then read about college admissions back then.

Yikes!  I'd rather write an essay any day!

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posted by Jenna, Standley Lake Library

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SEPTEMBER 14, 2011
What do I read next?

Do you ever have a situation where you have just finished a book that was so AMAZING that nothing else appeals to you? YourNextRead.com is a cool website that will help you find new books to read. Just type in the name of a book or author that you like and the website will give you suggestions for new books to try!

books

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posted by Jessie, Columbine Library

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SEPTEMBER 13, 2011
Oh, Matilda!
Matilda was an extraordinary girl. She was only five and a half years old, but she would read anything she could get her hands on. After reading the newspaper and cookbook several times, she asked her father for a real book to read.
"A BOOK?! You're gettin' SPOILED, little girl! We have a perfectly fine 70 inch, flat-screen HD telly WITH internet! Look how interested I am! I'm LITERALLY GLUED to it!"
 
So begins the tale of Matilda, books, and some super glue. Based loosely on Roald Dahl's story and Quentin Blake's illustrations, this bring Matilda into today.
 
PS - this comic is a favorite of librarians and I believe we've mentioned it before. They do regular book reviews, some in comic form, and often review books for teens.

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posted by Jenna, Standley Lake Library

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SEPTEMBER 12, 2011
Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor

Nobody knows the real me… not even me.

Daughter of Smoke and Bone

Put a hold on it now!

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posted by Rene, Evergreen Library

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SEPTEMBER 11, 2011
FanFiction
One of our favorite teen librarianship websites wrote a column about FanFiction recently. It starts: "To literature snobs, it’s the ultimate dirty word—a place where people go to alter or continue the storylines of some of their favorite films, books, television series, video games, manga, etc. But to some of us, it’s just another place to go to read for free. Some of it includes familiar characters, locations, events, and narratives. Some of it just takes character names and features and brings us into a whole different universe. For readers, it’s a place to go in unknown directions. For authors, it’s a way in which to hone their skills."
 
If you love FanFiction (or want to find out more), give the column a try. It includes a bunch of links.

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posted by Jenna, Standley Lake Library

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SEPTEMBER 10, 2011
Science Saturday - Time is Relative

 

 

Now that school is back in session I have the perfect excuse for why you are late for school. The Federal Energy Regulatory Agency is trying a new experiment.  They will not be making corrections to the electrical frequency on the U.S. power grid. How does this effect you? Many of the digital alarm clocks regulate themselves by the rate of the electrical currency powering them. By not making up for variations your clock may begin to run a bit fast or slow.

Read more about the U.S. power grid.

Read more about the power frequency experiment.

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posted by Arra, Lakewood Library

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SEPTEMBER 9, 2011
Newsflash: Kids are Creative

Look what happens with you put a real designer in a class of 8th graders and ask them to create furniture for their classroom.

sample project

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posted by Jenna, Standley Lake Library

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SEPTEMBER 8, 2011
Now that is a cool bookmobile!

How do you put both books and a place to read in a very tiny space?  Check out how this Amsterdam bookmobile has solved the problem.  Cool!

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posted by Jenna, Standley Lake Library

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SEPTEMBER 7, 2011
Book Art

This artist makes amazing art out of old books. (Click on the dates at the very top to scroll down to the photos.)

sample art

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posted by Jenna, Standley Lake Library

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SEPTEMBER 6, 2011
Leviathan by Scott Westerfeld
Do you oil your war machines… or do you feed them?

Leviathan

Put a hold on it now!

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posted by Rene, Evergreen Library

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SEPTEMBER 4, 2011
Teen Book Cover Color Wheel

In response to recent newspaper articles claiming teen fiction is too dark, writer Kate Hart arranged covers of teen books in a color wheel to literally see if they were too dark.  She says, "I'm a fan of being literal to the point of sarcasm."  The result is beautiful.

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posted by Jenna, Standley Lake Library

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SEPTEMBER 3, 2011
Science Saturday - 3-D Printing

No, I'm not making it up.  You can actually scan an object and make a 3-D copy of the object!  Star Trek, meet the real world.  There are a couple of different ways to do 3-D copies but the  cheapest and most popular uses the same method as an ink jet printer.  First the object is  scanned into a computer.  Then the object is printed in layers with  fused polymeric powder.  What  will the future be for 3-D printing?  If you break a bone will they make you a new one?  I'll hold out till it can duplicate Oreos. 

Check out a video of how the 3-D printer works!

Learn more through our Library Database: Science in Context

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posted by Arra, Lakewood Library

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SEPTEMBER 2, 2011
Lakewood Teen Time!

The Lakewood Library is reopening on Tuesday, September 6th!  Check out the new Teen Space!  We'll have guided tours and crafts until 6pm.  Then, join us for a showing of Avatar (PG-13) in the meeting room!

Tuesday, September 6, starting at 4:00 pm

Teen Time logo

 

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posted by Jenna

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SEPTEMBER 1, 2011
On the day you were born...

Billboard logoWhat was the most popular song?  Use this website to determine the most popular song on any date from 1940 on.

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posted by Jenna, Standley Lake Library

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