ABLE Administering Better Libraries - Educate

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Library Services

General Resources

  • LibDex: A searchable index of public library homepages, web-based OPACs, and Friends of the Library webpages throughout the U.S. and around the world.
  • National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped
  • PUBLIB: A listserv concerned with public libraries, covering "collection development, acquisitions, management and weeding, including traditional and new media, reference services, issues related to library facilities, policy and guidance, trustee relationships, internet access for staff and public, intellectual freedom, library administration, sundry library "how-tos" and queries for equipment, personnel issues, public library jobs and related conferences."
  • Spanish in Our Libraries (Bruce Jensen) "a searchable resource bank that includes Spanish-language versions of common library forms, flyers, and signs as well as the Dewey Decimal classification system; book summaries; guides to the language and to library Spanish; programming ideas;" and more.

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Book Awards - Adult

  • National Book Awards (National Book Foundation) "Awards are given to recognize achievements in four genres: Fiction, Nonfiction, Poetry, and Young People's Literature"
  • Pulitzer Prize (Columbia University) Annual literary awards in 22 categories, including journalism and drama.
  • Nobel Prize for Literature: (Nobel Foundation) Awarded for an outstanding body of work, including poetry, novels, short stories, plays, essays and speeches. 

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Book Awards - Youth

  • ALSC Award Winners ALA's ALSC sponsored awards, including the Newbery and Caldecott Awards.
  • Database of Award-Winning Children's Literature (Lisa R. Bartle, Reference Librarian at the California State University, San Berbadino) Search over 4,000 records of 50 awards from five English-speaking countries.
  • Coretta Scott King Award Given by ALA's Ethnic Multicultural Information Exchange Round Table (EMIERT). "The award (or awards) is given to an African American author and an African American illustrator for an outstandingly inspirational and educational contribution."

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Children's Literature

Book Groups

  • BookBrowse.com Reading guides, discussion starters, and strategies for starting and maintaining a book group. Includes titles for children and adults.
  • Oprah's Book Group (Oprah Winfrey)
  • Reading Group Guide (Book Report Network) Publisher's reading guides, advice, and recipes.

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Graphic Novels

  • Graphic Novels in Libraries (GNLIB) A listserv dedicated to the discussion of graphic novels in libraries.
  • Comics Books for Young Adults (Michael Lavin, Lockwood Memorial Library, SUNY at Buffalo) A guide to graphic novels in libraries, including a synopsis of formats, collection development and use issues.
  • No Flying, No Tights (Robin Brenner) Reviews of graphic novels in many genres for children, "tweens," teens, and adults.

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Information Literacy

Online Booklists - Youth

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New Directions in Library Service

  • Blogs, Wikis, and Other Animals (University of Oregon) Don't know what these terms mean? Here is an excellent place to start.
  • Tech Notes (PLA - ALA) "Short, Web-based papers introducing specific technologies for public librarians."
  • 2003 OCLC Environmental Scan (OCLC) Examines "the significant issues and trends impacting OCLC, libraries, museums, archives and other allied organizations, both now and in the future." Includes online presentations on "An examination of how young people's social interaction and technology skills have created a seamless sphere fusing work, play and information" and more.

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Reader's Advisory - Adults

  • Book Lust (Nancy Pearl) Browse or search the picks of this veracious reader/librarian.
  • Fiction-L (Morton Grove Public Library, IL) A listserv "devoted to reader's advisory topics such as book discussions, booktalks, collection development issues, booklists and bibliographies, and a wide variety of other topics of interest to librarians, book discussion leaders, and others with an interest in reader's advisory."
  • If You Like. (Hennepin County Library, MN) Read-alikes for a variety of genres.

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Reader's Advisory - Youth

  • .Genrefluent (Diana Trixier Herald) Recommendations for genre fiction from the author of Teen Genreflecting.
  • .Books in a Series (Monroe County Public Library, IN) Titles in children's series, in order, from A-Z.
  • .BookHive (Public Library of Charlotte & Mecklenburg County, NC) "Providing reader's advisory service, this site contains hundreds of recommended book reviews in a variety of reading levels and interest areas." Suggestions for ages birth through twelve.
  • .Guys Read (Jon Scieszka) An online literacy program for boys that includes advice, book lists, and resources on connecting boys to books and reading.

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Reference

  • Project Wombat (hosted by Project Gutenberg) “an e-mail discussion list for difficult reference questions…continues the many fine traditions started by the Stumpers list once offered by Dominican University...”  
  • Internet Public Library (University of Michigan) A large searchable directory of websites; designed to be "first public library of and for the Internet community."
  • Answers.com (Answers Corporation) A step more authoritative than Google, this searchable site offers "delivers snapshot, multi-faceted definitions and explanations from credible, attributable reference sources on over one million topics in our database."  

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Teen Services

  • ALA's Young Adult Library Services Association (ALA - YALSA)
  • YA Librarians' Homepage (Tracey Firestone, Suffolk Cooperative Library System, NY) A site "designed to gather resources on and off the Web to help librarians serving teens. a micro index to the vast amount of resources available on the World Wide Web. It is not a review, recommendation or endorsement of these links/pages, but only a finding tool to be used by librarians for professional development and/or used by those putting together pages for young adults in their libraries."
  • Reading Rants (Jennifer Hubert, Middle School Librarian at the Little Red School House & Elisabeth Irwin High School in Greenwich Village in Manhattan.) “A group of booklists for those of you teens out there who need a good read, but are wondering if there's life after Judy Blume and Brian Jacques.”
  • Favorite YA Author Homepages A directory of websites for popular authors of books for teens.

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Youth Services

  • PUBYAC "An Internet discussion list concerned with the practical aspects of Children and Young Adult Services in Public Libraries, focusing on programming ideas, outreach and literacy programs for children and caregivers, censorship and policy issues, collection development, administrative considerations, puppetry, job openings, professional development and other pertinent services and issues."
  • ALSC "The Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC) is a network of over 3,700 children's and youth librarians, children's literature experts, and publishers committed to improving and ensuring the future of the nation through exemplary library service to children, their families, and others who work with children."
  • Birth to 6 (Hennepin Library):  
  • New York State Curriculum (New York Department of Education) Do third graders study the solar system? Find out what's covered when in the learning standards for grades K-12.

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