The Inspiration of The Soloist

I just finished reading the The Soloist - the fascinating true story of a mentally ill, homeless man whose talent on the strings inspires an LA journalist, and now readers like me. In anticipation of our school book club and a trip to see the movie (which is to be released on April 24), I've been finding some interesting resources on the web which delve into this spirited and compelling story.

Interview with Journalist and author, Steve Lopez on NPR

The Soloist Official Movie Site

Penguin Publishers Reading Guide

Philadelphia One Book - The Soloist

Resources for Teachers

Economic Woes @ Your Library

It seems that in these difficult economics times, free entertainment isn't the only reason people are frequenting their public library. Add job hunting and stress-release to the list of items to tackle when visiting the library, according to an article in today's New York Times.

And speaking of the economy (who isn't?), another New York Times link shows that pictures say a thousand words in describing how this recession has effected our nation's culture.

Xtranormal Fun

As the site claims, "if you can type you can make movies". Xtranormal is easy and fun!

Cultures Connecting Through One Book

Often people connect in the most unexpected and impromptu times and it's truly a beautiful thing. Even better is when two cultures find a connection when they're not even trying. But best of all (at least in the eyes of this librarian), is when the cultural connection is made possible through a book.

Back in the summer, I contacted author Allan Stratton about the possibility of visiting our school to discuss his book, Chanda's Secrets. I was struck by the story of this young girl's struggle to survive amongst the AIDS epidemic in her African village, and believed it could make a great impact on our students studying World Cultures. As I spoke to Allan on the phone to propose his visit, it became immediately apparent that he had many stories to tell which need to be heard. He is not only a prolific storyteller, but someone who cares about the real people of whom he writes. He shared with me his time spent in Africa and how touched he was with their human spirit.

Recently, Allan shared with me an email describing the impact that Chanda's Secrets had on one particular boy in Namibia. A young woman, Aly Martin, in the Peace Corps and teaching in Namibia gave the book to a troubled, orphaned boy and it made a very obvious impact on his life. The book spoke of the pain which this boy knew only too well. With the help of Allan and this woman's mother, Tracie, Aly and I are now corresponding about a collaborative effort between our students so that they may appreciate each other's culture. In the fall, as our students begin to read Chanda's Secrets, our school will be conducting a fundraiser for the many obvious needs of these Namibia students.

Indeed, books can make the greatest of impacts in people's lives. Thank you, Allan Stratton, for writing an important story. Thank you, Aly Martin, for making a difference in the real children about which Allan wrote. And thank you, Tracie Martin, for making sure the everyone hears these important stories - both fictional and real.

New Spring Books!

What's better than soaking in the spring sun with a good, new book? Come visit the library to see what new-releases may entice you. On March 25 before school, we will have them all on display along with some refreshments. Hope to see you there!

Click here for a sample of some good ones to whet your appetite.

Got iPhone? Get Apps!

For those of you with an iPhone or an iTouch, check out this link of many great educational apps you can download - many for free! This was tweeted to me from Mac Apple educator, Dave Marra

Some Exciting Changes for Newsbank

I was very pleased to get a phone call from Newsbank yesterday telling me of new updates for our Newsbank subscription. They have added many new features that will make research projects much easier! For social studies, there are now many more categories available such as easy access to International News (searchable through a world map), a World Economics category, Conflict and Terrorism Around the World, America’s Historical Newspapers (from 1690!). And for science and health they now have Science Source Collection, World Health section, as well as Science and Health in the News.

But that's not all! We also now have access to Newsbank articles through EBSCO (go to POWER Library from school). When you do a search in EBSCO, you will now see a link to Newsbank in the lower left-hand side.

Give it a try. It's pretty impressive!