Caldecott and Newbery Award Winners Announced at ALA Midwinter Meeting

Jack Gantos, author of Dead End in Norvelt, and Chris Raschka, writer and illustrator of A Ball for Daisy, are the 2012 winners of the John Newbery and Randolph Caldecott Medals, the most prestigious awards in children’s literature.  The awards were announced during the Midwinter Meeting of the American Library Association (ALA) in Dallas on January 23.  The Newbery and Caldecott Medals honor outstanding writing and illustration of works published in the United States during the previous year.

2012 John Newbery Medal Winner

Dead End in Norvelt – “The importance of history and reading (so you don’t do the same “stupid stuff” again) is at the heart of this achingly funny romp through a dying New Deal town. While mopping up epic nose bleeds, Jack narrates this screw-ball mystery in an endearing and believable voice.”

Author Jack Gantos has won numerous awards.  His book, Joey Pigza Loses Control, was named a 2001 Newbery Honor Book.

2012 Caldecott Medal Winner

A Ball for Daisy – “In a wordless book with huge children’s appeal, Chris Raschka gives us the story of an irrepressible little dog whose most prized possession is accidently destroyed.  With brilliant economy of line and color, Raschka captures Daisy’s total (yet temporary) devastation. A buoyant tale of loss, recovery and friendship.”

Raschka has more than 40 children’s books to his credit. His 1994 book, Yo! Yes?, was a Caldecott Honor book and he also received a Caldecott Medal in 2006 for his work as an illustrator of The Hello, Goodbye Window, written by Norton Juster.

2012 Newbery Honor Books

• Inside Out & Back Again by Thanhha Lai
• Breaking Stalin’s Nose written and illustrated by Eugene Yelchin

2012 Caldecott Honor Books

• Blackout written and illustrated by John Rocco
• Grandpa Green written and illustrated by Lane Smith
• Me … Jane written and illustrated by Patrick McDonnell

The BSC Library will soon have all of these books in our Children’s Collection.  Check them out!

Memorial Service for Tom Stein

A memorial service for our friend and colleague, Tom Stein, will be held at the BSC Library today (Monday, January 23) at 4 p.m.

Tom was an associate professor of English and began working at BSC in January 2000.

To view Tom’s obituary, click here.

Black Wednesday? PIPA, SOPA, OPEN? What’s It All About?

• PIPA  = The Preventing Real Online Threats to Economic Creativity Intellectual Property Act of 2011
• SOPA = The Stop Online Piracy Act
• OPEN = Online Protection and Enforcement of Digital Trade Act

“The American Library Association (ALA) applauds the numerous websites that have taken to the Internet to protest two Congressional bills – PIPA and SOPA – in a very public way. By either going dark or brandishing their website with a black box, sites such as Wikipedia, Reddit, Craigslist, Google, Tumblr and many others, are demonstrating in a very real way the potential impact of these bills.

The day-long blocking of websites highlights the outright denial of access to information these bills would likely impose. Ironically, for two bills that are supposed to combat “foreign” counterfeiting or copyright infringing, today’s demonstration highlights how they would likely hit home right here in the U.S. The ALA is on the record  having taken a strong stance in opposition to these bills and we also constructed the PIPA, SOPA and OPEN Act Quick Reference Guide.  In addition, the ALA deplores any legislation that would incentivize and likely increase surveillance of online activity promoted by these bills. These bills, if passed, would likely blanket Internet activity with an immediate chilling effect – on first amendment free speech rights, intellectual freedom and privacy rights, among others.”

–Corey Williams Associate Director Office of Government Relations

 

“No lumps, thank you. A Bra Anthologie” – On Display Beginning January 18

What do fishing reels, oranges, & antlers have in common? How about tea cups, maracas, & pears? Find out at the BSC Library!

No lumps, thank you. A Bra Anthologie is an uplifting and entertaining photographic collection of playful brassieres created from a wide and wild variety of common objects. Artist Meg Spielman Peldo has created remarkably clever images that  will appeal  … whether you favor training wheels, snowballs, or melons.

There is a universal vibe of humor surrounding bras.  No matter what your relationship is with breasts and bras, this exhibit is sure to make you smile with its quirky interpretations of the silly terms associated with bras and breasts. Bra-vo to that funny invention designed to hold our melons … knockers … or rack!

These original fine art images with their humorous titles will be released in a coffee table book this summer by Schiffer Books, and, as a bonus, will also raise funds for breast cancer charities.  The BSC Library will definitely be ordering a copy!

About the Artist

Meg Spielman Peldo is a fine art and portrait photographer and ceramic artist whose work has been featured on HGTV’s “That’s Clever” and can be found in private and corporate collections around the world. Her North Dakota images have been presented to dignitaries on multiple trade missions across Asia. Spielman has also won numerous awards and licensed images with publishers of greeting cards, calendars, and prints. The daughter of a lingerie designer for Hollywood Vassarette in the 1950s, Spielman is happy to now be creating art bras. A graduate of UND, she lives in Fargo.

On display at the Gannon Gallery, BSC Library, January 18-February 15

Meet the artist at the opening reception on January 18, 4-6 p.m.

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Research Works Act

Librarians and advocates of open access to scholarly research are opposed to the Research Works Act (H.R. 3699), which has been referred to the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform.  Those on the side of open access believe that taxpayers should have ”access to and benefits from research they paid to produce.”  Publishers of scholarly journals see things differently.  They view their work in publishing research articles as “value-added contribution, including peer review or editing.”

In a nutshell, the bill (as it now stands) would ”prohibit federal agencies from conditioning their grants to require that articles reporting on publicly funded research be made accessible to the public online.” 

For more details, read this article posted on The Digital Shift:  ”Librarians, Open Access Advocates ‘Vehemently Oppose’ Research Works Act.”

eBook Tug of War

Check out this New York Times article: “Publishers vs. Libraries: an eBook Tug of War” (12/24/2011).     

It gives a great overview of the constraints libraries face in trying to make ebooks available to their users.

Why Johnny Can’t Search

The November issue of Wired magazine featured an article entitled “Clive Thompson on Why Kids Can’t Search.”

The article talks about the problems students have searching for information online.  The author notes that, “High school and college students may be `digital natives,’ but they’re wretched at searching. In a recent experiment at Northwestern, when 102 undergraduates were asked to do some research online, none went to the trouble of checking the authors’ credentials.**  In 1955, we wondered why Johnny can’t read. Today the question is, why can’t Johnny search?”

The article also discusses a study which proves that students are not searching critically or assessing the information they find.

To librarians, this is not much of a revelation.

What does this mean for you?

Thompson noted that “Librarians are our national leaders in this fight; they’re the main ones trying to teach search skills to kids today.” DO make use of the talents of your BSC librarians. We can help you with your research and teach you better ways to find information.  We can meet with class groups or departmental groups or with individuals.  To set up an instructional session or an appointment with a librarian, contact us at Ask a Librarian, call us (224-5450), or stop by the reference desk.

**Note: Clive Thompson is a contributing writer for the New York Times Magazine and a columnist for Wired.

BookTalk at BSC 2012 – LibGuide

BookTalk at BSC 2012 kicks off this Sunday, January 8, with a discussion of O Pioneers! by Willa Cather.  We will meet from 1 to 3 p.m. at the BSC Library and Amy Juhala, Associate Professor of English, will be our fearless leader.  I hope you will be there!

To help you learn more about all of the books and authors and to find additional resources to enhance your reading, we invite you to check out the BookTalk at BSC 2012 LibGuide, too.  Your comments are welcome.

Good reading!

New Year’s Resolution 2012 – Cultivate the Habit of Reading

“To acquire the habit of reading is to construct for yourself a refuge from almost all the miseries of life.” — W. Somerset Maugham

What’s your New Year’s resolution for 2012?  Why not cultivate the habit of reading? 

Here are some tips to help you get started:

• Have a few set times every day to read for 5-10 minutes.
• Always carry a book or magazine or an ereader with you.  If you end up waiting somewhere, reading is a great way to pass the time.
• Keep a list of the books you want to read.
• Find a quiet, comfortable place where you can read without interruption.  Make it a pleasure for yourself.
• Reduce your TV/Internet time.  Step away from the screens!
• Read out loud — to your kids, to your partner, to someone in the hospital or a nursing home.
• Keep a log or journal.  Write down what you read (author & title), when you read it, and what you thought about it.
• Talk to others!  Tell them about what you’re reading.  Ask about what they’re reading.  Join a book club and go to book discussions like BookTalk at BSC.
• Visit your favorite library every week!  Go to used book shops and used book sales and bookstores.
• Read things you like and also challenge yourself by trying something new.
• Aim high (50 books this year?) and set out to do your best to accomplish that goal.

HAVE A HAPPY, READING-FILLED NEW YEAR!

The Library Alternative

I’ve posted about the uneasy relationship between publishers and libraries before.  In the December 19, 2011, issue of Publishers Weekly, there’s an interesting article by Peter Brantley entitled “The Library Alternative,” in which he says:

“… libraries provide a unique storefront for literature. Publishers must recognize that an important strategic sales opportunity now rests where it has never before existed: libraries may be their best retail outlet.”

Brantley goes on to talk about a variety of ideas to make e-books “work for libraries, publishers, and readers.”

Check it out!