SCLS Teen Services

Congratulations to Laurie Ridgway of Rogers Memorial Library.  She is the winner of our Holiday Gift Basket. Here is Laurie’s winning entry:

Books can make one cry, suffer, feel pain, climb bitter cold mountains, traverse deserts, meet physical challenges but endure!  One can also fall in love, laugh, sing with joy, gain victory, success, perfection, and happiness.  Books offer us th world from the soft, safe, comfort of our easy chair. What gift could be better?

The gift basket contains signed copies of Chandra’s Wars by Allan Stratton , Chiggers by Hope Larson, Climbing the Stairs by Padma Venkatraman , Finding Our Way by Rene Saldana Jr., Looks by Madeleine George, Princess Ben by Catherine Murdock, and Wicked Lovely by Melissa Marr .  The basket also includes an audio copy of My One Hundred Adventures by Polly Horvath and audio samples of Eon and Impossible.

Suffolk Web is on Facebook!

You can access the county catalog, access e-resources, and locate other libraries in the county.

This useful site also includes a listing of upcoming events, a link to Answers 24×7 and Historic Newspapers.

There is also a portal to the new SuffolkWeb page.

This is a page to bookmark!

Thanks to presenters Andrew Bollerman, Kristen Brewi, Margaret Britton and all those who attended Ultimate DIY. Thanks to all who shared information on fantastic programs.  The snowball fight was a fun way to get acquainted.  (Now we know where to go for help with serious construction help or for a motorcycle ride.) Congratulations to Brian for winning the book speed dating contest.  And now we all want to read Spooky Creepy Long Island!

We were all wowed by Andrea Graham’s wiki!   Here’s what attendees said: “Andrea’s wiki will be such an amazing tool for me this coming winter.”  “Great idea with the teen wiki. Can’t wait until it’s not in beta anymore.”

In addition to blogs, several teen libraries are creating Facebook accounts.

This appears to be an excellent way to reach out and communicate with patrons.  Upcoming programs & events are easy to find,

Check out the Facebook pages for Rogers Memorial Library Teen Department and Cold Spring Harbor Teen Services:

Suffolk Cooperative Library System has added this useful e-resource for teens, tweens, teachers, parents, and media specialists.  Included in the database are individual fiction title records, book reviews, articles, and lists. Table of contents, book discussion guides, and curricular connections are also available for some titles.

A basic search is a keyword search and will return results for title, subject, genre, and author. To refine your search use the dropdown limiters found in the advanced search feature, located above the basic search box.

An individual record for a particular title will include such information as reading level, number of pages, and author information. A very nice catagory is ”Find Similar”. The reader can look for similar books by subject heading and limit the search to specified interests.

The series feature is worth investigating. You can search by keyword, title, or author.  You can also view all of the titles in a particular series.  Readers and librarians will appreciate that each title is designated by a numeral, designating the sequential placement of the title, for those readers who desire to follow a series “in order.”

To access this resource, go to Suffolk e-Resources and select NoveList K-8.

A short introductory video and quick start guide are also available.

If you are familiar with EBSCO products, you will find familiar features such as the ability to sort, set alerts, and save results to folders. 

Your comments on this database are most welcome.

The 2008 Battle of the Books was held at Javits Lecture Center on Saturday August 16. Thirty-seven teams demonstrated their knowledge of eight titles: Best Foot Forward, Code Orange, Flush, Heat, Hidden Talents, Maximum Ride: The Angel Experiment, The Two Princesses of Bamarre, and Wolf Rider.

However, the Battle was about more than books. Memorable moments  included awards given to first time attendees East HamptonLibrary, Elwood PUblic Library, and Riverhead Free Library.  It was nice to see the classy teams from Connetquot Public Library and Sachem Public Library, who arrived as an entire team on Monday night, ready to cheer on the winners.  However, the highlight of the evening was the standing ovation given by the Patchogue-Medford Library to the Sayville Library.

Suffolk teens and teen services are exemplary!

A listing of recognized teams may be found on the Battle page.

The slide show displayed above is a sample of Suffolk teams preparing for Battle of the Books.

There are several ways that you can share photos of your library, programs, and teens.

Ryan has created a flickr page where you can post photos:

http://www.flickr.com/groups/suffolkcountypubliclibraries/ 

You can also upload photos and videos to Teen Librarian.

You are also welcome to send any images or videos either directly to me of send me the link to your posted photos.  On SCLS Teen Services I like to post photos of actual teens, usually a close up of faces, who are involved in some type of interesting activity.  I like to post the photos of library buildings, decorations, and large group activities on SCLS Teen Tour.  In fact, I just posted a nice photo Lynn sent of the new chairs in her teen area.

We all love seeing what’s happening around the county, so be sure to share those picture perfect- and not so perfect moments.

YALSA’s 2008 Great Graphic Novel selection committee is seeking teen input. Do you have a group of teens who would be willing to voice their opinions about the current slate of nominated titles?  Any group of teens who would like to meet at their local library, look over a selection of titles ( the books will be supplied) and vote for their favorites is welcome!

If you have a potential group (any size) that might be interested, please contact Barbara Moon.

View the nominated list.

Nominate a title.

Purpose of Recommended Graphic Novel List:

“The list presents graphic novels published in the past 16 months that are recommended reading for teens aged twelve to eighteen. It is a general list of graphic novels, both fiction and nonfiction, selected for proven or potential appeal to the personal reading tastes of teens.

For the purpose of the committee, graphic novels are defined to include trade compilations and original works published in a sequential art format. Such titles should incorporate acceptable literary and artistic quality with effectiveness of presentation.

Standard selection criteria consistent with the Library Bill of Rights shall apply. Librarianship focuses on individuals, in all their diversity, and that focus is a fundamental value of the Young Adult Library Services Association and its members. Diversity is, thus, honored in the Association and in the collections and services that libraries provide to teens.”

Paperback Preview is our lastest book review site. This wiki is dedicated to books that are originally published in paperback. Reviews are written by volunteer Suffolk County young adult librarians. The wiki is organized with the most recent reviews on the Front Page. At the bottom of the Front Page readers will find a linked listing of all reviewers.The sidebar on the right of the page allows users to search by genre. To learn about new paperback books and to find out what teen librarians think about them, visit Paperback Preview.  Thanks to our reviewers: Lauren Bernat, Margaret Britton, and Mary Maggio.

The SCLS to YOU box is traveling around the county.  Filled with lots of prizes and surprises, its a package that Catherine has described it as “Christmas and Spring Cleaning.”  Ten libraries (West Babylon, Commack, Patchogue-Medford, Mastics-Moriches-Shirley, Port Jefferson, Northport, Hauppauge, North Babylon, Sachem, and Hampton Bays) have already received the box and sent it on. If you would like to join the fun and get on the SCLS to YOU mailing list, leave a note on Teen Librarian.