Featured websites

I don't know about you, but when I see someone out in public reading a book, I always want to know the title. When I was in Chicago a couple of weeks ago, I saw people reading books while standing at bus stops, sitting in parks and waiting outside the train station. The book I spotted the most was (no surprise) Fifty Shades of Grey.

Well, today on the Internet, I ran across someone in New York City who has made a photo series called Underground New York Public Library. The site features photos of people reading on NYC subways. Luckily for my sense of curiosity, the photographer also includes the book title. Not only is it fun to see what people are reading, but it is also interesting to see what the nonreaders in the shot are doing. Check it out at http://undergroundnewyorkpubliclibrary.com/ 

If you click on the first picture it will take you to a flickr account where you can view all the photos in a slide show.

East Lansing is a wonderful international community!  Parents, caregivers, and children may be interested in this great source for children's books written in other languages - the International Children's Digital Library (ICDL).  ICDL has thousands of children's books from over 60 countries written in 16 languages for ages 3-13. The great news is, you can read these for FREE on your computer with Internet access. (Apps are also available for various titles for iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch.)  To investigate the ICDL web site, click here.

Over the years, the East Lansing Public Library has expanded its own collection of books written for children and adults in other languages. To see books in the Community Languages Collection in our catalog, click here.  

Did you know that the Library of Congress has a Flickr account? The account includes pictures of the library itself as well as collections they have uploaded from the library.

Check it out at http://www.flickr.com/photos/library_of_congress/

Beginning May 1, TumbleBookLibrary will be available from our website!

TumbleBookLibrary is an online collection of TumbleBooks, animated, talking picture books which teach kids the joy of reading in a format they'll love.

TumbleBooks  are created by taking existing picture books, adding animation, sound, music  and narration to produce an electronic picture book which you can read, or have read to you.

To read more about the TumbleBookLibrary, click here.

We're counting down to Election Day 2010.  Here are informational websites to help you sort out the candidates and the issues.

Project Vote Smart.  A nonprofit, nonpartisan organization with the mission of providing citizens with information about the political system, issues, elected officials, and candidates from the state legislative level up to the presidency.

League of Women Voters - 2010 Michigan Voter Guide. 

League of Women Voters of Michigan - Home Site. 

Publius Voter Guide for Michigan.   View your ballot, polling location, and information about the candidates.

Lansing State Journal Election 2010 Guide.  View candidate biographies and responses to questions posed by LSJ.

City of East Lansing Election Resources Webpage.

If you're a Diary of a Wimpy Kid fan, you probably know the DVD was released August 3.  To place a hold on one of the library's copies, click here.  Just a reminder, our DVDs cost $1.50 for a one-week rental. The sequel, based on the second book, Rodrick Rules, is scheduled to be released March 25, 2011.

                                                               
Diary of a Wimpky Kid 5 is scheduled to hit the streets Novemeber 9 with a 5 million book first-print run.  It's the largest print run for the series to date!  The cover and title, The Ugly Truth, were revealed on July 29. Be one of the first kids to read it by placing a hold here.          
 

BOOKS FOR BOYS

                  

Every summer it seems we get many requests from parents asking us to help their school-age sons find something to read.  Many times these boys are reluctant readers. Connecting a child with a book he is eager to read is one of our greatest pleasures!

Did you know there are also great websites that have book suggestions for boys, tips for getting boys to read, and more?

Guys Read, a web-based literacy program for boys is a great place to start.  It was begun by author (and Flint, MI native) Jon Scieszka, named in 2008 as the first National Ambassador for Young People's Literature.

Boy Meets Book is also an excellent website for finding books boys will like and tips for parents of boys. This website was created by Michael Sullivan - teacher, librarian, chess instructor, author, storyteller, and expert on boys and reading.

One of my favorite websites for reading about children's books is KidsReads.com. Besides the Great Books for Boys list, other features include lists of new books, series books, and books into movies as well as trivia, author interviews, contests and more.

For other reading lists for boys, try BoysRead.org and Parents Choice Book List for Boys. 

AP tests are coming up and the library has a FREE way for you to take AP practice exams online.  Here is how you do it:

Are you still looking for a quality holiday gift for a special child in your life?  Check out the Parents' Choice 2009 Holiday Gift Guide .  To find a great gift, you are able to search for Featured Gift Ideas, Gifts by Age, and Gifts by Price.  If that isn't enough, the site also features a Gift Finder in which you can plug in the child's interests (such as animals, reading, arts & crafts, etc.), their age, and your budget.

While you're on the site, check out the Parents' Choice Fall 2009 Award Winners.  Since 1978, the Parents' Choice Awards program "honors the best material for children: books, toys, music and storytelling, magazines, software, videogames, television and websites.  Parents' Choice Foundation's panel of educators, scientists, performing artists, librarians, parents, and yes, kids themselves, identify the very best products for children of different ages and backgrounds, and of varied skill and interest levels."

Whether it's Simone Weil or Simone de Beauvoir...    Whether it's John Mayer or John Tyler...   Whether it's Marilyn Monroe or Marilyn Manson...

Biographical information is at your fingertips for over 380,000 people--from throughout history, around the world, and across all disciplines and subject areas--in the Biography Resource Center. 

Whatever the depth of knowledge you need, it's here.  Brief summary biographies give you "just the facts, ma'am."   In-depth biographies provide overviews of the person's life and
 

Did you know there's an auto mechanic 'on duty' 24/7 at the library?

Whether you're fixing up your first car, keeping the family chariot running smoothly, or renovating a classic, ELPL has the ChiltonLibrary.com auto repair database that can help get you rolling!

The Chilton Car Care manuals in print have a decades-long reputation for being the reliable and trusted resource for complete and detailed automotive information.  Now, the online Chilton database puts the same trustworthy information at your fingertips. 

To access ChiltonLibrary.com, click on the Research tab at the top of the page, then choose ChiltonLibrary.com from the alphabetical list of databases.  You will need to enter your library card number.

Summer's here and what better time to think about the health of you and your family?  The Health and Wellness Resource Center database is your one-stop source for quality information.

Find out how to deal with summer's sunburn, mosquito bites, and heat dehydration.  Look up a specific drug and the symptoms it treats.  Or search by symptom and find out what drugs treat those symptoms.  Find a medical term confusing?  Look it up in the dictionary section.  Then stay up to date on health and medical issues in "Topics in the News." 

The Health and Wellness Resource Center is available in the alphabetical list of databases under the Research tab at the top of the page.

For guidelines on evaluating any health information on the internet, check out MedlinePlus: Evaluating Health Information.