Publisher’s Weekly calls David Weinberger’s Everything Is Miscellaneous: the Power of the New Digital Disorder a “call to embrace complexity.” Weinberger argues that, rather than trying to control information, organizations (like libraries) should allow the information they “own” to merge with information from other sources, and allow consumers to add to it.
We’ve added The Dangerous Book for Boys and The Daring Book for Girls, both full of activities kids can do when they’re not playing Wii or watching TV. Learn to make a battery, or a bow and arrow, how to care for a softball glove, tie a sari, put your hair up with a pencil, and pull off some basic Karate moves—or read about spies, pirates, dinosaurs, modern princesses, or ancient queens.
If you would like to read about the Presidential candidates we have John McCain’s two memoirs Faith of my Fathers and Worth the Fighting For, and Barack Obama’s Dreams from My Father and The Audacity of Hope. In addition, we’ve added Shelby Steele’s A Bound Man: Why We Are Excited about Obama and Why He Can’t Win, and David Mendell’s Obama: from Promise to Power.
In the 1st floor display cases we’re featuring some new books about teenagers and suicide, football, faith, time travel, murder, musical theater, roller derby or the Wild West. The actual books are on the shelves and can be found through the online catalog.
We’ve added four CitySteps Literacy theme kits from ETA/Cuisenaire. These kits provide materials and suggested activities for helping children develop skills in oral language, print awareness, phonological awareness, alphabet knowledge, and emergent writing. Each kit includes a lap book, Jumbo Reading Rods, activity cards and toys for dramatic play, all centered on a theme (Amazing Animals, Marvelous Me, Vroom Vroom Machines, or Weather Watcher). CitySteps kits are available to check out from the 2nd floor Instructional Materials Center (IMC).
We’ve added Shaun Tan’s award-winning The Arrival , a wordless graphic novel capturing the immigrant experience. Gilbert Hernandez’ Sloth follows three disillusioned high school students who live through music, urban legends and sex. Mike Carey’s Re-Gifters tells about a Korean American teenager who, blinded by romance, almost gives up her chance to compete in a martial arts competition. In R. Kikuo Johnson’s Night Fisher a high school senior is drawn into Maui’s criminal underworld. And in Runaways six teens find out their parents are all super-villains! We’ve all been there . . .
On the DVD No Maps on My Taps veteran tap dancers Bunny Briggs, Chuck Green, and Sandman Sims talk about their careers and tap as an art form. Also new in the Fine Arts Materials Collection (FAMC), Alvin Ailey talks about his early career and the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater in the DVD Dance On: Alvin Ailey. To check out these DVDs or anything shelved in FAMC-AV, ask at the 2nd floor Circulation desk.
In honor of Shakespeare’s birthday (which may or may not have been April 23rd) Neat Stuff recommends Sarah Hoyt’s fantasy novel Ill Met by Moonlight, wherein young Will is drawn into a plot to kill a fairy king (so that’s where he got his ideas). Michael Gruber’s more recent literary thriller The Book of Air and Shadows follows the search for an unknown Shakespeare play. For younger readers, grades 6-up, Neat Stuff recommends the chapter book Ariel, a fantasy based on Shakespeare’s The Tempest.
We’ve added three new jazz dance DVDs: Musical Theater Dance features Christopher Gattelli presenting three Fosse-inspired dance routines for all levels. Jazz for the Beginner to Advanced Beginner, with Frank Hatchett, demonstrates step-by-step jazz dance techniques. Lyrical Jazz features choreographer Joey Dowling teaching the technical moves of lyrical jazz dance. To check out these DVDs or anything shelved in FAMC-AV, ask at the 2nd floor Circulation desk.
We’ve added three of David A. Carter’s pop-up books to our children’s literature collection. 600 Black Spots, One Red Dot, and Blue 2 invite readers to find specific shapes within Carter’s amazing paper sculptures. If you’re interested in building your own pop-ups, check out Carter’s The Elements of Pop-Up: a Pop-Up Book for Aspiring Paper Engineers.
