Blog Post
Space Obsessed
by StoryLaura
I put the new book, Greetings from Planet Earth, down the other night to listen to my favorite radio show, The Story, and heard about the hilarious adventures of the rocket science friends. What fun, since Barabara Kerley's new book is about 12 year old Theo who knows everything about the cosmos. The year is 1977 and he is avidly following NASA's plans to send Voyager 2 on it's journey through space, while longing for his father who never returned from the Vietnam War.
Blog Post
The Chicken Chasing Queen of Lamar County by Janice N. Harrington
by Tahira
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A little girl loves to chase chickens. She won't stop until she catches her favorite, Miss Hen. When she finally gets close enough to grab the sly hen she is in for a surprise. This is a fun story with a warm ending.
Blog Post
The monthly horror that is your cell phone bill
by remnil
If you're an NPR listener, you might have noticed a veritable media blitzkrieg for Bob Sullivan, popular columnist for MSNBC business exposé blog The Red Tape Chronicles. Recently, Sullivan has appeared on Marketplace and Fresh Air. Could Talk of the Nation be next?
Sullivan has been plugging his new book on something near and not-so-dear to all of our hearts: hidden fees. Whether they be from your bank, your credit card company, or your cell phone carrier, fees seem not only like a way of life for consumers, but a viable business model. And a source of higher blood pressure. Gotcha Capitalism details these pocketbook-draining schemes, and how to avoid them.
Of course, you've already proven yourself an intelligent consumer. You can avoid all sorts of hidden fees from bookstores and credit companies alike by checking out the book from us. Providing you return it on time, of course!
Blog Post
Rosetta Stone Will No Longer Be Available After March 31, 2008
by Van
Rosetta Stone has sent us “formal notice that Rosetta Stone Online will no longer be available to public libraries for use in online database offerings.”
Therefore, the Ann Arbor District Library will no longer be able to provide online access to Rosetta Stone after our current contract expires on March 31, 2008. At that time all public library registered users will no longer be able to log on to Rosetta Stone.
Foreign Language Materials at the Library
In the Foreign Languages section of the AADL Select Sites you can find some basic online instruction through the BBC Languages, FSI Language Courses, Livemocha, and Mango Languages.
We will be adding the substantial subscription price for Rosetta Stone to the library’s budget for foreign language learning materials in order to provide the Pimsleur Language Programs on compact disc (the beginning, intermediate, and high intermediate (Levels I, II, and II) courses).
The library has very good collections of print and audio courses available for check out. Click on Read More for links to the catalog for a few foreign languages or search the catalog under the name of the foreign language you want to learn.
Blog Post
Agatha Christie
by jaegerla
Agatha Christie tricks us every time. Has anyone out there reading ever solved one of her mysteries before the entire plot is explained at the end of the book? It's one of my goals in life to figure out the killer beforehand, without just making a lucky guess. Ten Little Indians (also known as And Then There Were None) was a difficult one. You start off with ten potential murderers, all locked away on an island together, and then one by one their numbers dwindle, which should supposedly make figuring out the culprit easier. And still, I could not solve the mystery. Have a go at this book and tell me who you think it is before reaching the final chapter!
Blog Post
Shazam!
by anned
Jeff Smith's take on Captain Marvel is finally available in the collected edition, Shazam! The Monster Society of Evil, and it's one of my favorites from 2007. Those of you who know and love Smith's Bone will not be disappointed. Captain Marvel has been brought into the present day world, but Smith has nailed the childlike quality of the hero perfectly. His art, his story, his dialogue, pacing, the sheer sense of wonder on display all reflect the age of the hero, young Billy Batson. Great story, great art.
Blog Post
1964- a groundbreaking year
by Maxine
On January 8, 1964,
President Lyndon Johnson declared a War on Poverty that began a series of programs that among other things would help educate pre-school children, fund health care for millions of Americans and help college students finance their education. Johnson in his March, 1964 speech before Congress, charted a new course that would change indelibly the government's role in helping the poor and underserved.
Blog Post
Book'em
by muffy
Newspapers Beef Up Online Book Coverage: according to a recent articles in Publishers Weekly.
Among the best regional dailies are The Atlanta Journal-Constitution Book Page, Chicago Tribune; San Francisco Chronicle; and The Dallas Morning News. Most include reviews, blogs and some (Dallas) include excerpts of new books.
But no one does it like Los Angeles Times; The New York Times; and the The Washington Post. They all include an active blog community, first chapters, podcasts, and other unique features like bestsellers, Editors Choices, e-newsletters, and forthcoming title alerts. Bookmark them to stay ahead of the herd.
Blog Post
National Ambassador for Young People's Literature
by kidlit
The Librarian of Congress has named author Jon Scieszka as the first National Ambassador for Young People's Literature.
"This position was created to raise national awareness of the importance of young people's literature as it relates to lifelong literacy, education and the development and betterment of the lives of young people."
Scieszka is a Michigan native. He was born in Flint and graduated from Albion College. He is the author of many books, including the classics The Stinky Cheese Man and Math Curse. He writes the Time Warp Trio series for young readers. His latest endeavor is Jon Scieszka's Truck Town. This series for the very young will feature of fleet of very loud crashing trucks and will appear in several different formats.
Mr. Scieszka is also the author of www.guysread.com. One of his pet causes is getting boys to read and keeping them as lifelong readers.
This appointment is good news for the world of children's books.
Blog Post
Elder Care
by iralax
Muriel R. Gillick, M.D., of Harvard Medical School, has written The Denial of Aging, a timely guide to the aging process and the kinds of services that will be most helpful to us as individuals and as a country. She explains how overuse of expensive tests and procedures for acute illnesses, paid for by Medicare, can mean less funding for research and fewer resources for managing more common chronic conditions. She engages the reader with anecdotes from her medical practice that describe the challenges she encounters with her elderly patients. Her focus is always on quality of care. Dr. Gillick encourages greater awareness and the importance of political action to achieve better outcomes for older adults. An appendix provides information about organizations that are actively involved in that process.