Growing up, my family only recycled when they saw the payoff in cash. Back in the 1970s we would take our bottled soda glasses back to the store for a few cents each. In the 1980s, still soda drinkers, we recycled our soda cans by taking them to the aluminum recycling center. We were helping […]
Featured Articles
Featured Article: Adults Read YA Too
In Crossover Readers’ Advisory: Maximize Your Collection to Meet Reader Satisfaction, edited by Jessica E. Moyer, she and various librarians present a collection of adult books that teens may like and a collection of young adult books that adults may like. Moyer and the other contributors have done a wonderful job of filling a void in Reader’s Advisory. With […]
Featured Article : St. Patrick’s Day Theme
Holidays provide extra fun for school classrooms and public libraries. Not only are they a great excuse for fun, out-of-the box activities, but they also provide a wealth of themes and opportunities for lesson plans. It seems that whenever there is a theme attached to learning, children become more involved. It was true in my role as […]
Featured Article: The Dog That Changed My Mind
On February 16th many in the world celebrated Chinese New Year, thus beginning the Year of the Dog. The Chinese regard the dog as a lucky animal and one who brings good fortune. In general, dogs are known for their loyalty and ask nothing in return but love and affection. I never understood the concept […]
Featured Article: Happy Anniversary Read & Shine
I recently had a college student, who is studying to be a teacher, ask me what is the one book I think every child should read. I replied there isn’t one, however, every child should be represented in a book in her classroom. Now more than ever this is so true. As Read & Shine […]
Who is the author of Nancy Drew?
Last week while working on a weeding project in the nonfiction section, I stumbled upon the book Girl Sleuth: Nancy Drew and the women who created her by Melanie Rehak. This book’s premise is how the Nancy Drew series came to be and the two most influential authors of the series. I had known that […]
Stuff the Stocking with Series Books
The Christmas tree lights are shining and enjoyed by everyone in the family, who have all settled down near the tree after a festive evening meal. A single gift is handed to each family member and, with immense anticipation, each person opens the gift to find the same item. Well, the same item but not; […]
Joyeux Noel! Kala Christouyenna! Feliz Navidad! Nollaig Shona Dhuit!
As I undertook this week’s Read & Shine newsletter I was met with anxiety. You see, I love Christmas and love reading about Christmas customs all over the world. Many years ago, I found a small book at a discount store that had a page for each of the many types of Christmas celebrations around […]
World Kindness Week- November 13 through November 20
“Kindness is the language which the deaf can hear and the blind can see”- Mark Twain On November 13, 1997, a group of humanitarian organizations from around the world came together at a conference in Tokyo and made a ‘Declaration of Kindness.’ This declaration had no political nor religious affiliations. The main goal was to […]
Celebrate Banned Books
In a past position as a high school librarian, I entered my office one day to find an art history book on my desk opened to a photograph of a nude statue. Confused, I simply put the book back on its appropriate shelf only to have it reappear on my desk later in the week. […]
Heather Kindschy, award-winning Media Specialist, CLCD friend and former newsletter editor – at the LC Summer Teaching Institute.
Heather Kindschy is a beacon in the world of education. Former Georgia Media Specialist of the Year, Metro Atlanta Media Specialist of the Year, and Media Specialist of the Year in the Cobb County School District, Kindschy keeps her eye on the latest trends and pedagogy in education and libraries. So, it was no surprise […]
Author Chat – R. Gregory Christie
R. Gregory Christie has made quite a name for himself in the world of children’s literature. He has been a Coretta Scott King Illustrator Honor recipient five times and has received numerous other awards for his illustrations. I recently had the pleasure of hearing R. Gregory Christie speak at a literature conference, and later that […]
Murder in the Mountains – A Northern Light and the True-life Murder that Inspired It
“Gillette Electrocuted for the Murder of Sweetheart.” It is a headline ripped straight from a 1908 newspaper and just as compelling as ever. A recent visit to the Adirondacks reminded me of one of my favorite historical fiction books, A Northern Light by Jennifer Donnelly and the true-life crime upon which Donnelly’s story revolves. It […]
Author Chat – The Fan Brothers
The Fan Brothers, Terry and Eric, are the “it” boys of children’s literature. This sibling author/illustrator duo is responsible for the award-winning The Night Gardener. Their illustrations beg a second and at least a third look before you have seen all the details and the story is just as awe-inspiring. With their debut being such […]
Serendipitous CLCD Enterprise Searches
There are a lot of great things about CLCD Enterprise, but one of my favorites is the ability to get lost. Getting lost is not a bad thing, think Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. Sometimes I feel like I have fallen down a rabbit hole. For example, thinking of ideas for this week’s newsletter, I remembered […]
Marilyn Courtot – Founder of CLCD
CLCD, as it stands now, has come a long way from its inception in 1993, when a computer programmer and the first female assistant secretary of the U.S. Senate, decided it was time for a career change. Marilyn Courtot endeavored to create a source for teachers, librarians, parents, and childcare providers that offered reviews of […]
National Teacher’s Day — Celebrating One of the Best!
National Teachers day is May 9, 2017 and to celebrate I decided to honor one of my longest and closest friends, Leslie Randall Peters, who also happens to be an amazing art teacher. Of all of my friends, (all 4 of them), it seems that Leslie always knew exactly what she wanted and how to […]
Love for Libraries — Celebrating National Library Week
I have a love hate relationship with libraries. Of course, having worked in a public library, academic library, school library, and medical library, I love libraries! Still, having worked in a public library, academic library, school library, and medical library, I hate libraries. Let me explain. I have often said I could write a book […]
Alyssa Harvey — Librarian Extraordinaire
Alyssa Harvey is my hero. As a circulation assistant at the Cortland Free Library she has made her mark in Youth Services. When I left my job as Youth Services Librarian after my maternity leave she was there to pick up where I left off and in the absence of a Librarian she took over […]
Pink is for Girls, Blue is for Boys
Long before becoming a parent I read a book that would forever influence how I raise my children, Redefining Girly: How Parents Can Fight the Stereotyping and Sexualizing of Girlhood, from Birth to Tween, by Melissa Atkins Wardy. Essentially it brings to light what we all see on a daily basis; all-pink aisles in toy […]
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