January update

Last time, I wrote about New Year's resolutions. How have I done so far? Nothing added to LibraryThing, but still putting titles in my ratty notebook which I haven't rebound yet. First two, nada. Organizing my room? I got a new clothes hamper, so the floor is tidier. 1 point for #3. Finishing my quilt...I bought some more fabric for said quilt, and I pulled out the squares from their hiding place. I've also taken apart some old clothes to repurpose into squares or bits for the quilt. 1.5 points for #4. I have made more art in that I finished spinning all the merino wool I got for Christmas, plus started spinning alpaca, and the quilt is out of the dark. 2 points for #5. Finally, traveling...I did drive to Williamstown, MA on MLK Day weekend and visited Sweet Brook Farm where I bought the aforementioned alpaca fiber and met the alpacas. I drove to Norfolk, MA last week, which is tucked off the beaten path and is quite lovely. There is no exit for it on 495-- you have to drive through Franklin, MA to get there, so it's a sneaky little gem. :) No visiting people I know per se, so 1 point for #6. I'm satisfied with that. It's only been a month. February brings my first Nutmeg meeting. I am also hoping for a snow day somewhere so I can bust out all my crafts. Craft extravaganza.

In library-world news, ALA announced the Youth Media Awards, which are like the Oscars of the children's/YA book scene. I've read the Caldecott and Newbery winners already, but the Printz and Morris are now on my to-read list. If that sentence made no sense to you, go here for ALA's press release.

Ex libris,

Marissa

Read no evil?

September 26-October 3 is Banned Books Week. A few of my personal favorites from the lists:

Looking for Alaska by John Green
The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett




The Twilight series by Stephenie Meyer
Catch-22 by Joseph Heller
Naked Lunch by William S. Burroughs
Slaughterhouse Five by Kurt Vonnegut

Celebrate the freedom to read!

Ex libris,

Marissa

Happy National Library Week

Happy National Library Week!  It started on April 12 and runs through April 18.  Today is National Library Workers Day.  Go show the folks who work at your library some love.  Here is a link to the NLW homepage at ALA.  There doesn't seem to be the awesome commercials for NLW like there was last year, but commercials or no, supporting libraries is always important and definitely needed this year what with the economic downturn boosting use.

The theme this year is "Worlds connect @ your library."  Can I justify joining and using Twitter as a way of celebrating?  That's connecting with different worlds.  I swore I'd never get on Twitter...but then I said the same thing about MySpace and restarting a blog and Flickr.  Hmm.  Stay tuned...I am undecided on Twitter yet.

Ex libris,

Marissa

Coolness discovered.

So I was reading through all the back issues of American Libraries Direct that are emailed to me weekly and I found this cool blog of a librarian up in Massachusetts. It's witty and I think the guy (yes, an actual male librarian) is pretty cute. So I thought I'd pass along the coolness. I like librarian blogs because I can relate to them. You may not, but give this one a look-see just once, just for kicks.

Ex libris,

Marissa

Happy Banned Books Week!

Freedom to read is so important. Therefore, I wanted to post the most frequently challenged books for 2007. Here they are:

1. “And Tango Makes Three,” by Justin Richardson/Peter Parnell
Reasons: Anti-Ethnic, Sexism, Homosexuality, Anti-Family, Religious Viewpoint, Unsuited to Age Group

2. “The Chocolate War,” by Robert Cormier
Reasons: Sexually Explicit, Offensive Language, Violence

3. “Olive’s Ocean,” by Kevin Henkes
Reasons: Sexually Explicit, Offensive Language

4. “The Golden Compass,” by Philip Pullman
Reasons: Religious Viewpoint

5. “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn,” by Mark Twain
Reasons: Racism

6. “The Color Purple,” by Alice Walker
Reasons: Homosexuality, Sexually Explicit, Offensive Language,

7. “TTYL,” by Lauren Myracle
Reasons: Sexually Explicit, Offensive Language, Unsuited to Age Group

8. “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings,” by Maya Angelou
Reasons: Sexually Explicit

9. “It’s Perfectly Normal,” by Robie Harris
Reasons: Sex Education, Sexually Explicit

10. “The Perks of Being A Wallflower,” by Stephen Chbosky
Reasons: Homosexuality, Sexually Explicit, Offensive Language, Unsuited to Age Group

For more information about ALA's Banned Books Week, go here. In the meantime, go read, and be thankful you can read whatever you like.

Ex libris,

Marissa

Kudos to library clerks!

I thought this article was awesome. This observant library clerk noticed some fishy activities and the offender was caught. :)

Also, I joined ALA and I feel all official now!

Ex libris,

Marissa