What is the Daily Yonder, you may ask? (And you know that Miss Bun, small town librarian, encourages any and all questions.) Well, it looks like the Daily Yonder is a website that filling a void . . . read on.
If you are one of the 55 million people living in the rural U.S you may have noticed that mainstream TV and newspapers are retreating from small towns. The Daily Yonder aims to be "your daily multi-media source of news, commentary, research, and features."
Check out their article on rural libraries The Backroad Librarian: Five Forwards to find out how rural libraries are faring these days and some points on keeping them people focused.
If folks in towns of fewer than 10,000 people "get" how important libraries are why is it taking the rest of us so long to acknowledge that one, small fact?
(Miss Bun would like to borrow the phrase "Libraries are people-centers, not warehouses for books!" and make it her battle cry. It just gives her chills!)
Gary Roma of Iron Frog Productions (an independent film and comedy production company) has put together a most interesting map of library cats around the world.
As of the last update there are an estimated 808 bibliofelines to be found in residence on the planet.
Miss Bun is not sure why books and cats go so well together but they do!
Who knew that Keith Richards (yes, the one from the Rolling Stones!) has a thing for libraries and books.
Librarians the world over are rejoicing about this choice quote he has given us:
“When you are growing up there are two institutional places that affect you most powerfully: the church, which belongs to God, and the public library, which belongs to you. The public library is a great equaliser.”
Whoa! Miss Bun thought she had died and gone to librarian heaven when she saw this photo for the first time!
Yes, Virginia, those really are giant 25 by 9 feet book spines set between two glass enclosed stairwells. There are 22 titles and you can find out what they are and how they were chosen here: Kansas City Public Library Community Bookshelf
While you're there be sure to tour the rest of the library's website. Looks like a busy, interesting place! Kudos!
LibraryGhost is all about Willard Library (over 110 years old & the oldest public library building in the state) in Evansville, Indiana and the Lady in Grey who walks alone among the bookshelves there.
There are ghost cams set up in three locations in the library that avid library ghost hunters can watch to their hearts content as well as photos, videos, and related links to explore.
It's too bad that some of the links don't work but that shouldn't stop you from checking out this awesome Victorian Gothic building that any self-respecting phantom would be honored to call home.
The Vampire Library "is a resource for readers of vampire fiction, literature and non-fiction books. This site offers lists of vampire books, detailed book information, and links to purchasing information where available."
What a great concept in light of all the Twilight-mania going on at the moment.
Here you can search through 1,048 books for your favorite prince (or princess) of darkness. Books are listed by Novels/Sequels, Fiction Series, Anthologies, Fiction Guide, Non Fiction, All By Title, & All by Author.
There is a blog (although it seems it is not regularly updated) as well as "Related Links" which has some interesting sites to check out. Oh, and they are on Twitter, too.
So, Peeps, get on out there and grow some fangs!!! Enjoy!
The National Library of Australia where you can click on "Explore Our Digital Collections" from which you can explore the Australian story through photos, audio recordings, maps, printed manuscripts, printed music & more. Be sure to click on "Online Exhibitions" under "Other Online Resources" (its on the middle right) to find out what a Bunyip is and how it fits into Australian culture.
There are many other fascinating things to look at and learn about here so take your time on this site.
Miss Bun (no relation whatsoever to the aforementioned creature!) has noted that visiting National Libraries is one way to explore another country without undue trials or tribulations (or expense)!
This little segment is from the 2009 ALA (American Library Association) Annual Conference in Chicago and features the Fifth Annual Bookcart Drill Team World Championship winners, Oak Park Public Libraryin Oak Park, Illinois
"It's All About You. Turn your passions into support.
No matter who you are, there are things you are passionate about—things you geek. Maybe you geek engineering or hip hop. Maybe you are passionate about composting, schooners or vampires. Or maybe you just geek the weather.
Whatever you geek, serious or fun, the public library supports you.
The Geek the Library project is a community-based public awareness campaign aimed at spreading the word about the vital and growing role of your public library, and to raise awareness about the critical funding issues many U.S. public libraries face.
The Goal
The campaign hopes to inspire a conversation about our incredible public libraries and their urgent need for increased support. We hope you tell people what you geek, how the public library supports you and your community, and that everyone in your community benefits from the services your local library provides.
The Rule
The campaign will not support or oppose any candidate for public office, nor attempt to influence legislation.
The Sponsors
The campaign is sponsored by OCLC, a nonprofit library cooperative that has provided services to help libraries deliver more to their users for four decades. Supported by a grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, OCLC partnered with Chicago-based marketing communications agency Leo Burnett USA to create the campaign."
What an amazing site! And this entry titled The Librophiliac Love Letter: A Compendium of Beautiful Libraries is just stunning! (So stunning, in fact, that Miss Bun has been afflicted with the vapors since viewing it!) Curious Expeditions is a travel/history site with a distinctive and appealing Victorian flavor brought to you by D and M, intrepid explorers who "are devoted to unearthing and documenting the wondrous, the macabre and the obscure from around the globe." (D & M evidently abide in Brooklyn, NY.)
You will find engaging narrative as well as interesting photography here. Be sure to take some time to explore the categories on the lower right hand side of the site.
I especially encourage you to click on the Pennsylvania link under Geographic Particulars for a look at some of our state's more curious and intriguing places and artifacts.
Seeing the title you might think that this is a site only about birds but you would be mistaken! (Although there is a ton of info on our feathered friends!)
This from their "What We Do" page:
"The Cornell Lab of Ornithology uses the best science and technology--and inspires the widest range of people and organizations--to solve critical problems facing wildlife.
Our mission: To interpret and conserve the earth's biological diversity through research, education, and citizen science focused on birds."
Don't you just love the term "Citizen Science"?
"Citizen science is a way foryou to learn about birds, science, and conservation by participating in real scientific studies. As a partnership between the public and professional scientists, we make up one of the world's largest research teams!"
There are several projects that are available to get involved in so be sure to check out the Citizen Science page for more info. (What an opportunity for classroom students and homeschoolers!)
There is just so much great information on this site that I couldn't possibly direct you to all of it so here are some of my favorite highlights:
The Bioacoustics Research Program has made the CLO a world leader in whale and elephant communication and population monitoring.
Be sure to look at the video about the Blue Whale discovered singing in New York coastal waters!
The Macaulay Library contains an online archive which is the worlds largest archive of animal sounds and video.
You can search for audio or video or browse the archive by animal group.
Be sure to register for an account (it's free), sign up for several eNewsletters, check out their blog (Round Robin), follow them on Twitter, look at the NestCams and so much more!
Be prepared to spend some truly quality time here! You'll be glad you did! Enjoy!
We get lots of questions about used books and what to do with them. Here is one way to recycle your books and get something you want in return.
OR: you could donate them to your local library (that would be us!) for their booksale or to be added to their collection.
OR: you could bring in your paperbacks and recycle them through Annville Free Library's recycling paperback collection (this is where you can take a book(s) and keep it or return it with no charge, no check out (please just let us know how many....libraries can't function without statistics!)
Ok, back to BookMooch ......"Give books away, Get books you want" is their mantra.
It is free to join and the only cost is in mailing your books to others.
You get points for using this service: "you receive a tenth-of-a-point for every book you type into our system, and one point each time you give a book away. In order to keep receiving books, you need to give away at least one book for every three you receive."
You can mooch books worldwide and in other languages, have a wishlist, and get feedback scores.
You can browse books by topic, location, language, top books, members, & the moochbar (which is a web browser toolbar icon for mooching books from Amazon)
What is this amazing undertaking (you may well ask)?
American Memory is a multimedia web site of digitized historical documents, photographs, sound recordings, moving pictures, books, pamphlets, maps, and other resources from the Library of Congress’s vast holdings. An historic initiative in its own right, American Memory currently makes available more than 100 collections and more than 9 million individual items to users in the U.S. and throughout the world.
Miss Bun thinks that is rather a stunning accomplishment! Here is a link to their FAQ (frequently asked questions) page for more info: American Memory FAQ
Some collections may involve a bit of clicking to get where you want to go so be patient. Good things come to those who wait (or so Miss Bun says).
Q. What's this library thing called the Dewey Decimal System? I must have been asleep in library class when they talked about this.
A. Miss Bun offers her condolences on your selective narcolepsy but would like to say that you are not alone in this search to uncover the mysteries of the DDS (that's library speak for Dewey Decimal System).
Miss Bun finds that most people are involuntarily force fed the intricacies of this system of classifying books (so that we may easily retrieve them when we want them) way before they have the mental faculties (or dire need) to absorb the information. Thus they go through life with a feeling that something is, indeed, missing in their bag of library skills.
Not to worry! Miss Bun has a delightful website she would like to gently direct you to in the hopes of alleviating your plight. It was developed by 5th & 6th graders at the Nettleton Intermediate Center in Jonesboro, Arkansas and is a wonderful, interactive place to explore Dewey. (Miss Bun is most impressed with the "Dewey and the Alien" story.) Who said learning about libraries has to be boring?
This is an amazing site with an ambitious goal and it appears to be hitting the mark! Check it out!
Mission statement
The mission of the International Children's Digital Library Foundation (ICDL Foundation) is to support the world's children in becoming effective members of the global community - who exhibit tolerance and respect for diverse cultures, languages and ideas -- by making the best in children's literature available online free of charge. The Foundation pursues its vision by building a digital library of outstanding children's books from around the world and supporting communities of children and adults in exploring and using this literature through innovative technology designed in close partnership with children for children.
This is an amazing collection of digital resources. (One of the reasons I admire it so much is that it is well organized and user friendly.)
Here you can see historical maps of Scotland; read one of the 1,800 broadsides (early news stories and ballads) that informed the Scot in the street between 1650 and 1910; look at 300 images taken in the 1840s by the Edinburgh Calotype Club – the world's first photography society; read – in English and French – the last letter by Mary Queen of Scots, written only hours before her execution in Fotheringay Castle; learn about Churchill, Robert Louis Stevenson, Robert Burns.....and more!
Did you know that February is also Love Your Library month? What better day to send a valentine to the library you love by doing one (or all) of the following:
Tell at least one other person what a great place your library is.
Tell at least one municipal official how important the library is to you.
Write a love letter to your library and send it to the newspaper.
Join your library's Friends group and be active (or start one)!
Donate books to your library's booksale.
Tell the folks who work in your library what a great job they're doing.
Take advantage of and attend the various programs your library offers your community.
Donate to your library's annual fund drive.
And, for your listening enjoyment on this day of love, click on the video below to hear why one guy loves his librarian ...
Go ahead.....judge for yourself just how annoying this is. (Personally, I find it more annoyingly funny than just merely annoying.) Let me know what you think. Just click on Lloyd!
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