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February 2010
 The Core
is an online newsletter providing information about H.
W. Wilson’s Core Collections and related resources and services—and
a forum for the exchange of ideas from librarian to librarian.
Special ALA
Awards and Best Lists Issue
CONTENTS
A Farewell to J. D. Salinger
Here is the obituary in the New York Times:
BOOKS | January 29, 2010
J. D. Salinger, Enigmatic Author, Dies at 91
Mr. Salinger, the author of “The Catcher in the Rye,” turned his
back on success and adulation.
Here is another link to some great material on Salinger:
http://www.literaryhistory.com/20thC/Salinger.htm
The New Yorker has made an archive of Salinger’s stories
available to everyone, regardless of subscription or password
status.
Enjoy them here.
Everyone has their own J. D. Salinger story, which is another way of
saying we have all been affected in one way or another by his books.
They appeared in the 1950s and truly entered the zeitgeist in the
anti-establishment tidal wave of the 1960s. By the 1970s, when their
author was already a legendary recluse, the books had attained the
status of classics.
We thought it might be interesting to see what the reviewers said
about The Catcher in the Rye when it first appeared in 1951.
For that, of course, we turn to Book Review Digest Retrospective
on WilsonWeb, and this is what we find:
Title: Catcher in the rye
Personal Author: Salinger, Jerome David
Publisher: Little
Publication Year: [1951]
Pages: 277
Abstract: Just before Christmas young Holden Caulfield, knowing that
he is to be dropped by his school, decides to leave early and not
report home until he has to. He spends three days and nights in New
York City and this is the story, in his own words, of what he did
and saw and suffered.
Review: The Atlantic (1932) v. 188 (Aug. 1951)
p. 82. Breit, Harvey, reviewer
Review: Booklist v. 47 (July 15 1951) p. 401
Review: Catholic World (1865) v. 174 (Nov. 1951) p. 154. Hughes,
Riley, reviewer [with excerpt]
Review Excerpt: “Not only do some of the events stretch
probability, but Holden’s character is iconoclast, a kind of
latter-day Tom Sawyer or Huck Finn, is made montonous and phony
by the formidably excessive use of amateur swearing and coarse
language.”
Review: Chicago Sunday Tribune (July 15 1951) p. 3. Engle, Paul,
reviewer [with excerpt]
Review Excerpt: “Here is a novel about a 16 year old boy which
is emotional without being sentimental, dramatic without being
melodramatic, and honest without being simply obscene.”
Review: The Christian Science Monitor (Eastern edition) (July 19
1951) p. 7. Longstreth, T. M., reviewer
Review: Bull VA Kirkus’ Bookshop Serv v. 19 (May 15 1951) p. 247
Review: Library Journal (1876) v. 76 (July 1951) p. 1125. Roth,
H. L., reviewer [with excerpt]
Review Excerpt: “This may be a shock to many parents who wonder
about a young man’s thoughts and actions, but its effect can be
a salutary one. An adult book (very frank) and highly
recommended.”
Review: Manchester Guardian (Aug. 10 1951) p. 4. Shrapnel,
Norman, reviewer
Review: The Nation v. 173 (Sept. 1 1951) p. 176. Jones, Ernest,
reviewer
Review: The New Republic v. 125 (July 16 1951) p. 20. Goodman,
A. L., reviewer [with excerpt]
Review Excerpt: “The final scene in The Catcher in the Rye is as
good as anything that Salinger has written, which means very
good indeed. So are a number of other episodes. But the book as
a whole is disappointing, and not merely because it is a
reworking of a theme that one begins to suspect must obsess the
author.”
Review: New Statesman and Nation v. 42 (Aug. 18 1951) p. 185.
Brooke, Jocelyn, reviewer [with excerpt]
Review Excerpt: “This is an odd, tragic and at times an
appallingly funny book, with a taste of its own.”
Review: New York Herald Tribune (July 15 1951) p. 3. Peterson,
Virgilia, reviewer [with excerpt]
Review Excerpt: “Recent war novels have accustomed us all to
ugly words and images, but from the mouths of the very young and
protected they sound peculiarly offensive. There is probably not
one phrase in the whole book that Holden Caulfield would not
have used upon occasion, but when they are piled upon each other
in cumulative monotony, the ear refuses to believe.”
Review: The New York Times (Early City Edition) (July 15 1951)
p. 5. Stern, James, reviewer
Review: The New Yorker v. 27 (Aug. 11 1951) p. 71. Behrman, S.
N., reviewer
Review: San Francisco Chronicle (July 15 1951) p. 17. Vogler,
Lewis, reviewer [with excerpt]
Review Excerpt: “Mr. Salinger’s novel is funny, poignant, and in
its implications, profound. It is literature of a very high
order. It really is.”
Review: Saturday Review of Literature v. 34 (July 14 1951) p.
12. Smith, Harrison, reviewer [with excerpt]
Review Excerpt: “This is a book to be read thoughtfully and more
than once.”
Review: Spectator v. 187 (Aug. 17 1951) p. 224. Charques, R. D.,
reviewer [with excerpt]
Review Excerpt: “Intelligent, humorous, acute and sympathetic in
observation, the tale is rather too formless to do quite the
sort of thing it was evidently intended to do.”
Review: Springfield Republican (July 22 1951) p. 5D. Neal, S.
M., reviewer
Review: Time v. 58 (July 16 1951) p. 96
Review: The Times Literary Supplement (Sept. 7 1951) p. 561
I suppose we can say it got mixed reviews, but given the novelty and
originality of the book, it is good to know that some of the
reviewers liked it, and some of them liked it very much. In Book
Review Digest Retrospective it is possible to find famous books
that got panned when they first appeared.
I think my favorite comment is that of Jocelyn Brooke: “This is an
odd, tragic and at times an appallingly funny book, with a taste of
its own.” Many readers know Jocelyn Brooke (1908–1966) as a
formidable novelist himself. There is a nice profile of Jocelyn
Brooke in Biography Reference Bank on WilsonWeb. And, of
course, an extensive profile of Salinger.
For J. D. Salinger, “with love and squalor.”
^ To Top
Three New Titles in Fiction Core Collection
Don’t miss these Must-Have books.
Title:
Wolf Hall
Personal Author: Mantel, Hilary
Publisher: Henry Holt and Co.
Publication Year: 2009
Pages: 532
ISBN: 978-0-8050-8068-1
0-8050-8068-6, $27
Abstract: “Set in 16th-century Tudor England, Wolf Hall thrusts the
reader into Henry VIII's seething court, where the players include
Anne Boleyn, her sister Mary, Cardinal Wolsey, Thomas More and Jane
Seymour. At the book’s center: Thomas Cromwell, the ruthless
blacksmith’s son who rose to power under Henry VIII because of his
intelligence, cunning and work ethic. . . . Mantel's novel is less
about Henry’s sex life and more about power: how to get it, wield
it, keep it, particularly if you—like the lowborn Cromwell—lived in
a merciless world ruled by the rich and titled. Cromwell usually is
presented as a bully utterly lacking scruples, but Mantel’s Cromwell
is a sympathetic character modern readers will understand.” (USA
Today)
Note(s): A John Macrae book
Subject(s): England/16th century; Courts and courtiers/England;
Cromwell, Thomas, Earl of Essex, 1485?-1540/Fiction; Henry VIII,
King of England, 1491-1547/Fiction; Cromwell, Thomas, Earl of Essex,
1485?-1540; Henry VIII, King of England, 1491-1547
Review: Bookforum v. 16 no. 3 (S/O/N 2009). Lesser, Wendy, reviewer
[with excerpt]
Review: New York Times (Late New York Edition) (Oct. 5 2009).
Maslin, Janet, reviewer [with excerpt]
Review: The Times Literary Supplement no. 5537 (May 15 2009). Caines,
Michael, reviewer [with excerpt]
Review: London Review of Books v. 31 no. 8 (Apr. 30 2009). Burrow,
Colin, reviewer [with excerpt]
Review: New Statesman (London, England: 1996) v. 138 (May 25 2009).
Aspden, Rachel, reviewer [with excerpt, full text]
Review: History Today v. 59 no. 10 (Oct. 2009). Tillyard, Stella,
reviewer [with excerpt, full text]
Review: The New Yorker v. 85 no. 33 (Oct. 19 2009). Acocella, Joan,
reviewer [with excerpt]
Review: Commonweal v. 136 no. 18 (Oct. 23 2009). Lethbridge, Lucy,
reviewer [with excerpt, full text]
Review: The New York Times Book Review v. 114 no. 44 (Nov. 1 2009).
Benfey, Christopher, reviewer [with excerpt]
Review: The New York Review of Books v. 56 no. 17 (Nov. 5 2009).
Greenblatt, Stephen, reviewer [with excerpt]
STARRED REVIEWS
Library Journal (September 15, 2009)
People (October 26, 2009)
The Week (October 23, 2009)
New York Times (November 8, 2009)
BookMarks (January/February, 2010)
BEST LISTS
Library Journal Best Books (2009)
New Yorker Reviewers’ Favorites (2009)
The Week Books of the Year (2009)
New York Times Notable Books (2009)
AWARDS
Mann Booker Prize (2009)
Mann Booker Prize Short List (2009)
Title: Sag Harbor: a novel
Personal Author: Whitehead, Colson
Publisher: Doubleday
Publication Year: 2009
Pages: 288
ISBN: 978-0-385-52765-1
0-385-52765-9, $24.95
Abstract: “Here we find Benji, a black kid from New York City, who
attends a fancy private high school, 15 years old in the summer of
1985. His family owns a beach house in Sag Harbor, N.Y., where the
book is set. . . . The summer over which the novel takes place,
Benji and his brother Reggie are at that crucial stage of
transition, where the ‘who’ you are begins flirting with the more
permanent ‘who’ you will become. Benji has tried to step up a rung
on the high school ladder-of-cool, but failed when he let slip a
couple of contaminating remnants of his upbringing in Nerdville. . .
. Benji spends much of his summer working at a local ice cream shop,
going to the beach, talking about girls, staging BB-gun fights (with
disastrous results) with his friends, and hanging out in his house,
which is left without parents during the week.” (San Francisco Chron)
The author “serves up whole sundaes worth of riffs on the quotidian,
all hung on the skinny frame of a 15-year-old everyman virgin and
his marginally less distinct friends, give or take a repressive
father and a particularly evocative shoreline landscape.” (Village
Voice)
Subject(s): Autobiographical stories; Boys; Brothers; African
Americans; Long Island (N.Y.); Adolescence
Review: Bookforum v. 16 no. 1 (Apr./May 2009). Marcus, Greil,
reviewer [with excerpt]
Review: New York Times (Late New York Edition) (Apr. 27 2009).
Maslin, Janet, reviewer [with excerpt]
Review: Time v. 173 no. 17 (May 4 2009). Jones, Rhadika, reviewer
[with excerpt]
Review: The New York Times Book Review v. 114 no. 18 (May 3 2009).
Toure, reviewer [with excerpt]
Review: Esquire v. 151 no. 4 (Apr. 2009). Alsup, Benjamin, reviewer
Review: The New Criterion v. 27 no. 9 (May 2009). Beck, Stefan,
reviewer [with full text]
STARRED REVIEWS
Booklist (February 15, 2009)
Library Journal (March 15, 2009)
The Week (May 8, 2009)
New York Times (May 10, 2009)
BookMarks (July/August, 2009)
BEST LISTS
Bookmarks Best Books (2009)
Publishers Week Best Books of the Year (2009)
New York Times Notable Books (2009)
Booklist Editors’ Choice: Adult Books for Young Adults (2010)
Title: Too much happiness: stories
Personal Author: Munro, Alice
Publisher: Alfred A. Knopf
Publication Year: 2009
Pages: 303
ISBN: 978-0-307-26976-8, $25.95
Abstract: “The collection’s 10 stories take on some sensational
subjects. In fact, a quick tally yields all the elements of pulp
fiction: violence, adultery, extreme cruelty, duplicity, theft,
suicide, murder. But while in pulp fiction the emotional climax
coincides with the height of external drama, a Munro story works
according to a different scheme. Here the nominally momentous event
is little more than an anteroom to an echo chamber filled with
subtle and far-reaching thematic reverberations.” (NY Times Book
Rev)
Contents Note: Contents: Dimensions; Fiction; Wenlock Edge;
Deep-holes; Free radicals; Face; Some women; Child's play; Wood; Too
much happiness
Review: The Times Literary Supplement no. 5551/5552 (Aug. 21-28
2009). Gorra, Michael, reviewer
Review: Quill & Quire v. 75 no. 7 (Sept. 2009). Grainger, James,
reviewer [with excerpt]
Review: New York Times (Late New York Edition) (Nov. 30 2009).
Kakutani, Michiko, reviewer [with excerpt]
Review: New Statesman (London, England: 1996) v. 138 (Aug. 31 2009).
Caplan, Nina, reviewer [with excerpt, full text]
Review: The Christian Science Monitor (Eastern edition) v. 102 no. 1
(Nov. 29 2009). McAlpin, Heller, reviewer [with excerpt]
Review: The New York Review of Books v. 56 no. 19 (Dec. 3 2009).
Oates, Joyce Carol, reviewer [with excerpt]
Review: The Christian Century v. 126 no. 21 (Oct. 20 2009). Wood,
Lawrence, reviewer [with excerpt, full text]
STARRED REVIEWS
Booklist (August, 2009)
Publishers Weekly (August 17, 2009)
People (November 23, 2009)
Entertainment Weekly (November 20, 2009)
The Week (December 4, 2009)
BEST LISTS
Entertainment Weekly Best Books (2009)
New York Times Notable Books (2009)
Booklist Top of the List: Editor's Choice (2009)
Booklist Editors' Choice: Adult Books (2010)
^ To Top
I read, Robots clean
While you read, Roombas are vacuuming your floor.
Robotics
The Reference Shelf Vol. 82, No. 1
Edited by Kenneth Partridge
H.W. Wilson
February 2010
ISBN 978-0-8242-1096-0
As you read this issue of THE CORE, an estimated 5 million Roombas
are busy vacuuming the world’s carpets, saving their owners the
drudgery of doing so themselves. What better time, then, to devote
an issue of The Reference Shelf to robotics? Each volume of this
series aims to provide readers with a thoughtful, well-balanced
overview of a topic relevant to modern life, and in choosing
articles for this compilation, we considered the many ways robots
have shaped our world.
Our interest in robotics is nearly as old as our aversion to manual
labor. Long before the Czech science-fiction writer Karel Capek
coined the term with his landmark 1921 play RUR (Rossum’s
Universal Robots), the ancient Greeks and Chinese tinkered with
what are believed to be the earliest automations—primitive devices
intended to make life easier.
Over the next two millennia, machines grew increasingly complex. By
the 20th century, as chips and circuits replaced gears and cogs,
tech-heads and lazy folks alike had begun to imagine a glorious
future—one in which we would sit back, drink lemonade, and watch
robots do our dirty work.
In some ways, this dream has come to pass. Today’s robots don’t just
clean our floors; they also pitch in on assembly lines, help doctors
perform minimally invasive surgeries, explore other planets, and
enable the military to carry out unmanned—and, some would say,
“riskless”—attack and reconnaissance missions. Perhaps most
impressive are the walking, talking, soccer-ball-kicking “humanoid”
robots scientists are attempting to outfit with artificial
intelligence.
While even the most advanced robots can’t yet think, feel, or learn
like flesh-and-blood humans, some researchers insist it’s only a
matter of time.
Comprising six chapters, Robotics weighs the pros and cons of
robot technology, considering its proven benefits—increased factory
efficiency, for example—and potential dangers. One need not be a
Luddite to fear robots will eventually steal jobs from human
workers, and some alarmists go a step or two further, warning that
machines will one day rise up and conquer the world.
While we here at The Reference Shelf are great fans of technology,
we hope tomorrow’s robots are more Roomba than Terminator. If not,
pray they forgive us for treating their ancestors like Hoovers.
^ To Top
How would you like to win $5,000?
Is there anyone who would not like to win $5,000?
Win a John Cotton Dana Library Public Relations Award for your
library.
Develop a great public relations campaign for your library and
submit it for the John Cotton Dana Library Public Relations Award,
which is given annually to a number of libraries by the Library
Leadership and Management Association (LLAMA). a division of ALA.
Here are some ideas:
-
The promotion of a summer reading program
-
A year-long centennial celebration
-
Fundraising for a new college library
-
An awareness campaign or an innovative
partnership in the community
Winning entries receive $5,000 for their organizations, courtesy of
the award’s sponsor, the H.W. Wilson Company.
“We encourage all libraries regardless of their size or budget to
consider applying for the John Cotton Dana Award. Wonderful things
are happening across this country and internationally that should be
shared with everyone,” said Linda Holtslander, chair of LLAMA’s John
Cotton Dana Committee. “Campaigns that win this prestigious award
are those that implement a thoroughly creative plan that
communicates the many valuable services and programs provided by
libraries to meet the increasing needs of their customers.”
The contest is open to all libraries and agencies that promote
library service. For an entry form, checklist, guidelines and tips,
visit the H.W. Wilson Web site at
http://www.hwwilson.com/jcdawards/nw_jcd.htm
Winners of the 2010 John Cotton Dana Library Public Relations
Awards
If you want to see who is winning this year’s John Cotton Dana
Awards and what their public relations projects are, go here:
http://www.ala.org/ala/newspresscenter/news/pressreleases2010/january2010/dana_lama.cfm
^ To Top
A BOOK THAT JUST MIGHT SAVE YOU FROM DROWNING
Remember—February is Presidents’ Month.
Have you ever had a reference question about an American
president?
Americans have always had opinions about the presidents. For
as long as this nation has had commanders-in-chief, ordinary
citizens have seen fit to assess the performance of their leaders,
praising some, cursing others, doing both with great enthusiasm.
Facts, on the other hand, are something different. No matter how one
feels about Ronald Reagan, for instance, there’s no debating that,
during the five summers he worked as a lifeguard in his home state
of Illinois, he saved 77 people from drowning.
Those wishing to confirm the Gipper’s impressive save count can
visit the Loveland Museum, where a plaque commemorates the
achievement, or they can simply crack open a copy of Facts
About the Presidents. The latest (8th) edition of this
esteemed reference work covers all 44 U.S. presidents, everyone from
George Washington—who, we learn, so abhorred swearing that he once
ordered his troops to stop the “foolish and wicked practice”—to
Honolulu native Barack Obama, the first president born outside the
continental United States.
Facts About the Presidents is a must-have for any busy
librarian, or any fan of presidential history, or any true blue
factnik or listnik. In addition to the presidents, the book looks at
first ladies, vice presidents, vice presidents’ wives, cabinets,
Supreme Court appointments, and inauguration ceremonies. The
information runs the gamut from the monumental to the somewhat
trivial. (Did you know Benjamin Harrison is the only president whose
cabinet has ever included two men with the same last name?) A
comprehensive index makes every fact easy to find, and there are
also many lists and tables for comparative data.
Amaze your friends, puzzle your enemies, and wow your library
patrons at the reference desk with a little help from Facts
About the Presidents, 8th Edition, edited by Joseph Nathan
Kane and updated by Janet Podell. It is up to date through the
inauguration of President Obama.
Facts About the Presidents
Eighth Edition
Edited by Joseph Nathan Kane and Janet Podell
ISBN 978-0-8242-1087-8
$150
^ To Top
ALA BOOK AWARDS 2010
ALA gives a surprising number of awards. There are prestigious
awards for children’s literature, for African American and Chicano
authors and illustrators, and for nonbook materials: Web pages,
audiobooks, and video productions. Last, but not least, are honors
for professional and reference titles. Here is a list of all the
books that garnered an award at the ALA Midwinter conference in
Boston.
Alsenas, Linas. Gay America: Struggle for Equality
ALA GLBTRT Stonewall Book Award Honor Book (2010)
Alvarez, Julia. Return to Sender
ALA ALSC Belpre Author Medal (2010)
Arnold, Tedd. I Spy Fly Guy!
ALA ALSC Geisel Award Honor Book (2010)
Bernier-Grand, Carmen T. Diego: Bigger Than Live
ALA ALSC Belpre Illustrator Medal Honor Book (2010)
ALA ALSC Belpre Author Medal Honor Book (2010)
Barnes, John. Madman Underground: A Historical Romance 1973
ALA YALSA Printz Award Honor Book (2010)
Barton, Chris. The Day-GloBrothers: The Story of Bob and Joe
Switzer’s Bright Ideas and Brand-New Colors
ALA ALSC Siebert Medal Honor Book (2010)
Baskin, Nora Raleigh. Anything But Typical
ALA Schneider Family Book Award Honor Book (2010)
Bausch, Richard. Peace
ALA W.Y. Boyd Literary Award for Excellence in Military Fiction
(2010)
Bellatin, Mario. Beauty Salon
ALA GLBTRT Stonewall Book Award Honor Book (2010)
Bray, Libba. Going Bovine
ALA YALSA Printz Award (2010)
Bredsdorff, Bodil. Eidi
ALA ALSC Batchelder Award Honor Book (2010)
Brun-Cosme, Nadine. Big Wolf and Little Wolf
ALA ALSC Batchelder Award Honor Book (2010)
Burd, Nick. The Vast Fields of Ordinary
ALA GLBTRT Stonewall Book Award (2010)
Buergenthal, Thomas. Lucky Child: A Memoir of Surviving Auschwitz as
a Young Boy.
ALA RUSA Sophie Brody Award Honor Book (2010)
Christensen, Bonnie. Django
ALA Schneider Family Book Award (2010)
Davidson, James. Greeks and Greek Love: A Radical Reappraisal of
Homosexuality in Ancient Greece
ALA GLBTRT Stonewall Book Award Honor Book (2010)
Davis, Tanta S. Mare’s War
ALA EMIERT Coretta Scott King Author Award Honor Book (2010)
Ewert, Marcus. 10,000 Dresses
ALA GLBTRT Stonewall Book Award Honor Book (2010)
Floca, Brian. Moonshot: The Flight of Apollo 11
ALA ALSC Siebert Medal Honor Book (2010)
Forsythe, David P. Encyclopedia of Human Rights
ALA RUSA Dartmouth Medal (2010)
Francis, David. Stray Dog Winter
ALA GLBTRT Stonewall Book Award (2010)
Frank, Nathaniel. Unfriendly Fire: How the Gay Ban Undermines the
Military and Weakens America
ALA GLBTRT Stonewall Book Award (2010)
Hannaham, James. God Says No
ALA GLBTRT Stonewall Book Award Honor Book (2010)
Hayes, Geoffrey. Benny and Penny in the Big No-No!
ALA ALSC Geisel Award (2010)
Heilgman, Deborah. Charles and Emma: The Darwins’ Leap of Faith
ALA YALSA Printz Award Honor Book (2010)
ALA Excellence in Nonfiction Award (2010)
Hoose, Phillip. Claudette Colvin: Twice Toward Justice
ALA ALSC Newbery Medal Honor Book (2010)
ALA ALSC Siebert Medal Honor Book (2010)
Hughes, Langston. My People
ALA EMIERT Coretta Scott King Illustrator Award (2010)
Hughes, Langston. The Negro Speaks of Rivers
ALA EMIERT Coretta Scott King Illustrator Award Honor Book 2010)
Johnston, Tony. My Abuelita
ALA ALSC Belpre Illustrator Medal Honor Book (2010)
Kelley, Jacqueline. The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate
ALA ALSC Newbery Medal Honor Book (2010)
Keats, Jonathon. The Book of the Unknown: Tales of the Thirty-Six
ALA RUSA Sophie Brody Award (2010)
King, Thomas. A Coyote Solstice Tale
ALA America Indian Library Association American Indian Youth
Literature Award (2010)
Konner, Melvin. The Jewish Body
ALA RUSA Sophie Brody Award Honor Book (2010)
Kramer, Clara. Clara’s War: One Girl’s Story of Survival
ALA RUSA Sophie Brody Award Honor Book (2010)
Lazaro, Georgina. Federico Garcia Lorca
ALA ALSC Belpre Author Medal Honor Book (2010)
Lin, Grace. Where the Mountain Meets the Moon
ALA ALSC Newbery Medal Honor Book (2010)
Lorde, Audre. I Am Your Sister: Collected and Unpublished Writings
of Audre Lorde
ALA GLBTRT Stonewall Book Award Honor Book (2010)
Madigan, L.K. Flash Burnout
ALA YALSA The William C. Morris YA Debut Award (2020)
Magoon, Kekla. The Rock and the River
ALA EMIERT Coretta Scott King John Steptoe New Talent Award (2010)
McGregor, Lurline Wailana. Between the Deep Blue Sea and Me: A Novel
ALA America Indian Library Association American Indian Youth
Literature Award (2010)
McMullan, Kate. Pearl and Wagner: One Fine Day
ALA ALSC Geisel Award Honor Book (2010)
Mora, Pat. Book Fiesta! Celebrate Children’s Book Day/Book Day:
Celebremos El Dia Los Ninos/El Dia de los Libros
ALA ALSC Belpre Illustrator Medal (2010)
Mora, Pat. Gracias Thanks
ALA ALSC Belpre Illustrator Medal Honor Book (2010)
Nelson, Vaunda Micheaux. Bad News for Outlaws: The Remarkable Life
of Bass Reeves, Deputy U.S. Marshal
ALA EMIERT Coretta Scott King Author Award (2010)
Newman, Leslea. Daddy, Papa, and Me
ALA GLBTRT Stonewall Book Award Honor Book (2010)
Newman, Leslea. Mommy, Mama, and Me
ALA GLBTRT Stonewall Book Award Honor Book (2010)
Nkabinde, Nkunzi Zandile. Black Bull, Ancestors and Me
ALA GLBTRT Stonewall Book Award Honor Book (2010)
Ostrowski, Carl. Books, Maps and Politics: A Cultural History of the
Library of Congress, 1783–1861
ALA Library History Roundtable Eliza Atkins Gleason Book Award
(2010)
Peck, Dale. Sprout
ALA GLBTRT Stonewall Book Award Honor Book (2010)
Philbrick, Rodman. True Adventures of Homer P. Figg
ALA ALSC Newbery Medal Honor Book (2010)
Pinkney, Jerry. The Lion & the Mouse
ALA ALSC Caldecott Medal (2010)
Pong, David. Encyclopedia of Modern China
ALA RUSA Dartmouth Medal Honor Book (2010)
Preer, Jean. Library Ethics
Greenwood Publishing Group Award in Library Literature (2020)
Rapp, Adam. Punkzilla
ALA YALSA Printz Award Honor Book (2010)
Scanlon, Liz Garton. All the World
ALA ALSC Caldecott Medal Honor Book (2010)
Sidman, Joyce. Red Sings from Treetops: A Year in Colors
ALA ALSC Caldecott Medal Honor Book (2010)
Simermeyer, Genevieve. Meet Christopher: An Osage Indian Boy from
Oklahoma
ALA America Indian Library Association American Indian Youth
Literature Award (2010)
Smith, Jeff. Little Mouse Gets Ready
ALA ALSC Geisel Award Honor Book (2010)
Stead, Rebecca. When You Reach Me
ALA ALSC Newbery Medal (2010)
Sterling, Christopher H. The Encyclopedia of Journalism
ALA RUSA Dartmouth Medal Honor Book (2010)
Stone, Tanya Lee. Almost Astronauts: 13 Women Who Dared to Dream
ALA ALSC Siebert Medal (2010)
Stork, Francisco X. Marcelo in the Real World
ALA Schneider Family Book Award Honor Book (2010)
Thor, Annika. A Faraway Island
ALA ALSC Batchelder Award (2010)
Uehashi, Nahoko. Moribito II: Guardian of the Darkness
ALA ALSC Batchelder Award Honor Book (2010)
Weisberg, Stuart E. Barney Frank: The Story of America’s Only
Left-Handed, Gay, Jewish Congressman
ALA GLBTRT Stonewall Book Award Honor Book (2010)
Yancey, Rick. The Monstrumologist
ALA YALSA Printz Award Honor Book (2010)
Yee, Wong Herbert. Mouse and Mole: Fine Feathered Friends
ALA ALSC Geisel Award Honor Book (2010)
^ To Top
BEST LISTS
Ray Barber’s BEST LIST ROUND-UP Continues
The critic James Wood says, “prizes are the new reviews.” We are
sure he would include best lists in his vision of the future. If so,
then this month’s list is a real treasure trove. Here are all the
ALA best lists and the myriad of awards, covering books for
children, adults, and young adults, as well as reference works,
professional titles, and Web pages.
BEST LISTS FOR CHILDREN AND YOUNG ADULT BOOKS
ALA ALSC Notable Children’s Books (2010)
http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/alsc/awardsgrants/childrensnotable/notablechibooks/index.cfm
ALA GLBTRT Rainbow Project (2010)
http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/rts/glbtrt/rainbow/bibliographies.cfm
ALA SRRT Feminist Taskforce Amelia Bloomer Project
http://libr.org/ftf/AmeliaBloomer2010.htm
ALA YALSA Best Books for Young Adults (2010)
http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/yalsa/booklistsawards/bestbooksya/bbya2010.cfm
ALA YALSA Best Books for Young Adults Top 10 (2010)
http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/yalsa/booklistsawards/bestbooksya/topten2010.cfm
ALA YALSA Popular Paperbacks for Young Adults (2010)
http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/yalsa/booklistsawards/popularpaperback/popularpaperbacks.cfm
ALA YALSA Quick Picks for Reluctant Young Adult Readers (2010)
http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/yalsa/booklistsawards/quickpicks/qp2010.cfm
ALA YALSA Quick Picks for Reluctant Young Adult Readers Top 10
(2010)
http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/yalsa/booklistsawards/quickpicks/topten2010.cfm
Publishers Weekly Cuffies (2009)
http://www.publishersweekly.com/index.asp?layout=articlePrint&articleID=CA6716235
Society of School Librarians International Best Books (2009)
“Society of School librarians International 2009 Book Awards.” SSLI
Reports Winter 2009: 3-6. Print
BEST LISTS FOR ADULT BOOKS
ALA RUSA Notable Books (2010)
http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/rusa/awards/notablebooks/lists/2010/2010notable.cfm
ALA RUSA The Reading List (2010)
http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/rusa/awards/readinglist/index.cfm
ALA YALSA Alex Awards (2010)
http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/yalsa/booklistsawards/alexawards/alexawards.cfm
Borders Original Voices (January, 2010)
http://www.borders.com/online/store/ArticleView_ov0110
Choice Outstanding Academic Titles (2009)
“Outstanding Academic Titles.” Choice January, 2010: 813-845. Print.
BEST LISTS FOR CHILDREN’S AND YOUNG ADULT AUDIOBOOKS
ALA ALSC Notable Children’s Recordings (2010)
http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/alsc/awardsgrants/childrensnotable/notablechirecord/index.cfm
ALA YALSA Audiobooks for Young Adults (2010)
http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/yalsa/booklistsawards/amazingaudiobooks/aaya2010.cfm
BEST LISTS FOR CHILDREN’S AND YOUNG ADULT VIDEOS
ALA ALSC Notable Children’s Videos (2010)
http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/alsc/awardsgrants/childrensnotable/notablechivideos/index.cfm
ALA YALSA Fabulous Films for Young Adults (2010)
http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/yalsa/booklistsawards/fabfilms/fabfilms.cfm
BEST LISTS FOR GRAPHIC NOVELS FOR CHILDREN AND YOUNG ADULTS
Publishers Weekly Best Comics Meta-List
http://pwbeat.publishersweekly.com/blog/2010/01/14/the-best-comics-of-2009-meta-list/
ALA YALSA Great Graphic Novels for Teens (2010)
http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/yalsa/booklistsawards/greatgraphicnovelsforteens/ggnt10.cfm
ALA YALSA Great Graphic Novels for Teens Top 10 (2010)
http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/yalsa/booklistsawards/greatgraphicnovelsforteens/2010top10.cfm
Publishers Weekly Best Comics Meta-List
http://pwbeat.publishersweekly.com/blog/2010/01/14/the-best-comics-of-2009-meta-list/
AWARDS FOR CHILDREN’S AND YOUNG ADULT AUDIOBOOKS
ALA ALSC Odyssey Award
http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/alsc/awardsgrants/bookmedia/odysseyaward/index.cfm
AWARDS FOR ADULT BOOKS
ALA W.Y. Boyd Literary Award for Excellence in Military Fiction
(2010)
http://www.ala.org/template.cfm?template=/CFApps/awards_info/award_detail_home.cfm&FilePublishTitle=Awards,%20Grants%20and%20Scholarships&uid=8FFCC9A02188EFCA
ALA RUSA Sophie Browdy Award (2010)
http://www.ala.org/template.cfm?template=/CFApps/awards_info/award_detail_home.cfm&FilePublishTitle=Awards,%20Grants%20and%20Scholarships&uid=77C88438B7386F33
National Book Critics Circle Award Finalists (2010)
http://bookcritics.org/blog/archive/national_book_critics_circle_announces_finalists_january_23_2010/
AWARDS FOR CHILDREN AND YOUNG ADULT BOOKS
ALA Schneider Family Book Award Honor Book (2010)
http://www.ala.org/template.cfm?template=/CFApps/awards_info/award_detail_home.cfm&FilePublishTitle=Awards,%20Grants%20and%20Scholarships&uid=A839B3A9DB37CD78
ALA Batchelder Award (2010)
http://www.ala.org/template.cfm?template=/CFApps/awards_info/award_detail_home.cfm&FilePublishTitle=Awards,%20Grants%20and%20Scholarships&uid=15CF8F3F1F99F531
ALA ALSC Belpre Award (2010)
http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/alsc/awardsgrants/bookmedia/belpremedal/belpreabout/index.cfm
ALA ALSC Caldecott Medal (2010)
http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/alsc/awardsgrants/bookmedia/caldecottmedal/caldecottmedal.cfm
ALA ALSC Geisel Award (2010)
http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/alsc/awardsgrants/bookmedia/geiselaward/index.cfm
ALA ALSC Newbery Medal (2010)
http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/alsc/awardsgrants/bookmedia/newberymedal/newberymedal.cfm
ALA ALSC Siebert Award (2010)
http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/alsc/awardsgrants/bookmedia/sibertmedal/index.cfm
ALA American Indian Library Association American Indian Youth
Literature Awards (2010)
http://americanindiansinchildrensliterature.blogspot.com/2010/01/third-american-indian-youth-literature.html
ALA SRRT Coretta Scott King Award (2010)
http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/rts/emiert/cskbookawards/recipients.cfm
ALA YALSA Excellence in Nonfiction for Young Adults (2010)
http://www.ala.org/template.cfm?template=/CFApps/awards_info/award_detail_home.cfm&FilePublishTitle=Awards,%20Grants%20and%20Scholarships&uid=4E0494326612788B
AWARDS FOR MUSIC
Grammy Award Finalists (2010)
http://www.grammy.com/nominees
AWARDS FOR ONLINE RESOURCES
ALA RUSA Online History Award
http://www.ala.org/template.cfm?template=/CFApps/awards_info/award_detail_home.cfm&FilePublishTitle=Awards,%20Grants%20and%20Scholarships&uid=803498E80AE7E9F3
AWARDS FOR PROFESSIONAL LITERATURE
ALA Library History Roundtable Eliza Atkins Gleason Book Award
(2010)
http://www.ala.org/template.cfm?template=/CFApps/awards_info/award_detail_home.cfm&FilePublishTitle=Awards,%20Grants%20and%20Scholarships&uid=7B182F6B5B78C530
ALA Greenwood Award for the Best Book in Library Literature (2010)
http://www.ala.org/template.cfm?template=/CFApps/awards_info/award_detail_home.cfm&FilePublishTitle=Awards,%20Grants%20and%20Scholarships&uid=629E121D8E199FEF
AWARDS FOR REFERENCE BOOKS
Dartmouth Medal (2010)
http://www.ala.org/template.cfm?template=/CFApps/awards_info/award_detail_home.cfm&FilePublishTitle=Awards,%20Grants%20and%20Scholarships&uid=0EB4749259F4011D
ALA RUSA BRASS Outstanding Business Reference Sources
http://rusa.ala.org/blog/2010/01/18/mw10bookandmedia-brassawards/
AWARDS FOR VIDEOS
ALA ALSC Carnegie Medal (2010)
http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/alsc/awardsgrants/bookmedia/carnegiemedal/index.cfm
^ To Top
SCHOOL-LIBRARIES.NET A Report
School-Libraries.net is the world’s directory of
school library home pages.
Usually December and early January are a slow
period for adding libraries to the directory. We sit down, read, and
enjoy the time off. Not this year. Thirty-seven libraries were added
in our mid-January upload. We added school libraries from two new
countries: Botswana and Latvia. We would like to have at least one
school library, library association, or educational institution from
every member country of the United Nations. Sad to say the Latvia
link was short-lived and is no longer active. As we receive new
libraries, we open each Web site and almost always find something
useful. It may be how the site is organized, a new way to entice
students to read, a list of resources to support student research,
or a beautiful piece of student art. Every Web site contributes
something.
Check out the new libraries added:
http://www.corecollections.net/SL/new.htm
If your library is not listed, please use our form
to have it added. Become a member of the community.
http://www.standardcatalogs.com/forms/contact.htm
Dead links are a problem. Sometimes these are down
for a day or so, and sometimes they are dead. We and the
coordinators try to find new links. While this brings out the
reference librarian in us, we usually stop our search after ten
minutes or so. Please report dead links at
rbarber@hwwilson.com
A helpful librarian reported to us that almost all
the Rhode Island links were dead. They were, and there will be an
entire new Rhode Island page in late February.
We welcome and thank four new coordinators:
ALABAMA
Ginger Eastman, Ed.D.
Library Media/Technology
Education Specialist
Technology Initiatives
Alabama Department of Education
geastman@alsde.edu
NEW YORK
Bernie Tomasso
Librarian, retired
Port Byron, New York
RHODE ISLAND
Carol Byme
Library Media Specialist
Johnston Public Schools
Johnston, Rhode Island
carol.byrne@att.net
PORTUGAL
Maria Jose Vitorino
mariajosevitorino@gmail.com
We continue our quest to obtain a coordinator for
each state or country. To see our list of coordinators go to
http://www.corecollections.net/SL/state_coordinators.htm
To volunteer email
rbarber@hwwilson.com
Duties are to check the links once or twice a year and encourage
more librarians to list their home pages.
Web Site of the Month
This month we award our star of merit to four
school library Web sites:
Scottsboro High School Library, Scottsboro,
Alabama
http://shs.scottsboroschools.net/?PageName='Library'
We liked their link directing students to listen to book reviews of
books on order.
Maine South High School Library Resource
Center, Park Ridge, Illinois
http://mainesouthlibrary.wikispaces.com/
Be sure to view their YouTube presentations, highlighting Hunger
Games and Catching Fire. Also check out their use of LibraryThing to
turn students on to books.
Tottenville High School Library, Staten Island,
New York
http://library.nycenet.edu/common/welcome.jsp;jsessionid=3D99CDA287CC3FECD0CCDE0C27D6A629?site=4041
Here they have organized their Web site to easily direct students to
many sources of information.
Arcadia Junior High School Library, Winnipeg,
Manitoba, Canada
http://acadialibrary.pbworks.com/
Here they have used a variety of media and color to create interest
and welcome students.
^ To Top
A Report on ALA Midwinter
Ray Barber
It was a quiet Midwinter Conference with
attendance down from last year. Some people are asking if in this
age of the Internet two meetings a year are needed.
The Boards of AASL (American Association of School
Libraries) and YALSA (Young Adult Library Services Association) were
hard at work making a significant number of changes that will affect
many of us in libraries serving young people.
YALSA: Best Book Changes
During the past few years there has been a
proliferation of best lists added to the YALSA
feast of books and other materials for our consideration. At its
Boston meeting the YALSA Board passed motions making significant
changes to these lists.
First of all, in response to a shift toward more
involvement by readers, both librarians and teens, there is a new
Readers Choice list:
http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/yalsa/yalsamemonly/boarddocumentsa/mw2010_2/29_readerschoice.pdf
Members and nonmembers will nominate titles, and then members will
vote for their choice from a list of all the books that have
received 25 nominations. The books are divided by genre.
Next the Board looked at all the existing lists
and made a number of changes that will take effect in 2011:
http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/yalsa/yalsamemonly/boarddocumentsa/mw2010/14_selectedlists.pdf
1. Best Books for Young Adults will be the
umbrella title to cover all the YALSA books lists. A list will be
prepared including, but not limited to, the various Top 10 lists.
2. To decrease overlap between lists, Best Books for Young Adults
will become
Best Fiction for Young Adults.
3. The Alex Award, which currently includes ten adult books for
young adults, will be expanded to include additional fiction and
nonfiction titles.
One hopes that this is not the end of the
discussion. Somehow nonfiction seems to get short shrift. Many
school librarians need nonfiction titles to serve the
curriculum—books that can be used for assignments and term papers
but also appeal to teens as recreational reading.
AASL: A rose is a rose is a rose, or is it?
The AASL Board at their January meeting in Boston
voted to change the official title of those professionals working in
school libraries, learning centers, etc., to “School Librarian.”
Whereas, the overarching strategic goal of the
American Association of School Librarians is to achieve universal
recognition of school librarians as indispensable educational
leaders; and
Whereas, the AASL Affiliate Assembly requested that the AASL Board
of Directors choose a title for its professionals that is clear to
other educators, administrators, and the public; and
Whereas, a recent AASL survey indicated confusion, misperceptions,
and inconsistencies about various job titles in our profession; and
Whereas, AASL needed to agree on a common nomenclature for all
publications and advocacy efforts; and
Whereas, the AASL’s leadership reviewed the data, identified the
advantages and disadvantages of the various titles, and held a
focused and extensive discussion.
Therefore be it resolved, AASL officially adopts 'school librarian'
as the title which reflects the roles of the 21st century school
library professional as leader, instructional partner, information
specialist, teacher, and program administrator; be it further
resolved that AASL will advance and promote the title 'school
librarian' to ensure universal recognition of school librarians as
indispensible educational leaders.
The following guiding principles govern these actions: Open dialog
concerning knowledge of our stakeholders’ needs, wants, and
preferences; the current realities and evolving dynamics of our
environment; the capacity and strategic position of our
organization; and the ethical implications relevant to this
decision.
—motion presented to, and approved by, the AASL Board.
While a few people have commented on this in blogs
and listservs, the overall reaction has been a big yawn. One of the
best discussions of this change can be found at:
http://www.ala.org/ala/newspresscenter/news/pressreleases2010/january2010/adopt_aasl.cfm
It would be helpful if AASL would post the survey
and related discussion and Board minutes in a prominent position on
their Web site to help librarians and administrators grapple with
this decision and create plans to implement the recommendation.
In Pennsylvania, the preferred title seems to be
“teacher librarian,” with emphasis on the teaching aspect of the
title. A quick look at the libraries listed in
www.School-libraries.net indicates that slightly more school
libraries are referred to as media centers, or some variant, rather
than as school libraries. College and university departments of
education and information/library science; state departments of
education certification agencies; and local school districts will no
doubt decide what they want. Or they may think that, during a time
of economic and policy shifts, this is not a matter of great
concern. Like King Canute demonstrating the limitations of his power
by ordering the tide to stop, AASL may find that they may propose,
but others hold the power.
Meanwhile most people who work in school libraries
realize that what is important is their job description and not
title and will go on being educational leaders and assisting
teachers and students. One thing is certainly true of this change:
It makes writing about school librarians and school libraries much
easier.
^ To Top
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