Yes, we have been absolutely overwhelmed by the level of enthusiasm with which our open casting call was met. Thank you for choosing to share your passions and your smiling faces with us as part of this contest. We love hearing about how you are using your skills to change your communities—keep up the great work!
Now, it is with great excitement that we announce our casting picks. They are:
Meet Connie, a spunky 72-year-old grandma who just received her first computer. Her grandkids want her online, so online she must go! “I don’t know what took me so long and I want to learn everything I can,” she says, “but I guess I’m a little hesitant because I don’t know quite where to start.” We couldn’t think of a better way than an eBook like Laptops For Seniors For Dummies, 3rd Edition. Connie can read and follow activities on her screen at the same time, it’s a perfect match.
Read moreYou have to start somewhere, help out your beginners!
And librarians around the globe rejoice!
On April 30, 2014, Gale launched InterLink, a new, free service available to libraries which own any of the periodical resources of InfoTrac and any eBook on the GVRL platform. But “service” is such a limiting word. Feature, enhancement. tool — they all fall short. InterLink is so much more than a bell or a whistle. With InterLink, research, search, and discovery have changed. And it’s amazing!
Read moreInterLink Enables Discovery Within Library Holdings
By Rachel G. Payne
Yes, I freely admit it, I think too much like a librarian. Often this is an asset, but when I first started adding STEM into my storytime programs, this became a problem. I kept looking for books to read to kids in the non-fiction section. My go-to favorites were Red-Eyed Tree Frog by Joy Cowley, illustrated by Nic Bishop, and Actual Size by Steve Jenkins, both solidly in the 500s. While I love these books, I was thinking too small. It took Lynn Cole, a science educator from the Queens Library Children’s Discovery Center, to shift my thinking during her staff training on science activities for preschoolers at the Brooklyn Public Library (BPL). She opened my mind to another way of thinking about the books I was already sharing by reminding us we could find science and math concepts in the picture book section as much as anywhere.
By Robert Lisiecki
May the fourth be with you. Wait, I thought it was, “may the force be with you.” You know a film made a monumental impact on society when people assign a date in the calendar year to geek out. Let’s get geeky, Star Wars friends.
I’m admittedly not a self-proclaimed Star Wars nerd, but I’ve had a few light saber fights in my day, and I was Jar Jar Binks one year for Halloween; so, that counts for something… right?
It’s fascinating to think about the impactful nature of Star Wars, and how it still remains a force today (they just released the cast for the new movie!). Not only was it a monumental cinematic success, but it also impacted Hollywood, pop culture, and merchandising.
By Bethany Dotson
For Christmas last year, my husband bought me the Rosetta Stone German Level 1-5 Set. He was so excited to give it to me, in fact, that he convinced me to open it five days early (I have to admit—I wasn’t hard to convince). But upon opening the gift, I had to wonder out loud—why German? I had never expressed any interest in learning German—had I?
My patient husband, who is a mechanical engineer by education, by natural inclination, and by trade, responded that he knew that I wanted to take another trip to Europe, and he had settled on Germany as his #1 choice: not because of the fantastic history or culture, or even because of the food and beer, but because, and I quote, “they have a lot of engineers there and their trains run on time.”
A look at a current news item through the lens of different titles available on GVRL.
By Michelle Eickmeyer
Spring. Millions of people around the country have been counting the minutes until spring, well, springs. But the yearly battle of warm, southern air to (finally!) unseat the cold northern air makes for some of the most dangerous weather. From as far north as Michigan and Ohio, through America’s heartland, this week has been the first of the 2014 tornado season.
By Kim Martin
Meet Chris, the explorer. He’s passionate about adventure, travel and discovering the world. Ever since he can remember, he wanted to know as much about other countries—their people, cuisine, geography, whatever he could possibly take in. As someone who loves to immerse himself in other cultures, he needs the right resources and tools, for excursions near and far.
By Harmony Faust
Samantha Cole, an editorial intern for Fast Company magazine, just gave your library a present—did you accept it graciously and immediately put it to good use? If not, you might be missing out on an opportunity to leverage the gift of free advertising. Keep reading; it’s not too late.
Cole’s article, “Who Needs Business School? The Hidden Startup Resources at your Local Library,” perfectly tells the value story of public libraries and specifically, how you support local entrepreneurs and foster economic growth. Do you ever read or hear something and think to yourself, “I couldn’t have said it better myself!”? This is one of those moments. What Cole has explained about libraries—and how she has explained it—is evidence-based and right on point.
Read moreDo you keep your library’s business resources hidden?
Let’s face it, passion drives everything we do—the choices we make, the jobs we acquire, even how we spend our free time.
We’d like to offer you the opportunity to take your passion and turn it into a real “notice me” opportunity. That’s right; we’re looking for a few shining stars to feature in our upcoming catalog. Not only will you be able to share your passion—and your smiling face—with the world, but you’ll also be put into circulation of over 18,000 copies, literally putting you in front of thousands of librarians, researchers, teachers, administrators, and faculty all across the US and Canada!