Friday, September 28, 2007

Upcoming Events at HPL Date Description Oct 1- Oct 31 Write for Fright!: Scary Story Contest Monday, October 01, 2007 Youth Services Department, Hackley Public Library. Enter Write for Fright!, HPL’s scary story contest. Anyone in grades K-6 can join. Bring your stories and poems to the Library by October 31. Each year the scariest stories are printed in a Write fro Fright! Book and distributed through schools and libraries. Winners are honored at an Author’s Night Award Program, 7 PM Wednesday, November 14. For more information call 231-722-7276 x 230. Oct 1 11:00 am Toddler Times Youth Services Department, Hackley Public Library. For ages 18-36 months. Toddlers and care givers attend Toddler Time together. The simple books and activities are just right for kids under 3. Signup required. To register phone 231-722-7276, ext 230 Oct 1 7:00 pm Preschool Storytime Youth Services Department, Hackley Public Library. For ages 3-5 years old. Storytelling, picturebooks, fingerplays, holiday tales, and special fun. Each session ends with a craft project. Signup required. To register phone 231-722-7276, ext 230 Oct 2 6:45 pm Toddler Times Youth Services Department, Hackley Public Library. For ages 18-36 months. Toddlers and care givers attend Toddler Time together. The simple books and activities are just right for kids under 3. Signup required. To register phone 231-722-7276, ext 230 Oct 4 11:00 am Preschool Storytime Youth Services Department, Hackley Public Library. For ages 3-5 years old. Storytelling, picturebooks, fingerplays, holiday tales, and special fun. Each session ends with a craft project. Signup required. To register phone 231-722-7276, ext 230 Oct 6 9:30 - 11:30 am Hands-On Genealogy Workshop Hackley Public Library, Local History Department. For more information call 231-722-7276. Oct 8 11:00 am Toddler Times Youth Services Department, Hackley Public Library. For ages 18-36 months. Toddlers and care givers attend Toddler Time together. The simple books and activities are just right for kids under 3. Signup required. To register phone 231-722-7276, ext 230 Oct 8 7:00 pm Preschool Storytime Youth Services Department, Hackley Public Library. For ages 3-5 years old. Storytelling, picturebooks, fingerplays, holiday tales, and special fun. Each session ends with a craft project. Signup required. To register phone 231-722-7276, ext 230 Oct 9 6:45 pm Toddler Times Youth Services Department, Hackley Public Library. For ages 18-36 months. Toddlers and care givers attend Toddler Time together. The simple books and activities are just right for kids under 3. Signup required. To register phone 231-722-7276, ext 230 Oct 11 11:00 am Preschool Storytime Youth Services Department, Hackley Public Library. For ages 3-5 years old. Storytelling, picturebooks, fingerplays, holiday tales, and special fun. Each session ends with a craft project. Signup required. To register phone 231-722-7276, ext 230 Oct 13 2:00 pm Dan the Yo-yo Man Youth Services Department, Hackley Public Library. Yo-yo expert Dan Guzman will wow the audience with astounding tricks. After the show kids will make Spinning Toys to take home. For more information call 231-722-7276 x 230. Oct 13 8:00 pm Passion and Perversity: The Inner Chambers of Edgar Allan Poe Hackley Public Library. Enjoy an encore performance of Tom Harryman's recreation of Edgar Allen Poe, adapted from his much-talked about performances at Muskegon Community College. The piece was conceived and arranged by Harryman from Poe's letters, stories and poems including "Imp of the Perverse," "Lenore," "The Tell-Tale Heart," "The Raven" and others. Tickets will be available TBA at Hackley Public Library. Price to be determined. The event is a fund raiser for the Friends of Hackley Public Library. Seating is limited to the first 125 ticketholders. 8:59:29 AM     New Links on our web for the week of September 27, 2007 Arts and Humanities Sacred "The homepage of this very recent online collection of sacred texts from the British Library doesn't mince any words, declaring this clutch of materials to be "The world's greatest collection of Jewish, Christian, and Muslim holy books." The subtitle to this remarkable collection is "Discover what we share", and that is certainly an apt phrase to describe this moving online collection, which is intended to complement the in situ exhibit. First off, there are the texts themselves, which can be viewed in their entirety, and examined at leisure. There is a complete chronological list, a list organized by faith, and several editors' lists, such as "Kings and Queens" and "Pictures and Portraits". In keeping with the strong online traditions of like-minded exhibits at the British Library, visitors can take in some video highlights, including the Sufi dancer Zia Azazi and they may also watch a scribe demonstrating how old sacred texts were crafted. Additionally, there are several dozen podcasts that deal with the illumination of sacred texts and discussions on the relationship between medicine and various traditions of faith. Overall, the site is powerfully moving, inclusive, and worthy of repeat visits." (LII) Black History and African American Resources BlackPast: Remembered and Reclaimed "Professor Quintard Taylor of the University of Washington and his colleagues have created this very fine online resource that covers six centuries of African American history. The site includes an online encyclopedia of hundreds of famous and lesser known figures in African America, along with full text primary documents and major speeches of black activists and leaders from the eighteenth century to the present. Visitors should make sure and visit the "Perspectives on African American History" area, which includes rather fascinating pieces such as "Gentrification, Integration or Displacement?: The Seattle Story" and "Juneteenth: The Birth of an African American Holiday". The site merits numerous return visits, and those with a penchant for African American history, and United States history in general, will find some stellar materials here." (SR) Books and Reading DailyLit ""DailyLit sends books in installments via e-mail. DailyLit currently offers over 400 classic public domain titles that can be subscribed to and read in their entirety for free." Includes some in French, Italian, and Spanish. Search, or browse by title, author, or category. The entry for each work includes a preview of the first installment and the number of installments (such as 675 for "War and Peace" and 149 for "Pride and Prejudice")." (LII) Business Acorn Housing "This nonprofit with offices throughout the U.S. provides "free housing counseling to low and moderate income homebuyers." Its site features information about obtaining credit for buying a home, predatory lending practices, and options when you are behind on your mortgage. Includes a list of local offices." (LII) Help for Homeowners Facing the Loss of Their Home "This site discusses steps to take when you may unable to pay the mortgage on your home. Topics include contacting your lender, talking to a housing counseling agency, prioritizing debts, and exploring loan workout solutions (such as forbearance or mortgage modification). Includes comments about predatory lending schemes, and a link to a list of HUD-approved housing counseling agencies by state. From the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD)" (LII). Computers and Internet Acoo Browser Compatible with all computers running Windows 98 and newer and Internet Explorer 5.0 and newer. (SR) Government, Elections, and Law List of Federal Agency Internet Sites "Based on the U.S. Government Manual, the List directs users to the Web sites of active Federal agencies, and can be searched in several ways. Users can view a hierarchical or an alphabetical list of all agencies. The agencies are also listed by broad category, such as boards/commissions, legislative, and quasi-official. The entire list is searchable by agency keyword as well." FreePatentsOnline "An online site for free patent searching." It is *not* a government site. (IRN) Health Medline Plus: Herbal Medicine "From the world of Aloe Vera to yohimbe, this site leaves no herbal medicines unexplored. As part of the Medline Plus omnibus site which was created by the U.S. National Library of Medicine and the National Institutes of Health, this particular section covers many aspects of the world of herbal medicine. First-time visitors will want to start by looking over the background essays on the use of botanical dietary supplements offered from the Office of Dietary Supplements. After that, they should browse through sections that include "Basics", "Learn More", "Research", and "Reference Shelf". They can also just scroll down through the homepage, which includes overviews on the use of different herbs and supplements. Those persons looking for the latest information about research findings on herbs and topical treatments can look within the "Latest News" listings, which are updated frequently. Researchers will appreciate the inclusion of a "Clinical Trials" area which provides the latest information about ongoing clinical trials that draw on various aspects of herbal medicine." (SR) Holidays Hispanic Heritage " "National Hispanic Heritage Month is celebrated from September 15 through October 15 every year. This page includes recommended reading lists, reference resources and related websites, chosen by our librarians." Includes a list of Hispanic mysteries, recommended fiction in Spanish and English, recommended titles for children, reading lists from other libraries, and selected Internet resources in English and Spanish. From the Springfield, Massachusetts, City Library." (LII) The International Day of Peace September 21 "This day "provides an opportunity for individuals, organizations and nations to create practical acts of peace on a shared date." The site features the U.N. resolutions designating this day, a listing of events throughout the world, educational resources, and links to related material. This site "is provided by Pathways To Peace, the International Secretariat of the Culture of Peace Initiative (formerly We The Peoples Initiative), a United Nations-designated Peace Messenger Initiative." "(LII) Homework ChemTutor "From reactions to the world of acids and bases, the study of chemistry can present certain unique challenges to all types of students. Fortunately, there are helpful sites like ChemTutor. As their site mentions, ChemTutor "begins with the fundamentals and gives expert help with the most difficult phases of understanding your first course in chemistry." The site's layout is quite straightforward, as users can just click on any of the topics offered on the homepage. These topics include reactions, atomic structure, elements, and solutions. Within each topic, visitors can take advantage of sample problems, look over helpful diagrams, and so on." (SR) USS Monitor Center (Mariner's Museum) "On March 9, 1862, the Civil War battle of Hampton Roads between the ironclads USS Monitor and CSS Virginia (formerly the USS Merrimack) heralded the beginning of a new era in naval warfare. Today, the remains of the Monitor rest on the ocean floor off North Carolina's Outer Banks, where the ship sank in a storm on December 31, 1862. This site hosts primary source materials including the letters of Monitor crewman George S. Geer which offer a remarkable glimpse aboard the ironclad and a rare perspective on a sailor's experience of the Civil War. There is an interactive story, a section on preservation efforts, interactive sections on various aspects of life aboard ship, and you can page through the History "book" using the Next and Previous buttons. Word definitions available when you roll-over some words." (BWN) Probability Tutorials "These tutorials are designed as a set of exercises leading gradually to the establishment of deeper results. Proved Theorems, Definitions, an alphabetical index are available. Solutions to exercises are provided and can be downloaded from the Printing page. Explore the History page to find out about mathematicians mentioned in these tutorials. Notations used are described on the Notations page. If you wish to discuss anything about this site, join the Discussion group. There is also an additional Links page. Created and maintained by Noel Vaillant." (BWN) Mango "a new online website that makes learning foreign languages a whole lot easier. When you begin a lesson, you will hear a brief conversation, and then you can flip forward and backward through a series of slides at your own pace. Mango does an excellent job of combining audio clips and written text. Want to hear a phrase again? Just click the sound icon. Want to skip ahead, just click the slide advance button." (DS) Leisure Lightly Salted "thousands of free recipes - recipe cooking site with recipes for all cooks! Recipes include Pie recipes,bread recipes, indian recipes, pasta recipes. and many more." Powell River Tourism and Business Directory "Powell River BC's comprehensive travel and business directory. Featuring hotels and accommodations, vacation and cottage rentals, real estate, maps, and more." Teacher Resources Celebrate Hispanic Heritage "Collection of material for teachers and students in honor of Hispanic Heritage Month, September 15-October 15. Features an interactive map showing Hispanic history in the Americas ("the roots ... stretch from the Caribbean to California and back more than 500 years"), annotated listing of Latinos in history, interview transcripts with recent famous Latinos (such as astronaut Ellen Ochoa), a research guide on the Spanish missions in California, and more. From Scholastic." (LII) Creating Mathlets with Open Source Tools "Crafting new instructional aids for math courses can be difficult, but this helpful new article from Markus Hohenwarter and Judith Preiner will bring much joy to the hearts of mathematics teachers everywhere. This particular article presents information on creating new interactive materials (or "mathlets") with the use of various open source tools. The article includes sections on creating mathlets for discussing tangents to a circle, slope functions, and even offers up some suggestions for creating dynamic worksheets. The piece also describes how to crate interactive exercises with JavaScript and it concludes with a set of additional reference materials and resources." (SR) USGS Learning Age: Geologic Age "The United States Geological Survey (USGS) has created a number of instructional materials for teachers as part of its Learning Web site, and this particular lesson plan is one that can be used in a number of different settings. The activity and lesson are designed for use by grades 7-12, but these materials could also be used with ease in introductory geology courses at the college level. This set of resources includes a background essay on the use of radioactive decay to determine geologic age, and continues on to provide detailed information on a classroom activity that is both engaging and informative. The materials are rounded out by a set of questions that can be used to guide future discussions." (SR) Math Science Center "Developed by Peter C. Esser and John W. Pluemer of the Math and Science Center at Southwest Wisconsin Technical College, this site brings together a veritable cornucopia of resources related to learning about applied math, occupational math, elementary algebra, technical science, and the fundamentals of chemistry. First-time visitors will want to start by looking at the "Resources" section. Here they will find online tables and scientific calculators, sets of tips such as "Fractions: The Basics" and "Using the Place Value System", and some rather fine tutorials that cover health occupations and culinary mathematics. Moving on, the "Topics" area provides access to the various resources on the site organized into subtopics such as "Finance", "Geometry", and "Statistics"." (SR) 8:56:03 AM

© Copyright 2008 Jocelyn Shaw. Last update: 11/18/2008; 2:38:28 PM. Photo curtesy of Marjorie O'Brien