the NMH Library Blog

Book Banning Alive and Well in the USA

From The Tennessean.com

Objections to some books are on the rise:   Libraries try to balance parents' rights to challenge books with others' rights to read what they wish

"The box of books Diane Chen stumbled onto at John F. Kennedy Middle School's library was simply labeled, "Inappropriate to Shelf.

The school's new librarian wondered, " 'Are they worn out? Is there something wrong with them? Are they potentially hazardous chemical journals for would-be-terrorists?' "

The answer was none of the above. Scared that the books — such as The American Heritage Dictionary 3rd edition, The Pit and the Pendulum by Edgar Allen Poe, and The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger — could trigger a book challenge, a former employee had pulled them off the shelves."  Read more....

I want to be a Twitter Ninja!

  From PC.MAG.com:

The Ultimate Twitter Toolkit

"Want to be a Twitter ninja? Hordes of new users are joining and dreaming up new uses for it. As they do so, Twitter is maturing into a viable alternative not just to blog platforms but to RSS readers, news aggregators, media-sharing services, and communication tools. All you have to do to unleash the full power of Twitter is follow the right users and have the right tools handy." Read more...

New Search Engine, to boldy go where Google can't (yet)

  From cnn.com:

New search engines aspire to supplement Google

"Wolfram Alpha, set to launch Monday, is more of an enormous calculator than a search: It crunches data to come up with query answers that may not exist online until you search for them. And sites like Twitter are trying to capitalize on the warp-speed pace of online news today by offering real-time searches of online chatter -- something Google's computers have yet to replicate."  Read more...

According to Wolfram Alpha, I am 16,685 days old as of this writing.  Good to know!

                                                                                        - Alison Ernst, Librarian

Lounge Lizard of the Week

Our final Lounge Lizard of 08/09 is...

Sophie '09          

 

"I like sitting in the library stroking the stuffed animals!"

Have iPod? Will travel?

 Have an iPod?

 Have a long trip home?

 Want to listen to a book?

The library has downloadable unabridged audiobooks. Bring your ipod to the library and tell us which book you want from the list below.

Click on Download Digital Download Books

Summer Reading 09

Don't want to buy the book?

Check the library's catalog to see if it's available.

Click on 

Schauffler Library Catalog

• ESL Reading
• Grade9_reading list
  
• Grade10_reading list
• Grade11_reading list
• Grade12_reading list
• GradePG_reading list

Really Good Books

My new favorites (at least for this week, until I read more) are:

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

Think Survivor (as in the TV show), but to the death, and the fortunes of your community riding on your performance. 

The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness

 Another post-apocalyptic dystopian novel.  I'm on  roll with them lately.  Who would think the future on another planet could be so rural and folksey? 

The Graveyard Book by  Neil Gaiman ; with illustrations by Dave McKean

Toddler escapes murderer, wanders into a graveyard, and is raised by ghosts.  Nuff said.

Come and get 'em @ your library.                    - Alison Ernst, Librarian

Online Quiz Safety?

  I admit it.  I take Facebook Quizzes to procrastinate...and because I'm oddly fascinated by the results.  (Apparently I'm a wooden, icey, Unicorn with an Eagle Spirit Guide and I should live in Memphis...Who knew!)  I came across the following articel which gives me pause...  - Alison Ernst, Librarian

The Hidden Secrets of Online Quizzes

You can have a ball taking online quizzes on Facebook and other sites, but here are some things you should know before you do. by JR Raphael, PC World

"While Web quizzes may be fun to take, they're also a powerful tool for companies to collect your data and even your money -- and often in ways you might not notice. We'll get to the spooky stuff in a moment, but let's start with the simplest method of quiz-based marketing: advertising. The very nature of a typical online quiz requires you to divulge all sorts of details about yourself. Those tidbits of info are like nuggets of gold for advertisers craving a way to connect with you."  Read more!

Acoustic THURSDAY! JAZZ!

Please join us in the library for

Acoustic Thursday. Yes, Thursday!

Thursday, May 14^th
at 1:45 P.M.
featuring

the Award Winning

NMH Jazz Ensemble

This Week in NMH History #33

110 Years Ago

It may strike you as odd that a story about a holiday is appearing in the spring. “A holiday in the spring?” you ask, and you might wonder whether your editor has finally lost his mind in the windowless depths of Schauffler Library. You might not be far wrong, but not on this score, because this story is not about Mountain Day, even though it sounds like it could be. Unscheduled holidays used to be called at odd moments in the academic calendar, especially when D.L. Moody was around to declare them. The surprise holiday at the Seminary during the spring was later known as “Bird Day.”
 
from The Hermonite vol. 12, no. 15; p. 228-9  (May 20, 1899).

[Untitled; Spring Holiday]

            Thursday May 11, proved another decisive day in the history of the school. Mr. Moody placed an important matter of business before the teachers and pupils, and it was immediately acted upon with no sign of disagreement or discord. It is a remarkable fact that for twenty years Mr. Moody’s annual proposition of a holiday has never met with opposition, and the vote for its acceptance has never failed to be unanimous. To prove his statement of the perfect harmony in the school Mr. Moody suggested a holiday, and almost before he finished speaking the chapel rang with shouts of joy, and immediately plans for fishing and boating parties, picnics and drives were disclosed.