Wilson, Patricia Potter & Leslie, Roger. Center stage; library programs that inspire middle school patrons.Libraries Unltd. 204p. illus. bibliog. index. c2002. 1-56308-796-0. $35.00. The authors, who have experience in education and as library media specialists, have written two previous books on library programs: Premiere Events: Library Programs That Inspire Elementary School elementary school: see school. Patrons, and Igniting the Spark: Programs That Inspire High School Patrons. They write here that "middle-school students are perhaps the most impressionable im·pres·sion·a·ble adj. 1. Readily or easily influenced; suggestible: impressionable young people. 2. group," in terms of forming attitudes about library use, "ripe for change and open to new views," and explain how library programs can motivate them and promote enthusiasm for libraries and for learning. Wilson and Leslie make a convincing case for the wide-ranging benefits of providing library programs, both grand and small-scale, and offer information on planning, producing, and assessing them, with many detailed examples from around the country. For instance, they describe an author-in-residence program; a trivial pursuit Trivial Pursuit is a board game where progress is determined by a player's ability to answer general knowledge, and popular culture questions. The game was made in 1979 by Scott Abbott, a sports editor for the Canadian Press, and Chris Haney, of Welland, Ontario, a photo reference challenge; an urban legends Myths about anything and everything that barely have a shred of truth in them, yet seem to take on a persistent life of their own. Before the Internet, such urban folklore as "alligators in New York City sewers" was carried in magazines and newspapers. storytelling festival A storytelling festival is often an annual event that features local, regional and/or nationally known oral storytellers. Each storyteller will have a scheduled amount of time(s) to share a story (or stories) with an audience. ; tech fest programs for teachers; and sharing "Big Six Skills" with parents. Chapters cover such topics as putting students center stage, how to identify and locate resources, and searching the Internet for resources. Well worth considering for all middle school libraries. Paula Rohrlick, KLIATT |
|
||||||||||||||||
Printer friendly
Cite/link
Email
Feedback
Reader Opinion