Free Reference: CDC

Summer vacation is now upon us, and with that comes travel. Among the many databases and web sites librarians access to gather vital information for international travel is the traveler's site prepared by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC): TRAVELERS HEALTH wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel

The drop down menu in the Destinations window yields a listing of 238 countries, from Afghanistan to Zimbabwe. The bulk of the narrative information on the homepage concerns trip preparations, necessary vaccinations, traveling with pets and special-needs individuals, prevalent diseases, items to bring and how to maintain good health during your trip.

The CDC Traveler's Health site is an invaluable source of detailed and authoritative information covering every aspect of international travel as it pertains to health and safety concerns.

So HAPPY SUMMER and HAVE A GREAT VACATION!

Getting to Know Urban Literature

Hip-Hop lit. Ghetto lit. Gangsta lit. No matter what they're calling it - your patrons are asking for it. Urban Literature has become immensely popular among patrons of all ages since rapper and political activist Sister Souljah wrote The Coldest Winter Ever a decade ago. And while some may question its literary merit, the genre deserves recognition for bringing a new generation of reluctant readers into the library. Readers are drawn to the realistic characters in urban settings and the slang-infused dialogue that depict situations similar to what they, or their friends, are experiencing.
Many librarians have yet to include this genre in their Readers' Advisory repertoire, maybe because they don't know enough about it, or simply don't get its appeal. That's why Adult Services Librarian Jessica Zellers has written "Getting Up to Speed in... Urban Lit" to help you understand the who, the what, and the why of Urban Literature. This in-depth genre outline describes the three main sub-genres -- Street Lit, Urban Drama, and Urban Erotica -- and offers background information on some of the most popular authors and titles. For a more general overview, check out "Hot Topics: Street Fiction" by librarian David Wright, in which he discusses the genre and provides annotations for Urban must-reads.
On the other hand, you might shun Urban lit because you are familiar with the genre and are uncomfortable with the explicit descriptions of sex, violence and drug use. While the majority of Street Lit does deal with street life and use urban talk, not all titles are shockingly graphic. Urban Dramas, for example, tend to be less scandalous, focusing on the emotional interactions among characters. Even the bawdiest authors don't glorify street life, but are careful to depict the grim reality of it.
However, the underlying message may not be strong enough to justify handing some titles - especially Urban Erotica - to young patrons. There are authors who write cleaner, less violent titles appropriate for the age group. NoveList contributor Autumn Winters has compiled a list of series and titles to consider in "Serving Teen Urban Fiction Readers in Your Library." Here, she suggests possible titles for libraries, and illustrates how Urban Literature can be used to reach out to teen readers.
You can find all three feature articles mentioned in this newsletter by entering the title in the Find box on the NoveList home page, selecting the Title radio button, and clicking Search. So the next time a young patron asks about rapper 50 Cent, you'll know that they're looking for his Urban Lit books and a not his new CD.

Spring/Summer Database Updates 2010

Reference database publishers often update their products in the spring and then provide that information to their customers. Here are the updates for some of the databases we subscribe too.

EBSCO NoveList and NoveList Plus . Effective July 2010, a new interface incorporates the use of appeal terms for elements such as pacing, mood, writing style, and tone. For browsers, new genre pages feature book that are well known in the genre along with immediate links to NoveList content and articles as well as award lists specific to the genre. An expanded "Teaching with Books" section supports school librarians and teachers.

Fact on File Science Online. New essays on subjects within the physical sciences as well as new color illustrations.

Gale, part of Cengage Learning Grzimek's Animal Life. New biomes map with Google integration allows users to select a biome and see an overlay of it on the world map. New content includes the Encyclopedia of Biomes (2d edition.)

World Book Enciclopedia estudiantil hallazgos. Relaunched with a new design, a search engine, updated content, and new interactive features.
Advanced Differentiated feature offers read-aloud capability and translation into 30 languages for World Book Kids, World book Online Reference Center, and World Book Discover.
Time line feature on World Book Discover now allows students and educators to add their own images.

Something about the Author- In Gale Virual Reference Library

Is the end of school close? Have students been working on reports about authors? Well searching for those authors has never been easier. Just by searching our catalog, you can search for a biographgy for say Gary Paulsen and this leads you right to the online version of "Something about the Author" in the Gale Virtual Reference Library (GVRL). Within three easy clicks your students can have everything they need to create a report about an author, right from this wonderful source. GVRL contains a wealth of information from many subject areas, so remember to look here when you need a little extra to complete your search.