So, we're gonna start podcasting here at Casa Grande! And, we're ready to get started small-scale. We've got an Olympus WS-311M digital voice recorder and WMA music player along with a tie-clipping, noise-cancelling microphone. Way cool beans! =) Snaps for Ms. Susan Thompson, the librarian before me, who bought it last year. =) This little baby is cataloged and barcoded so now you or your teachers can check it out from the library! =)

But, while 1 is nice, 1 is not enough! Not when we've got 100+ teachers, 2000+ students, and tons of way-cool curriculum to record! =) So, we're asking for more. 10 more! 10 more Olympus WS-321M digital voice recorders. =) You can see how awesome this thing is in 360º with the super-cool click-and-drag feature! =)

Our wishlist is online at Amazon.com. =) Your donation of 1 or more digital voice recorders will help us bring this amazing technology into more classrooms. And, because our school is a 501(c)(3) non-profit, your gift to our library is full-tax-deductible! =) That's what we call win/win! =)
 

 
I prepared this for and presented this to the Administrative Team at Casa Grande High School on January 27, 2009. I hope it helps. :)
 

 
back in september i blogged about the super-slow internet connection @ casa...

since then the network has been a little bit better, but we are far from being out of the woods by a long shot! websites are still blocked; wi-fi is still a fantasy; the handful of computers we have are still ancient (and growing older everday); and lcds projectors are still too few and too unavailable.

technology needs on campus abound, at least in my not-so-humble opinion. but i don't care about my opinion. i care about yours -- the students! so please cast your ballot in the two polls above. and, if you feel so inclined, leave some comments (annonymous or not) on this blog post. people in power just might be apparently listening... =)

 
omg, the big house finally has some new vampire books -- and i swear they don't suck or bite! (get it! suck or bite? it's a pun! anyway...) we've got boys that bite, girls that growl, life sucks, suck it up, sucks to be me, and many many more! click here for the complete listing of our vampire lit. oh, ps, we finally finally have breaking dawn and todos los libros de stephanie meyer en español! plus, we have twilight: the complete illustrated movie companion! and it's got full-color, shirtless shots of all the hotties from the movie! =) yup, who loves ya, baby! =)

 
the big house library's got a bunch of new chinese books, more than 50, to be precise, and a handful of new DVDs and CDs, too! thanks to the california lottery! i worked with our wonderful new mandarin teacher ms. evelyn tseng to make sure we bought up-to-date atlases, language aids, travel guides, picture books, novels, and much more! be on the look out for our chinese new year display coming soon to your favorite library! =)

i read 2 very different things this morning...

the first thing i read was total tear-jerker! it was the editorial in the  january/february 2009 issue of american libraries called dear president obama.  it made me not mind having to work on another holiday weekend to get ready for another busy week of supporting my school's awesome students and their talented teachers. it made me not care that i had to share a banana with my husband at breakfast this morning because we had to dip into our meager monthly food bugdet to buy extra supplies for the library. it made me proud to be a librarian. and it made me proud to be an american.

the second thing i read was downright distrubing and thoroughly disenheartening. it was a racist remark presumably posted by a casa student as a comment on this blog. this comment made me feel sad and mad and everything in between. racism is wrong. and it will not be allowed on my watch. while i encourage you to participate on this website, i will not tolerate hate. i have since deleted the profanity, but be aware that i will be investigating the matter fully, and i will get to the bottom of it. you know who you are, you know what you said, and you need to know that it is not okay.

anyway, i don't want to dwell on the negative. so, i'm going to include the american libraries letter and end this on an up-beat. here's what it said:

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Dear President Obama,

As you become the 44th president of the United States of America, probably the last thing you need is more people telling you what they want you to do for them. From the Headquarters of the American Library Association in Chicago, it looks to me as if everybody is asking you for something, and librarians, of course, don’t want to miss the boat. But before we get in line with our demands, let me offer one modest suggestion for how to deal with this profession: Let us show you what we can do for you.

In 2005, before you keynoted the American Library Association’s Annual Conference here in Chicago, I sidled up to you in the green room with a tape recorder and asked you to talk about libraries. You focused thoughtfully on my questions, one of which was, “Can you tell us more about the effect libraries have had on you?” You answered that although people tend to think of libraries in terms of just being sources for reading material or research, it was a librarian at the New York Public Library in Manhattan who helped you find the community organizing job you were looking for. “I probably would not be in Chicago were it not for the Manhattan public library,” you said, adding that the librarian had identified lists of potential employers and, “I wrote to every organization; one of them wound up being an organization in Chicago that I got a job with.”

People all over the country are using libraries in larger numbers than ever before, partly for reading and research as they always have but also because libraries have become community solution centers where people are learning new skills, meeting their neighbors, and getting practical help with some of life’s essentials, such as managing their dwindling finances or, like you, finding a job.

Following our brief interview, you went on to deliver a keynote speech so clearly tailored to librarians that we immediately asked your staff for permission to adapt it as a cover story in the August 2005 issue of American Libraries. In it you said, “More than a building that houses books and data, the library represents a window to a larger world, the place where we’ve always come to discover big ideas and profound concepts that help move the American story forward….” Many of us walked away from that speech already saying, “Yes we can.”

We can continue to be the “sanctuaries of learning” that you remember. We can foster literacy, what you called “the most basic currency of the knowledge economy.” We can produce the highest achieving students when they attend schools with good library media centers. We can help parents prepare children for the workforce and for a lifetime of reading and learning. Libraries are central to community development, civic engagement, and scholarly excellence. Therefore, the librarians of this nation ask not what you can do for libraries but what libraries can do to help you solve the daunting problems we all face. We’re at your service.

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On Tuesday, January 20, 2008, the first African-American will be sworn in as President of the United States of America. The media estimates that millions of people will pack the streets of D.C. to see history in the making. And your librarian hopes that hundreds of Gauchos will pack the library to watch it all together! We'll turn on the boob tube, of course, but we'll also be streaming it over the internet on the big screen as well. 

Stop by the library to see the morning worship service, the swearing-in ceremony, and the inaugural address. We'll also be tuned in to the parade, the procession, the departure of the outgoing president, and the rest of the pomp and circumstance.

The Big House Library is the place to be on Barack Obama's Big Day! So see you on the 20th! =)

P.S. I hate to trivialize, commercialize, and capitalize on a historic event, but, we're broke, so I must. Here's my shameless elevator pitch, principles notwithstanding. "Want a commemorative souvenir from the occasion but don't want to spend a ton of dough? Then listen to the soon-to-be President and help support the Big House Book Club. Buy a limited-edition Obama pencil for just 25¢ today!" =) 

 
every semester casa teacher todd siders has his eco-eco class read an eco-eco book. to make it easier for students to find the books, we carted two cabinets of todd's books over to the library, and we added them to our collection. then, the way-cool c.a.t.e.r. cluster bought a bunch more brand-new eco-eco books for the library, too! =) we've got more than 70 titles to-date and more are on the way! browse our eco-eco books and check to see which ones are available at the library right now. then watch this screencast to learn how to rate and review your eco-eco book (or any book) using destiny, our super-sexy online library catalog! =)

have you ever wondered what your deodorant, shampoo, mouthwash, or makeup is made of? have you ever read the list of ingredients on the label (if they're even printed on the package)? do you really know what goes into the stuff that goes on you? 

during winter break, i decided i'd buy some new makeup. you know, new year, new me, etc. i settled on a tinted lip conditioner with spf. i was happy that it had almond oil, shea butter, avocado extract, wheat germ oil, and vitamins a & e, but butylene, ethylene, and stearine copolymer? um, not so much. now, i'm no chemist, so i did what any inquiring mind would do, and i googled it! =)

goodguide.com was the first hit. since i'd never heard of this website, i checked it out, and they seem to be 2 legit 2 quit! goodguide was started by some concerned parents (who just happened to be scientists and professors at m.i.t. and u.c. berkeley). they review the health, environmental and social impacts of the products we use everyday. their vlog tells the backstory, and it's worth hearing! they were voted the 2008 website "most likely to make the world a better place."

goodguide.com gave my tinted lip conditioner a 3/10 health & safety rating based on "the safety and toxicity of its ingredients" and " the product's potential cancer hazards."  i was scared straight! there was no way i was going to put that stuff on my mouth! that stuff went back to the store, and i went back to goodguide and got more information on what to use and what to toss. i don't like to be preachy, but i hope you will, too. read the results of this study and decide for yourself.

 happy new year, everyone! welcome back to the big house! =) wow, weren't those 2 weeks off just the best?! =) and just think, 3 months off are just 6 months away! =) well, after you pick up the pieces of your smashed alarm clock and attempt to locate your backpack amid the mess that is your room, take a second to click comment and tell us what you read during winter break. also, we're still collecting books for the petaluma family life center, so if there's any books you want to donate, please drop them off @ the library. c u soon! =)