Quarterfinals | Semifinals | Finals

The truth is incontrovertible. Malice may attack it, ignorance may deride it, but in the end, there it is.
- Winston Churchill

It’s difficult to argue that what Churchill was speaking of here was the necessity of a bracket-style tournament to determine the world’s [...]]]>

Quarterfinals | Semifinals | Finals

The truth is incontrovertible. Malice may attack it, ignorance may deride it, but in the end, there it is.
- Winston Churchill

It’s difficult to argue that what Churchill was speaking of here was the necessity of a bracket-style tournament to determine the world’s worst bookmark. That is exactly the task before us. But before the voting begins, let’s see who’s in the finals.

Semifinal #1: Tissue vs. Another Book

The winner/loser is…

Another Book

Here’s how the voting went down (all numbers are percentages):

A shocker! I expected tissue to cruise into the final. Shows what I know about popular bookmark opinion. The majority of voters feel that using another book to mark a book is a poor choice.

Semifinal #2: Bandage vs. Pencil

The winner/loser is…

Pencil

Here’s how the voting came out (all numbers are percentages):

Pencil moves on with the exact same percentage of the vote as Another Book. You know what this means – the final is gonna be tightly contested! Here we go…

Battle of the Bad Bookmarks Final:

Another Book vs. Pencil

Polls are open today (Wednesday, February 22) until 8:00 PM EST. Check back tomorrow to see the winner.

Here’s how the tournament has gone thus far:

Quarterfinals | Semifinals | Finals

We’re finally going to decide which bookmark is the worst by way of a bracket-style tournament based on your votes. The exercise in ridiculousness continues today with the results of quarterfinals voting. Cast your vote in the semifinals below.

Quarterfinals | Semifinals | Finals

What’s up with all these terrible bookmarks people use? Am I right?

(Gentle sound of crickets chirping)

While I’m all for marking a page by any means necessary, some bookmarks make more sense than others. This week in a bracket-style tournament based on your votes, [...]]]>

Quarterfinals | Semifinals | Finals

What’s up with all these terrible bookmarks people use? Am I right?

(Gentle sound of crickets chirping)

While I’m all for marking a page by any means necessary, some bookmarks make more sense than others. This week in a bracket-style tournament based on your votes, we’re going to determine once and for all which bookmark is the worst.

The Competitors:

A Tissue

Any time a breeze can blow your bookmark away, you’ve got yourself a bad bookmark. A tissue also has potential gross factor if it has been used.

A Piece of Junk Mail

Come on, you really can’t find anything smaller?

Money

If you want your bookmark to mark your page, it’s not a good idea to use something that people are tempted to steal.

An I.D.

Look closely and you’ll see me at 18 years old. It’s never really a good idea to use something as important as an I.D. as a bookmark because the rate of losing a bookmark is (by my latest estimate) 100%.

A Tiny Scrap of Paper

Did you miss it? Here:

Marking your page with something you can barely see is like buying a highlighter in “paper color”.

Another Book

Really? The only thing you could find was an entire book? I would guess that folks who do this move also make those brownies that have Reese’s cups inside of them (side note: those are delicious and I would never knock anyone who made them).

A Pencil

The issue I have with this choice is that you can’t close the book. People who use pencils as bookmarks are also likely to leave car doors ajar.

A Bandage

(This one comes courtesy of @colbysharp)

Unused? A bit silly, but no big deal. Used? You need to read elsewhere, my (former) friend.

Let the Tournament Begin

Polls are open today (Monday, February 20) until 8:00 PM EST. Check back tomorrow to see the winners and vote in the semifinals.

Vote for the worst:

Shadow of a Bull has already shown up ’round these parts, drawing comparisons to Dwight Schrute’s shirt as Unfortunate Cover #15. Today a gauntlet-shaped dust jacket has been thrown down as it is the next cover I must redo in my mildly fun attempt to re-jacket every Newbery-winning book. Here goes…

Click here for the Covering the Newbery gallery

1965: Shadow of a Bull by Maia Wojciechowska

Original Cover:

My Redo:

Side by side:

Verdict: I’ve had my fair share of so-so attempts, but I feel like this one turned out pretty well.

Up next week: I, Juan de Pareja by Elizabeth Borton de Trevino

(Source image: “Tipico sol” http://flic.kr/p/9xx21A)

We just started an e-reader lending program in my 5th and 6th grade school library and I plan to share my experiences until there ain’t no more experiences left to share. Am I an expert on the matter? Nay. If you have questions, comments, or a “hey [...]]]> Previously:
Part I: Background

We just started an e-reader lending program in my 5th and 6th grade school library and I plan to share my experiences until there ain’t no more experiences left to share. Am I an expert on the matter? Nay. If you have questions, comments, or a “hey dude, you forgot something”, let’s hear it in the comments.

Let’s begin today with a headline (click it to read):

Ownership of E-Readers, Tablets Almost Doubles in One Month

In the span of 30 days, we went from 10% of the population to 19% of the population owning some form of e-reader? Dang. If what I’m reading about e-books eliminating cover shame are true, it time to get into the romance novel biz. The explosion of e-readers is staggering to consider.

Okay, so you’re feeling like the time is now. You want to start offering e-readers to students. Let’s talk planning. We’ll mostly hit the hardware this time and save talk of e-books for a whole ‘nother post.

Research

Buffy Hamilton, 2011 Library Journal Mover & Shaker has been sharing her e-reader insights on her blog and through a LibGuide – both of which have been valuable resources.

More recently, School Library Journal published an article titled The Truth About Tablets, a must-read on the topic. If you’re considering a e-reader program, get over there and check it out.

Grade level

Before you begin an e-reader program, you should ask yourself who the program is for. I work in a situation where grade levels are grouped by school building, so I have K-2, 3-4, and 5-6 schools. Considering the limitations of the device, the cost, and the intended use, it seemed like beginning with 5th and 6th graders was the place to start. We’re also offering e-readers to middle school and high school students in my district.

Cost

When looking at a program dependent on electronic devices, the dollars and cents immediately come into play. I urge you to get creative. The funds for our program came from a grant we submitted at the beginning of the school year. If your library budget is tight and no grant opportunities are working, write up a proposal and submit it to your administration. Any school looking to stay current should at least give it a bit of consideration.

The beauty is, the prices of e-readers are coming down so quickly, cost is becoming a non-issue. Folks are already wondering if the Kindle will be free in the near future. The Nook is now free if you purchase a subscription to the New York Times.

Basically, the day is fast approaching when you’ll be getting e-readers as junk mail. “Not another e-reader!” you’ll moan. A national Do Not Send Me an E-Reader list will be created if you are being bombarded by e-reader device spam in your mailbox.

However you ante up the funds, don’t forget to factor in these costs when budgeting:

• A protection plan of some sort. Everyone offers them, but for a library circulation, it is essential. Basically, these are like insurance policies for your e-reader. Accidental break? No problem to exchange for a new one. Although we’ve only been circulating our e-readers for a few weeks, the protection plan has already come into play.

• A decent case. Initially we were going to circulate the e-readers in neoprene sleeves, but at the last minute wised up and purchased more rigid cases. Considering that these things may find their way into backpacks, having something sturdy is a good idea.

• E-books. Because you sort of need them and forgetting to include them in the budget would be very embarrassing.

Permission

Requiring some form of parent/guardian permission slip seems a wise move (send me an email if you’d like to see the one we used). From a school district standpoint, this is especially true if the device has internet access (folks tend to get all permission-y when internet access is involved). We’re circulating Nook Simple Touch e-readers, which don’t have an advertised web browser (there’s a hidden, very poor one though), so that lessens the internet access issue. The best bet is to work with your school district technology director to see what’s acceptable. Permission slips can get legal-y in a hurry though, so push for brevity when possible.

Accessibility

Once the e-reader is checked out, where are students allowed to take them? Some options:

• Take Them Home

I’m of the mind that kids should be able to check our e-readers out and bring them home. That can be a scary thing to consider (librarian fear is directly correlated to cost of item in question), but who is the e-reader program for? The importance of providing access should outweigh concerns about lost/damaged devices. And with the cost dropping (see above) that worry will soon be off the table.

• At School Only

It’s also an option to circulate the e-readers within the school. I’ve spoken with a fellow school librarian who had to go this route due to internet filtering rules in their district. It wouldn’t hurt to look into this with your school technology department before making final decisions.

• Teachers

Aside from students checking them out individually, another possibility is loading up some books that classrooms use for literature circles. It’s likely if you did this you’d want to get enough to outfit a whole classroom. I don’t see everyone being pleased if one or two groups have e-readers and other groups do not.

Next time we’ll talk e-reader devices.

Valentines Day brings the annual announcement of the Children’s and Young Adult Bloggers’ Literary Awards (also known as the CYBILS). I took part in the fiction picture book category as a first round judge and was pleased to see that Me…Jane ended up taking top honors.

Valentines Day brings the annual announcement of the Children’s and Young Adult Bloggers’ Literary Awards (also known as the CYBILS). I took part in the fiction picture book category as a first round judge and was pleased to see that Me…Jane ended up taking top honors. Click here to see all the winners – a fine group.

THE READING TUB

Literally:

(Thanks to Stephen’s Lighthouse for the link)

E-READERS: OVER?

Oh, the simple days when you could buy an e-reader and use it for reading books. What with all the tablet whizbangery these days (think Kindle Fire), is it only a matter of time before traditional e-readers fade away? Click here to read.

PUTTING PINS IN THINGS

A quick note to say I’ve been on Pinterest for a week of so and it’s been a good time. I’m calling it the Twitter of images (I’m guessing I’m not the first one to say that). Up for being friends (or whatever it is they call friendship there)? Click here. The ALSC Blog also recently posted about the service. Click here to read it.

Original Cover:

My Redo:

Side by Side:

Verdict: Definitely a different tone.