GIFSL* 59: Shhhhhhh! (in the senior study)

Accustomed (and happy) as I am as a teacher librarian to engage with the idea of 'working noise' (let's be real about it, very few school libraries are hushed temples of learning at all times), the senior study area upstairs in our library is a different matter.  There, seniors are expected to be doing silent, individual work; if they want to discuss work or work as a group, they must be elsewhere in the library so the senior study remains a haven of silence and academe.  At least this is my goal (and appreciated by students seeking silence and academe).  So while I wouldn't put this picture up in the main part of the library, it's handy-dandy and apt in the senior study.

Aren't I a clever pop-artist?  Um no, I'm a clever shopper.  It's from Ikea, measures a decent 50cm x 70cm, the item name is Solmyra and you can find it here for a mere $19.99:

http://www.ikea.com/au/en/catalog/products/00177923

Bargain.  Looks good.

(the three other pictures you can see were from Ikea As-Is a couple of years ago at a mere five bucks each).

I'm tempted to buy two more of these Solmyra ones to reinforce the message (it's an ongoing work...!) and have them going down the wall as a nice repetition....

Cheers

Ruth

*GIFSL = Good Ideas For School Libraries .  An ongoing series on this blog (and gee whiz, I'm up to #60???)

Library Day in the Life, Round 6, Tuesday

During the summer holidays (and with an iPhone handy) I've been in the habit of checking my Twitter stream each morning and emailing interesting tweets for later investigation on my laptop (bigger screen...).

So, as a snapshot of what I found this morning that I thought might be useful to my work as a teacher librarian - for me, or my colleagues, or the kids - here's what I emailed for future investigation.  It's a lucky dip depending on what others are tweeting and retweeting, and filtered by the people I follow (my Twitter @ruth_skerricks is my professional Twitter stream, where I follow people tweeting about education, technology, libraries, books...).  The motivational quotes are ideas for the senior study skills program I'm working on, some of the other links may or may not be useful, but it's all a great professional development resource.  I can't access Twitter at work (social networking sites are generally blocked) so if I email myself the links I can investigate them and if they prove useful/relevant to others, email them on to colleagues.

NY Public Library (@nypl)
25/01/11 9:49 AM
From our Tumblr: "We can’t behave like people in novels, though, can we?" http://bit.ly/fq6jmK

Josh Stumpenhorst (@stumpteacher)
25/01/11 9:49 AM
My video tutorial page: http://bit.ly/f5RUbv  #edchat #edtech
 
Fiona Jones (@fionareadersrr)
25/01/11 9:37 AM
RT @Infoventurer: Kathryn Greenhill Daily http://bit.ly/emzftW  ▸ stories today @curtinuni @camcd @fionareadersrr @libsmatter @jeanburgess

Motivational Quotes (@motivatquotes)
25/01/11 9:27 AM
Our attitude towards others determines their attitude towards us. ~ E. Nightingale http://bit.ly/9fOwbe

Shannon Miller (@shannonmmiller)
24/01/11 10:20 PM
RT @pgreensoup Quizlet Flashcards Now Embeddable http://bit.ly/g8TtzG  #vanmeter

Buffy Hamilton (@buffyjhamilton)
24/01/11 10:22 PM
Seth's Blog: Three ways to help people get things done: http://is.gd/kUvITS

Shannon Miller (@shannonmmiller)
24/01/11 10:23 PM
Joliprint ...Print friendly & PDF your blogs and websites http://ow.ly/3IXN0

Glenda Morris (@jasmont1)
24/01/11 10:42 PM
“@glendagregory: Top 10 sites for Creating Digital Magazines and Newspapers by David Kapuler (cont) http://tl.gd/8bq4vj 

Guardian Books (@GuardianBooks)
24/01/11 11:15 PM
Here's a primer on tonight's TS Eliot Prize, with poems from all the contenders http://bit.ly/hjrI2R  #books

Will Richardson (@willrich45)
24/01/11 11:31 PM
Reading: A project on the future of education http://bit.ly/eIJYXc  Interesting vision

Josh Stumpenhorst (@stumpteacher)
24/01/11 11:46 PM
Watching and discussing this with my team today: TED talk about engaging boys in EDU http://bit.ly/gFBJ6S  #edchat

Judy O'Connell (@heyjudeonline)
24/01/11 11:58 PM
The simplybooks Daily is out! http://bit.ly/9VRDYi  ▸ Top stories today by @booksin140 @sydneyunipress @thereadingzone @readingtub

Josh Stumpenhorst (@stumpteacher)
25/01/11 12:08 AM
What is innovation? Be innovative this week! http://bit.ly/gmI1lm  #edchat #ntchat

Publishers Weekly (@PublishersWkly)
25/01/11 12:06 AM
Our First Year With Amazon Kindle as an Independent Publisher http://bit.ly/g7rTzU

Publishers Weekly (@PublishersWkly)
25/01/11 12:16 AM
From FutureBook: what book publishers can learn from the gaming world. http://bit.ly/dS9SP6

Phillippa Cleaves (@pipcleaves)
25/01/11 7:26 AM
Imagine if our own students made a social network like these :-) RT @ITJil: 20 Social Networks for Lifelong Learners http://bit.ly/bC6zZZ
 
Judy O'Connell (@heyjudeonline)
25/01/11 8:27 AM
A New Culture of Learning: some thoughts. http://amplify.com/u/anj49

Tehani Wessely (@editormum75)
25/01/11 7:59 AM
The Shaun Tan cover art of Australis Imaginarium is eligible for nomination to the Chronos Awards! http://bit.ly/dZIx8o

Motivational Quotes (@motivatquotes)
25/01/11 7:44 AM
You cannot change the circumstances, the seasons, or the wind, but you can change yourself. ~ Jim Rohn

tripwire magazine (@tripwiremag)
25/01/11 5:21 AM
40+ Fresh and Amazing Free Fonts to Download http://su.pr/5Dljb3

Phillippa Cleaves (@pipcleaves)
25/01/11 7:52 AM
RT @RoshOR: “@willrich45:"A Tilt in Thought" from a principal. http://bit.ly/dFjThC Good stuff.” lets stop whining and just get on with it. 
 
Bobbi Newman (@librarianbyday)
25/01/11 8:53 AM
Top Ten Links 2.3 – All About Ebooks
Librarian by Day http://bit.ly/eA7Pqk

Cheers

Ruth

Graphic Festival in Sydney

GRAPHIC is a new festival focusing on animation and comic-book culture.  Among the featured 'names' are Kevin Clark and Neil Gaiman: meet the mythmakers of the modern world is one of its taglines. 

Read more about it here - it's on in Sydney at the Sydney Opera House this coming weekend 8-9 August 2010. 

Bookings, info, downloadable program etc. here. (Source of the screenshot image above).

One to get out to the manga/anime/graphic/comicbook/Supernovaisoverforanotheryearandmylifeisadesert crew.

Cheers

Ruth

GIFSL* 54. Manga fabric

Ikea has a new range of fabric with a manga kinda theme (well, nobody said you couldn't combine manga and vikings...!!).  The Charlotta fabrics are designed by Åsa Ekström.

This is Charlotta Teckning:

and this is Charlotta Block:

which as you can see is darker in colour - the range has lighter and darker black and white fabrics in it.

See the whole range here; $8.99/metre, 150cm wide, and pay attention to the repeat if you're sewing it into curtains.

But what's to stop you stapling some over a cheap canvas frame for a wall feature?  Or make three, for greater impact?  Maybe they could highlight your collection of graphic novels and manga and so forth?

If you're after manga in colour, the quilt fabric manufacturer Alexander Henry  (that's the manufacturer website, you would buy from a retailer such as the link given below) often has unusual fabrics, including this one from their Indochine range:

which is available from this online retailer (where I found this image).  $US9.50/yard, 45in/112cm wide.

Cheers

Ruth

Charlotta mages from Ikea's website

An interview with Shaun Tan

Michelle Pauli in The Guardian has a long, thoughtful exploratory interview with Shaun Tan, covering his life and work in engaging/illuminating detail.  Read it here.  I found this via a mention on Alien Onion, an excellent blog.

School Library Journal has a long, thorough and definitely worth reading review of Shaun Tan's work by Elizabeth Bird.

You know what? Don’t go asking me who this book is for. Don’t ask me what the age range is, or how you’re going to catalog it, or what kind of person you could give it to for a birthday present. You want an easy book that slots into your preconceived notions of what constitutes children’s literature? Well forget it, sister. This isn’t it. Tales from Outer Suburbia is a book for every human being you know, from the age of nine and up. It’s heartbreaking, and funny, and weird, and smart, and unlike any other book you’ve read up until this point in time. It’s what happens when someone tells you a dream they just had and you end up crying and laughing at the description all at once. It’s brilliant, and I’m inadequate to describe it to you, though I’ll do my best to try.

 Find it here.

I've mentioned his work admiringly before on this blog, and am still charmed that you can get a free .pdf from the publisher of the wonderful, strange, quirky, clever story Eric, from Tales from Suburban Road.  Go on.  Read it.

Cheers

Ruth

Trailer: Where the Wild Things Are

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I hope this trailer will work; it's from trailerspy.com, and their trailers have before been fine to work within school/DET portal firewalls etc. 

url: http://www.trailerspy.com/trailer/3117/Where-the-Wild-Things-Are-Trailer-HD

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The word is that this film is not pitched at little kids, even though inspired by a picture book.  Not sure of its rating in Australia yet, but worth checking before you plan your excursion, if you're in a primary school.

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Australian release date is 10 December 2009, according to IMDB.

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These are screenshots from the trailer.

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Found via Alien Onion (a lovely publisher blog), which has a link to Apple's trailerpark of options.
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Fiction Friday: Tales from Outer Suburbia

A teacher librarian friend said to me earlier this year, "You have to read this book."

I said, "Yes, sure.  It's by the guy who did The Arrival (last year's Picture Book of the Year).  I should read it."

I meant to.  For yonks, I meant to.  Recently, I did.

This teacher librarian says to you, dear blog reader, "If you haven't read this book, you have to read it."

Shaun Tan has an amazing imagination.   It works in all sorts of different, thoughtful, unexpected directions.  Sometimes the stories in this book will make you think.  Some will make you wonder.  The final double page spread of "Eric" had me smiling in delight, and sharing this story with anyone who came into the library that day whom I could collar for long enough to read it.  (I was halted by someone then borrowing it...)

The publisher's website page for this book sums it up thus:

Shaun Tan, creator of The Arrival, The Lost Thing and The Red Tree, reveals the quiet mysteries of everyday life: homemade pets, dangerous weddings, stranded sea mammals, tiny exchange students and secret rooms filled with darkness and delight.
 
I'd happily bought it for the school library.  Among its many possibilities, it could be used for related material for the HSC Area of Study: Belonging.  All of the stories are illustrated, but in a variety of different ways - the balance of text/illustration in telling each story depends on the story.
 
Enough of it being useful.  How much do I like it?  I went back and bought a copy for myself.
 
Read an extract here (.pdf)  It includes "Eric".  Consider yourself collared.
 
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