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Dear Residents of Denver (and all surrounding areas): Please be on the lookout for a white female, 81, driving a blue Ford Expedition. She has been spotted driving 20 miles or more below the speed limit since her recent move into Colorado boundaries. She is frequently lost and easily confused. She often has her GPS [...]

When most people think of Oscar Mayer an image of the wienermobile or hot dogs come to mind. You might even start singing the “Oh I Wish I Was” jingle. To be honest a year ago when I went to Madison to meet the folks at OM I didn’t really get what I could do [...]

“If ever there is tomorrow when we’re not together.. there is something you must always remember. you are braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think. but the most important thing is, even if we’re apart.. i’ll always be with you.” Winnie the Pooh quote with love from Me Click [...]

Oh wow. Where to start? Two weeks ago I went to Phoenix and helped my mom move here to CO. It was a long, hard week on us all. My family has been in that house close to 70 years and every square inch of it shows it. From the spices from Grandma that were [...]

Dear Farmville, I am angry with you. You knew I was weak with  the boredom of a kid on bed rest and my favorite laptop off getting fixed. Yet you didn’t care. You lured me in with your promise of a pixel perfect life. You offered me shiny apples and adorable little animals. As our [...]

Yeah, I wish that’s where I was. Maybe if our Make A Wish comes through in time for Halloween I will be trick or treating on the beach You all know I have a lot going on and now I have to send my computer in for 2 weeks of work. Yes, we have 7 [...]

I hope you all are having a wonderful summer. Here? Not so much! Between the oldest one taking Honors Bio in summer school and the younger one not being allowed to get out of bed, summer is just kinda sucky. I’m bored, Carts bored, Bob and Con are overloaded. So we have been playing with [...]

Once upon a time I wrote an article on how to host a blog giveaway. But with all the blog changes I have going on I began doing some research on blog giveaways and realized it is just not something I am comfortable with anymore. Lots of blogs are writing about the subject and I [...]

I recently redid most of my media kits after attending the EVO Conference Before and After: Sales & Monetization. I learned a lot from listening to Stephanie Schwab discuss the elements that make a media kit successful so I would like to pass some of that advice on to you. Here is a media kit [...]

Lots of times people approach me and say “I don’t know how you do it” and my answer is always “I don’t know how I don’t”. Having trials and tribulations is a part of life. Recently my friend Lisa suggested a new author to me, Echo Bodine. I am really enjoying her words of wisdom [...]

Have you been following the Exquisite Corpse Adventure on the Library’s read.gov website? Now you can listen to the story as well. The Library has created podcasts for each chapter. Click on the links that say “Hear It” for each chapter.

Want to encourage your students to create their own Exquisite Corpse adventure? Go to http://www.readingrockets.org/books/fun/exquisiteprompt and find links to writing activities you can use with your students. In addition, students can enter a contest and have their writing published online and have a visit either online or in person with one of the authors or illustrators of the Exquisite Corpse Adventure.

Looking for ideas on how to incorporate manuscript materials into classroom activities? There is a new page for teachers on the Manuscript Division website. The page includes links to resources on the Teachers Page, suggestions on where to look for manuscript collections on the Library's website, and a highlighted document from the Library's manuscript collections. Currently featured are George Washington's School Copy Books.

Students in grades K-5 and 6-8 are invited to draw or paint a design depicting the wonder of reading and books, in the Borders 2010 National Book Festival Bookmark Contest. The top prizewinners’ designs will be displayed at their local Borders store and the grand-prize winner’s design will be printed on bookmarks to be distributed at the 2010 National Book Festival. Download an entry form at http://www.borders.com/online/store/MediaView_bookmarkcontest?cmpid=SA_20100625
or see your local Borders store for specific contest entry details.

During the International Society for Technology in Education Conference (ISTE) in Denver, Colorado on June 29th, Library of Congress staff presented information on its professional development programs for teachers. A special highlight of the session was the introduction of the Library’s fifth online self paced module, "Finding Primary Sources." This hour long self-paced session provides users shortcuts to finding primary sources, tips for planning a search and information to learn more about searching the Library’s website.

Are you coming to the American Library Association conference? Come to the Library of Congress on June 25th between the hours of 2-5pm. Several reading rooms will be hosting open houses where you can meet the staff and access the collections. Also from 5-7pm the Library will host tours of the Jefferson Building and the Main Reading Room.

Plus during the conference (June 24-29) the Library’s Sales shop will offer a 20% discount to attending the conference. Just make sure to say “LCALA” when you are checking out.

Those of you interested in our education programming you will have the opportunity to meet Elizabeth Ridgway, the director of the Educational Outreach program, during the Office of Strategic Initiatives open house in the National Digital Library Learning Center between 3-5pm.

The Library of Congress is the focus of a one-hour special, “The Real National Treasure,” on the HISTORY channel’s longest-running series, “Modern Marvels,” airing on Thursday, June 10 at 9 p.m. ET. More than 50 staff of the Library and the Architect of the Capitol tell the Library’s story and show the audience the vast array of daily activities of acquisition, copyright, cataloging, security, preservation and serving readers.

You can learn more about HISTORY's Modern Marvels television program at http://www.history.com/shows/modern-marvels

And you can learn more about the Library's Hidden Treasures at http://myloc.gov/CuratorMultimedia/HiddenTreasures.aspx

Need to find primary sources from a specific time period? Use the American Memory timeline to locate resources from the collections. Click on the time period and find an overview of the events from that period. Then click on specific topics within the time period and get an overview of the topic and then links to primary sources of the period.

Have you ever wondered what inquiry learning looks like? A new professional development interactive has just been released from the Library of Congress called Supporting Inquiry with Primary Sources. In the hour-long program, teachers and students demonstrate how primary sources can be used to support inquiry learning. Topics covered include:
• Inquiry Overview
• Primary Sources and Inquiry
• Inquiry in Action

Be among the middle or high schools selected to have students help capture and archive today’s primary source materials on the Web.

There is a growing awareness of the importance of preserving the often transitory digital cultural artifacts distributed over the Web. But so far, the vast majority of decisions about what Web sites will live into the future have been made by adults, and reflect adults’ sensibilities. In order to broaden this perspective, the Internet Archive and the Library of Congress launched the K-12 Web Archiving Program.

For a complete program description and application questions, go to <http://www.loc.gov/teachers/newsevents/events/archive_the_internet/>
Applications must be in by July 2, 2010.

Voices from Afghanistan highlights letters sent by citizens of Afghanistan to Radio Azadi, the Afghan branch of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. These letters capture the concerns and hopes of ordinary citizens in Afghanistan living under the extraordinarily difficult conditions of conflict and war. Included are letters from a school boy who complains about the broken window in his school and how the cold keeps him from learning and a school teacher wanting to make sure his students receive instruction from trained teachers. Also included are poems, artworks and stories that highlight the creativity of the Afghan community