Library Stuff

According to American Libraries, Gannett releases searchable public library trends database.  The database “compares trends affecting public library systems between 2002 and 2006,” including circulation, operating expenses, number of computers and visitors.  The data was collected by survey, not through government resources.    You can check out the Library system database yourself.   There are separate reports for each county as well as some basic comparative per capita info.   [URLs:  http://www.ala.org/ala/alonline/currentnews/newsarchive/2008/july2008/gannettdoesresearch.cfm, http://data.gannettnewsservice.com/libraries/library_start.php]

Watch the Solar Eclipse Online

There will be a total solar eclipse on Friday, August 1.  But unless you’re in the Far East, you won’t have a very good view of it.  So NASA will be streaming the event on NASA TV.  The broadcast starts at 6:00 a.m. (Eastern Standard Time) and ends at 11:00.  How cool is that?  [URLs:  http://www.nasa.gov/topics/solarsystem/features/eclipse/aug1_preview.html]

This Week’s Reports

The Schott Foundation for Public Education has released Given Half a Chance: The Schott 50 State Report on Public Education and Black Males.  You can look at a national summary or view individual state reports.  From the report, “Over-classification as Mentally Retarded, under-classification as Gifted/Talented, under-representation in Advanced Placement classes, and disproportionate out-of-school suspensions and expulsions combine to limit educational opportunities and reduce achievement levels for Black students, particularly Black male students.”

Family and Living Arrangements: 2007 from the Census Bureau is not really a report.  It includes a press release and links to the detailed tables.  There’s little analysis.  Just the presentation of numbers.

Effects of Preschool Curriculum Programs on School Readiness is a report from the Preschool Curriculum Evaluation Research Initiative, part of the IES (Institute of Education Sciences).  Fourteen curricula were examined; some from corporations (including LeapFrog and McGraw-Hill), others from foundations or universities.  The research concluded that most of the curricula studied had no significant impact on student achievement, while a few did.  If you don’t have time for the whole 400+ page report, check out the Executive Summary.  

The IES has also released Revenues and Expenditures by Public School Districts: School Year 2005-2006.  The report “contains data on revenues and expenditures per pupil made by school districts for school year 2005-06. Median per pupil revenue and expenditure data are reported by state.”  This is a brief report from the Common Core of Data.

[URLs:  http://blackboysreport.org/, http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/releases/archives/marital_status_living_arrangements/012437.html, http://ies.ed.gov/ncer/pubs/20082009/pdf/20082009.pdf, http://ies.ed.gov/ncer/pubs/20082009/pdf/20082009_1.pdf, http://nces.ed.gov//pubs2008/2008345.pdf]

Newsworthy

On the AbeBooks.com web site, you’ll find a fun article, Found in books.  The article looks at what kinds of things people use as bookmarks or just leave behind in books when they’re given to used booksellers.  Some things turn out to be pretty valuable, letters and cards from famous people. 

A study published in Science magazine found that Girls match boys on tests in math as reported by Reuters.  The research found that “Contrary to widely held stereotypes by parents and teachers that boys are better at math, our data ... showed that girls have reached parity with boys on math performance.”

Book club behind bars is from the Charlotte Observer.  It reports on a program at the Gatling Juvenile Detention Center that brings incarcerated teenagers together to read books.   Note: This is the cached version because the regular URL is not working.  Just click OK when the dialog box comes up and the article will load.

The New York Times had a front page story in Sunday’s paper, Literacy debate: online, R U really reading?  It’s an interesting discussion of the generational differences regarding reading.  There’s also discussion of the pros and cons of reading on the Internet.  Nobody asked us, but we think reading a book is a more personal and enjoyable experience than reading the same text online. 

[URLs:  http://www.abebooks.com/docs/Community/Featured/found-in-books.shtml, http://www.reuters.com/article/domesticNews/idUSN2430414220080724, http://tinyurl.com/5vvjfl, http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/27/books/27reading.html?_r=2&scp=1&sq=konyk&st=cse&oref=slogin&oref=slogin]

Are You Cuil?

Unless you were secluded somewhere, you probably have already heard about Cuil.com.  Cuil.com is a new search engine designed by former Google employees.  You may have also tried to use it when it debuted this week only to find the site down.  It imploded because of so many people trying it out.  It’s back up now and it’s worth a look.  The layout is nice and you can select to have the site suggest names or concepts as you type.  Like Google, it doesn’t always search deeply into a site.  So you may not find what you’re looking for.  Always keep that in mind when you’re searching online and try other search engines as well.  [URLs:  http://www.cuil.com/]

Tor.com

If you’re into Science Fiction and Fantasy, take a look at Tor.com.  This is a new online community that features a discussion forum.  But it also includes free access to new stories and graphics.  It’s a new site.  So it’s not heavily populated at the moment.  It’s presented by Tor Books, part of Macmillan.  [URLs:  http://tor.com/]

How to Get Stuff Done

We offer two ways to get stuff done.  The first is VideoJug.  Want to learn to make your own pizza?  Or maybe you want to knit yourself an iPod cover.  VideoJug presents how-tos in online video formats.  This is not a site for kids without supervision.  It’s organized by topic and it’s searchable.  Now, if you need a bit of nudging to get going, check out HassleMe.  Enter the task you need to complete, and HassleMe will nag you with emails until you get it done.  Who needs a parent or spouse.  Let HassleMe do the nagging.   [URLs:  http://www.videojug.com/, http://www.hassleme.co.uk/]