R.T. Jones Memorial Library Seeks Funds for Expansion

The Cherokee Tribune reported this week that the R.T. Jones Memorial Library in Canton (at the intersection of Hwy. 20 and I-575) is pursuing funds for expansion of the current facilities.  Library officials are hoping to receive a $1.4 million grant from the Georgia Public Library Service; the library system would then be required to provide an additional $352,000, money that would come from locally collected impact fees.

Nick Fogarty, executive director of the Sequoyah Regional Library System, identified four areas of upgrades:

• an upgraded computer lab area
• expansion of the young adult/teen center
• expanding the physical facility to accommodate more stacks (shelved materials)
• an expansion to accommodate a larger children’s storytime area

Fogarty stated that the library served 159,000 people during fiscal year 2007 and that the library needs to expand to accommodate current use as well as anticipated future use.  The new Canton Marketplace shopping center, which is less than a half mile from the library, is expected to generate additional housing growth as well as foot traffic that will impact library usage.

What do you think of the expansion proposal?  Do agree with these areas of need, or do you have additional suggestions?  Would you use the R.T. Memorial Jones Library if these expansion plans become a reality? 

Weapons for Freedom: Blogs and the World Wide Web

While we associate blogs and the World Wide Web with fun and learning, most of us have probably never thought of these tools as weapons in a war for freedom or as the last defense in a desperate attempt to let the rest of the world know of atrocities occuring in your country.  When we lose our Internet connection, we are annoyed and inconvenienced.  Imagine being cut off from the world and silenced if you lost your Internet access.

On Friday, the government of Myanmar cut off the nation’s Internet connection in an effort to stop citizens from emailing photos of violence against citizens who were protesting against the government.  Until Friday, citizens literally risked their lives by emailing the photos to the world outside Myanmar.  The “Internet blackout” also silenced bloggers who were posting information about military crackdown on protestors.

The importance of the blog in this fight for freedom is underscored in this excerpt from this September 28 CNN article:

Ko Htike is a 28-year-old who left Myanmar, once known as Burma, seven years ago to study in England. He told CNN.com a day earlier that he has as many as 40 people in Myanmar sending him photos or calling him with information. They often take the photos from windows from their homes, he said. Myanmar’s military junta has forbidden such images, and anyone who sends them is risking their lives. “If they get caught, you will never know their future. Maybe just disappear or maybe life in prison or maybe dead,” he told CNN. Why would they take such risks?  “They thought that this is their duty for the country,” he said. “That’s why they are doing it. It’s like a mission.”Even with Friday’s action by the government, he said he will continue to do all he can to get images of what’s happening out for the world to see.  “I will also try my best to feed in their demonic appetite of fear and paranoia by posting any pictures that I receive through other means,” he said on his blog. “I will continue to live with the motto that ‘if there is a will there is a way.’ With few Western journalists allowed in Myanmar, his blog has become one of the main information outlets. More than 170,000 people from 175 countries have gone to the blog, according to a counter on the page.

Why did the military based government perceive Internet access as a threat to its power?  The September 29 issue of The Economist sums it up in a nutshell: 

One genuine difference is that, in the age of the internet and digital cameras, images of the spectacular protests in Yangon, the main city, have spread at lightning speed across Myanmar itself, encouraging people in other towns to stage demonstrations of their own; and around the world, bringing the crisis to the attention of leaders as they gathered in New York for the United Nations General Assembly. 

Have you ever thought of the importance of blogs and other World Wide Web based tools in today’s society?  While many of us recognize these tools as an important means for sharing information, most of us have probably never thoughts of our blogs as a tool for civil disobedience or as a way of changing the world.  How can we use blogs to make a difference?  What do you think?

To learn more about the violence in Myanmar and the history of this country, check out these resources:

• September 29, 2007,  Associated Press:  Hope Wanes Among Protestors in Myanmar
• “Blogs Helping Expose Myanmar Horrors”, CNN, September 27, 2007
• 9/17 Time magazine article via GALE Opposing Viewpoints:  “Burma on the Edge” (our GALE password is required)
• 9/29/07 The Economist article via GALE Student Resource Center Gold:  “On the Brink:  Myanmar’s Protests” (our GALE password is required)
• For current news articles, use the search time “Myanmar” and try these databases: Academic Search Complete (great for magazine and news articles) via GALILEO; Newspaper Source via GALILEO; MasterFile Premier via GALILEO (GALILEO password required off-campus)
• For more information on Myanmar (formerly known as Burma), try our GALE Virtual Reference Library.
• Who is Aung San Suu Kyi ?  Search our GALE Virtual Reference Library for more information on this woman who won the 1991 Nobel Peace Prize for her leadership in the pro-democracy movement in Myanmar.  You can also read more about her at the PBS Frontline site.
• Read this 9/30 firsthand account from Michael Pearson in the Atlanta Journal Constitution.  Free registration may be required to read this article.

October 3 update:  Read the latest news here at CNN.

Back to School for Excel 07?

Here is some news that is a sobering reminder that we should not assume technology is i:  Fox News is reporting that Microsoft Excel 2007 is marred by a serious multiplication bug.  In a September 25 Excel group blog post, Microsoft employee David Gainer reported that when computer users tried to get Excel 2007 to multiply some pairs of numbers and the result was 65,535, Excel would incorrectly display 100,000 as the answer.  Gainer said Excel makes mistakes multiplying 77.1 by 850, 10.2 by 6,425 and 20.4 by 3,212.5, but the program appears to be able to handle 16,383.75 times 4.

At this time, Microsoft is working to resolve the issue, but a patch for the “technical difficulty” has not yet been issued.  In the meantime, all of our students working on their linear regression projects should double check their data in Excel!  :-)  For those of you who are more mathematically gifted than me, check out this  interesting analysis of the problem.

Knowledge is Power@The Unquiet Library

We have been busy this week at The Unquiet Library!  Look who’s been researching!

• Mr. Cline’s students have been researching catapults
• Classes from Mrs. Armstrong, Mr. Hubbard, and Mr. Faucett have been researching 10 year statistical data and the concept of linear regression
• Mrs. Frost and the 9th Honors English students have been exploring the works and life of Edgar Allan Poe
• JROTC has continued their study of Civil War Battles
• Ms. Biello’s World History students have been researching Ancient Greece and other ancient civilizations
• Students from World Geography with Mr. Foster and Mr. Coker have been finding great information about Latin American countries
• Ms. Markham’s U.S. History students have continued their “Historical Reporter” research projects !

The Unquiet Library is abuzz with learning, laughter, fun, and ideas!  Come join us!

The Unquiet Library Del.icio.us Link of the Week, September 24-28

The Unquiet Library’s Del.icio.us Link of the Week is Readergirlz http://www.readergirlz.com/manifesta.html .  What, you may ask, exactly is Readergirlz?  Check out the official “manifesta”!

The official readergirlz Manifesta: what we stand for, what we believe, what we promise YOU:

* Readergirlz is about having serious fun while talking about books with the author and your friends!

* Readergirlz is about getting the inside scoop about why the novel was written, the tears and joys and real-world angst that the author has lived and layered into her story.

* Readergirlz is about reading great books to get to know yourself, your friends, and yes, even your mother, better.

* Readergirlz is about celebrating strong girls in books who’ve got the guts to dream.

* Readergirlz is about reaching out to others based on what you’ve read.

* And most of all, readergirlz is about inspiring girls to make history of their own! 

You can visit this website to see the monthly “issue” of Readergirlz.  Each “issue” has info on the book of the month, discussion questions for the book of the month, fun activities to do with your friends and fellow readers for the book of the month, photographs, songs, and book discussion chats at the ReaderGirlz My Space page.  If you love YA lit and want to find fellow readers with whom you can celebrate your love for books, this website is for you!!!!

31 Flavorites!

From Reader Girlz:   YALSA and readergirlz have teamed up to present an amazing month long experience to celebrate YALSA’s Teen Read Week. The readergirlz divas will be hosting 31 authors for 31 days! Readergirlz across the world will be able to chat nightly at our group forum with a different YA author each evening in October at 5 PM PST/8 PM EST. Here’s the full schedule:

Week One

October 1st: Meg Cabot

October 2nd: Tiffany Trent

October 3rd: Brent Hartinger

October 4th: Lorie Ann Grover

October 5th: K.L. Going

October 6th: Nikki Grimes

Week Two

October 7th: Ellen Hopkins

October 8th: Justina Chen Headley

October 9th: Chris Crutcher

October 10th: Ann Brashares

October 11th: Sarah Mlynowski

October 12th: Cecil Castellucci

October 13th: Kirby Larson

Week Three
October 14th: Tanya Lee Stone

October 15th: John Green

October 16th: Sara Zarr

October 17th: Deb Caletti

October 18th: Rachel Cohn

October 19th: Kirsten Miller

October 20th: Mitali Perkins

Week Four
October 21st: Sonya Sones

October 22nd: Lisa Yee

October 23rd: Carolyn Mackler

October 24th: E. Lockhart

October 25th: Janet Lee Carey

October 26th: Gaby Triana

October 27th: Lauren Myracle

Week Five
October 28th: Holly Black

October 29th: Cynthia Leitich Smith

October 30th: Dia Calhoun

October 31st: Stephenie Meyer

For a complete list of books we have by this author, click on this link!

Many thanks to Vicki Barbre, media specialist at Cherokee High,for giving us the heads up on this FAB resource and information!

Happy 9th Birthday, Google!

The Unquiet Library would like to wish Google a Happy 9th birthday!  According to the Google corporate website, Google:

“…is a play on the word googol, which was coined by Milton Sirotta, nephew of American mathematician Edward Kasner, and was popularized in the book, Mathematics and the Imagination by Kasner and James Newman. It refers to the number represented by the numeral 1 followed by 100 zeros. Google’s use of the term reflects the company’s mission to organize the immense, seemingly infinite amount of information available on the web.

There is no doubt that Google has changed the landscape of how we navigate and search the World Wide Web.  While Google has been criticized for some its initatives, such as Google Scholar, it has also been praised for innovations such as Google Earth.  Google is now ingrained as part of our popular culture—who hasn’t “Googled” themselves or someone they  know?  For more info on happenings and news, visit Google’s very own blog at http://googleblog.blogspot.com/.

Get Ready to Rumble: Trivia Scheduled for Thursday, October 25!

Calling all factaholics!  Our next Trivia day will be Thursday, October 25, 2007 as part of our Teen Read Week celebration!  Please come by the library OR see your English teacher for team registration forms.  Please return your team registration form to Mrs. Hamilton or Mrs. Fleet!  Come join us for fun, food, and prizes as we play Trivia!

·        All teams must be registered by 3:30 PM on Tuesday, October 23, 2007.

·        No more than 6 students per team; all members must be in the same lunch.

·        All students must be present to play and win.

·        The winning groups will share the prize.

·        Prizes will be given to the winning team of each lunch period.

·        Forms must be returned to Mrs. Hamilton or Mrs. Fleet.

·        Trivia will start promptly at 11:30, 12:30, and 1:30.

·        Bring a brown bag lunch; we will also provide snacks!

SAT Prep Goes 2.0: iPods and MySpace

Take a few minutes to read this article from the New York Times  and this article from Playlist about the iPod as a test prep tool for the SAT.  What do you think about this new way of preparing for the SAT?  Would you buy these interactive programs designed for the iPod to prepare for the SAT?  Does $14.97 seem reasonable to buy all three programs for your iPod?  Do you think this new method of test prep might encourage more students today to do more preparation for the SAT?  Why or why not? 

After reading the NY Times article and taking a look at Kaplan’s SAT/ACT Test Prep MySpace page, consider these questions:  What do you think about Kaplan’s strategy of creating a “My Space” page to introduce vocabulary building manga and graphic novels to help students prepare for the SAT?  Do you think this is a good idea?  Do you think more students will take advantage of this approach to test prep?  Why or why  not?

After carefully reading the article, respond to the two questions above in separate paragraphs (2 paragraph response), please.  State your feelings/opinions clearly and provide specific reasons to support your stance on these questions.   Let us know what you think!

Teen Events@Your Sequoyah Regional Library System!

We are pleased to share with you the latest calendar of Teen Events from our local public library system, the Sequoyah Regional Library System.  Please see Mrs. Hamilton or Mrs. Fleet if you need additional information or visit the Sequoyah Regional Library System website for contact information and more details!  You will not want to miss these fun and informative events designed just for young adults!

• Collage Contest:  During the month of September, Sequoyah Regional Libraries are hosting a collage contest inspired by the We the People Bookshelf on Pursuit of Happiness.  Youth of all ages are encouraged to create a collage reflecting one of the titles featured on this special bookshelf.  Participants must choose a title from their grade category.  The last day to submit a collage entry to your library is Sunday, September 31.  The collages will be displayed in each library in October for judging.  Winners will be chosen from each library and contacted at contest end.   
  
• Library Card Sign-up Month:  September is National Library Card Sign-up Month.  Your Sequoyah Regional Library card is the most important card in your wallet! 
  
• Monday, September 24, 6:30 P @ RT Jones Memorial Library, Teens Book’n Obstacle Course:  Teens, ages 13-18 are invited for an evening of fun, refreshments and great prizes at the library, where you are always surrounded by friends. 
  
• Monday, September 24, 6:00 PM @ Pickens County Library, Teen Comedy Night:  Teens are invited to share their funniest stories, jokes and favorite comedy books and movies.  A small coffee bar will be served.   
  
• Monday, October 1, 6:00 PM @ Pickens County Library, Mystery and Horror Show:  Magician, Chad Crews will dazzle teens with tricks inspired by poems and short stories of frightening favorites including Edgar Allan Poe, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Mary Shelley and more.  
  
• Saturday, October 6, 1:00 PM @ Gilmer County Library, Haunted Masquerade:  Teens at least 12 years of age are invited for games, music and haunted snacks.  Teens are encouraged to come in costume or pick up mask at the party.
       
• Monday, October 8, 6:30 PM @ RT Jones Memorial Library, Teens Book’n Pizza Taste-off:  Teens, ages 13-18, will test a variety of pies and award the title “Best Tasting Pizza!”  Everyone will also learn pizza making tips for home and earn cool prizes. 
    
• Saturday, October 13, 3:00 PM @ RT Jones Memorial Library, Listen to This!:  Teens, ages 13 and older, can sit back and relax for a teen read aloud session.  Kick-off Teen Read Week 2007 with a cool book, your friends and a snack. 
  
• October 14-20, 2007@ all libraries, Teen Read Week , “LOL @ Your Library!”:  Teen Read Week™,  a literacy initiative aimed at teens, their parents and librarians and is administered by the Young Adult Library Services Association.  Teen Read Week encourages teens to read for the fun of it and use their local library to discover their interests. 
  
• October 14 – 20, 2007@ all Cherokee County Libraries, Enter to Win:  Cherokee READS invites teens to stop by their Cherokee County Library to enter a drawing to win Gail Carson Levine’s new book, Writing Magic.   One entry per teen, please. 
  
• Monday, October 15, 6:00 PM @ Pickens County Library, Spook Night:  Celebrate Teen Read Week with ghost stories of the Appalachian Mountains.  Learn about local spook-hunting spots and enjoy light refreshments.   
  
• Monday, October 22, 6:30 P @ RT Jones Memorial Library, Teens Book’n Scavenger Hunt:  Teens, ages 13-18, will be challenged to their favorite games at the library, where prizes and refreshments rule!