Posted by theunquietlibrary on December 28, 2007
U.S. News and World Report announced its “best careers” for 2008 this past week. What makes this list unusual is that they have added several blue-collar careers because U.S. companies are increasingly outsourcing professional jobs overseas. The report has traditionally included only careers requiring college degrees since the majority of the magazine readers are college graduates, but the magazine explains why everyone, whether you are a college grad or just a high school student thinking about a career, should take note of this new change:
Why? More and more students are graduating from college at the same time that employers are offshoring more professional jobs. So, many holders of a bachelor’s degree are having trouble finding jobs that require college-graduate skills. Meanwhile, society has been telling high school students that college is the way, so there’s an accelerating shortage of skilled people in jobs that don’t require college. (Why else do you think you have to pay $100 an hour for a plumber?)
The four noncollege careers we added would be rewarding even to many college graduates, especially because college grads are likely to stand out against the competition. Those added careers are: biomedical equipment technician, firefighter, hairstylist/cosmetologist, and locksmith/security system technician. Other skilled blue-collar careers that scored well on our selection criteria: machinist (manufacturers report a shortage), nuclear plant technician (few people are entering the field, yet plans are on the books for building more plants), and electrician/electronics tech (above-average pay, and it’s easier on the body than many other blue-collar careers). The takeaway: Many college graduates should consider skilled-trade careers.
When you visit the 31 Careers with a Bright Future for 2008, you will get a summary of the career and then an explanation of the typical day in the life of that kind of career. You can also read about “ahead of the curve careers” as well as the most “overrated” careers. If you are considering one of the “overrated” careers, the magazine offers alternatives that might be more gratifying. This article is must reading for patrons of all ages!!! Surf over and read the article in full today!
After the viewing this list, we invite our patrons to browse any one of our 150+ nonfiction books on careers in addition to our district subscription to GCIS and Career Cruising. We also offer career encyclopedias in print as well as in our GALE Virtual Reference Library!
Finally, this comes as no surprise to Mrs. Hamilton or Mrs. Fleet, but librarian is on the list of 31 best careers!
Posted in Current Events | Tagged: careers, jobs | No Comments »
Posted by theunquietlibrary on December 25, 2007
The Unquiet Library would like to wish all of our readers and patrons a joyful, blessed, and peaceful holiday season!
For interesting facts and stats on the 2007 holiday season, visit here!
Posted in Celebrations | No Comments »
Posted by theunquietlibrary on December 22, 2007
What is the winter solstice, and why does it occur? Simply put, because of the Earth’s tilt, the sun makes its lowest arc across the sky. Therefore, the northern hemisphere gets its least amount of direct sunlight of all days of the year. It is the first official day of winter; astronomically it’s marked this year on December 22 at 1:08 a.m. EST.
The winter solstice marks the shortest day and the longest night of the year. The sun appears at its lowest point in the sky, and its noontime elevation appears to be the same for several days before and after the solstice. Hence the origin of the word solstice, which comes from Latin solstitium, from sol, “sun” and -stitium, “a stoppage.” Following the winter solstice, the days begin to grow longer and the nights shorter.
Norsemen were among the earlier civilizations who feared the day the sun hung so low in the sky because they thought it wouldn’t come back. Those early folk lighted bonfires and shed blood to coax the return of warmth and light.
You can read more about this remarkable event at http://www.cleveland.com/living/plaindealer/index.ssf?/base/living-1/1198143063305810.xml&coll=2 or http://www.cbc.ca/news/background/forcesofnature/winter-solstice.html .
Posted in Did you know? | No Comments »
Posted by theunquietlibrary on December 22, 2007
Have you checked out the Encyclopedia Britannica blog? As you know, we have access to Encyclopedia Britannica via GALILEO. What you may not know, though, is that Britannica has a blog that is free to everyone! Blog posts covers a range of topics from culture, humor, education, sports, government, travel, and much more! There are even blog posts on”Campaign 2008″!
The latest entry is called “What’s a Humbug and Other December Oddments” at http://blogs.britannica.com/blog/main/2007/12/of-hearts-smog-ho-ho-hos-brrrs-and-bugs-december-oddments/. Take a look at this interesting and educational blog; you can even subscribe to the RSS feed for the blog and keep up with the latest entries in one of two ways:
Posted in Database Spotlight | Tagged: Britannica, databases, GALILEO | No Comments »
Posted by theunquietlibrary on December 22, 2007
The Unquiet Library would like to celebrate its first official visit from Media Clerk Tammy Beasley’s youngest “child”, Lily Beasley. Lily is a lovely black and white chihuahua who made her first visit to a library on Friday, December 21st. She was so impressed by the library that she did not get her normal episode of nervous shaking that she gets in new and strange places. Her favorite sections of the library were the nonfiction collection on dogs and the lounge seating area. When asked what she thought of the media center, Lily replied, “Bow WOW!”
We want to congratulate Lily on her first library visit ever and hope she returns to see us soon!
Posted in Celebrations | Tagged: friends of the library, fun | No Comments »
Posted by theunquietlibrary on December 21, 2007
Ever wish there were a Netflix for Books? Well there is, and BookSwim is its name. You build a queue of books you want to read on their web site, they ship books from your queue, you keep the books for as long as you want, and you return books with pre-paid postage. Their base plan lets you keep 3 books at a time for $20/month, while their biggest and baddest premium plan costs $36/month for 11 books at a time. With over 185,000 titles to choose from and a menu of membership plans, there is something for everyone. For more information http://www.bookswim.com/.
Posted in Book Musings | Tagged: reading, books, book rental, Bookswim | No Comments »
Posted by theunquietlibrary on December 21, 2007
According to a study called “Teens and Social Media” released by the Pew Internet and American Life Project, girls are blogging more than the guys. In 2004, only 19% of teens surveyed were blogging, but the latest sutdy finds that 28% of survey participants are now blogging.
Why are more teens blogging in 2007? Tony Hung, editor of the BlogHerald, says, “The report postulates that there is a greater integration of blogging as an educational tool amongst schools; some classes in some schools even report that they were asked to post papers to their blog before submission so that their classmates could comment and provide feedback — both for online and offline conversations in class.” As you may already know, more teachers in the Cherokee County School District are using blogs as educational tools.
The researchers who conducted this survey note that “…the use of social media—from blogging to online social networking to creation of all kinds of digital material—is central to many teenagers’ lives. Some 93% of teens use the internet, and more of them than ever are treating it as a venue for social interaction—a place where they can share creations, tell stories, and interact with others.”
Here is a snapshot of the findings from the report:
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Teens and Social Media: Summary of Findings at a Glance
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The use of social media – from blogging to online social networking to creation of all kinds of digital material – is central to many teenagers’ lives.
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Girls continue to lead the charge as the teen blogosphere grows; 28% of online teens have created a blog, up from 19% in 2004.
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The growth in blogs tracks with the growth in teens’ use of social networking sites, but they do not completely overlap.
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Online boys are avid users of video-sharing websites such as YouTube, and boys are more likely than girls to upload.
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Digital images – stills and videos – have a big role in teen life.
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Posting images and video often starts a virtual conversation. Most teens receive some feedback on the content they post online.
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Most teens restrict access to their posted photos and videos – at least some of the time. Adults restrict access to the same content less often.
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In the midst of the digital media mix, the landline is still a lifeline for teen social life.
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Multi-channel teens layer each new communications opportunity on top of pre-existing channels.
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Email continues to lose its luster among teens as texting, instant messaging, and social networking sites facilitate more frequent contact with friends.
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Source: Lenhart, A. Madden, M. Rankin Macgill, A. Smith, A., Teens and Social Media: The use of social media gains a greater foothold in teen life as email continues to lose its luster. Washington, DC: Pew Internet & American
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While there are now more teens creating blogs than there were when we last surveyed, the teen blog-reading audience has also grown. Half of all online teens (49%) now read the online journals or blogs of others, up from 38% in 2004. Fully 59% of teens who go online on a daily basis read blogs, compared with just 39% of teens who go online several times per week.
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Demographics of Teen Blog Readers
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Percent of blog reading teens who are …
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Sex
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Boys
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43%
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Girls
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57
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Age
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12-14
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39
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15-17
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61
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Family Income
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Less than $30,000 annually
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14
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$30,000 - $49,999
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23
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$50,000 - $74,999
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22
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$75,000 +
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41
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Locale
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Urban
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27
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Suburban
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52
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Rural
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21
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Source: Pew Internet & American Life Project Survey of Parents and Teens, October.-November 2006. Teen blog readers n=444. Margin of error for teens is ±4%.
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The older the teen, the more likely he or she is to follow the blogosphere; while 40% of online teens ages 12-14 read blogs, 58% of online teens ages 15-17 are blog readers. Just as girls are primarily the ones who are authoring teen blogs, they are also primarily the ones reading them. More than half of online teen girls read blogs compared with two in five online teen boys (55% vs. 43%). Again, older girls lead the pack, with 64% reading blogs, while just 52% of older boys are blog readers.
You can read the entire 44 page report that was released on December 19, 2007 at http://www.pewinternet.org/pdfs/PIP_Teens_Social_Media_Final.pdf .
Posted in Web 2.0 | Tagged: blogging, Web 2.0 | No Comments »
Posted by theunquietlibrary on December 20, 2007
Library patrons can now add their rating or review to a book!
To add a review for a title:
1. Click on the book title you want to review.
2. Look to your right and click on the tab that says reviews.
3. Now click 
on the title’s Reviews tab. Click on the star that matches your opinion.
4. Be sure to click the save button.
5. Your rating is now visible to other patrons!
Posted in Library Stuff | Tagged: book reviews, Destiny, fun | No Comments »
Posted by theunquietlibrary on December 20, 2007
The international system has witnessed dramatic changes in the recent past. Developments around the globe and at home challenge us to rethink the role of the United States in the international community. What is our nation’s place in this increasingly complex global picture? How do we best promote respect for human rights and the growth of freedom and justice? What can we do to nurture and preserve international security and world peace?
The National Peace Essay Contest:
- Promotes serious discussion among high school students, teachers, and national leaders about international peace and conflict resolution today and in the future;
- Complements existing curricula and other scholastic activities;
- Strengthens students’ research, writing, and reasoning skills; and
- Meets National Contents Standards.
The deadline for the 2007-2008 National Peace Essay Contest is February 1, 2008.
Resources:
Visit http://www.usip.org/ed/npec/ for more details!
Posted in Contests | Tagged: contest, essay, peace | No Comments »
Posted by theunquietlibrary on December 19, 2007
icon in the catalog view, you will be able to see the top 10 books that are being checked out at Creekview High School! Surf over to 
