J.D. Salinger, author of The Catcher in the Rye, dies at age 91

Michiko Kakutani of the New York Times says this about J.D. Salinger and his famous book: "What really knocked readers out about “The Catcher in the Rye” was the wonderfully immediate voice that J. D. Salinger fashioned for Holden Caulfield — a voice that enabled him to channel an alienated 16-year-old’s thoughts and anxieties and frustrations, a voice that skeptically appraised the world and denounced its phonies and hypocrites and bores. Mr. Salinger had such unerring radar for the feelings of teenage angst and vulnerability and anger that “Catcher,” published in 1951, remains one of the books that adolescents first fall in love with — a book that intimately articulates what it is to be young and sensitive and precociously existential, a book that first awakens them to the possibilities of literature."

If you haven't read this book -- you need to. (FIC SAL)

Library Give-Away! Come Check Out a Book!

Regional Winners!

Early last fall Ms. Wilson's software engineering class peppered the librarians with questions about how library circulation software works. For Business Professioanls of America competition they had to create library application software. This past weekend they won regionals and are now State bound. Clear Brook's software engineering teams won first, second and third place.  Congrats to JavaWare Solutions, Muvata Software and Prism Library Suite.

Who Are the People in Your Neighborhood?

Mrs. Callahan's Applied Vocational class invited us to speak to them about how librarians are a part of our school. One very smart student made an excellent analogy. The library is the brain of the school for two reasons. Because the library has all the information and because the library is located directly above the kitchen--the stomach of the school. Thanks for inviting us.

Internet Public Library (for Teens)!

Don't Forget--Author Tomorrow @ Barnes & Noble

E-books can save your grade!

This week Ms. Spozio's Biology classes have spent some time learning about genetic disorders and throughout the experience they've been using our wonderful e-book collection.  Specifically our Genetic Disorder book. (See a librarian for a password or log onto Blackboard.)  Remember when it's two in the morning and you've got to cite a scholarly source, check out the CBHS e-book collection.  Thanks to the Clear Creek Education Foundation for their generous support of the expansion of our e-book collection.

Protect Your Reputation Online

This video discusses the long-term risks of sharing inappropriate information on the Web. It encourages you to “think before you click” and offers tips for being responsible with photos, video and stories. Points include:

• Why photos are permanent on the web  
• Future consequences of sharing inappropriate info
• Tips for protecting reputations (personal and friends)
• What to do when inappropriate info is shared

Author Becca Fitzpatrick is coming to our local Barnes & Noble.

Author Becca Fitzpatrick will be reading from and signing copies of Hush, Hush on Saturday, January 23 at 2:00 at the Baybrook Barnes and Noble. This is your chance to see her.

Going Bovine - An Interview with Libba Bray

Congratulations to Libba Bray. She won the Michael L. Printz Award.

Student Advisory Board - Thank You!

Members of our student advisory board joined us yesterday at Barnes & Noble to pick out books for the library. Come check out one of  the new books.

Woman Who Helped Hide Anne Frank Dies at 100

The last survivor who helped Anne Frank and her family hide from the Nazis has died. Miep Gies was 100. After the Franks were discovered and deported, it was Gies who found and preserved Anne's diary. You can listen to a 1998 interview with her from NPR. The diary of Anne Frank is a legacy Miep Gies gave to the world. It's been translated into some 65 languages and remains one of the best read books internationally.

Student Shopping Event Tomorrow!

Join your librarians tomorrow at 2:30 at the Baybrook Barnes and Noble and help us pick out books for your library. We value your opinion and want to have books that you want to read. See you there!

Literary Attire

A.P.C. will offer literary jean jackets starting January 21st. These jackets will feature the title The Heart is a Lonely Hunter, a Carson McCullers book and "People never notice anything," a quote from Holden Caulfield in The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger. The jackets will sell for $280 and so your typical high school student can't afford them---nor can your typical high school librarian. But, oh, aren't they cool!

Are American Students Lazy?

Does this make you mad or do you think they are right?

Scott Jaschik's article in Inside Higher Ed: Gather faculty members together and it's not hard to get them talking about the ways students disappoint. They text in class, expect extensions for no good reason, and act surprised when they don't earn A's. But when it comes to work ethic and manners, are there some students who -- on average -- don't disappoint? Kara Miller thinks so -- and her comparison of American students (who continually disappoint) and foreign students (who don't) has set off quite a discussion in Boston. Miller, an adjunct who teaches rhetoric and history at Babson College, published her views in The Boston Globe just before Christmas, and the debate has continued...

FINISH STRONG! Study for finals in the library!

Remember that the library is a great place to study for final exams. Come sit in the comfy chairs or spread out all your stuff on a table. Putting in a few extra hours of study time will yield great results.

"The successful person has the habit of doing the things failures don't like to do. They don't like doing them either necessarily. But their disliking is subordinated to the strength of their purpose." E.M. Gray

Readergirlz asks: "Do people behave a certain way because they're being watched?"

Readergirlz will host a chat with author E. Lockhart on January 20th at 8:00 p.m. The book The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau Banks will be discussed. Don't miss it. Here are some thoughts from E. Lockhart to get you thinking.

"Frankie learns about the theory of a panopticon. Do you agree with the theory that most people behave because they have this sense of being monitored? Do you think this sense prevails in modern life even more than in previous times? Why or why not?"