Better than Google?

Well, more credible at least. Reference EXTRACT is a new search engine that gets a boost from librarians who will help determine and rank the credibility of search results. According to Reference EXTRACT's homepage:

"Users will enter a search term and get results weighted towards sites most often referred to by librarians at institutions such as the Library of Congress, the University of Washington, the State of Maryland, and over 1,400 libraries worldwide."

Combining the power of Internet searches with the expertise of librarians? Not a bad idea at all.

Animals, English, and education

Heifer International is "a global nonprofit working with communities to end hunger and poverty and care for the Earth." Maybe you've received their World Ark magazine in the mail or browsed through their online gift catalog, which lists opportunities for you to give families animals that will help produce milk, eggs, wool, and other resources to be used and sold.

So how can you bring your students into this cycle of sustainability? The Heifer Education site has lesson plans, games, resources, and activities to help teach your students about world hunger. You can order a Global Education Resource Kit, which uses national standards to teach English, geography, science, and more, or sign your class up for a field trip. Search here for resources by subject, or consider taking a study tour especially for educators. If you're in Arkansas, you can even visit Heifer's new Murphy Keller Education Center when it opens in 2009. There are so many opportunities for you and your students to give and learn at the same time. Why wait until the holidays to give and receive?

The books on the bus go round and round

This is inadvertently the third installment of our "clever libraries" series of posts. But we couldn't help but share this simple yet smart idea: pass out books and have older students read to younger students on the bus. The benefits are obvious: older kids get more reading practice, younger ones are being read to, and everyone (bus driver included) enjoys a calm ride to school.

Living Library

First there was a library on legs, and now there's a library where the books are alive! A Santa Monica library lets visitors "check out" any of 14 experts on various cultures--from vegans to feminists to nudists--with the goal being to tackle stereotypes, foster discussion, and bring people together. These sessions can last up to 30 minutes, and visitors have the option of "renewing" their living books if no one else is waiting for them. The library's borrowing policy must be agreed to beforehand:

"The reader must return the book in the same mental and physical condition as borrowed. It is forbidden to cause damage to the book, tear out or bend pages, get food or drink spilled over the book or hurt her or his dignity in any other way."

This is a great idea that really has the potential to bring communities together. And with its emphasis on education and dispelling stereotypes, perhaps schools will think about starting their own living libraries--or at least establishing a "Living Library Day." Non-profits and charities could rent out experts as part of a fundraiser that simultaneously raises money and community awareness of certain issues. Nursing homes offer a veritable treasure trove of living books who often want nothing more than to share their stories. With Studs Terkel, one of America's greatest authors and historians, now gone, we need more listeners...