Online Resources
1. Bulletin for the Center of Children’s Literature
http://www.lis.uiuc.edu/puboff/bccb/
The Bulletin for the Center of Children’s Literature provides brief book summaries and critical reviews of current children’s books. Information on the reviewed material’s quality, content, reading level and suggestions for school curriculum use are included. The Graduate School of Library and Information Science at the University of Illinois (Urbana-Champaign) and the University of Illinois Press publish the print edition of the Bulletin monthly, except August.
2. Carol Hurst’s Children’s Literature
http://www.carolhurst.com/index.html
In addition to being a wonderful resource of children’s literature reviews (preschool to age 15), this site offers suggested discussion topics, classroom methods and activities. Links to related websites are provided. Book reviews can be searched by author, title or grade level. Professional topics, bibliographies and full-text articles are also available. Ms. Hurst publishes a monthly electronic newsletter about using children’s literature in the classroom. It is available at: http://www.carolhurst.com/newsletters/newsletters.html
http://falcon.jmu.edu/~ramseyil/poetry.htm
While K-12 teachers are the primary audience for this site, anyone interested in poetry written for children or teens will want to view Ms. Ramsey’s site. She offers a number of features, such as a directory of poets and writers, author interviews, full-text poetry and definitions of literary terms. Everything from assonance-the resemblance or similarity in sound between vowels followed by different consonants in to or more stressed syllables, to ut pictura poesis- an Horation comparison of painting and poetry are included. Lesson plans are also featured. This web site is produced and maintained by Inez Ramsey, Professor Emeritus in Library Science at James Madison University.
4. LitFinder
LitFinder offers access to PoemFinder and Story Finder. PoemFinder is a comprehensive international database which offers access to 100,000 full-text poems, as well citations, author biographies and commentary. Poetry for all ages is included. The index includes poems from antiquity to the present and is international in scope. The index may be searched by author, subject, title or keyword. Over 100,000 poems are included, of which more than 10,000 are under copyright. StoryFinder offers access to both classis and contemporary short stories. Commentary and author biographies are also included in this continuously updated resource. LitFinder is produced by Roth Publishing, Inc. which can be reached by phone at (800) 899-7684 or by email at orders@rothpoem.com.
5. Teen Hoopla
http://www.ala.org/teenhoopla/index.html
Teen Hoopla calls itself an "Internet guide for teens." That’s just what it is! The website includes book reviews, a discussion forum on subjects of interest to teenagers, and a page with links to other websites.( Book reviews, arts and entertainment, sports, homework resources and activism are among the categories included in this section of the website). The Young Adult Library Services Association of the American Library Association maintains Teen Hoopla.
6. Teenreads
http://www.teenreads.com/index.asp
Teenreads offers book reviews, author profiles and interviews, excerpts from new releases, contests and a place for teens to talk about their favorite books. The website is part of the Book Report Network (http://www.bookreporter.com/index.asp), which consists of five websites dedicated to providing book reviews, information about newly published books, book excerpts, author profiles, as well as literary games and contests. Carol Fitzgerald established the Book Report Network in 1996. While the Teenreads websites provides a list of staff by position, it does not specify their educational qualifications.
Librarians, teachers will use the site for book selection, reader’s advisory and teaching material. Teens will look to Teenreads, as they seek the next book to read or author information for personal interest or school assignments.
7. Young Adult Literature: Middle & Secondary English- Language Arts
http://falcon.jmu.edu/~ramseyil/yalit.htm
This site is part of the Internet School Library Media Center, http://falcon.jmu.edu/~ramseyil/index.html maintained by James Madison University. The website includes "Resources to support the curriculum in English and Language Arts for K-12 educators." It is a directory of other websites on language arts topics. There are links to general education sites such as the U.S. Department of Education, individual state’s education departments, the ERIC Clearinghouse and Education Index. Literature resources include the Jane Austin Info Page, Bookwire, Literature Resources for High School and College, ISLAMIC Children’s Literature and Language Arts Resources, and Kay Vandergrift's Young Adult Literature Page.
The site offers articles on using children’s literature with ESL students, using children’s books in the secondary classroom and selecting picture books for older readers. Bibliographies and critical reviews of young adult literature are also included.
A directory of other resources, including commercial publishers offers information on the following topics:
While teachers are the primary audience for this resource, parents, students and others interested in children’s and young adult literature will find Young Adult Literature: Middle & Secondary English- Language Arts useful and enjoyable.
Adult Services
8. ERIC Resources for Teachers.
http://www.ericsp.og/pages/resources/index.html
ERIC Resources for Teachers is provided to give teachers in the island school access to professional educational literature, curriculum and teaching guides and lesson plans. ERIC is a program of the National Library of Education at the U.S. Department of Education. ERIC includes over
1 000 000 records. In addition to indexing educational materials, the ERIC Clearinghouse on Teaching and Teacher Education is available to provide information on teaching resources and teacher education.
9. Booklist
Booklist offers reviews of print and electronic media. This resource is the online edition of the American Library Associations print journal Booklist. Adult, reference, children and media reviews are available. The site also includes feature articles, bibliographies and links to the ALSC Awards and YALSA booklists. This is a valuable resource for patrons as well as librarians, looking for reviews of current material. The concise and informative reviews are will assist librarians selecting material for the library and provide reviews for reader’s guidance. The Booklist web site provides a cumulative index to the print edition of Booklist, searchable by author, title and illustrator. The index is hot-linked directly to the reviews.
The University of Michigan School of Information established the Internet Public Library (IPL) as a public service organization that provides library services to Internet users. IPL staff identifies, evaluate, organize and establish access to online information resources. The goal is to help people find information online. Furthermore, IPL is dedicated to training library personnel and students to effectively navigate our increasingly digital world. IPL offers digital collection development and reference services. IPL staff continues to conduct research aimed at increasing professional knowledge of digital library service.
The Internet Public Library consists of eight sections: the reference center, reading room, Internet search tools, a children’s area, teen space, subject collections and special collections. For those interested in lighthouses, there is a page a page entitled Lighthouses: A Photographic journey. It is " a comprehensive guide to the lighthouses of Michigan, The Great Lakes, America, and the world." Alas, Block Island lighthouses are not included.
(Please see resources listed elsewhere on this site for information about Block Island lighthouses).
Island Residents
11. FIND-IT RHODE ISLAND
http://www.find-it.state.ri.us
Find-It! Rhode Island is the Rhode Island Government Information Locator System (GILS). The goal of Project Rhode Island is to use web-based technology to provide information about state and local government agencies. Specialized indexing, shared subject terminology, and search engines make government information more easily accessible to the public.
The Office of Library and Information Services (OLIS), Secretary of State's Office and the Microsoft Corporation Northeast established Find-It Rhode Island in 1999. OLIS and the Secretary of State's Office continue to maintain the website, updating it daily. Rhode Island is one of many states that maintain a GILS.
Island Business owners
13. Rhode Island Small Business Development Center (RISBDC), Bryant College, 1150 Douglas Pike, Smithfield, RI 02917-1284.
Tel.: (401) 232-6111 Fax: (401) 232-6933. http://www.risbdc.org
The Rhode Island Business Development Center (RI is a joint venture between Bryant College, the Rhode Island Economic Development Corporation and the U.S. Small Business Administration. The Mission of RISBDC is help small businesses increase their efficiency and profitability through guidance, training and consulting services. While some services are available to new companies, RISBDC’s primary clientele are existing businesses. RISBDC offers workshops on strategic planning, business planning, financial management, OSHA standards and many other topics. One-on-one consulting services are also available. Because the United States Small Business Administration and local partners fund RISBDC, services are offered at little or no cost.
Access to RISBDC information and services is a great asset to Island’s many small businesses.