The Topeka and Shawnee County Public Library has launched a “Digital Branch” that includes a complete website redesign. This blog, Graffiti, will be archived but not updated during the transition to the new website. You can find much of the content from this blog on the new website under the heading Teens.
Please visit our new website at www.tscpl.org and tell us what you think!
Do you know your way around the internet? Are you a techie nerd or a techie turd? Prove your worth by completing this Internet Scavenger hunt! Winners will receive fun Teen Tech week prizes.
Send an e-mail to ya@tscpl.org with the answers and links to the web pages that you got the information from.
Frank Warren, the author of the PostSecret books, will be giving a presentation tonight in Lawrence. PostSecret is an on-going community art project that is featured on a website and in four books. People anonymously write a secret on a homemade postcard and send it to Frank Warren. Many of the postcards are beautiful and heartbreaking, but a lot are also silly and random.
Frank Warren will be speaking at the KU campus Union Ballroom at 7:00 pm. Click here for more information and call the Student Union box office at 785-864-SHOW to purchase tickets. If you can't attend his presentation, you can still enjoy the PostSecret event by visiting a gallery of postcards created by KU students in the Kansas Union Gallery, checking out one of the library's PostSecret books, or looking at the PostSecret website.
Luke Rockefeller was raised with the tradition of volunteering. Luke is a senior at Washburn 
Rural High School and is being honored for his free errand service. He runs errands free for the senior citizens at Topeka Presbyterian Manor. Luke started the service in the spring of 2006 and said “There’s a lot of personal gain. Not only is it a good service but also the personal relationships with the residents – it’s a good feeling.”
Max Pippa, a 17-year-old senior, at Alton High School was a competitor in the “Lift for 
Hope”. The Topeka’s Strongest Man competition raises money for the American Cancer Society’s Camp Hope. This is a camp for children who are recovering or battling cancer.
Pippa has been lifting weights and competing for two years and wanted to set the North American Strongman Inc. record in max dead lift. Pippa said, “I like it because it’s an odd ball sport. I’m not a normal teenager.” Read more.
It’s Valentine’s Day and the Young Adult librarians at TSCPL want to share our love by sharing our romantic favorites with you.
Favorite romantic movie:
Gayle- Gone with the Wind
Lena- Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
Jean- An Affair to Remember
Favorite romantic book:
Gayle- Twilight by Stephenie Meyer
Lena- Sloppy Firsts by Megan McCafferty
Jean- Princess Diaries by Meg Cabot
Favorite romantic song:
Gayle- Little Wonders by Rob Thomas
Lena- We Looked Like Giants by Death Cab for Cutie
Jean- Love Me Tender by Elvis Presley
Leave a comment to share your romantic favorites with us!
Teens younger than 17 are no longer allowed at West Ridge 8 theater after 8 pm on Friday 
and Saturday nights. Heather Wright, who works for Hollywood Theaters, said there had been customer concerns about teens fighting and yelling. Nicole Karungu, 15 year-old freshmen at Topeka West said, “I don’t see why they couldn’t just kick out the ones who were being stupid.” On the other hand, Sara Wallace, 17, was sick of the immature juveniles. They were throwing popcorn, loud laughter and fighting in the halls. She admits not all teens under 17 are immature and shouldn’t be restricted from the theaters at all times. Read more.
Students in the Topeka schools say they feel safe in their high schools. Max Linenberger, a 
senior at Topeka West High School, said “I feel pretty safe. There’s not too many people that make me feel threatened.” Students outside the Topeka area perceive safety in school is on the decline according to the National Youth Violence Prevention Resource Center. Even teachers and administrators are feeling less safe.
Topeka School District 501 uses cameras and locked doors to monitor visitors. High school students can be identified by badges. Katherine Ebeling , a Topeka High sophomore, said “It’s obviously disturbing that people would be that violent but you can’t live in fear.” Read more
February can seem to drag on even though it’s the shortest month. The holidays are over, but it’s still freezing cold. Luckily, the five authors and
illustrators at The Brown Bookshelf have started a campaign that should really brighten up this month. The first twenty-eight days of February, they will feature a new African American author or illustrator of children’s and young adult’s books that you may not have heard of. On February 29, they will have a day of giveaways and announcements of future programs. The campaign is called 28 Days Later as a reference to the aftermath that we will all experience after these African American talents are unleashed on the world. The first author is Christopher Paul Curtis, who wrote Elijah of Buxton. Check www.thebrownbookshelf.com every day in February for a new author or illustrator.
Bloody Dawn, a re-enactment of Quantrill’s raid on Lawrence, premiered Jan 11th in 
Wichita. The next showing will be 10 a.m. on Feb. 16th in Lincoln, Ks.
Cassandra Blackwell, a Seaman High School junior, plays the part of Lydia Stone whose father is shot during the raid on Lawrence. Cassandra has always been interested in the history of the Bleeding Kansas era and did added research on the character, Lydia Stone that she portrayed.
The actors weren’t paid because Bloody Dawn was funded by a grant. Cassandra had to provide her own dress and her mother did her hair. She found there was a lot of “hurry up and wait”. Read more.
Do you make your own music? Do you like to sing or have your own band? Now is your time to shine! Showcase your talents in YALSA’s Teen Tech Week Promotional Song Contest.
The purpose of the contest is for teens to create a song that promotes libraries and their many technology resources to teens. Judges will be looking for content that promotes library technology and Teen Tech Week, well-written and audible lyrics, creative approach, and clear-sounding production quality. Teens may begin working on the contest immediately.
Teen Tech Week will be held during March 2 – 8, 2008. All contest materials are due on March 8, 2008 at midnight. Read the official rules and entry form, along with tips on how to get started here or visit the Teen Tech Web site at www.ala.org/teentechweek .
While many children and adults have read the book The Golden Compass in the 11 years since it was published, now that the movie is in theatres around the country this Friday, the buzz about this story is getting louder.
You may remember that I read and reviewed the book earlier this year here. I enjoyed the fantasy-style references to science and religion, but with the movie reaching mass audiences, some people are less amused. I read an excellent overview article today in the Christian Science Monitor called “Is 'The Golden Compass' really anti-Christian?” And, if you scan the news (search google news for “golden compass” for the latest headlines) you’ll see that some churches and schools are discouraging people from reading the book or seeing the movie, using boycotts, letters and censorship.
The American Library Association President Loriene Roy said in a statement Tuesday that "fear and misinformation" are driving the effort against the film and Pullman's books. "We encourage librarians, teachers and parents to resist the call to censorship," Roy said. "Censorship results in the opposite of true education and learning." While parents should take an active interest in their family’s reading, she added "But they should not impose their beliefs on other people's children."
The Golden Compass is the first book in the His Dark Materials series, followed by The Subtle Knife and The Amber Spyglass. I hope to see the movie this weekend and will post an update as a comment below. If you have read the book and/or seen the movie, what do you think about this controversy? If you haven’t read the book, do these news articles make you want to read it or not?
Seventeen Magazine is joining forces with bestselling author, Meg Cabot, to sponsor a writing contest for young people aged 13 to 21. So if you love to write, take a peek at the story Cabot started, and then write your own ending in 350 words or less. Meg Cabot (and a few others) will read and judge the entries.
I think it would be an honor just to have Meg Cabot read my writing, but they are offering great prizes too. The winner will have his/her story published, with a byline next to Cabot’s in Seventeen Magazine, plus he/she will win $2,500. How awesome is that?! Be sure to read their contest rules. Entries must be received on or before January 2, 2008, so get started today!
13-year-old Lexi Lemons has a message she wants to share with other teens, “if you never 
start smoking, you never have to quit.” Lexi has watched her grandfather battle emphysema since 2003 and her grandmother suffers chronic bronchitis due to secondhand smoke. Her 45-min presentation called “Breathe: The Lexi Lemons Project” shares her family experiences and the dangers of cigarettes and chewing tobacco. About 125 hours of research went into Lexi’s project which she shares with area schools and organizations. Read more.
Governor Sebelius invites all Kansas students in grades K-12 to participate in a contest to help celebrate and commemorate the life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and the inspiration his contributions continue to provide.
Tower City Center mall in Cleveland has adopted a new policy that no one under 18 is allowed into the mall without an adult at all during school times and after 2:30 pm on weekends. This strict rule will be enforced by extra security guards and it will cut down the amount of teenagers that shop dramatically. The mall management says that this curfew is needed because large groups of loud, unruly teens were driving away other customers. Read an article about this mall here.
Do you think that this is fair? It seems like the Cleveland mall will lose a lot of money that all of the teens would have spent if they were allowed in. It would also be really inconvenient to not be able to stop by and pick something up unless you had an adult with you. A lot of civil rights and youth groups are protesting policies like this and saying that it is unconstitutional to restrict a certain group. What’s your opinion? Do you think there is a better solution for the mall?
Topeka is known for having several spooky hot spots. The Topeka State Hospital at 4th and 
MacVicar closed in 1997 but it used to treat patients with mental illnesses. There are spooky stories that patients were neglect, assaulted and abused. There are around 1,157 burials on the grounds but less than a dozen visible stones. One of the most haunted spots in Topeka is the Harrison Church at 16th and Harrison. It was built in 1886 but has since been abandoned. It is rumored to be possessed by the devil. Topeka High School at 800 SW 10th dates back to the 1930s. The story is that the school is built on top of a graveyard with tunnels under the building. Teachers and students have reported strange happenings while they were alone in the building. Read more.
After you read a great book, do you ever imagine what could happen next with the characters? If you have the urge to continue their stories and imagine other adventures, you could try writing your own fan fiction. Stories written by fans about an existing original work are fan fiction.
Writing fan fiction is not only a great way to enjoy a story, it can also help you win awesome prizes. FanLib.com and Scott Westerfeld have joined up for a contest about the Uglies book series. All you have to do is submit an original story using elements of his new book, Extras, and you can win an Uglies "skinned" Playstation 3 or other great prizes. If writing a story isn’t for you, you can also win prizes by reviewing and voting on the best fan fiction stories submitted. Click here for lots more information.
Improve both your mind and a child’s quality of life by visiting the website www.freerice.com. It has an extremely addictive vocabulary game that donates 10 grains of rice to needy people every time you get a question right. The rice is paid for by the advertisers listed on the website and distributed by the United Nations World Food Program.
The game adjusts to your vocabulary level by becoming harder or easier after you answer a few questions, so it’s customized to make you smarter. If you are studying for the SAT, ACT or just want to sound more intelligent, www.freerice.com is a painless way to learn vocabulary and help people all around the world get enough food to eat.
Matt Taylor started as Landon Middle School’s eighth grade fullback. Now, with the help of 
his interpreter, Rhonda Greening, he is their starting quarterback. Matt was born deaf but that hasn’t stopped him from participating in soccer, basketball, baseball and his favorite, football. Coach Marc Milner said that even though Taylor can’t hear the crowd when he makes a good pass he is in touch with the energy of the game. Mikey Vigola, who plays center, said, “We don’t really think of Matt as deaf anymore. Everybody on the team just thinks of him as Matt.” Read more.
Have you ever wondered what Bigfoot might be doing when he’s not being seen wandering through the woods? In Alex Grecian’s new monthly comic book series, Proof, Bigfoot is a secret agent working to track down other mysterious creatures, like the Loch Ness Monster and the Mothman.
The first comic book of the Proof series will be released Wednesday, October 24. Alex Grecian will be at Gatekeeper Hobbies on Wednesday from 4:00-7:00 pm chatting with his fans and signing copies. This is an awesome chance to pick up a new comic book and meet the talented creator, so be sure to stop by!
In April and May, we told you about an opportunity to vote for your favorite teen read. Well, it’s time to vote! Anyone aged 12-18 can vote online for their favorite nominated book out of a list of 25. So if you read any of the books on the list, hurry up and make your choice because voting ends on Oct. 20th. Click on the “Vote for the 2007 Teens’ Top Ten” at the ALA site to register your vote. You get to choose up to 3 books from the list.
Tell us which book you think will win or should win in the comments. There are so many great books on the list, I’m glad that you don’t have to pick just one!
As part of Teen Read Week at TSCPL, we are offering contests all week at http://graffiti.tscpl.org.
Beginning today, you can enter to win our random prize drawing by writing a book review to be featured on the library's teen website. Prizes include pens and pencils, gift certificates for pie from the Millenium Cafe, USB flash drives, and more!
How to enter:
Fans traveled 3 ½ hours, KU students took time from their studies, a Baker U. student got lost in north Topeka trying to find the library and Chase Middle School students were given Tamora’s books by their teachers. These stories were shared at the Tamora Pierce author visit on October 2, 2007. As a “kick off” to Teen Read Week, Tamora was invited to share her love of writing fantasy fiction with teens from the Topeka area. Long lines formed after Tamora’s talks, with students wanting her to sign their books. One student brought one of her senior pictures for Tamora to sign. This picture was very special since she had her picture taken with one of Tamora Pierce’s books. It was fantastic to see teens getting excited about reading and enjoying one of their favorite authors.
As a librarian, I am generally against book-destroying, but I have to make an exception for this cool artist’s work. Brian Dettmer cuts through the cover and carves into the pages of books to create layered three-dimensional sculptures. He doesn’t add anything or move the pages around, just cuts through the paper leaving only the words and pictures that he finds interesting. Some of his sculptures are really amazing, so click on the pictures to see some more of his work.
Please don’t try this out with your library books, but hopefully this will inspire you to think more of the artistic possibilities of the ordinary things around you.
As part of Teen Read Week at TSCPL, we are offering contests all week at http://graffiti.tscpl.org.
Beginning today, you can enter to win our random prize drawing by submitting your book, movie, website and music recommendations to be featured on the library's teen website. Prizes include pens and pencils, gift certificates for pie from the Millenium Cafe, USB flash drives, and more!
How to enter:
This week is Teen Read Week, a national celebration of reading by sponsored by the young adult division of the American Library Association. This year’s theme is LOL@ Your Library. So read for the fun of it, and check out these great books for a good laugh, chuckle, or at least a smile! (Look for romantic comedy suggestions later this week)
The Tough Guide to Fantasyland by Diana Wynne Jones
This authoritative A-Z guide constitutes an essential source of information for all who dare to venture into the imaginative hinterlands, providing acute insights into such subjects as: the varying types of virgin, why High Priests are invariably evil, how Dark Lords always have minions, and why Cooks all have filthy tempers. Whether you're a first-time visitor or a veteran Fantasyland traveler, The Tough Guide To Fantasyland has everything you need to get the most from your tour, including: what to do when you're captured by a Goblin, where to find a Healer when you're stricken with the dreaded plague, and how to obtain the magic sword which will protect you from those pesky Barbarian Hordes.
Love among the Walnuts by Jean Ferris
While Sandy Huntington-Ackerman didn't expect life to be a free ride (even though his parents are multimillionaires), he certainly didn't expect his two money-grubbing uncles to try to kill his family with a drugged birthday cake. Luckily for Sandy, the cake only sends his parents (and their pet chicken, Attila) into a coma. Along with a loyal butler and a wacky nurse from the asylum next door, Sandy is determined to bring the scoundrels to justice--if he's not the next to go! This is a "rollicking screwball-comedy of a story." 
A Fate Totally Worse than Death by Paul Fleischman
In this horror novel parody, three self-centered members of Cliffside High School's ruling clique, who are beginning to age rapidly, become convinced that the beautiful new exchange student is the ghost of the girl whose death they caused the year before.
The Secret Blog of Raisin Rodriguez by Judy Goldschmidt
In a weblog she sends to her best friends back in Berkeley, seventh-grader Raisin Rodriguez chronicles her successes and her more frequent humiliating failures as she attempts to make friends at her new Philadelphia school.
Simpsons Comics Barn Burner by Matt Groening
Get ready for the dadburndest, rootin'–tootin'–est riot of cotton–pickin' Simpsons comics EVER! First, Bart takes his life in his hands when he rats out the school bullies. Next, Homer squares off against Diamond Joe Quimby when he runs for mayor. Then watch the oven mitts come off when Smithers moves in and starts catering to Homer's every need, leaving Marge out in the cold. And read all about it when Bart makes headlines and learns the true meaning of yellow journalism.
Absolutely Positively Not by David LaRochelleNo More Dead Dogs by Gordon Korman
Nobody understands Wallace Wallace. This reluctant school football hero has been suspended from the team for writing an unfavorable book report of Old Shep, My Pal. But Wallace won't tell a lie--he hated every minute of the book! Why does the dog in every classic novel have to croak at the end? After refusing to do a rewrite, his English teacher, who happens to be directing the school play Old Shep, My Pal, forces him go to the rehearsals as punishment. Although Wallace doesn't change his mind, he does end up changing the play into a rock-and-roll musical, complete with Rollerblades and a moped!
The Schernoff Discoveries by Gary Paulsen
Harold Schernoff, 14-year-old science whiz and social nerd, has a theory for every problem, from dating, to bullies, to making money, to sports, to how to buy a car when you're underage. When he and his buddy team up to put his theories to the test, nothing goes according to plan but each attempt is hilarious.
Vampire High by Douglas Rees
It doesn’t take long for Cody Elliot to realize that his new high school is a little different. The other students are supernaturally strong, don’t like the sunlight, and are always placing orders at the local blood bank. When his new friend shows him his fangs, Cody realizes that the students are vampires! As Cody struggles to fit into this secretive community, he disrupts centuries of human-vampire segregation, with some serious—and some seriously funny—consequences.
Saturday evening six Topeka area bands will compete in the Battle of the Bands at Gage 
Park. Adrian to the Rescue is one of those bands that is made up of five Topeka High students. They have a MySpace profile and a CD with some of their original songs. Bondy Kaye, 16-year-old drummer, said “It’s a horrible CD with a different singer and we put it together in two days.” However, Kaye isn’t worried because he thinks their band has the potential to surprise. Time: 6:30-11 pm. Where: Gage Park diamond No. 1. Cost: $5. Read more.
Have you ever thought about how cool it would be to chat with your favorite author and be able to ask them any question that you can dream up, from their favorite book to their favorite kind of cereal?
If so, YALSA (Young Adult Library Services Association) and the Readergirlz group have teamed up to make your dreams come true! In honor of Teen Read Week this month, they are hosting a different author every night in October to chat live on Myspace with readers like you. Tonight you can chat with Chris Crutcher, the author of Sledding Hill. I’m also really excited about tomorrow night’s author Ann Brashares, who wrote the Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants series.
Do you have burning questions that you want to ask your favorite authors?All you need to do is add Readergirlz as a friend on Myspace and then join their group forum.
Click here to find a lot more information, including a full list of authors and the days you can chat with them.
Technology is part of most teenagers’ lives. You wake up to your alarm on your cell phone,
music on your iPod and texting your friends at lunch. David Hattan, a Topeka High said, “I’m just so used to it. It’s like second nature to hop on the computer to get information. It’s so simple to send a quick text message when needed also.”
Nintendo Wii, iPod, Playstation 3, high-definition TV, laptop computer are some of the must-have gadgets. Of course the gadgets all need something extra like games, controllers & cords. The average high schooler spends up to $50 a week on electronic items. Read more.
Governor Kathleen Sebelius presented the first plaque in the state to WRHS staff and 
students for being a Kansas Green School. Hess, the school’s industrial technology teacher, has been involved in the school recycling for years. Some of the students who aren’t in a club or activity will help pick up recyclable material from the teachers. Hess said the students can collect about 1,500 pounds of paper in ten minutes. For more information on the recycling program visit www.kansasgreenteams.org. Read more
Making a positive first impression could be all about what you are wearing. Whether you are 
at a job interview, college interview or debate tournament, how you dress says a lot about yourself. Kerri Day Keller, director of Career and Employment Services at Kansas State University said, “It’s all about making a positive impression.” Borck Brothers and Lady Borck in Manhattan have the following tips. Men should wear a dark suit, white or cream colored shirt with a complimentary tie. Women should consider a suit or appropriate business dress. No miniskirts or plunging necklines. Take out the nose rings and eyebrow piercings. Shoes should be comfortable and flip flops are not acceptable. Read more.
Zazzle is running a Talk like a Pirate Day design contest with a $1,000 prize. Here’s the description from their website:
Avast ye! As you may know, this contest takes place in celebration of Talk Like a Pirate Day on September 19th, 2007. Yarrr! We encourage any pirate-related entries - pirate-speak is not a requirement. So man the ships, set sail and start designing! Thar’s a storm a brewin! Only a proud few will brave the weather to find the buried chest of 1,000 coins and 10 other treasures! Let the most fearsome pirate win!
The submission deadline is 11:59 pm (PST) on Sunday, September 16, 2007. Sept. 19th is Talk like a Pirate Day. IMPORTANT: You may only enter one design (on one product) to the contest. Product types can be a t-shirt, mug, poster, stamp or more.
Look for a pirate related reading list to be posted later this week.
Celebrity scandals show Topeka teens ‘what not to do’. 60% of teens say a celebrity 
influenced them in some way. Nikki Shelton, a junior at Seaman High School, said, “They’re always in trouble or in jail. It’s something stupid.” The teenagers she knows don’t want to get in trouble. Mandy Benson, a graduate of Topeka High, said “teens who know where to draw the line are the ones who have stronger influences in their lives telling them to do the right thing.” Read more.
For everyone mourning the end of the Harry Potter series, here is some exciting news about J.K. Rowling’s possible new project. Apparently, she has been spotted in cafes around Scotland working on a new detective novel. Click here to read the full article. I’m happy to hear that she is writing something new, but her choice of genre seems kind of strange to me. Do you think that crime fiction will be a good fit for this magical author? Should she leave fantasy behind and focus on muggles?
All public computers will be unavailable on Tuesday, August 28 and Wednesday, August 29 while we upgrade our systems.
Beginning Thursday, August 30, you will use your library card to access the public computers.
Library staff will be available at service desks to help customers locate books, movies and other materials using the library's online catalog.
Wireless access on personal laptops will still be available.
*Beginning the week of August 27, 2007*
To access a computer at the library, you need both a library card (or a guest pass) and pin number. To obtain one, go to the check out desk.
How does it work? When you login to a computer with your library card and pin, the computer keeps track of time for you. You may use up to 2 hours per day (all at once, or in several sessions). An on-screen timer will help you keep track of your available time.
Continue reading "You will need to bring your library card!" »
Do sex, drugs, music, cash and a car make teens happy? Not necessarily. A poll taken from
1, 280 people ages 13-24 by The Associated Press and MTV, showed spending time with family made teens happy. Next was spending time with friends and their significant other.
“They’re (family) my foundation,” says Kristiana St. John, 17, a high-school student from Queens in New York. “My mom tells me that even if I do something stupid, she’s still going to love me no matter what. Just knowing that makes me feel very happy and blessed.”
When the teens were asked to name their hero, nearly half of the respondents mentioned one or both of their parents. However, mom was the winner. Read more http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070819/ap_en_ot/youth_poll_happiness;_ylt=AvcLD6je0xVq5NEsxeC0HFUDW7oF
It can sometimes be frustrating at the library if we don’t have a copy of a book that you really want to read, or if all of the computers are full and you’re stuck waiting. These things are annoying, but imagine if your library also pooped on your shoes and tried to chew on your hair.
This is what probably happens in some mountain villages of Venezuela, where they use mules as portable libraries. The book mules (or bibliomulas) can transport heavy loads of books into isolated villages that cannot be reached by vehicles. If you want more information, click on the photo. Just like any other library, the bibliomulas help share information to everyone equally; they just do it with worse breath and more hair.
So next time you get on a Bookmobile, remember to be thankful that it doesn’t have fleas!
Jeff West High School is going all out in their theater department with the production of 
“Beauty and the Beast”. The theater department at Jeff West has been an on again, off again organization but now has a full time theater teacher, Shawn Beuchat. Holli Cope, a senior, has been in every theater production since she was a freshman. “Everyone is really dedicated and it is a step up for us” said Holli. The theater participants hope this production will be the start of something big at Jeff West. Read more
Not sure how to spend the rest of your summer vacation? You can always follow in the footsteps of Oregonian, Kent Couch, and fly to Idaho...in a lawn chair.
From cnn.com:
BEND, Oregon (AP) -- Last weekend, Kent Couch settled down in his lawn chair with some snacks -- and a parachute. Attached to his lawn chair were 105 large helium balloons.
Destination: Idaho.
With instruments to measure his altitude and speed, a global positioning system device in his pocket, and about four plastic bags holding five gallons of water each to act as ballast -- he could turn a spigot, release water and rise -- Couch headed into the Oregon sky.
Nearly nine hours later, the 47-year-old gas station owner came back to earth in a farmer's field near Union, short of Idaho but about 193 miles from home.
"When you're a little kid and you're holding a helium balloon, it has to cross your mind," Couch told the Bend Bulletin.
"When you're laying in the grass on a summer day, and you see the clouds, you wish you could jump on them," he said. "This is as close as you can come to jumping on them. It's just like that."
Keep reading the article here.
Put fresh batteries in your video camera- it’s vlogging time!
Mary Beth, from Petland, brought several odd, unique and strange animals to share with patrons of TSCPL. She brought Dead Head Cockroaches, a Spotted Salamander, a Blizzard Gecko, and two very large millipedes. Everyone was invited to hold the creatures with the exception of the Spotted Salamander, who by the way, is the Kansas state amphibian. Oscar, the gecko, wasn’t overly fond of being held and would try and nip at whoever was holding him. Not to worry, Oscar has very tiny teeth. Mary Beth has offered to come again to TSCPL and share many of their other strange and wonderful animals.
Creating a Second Life is the purpose of the TSCPL teen program, Digital Boot Camp. 
Stacey Fox, technical director for film studies at The University of Kansas, is the instructor at the boot camp that runs the week of June 11-15. Jackson Hermann describes his experience, “You can fly around and build things, you can have a superhero costume and things like that.” Jean Gardner, young adult librarian, created the boot camp so the students could create virtual dioramas of their favorite books. Read more.
Oz Island, the TSCPL space on the teen grid of Second Life gets it first inhabitants today. We
have anticipated for weeks the “coming live” of OZ Island. For next few weeks Oz Island will be a closed society while the pilot group of students from Hope Street Academy have the first lessons in building and creating a virtual world. The instructors are Dr Marcus Childress, Chair, Instructional Design and Technology at Emporia State University and his graduate assistant, Howard West. David Antonacci from KU Med Center will join the students virtually.
Watch this blog for information on how Shawnee County teens (13-17 years old) can get a life – a virtual life in Teen Second Life.
The time to plan for your first year in college is NOW! There are less than three mont