Movie or TV series on DVD where women speak with Scottish accents

2010-02-17T17:47:18Z

I'm looking for a birthday gift for a friend. Really.

I'd like to guy him a DVD, either a movie or TV series, where there are women who speak with Scottish accents. He does not have a region free DVD player, so this must be available for purchase in the US.

I prefer something you'd recommend, but bad action movies are, as always, fine with me, too.

Please don't include:
- Highlander or its spinoffs
- Anything based on an Irvine Welsh novel (Trainspotting, etc)

Mid-teen-level book suggestions for African high school?

2010-03-14T23:29:28Z

My father-in-law is starting a new high school in Uganda, and is trying to build up a library. So far he has gotten mostly donated books, but he's interested in finding a few titles he can buy as classroom sets for the kids to learn together (which is a novel concept in Uganda schools, apparently).

Even though the school is a magnet high school, most of the students read at a middle-school level. Does anyone have suggestions for good books that might work? Specifically, he wants books at a middle-school level but with high-school-aged protagonists, and preferably books which aren't too America-centric. (Happening in the USA is fine, but the kids have no interest in the American Civil Rights struggle or American history.)

2 disc DVD sets - one missing - what should I do?

2010-03-15T18:57:27Z

We have a few 2-disc DVD sets that were returned with only 1 DVD in them. So now I have a pile of DVD cases with only the supplementary materials and no feature film. How do other libraries deal with this or similar situations? I feel bad throwing out a perfectly nice case and DVD, but without the feature film I can't have it circulating.

As an addition, I've already implemented a policy of buying only single DVDs from now on. I don't want the pile to get bigger!

What would you do if you weren't a librarian?

2010-02-23T21:35:41Z

Given the changes in the economy and the re-organization/downsizing of many public library systems these days, public librarian jobs are few and far between. So, if you could no longer work as a librarian, what work would you do?

To make this less hypothetical, here are some parameters to the scenario:

-you have your MLS

-you have no plans to go back to school for certification to become a school librarian

-you cannot draw and therefore creating a comic strip is also not an option

-you are committed to living in your current city, so moving for another job is out

-the job market for anything directly related to libraries is non-existent within a 50 mile radius of your home

How are our skills applicable/marketable in other industries?

I'm looking for two parts to your answers: 1) job type and 2) why you'd think a librarian background qualifies one for that job.

Thanks!

Classics you would recommend?

2010-03-11T16:03:22Z

In another post I responded that I sometimes read classics that I haven't read before, for whatever reason and gave the example of having read To Kill a Mockingbird just a couple of years ago. What classic works do you recommend for those of us who may be getting caught up in this aspect of our reading lives?

Which first: Movie or Book

2010-03-07T04:04:28Z

Assuming both are out which do consume first? Read the book first so that the character's character isn't spoiled by the movie? Or movie first so it's easier to picture the characters while reading the book?

Age appropriate Chapter books for a first grader able to ready Diary of a WImpy Kid and loving it.

2010-03-14T21:34:56Z

I have had numerous requests for chapter books for first graders reading at a high level. I am looking for books that are age appropriate but longer than a picture book. The first grade boy read Diary of a wimpy kid and loved it. The girl read Clementine series. I think a similar format is what I am looking for. Bigger writing and some illustrations. I think some of the Beverly Cleary might work although there may be too many words on the page.

Overdue fines for AV

2010-03-09T21:26:10Z

For Public Libraries: Do you charge higher overdue fines for AV materials - DVDs, Audiobooks, etc.? If you do (and here's what I really want to know) - why? Thanks.

What are the ramifications of incorporating reference type books into the regular collection?

2010-03-12T14:19:46Z

I am seriously weeding my Reference collection and wondering if the books I have left would be used more if I put them with the regular collection. Students use our non-fiction collection a lot but I am not always available to remind them about the reference collection. They also tend to use the internet for a quick look up if they can't find something. Our reference books can be checked out for short periods to students in grades 5 and up. All staff can check out reference at any time.

Our reference books are mostly special subject encyclopedias - art, music, animals, history, dictionaries.... used sporaticaly or for special projects. If I put them in the regular collection would they get more use.

Of course if I do this it will mean a major shift of all the non-fiction...hmmmm.

Has anyone else already done this? Contemplating doing this? What do you think? I am in a prek-8 school.

1920s Teen Books

2010-02-19T03:36:38Z

My teens have pained me with a 1920s summer reading theme. I'm looking for about 30 or so books for a bonus book list. I would like to find books set in the 1920s, but at this point I'll take anything with a relation to the 1920s. Here's what I have so far...

Long Way From Chicago A Year Down Yonder Al Capone Does My Shirts Al Capone Shines My Shoes The Miner's Daughter Hitch Thursday's Child Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry The Storyteller's Daughter Escape!: The story of the Great Houdini The Seance A Day No Pigs Would Die The Tree of Bells Uprising A Countess Below Stairs

I'm not quite sure if all those stories are in the 1920s, but at this point, even a loose relation to the 1920s would work. Any suggestions?

looking for a beginning reader - quite old

2010-03-11T22:52:00Z

Below is an extract from an interview with my father. I am curious to know if any American contributors can shed light on this? Any help appreciated!

"Was there a curriculum book you remember reading that had a significant impact? I wish I could remember its name. I was at Sawyers Bay Primary School in the early 1950s. We’d had the old Janet and John readers and a right boring lot they were too. Then along came some large hard-back readers. I can see them now. They had colour pictures and lots of stories about American children, past and present. One farm boy had trouble with cows starving during a snowfall, but when he dragged a log behind the tractor, the cows were able to get at the grass. Stage coach passengers took a journey west, with the men and boys all getting out to walk, as they went up the hills. A pioneer family had a crisis, when a little boy broke the clock and a wandering peddler repaired it – and they had the joy of seeing the clock reach the hour and the little figures coming out. What were those books?"

Good A/V Shelving (public library)?

2009-12-31T14:20:12Z

We are investigating some new A/V shelving and I would like to know if there is a type that you have found works well in your library. In general, spinner-type have not worked for us (though I am open to hearing why it works for you). We would like to be able to efficiently shelve DVDs and CD Audiobooks while still having them be easily browsed by customers. We are considering the dual-level A/V shelves for cantilever shelving that is sold by Demco; if you have any experience with that, I would be curious to hear it.

Do you have a Young Adult Collection in your k-8 achool library? If so, do you have a policy that states the grade that can use it ?

2010-02-24T21:30:43Z

I have had many conversations with other school librarians regarding whether to have a young adult collection/section or not. If you do have a YA collection how do you deal with younger students (gr.2-4) who want to take out the books, stating their sister/brother has read it and said it is great or they read adult books at home, etc. Just curious as to what other school libraries may do. I was at AASL in Charlotte and they have an incredible public library with a children's area on the first floor and a YA area (age 13) on the 2nd floor and never the twain shall meet. I am in a prek-8 school.

Looking for series of children's mysteries

2009-12-24T17:54:50Z

I remember reading several mystery books by an author a while back, but when I checked the library recently, I couldn't find them. The books were set in early 20th or possibly late 19th century London. The stories focused on a middle- or upper-class boy (he lived with his mother; I believe his father had died) and his close friend, a girl, who I believe was the daughter of the housekeeper and was named Sarah(?). The boy's mother had a friend who was a detective with Scotland Yard; he helped them catch some of the criminals, but the children solved the mysteries. The only plot I remember had something to do with John Donne's poem about "No man is an island" giving clues in a letter written by someone who had been kidnapped, and I think it was while they were on a trip to New York.

I think the author was a man, if that helps. Thank you.

Did you notice that the "Today's Unshelved" looks wonky when it's a Book Club?

2010-02-27T00:26:12Z

I'm not sure what this software is, but as a webhead it grates every time I see a massively squished book club (especially as those are often my favorite parts of Unshelved.)

Looking for good humorous fiction for my 6th and 7th grade boys.

2010-03-11T02:21:03Z

I have some 6th grade boys who loved David Lubar and are looking for other books similar. They just want something laugh out loud funny. I came up with Jack Gantos books - Joey Pigza, I think some Terry Prachett ones may also fit but I need more. Help?

Looking for Book About Traveling Circus Family

2010-03-10T03:36:06Z

This is for myself - I remember a chapter book from my school library (in the early 80's) about a family who lived out west and performed in a circus. It was a historical setting - maybe 1890's or a couple of decades later. There may have been other similar books (but not about the same family - not a series) by the same author.

I think the opening line may have been about the main street in the western town being named something like "Silk Stocking Street," which the men hated but the ladies thought was elegant, but I may be getting that confused with another book.

I do remember one of the boys in the family getting a haircut by his mother, who put a bowl over his head to cut around.

I know this isn't much to go on, which is why I've been unsuccessful in finding it after all these years - but you Unshelved Answers people are amazing, so I thought I'd give it a try!

Jenny in Columbus, Ohio

Why do we read what we read?

2010-03-07T01:05:59Z

We've talked about what we are reading and how we are keeping track of what we read but I didn't see a post asking why we read what we do. I think we read for a multitude of reasons. I read because I want to be transported, entertained, educated and enthralled. Is there more to choosing a book or an author than that? If so what is it?

"Do we define ourselves by what we enjoy reading? Is it part of the validation we crave for thoughts and feelings that we can’t quite articulate, but recognize when a writer magically projects an image on a page?" I did not write this but it really got me thinking the "why" of it.

When I was a child, I read for pleasure and to escape to a magical world, travel to a distant place, or experience a different time. As an adult I read for all of those reasons and even more but I'm not so sure I can articulate it. Can anyone? Can you?

Anyone have suggestions for middle schoolers who love the Hunger Games by Collins?

2010-02-27T02:16:33Z

I have had so many of my 7th and 8th grade students asking me for books "just like" hunger games and I am coming up with a big blank. Does anyone have some suggestions?

Books Teen Boys Would Read (If They Knew They Existed)

2010-02-09T18:39:19Z

We've been inundated with requests for Dewey's Booklist. Unfortunately we don't have one. So let's make one together here. Post your recommendation for a book teen boys would read (if they knew it existed), or vote it up if someone already posted it. This will work best if you put one book per answer.

(This question is similar to this one, which inspired the comic strip)

Looking for pratchett-esque books

2010-02-16T05:52:44Z

I am a fan of Terry Pratchetts Discworld series. I enjoy the humor and style but the only other books I've been able to find in a similar style are The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy series by Douglas Adams and Good Omens by Pratchett and Neil Gaimen along with pratchetts other books. I'nm wondering if anyone here knows of books written in a similar style. I tend to read sci-fi or fantasy but the genre dosent matter much.

Are Librarians really THAT different?

2010-03-04T19:18:55Z

Our regional director recently had lunch with our town manager. She, the town manager, asked him, our library director, "What makes librarians so different?" She implied that we had different thought processes. Are we really that different? Do we have a different thought process from the general population? Maybe this will help us when we are trying to communicate what we do with our town manager.

School librarians: what is your ceiling date?

2010-03-05T18:37:53Z

How long before the end of the school year do you want all books to be back (a few days, a week, two weeks, more)? Have you had to change it, over the years, because of particular problems?

non-reference personnel answering questions?

2010-03-08T21:58:21Z

In terms of Unshelved, this would be largely equivalent to a slightly clueless user wandering in and asking a reference question of Buddy, instead of going to a clearly marked Reference and/or Information desk...

If the question was "where are the books on recombinant DNA?" and Buddy steered the person straight to the section with books on DNA instead of pointing him at the reference librarian where a quick reference interview would reveal that the person actually wanted a biography of Watson and Crick (or something similarly unrelated to their stated question). The person might be able to find the book they wanted in that section, but not if the biographies are shelved separately. So in the end, the person was not served, even though Buddy thought he was being helpful.

How do reference librarians (you lot with the genuine MLIS degrees) deal with this at work? Patrol looking for clueless wanderers, like salespeople out for commissions? Or just tell Buddy very firmly not to do that in the future?

Original Hobbit Riddle Chapter in Humor Anthology?

2010-02-24T06:55:50Z

When I was a kid my first introduction to Tolkien was reading the "Riddles in the Dark" chapter from The Hobbit in an anthology of humorous stories. This would have been anywhere from the early '60s to 1969. And it was the original version of the Riddle chapter as it appeared in the 1937 edition of The Hobbit. I liked that chapter so much that I tracked down The Hobbit and read the whole thing. The copy of The Hobbit which I read had the revised version of the Riddle chapter. I do not remember the title of the anthology or the date it was published, only that I checked it out from the Azusa Public Library (which has probably long since discarded it).

At one time I had a Xerox of that chapter from the anthology, but it has, alas, since disappeared.

Does anyone know the name of this anthology? I had thought it might be Chucklebait or More Chucklebait edited by Margaret C. Scoggin, but apparently not. (I checked the table of contents online.)

Thanks in advance for any help.

At 12, he can read Shakespeare, but he doesn't enjoy it!

2010-02-18T00:53:40Z

My 12-year-old son loves to read. He's a rather advanced reader and gets no satisfaction from his middle-school library. He's frustrated with the YA section of the public library because so much of the subject matter is "boring romantic stuff" or topics that he's not ready for as a preteen. He enjoyed the Eragon series, and Mike Lupica and Tim Green. He likes historical fiction, especially about the American Revolution and WWII. He loves science; right now he's reading "How to teach physics to your dog" by Chad Orzel. "Dewey's list" had some good titles, but again, much of the subject matter wouldn't be comfortable. I'm having trouble keeping him in good books. May I ask for reading suggestions? Thanks!

Too Young For Twilight?

2010-03-05T22:46:52Z

I have had a few parents in with their young girls (8-10) who wanted to read Twilight but their parents were concerned about them being a bit too young for the series. I recommended a few Juvenile Vampire novels like Vampire Brat by Angie Sage and the Vampirates series by Justin Somper, but I was looking for some that may have more of a romance angle, but for younger readers. I don't think they necessarily have to be about vampires, but a light romance for 8-10 year olds or any vampire novels for that age. Any suggestions?

Looking for book from 80s, psychic teenage girl

2010-03-08T20:13:22Z

I read this book when I was in my teens, which would have been early to mid 80s. I thought it was called "Through An Open Door." It was about a teenage girl who was psychic. In particular, I remember a scene where she advised her relative/friend to get off a ferris wheel at a fair, they did and the seat they had been sitting broke off the ferris wheel.

That's all I can remember in particular. Thanks for any help.

Social Software and Libraries

2010-03-03T05:38:52Z

Does your library use social software or social networking websites? If so, which ones and in what ways? Who maintains and updates the sites?

Unshelved Answers - Avatar

2010-03-08T21:57:28Z

I would like to put a picture up on my profile instead of the (otherwise very nice looking) default geometrical logo. When I go to my profile to change the pic, it links me to Gravatar... Is that really the only way for me to put up a personal picture? I really do not want to sign up to a website that I will never use again.

Thanks for the help!

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