Banned Books Week 2011 began Saturday and will last through Friday, October 1. The annual week-long observance celebrates the freedom to read any and all books without the interference of censorship. The American Library Association names “intellectual freedom” as the base of Banned Books Week, as it promotes the importance of controversial or unorthodox viewpoints.

Events in honor of BBW are happening across the country and online. The ALA is sponsoring a “Virtual Read-out,” where participants from all over the country can submit a video of themselves reading a challenged or banned book to the BBW YouTube channel.

If YouTube broadcasts aren’t your thing, you can always visit your local branch and pick up your favorite book on the frequently challenged/banned list. (There are some surprising popular choices that make the list, like the Harry Potter and Twilight series.) Here are just a few classics:

•  Slaughterhouse Five by Kurt Vonnegut
  Banned in many communities for its explicit and religious content, Slaughterhouse Five is just one of Vonnegut’s frequently controversial novels that makes the list.

• The Satanic Verses by Salman Rushdie
  Rushdie’s criticism of Islam led the religious leader of Iran to call a fatwa, or death sentence, against the author and the publishers of The Satanic Verses.
   
• Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov
  The contentious novel was banned internationally due to themes of pedophilia and incest. And although reading the novel in American schools is still debated, it sold over 10,000 copies in the first three weeks of being sold in the U.S. in 1958.
   

Check out the rest of the classic banned books here.

Childhood development experts recommend limiting “screen time” for preschoolers, and for them, screen time refers to any time plopped in front of an electronic device, whether television, home computer, cell phone, or other device. But let’s be practical: Kids watch TV, use computers, and increasingly, parents are happy to yield their iPads and smart phones to a preschooler for a few precious moments of self-directed play.

So how can you make the most of these troubled waters? Apple’s app store has hundreds of “educational” apps that can be hard to sift through. Here are a few to search for and try out with your preschooler.

The Cat in the Hat by Dr. Seuss—this is an electronic and interactive book that lets readers read the book themselves.

Moo, Baa, La La La! for iPad – Boynton—an e-book that also has interactive tasks for each character, as well as a list of kid-friendly webresources, using the art and characters of well-known illustration Sandra Boynton

The Three Little Pigs-Nosy Crow interactive storybook—this is another electronic storybook, which brings this familiar and beloved fairytale to life. The app will read the story, or children can read it themselves, or they can play an interactive game based on the narrative.

Turning away from story and toward preliteracy skill development, there are a number of apps designed to teach and test skills.

SoundLiteracy—helps children build phonemic awareness through an interactive playspace where they can combine letters and hear the sounds these letters make together

abc PocketPhonics: letter sounds & writing + first words—this app is friendly to young children than SoundLiteracy, and helps children practice their letters, the names of the letters, the shape of the letters, and the sounds they make.

As always, preview and test these apps before turning your device over to your child. App development is a fast-moving and dynamic process, and you may find that these have newer versions, or that there are free or lower cost alternatives. Remember—limit screen time as much as possible, and if you are letting your preschooler use your iPad, one of these might come in handy.

Tags: Pre-K, tech

With last Sunday night’s Emmy Awards, followed by five nights full of season premieres and new pilots, it’s been a big week for Fall television. I won’t lie and say that I’ve watched even close to all of them, but new seasons of TV shows always seem to bring a little brightness to my end-of-summer blues: The energy, the creativity, the water-cooler gossip! There’s so much to talk about.

But what to do in the down time between shows? Don’t worry, we’ve got you covered! While you await the next episode of Modern Family or Glee to air, why not bolster your knowledge of network TV? These tidbits should be enough to keep you busy between shows:

Missed the boat on Two and a Half Men the first time around? (Or just want enough fodder for the forthcoming Sheen vs. Kutcher debate?) Check out past seasons of this phenomenon and get the ball rolling!

So much of this season’s hype has been centered on actress Zooey Deschanel’s sitcom The New Girl. The premiere received decent reviews, but you can make your own call on the indie princess by checking out her older works, like 500 Days of Summer.

One of the new shows that I watched and actually enjoyed was NBC’s Up All Night staring Will Arnett. His last consistent TV role was on the beloved Arrested Development as Gob Bluth. Unfortunately, the show got cancelled after three seasons but remains a huge cult favorite (rightfully so). Take a peek at Arrested and start quoting from any episode—you’ll be sure to impress friends with your wide range of Arnett trivia!

Happy watching!
 

This past weekend, the Free Library of Philadelphia and the Rosenbach Museum and Library hosted an event for the Beatrix Potter Society. “Preserving Beatrix Potter’s Legacy: Collectors and Collections” focused on both private and institutional collections of Potter’s work. Attendees were able to see many beautiful pieces from the Free Library’s extensive collections in four (yes, four!) exhibits currently on display at Parkway Central. The events kicked off on Friday with “Reading Beatrix Potter” events at various Free Library locations, at which Beatrix Potter Society members read stories and lead children in crafts. Here at Parkway Central we heard The Tale of Peter Rabbit and The Tale of Mrs. Tiggy-Winkle, read by two expert storytellers. That evening attendees were welcomed by Free Library President Siobhan Reardon at a reception in the Rare Book Department, where the crudité platter was arranged in flowerpots to recall Mr. McGregor’s garden. On Saturday, members met at the Free Library to hear Head of the Art Department Karen Lightner speak about the origins of the Free Library’s collections. Other speakers tantalized us with glimpses of an upcoming display of Potter’s illustrated letters, to be held at the Morgan Library and Museum in November 2012, and intrigued us with the pirated editions of Potter held in the Cotsen Children’s Library at Princeton. 

On both Saturday and Sunday members shared their private collections with the group, allowing us to see treasures by Beatrix Potter that are otherwise out of sight, including two adorable watercolors of a “lady mouse” and a “gentleman mouse” from the Tailor of Gloucester that Potter had done in 1927 as a fundraiser to save a strip of property near Windermere Ferry. On Sunday morning the group convened at the Rosenbach, where President Derick Dreher revealed the connections between Maurice Sendak and Beatrix Potter. Sendak is a huge fan of Potter who collects her works and memorabilia and who has been demonstrably influenced by her art. This might seem strange to people who think of Sendak as the King of the Wild Rumpus, but to him her tales capture an overwhelming sense of life, which is the point of all art.

Throughout the weekend, speakers reflected on collecting not just as a private enthusiasm, but also as a method of shaping ways to see the world. Undergraduates exposed to rare books as objects of commerce and desire may grow up to sit on the boards of libraries and effectively advocate for special collections. Scholars collecting in a particular area can amass collections that will shape how history is written. And institutions that house these collections can introduce delightful, timeless works of art to new generations. In a public library with many special collections, the importance of collecting in order to make available unique and rare materials to the public never seemed clearer than it did this weekend.

Tags: Exhibitions, Rare Book Department

In a move highly anticipated since our initial announcement in April, Kindle owners can now download ebooks from the Free Library of Philadelphia. The process for borrowing an ebook for Kindle is similar as for other devices. Most ebooks already in the library's catalog supplied by OverDrive are now compatible with Kindle. Simply browse or search our digital collection, check out a title using your library card number and PIN, and then click "Get for Kindle." Access to the Kindle Book will occur at Amazon's website after signing in and selecting delivery to the your Kindle device or any of the free Kindle reading apps. Kindle users do not need to download any additional software. For more information, see Amazon's guide, Public Library Books for Kindle. As with all of our ebooks and other digital content, Kindle titles are available 24/7 and incur no late fees because they automatically expire at the end of the lending period. Happy reading!

Tags: digital collections, ebooks