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Online Resources are accurate and reliable; they find information that Google can't. Think online reference books & encyclopedias!
Online Resources...What are they?
Written by Anna on 02/06/2009
The Library's website talks about online resources. What are they? How are they different from searching Google and the Internet?
Online Resources are reference books (like encyclopedias) and articles that you get to, by using the computer. You can not search them by using a search engine like Google. The Library buys them for you to use.
Go to the Library's website, have your Library card ready...and you are ready!
Top 6 Cool Things to Know About Online Resources
1. They are totally accurate and have correct information
2. Their information originally appeared somewhere in a book, magazine, or newspaper...somewhere in print
3. Sometimes online resources are called databases
4. Each one of them specializes in something like biographies, states, pictures and photographs
5. They tell you how to cite the information for your bibliography!
6. If you have a big school project coming up, get a hold of us; make an appointment! We can help you with online resources so your project will be awesome!
Call 669-5235
Email crstaff@darienlibrary.org
Celebrate Martin Luther King, Jr. Day
Written by KieraP on 01/15/2012
This Monday, January 16th is Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, which celebrates the birthday of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Dr. King was one of the most famous and respected civil rights leaders in the 1960s. He fought against racial discrimination using non-violent methods such as sit-ins, marches, and boycotts. Whether you're working on a school assignment or interested in learning more about Dr. King, check out the links and booklist below.
Martin Luther King, Jr. - Life in Pictures by National Geographic Kids
Video of Dr. King's "I Have a Dream" speech via Teacher Tube
Civil Rights Primary Sources for Students via Library of Congress
Celebrating MLK Day- Selected New York Times Articles and Front Pages via NYTimes Learning Network
The Martin Luther King National Memorial
For Teachers: Lesson Plans and Activities via Thinkfinity (use the search term "Martin Luther King, Jr.")
And don't forget the amazing online resources available through Darien Library:
And more!
A Google A Day
Written by missmarian on 09/02/2011
If you spent your summer NOT doing research and are noticing that your internet research skills could use some work, Google is here to help!
A Google a Day is a "game" (depending on your definition of fun, of course) where a new question is presented each day and your job is to use your online searching skills to find the answer. Some of the questions are really tough, some are a little easier, but they all require you to think, and search, creatively.
Here is the question from Friday, September 2:
"The war that gave us the phrase 'Theirs not to reason why, theirs is but to do and die' also gave the world a nurse credited with starting professional nursing. What was her name?"
Do YOU know the answer?
Darien Public Schools Summer Reading
Written by KieraP on 06/01/2010This summer it's FREE READ for both elementary and middle school students in Darien. Here's what you need to know:
For Darien Elementary students (Hindley, Holmes, Ox Ridge, Royle, Tokeneke) :
The schools do not have any required reading lists; children can choose any "just right" books they like.
They might have created a list with their classroom teacher or school librarian.
The children's librarians can assist you in finding those books as well as recommending others.
For Middlesex students:
Read 3 books of your choice. Each book should be a different genre. (For example, science fiction, mystery, realistic fiction, non-fiction.) Click HERE for detailed information regarding the Middlesex requirements.
For incoming 6th graders: Pick at least one of your 3 books and write a review on the Darien Library website.
For incoming 7th and 8th graders: For each book, complete a book form (available here.)
For Advanced English students: In addition to your 3 free choice books, also read The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins, for a total of 4 books. Complete a book form for all 4 books.
Grades K to 7 Teachers!
Written by Anna on 09/26/2009
Do you have a topic assigned to a whole class (or grade) that involves research?
Email us the topic and types of resources your students need. This will help us help your students. The children's librarians can also tag books in the Library's catalog, and email you the list's link so you and your students can add more titles to it.
Use the "Assignment Alert Form" on the top right of the Teachers' page to get started.
picture by flickr user Muffet
Getting your hands on library books while we're closed
Written by Anna on 11/07/2008Need books, audiobooks, or other materials for a school project while we're closed? No fear!
Nearby libraries will welcome you while the Darien Library is closed. You can check out books, movies, and other materials at any public library in our state; go Connecticut! Bring your Darien Library card with you, or your parents can use their card.
Online information is always available on the homework help section of our website. You can find newspaper, magazine and encyclopedia articles at any time; except for a few days when we move the computers and servers to the NEW Darien Library.
The Darien Library is closed from Thanksgiving 2008 to January 9, 2009. We open on Saturday, January 10, 2009. We can't wait to see you there! The same librarians, same favorite books and movies (and new ones!) all await you in an awesome new building!
Take a look at pictures of the new library here.
Election 2008 Guide for KIDS!
Written by KieraP on 10/09/2008Hey Kids! Did you know that TODAY people all over the country will be voting to elect the new President?
Are you concerned about our environment? Do you have opinions on how to make our world a better, more peaceful place? Have you wondered about how all this talk about the "economic crisis" will affect you and your family?
Just because you aren't 18 (that's the age when you first get to vote) doesn't mean you can't be involved in this historic election!
Check out these websites for an election countdown, information about the candidates, a mock election for kids, polls, and more:
Weekly Reader Election Center
Scholastic Countdown to Election 2008
Brain Pop: Presidential Election
PBS Kids Democracy Project
You can also find books at the Darien Library about elections, U.S. government, and past presidents. Some of our favorites are:
We have some great new biographies about Senator Barack Obama, Senator John McCain, and Senator Hillary Clinton.
Doing a report? Check out our online resources (stuff you can't get through Google).
Newbery Medal and Honor Books in the 2000's
Written by VeronicaPonce on 09/28/20082008 Medal Winner: Good Masters! Sweet Ladies! Voices from a Medieval Village by Laura Amy Schlitz (Candlewick)
Honor Books:
- Elijah of Buxton by Christopher Paul Curtis (Scholastic)
- The Wednesday Wars by Gary D. Schmidt (Clarion)
- Feathers by Jacqueline Woodson (Putnam)
2007 Medal Winner: The Higher Power of Lucky by Susan Patron, illus. by Matt Phelan (Simon & Schuster/Richard Jackson)
Honor Books:
- Penny from Heaven by Jennifer L. Holm, (Random House)
- Hattie Big Sky by Kirby Larson (Delacorte Press)
- Rules by Cynthia Lord (Scholastic)
2006 Medal Winner: Criss Cross by Lynne Rae Perkins (Greenwillow Books/HarperCollins)
Honor Books:
- Whittington by Alan Armstrong, illustrated by S.D. Schindler (Random House)
- Hitler Youth: Growing Up in Hitler's Shadow by Susan Campbell Bartoletti (Scholastic)
- Princess Academy by Shannon Hale (Bloomsbury Children's Books)
- Show Way by Jacqueline Woodson, illustrated by Hudson Talbott (G.P. Putnam's Sons)
2005 Medal Winner: Kira-Kira by Cynthia Kadohata (Atheneum Books for Young Readers/Simon & Schuster)
Honor Books:
- Al Capone Does My Shirts by Gennifer Choldenko (G.P. Putnam's Sons/a division of Penguin Young Readers Group)
- The Voice that Challenged a Nation: Marian Anderson and the Struggle for Equal Rights" by Russell Freedman (Clarion Books/Houghton Mifflin)
- Lizzie Bright and the Buckminster Boy by Gary D. Schmidt (Clarion Books/Houghton Mifflin)
2004 Medal Winner: The Tale of Despereaux: Being the Story of a Mouse, a Princess, Some Soup, and a Spool of Thread by Kate DiCamillo, illustrated by Timothy Basil Ering, (Candlewick Press)
Honor Books:
- Olive's Ocean by Kevin Henkes (Greenwillow Books)
- An American Plague: The True and Terrifying Story of the Yellow Fever Epidemic of 1793 by Jim Murphy (Clarion Books)
2003 Medal Winner: Crispin: The Cross of Lead by Avi (Hyperion Books for Children)
Honor Books:
- The House of the Scorpion by Nancy Farmer (Atheneum)
- Pictures of Hollis Woods by Patricia Reilly Giff (Random House/Wendy Lamb Books)
- Hoot by Carl Hiaasen (Knopf)
- A Corner of The Universe by Ann M. Martin (Scholastic)
- Surviving the Applewhites by Stephanie S. Tolan (HarperCollins)
2002 Medal Winner: A Single Shard by Linda Sue Park (Clarion Books/Houghton Mifflin)
Honor Books:
- Everything on a Waffle by Polly Horvath (Farrar Straus Giroux)
- Carver: A Life In Poems by Marilyn Nelson (Front Street)
2001 Medal Winner: A Year Down Yonder by by Richard Peck (Dial)
Honor Books:
- Hope Was Here by Joan Bauer (G.P. Putnam’s Sons)
- Because of Winn-Dixie by Kate DiCamillo (Candlewick Press)
- Joey Pigza Loses Control by Jack Gantos (Farrar, Straus, and Giroux)
- The Wanderer by Sharon Creech (Joanna Cotler Books/HarperCollins)
2000 Medal Winner: Bud, Not Buddy by Christopher Paul Curtis (Delacorte)
Honor Books:
- Getting Near to Baby by by Audrey Couloumbis (Putnam)
- Our Only May Amelia by Jennifer L. Holm (HarperCollins)
- 26 Fairmount Avenue by Tomie dePaola (Putnam)
Writing a Report
Written by Anna on 09/05/2008
If you'd like some extra help when writing a paper or book report, take a look at these books in the children's room.
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Check out this website from InfoPlease, the publishers of those famous almanacs! It provides information about writing book reports, research papers, and all kinds of essays: narratives, descriptive, persuasive.
"Great Web Sites for Kids" chosen by librarians
Written by Anna on 09/04/2008
ALSC is the children's division of the American Library Association.
They have chosen great web sites just for you!
Topics help with school research, but others are kind of cool to just check out--like what cell phones are made of under chemistry and physics, and chess for kids sites under games and entertainment.
Little colored pencils next to each web site give hints if it's for pre-k, elementary, or middle schoolers.
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