Annotated Webliography

An Annotated Webliography Julie Ridley Library 510 Azusa Pacific University

Annotated Webliography American Library Association or www.ala.org

The American Library Association is the oldest and largest library association in the world. Since 1876, the ALA has been an advocate for libraries and the profession of librarians. ALA.org is a wonderful source for lots of information pertaining to the library. One of my favorite places to go on the website is the section under Book, Print and Media Awards. Here, one can find about present and past winners of awards like the Belpre , Caldecott, and Newbery, as well as information on criteria and the history of the reward. It is a great source for librarians to visit in order to stay current about these topics and to get information on purchasing materials.

California Young Reader Medal or www.californiayoungreadermedal.org

Whether you participate in the cyrm voting program or not, the California Young Reader Medal website is a great place to go to locate good books to purchase for your library or for read alouds. Featured on this website are the 5 primary picture books, 3 intermediate books, 3 young adult books, 3 middle school/junior high books, and 3 picture books for older readers nominated each year. A resource guide for each book is available for educators to engage their students before or after the story. Along with the guide, are ways to hook their students, information about the author and activities to complete after or before reading the story, including a Readers Theatre. Resource guides are given for all honored books since 2007. A booklist of past winners dates back to 1978.

Common Sense Media or www.commonsensemedia.org

Annotated Webliography

Common Sense Media is a non-profit company. Their website is a great free tool for librarians, educators, and parents. The main objective of the website is to give parents and educators a review of all media (movies, books, websites, video games, TV, music, apps) including providing an age range of appropriateness for each. It gives a review from three stand points: a basic review, what parents need to know and a user review. In the what parents need to know section, a breakdown of different aspects of the media type are addressed like violence, sex, positive role models, language, positive messages, consumerism, etc. They also provide a space for kids and parents to voice their opinion separately. The website shares their top picks in all media types. They also have wonderful resources, including lesson plans and videos for educators. Digital Citizenship, One to One essentials for resources and tools, information on how to educate families and professional development are all provided for free.

School Library Journal or www.slj.com

School Library Journal.com is the online sister of School Library Journal. Although, school library journal is better known for its print and digital subscription, School Library Journal .com is also a great resource for librarians working in schools and in the public libraries. The main reason why I visit the site is for book reviews. School Library Journals reviews of books are arguably the best one can find. This is because reviews are written by working librarians. Unlike other book reviewers that rate most picture books as appropriate for all ages, School Library Journal gives a broad, but accurate appropriate age range for the titles they review. On the site, one can find access to not only book reviews, but webcasts, articles, author interviews, a multitude of books lists of all kinds, and links to blogs.

Annotated Webliography World Book Online Kids or www.worldbookonline.com/kids

This is a paid online database subscription for schools and homes. It is a great resource for schools and libraries because a child can safely find information on many topics. The target age range for the Kids version of World Book Online is grades kindergarten through five. An annual subscription is approximately $50. It is like the old encyclopedias of yesterday brought to life in todays modern world. Articles, images, videos, and sound clips are all made accessible easily in easy text and bright colors and graphics. The website makes it very easy for children to find information about people, places and animals. Students can play games, use the dictionary, explore maps, print pictures, and do science experiments. One wonderful aspect of the website is the built in easy to use citation maker. This makes it very easy for students to properly cite their sources when writing reports.

References

American Library Association (2103). Retrieved from www.ala.org

California Young Reader Medal (2013). Retrieved from www.californiayoungreadermedal.org

Common Sense Media, Inc, (2013). Retrieved from www.commonsensemedia.org

School Library Journal (2013). Retrieved from www.slj.com

World Book Inc, (2014). Retrieved from www.worldbookonline.com/kids

Annotated Webliography