“You’ve Got Homework. We’ve Got Help.” @ CLP

Winter break is quickly approaching, at least that’s how it feels to me.  Maybe you feel like it can’t arrive fast enough.  Either way, the weeks before winter break usually mean assignment due dates, tests, and/or finals.

We know it can be hard to study and work on assignments at home.  There are so many distractions–the television, things on your bedroom floor, the refrigerator, your phone!

That’s why Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh offers Quiet Study and Homework Help sessions at some of its neighborhood locations.  Check out the session closest to you!

Teen Quiet Study @ Downtown & Business
Tuesday, December 10, 2013 | Other Dates
3:30 PM – 4:30 PM
Are you a teen and looking for a quiet place to read and study? Join us at the Library for Teen Quiet Study time. Staff will be on hand to show you databases and books that will help with your homework needs.
Location:
Downtown & Business
612 Smithfield Street
Pittsburgh, PA 15222

CLP – Knoxville Teen Homework & Study Hours

Tuesday, December 10, 2013 | Other Dates

5:00 PM – 6:30 PM

Hey Teens! Did you know that where (place) you study or do homework at matters? Having the right resources and materials can be the difference between a good or bad grade. SO WHAT OTHER PLACE IS BETTER TO UTLIZE THAN YOUR LOCAL AND FREE LIBRARY?  Snacks provided every Tuesday!

Location:

Knoxville
400 Brownsville Road
Pittsburgh, PA 15210

Teen Homework Help @ Allegheny
Wednesday, December 11, 2013 | Other Dates
4:00 PM – 5:00 PM
Teens, stop in and get help on your everyday homework. Join us in the Teen Space every Wednesday from 4-5 PM.
Location:
Allegheny
1230 Federal Street
Pittsburgh, PA 15212

Are you one of those people who studies late at night?  CLP has you covered too!  Check out Live Homework Help from Tutor.com.

It provides live one-to-one help every day from 3pm – 10pm.  After 10pm you can access the SkillsCenter Resource Library:24/7 which features worksheets, study guides and videos!  You’ll need your Library Card in order to access this service from home.  Don’t have a Library Card yet?  Here’s how you can get one.

–Kelly, CLP – Main, Teen

Teen Winter Reading Raffle

Forget Ned Stark- winter is HERE.  And rabid readers should be rejoicing.  The blustery weather provides the perfect excuse to just burrow down, deep into blankets and snuggle up with a good book.  Winter break provides you with the time off from school to spend the entire day and night reading to your heart’s content.  And all of those “best of” lists that get published at the end of every year provides a zillion new titles to add to what is probably already a very long “to read” list.

If you plan on spending your winter break with a huge stack of awesome books, then you need to know about our Teen Winter Reading Raffle!  How it works:

• Beginning Sunday, December 15, 2013, visit your CLP Teen Specialist and pick up a reading log.
• Fill out one reading log for every five hours that you read.
• Return the reading logs to your CLP Teen Specialist by Wednesday, January 15, 2014.
• For every 5 hours you read, your name will be automatically entered into a raffle for your chance to win prizes including books and gift cards!  The more you read, the more chances you have to win!

To be eligible, you must be between the ages of 12 and 17 or in 6 through 12 grades.  For more information, contact CLP Main- Teens.

Happy reading!

This is your last chance!!! For a little bit

The West End branch of the Carnegie Library will be closing for renovations on October 19th.  They will be closed for a few months while air conditioning and an elevator and a bunch of other cool stuff is installed.

But before they close you have one last chance to visit their Teen Lounge!  The last Lounge will be held on Tuesday, October 8th from 5-7pm.  You can play XBox games, create a craft or make your own cake pop!!  What is a cake pop you might ask.  Well, it is a delicious mini cake on  a Popsicle stick.  And you get to create your own with your favorite toppings.

Cake Pops!!

So if you might be interested in cake, games and fun you can call Ms. Annica at the West End at 412-921-1717.

Ms. Annica!!

Reading & Writing This Week at CLP

I’m sure that by now, Teen Summer Reading (TSR) is old news.  However, if you haven’t signed up yet, I do encourage you to stop by your local library, say hi to your librarian, and sign up!  You can earn nifty prizes and free books, as well as an invitation to your branch’s spectacular End of Summer party just for teens.

If you’d like to share what you’re reading with other teens, look no further than Hazelwood’s Teen Lounge and Book Club on Tuesday, July 2 from 2-3pm.  Bring a book you are reading and share what you loved or hated about it over snacks, crafts and games.  Refreshments and free books are provided.

http://memebase.cheezburger.com/tag/reading

Let’s say you’ve been reading all summer long, and you figure that you’ve already read a fair amount of books by different authors, of varying genres and writing styles.  You figure it’s about time you try your hand at writing something of your own.  Look no further than East Liberty’s Creative Writing for Teens on Saturday, July 6 from 3-4pm.

This special creative writing workshop will feature special guest and YA author Siobhan Vivian, author of The List and Burn for Burn.  Not only do you get to meet this fabulous author, but she will also help you improve your writing!  Registration is required, so register here, or by calling 412-363-8232 or emailing barbert@carnegielibrary.org.

http://writerswrite.co.za/writing-truths-16810

Happy reading & writing!

-Amy, CLP-Lawrenceville

New Slang

Slang, especially as an indicator of the evolution of language, is fascinating.  Slang is defined as “the use of informal words and expressions that are not considered standard in the speaker’s language or dialect but are considered acceptable in certain social settings. Slang expressions may act as euphemisms and may be used as a means of identifying with one’s peers.”  Needless to say, slang changes as the times change.  Dude, the slang used when I was growing up is way different from the slang used now.  Slang also varies epically by region.

I recently came across two different articles about current American slang.  One described how the punctuation slash (/) has not only entered our vocabulary to mean two or more of the same thing, but is now being written out as “slash” to mean the same thing as “/”.  Example:  “Does anyone care if my cousin comes and visits slash stays with us Friday night?”   Not only has this piece of punctuation turned into a spoken word, but its written form is now being used.  More confusingly, the word is now being used to add something as a follow up phrase.  Example:  “I really love that hot dog place on Liberty Street. Slash can we go there tomorrow?”

The second new slang phenomenon is how young people in Baltimore are using the word “yo” to replace “he” or “she” in instances where the gender of the person is unknown.  A study ‘found the kids used “yo” instead of “he” or “she” when they didn’t know the gender of the character. But they also used “yo” as a substitute even when they did know the gender.’  For example: “Yo threw a thumbtack at me” (instead of he/she threw a thumbtack at me).

It takes a wickedly talented author to convincingly incorporate slang into yo books without sounding like a derp (like I do in this post).  These sick books explore slang in all its fantastic glory.  Grab a book, sit back, and just moss.  YOLO, right?

Ralph Munn Creative Writing Programs

The Ralph Munn Creative Writing Contest is an annual contest for high school students (grades 9-12) in Allegheny County.  Submit a piece of creative writing (short prose, poetry, or screenwriting) by the May 1^st deadline for a chance to win a first place prize of $250 and to be considered for publication!  Click here to learn more.

If you need inspiration, attend one of the 22 Ralph Munn Creative Writing Workshops offered this month at our branches.  If you live near CLP-Lawrenceville, join us on April 8th from 4:30-5:30 for our Creative Writing Workshop.  If you need even more inspiration, check out these creative writing titles!

Happy writing!

Amy, CLP-Lawrencevile

National Read Across America Day

Dr. Seuss from quickmeme.com

Tomorrow is National Read Across America Day!  This date was chosen to coincide with the birthday of Dr. Seuss (pictured in the meme above).   The whole point of this day is to promote reading (derh!).

Seeing as how my coworkers are avid readers (working in a library and such), I figured I would ask them what they plan to be reading on Read Across American Day.  Below are recommended reading by CLP-Lawrenceville staff:

**Karen’s a cheater because she’s reading an ARC of The moon and more!**

I hope to catch you all reading on Saturday, March 2!  Leave us a comment about what you plan to read on National Read Across America Day!

 

Happy reading!

-Amy, CLP-Lawrenceville

East Liberty’s Teen Book Club: What will we read next??

Once a month, since the fall, a small group of teens has been meeting at East Liberty to discuss books.  As the book discussion facilitator, I think you should think about joining us.

You never know what will come up in a book discussion.  So far we’ve read Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck, Ship Breaker by Paolo Bacigalupi, Panther Baby by Jamal Joseph, and a smattering of  poetry, including some of Anne Sexton’s takes on Grimm’s Fairy Tales in her Transformations.  

   

We’ve talked about whether the American Dream is essentially depressing, how the world might look in 10-20 years time, the politics of the late 60s in America and why there’s not a Black Panther Party today, community service, and the difference between “bird sitting on a branch” poetry and poetry you might want to read.

Books are a great place to start from if you want to end up talking about anything and everything.

Next month we will be reading Ready Player One by Ernest Cline.  This is a story of a puzzle quest in an immersive online world, called OASIS, coded and put together by a reclusive computer genius obsessed with the culture of the 1980s.  Whoever solves his puzzle – by successfully collecting 3 keys– will inherit a giant fortune.  Five years after the announcement of the puzzle, and the genius’s death, the first key is found by a teenager in Oklahoma City.  And the race is on.

So put your copy on hold today and discuss with us on Saturday, March 16th at 2 pm.  80s music and snacks provided.

-Tessa, CLP – East Liberty.

Whether You’re Pro or Anti Valentine’s Day, We’ve Got What You Need

Valentine’s Day elicits a wide range of emotions in people.  Even if you’re a Valentine’s hater don’t give up on this post, you may read something you like!

In elementary school, I loved creating my Valentine’s mailbox–a shoe box slathered with paint or strips of red, white and pink construction paper woven into a heart-shaped basket.  I couldn’t wait for my classmates to walk up to my desk and fill it with Ghostbusters, New Kids on the Block, and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle valentines!

Valentine’s Day took on a more serious tone in middle school thanks to (or not so thanks to) unsolicited and unrequited crushes.  Instead of giving cards to everyone my classmates chose one person to celebrate with, exchanging fancier cards, chocolates and stuffed animals.

“According to tradition, St. Valentine is the saint associated with courtship, travelers, and young people.  Early celebrations in honor of St. Valentine took place in the middle of February, around the time of an ancient Roman festival known as the Lupercalia. It was customary for men to draw the name of a young girl from a box and celebrate the festival with her.”

During high school I gave my friends Sweethearts to show how important they were to me, but I felt like everyone else was spending too much money due to feelings of guilt or obligation.  A dozen roses were delivered to my house on Valentine’s Day.  They were from a boy friend (not a boyfriend).  I panicked and asked, What am I supposed to do with these?  What am I supposed to say?!  My friends looked at me like I was crazy and said, Just say thank you.

“The central theme in the myth of St. Valentine is doomed romantic love.  St. Valentine fell in love just before he was scheduled to die and could do nothing about it except write a message expressing his love.  “Valentine, St.” U*X*L Encyclopedia of World Mythology.”

Whether you’re Valentine’s Day experiences have made you pro- or anti-Valentine’s Day, the Library has a list of events to keep you busy this week.  Bring your significant other.  Bring your best friend.  Be serious or silly, it’s up to you!  Join us to make:

• broken heart cookies and cranky crafts at Lawrenceville
• etched glass votives at Brookline
• Candygrams at Allegheny
• heart attacks at Main
• and cookies at East Liberty.  Try out book speed-dating while you’re there.
• Check out Hazelwood’s event
• and hit up the Anti-Valentine’s Day parties at Carrick and West End.

If you’re not up for socializing, ask a teen specialist for some book, movie and music recommendations and create your own Valentine’s tradition.  I’ll be eating a heart-shaped pizza and watching Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, which features crushes, crushed hearts and amazing friends!

Awesome and Amazing Audiobooks

As a librarian serving both children and teens, I need to ingest as many titles as possible to keep up with everything that’s happening in literature for ages 0-18.  Consequently, I recently began listening to audiobooks during my commute to and from anywhere.

From experience, let me tell you: the quality of audiobooks varies greatly.  Just because a book is a good read does not necessarily mean that it will be a quality audiobook.   This is because, assuming the relative quality of the book itself, audiobooks depend entirely upon the reader of the book.  Sometimes audiobooks are read by the author—to great effect or not.   I highly recommend choosing titles that have been vetted by quality sources, like the Odyssey Award.

Check out these audiobooks & happy listening!