Waffle Bytes

Brought to you from the team at MeL -  Anyone ordering new materials for their library knows firsthand the annual number of books being published has exploded. Some estimates cite the number at over 1 million! How are we ever supposed to keep up with all of these new titles?   NoveList Plus  and  NoveList K-8 Plus  are two great  eResources  available in  MeL  that can become your secret weapons for finding your, or your patrons', next great reads. A source for expert read-alike recommendations,  NoveList  adds about 30,000 new titles every year. Approximately two-thirds of those are for adults and one-third are for kids. There are over 78,000  audiobook  titles and over 34,000 series titles.   With books for every reader both   NoveList   eResources   offer a wide range of features to help you narrow down your search for a great book.   Recommendations by title, author,...

Supporting Michigan Libraries - November 15, 2018 From Liz Breed of MeL -  We're excited to offer AtoZdatabases, a new eResource in MeL. This powerful tool offers content useful for demographic profiles, business site location studies, traffic studies, proposal/grant writing, mapping a geographic area, conducting city or regional comparisons, research and development, and studying industry segments. Whether you currently offer support to your local business community or you're considering doing so in the future, AtoZdatabases can help enhance and build your efforts. Some of the most common questions small business owners ask can be fielded using AtoZdatabases. How do I find new customers to grow my business? Should I expand my business in this new geographic area? Where can I get a mailing list to promote my new service or products? How can I learn more about my community? I need to secure additional funding. Where can I find information abou...

From the Library of Michigan -  Ready to Read Michigan (RTRM)  is gearing up for its second year of providing books and materials to public libraries throughout Michigan for outreach to children ages 0-5.  The program is designed for public librarians to model early literacy skill development directly to families and engage in outreach to early childhood centers, preschool classrooms and daycares throughout their community.   The title for 2019's RTRM is  Touch the Brightest Star  by Christie Matheson, an interactive "journey from sunset to sunrise."  Selected by the Library of Michigan's  Youth Services Advisory Council  for the read-aloud's ability to engage a young audience and its alignment with the 5 Practices of  Every Child Ready to Read ; Talk, Read, Write, Sing, Play.  In preparation for programming in March (Reading Month!), public libraries will receive a kit in late January to early February of 2019, contain...

From Christine Schneider, K-12 Education Specialist at the Michigan e-Library Some news from the Michigan eLibrary! Please share. MeL ( http://mel.org/ ) went live with a soft launch of a redesigned homepage (codename: Pigeon) at the tail end of 2017. The changes were a direct result of usability testing performed over the winter of 2016 and summer of 2017. Here are the highlights of the redesign: 1. MelCat : The only search on the MeL.org homepage is the "new" MeLCat search. Have no fear, Classic MeLCat is still alive and well but now the new MeLCat search is on the MeL homepage. (MeLCat is our statewide shared catalog system where you can borrow material from any of 450 Michigan public libraries and pick up/drop off at your local participating library.) 2. Database Searches : Searching the available databases for Articles and E-resources can now be accomplished from the Databases page. Were you ever curious about the most popular topics among the databases?...

From Christine Schneider, MeL K-12 Education Specialist @meldotorg   -  This past week, Detroit Public Television/PBS ( DPTV ) launched a pilot program for a new type of virtual field trip that can be used in the classroom, or by anyone interested in a virtual experience.  The focus included three exciting metro-Detroit locations: the Polk Penguin Conservation Center at the Detroit Zoo, the raptor habitat at The Leslie Science & Nature Center in Ann Arbor, and the bat habitat at the Organization for Bat Conservation in Pontiac. The launch was done online via OVEE, which  is a website developed by public media that allows you to watch videos together and chat live with friends, fans and experts in a virtual theater.  429 teachers representing over 13,000 students joined the launch, which took place over 3 days.  These are amazing numbers considering many schools in Southeast Michigan were closed one or two of the days because of the sno...

Great find of images, primary sources, and a variety of other resources for school use! From the site: "DPLA connects people to the riches held within America’s libraries, archives, museums, and other cultural heritage institutions. All of the materials found through DPLA —photographs, books, maps, news footage, oral histories, personal letters, museum objects, artwork, government documents, and so much more— are free and immediately available in digital format . The cultural institutions participating in DPLA represent the richness and diversity of America itself, from the smallest local history museum to our nation’s largest cultural institutions. Our core work includes bringing new collections and partners into DPLA, building our technology, and managing projects that further our mission through curation, education, and community building."

Money Smart Week started up in Chicago in 2002, and is now a nationwide event that provides free resources, speakers, and activities.  This year's event is from April 22-29.  For youth, Michigan libraries can request free copies of the book "A Dollar for Penny" by January 27 to use for activities in their school.  Additional resources are found on the Money Smart Week website.  You can also contact local financial institutions as many are supporting the event in a variety of ways.  From the Michigan Money Smart Week Chairperson: Money Smart Week® (MSW) is just around the corner and we have a fabulous opportunity for you to obtain, read and give away free books to children attending a story time at your library! MSW is a public awareness campaign designed to help consumers better manage their personal finances. This is achieved through the collaboration and coordinated effort of hundreds of organizations across the country including financial instituti...

From MeL (Michigan Electronic Library) - How many days until the Presidential election?   Seven, so there’s still time to do some research if you...have questions. A valuable unbiased, nonpartisan source is the MeL database Opposing Viewpoints in Context . [I]t’s designed with students in mind but any Michigander can browse the issues list to learn about topics such as immigration, gun control, women in politics, national security, and many more.   Websites that might prove useful include: Michigan Secretary of State – numerous links to resources including a full candidate listing for all open offices. ProCon.org – side-by-side comparison between candidates on 75 key issues as well as other resources. Vote Smart – Just the Facts - free , factual , unbiased information on candidates and elected officials and their votes, positions, ratings, speeches, and funding. Pew Research Center – research and studies. PBS News Hour Watch the Debat...

In case you missed it - MeL now has Chrome Apps for your use - Michigan eLibrary Chrome Apps Access to your favorite Michigan eLibrary (MeL) databases is now even easier when you install the FREE MeL Chrome Apps! These apps are compatible with any Mac, PC, or Chromebook running the Chrome browser and provide simple one-click access to MeL databases. Install these apps for FREE from the Chrome Webstore!    For additional information and directions for installation go to the  Technology Resources  in the redesigned  MeL Teachers  portal, thanks to  Christine Schneider , Michigan eLibrary Education Specialist. MeL https://goo.gl/6vXBz9   Access the entire Michigan eLibrary which features all of your favorite MeL databases and resources including MeLCat. MeL- Teens https://goo.gl/Ssmmzl Access to resources specifically for grades 6 through 12+ including homework help, recommended books, and college plan...