LibrarySparks

Library Sparks Library Sparks , an Upstart Publication , is a magazine available online and in print for children 's librarians . It has indexes going back to 2003 so is now an established resource . It is aimed at school librarians in the elementary school , but could have a wider audience e .g . home schoolers and civic librarians . Its focus is on creating life long readers by motivating children to use the library , learn library skills and enjoy reading . It also includes in its aims the use of literature across all curriculum areas . It is

available in print 9 times a year for 59 .95 . The outlook is fresh and lively with activities and suggestions for each age group . There are for instance 100 authors suggested for the primary student in the May /June 2006 issue . Each issue has a central theme with lots of ready to use activities linked to it However although there are resources on line , many of the `departments listed are only available in the full print editions , so the online magazine serves as a taster for the full issue rather than standing alone , with only 5 out of 14 `departments available . This sort of thing must be expected in a commercial company , who , whatever its commitment to education , must seek to make a profit from subscriptions

There is also a road show that travels around the United States with 4 dates in July and August 2007 . This will include several popular authors such as Pat Miller and Toni Buzzeo . This is aimed purely at librarians and seems rather expensive at 249 , even though this fee includes meals handouts and a certificate of participation . The presentation for this event looks exciting and reminds me of old circus posters because of the font used . This is very different form web sites with a more scholarly appearance , whose aims are perhaps slightly different , such as Teacher Librarian to which you must subscribe before accessing articles , though it does give tasters . The Teacher Librarian seems , at least in part , to be concerned with the organisation and administration issues , something that is barely mentioned in the Library Sparks magazine

Upstart , the publishers of Library Sparks , are part of Highsmith Incorporated , who produce a range of items for the educational market These include everything from bookmarks to books , bookshelves and posters . It is one of a series of publications that they produce aimed at various age groups and situations . The company is long established having been founded in 1956 . It is committed to education , providing grants for research in co-operation with the American Association of School Librarians . It also provides scholarships and encourages the writing of non-fiction with its co-sponsorship with the Black Caucus of The American Library Association of the BCALA Literary Award for Non-fiction . As well as these the company gives an award for innovation in libraries as well as one for urban libraries

The web site is easy to navigate and understand . Easier to use for instance than the H .W...