Monday, May 13, 2013
Sunday, May 12, 2013
NoveList
Bibliographic
Information: (2013). Novelist
[Database]. EBSCO. Website URL: http://www.ebscohost.com/novelist
Summary and
Evaluation: Novelist provides users with 24/7 remote access and recommends
read-alikes—two aspects that shy teens will love. Users can browse by genre,
age range, best-of lists, and results display book reviews from Booklist,
Kirkus, Publisher’s Weekly and School Library Journal. Each book also has a “more
about this book” tab that gives useful details like the tone and writing style.
Best of all, there is a direct link to any lists the book may appear on, like
YALSA’s Best Fiction for Young Adults. The search field allows users to search
by author, title, or series in its basic function, but the advanced search
expands into many more fields, like a checkbox for “award winner.”
Reason for Selection:
Novelist is the perfect digital resource for avid readers, and for those
shy teens that are afraid to come up to the reference desk and ask for
recommendations, this will become immensely helpful to them.
Friday, May 10, 2013
Gale VIrtual Reference Library
Bibliographic
Information: (2013). Gale Virtual
Reference Library [Database]. Website URL: http://www.gale.cengage.com/servlet/GvrlMS?msg=ma
Summary and
Evaluation: The Gale Virtual Reference Library is a powerhouse for one-stop
reference needs. With over 7000 customizable reference titles from Cambridge,
Wiley, Sage, Gale and roughly 80 other publishers, this database can be catered
to fit the needs of teens. The PowerSearch interface is clean and easy to do
basic and advanced searches and the results are intuitively displayed in html
format, so that page breaks and images look like they are right out of a
printed page. Another great feature is the ability to build a custom collection
for specific user groups. Visual customizations are useful, too. The browsing
tools are a breeze and laid out in a very slick and minimalist style. This
award winning database is all a student needs for high school research
projects.
Reason for Selection:
GVRL won Best Overall Database from School Library Journal.
Friday, May 3, 2013
Batman: Arkham City
Bibliographic
Information: Rocksteady. (2011). Batman:
Arkham city [Video Game]. Warner Bros. Rated: Teen. ASIN: B007SRM5U6
Summary and
Evaluation: The Caped Crusader
returns in this sequel to the 2009 acclaimed Arkham Asylum. Voted 2011
game of the year and received with critical fanfare, Bruce Wayne finds himself
arrested and imprisoned for declaring opposition to Arkham City but escapes
only to fall into the criminal populace of the city with villains Penguin,
Joker, Two-Face, Hugo Strange and more plotting together to overthrow Arkham
City and destroy the Dark Knight. Matters turn less desirable for Batman
when is unconsciously submitted with a blood transfusion infecting him with a
slow but progressive fatal disease. In order to contain the disease,
Batman has to ironically seek the aid of long time nemesis Mr. Freeze—but not
without performing some less than heroic tasks for his enemy. With an
abundance of plot twists, endless game-play, open-world environment, and (of
course) gadgets, Batman Arkham City is enormously fun and entertaining to play.
Genre: Game
Subjects: Batman,
superheroes
Interest Age: 13+
Challenge
Issues/Defense: Due to violence, this game may be challenged. If so, refer
to:
1.
The San Francisco Public Library Collection Development Policy,
Selection Criteria, and Teen Collection documents.
2.
A hard copy of the ALA’s Library Bill of
Rights.
3.
Reviews from IGN, Game Informer and Gamespot.
4.
Game selection rationale.
5.
If necessary, The San Francisco Public Library’s
Request for
Reconsideration of Library Materials Form.
Reason for Selection:
This game was an IGN “Editor’s Choice” winner, and Game Informer gave it a
perfect 10, as well as calling it “the best licensed video game ever made”
(Wikipedia, 2013). The graphics are lush and the storyline is stellar. Every
gamer has to play this one.
Thursday, May 2, 2013
Ghost on Ghost
Bibliographic
Information: Iron and Wine. (2013). Ghost
on ghost [Audio CD]. New York: Nonesuch. ASIN: B00BI6SSMC
Summary and Evaluation:
In the fifth album from this renowned folk singer/songwriter comes a
refreshing break from quiet lyrical ballads and rather explores jazz beats,
warm bass lines right out of the 70’s, twinkly organs and a horn section that
grooves along with each chorus. The singer, Samuel Beam, keeps his soft and
warm tenor melodies that litter his earlier work, but this time, he seems less
anxious, and way more relaxed. Background
singers and stylized drum-beats add depth to both quiet furrowed lullabies and
the upbeat hymns.
Artist Information: Wikipedia
states, “Samuel Beam (born July 26, 1974), better known by his stage and
recording name Iron & Wine, is an American singer-songwriter. He has
released five studio albums,
several EPs and singles, as well as a
few download-only releases,
which include a live album (a
recording of his 2005 Bonnaroo performance).
He occasionally tours with a full band.
Beam was raised in South Carolina before
moving to Virginia and
then Florida to
attend school. He now resides in Dripping
Springs, Texas, near Austin. The name Iron
& Wine is taken from a dietary supplement named "Beef Iron &
Wine" that he found in a general store while shooting a film.”
Genre: Folk Rock,
Jazz
Reason for Selection:
Samuel Beam is already a household name amongst the musical elite, but this
album has the potential to give his ten-year career the recognition he
deserves. I consider this album to be a serious contender for Best Album of
2013.
Born to Die
Bibliographic
Information: Lana Del Ray. (2012). Born
to die [Audio CD]. Santa Monica: Interscope.
Summary and Evaluation:
With brooding nonchalance, Lana Del Ray’s sultry, jazz inspired croons are juxtaposed
with her playfully sentimental lyrics. The album starts slow and soft, then
gets darker and faster, and finally picks up the mood until it crashes back
down to a whisper. The song that rose her to fame is a painful lament to an
ex-lover who, despite her ploys for attention, just played video games. Piano,
strings and harp pair with painted memories of their relationship, and as she
crescendo’s into a pleading and stabbing, “It’s you, it’s you, it’s all for
you” you only get the sense that he doesn’t hear her.
Extracting images from pop culture and her past, Lana’s
songwriting is fresh and unique. She knows how to orchestrate her melodies in a
powerful way, while undercutting the beautiful waves of sound with ironic words.
Artist Information: Wikipedia states, “Elizabeth Woolridge Grant (born
June 21, 1986), better known by her stage
name Lana Del Rey, is
an American singer-songwriter.
Del Rey initially began performing in clubs in New York City at age 18 and
signed her first recording contract when she was 20 years old with 5 Points
Records, releasing her first digital album Lana Del Ray a.k.a. Lizzy Grant in January 2010. Del Rey bought
herself out of the contract with 5 Points Records in April 2010 and signed a
joint contract with Interscope, Polydor,
and Stranger Records in October 2011.
After she
released her debut single "Video
Games" in June 2011, a music video created by Del Rey for the
song was posted on YouTube in August 2011. After the song became
a viral
internet hit with over
20 million views, her second studio album,Born to Die, was released in January 2012.
The album sold over 3.6 million copies worldwide in 2012, making it the fifth
best-selling album of 2012. Charting across Europe, the album spawned numerous
top ten hits, including "Blue Jeans", "National Anthem", "Born
to Die", and "Summertime
Sadness."
Genre: Pop
Reason for Selection:
Lana Del Ray is a viral sensation, and combination of her unique
combinations of genres, paired with her almost Britney Spears-like sentiments,
make for great teen music.
Ceremonials
Bibliographic
Information: Florence and the Machine. (2011). Ceremonials [Audio CD]. London: Island. ASIN: B005QKYIZ2
Summary and Evaluation:
“And it’s hard to
dance with the devil on your back/
So
shake him off.”
A piano stabs the air as if from under water. A harp plucks
a twinkling crescendo. Soon a soulful voice belts out the opening words and a
tribal cascade of reverberating drums beat like a racing heart. Before you know
it, an entire orchestra and choir are wrapping their soft arms around you in a
dark embrace. The ethereal harmonies are haunting and can only be those of the
maroon-haired Florence Welch—front woman and primary songwriter for the indie
band, Florence and the Machine. Avoiding the usual revealing stage outfits of other pop artists,
Florence can be seen in chin-to-floor chorus robes, and twirls around the stage
in capes and flowing long dresses reminiscent of Janis Joplin. Her style is
just as iconic as her sound.
Ceremonials is a
somber lullabye that harkens images of deep blue oceans, and deeper dreams. The
timbre of Florence’s voice will give listeners chills, and her lyrics explore
both the darkest and warmest of human emotions: love, fear, death. Each song
starts as a whisper and builds and builds into a climax of electrifying
intensity and strings.
Artist Information: Wikipedia states,
“Florence and the Machine (stylised
as Florence + The Machine) are
an English indie
rock band, consisting
of lead singer Florence
Welch, Isabella
"Machine" Summers, and a collaboration of other artists
who provide backing music. The band's music received praise across the music
media, especially from the BBC,
before they gained mainstream success. Specifically, the BBC played a large
part in their rise to prominence by promoting Florence and the Machine as part
of BBC Introducing.
The band's debut
album, Lungs, was released on 6 July 2009, and
held the number-two position for its first five weeks on the UK
Albums Chart. On 17 January 2010, the album reached the
top position, after being on the chart for twenty-eight consecutive weeks.
As of October 2010, the album had been in the top forty in the United
Kingdom for sixty-five consecutive weeks, making it one of the best-selling
albums of 2009 and 2010. The group's second studio album,Ceremonials, released in October 2011,
debuted at number one in the UK and number six in the US.
Florence and the
Machine's sound has been described as a combination of various genres,
including rock and soul.
Lungs won the MasterCard British Album award at the 2010
BRIT Awards. At the 53rd
Grammy Awards, Florence and the
Machine were nominated for Best New Artist. Additionally, the band
performed at the 2010 MTV Video Music Awards, and the 2010 Nobel Peace Prize Concert."
Genre: Pop/Soul
Challenge
Issues/Defense: N/A
Reason for Selection:
Aside from topping Billboard charts around the globe and being nominated
for Best Pop Vocal Album at the Grammies, Florence approaches pop music with
emotional honesty and vivid artistry. This girl would rather hit a few bad
notes in an intimate performance, than give into gimmicky lip syncing and
flashy stage productions. She’s raw and full of energy and emotion. But most of
all, she’s honest—and not many pop artists these days are. She’s a good role model, and a lot of teen girls admire her
vintage style.
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