Greetings

I hope you all saw the announcement from the White House last week about the $107 million in grant monies being distributed to school systems around the country as part of President Obama's Youth CareerConnect initiative. The programs being funded are intended to help students build stronger connections between their education and work experiences, and range from the creation of career academies to work-based learning opportunities to diesel mechanic apprenticeships. I'll be keeping a close eye on progress in the Denver Public School District which received close to $7 million to expand its STEM pathways curriculum.

My question for you: What is your library doing to support the education/career connection? Are there job fairs or career counseling sessions scheduled, or maybe resume writing workshops? A "dress for success" after-school program would be fun and easy, and you can use volunteers to run young job applicants through practice interviews. Tell SLJTeen what you and your library are doing to prepare our teens for their future worklife.—Dodie Ownes, editor

P.S. Need help finding electronic resources to support career readiness? Check out this issue's feature from The Digital Shift, Stellar Databases, as selected by SLJ readers.
 

Reach Out and Connect: Using Flat Connections for Collaboration | Tech Tidbits
By Krista Brakhage, teacher-librarian, Poudre High School, Fort Collins CO

Teacher librarian Krista Brakhage shares her thoughts on why Flat Connections can offer a fresh perspective in participatory global collaboration and provide a rich authentic educational experience for students.

Read More›››
 

Teens Review the Latest from The Fray, Foster the People, Donkey Kong | Music and Games

Donkey Kong goes way north with Tropical Freeze, while The Fray and Foster the People continue the climb to the top of the charts with their latest albums, Helios and Supermodel.

Read More›››
 

This year’s event will feature panels on romance titles worth falling in love with and graphic novels that will be flying off of your shelves. You’ll take a trip around the world with international authors telling stories that transcend physical and cultural boundaries. Plus, you’ll hear from keynoters Matthew Quick, author, Silver Linings Playbook and Andrew Smith, author, Grasshopper Jungle.  All this and more from the convenience of anywhere!

Registration opens May 2014. Check back at SLJ.com