Creative Use of Your Library Card

image source : flickr commons

"One girl said she used a butter knife and a library card to break into vacant houses."

The New York Times published the first of two articles on the increase in youth runaways. This piece supposedly ties runaways with the current economic climate, but only one sentence out of 4 pages mentions the recession. Still, it is definitely worth a read.

On a somewhat related note, the Sociology October book displays are on National Domestic Violence Awareness Month as well as Crime Prevention Month. Be sure to check them out in the next few days.

Books on street kids/teen runaways: SOC 362.74

Bye bye amps and drum kits! It's back to book carts.

source: kim swartz

Where oh where was the Sociology Library Associate last week? Rockin' out with sixty 8-18 year old little ladies at girls rock! day camp, that's where. I joined 2 DCPL YA librarians and over 100 rad DC women in organizing and leading camp this summer.

How did the public library help these kids rock out, you might ask? Well, we held some camp-related instrument shares at MLK library and the Southeast branch in the months leading up to camp, and during camp week our table in the 'Hall of Sisterhood' just about spilled over with DCPL library books. We had books on band art, instrument instruction, biographies of women who rock and the history of women in music. The girls (and volunteers) could look to the books for inspiration during camp week and also be reminded of the resources at their local library! We even got some kids signed up for DCPL library cards! It was a great week and I look forward to next summer.

Here are some highlights:
http://dcist.com/2009/08/click_click_girls_rock_dc_2009.php?gallery0Pic=1#gallery

http://thenewgay.net/2009/08/girls-really-do-rock.html

http://www.brightestyoungthings.com/live-dc/girls-rock-dc-a-recap/

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h87bnFXaO40

A new kind of scout

source: nytimes

I remember fondly my years as a brownie scout- singing, camping, crafting, eating cookies. fast forward to 2009 and this is what the kids are doing.