In and Out of the Rabbit Hole

China Miéville’s Un Lun Dun is a singular phantasmagoria that nonetheless tempts comparisons to Alice in Wonderland, Narnia, and His Dark Materials. In his acknowledgments Miéville thanks Lewis Carroll, Tanith Lee, and Neil Gaiman, among other writers, clearly signifying what is to come for the reader. By not shrugging off his influences, Miéville can integrate them unselfconsciously with his own ideas and language. Miéville is a master of the switcheroo and the sneak. He thumbs his nose at conventions of the fantasy genre like councils and prophesies. And happily, he values libraries and librarians. The extreme librarian and bookaneer Margarita Staples says,

“I used to really look forward to requests for books way down in the abyss. There are risks: hunters, animals, and accidents. Twenty years ago, I was in a group looking for a book someone had requested. We were led by Ptolemy Yes…after weeks of searching we ran out of food and had to turn back…he’s out there still in the Wordhoard Abyss living off shelf-monkeys, looking and he’ll be back one day, book in his hand.”

Un Lun Dun is shelved in my library’s YA division and I think a lot of geekier older teens would love it. However, the book would be just as appropriate in any adult collection. It is irritating that a book is considered YA if it is fantasy and features teenage protagonists. Un Lun Dun’s heroines are the tall blonde Zanna and the awkward round Deeba, who both find themselves in Un London, one of many abcities including Lost Angeles, Baghdidn’t, Parisn’t. The story of the abcities is a critique of disposable culture and environmental collapse. Broken things find their way to abcities where they are repurposed as tools and weapons.

While Miéville packs his story with too many characters to remember, Un Lun Dun delights with its many inventions: Brokkenbroll, smombies, Smog, Klinneract, Wraithtown, Webminster Alley, Storyladders, the Black Windows, and MOIL (Mildly Obsolete in London.) Miéville enlivens his inventions with great illustrations that give a sense of how cinematic this novel could be.

One of Un Lun Dun’s most subversive moments occurs when Deeba is accused of terrorism by Inspector Churl. “Were you terrified, Murgatroyd? There you go girl: you’re a terrorist. You make me twitchy, and under Article Forty-one of the 2000 Terrorism Bill, that’s all I need. Time for some reasonable force, I think.” It is exciting to see a fantasy novel marketed to a teenage audience exposing corruption and the erosion of civil liberties. I only hope that readers can draw the obvious parallels to our present-day situation.

Un Lun Dun was exciting to me in a way a book hasn’t been since I was nine, reading by flashlight under the covers. It is a smashing combination of dystopian anarchism and realist hope.

About 1 year ago I wrote a post about the then soon to be released Nintendo Wii and what benefits it would have over other systems for library gaming.  Having now owned a Wii for about 6 months and having used it at my library a time or two, I thought it would be fun to revisit the post to point out a few reasons that this system is a great choice for library programming.

             Before the release of the Wii I speculated that it would be a great system for libraries because it would appeal to many ages and I stand by that thought now that it is out.  One of the things that Nintendo has done with the Wii is create a system that is accessible to every one, from a young child, to the elderly, because it relies heavily on natural physical movements and less on the mashing of buttons, which can be unnatural to someone who does not have much gaming experience.  In addition to creating a system that could be fun for everyone, Nintendo also seems to be doing a good job putting out games for it that appeal to anyone.  From simple games like Wii Sports, to more complicated games like Trauma Center: Second Opinion, there are games for both the casual and hard core gamers alike, and gamers of any age.   So, in addition to being a great draw to get teens into your library, this system can also be used for events with a younger crowd.  Better yet, it might be a perfect system to use if the teens in your library would like to help introduce their parents, or even grandparents, to video gaming.

             Another great thing about the Wii is that there seem to be two reasons that make it a great choice for social gaming.  First is the fact that it is a physical experience.  Games like Dance Dance Revolution or Guitar Hero have become very popular with libraries because it is fun to have a game that gets you moving, and it is also very fun to watch someone play a game that gets them moving.  Nintendo has capitalized on that by making movement a central part of almost every game for the Wii.  You can have 4 people lined up next to each other, each swinging the remotes like a tennis racket, while the characters on the screen engage in a heated doubles match.  Afterwards everyone could take a turn using the controller like a fishing rod and hopefully real in a large catch.  Not only is this a ton of fun to do, but it is also very fun, or better yet funny, to watch. The second reason is that many of the games that Nintendo makes are often meant to be played with numerous people.  This has been a big draw for earlier Nintendo systems and it continues to be the same for the Wii as well.  There are games like Mario Stikers Charged or WarioWare Smooth Moves, which are already out, as well as the soon to be released Super Smash Bros. Brawl, which is sure to be a huge multiplayer hit.  Either way, because of both the style of play, and the type of games, Nintendo has hit the nail on the head when it comes to social gaming, a fact that their advertising is often quick to point out.

             There is also a temporary reason that makes the Wii a great choice for library gaming.  This is the simple fact that is still very hard to get your hands on one.  When stores do actually get this system in stock they still sell out very quickly.  This means that if the library can somehow get its hands on one, there will be plenty of people who want to come experience it because they can not get their own.  This is a lot easier said than done, but if you happen to find one somewhere, or if you have a staff member who owns one and is willing to bring it in I would highly recommend doing so.  At our last videogame night I brought mine in and every one, teens and parents alike, was very interested in trying it out.

One last reason that the Wii is such a good choice for the library is its price point.  The Wii retails at $250 dollars, which includes a game called Wii Sports, as opposed to the Sony Playstation 3 which retails at $499 and up.  The Microsoft Xbox 360 has recently come down in price, but it still generally costs $299 for the core system.  All three systems have similar prices for games and controllers depending on which ones you choose to buy.  So, when considering the ever tightening budgets that libraries have, the savings of anywhere from $50 to $250 can be a big deal.

So, all in all, if your library is looking to purchase a video game system to use for programming, I highly recommend the Nintendo Wii.  It is a very fun system, which is sure to draw a big crowd at your next gaming night.  For more info on the system or the games check out the Nintendo website, IGN, or an Avatars Reflection, which is where Jami Schwarzwalder, an active library blogger and video game enthusiast reviews games for the Wii.

Literature Themed Social Networks
A book report alternative
Teen readers may find perks in either of these programs aimed at gathering teen opinions on young adult books. First Look offers ARCs to registered teens in exchange for opinionated reviews. Creating an account with First Look will enable the user to participate on the message boards as well as grant them permission to receive arcs. If you have a library MySpace page, HarperTeen has a presence worth checking out. Just grab some code to continue promoting literature. More involved but equally rewarding, the Pulse It program created by Simon and Schuster, Inc is aimed at reading enthusiasts. Teens print a parental consent form, mail it to S&S, then create a member profile. They will be sent young adult titles to review including ARCs on a regular basis.

Shelfari* and Revish*
For teens who have book collections at home, Shelfari is the coolest place on the web to create an online bookshelf, join book discussion groups, make friends with similar genre interests, and gleefully grab some code to show off their bookshelf on MySpace or other blogs. Shelfari recently held a best review contest for Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows in which the winner received a signed copy. I’m not aware of Shelfari holding many contests, but Revish is hoping to have more user-driven review of the month competitions. If they follow through this idea, Revish would be the place to suggest for the teen looking to branch out of book reports.

Teens gearing up for another year at school may also enjoy more social networks discussed on the main blog found here.

Originally I was going to write about literature based social networks available on the web, those being Anobii*, Library Thing*, Shelfari*, and Revish*. However, with the branch library full of teens discussing final parties to attend, amusement parks to visit, and the number of days left to stay up really really late before school starts, my original topic diverged to meet their impending school situation. In this post we discuss social network resources that can academically or entertainingly engage the online teen who face a new school year. The starred links will direct you to my personal accounts so that you may gain a better understanding of the limitations of each social network.

Research Tools
Clipmarks and Fleck
Older teens facing an unfamiliar year of writing research papers may find appeal in the web annotation services of Clipmarks and Fleck. While browsing the web for information, Clipmarks will allow the user to highlight text portions of a page store them on an account to tag, comment, or read later. There are times when researching requires annotations directly onto the web page rather than highlighting its text and Fleck can immensely help this type of researcher. Fleck also has functions to email and save the annotated pages. Both applications are free, but users can only access their accounts from the original computer containing the downloaded application.

Literature Themed Social Networks
A book report alternative
Teen readers may find perks in either of these programs aimed at gathering teen opinions on young adult books. First Look offers ARCs to registered teens in exchange for opinionated reviews. Creating an account with First Look will enable the user to participate on the message boards as well as grant them permission to receive arcs. If you have a library MySpace page, HarperTeen has a presence worth checking out. Just grab some code to continue promoting literature. More involved but equally rewarding, the Pulse It program created by Simon and Schuster, Inc is aimed at reading enthusiasts. Teens print a parental consent form, mail it to S&S, then create a member profile. They will be sent young adult titles to review including ARCs on a regular basis.

Shelfari* and Revish*
For teens who have book collections at home, Shelfari is the coolest place on the web to create an online bookshelf, join book discussion groups, make friends with similar genre interests, and gleefully grab some code to show off their bookshelf on MySpace or other blogs. Shelfari recently held a best review contest for Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows in which the winner received a signed copy. I’m not aware of Shelfari holding many contests, but Revish is hoping to have more user-driven review of the month competitions. If they follow through this idea, Revish would be the place to suggest for the teen looking to branch out of book reports.

Extracurricular Activities
Of the social networks listed below, I’ve only tried StyleMob. The others look like they carry heavy appeal towards the right audience:

StyleMob* Fashionistas can find inspiration and feedback for their daily outfits. Members can add friends to their personal StyleCouncil for clothing advice, ask ‘The Mob’ such questions as “Are leggings good or evil?”, have their looks rated, and participate in style forums and contests. Check out StyleMob for ideas on how to mix-n-match your wardrobe.

FanNation - Sports fans might be interested in checking out FanNation for the latest news in sports or sports fantasy.

introPlay - Teens interested in fitness can keep track of workouts and goals and compete against other members.

GuildCafe - This social site promotes interaction between gamers. With GuildCafe, members can keep a profile of their gaming history as well as create a hub for their guild and/or clan.

Kongregate - A social site full of user-submitted Flash games.

Recently I stared writing a graphic novel reader’s newsletter for my library system called Getting Graphic. In it I usually mention about 5 or 6 titles, some of which are newer titles while others are past favorites that I feel everyone should be aware of. I will be posting one or two of these reviews here every month, but feel free to check out the newsletter, or subscribe to it, if you would like to read about the rest of the titles. For now I will leave you with today’s review, which falls under the category of older favorite everyone should be aware of.

It’s a Bird…
Writer: Steven T. Seagle
Artist: Teddy Kristiansen

This fascinating story about Superman depicts the Man of Steel in a whole new light. Seagle’s partially autobiographical story follows the life of a comic writer named Steve as he wrestles with the decision to start writing for Superman. This decision should not be hard as Superman is the Mecca of any comic writer’s world, however for Steve this is not the case. Steve is dealing with a dark family secret, which relates to his own mortality. His secret causes him to think Superman, with his infinite powers and near invincibility, is a ridiculous character that he can not relate to. This turmoil provides the basis for a very touching and real Superman story. Steve’s thoughts and actions throughout provide a wonderful insight into the world of comics and writing in general. Teddy Kristiansen’s understated art style also lends a wonderful touch to this must read story. This novel would be recommended for anyone who enjoys Superman stories, as well as those who simply enjoy a penetrating and personal graphic novel.

There is a lot going on in both the library world and blogosphere and sometimes it can be too much to keep up! I’ll be doing a monthly update of news, and I hope this update will help you breathe a little by giving you just enough news to get caught-up.

Teen Read Week is less that two months away, meaning that all us TeenLIBS should have a game plan in mind for supporting this national literacy initiative. There are tons of program ideas on the YALSA wiki, and many can be used for last-minute program planning.

Although the ALA Annual 2007 conference is old news, it’s worth mentioning some of the librarians that have provided blog coverage from a teen librarian perspective. Lindsey and Trisha provide an excellent overview of the conference on their blogs about special events, programs, adventures in the stacks, and personal experiences. There is also some good mentions on the YALSA blog regarding the conference, including the Zine-A-Palooza program, the Music and Media Interest Group Meeting, and the to I-Pods and Beyond Presentation.

The Gaming, Learning, and Libraries Symposium was held July 22-24 in Chicago. Beth Gallaway has provided coverage for the symposiom on the Game ON: Gaming in Libraries blog. Included in the coverage is Eli Neiburger’s guide to choosing videogames for tournament play and information about sharing your library’s videogame scores by joining a national library videogame ledger (to begin in January 2008).

Liz and Sophie over at Pop Goes the Library Blog need your help! They are writing a book and need input about using pop culture to connect with the community. If interested in helping, you can take the survey here. The book will be called Pop Goes the Library: Using Pop Culture to Connect with your Whole Community.

Lindsey Dunn recently hosted a teen Mystery theater program that received a positive response from the participating teens. The mystery kit used to conduct the program can be purchased online for around $30.00. Read more about the program and see photos on her blog, Zee Says=Film Addict + Teen Librarian.

Worthington Public Library hosted a fashion program for teens called Project Goodwill. Teens were instructed to put together a last-minute runway outfit using donated clothing from library staff. They were allowed to bring one accessory from home to complete the outfit. Visit the Worthing Public Library teen blog for more information.

Joyce Valenza shares a list of photo and image web tools on the SLJ Blog. Of special note is the graffiti text generator and the powerful online graphics editing program, Picnik. Share these web tools with your teens or use them to updgrade your Teen Library Myspace.

And now onto news from the local front, regarding our AWESOME web site! Carleen from Library Shrine will be coming back on board as an active blogger. You can look forward to her well-thought out posts in the immediate future.

The TeenLibWiki underwent a makeover so that it can operate more as an organic encyclopedia rather than a list of links to web sites. Extensive documentation has been included on how to participate, so please read up and help us build a totally awesome and free online resource for teen librarians.

And finally, I have recently received several e-mails from people wanting to contribute to the Alt. Teen Services blog. We definitely want the help, so thanks for offering it. I plan to catch-up on these e-mails sometime in mid-August, and I thank you for being so patient!