Librarians' Internet Index: New This Week

New and newly-discovered Web sites for librarians and everyone else, updated every Thursday morning. See more resources on our site, http://lii.org/.

Summer Reading Lists Abound on the Web! - (Found June 29, 2008 )

Every year "Education World surveys some of the best children's summer reading lists on the Web. Here, you'll find an overview of great lists that you or your school's staff might use to create your own summer reading program." Includes annotated links to reading lists from several schools and libraries.
http://www.education-world.com/a_curr/curr244.shtml

Wedding Industry Research - (Found June 29, 2008 )

Compilation of resources on the business of weddings (it is "not a guide on how to plan a wedding"), covering services (such as dresses, consultants, and caterers), statistics, associations, articles, books, and related resources. Compiled by Ellen Terrell of Business Reference Services at the Library of Congress.
http://www.loc.gov/rr/business/wedding/

Who Runs Your World - (Found June 29, 2008 )

Website for this British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) series about power: "who has it, who wants it, how it is used and how it is changing across a whole range of human activity." Some of the topics covered include power in Hollywood, "the secretive Bilderberg Group," "beauty and power in Colombia," and former South African president Nelson Mandela. Includes surveys and quizzes.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/who_runs_your_world/

MixitUp - (Found June 29, 2008 )

Website for this project "supporting student efforts to identify, question and cross social boundaries within their schools and communities." In addition to information about the program and the annual Mix it Up Lunch Day, the site feature a large collection of stories from student activists, on issues such as moving past labels and stereotypes, bullying, standardized testing, segregated proms, and wearing a Muslim hijab. From the Southern Poverty Law Center's Teaching Tolerance program.
http://www.tolerance.org/teens/

Living Library Seminar: How to Borrow Real Life Experience - (Found June 29, 2008 )

Material from a 2007 seminar that shared experiences from Australia and Belgium about the Living Library, a program in which readers "borrow someone who is an expert in their field, has significant experience to share, or is passionate about a hobby. 'Loans' take the form of a conversation." Includes presentations on community cohesion, and photos and details from a Living Library event. From the British Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals (CILIP).
http://www.cilip.org.uk/specialinterestgroups/bysubject/communityservices/events/Living+Li...

The Living Library - (Found June 29, 2008 )

This organization promotes confronting and understanding your prejudices by creating a system in which participants ("readers") may "check-out" individuals for short face-to-face discussions. These individuals represent the "disabled, the Muslim, the HIV infected or the refugee," and others. The site provides a history of the organization (started by the Stop the Violence group in Denmark), details for organizers and potential "living books," and an events list.
http://living-library.org/

PostGlobal - (Found June 29, 2008 )

"PostGlobal is an interactive conversation on global issues moderated by Newsweek International ... and The Washington Post." It considers the impact of recent events on the power of governments such as the U.S., China, Israel, and Russia. The "Global Power Barometer" "tracks how well global players use power to advance their policy goals. ... The system tracks and links to thousands of news media, academic, governmental and other sources."
http://blog.washingtonpost.com/postglobal/drg/index.html

Gay Couple Ready to Pick Up Their Marriage License - (Found June 29, 2008 )

This interview (transcript and audio), which talks with a gay couple planning to marry following a California court ruling that same-sex couples can legally marry in California, is part of a series of stories from May and June 2008 on same-sex marriage in California. Includes interviews, commentary, reporting on politics and culture, and links to related stories. From KPCC Southern California Public Radio.
http://www.scpr.org/news/stories/2008/06/17/11_gay_couple_061708.html

Friends for Faraway Places - (Found June 29, 2008 )

In this 2008 reading list, "writers recommend the perfect literary travelling companions." Features book suggestions for Sicily, Los Angeles, India, Chicago, Uruguay, Turkey, Japan, the Caribbean, the Pacific Northwest, Egypt, France, China, and South America. From the British newspaper The Guardian.
http://books.guardian.co.uk/reviews/generalfiction/0,,2285443,00.html

Biography of George Carlin - (Found June 29, 2008 )

Brief biography for this stand-up comedian, actor, and author, who was announced to be the winner of the Mark Twain Prize for American humor on June 18, 2008, and who died on June 22, 2008. "Carlin balanced mainstream material with outspoken, irreverent routines that would become his trademark" and is known for his controversial "Seven Dirty Words" monologue. From the Kennedy Center.
http://www.kennedy-center.org/calendar/index.cfm?fuseaction=showIndividual&entity_id=1...