Computer games in the library

THERE'S GOOD NEWS AND BAD NEWS!

There is strong debate between academics and librarians (not to mention parents) on whether computer games are good for you, not to mention if they have a place in the public library.

My stand was (and has been for a long time) that kids and teens know where to find online games, and therfore can play them in the library. That has worked at ashfield till now!

The Good News : we have new computers. Every PC now has a wide screen and is much faster than the old ones.

The Bad News : the new PC's are so locked down for network security that they do not allow plug-ins or add-ons, and therfore can not play most online games.

I have been flooded with feedback (not all complaints) that we can not play games on the internet anymore. What has been decided is that we will have a few additional PC's in the children's area reserved for PC games. There will be no internet access, but they will be networked together for multiplayer games.

So here's where you come in : What games should we buy to put on them?

Philip Pullman's 'The Golden Compass'

The Golden Compass is good movie, but the book Northern Lights is better.

Well, that's my opinion anyway, feel free to disagree. If you haven't seen it yet, The Golden Compass is a fantasy movie, starring Nicole Kidman, Daniel Craig, Dakota Blue Richards and many others. You are swept into a parallel universe, where 'Dust' is not just lint and dust bunnies. The Golden Compass is an adaptation of Philip Pullman’s book : Northern Lights. The movie is very intricate for someone who hasn’t read the book.

Considering how hard it is to adapt a 400-or-so-page novel, in a 114-minute movie. The result is entertaining, but personally a let down (i knew i shouldn't have read the book first) , parts of the book have been cut, and the end is different. The movie stops earlier than the book, which will leave Pullman’s fans a little wanting.

But there are two sequels to Northern Lights : The Subtle Knife and The Amber Spyglass. Both ready for their big screen close-ups.

You can learn a little about 'daemons' with the Jan YouTube Lit Link on the right.

Season's Greetings

You may have noticed Tom and Jerry's 'the night before Christmas' is this months Lit Link. This is one of my favorite Chrissie cartoons, I remember watching it with my brothers every year during the festive season. I though you may like a laugh, as tis the season to be jolly after all.
I hope every one is happy with their end of year results, be they a UAI, exam marks, or just a satisfying feeling that you did good. Congratulations to all those who have now finished high school and received their UAI's. Best of luck in the uni offers.
I hope everyone has a fantastic Chrissie and a blast of a New Year.
Talk to you in 2008!

Savage Chicken's

Just wanted to share, It tis the season you know!

Musicovery

Music for any mood!
Carleen, from the US posted this fantastic little gem that I had to share.

'Usually it’s the teens in our library who help me keep up with all the new or “it” websites but this time, it was actually my husband'

'Musicovery is an interactive radio website that allows you to choose music according to your mood. You can then narrow your search by music decade or music type. Your search results show up as a kind of funky selection web, then you can choose what song you want to listen to from there. It doesn’t stop there, it also provides additional suggestions according to the artist being played.'