FEBRUARY 24, 2012
New website
NBPL Teens has a new site! As part of the Library's website re-design, our Teens pages have moved. We now have a more robust site filled with booklists, educational resources, and much more.
Visit our new site at
http://www.newportbeachlibrary.org/teens and remember to update your bookmarks.
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nbplteens.org
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JANUARY 19, 2012
February 7th @ 7pm: an important workshop
Community Safety Workshop: Prescription and Over-the-counter Drug Abuse Deaths from prescription and over-the-counter drug abuse now outnumber deaths from traffic accidents; use of prescription, over-the-counter, and illegal drugs increases after 7th grade. According to a 2011 report from the Orange County Health Agency, “10% of 9th graders and 16% of 11th graders report having used prescription pain killers without a doctor’s order at least once, and most report using four or more times” (17th Annual Report on the Conditions of Children in Orange County, 2011, 65).
Learn how to be safe with prescription and over-the-counter drugs A Health Educator from
Community Service Programs, Project PATH, a program of the
Orange County Health Agency, will present an educational workshop about prescription and over-the-counter drug abuse. The event will be held at the Newport Beach Public Library in the Friends Meeting Room. The speaker will address the identification of medications, how to spot signs of abuse, law enforcement issues, and more. This is a free workshop and is open to all members of the community. No registration is required. The program will last approximately one hour.
Date: Tuesday, February 7th, 7pm. See the
flyer here.
If you have questions please contact Mara Cota in Library Reference at 949-717-3808.
Information resources
Library databases for research
Gale Virtual Reference Library. A collection of reference books on all topics, including science and medicine
Opposing Viewpoints. Gathers articles, essays, multimedia and more by issue
ProQuest Magazines, Newspapers and Journals. Thousands of news and magazines articles as well as some scholarly journals
Library books
Powerful medicines: the benefits, risks, and costs of prescription drugs. Jerry Avorn, Knofp, 2004.
Medication madness: a psychiatrist exposes the dangers of mood-altering medications. By Peter Breggin, St. Martin's, 2008.
We've got issues: children and parents in the age of medication. Judith Warner, Riverhead Books, 2010.
The AARP guide to pills: essential information on more than 1,200 prescription and nonprescription medicines, including generics. Sterling, 2006.
Further reading
The following is a list of websites external to NBPL with data and information about prescription, over-the-counter, and illegal drug abuse.
California Healthy Kids Survey, Newport-Mesa Unified (secondary schools), 2009-2010
2011 17th Annual Report on the Conditions of Children in Orange County
ADEPT (Alcohol and Drug Education Prevention Team), Orange County Health Agency
National Institute on Drug Abuse: Prescription Medications
KCET, SoCal Connected report: “RX Dangers”
Blog post, link to documentary: Overtaken - Grieving Mom Makes Anti-Drug Documentary for Son
Prescription Drug Overdose: State Health Agencies Respond. Authored by the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials (funded by CDC), 2008.
Blog post from The Bridge Teen Recovery LLC: Substance Abuse Teens Orange County
For further research help please call the Reference Desk at 949-717-3860 or visit any of our
four library locations.
Categories: events,
research,
teen services
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JANUARY 4, 2012
Happy New Year!
Happy New Year everyone! All libraries are open and back to their
regular schedules. That means that all the great stuff the library has to offer--books, movies, music, magazines, hundred year-old issues of
National Geographic magazine--are yours for the using once again. Stop by and see us!
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holidays
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DECEMBER 22, 2011
Library closed, website open
All Newport Beach Public Library locations will be closed from Saturday, December 24th through Monday, January 2nd. Libraries will re-open at 9am on Tuesday, January 3rd.
In the meantime, don't forget that NBPL's website, with all its great content and accessibility, is available all day, every day. You can search for and request library materials, download audio and e-books, and use all of our research databases. And if you don't yet have the NBPL smartphone app for iPhone or Android, now is the perfect time to give yourself this handy free gift. Just head to the Apple app store or the Android Market and search for 'NBPL' or 'Newport Beach Public Library.'
We look forward to seeing you again in 2012. Happy holidays!
Category: closures
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NOVEMBER 29, 2011
Project Gutenberg
Can you say 'public domain'? As the
United States Copyright Office tells us, the public domain is not a place. It means that a work, such as a book or piece of music, is no longer protected by copyright in the United States. This may happen if a work was published long enough ago that its copyright has expired.
Many classic works of literature--like the ones students read in English or History classess--are in the public domain. A great website for accessing thousands of these books is
Project Gutenberg. Gutenberg "offers over 36,000 free ebooks to download to your PC, Kindle, Android, iOS or other portable device. Choose between ePub, Kindle, HTML and simple text formats."
A quick browse through their authors list reveals plenty of choices: Shakespeare, Jane Austen, Jules Verne, Jack London, Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley. That's right: Frankenstein, free to your computer or portable reader.
And that's only the beginning. Like any library, there are thousands of hidden gems just waiting for you to discover them.
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websites,
Gutenberg
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NOVEMBER 18, 2011
Happy Thanksgiving!
Just a friendly reminder: the Newport Beach libraries will close at 6pm on Wednesday, November 23rd and will be closed all day on Thursday and Friday, November 24th and 25th. We will re-open, for regular hours, on Saturday the 26th. So be sure to do all your library-shopping before the
National Day of Thanks.
And Happy Thanksgiving from all of us at the library!
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closures
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OCTOBER 5, 2011
SAT/ACT Practice Test: Nov. 12
The Library will be hosting a Combination SAT/ACT Practice Test on Saturday, November 12th, 2011. The test will be held at the Central Library and will begin promptly at 10am. Kaplan Test Prep and Admisssions is providing this free service for anyone who would like to experience the SAT and ACT. This is a practice test and will include selected questions from all the topics covered by each test. Results, which are not mailed to any school, will be returned to students by mail. There will not be a follow-up results program held at the Library.
Students do not need to bring pencil or paper but can bring a calculator if they wish. The test will last approximately four hours. Short breaks between test segments will be provided but there will not be a lunch break.
To sign up for this event, go to the
Events Calendar and navigate to November 12th. Click on the 'Sign Up' link in the bottom left corner of the full-page event listing. The form requires name and email address. Once you've registered you'll see a message saying your registration has been accepted and your information sent to the event organizer. You will not receive another confirmation email but you may choose to have a reminder email sent to your address.
If you have questions please call Teen Services at 949-717-3808.
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practice tests
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AUGUST 20, 2011
Photo Contest
YALSA, the Young Adult Library Services Association, is sponsoring a photo contest for teens as part of the
Teen Read Week celebrations. Teen Read Week celebrates reading for the fun of it. The Teens Top Ten and the Photo Contest are two ways that you can participate.
Photo Contest Novelist Jay Asher, author of
13 Reasons Why, will judge photos submitted by teens that create visual versions of their favorite book titles. The grand prize winner will receive an e-reader pre-loaded with great teen titles, and will be interviewed for YALSA’s blog and a press release. The winning photo may be used by YALSA in marketing and promotional materials related to Teen Read Week. Five photos selected as finalists will be linked from YALSA’s website. Each of the five finalists will receive gift bags from Penguin Books for Young Readers that include signed copies of Jay Asher’s
13 Reasons Why as well as Jay Asher & Carolyn Mackler’s
The Future of Us. All the rules are available
here.
Teens Top Ten Teens' Top Ten is a "teen choice" list, where teens nominate and choose their favorite books of the previous year. Take a look at all
25 nominated titles and then cast your vote for your favorite. You can also check the
Library's catalog if you haven't read some of the titles.
Categories: Teen Read Week,
Teens' Top Ten,
contests
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JULY 7, 2011
Teen book groups
Do you love reading? So does the Library! To prove it, we've started two book discussion groups for teens.
Book groups:
We're starting simple. The groups are called 'Seven-eight-nine' and 'Ten-'leven-Twelve,' or 7-8-9 and 10-11-12 if you're numerically minded. 7-8-9 is for students in grades seven through nine and 10-11-12 is for students in grades ten through twelve.
7-8-9 will meet on Wednesday, July 20th, at 5:30pm in the Conference Room of the Central Library. We'll have snacks, book discussion, and trivia fun (who knows, there might even be some Wii Jeopardy!). We're
reading Uglies, by Scott Westerfeld. It's the first book in the popular Uglies series that combines adventure and suspense with great characters in a unique setting.
About
Uglies: When Tally is forced by Special Circumstances to choose between becoming a Pretty like everyone else and betraying a friend, she starts a journey to the Smoke, that could end up not only changing her life, but the world. Check the
library catalog for a copy.
Did we mention there would be snacks? Anyone up for pizza?
10-11-12 group will meet in August, on Wednesday the 13th, at 5:30pm in the Conference Room of the Central Library. We're
reading The White Darkness, by Geraldine McGaughrean, a suspenseful adventure set on the frozen ice of Antarctica.
About
White Darkness: A vacation trip with her uncle becomes a nightmare when Symone realizes she's practically been kidnapped. Fighting for her survival in a threatening land, Symone discovers a terrible secret and a strength she didn’t know she had. This is a great read for anyone who likes a good story. We have
copies at all our libraries.
Read the books!
If you need a copy and all the books are checked out, contact Mara Cota in Teen Services by
email or at 949-717-3808 to see if there are any extra copies set aside for the book group.
You can also call or email Teen Servivces if you have other questions. We'd love to know you're coming and encourage you to
sign up through the Events Calender.
Or not, but come anyway!
Even if you don't finish the book, come to the meeting. You may get a great recommendation from another reader. Hope to see you there!
Categories: books,
teen services
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JULY 2, 2011
It's here: Teen Summer Reading Program
Take a
Reading Road Trip with NBPL's
Teen Summer Reading Program. Click the registration link below to sign up. There are tons of books at our four libraries and great weekly prizes up for grabs. The Grand Prize this year is a Nook Color e-reader. The more you read and review, the more chances you have to win!
Sign up Read about the program Get printable review forms
Categories: TSRP,
teen services,
events
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JUNE 9, 2011
Reading Road Trip!
The annual
Teen Summer Reading Program (TSRP) is here. Starting June 25th and continuing through the Summer until August 12th, TSRP is all about reading for fun.
Sign up for the program and for every book you read fill out a short review form. The review form is also an entry for weekly prize drawings as well as the final Grand Prize drawing at the end of the summer. Weekly prizes are gift cards to favorite places like the bookstore, movie theatre and music sites. You also win a free paperback after your first five reviews as well as a prize just for signing up. The Grand Prize this year, sure to bring joy to all kinds of readers, is an e-reader.
Read a little or read a lot. The only requirement is that you have fun doing it!
See our
brochure for a run-down of the program. You can sign up online or in person at any NBPL location starting Saturday, June 25th.
Categories: TSRP,
teen services
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MAY 27, 2011
Creative Writing Contest
Library Lit is back
The Newport Beach Public Library Foundation is once again sponsoring a creative writing contest for students between the ages of 14 and 18 who have a Newport Beach Public Library card.
Prizes Give in to your library-inspired creativity and you could win the $250 First Prize, as well as publication of your story in the Foundation's glossy quarterly newsletter,
Bookmark.
Essays by the runners-up will be published on the Newport Beach Public Library Foundation website.
Submission guidelines Contest guidelines require that short stories be set in a library or feature a library-themed element, or in some other way revolve around a library. For example, entries might include a mystery set in a library’s maze of tall bookshelves, a fantasy in which books obtain a life of their own, an unrequited romance between studious library patrons, or whatever your vast imagination conceives. Stories may be up to 2,500 words in length.
Manuscripts must include a cover page listing the author’s name, address, phone number, e-mail address, word count, and manuscript title. Names should not appear anywhere else. A title page with no biographical information should follow. Pages must be numbered. Submissions must be emailed no later than September 1, 2011. The winner will be announced on or before October 1, 2011.
One entry per person.
Stories should be in MS Word and emailed to
tkeys@newportbeachca.gov You can also download a
PDF version of the contest application. Deadline for entries is September 1, 2011.
You can get a library card by making a temporary one
online or visiting one of
four library locations.
Category: contests
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MAY 7, 2011
Teens Top Ten nominations
The 25 titles nominated for this year's Teens' Top Ten list have been announced. We have most of them at the library. So you can catch up on what others have been reading and see if you agree that these titles belong on the list.
Teens Top Ten titles are
picked by teens in reading groups nationwide. Here are the nominated
titles in our catalog.
Voting for the Teens Top Ten will run from August 22nd through September 16th. Don't miss your chance to pick your favorites!
Categories: Teens' Top Ten,
books
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APRIL 15, 2011
Meet the author!
"The Rangers are a mysterious group of people..."
The Ranger's Apprentice is coming to the Newport Beach Public Library. John Flanagan, the bestselling author of the
'Ranger's Apprentice' series, will visit our library to celebrate the publication of 'The Emperor of Nihon-Ja', the final book in his popular ten-book series. He'll speak about his books and about being a writer and will autograph books afterwards.
The 'Ranger's Apprentice' series follows the adventures of Will Treaty. Left as an orphan at Castle Araluen, Will hopes to win an apprentice-ship at battleschool, the prestigious academy where knights are trained. However, the legendary and shadowy Ranger called Halt may have other plans for Will. His education and training could influence a dangerous chain of events in the Kingdom of Araluen. Beginning with the first volume, 'The Ruins of Gorlan,' the series follows Will and his friends (and enemies) through adventures of intrigue, battle, loyalty, and friendship. Flanagan's writing is both accessible and engaging and the pacing of the books keeps readers engrossed from start to finish. Suffice it to say: our
copies of titles in this series are almost always checked out!
Mr. Flanagan will speak at the
Central Library, at 4pm on Tuesday, April 26th. Whale of a Tale Children's Bookshoppe will sell books prior to the event. Due to time constraints and as a courtesy to the publisher, only books purchased at the event may be autographed.
This is a free event. No registration is required but space is limited by room capacity of 200.
Categories: books,
events
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MARCH 16, 2011
NBPL App
If you haven't already, you should check out the
free Newport Beach Public Library app. Our app lets you search the catalog, place holds, manage your account, renew items, view upcoming events and search new and bestselling items. You can also access our popular Dial-a-Story program for that little brother or sister who needs entertaining.
If you have an
iPhone, go to the Apple Apps Store and search for "NBPL." For all
other phones, use your browser to go to
http://nbpl.boopsie.com and download the app directly.
Blackberry users: During the download process, your Blackberry may ask if you want to "grant trusted application status" to the app. You must answer "yes" for the app to work properly.
Here's one more tip. Try using 'Smart Prefix' searching. You can either type in whole words for author, title or keyword searches, or just enter just the first 2-3 letters of an authors's first and last name or the first words of a title and the app will automatically start narrowing your search results.
Examples:
-For author Mark Twain, enter "Ma Tw"
-For author Terry Pratchett, enter "Ter Pra"
-For title For Whom the Bell Tolls, enter "fo wh th"
Categories: recommendations,
apps,
tech
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MARCH 4, 2011
Teen Tech Week: March 6-12
Teen Tech Week is here! Granted,
technology is already a daily part of our lives (are you reading this blog, on a computer, online?). Why, then, announce a whole week dedicated to it? Two reasons. Everyone--students, teachers, parents, librarians--needs the skills to use technology competently, ethically, and effectively. Secondly, we in library-land want you to know about all the
great resources we have in addition to books. Libraries have computers, music CDs, DVDs, books on CD, free downloadable audio and e-books,and tons of research databases you can access online. It's all free with a library card. And, libraries are staffed with people trained in evaluating websites, downloading books and conducting research.
There you have it.
Technological literacy matters. But, just like reading a great book printed on paper, it should also be fun. So we're having a contest.
Contest: do something tech-y and library related from March 6-12 and be entered to win a movie gift card. Here are some ideas:
-Find us on
Facebook and post a comment ("Hi" works) or recommend a book
-check out an audio book at a
library -download an audio book through our
website -use one of our
databases -take a digital picture at the
library -
log into your account and rate a book
After you do any of these things send an email with your name, grade and what you did to celebrate Teen Tech Week to
mcota@newportbeachca.gov. We'll have a random drawing after March 13th and notify the lucky winner or winners through email. So grab your phone, camera, computer, tablet or communicator and do some tech.
Category: contests
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JANUARY 27, 2011
SAT & ACT practice tests
Next up in our series of test-prep programs are
two practice tests: for the
SAT and the
ACT. Both programs will be held at the
Central Library and are free of charge.
The SAT practice test will take place on Saturday, February 12th, beginning at 10am. The practice test lasts approximately four hours. Kaplan Test Prep and Admissions will proctor the test and will then score them, returning the results to students at a follow-up event on Tuesday, February 22nd at 7pm. They will also present information on understanding test scores. Space is somewhat limited for the test so be sure to register. Click the 'Sign Up' at the bottom of the
event listing.
Then, in March, we'll be offering a practice session of the ACT. That test will also be administered by Kaplan and will be on Saturday, March 12th, starting at 10am, at the Central Library. The test will last approximately three hours. A follow-up program, when students will receive their scores, will take place on Tuesday, March 22nd at 7pm. Again, registration is required for this event. Click the 'Sign Up' link at the bottom of the
event listing.
If you have questions, email
Teen Services staff or call us at 949-717-3808.
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teen services,
homework help
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JANUARY 5, 2011
PSAT Workshop: Jan. 25th, 7pm
Have you recently taken or are you planning to take the Practice SAT? Do you have questions about the PSAT, scores, and resources? Are you just curious?
Come to our
free PSAT Workshop on January 25th, from 7-8pm, at the
Central Library. A representative from Kaplan Test Prep and Admissions will give a presentation on understanding your PSAT scores and utilizing them in the college planning process.
This program is free but does require registration. Click
here for the event listing and then click the '
Sign Up' link at the bottom of that page.
If you have a question please contact Teen Services at 949-717-3808. Be sure to leave your name, phone number and question so we can return your call.
Categories: teen services,
College prep
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NOVEMBER 22, 2010
Research online
Doing some
research? Even if the Library is closed remember that you can use our
online resources at any time of the day or night. We have
lots of databases for many different purposes, but here are the ones that might be most useful for middle and high school students.
Opposing Viewpoints - a complete one-stop source for information on many social issues. Access Viewpoint articles, Topic Overviews, Statistics, Primary Documents, links to Websites, and full-text Magazine and Newspaper articles.
Literature Resource Center - a complete literature reference database designed for both the undergraduate and graduate student as well as the sophisticated casual user. Rich in biographical, bibliographical, and critical content, it's a great resource for information on literary figures and their works from all time periods writing in such genres as fiction, nonfiction, poetry, drama, history, journalism, and more.
ProQuest Magazines & Newspapers - ProQuest is a collection of databases containing articles from newspapers, periodicals, and academic journals.
L.A. Times &
New York Times Historical Newspapers - ProQuest Historical Newspapers reference source is the definitive digital archive, offering more than three centuries (1764-2007) and over 20 million digitized pages of U.S. and international news.
...and many many more. See the entire list
here. All you need to sign on is a library card. Many databases will also work with a temporary card, which you can
create online.
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research,
websites
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NOVEMBER 16, 2010
You're invited: TEDxYouth@NBPL
Idea: a small word that can mean big things. The Red Cross and Doctors Without Borders were ideas before they became real organizations working for a better world. Ideas have power, even if they start small.
So we're
inviting our community to come to the library and listen to some imaginative people share their ideas at our first TEDxYouth event--TEDxYouth@NBPL. Our TEDx event will be on Saturday, November 20th, at 3pm, in the Friends Meeting Room of the Central Library.
TED is an organization that believes in the power of ideas and brings together innovators from all walks of life to share their vision. In the spirit of ideas worth spreading, TED has created a program called TEDx.
TEDx is a program of local, self-organized events that bring people together to share a TED-like experience. Our event is called TEDxYouth@NBPL, where x=independently organized TED event. At our event, TEDTalks video and live speakers will combine to spark deep discussion and connection in a small group. The TED Conference provides general guidance for the TEDx program, but individual TEDx events, including ours, are self-organized.
The event is open to middle and high school students as well as adults. If you have questions please contact Mara Cota in Teen Services at 949-717-3808 or by using the email link at the top of this webpage.
We hope you'll think about attending. The world needs your ideas.
Categories: events,
websites
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OCTOBER 27, 2010
NaNoWriMo
November is National Novel Writing Month, aka
NaNoWriMo. Every year at this time the good people of
The Office of Letters and Light sponsor a month-long writing free-for-all. This year we, the Newport Beach Public Library, are participating in the fun as a 'Come Write In' site.
The
goal of NaNoWriMo is to produce a 50,000 word novel in one month. That means more than one word repeated 50,000 times. Taking notes and outlining prior to November is allowed and encouraged, but the actual writing starts November 1st. Revising comes later.
Sites around Orange County (and the world) will be hosting '
Write-Ins (come, sit, write)' and other noveling-related events. We at
NBPL will be hosting a few programs throughout November; see the list below for details. All programs will be at the Central Library, but any one of our
four locations is a great place to write.
NaNoWriMo is for anyone ages 13 and up. For those of you younger than 13, check out the
Young Writer's Program. Both websites have information and a place to sign up for anyone interested in participating.
If you have questions, call the Reference Desk at 949-717-3860.
Here's that event listing we promised. Events are free and do not require registration (and are first come, first served).
Monday, November 1: NaNoWriMo begins. Coffee and cookies reception at the Central Library Friends Room, 7 - 8 pm
Saturday, November 6: Write-In, Central Library Conference Room, 10 am - 5 pm
Saturday, November 20: Write-In, Central Library Conference Room, 10 am - 5 pm
Tuesday, November 30: NaNoWriMo ends. Coffee and cookies reception at the Central Library Friends Room, 7 - 8 pm
Categories: events,
websites
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