Survey Monkey

Need to create a survey?  Give Survey Monkey a try.  It is free to start an account.  I used it to poll SG staff about teen volunteer information for Summer Reading.  Creating a survey is so easy, and you can customize what you want to ask, and how you would like to ask.  Once your survey is complete, you get a link to send to everyone you would like to participate.  Results can be anylized once the survey is finished.   Fun and easy!

Beyond Cookies and Merit Badges

Now that the start of school is fast approaching for another year this is a good time to alert our patrons of a new feature of the Girl Scouts website.  I'm thinking not only of the young girls and their families who use our libraries but also teachers who are looking for new ways to motivate their students in writing.  This brand new addition is The Studio.  It can be accessed directly with the URL http://studio.girlscouts.org.  It is designed to be a showcase to inspire aspring storytellers.  The site is currently limited to authors however they plan to include other artists as well.  In addition they are planning to include the ability for girls to upload their own work.  There is a featured author of the week with a good biography and includes descriptions of his or her own experiences and tips for writing.  Some of the authors featured so far are Kate DiCamillo (Because of Winn Dixie), Patricia Reilly Giff (Pictures of Hollis Woods) and Megan McDonald (Judy Moody).  The site is operating in cooperation with the Children's Book Council which provides the content.