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Girls Who Code founder Reshma Saujani writes: “Computing skills are the most sought-after in the US job market, but girls across the US are being left behind. What started as an experiment with 20 girls in a New York City classroom has grown to a movement of 40,000 middle and high school girls across the states. In 2017, we’re expanding our movement with the launch of a 13-book series as an invitation for girls everywhere to learn to code and change the world.” To request a free Girls Who Code Starter Kit for your library, including tips for leaders, giveaways, and more, email: schoolandlibrary@us.penguingroup.com

District Dispatch, Aug. 16
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April Dawkins writes: “When my niece was in 6th grade, she was informed by her teacher that she had to choose a book on her Lexile level for her next checkout from the library. When she told her librarian her Lexile level (1350), they checked the catalog. What were her choices? Anything from the Leatherstocking Tales by James Fenimore Cooper. That was it. Do you want to turn off a student from reading? Tell them they have to read 19th century American fiction for fun.”

Intellectual Freedom Blog, Aug. 15
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Leah Shaffer writes: “In recent years, libraries have broadened their scope of offerings to the local community to involve more making activities like 3D printing and sewing. Some libraries even have a facilitator for maker projects. At Millvale Community Library in Pennsylvania, maker program coordinator Nora Peters saw an opportunity to better connect the activities of the maker space with the library’s mission to promote literacy. So, she set out to build a bridge between making and reading by creating maker activities for children’s books.”

KQED Mind/Shift, Aug. 15
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A registered sex offender allegedly caught August 11 filming a 13-year-old girl at the Poulsbo (Wash.) Library was charged with first-degree voyeurism in Kitsap County Superior Court. Travis Wade Moore, 44, was confronted in the children’s section of the library by a Poulsbo Police sergeant and admitted he had struggled with urges and that he was excited by filming the girl. Poulsbo Police were called to the library Friday at about 3:40 p.m. after receiving reports of suspicious behavior.

Kitsap (Wash.) Sun, Aug. 15
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Teens all around the world can start casting their votes for their favorite titles for the 2017 YALSA Teens’ Top Ten now through October 14. The voting page, hosted by DOGObooks, showcases all 26 nominees with their respective book covers and summaries, as well as the opportunity for teens to leave comments about their favorite titles. The top ten titles will be announced the week following Teen Read Week, October 8–14. All teens aged 12–18 are eligible to vote and can vote for up to three of their favorite titles.

YALSA, Aug. 15
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The Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA) has announced its list of 2017 Top Ten Summer Learning Programs from its Teen Programming HQ contest. Each winner will receive a gift pack of YALSA books and swag. The recipient of the $50 Amazon gift card, who was chosen randomly from all entrants of the contest, is Donna Bishop.

YALSA, Aug. 15
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Hanako Maki writes: “When animals fall silent, the temperature drops, and a 70-mile-wide strip of land spanning 14 states from Oregon to South Carolina goes dark in the daytime, it can mean only one thing: a total solar eclipse. August 21 marks the first time since 1918 that a total solar eclipse will pass over the US from coast to coast, and many libraries are gearing up for the cosmic event.”

AL: The Scoop, Aug. 15