Vacationing with Grandchildren

This is a rare treat: a (non-librarian) friend sent me her list of web sites & asked me to share with other librarians & anyone else interested in ...

Where to vacation with your grandchildren.

This list provides links to web sites & book suggestions of where you might travel with your grandchildren.

She notes, for instance, the Amtrak web site, which offers a discount for those over 62 and "kids." Friend also notes the Taking the Kids web site, created & maintained by Eileen Ogintz, who writes the Taking the Kids newspaper column.

She notes a few books, as well, including the Best Hikes with Kids series (link to books available in western Mass. libraries)


My friend said it took her a while to compile and she hopes it helps others. Thanks, Friend!

Personal Finance Advice

The Personal Finance Advice blog recently wrote a column about The Many Ways Your Library Can Save You Money, which is absolutely true!

The list several items beyond books which you can borrow, such as books on tape, videos, and CDs. They remind readers that the library also offers magazines (they say most libraries don't lend magazines, but my local public liraries *do* lend them), free Internet access, and entertainment for children (such as story hours).

The "similar posts" list on the right of the post offers more ideas to save money at the library.

Nice to see libraries promoted in this way!

Finding "Good" Web Sites

Do you know about the Librarians' Internet Index? It's a terrific database of hand-picked, hand-categorized Web sites on a variety of topics. Librarians and others select web sites for inclusion in the "LII", and librarian-editors confirm & verify that the sites are appropriate. A "weeder librarian" goes through older sites and verifies that they are still active.

This is a good place to start your search, particularly if you don't quite know what you expect to find. I recently helped a friend find reviews of films about the Holocaust, and we used the LII because it didn't include commercial or otherwise doubtful sites on this topic.

You can search the Librarians' Internet Index, but it's also fun to browse by category, such as ...
* Health (subtopics include: Diseases & Conditions; Senior Health;, w Women's Health, and more)
* Consumer Research & Advocacy (subtopics include Consumer Protection, Product Ratings, Shopping, and more).
* Hobbies (subtopics include Bird-watching, Crafts, and Historial Reenactments).

And you can see their New This Week sites. The June 7 list includes links to the New York Public Library's Science, Industry and Business Library Research Guides, a summer reading guide from Reading Is Fundamental, and Chow, a site full of recipes and more celebrating "food, drink, and fun."

The Librarians' Internet Index subtitle says it all: "web sites you can trust."