Biblio-
Biblio-Files
Junior-
The newsletter of Mount Carmel Area Junior-Senior High School Library
January 2008
Teacher’s Resources link added to library site
The latest addition to the Mount Carmel Area One of the more inno-
Junior-Senior High School Library website is link to a vative and thought-
page of resources for the faculty. provoking pages is the
So far, there are seven hyperlinks from the site “Thinkfinity” site. Lessons
to web pages that have both general and specific ideas are tailored to meet standards for various subjects and
and aids. These include resources that are proactive, grade levels.
remedial and reflective. The ones include so far are “Sites for Teach-
more general than subject-specific, but the latter type ers” provides over 1,000
will be added. sites which are rated by
One of the best of popularity. There is heavy ad content, but the re-
any such sites is the Infor- sources are worthwhile.
mation Institute of Syra- The “teAchnology” site
cuse’s “The Educator’s has nearly 30,000 lesson plans,
Reference Desk.” These are the folks who brought you thousands of printable worksheets, and hundreds of
“AskERIC”, the “Gateway to Educational Materials” thousands of reviewed sites.
and the “Virtual Reference Desk.” The site contains The site also includes Word versions of two
over 2,000 lesson plans and over 3,000 links to online MCA logos that can be used as letterheads for official
education information correspondence, such as college recommendations.
Keyboard Shortcuts—Exploring Explorer
If you use Internet Explorer, there are a cou-
Scroll—If you prefer to do it yourself, just
ple of shortcuts that can get you back to your game
use the Up Arrow or Down Arrow to scroll through
in no time at all.
the site.
Find—The fastest way to search a website is
Close Print Preview—If you want to close
just use the keyboard shortcut Ctrl F to find the
out the Print Preview, just use the shortcut Alt C.
name or word you are seeking.
Minor miners featured in black diamond exhibit
The January exhibit in the library’s east windows Boys in their early teens could qualify as mule
features an important chapter from our area’s history— drivers, starting with 1 mule and then working up to 6 to
the anthracite coal industry. take loaded coal cars throughout the mine. This informa-
Before there were effective child labor laws—and tion is found in one of the books on display Susan Camp-
even after such legislation was enacted—youngsters bell Bartoletti’s Growing Up in Coal Country.
were counted on to earn their share of the money their In addition to the books on display, the exhibit
families needed to get by and to supply the labor that features the artwork of Mark Sassani, an MCA graduate
coal companies required. and retired member of the faculty. He captured on can-
Boys of elementary school age—sometimes as vas the mammoth Locust Summit Breaker, which has
young as 6 and 7, started as since been razed. The haunting photos of Lewis Wickes
“breaker boys.” They worked Hine are also featured prominently. The images of coal-
amid the din and the dust of the begrimed youngsters who would still be in the primary
breakers 6 days per week, sort- grades and junior high might arouse in some students—
ing shale and other waste from and teachers—an appreciation of just how fortunate
the coal that shot down the they are or were in their youth.
chutes. Some of them moved
underground as young as 11 and
Centralia Tragedy Recounted
12 to become tippers, sitting in
One of the books featured in the
the dark all day to be ready to open and close the doors
exhibit is Joan Quigley’s riveting narra-
to permit men and coal cars to get from one section of
tive of a mine fire’s devastating impact
the mine to another.
on Centralia, a part of Mount Carmel
Library Hours Area School District.
Before 7:37 bell for homeroom The author tells the story of how
Lunch 12:20-12:50 pm.
12:20- a fire in the town dump resulted in the
Until 3:15 p.m. virtual disappearance of a close-knit, vi-
Additional hours will be scheduled as needed brant community well over 100 years old.