Can You Read This?

“I cdnuolt blveiee taht I cluod aulaclty uesdnatnrd waht I was rdanieg. The phaonmneal pweor of the hmuan mnid. Aoccdrnig to a rscheearch at Cmabrigde Uinervtsy, it deosn’t mttaer in waht oredr the ltteers in a wrod are, the olny iprmoatnt tihng is taht the frist and lsat ltteer be in the rghit pclae. The rset can be a taotl mses and you can sitll raed it wouthit a porbelm. This is becuseae the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe. Amzanig huh? Yaeh, and I awlyas thuhogt slpeling was ipmorantt.”

I’m afraid I can’t find the original creator of this, (maybe Cambridge University?!), but it’s pretty cool, right? I sometimes think that it’s amazing that we can read; putting 26 letters and all sorts of punctuation together like puzzle pieces, while at the same time making meaning out of them, does not sound easy to me. For some of us, it isn’t, and I totally get that.  Any thoughts?

S*cks

I can’t believe that I even feel uncomfortable writing this word out in this post! You guys say it all the time, and it’s continually used in current fiction. I’m sure it’s generational, but it’s not something I’m comfortable saying, or for that matter writing. This is my issue though, and I would never think of not purchasing a book simply because the author chose to use this word. Until….the other day I was introducing TumbleReadables, a read aloud database, to a class of fifth graders. While listening to the beginning of  what was labeled as an age appropriate book together as a class, the young female voice, who was reading the text, came to the sentence, “My life pretty much s*cks”, and I was taken aback;  I even questioned myself sharing this reading with the class. So my question is, “Does a word seem more offensive when it’s spoken, as opposed to written?” and “Should my criteria for what’s acceptable in audio books be different than what’s acceptable in written text?” I’d love to hear your thoughts!

Calling All Collectors!

Pez Dispenser Collection

Lounsberry’s Library is your Library. Your place, for amongst other things, sharing. In light of that…

Did anyone see the signs outside the library doors? They read, “Are you a collector? Will your collection fit in this display case? Do you want to show your stuff here? See Mrs. Schiano.”

Someone asked, “I don’t really get it. What does this have to do with a library?” Any thoughts?

(photo by Benimoto See http://www.flickr.com/photos/benimoto/971015670/)