Services for School Classes and English Courses Library Tours Library tours can be taken on most days, but they must be reserved in advance. We strongly recommend Tuesday, Thursday, or Friday morning, as the library is closed to the public at this time. Participants will be introduced to the library and its collections and will be able to learn via hands-on practice how to research a subject or a title in the catalog, how to find a book on the shelves, etc. The visit takes about an hour—a half hour for the tour itself and a half hour for the participants to explore and browse on their own. To make an appointment for a library tour, contact one of the two librarians, Julia Arnold and Jutta Kleiber. Please tell us the number of participants (and in the case of school classes, their age level) and whether the tour should be given in German or English. In the case of school classes with pupils under 18 years of age, we recommend giving the pupils library registration cards in advance so that they may be signed by their parents or guardians (we can send these to you per post). Then the pupils will be able to borrow books at the end of the tour. At the end of school class tours the short film “Mr. Bean in the Library” may be shown on request. Theme Packages The American Library offers "packages" of literature and, when available, other media related to certain themes, which can be borrowed in entirety by a school class. For example:  American Indians Nonfiction about native North Americans, fiction including narratives and Indian myths and legends. African Americans Nonfiction about the history of black people in North America, including biographies of black civil rights activists. Fiction including novels, stories, and poetry. If desired the package can contain the video film "Malcolm X" and the cassette "Words from the Frontline: excerpts from the great speeches of Malcolm X" and "The Autobiography of Martin Luther King" including the speech "I have a dream..." Comics Because comics with their picture/text combination are easy to understand and because they are very popular with most children and teenagers, the theme package "Comics" is designed to inspires interest in reading English texts. Please order the theme packages at least two months in advance, as the books are taken from our lending collection and may already have been checked out. If you are interested in other themes, please contact the librarian, who will be happy to put together an individually designed package for your class. Class Reading Materials in English The American Library offers two American books for young people (20-30 copies) for reading in English class: The Giver by Lois Lowry, Houghton Mifflin, 1993, 180p. (John Newbery Medal for the most distinguished contribution to American literature for children 1994) Content: "The Giver" is set in a utopian society which separates its members completely from the negative aspects of life like pain and death. This society is governed by the principle of "sameness," individuality is not prized, and all important decisions are made by a "Committee of Elders." Only one member of the society, The Giver, maintains the memory of a world "back and back and back", our contemporary world. When The Giver passes his memories on to his successor, 12-year-old Jonas, the boy recognizes the drabness and superficiality of life in a society without the full spectrum of human experience, and he is determined to escape from the endless circle by challenging it. The Chocolate War by Robert Cormier, Pantheon Books, 1974, 250p. Content: "The Chocolate War" takes place in the realistic world of a New England High School with a proud tradition. Jerry Renault is the only pupil who refuses to participate in the annual fundraising chocolate sale, the pet project of a maniacally ambitious teacher supported by a school gang known as "The Vigils." For his resistance Jerry will be confronted with repression and violence. DVD Collection The American Library currently offers about 1000 DVDs and the collection is constantly growing.  Most of these are movies in the original version; in addition there are documentary films about geography, history, and daily life in the U.S.A. We recommend reserving video films two to three weeks in advance to be sure the films are not checked out on the desired date. For schools the usual lending period of one week can be extended.