July
5, 2006
AL Direct is a free electronic newsletter e-mailed
every Wednesday to personal members of the American
Library Association.
Contents:
U.S. & World News
ALA News
Booklist Online
New Orleans Update
Division News
Awards
Seen Online
Actions & Answers
Poll
Datebook
AL Direct
FAQ
Net
neutrality loses a round in the Senate
Supporters of net neutrality were dealt a second blow June 28 when the
Senate Commerce Committee rejected by an 11–11 tie vote a bill that
mandated equal access to online content for all customers. The defeated
Internet Freedom Preservation Act, sponsored by Sen. Olympia Snowe (R-Maine)
and Byron Dorgan (D-N.Dak.), would have prohibited network operators from
charging tiered fees to either content providers or recipients of bandwidth-intensive
applications....
10,000
EPA scientists protest elimination of libraries
The presidents of 17 locals of the American Federation of Federal Employees,
the National Treasury Employees Union, the National Association of Government
Employees, and Engineers and Scientists of California have signed a letter
asking Congress to halt the closure of the U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency’s network of research libraries....
Mayor
makes libraries permanent line item
New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg has agreed to “baseline”
funding for the library and two other programs, making them permanent
allocations in the city’s annual budget. In the past, libraries have
been a part of what pundits have dubbed the “budget dance,”
in which the mayor would propose cuts that the city council and library
leaders would negotiate to restore....
State
officials mandate librarians in Milwaukee schools
Some three dozen schools in the Milwaukee Public Schools system have been
given 14 months to ensure that a licensed librarian oversees each of their
libraries. The Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction June 26 released
the results of an investigation into a Milwaukee Teachers’ Association
complaint that the schools were violating rules that call for a certified
librarian on staff....
Gwinnett
board restores funds for Spanish-language fiction
Two weeks after removing $3,000 earmarked for purchasing Spanish-language
fiction from its budget, the Gwinnett County (Ga.) Public Library board
of trustees voted June 28 to restore the funds....
Incarnate
Word returns to the Times
The library of the University of the Incarnate Word, a private Catholic
university in San Antonio, Texas, announced June 30 that it was reinstating
its print subscription to the New York Times only two days after
ordering its cancellation as a protest.
Dean of Library Services Mendell D. Morgan Jr. said in what the June 30
San Antonio Express-News termed a “hastily called press conference”
in front of the library that he did not think his original decision was
inappropriate but that he regretted failing to confer beforehand with
other library staff....
Judge:
A Visit to Cuba stays in schools for now
U.S. District Judge Alan Gold told the Miami-Dade School Board June 27
that it must keep possession of A Visit to Cuba and 23 other titles
in the travel series for children until a preliminary hearing July 21,
according to the June 27 Miami Herald. “One way or another,
these books are going to remain here until I rule on the case,” he
said....
Wisconsin
mayor to fund Sunday hours from his salary
Charles Damaske, mayor of Muskego, Wisconsin, said in a news release June
23 that he would reduce his 2007 salary by half and remove himself from
the city’s health insurance policy to provide funds for Sunday hours
during the school year at Muskego Public Library....
Controversial
Atlanta librarian Ella Gaines Yates dies
Ella Gaines Yates, who in 1976 became the first African-American director
of the Atlanta-Fulton Public Library System in Georgia, died in Atlanta
June 27 of pancreatic cancer. She was 79. A controversial figure, Yates’s
career at what was then called the Atlanta Public Library began in 1972,
when she became assistant director....
Library
community draws national praise
With the eyes of the nation on New Orleans’ recovery from Hurricane
Katrina, nearly 17,000 librarians, exhibitors, and library supporters
attended the first citywide convention held in the Big Easy since the
storm. Widespread news coverage praised ALA members who traveled to New
Orleans for their intrepid spirit and impact on the local economy....
Stories
and reports from New Orleans
The ALA wiki includes more than 50 reports on programs, events, and activities
at Annual Conference....
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Signs
of life
Columnist Chris Rose writes: “I don’t think I’m quite ready
to climb to the top of the Superdome and scream ‘We’re BACK,
baby!’ But as harbingers of recovery go, the ALA conference last
weekend was a serious step in the right direction.”...
New Orleans Times-Picayune,
June 30
When
the librarians come marching in
Columnist Bob Greene writes: “They’ve recarpeted hell. They’ve
given it a deep cleaning, taken a deep breath, and opened its doors for
business. The ALA gathering, which ended yesterday, was remarkable not
so much for what was being discussed and merchandised—books, library
equipment, software—as for where it was held: The Ernest N. Morial
Convention Center.”...
New
York Times, June 29
Flooded
and forgotten
(subscription required)
Author Susan Straight writes: “The partying is subdued these days
in New Orleans. The French Quarter is open for business, music cascading
from open bar doors, the smells of spicy food mingling with shouts and
laughter. The city is so grateful for this convention that welcome banners
hang everywhere, saying, ‘We're jazzed you’re here!’ (And
in many souvenir shops, newly printed T-shirts proclaim, ‘Librarians
Do It by the Book! ALA 2006.’)”...
Salon, July 1
Realtors
register for New Orleans conference in record numbers
Advance registration for the 2006 Realtors Conference and Expo in New
Orleans, November 9–13, is outpacing all previous Realtor conventions.
Some 30,000 are expected to attend the convention, which would make it
the largest event to take place in New Orleans this year. Former Presidents
George H. W. Bush and Bill Clinton, cochairs of the Bush-Clinton Katrina
Fund, will address the General Session on November 11....
National Association of Realtors, June 28
Applications/nominations
invited for C&RL editor
Applications and nominations are invited for the position of editor of
College & Research Libraries, ACRL’s bimonthly scholarly
research journal. The editor is appointed for a three-year term, which
may be renewed for an additional three years....
Laura
Bush announces Librarian Recruitment and Education grants
First Lady Laura Bush announced $20.9 million in grants through IMLS June
28. Thirty-five
awards will go to universities, libraries, and library organizations
across the country to recruit and educate librarians. The grants are designed
to help offset a current shortage of school library media specialists,
library school faculty, and librarians working in underserved communities....
Institute of Museum and Library Services, June 28
PLA
awards applications available online
PLA has introduced a new online awards application for its seven service
awards. Members can now nominate their colleagues and libraries for PLA
awards through the PLA
website....
Tomás
and the First Lady
The Maricopa County (Ariz.) Library District was thrilled when First Lady
Laura Bush accepted its invitation to attend a performance of Tomás
and the Library Lady at its Guadalupe branch June 16. The play was
the centerpiece for a children’s library card sign-up campaign. About
200 people attended, including 100 children....
Maricopa County Library District
LC
strengthens its flood defenses
While the Library of Congress was largely high and dry last week after
flooding closed several other federal agencies containing important documents,
officials in the preservation office stood ready to save items in the
collection if necessary....
The Hill, July 5
Social
networking for bookworms
For Tim Spalding, a computer programmer and bibliophile, listing a few
titles in an online profile isn’t enough. He sought a way to catalog
his entire book collection—and to check out what was lining other
people’s shelves. Spalding launched LibraryThing.com
in August as a way to bring the organizational joys of the librarian to
a wider array of book nerds....
Wall Street Journal, June
27
Bookbinding
groups resurrect craft worldwide
Revolutionary War reenactor DeLea Sayers already has an unusual hobby.
He recently stumbled across another one when he decided to record his
rebellious activity in an 18th century–style journal. Unable to find
authentic books from the era, Sayers decided to make his own and discovered
the intricate world of bookbinding....
Bryan–College Station (Tex.) Eagle,
July 2
Santa
Ana phases out its bookmobiles
On June 29, Santa Ana, California, became the latest city to say goodbye
to the bookmobile, citing high costs and relatively low patronage. Santa
Ana was one of only three Orange County cities with regular bookmobile
routes....
Orange County (Calif.) Register,
June 30
Osama’s
words to stay on library shelves
A Marion County (Fla.) Public Library System patron has requested that
a book containing Osama bin Laden’s writings be removed from the
library shelves, but Library Director Julie Sieg has said it should remain.
Her decision is being appealed to the County Commission....
Ocala (Fla.) Star Banner, June 28
Dos
and don’ts for getting kids to read
Librarians offer the same advice for all ages: Keep a wide variety of
books available. Check out your local library’s summer reading program
for activities and prizes. Ask for recommendations. “We live, eat,
and breathe books and can share lists of show-stoppers for kids to read,”
enthused Sharon Chastain, a King County (Wash.) Library System children’s
librarian....
Seattle Times, July 1
Libraries
helping the blind
July 3 was the start of the UK National Library for the Blind’s Make
a Noise in Libraries campaign. The Harlow Library in Essex is taking
part, with a display of some of the talking books and large-print texts
it has available....
Harlow Herald, June 29
Freedom
of Information at 40
Forty years ago on July 4, 1966, Lyndon Johnson signed the landmark Freedom
of Information Act while vacationing at his Texas ranch. But the event
does not even appear on LBJ’s Daily Diary, which is the first indication
(the dog that didn’t bark) that something was amiss on the Pedernales....
National Security Archive, July 4
Landmark
agreement to preserve digital data
The National Archives and Records Administration and UCSD’s San Diego
Supercomputer Center signed a landmark Memorandum of Understanding June
28 that provides an avenue for preserving valuable digital data collections.
This collaboration marks the first time NARA has established an affiliated
relationship for preserving digital data with an academic institution....
National Archives, June 28
LITA’s
annual Top 10 Trends extravaganza
Panel members Marshall Breeding, Clifford Lynch, Eric Lease Morgan, Andrew
Pace, Karen Schneider, Roy Tennant, and Tom Wilson predicted the tech
future at Annual Conference in New Orleans....
LITA Blog, June 25
Virtual
reference in the age of pop-up blockers and firewalls
We know that young people love to chat and that many universities
and colleges cater to a growing number of distance and off-campus users—the
perfect audience for virtual reference. Various theories have been proposed
as to why usage statistics are so low. Most focus on marketing and user
behavior. Relatively little has been written about how technical problems
impact VR services....
Online, July/Aug.
Ten
rules for new librarians
Submitted for discussion is this short list—a cautionary list of
things to ponder in a Library 2.0 world (or whatever you choose to call
it) as new grads hit the streets and start their first jobs....
Michael Stephens, Tame the Web, June 30
Celebrate
Canadian Library Month in October
The Canadian Library Association has estabished October as Canadian Library
Month. The idea for a month dedicated to library and information services
in Canada was developed by provincial and territorial library partners
from across the country to help raise public awareness of the valuable
role that libraries play in local communities....
Canadian Library Association, June
A
primer on open access (PDF file)
Heather Morrison defines open access literature as literature that is
free online for anyone, anywhere, to read, download, and use, providing
that the author is properly cited. There are three major definitions of
open access: Budapest, Berlin, and Bethesda. There are two main approaches
to open access: open access publishing, and self-archiving of articles
in open access archives....
Coady International Institute, June
Kids
and family reading report (PDF file)
The time kids spend reading for fun declines sharply after age 8 and continues
to drop off through the teen years, according to a national study (PDF
file) released June 14 by Yankelovich, a leader in consumer trends
tracking, and Scholastic, a children’s publishing and media company.
While 40% of kids between the ages of 5–8 are high-frequency readers
(reading for fun every day), only 29% of kids ages 9–11 are high-frequency
readers. The percentage continues to decline through age 17....
Scholastic, June 14
25
to-do lists to stay productive
Brian
Benzinger reviews 25 checklist websites that help you create to-do lists,
planners, start pages, and calendars....
Solution Watch, June 22
Cataloging
electronic resources: OCLC-MARC coding guidelines
This revised set of guidelines is intended to assist catalogers in creating
records for electronic resources in WorldCat, the OCLC Online Union Catalog.
These guidelines pertain to OCLC-MARC tagging (content designation)....
OCLC, June 20
Recent
public library trends
Public libraries in the United States have seen usage increase and revenues
decline during the past few years, and these funding facts have affected
other aspects of those libraries. This article examines those trends,
probes the underlying causes, and considers future trends. It is based
on analysis presented in some detail on a page at the Normative
Data Project’s website....
SirsiDynix OneSource, April
Privatization
of internet domain names and addressing
The Department of Commerce’s National Telecommunications and Information
Administration seeks comment on the continuation of the transition of
the technical coordination and management of the internet domain name
and addressing system (Internet DNS) to the private sector. The deadline
for comments is July 7....
National Telecommunications and Information Administration,
May 23
Library
of Congress user survey
In an effort to better serve the needs of its patrons, the Library of
Congress wants to hear from users about the effectiveness of its services,
resources, and programs. Responses will provide valuable feedback to LC
for continuous improvement....
Library of Congress
Use ALSC’s Great
Web Sites for Kids page to locate kid-friendly online information
on animals, art, history, math, and other subjects.
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Parade
of Bookmobiles:
A Celebration of Bookmobile Services is a series of links to bookmobile
sites supplied to OLOS by subscribers of the BKMOB-L electronic discussion
list of Clarion (Pa.) University’s Department of Library Science.
A PowerPoint
presentation of the history of bookmobiles shows photographs of off-site
vehicles and historical perspectives, policies, schedules, and varying
degrees of service delivery.
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Are you looking for professional development or continuing education activities
for your public library staff? Do you need presenters at your state conference?
Then you might want to contact one of the YALSA Serving
the Underserved Trainers who have been trained to help public
library staff members provide quality service to young adults.
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Information
Literacy is the set of 21st-century skills needed to find, retrieve, analyze,
and use information. ACRL has set up an information
literacy resource website with bibliographies, standards and guidelines,
ideas, experts, links, and a glossary.
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