January 31, 2007
Contents
U.S.
& World News
ALA News
Booklist Online
Division News
Round Table News
Awards
Seen Online
Tech Talk
Actions & Answers
Poll
Calendar
Officials vow strapped library system will rise again
Dire financial straits have forced Jackson County, Oregon, commissioners to schedule April 6 as the last date of operation for the entire 15-branch library system. “It almost has to be a crisis before there is a solution,” remarked library advisory committee member Jim Fety at a January 25 county commission meeting, noting that a five-year operations levy on the November 7 ballot fell 9% short of the votes needed to keep the library’s $8-million annual budget afloat. The library has posted a Library Use Value Calculator to help residents assess how valuable its services are....
Texas joins Google Books Library Project
The University of Texas at Austin is the 11th library to partner with Google in its project to digitize books and provide access to their contents through its search engine. In a January 19 announcement, university officials said the contract with Google was for six years and would involve at least one million volumes chosen by library staff....
Burger to speak at Senate hearing on EPA closings
On February 6, ALA President Leslie Burger will testify at an oversight hearing of the U.S. Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works on the impact of the Environmental Protection Agency library closings. The public meeting will take place in Room 206 of the Dirksen Senate Office Building, 1st Street and Constitution Avenue, in Washington, D.C....
ALA member libraries to get Oprah’s pick
This February, thanks to a continuing arrangement with Oprah’s Book Club, ALA organizational and library members will receive free copies of the newest book club selection, The Measure of a Man: A Spiritual Autobiography by Sidney Poitier, courtesy of the publisher, HarperCollins. Since its beginning in 1996, publishers of Oprah’s Book Club selections have donated over 500,000 free books to ALA organizational members for use in their communities....
Participatory networks and libraries
The ALA Office for Information Technology Policy commissioned the Information Institute of Syracuse to write a technology brief about the growing use of social networks and new web technologies for the library community. The final version (PDF file), prepared by R. David Lankes, Joanne Silverstein, and Scott Nicholson, was released at the Midwinter Meeting....
Podcast on copyright
In this special Midwinter Washington Office podcast, Office for Information Technology Policy Copyright Specialist Carrie Russell and Lori Williamson, access services librarian at Victoria College/University of Houston-Victoria, discuss the Copyright Advisory Network....
District Dispatch blog, Jan. 30
New logo for Accreditation Office
The Office for Accreditation has a new logo to serve as a visual symbol of ALA’s commitment to protecting the public interest in peer-reviewed, quality-assured, master of library and information studies education programs. Upon request, the office will provide a copy of the logo in various colors and file formats to ALA-accredited programs free of charge for use on their websites and publications....
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ACRL to tackle higher education issues in Baltimore
More than 3,000 librarians and staff, leaders in higher education, and guests will discuss the top trends and issues facing students, faculty, and campus libraries nationwide at the Association of College and Research Libraries biennial national conference at the Baltimore Convention Center, March 29–April 1. Keynote speakers include Nina Totenberg, John Waters, and Michael Eric Dyson....
Hear the ACRL candidates
The two candidates for ACRL vice-president/president-elect, Erika Linke and Scott Walter, answer questions about issues affecting academic libraries in this 4:17 podcast....
ACRL Podcasts, Jan. 25
Authors at the AASL National Conference
AASL will host two author events during its 13th National Conference in Reno, Nevada, October 25–28. Wendelin Van Draanen, known for her Sammy Keyes mystery series, will be the guest of honor at the author banquet. The division will also host a brunch with David Lubar, award-winning author of Hidden Talents....
A wiki for public libraries?
PLA is contemplating putting together a wiki. In an age where wikis are sprouting up like weeds, the division is looking to create something unique, useful, and inviting to public librarians, while striving to avoid too much redundancy and overlap with—but also driving traffic and activity to—other library-related wikis. Your feedback is requested....
PLA Blog, Jan. 29
Air Force library update (PDF file)
Margie Buchanan, librarian of the Air Force, writes: “The Elmendorf Base Library in Alaska was recently
approved for closure as part of the
Joint Basing initiative (Joint Base
Elmendorf-Richardson). The Fort
Richardson Library is a new facility collocated
with education and will provide
responsive service to Air Force personnel
and their families. One small special library,
the Air Force Logistics
Management Agency Library at Gunter
Annex, Maxwell AFB, Alabama, was also
identified for closure by December.”...
Federal Librarian 24, no. 2 (Winter): 8, 10
John Cotton Dana Award winners
Seven libraries are winners of the John Cotton Dana Library Public Relations Award, which recognizes and honors outstanding achievement in library public relations. This award, jointly sponsored by the H. W. Wilson Company, the H. W. Wilson Foundation, and LAMA, has been awarded continuously since 1946. Illinois State University’s Milner Library won for its campaign publicizing its library ghost, Ange Milner (above, 1856–1928), the university’s first librarian. (Last week’s AL Direct mistakenly referred to the James B. Duke Library at Furman University as one of the 2007 winners; it won in 2006)....
ACRL Excellence in Academic Libraries award winners
Sponsored by ACRL and Blackwell’s Book Services, the Excellence in Academic Libraries award recognizes the staff of a college, university, and community college library for programs that deliver exemplary services and resources to further the educational mission of the institution. This year’s recipients are the Hostos Community College/CUNY Library, Bronx, N.Y. (right); Elizabeth Huth Coates Library at Trinity University, San Antonio, Texas; and the Georgia Institute of Technology Library and Information Center, Atlanta....
Nominations wanted for Madison Awards
The James Madison Award and the Eileen Cooke State and Local Madison Award will be presented at Freedom of Information Day on March 16. The ALA Washington Office is now accepting nominations. The awards recognize those individuals or groups that have championed, protected, and promoted public access to government information and the public’s right to know....
District Dispatch blog, Jan. 30
BCALA announces 2007 literary awards
The Black Caucus of the American Library Association’s literary awards recognize excellence in adult fiction and nonfiction by African-American authors. After: A Novel by Marita Golden (Doubleday) is the winner in the fiction category, and The Audacity of Hope: Thoughts on Reclaiming the American Dream by Barack Obama (Crown) is the winner in the nonfiction category....
Best books for young adults
YALSA has announced its 2007 recommended list of Best Books for Young Adults. The books, recommended for ages 12–18, meet the criteria of both good quality literature and appealing reading for teens....
Audiobooks for young adults
YALSA has announced its 2007 Selected List of Audiobooks for Young Adults. The titles have been selected for their appeal to a teen audience, the quality of their recording, and their enhancement of an audience’s appreciation of any written work on which they may be based....
Great graphic novels for teens
YALSA has announced its 2007 recommended list of Great Graphic Novels for Teens. The books, recommended for ages 12–18, meet the criteria of both good quality literature and reading appeal for teens....
Popular paperbacks for young adults
YALSA’s Popular Paperbacks for Young Adults Committee announced its 2007 selections at the ALA Midwinter Meeting, held January 19–24 in Seattle. This year, the committee produced four lists of selected titles in the following topics: Get Creative; Religion: Relationship with the Divine; What’s So Funny?; and I’m Not Making This Up: Addictive Nonfiction....
Quick Picks for reluctant young adult readers
YALSA has announced its 2007 annual recommended list of Quick Picks for Reluctant Young Adult Readers. The list is geared to the teenager who, for whatever reason, does not like to read. Teen input was a vital aspect in the final decision of the selection committee....
Selected videos and DVDs for young adults
YALSA has announced its 2007 Selected List of Videos and DVDs for Young Adults. The list recognizes productions for technical merit, content, and use with and interest to young adults ages 12–18....
Notable children’s videos
ALSC has selected its 2007 list of Notable Children’s Videos. The list includes videos for children 14 years of age and younger that demonstrate respect for children’s intelligence and imagination and reflect and encourage their interests in exemplary ways....
Notable children’s recordings
ALSC has selected its 2007 list of Notable Children’s Recordings. The list includes recordings for children 14 years of age and younger that demonstrate respect for young people’s intelligence and imagination; exhibit venturesome creativity; and reflect and encourage their interests in exemplary ways....
Collection Development Grant winners
Carrie Wuensch-Harden, youth services librarian of Lake Wales (Fla.) Public Library, and Karen Odom, head librarian at Centerville (Ga.) Public Library, are the winners of the Book Wholesalers Inc./YALSA Collection Development Grant....
Baker & Taylor Scholarship Grants
Christine Beaver, teen services librarian at Hancock County (Ind.) Pubic Library, and Dana Hutchins, school librarian for Jackson Middle School in San Antonio, Texas, have won YALSA Baker & Taylor Scholarship Grants for 2007. Each will receive $1,000 to attend the ALA Annual Conference in Washington, D.C., June 21–27....
Sagebrush Grant winner
Joanna Peled has won the 2007 YALSA/Sagebrush Award for a young adult reading or literature program. Peled, a librarian with Tucson-Pima (Ariz.) Public Library, has won for “That’s My Take,” an innovative program where teens produce movie trailers of their favorite books....
Frances Henne Research Grant
YALSA has named Holly Anderton and Karen Brooks-Reese, both of the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh, as 2007 recipients of the Frances Henne Research Grant. Anderton and Brooks-Reese’s proposed study is titled “Virtual Reader’s Advisory Services for Teens at Public Libraries.”...
Pimp My Book Cart contest winners
The winners of the Pimp My Book Cart contest, sponsored by Bill Barnes and Gene Ambaum, creators of the Unshelved comic strip, are Katie George and the teens of the Miller branch of the Howard County Library in Ellicott City, Maryland. The simple design of “Pink Cadillac” (right) consisted of just cow horns, headlights, sleek vinyl book seats, and (vaguely disturbing) tailfins....
Overdue Media blog, Jan. 22
WebFeat winners
Seven libraries have been recognized for innovation in their information systems with the 2007 WebFeat Presidents Award for Information: Bowdoin College, Brooklyn Public Library, Cuyahoga County Public Library, Dartmouth College, INSPIRE, Northumbria University, and Queens Library....
WebFeat, Jan. 26
Native American library services enhancement grants
The Institute of Museum and Library Services is accepting applications for Native American Library Services Enhancement Grants. These grants support projects to enhance existing library services or implement new library services. The deadline is May 1....
Institute of Museum and Library Services, Jan. 31
Open access to science under attack
The battle over public access to scientific literature stretches back to the late 1990s when Nobel Prize winner Harold Varmus began plans for PubMed Central—a repository for all research resulting from National Institutes of Health funding—and, a few years later, launched the Public Library of Science. These easily accessible journals and repositories have struck fear into the hearts of traditional publishers, who have enlisted the pit bull of public relations, Eric Dezenhall, to fight back....
Scientific American, Jan. 26
Minneapolis and Hennepin explore a merger
A committee exploring the future of the Minneapolis and Hennepin County library systems is expected to recommend an all-out merger at its final meeting next week. Combining the two systems into one county-run organization could improve services. But the move could also raise taxes slightly for county residents living outside the city....
Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Jan. 29
Rare books in Philadelphia on display
Some of the books at the Free Library of Philadelphia’s Rare Book Collection are as old as civilization itself. And for the next three months many of them will be put on special display in the department— everything from clay cuneiform tablets and an Egyptian Book of the Dead to a stuffed raven that was Charles Dickens’s pet bird....
WPVI-TV, Philadelphia, Jan. 29
West Virginia ruling could cost library funding
The Martinsburg–Berkeley County (W.Va.) Public Library could be stripped of more than $500,000 in funding as the result of a West Virginia Supreme Court ruling that has found fault with the state’s school aid formula. Under the ruling, which was filed December 4, county schools will no longer be required by law to earmark funds for public libraries....
Martinsburg (W.Va.) Journal, Jan. 25
Council moves to evict library association
A long-running battle between the governing body of Brielle, New Jersey, and the nonprofit association that runs the public library escalated recently when the council issued an eviction notice to the association—ordering the group and its employees to vacate the South Street building by February 28. Brielle Police Detective James Stewart served the notice to Library Director Richard Bidnick at the library on January 23....
Manasquan (N.J.) Coast Star, Jan. 25
British Library could start charging fees
The future of the British Library as a world-class free resource is under threat from plans to cut up to 7% of its £100 million budget in this year’s Treasury spending round. To survive, the library proposes to slash opening hours by more than a third and to charge researchers for admission to the reading rooms for the first time. All public exhibitions would be canceled, the permanent collection would be reduced by 15%, and the national newspaper archive would close. The library says negotiations are continuing. See also the commentary by Tim Coates on the Good Library blog...
The Independent, Jan. 28
Calcutta Book Fair moved and delayed
Prevented from holding the 32d annual Calcutta Book Fair at its traditional venue in the central Maidan park following a January 29 court ruling, fair organizers announced two days later that the event will move to the city’s Salt Lake Stadium February 9–21. The court’s decision followed months of campaigning by environmentalists who complained that the fair causes irreparable damage to the park’s plant life and increases pollution in the crowded east Indian city....
Indo-Asian News Service, Jan. 30–31
Happy birthday, Harry Ransom Center
Founded in 1957 by its namesake, then–Vice President and Provost Harry Huntt Ransom, the University of Texas at Austin’s Harry Ransom Humanities Research Center rests its solid reputation as one of the country's most notable archival, conservation, and research institutions on its notable collections. Since 1980, it has also been a front-runner in preservation....
UTA Daily Texan, Jan. 30
Mogadishu library offers an eclectic collection
It is difficult to find books in the Somali capital these days, but one place with a dozen shelves of them is the Mogadishu Public Library, which amounts to a single room behind a solid steel gate in a neighborhood of goats, mosques, and electronics shops....
Washington Post, Jan. 28
Windows Vista: Is it ready for you?
PC Magazine notes that Microsoft’s new operating system, Windows Vista (released January 30), offers many improvements over Windows XP, but most of them are conveniences rather than essentials. Its Insider’s Guide cautiously recommends, “If you’ve already got a PC running Windows XP smoothly, it’s hard to see a reason to upgrade right away.” Lance Ulanoff describes its nine most annoying features. Joel Durham lists 15 tips and tricks for using Vista. C|Net has the latest news and reviews of various versions. If you insist on upgrading from XP to Vista, this is what you should do. Here are some other views from USA Today and the Dallas Morning News....
Protect yourself against phishing
Phishing, carding, brand spoofing, web spoofing—call it what you will, there’s no escaping the fact that the threat of this swindle is getting more dangerous by the day. You don’t necessarily have to be tech-savvy to protect yourself from phishing attacks; it’s enough if you keep your wits about you, are aware that not all sites on the internet are the genuine article, and follow one or a combination of the following 44 tips....
Network Security Journal, Jan. 9
The ever-changing widget landscape
The world of widgets has changed a lot since Konfabulator came along back in 2003, when it was the only option of its kind for developers. Since then, similar offerings have emerged from several places, including Apple, and Microsoft as part of Vista. It has grown to such a point that Newsweek is proclaiming 2007 as the Year of the Widget. So which widget platform should you use?...
Yahoo! Widgets blog, Jan. 29
Podcasting: What librarians can do with it
Meredith Farkas writes: “Libraries have been looking for new ways of communicating with their patrons online beyond their traditional website. Like blogs, podcasts offer libraries another way to disseminate information, but podcasts offer a portability that blogs do not have. Since podcasts can be uploaded to an MP3 player, they can be listened to on the way to work, on the way to class, at the gym, or while waiting for an appointment.”...
TechEssence.Info blog, Jan. 28
Get to know your gadget guy or gal
M. Kathleen Kern writes: “I am probably a lot like many readers of RUSQ: We use technology daily in reference, collection development, and almost everything else that we do. At the same time, most of us are not the systems librarian. This column is about where you can go to stay current and a little bit about why you should care about emerging technologies.”...
RUSQ 46, no. 2 (Jan. 2007)
A better stapler?
Donald A. Norman, author of The Design of Everyday Things, says the PaperPro desktop stapler is “a great example of how even the most mundane, commonplace commodity can be improved.” Instead of pressing down to mechanically force a staple out, this line of staplers uses the energy in coiled springs to lift up the strike plate and fire off a staple....
Don Norman, In Praise of Good Design
Grant will help LC digitize brittle books
Librarian of Congress James H. Billington announced January 31 that the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation has awarded the Library of Congress a $2 million grant for a program to digitize thousands of public-domain works, with a major focus on at-risk “brittle books” and U.S. history volumes. The project, “Digitizing American Imprints at the Library of Congress,” will include not only the scanning of volumes, but also the development of suitable page-turner display technology, capability to scan and display foldouts, and a pilot program to capture high-level metadata, such as table of contents, chapters/sections and index....
Library of Congress, Jan. 31
Google’s quest for the universal library
Jeffrey Toobin sums up the Google Books Library Project, the roadblocks that copyright owners have thrown in its path, and other endeavors by Amazon.com, the Open Content Alliance, and Carnegie Mellon University....
New Yorker, Feb. 5 issue
The top 100 alternative search engines
Search Engine Optimizer Charles S. Knight finds that there are many other choices besides Google, Yahoo!, MSN, and Ask.com. He writes: “But it’s not just the sheer number of them that makes them worthy of attention; each one of these search engines has that standard ‘About Us’ link at the bottom of the homepage. I call it the ‘why we’re better than Google’ page. And after reading dozens and dozens of these pages, I have come to the conclusion that, taken as a whole, they are right!”...
Read/Write Web blog, Jan. 29
Unattended children: Best policies
Mary Minow has some helpful advice on unattended children at libraries—best practices and community-based solutions. San Marino, Calif., and Virginia Beach, Va., took community-wide approaches, ultimately resulting in city ordinances to address the issue....
LibraryLaw blog, Jan. 24
Fayetteville’s Teen Alternative Fashion Show
The Fayetteville (Ark.) Public Library put on an “ultimate fashion event by teens for teens” October 19. Hosted by Youth Services Librarian Jenine Lillian, the show was inspired by the book Generation T: 108 Ways to Transform a T-shirt by Megan Nicolay. This video (31:17) showcases the highlights of the performance. A narrated slideshow (1:54) is also available on the library’s website ...
Alternative Teen Services blog, Jan. 24
Government secrecy vs. freedom of the press
The First Amendment Center has issued a report (PDF file) that examines the rising conflicts between the federal government and the press over matters of secrecy, leaks, and threats to prosecute journalists for espionage or treason in reporting classified information. The report was prepared by University of Chicago Law Professor Geoffrey R. Stone (author of Perilous Times, 2004) as a working paper for a group of scholars, lawyers, and journalists in a workshop held at the center last July 20....
First Amendment Center, Jan. 25
Tour the Pentagon Library
The Pentagon Library is now settled into its new home as part of the Pentagon Library and Conference Center (PLC2). Planning, organizing, and renovation of this building took almost four years. The library was designed with the concept of providing easy accessibility and availability to library resources for customers and utilizes every inch of space for efficient use....
Pentagon Library Newsletter 3, no. 1 (Jan.)
The Academic Library 2.0 model
Michael Stephens interviews Michael Habib (now with Bibliocommons in Toronto) whose LIS master’s paper focused on developing a Library 2.0 methodology for academic libraries. In it, he identified four genres of new services that meet new needs brought on by Web 2.0....
ALA TechSource blog, Jan. 30
The rise and rise of citation analysis
With the vast majority of scientific papers now available online, Lokman I. Meho describes how the Web is allowing physicists and information providers to measure
more accurately the impact of these papers and their authors. Meho discusses the strengths and weaknesses of Web of Science and other citation data sources (Scopus and Google Scholar), the impact of the Web on citation analysis, and the emergence of new citation-based research assessment measures....
Accepted for publication in Physics World
One small step for Citizendium
Citizendium is almost ready to give Wikipedia a run for its money. For the first time, the site—a “progressive fork” of Wikipedia that puts scholars in charge of content—is inviting Web surfers to register and start making editorial contributions. Citizendium was created last year by Larry Sanger, a founder of Wikipedia....
Chronicle of Higher Education, Jan. 24
Remembering
AL’s gay parade cover
Editor in Chief Leonard Kniffel reminisces about the decisions that went into American Libraries choosing a cover photo of the ALA Gay and Lesbian Task Force in the Freedom Day parade for the July/August 1992 issue (right) and the subsequent controversy. Editorial Assistant Greg Landgraf wonders what the fuss was all about: “I can’t imagine that the reaction to a similar cover today would be so vitriolic. On the other hand, I’m young, I live in a major city, and contact with people who are gay is a more-or-less daily occurrence, so I may have a biased view.”...
CentenniAL blog, Jan. 26, 29
Library workflow redesign: Six case studies
The proliferation of electronic information and tools has changed the way that readers and researchers do their work. It has also changed the way library staff members provide materials and services. CLIR offered workflow redesign support to teams from six institutions that are part of consortia. This volume documents their work....
Council on Library and Information Resources, Jan.
Law libraries after Katrina (large PDF file)
Brian Huddleston writes: “The law
librarians at the courts, firms, and law
schools in New Orleans, like everyone else,
have been dealing with the consequences
of Hurricane Katrina, both personally and
professionally, ever since the storm.” Here he describes how law libraries managed the evacuation, aftermath, return, and recovery from the devastation....
AAAL Spectrum 11, no. 4 (Feb.): 12–15, 26
Weeding tips for school librarians
SUNLINK, a shared database of materials in Florida K–12 media centers, offers some tips on weeding school collections in specific Dewey Decimal subject areas. This archive of Weed of the Month suggestions covers all of its targeted topics from 1997 to 2005....
SUNLINK
The Illustrated Librarian temporary tattoos
The ad copy from Seattle’s Archie McPhee novelty store reads: “Librarian stereotypes are as old and outdated as microfiche. Nowadays you’re just as likely to see your local librarian driving a Harley as a Honda Accord. This 3-1/2" x 4-1/2" hardcover book contains 12 nontoxic temporary tattoos ranging in size from 1-1/2" to 3-1/4".” Choose from such selections as Librarians Rule, Read or Die, and Literate for Life....
Archie McPhee
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Hotel reservation requests will be accepted until April 27, subject to availability. |
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Unshelved @ the Library poster
Unshelved is the world's only daily comic strip that is set in a public library. This popular web comic was created in 2002 by writer Gene Ambaum (alias) and co-writer and artist Bill Barnes. The popular strip has been collected in four published paperbacks. From ALA Graphics. |
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Youth Media awards webcast. View the webcast of the announcements of this year’s top books and video for children and young adults. Awards include the Caldecott, Newbery, Sibert, Geisel, King, Printz, and more. The announcements were part of the Midwinter Meeting, held in Seattle, January 19–24. |
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In
this issue Race and Place: A Personal Account of Unequal Access Historically Black Colleges and Universities Spectrum Turns 10 |
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Career
Leads from Library Director, Truckee Meadows Community College, Reno, Nevada. Responsibilities include managing the development of library services, staff and staff training, and collections, with particular emphasis on the development of resources and programs in support of information literacy across a dynamic curriculum.... @ More jobs... |
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Public
Perception “Everyone in this band probably reads more than you do; hanging out with Radiohead is kind of like getting high with a bunch of librarians.” —Chuck Klosterman IV: A Decade of Curious People and Dangerous Ideas, by Chuck Klosterman (Scribner, 2006), p. 138. |
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Take a moment to look back on your professional experience and size up your expectations for the future. The ALCTS Anniversary Survey is an informal (and fun, we hope) exercise, both for ALCTS members as well as the wider collections and technical services community. |
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Does the war in Iraq have an impact on your library and your work as a library professional? Click here to ANSWER! Results
of the What information in library-related blogs interests you? 67% 35% 33% 23% 7% 29% (107 responses) This is an unscientific poll that reflects the opinions of only those AL Direct readers who have chosen to participate. |
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Ask
the ALA Librarian Q. Our library is bursting its walls, so we’re starting to plan for a new one. Where do we begin? The ALA Librarian welcomes your questions. |
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