Contents
U.S. & World News
ALA News
AL Focus
Booklist Online
Anaheim Update
Division News
Awards
Seen Online
Tech Talk
Actions & Answers
Calendar

Sacramento trio indicted in billing and bribery scam
Two contractors and a former facilities supervisor for Sacramento (Calif.) Public Library made their first court appearance April 2, following their arrest the previous week on felony charges in an alleged billing scam. Sacramento Superior Court Judge Gary Ransom read the charges against James Mayle, 63, his wife, Janie Rankins-Mayle, 59, and former library facilities supervisor Dennis Nilsson, 61, that included bribery and grand theft. Nilsson and Mayle also face additional counts of conflict of interest....

Ohio libraries under fire for program cancellations
In a decision sharply criticized by the ACLU of Ohio, the Cleveland Heights–University Heights Library cancelled a March 12 showing of Searching for Peace in the Middle East, a documentary film screening cosponsored by the library and Cleveland Peace Action. On the other side of the state, the Cincinnati-based social-conservative group Citizens for Community Values filed a lawsuit March 7 charging that the Upper Arlington Public Library violated the group’s First Amendment rights by canceling its meeting-room reservation for a program entitled “Politics and the Pulpit” several days after approving it....

Book groups defend reader privacy from National Security Letters
Six organizations have banded together to fire two new salvos in an ongoing battle against the use of National Security Letters to obtain information about individuals’ reading habits under the USA Patriot Act. On March 17, ALA joined with five other groups to file an amicus curiae brief in a case brought by an internet service provider challenging the FBI’s use of the letters to demand private information from libraries, telephone companies, internet service providers, and other data-gathering bodies....

Efforts succeed on Senate library funding letter
On April 4, a letter (PDF file) in support of federal library funding was signed by 47 U.S. Senators and sent to the House Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education. The letter requests $214.4 million for the Library Services and Technology Act and $100 million for the Improving Literacy Through School Libraries program for FY2009....

Victoria library labor dispute resolved
Staff of the Greater Victoria (B.C.) Public Library returned to work beginning April 2 after the library and its staff reached an agreement that day to end the lockout that had closed the library since February 17. The Canadian Union of Public Employees Local 410, which had been without a contract for 454 days, voted 85% in favor of the agreement....

LC group urges copyright law changes
The independent Section 108 Study Group, which was set up in 2005 by the Library of Congress to reexamine the exceptions that apply to libraries found under Section 108 of the U.S. Copyright Act, issued its final report (PDF file) March 31 with recommendations on how the law could be adapted to the digital environment. The report will serve as the basis upon which legislation may be drafted and recommended to Congress. Join ACRL April 29 in a free OnPoint chat session about the Study Group report....

Lincoln Presidential Library construction fight settled
The state of Illinois will collect more than $3 million from three contractors and deflect claims totaling another $7 million under a settlement over cost overruns and construction delays at the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum in Springfield. Architect Hellmuth Obata and Kassabaum of St. Louis will pay the state $2.125 million and give up $1.6 million it said the state owed....

ALA to celebrate National Library Week in Second Life
For 50 years, National Library Week (April 13–19, 2008) has been celebrated by libraries of all types all across the country. This year, ALA brings the celebration to Second Life with a week of “in world” activities. All activities will take place on the ALA Island, and will be hosted by Member Specialist Tina Coleman (Kay Tairov) or Library Reference Specialist Val Hawkins (ALALibraryVal Miles). The ALA Island/ALA Main Stage is located at 128, 107, 29. In Second Life, teleport directly....

National Library Week is 50
This year, National Library Week marks its 50th anniversary with the theme, “Join the circle of knowledge @ your library.” Launched in 1958, National Library Week is a national observance sponsored by the ALA and libraries across the country to honor the contributions of our nation’s libraries and librarians and to promote library use and support....

Step Up to the Plate launches in Mobile
ALA and the National Baseball Hall of Fame officially launched the third season of Step Up to the Plate @ your library Friday, April 4, in Mobile, Alabama. Hall of Famer Ozzie Smith (right) was on hand to help kick off the Campaign for America’s Libraries national program. At a morning library event at the Baker High School library, Smith led a group of students through a series of baseball trivia questions developed by librarians at the Hall of Fame....

ALA-APA names 30 angels
Thirty library leaders will be honored as ALA-APA angels at the ALA Annual Conference in June. The ALA-Allied Professional Association is celebrating five years of service by honoring some of the many people and organizations that have helped it grow and flourish in its missions of providing certification and supporting better salaries. ALA-APA angels were instrumental in the creation and development of the association....

Submit your stars for National Library Workers Day
National Library Workers Day, April 15, is fast approaching. It’s not too late to nominate your favorite library employee as an NLWD Star. By submitting Stars, dozens of library staff, users, administrators, and friends groups have already shown the world how library workers are crucial to their respective communities. Stars will also be entered into a drawing for a “Libraries Work Because We Do” t-shirt or tote bag....

Join the Diversity and Outreach Fair
ALA’s Office for Literacy and Outreach Services invites members from all types of libraries to participate in the Diversity and Outreach Fair taking place 3–5 p.m., Saturday, June 28, during the ALA Annual Conference in Anaheim. The Fair allows participants to celebrate examples of diversity in American libraries and to demonstrate possibilities for other libraries in search of “diversity in action” ideas. Apply by April 11 to participate....

ALA leaders praise Washington state support for school libraries
ALA leaders are applauding legislators in Washington state for giving financial support to school libraries. Earlier this year, leaders from ALA and one of its divisions, the American Association of School Librarians (AASL), were invited to support the efforts of three determined Spokane moms who had worked for almost a year to make school libraries a state funding priority....

Support the Cultural Communities Fund
In order to meet its ambitious fundraising goals, the ALA Public Programs Office began a campaign to raise an additional $310,000 in contributions and pledges for the Cultural Communities Fund before July 31. All contributions and pledges made before July 31 will be matched by the National Endowment for the Humanities. Member support is urgently needed to take full advantage of this opportunity to leverage funds from NEH. The CCF supports libraries in establishing and expanding cultural and community programming....

Sign up for the next Advocacy Webinar
On April 16, advocacy guru Stephanie Vance will host the Washington Office’s second Advocacy Webinar. The webinar comes just as National Library Legislative Day approaches, when advocacy skills need to be honed to a razor-sharp edge. How can you best prepare for and be effective in these communications? Join this webinar to find out....
District Dispatch, Apr. 8

Roger E. Levien named OITP Fellow
The Office for Information Technology Policy has named Roger E. Levien as its second OITP Fellow. His term began on April 1 and extends through March 31, 2010. Levien’s primary focus will be on the new Program on America’s Libraries in the 21st Century, which focuses on monitoring and evaluating trends in technology and society to assist the library community in shaping its future....

Cora Paul Bomar dies
Cora Paul Bomar, AASL President in 1962–1963, passed away in Greensboro, North Carolina, March 18. For 18 years, she was on the staff of the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction, where she gave leadership to the development of school libraries in North Carolina and the nation. Her work for the passage of the Library Services and Construction Act resulted in an invitation to be among a small group to witness the legislation’s signing by President Lyndon B. Johnson on February 11, 1964....
Greensboro (N.C.) News-Record, Mar. 23

Paula Poundstone and PLA
Comedian and Keynote Speaker Paula Poundstone kicks off this overview (2:54) of the 2008 Public Library Association Conference (March 25–29) in Minneapolis, explaining why her new book took nine years to write. Other highlights include Nancy Pearl discussing her Book Buzz program, Room to Read CEO John Wood on his plans to establish 20,000 libraries across the developing world, and some amazing Japanese drumming from Mu Daiko....

National Library Week video: Go Fish
Two card players, fiercely battling over a hand of . . . Go Fish. The stakes are high in this game because these aren’t ordinary cards. “Do you have a MasterCard?” “Mass transit card?” “Myrtle Beach Nudist Club card?” Of course, both players are forgetting an all-important fact: 63% of adults in the U.S. have public library cards. Celebrate National Library Week, April 13–19. Starring Chicago comedian Shad Kunkle and shot at Morton College Library in Cicero, Illinois....

National Library Week video: People magazine
Here’s an unpleasant fact: If the cost of People magazine had risen as fast as the cost of academic library periodicals since 1990, its subscription would cost $150 per year. In this National Library Week video (1:34), an avid People reader comes to terms with losing track of Britney, Brangelina, and TomKat. Starring Shad Kunkle and shot at Morton College Library in Cicero, Illinois....

Prime Time Shuttle to and from the airport
Prime Time Shuttle has been providing quality airport ground transportation service in Southern California since 1984. The company provides clean and comfortable vans, professional drivers, and a safe and efficient route to and from John Wayne Airport in Orange County. ALA Annual Conference attendees can reserve a van by phone at (800) RED-VANS or (310) 536-7922 using reference code 310572. You can also use the special ALA reservations page....
Prime Time Shuttle

Play the California Dreaming game
The Mojave is a big desert and a frightening one. It’s as though “nature tested a man for endurance and constancy to prove whether he was good enough to get to California,” John Steinbeck once said. This summer at the ALA Annual Conference in Anaheim, your knowledge will be put to the test in California Dreaming, a conference-wide scavenger hunt. With so many information professionals on the case the competition will be quick and stiff. Watch the ALA Conference wiki for further information....

Char’s PLA Conference awards
Char Gwizdala offers her take on the most award-worthy people, exhibits, and swag at the PLA National Conference in Minneapolis. Karen Hyman and Sandra Nelson garnered Best Presenter Awards, Plunkett Research’s “Librarians Rock” t-shirt got the prize for best swag, and Best Character Promotion Award went to Scaredy Squirrel (right) at the Kids Can Press exhibit booth….
Char’s Blog, Mar. 30

ACRL expands legislative advocacy efforts
ACRL has appointed Michael McLane, director of libraries at Catholic University of America, as visiting program officer to work with members and staff to recruit new legislative advocates, plan training opportunities, and assess the ACRL legislative advocacy program. The division is also directly recruiting legislative advocates in an effort to complement the work of the chapter networks and the chapter legislative coordinators. Anyone interested can apply by July 11....

Horth to speak at LAMA President’s Program
The 2008 LAMA President’s Program will feature David Magellan Horth speaking about “Visual and Verbal Literacy: Skills for Contemporary Leadership,” June 29, at the ALA Annual Conference in Anaheim. Horth is a senior enterprise associate at the Center for Creative Leadership in Greensboro, North Carolina....

Capstone Publishers reception at AASL Fall Forum
Capstone Publishers will sponsor the Saturday Night Networking Reception at the 2008 AASL Fall Forum, “Assessment, Part II: Constructing and Interpreting Viable Tools for Effective Student Learning in the Library Media Center.” The Fall Forum will be held at the Oak Brook Hills Marriott Resort (Chicago area) October 17–19....

Carolyn S. Brodie wins Scholastic Publishing Award
Carolyn S. Brodie, professor in the School of Library and Information Science at Kent State University, is the recipient of the 2008 Scholastic Library Publishing Award. The award will be presented July 1, during the ALA Annual Conference in Anaheim, California. It is bestowed on a librarian whose extraordinary contributions to promoting access to books and encouraging a love of reading for lifelong learning exemplifies outstanding achievement in the profession. Brodie will receive a citation and $1,000 prize, donated by Scholastic Library Publishing....

Larry Romans wins James Bennett Childs Award
Larry Romans, head of Government Information Services at Vanderbilt University Library, is the 2008 recipient of the James Bennett Childs Award, administered by the Government Documents Round Table. The award is a tribute to an individual who has made a lifetime and significant contribution to the field of government documents librarianship. Other GODORT award and scholarship recipients include Mary Webb Prophet, Judith Downie, Lily Wai, and Ray Walling....

Malafi receives Dun & Bradstreet travel support award
Elizabeth Malafi, business librarian at the Miller Business Resource Center of the Middle Country Public Library in Centereach, New York, is the recipient of the 2008 Dun & Bradstreet Public Librarian Support Award presented by the RUSA Business Reference and Services Section. The citation and $1,000 travel award is sponsored by Dun & Bradstreet to support attendance at the ALA Annual Conference of a business librarian who works in a public library....

We the People bookshelf awards
ALA and the National Endowment for the Humanities have selected 3,000 school and public libraries throughout the country to receive a collection of 17 classic books from the We the People Bookshelf project. The theme of this year’s Bookshelf is “Created Equal.” The Bookshelf award is part of the NEH’s We the People program, which supports projects that strengthen the teaching, study and understanding of American history and culture....

PLA feature article contest winners
PLA has announced the 2008 winners of its annual Public Libraries feature article contest. The first prize went to Barbara Pitney, reference services coordinator for the King County (Wash.) Library System, and Nancy Slote, branch library manager at the Seattle Public Library, for their article “Going Mobile: The KCLS Roving Reference Model,” published in the January/February 2007 issue....

2008 InfoTubey awards
The votes are in and the winners of the 2008 InfoTubey awards were announced April 8 at the Computers in Libraries conference in Washington, D.C. The awards are presented by Information Today to recognize excellence in library-related productions that are posted on YouTube. The InfoTubeys were awarded to the top five productions (out of scores of submissions) that demonstrated creativity, humor, and sincerity in marketing a library or library services or enhancing the library’s value. The University of Ottawa Morisset Library’s “Amazing Library 101 Challenge” was both exciting and bilingual....
Information Today, Apr. 9

Medical website restores “abortion” search term after criticism
The Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health restored the word “abortion” April 4 as an acceptable search term on Popline, a reproductive health website funded by the U.S. Agency for International Development. The move followed criticism from health advocates and librarians that the restriction on searches about abortion amounted to censorship. ALA President Loriene Roy issued a statement April 4 expressing dismay over “any federal policy or rule that requires or encourages information providers to block access to scientific information because of partisan or religious bias.” NPR has a few more details....
Associated Press, Apr. 5; National Public Radio, Apr. 9

Seattle’s Deborah Jacobs to join Gates Foundation
The Seattle Public Library board of trustees announced April 9 that City Librarian Deborah L. Jacobs has accepted a position with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and will leave her library post July 2. Jacobs will begin her work as deputy director for Global Libraries for the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation on August 10. She has been at SPL since November 1997....
Seattle Public Library, Apr. 9

Seton Hill librarian to appear on Jeopardy
Judith Koveleskie, periodicals librarian for Reeves Memorial Library at Seton Hill University in Greensburg, Pennsylvania, is scheduled to appear on the TV game show Jeopardy on May 22. She first entered the contestant pool in January 2007 with an online test. Simply being a librarian helped her make the cut, she said. “So many times my husband and I will be watching the show and I’ll know an answer. He’ll ask me, ‘How on earth did you know that?’ and I’ll say, ‘Oh, I just helped out a student who was doing a paper on that.’”…
The Setonian, Apr. 4

Pine Bluff library evicts court
For the past three weeks, Judge Waymond Brown has been holding court either in the city council chambers or the district court lobby on the bottom floor of the Pine Bluff–Jefferson County (Ark.) Library, where he stands beside defendants as if they’re mingling at a cocktail party. The library board evicted Brown from the theater on the bottom floor of the library, the courtroom he’s called home since October 2001. The eviction came after months of feuding between city officials and Library Director Dave Burdick about use of the bottom floor....
Little Rock Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, Apr. 7

Tulare County cites reasons for firing library worker
Tulare County, California, officials have issued a list of 13 reasons why they fired library assistant Brenda Biesterfeld in March after she reported to police that a man was viewing pornography in the county’s Lindsay branch. Among those reasons is a claim that Biesterfeld failed to tell the supervisor she called, Judi Hill, that the man on the computer February 28 was viewing pornography involving children rather than adult pornography....
Visalia (Calif.) Times-Delta, Apr. 9

The life of a library branch manager
Jason Kuhl is the manager of St. Louis County (Mo.) Library’s Cliff Cave branch. He’s been working in the library system for eight years and agreed to answer questions about the experiences, challenges, and rewards of being a public librarian....
St. Louis South Side Journal, Apr. 8

Ruling is setback for Indianapolis library case
A ruling by a Boone County judge has narrowed the claims left against two engineering and inspection firms blamed for errors on the Central Library project. The decision is a setback for the Indianapolis–Marion County Public Library in its legal quest to recoup cost overruns estimated at more than $50 million. So far, it has collected more than $20 million through settlements with design and construction firms....
Indianapolis Star, Apr. 9

Fresno students get more library options
Fresno (Calif.) Central Unified school district will keep five of its school libraries open this summer to provide a much-needed place to check out books and encourage students to read. The Fresno County Library has no branches in the area, despite explosive growth. A library is planned for the northwest section, but the county has not bought land or set an opening date....
Fresno (Calif.) Bee, Apr. 3

How many of these have you read?
The Telegraph presents its list of the 110 best books to populate the perfect library, organized by category, each with a short summary. For example, Marcel Proust’s A la recherche de temps perdu: “A novel whose every sentence can be a struggle to finish may sound forbidding, but this masterpiece of modernity, taking us into every nook and cranny of the narrator’s fascinating mind, is worth all the effort.”…
The Telegraph (U.K.), Apr. 6

Two Bristol schools remove gay-friendly books
Two primary schools in Bristol, England, have withdrawn storybooks about same-sex relationships after objections from Muslim parents. Up to 90 parents gathered at the schools to complain about King & King and And Tango Makes Three. Bristol City Council said the two schools had been using the books to help prevent homophobic bullying. The two schools are 60–70% Muslim, but non-Muslim parents were among those who complained, many objecting that parents were not consulted on the titles....
Daily Mail (U.K.), Apr. 2

Flickr expands into online video
Yahoo will begin showing homemade videos on its online photo-sharing site Flickr, in a long-anticipated move that may be too late to lure many people away from the dominant video channel, Google’s YouTube. Flickr’s video technology, which debuted April 8, represents the latest example of Yahoo trying to catch up to Google in a crucial battleground. Only Flickr’s pro members—those who pay for an annual subscription—will be allowed to transfer video clips of up to 90 seconds to the site, but anyone will be able to watch them....
Chicago Tribune, Apr. 9

Top 10 ways to trick out your desktop
Kevin Purdy writes: “For something that you look at every day of your working life, your computer desktop doesn’t get as much attention as it deserves. That’s too bad, considering that the desktop can do a lot more than display wallpaper and hold shortcut icons. From widgets to workflows, from calendars to computer stats and beyond, you can do a whole lot on your desktop without manually starting up a single program. Here’s our top 10 list of applications and tweaks that make your desktop a truly useful place to land.”...
Lifehacker, Apr. 9

New life for Windows XP
Microsoft announced April 3 that it will continue making Windows XP Home Edition available until at least June 2010 on ultra-low-cost PCs, such as the ASUS Eee. The decision was prompted by Microsoft’s hardware manufacturing partners, who wanted the “familiarity, compatibility, and support only available on the Windows platform,” according to Microsoft. The machines have less computing horsepower and smaller screens than typical desktops and laptops, so XP makes more sense for them than Vista....
PC Magazine, Apr. 3

Nine free online storage solutions
Samuel Dean writes: “The price of storage has been dropping dramatically for some time now, and along with that trend, web workers now have an ever-expanding set of options for backing up and sharing files online. In addition, the various services you can use offer many different kinds of options—so how much capacity you get with free online offerings isn’t necessarily the only issue any more.”…
Web Worker Daily, Apr. 2

How to troubleshoot your home network
Having a hard time with your home wireless network? Lincoln Spector tackles some pressing networking questions, including “Why can’t my PCs see each other on the network?” “How do I share a printer?” and “Why does my wireless speed vary so much?”...
PC World, Mar. 7

10 ways the internet could die
Alistair Croll writes: “We often think of the internet as a platform for unfettered global communication, where information flows freely, innovators can launch new applications at will, and everyone can have a voice. But it’s unlikely that our children’s internet will look anything like what we have now. How might the internet as we know it die? Here are 10 possibilities.”…
GigaOM, Apr. 6

Seattle Mariners, state librarian play ball for literacy
The Seattle Mariners and Washington State Librarian Jan Walsh teamed up for literacy at Safeco Field March 31 to kick off the 2008 baseball season. This year’s festivities included the unveiling of a Washington Reads poster promoting pitcher Miguel Batista, who authored the book Sentimentos en Blanco y Negro. The poster will be mailed to public and school libraries throughout the state to celebrate baseball season and National Library Week....
Washington Secretary of State, Mar. 31

San Francisco PL offers designer library cards
San Francisco Public Library users can choose from four colorful styles for their library card, all designed by young artists in the city. Last May, SFPL and the San Francisco Unified School District held a children’s library card art contest. The winning designs in each category—preschool, elementary school, middle school, and high school—are now available to patrons....
San Francisco Public Library, Apr. 7

Library of Congress Experience to launch April 12
The Library of Congress will honor seven new Living Legends as part of its public celebration on April 12 at the Thomas Jefferson Building. The ceremony will help mark the opening of the “Library of Congress Experience,” which offers visitors the opportunity to explore rare historical and cultural treasures through interactive technology and a companion website. Living Legend awards will be presented by Librarian of Congress James H. Billington and Master of Ceremonies Mickey Hart, Grateful Dead percussionist and Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee....
Library of Congress, Apr. 8

Why go to book groups?
Nick DiMartino writes: “Why talk about reading when you can be reading instead? A conversation composed of addicted readers is a room full of people who aren’t enjoying their addiction. For moderate readers, socializing is a pleasant break from solitude, but for reading addicts who need their hundred pages a day, a reading group means temporarily closing your book. And possibly (shudder!) having to do without your fix that night.”…
Book Group Buzz, Apr. 4

Turning on the light at school
Marc Prensky writes: “For most of history, kids grew up in the dark intellectually. Right up until the mid-20th century, when television became widespread, the world outside their own neighborhoods was largely unknown to them, until they got to school. Today’s kids grow up in the light. They’re deeply immersed in it long before educators ever see them. Yet somehow schools have decided that all the light that surrounds kids—their electronic connections to the world—is somehow detrimental to their education.”…
Educational Leadership 65, no. 6 (Mar.): 40–45

Students want more games
Educators are largely missing out on what could be a huge opportunity to capitalize on their students’ appetite for electronic games and simulations to teach them about core curriculum topics, results from a new national survey suggest. Project Tomorrow’s fifth annual Speak Up Survey reveals that online or electronic gaming is one of the technologies that students use most frequently—and that educational gaming is one of the emerging technologies that students would most like to see implemented in their schools. Yet, only one in 10 teachers has adopted gaming as an instructional tool....
eSchool News, Apr. 8

Peterborough Town Library celebrates 175th year
The Peterborough (N.H.) Town Library is celebrating its 175th anniversary April 9, making it the oldest tax-supported library in the world. The library was established in 1833 due to the efforts of Unitarian minister Abiel Abbot, who encouraged the creation of a library owned by the town for the benefit of residents. The Peterborough Town Library was the first of its kind, a successful experiment in books owned collectively by a town. In 1849, New Hampshire enacted a law that allowed other municipalities to establish similar libraries....
Peterborough Town Library

How green is your PC?
Personal computers have become so entrenched in our daily lives that it’s hard to remember what life was like pre-PC. Rumor has it that people took quizzes with pencil and paper, and that scoring was accomplished through a tedious manual procedure. No longer! Now you can test your green PC knowledge in a mere 11 clicks with this binary true/false quiz. Sharpen your cursor and test your knowledge of how your PC affects the environment….
Sierra Club

New York Public to expand its LGBT collections
A new donor support group, LGBT @ NYPL, will help to expand, build, and make accessible the New York Public Library’s extensive Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender collections, one of the few such efforts by a non-LGBT organization. At an inaugural reception April 3 at the Library, LGBT @ NYPL’s Cochairmen Hermes Mallea and Carey Maloney announced it has raised more than $500,000 in corporate and private donations for the project....

Ebrary offers access to library science e-books
In support of National Library Week, April 13–19, e-content provider ebrary announced April 9 that it will provide librarians as well as students and faculty in library science and related programs with complimentary access to its Library Center for one year. The Library Center includes more than 85 full-text e-books covering topics such as digital library development, general collection development, and the history of libraries and librarianship, as well as illustrated guides from the Library of Congress....
ebrary, Apr. 9

Library War anime series
The official website of the Library War anime series has posted a promotional trailer (2:43) and commercial (0:15), both in Japanese, for a new action-comedy anime TV series that adapts Hiro Arikawa’s popular novel about battles fought to preserve libraries when a new law threatens to clamp down on freedom of expression in 2019. Production I.G is producing the series, which will debut on Japanese television on April 10. Takayuki Hamana (Chocolate Underground, The Prince of Tennis) is directing....
Anime News Network, Apr. 3

An academic freedom quiz
Steven Bell writes: “As a profession we’ve spent lots of time debating academic freedom and tenure for academic librarians. Do academic librarians need the protections of academic freedom? If not, why do they need tenure? If yes, why are some on the tenure track and not others? If you already have a deep understanding of academic freedom and intellectual freedom that’s outstanding, but if not or you want to test your knowledge, take this quiz.”...
ACRLog, Apr. 8

How special libraries do it
This 37-second PSA, “Need Information? Contact Your Special Librarian Today,” was prepared by a special librarian at a structural engineering firm in north suburban Chicago for What’s New in Libraries, an award-winning local cable show hosted by Sarah A. Long....
YouTube, Apr. 3

ALA Annual Conference in Anaheim, California, June 26–July 2. Hotel registration is now open and available. If you are experiencing difficulties with this website, please call our housing bureau directly at (800) 974-9833.

June 29 is Bookmobile Sunday in Anaheim. “Mobile Libraries: Driving Library Services into the Future” is packed full of valuable bookmobile content and will culminate with a presentation and book signing by Masha Hamilton, author of The Camel Bookmobile. The program is a ticketed event requiring additional registration. Afterwards, watch the West Coast bookmobile parade.

During National Library Week, libraries of all types will host special gaming programs in support of a new literacy initiative called Gaming @ your library. Historically, libraries have provided print resources, but as new formats have been introduced, libraries have included them in their collections. Check out ALA’s gaming resources page.

ALA is working with WGBH-TV in Boston on the upcoming national outreach campaign for the film The Truth About Cancer, which will air on PBS on April 16 at 9 p.m. (check local listings). The 90-minute documentary film will be the launching pad for events and projects across the country focused on creating community conversations around cancer survivorship. Free outreach toolkits are available.