Contents
U.S. & World News
ALA News
AL Focus
Booklist Online
Division News
Awards
Seen Online
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Fired West Virginia archivist appeals dismissal
Fred Armstrong (far right), West Virginia state archivist for 22 years until he was abruptly fired last November, is appealing the dismissal of his case in Kanawha Circuit Court, arguing that he deserves a full hearing with the state Public Employees Grievance Board. State officials have not specified a reason for the termination, although Armstrong believes the action was taken because of his opposition to a plan to put a café in the archive’s space after merging it with the state library....

D.C. Public Library weighs impact of budget cuts
The District of Columbia Public Library is weighing the potential impact of its 2009 budget, which calls for the elimination of 74 unfilled staff positions from FY2008, a 14% reduction in its workforce. Adopted in June by the city council, the new budget may require all the city’s libraries to reduce hours, but neither layoffs nor suspension of a years-long capital-improvement project are anticipated....

Historic Maine library destroyed by lightning
The Swan’s Island (Maine) Library burned to the ground July 24 after it was hit by lightning during an early morning thunderstorm. Librarian Candis Joyce said that in addition to more than 10,000 volumes, the library held irreplaceable local-history materials, including genealogical records, historic photographs, archives from local quarries, weather data, and ferry logs. The collection had been housed for the past 10 years in the Atlantic Schoolhouse, a century-old, two-story structure that served as a village school from 1903 to 1954....

Website transition update
In fall 2008, ALA will unveil a redesigned website, with a new look and easier navigation. The redesign is the culmination of two years of gathering information from focus groups, interviews, usability tests, surveys, and other feedback loops. As we migrate our vast array of web pages this summer, please contact the ALA Library (800-545-2433, x2153) if you need assistance locating specific content or updates during our migration. We invite you to preview the site’s new look....
ALA Marginalia, July 30

Carol A. Nemeyer Memorial Fund created
The Freedom to Read Foundation has created the Carol A. Nemeyer Memorial Fund in honor of the former ALA President who died in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, June 30. A member of the board of trustees of the Freedom to Read Foundation, Nemeyer was, during a long and distinguished career, a passionate advocate for libraries and their essential role in creating an informed citizenry....

Volunteer for an ALA committee
ALA President-elect Camila Alire is seeking applicants and nominees for appointments to 2009–2010 ALA and Council committees. The deadline for submitting applications and nominations is December 5. Applicants are required to complete an online committee volunteer form that will be available September 12....

There’s still time to thank Julie Andrews
Hundreds of librarians and library supporters stopped by the Campaign for America’s Libraries exhibit space at ALA Annual Conference in Anaheim, Calfornia, to write personal messages of appreciation for the entertainment icon’s efforts on behalf of libraries and librarians as the Honorary Chair of National Library Week 2008. An electronic card is now available to allow more library supporters to thank her for her efforts. Click on the poster above....

ALA joins FCC comments about content filtering
ALA, in conjunction with the Center for Democracy and Technology, Media Access Project, and 18 other public-interest and industry organizations, have filed joint comments (PDF file) urging the FCC to abandon its proposed content-filtering mandate for the AWS-3 network. In its attempt to create a family-friendly online environment, the proposal conflicts with traditional First Amendment protections, requiring an AWS-3 service provider to block access to any text or video content that might harm a 5-year-old child in any way....
District Dispatch, July 28

Many Voices, Many Nations
Author and filmmaker Sherman Alexie headlined the Many Voices, Many Nations program June 27 at the ALA Annual Conference in Anaheim, California, following nine other speakers of Native American origin. This recap (6:24) of the event showcases the literature, poetry, song, and humor delivered by Alexie, master of ceremonies José A. Aponte of the San Diego County Library, musician Arigon Starr (above), and other speakers....

Honoring Lois Ann Gregory-Wood
On July 2, ALA Council adopted a resolution to recognize the 40 years of service of Lois Ann Gregory-Wood. Beginning at ALA’s distribution office on October 11, 1968, Gregory-Wood went on to serve in a variety of positions leading up to her current role as Council Secretariat. The Council congratulated her on her outstanding work ethic, customer service, and promotion of ALA’s missions. A photo montage of the celebration is available in this short (1:18) video....

The American Dream Starts @ your library
Dale Lipschultz (right), literary officer with the ALA Office for Literacy and Outreach Services, discusses (6:55) the American Dream Starts @ your library grant initiative sponsored by ALA and the Dollar General Foundation. The initiative’s purpose is to collect literacy resources that libraries have already developed for adult English-language learners, and to provide funding for libraries who need money to undertake such services....

ALCTS President’s Program to feature James Cuno
James Cuno, president and director of the Art Institute of Chicago, will be the featured speaker for the 2009 ALCTS President’s Program at the ALA Annual Meeting in Chicago. Cuno is the author of Who Owns Antiquity? Museums and the Battle over Our Ancient Heritage. The program will take place July 13....

YALSA offers read-alikes for Breaking Dawn
Bella Swan’s saga draws to a close with the August 2 release of Breaking Dawn, the final book of Stephenie Meyer’s Twilight saga. But YALSA can help parents, librarians, and educators keep the attention of teens hooked on Bella and her romances with vampire Edward and werewolf Jacob with read-alikes and resources for planning teen-focused programs. The 2009 Popular Paperbacks for Young Adults list, Dead, Dying and the Undead, is a good starting point to find similar titles....

ALSC to offer four online CE courses
ALSC is offering four online continuing education courses October 6 through November 14, including: “Reading Instruction and Children’s Books” (Katherine Todd); “The Tech Savvy Booktalker” (Nancy J. Keane); “The Technology-Enhanced Library Professional” (Sara Fisher); and “Sharing Poetry with Children” (Sylvia M. Vardell). Registration opens for the first session on August 11....

Spectrum Scholarship winners announced
The ALA Office for Diversity has chosen its 2008 Spectrum Scholars. The Spectrum Scholarship Program aims at recruiting applicants and awarding scholarships to American Indian/Alaska Native, Asian, Black/African American, Hispanic/Latino, and Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander students for graduate programs in library and information studies. Ten of the 2008 Spectrum Scholarships have been funded by proceeds from the ALA/ProQuest Scholarship Bash....

ALA scholarship winners
ALA has named the winners of eight scholarships to help finance education through ALA-accredited degree programs: Maile Claire McGrew-Frede (Marshall Cavendish Scholarship), Rebecca Marie Iserman (Tom and Roberta Drewes Scholarship), Linda Ann Christian (David H. Clift Scholarship), Ivy Kathleen Marvel (Mary V. Gaver Scholarship), Oscar Rene Lanza-Galindo (Miriam L. Hornback Scholarship), Kathryn Ruth Pettegrew (Christopher J. Hoy/ERT Scholarship), Denelle Elaine Eads (Tony B. Leisner Scholarship), and Alina J. Johnson (Cicely Phippen Marks Scholarship)....

2009 Arbuthnot Lecture to be held in Clinton, Tennessee
ALSC has chosen the Riggio-Lynch Interfaith Chapel, designed by noted architect Maya Lin, in Clinton, Tennessee, as the site of the 2009 May Hill Arbuthnot Honor Lecture. Author Walter Dean Myers will deliver the lecture April 19, hosted by the Langston Hughes Library of the Children’s Defense Fund Haley Farm with the support of the University of Tennessee and the Knox County Public Library....

Green Earth Book Awards
Winston of Churchill: One Bear’s Battle Against Global Warming, written by Jean Davies Okimoto and illustrated by Jeremiah Trammell (Sasquatch, 2007), is the winner in the children’s fiction category of the 2008 Green Earth Book Awards, sponsored by the Newton Marasco Foundation to honor books that best raise awareness of the beauty of the natural world and our responsibility to protect it....
Newton Marasco Foundation

2008 Christian (Audio)Book of the Year
The Evangelical Christian Publishers Association announced the six category winners of the 2008 Christian Book Awards during the International Christian Retail Show July 13 in Orlando, Florida. The Christian Book of the Year is The Word of Promise New Testament Audio Bible (Thomas Nelson), featuring readers Michael York, Stacy Keach, Lou Gossett Jr., and Marisa Tomei in a scripted dramatization of the New King James Version....
Evangelical Christian Publishers Association, July 13

Chino Hills quake: Library damage slight
The most intense earthquake to ripple across Orange County in more than a decade damaged buildings, sparked a fire, and shut down the rides at Disneyland in a few moments of hard shaking July 29. In Placentia’s public library, ceiling tiles pulled loose and whole sections of ceiling were sagging; city officials said the library was not safe and would likely be closed for one or two weeks. The quake also cracked plaster and loosened ceiling tiles at the Nixon Presidential Library and Museum in Yorba Linda. The Los Angeles Public Library (above) had some books topple from the shelves....
Orange County (Calif.) Register, July 29; Los Angeles Times, July 30

Dewey and Cutter remembered
Melvil Dewey (left), director of the Amherst College library in the 1870s, and Charles Ammi Cutter, director of the Forbes Library in Northampton, Masschusetts, in the 1890s, were friends, ALA cofounders, and recognized visionaries in the library sciences. But they were also rivals for the same narrowly defined place in history. In the end, character may have been destiny. “You would have liked Cutter if you met him; you wouldn’t have liked Dewey,” says Wayne A. Wiegand, professor of library and information sciences at Florida State University....
Springfield (Mass.) Republican, July 28

Bob, the Ellington library cat
As residents filtered into the Hall Memorial Library in Ellington, Connecticut, during a hot and sticky July day, Bob, the library’s cat-in-residence, beat the heat by napping on a chair in the reading room. Bob has been napping in chairs, and on countertops, tables, and the floor since he started hanging around the library in the winter of 2004, according to library director Susan Phillips. Residents fawn over the docile feline whenever they come in the door....
Manchester (Conn.) Journal Inquirer, July 18

Online, R U really reading?
As teenagers’ scores on standardized reading tests have declined or stagnated, some argue that the hours spent prowling the internet are the enemy of reading—diminishing literacy, wrecking attention spans, and destroying a precious common culture that exists only through the reading of books. But others say the internet has created a new kind of reading, one that schools and society should not discount....
New York Times, July 27

Sacramento library ponders reply to grand jury report
The Sacramento (Calif.) Public Library’s governing board weighed a proposal July 24 to reject the bulk of the recommendations made in a blistering assessment by the county grand jury, including a suggestion that library Director Anne Marie Gold be fired. The board did not vote on the draft response, putting it off until an August 6 meeting. But members of the panel gave little indication they opposed much in the proposal, instead discussing only technical changes....
Sacramento (Calif.) Bee, July 25

Diane Chen wants to make libraries better
About four years ago, Diane Chen’s son ruptured his kidney while kneeboarding. Chen, who has been a librarian at Hickman Elementary in Donelson, Tennessee, the past 11 years, was scheduled to go to the ALA Annual Conference in Orlando as state representative. “When we knew my son was going to be OK, he told me, ‘Go make libraries better,’” Chen said....
Nashville Tennessean, July 28

Private fundraising opens Wellesley branches
Two years after the Wellesley, Massachusetts, voters rejected public funding that would have allowed two branch libraries to remain open, both locations are now set to reopen their doors. Marla Robinson, chairwoman of the Wellesley Free Library Board of Trustees, said a private fundraising effort launched in October 2006 has raised more than $240,000 to reopen the Hills (above) and Fells branches in September....
Boston Globe, July 29

Library raised $10,000, one penny at a time
The children’s room at Peter White Public Library in Marquette, Michigan, has successfully completed its collection of a million pennies. The million mark was reached recently, ending a campaign that started in 2001 in conjunction with an exhibit about math that asked the question, “How much is a million?” after the book of the same title by David M. Schwartz. The money will be used to create an endowment fund for children’s materials and programming....
Marquette (Mich.) Mining Journal, July 29

Libraries shine in tough economic times
With the economy slowing, many Americans are doing research in the public library. Boyd County (Ky.) Library Director Debbie Cosper says (audio, 4:07) public-use computers are always full and people are checking out books rather than buying them....
All Things Considered, NPR, July 29

Critics blast new Providence Public Library plan
The board of trustees of the Providence Public Library came under fire July 24 by more than two-dozen critics for its failure to reopen the Washington Park branch. They also derided a proposed pact between the library and the city that would commit the city to giving $3.5 million annually for the next four years even if the board decides next year to cut services in the neighborhood branches....
Providence Journal, July 25

Saltsburg library to close
Citing a shortage in funding and a decline in patronage, Saltsburg (Pa.) Free Library officials said the 99-year-old resource center will close August 1. A mass resignation of current library board members also is expected next month. Board Treasurer Kelly Corridoni believes the library has fallen victim to a combination of rising costs and a general trend of dwindling funds that can be tapped for such facilities in small communities....
Blairsville (Pa.) Dispatch, July 25

Legal fees add to strapped Windsor Public Library problems
The cash-strapped Windsor, Ontario, library board, which is considering closing branches to make up for funding cutbacks, has spent an estimated $10,000 so far on legal advice surrounding its current CEO, who remains on paid sick leave while clerking at a local law firm. Windsor Mayor Eddie Francis said it was “insulting” that library CEO Brian Bell is working at a law firm while drawing a reported salary of around $133,000 since going on paid sick leave in the spring. Bell, who said the city paid about $20,000 in tuition for his law school education, cited stress and medical concerns for his sick leave....
Windsor (Ont.) Star, July 28

Colorado woman founds Nicaragua’s first lending library
Jane Mirandette is giving power to the people of Nicaragua—one book at a time. In the past seven years, the Loveland, Colorado, resident has established the first lending library in the country, created a traveling reading program for schools, and helped found 25 more libraries around Central America. With 12,500 books in English and Spanish, the San Juan del Sur Public Library lends them to almost 5,000 library cardholders....
Loveland (Colo.) Reporter-Herald, July 27

Discovery of Genji text causes a stir
The literary world is abuzz with the discovery of a complete medieval manuscript of Genji Monogatari (The Tale of Genji), which scholars say will likely shed light on the original text of this 11th-century masterpiece. The classic work of prose is considered by many people to be the world’s first full-length novel. The 13th-century manuscript, called the “Osawa Book,” was owned by the Osawa family in Nara Prefecture, Japan, until World War II, but its whereabouts had remained unknown since then....
Tokyo Asahi Shimbun, July 23

How to lose your Cuil 20 seconds after launch
Erick Schonfeld writes: “The hype cycle now lasts less than a day. Take yesterday’s over-hyped launch of stealth search startup Cuil, which was quickly followed by a backlash when everyone realized that it was selling a bill of goods by portraying itself as a Google-killing search app. This was entirely the company’s own fault. It prebriefed every blogger and tech journalist on the planet, but didn’t allow anyone to actually test the search engine before the launch.”...
TechCrunch, July 29

Videoconferencing: Easier than ever
Errol A. Pierre-Louis writes: “When you can’t meet face-to-face, meeting webcam-to-webcam is the way to go. Whether you want to chat with a friend or have an informal business meeting, videoconferencing is more personal than voice-only conference calling, and it’s a lot cheaper (and greener) than today’s plane trips. But you’ll need the right software and webcam to get the most out of your video meeting. The newest generation of videoconferencing applications features improved interfaces, smoother video streaming, and clearer audio.”...
PC Magazine, July 30

End of the line for cassette tapes
Walter Minkel writes: “If you’ve been a librarian for more than a couple of years, you probably have memories connected to cassette tapes—circulating those book ’n’ tape combinations; practicing your storytime songs or puppet shows or storytelling; or learning songs in your car on the way to work. But those days are mostly over, and the cassette tape will soon join its brother, the 8-track, and its cousins, the 5 1/4 and 3 1/2-inch floppy disks and the VCR cassette, in the Misty Never-Never Land of Obsolete Technologies.”...
The Monkey Speaks, July 28

Taking digital preservation seriously
Andy Guess writes: “Librarians from research universities are collaborating to tackle a host of digital preservation problems that so far have no satisfactory solution. They include hardware complexities, such as constructing storage devices that continuously monitor and repair data while remaining easily scalable; redundancy measures, such as distributing and duplicating data across storage devices or across the country; universal standards, such as formats that can remain readable in the distant future; and interfaces, such as open software protocols that manage digital holdings and make them accessible to the public.”...
Inside Higher Ed, July 23

Web Harvester captures digital images
OCLC is now offering Web Harvester, a product that allows libraries and other cultural heritage institutions to capture and add web content to their digital collections managed by OCLC’s CONTENTdm Digital Collection Management Software. OCLC’s Web Harvester addresses the need to store and provide access to otherwise highly transient information resources that solely exist on websites....
OCLC, July 29

Top 10 command line tools
Kevin Purdy writes: “When you need something done quickly, efficiently, and without any software overhead, the command line (or terminal) is where it’s at. It was the first way humans told computers what to do, but as graphics became increasingly important, the command line became an insiders’ secret weapon. But with the right commands and a little bit of know-how, anyone can get things done from a text-only interface. Let’s take a look at 10 commands and tricks that make the terminal more accessible, and more powerful, on any system.”...
Lifehacker, July 30

The great chick-lit cover-up
Diane Shipley writes: “When we look at a book, its cover tells us what to expect. A pink paperback featuring a smiling young woman is most likely a female-centric summer read, whereas a gun on a black background is probably a murder story. A few simple, aesthetic rules narrow our options, make life easier, and ensure none of us has to wander Waterstone’s for hours, wailing in confusion. And yet the rules seem to be changing.”...
The Telegraph (U.K.), July 29

Great opening sentences from science fiction
Charlie Jane Anders writes: “You can tell a lot about a science fiction book from its first sentence. Those first few words (or few dozen, in some cases) have to pull you into the story and bring you into a whole alternate world. A good first sentence hooks you, pulling you into the story with a quick jolt of action and mystery. But a great first sentence does way more than that—it establishes a tone and it sticks in your mind like a little otherworldly koan, confounding your expectations.”...
io9: Strung Out on Science Fiction, July 24

Librarians harvest manga at Comic-Con
In the quest to attract young readers, librarians are increasingly stocking up on the latest comic books and graphic novels. This week, they mingled with comic enthusiasts at Comic-Con, a massively popular arts convention in San Diego, poring over manga, or Japanese comics, and attending panels specifically aimed at librarians who want to reach younger audiences....
All Things Considered, NPR, July 28

The Map of Early Modern London
This site maps the streets, sites, and significant boundaries of late 16th-century and early 17th-century London. You can find many of the theatres and landmarks of Shakespeare’s time, and learn about the history and culture of the city in which he lived and worked. Navigation is by index or by tagged map section; an experimental map adds Google-style layers to the map platform. Janelle Jenstad, assistant professor of English at the University of Victoria, British Columbia, is editor and coordinator of the project....
Map of Early Modern London

Sony adopts epub standard for its Reader
The International Digital Publishing Forum’s epub e-book standard received a big vote of support July 24 when Sony announced that effective immediately its Sony Reader will now support the standard. Beginning in August, all new devices shipped will use epub, and right now owners of existing devices can visit the Sony support site to update their device’s software for epub support....
Publishers Weekly, July 24

Factors that improve the online experience
The Institute for Dynamic Educational Advancement has released a report that sheds light on how people find information online and how the experience of website visitors can be improved. Some of its key findings: Easy access to complete information is key to visitor enjoyment; visitors want information fast; and designers are overly optimistic about visitors’ ability to maintain orientation. More than 50% report that there is a gap between what they are looking for and what typical websites provide, and 60% think that a personal navigational guide would help....
Institute for Dynamic Educational Advancement

Swinging votes: Can libraries do it?
Jenny Levine writes: “If you’re in a public library, I can’t encourage you enough to get a copy of this new OCLC report, From Awareness to Funding, and read it for yourself. You can download one big PDF, download individual chapters, or order a print copy (highly recommended for administrators and trustees). The survey identifies four types of voters—chronic nonvoters, voters with barriers to support (financial, detached, “the web wins”), probable supporters, and super supporters. The report examines each one in depth, based on surveys and focus group discussions about funding support for libraries.”...
The Shifted Librarian, July 29

Princeton Review ranks college libraries
According to a survey by the Princeton Review that asked 120,000 students at 368 colleges to rate their schools on dozens of topics and report on their campus experiences, Harvard, Princeton, and Duke University have the top three libraries in the United States. Ranking lists report the top 20 colleges in this and more than 50 other categories in the 2009 edition of the Princeton Review’s annual college guide The Best 368 Colleges....
Princeton Review, July 28

A tribute to the bookmobile
There are few visions of library service that are more inspiring than that of a bookmobile and its staff providing books to young children. Not only did the Washington County (Md.) Free Library have the first horse-and-wagon bookmobile (1905), it was also one of the first libraries in the United States to use a motorized vehicle as a bookmobile (by 1913). Bookmobiles have also appeared on seven postage stamps in six countries....
Library History Buff

Electronic library kiosk bound for Iraq
Camp Victory in Iraq is nearly 2,000 miles from the nearest Army library in Europe. But troops deployed at the sprawling base near Baghdad International Airport soon will have access to a broad spectrum of library resources through an e-Branch kiosk. A team of movers packed and loaded the kiosk July 14 at the European Regional Library Support Center in Heidelberg, Germany, for shipment to Camp Victory, where it will be installed at the Victory Education Center....
American Forces Press Service, July 22

The 5th Annual September Project
The September Project is a grassroots effort to encourage events about freedom and democracy in all libraries in all countries during the month of September. September Project events are free and organized locally. In 2004, Sarah Washburn and David Silver began the project to break the silence following September 11 and to invite all people into libraries to consider topics of patriotism, democracy, and citizenship. Since then, more than 1,200 public, academic, school, government, and special libraries in 35 countries have hosted and organized September Project events....
The September Project

Internet Archive opens up NASA space library
NASA is making its huge collection of historic photographs, films, and video available to the public for the first time. A partnership with the nonprofit Internet Archive is offering 21 major NASA imagery collections merged into a single searchable online resource at NASAImages. The launch is the first step in a five-year partnership that will add millions of images and thousands of hours of video and audio content....
Incisive Media, July 25

Minneapolis Public Library guards go the extra mile
Paul Schmelzer writes: “My 12-year-old Thai nephew Seven, who’s been living with us since late March, was at the Minneapolis Public Library when his bike was stolen. The library security guards let him use the phone to call me, got a description of the bike, and said they’d check out their security camera tape to see if they could spot the theft. Then on Saturday, we got a call from the library: ‘We’ve got Seven’s bike.’ Only it wasn’t the one that had been taken: It was a new Schwinn BMX bike, just his height—and paid for out-of-pocket by several of the guards.”...
Eyeteeth, July 28

10 social networking tips for libraries
Sarah Houghton-Jan writes: “Part of Library 2.0 is social software, and as more and more libraries put themselves out there on social networks it becomes increasingly important that we do so in a way that works well for ourselves and for our users. How can we best take advantage of these community-building tools? 1. Do your research.”...
Librarian in Black, July 28

Balancing real and virtual worlds
Librarians who spend part of their work time in such virtual worlds as Second Life, ActiveWorld, or Kaneva, or who are planning future activities for Second Life or other virtual worlds are invited to participate in a research study. The goal is to investigate how library staff balance real-life library duties with their virtual-world library duties. The results will be published in an international journal and shared with members of LITA....
East Carolina University

Help rebuild the Yap State Public Library
On April 9, 2004, Typhoon Sudal hit Yap, an island group in the Federated States of Micronesia in the western Pacific. The Yap State Public Library, serving a population of 8,000, was devastated. Today, Yap has a beautifully rebuilt facility (right), but little additional funding exists to restore the collection of books, library materials, computers, shelving, equipment, and furniture to serve its community. If you are willing to help, contact Peter Lor or Arlene Cohen....
International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions, June 27