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

Libraries toppled in devastating Chinese earthquake
The 7.9-magnitude earthquake that struck Sichuan Province in western China on the afternoon of May 12 killed more than 40,000 people and left another 5 million homeless. In the week after the quake, the Library Society of China posted information on damage to libraries in the region on its Chinese-language website. The library building in Beichuan County collapsed, burying five staff members under the debris, but all were rescued after being trapped for more than 70 hours. The Chinese American Librarians Association has set up a website for donations to support earthquake recovery efforts in China....

Arkansas library regroups after tornado stops service
The Stuttgart (Ark.) Public Library will be closed for several months as it struggles to recover from at least $300,000 in damage caused by a May 10 tornado that cut a three-quarter-mile swath through the southern part of the town. No library staff were injured, although one staff member and five of the seven trustees have had significant damage to their homes. All together, townspeople suffered the destruction of 200 homes and 50 businesses. All nine people injured in the tornado have since been released from the hospital....

Library advocates converge on the Capitol
More than 400 librarians and library supporters converged on Washington, D.C., May 13–14 for ALA’s 34th annual National Library Legislative Day. They came from as far away as Hawaii and from a variety of libraries to lobby their members of Congress on such issues as copyright, telecommunications, and funding. “Vote for Libraries!” was the message of the day and the enthusiastic crowd set out to bring that message to their senators and representatives....

Memphis city council nixes mayor’s branch closures
A Memphis (Tenn.) City Council budget committee nixed May 14 Mayor Willie Herenton’s proposal to transition the Memphis Public Library and Information Center from a neighborhood-library system to a regional model by closing five branches for a $2-million savings while appropriating $1 million to buy land on which to build two regional facilities....

San Jose library’s filter report not enough for city councilor
In spite of the San Jose (Calif.) Public Library’s detailed report (PDF file) on the ineffectiveness of software filtering, City Councilor Pete Constant (right) insisted at a May 14 council meeting that the library take some measures to restrict pornography on its public computers. Constant had requested last October 18 that the library reconsider its no-filter policy in the light of a local TV news report that purported to document instances of patrons viewing pornography at library computer terminals....

Retail developer edges out DCPL relocation plan
A plan proposed by former District of Columbia Mayor Anthony Williams to build a new central library on the site of the old convention center has fallen through. Current Mayor Adrian Fenty announced May 12 that the city had reached an agreement with a developer to build a luxury hotel and up to 100,000 square feet of retail space on the site instead. DCPL Chief Information Officer George Williams said that the library was focusing on revitalizing branch libraries. The library has a number of other branch-renovation projects (above) in various stages...

Orphan works bills move through Congress
Both houses of Congress are acting on measures designed to limit the liability of good-faith users of orphan works—copyrighted works whose owners are difficult or impossible to find. The Senate Judiciary Committee unanimously approved the Shawn Bentley Orphan Works Act of 2008 (S.2913) May 15, while a companion bill was adopted by a House subcommittee. ALA has urged its members to support the Senate version....

Literacy efforts for Native children
ALA President Loriene Roy will welcome an array of presenters to her President’s Program, to be held 3:30–5:30 p.m., June 29, at Annual Conference in Anaheim, California, to discuss literacy efforts for indigenous children. This media-rich program will include remarks from claymation artist and author Roy Boney Jr. (right), along with other tribal school educators who will discuss efforts to support English and Native language literacy programs for Native children....

Virtual Library Day on the Hill—in Anaheim
The Washington Office is hosting an event at ALA’s 2008 Annual Conference in Anaheim that is set to steal the spotlight of election year politics: Virtual Library Day on the Hill, which will take place on July 1 from 8 a.m. to noon. Conference attendees will have the chance to both email and fax their Members of Congress on important library issues, using computer terminals located on the exhibit floor....
District Dispatch, May 21

Open Society Institute gives ALA $350,000 seed grant
ALA has received a $350,000 seed grant from the Open Society Institute. The grant will launch a three-year public engagement initiative to inspire library patrons and Americans to stand with librarians as they fight to usher in privacy standards for the digital age....

Become an Emerging Leader
ALA is now accepting applications for the 2009 class of Emerging Leaders. The program is designed to enable more than 100 new librarians to get on the fast track to ALA and professional leadership. Participants are given the opportunity to work on a variety of projects, network with peers, and get an inside look into ALA structure and activities. The deadline to apply is July 31....

Celebrity READ posters
Rachel Johnson, director of products and promotions for ALA Graphics, is charged with developing products that promote libraries, literacy, and reading. In this video, Johnson talks about the new Kareem Abdul-Jabbar READ poster produced for Library Card Sign-up Month. She also discusses how ALA Graphics chooses celebrities for the posters....
Visibility @ your library, May 20

ALA website redesign: The podcast
The new ALA website will take a huge step in visual appeal and usability when it debuts at Annual Conference in June. In this podcast (13:58), Billie Peterson-Lugo and Michelle Frisque, the current and past chair of the ALA Website Advisory Committee, are interviewed by Karen Muller about their connections to the redesign. They discuss the process that was followed to perform the website usability study, which ultimately led to new information architecture and graphical design....
ITTS Update, May 15

2008 Freedom to Read Foundation trustees
Five trustees were elected to two-year terms on the board of the Freedom to Read Foundation, beginning in June: Carrie Gardner, Barbara M. Jones, Burton Joseph, Pamela Klipsch, and Kenton Oliver. FTRF was founded in 1969 to promote and defend the right of individuals to freely express ideas and to access information in libraries and elsewhere....

Alexander Street Press breakfast
Enjoy a hearty, California-style breakfast and be the first to learn about Alexander Street’s new series: Critical Video Editions. The breakfast will be held Sunday, June 29, at 7:30 a.m. at the Anaheim Maingate Hotel. Attendees will be treated to a live performance of a scene from Top Secret: The Battle for the Pentagon Papers performed by actors from the L.A. Theatre Works, followed by our guest speaker, Daniel Ellsberg (right). As always, space is limited so be sure to RSVP....
Alexander Street Press

Spokane Moms to speak at Adovocacy Institute
Meet the “Spokane Moms” at the ALA Advocacy Institute, June 27, in Anaheim, California. Founders of the Washington Coalition for School Libraries and Information Technology, Spokane Moms Lisa Layera Brunkan, Denette Hill, and Susan McBurney will discuss their grassroots efforts, which have raised $4 million for school libraries in Washington state....

Conference events with food
There’s no need to go hungry in Anaheim with so many sponsored breakfasts, lunches, dinners, and meet-and-greets in the lineup. Of course, some require tickets or preregistration....

Astor Museum and Event Center
This remarkable collection of some 270 stunning automobiles in pristine working order and driven weekly by their owner, Arthur Astor, is located at 1045 S. East Street in Anaheim. Beyond the six halls housing the automobiles are the communication and radio museums that boast one of the largest collections of antique telephones, a working collection of vintage television sets, antique and vintage radios, and antique commercial radio microphones. Other collections in the museum include model trains, antique gasoline pumps, slot machines, and pedal cars....
Astor Classic Museum and Event Center

ASCLA, ALSC, ACRL, and AASL presidents-elect
Brenda Bailey-Hainer, president and CEO of the Bibliographical Center for Research in Aurora, Colorado, is the new president-elect of ASCLA. Kate McClelland, youth services librarian at Perrot Memorial Library in Old Greenwich, Connecticut, is president-elect of ALSC. Lori A. Goetsch, dean of libraries at Kansas State University in Manhattan, is president-elect of ACRL. And Cassandra G. Barnett, school library media specialist at Fayetteville (Ark.) High School, is president-elect of AASL....

YALSA hosts YA Author Coffee Klatch
Tickets are still available for the June 29 YA Author Coffee Klatch, presented by YALSA at the ALA Annual Conference in Anaheim, California. Attendees will mingle in an informal breakfast setting with more than 25 popular young adult authors whose books have appeared on YALSA’s Best Books for Young Adults list....

Demystifying Library Standards webinar
The National Information Standards Organization and ALCTS have announced the first in a series of webinars on standards in the library environment. “Demystifying Library Standards,” which takes place 1 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. on June 18, will focus on placing standards in context. The speakers will address why standards are important to libraries and not just in the traditional technical services areas....

2008 Melvil Dewey Award winner
Librarian, author, and consultant Sandra Nelson has been chosen to receive the ALA 2008 Melvil Dewey Medal Award, sponsored by OCLC. Beginning this year, OCLC will provide both a $2,000 cash award and the traditional medal. She is the 56th recipient of this prestigious professional honor, given in recognition of creative leadership of a high order. Nelson is the author of PLA’s Strategic Planning for Results (2008)....

National Library Week Grant winner to be honored
Tony Tallent, director of youth and outreach services for the Public Library of Charlotte and Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, and winner of the 2008 Scholastic Library Publishing National Library Week grant, will be honored at the PR Forum at the 2008 Annual Conference in Anaheim, California, June 29, 8–10 a.m....

Diversity stipend winners
YALSA has chosen Helen Snowden (Drexel University) and Angie Miraflor (San Jose Public Library) as the 2008 Supporting Diversity Conference Stipend recipients. Each will receive up to $1,000 to use for registration, housing, and other costs at the ALA Annual Conference in Anaheim....

San Antonio Public Library wins conservation award
The San Antonio (Tex.) Conservation Society honored the San Antonio Public Library with a Historic Preservation Award May 16 for the restoration of its San Pedro Springs Park branch. Built in 1930, it is the library’s oldest existing branch. Renovation architects Kinnison and Associates returned the building to an appearance closely matching the original....
San Antonio Public Library, May 19

2008 Beyond Margins Awards
The PEN American Center announced the recipients of its 2008 Beyond Margins Award, which celebrates outstanding books by writers of color published in the United States during the previous year. Sponsored by the Open Book Program, the award is intended to encourage racial and ethnic diversity within the literary and publishing communities....
PEN American Center, May 15

Delft University may lose rare books after fire
A fire that destroyed the Faculty of Architecture building at Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands may lead to the loss of 40,000 books and illustrated works from as early as the 17th century. As many as 300 people had to be evacuated on May 13 after the fire started on the sixth floor of the building. The library special collections included old plans of Dutch towns and cities, topographical prints, and architectural drawings. Officials suspect that a short-circuit in a coffee machine started the blaze....
TU Delft, May 13; De Volkskrant, May 13; YouTube, May 14; Bloomberg, May 17

Grand jury urges Sacramento library chief’s ouster
A grand jury report recommends the ouster of Sacramento Public Library Director Anne Marie Gold over an alleged overbilling and kickback scheme involving two former employees. The report also found that Gold ignored library employees who tried to warn officials of the alleged scheme and “failed to adequately safeguard public funds.” Director of Human Resources Arevik Bagdassari was also cited in the document for “repeated abuses” of travel and credit card policies....
Sacramento (Calif.) Bee, May 15

Flood shuts Library and Archives Canada building
A broken water pipe flooded the main building of Library and Archives Canada in Ottawa early May 20, closing the building and causing a small amount of damage to some books. The building was closed to its 275 employees the entire day as fire crews continued to pump water from the lower floors where some books are kept and where the water collected. Some 20th-century books got wet, but none were lost beyond repair....
CBC News, May 20; Library and Archives Canada

Royal Oak library forced to use filters
The Royal Oak (Mich.) Public Library will get filtering devices on all but one of the computers used by adults following passage May 19 of an ordinance aimed at restricting internet access. The library has always filtered computers in its children’s department, but the February arrest of a man who allegedly looked at child pornography in the adult computer lab resurrected the debate of filtering those terminals as well....
Royal Oak (Mich.) Daily Tribune, May 20

Vermont enacts library confidentiality bill
On May 13, Vermont Governor Jim Douglas signed into law “An Act Relating to the Confidentiality of Library Patron Records” (S. 220), to take effect July 1. The bill specifies that libraries are not to release patron circulation records unless there is a court order. Another exception is made for requests from parents of children younger than 16. A patron whose records have been wrongly disclosed may now bring a civil action against the library....
Vermont Library Association, May 14

Stanislaus County approves library cuts
County supervisors approved a plan May 20 to reduce the days that the Stanislaus County (Calif.) Library branches are open and eliminate half of the part-time positions in the system. Because of the slumping economy, the library budget for the 2008–09 fiscal year will shrink by almost $1.8 million....
Modesto (Calif.) Bee, May 21

Cookbook publishers try to think small
Children’s cookbooks have long been among the tiniest of literary niches. Rarely taken seriously or invited to the adult cookbook party, they have usually ended up stuck on the bottom shelf. That is changing, as parents who have a keen interest in cooking encourage their young children to spend time in the kitchen. If there is a flaw in all this expansion, it’s that some cookbook authors have swung from the simple to the complex. Booklist YA Editor Gillian Engberg said, “We’re seeing some books that are trying to do too much.”...
New York Times, May 14

Arrest made in 1994 library theft
A 70-year-old Indiana man was arrested May 19 in connection with the 1994 theft of valuable artwork from the Transylvania University library in Lexington, Kentucky. Eugene C. Zollman, described as a significant Jefferson Davis collector, is accused of stealing documents of the former president of the Confederate States of America valued in excess of $15,000, the U.S. attorney’s office said. Investigators say Zollman recently tried to auction the documents online....
Lexington (Ky.) Herald-Leader, May 21

OSU cartoon library doubles in size
The Cartoon Research Library at Ohio State University in Columbus just got twice as funny, doubling its already-substantial holdings with the acquisition of 200,000 pieces from the International Museum of Cartoon Art in Boca Raton, Florida. The combination will create what is thought to be the world’s largest collection of cartoon art. The IMCA was founded in 1974 in Greenwich, Connecticut, by cartoonist Mort Walker, creator of the Beetle Bailey strip....
Columbus (Ohio) Dispatch, May 17

Indianapolis reaches deal in cost overruns case
The Indianapolis-Marion County Public Library has reached a nearly $1.3-million settlement with two parties in a web of lawsuits over the botched Central Library project. The agreement, announced May 21, is with Patriot Engineering and Environmental and its subcontractor, the ROSK Group. It marks another step toward recovering cost overruns estimated at more than $50 million, centering on defects in concrete in the underground parking garage that were discovered during construction....
Indianapolis Star, May 21

British Library displays 17th-century Ramayana
A collection of lavishly illustrated 17th-century manuscripts of the epic Sanskrit poem Ramayana, hidden away in the archives of the British Library since 1844, went on public and online display for the first time May 16. The manuscripts were commissioned by Rana Jagat Singh, who ruled over Mewar in north India from 1628 to 1652, and who claimed direct descent from Rama. It took several years for the artists to produce seven volumes containing over 400 paintings. It is the most heavily illustrated edition of the Ramayana and the only one to survive from Rajasthan from this period....
The Independent (U.K.), May 16

A Welsh 21st-century library strategy
A three-year strategy to modernize libraries across Wales is set to be launched by the Welsh Assembly government. The Libraries for Life program aims to improve facilities and allow more than 20% of libraries to open at least 10 hours a week by the year 2011. The scheme includes upgrading internet facilities at libraries, introducing Wi-Fi, and allowing users to search for books via an all-library search system....
BBC News, May 15

Carnegie libraries thrive with redevelopment
Carnegie libraries across Iowa are suffering the same fate. While about 80 of the historic buildings remain in use, fewer and fewer are still used as libraries as the communities they were built in have grown. Shana Stuart, director of the University of Iowa’s Carnegie Libraries in Iowa project, said 101 Carnegies were built in Iowa, most in the first two decades of the 20th century. More than 80 remain standing....
Associated Press, May 19

Woman gives library $5,000 free-speech settlement
A Canterbury, Connecticut, woman who was awarded $60,000 in a free-speech settlement suit with the town, gave the town’s library a check for $5,000 May 19. In March 2007, Kildea filed a complaint with the Connecticut ACLU claiming she had been prevented from speaking at several Board of Selectmen meetings....
Norwich (Conn.) Bulletin, May 20

Microsoft/Yahoo update
Michael Arrington writes: “More details are emerging on Round 2 of Yahoo/Microsoft: Instead of a simple straight-up acquisition, Microsoft may be able to pull off a deal where they get to pick off just what they want—search—and leave the rest of Yahoo and its troubles behind. This is a deal that would cost Microsoft much less than a $40+ billion full buyout.”...
TechCrunch, May 19

Final Firefox 3 expected in June
Firefox fans looking for a major update to the open-source web browser probably will get a final version of it next month. One of Firefox’s strengths is its broad collection of hundreds of add-ons, but that also means things move more slowly when programmers must update their projects to be compatible with Firefox 3. And that’s part of what Mozilla is watching closely as it seeks feedback from the 1.5 million people who have installed the Firefox 3 release candidate 1....
C|Net News.com, May 21

26 tips to tame Google Calendar
Getting started with Google Calendar is easy. If you already have a Google account (for Gmail, say), you don’t even need to sign up. Just click Calendar at the top of the Gmail screen, or surf to google.com/calendar and log in. If you don’t have an account yet, click “Sign up for Gmail” on the home page, enter your name, create a log-in name, and choose a password and security question....
PC World, May 19

Digitize your vinyl
Isn’t it a pity you can’t transfer your old records onto your computer? Well guess what? You can! That’s right, vinyl lovers, thanks to these ingenious USB Turntables you can put all your LPs, 12-inch’s, and singles straight into your digital library. Simply plug in either of these chic little turntables into the nearest USB port, fire up the idiot-proof Audacity software, and start converting your collection....
Firebox

13 free CMS options for your website
Choosing a Content Management System for your website is no easy task. Whether that system is something complex or something simple (such as hand editing), it is an essential part of a successful site. Thankfully there are a number of platforms and open source projects out there which take the hassle out of developing your own system. Here is an overview of some of the best out there....
WebDistortion, May 17

Alarming open source security holes
Simson Garfinkel writes: “Back in May 2006, a few programmers working on an open source security project made a whopper of a mistake. Last week, the full impact of that mistake was just beginning to dawn on security professionals around the world. We now know that two changed lines of code have created profound security vulnerabilities in at least four different open source operating systems, 25 different application programs, and millions of individual computer systems on the internet.”...
Technology Review, May 20

Google China in mourning
The home pages of Google China, Yahoo China, and other sites turned black May 19 to commemorate the victims of last week’s devastating earthquake. Google China links to a custom search engine for sites that include information about missing persons. There’s also a page for offering donations that mentions, “Google will donate $2 million, including $1.7 million from Google.org, to help assist in relief and rebuilding efforts.” A special Google Earth layer shows recent high-resolution imagery from the areas affected by the earthquake....
Google Operating System, May 19

Google and OCLC to link digitized books
OCLC and Google have signed an agreement to exchange data that will make it easier to find library collections on the Web through Google search services. OCLC member libraries participating in the Google Book Search will be able to share their WorldCat-derived MARC records with Google. Google will link from Google Book Search to WorldCat, which will drive traffic to library OPACs and other library services....
OCLC, May 19

Google Health beta launches
Jacqui Cheng writes: “Google Health opened up to the public May 19 after several months of private beta testing. The long-anticipated health records project now allows Google users to manage their doctor records, prescriptions, and test results, as well as find out information about drug interactions and search for new doctors. All you need is a Gmail account and a healthy dose of trust to get started with Google Health, although some are still skeptical about the terms of service.” Watch a cautious C|Net video (3:46) on the topic....
Ars Technica, May 19; C|Net News.com, May 20

Google Earth gets Google News
The launch of Google News on Google Earth is a milestone in the evolution of the geobrowser. By spatially locating the Google News constantly updating index of stories from more than 4,500 news sources, Google Earth now shows an ever-changing world of human activity as chronicled by reporters worldwide. Zoom into areas of personal interest and peruse headlines of national, regional, and—when fully zoomed in—even the most local of interest. From library storytimes to global warming, there is now literally a world of information at your fingertips....
Google Lat Long Blog, May 20

Aussie biker librarians roar through New South Wales
A scramble of leather-clad librarians will descend on country towns in New South Wales, Australia, May 22–25 as part of the third annual 1,200-kilometer Biblio Turismo motorcycle tour. Starting from Gosford, the bevy of bookish bikers will visit libraries throughout the state. Organized by Gosford Library staff, the event is intended to counter the librarian stereotype and raise awareness of public library services....
Biblio Turismo

The essential man’s library
Jason Lankow writes: “There are the books you read, and then there are the books that change your life. We can all look back on the books that have shaped our perspective on politics, religion, money, and love. Some will even become a source of inspiration for the rest of your life. From a seemingly infinite list of books of anecdotal or literal merit, we have narrowed down the top 100 books that have shaped the lives of individual men while also helping define broader cultural ideas of what it means to be a man.”...
The Art of Manliness, May 14

How Amazon could change publishing
Sramana Mitra writes: “Amazon is poised to revolutionize the book printing business through vertical integration. Let’s look at the numbers. Assuming that Amazon already pockets 50% of the retail price of a book, it could directly engage with authors and cut out the middlemen: the agent and the publisher. That would free up 30% to 40% of the pie, which can easily be split between Amazon and the author. For decades, the publishing industry has taken advantage of authors. Amazon: authors are counting on you to turn the table!”...
Forbes, May 16

IMLS releases Nine to Nineteen
To assist museums and libraries in developing effective and engaging youth programs, the Institute of Museum and Library Services has published Nine to Nineteen: Youth in Museums and Libraries; A Practitioner’s Guide. The guide, downloadable as a PDF or available on request, features several examples of successful youth programming from around the country, as well as useful information for planning exemplary youth programs....
Institute of Museum and Library Services, May 16

A teen talks about Second Life
In this YALSA podcast, Kelly Czarnecki talks with teen Storm Basiat about Congressman Mark Kirk’s (R-Ill.) proposal to the Federal Trade Commission to warn parents of the “dangers Second Life presents.” Also discussed is how Kirk feels that access to Second Life should be banned in schools and libraries. Storm points out some interesting things to listeners....
YALSA blog, May 16

Seven types of bad bosses, according to Star Trek
Charlie Jane Anders writes: “They yell at you and fire you twice a day. They insist that a five-day job should only take five hours. They flip-flop and then blame you for their mistakes. Sci-fi space captains can model some pretty awful management, and nowhere is this more apparent than in dear old Star Trek. Luckily, they also show us what to do with a boss who’s out of touch with reality.”...
Lifehacker, May 20

NexGen: Finding your inner moxie
Lia Friedman and Char Booth write: “Much has been made of the purported difference between tech-savvy Web 2.0 librarians and the old guard. In practice, we know this is largely an ageist mischaracterization. All of us work with colleagues who are meeting the challenges of a changing field head-on, regardless of experience or status. That said, the digital librarian divide isn’t the point. The point is what individuals are able and motivated to do within our institutional contexts.”...
Library Journal, May 15

Why Gen Y is going to change the Web
Sarah Perez writes: “Gen Y (born 1983–1997) is taking over. The generation of young adults that’s composed of the children of Boomers, Generation Jones, and even some Gen X’ers, is the biggest generation since the Baby Boomers and three times the size of Gen X. As the Boomers fade into retirement and Gen Y takes root in the workplace, we’re going to see some big changes ahead, not just at work, but on the Web as a whole.” Find out how they are different and how they look at technology....
ReadWriteWeb, May 15

Free access to Civil War resources
Alexander Street Press is allowing open access to The American Civil War Online, its comprehensive series of online Civil War collections, through June 30. New to this series is Images of the American Civil War: Photographs, Posters, and Ephemera. Alexander Street is a premier publisher of scholarly databases in the arts, humanities, and social sciences....
Alexander Street Press

Library job titles
Michelle Mach writes: “Job titles used to be fairly simple: Librarian, Cataloger, Director. The following job titles have been found in job listings in American Libraries, College and Research Libraries News, or have been sent to me by employed librarians. Common initial words (like Web, Media, Electronic) are marked with italics for easy identification.”...
Michelle Mach

Nine ways to get through tough times @ your library
Christine Ayar writes: “All this talk of recession and economic downturn is a bit scary. As a librarian, I begin to wonder how it will affect our budgets in coming years. But I couldn’t help but think of all the ways libraries can help their communities and actually increase patronage during tough times through the ‘free’ services they offer. In some ways, this brief list oversimplifies all the things we can offer, but that is kind of the point.”...
I Love Libraries

Abraham Lincoln: Self-Made in America exhibit
As part of the Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial celebration in 2009, the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum, in collaboration with ALA and the Tribeca Film Institute, and with funding from the National Endowment for the Humanities, has produced Abraham Lincoln: Self-Made in America. The exhibit is composed of seven learning stations designed for libraries and other cultural institutions. Apply by June 15....
Illinois Lincoln Bicentennial Commission

Recommendation and Ranganathan
OCLC’s Lorcan Dempsey writes: “From time to time, we see a discussion about the relative merits of Google, or Amazon, and library catalogs as retrieval or search engines. There is one main difference that doesn’t tend to get discussed much, and that has to do with the type of data that gets factored into the experience. Essentially, we have four sources of metadata about things.”...
Lorcan Dempsey’s Weblog, May 13

A library mission to Kyrgyzstan
Herb Landau writes: “Something weird and wonderful happened to me in October 2007. The U.S. State Department sent me to the Kyrgyz Republic in central Asia on a public library goodwill mission. This odyssey began in August 2007 when I found a message on my desk from the U.S. State Department offering me a speaking engagement in a central Asian republic. I first believed this was a practical joke—‘Yeah,’ I thought, ‘The government wants me to go to Kazakhstan and teach the Dewey Decimal Classification to Borat.’ However, when I returned the call to Washington, I found out this was for real.”...
Pennsylvania Library Association Bulletin, Jan.

Where videos go to die
Ever wonder exactly how many videos are taken down from YouTube because of copyright violations or other reasons? So did the folks at the MIT Free Culture student group. They created YouTomb to document all YouTube videos that have been taken down. You cannot watch the videos on the site. But it does document what happened to them, in case any were taken down wrongfully, in accordance with the Digital Millennium Copyright Act....
TechCrunch, May 20

Knowledge Rocks @ your library
As part of its National Library Week promotion, the Public Library of Charlotte and Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, winner of the 2008 Scholastic Library Publishing National Library Week grant, hosted two public concerts in April with the nationally recognized band Lunch Money. This is Part 1 (8:00) of their video of the concerts, which were held in PLCMC’s famed ImaginOn facility. If you like this one, be sure to check out Part 2 (6:44)....
YouTube, May 20

Twittering your life away
In Wired’s Alt Text Episode 6 (4:48), Lore Sjöberg says that “there are two things the internet excels at: helping us connect with people, and helping us avoid people. Twitter fits right into the crawlspace between these functions, giving you an IV drip of tiny pseudo-interactions.” On social networking: “The term itself glistens with utilitarian smarm.”...
YouTube, Apr. 23

Behind the scenes in Technical Services
What happens before a book, CD, or other item makes it to the library shelves? Take a fun, tongue-in-cheek, behind-the-scenes look (6:23) at the Arlington Heights (Ill.) Public Library’s Technical Services Department. “Just call me Elliot... It’s the good part of the job: We see the beginning and the end in TS.” Library paste, stat! For more AHPL videos, see their main page....
Arlington Heights (Ill.) Public Library

ALA Annual Conference in Anaheim, California, June 26–July 2.

Read How You Want is offering the ALA Annual Pre-Conference Program in multiple accessible formats. Its technology converts standard-formatted books into seven different EasyRead formats as well as Braille, DAISY, and e-books.

Registration is open for the 11th Annual LITA National Forum, October 16–19, Hilton Netherland Plaza Hotel, Cincinnati, Ohio.