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Ohio budget deal includes less severe library cuts
Ohio libraries have been spared the proposed budget cuts that had threatened to lower their state funding by 30%. However, the biennial budget passed by the state legislature July 13 still includes a reduction in library funding of some 11%. It reduces the state’s Public Library Fund by $84.3 million over the next two years rather than the $227.3 million proposed by Gov. Ted Strickland in June; that plan prompted a flood of protests from library supporters across the state....
American Libraries Online, July 15

Michigan governor eliminates state library department
In a money-saving move July 13, Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm issued an executive order (PDF file) to eliminate the Michigan Department of History, Arts, and Libraries. The move will save about $2 million per year and will reorganize the State Library of Michigan. Under this order, the library, its board of trustees, its staff, and its collection (except services for the blind and physically handicapped, and services related to census data) will be transferred to the Department of Education as of October 1. Meanwhile, the governor also announced July 13 conceptual plans for an initiative that would take over the current state library holdings....
American Libraries Online, July 15

Hawaii budget-crisis fix would close five branches
Hawaii State Librarian Richard Burns has proposed closing five public libraries at the end of the year to address a $5.7-million cut in funding. The proposal, presented by Burns to the state Board of Education July 9 to address a nearly 20% reduction in the Hawaii State Public Library System’s budget, also includes $1.3 million in furloughs and other salary savings and the elimination of 67 vacant positions to save $2.2 million....
American Libraries Online, July 10

ALA and the Department of Education promote summer learning
When “United We Serve” officially launched on June 22, America’s libraries and the Department of Education were poised and ready to be a major part of the program from the very beginning. They will remain engaged throughout the summer, and they call upon all Americans to join them. At a special kickoff event at Fanwood (N.J.) Memorial Library, ALA President Jim Rettig and many regional librarians had the opportunity to discuss how libraries are offering reading programs for children to combat summer reading loss and helping individuals obtain job skills and employment....
Stories of Service blog, July 14

New online copyright education tools
The Office of Information Technology Policy has released two new online copyright education tools: the Fair Use Evaluator and the Exceptions for Instructors eTool. These new resources were developed by Copyright Committee super-member Michael Brewer. The Fair Use Evaluator helps users understand how to determine if the use of a protected work is a fair use. The Exceptions for Instructors eTool guides users through the educational exceptions in U.S. copyright law....
District Dispatch, July 10

Top 25 websites for teaching and learning
AASL has launched a new resource for school library media specialists and their teacher colleagues. The Top 25 Websites for Teaching and Learning, a list honoring the top 25 internet sites for enhancing learning and curriculum development, are considered the “best of the best” by AASL. These websites foster qualities of innovation, creativity, active participation, and collaboration....

Landmark websites for teaching and learning
Another new AASL resource for school library media specialists, Landmark Websites for Teaching and Learning, is a list that honors the top internet sites for enhancing learning and curriculum development. These landmark sites are recognized because of their exemplary histories of authoritative, dynamic content and curricular relevance. All honored sites are free, web-based sites that are user-friendly and encourage a community of learners to explore and discover....

New ACRL publication: Library Instruction Cookbook
ACRL has published a new title, The Library Instruction Cookbook, edited by Ryan Sittler and Doug Cook. The book is a practical collection of “learning recipes,” each including plans for conducting a specific type of learning session and indicating how the recipe teaches research skills from the ACRL Information Literacy Competency Standards for Higher Education. It includes interactive recipes from academic librarians from around the world....

2009 CLPE Poetry Award
The winner of the CLPE Poetry Award is John Agard’s The Young Inferno, illustrated by Satoshi Kitamura (Frances Lincoln, 2009). This award for an outstanding U.K. poetry book for children was established in 2003 by the Centre for Literacy in Primary Education, a charitable trust located in London....
Centre for Literacy in Primary Education, July 7

Imprisoned terrorist denied Obama book
The federal government’s most secure prison has rejected an inmate’s request to read two books written by President Barack Obama. Ahmed Omar Abu Ali is serving a 30-year sentence at the supermax prison in Florence, Colorado, for aiding al-Qaeda and plotting to assassinate former President George W. Bush. In 2008, Abu Ali requested two books written by Obama, Dreams from My Father and The Audacity of Hope. Prison officials, citing guidance from the FBI, determined that passages in both books contain information that could damage national security....
Associated Press, July 9

British authors in revolt over school-visit scheme
Philip Pullman has led a chorus of protest from prominent children’s authors over a new scheme that will require them to be vetted before they can visit schools. He called the plans “outrageous, demeaning, and insulting” and said he wouldn’t be appearing in schools again because of it. Set up in response to the murders of two schoolgirls in Soham by school caretaker Ian Huntley in August 2002, the Independent Safeguarding Authority will vet all individuals who work with children from October this year, requiring them to register with a national database for a fee of £64 ($104 U.S.)....
The Guardian (U.K.), July 10

Parent accused of ramming Everett school librarian
An Everett, Washington, man is accused of berating 5th-graders on safety patrol and using his vehicle to knock down an elementary school librarian during a dispute over what entrance he was supposed to use when dropping off his child at school. Prosecutors charged Trevor Wipf on July 13 with second-degree attempted assault, a felony. He is accused of intentionally driving his sport utility vehicle into the librarian at Jefferson Elementary School on December 16....
Everett (Wash.) Herald, July 14

UC Irvine’s Southeast Asian archive threatened
In an unremarkable room in a corner of the University of California, Irvine’s main library, little-known stories of Southeast Asian refugees are kept alive. The room holds audio recordings of those recounting their journeys fleeing Vietnam by boat, letters written from refugee camps to families left behind, and refugee orientation brochures they picked up upon arriving in Orange County. But with the university facing severe budget cutbacks, some academics fear that the investment and legwork that kept the archive vibrant will suffer....
Los Angeles Times, July 13

Retired librarian sees hard times for California school libraries
When Dennis Donley (right) began his career nearly 35 years ago, he joined a crew of 40 teachers who staffed every middle and high school library in the San Diego, California, school district. But San Diego Unified, along with other districts across the state, has whittled its library staff while struggling with budget cuts. “I just don’t see anything good happening with my profession,” he said. “I would love to see every school with a full-time librarian. Is that going to happen? Probably not.”...
San Diego (Calif.) Union-Tribune, July 7

Boone library head says he was forced to resign
John Blake, director of the Watauga County Public Library in Boone, North Carolina, says he has been forced to resign. Blake has been the county’s head librarian for nearly five years and was surprised by the request that he resign. Louise Humphrey, director of libraries for the three-county Appalachian Regional Library, said she was responsible for all personnel decisions and refused to comment on the action....
Watauga (N.C.) Democrat, July 9

New Gwinnett branch, but no money for staff
A new state-of-the-art branch for Gwinnett County (Ga.) Public Library is slated for completion in winter 2010, but the county has no money to staff it. Cuts in the budget have forced the library to close all of its existing 14 branches two days a week and cut hours, effective August 9. The Hamilton Mill branch (above) in Dacula was funded through revenues from the 2005 special purpose local option sales tax (SPLOST), but the money cannot be used for paying salaries....
Atlanta Journal-Constitution, July 9; Gwinnett County (Ga.) Public Library, July 7

Job hunters swell Arkansas libraries
Public libraries in Arkansas have become more popular, particularly for those seeking jobs. Many libraries provide free internet and free résumé services. As a result, the state’s 231 public libraries are seeing an increase in usage—mostly by people looking for work, said Barbara Martin, executive director of the Arkansas Library Association. The Central Arkansas Library System in Little Rock has reported a 15% increase in the number of patrons during the first six months of this year....
Associated Press, July 11

Alabama libraries use Skype to connect military families
To help make communication easier for the families of soldiers overseas, the Tuscaloosa (Ala.) Public Library is participating in Connecting Families, a project that connects Alabama military families with their loved ones serving overseas or across the nation. Three new Apple Macintosh computers, loaded with Skype software, have been installed in the library to allow military families to communicate visually and verbally with family members in the armed forces, said Vince Bellofatto, the library’s public relations coordinator....
Tuscaloosa (Ala.) News, July 7

1502 hymnal finds new home
A priceless library hidden away at the top of a Cheshire church tower containing books up to 500 years old has been acquired by the John Rylands University Library at the University of Manchester. The library includes one of only three known copies of a 1502 hymnal printed by Wynkyn de Worde (d. 1534)—the first printer to set up a printing press in Fleet Street, later the home of the U.K. newspaper industry. The council of St Mary’s Church in Nantwich was concerned at the deteriorating condition of the books, so arranged for university staff safely to transport them to the Rylands library....
University of Manchester, July 15; Manchester Evening News, July 15

Coconut Grove branch earns historic designation
The Miami-Dade (Fla.) Public Library System’s Coconut Grove branch (right) was designated a historic site July 7 by the city’s Historic and Environmental Preservation Board and placed on the Miami Register of Historic Places. The branch is the oldest standing library in Miami-Dade County. Its original building was completed in 1901, although the library has operated since 1896....
Miami Herald, July 7

State drops charges against Nebraska librarian
Charges against a former Valparaiso (Nebr.) Library director have been dismissed. During Mary Rittenburg’s arraignment in district court July 6, her legal counselor Susan Kirchman stated an agreement had been reached after Rittenburg agreed to pay restitution. Court documents say that between April 1, 2006 and March 10, 2009, Rittenburg had “obtained” property from the Valparaiso Library in an amount in excess of $1,500....
Waverly (Nebr.) News, July 9

Tampered VHS tapes at Brooklyn Public Library
A grandmother got the shock of her life when the Austin Powers movie she borrowed from a Brooklyn Public Library branch contained pornography. Esther Klein went to the Midwood branch to get the Mike Myers comedy for her grandchildren, but it featured 30 minutes of hardcore porn. Altered VHS tapes began appearing in January. The library did an internal investigation and found 18 of them, but thought the problem was solved when police arrested a 29-year-old man who had borrowed a video and returned it with porn clips....
WCBS-TV, New York, July 15

Man charged in Cape Girardeau thefts
A former maintenance worker at the Cape Girardeau (Mo.) Public Library has been charged in connection with recent break-ins and thefts at the building. Corey Overbey, 22, was arrested July 9. The library has been a victim of break-ins over the past month, with the most recent July 6. About $2,700 in cash collected for library fines and food belonging to employees were stolen....
Cape Girardeau Southeast Missourian, July 11

Head to the library for fishing tackle
The Elliot Lake (Ont.) Public Library has added a new service that is a bit different from most. People with a library card can check out more than books or videos—they can now check out fishing rods, reels, and a limited amount of tackle. The program started in June after the Ontario Federation of Anglers and Hunters donated eight fishing combos including rods, reels, and tackle. The federation replenishes the gear as needed....
Sault Ste. Marie (Ont.) Star, July 10

Goth sock puppets teach lessons at library
Fifteen-year-old Alicia McConnell is not into goth fashion or culture. So before she would participate in a July 9 workshop at the Sycamore (Ill.) Public Library to make gocks—goth sock puppets—she had to redefine the term. Gocks first started in 2006 when a youth librarian in Utah put a tongue stud on a sock puppet to make a goth character. The idea spread like wildfire to libraries across the country....
DeKalb (Ill.) Daily Chronicle, July 11

Milton librarian wins pedometer challenge
When she says she’s been on her feet all day, you can believe it—she’s got proof. Leslie Fitch, chief librarian of the Milton (Ontario) Public Library, recently won a challenge among the head librarians across the Halton region to see who could walk the most steps in one week. The librarians wore pedometers from morning until night for one week to track their footfalls, and Fitch won with a total score of 84,205 steps, or the equivalent of about 68 kilometers (42.2 miles)....
Milton (Ont.) Canadian Champion, July 10

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Office 2010: Most of the innovations are online
Tom Spring and Edward N. Albro write: “It has taken Microsoft a long time to bring its flagship Office suite to the web and now it finally has with Office 2010, announced July 13. The software suite comes packed with meaningful improvements such as new cut-and-paste features for Word and new ways to broadcast your PowerPoint presentations online. But the most striking addition to Office 2010 is the introduction of Office Web Apps. These are lightweight versions of Word, PowerPoint, Excel, and OneNote that are all accessible via desktop, mobile devices, and web browsers.”...
PC World, July 13

LC test drives cloud storage
Dave Rosenberg writes: “The Library of Congress National Digital Information Infrastructure and Preservation Program and DuraSpace have announced that they will launch a one-year pilot program to test the use of cloud technologies to enable perpetual access to digital content. The pilot will focus on a new service called DuraCloud that replicates and distributes content across multiple cloud providers and enables organizations to share, access, and preserve it.”...
Software, Interrupted, July 14; Library of Congress, July 14

16 Twitter commands and shortcuts
Chris Lake writes: “I love a shortcut, and regularly make use of a range of keyboard shortcuts on Twitter. There are more than you might imagine. As such, I have aggregated a bunch of commands to provide you with one handy cut-out-and-keep, ‘bookmark on Delicious’ guide. Let’s skip the basics. I assume you already know how to reply (@username), direct message (D username), retweet (RT @username) and so on.”...
Econsultancy, June 30

Augmented Reality round-up
Keir Clarke writes: “Augmented Reality is a technology that blends computer data with real-time footage. With the recent release of Layar it seems that AR is finally beginning to gain some momentum in the market place. Layar claims to be the world’s first AR browser, but Wikitude (right) might argue with that. Wikitude, a mobile travel guide for Android phones based on location-based Wikipedia content, allows users to view 350,000 world-wide points of interest on a mobile phone. The application has been offering an augmented reality cam view since last year.”...
Google Maps Mania, July 13

20 tips to manage your social networks
Mahendra Palsule writes: “The more I started using social networking sites, the more I began feeling disoriented. After a while, I lost count of how many Web 2.0 services I had signed up with. I no longer knew what I had dugg, found delicious, or stumbled upon. Keeping track of groups of friends on multiple networks, commenting on their updates, updating my status, responding to email, and pretty soon, I had social networking fatigue. These 20 tips can help you stay afloat and in control.” Don’t forget Part 2....
MakeUseOf.com, July 7–8

100 essential skills for geeks
Anton Olsen writes: “As Geeks we are expected to have a certain set of skills that the majority of the population does not possess. This list is by no means complete, but I think it is a good sample of the skills required to be a true geek. I won’t pretend to have all the skills listed here. I even had to Google a few of them.” Can you do cool things to Altoids tins, or build a failsafe into a fighting robot so it doesn’t kill you?...
GeekDad, July 10

Jackson books may exceed demand
Since Michael Jackson’s death, sales of books about the singer have not been particularly robust compared to his chart-busting music sales. It’s not clear how much that will change with the arrival of four new Jackson titles in July and August, as TV and print tabloids continue to focus on the cause of his death, his heirs, and estate. The two titles with the biggest announced printings are Unmasked: The Final Years of Michael Jackson, by Ian Halperin, and Michael Jackson: The Magic, the Madness, the Whole Story, 1958–2009, by Randy J. Taraborrelli. Both were due on July 14....
EarlyWord: The Publisher | Librarian Connection, July 10

Bowker introduces Books in Print 2.0
R. R. Bowker has announced a beta release of Books in Print 2.0, an enhanced version of the company’s flagship book discovery and collection-development platform, Books in Print. The new service, introduced at the ALA Annual Conference in Chicago, includes built-in edition grouping (FRBR), relevancy ranked search, result faceting, word clouds, first chapters, fiction and nonfiction profiles, and RSS feeds....
R. R. Bowker

Down with Verdana!
Farhad Manjoo writes: “For typography geeks, the web is a depressingly drab place. Just look around the page you’re reading now: There are only a couple of fonts, Arial and Verdana, used to display most of the text. That would be fine, except that they’re the same two fonts you find everywhere else on the web. Compared with the typical issue of Cosmo, every online magazine looks like something out of the 1800s. Typeface designers and font fanciers have new reason for optimism though.”...
Slate, July 13

The state of e-paper
Amazon and the Kindle have the clear lead in the e-reader wars. However, numerous competitors to Amazon’s Kindle are cropping up and it’s worth taking a moment to review the state of the art in e-paper. This roundup offers summaries of PVI eInk, Pixel Qi, Bridge Stone QR-LPD, Fujitsu and its FLEPia Color EReader, Qualcomm Mirasol Display Technology, Plastic Logic, ASU, LiquaVista, Opalux’s P-Ink, Gamma Dynamics, and others....
Kindle Review, July 12

Was the Mabinogion written by a woman?
A new book coming out in July suggests that the Mabinogion, a medieval masterpiece of Welsh literature, was written, at least in part, by a Welsh princess. In The Origins of the Four Branches of the Mabinogi (Gracewing), Andrew Breeze of the University of Navarre argues that the Mabinogion’s first four stories were the work of a female, which he beieves was Gwenllian, daughter of Gruffudd ap Cynan, King of Gwynedd....
Medieval News, July 13

Task force report on cyber safety
Members of an internet safety task force on July 8 suggested several ways to improve cyber safety for children, focusing on three key areas: education before a child gets on the internet, control while the child is online, and having set procedures if problems arise. The task force, which included representatives from several online service providers and nonprofit organizations, met for more than a year to develop its report (PDF file) and recommendations....
eSchool News, July 9

Applications for broadband stimulus funds
Applications and detailed guidance for the Broadband Initiatives Program and the Broadband Technology Opportunities Program are now available on the Broadband USA website. On July 31, applicants will be able to apply for a grant using an electronic intake system. The use of this system is required for applicants requesting more than $1 million in assistance. The deadline for applications is August 14....
District Dispatch, July 12

The case of the disappearing liberal arts colleges
Roger G. Baldwin and Vicki L. Baker write: “The continuing saga over the closure of Antioch College (including a plan to revive it) heightened concern that many storied, but financially stressed, liberal arts colleges may be in danger of closing in a time of economic turmoil. But the focus by reporters and educational policy makers on the potential closure of some colleges may mask a more serious threat to liberal arts colleges—a slow abandonment of their traditional mission in favor of a more ‘professional’ orientation.”...
Inside Higher Ed, July 1, 9

Crap Detection 101
Howard Rheingold writes: “The answer to almost any question is available within seconds, courtesy of the invention that has altered how we discover knowledge—the search engine. The real difficulty kicks in when you click down into your search results. At that point, it’s up to you to sort the accurate bits from the misinfo, disinfo, spam, scams, urban legends, and hoaxes. ‘Crap detection,’ as Hemingway called it in 1954, is more important than ever before, now that the automation of crapcasting has generated its own word: spamming.”...
San Francisco Chronicle, June 30

LC opens Facebook page
Matt Raymond writes: “To paraphrase the old Elvis Presley album, 200 million Facebook fans can’t be wrong. If you’re reading this, chances are that you might be among them. So now you can show your de facto national library a little love the easy way—by becoming a fan of our new official Facebook page. If you’re keeping score at home, in addition to Facebook, we’re also active on Flickr, YouTube, Twitter, and iTunes U.”...
Library of Congress Blog, July 9

Ambush makeover: From librarian to “hot grandma”
Us Weekly contributor Jill Martin and hairstylist Louis Licari give a few lucky Today show fans on the Plaza an ambush makeover. Edwina Hefner is a retired librarian from Tennessee who has been married for 45 years. She spends most of her time volunteering, and her family says she deserves a new look because she works so hard. “I want her to be a hot grandmother,” said one of her granddaughters. Watch the video (5:41)....
Today show, July 9

Metadata for catalogers
Robin Fay, head of database maintenance at the University of Georgia, has shared her presentation on the basics of metadata for catalogers. This slideshow encompasses both the larger context of metadata (the web) and library catalogs, and it includes a brief example of crosswalking metadata into MARC....
Robin Fay, July 10

LC adds storage space at Fort Meade
Librarian of Congress James H. Billington, in a July 7 ribbon-cutting ceremony, celebrated the completion of two new modules and four cold-storage rooms at the library’s high-density storage facility in Fort Meade, Maryland (above). The new units will accommodate approximately 33 million items from the library’s special collections, including maps, globes, manuscripts, prints and photographs, sheet music, and microfilm. Also included is a new processing area, a quarantine room, a loading dock, and mechanical spaces....
Library of Congress, July 7

The academic library serials and databases review
Annette Day and Hilary Davis write: “The experience of a serials and databases review—reviewing all continuing expense obligations—can be a painful, traumatic process for any library. But it can also provide tremendous insights into the collection. In this article, we outline the review steps from the perspective of an academic library and unpack some of the big issues and questions facing our profession that surface through conducting a review.”...
In the Library with the Lead Pipe, July 8

Library graffiti at the University of Chicago
Carolyn Kellogg writes: “Song lyrics, lovelorn notes, and math problems appear on the walls of the University of Chicago’s Regenstein Library, all graffiti left there by students. In some, a chain of comments was left that may not have been seen by the original defacer—but probably served to amuse those who came after. Sometimes the graffiti is literary.” University of Chicago researcher Quinn Dombrowski posted 704 photos of library graffiti on Flickr....
Los Angeles Times Jacket Copy, July 8; Flickr

What does the internet think?
Ever wonder what that huge informational powerhouse called the internet thinks about a particular topic, say—Barack Obama, swine flu, the iPhone, or libraries? The whatdoestheinternetthink website tries to demystify those nagging questions that have, until now, remained unanswered. The site analyzes search engine results on a given topic and and categorizes the final result as Positive, Negative, or Don’t Care. Unfortunately, what the internet thinks about libraries is pretty evenly split (above)....
Popgadget, June 29; whatdoestheinternetthink?net

Website recreates Apollo 11 mission in real time
This month, families will be able to watch the Apollo 11 mission recreated in real time on the web, follow Twitter feeds of transmissions between Mission Control and the spacecraft, and even get an email alert when the lunar module touches down. Those features are part of a new website from the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum commemorating the moon mission and Kennedy’s push to land Americans there first. WeChooseTheMoon.org goes live at 8:02 a.m. on July 16, 90 minutes before the 40th anniversary of the Apollo 11 launch from Cape Canaveral, Florida....
eSchool News, July 14

Librarian vs. stereotypes: We listen!
Librarians listen to your needs and match you with the best resources for your topic; here, Stereotype realizes he can make assumptions about what people want—it could be dangerous! This is the most recent (1:26) of three training videos produced by the University of Texas at Arlington Library....
YouTube, June 9

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ALA Annual Conference, Chicago, July 9–15. Watch for AL Direct’s Special Post-Annual Conference issue on Friday, July 17.

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