Contents
American Libraries Online
ALA News
Booklist Online
D.C. Update
Division News
Round Table News
Awards
Seen Online
Tech Talk
Publishing
Actions & Answers
New This Week
Calendar

Rallies, rallies everywhere as budget votes loom
July 1 is fast approaching, bringing a new fiscal year for many libraries around the country. However, that’s the only certainty in many communities as advocates tenaciously continue their campaigns to keep as many library facilities open and staffed as possible. Rallies, fundraisers, and negotiations have been held in New York City, New Jersey, Boston, Charlotte, Los Angeles, and elsewhere in June....
American Libraries news, June 9

Mastering moderation
Steven J. Bell writes: “You just found out you’re going to moderate a conference program or webcast. Now what? If what you do is emulate what you’ve seen most moderators do, chances are you’ll read off the presenters’ names and their canned biographical statements. Then you’ll sit down and disappear for the rest of the program. Instead, let me describe a role that moderators can play that will add value to any program.”...
American Libraries feature

Why librarians should care about national broadband
Alan S. Inouye writes: “Broadband is the new national infrastructure. Just as electricity, telephones, and highways became essential in the 20th century, full participation in life in the 21st century depends on broadband. Librarians know all too well the consequences of having only modest connectivity—for instance, how a library’s network slows down midday after the school bell rings. The plan has great potential for increasing broadband capabilities for the library community.”...
American Libraries feature

Wisconsin says “Cheese!”
Pat Eschmann writes: “‘Wisconsin Libraries Say Cheese! A Day in Pictures’ is part of the ongoing Campaign for Wisconsin Libraries, a statewide effort to create a collective voice for Wisconsin academic, public, school, and special libraries. The campaign focuses on developing and communicating effective messages about the importance of all types of library service in Wisconsin.” The concept has taken hold in 25 states “from Hawaii to Maine,” Leonard Kniffel writes, including Utah (above)....
American Libraries feature; AL: Inside Scoop, June 1

Monroe County school librarians get a happy ending
Beverly Goldberg writes: “Almost two months ago, students at the Templeton Elementary School in Bloomington, Indiana, performed a play, The Case of the Missing Librarian, to express how they felt over losing their beloved librarian Laura Hall (right) at the end of the school year. Lo and behold, education officials have had a glorious change of heart, adding another virtual pinpoint to a new hopeful Google map documenting districts that ‘Stand Up for School Librarians.’”...
AL: Inside Scoop, June 3

Don’t forget to green your break room
Laura Bruzas writes: “Most libraries have a break room that includes a kitchen area. Here are a few simple, low-cost, eco-friendly options to help keep it clean and fresh without the use of harmful-to-the-environment products.”....
AL: Green Your Library, June 4

Evaluating your reference collection
Q. Due to budget cuts, my library is looking closely at the reference collection. Are there any policies or guidelines for evaluating reference collections, especially in light of print and paid database resources? A. While ALA does not have a collection development (or evaluation) policy for the reference collection, we do have some guidelines to help you create your own policy....
AL: Ask the ALA Librarian, June 8

Toni Morrison to keynote Opening General Session
Nobel Prize–winning author Toni Morrison will be the keynote speaker at the Opening Session of the 2010 ALA Annual Conference in Washington, D.C., June 26. Winner of the 1998 Pulitzer Prize for fiction for Beloved, Morrison will discuss her life as a champion of the arts. A professor, novelist, editor, critic, and lecturer, Morrison in 1993 became the first African American to win a Nobel Prize in recognition of her contributions to literature....
Public Information Office, June 8

Amy Sedaris headlines Closing General Session
Author, actress, and comedienne Amy Sedaris will serve as Annual Conference Closing General Session keynote speaker on June 29. An alumna of the Second City and Annoyance Theatre in Chicago, Sedaris is the author of the forthcoming Simple Times: Crafts for Poor People. Among her acting credits is her portrayal of Jerri Blank in the Comedy Central TV hit Strangers with Candy, which she cowrote....
Public Information Office, June 8

Auditorium Speaker lineup
The ALA Annual Conference Auditorium Speaker Series welcomes 12 distinguished authors, activists, and national newsmakers. Speakers include novelist Sir Salman Rushdie; best-selling author John Grisham; Sarah, Duchess of York; authors Junot Díaz, Dennis Lehane, Sue Monk Kidd, Ann Kidd Taylor, Dave Isay, Mary McDonagh Murphy, Nancy Pearl, and Audrey Niffenegger; puzzle-master Will Shortz; and illustrator David Small....
Public Information Office, June 7

Natalie Merchant to perform
ALA will host Natalie Merchant: Leave Your Sleep: A Performance and Presentation on June 28. Merchant, an acclaimed songwriter and performer, will share selections from her new release Leave Your Sleep, a 2-CD set of songs adapted from the works of British and American poets....
Public Information Office, June 7

Stevens unveils authors as advocates at Inaugural
The ALA Inaugural Banquet on June 29 in Washington, D.C., will set the stage for the launch of a new national advocacy public awareness campaign, “Our Authors, Our Advocates,” one of incoming ALA President Roberta Stevens’s key initiatives for 2010–2011. Authors Carmen Agra Deedy, Sharon Draper, Brad Meltzer, and Marie Arana will show their support for libraries through media interviews, podcasts, and PSAs....
Public Information Office, June 8

Library visionary keynotes ALA President’s Program
Eppo van Nispen tot Sevenaer, inspirational speaker and founder of the DOK Library Concept Center in Delft, Netherlands, will keynote the ALA President’s Program on June 27. In a lecture entitled, “Libraries Wanted: Dead or Alive,” van Nispen will present his vision of the future of libraries and media....
Public Information Office, June 7

Library Book Cart Drill Team Championships
The sixth annual Library Book Cart Drill Team Championship, showcasing library workers performing themed dance routines with costumes and creatively decorated book carts, will be held June 27. This year’s competing teams include the Delaware Diamonds, Gett Down with your Funky Shelf, Night of the Living Librarians, Texas ArRangers, and ALA Student 2 Staff Kids....
Public Information Office, June 7

Battledecks @ Annual
Nine extemporizing presenters will compete for prizes and glory in the Battledecks competition on June 28, immediately following the Exhibits Closing Program. Battledecks is often described as “PowerPoint Karaoke.” Each contestant will give an impromptu presentation on a topic that will be assigned in the room, using slides they have never seen before. Despite these challenges, the results are frequently hilarious, thought-provoking, and surprisingly insightful....
AL Focus, June 9

Come UnALA with us
Michelle Boule writes: “Something that has the potential to be the most exciting and fun thing happening at ALA Annual Conference this year still has a lot of spaces for people to attend. And it is a free event. If you come, you will have a large say in what happens, what we talk about, and how what is shared in a few short hours could change the world. Come to the Unconference at ALA Annual on June 25.” Add your name to the wiki list to discuss or present a topic....
A Wandering Eyre, June 3; ALA Annual Conference wiki

Bookmobile Sunday features libraries on wheels
The Office for Literacy and Outreach Services will hold its fourth annual Bookmobile Sunday on June 27, a ticketed event that features speakers W. Ralph Eubanks and Andrew Smith. Following the event will be a parade of bookmobiles, which will be open to all conference attendees....
Office for Literacy and Outreach Services, June 4, 7

ALA Diversity and Outreach Fair
Twenty-one libraries and organizations from across the United States will demonstrate “diversity in action” during the Diversity and Outreach Fair on June 26. The fair is a unique opportunity for attendees to learn about notable diversity initiatives and programs, as well as the possibilities for fostering quality library services to all....
Office for Literacy and Outreach, June 4

Poetry possibilities at Annual Conference
Conference attendees will find a variety of poetry-themed programming to delight and inspire the lyrical librarian. These events include opportunities to meet the poets, live readings, and a discussion of poetry and library programming. This year, the LIVE! @ your library reading stage will feature poets Kwame Alexander, Sarah Blake (right), Nickole Brown, Henri Cole, Benjamin Alire Sáenz, and Gwendolyn Zepeda....
Public Programs Office, June 4

Attend a ProgrammingLibrarian.org demo
Public Programs Office will present regular demonstrations of ProgrammingLibrarian.org, an online resource center for all things related to creating cultural community programs for the library, June 25–27, in the ALA Public Programs Office Booth (#2659) in the Exhibits Hall. The site is designed for librarians who plan and present cultural programs and events....
Public Programs Office, June 2

Graphic Novel Panel
Join graphic novelists David Small and Audrey Niffenegger for the first-ever Graphic Novel Panel on June 28. The program will focus on the importance of graphic novels in the library and their power to reach out to reluctant readers....
Public Information Office, June 7

ALA volunteers to support D.C. libraries
More than 100 ALA volunteers from across the United States will gather June 25 at the Washington Convention Center for “Libraries Build Communities,” a daylong community service effort that will provide aid to local organizations. This year’s efforts will support local public and school libraries, the Capital Area Food Bank, and Habitat for Humanity of Washington, D.C....
Chapter Relations Office, June 7

Many Voices, One Nation 2010
Eugenia Kim, Matt Dembicki, and Joseph Stands With Many will be three of the participants in Many Voices, One Nation on June 25 during the ALA Annual Conference. The program brings together writers and artists from different perspectives and presents a rich program of spoken word, music, and performance art....
Office for Diversity, June 2

Wanda Urbanska joins @ your library contributors
Recently dubbed a spokeswoman for the simplicity movement by the New York Times, author and Simple Living television host Wanda Urbanska is the latest writer to sign on as a regular contributor to ALA’s @ your library public-awareness website. Her first posting is “The Path to Financial Independence,” an excerpt from her new book, The Heart of Simple Living: 7 Paths to a Better Life....
Campaign for America’s Libraries, June 3–4

Reply by email on ALA Connect
Jenny Levine writes: “We’re excited to announce a new feature for ALA Connect that should make discussions easier. It’s called ‘reply via email,’ and it does pretty much what the name says. When you get an email notification of new content in one of your Connect groups, at the top of the message you’ll see the following line: Reply above this line to post a comment.”...
ITTS News, June 8

Text a donation to help rebuild libraries in Haiti
It now only takes two minutes for you to donate $10 to help rebuild libraries in Haiti. ALA has set up an option to easily donate through your mobile phone. To donate to the ALA Haiti Library Relief Fund simply text “alahaiti” to 20222, and a $10 one-time tax-deductible donation will be added to your mobile phone bill. ALA is raising funds to rebuild three libraries in Haiti destroyed during the earthquake in January....
International Relations Office, June 8

AILA and APALA highlight family literacy
The American Indian Library Association and the Asian/Pacific American Librarians Association have launched a Talk Story: Sharing Stories, Sharing Culture website. Part of the ALA Family Literacy Focus initiative, Talk Story is a library-based family literacy model that reaches out to Asian/Pacific American and Native American children and families....
Office for Literacy and Outreach, June 3

Partnering for success in children’s services
ALA Editions has released Children’s Services: Partnerships for Success, edited by Betsy Diamant-Cohen, who brings together 18 examples of successful outreach partnerships that children’s librarians and administrators can adapt to their own situations. Contributors from the U.S. and Canada explain how they partnered with schools, community organizations, museums, businesses, and other agencies to create novel experiences for children across the children’s services spectrum....
ALA Editions, June 3

50 delightful lists for librarians
ALA Editions has released The Librarian’s Book of Lists by George M. Eberhart. After years spent editing American Libraries Direct and the many editions of The Whole Library Handbook, Eberhart has collected a raft of arcane librariana and amusing trivia for this endlessly browsable volume. Included are the top 12 silly reasons to ban a book and how to say “Where is the library?” in 50 languages. A beguiling mixture of serious topics, tongue-in-cheek items, and outright silliness makes it equally suitable for the reference shelf or the staff lounge....
ALA Editions, June 8

Four restaurants enliven the K Street strip
Time was that the streets radiating out and down from K Street—hallowed ground for lobbyists and image-makers—were a fusty culinary landscape of white tablecloths, blue blazers, and standard steakhouses. But in recent years, those looking for a less predictable menu have migrated to ever more inventive and ethnic restaurants opening on and around the K Street strip....
New York Times, June 6

Exhibit time for the Apollo
To celebrate the 75th anniversary of Harlem’s Apollo Theater, the National Museum of African-American History and Culture is presenting a multimedia exhibition called “Ain’t Nothing Like the Real Thing: How the Apollo Theater Shaped American Entertainment.” It traces the evolution of the Apollo from its birth in 1914 as a whites-only burlesque theater to a venue where African-American performers could start and advance their careers. Materials on display include historic photographs, costumes, musical scores, and playbills. The NMAAHC gallery is located on the second floor of the Smithsonian’s National American History Museum at 14th Street and Constitution Avenue, NW....
National Museum of African-American History and Culture

Investigate the Lincoln assassination conspiracy
In a 1.4-mile walking tour that decamps promptly at 6:30 p.m., June 25 and 26, from Ford’s Theatre (511 10th Street, NW) to the White House, join fictional Detective James McDevitt as he revisits and reexamines the sites and clues from the Lincoln assassination investigation in eight stops. Tickets for Investigation: Detective McDevitt, written by Richard Hellesen and directed by Mark Ramont, are $12 apiece and $10 each for groups of 20 or more, and do not include a tour of the theatre itself....
Ford’s Theatre; Ticketmaster

D.C. tips: Evening options
Annual is only two weeks away, and everyone is figuring out where they have to be and when. Is your schedule packed, but you still want to get out and explore Washington? Here are some after-hours options for you to consider....
YALSA Blog, June 8

Washington National Cathedral ponders rare book sale
Over the past two years, economic hard times have loomed as large at Washington National Cathedral as the Gothic spires that grace the city's skyline. News came this week that the cathedral, visited by every U.S. president since Theodore Roosevelt laid its foundation stone in 1907, was considering selling off part of its rare books collection, probably worth millions....
Washington Post: On Faith, June 5

Sorry, no free samples
Want to see millions of dollars (such as the new $100 bill, right) being printed before your eyes? Tour the U.S. Bureau of Engraving and Printing’s D.C. Tour and Visitor Center at 14th and C Streets, SW. Free, same-day tickets are distributed at the 14th Street entrance Monday–Friday starting at 8 a.m. Tours take place from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.; advance reservations are held for large groups between 11 a.m. and 12:15 p.m....
U.S. Bureau of Printing and Engraving

Still time to register for RUSA preconferences
Registration closes June 20 for the three preconferences that RUSA will be holding in conjunction with the ALA Annual Conference in Washington, D.C. This year’s offerings, held June 25, feature sessions on genealogy, interlibrary loan statistics, and reference skills....
RUSA, June 8

Start your day at the Literary Tastes Breakfast
Join other ALA Annual Conference attendees in Washington, D.C., June 27 with a delicious breakfast as authors Adriana Trigiani, Dan Chaon, Laney Salisbury, David Small, and Melvin Konner read from their works, ruminate on writing, and sign books. Registration closes June 20....
RUSA, June 8

AASL to launch planning tool in August
AASL has joined with Britannica Digital Learning to copublish an online, interactive school library program planning module that will change school library program development, saving time and delivering data. “A Planning Guide for Empowering Learners” is a program evaluation, planning, implementation, and advocacy tool that will ensure school library program planners go beyond the basics....
AASL, June 3

YALSA summer webinars
Find out the latest and greatest in YA nonfiction—and how to get it into teens’ hands—during YALSA’s “Back to the Facts: YA Nonfiction” webinar, hosted by Angela Carstensen. The webinar will take place August 19 at 2 p.m. Eastern time. “Risky Business: Taking Risks to Improve Teen Services” will help participants smartly and effectively take risks to improve services and programs for teens in their communities. The webinar will take place July 15 at 2 p.m. Eastern time. Registration for both is now open....
YALSA, June 4

YALSA to sponsor two Emerging Leaders
YALSA will sponsor two divisional members as Emerging Leaders in 2011. Each will receive up to $1,000 to attend ALA’s 2011 Midwinter Meeting in San Diego and Annual Conference in New Orleans. Applications are due July 30; be sure to indicate YALSA as the preferred sponsor when applying....
YALSA, June 4

GLBTRT kicks off year-long celebration
The Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgendered Round Table will kick off a year-long celebration to mark its 40th anniversary during the ALA Annual Conference. The round table was one of the first professional organizations of its kind, established in 1970....
Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgendered Round Table. June 8

Biddle honored for Achievement in Library Diversity Research
Stanton Biddle, director of Middle States Accreditation Review for Baruch College, has been named ALA 2010 Achievement in Library Diversity Research Honoree. His contributions include titles on university planning, African-American history and culture, numerous presentations promoting resources for exploring the history and culture of underrepresented populations, and editing the proceedings of the first two National Conferences of African American Librarians. The award is given by the Committee on Diversity and the Office for Diversity and supports the propagation of library-based diversity research....
Office for Diversity, June 8

ASCLA achievement, innovation awards
ASCLA is presenting three awards for service to the profession. Barbara T. Mates won the 2010 Exceptional Service Award for her advocacy for persons with disabilities and for older adults. Jerry Krois is the 2010 recipient of the Cathleen Bourdon Service Award for sustained leadership to ASCLA. The Resource Library of the Wyoming Institute for Disabilities is the 2010 winner of the ASCLA/KLAS/NOD Award for its project “Disability Etiquette Infusion Units: Changing Attitudinal Barriers at University of Wyoming.”...
ASCLA, June 8

New exceptional websites for children
ALSC has added recommended websites to Great Web Sites for Kids, its online resource containing hundreds of links to outstanding websites for children. The site features links to websites of interest to children 14 years of age and younger, organized into diverse subject headings....
ALSC, June 3

Madler receives Conable travel stipend
Aubrey Madler, information specialist with the University of North Dakota’s Center for Rural Health, is the recipient of the 2010 Gordon Conable travel grant to attend the ALA Annual Conference in Washington, D.C. The Conable Scholarship was created to advance intellectual freedom and mentorship. Madler will be blogging during the conference on the OIF Blog and afterward she will deliver a report to the Freeedom to Read Foundation board....
Freedom to Read Foundation, June 8; OIF Blog, June 9

Tennessee supports Spectrum
The Tennessee Library Association has announced its support of the Spectrum Presidential Initiative with an annual contribution of $500. The donation comes during a special one-year Spectrum Presidential Initiative to raise $1 million for the Spectrum Scholarship Program, ALA’s national diversity and recruitment effort designed to address the underrepresentation of critically needed ethnic librarians within librarianship....
Office for Diversity, June 8

Rose Treviño Scholarship (PDF file)
Reforma, the national association to promote library and information services to Latinos and the Spanish-speaking, has created a memorial scholarship to honor the life and legacy of Rose Treviño (right), a youth librarian who dedicated her career to serving Hispanic communities and who passed away April 10. Donations to the scholarship should be addressed to Reforma Treasurer Robin Imperial. Selection criteria will be discussed at the ALA Annual Conference....
Reforma, June 1

Columbus Metropolitan Library named LJ/Gale Library of the Year
Library Journal and Gale, part of Cengage Learning, announced June 7 that the Columbus (Ohio) Metropolitan Library has been named 2010 Library of the Year. Each year this prestigious recognition goes to the public library in the United States that most profoundly demonstrates service to community, creativity, and innovation in developing specific community programs. In addition to a cash award of $10,000, the library will be featured as the cover story for the June 15 issue of Library Journal. Watch the video (1:16)....
Gale Cengage Learning, June 7

Martha Catt wins Distinguished Hoosier Award
Martha Catt, retired director of Hussey-Mayfield Memorial Public Library in Zionsville, Indiana, was presented with the Governor’s Distinguished Hoosier Award May 27. The award is one of the highest honors that can be bestowed upon an Indiana resident. Catt was cited for contributions to her community and state over the past 20 years when she served as library director....
Indianapolis Star, June 4

Brian Quinn receives APA Award
Brian Quinn, social sciences librarian at the Texas Tech University Libraries, will receive the American Psychological Association’s Excellence in Librarianship Award for 2010. The award, in its fourth year, recognizes outstanding contributions to psychology and behavioral sciences in areas including instruction, project development, publications, research, or service....
Texas Tech Today, June 7

2010 Boston Globe–Horn Book Awards
A seamlessly constructed tale of friendship and time travel set on Manhattan’s Upper West Side, When You Reach Me (Random House), Rebecca Stead’s second novel for young people, has won the 2010 Boston Globe–Horn Book Award in the Fiction and Poetry category. Marching for Freedom: Walk Together, Children, and Don’t You Grow Weary by Elizabeth Partridge (Viking) won for Nonfiction, and I Know Here by Laurel Croza (Groundwood) won for Best Picture Book. All children’s and YA books published in the United States between June 2009 and May 2010 were eligible for the awards....
The Horn Book, June 8

2010 Canadian Griffin Poetry Prizes
Eiléan Ní Chuilleanáin’s The Sun-fish and Karen Solie’s Pigeon are the respective international and Canadian winners of the 10th annual Griffin Poetry Prize of $65,000 apiece ($61,217 U.S.). By funding the Griffin Poetry Prize—the world’s largest prize for a first edition single collection of poetry written in English—the Griffin Trust for Excellence in Poetry, headquartered in Oakville, Ontario, aims to spark the public’s imagination and raise awareness of the crucial role poetry plays in our cultural life.. ...
Griffin Poetry Prizes, June 3

2010 Grundler Prize
Western Michigan University has awarded the prestigious Grundler Prize to a University of Notre Dame scholar for his book, Sisters and Brothers of the Common Life: The Devotio Moderna and the World of the Later Middle Ages (University of Pennsylvania, 2008). The prize was awarded at the 45th International Congress on Medieval Studies May 15 to John van Engen....
Western Michigan University, June 7

Irish Book of the Decade
The Bord Gáis Energy (Irish Gas Board) has announced the winner of its Irish Book of the Decade competition. The 2007 comic-fantasy novel Skulduggery Pleasant, the first in a series of the same name by Derek Landy, came in first in an online poll of a shortlist selected by a panel of Irish editors, librarians, and booksellers. The book tells the story of feisty 12-year-old Stephanie and a wise-cracking magician turned detective who is, among other things, dead....
Bord Gáis Energy Irish Book Awards, June 1

2010 Angus Book Award
Author Rachel Ward has won the 2010 Angus Book Award for her debut novel Numbers (Chicken House, 2010)—about a 15-year-old girl who can see the date a person will die when she looks in their eyes. Ward was presented with her trophy, a miniature replica of the Aberlemno Serpent Stone, and the £500 ($800 U.S.) prize at a May 18 ceremony in Kirriemuir, Scotland. This annual award for best new paperback YA novel written by a UK author is voted on by third-year students in Angus secondary schools....
Angus Council, May 19

Leeds YAs choose their favorite books
Students aged 9–16 in Leeds, England, voted for their favorite reads and came up with Tanya Landman’s Mondays Are Murder, Chris Wooding’s Malice, and Narinder Dhami’s Bang, Bang, You’re Dead. The winners were revealed at a May 25 ceremony. Landman was there to receive her award and admitted to having a “Kate Winslet moment” (as on the bow of the Titanic)....
Leeds Book Awards, May 26

Woman gets 36 years for DUI deaths of librarians
Sandra Jacobson, convicted on nine counts related to the traffic deaths of two women taking a cab to the airport after the 2009 ALA Midwinter Meeting in Denver, was sentenced June 4 to 36 years in prison. Jacobson, whose blood-alcohol count was estimated at more than three times the legal limit when her truck hit a cab causing the deaths of Connecticut librarians Kate McClelland (left) and Kathy Krasniewicz (right), was convicted in April. Jacobson also faces a wrongful death suit filed by McClelland’s children....
Denver Post, June 4; Greenwich (Conn.) Time, June 7

California tries to counter rising journal costs
The University of California system has said “enough” to the Nature Publishing Group, one of the leading commercial scientific publishers, over a 400% proposed jump in the cost of the group’s journals. On June 8, a letter (PDF file) went out to all of the university’s faculty members from the California Digital Library, saying that if the publisher is unwilling to negotiate, the system might have to suspend all 67 of its subscriptions, including Nature, and encourage a faculty boycott of contributed papers to those journals....
Chronicle of Higher Education, June 8

Sisterhood stays in Fond du Lac
A popular young adult book, Forever in Blue: The Fourth Summer of the Sisterhood by Ann Brashares, will remain on the library shelf at Theisen Middle School in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin. In a 7–1 vote June 7, a reconsideration committee decided the book’s value as a reading source for middle school students trumped parent Ann Wentworth’s objection to content she labeled “age inappropriate” and “sexual.”...
Fond du Lac (Wis.) Reporter, June 8

Lemonade-stand issue ends on a sweet note
It turns out that the Evanston, Illinois, “lemonade-gate” wasn’t much of a conspiracy. On May 29, someone claiming to be a city health inspector told a woman working at a lemonade stand outside the Evanston Public Library’s South Branch that she needed a permit. When Evanston’s Health Department denied responsibility, fingers started pointing. Bottom line: The Friends of the Library will get its permit and the lemonade stand will reopen....
Evanston (Ill.) Review, June 8

Ex-librarian loses religious discrimination suit
A federal judge has rejected a lawsuit by a former Ohio State University librarian who accused the school of being hostile to his Christian beliefs. U.S. District Judge William Bertelsman ruled June 7 that Scott Savage didn’t prove that Ohio State had made his working conditions intolerable. Savage said he was forced to quit in June 2007 after continued personal and professional attacks on his character two years after he recommended that freshmen read an anti-gay book....
Columbus (Ohio) Dispatch, June 8

UMKC’s new Gay and Lesbian Archive
Carolyn Szczepanski writes: “On the fourth floor of the University of Missouri–Kansas City’s Miller Nichols Library, there is an oasis of color splashed across a table in Stuart Hinds’s office. The director of special collections has laid out laminated advertisements from long-closed Kansas City bars—lively images that promise ‘Experts in the art of drag and entertainment!’ Next to these he has placed an arrangement of political pins with rainbows and bright-pink triangles. These items are the beginning of the Gay and Lesbian Archive of Mid-America.”...
The Pitch, June 3

Louisiana needs LSU’s library program
Nicole Morello writes: “I am writing in reference to the front-page article of the May 25 newspaper regarding LSU Chancellor Michael Martin’s proposal to cut the master’s degree in library and information science from LSU’s program offerings. Rather than share statistics regarding the success of this program, I would like to share a personal story about why the School of Library Information Science matters.”...
Baton Rouge (La.) Advocate, June 7

Long-lost silent films return to America
A late silent feature directed by John Ford, a short comedy directed by Mabel Normand, a period drama starring Clara Bow, and a group of early one-reel westerns are among a trove of long-lost American films recently found in the New Zealand Film Archive. Some 75 of these movies, chosen for their historical and cultural importance, are in the process of being returned to the United States under the auspices of the National Film Preservation Foundation, the charitable affiliate of the Library of Congress National Film Preservation Board....
New York Times, June 6

Another library role for Rachel Weisz
The last time we saw Rachel Weisz in an Egyptian setting, she was cast as the earnest librarian-turned-archaeologist Evelyn Carnahan in The Mummy and The Mummy Returns. In Agora, her latest film (released in the United States June 4), she returns to the Nile to play another woman of a scholarly bent—Hypatia, a Greek scholar, mathematician, and philosopher. However, the film, by Chilean director Alejandro Amenábar, takes a few liberties with the known facts, among them an alleged destruction by Christians of the great Library of Alexandria. See the review by Tim O’Neill....
New York Times, May 21; Armarium Magnum, May 20, 2009

Wales takes on Google Books
Rory Cellan-Jones writes: “The National Library of Wales is one of the United Kingdom’s copyright libraries, able to ask for a copy of every book, newspaper, and magazine published in the U.K. Like other such institutions, it is struggling to find a role in the digital age. The National Library is not, however, just sitting back and waiting for a graceful demise. It’s plunging with enthusiasm into a massive digital project. ‘The people of Wales own this collection, they have paid to build it up over the years, why should it just be handed to Google?’ said Welsh National Librarian Andrew Green.”...
BBC News: dot.Rory, June 7

The Alameda bookmobile brings the library to you
California’s public library system has seen some major cutbacks lately. But one library at least is still moving along smoothly—because it’s on wheels. The Alameda County Bookmobile is a library in a long, white bus, touring the county with books, magazines, CDs, DVDs, and almost everything else. In this broadcast (5:17), KALW’s Hana Baba interviews Children’s Librarian Gina Rose, who gave her a tour....
KALW-FM (San Francisco), June 7

San Jose’s comic book contest
Entrants in San Jose (Calif.) Public Library’s second annual Graphic Novel Making Contest were asked to submit graphic novels or comic books of up to eight pages with black-and-white drawings. There were divisions for children 12 and younger, ages 13 to 17, and adults 18 and older. Submissions were judged on their illustrations and the strength of their stories. “People start winning things, and they think, ‘This is going to be my future,’” said Outreach Librarian Deborah Estreicher, who organized the contest with Tully Community Branch Librarian Chieu Nguyen....
San Jose (Calif.) Mercury News, June 3

Genealogy tourism in Salt Lake City
When Jan Gow makes her annual pilgrimage from New Zealand to Salt Lake City, it’s for the ribbons of microfilm and endless volumes of maps and cemetery and property records tucked inside the Family History Library. The library, owned and operated by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints since 1894, is visited by some 700,000 people annually and is widely considered the world’s largest repository of genealogy records....
Canadian Press, June 7

Retired academic librarian carves a new career
When Ray McInnis retired after 46 years at Western Washington University’s Wilson Library, he searched far and wide for information about the history of woodworking. But he discovered that if he wanted what he was looking for, he’d have to write it himself. The result is his website, the History of Woodworking. McInnis said, “When I launched into this I had been a woodworker for nearly 40 years, but I knew virtually nothing about the history of woodworking.”...
Bellingham (Wash.) Herald, June 3

Singapore librarian reads underwater
A librarian, apparently from the National Library Board of Singapore, is giving the art of storytelling an aquatic twist at the Underwater World Singapore oceanarium. She uses a special microphone system to tell children’s stories related to the ocean, such as Smiley Shark by Ruth Galloway and Fishy Tales. The 20-minute reading session is held four Saturdays in June....
Channel News Asia, June 5

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This is your brain on computers
Scientists say juggling email, phone calls, and other incoming information can change how people think and behave. They say our ability to focus is being undermined by bursts of information that play to a primitive impulse to respond to immediate opportunities and threats. The stimulation provokes excitement (a dopamine squirt) that researchers say can be addictive. In its absence, people feel bored. The resulting distractions can have deadly consequences. It may be that the immediacy of the internet changes the core of who we are. Take this test to find out....
New York Times, June 6; Center for Internet Addiction

Microsoft’s web-based Office goes live
Officially joining the browser-based productivity game, Microsoft on June 7 released its browser-based versions of Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and OneNote. The Office Web Apps, as the programs are dubbed, are slimmed-down versions of the desktop counterparts, allowing for document viewing, sharing, and lightweight editing. Consumers get free access to the tools, along with 25GB of storage as part of Windows Live, while businesses can also host their own version of the Web Apps using the latest version of Sharepoint....
CNET News: Beyond Binary, June 8; Windows Blog, June 7

Dual-screen tablet-maker eyes e-textbook market
Priya Ganapati writes: “A new dual-screen tablet from California startup Kno aims to make electronic textbooks into a viable business. ‘Textbooks won’t fit into a 10- or 12-inch screen so you have to scroll up and down and right and left,’ says Osman Rashid, cofounder and CEO of Kno. Company founders say they can fix that with two 14-inch LCD touchscreens that fold in like a book. The device is scheduled for release in December, and Kno has inked deals with four major textbook publishers, including McGraw Hill, Pearson, and Wiley.”...
Wired: Gadget Lab, June 4

The step-by-step guide for digitizing your life
Adam Dachis writes: “Your increasingly digital lifestyle has left your analog media collecting dust. Save it from obsolescence and digitize your life. This guide covers many different kinds of media, so feel free to skip to the section(s) that interest you the most: paper, images, audio, video, and storage and organization.”....
Lifehacker, June 8

Hewlett-Packard enables remote printing
By 2011, more printing will be done from the web than traditional PC-based word processing programs. Hewlett-Packard has announced that its forthcoming printers will let users print remotely using mobile phones and other wireless devices. Each new printer will be assigned an email address. A document printed from an iPhone would go to HP’s data center for rendering into the correct format and then be forwarded to the sender’s printer. The process will take about 25 seconds....
PC World, June 7

Let the Library Wars begin
Corrina Lawson writes: “If you grew up a reader, I think it’s impossible to lose the love of libraries and books. The shojo manga comic Library Wars: Love and War, the first in a series adapted by Kiiro Yumi from the novels of Hiro Arikawa, appeals to that love. In a future where the government destroys books that are ‘unsuitable,’ libraries and local governments respond by forming a special military unit to preserve books. The Library Defense Forces are charged with protecting books and readers at all costs, even their lives. The main character of volume one is Iku Kasahara, who has dreamed of being part of the LDF since she was a young girl.”...
Wired: GeekDad, June 2; VIZ Media, May 10

Are you buying comics for women?
Robin Brenner writes: “A good friend and colleague, Eva Volin, posed a smart and challenging question for librarians during the recent BookExpo America panel ‘Hot Fall Graphic Novels for Libraries’: How many librarians are actively collecting graphic novels written for women? One of the titles she included as a runner-up for the hot list is a classic, soon-to-be published, yaoi manga series Kizuna, by Kazuma Kadoka.”...
EarlyWord: The Publisher | Librarian Connection, June 8

The changing face of academic presses
Richard Poynder writes: “These are tough times for university presses. In the wake of the global financial crisis, many of them are struggling to survive. To get a closer view of the challenges, Sarah Pritchard (right), Charles Deering McCormick university librarian at Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois, offered some insight. ‘We argued that the press needed to be better embedded into the wider university mission,’ Pritchard said.”...
Information Today, June 7

Two new Stieg Larsson stories found
Several unpublished manuscripts by Stieg Larsson (right), the Swedish crime author who died before his Millennium trilogy became a global cult hit, have surfaced at the National Library of Sweden, Deputy National Librarian Magdalena Gram revealed June 8. Larsson had sent the short stories “The Crystal Balls” and “The Flies” to the Swedish science fiction magazine Jules Verne when he was 17, but they were rejected; the library subsequently received them in 2007 as part of a private donation of the magazine’s archives....
Agence France-Press, June 8

Tower Hamlets Teen Booklist 2010
The Tower Hamlets Schools Library Service in London, England, has released its ninth annual list of recommended books for teens. The 2010 list, titled THe List (for Tower Hamlets) (PDF file), features 40 titles, all published in the last 12–15 months. All the books were reviewed by Tower Hamlets secondary school librarians, public library staff, and schools library service staff....
Tower Hamlets Schools Library Service

Top 10 difficult literary works
Reading a good book or poem is one of life’s joys, and once in a rare while a good book can change your life forever. Great literature often demands we meet the authors’ ideas on their own terms, and the experience is not always comfortable. Submitted for your review are 10 literary works that demand much of the reader. Who among us hasn’t struggled with a book or poem that failed to capture our attention?...
Listverse, June 7

At the ALA Annual Conference, Washington, D.C., June 24–29, don’t forget Open Gaming Night, June 25.

Get an advance look at the 378-page Annual Conference program book online (large PDF file).

The state of online video
Seven in ten adult internet users (69%) have used the internet to watch or download video, according to a June 3 Pew Research Center report (PDF file). That represents 52% of all adults in the United States. Driven by the popularity of online video among 18-29 year-olds, there have been dramatic increases since 2007 in the number of American adults watching comedy or humorous videos, rising in viewership from 31% of adult internet users in 2007 to 50% of adult internet users in the current survey; and educational videos, rising in viewership from 22% to 38% of adult internet users....
Pew Research Center, June 3

Online safety report: Scare tactics don’t faze kids
Although internet safety education is essential, scare tactics do little to influence the behavior of children and teenagers, said the “Youth Safety on a Living Internet” report (PDF file) issued June 4 by the National Telecommunications and Information Administration. Instead, NTIA’s Online Safety and Technology Working Group suggested that the government “promote nationwide education in digital citizenship and media literacy as the cornerstone of internet safety.”...
eSchool News, June 7; National Telecommunications and Information Administration, June 4

How to update your library’s Wikipedia page
Heather Mansfield writes: “Now that most nonprofits have a Community Page on Facebook in addition to their Official Page, it is crucial that nonprofits create a Wikipedia account to edit, maintain, and watch their organization’s Wikipedia page. Why? Because Facebook Community Pages have Wikipedia tabs that pull in your information directly from Wikipedia. Here’s how to get started.”...
Nonprofit Tech 2.0, June 7

StoryCorps to visit medal-winning libraries
Each year, select museums and libraries with outstanding records of community service receive the Institute of Museum and Library Services’ National Medal for Museum and Library Service. This year, for the first time, personal stories demonstrating the ongoing impact of these award-winning institutions will be documented through a cooperative agreement between IMLS and StoryCorps, a nonprofit organization dedicated to recording and sharing the stories of Americans from all backgrounds and beliefs....
Institute of Museum and Library Services, June 7

Best Practices for Government Libraries 2010
Best Practices for Government Libraries 2010: The New Face of Value is now available for downloading (PDF file). Best Practices is a collaborative document that is put out annually on a specific topic of interest to government libraries and includes content submitted by government librarians and community leaders with an interest in government libraries. The 2010 edition includes over 70 articles and other submissions....
Government Info Pro, June 3

The Library of Congress: A Modern Marvel
The Library of Congress will be the focus of the History cable channel’s Modern Marvels program slated to air June 10. In an episode titled “The Real National Treasure,” LC staff members are interviewed about the vast array of activities at the library—from acquiring and cataloging millions of items, many of them rare, to making them more accessible to the public through display or digitization and preserving them in specialized, state-of-the-art laboratories....
Library of Congress, June 3

Libraries as leaders in data preservation
On June 3–4, a panel of experts at the National Academies of Science discussed the role of libraries in curation, preservation, and access to research data. The discussion took place under the auspices of the National Research Council’s Board on Research Data and Information. The board heard presentations from leaders of the Association of Research Libraries, the American Society for Information Science and Technology, and the Coalition for Networked Information....
District Dispatch, June 8

The cases of the purloined letter and the (allegedly) stolen bible
Nancy Mattoon writes: “Two institutions, two libraries, two allegations that each holds a unique and priceless literary document that is stolen property. Two American archives each housing a cultural treasure from, in one case, France; and in the other, Armenia. Two very different reactions to requests that the items be repatriated to the country that believes itself to be the rightful owner. In this good news, bad news story, Part One involves Haverford College and a purloined Descartes letter; Part Two pits the Armenian Apostolic Church of America against the J. Paul Getty Museum over who is the rightful owner of seven pages ripped from a 13th-century illuminated manuscript known as the Zeyt’un Gospels.”...
BookTryst, June 7, 9

A fun game from 1898
Ashley Cataldo writes: “Returning the occasional game to the American Antiquarian Society graphic arts department does not usually result in discovering the explosives that blew up the USS Maine in 1898. But when Jennifer Burek Pierce, assistant professor at the University of Iowa SLIS and recent Jay and Deborah Last Fellow at AAS, had finished looking at the games collection, I noticed a game titled, ‘Who did it? The Maine Question,’ a game containing an envelope, a fuse, and tiny bits of explosive powder.” Pierce talks more about the game in Part Two....
Past Is Present, June 7, 9

A search for librarian identity
Kim Leeder writes: “I’m at the point in this librarian job where I have enough experience to know how to get things done, and also enough to wonder, ‘What exactly am I doing?’ These days we’re better at knowing what we’re not (bun-wearing shushers) than putting our finger on what exactly we are and what we’re here for. But what librarians do have is a set of core values that serves as the backbone of our identity and draws together even those working in nontraditional positions.”...
In the Library with the Lead Pipe, June 9

Do bus fumes damage books?
Q. Do diesel fumes from a bus damage books? A request was made to the city bus transit offices to move a bus stop based on the argument that bus fumes damage books. A. Yes, auto emissions, including diesel fumes, can damage books, according to the 2003 Assessing Preservation Needs: A Self-Survey Guide (PDF file) by Beth Patkus published by the Northeast Document Conservation Center (page 32). Moving the bus stop should be considered if bus fumes are indeed a threat to library materials kept just inside—and to the people using those materials....
AL: Ask the ALA Librarian, June 3

Another Carnegie for sale in Rockport
Larry Nix writes: “The libraries that Andrew Carnegie helped fund are more visible on the web these days. For the most part that’s a good thing. I’m certainly pleased that there seems to be more interest in preserving these historic structures. Library historian Charley Seavey wrote to tell me about a Carnegie in his hometown of Rockport, Massachusetts, that had been turned into a private residence. It is now for sale for the bargain basement price of $2,495,000.”...
Library History Buff Blog, June 6

Iraq receives control of online science library
As Americans work toward a military handoff to full Iraqi control, they are making an intellectual handoff as well. On June 7, the Iraqi people gained control of an online library built in 2006 to bolster the country’s scientific research. The Iraqi Virtual Science Library, sponsored by the U.S. Departments of Defense and State, has been under the trust of a Congressionally financed nonprofit group for the past four years....
Chronicle of Higher Education: Wired Campus, June 7

Bindon Blood, bibliomane
Bibliomania, an obsessive-compulsive disorder involving the collecting or hoarding of books, has taken many forms over the years. As early as 1809, the English bibliographer Thomas Frognall Dibdin published a book on the subject. A book recently donated to the Louisiana State University Libraries’ Special Collections—Ovid’s Art of Love (London: Jacob Tonson, 1709)—once belonged to a little-known bibliomane named Bindon Blood, a Dickensian character whom other book collectors nicknamed ‘The Vampire.’”...
LSU Libraries Special Collections Blog, June 2

Inappropriate citations?
Christina Pikas writes: “According to the authors of an article in Marine Ecology Progress Series, inappropriate citations intentionally or unintentionally misrepresent the meaning of the works cited. Here are some aspects they mention: citing a review article instead of the primary work; citing something that asserts an idea based on another citation; and misunderstanding or misinterpreting an article. They suggest that this practice could undermine an entire discipline and that citation padding to try to get a paper accepted is dirty business.”...
Christina’s LIS Rant, June 5

Librarian anger is real
Will Manley writes: “Our library news sources have done an excellent job of reporting the carnage that budget cuts have made to libraries of all types in the past two years. What they have not covered, however, is the human toll that these cuts are making. Many of these librarians at risk are in a very edgy state of dread. Some are moving toward the dark abyss of despair and despondency. There’s a lot of anger, paranoia, frustration, confusion, and depression out there.”...
Will Unwound, June 7

My foursquare “aha” moment
Jenny Levine writes: “You remember your first time, right? The moment you realized email (or blogging or Facebook) was more than just cool? I’ve been using foursquare for a while and having fun with it, but my ‘aha’ moment finally came (twice) in May on a trip to Washington, D.C. The first happened when I checked in at the National Building Museum and foursquare showed me that Fiesta Asia Street Fair was a nearby trending place.”...
The Shifted Librarian, June 7

Henry Carter Hull Library celebrates Mark Twain
Mark Twain impersonator Eric Schoeck (right), an Albertus Magnus College professor in real life, gave a witty speech at the Henry Carter Hull Library’s Memorial Day Community Picnic in Clinton, Connecticut. Some 200 people showed up to commemorate both the centennial of the author’s death in 1910 and the library’s 100-year birthday this year....
Henry Carter Hull Library

How to power through a mountain of email
Gina Trapani writes: “It’s your first day back at work after a week-long vacation and you’re staring down an email inbox stuffed with 1,600 unread messages. If you don’t have all day to spend just dealing with email, here are some cleanup shortcuts for getting to the bottom of the pile quickly.”...
Fast Company, June 1

What will libraries look like in 2015?
Bobbi Newman writes: “There are so many opinions and options for the future of libraries out there. One idea (5:09) from Mal Booth, Sophie McDonald, and Belinda Tiffen breaks down the library of 2015 by five aspects: organizational culture, work conditions, service models, sustainability, and people. A video (9:42) from JISC in the UK questions whether or not there will be librarians in the future.” A few others are listed....
Librarian by Day, June 2

Things librarians fancy, chapter 2
Travis Jonker writes: “It’s time to once again peer into the hidden world of librarians. Blatantly borrowing a concept from a website that shall remain nameless, I present Things Librarians Fancy, chapter 2 (read chapter 1 here). I am, for the record, guilty of many (many (many)) of the items described below.” One of those things is “exhaustively precise cataloging” (right)....
100 Scope Notes, June 8

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