Contents
American Libraries Online
ALA News
Booklist Online
San Diego Update
Division News
Awards
Seen Online
Tech Talk
Publishing
Actions & Answers
New This Week
Calendar

Harry Potter READs
“Anything that gets kids into reading is fantastic,” says Harry Potter star Daniel Radcliffe, who recently posed for an ALA Celebrity READ poster along with his Potter costars Rupert Grint and Emma Watson. Radcliffe talked to American Libraries in August, shortly after the photo shoot for the poster. The book he is holding in the poster is Mikhail Bulgakov’s The Master and Margarita, which he says he’s been obsessed with since he read it over a year ago....
American Libraries column, Nov./Dec.

Wait! You can’t retire without sharing that with us
Amy Hartman and Meg Delaney write: “As libraries face the departure of staff with well-honed reference skills, years of experience in the community, and deep knowledge of the collection and traditional resources, how can we identify and retain their departing expertise—the gold in the library’s intellectual vault? Now, perhaps more than ever before in the history of our profession, what we do and what we are will be affected by retirement’s brain drain.”...
American Libraries feature

Illinois libraries talk sustainability
Sixty librarians from around Illinois met at Chicago’s Field Museum October 22 to discuss how they could better help their communities go green. The workshop kicked off ILA’s year-long Go Green @ your Illinois Library program. “Libraries already connect people to resources; this is about connecting people to each other,” said Denise Raleigh, director of marketing, development, and communications at Gail Borden Public Library in Elgin. Watch the kickoff video (2:50)....
American Libraries news, Oct. 25; AL Focus, Oct. 27

On My Mind: The unknown cataloger
Michael Gorman writes: “Hardly a month goes by without a story in the newspapers or elsewhere in the media about a scholar who has ‘discovered’ a lost or hitherto unknown manuscript of a text or musical work by a famous author or composer. ‘It had been lying there undisturbed and unknown for decades but when I came across it, I knew what it was immediately,’ said Professor Hebden-Snorkel, who gets the scholarly papers and the tenure for which she thirsts. No thanks are rendered to the Unknown Cataloger or for the preservation activities of the library or archive.”...
American Libraries column, Nov./Dec.

In Practice: Read the fine print
Meredith Farkas writes: “There probably isn’t a person alive who’s read the Terms of Service (TOS) of every technology or service they use. Sometimes, the terms impact how a library can use a technology or give a company broad rights to content that you or your patrons have created. For example, a number of libraries have begun using Netflix to provide videos for their patrons. On the surface it sounds like a brilliant idea. However, according to Netflix’s Terms of Use, ‘use of the Netflix service . . . is solely for your personal and noncommercial use.’”...
American Libraries column, Nov./Dec.

One down, nine to go
Laura Bruzas writes: “A can-do community attitude coupled with the dedication of a loyal Friends group helped make the San Francisco Public Library’s Parkside branch renovation (right) meet the U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Silver certification standards. Parkside ‘is the first of 10 upcoming library projects that will meet a LEED Silver or greater rating consistent with the city’s long-term sustainability goals,’ reports Ed Reiskin, director of San Francisco’s Department of Public Works.”...
AL: Green Your Library, Oct. 20

Recommended reading
Q. My local service club would like to give children at the elementary school in town a book this holiday season. Most of the children are African American or Hispanic, and they are in grades K–6. What can you suggest? A. First and foremost, talk with the school librarian or your local public librarian to see what’s popular in your town, or what books are on the local summer reading lists. You might also want to review the most recent book lists, which are linked from the ALA Library Fact Sheet 23: Recommended Reading....
AL: Ask the ALA Librarian, Oct. 26

John Grisham named National Library Week honorary chair
Author John Grisham has been named the 2011 honorary chair of National Library Week, which will be celebrated April 10–16. Grisham is the author of more than 25 books, including A Time to Kill, The Firm, and Theodore Boone: Kid Lawyer, his first novel for young adults. As honorary chair, Grisham will appear in print and online public service announcements promoting National Library Week....
Public Information Office, Oct. 26

Emerging Leaders, Class of 2011
The ALA Emerging Leaders program, now in its fifth year, kicks off with a daylong session during the 2011 ALA Midwinter Meeting in San Diego. Eighty-three individuals (PDF file) have been selected through a very competitive process for the program this year. The program enables librarians and library staff from across the country to participate in project planning workgroups, network with peers, gain an inside look into ALA structure, and have an opportunity to serve the profession in a leadership capacity early in their careers....
Office for Human Resource Development and Recruitment, Oct. 26

Volunteer to serve on an ALA committee
ALA President-elect Molly Raphael is encouraging members to volunteer for ALA and Council committees during the 2011–2012 appointment process. To volunteer for a committee, complete the online committee volunteer form. The deadline is November 5....
Executive Office, Oct. 27

Museum/library partnerships that work
The Public Programs Office is announcing a free, online learning session, “Museum/Library Partnerships That Work,” to be held at 2 p.m. Central time on November 18. This session is presented by ProgrammingLibrarian.org and supported by the Institute of Museum and Library Services and the ALA Cultural Communities Fund. Register online....
Public Programs Office, Oct. 26

Celebrating National Gaming Day
Q. Where can I get information about how to best present and suggest our library celebrating National Gaming Day? A. National Gaming Day encourages young patrons to interact with a diverse group of peers, share their expertise, and develop new learning strategies. For talking points and research, see the Games and Gaming Resources wiki, especially the Advocacy and Gaming and Literacy sections, as well as the Librarian’s Guide to Gaming. Registration and participation information for the third annual nationwide celebration on November 13 are available online....
AL: Ask the ALA Librarian, Oct. 26

Rural, Native, and tribal libraries
Former ALA President Loriene Roy writes: “There’s plenty of evidence nationally—and even internationally—that points to an awakening in interest and activity focusing on rural libraries, including those that serve Native and tribal communities. The Association for Rural and Small Libraries and the Association of Bookmobiles and Outreach Services held a joint conference in Denver October 13–16. Among the attendees were those interested in and involved with tribal librarians.” And how do you know you are a rural librarian? Consult this whimsical checklist supplied by Conference Planning Chair Andrea Berstler....
OLOS Columns, Oct. 25; BlogJunction, Oct. 20

Student Chapter Leadership community
The Student Chapter Leadership community was created in ALA Connect to provide a means for current and former student chapter leaders to meet, mentor, network, and discuss issues of common concern. If you have an interest in student chapters, or have ideas on how to foster communication among the chapters and between the chapters and ALA, come and share your ideas....
Student Membership Blog, Oct. 27

Freedom to Read Foundation Nominating Committee
The Freedom to Read Foundation has announced the Nominating Committee for its April 2011 election. Committee members are Robert P. Doyle (chair), James G. Neal, and Judith Platt. Six positions on the FTRF board of trustees will be filled in the election to be held in April. Nominations should be sent by December 17 to FTRF....
Freedom to Read Foundation, Oct. 25

The best of San Diego, 2010
Every year, San Diego Magazine combs the county to find the best the area has to offer. Here are the editors’ current picks for restaurants, bars, sights, people, places, concerts, food trucks, hotspots, iPhone apps, blogs, and running clubs. Many of these are outside the conference area, so check a map before you plan....
San Diego Magazine, Aug.

Ninth worst city for traffic
San Diego is ninth on the list of worst U.S. cities for traffic, according to a Texas Transportation Institute paper (PDF file) released in August that says the annual average number of hours of delay per traveler is 51.7. The San Diego–Carlsbad–San Marcos metropolitan area has a population of around 3 million and is the 17th largest metro area in the nation. Make sure you consider the Metropolitan Transit System trains, trolleys, and buses as an option. Downtown San Diego is also bicycle-friendly, and walking is a good choice in a city with an average January temperature of 50°–66° F. Free shuttle buses, sponsored by Gale Cengage Learning, will operate during the Midwinter Meeting....
Weather Channel; Texas Transportation Institute; Bicycling, Jan. 26, 2006

New AASL toolkit helps implement learning standards
A new resource from AASL will help building-level school librarians implement learning standards and program guidelines. The “Building Level Toolkit: Implementing AASL’s Learning Standards and Program Guidelines in Your School Library” is designed to help practitioners learn more about the key ideas of the learning standards and share those messages with others. Developed by Kristin Fontichiaro and Melissa Johnston, the toolkit walks school librarians through important steps in the implementation process....
AASL, Oct. 26

Choose your words carefully
At 1 p.m. Central time on November 15, PLA will present a live, hour-long webinar, “Transforming Our Image,” led by Valerie J. Gross (right), president and CEO of Howard County (Md.) Library. The webinar is designed to teach participants how to transform their public libraries and their profession by modifying the language they use. Register online....
PLA, Oct. 26

Web research in academic libraries
ACRL has published CLIP Note #41, Web Research in Academic Libraries. This new title provides useful information on teaching web research strategies in information literacy instruction. Complied by Rebecca Sullivan of Luther College, the monograph examines to what extent and in what ways academic libraries have incorporated web search strategies into their information-literacy-instruction programs....
ACRL, Oct. 26

“Going Mobile” webinar
Three-quarters of U.S. teens have cell phones—and you can easily use the devices to engage teens at your library at very little expense. Learn how to make your library cell-phone friendly in YALSA’s November 18 webinar, “Going Mobile: Teens, Libraries, and Cell Phones,” hosted by Jennifer Velasquez. The webinar will take place at 2 p.m. Eastern time. Registration is now open....
YALSA, Oct. 21

YA literature bloggers needed
YALSA is launching a new blog dedicated exclusively to young adult literature. The Hub, as it will be called, will be your stop for interesting posts, interviews, links, and more about the world of YA lit. If you are a YALSA member and interested in writing for the blog, contact Literature Blog Manager Sarah Debraski....
YALSA Blog, Oct. 25

Entice teen readers with book lists
Today’s school librarian or young adult specialist must be ready to help both the voracious teen reader who has devoured every “Twilight” installment to a book hater who prefers action movies and video games and wants help in making a selection for her next book report. Luckily, Annotated Book Lists for Every Teen Reader: The Best from the Experts at YALSA-BK, copublished by YALSA and Neal-Schuman Publishers, will give librarians informative insights and authoritative recommendations on how to satisfy even the most finicky young adult reader....
YALSA, Oct. 21

An interview with Sarah Flowers
YALSA president-elect Sarah Flowers (right) recently authored ALA Editions’ Young Adults Deserve the Best: YALSA’s Competencies in Action, which expands on YALSA’s Competencies for Librarians Serving Youth and gives practical advice and examples for fulfilling those competencies. Sarah was kind enough to answer a few questions about her new book....
YALSA Blog, Oct. 26

Last week for Friends group survey
All Friends groups—including groups that are already Friends Group Affiliates—who complete this online survey will be entered in a drawing to win a free year as an Affiliate with ALTAFF, as well as a copy of Even More Great Ideas for Libraries and Friends. The deadline is October 29....
ALTAFF, Oct. 6

LITA offers two workshops in San Diego
LITA is offering two full-day educational workshops on January 7 at the ALA Midwinter Meeting in San Diego. Jason Clark of Montana State University is presenting “Creating Library Web Services: Mashups and APIs,” and Amanda Hollister of LISHost.net will present “Open Source CMS Playroom.” Visit the ALA Midwinter Meeting registration page to sign up for these events....
LITA, Oct. 26

Sandburg awards go to Toni Morrison, Eula Biss
Authors Toni Morrison (left) and Eula Biss were honored by the Chicago Public Library Foundation and Chicago Public Library October 20 during the Carl Sandburg Literacy Awards Dinner at the University of Illinois at Chicago Forum. Morrison received the coveted Sandburg Award honoring a significant work or body of work that has enhanced the public’s awareness of the written word. Biss accepted the 21st Century Award honoring significant recent achievement in writing by an author with ties to Chicago....
AL: Inside Scoop, Oct. 21

Who was John Cotton Dana and what is that award about?
Ask library professionals to name a famous librarian and they will recall a variety of names, chief among them that of John Cotton Dana. When ALA and the H. W. Wilson Company decided in 1946 to give an award for outstanding achievement in the arena of library public relations, they named it after John Cotton Dana (1856–1929), who first refined the crude techniques of boosterism into the fine art of library public relations. If you’ve been doing the same sort of thing, apply for the John Cotton Dana Library Public Relations Award....
LLAMA, Oct. 26

Apply for Carnegie-Whitney grants
Up to $5,000 in grant funding is available for the preparation, in print or electronically, of one or more popular or scholarly reading lists, webliographies, indexes, or other guides to library resources that will be useful to users of all types of libraries in the United States. The deadline is November 5....
ALA Publishing, Oct. 25

Oklahoma City Friends group wins fundraising award
The Friends of the Metropolitan Library System in Oklahoma City has won an international award for its fundraising efforts. The volunteer organization will receive a National Philanthropy Day Award for Outstanding Fundraising Organization by the Association of Fundraising Professionals during a ceremony November 8 at the Skirvin Hilton Hotel. The award recognizes outstanding fundraising efforts that demonstrate innovative techniques and community leadership....
Oklahoma City Oklahoman, Oct. 23

Kingsolver wins Library of Virginia Literary Award
Barbara Kingsolver was awarded the Library of Virginia’s 13th Annual Library of Virginia Literary Award for fiction at an October 16 reception. Kingsolver, who grew up in rural Kentucky and now lives in southwest Virginia, was honored for her latest book, The Lacuna. The awards recognize the best books published the previous year by a Virginia author or on a Virginia theme....
Richmond (Va.) Times-Dispatch, Oct. 17

CILIP International Award winners
The CILIP International Library and Information Group has named two winners of its International Awards for 2010: Vimbai Hungwe, the late president of the Association for Health Information and Libraries in Africa, who died in a tragic car accident on June 6; and Jane Kinney Meyers (right), founder and president of the Lubuto Library Project, which enriches the lives of children in Zambia through libraries....
Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals, Oct. 1

Christa Wolf wins Thomas Mann Prize
German author Christa Wolf received the coveted Thomas Mann Prize for literature October 24 in Lübeck, Germany, in honor of her long literary career. One of the most prolific authors in the former East Germany, Wolf attracted controversy in 1993 when it was discovered that she had worked for the East German secret police from 1959 to 1962. The 81-year-old received the prize worth 25,000 euros ($35,090 U.S.) for her work. Her latest book, Leibhaftig (2002), details the struggles of a woman in a 1980s East German hospital awaiting medication from the West....
Deutsche Welle, Oct. 24

Turkish publisher honored with Freedom to Publish Award
A Turkish publisher on trial for publishing a classic erotic novel by French writer Guillaume Apollinaire was recognized with a special award by the Geneva-based International Publishers Association. Irfan Sanci, owner of publishing house Sel, is being prosecuted under an anti-obscenity law for publishing a translation of Apollinaire’s Exploits of a Young Don Juan and two other titles. Sanci is due to receive his award on November 2 at the Istanbul TÜYAP book fair, with his next court hearing currently scheduled for the morning of the same date....
The Guardian (U.K.), Oct. 25; Istanbul Hürriyet Daily News, Oct. 24

Audit shows National Archives treasures at risk
An audit, prompted in part by the loss of the Wright Brothers’ original airplane patent (right) and maps for atomic bomb missions in Japan, finds some of the nation’s prized historical documents are in danger of being lost for good. Nearly 80% of U.S. government agencies are at risk of illegally destroying public records, and the National Archives is backlogged with hefty volumes of records needing preservation care, the Government Accountability Office audit found. Archivist of the United States David S. Ferriero writes that he is committed to build a new organizational model for the National Archives that will be driven by a set of guiding principles....
Associated Press, Oct. 26; AOTUS: Collector in Chief, Oct. 26

One sit-in won’t close Chicago’s school library void
The Chicago school board is set to vote October 27 on a library for Whittier Elementary School, more than a month after a group of angry neighborhood mothers garnered international headlines and support by commandeering the ramshackle field house next door and jump-starting a library collection. But Whittier is not alone; citywide, nearly 1 in 4 elementary schools and 51 high schools do not have standalone libraries staffed by a trained librarian....
Chicago Tribune, Oct. 26; Trib Nation, Oct. 26

American Dream librarian resigns over opposition to immigrants
A Nebraska librarian who won national recognition for teaching immigrants how to read has resigned in a dispute over expanding her literacy work. Karla Shafer (right) had planned to teach English to immigrants in Nickerson as part of a second $5,000 American Dream grant from ALA. But she resigned her part-time post as director of the Hooper Public Library in September after she was confronted by City Council President Gene Meyer over the plan....
Omaha (Nebr.) World-Herald, Oct. 24

Immigrants find their “American Place” at Hartford Public Library
Iraqi Sadea Musa can explain in three words why she and her family immigrated to the U.S.: “Freedom, safety, and security.” Arriving in Connecticut in February, members of the Musa family soon found themselves at the Hartford Public Library, where in the past 10 years thousands of other refugees and immigrants have gone as they try to build new lives. The library’s American Place program started in 2000 with a grant from the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving and has become a nationally recognized model for the role that public libraries can play in educating and assimilating immigrants....
Hartford (Conn.) Courant, Oct. 26

Seniors angry over library cancelling their meetings
The 60 senior citizens who showed up October 26 at Delray Beach (Fla.) Public Library all had one thing in common: They were angry over the library’s decision to cancel the Current Events discussion group that has been meeting weekly for the past 10 years. Group members said the library cancelled the group after receiving a complaint about a discussion that had turned heated. Library officials say the program has a long history of unruly behavior, with name calling and even a fistfight in the parking lot....
Palm Beach (Fla.) Post, Oct. 27

Philadelphia school library targeted for a makeover
Michael Reavey, hired as Potter-Thomas Elementary School’s librarian a year ago, found that the North Philadelphia school library was dark and little more than “a storage room with old books purchased 40 years ago under the LBJ administration.” But Potter-Thomas was one of 32 schools in the U.S. selected this year to win a $200,000 library renovation in the Target School Library Makeover program. Now it has freshly painted blue and green walls, new bookshelves, bright lighting, 2,000 new books, and three new computers....
Philadelphia Daily News, Oct. 25

The rise of self-service public library facilities
Washington County Library’s new Library Express in Hugo, Minnesota, has no librarians, no card catalog, and no comfortable chairs. The service, which opened July 29 and was funded by a grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services (PDF file), is merely a stack of metal lockers outside city hall. When patrons want a book or DVD, they order it online and pick it up from a digitally locked, glove-compartment-sized cubby a few days later. Faced with cuts, libraries are replacing full-service operations with devices and approaches that redefine what it means to have a library. Watch the video (1:48). Chicago is exploring a similar option for its subway stations....
Wall Street Journal, Oct. 25; Washington County (Minn.) Library, July 12; YouTube, Aug. 12; Chicago Sun-Times, Oct. 26

New York’s subway library
The New York Public Library’s Terence Cardinal Cook–Cathedral branch is located down a flight of stairs, just outside the turnstile entrance to the No. 6 train on the northwest corner of Lexington Avenue and 50th Street. Before the branch opened in 1992, the space housed a library, dating to 1887, for the Archdiocese of New York. At 2,100 square feet, it is the second smallest of the 90 NYPL branches, but it has the circulation activity of a much bigger library....
New York Times, Oct. 21

NPR librarian considers all the facts
For 20 years, National Public Radio Librarian Kee Malesky (right) has been saving NPR’s hosts and reporters from themselves. In her new book, All Facts Considered: The Essential Library of Inessential Knowledge (Wiley, 2010), Malesky catalogs some of the facts that she has researched so dutifully. During her two decades of service in the NPR reference library, reporters have asked Malesky to look up some fairly obscure though fascinating pieces of information....
NPR: Weekend Edition, Oct. 23

Illinois pays libraries a portion of what it owes
An Illinois service through which libraries share books and other resources soon will receive an infusion of state cash, but library officials say the long-term outlook is bleak if more money doesn’t arrive from Springfield. After a two-day pre-election email campaign by patrons and library officials urging Gov. Pat Quinn to release funds, state officials announced October 21 that six of the nine units that make up the Illinois Library Systems will receive a portion of state money due to them. The systems had not received 47% of their state funding and were waiting for some $6.5 million for fiscal year 2010....
Chicago Tribune, Oct. 21

Natick library’s bookmobile entertains the troops
The Morse Institute Library in Natick, Massachusetts, is working with the Natick Soldier Systems Command to give the soldiers stationed in town things to do when they are off duty. The bookmobile visits the Natick Labs Army base twice a month, giving the soldiers and citizens who live and work there the chance to check out books, audiobooks, and DVDs from the Minuteman Library Network. The visits give them cheap entertainment and access to books not available to the base’s technical library....
Natick (Mass.) Bulletin and Tab, Oct. 22

The Great Huki-Puke at Kapaau
On October 23, the Great North Kohala Huki-Puke (Hawaiian for “book passing”) successfully moved half of the library’s 17,000 books and other materials more than a mile from the old Bond Memorial Public Library in Kapaau to the newly constructed North Kohala Public Library via a human chain of more than 1,000 community volunteers. The entire effort was inspired by the story of Hawaiian King Kamehameha I, born in the area, who organized a similar human chain to move stones for a new temple in 1791. Watch the video (3:10)...
Hilo Hawaii Tribune-Herald, Oct. 25; Big Island Video News, Oct. 25

Montana libraries get broadband boost
A 2009 study rated Montana 50th out of 50 states and the District of Columbia in broadband internet penetration, with just 34% of connections having broadband speeds above 2 MB per second. The Montana State Library is taking some big steps to make the technology available in more and more places, launching a $2.7-million, three-year program to make more computers and higher internet speeds available at 42 Montana libraries in 29 counties that are home to 86% of the state’s population....
Helena (Mont.) Independent Record, Oct. 23

Conserving library treasures
Heidi Singer writes: “Myriam de Arteni (right) peers into a high-powered microscope at a breathtakingly beautiful Islamic prayer book with a broken spine. This fall, the 16th- to 17th-century volume, The Anthology of Prayers, is on display at the New York Public Library’s exhibition ‘Three Faiths: Judaism, Christianity, Islam.’ But first it needed a tune-up. De Arteni, the library’s senior conservator for exhibitions in the Barbara Goldsmith Conservation Laboratory, has treated numerous items in preparation for the exhibition.”...
Huffington Post, Oct. 25

Schomburg Center obtains Maya Angelou papers
New York Public Library’s Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture has acquired 343 boxes of author Maya Angelou’s personal papers and documents, including notes for her autobiography, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings; a 1982 telegram from Coretta Scott King asking her to join a celebration at the King Center; fan mail; and personal and professional correspondence with Gordon Parks, Chester Himes, Abbey Lincoln, and her longtime editor, Robert Loomis. Library officials declined to disclose a purchase price for the collection....
New York Times, Oct. 26

Cupcake war in Waldorf
The creations entered in the Cupcake War at the P. D. Brown Memorial branch of the Charles County Public Library in Waldorf, Maryland, on October 16 were too pretty, too well-designed, just too interesting to eat. The bakers—ranging from elementary-age kids through adults—focused on designs and originality rather than taste. Leah Pennington’s hamburger-and-fries cupcake design (above) took first place in the middle school division....
Waldorf Maryland Independent, Oct. 20

Idaho governor becomes library wedding crasher
Gov. Butch Otter and other GOP candidates on a campaign bus tour arrived at Jerome (Idaho) Public Library around 5 p.m. October 20 for a supposedly scheduled campaign stop. However, the meeting room had been reserved three weeks earlier for the wedding reception of a library Friends member. Wedding guest Linda Helms said she looked right at the governor and told him the room was reserved. Librarian Patty Metcalf said she was unaware the governor’s campaign was scheduled to stop in....
Twin Falls (Idaho) Times-News, Oct. 23

Radical Reference in Montreal
Radical Reference is a growing movement of librarians and other bookish radicals who want to use their various cataloging skills to make the world a more socially just place. If you’re an activist looking to poke a hole in the system, they’ll point you to the books, stats, databases, microforms, and esoteric library collections that can help you transform your manifesto from dismal diatribe to revelatory report. A Montreal chapter has been in the works since the summer and was unveiled October 23 during a demonstration against police brutality....
Montreal (Quebec) Mirror, Oct. 21

Go back to the Top

The Desk Setup
Brett Bonfield writes: “Although in the last few years I think we’ve done a really good job of making clearer connections between libraries and technology, I don’t think anyone is surprised when librarians are omitted from discussions about and between prominent technologists, such as the ones facilitated by The Setup (interviews with IT people, writers, and developers about their computers).” Here are 21 librarians who reveal what hardware and software they use and what their dream setups are....
In the Library with the Lead Pipe, Oct. 27

Five keyboards to spice up your boring desk
Amy Mae-Elliott writes: “If you’re using a desktop computer to navigate the online jungle, chances are you spend a good bit of time at a boring old keyboard. The good news is that you don’t have to settle for uninspiring hunks of plastic. It’s worth investing a little bit of money into something that you use so often. There are some really stylin’ keyboards out there, and we’ve picked out five of the best, whether you are a Mac or PC user.”...
Mashable, Oct. 22

How to buy a GPS
Wendy Sheehan Donnell writes: “It’s a great time to buy a GPS. The category has matured and competition from nav-equipped smartphones has driven prices way down. As a result, you can get a capable stand-alone GPS that can do much more than just help you find your way for a lot less than you would have paid just last year. Still, there are several factors to consider when choosing the right GPS: Do I need a big display? Should I spring for a live traffic subscription? Should I even bother with a GPS, or can I just use my phone? Here’s what you should consider when navigating the GPS market.”...
PC Magazine, Oct. 21

15 useful mobile apps for conferences
Aliza Sherman writes: “We’re at a big national conference and are overwhelmed. In the old days, we’d pour through event agendas and printouts of the sessions we wanted to attend, touch base with people we wanted to see and arrange meeting times and places, and then struggle to find room numbers and meeting places. Flash forward to today. We all have mobile devices. Here are 15 apps that are helpful at conferences and events—but maybe not so useful elsewhere.”...
GigaOM, Oct. 20

Sony Walkman isn’t dead—yet
Reports of the death of the Sony Walkman, which in 1979 revolutionized the way people listened to music, are premature. For now. Widely circulated rumors of the demise of the original Walkman player seem to have stemmed from two words on the Japanese Sony Corp. site for the device. It said, “Production finished.” But as it turns out, that meant only that the player would no longer be sold in its home country of Japan....
Los Angeles Times, Oct. 26

Andy Rooney’s fall cleaning
David Pogue (as crotchety commentator Andy Rooney) looks at a wireless speaker for bicycle handle bars, a desk frame for an iPhone, a projector, a PrintStik, a case for an iPad, and stickers for wires. “There isn’t one thing here that wouldn’t wind up in the back of my gadget drawer within a week.”...
New York Times, Oct. 14

ALA Midwinter Meeting in San Diego, California, January 7–11, 2011. Special events on the exhibits floor: Friday, Opening Reception; Saturday, Spotlight on Adult Literature; Monday, Closing Speaker.

“Like” American Libraries on Facebook.

The Fantastic World of Jim Henson (slideshow) Pride and Passion at the Highland Park Public Library Resources for Animal Adoption Gold: Exhibit Reveals Art and Science Behind this Dazzling Icon of Wealth Dennis Lehane on How Libraries Turned Him into a Writer (video) Donna Seaman Interviews Writer Junot Diaz House Huggers Unite! How to Stop Teardown in its Tracks by Wanda Urbanska Legendary Jazz Performances Recovered After Seventy Years

How not to get libraries to lend e-books
Andy Woodworth writes: “I found this article from the British magazine The Bookseller in my Google Reader this morning and, I will admit, it has been awhile since I have been so excited and flabbergasted at the same time. In a time of cutbacks, the idea of libraries turning into service stations for e-reader devices has to be a frightening one. I’m sure these publishers in their infinite wisdom have determined a trouble-free way for people to download these books. Isn’t the point of being online that you can have remote access to something?” CILIP calls the restrictions “regressive.”...
Agnostic, Maybe, Oct. 21; The Bookseller, Oct. 21; The Guardian (U.K.), Oct. 26

What reference sources are LIS students using?
Mary Ellen Quinn writes: “Annie, our Booklist publishing assistant, is enrolled now in San Jose State’s online MLIS program, and this semester she’s taking a reference sources class. The class has been working on the familiar assignment of using standard reference sources to find answers to a list of questions. I was curious about the reference tools she was asked to look at and she shared the list with me. It’s interesting to see how much has changed and how much has remained the same in the reference toolkit.”...
Booklist Online: Points of Reference, Oct. 26

Scary stories from another era
AbeBooks writes: “’Tis the season to be terrified, and since fright is in fashion and vintage books are our favorite game, we have cherry picked some classic horror books for you to sink your teeth into. They were all published before 1960 and these books—some of them forgotten, many out-of-print—illustrate how authors and publishers tried to scare people in the days before JFK and the Beatles.”...
AbeBooks, Oct. 22

The case for nutcase literature
Stephen J. Gertz writes: “As rare book and special collections librarians have acquired most if not all the standard and nonstandard warhorses of fiction and nonfiction, they are beginning to look creatively beyond the traditional to form collections from disparate books within their holdings and with new acquisitions that when gathered together reveal an overlooked yet compelling story. Nutcase literature is surely an area worthy of investigation, for collectors, scholars, and curators alike. It is at once an extremely humorous and deadly serious subject.”...
Booktryst, Oct. 25

20 heroic librarians who save the world
Charlie Jane Anders writes: “If information is power, then there’s no hero mightier than a librarian. Librarians are superheroes, adventurers, explorers, and invaluable guides to other heroes. Here are 20 amazing librarians who save the world every day, from Flynn Carsen and Rupert Giles to Iku Kasahara and Luna Moth.”...
io9, Oct. 22

Highlights of the SLJ Leadership Summit
Joyce Valenza writes: “I returned home late last night from the SLJ Leadership Summit, October 21–23. I had a great time in Chicago. And it would be easy to simply return with fond memories of time spent with old and new friends. The two days were packed with learning experiences and fun. I am still working through that learning and I am sorting out the sticky stuff—what happened that truly made a difference. For now, I’ll share just a few of my stickiest highlights.”...
School Library Journal: NeverEndingSearch, Oct. 24

Earning full citizenship
Karen Schneider writes: “‘Seeking Full Citizenship’ (College and Research Libraries, September) notes that faculty status for librarians has been discussed for over a century. But I knew I had to wade into these muddy waters when I opened the article and searched its text, confirming my suspicion that nowhere in this article does the word ‘student’ arise. Any argument for a change to my status or the status of those I manage has to first meet this very high bar: Does it work toward the higher good of the institution we serve?”...
ACRLog, Oct. 26

A librarian’s guide to film programming
Mark Gladstone writes: “Over the years, I’ve had the opportunity and pleasure of teaching college film courses and organizing film programs at several public libraries. This article shares lessons learned from those experiences and provides tips for public libraries on selecting program content, choosing equipment, handling copyright issues, and marketing, to ensure the success of your library’s film programming. Why should you choose a particular film for your library’s film program?”...
Public Libraries 49, no. 5 (Sept./Oct.)

How to tag other organizations on Facebook
Heather Mansfield writes: “Facebook tagging is very simple. That said, many nonprofits still don’t know how to do it. Without fail, every time I demonstrate Facebook tagging in a social media training there is always a resounding ‘Wait . . . hold up! How did you do that? Can you please show it again?’ Here you go—showing it again. By promoting others on Facebook (via tagging) you can also promote your own organization and nurture partnerships.”...
Nonprofit Tech 2.0, Oct. 24

Science and technology librarian blogs
John Dupuis writes: “A week or two ago I lamented that I always seem to be reading the same librarianish blogs, not mixing it up too much. I wished that we might have a blogging community to assemble around, or at least a good aggregator. Well, Bora Zivkovic challenged me in the comments to aggregate sci-tech librarian blogs for the ScienceBlogging.org site. It’s taken me a while, but I’ve done it.”...
Confessions of a Science Librarian, Oct. 27

Secrets of the Facebook news feed algorithm
Thomas E. Weber writes: “Why does that guy I barely know from the 10th grade keep showing up in my Facebook feed? The social-networking giant promises to keep us connected with our friends in exchange for pumping a steady diet of advertising at us—but the algorithms Facebook uses to decide what news to pass along can seem capricious or impenetrable. To get the answers, we devised an experiment, creating our own virtual test lab. Some remarkable findings began to emerge.”...
The Daily Beast, Oct. 18

Have you got Klout?
Ben Parr writes: “Social media analytics service Klout, well-known for its Twitter influence measurement scores, has finally launched a version of its platform that determines your influence on Facebook. Klout currently uses various data points from Twitter to figure out your Klout Score, a representation of your influence and ability to compel action by others online. The company claims that most Klout scores will rise due to the inclusion of Facebook in the overall platform.”...
Mashable, Oct. 14

The transparent library director
Justin Hoenke writes: “Spend some time working in a public library and you’ll see a common theme: Most employees and the public have no clue what a library director does. The victims here? It’s always the patrons. Starting at the top and leading by example, directors who embrace social media can show their staff and the public they serve just what they’re doing to keep their libraries relevant.”...
Tame the Web, Oct. 27

The tired librarian
Linda Absher writes: “At a time when the gold standard for edgy librarian-ness is announcing in clinical detail what lengths one will go to obtain an iPad on the social networking milieu of choice during an ALA conference, the message is clear: I am officially behind the curve. Because of the profound blow this realization delivered to my pop culture psyche, I vowed to come up to speed, stat. So in the interests of full librarian stereotype disclosure, I bring you my attempts at hip librarian street cred.”...
The Days & Nights of the Lipstick Librarian!, Oct. 19

Vade mecums: Books to go
L. D. Mitchell writes: “Not all books are designed to spend their lives snug and secure on bookshelves. The singular Latin phrase, vade mecum, translates into English as ‘goes with me.’ In a general sense, it refers to any item one normally carries about on one’s person; in a bibliophilic sense, the phrase refers specifically to a small book such as a guidebook, handbook, or manual meant to be carried about, used during the Middle Ages by physicians, astrologers, and tradesmen for quick reference and computation.”...
The Private Library, Oct. 22

What it’s like to be a cataloger
Diane Shaw writes: “Being a cataloger is a very important job. Your concise, expertly informed, and accurately crafted records make it possible for your institution’s reference staff and researchers to find the materials they are interested in. While cataloging manuals are full of details that are challenging to understand and remember, the work is all worth it when you can create well-organized and easily findable records in SIRIS for unique materials.”...
Smithsonian Collections Blog, Oct. 14

Stress test for reference librarians
Will Manley writes: “People think librarianship is easy. We all know that’s not true. Librarians, especially reference librarians, get stressed and often burn out. If you are a reference librarian, you know that you are close to burn out when: An overweight patron demands the latest diet book and you hand him a refrigerator lock. You begin integrating Primal Scream therapy into the reference interview process.”...
Will Unwound, Oct. 26

Russia donates 10 lost silent U.S. films to LC
A major gift from Russia—digitally preserved copies of 10 previously lost U.S. silent films—will help the United States reclaim its silent-film heritage. Vladimir I. Kozhin, head of Management and Administration of the President of the Russian Federation, officially presented the films to Librarian of Congress James H. Billington in a special ceremony October 21 in the Library’s Thomas Jefferson Building. The films were digitally preserved by Gosfilmofond, the Russian State film archive, and donated via the Boris Yeltsin Presidential Library....
Library of Congress, Oct. 21; RT-TV (Moscow), Oct. 23

LBJ Library posts Johnson’s daily diaries
The Lyndon Baines Johnson Presidential Library and Museum posted more than 14,000 pages of former President Johnson’s daily diaries on its website October 27. Johnson’s secretaries began compiling the typed and handwritten diaries in 1959, when he was Senate majority leader and continued through his vice presidency and presidency....
Lyndon Baines Johnson Library and Museum

How to design a great “About Us” page
Chana Garcia writes: “It’s one of the most important elements on a website and also one of the most undervalued: the ubiquitous ‘About Us’ page—that section on your site that has been collecting virtual dust because you haven’t bothered to read it since, well, you first wrote it. You may not be paying it much attention, but visitors to your site are, so it deserves a little more consideration and a lot more respect.”...
Inc., Oct. 18

The most interesting librarian in the world
Library students at Syracuse University created this take-off (2:41) of the Dos Equis “Most Interesting Man in the World” ads for an Introduction to the Library and Information Profession course. Traffic cops stop her to ask directions, she writes reference books on demand, and she can light fires with a Kindle!...
YouTube, Oct. 12

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