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LC makes contingency plans for government shutdown
The unions representing Library of Congress workers signed a Memorandum of Understanding with LC April 5 regarding employees’ furlough status in the event that a Continuing Resolution to prolong appropriating FY2011 funding for the federal government is not enacted by midnight, April 8. The LC Professional Guild told its members that employees will be notified via email if they are placed in a furlough status. George A. Williams, media relations manager for the District of Columbia Public Library, has informed American Libraries that a federal shutdown could close the 25-library system, as well as most other city services....
American Libraries news, Apr. 6

Library advocacy: One message, one voice
Richard Dougherty writes: “We are all too familiar with stories about reductions in library hours, library closures, staff layoffs, canceled children’s programs, and reduced materials budgets. While many readers may not remember, similar stories appeared in the media throughout the 1990–1992 recession. One of ALA’s responses to the 1990s recession was to organize a ‘Rally for America’s Libraries/Caravan on Wheels’ that traveled from Atlanta to Washington, D.C., after the 1991 ALA Annual Conference. Designed to capture media attention, its objective was to encourage librarians to tell their stories to local news outlets.”...
American Libraries feature

National Library Week 2011
What isn’t great about libraries? In this video (2:49), librarians talk about the value of libraries as community centers, places to develop skills and interests, and as tools for democracy and society. Featuring speakers Loriene Roy, Sara Kelly Johns, Loida Garcia-Febo, Andromeda Yelton, JP Porcaro, and others. Edited by Greg Landgraf, with music by DoKashiteru ....
AL Focus, Apr. 6

Quotes about libraries
From Cicero to Maya Angelou to Keith Richards, lots of people have had interesting and important things to say about libraries. This video (2:05), edited by Greg Landgraf for National Library Week 2011, collects a number of those quotes, such as “The America I love still exists at the front desk of public libraries” (Kurt Vonnegut, 2004)....
AL Focus, Apr. 6

Japanese libraries assess damage
Some three weeks after the March 11 9.0-magnitude earthquake and subsequent tsunami that has taken the lives of tens of thousands and damaged or destroyed at least 125,000 buildings in the Tōhoku (northern) region of Honshu, Japan’s main island, the Japanese library and cultural-heritage communities are utilizing email and social media to alert each other, as well as foreign colleagues and friends elsewhere, of their status....
AL: Global Reach, Apr. 5

Association libraries
Q. How many public association libraries are there in the United States? Why are they association and not municipal? A. Table 5 of the Public Libraries Survey, Fiscal Year 2008 (PDF file), published by the Institute for Museum and Library Services, indicates that 14.9% of the 9,221 public libraries reporting in 2008 were “Nonprofit association or agency libraries,” or about 1,375 libraries, nationwide. These are defined as public libraries that are privately controlled but meet the “statutory definition of a public library in a given state.”...
AL: Ask the ALA Librarian, Apr. 5

OIF Conference on Privacy and Youth
The Office for Intellectual Freedom held a Conference on Privacy and Youth in Chicago March 24–25 that brought together some 50 librarians, privacy advocates, educators, authors, artists, and policy experts to discuss the work they are doing to engage and educate young people in privacy protection. Sponsored by the Open Society Institute, the conference aimed to expand the focus on Choose Privacy Week (May 1–7 this year) with programming specifically geared toward reaching youth. Megan Schliesman, librarian at the Cooperative Children’s Book Center, provides a summary on the I Love Libraries website. OIF has produced a video (5:17) featuring Lava Row founder Nathan T. Wright, who was a speaker at the conference....
AL: Inside Scoop, Mar. 24–25; I Love Libraries, Mar. 31; YouTube, Mar. 30

First-ever National Donate A Book Day
In celebration of 85 years of sharing the joy of reading, Direct Brands’ Book-of-the-Month Club is announcing the first-ever Donate A Book Day, beginning on April 14 during National Library Week. This Day of Donation is facilitated by a partnership with ALTAFF. On April 14, readers across the country are encouraged to donate new or gently used books to their local libraries. Books not added to the library’s collection will be given to the Friends of the Library....
ALTAFF, Apr. 6

A new Guide for the Perplexed
The Library Copyright Alliance has released A Guide for the Perplexed Part IV: The Rejection of the Google Books Settlement (PDF file), an analysis of the latest decision in the Google Books Search case and its potential effect on libraries. The LCA is comprised of ALA, ACRL, and the Association of Research Libraries. This guide is the latest in a series prepared by LCA legal counsel Jonathan Band to help inform the library community about this landmark legal dispute....
District Dispatch, Apr. 1

Mason Crest donates to Money Smart Week @ your library
Mason Crest Publishers will donate one of its new “Junior Library of Money” sets to a library participating in Money Smart Week @ your library. In addition, Mason Crest is offering a 25% discount to all ALA members who purchase the full set of books for the event, taking place April 2–9. The “Junior Library of Money” series teaches young adults about money skills. It contains 14 volumes and is targeted for kids 12 and older....
Chapter Relations Office, Mar. 31

National Bookmobile Day: Bookmobiles Rock!
This slideshow, courtesy of Rose Huling, bookmobile coordinator with the Morse Institute Library in Natick, Massachusetts, and the Association of Bookmobile and Outreach Services, shows bookmobiles past and present, all in time for National Bookmobile Day, April 13. The event is an opportunity for bookmobile fans to make their support known—thanking bookmobile staff, writing a letter or email to their libraries, or voicing their support to community leaders. And check out more historical bookmobileana on Larry Nix’s blog....
OLOS Columns, Apr. 6; Library History Buff Blog, Apr. 6

ALA is us, and we’re looking younger
ALA is us: This was the overall message of Jim Rettig’s article, “Is the Association Ripe for Rebellion?” in American Libraries in January. If we don’t like it, he says, we should quit whining and do something about it. He’s absolutely right. Complaining accomplishes nothing. It’s easy to forget the experience of being a brand-new ALA member. Despite the challenges they face, many young members are actively working for change already....
ALA Membership Blog, Apr. 6

Participate in or help sponsor the 8th Annual Training Showcase
The training showcase is a poster-type session at the ALA Annual Conference that gives participants, exhibitors, and sponsors a chance to show best practices in library training, learning, and continuing education. It will be held the afternoon of Sunday, June 26. The planning committee is on the lookout for libraries, library organizations, presenters, speakers, and vendors to participate—anyone who has a great training or staff development program they’d like to share. Apply by April 30....
ALA Learning, Apr. 6

How-To Handbooks help patrons use library tools
Part of library advocacy is reminding people of the wide range of resources and support their local library offers to help them address important issues. The new series of Library How-To Handbooks from ALA Editions does just that, promoting the library as the best source of information on finding out how to pay for college or how to look for a job....
ALA Editions, Apr. 4

The best Día programming ideas
An annual celebration of children, families and reading since 1996, Children’s Day/Book Day, known as Día, emphasizes the importance of literacy for children of all linguistic and cultural backgrounds. Just in time for Día’s 15th anniversary, ALA Editions and ALSC present “El día de los niños/El día de los libros: Building a Culture of Literacy in Your Community through Día,” by Jeanette Larson, which offers a wealth of ready-to-use programs, easily adaptable for a variety of cultures....
ALA Editions, Apr. 5

New Orleans restaurants
Dining is a passionate art form in New Orleans. The city’s restaurants and chefs are world-renowned and award-winning, and they will make your visit to New Orleans an unforgettable experience. NewOrleansRestaurants.com makes it easier for you to make your dining reservations ahead of time. Click each restaurant listed here for further information and follow the links at top right for their menu, location, dress code, and hours of operation....
NewOrleansRestaurants.com

New Orleans Botanical Garden
The New Orleans Botanical Garden has its roots in the Great Depression as a project of the Works Progress Administration. Originally known as the City Park Rose Garden, the garden opened in 1936 as New Orleans’ first public classical garden. The garden’s collections contain over 2,000 varieties of plants from all over the world, set among the nation’s largest stand of mature live oaks. Its Thursdays at Twilight concert program offers visitors a chance to stroll through the gardens at dusk, then settle in with a mint julep and enjoy the finest jazz, classical, and Latin American musicians the city has to offer....
New Orleans Botanical Garden

Traveling with less luggage
Myscha Theriault writes: “Thanks to security hurdles and checked-baggage fees, limiting luggage has become less of an extreme travel choice and more of a survival strategy. After living for six months out of one small backpack, I learned a thing or two about traveling light. Here are my top tips for traveling with less luggage.”...
McClatchy-Tribune News Service, Mar. 28

What happens after you check your bag
Brett Snyder writes: “On March 30, I attended the official launch of a new inline baggage screening system in Delta’s Terminal 5 at LAX. After taking the tour, it dawned on me that a lot of people probably don’t know what happens to their bags after they kiss them goodbye. So, let’s talk about it. But first, let’s talk about what inline baggage screening is.”...
The Cranky Flier, Mar. 31

ACRL talks Google Books, ROI, digitizing
Jennifer Howard writes: “Like many other people, academic librarians are wondering what happens now that a federal judge has tossed out the proposed settlement in the lawsuit over Google’s book-scanning project. Some of them got together for an informal roundtable discussion of the ruling at the ACRL conference in Philadelphia. The discussion was led by Corey Williams, associate director of the ALA Office of Government Relations.” Presenters also took up the problem of how libraries can demonstrate their value to their institutions, and whether conventional attempts to measure return on investment are any use in that campaign. Digitizing campus newspapers was another topic....
Chronicle of Higher Education, Apr. 1; Wired Campus, Apr. 1

ACRL conference Flickr photos
Check out these photos tagged with acrl2011 and relive ACRL’s 2011 Philadelphia Conference, March 30–April 2. Also, check out the Twitter feed #acrl2011 to see ongoing comments. On the right is Baylor University E-Learning Librarian Ellen Filgo and her poster session on “Hashtag Librarian: Embedded in a Class Via Twitter and Blogs.” And here is a listing of conference papers with links to their PDF files....
ACRL

R U a frump?
Will Manley writes: “It seems that all the twitterati and friend feeders have their shirts, pants, blouses, and dresses in a knot over a keynote address given at the recent ACRL conference in Philadelphia. The address was given by Clinton Kelly (right), a man I had never heard of because I choose not to waste time and money on television service. Clinton Kelly, according to his Wikipedia article, is a fashion expert who has a highly popular television show called What Not to Wear. What not to wear is always a sore subject with librarians.”...
Will Unwound, Apr. 4

PLA’s Virtual Spring Symposium
On March 30, PLA offered more than 675 online attendees a full day of professional development during its first-ever Virtual Spring Symposium. Participants gathered in groups at their libraries or watched on their own throughout the United States and Canada, with one attendee logging on from the United Kingdom. PLA’s next virtual conference event will be in conjunction with the 2012 PLA Conference, March 13–17....
PLA, Apr. 5

New AASL advocacy brochures
AASL is offering a new advocacy tool to help school librarians generate and guide discussions with stakeholders about quality school library programs. School Library Programs Improve Student Learning is a series of brochures, each designed to speak to a specific stakeholder audience within the school library community, including administrators, policymakers, parents, and teachers. The series will be released successively throughout April and May. Brochures will be freely available for download and for purchase in packs of 25....
AASL, Apr. 4

AASL and Figment.com: Teen writing contest
In honor of the 2011 School Library Month theme, “Create Your Own Story,” AASL and Figment.com have collaborated to present a month-long story-writing festival for teens. Students age 13 and up are invited to participate in four story-writing contests to be judged by some of young adult literature’s most exciting authors: Gayle Forman (this week, right), Alyson Noel, Lauren Oliver, and Paolo Bacigalupi. A new contest in a different genre of creative fiction will be announced each week in April....
AASL, Apr. 5

Nicholas Carr to join discussion at AASL National Conference
Best-selling author Nicholas Carr will be on hand to discuss “Is Google making us stupid?” during the AASL 15th National Conference and Exhibition in Minneapolis, October 27–30. Chosen as the conference-wide read for the One Book, One Conference discussion, Carr’s book, The Shallows: What the Internet is Doing to Our Brains, asks the question, “As we enjoy the Net’s bounties, are we sacrificing our ability to read and think deeply?”...
AASL, Apr. 5

Teens choose “Geek Out @ your library”
Hundreds of teens voted for the 2012 Teen Tech Week theme, selecting Geek Out @ your library as their favorite, with 62% of the vote. Using the theme, librarians will be able to build programs and events that highlight the expansive technology offerings available to teens, for free, at public and school libraries during next year’s celebration, March 4–10. Teens who took the survey also answered questions about how they used technology both at home or in school and public libraries....
YALSA, Apr. 5

YALSA YA Forum in ALA Connect
Beginning this week, YALSA will host YA Forum, a monthly discussion just for division members. Each discussion will focus on a specific topic and will be moderated by an expert in the field. YA Forum is hosted in YALSA’s space in ALA Connect. The April edition of YA Forum focuses on self-censorship; Stephanie Reynolds, convenor of YALSA’s intellectual freedom interest group, is the moderator....
YALSA, Apr. 5

Learning4Life student video contest winners
AASL has announced announce the winners of its “Learning4Life in My School Library” student video contest. Launched in December, the contest solicited videos detailing how school libraries empower students to be lifelong learners. Sixty-three entries were received, and winners at the elementary, middle, and high school level were selected based on the SchoolTube user rating system and a panel of judges....
AASL, Apr. 4

Learn how QR codes can benefit your library
On April 20, PLA will host a live, hour-long webinar, “Cracking QR Codes: What Are They and How Can They Help Your Library?” as part of its “Public Libraries at Work” monthly webinar series. Carson Block, IT director of the Poudre River (Colo.) Public Library District, will lead this webinar designed to provide an uncomplicated introduction to QR Codes. The deadline to register is April 18....
PLA, Apr. 5

ALTAFF Special Outreach Services Luncheon
Sign up for ALTAFF’s Specialized Outreach Services luncheon June 25 and find out firsthand how three diverse individuals in Louisiana faced change in their libraries and communities. Learn how they joined forces with staff, trustees, Friends, local politicians, and the community to make it all come together and create new beginnings for their libraries. Advance ticket purchase required....
ALTAFF

Peter Suber wins L. Ray Patterson Copyright Award
Peter Suber has been named this year’s recipient of the L. Ray Patterson Copyright Award, which is given by the Copyright Advisory Subcommittee of ALA’s Office for Information Technology Policy in recognition of the pursuit and support of the Constitutional purpose of the U.S. Copyright Law, fair use, and the public domain. Suber, a philosophy professor at Earlham College in Richmond, Indiana, is cited for his work in the open access movement in response to increasing costs of scholarly journals—an alternative venue for scientific publishing that would provide free, public access to scientific information for the public good....
District Dispatch, Apr. 6

Century Scholarship S.O.S.
The ASCLA Century Scholarship Committee finds itself without sufficient funds to award the typical scholarship of $2,500 for FY2011. The largest applicant pool in recent memory has applied for the scholarship, and the winner will use funds to help pay for accessibility tools not covered by standard financial aid. If you can contribute any amount, please do so at this time....
ASCLA Blog, Apr. 5

2011 Tournament of Books
A Visit From the Goon Squad by Jennifer Egan has won the 2011 Tournament of Books, an annual, irreverent literary contest structured like and coinciding with the NCAA basketball tournament, sponsored by The Morning News. A team of literary judges decided each round of the competition, and all the judges voted on the final two books: Jonathan Franzen’s Freedom and Egan’s novel. Egan earned nine votes; Franzen earned eight....
GalleyCat, Apr. 4

Ruling spurs effort to form Digital Public Library
Now that a federal judge in New York has derailed Google’s bold plan to build the world’s largest digital library and bookstore, some scholars and librarians see an opportunity to bring new urgency to a project to create a universal public library—one that, they say, would be far superior to Google’s because it would not be commercial. The lofty effort, the Digital Public Library of America, counts a long list of heavyweights among its supporters, but the endeavor remains in its infancy....
New York Times, Apr. 4

In wake of lawsuit, Wisconsin library reschedules anti-abortion film
A Wausau, Wisconsin, anti-abortion group went forward with plans to show the anti-abortion documentary Blood Money April 3 in the downtown library after county officials determined there was not enough evidence that protests would lead to a civil disturbance—the reason given as to why they had offered to move the screening to a nonlibrary public meeting room. In response, Peter Breen, an attorney representing three Wausau members of the group 40 Days for Life, withdrew a request for a restraining order against library Director Ralph Illick and other county officials....
Wausau (Wis.) Daily Herald, Apr. 1

Pastor hacks library’s filter to view child porn
The case of a Hernando, Mississippi, minister busted for child porn on a public library computer has tongues wagging. Oak Grove Baptist Church Pastor Eddie Prince faces one count of possession of child pornography. His arrest has people wondering how he got caught doing such a private thing in the middle of the Hernando Public Library. But library staffers saw Prince in December and reported him to the manager, who called police. Patron Sharon Savittieri thinks the public library is one of the best places to use a computer to access the internet, because of its usually effective filters....
WREG-TV, Memphis, Tenn., Apr. 5

Houston libraries brace for cuts, layoffs
Already squeezed by curtailed hours and reduced staff, Houston Public Library officials pulled the budget belt a notch tighter April 1, telling the city how they plan to cope with an expected budget cut of almost $10 million for the fiscal year starting July 1. Library Director Rhea Lawson told employees that the budget reduction will mean reduced staffing and closure of some of the system’s 42 branches. Workers affected by the cuts will be informed by May 1....
Houston Chronicle, Apr. 1

Wisconsin Library Legislative Day—finally
Despite having been rescheduled on a day of rainy, cold weather, nearly 200 individuals attended Library Legislative Day on March 22 in Madison. Marshall Community Library Director Diana Skalitzky attended the event to let Rep. Keith Ripp (right) and Sen. Mark Miller know how the local library serves the community and why the repeal of maintenance of effort could cause problems....
WLA Blog, Mar. 30; Waterloo and Marshall (Wis.) Courier, Mar. 30

Modified filtering bill gets Idaho lawmakers’ approval
Legislation to require library computers to use filtering software to block content deemed offensive to minors has cleared the Idaho legislature. The Idaho House voted 69–0 to approve the bill April 5, sending it to the governor’s desk. The measure now gives libraries more flexibility in blocking content and deciding when filters should be turned off, a compromise asked for by the Idaho Library Association....
Boise Idaho Statesman, Apr. 5

Newport Beach library story went a bit too far
Little did city officials in Newport Beach, California, know that the concept of doing away with books would spark the ire of librarians, book lovers, and library users around the world. Some even thought that the city was doing away with books at its libraries entirely, which was not the case. To be clear, Newport Beach Public Library Services Director Cynthia Cowell proposed shuttering the nearly 60-year-old Balboa branch (the city’s original library) and instead open an electronic branch at Marina Park when a planned community center is completed....
Newport Beach (Calif.) Daily Pilot, Apr. 4

University of Hawaii librarian wins bias case
Vickery Lebbin has been promoted from Librarian IV to Librarian V at Hamilton Library after the Hawaii Labor Relations Board ruled that she was denied a promotion because of negative letters in her personnel file criticizing her union activities. UH was also ordered to remove the negative comments from Lebbin’s file and to post online information about the case....
Pacific Business News, Apr. 1; University of Hawaii System

Indian state bans book hinting Gandhi had gay lover
A state in western India banned Pulitzer-Prize winner Joseph Lelyveld’s new book about Mahatma Gandhi after reviews saying it hinted that the father of India’s independence had a homosexual relationship. The author says his work is being misinterpreted. Gujarat’s state assembly voted unanimously March 30 to immediately ban Great Soul: Mahatma Gandhi and His Struggle with India. The book has not yet been released in India, so few there have actually read it....
Associated Press, Mar. 30

EFF backs California digital reading privacy bill
California Sen. Leland Yee (D-San Francisco) has introduced the Reader Privacy Act of 2011 (SB 602) with backing from the California Affiliates of the American Civil Liberties Union and the Electronic Frontier Foundation. The legislation would require the government and other third parties to get a warrant or court order to obtain access to sensitive reading records. The bill mirrors the privacy and free speech safeguards in the California constitution and other areas of California law....
Electronic Frontier Foundation, Mar. 30

School librarian correctly picks Final Four
Using a mix of favorite numbers, letters, and animals, a school librarian was the only person to correctly pick the Final Four teams in the NCAA basketball tournament out of 3 million submissions to a Yahoo contest. Diana Inch (right), a librarian at Jefferson (Oreg.) High School, correctly picked Butler, Kentucky, UConn, and VCU. She will win $5,000 in the Yahoo! Tourney Pic ’Em contest. In this exclusive interview with Roto Arcade, Inch reveals her unusual strategy....
KGW-TV, Portland, Oreg., Apr. 1; Yahoo! Sports: Roto Arcade, Mar. 31

Kate Mossman, roller derby demon
During the day, Everett (Wash.) Public Library Assistant Director Kate Mossman (right) is the consummate professional, all buttoned-up blouses and tailored slacks. But at night, out comes the black T-shirt and spandex shorts, the pads, the helmet, and the mouth guard. Mossman is a speed demon on eight wheels, the captain of a local roller derby team called the Camaro Harem, and her nickname is “Unshine.”...
Everett (Wash.) Herald, Apr. 4

NYU food library joins the big leagues
In February, New York University’s Fales Library and Special Collections acquired 21,000 books about food and cooking that were donated by George and Jennifer Lang, the longtime owners of Café des Artistes on the Upper West Side. That made the Fales collection one of the largest culinary collections in the country. Fales Director Marvin J. Taylor said the collection focuses less on menus and more on cookbooks and food-related items like pamphlets....
New York Times: City Desk, Apr. 5

Johnson Bayou branch opens, more than five years after Rita
The Johnson Bayou branch of the Cameron Parish (La.) Library has opened its doors for the first time since Hurricane Rita in September 2005. The community invited state and local officials to a March 31 ribbon-cutting ceremony to celebrate the first reopening of a library in the parish since Rita destroyed four library branches. The building was built to resemble a lighthouse, serving as a beacon of knowledge and hope....
KPLC-TV, Lake Charles, La., Mar. 31

Main library in Gary to close
Readers in Gary, Indiana, are losing their main library and one branch to cost-cutting. Library board members had the choice of maintaining the main library at a cost of $2 million each year to operate, or closing each of the five branches, which cost between $200,000 to $500,000. Board President Tony Walker said the March 28 decision was not popular, but there were no good options. A total of 30 library workers stand to lose their jobs....
WBBM-TV, Chicago, Mar. 30

Teen stabbed in Steamboat Springs library
A Steamboat Springs, Colorado, teenager was taken to the hospital with knife wounds to both hands after police said a man stabbed him April 4 during an altercation at Bud Werner Memorial Library. Police arrested Adam Huber, 40, and placed him in custody at Routt County Jail. Witnesses in the reading area said a group of three teenage boys grew increasingly rowdy on the balcony above the teen reading area before Huber grabbed one of the teens by the coat....
Steamboat (Colo.) Today, Apr. 4

Woman arrested after disturbance in college library
Police and a woman they arrested in the Los Medanos College library in Pittsburg, California, are providing differing accounts of what led to a March 28 struggle in which she struck her head. Police say Raychelle Williams ignored commands to leave the library after speaking on her cellphone Monday, but Williams and a witness disputed the accusations. An officer “grabbed my arm and he threw me into a bookshelf,” Williams said....
San Jose (Calif.) Mercury News, Mar. 30

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