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

Don’t count out Troy library yet
In uncertain times, people take their victories where they find them, and the beleaguered boosters of the Troy (Mich.) Public Library are no exception. “While the library may close (or it may not), it will not be closing on May 1,” Director Cathleen Russ announced April 20. Elected leaders’ reconsideration of the library’s future came shortly after a poll revealed that 72% want public library services, with 32% declaring the library their top municipal priority....
American Libraries news, Apr. 20

On My Mind: Reviving the spirit of Andrew Carnegie
Mark Herring writes: “A folk singer of my youth, Joni Mitchell, once famously sang, ‘You don’t know what you’ve got ’till it’s gone.’ Maybe libraries are démodé, obsolete, or soon will be. But if we can revive the spirit of Carnegie for one more generation, we may find that frequenting libraries is far better than attending the ‘University of Google’ exclusively.”...
American Libraries column, May-June

Revisiting “10 Reasons”
Greg Landgraf writes: “In 2001, American Libraries published Mark Herring’s ‘10 Reasons Why the Internet Is No Substitute for a Library.’ The article, a celebration of the importance of physical libraries in a digital age, was a hit. It hasn’t aged well. On April 14, BoingBoing published a photo of a poster made from that list, and the commentary is, well, not kind. And with a decade of perspective, much of the criticism is valid. Let’s turn it over to AL Direct readers: What are your most important ways that the library remains valuable today? Answer in the comment section.”...
AL: Inside Scoop, Apr. 15

Internet Librarian: The life of an e-book
Joseph Janes writes: “Unless you’ve been living in a cave on Mars with your fingers in your ears, you know why the number 26 is of sudden concern to us. HarperCollins has announced it will magnanimously allow that many loans of its e-books before they go poof into the ether. The publisher must have calculated that that was the point at which its marginal profit per copy dropped beyond an acceptable limit, or was the rough equivalent of the number of loans a physical copy of a book could sustain. Or, HC made it up.”...
American Libraries column, May-June

Recommended Viewing: Movies and DVDs
Q. I know ALA has reading lists in different age groups. But what about lists for other materials? Does ALA make a list of recommended movies or DVDs? And are there lists for different age groups? A. Similar to the ALA Recommended Reading page, there is an ALA Recommended Viewing page, which links to the longtime Notable Children’s Videos list and the ALSC Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Children’s Video, among others....
AL: Ask the ALA Librarian, Apr. 20

New appointments
Carrie Cooper (right) has been appointed dean of university libraries at the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia, effective August 1. Tessa Michaelson Schmidt in January was appointed assistant director of the Ruby M. Sisson Memorial Library of the Upper San Juan Library District in Pagosa Springs, Colorado. Gale Etschmaier will become dean of library and information access at San Diego State University on June 30....
AL: Currents

ALA calls on Congress to restore support to libraries in FY2012
H.R. 1473, the budget bill that will fund the government through September 2011, includes across-the-board cuts that may deeply affect libraries of all kinds. The bill, which cleared Congress April 14, includes a $28-million cut to the Institute of Museum and Library Services, appropriating the agency at $237.8 million for FY2011. IMLS has 30 days to determine how it will administer these cuts....
District Dispatch, Apr. 15

Library of Congress hit hard in FY2011 spending agreement
The FY2011 spending agreement includes more than $103 million in cuts to Congress’ own budget, which may eventually necessitate some layoffs around Capitol Hill. The Library of Congress, which would be forced to absorb a $13.4-million cut from 2010 levels, would be hit the hardest and require a hiring freeze, with core services and products delayed as staff levels are reduced. The Washington Office has a summary of other library-related areas in the agreement....
Roll Call, Apr. 13; District Dispatch, Apr. 15

ALA supports broadband build-out to rural libraries
ALA submitted comments (PDF file) April 18 to the Federal Communications Commission in response to its Notice of Proposed Rulemaking regarding reform of the high-cost program within the Universal Service Fund and creation of the Connect America Fund. ALA urges that funding to serve rural areas, whether from the CAF or another funding mechanism, should carry with it the obligation to ensure that public libraries receive adequate broadband connectivity....
District Dispatch, Apr. 19

Wikimedia Foundation director to speak at ALA President’s Program
Sue Gardner will join ALA President Roberta Stevens at her President’s Program on June 26 to speak about one of the most popular internet sensations of the decade. The program, titled “Wikipedia: Past, Present, and Future,” will be held during the ALA Annual Conference in New Orleans. Gardner is executive director of the Wikimedia Foundation, the nonprofit charitable organization that operates Wikipedia and nine other free-knowledge wikis....
Public Information Office, Apr. 19

Dan Savage to keynote Opening General Session
Journalist Dan Savage, author of Savage Love and Skipping Towards Gomorrah, will be the speaker at the Opening General Session at the ALA Annual Conference in New Orleans. Savage and his partner Terry Miller will sign copies of their book It Gets Better at the conclusion of the session....
Public Information Office, Apr. 19

Molly Shannon to keynote Closing General Session
Comedian and author Molly Shannon will be the speaker June 28 at the ALA Annual Conference Closing General Session in New Orleans. The Emmy-nominated actress is known for portraying exuberant characters and became famous for her roles on Saturday Night Live. Her debut children’s book Tilly the Trickster will be published in September....
Public Information Office, Apr. 19

Celebrate Earth Day @ your library
Earth Day is April 22, an opportune time to remind people in your community that libraries do their part when it comes to reducing, reusing, and recycling. Here are just a few things that libraries across the country are doing to promote the library as a key renewable resource. The East Hampton (N.Y.) Public Library is collaborating with East Hampton Public Works and the Northeast Resource Recovery Association to sell backyard compost bins and rain barrels to library users....
Campaign for America’s Libraries, Apr. 19

Bill would let libraries help in workforce development
U.S. Rep. Rush Holt (D-N.J.) has introduced a bill to amend the Workforce Investment Act of 1998 to integrate public libraries into state and local workforce investment boards. The bill, the Workforce Investments through Local Libraries (WILL) Act (H.R. 1616), would expand libraries’ opportunities to take leading roles in helping the public find employment in this weak economy....
District Dispatch, Apr. 19

Celebrating 15 years of children, cultures, and books
“Many Children, Many Cultures, Many Books”—the the new slogan celebrating the 15th anniversary of El día de los niños/El día de los libros—adorns a just-released ALA Graphics poster and bookmark. The Many Children, Many Books poster and bookmark, developed in partnership with Día sponsor ALSC, emphasizes the importance of advocating literacy for children of all backgrounds. Illustrating these powerful words is original art by children’s book illustrator Maya Christina Gonzalez....
ALA Graphics, Apr. 18

Library Snapshot Day flash mob
April 13 was not a day to be quiet at the Reading (Mass.) Public Library—for a short time, anyway. For just over five minutes, librarians and patrons danced, clapped, and sang along to the song “Shout!” as the staff brought a little levity to Library Snapshot Day. Librarians asked patrons to fill out a form explaining why they came to the library, and Director Lorraine Barry said the staff wanted to give Reading residents a fun reason to visit as they filled out their surveys....
Reading (Mass.) Patch, Apr. 14

Behind the scenes with the Committee on Accreditation
Laura Dare writes: “The ALA Committee on Accreditation meets for two to two-and-a-half days each quarter. Accreditation decisions are usually made during the summer and winter meetings. Because of the confidential nature of accreditation (to ensure candid reporting), COA meetings are closed. So, what actually happens during a typical COA meeting?”...
Prism 19, no. 1 (Spring)

Drew Brees joins the Celebrity READ campaign
Drew Brees, quarterback for the New Orleans Saints, is the latest star to join the Celebrity READ Campaign. Developed in anticipation of the ALA Annual Conference in New Orleans in June, the poster is now available for purchase. A much-loved figure in the Crescent City and nationwide, Brees was named MVP of Super Bowl XLIV, was named Sports Illustrated’s Sportsman of the Year in 2010, and has been selected for the Pro Bowl five times....
ALA Graphics, Apr. 18

RDA Toolkit enhancements
Starting this month, the Library of Congress Cataloger’s Desktop is not the only third-party product through which you can access RDA if you’re an RDA Toolkit subscriber; OCLC Connexion users who subscribe can now link from a displayed bibliographic or authority record to the RDA Toolkit. To help users keep up with RDA Toolkit enhancements, the RDA copublishers have launched a blog....
ALA Publishing, Apr. 19

Use technology to be more efficient
ALA TechSource announces the latest in its series of Online Workshops, “Using Technology in Library Management: Skills for More Efficient Administration and Communication,” with library director and technology expert Kenley Neufeld. You will learn to implement new communication tools, use cloud-based tools such as Google Docs for document collaboration, and solve problems using social media. The workshop will be held June 2 and 9; registration may be purchased at the ALA Store....
ALA TechSource, Apr. 19

Teach information literacy to college students
ALA Editions is offering a new facilitated e-course on Teaching Information Literacy to College Students. Joanna Burkhardt (right), head librarian at the University of Rhode Island branch libraries and coauthor of Teaching Information Literacy: 50 Standards-Based Exercises for College Students, will serve as the instructor for this facilitated e-course, which starts on June 6....
ALA Editions, Apr. 19

French Quarter walking tours
The Friends of the Cabildo French Quarter walking tours are conducted by city-licensed guides and emphasize the history, architecture, and folklore of New Orleans. Tour and store proceeds benefit Friends of the Cabildo, a nonprofit volunteer group organized in 1956 to provide support for the Louisiana State Museum. Tours are held Tuesday through Sunday at 10 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. and depart from the 1850 House Museum Store on Jackson Square....
Friends of the Cabildo

New Orleans cemetery tours
In New Orleans, even cemeteries are major tourist attractions. With a spooky history and ornate tombs that date back as far as the late 1700s, it’s no wonder that travelers are usually eager to explore these famous resting places. There are dozens of cemeteries throughout the city, but most organized tours will take you through St. Louis Cemetery #1, home to Voodoo Queen Marie Laveau’s grave, and Lafayette Cemetery, a popular location for movies shot in New Orleans. Here is a list of area cemeteries, with photos....
New Orleans Tourism Marketing Corporation; New Orleans Cemeteries

Gogobot gets personal
Shivani Vora writes: “Gogobot, a new travel-planning site that debuted in November, offers personalized recommendations for its members based on suggestions from their friends. After signing up for a free account, members can link to their Facebook and Twitter accounts to find friends who are already part of Gogobot. Users can ask any travel-related question and the site posts it on your Facebook wall, your Twitter stream, and sends it to the Gogobot community. The answers come back as structured data in a list with an address, website, phone number, and reviews.”...
New York Times: In Transit, Apr. 15

Five myths about bedbugs and travel
Lisa Cheng writes: “The recent bedbug comeback has spurred a surge in industry research and consumer education. That said, bedbugs are still the subject of hyped-up paranoia and confounding myths. Experts from the National Pest Management Association, the American Hotel and Lodging Association, and the New York State Integrated Pest Management help to separate fact from fiction.” Check out the Bedbug Registry and learn how to inspect your hotel room for bedbugs....
Frommer’s, Apr. 15; Bug Girl’s Blog, Sept. 18, 2008; University of Kentucky Entomology

What are those chickens doing here?
Since Hurricane Katrina, the 9th Ward has seen a new species of neighbor: clucking, crowing, prancing feral chickens that dart across streets and nest in the trees. “We don’t have stray dogs any more,” said resident Ruby Melton. “But everyone I talk to has stray chickens.” Most people figure that the wild birds descended from domestic fowl that escaped backyard coops after the storm....
New Orleans Times-Picayune, Apr. 11

Celebrate Preservation Week, April 24–30
Preservation Week marks its second anniversary April 24–30. Recognizing the critical role libraries play in preservation, ALCTS, in partnership with the Library of Congress and the Institute of Museum and Library Services, is proud to bring Preservation Week to libraries across the country. This national awareness campaign was developed to promote the understanding and importance of care for personal and community cultural heritage collections....
ALCTS, Apr. 19

Five choices for ALSC spring online courses
ALSC has lined up five fantastic options for spring online learners. Spanning five to six weeks, these courses are designed for busy professionals or students who want passionate discussion guided by highly regarded instructors. Detailed descriptions and registration information is available on the ALSC website....
ALSC, Apr. 19

ACRL spring e-learning opportunities
ACRL is offering a wide variety of online learning opportunities this spring to meet the demands of your schedule and budget. Full details and registration information are available on the ACRL website. Online seminars are asynchronous, multiweek courses delivered through Moodle. ACRL also offers a variety of timely live webcasts addressing hot topics in academic librarianship....
ACRL, Apr. 19

YALSA readies Teen Read Week 2011
YALSA launched its Teen Read Week 2011 website on April 14 (Support Teen Literature Day) in preparation for the event, which takes place October 16–22. In addition to free registration, visitors can find activity ideas relating to this year’s theme (“Picture It @ your library”), planning resources, publicity tools, and applications for Teen Read Week mini-grants. The first 300 registrants will receive a free copy of The Odyssey by Gareth Hinds, who created the artwork for this year’s theme....
YALSA, Apr. 15

Gareth Hinds helps teens “Picture It @ your library”
Promote YALSA’s Teen Read Week at your library with new products from ALA Graphics, including both print and digital items that feature the art of Gareth Hinds. This year’s Teen Read Week theme is “Picture It @ your library” and encourages teens to read graphic novels and other illustrated materials. Hinds interpreted the theme with teens “picturing” and exploring their dreams at the library....
YALSA, Apr. 18

2011 Teens’ Top Ten nominees
YALSA has announced the nominations for this year’s Teen Top Ten vote. The Teens’ Top Ten is a teen choice list, in which teens nominate and choose their favorite books of the previous year. The division encourages teens to read the 25 nominees before the national Teens’ Top Ten vote, which will take place in August and September. The winners will be announced during Teen Read Week, October 16–22....
YALSA, Apr. 15

Get a sneak peek of the new Every Child Ready to Read toolkit
On May 4, ALSC and PLA will host a free Sneak Peek Webinar for the eagerly anticipated second edition of the Every Child Ready to Read @ your library toolkit. Featuring Susan Neuman and Elaine Meyers, this hour-long webinar will provide a review of the early literacy research that led to the development of the toolkit. Registration is free....
PLA, Apr. 19

ALTAFF’s “The Laugh’s on Us!”
ALTAFF will host “The Laugh’s On Us!” at the ALA Annual Conference in New Orleans. The event, to be held at the Hilton Riverfront June 26, will feature comedians and authors Paula Poundstone, Andy Borowitz (right), Jill Kargman, and Leila Sales. ALTAFF welcomes Playaway as the sponsor of “The Laugh’s On Us!” as well as a new Gold Corporate Friend....
ALTAFF, Apr. 19

Shulevitz to speak at Literary Tastes Breakfast
Judith Shulevitz, author of the 2011 Sophie Brody Medal–winning The Sabbath World: Glimpses of a Different Order of Time, will speak at the 2011 Literary Tastes Breakfast at ALA Annual Conference in New Orleans, an author event hosted by RUSA and open to all book lovers. The event will be held June 26 and will feature authors from RUSA’s 2011 literary book award selections. This is a ticketed event....
RUSA, Apr. 19

New online standards tool
AASL has launched Standards for the 21st-Century Learner Lesson Plan Database, a public online database that provides school librarians with a fast and user-friendly way to create and share quality lesson plans with their peers. The database serves as a catalyst for collaboration, as school librarians and teachers work together to create projects that weave content and skills into engaging learning activities....
AASL, Apr. 19

New webinar added for Preservation Week
Registration is now open for a free webinar, “Protecting Future Access Now: Models for Preserving Digitized Books and Other Content at Cultural Heritage Organizations,” sponsored by Ithaka, for Preservation Week. The webinar will be held April 27 and will be presented by Amy Kirchhoff, archive product manager at Portico....
ALCTS, Apr. 18

Using qualitative methods in action research
ACRL has released Using Qualitative Methods in Action Research: How Librarians Can Get to the Why of Data, edited by Douglas Cook and Lesley Farmer. While quantitative research provides librarians with calculations and metrics of effectiveness, qualitative research, in its exploration of assumptions, value, and opinion, makes possible a deeper understanding of the subtleties of patron interaction with library services and collections....
ACRL, Apr. 19

2011 AASL Intellectual Freedom Award
Dee Venuto (right), school librarian at Rancocas Valley Regional High School in Mount Holly, New Jersey, is the 2011 recipient of the AASL Intellectual Freedom Award. Venuto researched the motivations behind the challenges of three books on lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender issues and upheld the principles of intellectual freedom in a presentation made before the district’s reconsideration committee. Venuto discovered the book challenge to be part of a well-organized strategy on the part of TV personality Glenn Beck....
AASL, Apr. 19

AASL Distinguished School Administrators Award
Donna Haye, district assistant superintendent of curriculum and instruction for the Atlantic City (N.J.) Board of Education, has received the 2011 AASL Distinguished School Administrators Award. Sponsored by ProQuest, the $2,000 award honors a school administrator who has made worthy contributions to the operation of an exemplary school library. Haye was cited for setting as a priority the hiring of a certified school librarian for every school....
AASL, Apr. 19

AASL Collaborative School Library Award
The “Medieval Narrative” project, planned and presented by the librarians and freshman/sophomore social studies team at Deerfield (Ill.) High School, has won the 2011 AASL Collaborative School Library Award. Sponsored by Highsmith, the $2,500 award recognizes and encourages collaboration and partnerships between school librarians and teachers. The project was cited for its usage of both print and nonprint resources and the correlations of activities with the “Empowering Learners” standards....
AASL, Apr. 19

2011 LexisNexis Documents to the People Award
Lou Malcomb, head of the government information department at the Herman B. Wells Library, Indiana University, has been awarded the 2011 Documents to the People Award, sponsored by LexisNexis and administered by the ALA Government Documents Round Table. Malcomb provided the impetus and leadership for a preservation and access project as chair of a working group for the Indiana Light Archive for Federal Documents....
Indiana University, Apr. 18

Robert F. Asleson Memorial ALA Conference Grant
Iris L. Hanney, president of Unlimited Priorities Corporation, has announced the formation of the Robert F. Asleson Memorial ALA Conference Grant. The grant honors the memory of the late Robert Asleson (right), founder and president of the Redalen Group. EBSCO Publishing has provided a generous donation to support the grant. Candidates for an ALA-accredited MLS degree are eligible to apply for the grant, which will subsidize attendance at either the Midwinter Meeting or Annual Conference. Each grant will be in the amount of $1,500....
Office of ALA Governance, Apr. 19

Carnegie-Whitney Grant winners
The Carnegie-Whitney Grant provides funding for the preparation, either in print or online, of popular or scholarly reading lists, webliographies, indexes, and other guides to library resources that will be useful to users of all types of libraries. Seven grants were awarded this year for projects that will promote reading or the use of library resources. Applications for the next cycle must be received by November 5....
ALA Publishing, Apr. 19

20 librarians receive Summer Reading grants
YALSA has announced the winners of its Summer Reading Program grants. The grants, funded by the Dollar General Literacy Foundation, give each winning library $1,000 to offer inventive summer reading programs....
YALSA, Apr. 15

Alberta library wins national technology award
The Red Deer (Alberta) Public Library has won a Canadian Library Association award for embracing new technology to reach and engage the public. This week library staff learned they were named the recipient of the 2011 Information Today Award for Innovative Technology. The library’s project, called “Engaging Community on the Web: Red Deer Public Libraries Election Forum,” earned the award....
Red Deer (Alberta) Advocate, Apr. 20

Pulitzer Prize winners
Winners of the 2011 Pulitzer Prizes were announced April 18 at Columbia University. The winner in fiction was Jennifer Egan, A Visit from the Goon Squad (Knopf); in history, Eric Foner, The Fiery Trial: Abraham Lincoln and American Slavery (W. W. Norton); in biography, Ron Chernow, Washington: A Life (Penguin); and in general nonfiction, Siddhartha Mukherjee, The Emperor of All Maladies: A Biography of Cancer (Scribner)....
The Nation, Apr. 18

2011 Authors’ Club Best First Novel
The Authors’ Club announced that Jonathan Kemp has won its Best First Novel Award of 2011 for London Triptych (Myriad, 2010). This ambitious debut skillfully interweaves the lives and loves of three gay men across a century in a dark, unsettling narrative of sex and exploitation in a London underworld of rent boys, aristocrats, artists, and felons. The £2,500 ($4,067 U.S.) prize was awarded April 13 at Waterstone’s flagship Piccadilly store in London....
Authors’ Club, Apr. 14

Improving literacy through school libraries
Author Pam Muñoz Ryan (right) writes: “Over the years, I have been invited to speak in elementary and middle schools in all 50 states. I began to observe that the schools where the library was the hub of the school, and staffed by a professional librarian/media specialist, seemed to have the most accomplished and literate students. Today, I have discovered that based on more than 20 educational studies what I deduced was true: Children in a school with a strong media/library program scored higher on standardized tests.” Muñoz Ryan is one of several authors who have contributed their voices to a series of PSAs available to library advocates as part of ALA’s “Our Authors, Our Advocates” initiative....
San Diego (Calif.) Union-Tribune, Apr. 16

Is the dream of a universal library dead?
Peter Singer writes: “Scholars have long dreamed of a universal library containing everything that has ever been written. Then, in 2004, Google announced that it would begin digitally scanning all the books held by five major research libraries. Suddenly, the library of utopia seemed within reach. But most of the works held by those research libraries are still in copyright. The central issue is this: How can we make books and articles—not just snippets, but entire works—available to everyone, while preserving the rights of the works’ creators?”...
The Guardian (U.K.), Apr. 19

Facebook cashes in on user data
Jessica Guynn writes: “For years, Facebook put little effort into ad sales, focusing instead on making its service irresistible to users. Now the company is looking to cash in on this mother lode of personal information by helping advertisers pinpoint exactly whom they want to reach. It’s now tracking this activity, shooting online ads to users based on their demographics, interests, even what they say to friends on the site—sometimes within minutes of them typing a key word or phrase.”...
Chicago Tribune, Apr. 17

Texas A&M gets rare veterinary books
The Texas A&M University Libraries has acquired a collection of 900 rare books about veterinary medicine from the 16th to the early 20th century, with a special emphasis on diseases of the horse. It’s a collection that every veterinary school in the world would envy, said Esther Carrigan, associate dean and director of the Medical Sciences Library. Of particular note is the first published book on veterinary medicine, Vegetii Renati Artis Veterinariae (1528). The collection was purchased for $640,000 from retired British veterinarian John G. P. Wood....
Texas A&M University, Apr. 4

Detroit could close most of its branches
The Detroit Public Library could close most of its neighborhood branches and lay off more than half of its workers because of an $11-million shortfall caused by plunging tax collections. One month after laying off 80 workers, library administrators said deeper cuts are needed and outlined three options, the most severe of which is to shut 18 of 23 branches and lay off 191 of the remaining 333 workers. Whatever course commissioners who oversee the system choose in May, residents in an economically challenged city with a functional illiteracy rate of 47% are likely to suffer....
Detroit News, Apr. 15

Texas librarians protest $30 million in state cuts
Texas libraries face massive budget cuts from the state—up to $30 million in the House proposal. On April 13, thousands of librarians donned red T-shirts, took a break from the Texas Library Association annual conference, and gathered outside the State Capitol in Austin to protest. Their speeches, chanting, and drumming were efforts to make lawmakers hear how detrimental those cuts could be. One program on the chopping block is the Lone Star Libraries Grant, which delivers state aid to nearly all of the public libraries in Texas....
KXAN-TV, Austin, Tex., Apr. 13; YNN Austin, Apr. 13

Books burned in fundamentalist Mormon town
Piles of books—perhaps thousands—intended to be used for a new library were burned over the weekend in the polygamous community of Colorado City, Arizona. Isaac Wyler said he went to survey the damage April 18 and found warm ashes and book fragments. In 2008, ex-Fundamentalist LDS member Stefanie Colgrove began gathering books from book lovers who heard about her idea for a library in the FLDS communities of Hildale, Utah, and Colorado City, which hasn’t had a public library for years....
Salt Lake City Deseret News, Apr. 18

San Diego threatens cuts in branch hours
If the city budget cuts announced by Mayor Jerry Sanders on April 14 are approved, San Diego (Calif.) Public Library branches would be open just two days a week and alternate Saturdays and 77 positions would be eliminated. In a cruel streak of civic irony, the city is building a deluxe new central library downtown, but the libraries that serve as neighborhood centers are getting smaller. Even though hours were reduced during the last round of budget cutting, San Diegans used their libraries more often in 2010 than they did in 2009....
San Diego (Calif.) Union-Tribune, Apr. 14, 16

Spending cuts and school libraries
AASL President Nancy Everhart (left) is winding up her national Vision Tour to celebrate outstanding school libraries. She singled out Utterback Magnet Middle School in Tucson for its exemplary library in a ceremony on April 14. However, it was a bittersweet event for Jerrilyn Blackman (right), who has served as the school’s librarian for 11 years. She recently found out that her job will be eliminated next year. On an Arizona public broadcasting station, Everhart and Blackman discussed the impact of recent education spending cuts on school libraries across the state....
Arizona Public Media, Apr. 14; KMSB-TV, Tucson, Apr. 15

A scroll to the editor
Lynne Sundstrom writes: “We believe that picture books are essential to the development of lifelong readers and learners. In response to an October 7 article, ‘Picture Books No Longer a Staple for Children,’ the library at Birch Lane Elementary School in Davis, California (enrollment 600), dedicated the entire month of February to the promotion of picture books for every person, every reader. During that month, Love a Picture Book Month, our students read 4,590 picture books.”...
New York Times: Letters, Apr. 13

Tomorrow’s librarians are all about tech
Sam Allis writes: “LIS students today face a two-year graduate school curriculum freighted with technology courses that didn’t exist 10 years ago. The emphasis on technology begins early at the Simmons College GSLIS. Every student must create a website and wiki page within the first six weeks. For her class, GSLIS Technology Manager Linnea Johnson requires a PC autopsy, in which groups of two or three students disassemble a computer, taking out everything from the hard drive to the memory card to the central processing unit.”...
Boston Globe, Apr. 16

Junior League builds library at Florida shelter
The Fort Walton Beach, Florida, shelter for homeless women and families can now add a library to its offerings. This year’s provisional class of the Junior League of the Emerald Coast recently collected about 10,000 books to complete the project. The 47 women in the provisional class collected books from coworkers, family, and friends for two weeks and spent two weekends clearing out a space and installing the library at the shelter....
Fort Walton Beach Northwest Florida Daily News, Apr. 17

Belleville changes policy to benefit homeless man
A man whose library card was revoked March 21 because he is homeless will be able to stay on the computers as long as anyone else at the library, the Belleville (Ill.) Public Library board of trustees decided April 14. The board changed its policy to add a half hour to the time that noncardholders can use a computer. That brings it to an hour, which is the same as the policy for cardholders. Library Director Harriett Zipfel plans to partner with social service agencies to try to connect them with users who need help....
Belleville (Ill.) News-Democrat, Apr. 15

Salt Lake City Public Library bomber sentenced
A Downers Grove, Illinois, man who planted a pipe bomb in the Salt Lake City Public Library in September 2006 maintained his innocence as a federal judge ordered him to prison April 14. A jury convicted Thomas James Zajac (right) last fall of six charges related to the bombing, which damaged a third-floor window and forced 400 people to evacuate. U.S. District Judge Clark Waddoups sentenced Zajac to 35 years in prison followed by five years of supervised release....
Salt Lake City Deseret News, Apr. 14

Couple caught having sex at ImaginOn
Police say a 20-year-old man and 18-year-old woman were caught having sex April 12 in the teen lounge at ImaginOn, a combination library and children’s theater in Charlotte, North Carolina. The lounge is not walled off and there isn’t anything to keep kids from walking into the area. Fortunately, there were not any children in that area when the incident occurred. The two suspects were issued a citation and are now banned from all Mecklenburg County libraries....
Charlotte (N.C.) Observer, Apr. 13

Lightning strike causes fire at Indiana library
Hancock County (Ind.) Public Library administrators were gathering to discuss an earthquake-preparedness plan April 19 at the Greenfield branch when a lightning bolt struck the roof and started a fire. Firefighters were called to the library around noon and removed part of the roof. Library Director Dianne Osborne said rare materials in the local history room were not damaged....
Indianapolis Star, Apr. 19

Winnetka librarian helps rebuild Haitian libraries
Deborah Lazar is a librarian at New Trier High School in Winnetka, Illinois. She has been involved with New Trier’s Haiti Project, which has been supporting the St. Joseph School in Petit-Goâve, Haiti. The school was completely destroyed along with many other buildings during the earthquake that hit the country in January 2010. Lazar has started another project, Rebuilding Haiti, Rebuilding Dreams, to help reconstruct libraries that were damaged in the quake....
WBEZ-FM, Chicago, Apr. 14

Read-in over layoffs at Portsmouth Library
Protestors gathered outside Portsmouth Central Library in the United Kingdom to campaign against expected job losses and service reductions. Sixty members of the city’s library and museum staff, book groups, and concerned members of the public staged a read-in at the library entrance. They wanted to make the public aware that an expected 30 staff members are to be laid off on April 25....
Portsmouth (U.K.) News, Apr. 15

Go back to the Top

ALA Annual Conference in New Orleans, June 23–28, 2011. Provided by the ALA Office for Human Resource Development and Recruitment, the Placement Center will be open Saturday and Sunday, 9 a.m–5 p.m. There will be an orientation on Saturday, June 25, at 8:30 a.m. in the Placement Center.

"Let’s Choose to be a More Literate Society": Pam Muñoz Ryan April is Jazz Appreciation Month One Book, One City The Wizard of Westwood Would Have Loved the Butler Bulldogs Stewart O'Nan: That's Where the Books Are (video) John Garfield, Film Noir and the Hollywood Blacklist - Part 2 Join Us on Facebook Subscribe to our Newsletter