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Sherlock Holmes novel vanishes from school reading list
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s first Sherlock Holmes novel, A Study in Scarlet, was removed from 6th-grade reading lists in Albemarle County, Virginia, August 11 after a parent complained about its anti-Mormon content. More than 20 former students from the Albemarle County Public Schools’ Henley Middle School turned out at the school board meeting to protest the action. The school board followed the recommendation of a committee commissioned to study the novel, which concluded it was not age-appropriate for 6th-graders....
AL: Censorship Watch, Aug. 16

ACLU files suit in Missouri over blacklisted LGBT sites
The American Civil Liberties Union and the ACLU of Eastern Missouri filed suit August 15 on behalf of four gay-rights organizations whose websites are blocked by the Camdenton (Mo.) R-III School District. The complaint contends that Camdenton’s custom-built filtering software blocks through its “sexuality” category all LGBT-supportive information, including many websites that are not sexually explicit in any way....
American Libraries news, Aug. 17; ACLU, Aug. 15

IFLA opens with tears, text, and a lot of Puerto Rican heart
Leonard Kniffel writes: “At the IFLA opening session August 14, Fernando Picó (right), historian and professor at the University of Puerto Rico, set earphones ablaze with his erudite analysis of ‘The Afterlife of Texts: When Paradise Is an Internet Site,’ as translators struggled to convert his literary allusions and articulate rundown of the history of text from speedy Spanish into IFLA’s six other languages simultaneously. He named translation and censorship as two of the major factors in preserving text.”...
AL: Global Reach, Aug. 14

Speakers recount tales of library disasters
On August 14 at the IFLA conference in Puerto Rico, representatives of stricken libraries in New Zealand, Chile, and Japan offered the 2,500 delegates an opportunity to hear firsthand accounts of the horror of earthquakes and tsunamis, and about how librarians coped during those dreadful days. Taro Miura (above) gave a stunning account of the magnitude 9.0 earthquake that hit Japan March 11....
AL: Global Reach, Aug. 15

FAIFE, hope, and charity
Leonard Kniffel writes: “‘How to Fix the World’ was the provocative and cheeky title of a Sunday program sponsored by the Committee on Free Access to Information and Freedom of Expression (FAIFE) during the IFLA conference. Presentations by delegates from Egypt and Norway left many in the audience in tears. Shawky Salem asked for a moment of silence for Amro Ghareeb (above), a librarian who was killed in the Egyptian uprising that began January 25.”...
AL: Global Reach, Aug. 16

Novelist dissects fear and awe of books in Puerto Rico
“Puerto Rico is a strange country, a colony of the U.S.,” said novelist, poet, and professor Mayra Santos-Febres of the University of Puerto Rico. “Because of this relationship, we have 60–70 libraries and many schools, but we have literacy issues and a situation where people do not read.” Santos-Febres was the August 16 plenary session speaker at the IFLA conference. She explained that “people are afraid of books but they respect them.”...
AL: Global Reach, Aug. 16

Puerto Rican filmmaker indebted to libraries
Luis Molina-Casanova, filmmaker and professor in the communications department of Sacred Heart University in San Juan, was the last plenary speaker at the 77th IFLA World Library and Information Congress on August 17. He has devoted his life to making educational films because of what he has discovered in libraries and archives—things he was never taught in school or saw on television and that were not in his textbooks....
AL: Global Reach, Aug. 17

For Americans, IFLA in Puerto Rico is international
Independence for Puerto Rico, an American territory, was the hottest topic you didn’t see on the agenda as some 2,500 librarians, archivists, and other information professionals from all over the world met at the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions 77th annual conference in San Juan. The American caucus of some 300 people (above) gathered August 13 to get the lay of the land and preview key programs....
AL: Global Reach, Aug. 14

On My Mind: Mentorship from both sides
Aniko Halverson Nijhoff writes: “Librarianship is a profession with a strong tradition of mentorship. At some point in grad school, every future librarian has the daunting assignment to ‘find a librarian and interview him or her about his or her job.’ You groan, you sigh, you poke around on the internet, you start sending emails or making calls, hoping to find someone who has time for you. My own mentor is someone I sought out before I decided to go back to school for my MLIS.”...
American Libraries column, July/Aug.

The number of YA books
Q. There’s been a discussion online about how many YA (young adult) books were published in the last few years. A. As this blog explained in its December 8, 2010, entry, Number of Children’s Books Published, we use the numbers provided in the annual Library and Book Trade Almanac, which includes a report on book title production. The 2011 (56th) edition was received here at the ALA Library just over a month ago....
AL: Ask the ALA Librarian, Aug. 17; Read Roger, Aug. 3

From the Editors: What you told us
George M. Eberhart and Beverly Goldberg write: “In April, we conducted an online survey of our readers, in order to find out what American Libraries is doing right and what we could be doing differently. Although this was not a scientific survey, we learned many things about how you read, what you want and don’t want to read, and how you prefer to receive information. In the summary that follows, we’ve identified some of your more frequent comments and preferences.”...
American Libraries column, July/Aug.

40 libraries to host “Manifold Greatness”
The ALA Public Programs Office, the Folger Shakespeare Library, and the National Endowment for the Humanities have announced that 40 public and academic libraries will host “Manifold Greatness: The Creation and Afterlife of the King James Bible,” a traveling exhibition to America’s libraries. The 40 selected libraries are listed here. The year 2011 marks the 400th anniversary of the first printing of the King James Bible. Follow the celebrations on the Manifold Greatness blog....
Public Programs Office, Aug. 15

10 quick and painless steps to effective library advocacy
You’ve probably heard that big budget and policy changes are afoot in Washington and that constituent voices are more important than ever. In fact, advocacy is the buzz word du jour. But does the word itself resonate with library supporters who are not already engaged in grassroots activities? Join this August 30 webinar to learn about 10 easy actions you can take....
District Dispatch, Aug. 15

Still time to Step Up to the Plate
All entries for the Step Up to the Plate @ your library program must be submitted by September 1, giving baseball fans of all ages their final opportunity for a chance to win the grand prize, a trip to the Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in Cooperstown, New York. One grand prize winner will receive a trip to the Hall of Fame in October....
Campaign for America’s Libraries, Aug. 16

Council supports Out of School library programs
ALA Council passed a resolution June 26 encouraging members to tell their legislators, as well as local and national organizations and associations, about the value to their library of Out of School library programs. It also urged directors, trustees, school board members, and government bodies to ensure that libraries of all types dedicate the proper funding to maintain comprehensive Out of School library programs for children and teens....
Public Information Office, Aug. 16

Council continues opposition to Section 215
ALA Council passed a resolution June 28 continuing its opposition to the use of Section 215 of the USA Patriot Act and the use of National Security Letters to violate reader privacy. The resolution calls for continuing to support reforms that protect reader privacy and civil liberties, especially the freedom to read without fear of government surveillance....
Public Information Office, Aug. 16

Council urges confidentiality in hold practices
ALA Council, in a resolution passed June 28, urges all libraries that implement self-service holds to protect patron identity by adopting practices and procedures that conceal the user’s personally identifiable information in connection with the materials being borrowed. The resolution urged librarians to work with vendors to incorporate cost-effective identity safeguards....
Public Information Office, Aug. 16

Council endorses United Nations report
ALA Council passed a resolution June 28 endorsing the May 16 Report of the Special Rapporteur on the Promotion and Protection of the Right to Freedom of Opinion and Expression (PDF file). The report emphasized that there should be as little restriction as possible to the flow of information via the internet, except in few, exceptional and limited circumstances prescribed by international human rights law....
Public Information Office, Aug. 16

ALA issues RFP for national salary survey
ALA seeks proposals to conduct a national web-based salary survey for the 2012 edition of the ALA-APA Salary Survey: Librarian—Public and Academic. The survey is sent to directors and human resources staff in a random sample of both public and academic libraries. The RFP can be downloaded in PDF format. Responses are required by September 15....
ALA–Allied Professional Association, Aug. 16

Questions answered about ALA student chapters
Don Wood writes: “A new FAQ, ALA Student Chapters: Frequently Asked Questions, helps explain how the ALA and ALA student chapters partnership works and provides easy access to chapter resources. It also shows ways to get involved, how to start a new student chapter, and what the benefits are.”...
ALA Student Membership Blog, Aug. 10

Wayne Wiegand’s Melvil Dewey notes
Larry Nix writes: “Noted library historian Wayne Wiegand is making available to an institution or an individual an invaluable library history research resource, the voluminous notes he compiled in researching Irrepressible Reformer (ALA, 1996), his definitive biography of Melvil Dewey. All that is necessary to obtain this resource is to make a modest donation to the ALA Library History Round Table’s Ed Holley Lecture. Wiegand had intended that the note cards be auctioned off at a fundraising event last September, but that fell through.”...
Library History Buff Blog, Aug. 16

In defense of ALA
Will Manley writes: “The more library blogs I read, the more I see ALA being used as a punching bag. In the name of balance, therefore, I feel I have a responsibility to defend ALA. Here are 15 good things about the American Library Association.”...
Will Unwound, Aug. 17

Raise money through community partnerships
ALA Editions announces a new facilitated eCourse, Community Partnership: How to Raise Money and Build Relationships. Paul Signorelli (right), former director of staff training and volunteer services for the San Francisco Public Library system, will lead this four-week course, which begins on October 3. Signorelli will show how to build productive community partnerships that will help your library engage in meaningful projects while enhancing its standing in the community....
ALA Editions, Aug. 16

Radically rethink the library collection
ALA Editions is offering a new workshop, Patron-Driven Acquisition: Radically Rethinking the Collection with Rick Anderson, who invites you to step back and revisit fundamental assumptions about the purpose of the academic library collection. The concept of patron-driven acquisition is an attractive alternative: In a largely digital information environment, library users can find and identify desired content, which the library will then purchase for their use. The workshop takes place in two 90-minute sessions on October 5 and 26....
ALA Editions, Aug. 16

Learn to integrate iPads into library services
ALA TechSource is offering a new workshop, Integrating iPads and Tablet Computers into Library Services, with Rebecca Miller, Carolyn Meier, and Heather Moorefield-Lang. Tablet computers offer major potential for library services, including the ability to increase productivity and improve your library’s programs. The workshop consists of two 90-minute sessions that take place on October 13 and 20....
ALA TechSource, Aug. 16

Controlling costs during fiscal crises
Libraries, like many other cultural institutions such as museums, art councils and theater groups, are looking for answers to the pressing problems of financial stability and, ultimately, survival. Published by ALA Editions, Cost Control for Nonprofits in Crisis by G. Stevenson Smith helps managers and directors tackle the harsh realities before them. Discover techniques for determining the most cost-effective methods of providing services to clients and patrons...
ALA Editions, Aug. 16

Voting now open in Teens’ Top Ten
YALSA invites all teens to get out the vote for the Teens’ Top Ten. Teens can vote for their favorite books from the last year in the annual poll. The 25 nominees for this year’s Teens’ Top Ten are available online, along with a toolkit for librarians to promote the initiative to the young adults visiting their libraries. Voting is open now through September 15....
YALSA, Aug. 16

Webinar on teen information literacy
Social media has altered the information landscape by expanding the flow of information from books, newspapers, and journals to instant reports from Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube. How can librarians help teens learn to separate the wheat from the chaff? Join YALSA for “From 140 Characters to 10 Pages: Teens, Social Media, and Information Literacy.” The live webinar will be presented by Laura Pearle at 2 p.m. Eastern Time on August 18....
YALSA, Aug. 15

RUSA’s fall online learning opportunities
The RUSA fall online learning schedule is now available and includes new courses on health reference and spatial literacy. Topics are relevant to a variety of library professionals and library types, including public, academic and special libraries. With the exception of Readers Advisory 101, all courses are asynchronous. Group discounts are available for two or more participants registering from the same library, library system or network....
RUSA, Aug. 16

I Love My Librarian! Award digital supplement
American Libraries’ digital supplement on the 2011 Carnegie Corporation of New York / New York Times I Love My Librarian! Award is now online. In addition to a call for nominations (open through September 12 at atyourlibrary.org), the supplement features photos of previous winners and excerpts from their nominations....
American Libraries / Public Information Office

African network wins $1-million Access to Learning Award
“It’s indeed hard to describe my pleasure in standing before you today,” said James Nguo (right), “to receive the 2011 Access to Learning Award on behalf of the Arid Lands Information Network and the people of East Africa.” Nguo was in San Juan, Puerto Rico, August 16 to accept the $1-million prize, bestowed annually by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to a library or similar organization outside the United States in recognition of its efforts “to connect people to information through free access to computers and the internet.”...
AL: Global Reach, Aug. 17

RUSA Morningstar Public Librarian Support Award
Suzanne Kaller, business librarian at the Arapahoe Library District in Englewood, Colorado, is the 2011 recipient of the RUSA Morningstar Public Librarian Support Award, an annual award administered by the division’s Business Reference and Services Section. The $1,000 grant provides professional development opportunities at the ALA Annual Conference for a public librarian who has performed outstanding business reference service....
RUSA, Aug. 15

Article on vernacular literacy practices wins RUSA award
The article “Describing Vernacular Literacy Practices to Enhance Understanding of Community Information Needs: A Case Study with Practical Implications” by Denice Adkins, Jenny S. Bossaller, and Kim M. Thompson is the 2011 Reference Service Press Award winner, an annual honor administered by RUSA. The award recognizes the most outstanding article published in RUSA’s Reference and User Services Quarterly during the preceding two years....
RUSA, Aug. 16

YALSA’s 2011 Spectrum Scholar
As part of its commitment to furthering diversity in the profession, YALSA has chosen Hannah Gomez as its 2011–2012 Spectrum Scholar. She will attend Simmons College in Boston in the fall, pursuing an M.A. in children’s literature and M.S. in library science. Gomez cited her time working at a social service agency facilitating workshops for youths who had been arrested as her inspiration to go into librarianship....
YALSA, Aug. 16

Tim Blevins wins 2011 Filby Award
The National Genealogical Society has presented Tim Blevins, manager of special collections at the Pikes Peak Library District in Colorado Springs, with its 2011 P. William Filby Award for Genealogical Librarianship. The award, which carries a $1,000 prize from award sponsor ProQuest, honors his significant work to support family history research. Blevins is a bit embarrassed by all the fuss, saying the award really belongs to his library colleagues, the Pikes Peak Genealogical Society, and volunteers....
ProQuest, May 24; Colorado Springs Gazette, Aug. 13

Cuyahoga County Public Library receives innovation award
Cuyahoga County (Ohio) Public Library has received the 2011 Organization Innovation Award, presented by the Mandel Center for Nonprofit Organizations at Case Western Reserve University, for its commitment to enhancing the quality of life for county residents through innovative materials, services, and collaborations. The library will be honored at an evening reception on October 10 at the Cleveland Botanical Garden....
Cuyahoga County (Ohio) Public Library, Aug. 11

Jay Jordan IFLA/OCLC Early Career Development Fellows
OCLC, along with the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions and the American Theological Library Association, named five librarians August 15 to participate in the Jay Jordan IFLA/OCLC Early Career Development Fellowship Program for 2012. The program supports library and information science professionals from countries with developing economies. The five are from Ghana, Kenya, Bangladesh, Pakistan, and Nigeria....
OCLC, Aug. 15

Chicago Tribune literary awards
It is the breadth, impact, and influence of composer and lyricist Stephen Sondheim’s (right) writing that have won him the 2011 Chicago Tribune Literary Prize for lifetime achievement. Sondheim will be honored at the Chicago Humanities Festival on November 6, the same day that the Tribune’s 2011 Heartland Prizes will be presented to Jonathan Franzen for fiction (Freedom) and Isabel Wilkerson for nonfiction (The Warmth of Other Suns: The Epic Story of America’s Great Migration)....
Chicago Tribune, Aug. 6

Central Falls library reopens with all-volunteer staff
The Adams Memorial Library in Central Falls, Rhode Island, closed in July due to a $5.6-million budget deficit. But on August 1, with about two dozen volunteers, it opened for business again, though for three days a week instead of the old six. The chairman of the library trust and a former library director recruited a group of teenagers and senior citizens to staff the library. For now, the Adams Library Trust’s $200,000 building endowment is being used to cover operating expenses, but that money cannot be used for salaries. Hence the volunteer staff....
Providence (R.I.) Journal, Aug. 17

Sugar Grove Library loses its Friends
Now that the Friends of the Sugar Grove (Ill.) Public Library have disbanded, supporters say they do not know what will happen to the library’s ability to keep up programming and other services. Friends president Pat Graceffa told the library board in early August of the decision to disband as part of the continuing fallout of the board majority’s decision to fire longtime library director Beverly Holmes-Hughes in July. She said people could not separate supporting the library as volunteers from their anger at the firing. Trustee Bill Durrenberger said she was fired because of a difference of opinion over the direction of the library....
Kane County (Ill.) Chronicle, Aug. 13, 15

School librarians help Joplin sort donated books
Two and a half months after an unpredictable tornado nearly destroyed schools in Joplin, Missouri, five Marshall school librarians heeded the call of Library Media Specialist Bonnie Turner without hesitation. Marshall School District approved the one-day trip they took on August 5 to assist Turner with organizing the busloads of 70,000 donated books. Throughout the day, they separated quality books from the rest, then divided them by grade levels....
Marshall (Mo.) Democrat-News, Aug. 12

Winnetka library flood damage is costly
It will cost the Winnetka (Ill.) Public Library $200,000 to recover from damage following the torrential rainfall on July 22–23. David Seleb, executive director of the Winnetka-Northfield Library District, said a sub-grade door at the library gave way to the pressure of accumulated rain during the storm and water deluged the building’s basement, leaving two feet of standing water and forcing the branch to remain closed for two days. Six inches of rain fell within an hour during the 100-year storm....
Winnetka-Northfield (Ill.) TribLocal, Aug. 16

Former Yonkers library staffer denies stealing
A former Yonkers (N.Y.) Public Library worker pleaded not guilty August 8 to charges that she swindled $163,582 out of the public library system over more than six years. Margo Reed was arraigned in Westchester County Court on an 18-count felony indictment. She had worked in the library’s business office and was responsible for collecting fines and other revenue from the three branches. Prosecutors say she stole the money between July 7, 2004, and December 7, 2010....
White Plains (N.Y.) Journal News, Aug. 10

Russell Crowe lunches at Batavia Public Library
A Batavia (Ill.) Public Library patron created a bit of a stir among staff August 16 when she mentioned she thought she had spotted A-list actor Russell Crowe in the building. Crowe has been seen throughout the area in recent weeks as he films the Superman movie Man of Steel. Then Library Director George Scheetz (right) spotted Crowe sitting in the courtyard with two other men and munching on a sandwich from the library’s café. The three had arrived on bicycles....
Batavia (Ill.) TribLocal, Aug. 17

Grafton summer readers sponsor a water buffalo
They came, they read, they bought a water buffalo. Grafton (Mass.) Public Library readers have now logged 3,012 reading hours to fill the library’s ‘Read to Feed’ guide all the way up to the top with beads measuring reader progress. As a result, the library will be able to purchase all the animals on their gift wish list at Heifer International: a flock of chicks, a flock of ducks, a hive of bees, two goats, two sheep, two llamas, and a water buffalo....
The Daily Grafton (Mass.), Aug. 15

Brooklyn library art exhibit follows borrowers around
Follow the books out of the Brooklyn (N.Y.) Public Library and into borrowers’ homes. That’s what Brooklyn Heights artist Joey O’Loughlin did for her exhibit “Where Do the Books Go?” now at the main library. O’Loughlin scoured 15 borough library branches, seeking interesting people who have special relationships with their libraries. When she found them, she asked if she could follow them home to snap photos and learn more about where they do their reading and the role it plays in their lives. Watch the video (12:59)....
New York Daily News, Aug. 14; YouTube, July 7

At this library, check out the tomatoes
Robert Cox walked into the City Island branch of the New York Public Library in the Bronx to read the daily papers and grab a handful of cherry tomatoes from a bowl of fresh produce next to the checkout counter. Services at libraries can be vast and varied these days, but try finding a library whose staff grows fruit and vegetables for the patrons in a garden out back....
New York Times: City Room, Aug. 16

Sports memorabilia taken from school library
A pair of bronze-dipped running shoes and two medals, all belonging to former running sensation John Baker (1944–1970), have been stolen from the elementary school in Albuquerque, New Mexico, that bears his name. A librarian at John Baker Elementary first noticed on August 8 that the shoes and medals were missing from their case in the school library. The sliding metal lock that had secured the trophy case was also missing. Baker’s life story was told in A Shining Season by William Buchanan (1978)....
Albuquerque (N.Mex.) Journal, Aug. 14

John Rylands Library buys missing Colonna Missal
A Renaissance manuscript made for use in the Sistine Chapel has been reunited with six similar volumes to complete a rare collection in Manchester. Six parts of the 471-year-old Colonna Missal have been held at John Rylands Library since 1901. The seventh “missing” part recently came up for auction, allowing the library to buy it for £188,750 ($312,648 U.S.). Director Jan Wilkinson said it was the library’s “most important single-volume acquisition in the last 40 years.”...
BBC News Manchester, Aug. 16

World record scream attempt at Weymouth
Bookworms from Weymouth Library in the U.K. have an anxious wait to see if they will be crowned the loudest people in the world. The 30 youngsters recently attempted to beat rocker Ozzy Osbourne’s previous world record attempt for the longest group scream. They are now awaiting confirmation that their 63-second unbroken cry will make it into the Guinness World Records....
Dorset Echo (U.K.), Aug. 11

Brazilian bibliotaxis
Bibliotaxi, a new project launched in São Paulo, is Brazil’s latest version of a mobile library. The Bibliotaxi contains a number of books inside the vehicle. Passengers can read any of the available books during their trip or borrow the books by registering their names and returning them to the taxi or other city locations. The objective of Bibliotaxi is to promote reading and build a sense of community in the Vila Madalena neighborhood of São Paulo....
PSFK, Aug. 17; São Paulo Vila Mundo, Aug. 11

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