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

The web goes dark in Egypt for a week
The Egyptian government pulled the plug on the web in an apparent attempt to silence the demonstrations and protests that erupted across the country January 25. The Associated Press reported that at a half-hour past midnight on January 28, the internet went dead; authorities restored access on February 2. Bibliotheca Alexandrina Director Ismail Serageldin issued a statement January 30 that said the library will be closed to the public for several days until the curfew is lifted, adding that both opponents and supporters have joined the library staff in guarding the building (above) from potential vandals and looters. The U.S. Committee of the Blue Shield warned of potential danger to Egyptian cultural heritage sites, but the vast majority of museums were secure as of February 1. Kate Phizackerley has set up a site-by-site Egyptological Looting Database....
AL: Global Reach, Jan. 28–31; Associated Press, Jan. 28; Washington Post, Feb. 2; Bibliotheca Alexandrina, Jan. 30, Feb. 1; NYRBlog, Feb. 1; U.S. Committee of the Blue Shield, Jan. 30; New York Times, Feb. 1

Running a Passport Acceptance Facility
Robert J. Rua writes: “Expanded travel regulations have increased demand for United States passports. As of June 1, 2009, a valid passport is required for all foreign travel to and from Canada and Mexico. In this time of reduced funding, public libraries can capitalize on the increased demand while providing a valuable e-government service to their customers by becoming official Passport Acceptance Facilities for the U.S. Department of State. PAFs earn the standard execution fee of $25 per passport.”...
American Libraries feature

On My Mind: Midwinter’s WikiLeaks letdown
Al Kagan writes: “One of the key problems of our time is lack of government transparency, and therefore restricted public access to U.S. government information. The ongoing WikiLeaks disclosures highlight the need to protest these policies and get them changed. Several of the ALA’s core values are directly relevant to this discussion. With this in mind, ALA’s Social Responsibilities Round Table put forward two resolutions concerning WikiLeaks at the 2011 ALA Midwinter Meeting in San Diego.”...
American Libraries column

Submit your National Library Week video footage
AL Focus is producing a series of videos to promote libraries for National Library Week 2011, and we are looking for footage from libraries around the country to help complete the project. The videos will combine images, words, and music to provide an uplifting view of libraries, the services they provide, and the differences they can make. Files up to 2 GB can be sent via YouSendIt. The deadline for submissions is February 28....
AL Focus, Jan. 28

Executive Director’s Message: Engaging members
Keith Michael Fiels writes: “ALA Executive Board meetings in San Diego focused on how to engage younger members, the ALA Membership Meeting, and the Midwinter Meeting itself. At the top of the list was a report (Word file) from the Young Professionals Task Force, chaired by Laurel Bliss. The task force has been reaching out to younger members and is working on a series of recommendations on how the Association can best engage young professionals.”...
American Libraries column, Mar./Apr.

USA Patriot Act Sunset Extension Act of 2011
With the pending sunset date of February 28 for Section 215 (the “library provision”) of the USA Patriot Act, the USA Patriot Act Sunset Extension Act of 2011 (S. 193) is an important step toward improving the balance between the needs of law enforcement and the protection of our civil liberties. The ALA Washington Office urges all library supporters to ask members of the Senate Judiciary Committee to pass the measure....
District Dispatch, Feb. 2

LSSC Program offers half off registration fee
As part of a grant from the Institute for Museum and Library Services, the Library Support Staff Certification Program is offering Registration Assistance Awards of $175 to library support staff, half of the fee to register to become a candidate for certification. The awards are being offered jointly by the LSSC Program, several state library agencies across the United States, and the ALA Library Support Staff Interests Round Table....
ALA–Allied Professional Association, Jan. 31

40 students chosen for Student to Staff Program
Forty ALA Student Chapter members were nominated by their schools and have been accepted to assist ALA staff during the 2011 ALA Annual Conference in New Orleans. In exchange for working four hours a day (or a total of 20 hours), these students participating in the ALA Student to Staff Program receive free conference registration, housing, and a per diem for meal expenses....
ALA Student Membership Blog, Feb. 2

Learn to make mobile services work for you
ALA TechSource announces a new workshop, “Making Mobile Services Work for Your Library” with Cody Hanson, who will provide a foundation for launching, maintaining, and expanding mobile services in your library. Registration is available on the ALA Store. The workshop will take place at 2:30 p.m. Eastern time on March 9....
TechSource, Feb. 1

How to be frugal
Fewer employees, shorter hours, diminished collection budgets, and reduced programs and services are all happening at a time of record library usage. In The Frugal Librarian: Thriving in Tough Economic Times published by ALA Editions, library expert Carol Smallwood demonstrates that despite the obvious downsides, the necessity of doing business differently can be positive, leading to partnering, sharing, and innovating. This book addresses universal concerns, presenting creative and resourceful solutions from dozens of librarians who represent a wide variety of institutions....
ALA Editions, Jan. 28

Web-scale discovery services
ALA TechSource has released the January issue of Library Technology Reports, written by Jason Vaughan. Web-scale discovery services are capable of searching quickly and seamlessly across a vast range of local and remote content and providing relevancy-ranked results in an intuitive interface. The report describes the content, interface, and functionality of services developed by OCLC, Serials Solutions, EBSCO, and Ex Libris....
ALA TechSource, Feb. 1

Decision-making in the absence of certainty
ACRL has released Decision-Making in the Absence of Certainty: A Study in the Context of Technology and the Construction of the 21st Century Academic Library, by S. David Mash, as number 63 in the ACRL Publications in Librarianship series. The book details the often surprising decision-making process at five American universities that built new libraries at the dawn of the 21st century....
ACRL, Jan. 31

Register for YALSA online tech course
Registration ends February 3 for “Connect, Create, Collaborate: Support Teen Needs with Technology,” a new online course offered by YALSA. The self-paced course takes place February 7–March 21 and will be taught by YALSA Past-President Linda Braun....
YALSA, Feb. 1

YALSA homework help webinar
From hungry dogs and alien abductions to corrupted flash drives, the list of excuses for missed homework assignments is never-ending. Help your teens get a head start on their homework by hosting a homework help program at your library. Join host Mari Hardacre for a webinar that discusses both in-person and online homework help programs. The webinar will take place at 2 p.m. Eastern time on February 17....
YALSA, Feb. 1

Teen Tech Week publicity tools
School and public libraries can promote Teen Tech Week (March 6–12) with online resources offered by YALSA. A sample press release, tips for creating a press release, sample PSAs, sample letters to the editor, a sample proclamation, tips on using the TTW logo, and downloadable audio PSAs featuring Tom Kenny (the voice of SpongeBob SquarePants) are all available on the Teen Tech Week website....
Public Information Office, Feb. 1

Reluctant Readers preconference
Reluctant YA readers are everywhere—except maybe in your library. Join YALSA on June 23 in New Orleans for “Give Them What They Want: Reaching Reluctant Readers” and find out how to turn reluctant readers into active readers who know your library inside and out. YA authors Walter Dean Myers, Julie Halpern, and Chris Grabenstein will describe how their work speaks to today’s teens....
YALSA, Feb. 1

YALSA Webinars-on-Demand
Looking for guidance into the latest topics in teen services? Look no further than YALSA’s Webinars-on-Demand. Previously recorded webinars, led by content experts selected by YALSA, are available online for $19 each (select webinars available as a series of three for $49). Webinars-on-Demand are available for purchase two months after the webinar takes place. Once purchased, you can view the webinar immediately....
YALSA, Jan. 31

2011 Literary Tastes Breakfast
All book lovers and adult readers are invited to celebrate the best writing and most outstanding authors of 2011 at the Literary Tastes Breakfast, an ALA Annual Conference tradition hosted by RUSA. The June 26 breakfast features authors from RUSA’s literary book award selections. Registration is available at the Annual Conference website....
RUSA, Feb. 1

Visit the de Grummond Collection at Annual Conference
If you plan on attending ALA Annual Conference in New Orleans, take this opportunity to visit the de Grummond Children’s Literature Collection on the campus of the University of Southern Mississippi in Hattiesburg on June 24. Organized by Ellen Ruffin and the ALSC Special Collections and Bechtel Fellowship Committee, the tour will provide a unique look into an astounding collection....
ALSC, Jan. 28

Name change for GLBTRT
The new name of a round table contains more than a minor grammatical change—it carries wide implications for GLBT communities. The Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgendered Round Table is now the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgender Round Table, to reflect the preferred terminology of the transgender community. The name change was approved during the ALA Midwinter Meeting in San Diego....
Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgender Round Table, Feb. 1

IRRT supports Spectrum
The International Relations Round Table has announced its support of the Spectrum Scholarship Program through a gift to the Spectrum Presidential Initiative....
Spectrum Initiative, Jan. 31

Mandel wins 2011 Hugh C. Atkinson Award
Carol A. Mandel (right), dean of the division of libraries at New York University, has been named the 2011 winner of the Hugh C. Atkinson Memorial Award. She will receive a cash award and citation June 26 at the ALCTS awards program at the ALA Annual Conference in New Orleans. The citation calls her a “pioneer in developing user-centered service models for both the physical and the virtual library.”...
ALCTS, Feb. 1

ALSC Distinguished Service Award
Dudley Carlson (right) is the 2011 recipient of the ALSC Distinguished Service Award. The award honors an individual who has made significant contributions to library service to children and to the division. As a member, chair, and advisor to numerous book award and evaluation committees, Carlson has “provided guidance through reasoned thought and deep expertise.”...
ALSC, Jan. 31

Nominations sought for Patterson Copyright Award
The Office for Information Technology Policy is calling for nominations for the 2011 L. Ray Patterson Copyright Award. This annual award honors individuals or groups who embody the spirit of the U.S. copyright law as voiced by the framers of our Constitution: “to advance the knowledge of science and useful arts.” Send letters of nomination to Carrie Russell by March 15....
Office for Information Technology Policy, Jan. 31

2011 Loleta D. Fyan Grant winners
Mary Mann and Terry O’Connor, in partnership with the Lac du Flambeau (Wis.) Public Library, have been awarded the $5,000 Loleta D. Fyan Grant for a proposal entitled “Revitalizing Libraries in Indian Country: The Lac du Flambeau Ojibwe Research Center.” The project team will create a research space in the library to provide extensive multimedia sources on local, regional, and national Native American culture....
Office for Research and Statistics, Jan. 31

Two receive YALSA Baker & Taylor Conference Grants
YALSA has awarded its 2011 Baker & Taylor Conference Grants to Yvonne Miller and Sarah Wethern. Each will receive up to $1,000 to attend the ALA Annual Conference in New Orleans, June 23–28. Miller has been a teacher/librarian at Sagewood Middle School in Parker, Colorado, since 2004, and Wethern is teen services librarian for the Pueblo City-County (Colo.) Library District....
YALSA, Feb. 1

Apply for the Gordon M. Conable Conference Scholarship
The Freedom to Read Foundation is accepting applications for the 2011 Gordon M. Conable Conference Scholarship, which will enable a library school student or new professional to attend ALA’s 2011 Annual Conference, held June 23–28 in New Orleans. The recipient is expected to attend FTRF and other intellectual freedom meetings and programs, consult with a mentor or board member, and present a report about the experience. The deadline to apply is April 8....
Office for Intellectual Freedom, Jan. 31

Brewster Kahle receives Zoia Horn Intellectual Freedom Award
Internet activist Brewster Kahle received the Zoia Horn Intellectual Freedom Award December 17 for successfully challenging a National Security Letter issued by the FBI that demanded personal information about a user of the Internet Archive’s site. The award honors California librarian Zoia Horn, who in 1972 chose to serve time in jail rather than betray confidential information....
Internet Archive Blogs, Jan. 4

Fourth Annual Black Quill Awards
Dark Scribe Magazine has announced the winners of its 4th Annual Black Quill Awards to honor works of horror, suspense, and thrillers from both mainstream and small press publishers. The Dark Genre Novel of the Year went to Peter Straub for A Dark Matter (Doubleday). The Best Dark Genre Book of Nonfiction was Thomas Ligotti’s The Conspiracy against the Human Race (Hippocampus)....
Dark Scribe Magazine, Jan. 31

Bypassing Egypt’s media restrictions
Google, in response to the internet blockade in Egypt, created a way to post messages to microblogging service Twitter by leaving a message at any of three telephone numbers. Voicemail messages at those numbers are instantly converted into text messages, referred to as tweets, and posted at Twitter with an identifying hashtag of #egypt. Watch the BBC News report (1:50)....
Agence France-Presse, Feb. 1; BBC News, Feb. 1

Enfield embarrasses Connecticut
MariAn Gail Brown writes: “The town of Enfield, Connecticut, forced its public library to abandon a January screening of Michael Moore’s documentary Sicko. Mayor Scott Kaupin said the film was a ‘poor choice’ and that if the library didn’t reconsider, it would face ‘repercussions’ at budget time. If that doesn’t sound like a threat, a shot across the bow, and an assault on our freedom of speech, I don’t know what does.” ALA President Roberta Stevens commended town officials for reversing their action and allowing the library to “move forward with a program intended to generate thought and discussion.”...
Bridgeport Connecticut Post, Jan. 27; Public Information Office, Jan. 28

Challenger astronaut’s legacy honored
In 1959, when Ronald McNair was just 9 years old, he made a scene at the Lake City (S.C.) Public Library. Residents watched as the African-American boy walked to the counter and attempted to check out books on advanced science and calculus. The librarian refused to release them and said, “We don’t circulate books to Negroes.” On January 29, the former library building was renamed the Dr. Ronald E. McNair Life History Center, a museum showcasing his life....
ABC News, Jan. 29; WBTW-TV, Pee Dee, S.C., Jan. 29

Reader privacy fight resumes in Congress
Just four weeks before controversial portions of the USA Patriot Act are set to expire on February 28, Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) reintroduced a reauthorization bill that would restore protections for reader privacy that were eliminated by the Patriot Act in 2001. It provides important safeguards for library records, limiting FBI searches to the records of people who are “agents of a foreign power,” including suspected terrorists and people known to them. The Campaign for Reader Privacy supports S. 193, the USA Patriot Act Sunset Extension Act of 2011, as an important step forward....
Association of American Publishers, Jan. 31

First U.S. map purchased for record price
The first map of the United States, created in 1784, has been purchased for the record price of $1.8 million by Washington philanthropist David M. Rubenstein, who is lending it to the Library of Congress. The Abel Buell map, named after the Connecticut cartographer who created it, has been a missing link in the library’s vast collection of maps. Rubenstein bought the map at an auction at Christie’s in December....
Washington Post, Jan. 30

Why librarians are essential
Sara Stevenson writes: “Though 74 librarians in Austin, Texas, were slated to lose their jobs, the superintendent and board agreed to spare 52 elementary school librarians on January 24. Librarians who serve middle and high school students were thrown under the bus. The Texas Association of School Boards recommends that librarians share schools. If one librarian divides time between three schools, students are deprived of a professional librarian’s services for two-thirds of the school year. When you cut librarians, you cut teachers. We are not support staff.”...
Austin (Tex.) American-Statesman, Jan. 26

Betty Franklin: A retrospective
Larry Harnisch writes: “This is Elizabeth C. Franklin, or Miss Franklin to those of us who worked for her. It wasn’t until she loaned me her precious Film Index of 1941 with her name written inside that I learned she had once been Betty Franklin. A bit testy and difficult as a boss, but I got to know her after she retired and discovered that despite the gruff façade, she was really sweet.”...
Los Angeles Times: The Daily Mirror, Feb. 1

Librarian on Jeopardy!
One month after appearing on the popular television game show Jeopardy!, Kate Palladino (right) was awaiting her $2,000 check for coming in second place. Palladino is librarian at the Gwynedd-Mercy Academy Elementary School in Spring House, Pennsylvania. She was the only contestant to get the Final Jeopardy question correct when the show aired December 8....
Chestnut Hill (Pa.) Local, Jan. 26

New Queens branch to feature distinctive, free-form windows
When the Queens (N.Y.) Library trustees approved the design of the new Hunters Point community branch in January, it was a well-deserved and long overdue breakthrough for New York architect Steven Holl. Scheduled to begin construction early next year, the branch will have giant, free-form windows carved out of an 80-foot-tall rectangular façade of rough aluminum that will make it an instantly recognizable landmark....
New York Times, Jan. 30

Redding library dispute may go to court
Two groups are threatening to sue the city of Redding, California, if it goes ahead with a proposed policy that restricts speech outside the main public library. The North State Tea Party Alliance and the American Civil Liberties Union of Northern California have called the city’s effort to regulate leafleting, pamphleteering, and other literature distribution around the library entrance unconstitutional. The Shasta Public Libraries Citizens Advisory Committee is scheduled to consider the proposed pamphleteering policy on March 2....
Redding (Calif.) Record Searchlight, Jan. 28, Feb. 2

Former librarian who sent death threats sentenced
An Aurora, Colorado, man who pleaded guilty to sending threatening letters and bags of white powder to President Barack Obama and other politicians was sentenced to six years in federal prison January 28. Jay DeVaughn (right), former director of library services at the Community College of Aurora, has been diagnosed as having bipolar disorder. He >will also undergo mental health treatment for the three years he will be under court supervision after he is released from prison....
Reuters, Jan. 28

No cell tower at Carol Stream library
A 90-foot cell phone tower won’t be going up on Carol Stream (Ill.) Public Library property due to residents’ concerns about health effects and aesthetics. The library’s board of trustees voted 4–0 January 26 to reject an offer from T-Mobile, which wanted to install a tower on property the library owns. The deal was initially considered because of an estimate that the library could bring in around $1,500 a month for leasing part of its property for the cell tower....
Arlington Heights (Ill.) Daily Herald, Jan. 26

Bookdrop condiment vandal sentenced
Joy L. Cassidy was sentenced January 28 to serve at least 27 days in jail after she pleaded guilty to misdemeanor malicious injury to property. When she was arrested in June 2010 after dumping syrup, ketchup, and mayonnaise into the bookdrop at the Ada Community Library in Boise, Idaho, many wondered what her motive was. It came out in court that Cassidy, 75, was retaliating for being banned from the library in 2007 because of conflicts she’d had with the staff and other patrons....
Boise Idaho Statesman, Jan. 29

Green Bay and Pittsburgh libraries wager books
The director of the Brown County (Wis.) Library is once again betting with her counterpart in connection with the Green Bay Packers, this time on the Super Bowl outcome on February 6. A friendly wager has been set up between Brown County Library Director Lynn Stainbrook and Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh Director Barbara Mistek. Stainbrook has offered the Carnegie library a collection of tongue-in-cheek books should the Pittsburgh Steelers win....
WFRV-TV, Green Bay, Wis., Feb. 2

Tunisia ends era of censorship
The crowds outside the Al Kitab bookshop in Tunis are staring at a selection of newly arrived titles under the heading Livres interdits, a selection of books banned under the regime of deposed President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali and now freely available for the first time. Al Kitab is still awaiting delivery of its first order of banned books from Europe. Under Ben Ali’s rule, booksellers required a visa from the interior ministry for every work they wanted to import, and the process could take several months....
Irish Times (Dublin), Jan. 27; A Tunisian Girl, Jan. 22

National Library of Sweden grapples with child pornography
Sweden’s National Library is seeking guidance from the government after determining that a portion of its magazine collection features child pornography. The library determined that it owned 21 illegal titles, after an investigation prompted by a 2008 complaint that it was in violation of laws prohibiting the possession and distribution of such materials. The library sent a memo to the Ministry of Education and Research over whether and how the titles should be managed....
The Local (Stockholm), Jan. 28

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ALA Annual Conference in New Orleans, June 23–28, 2011.

“Like” American Libraries on Facebook.

Hope for America Exhibit at Library of Congress: Performers, Politicians, and Pop Culture Small Businesses Spread the Word @ your library Donna Seaman Interviews Nancy Goldstein (Jackie Ormes: The First African American Woman Cartoonist) Lauren Myracle: Free to Read (video) Classic Film for Family Movie Night: Alfred Hitchcock’s North by Northwest Going to School @ your library Your Local Networking Hub is @ your library Join Us on Facebook Subscribe to our Newsletter

Gale’s Librarian Superhero contest
Are you or someone you know a librarian superhero? Gale wants to hear about it. Four librarians will be selected from your submissions and turned into cartoon superheros. Winners will be featured on a metal lunch box and unveiled at ALA Annual Conference in New Orleans, June 23–28. The full contest rules are here. The deadline for submissions is February 28....
Gale: Are You a Librarian Superhero?

Save Libraries retro posters
Phil Bradley writes: “If you follow me on Twitter, Facebook, or Flickr you’ll have seen that I’ve been busy recently doing some work with posters for the #savelibraries campaign. I love looking through old posters, advertisements, and bill stickers, and I got to thinking, I wonder what the Save Libraries campaign would look like through the medium of some of those old posters?”...
Phil Bradley’s Weblog, Jan. 30

Librarians, content farms, and search
Stephen Abram writes: “I’ve been on a tear lately on the topic of content farms. I meet too many information professionals, educators, and normal searchers who are unaware of this web content provider and its business model. It is not inherently evil, but all information professionals and librarians should be aware of the influential role content spam and sponsored content plays in consumer search. Of course, it plays almost no role in searching OPACs, repositories, or professional and licensed databases. Here are some links.”...
Stephen’s Lighthouse, Jan. 29

One schema to rule them all
Dorothea Salo writes: “I wish folks would understand that there is no single metadata schema that works for every kind of data in every form in every situation. If you’re building a data repository, intending to store many kinds of data from many disciplines, it had better have a metadata model that accommodates many different vocabularies. Bill Hooker promptly stepped up to the plate with the following dictum.”...
Book of Trogool, Jan. 31

Explore museums with Google Art Project
Amit Sood writes: “The new Google Art Project puts more than 1,000 works of art at your fingertips, in extraordinary detail. You’ll find a selection of super high-resolution images of famous works of art as well as more than a thousand other images by more than 400 artists—all in one place. And with Street View technology, you can take a virtual tour inside 17 of the world’s most acclaimed art museums. You can dive into brushstroke-level detail, explore inside the museums, and create your own collection.” Watch the video (1:00)....
The Official Google Blog, Feb. 1; YouTube, Jan. 28

NYPL completes three-year restoration project
The New York Public Library has just completed a three-year, $50-million restoration and preservation of the landmark Stephen A. Schwarzman Building on 42nd Street, which has stood as an impressive symbol of opportunity and access for the people of New York City and the world for a century. The unveiling of the newly restored façade represents the start of a year-long celebration in the building’s honor....
New York Public Library, Feb. 2

$2.68 is a bargain
Jamie LaRue writes: “Last year I gave a series of talks. They all started with questions. How many people had internet access at home? Nearly everyone did. Then I asked how much people spent per month, per household, for the service. The answers started at a low of $30 a month, up to about $80. Then I asked the kicker: So what do you think the average American household spends per month for public libraries? The answer, based on national data, is this: Households pay an average of $2.68 per month for their public libraries.”...
LaRue’s Views, Feb. 3

Gaming for children with special needs
Allen McGinley writes: “What are you going to do in 2011 to enhance gaming services in your community? One suggestion is to expand your programs to a new audience, and there is none better than children with special needs. On the how and why of gaming for children with special needs, see ‘Rated E for Everyone.’ Then come back and check out this list of game recommendations by Peggy Wong and get a program started for this frequently underserved audience.”...
8bitlibrary.com, Jan. 24; School Library Journal, Dec. 1

Emergency tips for bookmobile librarians
Pattie Johnson writes: “For bookmobile and outreach librarians, emergencies can be as varied as a sick child, flat tires, high winds, or icy roads. Having a plan for common situations, as well as those that are unexpected, can limit the uncertainty and chaos. The most important aspect of any emergency plan is a staff that is aware of the potential emergencies and trained in how to react, whether the situation is a natural emergency or an unexpected event.”...
OLOS Columns, Jan. 28

The world’s most valuable library postal card
Larry Nix writes: “During World War I the price of U.S. government–issued postal cards was increased from one cent to two cents to help fund the war. Cards issued for international use were already priced at two cents. After the war, domestic postal cards were overwritten to indicate the return to the lower rate. But the postmaster of Long Beach, California, inadvertently reduced the two-cent international cards to the one-cent rate. Two of the three extant cards are notices mailed from the Long Beach Public Library. One recently sold at auction for $95,000.”...
Library History Buff Blog, Jan. 31

Choudhury discusses new NSF data-sharing rules
Marc Parry writes: “On January 18, a significant change went into effect at the National Science Foundation: The agency will now require researchers to submit data-management plans with their grant proposals. Open government advocates have hailed the change. We sat down with Sayeed Choudhury, associate dean of university libraries at Johns Hopkins University, to get his take on what the move means for science.”...
Chronicle of Higher Education: Wired Campus, Jan. 28

An explanation of the Costco v. Omega decision
The Library Copyright Alliance released on January 31 “The Impact of the Supreme Court’s Decision in Costco v. Omega on Libraries” (PDF file). Prepared by Jonathan Band, this concise, informative paper examines the much-discussed Costco v. Omega non-decision, which left in place a controversial 9th Circuit ruling that could have significant consequences for library lending practices....
Association of Research Libraries, Jan. 31

Code of best practice in fair use for poetry
The Harriet Monroe Poetry Institute has worked with American University’s Center for Social Media and its Washington College of Law to create a Code of Best Practice in Fair Use for Poetry (PDF file). Devised specifically by and for the poetry community, this best-practice code serves as a guide to reasonable and appropriate uses of copyrighted materials in new and old media....
Harriet Monroe Poetry Institute, Jan. 28

Let’s play librarian
Kim Young writes: “Here is how you can play ‘librarian’ with young children. Just grab some books, double-sided tape, small envelopes, index cards, a notepad, pen, and rubber stamps. Put a piece of double-sided tape on the front of the envelope and stick it to the inside cover of a book. Place an index card in the envelope. Now that I have my kids all trained, please do not tell them that all of the books are really scanned and monitored by a computer system in the library. They have too much fun with this!”...
No Time for Flash Cards, Jan. 27

UCLA acquires Bourbon family archive
The University of California, Los Angeles Library has acquired the Bourbon del Monte di San Faustino Family Archive, a comprehensive collection of documents created between the 14th and 19th centuries by, for, and about this prominent family, one of the earliest aristocratic families in Italy. Among the collection’s contents are civil and ecclesiastical contracts, documents from lawsuits and court cases, wills and post-mortem inventories, and genealogies....
University of California, Los Angeles, Feb. 2

In any galaxy, librarians are awesome
Actor and author Wil Wheaton writes: “I want to take a moment and say thank you to librarians, because it was a librarian who made me fall in love with reading. I was a nerdy, shy, awkward kid who was afraid the Cool Kids would tease me about reading, and I always felt lost in the stacks. This librarian, though, reached out to me. She asked me what sort of things I liked on TV and in the movies, and recommended a few different books based on my answers, including the first real SciFi book I can recall reading.” And so begins the voyage of Star Trek: The Next Generation’s Wesley Crusher....
WWdn: In Exile, Jan. 28

British Library research: Perceptions of digital tools
As part of its ongoing discussion with users on how research is changing and their expectations of the future role of libraries, the British Library has released initial findings from the first interim report of its exhibition “Growing Knowledge: The Evolution of Research.” The findings show that visitors to the online exhibit are not only interested in the initiative but also impressed that the library is attempting to learn from and meet the needs of its researchers....
British Library, Feb. 2

U.S. opens American Corner in Haiti
Nathalie Gardere writes: “Against all odds, we inaugurated our first American Corner in Haiti on January 20. We were planning to open it in January 2010, but here in Haiti, the unexpected has a habit of intruding and turning your world upside down. But just like many other organizations, the library world has stood as one with Haiti. Institutions such as ALA, the Smithsonian, and the Digital Library of the Caribbean have done much to help rebuild our libraries, and donations for Haiti’s libraries have started to come in.”...
DipNote, Jan. 26

Stockholm University Library
A reporter takes you on a tour (in English, 4:58) of the hidden treasures and everyday services at Stockholm University Library in Sweden, interviewing both staff and students. In this segment, he is shown the library’s copy of Galileo’s Sidereus Nuncius (Venice, 1610) by Special Collections Librarian Clas-Ove Strandberg....
YouTube, Feb. 2

Meet the Edmonton Public Library staff
This promotional video (2:14) was part of the Edmonton (Alberta) Public Library’s successful rebranding campaign, “Spread the Words,” which won one of the LLAMA John Cotton Dana Library Public Relations Awards in 2011. Its success was built on a strong foundation of shared values, clear assessment, strategic marketing, and a committed and enthusiastic library staff....
YouTube, Apr. 23, 2010

The CCA New Materials Resource Center
Jake Sollins, archivist of the New Materials Resource Center at the California College of the Arts in San Francisco, offers a video tour (2:08) of the facility, which serves students in interdisciplinary arts programs....
YouTube, Jan. 25

Help me, Ninja Librarian!
Ninja Librarian describes the resources available in the library of the Art Institute of Washington, in Arlington, Virginia. Written and directed by Miyo Davis, this promotional video (2:59) stars Chris Scott as the Student and Luis Gonzalez as the Ninja Librarian. “No ninjas were harmed in the making of this film.”...
YouTube, Jan. 10, 2008

Don’t interrupt this guy
Freelance video creator Julian Smith directed and starred in this video (2:26) titled “I’m Reading a Book,” for which he also composed the music. The angry young reader appears in a library “where they call me a crook,” because “I never ever pay for my library books.”...
YouTube, Jan. 18

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