American Libraries Direct
The e-newsletter of the American Library Association | July 27, 2011

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

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AL Buyers Guide

American Libraries Online

Movie marque for the R-rated Saturday Night Fever, which because of its MPAA rating cannot be screened for inmates in CaliforniaNo R’s behind bars in California
A federal court has ruled that a California Department of Corrections policy prohibiting inmates from viewing R-rated movies, as well as movies that “glorify violence or sex,” does not violate the First Amendment. The First Amendment Center reported July 14 that inmate Perry Robert Avila, housed in a California prison in Corcoran, challenged the constitutionality of the policy, which states that only movies rated G, PG, or PG-13 by the Motion Picture Association of America may be shown to inmates....
AL: Censorship Watch, July 26; First Amendment Center, July 14

Santa Clarita Public Library opening, July. Screenshot from city videoPrivatization and pushback in Santa Clarita
The three-branch Santa Clarita (Calif.) Public Library opened its doors over the Fourth of July weekend (right) as an independent city system for the first time since city officials voted in August 2010 to depart from the County of Los Angeles Public Library. Hundreds came to check out materials, eyeball the expanded Canyon County branch, and size up their libraries’ new staffs—employees of contract-services firm Library Systems and Services, Inc., whose five-year, $19-million contract to manage the nascent system was the focus of almost a year’s worth of debate and litigation....
American Libraries news, July 27; Santa Clarita City Briefs, July 6

Still from Daniel Ellsberg interviewNewsmaker: Daniel Ellsberg
Forty years ago, Daniel Ellsberg leaked the Pentagon Papers, documents that revealed the secret history of the United States’ involvement in Vietnam from 1945 to 1967. Since then, Ellsberg has been a lecturer, writer, and activist on controversial U.S. interventions and the need for patriotic whistleblowing. Former American Libraries Editor Leonard Kniffel and others from ALA interviewed Ellsberg after his address at Annual Conference in New Orleans. What follows is a transcript of that interview (50:57), edited for clarity....
American Libraries column, July/Aug.; AL Focus, July 27

Movie art graphicHow to offer more than a movie
Alan Jacobson writes: “Your library’s films are some of the highest-quality work in your building, often unjustly ignored, maligned, and simply consigned to popular material (Charles Dickens or Alfred Hitchcock, anyone?) when there is so much thematic and artistic richness waiting to be mined in a discussion format. Here’s how to make your screening a quality cultural event equal to your book discussions.”...
American Libraries feature

Kevin O'Kelly, Somerville (Mass.) Public Library, at the Beyond Books conferenceIs the line between librarianship and journalism blurring?
Office for Intellectual Freedom Director Barbara Jones writes: “What do journalists and librarians have in common? How can collaboration on their common ground make libraries and the media better for our democracy? More than 125 attendees worked on these questions April 6–7 at the first-ever conference of its kind, ‘Beyond Books: News, Literacy, Democracy, and America’s Libraries,’ immediately preceding the National Conference for Media Reform in Boston.” Watch the video (7:23)....
American Libraries feature; Vimeo, June 24

Cover of the July/August 2011 issue of American LibrariesProgramming, pixels, and privatization
The July/August issue of American Libraries has just mailed to members, bringing to your workplaces and doorsteps the news and analysis that is delivered every day online. This issue includes articles on graphic novels, digital collections, the future of electronic content delivery, film programming, and the privatization controversy. You can also read the full issue online....
American Libraries, July/Aug.

Donna DziedzicCurrents
Donna Dziedzic (right) retired as executive director of Naperville (Ill.) Public Library June 30. On July 25 John Spears became executive director of Naperville Public Library. Hester Miller, 90, died July 9; she was arts specialist at Albuquerque (N. Mex.) Public Library from 1958 until her retirement in 1982....
American Libraries column


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ALA News

Empowering voices
ALA President Molly Raphael writes: “We are living in extraordinary times. Throughout the library world, reductions in financial resources threaten our survival. At the same time, many libraries are experiencing large increases in demand and usage. In academic, public, school, and special libraries, these challenges call for all of us to work together and build a better future for all library communities.”...
ALA President’s Message, July 27

National Gaming Day 2011 logoNational Gaming Day registration is open
It’s time to start gearing up for the big event. Registration is officially open for the 2011 National Gaming Day, November 12, and we are excited that there are some great donations again this year (while they last). This year’s official sponsor for National Gaming Day @ your library, All Things Equal, is donating an amazing four games in support of gaming in libraries. There will again be two national video game tournaments, the Epic Super Smash Bros. Brawl and a retro 30th Anniversary Frogger Library High Score Contest....
National Gaming Day @ your library, July 27

Volunteer to serve on a committee
ALA President-Elect Maureen Sullivan is encouraging members to volunteer for ALA and Council committees during the 2012–2013 appointment process. Sullivan is chairing both the Committee on Appointments and Committee on Committees. To volunteer, complete the online committee volunteer form by November 4....
ALA Executive Office, July 20

Number of active users by divisionNew ALA Connect reports
Jenny Levine writes: “ALA Connect experienced a couple of major milestones during the last few months. First, it turned two years old at the beginning of April. Second, the new servers valiantly weathered a huge spike in usage (above) thanks to the 2011 ALA Annual Conference. To monitor Connect’s progress, I’ve written up reports for each milestone.”...
ITTS News, July 27

Summer school is in session for intellectual freedom
The Office for Intellectual Freedom is offering a series of online learning opportunities August 2–30 to meet the pressing needs of busy library professionals. “Intellectual Freedom Summer School” webinars will provide information and insight on some current topics. Specific programs are offered for public, academic, and school librarians. These hour-long, interactive sessions will feature speakers from OIF as well as practicing librarians in the field. Registration is now open....
Office for Intellectual Freedom, July 26

Banned Books Week to feature a Virtual Read-out
This year, for the first time, readers from around the world will be able to participate virtually in Banned Books Week, September 24–October 1, by posting videos of themselves reading excerpts to a dedicated YouTube channel. Videos (no more than two minutes long) can be submitted by anyone as long as the video includes a reading from a banned or challenged book. Alternatively, videos of up to three minutes can be submitted giving eyewitness accounts of local challenges. Details will be available in early August....
Office for Intellectual Freedom, July 21

Arkansas Library Association logoJoin your state library association
Don Wood writes: “If you are not already a member of your state library association (also known as an ALA Chapter), please join. There are many reasons to do so, including discounts for attending conferences, networking, mentoring, and all kinds of other opportunities and services. And, most importantly, you can contribute to your state association’s efforts to support libraries and the library profession.”...
ALA Membership Blog, July 21

Student chapter members, take this survey
By completing this 20-minute survey, you will provide ALA with invaluable information that no doubt will result in a better ALA student chapter experience for both you and future student chapter members. Help publicize this survey widely to student chapter members, elected officers, faculty advisers, directors, deans, and anyone else associated with ALA student chapters....
ALA Student Membership Blog, July 27

Do we have the will to help guide digital natives?
ALA Literacy Officer Dale Lipschultz writes: “Today’s kids are digital natives. They’re eager to learn, innovate, create, and share. They’re looking to us for direction and strategic guidance. The Learning from Hollywood Forum is a starting point. Our task, as educators and innovators, is to work together, think creatively, and build new systems for educating America’s youth. We have this opportunity, we have the minds, we have the tools, and we have the support. The question is: Do we have the will?”...
OLOS Columns, July 27

FTRF welcomes ruling that overturns video game ban
The Freedom to Read Foundation, ALA’s First Amendment legal defense arm, welcomes the U.S. Supreme Court’s 7–2 decision June 27 to overturn a 2005 California law that banned the sale of violent video games to minors. FTRF joined booksellers, publishers, writers, and other media groups to urge the Supreme Court to strike down the law, which sought to create a new category of unprotected speech encompassing violent images and themes of violence in video games....
Freedom to Read Foundation, July 20; New York Times, June 27

Portion of Guadalajara Book Fair poster featuring GermanyGuadalajara Book Fair free pass
ALA and the Guadalajara International Book Fair are partnering for the ninth year to provide support for ALA members to attend the 24th book fair from November 26 to December 4. Free passes will be awarded to 150 librarians who work in the area of Spanish-language acquisitions. The deadline for applications is August 15. This year’s invited country is Germany....
International Relations Office

Step Up to the Plate 2011 logoInduction Day @ your library
July 24 was Induction Day at the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum. By registering for Step Up to the Plate @ your library, you can help one of your library users win the chance to go to the Hall of Fame just like 2011 inductees, Roberto Alomar and Bert Blyleven. Developed by ALA and the Baseball Hall of Fame, Step Up to the Plate @ your library teams up two American classics—libraries and baseball—to promote libraries and librarians as essential information resources....
Public Information Office, July 21

Cover of Fall 2011 ALA Graphics catalogFall into the new ALA Graphics catalog
There’s something for everyone inside the new ALA Graphics fall catalog (PDF file), full of fresh products designed to encourage readers of all ages. More than a dozen new posters and bookmarks make their debut, including those inspired by the popular children’s book series Bad Kitty and Five Little Monkeys, as well as Caldecott Honor recipient Marla Frazee and author Mary Lyn Ray’s forthcoming book Stars....
ALA Graphics, July 21

Booklist Online logo

Cover of The Forgotten WaltzFeatured review: Adult fiction
Enright, Anne. The Forgotten Waltz. Oct. 2011. 288p. Norton, hardcover (978-0-393-07255-6).
Although the story of an affair is certainly not an uncommon theme in fiction, for the reader to be so engrossed in such a tale by the writing style alone is a less-common situation. But in fairness, in balance, this stunning novel by a Booker Prize winner (for The Gathering, 2007) also offers up its brilliance by way of astonishingly effective storytelling. The setting is the author’s native Ireland, which, ironically, because of the immaculate presentation of story and character, almost doesn’t matter. Gina is married, holds a professional business position, and is now recalling an obsessive, selfish, and problem-riddled affair with the equally married Sean. Enright suitably constructs her narrative to reflect the natural tendency of a person to remember events not necessarily in strict chronological order but in fits and starts....

Civil War Reference graphicCore collection
Brian Odom writes: “Over the next five years, each day will mark the 150th anniversary of some seminal event from the American Civil War. Armies of student researchers will descend upon public libraries and school media centers looking for those elusive resources that simultaneously edify and provide adequate historical context for everything from the Gettysburg Address to Sherman’s March to the Sea. Luckily, there has been no shortage of information published on what many consider the defining event in American history. The resources listed here represent just a fraction of reliable, up-to-date chronologies, dictionaries, companions, and encyclopedias but serve as a starting point to help gear up your collection to meet the approaching challenge.”...

@ Visit Booklist Online for other reviews and much more....


Division News

Create an ASCLA interest group
Approved by the membership in the 2011 ALA/ASCLA election, interest groups provide a way to easily create a home within the division for topics and issues that have an active member base, are specifically of interest to ASCLA members, or may be currently underrepresented in the organization. Interest groups can also consist of any ALA members; they are not restricted to ASCLA members. Here are seven current interest groups, and here is how to petition for a new one....
ASCLA Blog, July 25

Cover of Video Acquisitions in LibrariesNew ALCTS publications
ALCTS has released three new publications: Guide to Video Acquisitions in Libraries, a book by Mary S. Laskowski; Institutional Repositories: Benefits and Challenges, a hybrid publication issued a chapter at a time in PDF format until all of the content is ready to be printed as a book; and Collection = Connection, a new blog sponsored by the ALCTS Collection Management Section....
ALCTS, July 25

Grimm's Fairy Tales, "Ashenputtel," illustrated by Authur Rackham (New York: Doubleday, Page & Company, 1912), at the Children’s Literature Research CollectionEducational tours at the AASL conference
Attendees of the AASL 15th National Conference and Exhibition in Minneapolis should sign up early for one of the exciting educational tours offered October 26–27 prior to the official opening. Tours include the University of Minnesota Libraries’ Children’s Literature Research Collection, F. Scott Fitzgerald’s homes and haunts, and the Wabasha Street Caves. School tours and preconferences will also be offered. Information is available online....
AASL, July 26

Early-bird rates for LITA National Forum
LITA is offering early-bird rates through August 15 for its National Forum, held September 29–October 2 in St. Louis. The forum will feature dynamic keynote speakers John Blyberg, Karen Coyle, and Barbara McGlamery....
LITA, July 26

Zoe Stewart-MarshallNew LITA officers
Elisabeth (Zoe) Stewart-Marshall (right), assistant director of library systems and user services development at OhioLINK, is the new LITA president. Her term, and that of newly elected LITA board members, began at the conclusion of the ALA Annual Conference in New Orleans. Three newly elected directors-at-large begin their three-year terms: John Blyberg, David Lee King, and Lauren Pressley....
LITA, July 25

LITA online learning courses
LITA has two upcoming web education opportunities. The online course “Creating Library Web Services: Mashups and APIs” will be presented August 22–26, and the webinar “Roadmap to JPEG2000” will be offered September 13. Additional information and registration for these programs are available online....
LITA, July 25

Awards

Camila Alire2011 Achievement in Library Diversity Research
Camila Alire, dean emerita at the University of New Mexico Libraries and Colorado State University Libraries, has been named the 2011 Achievement in Library Diversity Research honoree. As part of its ongoing support of the propagation of library-based diversity research, the ALA Committee on Diversity and the Office for Diversity recognize Alire for her promotion of diversity within the profession, including writing books and articles, recruitment and retention of librarians of color, library service to Latinos and diverse populations, and library marketing and advocacy....
Office for Diversity, July 26

Organizers Mariaelena de la Rosa and Sandy Littletree take tickets and donations at the Tucson eventYolo County, Knowledge River host Spectrum scholarship fundraisers
Library supporters came together to raise over $1,600 for the Spectrum Presidential Initiative through a recent dinner for Spectrum scholars at the Yolo County (Calif.) Library. Hosted by Patty Wong, county librarian at the Yolo County Library, and Kenneth Yamashita, city librarian (retired) at the Stockton–San Joaquin County (Calif.) Public Library, the event brought together more than 30 attendees to celebrate and support the Spectrum Scholarship Program. The University of Arizona’s Knowledge River Scholars also raised $1,500 at a fundraiser in Tucson (above)....
Spectrum Initiative, July 25–26

Miami University chosen as site for 2012 Arbuthnot Lecture
The 2012 May Hill Arbuthnot Committee has chosen Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, to be the site of ALSC’s 2012 May Hill Arbuthnot Honor Lecture featuring Peter Sís. An award-winning Czech-American children’s book writer and illustrator, Sís was chosen to be the presenter at the 2011 ALA Midwinter Meeting held January 7–11 in San Diego....
ALSC, July 26

Cover of Wilson2011 Will Eisner Awards
The 2011 Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards, presented by Comic-Con International in San Diego, ended on an unusual note July 22 with the Best Graphic Album–New category going to two winners: Jim McCann and Janet Lee’s Return of the Dapper Men (Archaia) and Dan Clowes’s Wilson (Drawn and Quarterly). The Graphic Album category is somewhat comparable to “Best Picture” in the comics industry. The full list is here....
Comic-Con 2011; io9, July 23

2011 Bulwer-Lytton Fiction Contest
The winner of the 2011 Bulwer-Lytton Fiction Contest is Sue Fondrie, an associate professor of curriculum and instruction at the University of Wisconsin–Oshkosh who works groan-inducing wordplay into her teaching and administrative duties whenever possible. The contest challenges entrants to compose bad opening sentences to imaginary novels. Fondrie won with “Cheryl’s mind turned like the vanes of a wind-powered turbine, chopping her sparrow-like thoughts into bloody pieces that fell onto a growing pile of forgotten memories.”...
San Jose State University English Department, July 25

Cover of Three SecondsCrime Writers Association Dagger Awards
The Crime Writers Association announced the winners of its annual Dagger Awards, celebrating the best in crime and thriller writing, on July 22. The Swedish writing team of Anders Roslund and Börge Hellström received the International Dagger for Three Seconds, translated by Kari Dickson. Douglas Starr accepted the Non-Fiction Dagger for The Killer of Little Shepherds, a work focused on the 19th-century French serial murderer Joseph Vacher....
Mystery Series Examiner, July 23

Cover of 61 HoursTheakstons Old Peculier Crime Novel of 2011
Lee Child has won the Theakstons Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year Award for 61 Hours (Transworld), the 14th installment in his bestselling Jack Reacher thriller series. The announcement was made July 21 at the Harrogate Crime Writing Festival in the U.K. The award of £3,000 ($4,883 U.S.) is open to British and Irish authors and is one of the most prestigious prizes in crime fiction....
BBC News, July 22

Cover of Moss Bluff Rebel2011 Summerfield G. Roberts Award
Philip Caudill, an adjunct professor of history at Lone Star College–Montgomery, has won the 2011 Summerfield G. Roberts Award, presented by the Sons of the Republic of Texas, for Moss Bluff Rebel: A Texas Pioneer in the Civil War (Texas A&M, 2009), a biography of William Berry Duncan, a Texas pioneer and sheriff who reluctantly joined the Confederate army to fight in the Civil War. The award of $2,500 encourages literary and historical research about the days of the Republic of Texas, 1836–1846....
The Paper Magazine (The Woodlands, Tex.), July 25


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Seen Online

Federal Digital System logoFederal information resources at serious risk
Michael Kelley writes: “Even as all eyes focus on the stalemate over the debt ceiling, the House of Representatives has been assiduously working on bills that, if unchanged, would have a deleterious effect on information resources at the Government Printing Office and the Census Bureau. On July 22, the House of Representatives passed H.R. 2551; unless the Senate acts, the bill would reduce GPO’s budget for FY12 by 20% to $108.1 million.” Funding for the Federal Depository Library Program and the Federal Digital System is in serious jeopardy....
Library Journal, July 27

NYPL’s reading-for-fines program
The New York Public Library will waive the outstanding fines of up to 143,000 children 17 or under who are currently barred from borrowing new items on the condition they do one thing: read. Beginning July 25, children enrolled in the library’s summer reading program will be able to knock $1 from their bills for every 15 minutes of reading they complete. NYPL would rather have children reading than hold out for the possibility of reaping fines that might never be paid....
Reuters, July 25

Cover of Twenty Boy SummerTwo books pulled from Missouri school library shelves
Two of the three Republic (Mo.) High School books singled out in a public complaint in 2010 will now be removed from the school curriculum and the library. On July 25, the school board voted 4–0 (three members were absent) to keep Laurie Halse Anderson’s Speak, an award-winning book about date rape, and remove Kurt Vonnegut’s Slaughterhouse Five and Sarah Ockler’s Twenty Boy Summer. Resident Wesley Scroggins challenged the use of the books, arguing that they teach principles contrary to the Bible....
Springfield (Mo.) News-Leader, July 26

LC: We did not call WikiLeaks “extremist”
The Library of Congress says it was not responsible for categorizing a WikiLeaks-related book as “extremist” and that it has removed that label. A spokesman for the library told CNET July 21 that it adopted that classification in its catalog automatically after another major library system, apparently the National Library of Australia, had applied it to a recent book about the document-leaking website. “Copy cataloging was the method used for the book in question,” LC spokesman John Sayers said. Kevin Gosztola offers more details....
CNET News: Privacy Inc., July 21; Firedoglake: The Dissenter, July 23

Blackstone Library lottery winners Deirdre Santora (left) and Debby TrofatterLibrary coworkers split $250,000 lottery prize
“Quiet” was not an option at the James Blackstone Memorial Library in Branford, Connecticut, once Reference Librarian Debby Trofatter (on the right) shared the incredible news that she, along with seven coworkers, had won $250,000 playing the Mega Millions drawing on July 19. Trofatter, who was in charge of buying and checking the group’s tickets, noticed right away that their hand-picked numbers were a match. The prize will be split between the eight staffers (including Library Director Kathy Rieger), each receiving $21,407 (prize value after taxes)....
Branford (Conn.) Patch, July 26

Patron and staff help save a life at Russell Library
A man stopped suddenly and fell to the floor, hitting his head on a table on the way down. The previously calm and quiet Main Reading Room at Russell Library in Middletown, Connecticut, became “action central” as another patron ran to the Information Desk and a librarian called 911 for help. Annie Abbate, who was studying for her upcoming Medical College Admission Test, sprang into action as soon as she saw the man collapse. Taking one look at the fallen patron, she immediately dialed 911 on her cell phone....
Middletown (Conn.) Press, July 25

Library cuts will happen “in a heartbeat”
Doug Ford, the blunt-talking Toronto councilor and brother to the mayor, is ratcheting up the cost-cutting rhetoric at city hall, vowing to support library closings and dismissing the efforts of literary legend Margaret Atwood to spare branches from the chopping block. Ford said July 26 he would close a library in his ward “in a heartbeat,” characterizing a growing movement to save branches backed by Atwood as an “over-reaction” led by “library groups.”...
Toronto Globe and Mail, July 26

Oregon book thief arrested
An Eagle Point, Oregon, man has been arrested in connection with the disappearance of nearly 400 books from multiple local libraries. A July 21 police search of Christopher Earl Storrer’s residence revealed hundreds of stolen library books, many of them vandalized. Police began investigating the theft and vandalism of library books from Southern Oregon University’s Hannon Library when three thefts were reported in May. Investigators are still sorting out how many other libraries are involved....
Medford (Oreg.) Mail Tribune, July 24

Senator donates books to vandalized Alaskan library
Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) has donated 191 books to the Togiak Public Library in an effort to help replace materials that were lost to vandalism that destroyed books and caused $2,500 in damage. In May, vandals broke into the library and damaged books, overturned bookcases, and smeared items with syrup. Murkowski and her D.C. staff collaborated with the Library of Congress book donation program and were able to gather books for all age ranges and interests....
The Arctic Sounder, July 20

Norvmbega et Virginia, by Cornelis Wytfliet from his Descriptionis Ptolemaicae Augmentum, ca. 1597Swedish librarians find stolen atlas in New York
One of the books stolen from the Swedish National Library in Stockholm has been identified in a collection in New York. In 2004, a respected specialist at the National Library had been pilfering rare books valued at some 9 million kronor ($1.4 million U.S.) from the library’s collections and selling them off at auction houses worldwide for a number of years. The book, a 16th-century atlas titled Descriptionis Ptolemaicae augmentum, sive Occidentis notitia brevi commentario, was illustrated by Cornelis van Wytfliet in Louvain....
The Local: Sweden’s News in English, July 19

IT manager jailed for Scotland library embezzlement
An IT manager who admitted embezzling £500,000 ($819,850 U.S.) from the National Library of Scotland was sentenced July 25 to two years in jail. David Dinham used a government credit card to make personal purchases from 2006 to 2010 and secretly awarded his own IT company 10 service contracts. He admitted the embezzlement charge at a hearing at Edinburgh Sheriff Court in May. National Librarian Martyn Wade said a new financial system had recently been installed to prevent any future misappropriations....
BBC News, July 25; The Scotsman (Edinburgh), July 26

A. J. Small Special Collection, Iowa State Law LibraryState Library of Iowa cleans its law books
For the better part of a year, State Documents Librarian Tom Keyser, with the assistance of other members of the State Library of Iowa’s Law Library staff, have been engaged in a multivolume evaluation and cleaning of its A. J. Small Special Collection. Arthur James Small, who served as state librarian from 1896 to 1937, purchased hundreds of valuable legal texts for the library. Keyser said the idea is to get the collection back into shape by cleaning the books with brushes and making minor repairs....
Davenport (Iowa) Quad-City Times, July 25

Brooks Cafe in Fountaindale Public LibrarySocially conscious food on the menu at library café
The owners of the little café in the lobby of Fountaindale Public Library in Bolingbrook, Illinois, are serving more than cherry danishes and iced coffee to their daily clientele. Chris and Jennifer Peterson, the couple who operate Brooks Café (right), are running the place with a socially conscious mindset—right down to the biodegradable forks made from potatoes they stock and the coffee beans they buy from a family company in Ottawa....
Bolingbrook (Ill.) TribLocal, July 25

Go back to the Top

Tech Talk

Special Needs Apps for Kids logoFour ways iPads help people with disabilities
Zoe Fox writes: “Noah Rahman has moderate cerebral palsy affecting his communication, cognition, and upper and lower body movement. When he turned 2 years old, his language, cognitive ability, and fine motor skills were diagnosed by a developmental specialist as being at least 12 months behind. Then Noah got an iPad. Four months later, his language and cognition were on par with his age level. His fine motor skills had made significant leaps.”...
Mashable, July 25

Google+ tips and tricks
Amy-Mae Elliott writes: “Do you still consider yourself a noob when it comes to Google’s social platform? If so, we’ve got some handy hints to help you out. From quicker sharing options to better content curation via savvy privacy settings, we’re bringing you 10 tips and tricks that will soon have you Google Plussing like a pro.”...
Mashable, July 26

Google Labs logo7 ways Google Labs changed the internet forever
Kyle Wagner writes: “Google closed the doors on Google Labs on July 20. The ongoing projects aren’t disappearing; they’ll be absorbed into other departments, and many have already graduated into full-fledged products. The spirit and mission of the initiative will live on, just in a decidedly less centralized way. Here are some of the coolest and most genuinely world-changing things that Google Labs’s mad scientists have cooked up through the years.”...
Gizmodo, July 20; Official Google Blog, July 20

Google+ password settingsLogging in to multiple Google accounts
Nicole C. Engard writes: “I use Google for everything. I have my personal Google account and all the apps associated with that and I also use Google Apps at work. This week, Google forced those using Google Apps to transition their accounts. What this means is that you can only be logged in to one account at a time, or so I thought. Many librarians pointed out that I could still log in to both at the same time, but it’s a slightly different process. For those who are still using multiple browsers to access multiple accounts, here are some tips for you.”...
What I Learned Today, July 23

True Blood QR code for Season 315 creative QR codes
Amy-Mae Elliott writes: “In the same way that bar codes don’t have to be boring, quick response codes can also be creative. Thanks to a 30% tolerance in readability, you can have some real fun with clever designs. Besides looking good, this can also make them more successful. Take a look through the image gallery for 15 brilliant designs created for a range of businesses from big names such as Disney, little names such as local restaurants, and even conceptual ideas.”...
Mashable, July 23

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If you missed us at ALA Annual, here’s another chance to get Booklist Online for 50% off. Good on single user or unlimited-use accounts! Use this special link, enter Promotion Code AN11ALD, and you’ll be billed half the regular price. NEW! From Booklist.


New this week
in American Libraries

Cover of the July/August 2011 issue of American Libraries

Movie Screenings

Librarians and Journalists

Newsmaker

Censorship Watch

Currents

Perpetual Beta

Inside Scoop

Ask the ALA Librarian

Solutions and Services

AL Focus


Great Libraries of the World

Reading room of the Real Gabinete Português de Leitura, Rio de Janeiro

Real Gabinete Português de Leitura, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Established in 1837 by Portuguese immigrants, this library contains depository copies of all books published by Portuguese authors, making it the largest collection of Lusophone literature outside Europe.

José Toribio Medina Reading Room, National Library of Chile

National Library of Chile, Santiago, Chile. Founded in 1813, the library is housed with the National Archives in a neoclassical structure that opened in 1913. Among its valuable holdings is the collection of early American printed works and Chilean nautical, geographical, and ethnographic history donated by bibliographer and historian José Toribio Medina. Other treasures include the first map of Easter Island in 1770, a 1498 copy of Sebastian Brant’s Ship of Fools, and Luis de Valdivia’s Sermon on the Language of Chile published in Spain in 1621.

This AL Direct feature showcases 250 libraries around the world that are notable for their exquisite architecture, historic collections, and innovative services. If you find yourself on vacation near one of them, be sure to stop by for a visit. The entire list will be available in The Whole Library Handbook 5, edited by George M. Eberhart, which is scheduled for publication later this year by ALA Editions.

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Digital Library of the Week

Candid portrait of Igor Stravinsky

The New York Philharmonic Digital Archives launched in July with more than 3,200 programs, more than 1,000 scores marked by past conductors such as Bernstein and Mahler, and other documents from 1943 to 1970, the “International Era” corresponding to Leonard Bernstein’s association with the orchestra. The project plans to finish this first phase of digitizing by 2012 (helped by a $2.4-million grant from the Leon Levy Foundation), with plans to eventually offer the entire collection, culminating in 8 million pages of documents and 7,000 hours of audiovisual material, including scores, videos, business documents, correspondence, and programs, as additional content is digitized. The documents in the digital archives are for study and research only.

Do you know of a digital library collection that we can mention in this AL Direct feature? Tell us about it. Browse previous Digital Libraries of the Week at the I Love Libraries site.

American Libraries' Solutions and Services column

Public Perception
How the World
Sees Us

Much speech is protected that is not wholesome or uplifting. The court was merely saying that the choice as to whether to engage in or receive such speech should be made by us, not by government.”

—First Amendment attorney Steven Helle on the June 27 U.S. Supreme Court ruling that video games are fully protected speech, even with regard to minors, Chicago Tribune, June 29.

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Enjoy our latest content

NAACP History Can Be Accessed Through Digital Collection

Rosa Parks with Martin Luther King , Jr.

Beat the Heat With Summer Reading @ your library

When Television History is Written, Little Else Will Rival "The Wire"

Great Songs and the Artists Who Created Them: "Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered"

Cohousing Gains Ground by Wanda Urbanska

The Role of Fences in America

Classic Film for Movie Night: Bicycle Thief

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Library Day in the Life, July 25–31, at:
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Calendar

July 31–
Aug. 2:

Ohio Library Support Staff Institute, Biddle Hall, Ohio University, Athens.

Aug. 9–11:
International Association of Francophone Librarians and Archivists,
2nd World Congress, Martinique.

Aug. 18:
ACRL New England Chapter, Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, Griffin Building, Boston. “Current Trends in E-Journals.”

Aug. 31–
Sept. 4:

Beijing International Book Fair,
China International Exhibition Center (New Venue), Beijing, China.

Sept.:
Lib
rary Card Sign-Up Month.

Sept. 15–16:
Northwest Interlibrary Loan and Resource Sharing Conference,
Portland Community College, Sylvania Campus, Portland, Oregon. “Going Global While Staying Local.”

Sept. 21–24:
North Dakota Library Association,
Annual Conference, Grand International Inn, Minot. “Librarians: Leadership for a New Decade.”

Sept. 24–
Oct. 1:

Banned Books Week.

Sept. 28–
Oct. 1:

Kentucky Library Association / Kentucky School Media Association,
Galt House Hotel and Suites, Louisville. “Information...The Library Superpower.”

Oct. 2–4:
New England Library Association / Vermont Library Association,
Annual Conference, Sheraton Hotel, Burlington, Vermont.

Oct. 12–14:
Ohio Educational Library Media Association,
Annual Conference, Columbus Convention Center. “21st Century Learning @ your school library.”

Oct. 16–22:
National Friends of Libraries Week.

Oct. 16–22:
Teen Read Week.

Oct. 29–30:
Maine Library Association,
Annual Conference, Marriott at Sable Oaks, Portland.

@ More...


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ISSN 1559-369X

Publishing

Why we won’t purchase more Kindles at the Unquiet Library
Buffy Hamilton writes: “An email I received July 21 from Amazon Kindle Education sealed my decision to go with the new Barnes and Noble Nook Simple Touch in our e-book program. It read: ‘Amazon recommends schools register each Kindle to a single account. If you are looking for a library solution, we are working to include Kindle books in overdrive.com’s offering to libraries before the end of the year.’ I emailed Amazon Kindle Education to make sure that I understood.”...
The Unquiet Librarian, July 27

Apple slams the door on e-book apps
Steve Matthews writes: “Just as iPad and iPhone users were getting used to purchasing and downloading their Kindle, Nook, Google, and OverDrive e-books through the respective apps on their Apple devices, Apple has pulled the plug on those apps that made it possible. That is to say, you must now go through the Apple iStore to purchase your e-book. You can still download and read it on your iPad and iPhone (for now); you just can’t buy it directly through those apps. Now that Apple has you hooked, they change the rules and make you pay.”...
21st Century Library Blog, July 27

Faber and Touch Press's Solar System started as an app and is now becoming a printed bookPublishers in search of apps
Stuart Dredge writes: “In mid-July, Apps Blog attended a London roundtable of book publishers, convened by digital design studio ustwo and consultancy Literary Platform, to discuss the opportunities and challenges offered by mobile and tablet apps. The attendees were drawn from the digital and marketing teams of several key publishers—including HarperCollins, Faber, Profile Books, and others—and while the agreement was that quotes would not be attributed, here are the key themes that emerged.”...
The Guardian (U.K.): Apps Blog, July 26

Book groups turning more to e-readers
Kaite Stover writes: “In the July 26 Booklist webinar ‘Book Group Buzzing,’ moderator Rebecca Vnuk discussed trends in reading groups. One of them was the growing number of participants attending book group with an e-reader in hand. Recently Reading Group Choices released the results of a survey that asked book group members about the e-readers they are using. The responses show that 25% are using an e-reader and the majority are using a Kindle followed by the Nook.”...
Booklist Online: Book Group Buzz, July 27; Publishers Weekly, July 26

Libba Bray’s Gemma Doyle trilogy (which begins with A Great and Terrible Beauty) is an example of a genre-blenderAre you reading YA lit? You should be
Gretchen Kolderup writes: “I think the reason some grown-ups look down their noses at YA lit is because they haven’t read any of it recently, so they don’t know how good it’s gotten—or how different it is from what they might imagine it to be. While there are still books that deal with Big Issues, the problem novel of the 1970s and 1980s has been eclipsed by more slice-of-life contemporary fiction, romances, fantasies, mysteries, sci-fi stories, and genre-blending tales that defy categorization. For as much attention as the Twilight series has gotten, it’s certainly not all that’s out there.”...
In the Library with the Lead Pipe, July 27

James Joyce, The Cat and the Devil (London: Faber and Faber, 1965)Obscure children’s books by authors of adult literature
Maria Popova writes: “We’ve previously explored some beloved children’s classics with timeless philosophy for grown-ups, plus some quirky coloring books for the eternal kid, and today we are looking at the flipside—little-known children’s books by beloved authors of literature for grown-ups.” A week later, they were “back with seven more, based on reader suggestions and belated findings from the rabbit hole of research surrounding the first installment.”...
Brain Pickings, July 19, 25

Cover of There Must Be a Reason, by Gilbert Anderson, MNCPThe joy of dullness, parts 1 and 2
Bookride writes: “I have been assembling a collection of dull, curious, or odd book covers. Here they are; the scholarly ones are actually of some value and one even sold while I was putting this together, so it does not appear—a book on the Swiss linguist Ferdinand de Saussure entitled Not Saussure: A Critique of Post-Saussurean Literary Theory. With the paperback selling at £50, the joke became too costly to hold on to. This collection is devoted to dullness mixed with the curious and the odd, which includes the oddly dull and the curiously odd.” Don’t miss Part 2....
Bookride, June 28, July 9

Actions & Answers

Title page of George Sale's 1734 Qur'anThomas Jefferson’s Qur’an
Sebastian R. Prange writes: “Among the nearly 6,500 books Jefferson sold to the Library of Congress in 1815 was a two-volume English translation of the Qur’an, the book Muslims recite, study, and revere as the revealed word of God. The presence of this Qur’an, first in Jefferson’s private library and later in the Library of Congress, prompts the questions why Jefferson purchased this book, what use he made of it, and why he included it in his young nation’s repository of knowledge.”...
Saudi Aramco World 62, no. 4 (July/Aug.): 2–7

Screen shot of the 1297 Magna Carta under UV lightConserving the Magna Carta
Archivist of the United States David S. Ferriero writes: “The recent work of the MIT Humanities Library’s conservation staff on a 1297 version of the Magna Carta is a great example of what they can do. In a project funded by the document’s owner, David Rubenstein, the staff provided weeks of intensive treatment to the parchment and seal and eventually revealed previously illegible writing on the Magna Carta using ultraviolet photography. The treatment completes the first phase of a project to re-encase and display the document publicly.” Watch the video (5:56)....
AOTUS: Collector in Chief, July 22; YouTube, July 20

JCLC 2012 logoCall for proposals: 2012 Joint Conference of Librarians of Color
The Steering Committee of the 2012 Joint Conference of Librarians of Color has announced an open call for program proposals for the conference scheduled for September 19–23, 2012, in Kansas City, Missouri. The conference will bring together a diverse group of librarians, library staff, library supporters, and community participants to explore issues of diversity in libraries and how they affect the ethnic communities libraries serve. Proposals may be submitted through the JCLC website....
ALA Office for Diversity, July 26

“I’m sorry, but I can’t help you”
Anne Behler writes: “Uttering these words generally goes against the fiber of who librarians are as a profession. So it’s certainly a tough pill to swallow that this is a line that we may find ourselves uttering more frequently, thanks to the proliferation of books that are only published in electronic format and served up by accounts designed for private, individual access only. Here are some thoughts that I hope will prompt further discussion.”...
District Dispatch, July 26

On mistakenly shredding a prize collection
Carla Tracy writes: “If a library is a growing organism, then I’ve felt the growing pains keenly on our Augustana College campus these last few months. In leading our library staff through an effort to remove certain books used only once in the past 25 years, if at all, I stand at the head of a series of events that inadvertently sent part of a reprint collection, written in classical Chinese, to the recycling center. In the wake of that mistake, I have watched a variety of emotional reactions ripple through our community, and I have realized that those reactions are based on what each person believes a college library should be.”...
Chronicle of Higher Education, July 25

Gaming and libraries
Vanessa Rhinesmith writes: “On June 20–22, I had the opportunity to attend the 8th Annual Games for Change Festival in New York City. One of the sessions that piqued my interest was titled ‘Games and Cultural Spaces’ that included a look at the use of games in libraries. Three successful library examples of the use of gaming include these benefits: engaging students, improving the quality of information, and energizing younger audiences.”...
TechSoup for Libraries, July 25

1940 Census Enumeration District Maps – Delaware – Sussex County – ED 3-1 – ED 3-57 (ARC Identifier 5829592)Are you preparing for the 1940 census?
Rebecca Warlow writes: “Do you have the opening of the 1940 Census on April 2, 2012, marked on your calendar? We do here at the National Archives. For past census releases we provided access on microfilm. For the 1940 Census we will be providing free online access. Our Digitization Lab has created more than 3.8 million digital images of census schedules, maps, and enumeration district descriptions. In addition, we have indexed the census schedules to the enumeration district level. Here are some ways you can prepare for the launch.”...
NARAtions, July 25

Historical World Boundaries map showing Kitzingen in Bavaria in 1850Historical world boundary maps back to 2000 B.C.
Randy Majors writes: “The Historical World Boundary Maps tool has been updated to include boundaries from 2000 B.C. to 2008 A.D. Just type in a present-day city and country, and a historical year, and click Go. The boundaries will appear and you can then click the map to see what the name of the country, empire, or kingdom was at that location for the year you typed.” The new tool supplements Majors’s Historical U.S. County Boundary Maps tool....
randymajors.com, July 16

Submit your ideas on IMLS’s strategic plan
The Institute of Museum and Library Services wants your ideas on how it can carry out its statutory responsibility “to support museum, library, and information services to meet the information, education, research, economic, cultural, and civic needs of the people of the United States.” The agency is currently working on a five-year strategic plan required by the Government Performance and Results Act. The administration has asked agencies to focus on three specific performance-improvement strategies.”...
Institute of Museum and Library Services, July 15

How academic libraries annoy academics
Devon Greyson writes: “Here’s a story I’m telling because I think libraries need more allies in the academy. As a librarian, researcher, and professor I have these weird insider/outsider experiences with academic libraries from time to time. In these experiences I can absolutely rationalize why libraries are behaving the way they are, yet I am also acutely aware of how these behaviors serve to irritate and even alienate academic faculty members. I think this story exemplifies the reasons behind these behaviors.”...
Social Justice Librarian, July 26

Are you thinking about going corporate?
Steven Bell writes: “There are any number of reasons why an academic librarian might want to move to a corporate or special library. That was the topic of a recent thread on the BUSLIB-L discussion list. Wondering whether it was time to pursue opportunities outside of higher education, one academic librarian asked others to share the pros and cons of their jobs in academic or corporate libraries. The conversation generated quite a few responses, and here is a summarized list of the pros and cons for each type of library position.”...
ACRLog, July 22

Screen shot from In der Garderobe (1906-1907), an erotic film short housed in Filmarchiv AustriaEuropean Film Gateway launched (PDF file)
After nearly three years in development, the European Film Gateway is now online. The internet portal to the digital collections of European film archives and cinémathèques offers free access to currently about 400,000 digital videos, photos, film posters, and text materials. By September, the number of digital items will increase to 600,000 from 16 film archives. Users of the portal can search for people (Marlene Dietrich) as well as film title or keywords. EFG is a component of Europeana, the platform for the cultural heritage of Europe....
European Film Gateway, July 26

How to connect your LinkedIn profile with Twitter
Lauren Dugan writes: “Both Twitter and LinkedIn are great for networking with professionals, coworkers, and business associates. But rather than flipping between the two networks, they’ve made it easy to connect to one another in order to leverage both at the same time. Here’s how. LinkedIn has a dedicated Twitter application that allows for quick and easy integration of your Twitter account into your LinkedIn profile.”...
AllTwitter, July 25

The Librarian (Wolfgang Lazius), by Giuseppe Arcimboldo, ca. 1562. Oil on canvas. 97 x 71 cmEvolution of a painted librarian
Michael Lieberman writes: “In the mid-16th century the Italian painter Giuseppe Arcimboldo gave us The Librarian, a portrait composed almost entirely of books. One of the most original painters of the Renaissance, it is not hard to see how his work would influence the Surrealists and Cubists some 400 years later.” Peter Sís and Georg Philipp Harsdörffer created variants....
Book Patrol, July 21

Batgirl: "I WANT YOU to return all your books to Gotham City Public Library."10 action librarians
Susana Polo writes: “According to Wikipedia, ‘stereotypes of librarians in popular culture are frequently negative: Librarians are portrayed as puritanical, punitive, unattractive, and introverted if female, or timid, unattractive, and effeminate if male.’ But there are plenty of kick-ass librarians in fiction. Like all the time when they are allowed to be main characters and aren’t one-scene jokes. So we made a Power Grid. This week’s is dedicated to the reference librarian who didn’t bat an eye when I asked her where I could find books on Slavic folklore, prison tattoos, and Marine snipers (preferably autobiographies).”...
The Mary Sue, July 26

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