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

Library Design Showcase 2011
Greg Landgraf writes: “While it’s the contents of the library and the activities that take place there that support a community in times good and bad, the physical structure plays an important role in how—and how well—the library can fulfill its mission. The 2011 Library Design Showcase highlights the best in new and renovated library buildings, divided into sections that focus on a specific architectural aspect.”...
American Libraries feature

Miami-Dade partnerships take root
Victoria Galan writes: “At a time when resources are shrinking, funding is scarce, and businesses are folding, finding partners to help realize goals is not just an interesting concept but a necessity. To provide support services to formerly homeless individuals and families, many with special needs, the Miami-Dade (Fla.) Public Library System joined forces with the county’s Homeless Trust and Carrfour Supportive Housing, a nonprofit organization that provides permanent housing.”...
American Libraries feature

Building a culture of literacy through Día
Jeanette Larson writes: “A group of children gather in the children’s area to listen to a story. At first glance, this could be a program occurring any day of the week in any library across the country. However, it is a special day, April 30, and the children are enjoying books like Book Fiesta! by Pat Mora and Sip, Slurp, Soup, Soup Caldo, Caldo, Caldo by Diane Gonzales Bertrand. On April 30, 1997, the first annual El día de los ninos / El día de los libros was celebrated in New Mexico, Texas, and Arizona.”...
American Libraries feature

Two Colorado libraries break new e-book ground
Officials of two Colorado libraries announced March 16 that they will be adding to their catalogs e-books that are published by members of the Colorado Independent Publishers Association. The Red Rocks Community College Library and Douglas County Library also revealed that by June they plan to launch click-through links so interested patrons can purchase an e-book title from its respective catalog record....
American Libraries news, Mar. 16

Film legend Olivia de Havilland at American Library in Paris
Leonard Kniffel writes: “Film legend Olivia de Havilland attended a special screening of the film I Remember Better When I Paint: Treating Alzheimer’s Through the Creative Arts March 22 at the American Library in Paris. De Havilland narrated the documentary by Berna Huebner and Eric Ellena, and she introduced the film to the audience. De Havilland, who is a vibrant 94 years old, has lived in Paris since 1954.”...
AL: Global Reach, Mar. 23

Dispatches from the Field: Mobile services
Cody W. Hanson writes: “Mobile devices are ubiquitous in today’s society, and there’s no evidence that that is going to change. According to the Pew Internet and American Life Project, as of mid-2010, 82% of American adults own a mobile phone or a mobile computing device that works as a phone. It is crucial for librarians to understand mobile devices and provide services through them.”...
American Libraries column, Mar./Apr.

Technology in Practice: Let’s not borrow trouble
Meredith Farkas writes: “At my library, I’m in charge of collection development for our largest academic division. Sometimes I find the task daunting as I struggle to find a balance between buying things that will likely get used today and anticipating what might be needed in the future. The choices I make will influence the long-term health of our collection and I feel the weight of that—especially when I’m making decisions about e-books.”...
American Libraries column, Mar./Apr.

Banned books
Karen Muller writes: “With spring here, perennials are coming back to life, and so is the perennial question: Why was this book banned? We blogged an answer in 2010, but on March 21 alone we fielded a handful of questions from students preparing papers in response to this popular assignment. The single best resource is the 2010 Banned Books Week Resource Guide, edited by Robert P. Doyle for the Office for Intellectual Freedom....
AL: Ask the ALA Librarian, Mar. 21

The March/April issue is in the mail
ALA members will soon be receiving the latest print issue of American Libraries, the March/April issue, which includes the 2011 Library Design Showcase and the ALA presidential candidates campaign statements. You can always access the current issue of the print magazine online as well as a full archive of recent issues. American Libraries offers you many easy ways to access useful library industry news and views. Are you taking advantage of all these channels?...
American Libraries news, Mar. 22

President’s Message: Transforming libraries
ALA President Roberta Stevens writes: “A key goal of the 2011–2015 ALA strategic plan is to provide leadership in the transformation of libraries and library services for today’s dynamic and increasingly global digital information environment. My mantra is: Libraries have been and continue to transform themselves to be responsive to the needs of the populations they serve.”...
American Libraries column, Mar./Apr.

Reasons to enter the Why I Need My Library contest
In this video (1:07), teens from the Charlotte Mecklenburg (N.C.) Library tell us why they think other teens should enter the Why I Need My Library video contest. To enter, upload a video to YouTube between now and April 18 and tag it with alaneedmylibrary15 if your designated videographer is between the ages of 13–15, or alaneedmylibrary18 if your designated videographer is between the ages of 16–18....
YouTube, Mar. 22

ALA’s resolution on government information
ALA distributed its January 11 Resolution on Access to and Classification of Government Information (PDF file) to all members of the U.S. Congress and to the White House this week in recognition of Sunshine Week, March 13–19, a national initiative to promote dialogue about the importance of open government and freedom of information....
Office of Government Relations, Mar. 18

Celebrate National Bookmobile Day with Audrey Niffenegger
Audrey Niffenegger wants you to celebrate National Bookmobile Day on April 13. The acclaimed author of The Night Bookmobile and The Time Traveler’s Wife has lent her support to America’s bookmobiles as the 2011 Honorary Chair of National Bookmobile Day. The event celebrates mobile library services and provides supporters with an opportunity to recognize bookmobiles’ impact on communities....
Office for Literacy and Outreach Services, Mar. 21

Introductory support-staff certification webinar
The Library Support Staff Certification Program will offer an hour-long webinar April 5 at 3 p.m. Eastern time on LSSC and how it works. Open to all interested candidates, the presentation will explain the value of certification to library employees and managers who do not have an MLS degree. Registration is now open...
ALA-Allied Professional Association, Mar. 22

ALA/ProQuest Scholarship Bash in New Orleans
The ALA/ProQuest Scholarship Bash will be held on Saturday, June 25, 8–11 p.m. at the National World War II Museum in New Orleans. This event will only be open to ALA ticket holders, not the general public. Tickets are $35 and include food, entertainment, and admission....
Conference Services

Library Snapshot Day: A free webinar
The Committee on Library Advocacy will present a free webinar on Library Snapshot Day on March 30. Library Snapshot Day is an event that provides library staff a simple means to show the value of the library by capturing what happens in a single day in all types of libraries, across a state, community, or even in a single library. Registration is required....
Office for Library Advocacy, Mar. 22

Epic librarians at C2E2
Tina Coleman, coordinator for the ALA booth at the Chicago Comic and Entertainment Expo, March 18–20, writes: “How epic was our EPIC Librarian photo at C2E2? Epic! We had so many Library Superheroes show up for our own little ‘Avengers Assemble’ that we were blocking the aisle and had to shoot our pic quick. Check out the new Graphic Novel MIG for more ways to share your love for the genre in your library.” Greg Baldino has a summary of Toby Greenwalt’s “Heralds of Change: Comic Books, Libraries, and Innovation” panel at the expo. And there are Flickr photos of many of the library attendees at ALA at C2E2....
ALA Membership Blog, Mar. 21; Bleeding Cool, Mar. 18

Traveling exhibits on Jewish artists
The Public Programs Office has announced that 108 libraries and other community centers will receive one of three new traveling exhibits focusing on Jewish artists who have contributed to the culture of America and the world through their lives and work. The selected libraries will host a traveling exhibition for a six-week period between May 2011 and February 2012 and receive programming and technical support....
Public Programs Office, Mar. 22

ALA student chapters make a difference
Don Wood writes: “The Student Chapter of ALA at UCLA recently made a huge difference in helping its community pass Measure L in California, the proposal to dedicate more of the city’s revenues to its public library system. Now they would like to provide tips to other ALA student chapters on why LIS students should be involved in library activism and what to do to keep a campaign going.”...
ALA Student Membership Blog, Mar. 23

Library Copyright Alliance critiques WIPO treaty
The Library Copyright Alliance issued comments (PDF file) March 21 on the latest version of a draft treaty (PDF file) on traditional cultural expressions, a legal instrument by the World Intellectual Property Organization that seeks to protect and manage folklore and other cultural expression by Western copyright laws. The LCA finds the categorization of traditional cultural expressions overly broad, protecting works that are currently in the public domain (including mythology, the Old and New Testament, and legends) and works that have typically never been protected by copyright law such as words, games, and sports....
District Dispatch, Mar. 21

Haiti Library Relief funds at work
Thanks to many recent donations to the Haiti Library Relief fund, ALA has raised and distributed $40,000 that has helped to build a temporary building for the Bibliothèque Haïtienne des Pères du Saint-Esprit. The new facility is only one-fourth the size of the old library, but it will allow it to begin reestablishing its collection and providing access to materials....
International Relations Office

LIASA translates @ your library logo into 11 languages
The Library and Information Association of South Africa is celebrating South African Library Week, March 19–26, by translating the theme “Read in your own language @ your library” into the country’s 11 national languages. LIASA chose the theme to highlight the key role libraries in South Africa play in developing a reading culture and in the preservation and promotion of all South African languages....
Public Information Office, Mar. 22; Library and Information Association of South Africa

New Orleans bookstores
Cookbooks, history books, gothic novels, children’s bedtime stories, and poetry collections are just some of the bibliographic treasures you can find at at bookstores in New Orleans. The Librairie Bookshop, Beckham’s, Arcadian Books and Prints, Crescent City Books, and Faulkner House Books are all in the French Quarter....
New Orleans Online

“I got the rain in my veins”
The poem “O Beautiful Storm” first came to Gian Smith while he was working on his parents’ house. “I was sitting there on the floor trying to scrub away the Katrina residue,” he said, “and I felt this connection to the whole happening.” Smith’s recitation of his poem will provide the spine of a new promo for the New Orleans–based HBO series Treme, which begins its second season April 24. HBO discovered him when he was invited to perform a spoken-word piece at an October 2010 symposium about the series hosted by Tulane University....
New Orleans Times-Picayune, Mar. 23

AASL statement on school library position cuts
Coinciding with her visit to a state-recognized school library program, AASL President Nancy Everhart released a statement in response to the elimination of school librarian positions in schools facing budget shortfalls. Everhart was visiting Luther Elementary School in Fort Atkinson, Wisconsin, as part of her tour of school library programs across the country....
AASL, Mar. 18

Chart a course with The Atlas of New Librarianship
What is librarianship when it is unmoored from cataloging, books, buildings, and committees? R. David Lankes offers a guide to this new landscape in The Atlas of New Librarianship, copublished by ACRL and MIT Press. Lankes suggests a new mission for librarians: to improve society through facilitating knowledge creation in their communities. To help librarians navigate this new terrain, he offers a map as a visual representation of the discipline....
ACRL, Mar. 22

College and Research Libraries to go open access
ACRL has announced that its scholarly research journal College & Research Libraries will become an open access publication beginning with the May issue. This change in access policy lifts the online version of the publication’s current six-month embargo on new content and makes the complete contents of the journal from 1997 to the present freely available through the publication’s website....
ACRL, Mar. 17

Libby the Librarian goes to ACRL
In this video (2:02) submitted by Yvonne Mery and Rebecca Blakiston for ACRL’s recent video contest, Libby the Librarian finds she needs some professional inspiration to fuel her workplace enthusiasm. So she decides to attend the ACRL 2011 conference in Philadelphia and comes back with a wealth of ideas....
YouTube, Jan. 19

Deadline extended to participate in PLDS
Public libraries in the United States and Canada have until March 31 to be a part of the 2011 survey for the annual Public Library Data Service Statistical Report. Log in at the PLDS survey website. Libraries that have not received a PLDS ID and password can email Virgil Varvel to request them....
PLA, Mar. 22

Registration for PLA Symposium closes March 25
The close of registration is quickly approaching for PLA’s 2011 Virtual Spring Symposium on March 30. Due to technical preparations for the event, PLA will be unable to process any registrations after 4:30 p.m. Central time on March 25....
PLA, Mar. 22

Free webinars during Preservation Week
Take a few moments during Preservation Week, April 24–30, to attend two free webinars. Sponsored by the HFGroup, these webinars will enlighten you on two very important and timely topics: accidents and digital memories. The webinars are produced as part of Preservation Week by ALCTS and its partners the Library of Congress and the Institute of Museum and Library Services....
ALCTS, Mar. 21

Advocates: Sign Up for “Turning the Page 2.0”
Registration has opened for “Turning the Page 2.0,” a free advocacy-training program presented by PLA April 18–May 23 with generous support from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. The six-week program, which will be offered six times through 2011 and 2012, includes interactive units that cover such topics as creating and telling your library story, building relationships with key decision makers, project management, and making the all-important ask....
PLA, Mar. 22

Evaluate your library’s teen services
YALSA released a new evaluation tool for libraries to determine the health of teen services at their institutions. The downloadable tool (PDF file), approved by YALSA’s board of directors in February, derives its areas of evaluation from YALSA’s Competencies for Librarians Serving Youth: Young Adults Deserve the Best. Potential users include library administrators, library trustees, teen services librarians and community members and job-seekers hoping to assess a library’s commitment to teen services....
YALSA, Mar. 22

“School Libraries Count!” survey deadline extended
The deadline to participate in the AASL “School Libraries Count!” longitudinal survey has been extended to March 25. The survey gathers basic data about the status of school library programs across the country. AASL will use this information to develop advocacy tools to support school library programs at the local, state and national levels. The survey may be accessed directly online....
AASL, Mar. 18

The mysteries of mashups and APIs revealed
LITA will offer “Creating Library Web Services: Mashups and APIs,” a web course presented by Karen Coombs of the OCLC Developer Network and Jason Clark of Montana State University Libraries, April 18–22. Participants should be comfortable with HTML markup and have an interest in learning about web scripting and programming. Registration is now open....
LITA, Mar. 22

Merritt Fund to cosponsor reception with NMRT
The New Members Round Table and the LeRoy C. Merritt Humanitarian Fund are presenting a joint reception at the ALA Annual Conference in New Orleans. The groups will be combining the NMRT Awards Reception and the Merritt Fund “Reception for a Cause” into one event, June 26, at L'Entrepot Gallery at 527 Julia. The Intellectual Freedom Round Table is cosponsoring the event....
LeRoy C. Merritt Humanitarian Fund, Mar. 18

Marcum receives Melvil Dewey Medal
Deanna B. Marcum, associate Librarian of Congress for library services, is the 2011 recipient of the Melvil Dewey Medal, given in recognition of creative leadership of a high order. Among her accomplishments, Marcum was cited for her transformational leadership in cataloging and classification, most notably the creation of the Working Group on the Future of Bibliographic Control. The award is sponsored by OCLC....
Office of ALA Governance, Mar. 22

Orange County Library wins Library of the Future Award
The Orange County (Fla.) Library system is the 2011 winner of the Information Today Library of the Future Award, presented annually to a library that demonstrates innovative planning and development of patron training programs about information technology in a library setting. The winning initiative was Orange County’s Technology and Education Center, which offers 1,200 technology classes in English, Spanish, and Haitian Creole each month at 15 locations.....
Office of ALA Governance, Mar. 22

John Ames Humphry/OCLC/Forest Press Award
Sally Tseng has received the 2011 John Ames Humphry / OCLC / Forest Press Award, sponsored by the International Relations Office. The award is presented to an individual for significant contribution to international librarianship. Tseng was cited for being instrumental in implementing international standards in cataloging and electronic resources in libraries in many Asian countries, as well as presenting programs on cataloging, subject analysis, and new technology for Asian and U.S. libraries throughout her 40-year career....
International Relations Office, Mar. 22

Lesley Farmer is Beta Phi Mu Award recipient
Lesley S. J. Farmer, professor of librarianship at California State University in Long Beach, is the recipient of ALA’s 2011 Beta Phi Mu Award, donated by the Beta Phi Mu International Library Science Honorary Society, to honor an individual for distinguished service to education in librarianship. Farmer was selected for her commitment to working with her students and preparing them to be exemplary teacher librarians....
Office of ALA Governance, Mar. 22

Mudge Award goes to Diane Zabel
Diane Zabel, the Louis and Virginia Benzak business librarian at Pennsylvania State University, has been selected the 2011 winner of the $5,000 Isadore Gilbert Mudge Award. Supported by Gale Cengage Learning, the Mudge Award recognizes distinguished contributions to reference librarianship. Zabel was cited for her extensive publication credentials in hospitality management and tourism, her key role in revitalizing reference librarianship, and her mentoring on a local and national level, among other achievements....
RUSA, Mar. 22

NCPedia wins Gale Cengage Learning Award
An online encyclopedia of North Carolina history and culture is the winner of the RUSA 2011 Gale Cengage Learning Award for Excellence in Reference and Adult Library Services, which is presented to a library or library system for developing an imaginative and unique resource to meet patrons’ reference needs. NCPedia is managed by the digital projects manager in the Government and Heritage Library at the State Library of North Carolina. It was selected for showing how a library can present accessible local or regional information for researchers at all levels....
RUSA, Mar. 22

Sessions Award to Russell Library
The Russell Library in Middletown, Connecticut, has received RUSA’s 2011 John Sessions Memorial Award for its Business and Career Programs. The library provides services of special interest to the labor community and connects with local organizations to publicize their services to job seekers. Supported by the Department for Professional Employees of the AFL-CIO, the award recognizes a library that works with the labor community to broaden awareness of the history and contribution of the labor movement to the development of this country....
RUSA, Mar. 22

Genealogical Publishing Company/History Section Award
Mary Mannix, Maryland Room manager at Frederick (Md.) County Public Libraries, is the 2011 recipient of the Genealogical Publishing Company Award for outstanding contributions to the History Section of RUSA. Mannix was selected for her extraordinary long-term leadership, which has kept the section strong and encouraged member participation....
RUSA, Mar. 22

ALSC names Penguin Award winners
ALSC has awarded the 2011 Penguin Young Readers Group Award to four children’s librarians. The award consists of a $600 grant, sponsored by Penguin Young Readers Group, for winners to attend their first ALA Annual Conference....
ALSC, Mar. 22

2011 Best of LRTS Award
Whitney Baker, conservator at the University of Kansas Libraries, and Liz Dube, conservator at the University of Notre Dame, have been awarded the 2011 Best of LRTS Award for their article, “Identifying Standard Practices in Research Library Book Conservation,” published in Library Resources and Technical Services 54, no. 1 (January 2010): 21–39 (PDF file). The authors receive $250 and a citation in recognition of their work....
ALCTS, Mar. 18

Winner named in YALSA Thinking Big About Advocacy Contest
Michele Gorman, teen services director for the Charlotte Mecklenburg (N.C.) Library, is the winner of YALSA’s Thinking Big About Advocacy Contest for her four-part teen video series promoting the library. Gorman will receive $500 for the submission, which was filmed at 20 branch libraries by teens armed with Flip video recorders. Four runners-up will receive $100 apiece....
YALSA, Mar. 22

Recognize library donors with Major Benefactor Citation
Libraries can apply for an ALTAFF Major Benefactor Citation to recognize individuals, families, or corporations that have given them major tangible gifts. The citation comes with a plaque for the library, a plaque for the donor, a library celebration, and a library press release to let the community know that gifts to the library are truly appreciated and make a real difference....
ALTAFF, Mar. 22

Apply for a Mora Award
Reforma, the National Association to Promote Library and Information Services to Latinos and the Spanish-speaking, has opened the competition for the 2011 Estela and Raúl Mora Award. The award is presented annually to the most exemplary program celebrating El día de los niños / El día de los libros (Children’s Day/Book Day). Libraries and schools that plan and implement Día programs in 2011 are eligible to submit an application (PDF file) by August 15....
Reforma, Mar. 21

Julian Barnes wins David Cohen Prize
Julian Barnes, author of Flaubert’s Parrot (1984) and Arthur and George (2005), has been awarded the £40,000 ($65,225 U.S.) David Cohen Prize for lifetime achievement in literature. Barnes was presented with the award by chair of judges Mark Lawson at a gala ceremony at the British Library March 17. The David Cohen Prize is in effect a U.K. version of the Nobel Prize for Literature, open to writers of both fiction and nonfiction....
The Bookseller, Mar. 18

2011 Sami Rohr Prize for Jewish Literature
Novelist Austin Ratner has won the Jewish Book Council’s 2011 Sami Rohr Prize for Jewish Literature in fiction for his debut novel The Jump Artist (Bellevue Literary Press). Established in 2006, the $100,000 prize honors the contribution of contemporary writers in the exploration and transmission of Jewish values. Joseph Skibell, author of A Curable Romantic (Algonquin Books), is the runner-up and recipient of the $25,000 Sami Rohr Prize for Jewish Literature Choice Award....
Jewish Book Council, Mar. 22

Baba Yaga gets a Tiptree Award
The James Tiptree Jr. Literary Award Council has given the 2010 Tiptree Award to Baba Yaga Laid an Egg by Dubravka Ugrešić (Canongate, 2010). Established in 1991, the Tiptree Award is an annual literary prize for science fiction or fantasy that expands or explores our understanding of gender. Tiptree juror Jessa Crispin notes that the book is a splendid representation of the fairy tale figure Baba Yaga as the inappropriate wild woman symbolizing wilderness and confusion....
James Tiptree Jr. Literary Award Council, Mar. 21

2010 Man Asian Literary Prize
Chinese writer Bi Feiyu won the 2010 Man Asian Literary Prize for his novel Three Sisters, which tells the stories of three daughters of a lecherous Communist Party secretary as a vehicle for exploring the difficult lives of women in Communist China in the 1970s and 1980s. Bi was announced the winner and recipient of the $30,000 cash prize at a March 16 ceremony in Hong Kong. He is the third Chinese writer to win the Prize in its four-year history....
Christian Science Monitor, Mar. 18

No money for Russian Booker prize?
Russia’s most prestigious literary award has warned that it may vanish because of a lack of funding. Preparations for the 2011 Russian Booker Prize have been postponed indefinitely because no new sponsor has been found, the award’s organizing committee said on its website. The decision was made during a board meeting of the Russian Booker Foundation on March 16. Founded in 1991 and styled after Britain’s Booker prize, the award boasts legendary Soviet poet Bulat Okudzhava and novelist Vasily Aksyonov among its winners....
Moscow Times, Mar. 18

Judge rejects Google Books Settlement
A federal judge has ruled against Google (PDF file) in its long-standing attempt to move ahead with a plan to distribute millions of books online. Google, along with the Authors Guild and the Association of American Publishers, had revised an initial settlement in Fall 2009 in response to objections from the Justice Department and competitors. U.S. Appeals Court Judge Denny Chin acknowledged that there would be big advantages to a universal digital library, but he said the settlement goes too far and would be too favorable to Google, which began its book-scanning project in 2004 without approval from publishers. The Library Copyright Alliance’s legal consultant on copyright, Jonathan Band, devised a handy GBS March Madness chart (PDF file) in 2010 depicting the possible paths forward with the settlement. So now, perhaps we’ve reached the “Final Four.”...
paidContent, Mar. 22; District Dispatch, Mar. 23

Wisconsin budget cuts will impact public libraries
If Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker’s proposed biennial budget is approved, public libraries in the state will be affected by several major changes. First, eliminating the maintenance of effort requirement would allow a city to set the library’s budget without regard to previous years’ level of service. The proposed budget also includes a 10% cut in state aid to public libraries, periodical and reference information databases, Newsline for the blind, and library service contracts....
Waukesha (Wis.) Patch, Mar. 17; Wisconsin Library Association

Ohio governor proposes cuts in library funding
With the release of his 2012–2013 state budget on March 15, Gov. John Kasich proposed a 5% reduction in the funding of Ohio’s public libraries. Although somewhat relieved that the proposal does not call for deeper cuts in library funding, the Ohio Library Council believes that any reductions in the Public Library Fund will have an impact—especially on the 38% of the state’s 251 public libraries that currently rely solely on the PLF to fund their operations....
Ohio Library Council, Mar. 17

Cornell takes a stand on journal prices
Jennifer Howard writes: “Librarians have long complained about the nondisclosure agreements (NDAs) that some publishers and vendors require them to sign, making it difficult to share information about how much they pay to subscribe to journal databases and other scholarly materials. Some state university libraries have been able to reveal licensing terms anyway because their institutions are subject to sunshine laws. Now one major private institution, Cornell University, has publicly declared it’s had enough of confidentiality agreements.”...
Chronicle of Higher Education, Mar. 21

Couple’s birthday wish: Help the Stamford library
Ann and Joe Sexton decided to do something different for their birthdays this year. The Stamford, Connecticut, couple’s birthdays are so close together on the calendar that they mark both during one celebration. They usually go out to dinner and see a show. This year, because of the economy, they held a birthday party and asked for money. But the money wasn’t for them. It was for the city’s Ferguson Library....
The Daily Stamford, Mar. 19

Give Charlotte Mecklenburg Library more money, report recommends
At least $2 million more will be needed in 2012 to keep all current branches of the Charlotte Mecklenburg (N.C.) Library open, based on a task force proposal (PDF file) that would shift staff to the six better-equipped regional libraries. The citizen-led Future of the Library Task Force suggested the county consider shifting the library to a per-capita funding rate that would increase county spending from $25.84 per resident to as much as $28.66....
Charlotte (N.C.) Observer, Mar. 22

Des Plaines changes Wi-Fi policy after bootleg incident
The Des Plaines (Ill.) Public Library is changing its Wi-Fi policy after being threatened with a federal lawsuit because a patron used its internet connection to bootleg the Academy Award–winning movie The Hurt Locker. The new policy hasn’t been crafted yet, but those caught illegally downloading will most likely be banned from the library and from using its services for a certain amount of time, said Library Director Holly Sorenson....
Chicago Tribune, Mar. 17

Connecticut prison system reviews library policy
The Connecticut Department of Correction is reviewing books available to inmates in prison libraries following a report that an incarcerated Steven Hayes read novels containing graphic scenes of violence and murder before being released and, months later, killing a Cheshire mother and her two daughters. State lawmakers were considering a bill that would set new rules concerning what books would be available in prison libraries. At a legislative hearing March 21, however, Correction Commissioner Leo C. Arnone said the department is already establishing such a policy and should be finished by July 1....
Hartford (Conn.) Courant, Mar. 21

Library director fired, removed by police
Police removed the director of the East Chicago (Ind.) Public Library from the building March 16 after four board members voted to fire him due to alleged financial improprieties and convictions in 2010 on misdemeanor charges. Manuel Montalvo (right), who has been library director since 2005, told police that the dispute would be “straightened out in court” within a few days. But library employees taking inventory March 18 called city police after discovering hard drives missing from the main computer room and the desktop computer in the former director’s office. Montalvo’s personal assets were frozen March 22, pending the completion of a state investigation into library expenditures during his tenure....
Times of Northwest Indiana, Mar. 17, 19, 22

Salt Lake City library morale is sinking, board told
For the second consecutive public meeting, Salt Lake City Public Library Director Beth Elder was assailed by employees, who argued March 17 that her methods are tyrannical, managers are “miserable,” and that morale is plummeting. Board members sat mostly silent during the onslaught. The dissension stems from a January staff shuffle—part of Elder’s new strategic plan—where veteran employees were forced to resign and then reapply for their positions....
Salt Lake Tribune, Mar. 18

Director charged with embezzlement
The director of the Pelham (N.H.) Public Library is facing a 21-felony-count indictment alleging that he stole more than $200,000 from his previous job at the Revere (Mass.) Public Library. Though Robert Rice Jr. isn’t talking about the charges against him, Pelham trustees are standing by him, calling his work “exemplary.” Suffolk County prosecutors allege Rice used Revere city money to buy books, DVDs, software, and curios—such as elephant tusks and ornate chairs—and kept the items or auctioned them on eBay and pocketed the profits....
Lowell (Mass.) Sun, Mar. 18

A Kentucky library license plate
Linda Kompanik, director of the Logan County (Ky.) Public Library, is trying to get a specialty license plate with a Kentucky libraries theme. In order to produce the plate, the state must receive 900 applications and checks totaling $22,500. Kompanik is collecting the applications and asking for a $25 contribution to make the plate. The cost for the plate is the same as a standard one; however, you can donate an optional $10 toward library science scholarships....
Lexington (Ky.) Herald-Leader, Mar. 21

Librarian goes Lewis and Clark–ing
Wilsonville (Oreg.) Public Library Youth Services Librarian Terri Wortman (right) is in search of the true Lewis and Clark experience—on her bicycle. And she’s sharing her plans, preparations, and passion on her blog. Working in conjunction with Mike Danz’s 4th-grade class at Boones Ferry Primary School, Wortman keeps the students up-to-date with her training and learning as she prepares for her 400-mile trek on May 6–14 from the Lewis and Clark Trail State Park in Washington to Fort Clatsop near Astoria, Oregon....
Wilsonville (Oreg.) Spokesman, Mar. 17

Missouri university offers reference by Skype
Students at Southeast Missouri State University’s regional campuses in Kennett, Malden, and Sikeston now have access to assistance from librarians on the main Cape Girardeau campus through Skype. The new service is made possible by a $330,000 Department of Education grant. The Skype reference librarian is available to students four days a week....
Kennett (Mo.) Daily Dunklin Democrat, Mar. 20

Woburn hosts fundraising FlashMob
More than 100 people filled Woburn (Mass.) Public Library on March 12 to show support for its Yes To Our Library expansion effort. At precisely 1:32 p.m. (because this year is the library’s 132nd anniversary), supporters of a proposal for the city to supply $17 million for an expansion poured into the library to show how crowded the study area can get when residents use it on the weekend. The library, which is on the National Register of Historic Places, was designed by famous architect Henry Hobson Richardson....
Woburn (Mass.) Patch, Mar. 12

Important New Zealand map back just in time
A significant and impressive early geological map of the Otago region of New Zealand, once thought lost, has returned in time for its creator’s birthday. In 1861, the Otago Provincial Council decided to commission a geological survey in the hope of finding minerals and hired Edinburgh-born geologist James Hector for the job. The Hocken Library at the University of Otago marked Hector’s birthday on March 16 by unveiling a restored copy of one of his geological maps of Otago published in 1864....
Otago (N.Z.) Daily Times, Mar. 18

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ALA Annual Conference in New Orleans, June 23–28, 2011. Sign up for the ALA/ProQuest Scholarship Bash at the National World War II Museum, June 25.

Women Who Rock: Vision, Power, Passion Libraries Present Louisa May Alcott, the Woman Behind Little Women Golden Age of Television Reflects Post-War Culture Marilyn Johnson: A Safe Zone for Smart Girls (video) How Does Your Garden Grow? by Rebecca Walden Classic Film for Movie Night: On the Waterfront The Diamond Was Her Best Friend Join Us on Facebook Subscribe to our Newsletter