Contents
American Libraries Online
ALA News
Booklist Online
Dallas Update
Division News
Awards & Grants
Seen Online
Tech Talk
E-Content
Books & Reading
Actions & Answers
New This Week
Calendar

Penguin week: When licenses attack!
Late-breaking news: Penguin has restored Get for Kindle ebooks (the backlist, but not new releases) until the end of the year only, pending a redefined agreement. Christopher Harris writes: “Sharks are usually considered the scariest beasts in the sea, but this week penguins are giving their toothy water friends a run for their money. On November 21, Penguin took back its ebooks and left OverDrive and libraries who had purchased Penguin books through that service standing around wondering what happened. But new information raises some critical questions about how and why this happened. OverDrive’s role in this could have more serious implications. ALA President-Elect Maureen Sullivan released a timely and hard-hitting statement November 22 that took Penguin, OverDrive, and Amazon to task for restricting readers’ access to books.” ALA’s Carrie Russell, Nora Rawlinson, Matt Weaver, Laura Hazard Owen, and Bobbi Newman also weigh in on the situation....
AL: E-Content, Nov. 22–23; Associated Press, Nov. 23; Publishers Weekly, Nov. 23; ALA Office for Information Technology Policy, Nov. 22; Digital Library Blog, Nov. 21; District Dispatch, Nov. 22–23; EarlyWord, Nov. 22; Library Renewal, Nov. 22; paidContent, Nov. 22; Librarian by Day, Nov. 22

Wide backlash greets internet antipiracy bill
Groups from both ends of the political spectrum—and everything in between—have come out against a congressional bill that would require internet service providers to police users’ online activities for potential copyright infringement. What’s more, it would empower the U.S. attorney general to order the removal from the domain name system of any website that “engages in, enables, or facilitates” infringement. Introduced October 26 by Rep. Lamar Smith (R-Tex.), chair of the House Judiciary Committee, the Stop Online Piracy Act (H.R. 3261) has a number of high-profile supporters. Among them are Register of Copyrights Maria Pallante, who said that without SOPA, “the U.S. copyright system will ultimately fail.”...
American Libraries news, Nov. 22; Ars Technica, Nov. 16

Talking turkey about school libraries
Beverly Goldberg writes: “An online petition is demanding that the Obama administration mandate the full funding and staffing of school libraries. The petition was initiated by a teacher-librarian in California who must really mean business since she calls for the ‘immediate withdrawal of all federal monies’ from any school that fails to comply. Since the one sure-fire predictor of a student’s academic success is attending a school with a fully funded and staffed school library, why haven’t policymakers taken heed?”...
AL: Inside Scoop, Nov. 23

Thanksgiving Week serves up net neutrality
The concept of net neutrality became a reality November 20, when long-sought rules slipped into effect to protect equitable access to online content. However, an unresolved lawsuit filed by Verizon in January continues to challenge the underlying principles codified by the Federal Communications Commission. Specifically, FCC regulations (PDF file) forbid mobile and fixed telecommunications providers from blocking or delaying the transmission of constitutionally protected content or online devices for any reason....
American Libraries news, Nov. 23

Youth Matters: Reach out through outreach
Abby Johnson writes: “Some of the most important library work I do is outside the library’s walls. Outreach—traveling offsite to bring service to potential users—is essential to serving my community and especially its children. Outreach allows librarians to put a friendly face on library services and to meet our patrons where they are (which is all the more important when you’re serving children who don’t have their own means of transportation to the library).”...
American Libraries column, Nov./Dec.

Bookamania in Chicago
More than 7,000 children and parents filled the Winter Garden at Chicago Public Library’s Harold Washington Library Center November 19 for Bookamania, CPL’s annual celebration of children’s books and authors. Participants included Chicago Bear Israel Idonije (right) reading to the kids, as well as authors Nina Crews, Arthur Dorros, and Robert Burleigh....
AL Focus, Nov. 21

Book-themed nuptials
Rhonda Puntney Gould, youth services and special needs consultant at Lakeshores Library System in Waterford, Wisconsin, and her betrothed Michael (right) shared nuptials October 29 at Racine (Wis.) Public Library. The ceremony, dinner, and dance were all held at the library, with a book-themed cake. Gould is president of the Wisconsin Library Association and a member of ALA’s governing Council....
AL Focus, Nov. 22

National STEM Video Game Challenge
The National STEM Video Game Challenge opened November 21, aiming to motivate interest in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) learning by tapping into students’ natural passion for playing and making video games. The annual competition is accepting submissions of original video game concepts and designs from students and educators in four categories (middle school, high school, collegiate, and educator) through March 12. ALA is participating as an outreach partner this year....
OLOS Columns, Nov. 21

Media focus shines on National Gaming Day
As hundreds of libraries across the country celebrated the fourth annual National Gaming Day @ your library on November 12, a variety of media outlets took notice and highlighted the programs and events happening in their own communities. Participating libraries held a variety of gaming activities including board games, role playing games, an international “Epic Super Smash Bros. Brawl” tournament, and a retro 30th anniversary Frogger contest....
Public Information Office, Nov. 22

Empower your community at the Advocacy Institute
“Mobilizing Community Support for Your Library” is the focus of the Advocacy Institute Workshop at the ALA 2012 Midwinter Meeting in Dallas. The workshop will focus on engaging and mobilizing friends and trustee groups, opinion-makers, and civic organizations to support all types of libraries. Presenters include Jennifer Martin, Ed Palmer, and Rocco Staino. The institute will take place January 20....
Office for Library Advocacy, Nov. 22

Ingrid Abrams named ALSC Emerging Leader
ALSC has chosen Ingrid Abrams (right) of the Brooklyn (N.Y.) Public Library as its representative in ALA’s 2012 Emerging Leader program. As a children’s librarian, Abrams makes a difference in the lives of users of her local branch library every day. As an Emerging Leader, Abrams will attend the 2012 Midwinter Meeting in Dallas, as well as the ALA Annual Conference in Anaheim, California....
ALSC, Nov. 22

Reforma selects its Emerging Leader
Reforma has selected Alicia Long (right), library assistant at the State College of Florida and a recent MLIS graduate from the University of South Florida, for the 2012 ALA Emerging Leaders program. Long was a 2009 ALA Spectrum Scholar. In addition to her new position at the State College of Florida, she currently serves as recording secretary for the newly reactivated Reforma de Florida Chapter....
Office for Diversity, Nov. 22

Submit a poster session proposal for Annual Conference
Poster sessions will be held on June 23–24 (Saturday and Sunday) of the ALA Annual Conference in Anaheim, California. They are an effective forum for the exchange of information and a means to communicate ideas, research, and programs. Submit your proposal by January 6....
ALA Poster Sessions, Nov. 22

An eye-opening look at graphic novels
Many educators now agree that graphic novels inform as well as entertain, and to dismiss their educational potential is to throw away a golden opportunity to reach out to young readers. Graphic Novels in Your School Library by Jesse Karp and illustrated by Rush Kress, is a one-stop resource with the school library at center stage. Published by ALA Editions, the book explores the ways in which graphic novels can be used in the library and in the classroom....
ALA Editions, Nov. 21

The J. Erik Jonsson Central Library
The Dallas Public Library’s downtown facility at 1515 Young Street, named in honor of former mayor J. Erik Jonsson, opened in 1982. Its eight floors feature many permanent exhibits, including an original broadside print of the Declaration of Indepedence, a Shakespeare First Folio, a collection of Navajo blankets, celestial globes, a scale model of a Viking ship, and art by Harry Bertoia, Robert Rauschenberg, and Barbara Hepworth (right). Self-guided tours (PDF file) are permitted during open hours....
Dallas Public Library

Preserving the legacy of Robert Johnson
A Dallas church has purchased the site where legendary bluesman Robert Johnson made his final few recordings. In June, the First Presbyterian Church of Dallas bought 508 Park Avenue, the dilapidated, three-story, Zig-Zag Moderne downtown building where Johnson recorded almost half of the 29 songs that make up his entire discography. The church plans to renovate it in 2012, creating a cultural center complete with a museum, a performance space, an art studio, and a music education center called The Spirit of the Blues. Johnson’s “Me and the Devil Blues” (2:38) was recorded here on June 20, 1937, in the former Brunswick Records studio on the top floor....
New York Times, Nov. 19; Dallas Observer, May 16; YouTube, May 27, 2007

Gifts for the compact traveler
As airlines continue to hike fees for checked bags and overweight suitcases, fitting everything into one compact bag—whether it is a carry-on or a lightweight suitcase—is more important than ever. Spotting an opportunity, luggage and accessory makers have introduced a host of new packing products. Here are 12 gift ideas for practical travelers on the go....
New York Times: Practical Traveler, Nov. 21

Perfect for holiday giving
Do you have someone on your holiday gift list that loves YA books? Do you know someone that is a Michael L. Printz Award aficionado? If so, then the 2012 YALSA Michael L. Printz Award calendar is the perfect item to put on your holiday gift-giving list. The calendar is filled with information about Printz authors and other YALSA award winners. Each month sports a high-quality image of the cover of a Printz-winning title....
YALSA Blog, Nov. 22

Eleven preconferences at PLA
Attendees at the 2012 PLA Conference in Philadelphia will have an opportunity to get a head start on professional development before the conference is fully underway. On March 13–14, 11 preconferences for public library administrators, managers, and staff will offer practical education in a focused and interactive environment. Several are a perfect fit for public library trustees as well. These intensive programs range in length from half a day to a day and a half and feature knowledgeable, professional instructors....
PLA, Nov. 21

ACRL offers e-Learning scholarships
ACRL is offering e-Learning scholarships to help librarians, library staff, and library school students stretch their professional development dollars. Fifteen e-Learning scholarships will be awarded, 10 covering the registration cost of a webcast and five covering the cost of an online course. Scholarships can be redeemed for ACRL e-Learning events offered between February 1 and August 31, 2012. The application deadline is December 8....
ACRL, Nov. 21

Graphic novel webinar will help you reach tween readers
Tween readers have shown a healthy appetite for graphic novels, but finding age-appropriate materials for middle schoolers can be difficult. Discover how you can build a great graphic novel collection for your middle-grade readers in YALSA’s December 15 webinar, “Graphic Novels and Teen Readers,” presented by Robin Brenner. Brenner will discuss company age ratings and how the savvy librarian can demystify the variety of ratings that exist. Registration is now open....
YALSA, Nov. 22

Easily integrate technology into your library
Technology is part of the everyday life experience for most teens—and by integrating it with standard teen services, librarians can better serve and support teens’ learning needs. Find out how in “Connect, Create, Collaborate: Supporting Teen Needs with Technology,” a new online course offered in winter 2012 by YALSA. The self-paced course takes place February 6 to March 19 and will be taught by Linda Braun....
YALSA, Nov. 21

Linked data and the Semantic Web at the ALCTS Symposium
“Libraries, Linked Data and the Semantic Web: Positioning Our Catalogs to Participate in the 21st-Century Global Information Marketplace,” the ALCTS Midwinter Symposium, brings together the leading experts in the fields of linked library data and the Semantic Web in Dallas on January 20. The speakers will be Peter Brantley, Karen Coyle, Corey A. Harper, Eric Miller, and Ross Singer. You can register for the symposium through the ALA Midwinter Meeting registration site....
ALCTS, Nov. 21

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National Friends of Libraries Week Awards
ALTAFF is accepting applications for the National Friends of Libraries Week Awards through December 1. For the fifth year, awards will be given to Friends groups in conjunction with National Friends of Libraries Week, which was held October 16–22. Two awards of $250 will be given to groups in recognition of activities held during the week. Applicants must provide a one- to two-page summary of all activities and efforts....
ALTAFF, Nov. 21

Nominations sought for 2012 Madison awards
The ALA Washington Office is calling for nominations for two awards to honor those who have championed public access to government information and the public’s right to know. The James Madison Award celebrates an individual or group who has brought awareness to these issues at the national level, and the Eileen Cooke State and Local Madison Award honors a leader who has built grassroots awareness of the importance of access to information. The deadline for nominations is December 30....
District Dispatch, Nov. 24

Gale Cengage Learning Financial Development Award
ALA is currently accepting nominations for the Gale Cengage Learning Financial Development Award, given to a public, school, or academic library for carrying out a financial development project to secure new funding resources. The award includes $2,500 and a gold-framed citation....
Office of ALA Governance, Nov. 22

Libraries selected to build learning labs for teens
The Institute of Museum and Library Services and the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation announced the first 12 winners of a national grant competition to build 21st-century learning labs in libraries and museums around the country. The winners—eight libraries and four museums—will receive a total of $1.2 million in grants to plan and design the labs. Inspired by YOUMedia, the teen space at Chicago Public Library, as well as innovations in science and technology centers, these labs will help young people move beyond consuming content to making and creating it....
Institute of Museum and Library Services, Nov. 17

Salem Press launches the Library Grants Center
Salem Press has launched the Library Grants Center, a free web tool to help librarians navigate the world of library grants. Its website says: “At a time when the word ‘library’ is inseparable from the phrase ‘budget cuts,’ librarians need help finding help. So we scoured the web in search of free funding for libraries and discovered that the options extend far beyond national and state opportunities. Hundreds of grants are available to libraries of all types from local foundations, family trusts, small and large corporations, professional organizations, and the publishing community.”...
Salem Press, Nov. 16

2011 National Book Award winners
The National Book Foundation announced the winners of the 2011 National Book Awards on November 16, bestowing the fiction award on Jesmyn Ward, author of Salvage the Bones (Bloomsbury USA), which chronicles 12 days in the life of a poor African-American family attempting to weather Hurricane Katrina in coastal Mississippi. The nonfiction award went to Stephen Greenblatt for his book The Swerve: How the World Became Modern (W. W. Norton), about a 15th-century book lover who almost singlehandedly spawned the Renaissance’s rediscovery of classicism....
Washington Post, Nov. 16

National Book Award for Young People’s Literature
Mark Flowers writes: “Congratulations to Thanhha Lai, who was named the winner of the National Book Award for Young People’s Literature on Wednesday for her verse novel Inside Out & Back Again. There’s a great interview with Lai on the National Book Foundation website. After all the controversy last month over the Young People’s Literature nominations (see our initial coverage and a follow-up), it was easy to forget there was still a winner to be chosen, but hopefully now we move the focus to where it belongs: debating whether the right book won.”...
YALSA The Hub, Oct. 17–18, Nov. 18

Neil Jordan takes novel of the year at Irish Book Awards
Neil Jordan’s Mistaken has been named novel of the year at the Bord Gáis Energy Irish Book Awards 2011 in Dublin. The film director, who won an Academy Award for The Crying Game, clinched his prize at the awards ceremony, held November 17. Mistaken tells the tale of two Irish boys who bear an uncanny physical resemblance to each other. They come of age in the Dublin of the 1960s. One attends a good school, the other does not. One lives in south Dublin, has a solicitor for a father, and aspires to a serious literary career. The other does not. Later, the confusions caused by their likeness grow increasingly complex and sinister....
TheBookseller.com, Nov. 18; The Guardian (U.K.), Jan. 14

Winton Prize for Science Books
Gavin Pretor-Pinney, founder of the Cloud Appreciation Society, was awarded the £10,000 ($15,640 U.S.) Royal Society Winton Prize for Science Books November 17 for his latest observations on laid-back living, The Wavewatcher’s Companion (Bloomsbury). The book explores all types of wave, not just the ones you find on the water—everything from sound waves to light waves, brain waves, Mexican (stadium) waves, waves of traffic, and waves of emotion....
The Independent (U.K.), Nov. 18

Huffington Post debuts new Libraries in Crisis series
Nora Rawlinson writes: “A new series, Libraries in Crisis, debuted in the Huffington Post in mid-November. As described by Books Editor Andrew Losowsky, it will look at ‘how today’s libraries are about more than books [ed note: oops, someone neglected to communicate this to the logo designer], and how they can be a community resource where reliable information and guidance is provided, free of bias and commercial influence.’”...
EarlyWord: The Publisher | Librarian Connection, Nov. 21

How will we read: In public libraries?
C. M. Rubin writes: “Libraries across the United States need our help as they are being closed or having significant cuts made to their budgets. The public library service has affected each of us at some point in our lives whether as a child, a student, or as an adult. So before you read my interview with ALA President Molly Raphael, take a moment to look at 10 important things you need to know about our American libraries.”...
Huffington Post, Nov. 21

Video loans on the rise in libraries
Video lending has exploded during the past five years, rising at a far higher rate than the lending of books or audio, according to information from the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners. Video lending statewide more than doubled between 2000 and 2010, from 6.6 million videos to 14.1 million. People like to borrow from libraries because it saves them money over Netflix or other services....
Boston Globe, Nov. 24

Occupy Wall Street librarians hold press conference
The volunteers who organized the People’s Library during the Occupy Wall Street demonstration in New York’s Zuccotti Park held a press conference November 23 with renowned civil rights attorney Norman Siegel to discuss the library’s removal by New York police. The library demanded that the city replace every missing book and provide a space to recreate the library. Staff and patrons from the library gave testimony. An Occupy Wall Street statement read: “So far, the People’s Library has received 1,099 books back (right) from the Dept. of Sanitation after last week’s raid (some of which were not library books to begin with), and out of these, about 800 are still usable. About 2,900 books are still unaccounted for, and less than one-fifth of the original collection is still usable.”...
Occupy Wall Street Library blog, Nov. 22–23; LibraryThing; Metro, Nov. 23; Washington Post: Blog, Nov. 23

Nashville’s Limitless Libraries draws interest nationwide
An agreement between the city school district and the Nashville (Tenn.) Public Library called Limitless Libraries is drawing new attention. Metro middle and high schoolers can use their home or school computers to check out books, DVDs, and CDs from the public library and have them delivered to their schools. Library officials in New York City, Boston, and St. Paul, Minnesota, have called Metro in recent months, interested in implementing similar initiatives. Limitless Libraries is sending more than 7,000 items a month to Metro schools and circulation has increased as much as 140%....
Nashville Tennessean, Nov. 21

Ontario school board rejects book ban
An award-winning Canadian novel, which one parent wanted removed from classrooms for what she called exploitive sexual references, will stay on an Ontario school board’s list of approved books. Carolyn Waddell wanted the Bluewater public school board to ban Timothy Findley’s The Wars, complaining about the book’s explicit, detailed descriptions of often violent sexual encounters. In mid-November, trustees endorsed a report by Bluewater’s textbook appeals committee, which recommends keeping The Wars on the board’s list of approved, optional teaching materials....
Quebecor Media Inc. Agency, Nov. 17

Banned books now available in Libya
For decades the late Libyan dictator Moammar Gadhafi kept a tight grip on power and public information. Now for the first time, books banned by the regime are on display in Tripoli, opening a door that was closed for many years. Some of the banned books are on topics like homosexuality or human rights in the Arab world, but the regime’s ban was mostly on books of a religious nature, like those on Wahabbism and others on the Salafi movement. Watch the video (2:06)....
CNN, Nov. 21; KTHV-TV, Little Rock, Ark., Nov. 21

Thanksgiving by the numbers
Steve Barnes writes: “Some stats, courtesy of the Census Bureau: 248 million: The number of turkeys expected to be raised in the United States in 2011. That’s up 2% from the number raised during 2010. The turkeys produced in 2010 together weighed 7.11 billion pounds and were valued at $4.37 billion. 2.4 billion pounds: The total weight of sweet potatoes—a popular Thanksgiving side dish—produced by major sweet potato producing states in 2010. North Carolina (972 million pounds) produced more sweet potatoes than any other state.”...
Albany (N.Y.) Times-Union: Table Hopping, Nov. 17

UK court rules library closures unlawful
Campaigners attempting to stop the closure of local libraries in the United Kingdom won a surprise victory in the high court November 16 when a judge ruled that the decision to ax services in Gloucestershire and Somerset was unlawful and should be annulled. Judge Martin McKenna found that local authorities had failed to comply with their public sector equality duties when pushing through the closures and ordered the councils to revisit their plans....
The Guardian (U.K.), Nov. 16

Librarian in Black finds cult fame
Sarah Houghton, the new acting director of the San Rafael (Calif.) Public Library, has cultivated an international reputation as the edgy, darkly attired, tattooed author of the Librarian in Black blog. She launched the blog in December 2003 to filter relevant tech news to other digital librarians. It has evolved into a platform for her thinking on a range of subjects, such as vegan cooking, household gadgets, her cats Dorian and Fiona, and the way women who speak in public can get stalked and harassed....
Novato (Calif.) Marin Independent Journal, Nov. 20

Facebook reduces degrees of separation
Adding a new chapter to the research that cemented the phrase “six degrees of separation” into the language, scientists at Facebook and the University of Milan reported November 21 that the average number of acquaintances separating any two people in the world was not six but 4.74. The original “six degrees” finding, published in 1967 by the psychologist Stanley Milgram, was drawn from 296 volunteers. The new research used a slightly bigger cohort: 721 million Facebook users....
New York Times, Nov. 21; Facebook Data Team, Nov. 21

Detroit Public Library to close four branch locations
At its meeting on November 15, the Detroit Library Commission approved the closure of four of the city’s 23 branch libraries. The branches approved for closure, effective December 22, are Lincoln, Mark Twain, Monteith, and Richard (above). The commission pointed to declining property values and the shrinking population of the city (PDF file). The library is funded by a millage, but revenue has declined 12% each year for the past three years and is expected to continue to decline for the next three years....
Crain’s Detroit Business, Nov. 17; Detroit Public Libary, Nov. 15

Former Bettendorf director won’t face charges
The Scott County, Iowa, attorney’s office will not file criminal charges against former Bettendorf Library Director Steven Nielsen after investigating allegations that he acted improperly in his leadership role of the RiverShare library consortium as it looked for a new software system. The group voted in March to award a contract to Polaris Library Systems. Nielsen announced in August that he was accepting a job with Polaris, and competitor SirsiDynix filed a complaint alleging ethical impropriety....
Davenport (Iowa) Quad-City Times, Nov. 17

New Zealand library in dispute over Koha trademark
Koha is a free, open-source library management system created by the Horowhenua Library Trust, a New Zealand public library. This software has been the subject of an ongoing fight with LibLime, a U.S. company that wants to make the software proprietary. Now Horowhenua is asking for funds to support an expected legal battle. Library Director Joann Ransom says LibLime has been only been granted provisional rights to the name Koha by the Ministry of Economic Development....
LWN.net, Nov. 22; Koha Library Software Community, Nov. 21; Radio New Zealand, Nov. 22

Fired clerk sues Huntington Beach library
A deaf woman with cerebral palsy claims she was wrongfully fired from her job as a clerk in the Huntington Beach (Calif.) Public Library. A response from the city lists more than 25 reasons the city is not responsible for Merrie Sager’s firing, saying she did not go through proper channels to report any alleged discrimination or harassment. Sager is accused of throwing a book, yelling, and making an inappropriate hand gesture. She is suing for lost wages and emotional distress....
Orange County (Calif.) Register, Nov. 17

Waterloo map librarians create historical street map
Staffers at the University of Waterloo’s Map Library have painstakingly overlaid 1955 street maps of the Waterloo, Ontario, region onto modern Google Earth images, creating a digital database that shows with stunning clarity how much the area has changed and expanded in a half century. The street map is the latest phase in an ongoing project to document local visual history. The first phase scanned over 2,000 aerial photos of the region from the 1930s–1950s. The maps were built by Steven Xu and a team of part-time workers at the library over a period of several years....
Waterloo (Ont.) Record, Nov. 15

Would you like a book with that wine?
Red wine and cheese. Red wine and chocolate. Red wine and a good book. Port Townsend (Wash.) Library Director Theresa Percy proposed a novel idea for a fundraiser: Release a limited edition of wine, with sales going to the city library and the county library. “It will mean around $7,000 for the libraries,” said Richard Sorensen, a local winemaker who agreed to donate a barrel of 2005 “Library Red” cabernet after being approached by Percy....
Peninsula Daily News (Wash.), Nov. 15

Librarian was one of the first to try penicillin
For 10 years, Lydia Bogner had been crippled by osteomyelitis. But one day in 1943 she was given the gift of a new medicine called penicillin. It was a gift from a cousin who had worked on this new wonder drug and was given a special wedding present by the Eli Lilly pharmaceutical company to offer penicillin to someone who might qualify for its use. Bogner went on to become the medical records librarian at Mansfield (Ohio) General Hospital for 28 years....
Mansfield (Ohio) News Journal, Nov. 20

Few visitors to Baghdad’s American Corner
In a nook of the library at Baghdad University, sturdy histories of the American Revolution and the Vietnam War line up next to Alexis de Tocqueville and John Updike. Yet, the readers never come. As far as Kamal Yunis, a research librarian who oversees what is formally called the American Corner, can tell, no student has ever opened one of the books. The collection was assembled by the American Embassy and is an example of the sort of cultural programs the State Department will emphasize after the troops leave....
New York Times, Nov. 22

Madrid to streamline its city and regional libraries
Jennifer Riggins writes: “After three years of negotiations, Mayor Alberto Ruiz-Gallardón of Madrid, Spain, and regional president (similar to a governor) Esperanza Aguirre are nearing an agreement to merge the municipal and regional libraries. There are 16 regional libraries and 29 city libraries that maintain essentially the same catalogs and are often located near each other. A merger would create a uniform library catalog across the city.”...
SmartPlanet, Nov. 22

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Fun fact: The precursor to the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender Round Table had a kissing booth (called “Hug a Homosexual”) at ALA Annual Conference in Dallas in June 1971. See the photo in the New York Public Library Digital Gallery.

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What is a library?
Bobbi Newman writes: “After recently tweeting a link to ALA President Molly Raphael’s statement regarding the destruction of the Occupy Wall Street Library in New York, I became engaged in a conversation on Twitter about what constitutes a library. To me this seems obvious, but I had a hard time coming up with a hard and fast definition. I discovered that, like Justice Stewart, I’m of the know-it-when-I-see-it mindset when it comes to identifying a library.”...
Librarian by Day, Nov. 19; ALA Public Information Office, Nov. 17

Why I am not signing the “Save Libraries” petition
Buffy Hamilton writes: “A steady barrage of discussion list messages, tweets, Facebook postings, and blog entries have been making the rounds in recent weeks urging people to sign a petition to the White House on school libraries. While I know the intent was noble in creating this, petitions like these are often a slippery slope, so I’m going to be politically incorrect and offer a dissenting perspective. I do not mean any disrespect to those who think this petition will make a difference, but I would encourage us a profession to unpack the language and assumptions laden in the wording.”...
The Unquiet Librarian, Nov. 18; School Library Journal, Nov. 8

Free speech is only as strong as its weakest link
Rainey Reitman writes: “From Mubarak knocking a country offline by pressuring local ISPs to PayPal caving to political pressure to cut off funding to WikiLeaks, this year has brought us sobering examples of how online speech can be endangered. As internet users, we rely on a chain of intermediaries—such as social networks, search engines, and ISPs—to help ensure that creative expression and information reach a broader audience. Unfortunately, weak links in this chain can operate as choke points to accomplish widespread censorship. Click here to explore the different intermediaries in the chain, the vulnerabilities they face, and examples of how they have been targeted by those who would squelch online expression.”...
Electronic Frontier Foundation, Nov. 21

Library visits at historic high
The ways in which Americans use libraries changed significantly in the decade ending in 2009 as libraries adapted to meet the evolving needs of their users. In 2009 (the most recent data available), libraries were visited a record-breaking 1.59 billion times, according to the Institute of Museum and Library Services’ report on the FY2009 Public Library Survey, a census of public libraries in the 50 states, the District of Columbia, and the territories conducted annually by IMLS....
Institute of Museum and Library Services, Nov. 18

National Day of Listening, November 25
StoryCorps, the national nonprofit oral history organization, is asking Americans to take a few minutes to pay thanks to a beloved teacher on the day after Thanksgiving. This can include acknowledging a teacher on Facebook, sending a tweet, posting a video tribute on YouTube, or recording a face-to-face interview using StoryCorps’ do-it-yourself guide....
StoryCorps

Professional codes of ethics for librarians
Librarians all over the world are well aware of their profession’s ethical implications. In more than 60 countries, library associations have developed and approved a national code of ethics for librarians. The IFLA Committee on Freedom of Access to Information and Freedom of Expression has collected nearly 40 of them and brought them together in the list “Professional Codes of Ethics for Librarians.”...
Freedom of Access to Information and Freedom of Expression, Nov. 19

Creation of the Poetry Foundation Library (PDF file)
Katherine Litwin writes: “When the Poetry Foundation Library opened its doors on June 25, it became the only library in the Midwest dedicated solely to poetry, and one of a small number of poetry libraries around the world. As the first librarian hired by the Poetry Foundation, my fantastic task was to create a new library out of a singular collection of resources to be housed in an architecturally distinctive space. Located at 61 West Superior Street in Chicago, the building was designed to be an artistic, cultural building in an urban environment.”...
ILA Reporter 29, no. 6 (Dec.): 8–11

YouTube: The first 15 seconds
David Lee King writes: “What’s important in your YouTube videos? The first 15 seconds. According to YouTube’s Creator Playbook, you have 10–15 seconds to hook your viewer into watching the rest of your video. What do many of us do with those first 15 seconds? A slow fade-in. Cheesy music. A flashy branded intro and titles. Exciting stuff, huh? Instead, here’s what Youtube says we should do.”...
David Lee King, Nov. 22

Google Scholar opens up its citations
Anyone can now track his or her citations via Google Scholar. The free citation service is billed as “a simple way for authors to compute their citation metrics and track them over time.” Google had announced a limited-release test of the service in July. Google Scholar automatically sorts articles into groups. Authors can go through those, identify which articles are indeed theirs, and edit the list. Google Scholar collects citations for each author and graphs them over time to calculate different metrics....
Chronicle of Higher Education: Wired Campus, Nov. 17; Google Scholar Blog, July 20, Nov. 16

Planes overhead and other cool Wolfram Alpha things
Richard Byrne writes: “This Wolfram Alpha demo (2:32) shows you what you happens when you enter the term ‘planes overhead’ in Wolfram Alpha. As you’ll see, Wolfram Alpha doesn’t act like Google, Bing, or any other search engine. I think the video is a great demonstration of what makes Wolfram Alpha neat. Watching this got me to dive into my archives for other Wolfram Alpha posts. Consider this my Wolfram Alpha round-up post.”...
Free Technology for Teachers, Nov. 20; YouTube, Nov. 18

How to become an essential librarian (PDF file)
Breanne Kirsch writes: “Becoming an essential or indispensable librarian will allow new librarians to have increased job stability and other benefits. Based on personal experiences and research, I have compiled a list of six steps to becoming an essential librarian: Find a mentor, read the literature, collaborate, adapt, become a leader, and be persistent.”...
Endnotes: The Journal of the New Members Round Table 2, no. 1 (Nov.)

Things to do: Completely transform the library
Dan Messer writes: “Transformation is not only desirable, but 100% necessary. Are we ready? Some ideas about what we could do to enhance our services and further that transformation arose in comments and through conversations. Here’s a short list. However, it’s easy to say we need to reimagine the library, but to do it we’ll need resources, skill sets, a willingness to learn and adapt, and the administrative vision to make it happen.”...
Not All Bits, Nov. 22

Web-based email
Stephen Abram writes: “I am a huge fan of web-based email, although I do get email through our corporate client as well as Facebook, LinkedIn, and DMs through Twitter. As you can see in this chart (right), web-based email usage is cratering for people aged 12–34. From personal experience I know all my friends and relatives in this younger age group generally contact me through either Facebook or texting instead of email. I believe this demographic is a really important segment for libraries—teens, students, and young parents.”...
Stephen’s Lighthouse, Nov. 21; Business Insider, Nov. 18

New Jersey State Library returns missing 1716 document
Having valuable public documents go missing is not a rare occurrence, but having them turn up in good condition certainly is. In mid-November, the New Jersey State Library returned to the New Jersey State Archives a 1716 legal document that outlined a procedure for the laying out of roads between towns. It had originally been discovered at the Orange County College Library, but was later found to have been stolen from the archives when it was stored in the basement of the State House....
New Jersey State Library, Nov. 21

What Muncie read, 1891–1902
John Plotz writes: “What Middletown Read is based on an incredible trove of unprepossessing ledger books found in an attic during the renovation of the 1904 Muncie (Ind.) Public Library and brought to light by Ball State University English Professor Frank Felsenstein. No previous project includes a database that supplies, to ordinary casual web visitors, this kind of in-depth history about a library’s acquisitions and patrons. It’s the interlinked combination of three different sorts of data—patron records, borrowing records, and library catalog—that makes this such a revealing cache.”...
Slate, Nov. 17

The evolution of the memo, 1849–2011
Mitch Toda writes: “In practically every collection of Smithsonian records I acquire and accession, I can expect to find the humble memorandum. Primarily used to communicate within an organization, the memorandum plays a role in documenting the history of the Smithsonian. As you will see from this tour (video or slideshare) of memoranda found in our collections, their form has changed over the years, but the information they contain can be both mundane as well as enlightening.”...
The Bigger Picture, Nov. 22

The Gerstenslager bookmobile
Larry Nix writes: “For many years the Gerstenslager Company in Wooster, Ohio, was synonymous with bookmobiles for public library extension librarians. Although the roots of the company date back to 1860, it was not until after World War II that the company began designing and building custom bodies for specialty vehicles including bookmobiles. One of my postcard collecting interests is bookmobiles, and in my collection is a group of cards that include advertising on the back for the Gerstenslager Co. and its bookmobile business.”...
Library History Buff Blog, Nov. 18

SSA extends FOIA restriction to 100 years
Megan Smolenyak writes: “Unfortunately, it’s now official. I have been ordering Social Security applications for several decades, and have found them especially valuable. But recently, without any announcement, the Social Security Administration extended the restriction to 100 years from the birth of the applicant, so you can now only obtain this record in an unaltered state for those born prior to 1912. I can apparently receive the full application if I can prove that the parents are deceased, but that’s a catch-22.”...
Smolenyak’s Roots World, Nov. 17

Libraries on Google+
Google+ was launched in June and has since built up a membership of more than 40 million users. Early in November, Google began allowing organizations to create their own pages on the site. In the past few weeks, dozens of libraries have created Google+ pages, from large public libraries such as the New York Public Library, to smaller, tech-savvy ones like Darien (Conn.) Library and Skokie (Ill.) Public Library. Several academic libraries have staked out Google+ pages as well....
Library Journal: The Digital Shift, Nov. 18

Evernote takes on web reading with Clearly
Evernote, an application that has gained momentum by providing an easy way for people to quickly capture things they want to remember, is determined to branch out past its humble note-taking origins. On November 16, the company unveiled its latest addition: Clearly, a browser extension that aims to simplify online reading by stripping away links, advertisements, and other clutter from web articles. Users can also save articles to their Evernote accounts....
New York Times: Bits, Nov. 16

How to deal with broken URLs
Daniel Cornwall writes: “Web resources have their drawbacks, the most dramatic of which is link rot. Some URLs are more durable than others, but chances are good that at some point you are going to visit a site and get a 404 (File Not Found) error. In most cases, especially with U.S. federal government materials, this is not the end of the world. There are several techniques that you can use to find the missing resource.”...
Alaskan Librarian, Nov. 19

Another year of mildly attractive men
Zack Frasier writes: “Our student group at the University of South Carolina, LISSA, has a fundraiser that happens around this time every year, The Mildly Attractive Men of Library Science. It is a calendar that we make and sell annually to raise money for our student organization, and each year we do a variation on a theme. It features some of the most mildly attractive men in USC’s School of Library and Information Science. All proceeds from sales directly support student involvement in and attendance at professional conferences.”...
Hack Library School, Nov. 17

Sexiest librarian alive
Stephen Abram writes: “OK, I took some cold pills and I’m thinking strange. Has American Libraries or Library Journal ever considered a sexiest librarian alive issue? Too much fun LMAO. Some business tactics just might not translate but it could work for #partyhearty and #makeithappen at ALA Midwinter. Here is a start on an anthem.”...
Stephen’s Lighthouse, Nov. 17

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