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

Laurie D. Borman appointed AL editor and publisher
Laurie D. Borman is the new editor and publisher of American Libraries publications, effective December 5. Borman has a journalism degree from Indiana University and more than 20 years of experience in magazine and digital publishing. Borman comes to American Libraries from Spertus Institute, where she was editor and writer for print and digital media and helped to promote its Asher Library. Her management experience also includes serving as editorial director at Rand McNally, where she was responsible for integrating print with website and other e-content, overseeing editorial strategy and developments, and initiating Rand McNally’s social media program....
American Libraries news, Nov. 29

Anti-Christian charges prompt review of Part-Time Indian
The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian was yanked from the library shelves and required reading list of the Dade County (Ga.) High School because of complaints from parents about what they deemed as vulgar, racist, and anti-Christian content. Students had been required to read Sherman Alexie’s young adult novel about a teen growing up on an Indian reservation, but the numerous complaints prompted Superintendent Shawn Tobin to remove the book until it could be reviewed....
AL: Censorship Watch, Nov. 29

Hold Still pulled after “big misunderstanding”
The Blue Springs (Mo.) School District has removed Nina LaCour’s young adult novel Hold Still from its library and classrooms in response to parental complaints about its language and sex scenes. Stephen and Christina Brown complained to the principal at the Blue Springs Freshman Center after their 14-year-old daughter read the book, which is about a young girl coping with the suicide of her best friend, as part of an extra-credit assignment in a freshman English class. Brown said the book is inappropriate for public school because it describes explicit sexual relationships....
AL: Censorship Watch, Nov. 30

Sign here for school libraries
Beverly Goldberg writes: “The URL had barely expired November 27 on California librarian Seanean Shanahan’s bold online petition demanding strong school libraries in every American school when another campaign got off the ground. Noblesville, Indiana, school librarian Carl Harvey is seeking advice from colleagues by encouraging them to comment on his blog on how best to craft the new petition.”...
AL: Inside Scoop, Nov. 29; Library Ties, Nov. 28

Brad Meltzer named honorary chair of National Library Week
Best-selling author, television host, and library advocate Brad Meltzer (right) has been named the 2012 honorary chair of National Library Week. As the author of nine books and the host of the History channel series Decoded, Meltzer credits libraries and librarians in this video (1:42) as the reason he became a writer. As honorary chair, Meltzer appears in print and digital PSAs promoting National Library Week, April 8–14, 2012. ALA also offers free customization of the PSAs for libraries. Other promotional materials include a sample op-ed, proclamation, press releases, and scripts for use in radio ads. Products from ALA Graphics that support National Library Week are also available....
Public Information Office, Nov. 29; YouTube, July 13

Complete program for new ALA Masters Series at Midwinter
The new ALA Masters Series offers insights into the hottest trends and issues as it showcases experts from across library specialties as they describe their latest in-house innovations in fast-paced 30-minute sessions. The lineup for the January meeting is now complete. The hourlong Special Masters session, “A Library Occupies Occupy Wall Street,” is a Midwinter bonus. Attendees will learn firsthand from three of the People’s Library builders, librarians Betsy Fagin, Mandy Henk, and Zachary Loeb, about their experiences creating the library and being part of the Occupy Wall Street movement....
Conference Services, Nov. 29

National Gaming Day 2011 another success
The surveys are in, and what comes through loud and clear is that National Gaming Day @ your library continues to strengthen communities and bring diverse groups of people together. More than 1,400 libraries registered to participate, and 27,767 gamers signed up for NGD activities. But the numbers aren’t the real story. Once again, the true spirit of the day is what happens at each library, as the following anecdotes provided by librarians prove.”...
National Gaming Day @ your library, Nov. 29

Build a user-friendly library site in 10 steps
ALA TechSource will host a new 90-minute workshop, “10 Steps to a User-Friendly Library Website,” on January 25. A clean, well-designed website can mean the difference between an informed library user and a confused one. With a focus on the needs and wants of the library user, Amanda Etches-Johnson and Aaron Schmidt will help you develop the skills to make your library website easier to use and more interesting. Registration is available at the ALA Store....
ALA TechSource, Nov. 28

Web analytics for librarians
ALA TechSource is offering a new session of the popular workshop, “Web Analytics for Librarians: Informing Decisions through Web User Data” with Paul Signorelli and Sarah Houghton. This workshop will take place in two parts on January 12 and 26. You will learn how to use web analytics as tools for improving your library’s information architecture, usability, marketing, and communication. Registration is available at the ALA Store....
ALA TechSource, Nov. 28

Roberta Stevens reflects on a year as ALA President
Roberta A. Stevens (right), outreach projects and partnerships officer at the Library of Congress and National Book Festival project manager, will discuss her experiences as 2010–2011 ALA President in a lecture at LC’s Thomas Jefferson Building on December 6. Stevens will describe how she used the visibility of ALA’s presidency to build support for libraries during a time of economic uncertainty and the reexamination of the value of public and private institutions....
Library of Congress, Nov. 8

Emily Hamstra is RUSA’s 2012 Emerging Leader
Emily Hamstra (right), learning librarian at the University of Michigan’s Shapiro Undergraduate Library, has been selected as RUSA’s 2012 Emerging Leader. Hamstra received her MS in Information with a specialty in community informatics in 2009 from the University of Michigan. She is an active member of ALA, RUSA’s Collection Development and Evaluation Section (CODES), and ACRL....
RUSA, Nov. 29

Davis, Mosley named BCALA Emerging Leaders
The Black Caucus of the American Library Association has selected Angiah Davis, reference librarian at the Robert W. Woodruff Library at the Atlanta University Center, and Derek Mosley, archivist and assistant director of the Ernest J. Gaines Center at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, for the 2012 ALA Emerging Leaders program. Davis received her MS in Library and Information Studies from Florida State University in 2008. Mosley graduated from the Simmons College Graduate School of Library and Information Science in 2011....
Office for Diversity, Nov. 29

Proposal deadline extended for ALA Research Series
The ALA Office for Research and Statistics has extended the book proposal deadline for the peer-reviewed ALA Research Series. The new deadline date is December 19. The series seeks research based on methods other than surveys (such as observational research, content analysis, grounded theory research, ethnographic technique, and historical research) as well as research that blends different methods. Proposal guidelines and a list of topics in which the review panel is interested are available online....
Office for Research and Statistics, Nov. 29

Revised LC Network standards published
The Revised Standards and Guidelines of Service for the Library of Congress Network of Libraries for the Blind and Physically Handicapped have been published by ASCLA. This 2011 version is the fourth iteration of ALA standards for libraries serving blind and physically handicapped individuals. They were developed by consumers, network librarians, and their administering agencies to provide a benchmark for service by which the libraries can judge their accomplishments....
ASCLA, Nov. 29

What to do before and after retirement
Retirement holds many questions for librarians, and it’s never too soon (or too late) to start asking them. Published by ALA Editions, Pre- and Post-Retirement Tips for Librarians offers insight, inspiration, and tips for those already retired as well as those thinking about retiring. In this book, edited by Carol Smallwood, a raft of veteran librarians, financial advisors, and other experts address retirement planning, early retirement, volunteering, and how to stay connected to the profession....
ALA Editions, Nov. 29

Saddle up for the Dallas Wine Trail
There are four excellent wineries in the Dallas city limits (though not downtown). On January 21, they are jointly hosting a Dallas Wine Trail in which you (or more likely your spouse or partner) can taste their wines, try their food, and visit with the staff, owners, and winemakers. Tickets go on sale December 1. You will need to provide your own transportation. If you can’t visit the wineries, at least look out for the local vintages at restaurants....
Dallas Wine Trail

Dallas Farmer’s Market
If you’re wondering where to have lunch one afternoon, head down to the farmer’s market at 1010 S. Pearl Expressway that has served Dallas as a source of fresh produce for more than 100 years. Shed 2 of the market is designed as a foodie’s delight, with vendors of specialty items, food-related products, and enticing eateries. You can get spices, gourmet cookies and pastries, fresh fudge, locally pastured meat and poultry, and cheeses. Restaurants here serve lunch Tuesday through Sunday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. It’s a 20-minute walk from the convention center, or a short hop on the #35 bus....
Dallas Farmer’s Market

It’s called “airplane mode” for a reason
Nick Bilton writes: “In my November 27 column I argued that the Federal Aviation Administration should reevaluate a rule requiring passengers to power down electronic devices before taking off and landing on airplanes. Specifically, I said that passengers should be permitted to use electronics if they were turned to airplane mode, and they should stop having phone conversations. The column seems to have touched a nerve with readers. Here I have responded to some reader questions and comments.”...
New York Times: Bits, Nov. 27–28

How to weather an airport delay
Josh Noel writes: “Though several hours on an unmoving airplane sounds as awful as any inconvenience in modern America, Mike Tomaro, a Milwaukee-based clinical psychologist who specializes in aviation-related anxiety, offers a reasonable counterpoint. Anyone who has flown between the United States and Europe has spent at least seven hours on a plane. Should any of us wind up in such a situation, he said, fool yourself. Here are some other tips for managing a long tarmac delay.” And if you are stuck at a gate in Chicago’s O’Hare Airport, you can now have food delivered to you at no extra charge with the B4 You Board app (above)....
Chicago Tribune, Nov. 15, 22

How does the American Airlines bankruptcy affect you?
Michelle Higgins writes: “American Airlines, which filed for bankruptcy November 29, is among the last of the major carriers to do so, raising predictable questions for customers about how the changes will affect them. Based on what can be gleaned from the bankruptcies of other airlines over the past few years, the general answer is that at least for the short term, the experience of flying with American will remain largely the same, though changes are likely down the road.”...
New York Times: In Transit, Nov. 29

School librarians help provide needed digital citizenship skills
According to supplemental questions asked as part of the 2011 School Libraries Count! national longitudinal survey of school library programs conducted by AASL, an overwhelming majority of schools across America are including digital citizenship—appropriate and responsible technology use—as part of their curriculum. Survey findings (PDF file) also indicate the school librarian serves as one of the primary educators when it comes to digital citizenship....
AASL, Nov. 29

Students and families have increased access to school library resources
Technology acquisitions in school libraries across the nation appear to be leveling, while remote access to school library databases is rapidly increasing. Data was collected as part of AASL’s national longitudinal survey, School Libraries Count!, conducted yearly since 2007. A steady increase in remote access was noted each year since 2007, with the 2011 results reporting that 82% of libraries participating in the survey now make databases available to students outside of school confines....
AASL, Nov. 29

Young adult author Ally Carter added to PLA 2012
PLA announced the addition of the Young Adult Author Lunch with Ally Carter to the PLA 2012 Conference March 15. Carter (right) is the New York Times best-selling author of the four books in the Gallagher Girls spy school series, including I’d Tell You I Love You, But Then I’d Have to Kill You and Only the Good Spy Young. Carter joins a remarkable collection of authors and illustrators scheduled to join PLA 2012, including: David Baldacci, Carl Hiaasen, Oscar Hijuelos, Joyce Carol Oates, Jerry Pinkney, Lisa Scottoline, and Karin Slaughter. A separate registration is required for special author events....
PLA, Nov. 29

UIUC library to digitize C&RL archive
The University Library at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign has launched a project to digitize the complete back run of ACRL’s scholarly research journal College & Research Libraries. The volunteer initiative will scan the full contents of C&RL from 1939 to 1996 and make them freely available to the public in the University of Illinois’s IDEALS institutional repository. C&RL contents from 1997 to the present are freely available through the publication’s online presence at HighWire Press....
ACRL, Nov. 29

AASL joins alliance to support literacy education
AASL joins 20 other stakeholder groups representing educational and school and community leaders in support of the new National Center for Literacy Education. NCLE, a project of the National Council of Teachers of English and the Ball Foundation, provides a clearinghouse for educator teams and schools engaged in innovative literacy education practices to share and learn from one another....
AASL, Nov. 29

AASL partners in celebrating inaugural Digital Learning Day
AASL, working together with the Alliance for Excellent Education and other national educational organizations, is calling on school librarians to participate in the inaugural national Digital Learning Day on February 1. Digital Learning Day will celebrate innovative teaching practices that make learning more personalized and engaging and encourage exploration of how digital learning can provide more students with more opportunities to get the skills they need to succeed in college, career, and life....
AASL, Nov. 29

Four ALSC online courses start January 16
ALSC announced the release of its Winter 2012 Online Education schedule. The division will offer four courses, each of which begins January 16. “Connecting with Tween Readers” examines the developmental needs for this age group; “Out of This World Youth Programming” provides innovative ideas and tips on how to plan, promote, execute, and evaluate programs; “Children with Disabilities in the Library” explores ways the library might be able to assist students with disabilities; “Information Literacy—From Preschool to High School” discusses the creation, marketing, and presentation of successful information literacy programs, and other ideas....
ALSC, Nov. 29

LITA offers two full-day workshops at Midwinter
LITA will offer two full-day workshops at the ALA Midwinter Meeting in Dallas on January 20. Mark Phillips will present “Digital Curation at the Command Line,” which provides a hands-on review of basic tools for bit-level preservation. Nina McHale and Rachel Vacek will present “Getting Started with Drupal,” which provides an introduction to the Drupal content management system. Participants should plan to bring a laptop for both workshops....
LITA, Nov. 29

ALTAFF to host Nuts & Bolts program at Midwinter
ALTAFF will host “Nuts & Bolts for Trustees, Friends, and Foundations” on January 20 at the ALA Midwinter Meeting in Dallas. The program will feature speakers who will address topics of interest to trustees, friends, foundations, and citizen advocates, followed by round table discussions geared toward each group. Keynote speaker Ron Heezen, executive director of the Shreve Memorial Library in Shreveport, Louisiana, will examine why libraries are critical. Advance registration is $50....
ALTAFF, Nov. 29

YALSA’s new webinar-on-demand
Looking for guidance with the latest topics in teen services? Look no further than YALSA’s webinars-on-demand. Previously recorded webinars, led by content experts selected by YALSA, are complimentary for YALSA members and available for purchase for nonmembers. YALSA has posted a new webinar-on-demand, “From 140 Characters to 10 Pages,” hosted by Laura Pearle (free to YALSA members/$19 for all others)....
YALSA, Nov. 29

Call for online learning proposals
RUSA is seeking proposals for webinar presentations for its 2012 series of professional development webinars that will be held from January 2012 through August 2012. RUSA webinars are an opportunity for librarians to infuse their year with professional development they can conveniently—and affordably—pursue from the comfort of their home or office. Webinars will cover topics relevant to a broad range of librarians, library staff, and library supporters. The deadline for proposals is December 31....
RUSA, Nov. 29

ALTAFF offers members 40% discount on Patron Profiles
ALTAFF is offering division members a special deal on Patron Profiles, a digital online quarterly resource from Library Journal and Bowker Pubtrack Consumer that delivers intelligence and advice based on extensive surveys of library patrons. Each issue provides in-depth results and analysis on one crucial topic facing library leaders today. For the first year, the four topics will be ebooks, the mobile library, websites and virtual services, and patron media consumption....
ALTAFF, Nov. 29

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2011 I Love My Librarian Award
The 2011 Carnegie Corporation of New York/New York Times I Love My Librarian winners will be announced next week. The 10 winners will be honored at a December 8 award ceremony at the Times Center in New York City, with a special appearance by author and attorney Caroline Kennedy. The event will also commemorate the centennial of the Carnegie Corporation of New York. All librarians and library advocates in the New York area are welcome to attend....
@ your library

Tower Hamlets Book Award
Joe Layburn’s Street Heroes (Frances Lincoln) won this year’s Tower Hamlets Book Award. The award—for books written primarily for ages 10 to 12—was announced November 25 at a ceremony at the Idea Store Whitechapel. Street Heroes is set in London’s East End and is about a boy named Georgie, whose father is a highly controversial politician whose message is to get rid of nonwhite people. Everyone assumes Georgie shares his father’s views, but while he loves his dad, he’s really not sure what he thinks. Then Georgie begins to hear a voice in his head, the voice of a Muslim girl named Fatima....
Tower Hamlets Schools Library Service (London), Nov.

2011 Sports Book of the Year
Ronald Reng has won the William Hill Sports Book of the Year Award 2011 for A Life Too Short: The Tragedy of Robert Enke (Yellow Jersey Press). Reng’s biography of the German national soccer goalkeeper who suffered from depression and took his own life in 2009 was praised by the judging panel for its powerful and insightful nature as well as its sensitivity and sincerity. First published in Germany, the book became an international bestseller....
The Guardian (U.K.), Nov. 28

Facebook settles FTC privacy charges
The social networking service Facebook has agreed to settle Federal Trade Commission charges that it deceived consumers by telling them they could keep their information on Facebook private, and then repeatedly allowing it to be shared and made public. The proposed settlement (PDF file) requires Facebook to take several steps (including privacy audits for the next 20 years) to make sure it gives consumers clear and prominent notice and obtains their express consent before information is shared beyond the settings they have established. But Lance Ulanoff asks the question: Did the FTC just ruin Facebook?...
Federal Trade Commission, Nov. 29; Mashable, Nov. 30

EU set to slap Facebook with privacy sanctions
The European Commission is preparing a directive to prevent Facebook from sharing users’ information—such as their political opinions, sexuality, religious beliefs, and location—with advertisers unless users specifically allow it. Following concerns over the privacy implications of the practice, a new EC Directive, to be introduced in early January, will be part of an update to current data protection laws. Should Facebook fail to adjust its privacy settings in compliance with the new legislation, the social network could face prosecution and/or a heavy fine....
Mashable, Nov. 28; The Telegraph (U.K.), Nov. 26

How Facebook is ruining sharing
Molly Wood writes: “I’m afraid to click any links on Facebook these days. No, it’s got nothing to do with the spam attack and the flood of nasty images making their way into news feeds all last week. Instead, it’s because the slow spread of Facebook’s Open Graph scheme is totally ruining sharing. I know you’ve seen this at the top of your news feed: a list of stories your friends have been reading. Or, simply, a single post with a great headline leading to a story that you’d really like to read. So you click it, because your friend shared it, and you really want to read it. Instead of the story, you get this (above).”...
CNET News, Nov. 18

Some school librarians welcome the noise
Buffy Hamilton (right), who calls herself “The Unquiet Librarian,” holds the phone receiver away from her ear at the Creekview High School library in Canton, Georgia, revealing a cacophony of noise in the background. Hamilton welcomes what she calls the “hum of learning”—students talking about projects, watching videos, and even singing “Happy Birthday.” In her new library role, Hamilton focuses on enhancing lessons and class projects with tools of the digital world to access, organize, and evaluate information....
Boston Herald, Nov. 25

Toronto library closures planned, union warns
The Toronto library union says city hall is moving ahead with a series of library closures and service reductions despite a promise to maintain the status quo. According to the Toronto Public Library Workers Union, City Manager Joe Pennachetti has endorsed a new consulting report calling for the closure of 15 library branches and massive cuts to service hours across the city. The union says the move flies in the face of the “clear will of City Council and the Toronto Public Library Board,” which have already rejected these options....
CTV Toronto, Nov. 25

UK Parliament to investigate library closures
As advocates throughout the United Kingdom fight to keep their local libraries open, the Culture, Media, and Sport select committee has launched an inquiry into library closures. The library inquiry will investigate whether planned library closures across the UK are compatible with the 1964 Libraries and Museums Act. The committee is asking for submissions by January 12 on what constitutes “a comprehensive and efficient library service” in the 21st century and what effect library closures have on local communities....
The Guardian (U.K.), Nov. 24

No free speech at Mr. Jefferson’s library
Peter Van Buren writes: “Morris Davis (right) was fired from his job at the Congressional Research Service for writing the article ‘Justice and Guantanamo Bay’ in the November 10, 2009, Wall Street Journal. (The irony of being fired for exercising free speech while employed at Thomas Jefferson’s library evidently escaped his bosses.) With the help of the ACLU, Davis demanded his job back. The case was heard November 10. Someday, it will likely define the free-speech rights of federal employees and so determine the quality of people who will make up our government.”...
Huffington Post, Dec. 4, 2009, Nov. 28; Wall Street Journal, Nov. 10, 2009; ABA Journal, Nov. 11

FTC extends deadline for COPPA comments
The Federal Trade Commission has extended until December 23 the deadline for the public to submit comments on proposed amendments (PDF file) to the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Rule, which gives parents control over what personal information websites and online services may collect from children under 13. To file a comment online, write “COPPA Rule Review, 16 CFR Part 312, Project No. P-104503” on the comment, and follow the instructions on the web-based form....
Federal Trade Commission, Nov. 18

Libraries borrow marketing ideas from bookstores
Throughout the downtown branch of Columbus (Ohio) Metropolitan Library, books are displayed with the covers facing out. “Staff picks” are lined up on a table; another holds books billed “As heard on NPR.” Pat Losinski, director of the library system, said, “We know that, as bookstore experts have known for years, the face-out displays matter. It casts at least a preliminary vision in the reader’s mind” of what the book is about and why it’s important....
Columbus (Ohio) Dispatch, Nov. 28

Retired librarian keeps small town organized
During her decades married to a globe-trotting government official and her time working in the collections of the Smithsonian Institution, Sharon Howe Sweeting sampled a wide variety of international cultures. Since moving back to her birthplace, Cherry Creek, New York, after a far-flung career, she has worked hard to preserve its history. Among her efforts was modernizing and organizing the Cherry Creek Town Museum, using the skills she gained as a librarian and archivist, after taking over as town historian in 2009....
Buffalo (N.Y.) News, Nov. 25

Washington digital project helps libraries preserve history
Since 2006, the Washington State Library’s Washington Rural Heritage project has been helping the state’s smallest libraries not only preserve community history but digitize it and make it part of a website accessible to all. With the help of an Institute of Museum and Library Service grant, libraries in communities with a population of 25,000 or less have applied to Rural Heritage for funds up to $10,000. Twenty-five libraries across the state now have historic documents online and seven more are working on their collections....
Seattle Times, Nov. 27

$10,000 raised for Flint Public Library
When author and filmmaker Michael Moore spoke at Whiting Auditorium in Flint, Michigan, November 22, he brought with him more than just stories to share from his new memoir Here Comes Trouble. He brought 2,000 copies of his book he had purchased from his publisher, ready to sell them at the free public event, giving 100% of the proceeds to the Flint Public Library. Library Director Kay Schwartz said the event raised about $10,000....
Flint (Mich.) Journal, Nov. 23

Still images promoting moving pictures
“Most of what makes people want to go to the movies now was developed and used at the beginning of the development of film,” said Barbara Cohen-Stratyner, a curator at the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts and the organizer of “The Birth of Promotion: Inventing Film Publicity in the Silent-Film Era,” an exhibition that runs through February 25 in the library’s Lincoln Center gallery. The exhibition covers the early period in the form of the newsletters—the Edison Kinetogram, the Kalem Kalendar, the Lubin Bulletin—sent to theater owners and operators of film exchanges. Watch the promotional video (0:59)....
New York Times, Nov. 23; YouTube, Nov. 2

British Library puts 19th-century newspapers online
Four million pages of newspapers from the 18th and 19th centuries are now available online through the British Library, in what head of newspapers Ed King calls “a digital Aladdin’s Cave” for researchers. The British Newspaper Archive is a partnership between the library and digital publishing firm Brightsolid, which has been scanning 8,000 pages a day from the library’s vast archive for the past year and plans to digitize 40 million pages over the next decade. Access to the archive onsite is free; offsite access can be purchased for 2 days, 30 days, or 12 months....
Associated Press, Nov. 29; British Newspaper Archive

Rape victim sues library architect, contractor
The family of the East Bay High School student who was brutally beaten and raped outside the Bloomingdale Regional branch of the Tampa–Hillsborough County (Fla.) Public Library System in April 2008, is suing the companies that designed and built the facility where the attack occurred. In the suit filed November 14, the family said the design and construction of the library, built in 2005, contributed to the attack. At issue is the design of the after-hours book drop, which requires patrons to exit their vehicles and walk to the after-hours container, where the rapist first approached the victim....
Tampa (Fla.) Tribune, Nov. 23

Statue stolen from Albuquerque branch
An outdoor sculpture beloved by library patrons and with deep personal meaning for its creator has vanished from the prominent location it occupied for years at the Juan Tabo branch of the Albuquerque (N.Mex.) Public Library. Whether the thief or thieves mistakenly thought the statue of a boy reading a book was made of valuable bronze or stole it for some other reason remains a mystery. Library staff said they saw the statue of the little boy named Shaun when they came into work November 23, but it was gone by noon. Watch the newscast (2:24)....
KRQE-TV, Albuquerque, Nov. 24

Flagler County library gazebo vandalized
A gazebo dedicated to the “founding mother” of the Flagler County (Fla.) Public Library will be replaced with a sturdier pavilion-style structure better able to sustain the assault of vandals. What remained of the gazebo dedicated on September 22, 2001, to the late Sandra Rose Friedman was removed in early November, said library director Holly Albanese. The gazebo had been under a steady attack for years by vandals who damaged its screens, benches, and intricate wood pieces....
Daytona Beach (Fla.) News-Journal, Nov. 24

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Early Bird registration for the Midwinter Meeting closes December 2.

How to Get a Great Job: Resume-Writing 101 Donna Seaman Interviews Elizabeth Berg Libraries Offer Financial Education Scott Turow: 'Libraries need our support. Get involved.' 'Nobody's Perfect': Billy Wilder's Some Like It Hot ACC Basketball Is Still the Best Resources for Caregivers: 'Who has time to read when you’re going through all that stuff?' Join Us on Facebook Subscribe to our Newsletter

Europe gives the U.S. a lesson in internet due process
Derrick Harris writes: “On November 24, a European court struck down a rule imposing network-monitoring responsibility on an ISP with regard to copyright infringement, and experts believe the decision could help rein in the spread of SOPA-like laws throughout Europe. Meanwhile, the highly controversial Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA), which imposes heavy burdens on service providers to sniff out and stop infringing activity, looks likely to pass once U.S. lawmakers actually get around to voting on it.”...
GigaOM, Nov. 29; CIO, Nov. 24

Decline in consumers seeking health information
In 2010, 50% of American adults sought information about a personal health concern, down from 56% in 2007, according to a new national study from the Center for Studying Health System Change. The likelihood of people seeking information from the internet and from friends and relatives changed little between 2007 and 2010, but their use of hardcopy books, magazines, and newspapers dropped by nearly half to 18%. This was most pronounced among older Americans, people with chronic conditions, and people with less education—some of the more vulnerable subgroups....
Center for Studying Health System Change, Nov.

Rethinking “quality” in the research library
Rick Anderson writes: “I’m going to suggest something that may seem crazy on its face. Research libraries need to worry less about the objective quality of the books they acquire, and instead focus on another property, at once more concrete and more elusive—utility. The obvious and reasonable retort to such a suggestion would be ‘How useful can a low-quality book be?’ Let’s start by considering two books, both of which, one could reasonably argue, are objectively bad, though each in a different way.”...
The Scholarly Kitchen, Nov. 28

Dealing with politicized reference questions
Amanda Maddock writes: “I’ve often found myself faced with reference interactions where a patron is looking for sources in favor of a position for which there is a lack of academic support. Some of these issues have been barred as research topics by professors who feel that abortion, gun rights, and gay rights often produce limited and repetitive arguments in student papers. As a librarian, however, I do not have the luxury of telling patrons that their topics won’t work. I’m there to provide objective information access, even if the topic in question challenges my own ideas of what is objective.”...
Letters to a Young Librarian, Nov. 28

John Cotton Dana and The Men of Letters
Larry Nix writes: “Although John Cotton Dana is best known in the library profession for his advocacy of library public relations, one of the things that I admire most about him was his sense of humor. I have in my collection a four-page publication titled The Men of Letters (May 1913) published by the Elm Tree Press in Woodstock, Vermont. It begins with a letter, supposedly published in the Newark (N.J.) Evening News, that was instigated by Dana when he was director of the Newark Public Library.”...
Library History Buff Blog, Nov. 29

Are you a 21st-century librarian?
Steve Matthews writes: “How does one measure his or her own librarianship to determine whether he or she is a 21st-century librarian? Over the past two years I have reviewed hundreds of articles and reports and blog posts that discuss scores of 21st-century library and librarianship ideas, concepts, and actions. What I have collected and outlined is an initial list of the major characteristics that will certainly tell you whether you are on the right path.”...
21st Century Library Blog, Nov. 28

Is librarianship in crisis?
Aaron Tay writes: “Librarians are worriers, and one thing we like to worry a lot about is the future of libraries. Veronica Arellano, however, thinks that we should stop writing about it. She has a point that too much negativity can be self-fulfilling, and we need to be careful not to drive away young, passionate people in our profession by being too negative. That said, I do not totally agree that the problems and dangers facing librarianship are always exaggerated, and that everything is fine and dandy.”...
Musings about Librarianship, Nov. 25; The Formerly Freelance Librarian, Aug. 4

12 citation generators
Julie Greller writes: “A few days ago, my niece asked me for information about how to format a bibliography. I couldn’t help but tell her the story of how when I was in high school we had to follow a formula that the teacher provided in a handout. There are now free programs that will practically do all the work for you, including putting your bibliography in a Microsoft Word document. So I sent her a small list of my favorite programs, and then expanded the list here.”...
A Media Specialist’s Guide to the Internet, Nov. 26

Automating libraries: An annotated bibliography
The ALA Library has updated its fact sheet on library automation. It offers a selection of print and online resources that provide an introduction to the issues to consider when selecting a tool that provides patron access and circulation inventory for your library’s collection of books, DVDs, and any other materials....
ALA Library Fact Sheet no. 21

Beginners’ impressions of genealogy
James Tanner writes: “I have been helping three ladies just starting out in genealogy and they had some interesting and consistent comments. Their knowledge about what they were getting into was extremely limited. They had no prior experience in doing research and had fair computer skills. In each case, I spent more than the normal few minutes helping a patron at the Mesa (Ariz.) Regional Family History Center. So what were their initial impressions?”...
Genealogy’s Star, Nov. 20

The Bodleian’s treasures on display
Cynthia Haven writes: “As you enter the darkened room, a 1623 Shakespeare First Folio is to your right. Enigmatic scraps of a poem by Sappho are to your left. And all around you the wonders of the world: Weighted with heavy seals, a 1217 engrossment of the Magna Carta is nearby. In the corner of one glass case lies an exquisite 18th-century miniature scroll of the Bhagavad Gita, which shines like a cache of jewels. The Bodleian Library’s ‘Treasures of the Bodleian,’ on display through December 23, shows some of the Oxford library’s most important and most evocative rarities.” Watch the series of videos describing the exhibit....
Stanford University: The Book Haven, Nov. 26; YouTube, Nov. 2

My three favorite collections of private papers
Jillian Dunham writes: “To check some facts on the multiple-personality poster girl Sybil, a photo researcher and I headed to the special collections room at John Jay College of Criminal Justice, which houses transcripts of Sybil’s psychotherapy sessions. Going through the boxes of Sybil’s late biographer, Flora Rheta Schreiber, which also contain her personal letters and photographs, impressed me with the intimacy of such collections. Here are some striking private details from the archives of three great public figures.”...
New York Times: The 6th Floor, Oct. 18

To survive, indie bookstores need to act more like Amazon
What can indie bookstores do to keep from dying out? Rich Adin writes: “First, if your local pizzeria can offer free delivery, why can’t your local indie store? Amazon’s delivery is quick, but indie delivery could be quicker, and we all know how unwilling we are to wait. Second, if the store is not already a corporation, make it one. Then create a nonvoting class of stock, and give one share for every $250 in purchases. Give the local book-buying public a direct stake in your success. Third, create a special members-only club. Amazon does this, and even some indies have their clubs—but none of them are really special.”...
An American Editor, Nov. 28

Public libraries in the news in Africa
Public libraries made headlines in Africa in November after meetings in which government officials and library leaders discussed the findings of a study on the role of public libraries in contributing to national and local development. The research is part of a six-country study, Perceptions of Public Libraries in Africa, conducted by the European nonprofit Electronic Information for Libraries. The countries studied were Uganda, Kenya, Ethiopia, Tanzania, Ghana, and Zimbabwe....
Electronic Information for Libraries, Nov. 15

Libraries as art
An exhibition titled “Library Science,” now on display at the Artspace gallery in New Haven, Connecticut, celebrates the inspirational effect libraries can have on the creative artist and how artists can highlight not only individual libraries through their work but also bring attention to some of the bigger issues facing modern libraries. The online exhibition catalog shows works by all of the 17 international artists featured in the exhibit, as well as information about visiting the gallery and satellite projects in other parts of the state....
Library As Incubator Project, Nov. 28; Artspace gallery

To Have App Have Not
Overdue Masterpiece Theatre presents a Kansas City (Mo.) Public Library production (1:53). A stranded Hemingway novel contemplates life, duty, morality, and mobile apps in the company of another literary lost soul. “If only Mrs. Fleming knew about the new KC Library mobile application, she could renew me with the push of a button.”...
YouTube, Nov. 11

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