The e-newsletter of the American Library Association | October 12, 2011
Contents
American Libraries Online
ALA News
Booklist Online
Dallas Update
Division News
Awards & Grants
Seen Online
Tech Talk
E-Content
Books and Reading
Actions & Answers
New This Week
Calendar
The school libraries crisis: All hands on deck
“All hands on deck” is the message ALA President Molly Raphael (right) is sending about funding for school library programs. Her Presidential Task Force on School Libraries is made up of members from all facets of the library profession, and in that spirit she’s calling on library practitioners to get involved in the crisis affecting school libraries. Here is the text of her message, which is being emailed to all ALA members this week....
AL: Inside Scoop, Oct. 11
Internet Librarian: Steve Jobs, 1955–2011
Joseph Janes writes: “Steve Jobs was a fascinating and multifaceted personality: design guru, lifestyle icon, movie mogul, technological soothsayer. I have to admit that the depth and emotion that have characterized the response to his death surprised me; people are leaving flowers, notes, and in a charmingly wistful vein, apples minus single bites at Apple stores. He would have appreciated the simple, even stark memorial front page on the Apple website (right); for that matter, he might well have approved it.” The Chicago Tribune has a gallery of best Steve Jobs quotes, Ryan Tate points out a few things that others are too polite to say about Jobs, and Stanford University has a video (2:33) about its Apple archives....
American Libraries column; Chicago Tribune, Oct. 6; Gawker, Oct. 7; YouTube, Aug. 25
Talk to teens: They are still listening
Elaine Meyers and Virginia A. Walter write: “In 1999, teens were asking libraries to provide the latest technologies. No one anticipated the future described by the Kaiser Family Foundation’s January 2010 Generation M2: Media in the Lives of 8–18 Year-Olds (PDF file). The report confirmed librarians’ suspicions that teens spend a relatively small amount of time with print media (about 38 minutes a day), and are even able to cram 10 hours and 45 minutes worth of media into their nearly eight hours of daily media time.”...
American Libraries feature
What’s new (and old) at Amazon
Christopher Harris writes: “Amazon has been making headlines in the ebook world recently with its Kindle Fire launch. Now it is back in the spotlight with a new kerfuffle over exclusive content deals. Kindle lending on OverDrive was supposed to be the answer for many of the woes libraries face regarding lending ebooks. Was this a sign that Amazon was finally going to embrace EPUB like the rest of the ebook world? Was OverDrive going to become a more open and easily accessed platform? Maybe not so much.”...
AL: E-Content, Oct. 11
The Bibliotheca Alexandrina and the Egyptian Revolution
Amany Zakaria el-Ramady writes: “In light of the tremendous societal, economic, and political changes brought about by Egypt’s 2011 revolution, I think that Egyptian libraries should be the mind and soul of the new Egyptian community. Fortunately, one of the libraries that has taken that initiative is the Bibliotheca Alexandrina, which has held numerous activities in support of the revolution following the popular uprising that began on January 25.”...
AL: Global Reach, Oct. 11
AL International Digital Supplement available
The latest American Libraries Digital Supplement is now available online. It includes all the information that appeared in the limited-edition issue provided to attendees of the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions conference in Puerto Rico in August, as well as coverage of the IFLA conference and three special features on international issues....
American Libraries, Oct. 12
It’s everyone’s job to report challenges
On the heels of Banned Books Week, the Office for Intellectual Freedom is kicking off a new awareness campaign to increase the reporting of challenges to library materials. “Defend the Freedom to Read: It’s Everybody’s Job” is an awareness campaign conceived by librarian and library activist Andy Woodworth. OIF has commissioned the creation of original downloadable art to help spread the word. Challenges or removals can be reported either online or by paper form (PDF file). Woodworth says the campaign was “born out of learning about the dismal estimate that only one in four book challenges or removals are reported to the OIF.” Watch the video (1:09)....
Office for Intellectual Freedom, Oct. 6; Agnostic, Maybe, Oct. 6; YouTube, Oct. 6
Know any cutting-edge technologists?
The Office for Information Technology Policy and LITA are soliciting nominations for best library practices using cutting-edge technology. A joint committee of members from the Subcommittee on America’s Libraries for the 21st Century and LITA will review all nominations and may conduct selected interviews or site visits to identify those libraries that are truly offering a best practice or most innovative service....
Office for Information Technology Policy, Oct. 6
Sites and itineraries announced for Lincoln traveling exhibition
The ALA Public Programs Office, in partnership with the National Constitution Center and the National Endowment for the Humanities, has announced the itineraries and site libraries for the traveling exhibition “Lincoln: The Constitution and the Civil War.” Some 200 sites—including libraries, museums, community centers, heritage organizations, and institutions of higher learning—will host the exhibition for a period of six weeks each from August 2011 through December 2015....
Public Programs Office, Oct. 11
Engage a new base of volunteers
Find out how you can engage skill-based library-community volunteers in your public library at a free October 19 WebJunction webinar, “Innovative Use of Skill-based Volunteers in Public Libraries,” cosponsored by ALA TechSource. Eileen Dumas and Preston Driggers, coauthors of the ALA Editions book Managing Library Volunteers, will moderate the webinar. Panelists are Gail Zachariah and Sonja Plummer-Morgan. Visit WebJunction to register....
ALA TechSource, Oct. 11
Free webinar on PLFTAS
ALA TechSource and the Office for Research and Statistics will cosponsor with WebJunction the November 1 webinar “2011 Public Library Funding and Technology Access Study: Results, Trends, and Resources.” PLFTAS is a multiyear project that assesses the public’s access to computers, the internet, and internet-related services in U.S. public libraries, as well as the impact of library funding changes on connectivity, technology deployment, and sustainability. Register for the webinar at WebJunction....
ALA TechSource, Oct. 11
@ Visit Booklist Online for other reviews and much more.... |
Delving into Dallas
Dallas, Texas, the site of ALA’s 2012 Midwinter Meeting, January 20–24, is the fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States, with the nation’s largest urban arts district, a battalion of celebrity chefs, the Southwest’s best shopping, and a year-round national sports spotlight. The Dallas Convention and Visitors Bureau has developed a special ALA website with all the local information. You can request (or view online) a free Visit Dallas magazine that will steer you to the best area dining, shopping, and events....
Dallas Convention and Visitors Bureau
Travel apps that really help
Brett Snyder writes: “There are seemingly millions of smartphone apps out there designed to make traveling easier, but not all of them are very good. Every company seems to think that it needs an app to be cool, but not every app is worth the effort. Here are some of the apps that I find to be most helpful while on the road.”...
CNN, Oct. 3
ALSC releases Children’s Graphic Novel Core Collection
In recognition of the importance of graphic novels for children, ALSC directed its Quicklists Consulting Committee to create a list of titles for public librarians serving elementary school-age children (K–8). The result is the Children’s Graphic Novel Core Collection. The list includes classics as well as new titles that have been widely recommended and well-reviewed and books that have popular appeal as well as critical acclaim....
ALSC, Oct. 10
Just launched: The AASL11 mobile app
Build your own personalized schedule to help you plan your conference experience. The new AASL11 Mobile App and AASL11 Mobile Website provide attendees access and updates to the conference agenda, session descriptions, exhibitor directory, local area info, and latest AASL11 news. For more information, see the AASL11 website....
AASL, Oct. 11
ACRL signs Berlin Open Access Declaration
ACRL has joined the growing ranks of signatories to the Berlin Declaration on Open Access to Knowledge in the Sciences and the Humanities and encourages college and research libraries, as well as other campus groups, to do likewise. The declaration builds on the significant progress of the Budapest Open Access Initiative, calling for open access to knowledge in the humanities as well as in the sciences....
ACRL Insider, Oct. 7
Wanted: A few good ACRLog bloggers
ACRLog is looking for new bloggers to join its team. If you’re an academic librarian with a knack for blogging who is willing to write a few posts per month on topics of interest to your fellow academic librarians, send a short note to Maura Smale....
ACRL Insider, Oct. 11
Libraries, linked data, and the Semantic Web
ALCTS is presenting a symposium on “Libraries, Linked Data, and the Semantic Web: Positioning Our Catalogs to Participate in the 21st Century Global Information Marketplace” on January 20 at the ALA Midwinter Meeting in Dallas. Speakers include Peter Brantley, Karen Coyle, Corey A. Harper, Eric Miller, and Ross Singer. You can register for this important symposium through the ALA Midwinter Meeting registration site....
ALCTS, Oct. 10
ALCTS virtual symposium
“Launching Your Star Potential: Leadership for Today’s Libraries,” an ALCTS virtual symposium, launches January 9 and continues throughout that week with five thought-provoking presentations from outstanding content leaders. Registration is open. Discounted registration for all five and group rates are available. Current student members of ALA can sign up for free....
ALCTS, Oct. 11
Public Libraries needs columnists and articles
Public librarians have a unique opportunity to shine professionally when they contribute to Public Libraries, PLA’s peer-written, peer-reviewed bimonthly journal. PLA is currently looking to fill vacancies for two columns and find contributing writers to a feature issue on ebooks. The columns with openings are “Passing Notes,” a column that explores young adult service, and “The Wired Library,” a column that explores web topics relevant to public librarians. Potential columnists should send a note to Public Libraries Editor Kathleen Hughes by November 21. Features can be submitted through the website....
PLA, Oct. 11
PLA’s “Turning the Page 2.0” advocacy training
Registration closes October 18 for the fall session of “Turning the Page 2.0.” This free online course provides public library advocacy training in a uniquely interactive and personal format. The six-week program runs from the week of October 31 through the week of December 12....
PLA, Oct. 11
Call for presentations: Reference Research Forum
The RUSA Research and Statistics Committee invites the submission of research projects for presentation at the 18th Reference Research Forum at the 2012 ALA Annual Conference in Anaheim, California. All researchers, including reference practitioners from all types of libraries, library school faculty and students, and other interested individuals are encouraged to submit a proposal. The deadline for submissions to Qiana Johnson is January 2....
RUSA Blog, Oct. 10
ASCLA seeks proposals for 2012 webinars
ASCLA is seeking proposals for webinar presentations to be held from January 2012 through August 2012. These online learning events will be open to all interested librarians, staff, and library supporters and will cover topics relevant to a similarly broad group of professionals. Proposals may be submitted online....
ASCLA, Oct. 11
New Library Consultant Interest Group
ASCLA welcomes the Library Consultant Interest Group to its list of active member interest groups. LCIG replaces the former Independent Librarians Exchange (ILEX) special interest section of ASCLA. Membership is open to all ALA members. The group will offer programs and other opportunities for independent librarians, library consultants and others who want to push the boundaries of librarianship....
ASCLA, Oct. 11
Patterson Copyright Award: Call for nominations
Nominations for the L. Ray Patterson Copyright Award, which honors particular individuals or groups who “embody the spirit of the U.S. Copyright law,” are now open. Persons or groups who have made significant contributions in the areas of academia, law, politics, public policy, libraries, or library education in the pursuit of copyright principles are eligible. Send letters of nomination to Carrie Russell by February 15....
District Dispatch, Oct. 11
LIS student authors wanted
LITA is offering an award for the best unpublished manuscript submitted by a student or students enrolled in an ALA-accredited graduate program. Sponsored by Ex Libris, the LITA/Ex Libris Student Writing Award consists of $1,000, publication in LITA’s refereed journal Information Technology and Libraries (ITAL), and a certificate. The deadline for submissions is February 28....
LITA, Oct. 10
Loleta D. Fyan Grant call for proposals
The Office for Research and Statistics is now accepting applications for the Loleta D. Fyan Grant. The grant of up to $5,000 is to be used for the development and improvement of public libraries and the services they provide. The deadline for submissions is December 12....
ALA Office for Research and Statistics, Oct. 10
Baber Research Grant call for proposals
The Office for Research and Statistics is now accepting applications for the Carroll Preston Baber Research Grant. The grant of up to $3,000 is given to one or more librarians or library educators who will conduct innovative research that could lead to an improvement in services to any specified group of people. The deadline for submissions is December 12....
ALA Office for Research and Statistics, Oct. 10
National Medal for Museum and Library Service
Supporters of outstanding museums and libraries are encouraged to nominate these institutions for the National Medal for Museum and Library Service, the nation’s highest honor for exemplary museum and library community service. The National Medal honors museums and libraries that make extraordinary civic, educational, economic, environmental, and social contributions. Medal winners receive $10,000 and are honored at a National Medal award ceremony held in Washington, D.C. The deadline for nominations is December 15....
Institute of Museum and Library Services, Oct. 6
Vancouver librarian named Washington Teacher of the Year
Mark Ray (right), a teacher-librarian at Skyview High School in Vancouver, Washington, was named the 2012 Washington Teacher of the Year on October 3, besting eight more traditional teachers from across the state. He said he plans to use the award to advocate for the importance of school libraries. Ray won the honor, given annually by the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction, because of his enthusiasm and creativity....
Seattle Times, Oct. 3
2011 Nobel Prize for Literature
Swedish poet Tomas Tranströmer (right), 80, joined a long list of lesser-known writers who have won the $1.45-million prize since the Nobel committee began handing it out in 1901. Tranströmer may be unfamiliar to many American readers, but he was the subject of a Washington Post profile in 1986, his work has been translated into more than 60 languages, and his name has been kicked around among the Nobel-selecting crowd for years....
Washington Post, Oct. 6; Apr. 2, 1986
5 Under 35 honorees
The National Book Foundation will recognize the 2011 honorees of 5 Under 35, five young fiction writers selected by National Book Award winners and finalists, on November 14 in Brooklyn. This year’s celebration will be hosted by filmmaker John Waters and poet Patricia Smith. The honorees are Shani Boianjiu, Danielle Evans, Mary Beth Keane, Melinda Moustakis, and John Corey Whaley....
National Book Foundation
John Burnside wins Forward Poetry Prize
After being shortlisted in 2000, 2005, and 2007, there was a pleasing sense of “about time” to the news that John Burnside had finally won the Forward Poetry Prize for Best Collection for Black Cat Bone. The Scottish poet was handed the £10,000 ($15,675 U.S.) award at a ceremony in London on October 5. Rachael Boast was the winner in the Best First Collection category for Sidereal....
The Guardian (U.K.), Oct. 5
Dagger Awards
The final three Crime Writers’ Association Dagger Awards of the 2011 season were announced at the Specsavers Crime Thriller Awards ceremony held in London on October 7. Tom Franklin’s Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter (Macmillan) won the Gold Dagger Award, while the Ian Fleming Steel Dagger went to The Lock Artist (Orion) by Steve Hamilton, with Before I Go to Sleep (Doubleday) by S. J. Watson taking the John Creasey (New
Blood) Dagger....
Crime Writers’ Association, Oct. 7
2011 German Book Prize
The winner of the German Book Prize 2011 is Eugen Ruge for his novel In Zeiten des abnehmenden Lichts (Rowohlt). “Eugen Ruge’s family saga is a reflection of East German history. . . . His book tells the story of the socialist utopia, the price demanded of the individual, and its gradual extinction,” said the seven-member jury in explaining its decision. The prize honors the best German-language novel of the year to coincide with the start of the Frankfurt Book Fair....
Deutscher Buchpreis 2011
FCC announces massive broadband initiative
On October 12, FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski announced a national public-private partnership program designed to increase broadband adoption, elevate digital literacy, and assist Americans in searching and training for jobs. Connect2Compete, launched in partnership with the Knight Foundation and other nonprofit and business leaders, intends to reduce service costs, expand digital literacy training, and make the internet more relevant to people’s lives. Genachowski did mention libraries and librarians in his remarks (PDF file), as Bobbi Newman points out....
FCC, Oct. 12; Knight Blog, Oct. 12; Librarian by Day, Oct. 12
Citing New York, Chicago mayor eyes library cuts
Chicago’s public libraries will reduce their hours in 2012, even as the city continues to build new libraries, Mayor Rahm Emanuel acknowledged October 11. Emanuel defended the library cuts built into his 2012 budget, saying they’re a small price to pay at a time when other major cities, like New York, are closing libraries. Sources said the reduced hours will be concentrated on two days, including Mondays, when library usage is the lowest....
Chicago Sun-Times, Oct. 11
Alec Baldwin offers $10K to Central Falls library
Actor Alec Baldwin has a soft spot for the struggling Adams Memorial Library in Central Falls, Rhode Island. On October 3, Jerauld Adams (right), chairman of the library’s board of trustees, was working the front desk when he took a call from Baldwin, who said: “I’d like to give you $10,000.” Baldwin told Adams he was moved by a feature in the October 1 New York Times that talked about the city’s problems and how the state-appointed receiver was forced to fire six of the library’s staff to pare a projected deficit of $5.6 million this year. This donation brings the total amount of money raised to $40,000....
Providence (R.I.) Journal, Oct. 6; WPRI-TV, Providence, Oct. 7
Photos from the Occupy Wall Street Library
Hungarian artist Gabriella Csoszó has posted a series of photographs of the People’s Library on her blog Public Image. The photos reveal often overlooked layers of the processing of the books, the architecture of the spaces built to hold them, and the ways the labels and systems are edited and reedited as the collection changes and grows....
Occupy Wall Street Library blog, Oct. 10; Public Image, Oct. 9
Ad firm helped fund Troy book-burning campaign
A secretive political action committee that incensed Troy, Michigan, residents by calling for a “book-burning party” before the city’s August 2 library millage vote submitted documents to county election officials showing a major Detroit advertising agency had funded the group. Leo Burnett Detroit in Troy provided $3,476 in cash and $69,120 in advertising materials to Safeguarding American Families, according to an October 3 Oakland County document....
Detroit Free Press, Oct. 10
Court to reexamine Washington library web filters
Central Washington’s library system will head back to federal court October 25 to further argue its filtering of public internet access. The hearing in Richland before U.S. District Court Judge Edward F. Shea will consider motions left dangling after the Washington Supreme Court in 2010 upheld the North Central Regional Library district practice of narrowly filtering internet pages related to pornography and gambling. Some federal questions remain to be decided, including the plaintiffs’ claim that the state ruling abridges free speech under the U.S. Constitution....
Wenatchee (Wash.) World, Oct. 6
New Hampshire ILL system in jeopardy
New Hampshire State Rep. Steve Vaillancourt (R-Manchester) has put the wheels in motion to eliminate three of the state’s four federally-funded vans (right) that make its Inter Library Lending system possible. In an amendment to the state budget, buried in HB 2, is a three-sentence paragraph introduced by Vaillancourt requiring the state Department of Cultural Resources to review the federal guidelines by which the library vans are funded, then submit a report to the house finance committee by November 30 that identifies other ways to use the $280,000 in federal money within the library system....
Nashua (N.H.) Patch, Oct. 8
Gov. Brown signs library privatization bill
Under a bill signed by California Gov. Jerry Brown, private companies will be required to prove that they would save taxpayers money should they take over a public library. AB438, sponsored by Assemblyman Das Williams (D-Santa Barbara), is designed to restrict the privatization of public libraries. Brown’s office announced the signing October 8. Marci Merola, director of the ALA Office for Library Advocacy, said, “California has spoken loudly and clearly about the need for public libraries to remain in the control of the public. It sets a precedent that many states can emulate.”...
Associated Press, Oct. 8; Library Journal, Oct. 10
Lisle library noticed when unusual title was missing
One title caught the eye of the Lisle (Ill.) Library staff on a list of “ex library” books for sale over the internet. That book, a history of DuPage County that was suspiciously missing from the small library’s stacks, stood out as administrators pored over the list found on a book cart in the library. Four months later, James F. Jackson was charged with three counts of felony theft and accused of removing thousands of dollars worth of reference books, DVDs, and other materials from the library....
Lisle (Ill.) TribLocal, Oct. 4
Ex-student gets probation for documents theft
A former Drew University student who swiped 31 valuable historical documents from the university’s United Methodist Archives Center in Madison, New Jersey, was sentenced October 7 to three years’ probation and 300 hours of community service. William Scott was ordered by U.S. District Court Judge Renee Marie Bumb in Camden, New Jersey, to fulfill the community service by working with underprivileged people....
Morristown (N.J.) Daily Record, Oct. 7
Manitowoc librarian dies at 108
Merle Pickett died October 7, less than a month shy of her 109th birthday. Born on October 23, 1902, the Spencer, Wisconsin, native had been a resident at St. Mary’s at Felician Village in Manitowoc. For 43 years, she served the Manitowoc School District, retiring in 1968 after serving as a teacher, librarian, and assistant principal of Washington Junior High. She earned a bachelor’s degree in library science from the University of Minnesota in 1946....
Manitowoc (Wis.) Herald Times Reporter, Oct. 8
Library aided Tuscaloosa residents after tornado
After a tornado tore a 5.9-mile gash across Tuscaloosa, Alabama, on April 27, the library was one of the few public places to still have electricity and internet access. For days, the library became a key part of what Library Director Mary Elizabeth Harper described as “the entire community response to the disaster,” and it was a role she and other members of the library staff happily provided....
Tuscaloosa (Ala.) News, Oct. 10
Pace University library treated for bedbugs
Bedbugs discovered in the Henry Birnbaum Library at Pace University in New York City forced a one-day closure on October 10. The school notified students and staff that the pests were found by workers rearranging computers in a back room. After it was confirmed the bugs were bedbugs, the library closed and exterminators were brought in who treated one small infested area. Gothamist first reported the story....
WNBC-TV, New York, Oct. 11; Gothamist, Oct. 11
Salvaged books return to Lancaster Public Library
On May 17, a furious downpour overwhelmed a rooftop drain at the Lancaster (Pa.) Public Library and funneled water through the second-floor Teen Reading Room and down into the Gerald Lestz Reading Room below. About 500 books—about a quarter of the library’s Lancaster Collection—were soaked in the flood. Now, after freeze-drying and conservation, all of the books (except for an 1812 English-German dictionary by Henry Muhlenberg) are back on the shelves and available to readers....
Lancaster (Pa.) Intelligencer Journal, Oct. 5
Farewell, Statistical Abstract
Robert J. Samuelson writes: “The Census Bureau has just published the 2012 edition of the Statistical Abstract of the United States, which, barring a minor miracle, will be the last. Census didn’t include the Stat Abstract (as it’s known to its many fans) in the 2012 budget, and Congress hasn’t seen fit to overrule the agency. So it’s curtains. I’ve been covering government for more than four decades, and this is one of the worst decisions I’ve seen. That’s why I devoted a column to it six weeks ago and why I’m returning to it now.”...
Washington Post: PostPartisan, Aug. 21, Oct. 4
Chicago’s YOUmedia expands teens’ media literacy
On the ground floor of Chicago’s Harold Washington Library Center, an odd experiment is taking place, one that could determine what your neighborhood library looks like in 10 years. Once a storage room at the downtown library, the high-ceiling, 5,500-square-foot space, dubbed “YOUmedia—a Digital Library Space for Teens,” has become a magnet for young people citywide, so popular and influential that the library plans to replicate it citywide....
USA Today, Oct. 9
New York public architecture gets a facelift
Michael Kimmelman writes: “Designed by 1100 Architect with an interior by Lee H. Skolnick Architecture and Design Partnership, the Children’s Library Discovery Center at Queens Library is part of a quiet revolution reshaping the city’s public architecture. Piecemeal across the five boroughs, New York is gradually being remade. Under David J. Burney, commissioner for the Department of Design and Construction, fresh architectural standards have been added to the city’s infrastructure and, often, to poor, middle-, and working-class neighborhoods that have long been overlooked.”...
New York Times, Oct. 10
Yakima library voyeur sentenced
A man caught spying on women in a bathroom at the Yakima (Wash.) Central Library was sentenced October 6 to 45 days in jail. The case raised eyebrows within the Yakima Police Department, where detectives complained that Yakima Valley Regional Library Director Kim Hixson seemed reluctant to assist in the investigation. Hixson acknowledged that she had been initially hesitant to assist the investigation for patron privacy reasons but once she better understood the complaint, she told other library staff that patron safety was a paramount interest....
Yakima (Wash.) Herald-Republic, Oct. 6
Baryshnikov archives to the Performing Arts library
Russian-American dancer Mikhail Baryshnikov has donated a cache of personal recordings, photographs, documents, letters, and scrapbooks to the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts. Jan Schmidt, curator of the library’s Jerome Robbins Dance Division, said Baryshnikov’s superstar status would draw scholars, students, and the general public to the collection. She estimated it would take three years for the library to copy the videotapes into a digital format and to catalog all the material....
New York Times, Oct. 5
Library books defaced by prankster playwright Joe Orton
Mark Brown writes: “As crimes go, it was not the most heinous of offenses, but UK law clerk Sidney Porrett made it his mission to nab the perpetrators. They were the playwright Joe Orton and his boyfriend and later murderer Kenneth Halliwell, and the crimes were taking library books and returning them with comedy collages on the dust jackets. After a fruitless investigation that involved undercover librarians, Porrett eventually caught the pair in an elaborate sting operation and they went down for six months each in 1962.”...
The Guardian (U.K.), Oct. 11; Joe Orton Online
Everything you need to know about iOS 5 in seven minutes
Adam Dachis writes: “Apple has finalized the next version of its operating system, iOS 5, and it’s a pretty big upgrade. Here’s a look at all the new stuff you can expect when you install it on your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch. Be sure to watch the video (7:13) for a demonstration of practically everything mentioned here.”...
Lifehacker, Oct. 12; YouTube, Oct. 3
Why iOS 5 is a big deal
Josh Lowensohn writes: “iOS 5, which made its debut at Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference in June, marks a turning point for the company’s mobile software. For the first time, the software breaks iOS devices apart from computers running Apple’s iTunes software and goes further to try to unify the devices into the same family. For the last four major versions of iOS, Apple has demanded that users plug into a computer—be it a Mac or PC—to sync music, ferry over data, and grab software updates. Now those features are built into iOS itself.“...
CNET News: Apple Talk, Oct. 11
Counting retweets
Phil Bradley writes: “I got asked, ‘How can I count the number of retweets that I get?’ There are a number of options available. First of all, Twitter tells you when you’ve been retweeted by email. Login to Twitter, go to your Settings option (top right), choose Notifications and make sure that the Activity/My tweets are retweeted box is checked. Other options are Tweetreach and Retweetrank.”...
Phil Bradley’s Weblog, Oct. 11
How to clean your screen
Rick Broida writes: “Recently someone asked me if it was okay to spray Windex on her monitor. I think my shriek of horror startled her. It is not okay to spray Windex (or anything else) on a monitor. In fact, when it comes to cleaning an LCD screen, there’s a right way and a wrong way. Let’s focus on the right way. For starters, turn your monitor off.”...
PC World, Oct. 11
How to share Google Reader stories to Google+
Jon Mitchell writes: “Those of us who are still playing with Google+ are eagerly awaiting its further integration into other Google services (in ways other than the red box in the top right corner). But Google+ is built around sharing, and one of Google’s best sharing services is missing: Google Reader. There is no built-in way to share articles from Google Reader with your circles on Plus. Fortunately, you can make one pretty easily. Here’s how.”...
ReadWriteWeb, Oct. 11
Speed up your web browsing in a few clicks
Whitson Gordon writes: “Every millisecond counts when you’re browsing the web, and if you’d like to eke a bit more speed out of your internet connection, you can change your DNS server to make those pages load a bit faster. Here’s a brief introduction to what DNS is, how it affects your connection speed, and how you can easily change your computer’s settings to use the fastest DNS possible.”...
Lifehacker, Oct. 11
Create and send a real postcard with your phone
Steve Campbell writes: “What if you really want to send a meaningful message to someone who isn’t with you? How about a postcard? In this article, I’m going to show you how you can send someone a personalized cellphone postcard, so whenever you’re in a situation where a text or picture message simply won’t cut it, you’ll still be in good shape. Postcard On The Run is a mobile app for iPhone and Android 2.1+ devices that allows you to instantly create and mail photo postcards directly from your phone for 99 cents and up.”...
MakeUseOf, Oct. 11
Forgotten web browsers of the early 1990s
Matthew Lasar writes: “On August 6, 1991, Tim Berners-Lee published an explanation of WWW on the alt.hypertext usegroup. He also released a code library, libWWW, which he wrote with his assistant Jean-François Groff. The library allowed participants to create their own web browsers. The best known early browser was Mosaic, but it was not the first. Here is a tour of World Wide Web viewing applications, before they became famous.”...
Ars Technica, Oct. 11
Digital Public Library of America conference
On October 21, the first Digital Public Library of America conference will bring together government leaders, librarians, technologists, students, and others interested in building a national digital library at the National Archives in Washington, D.C. Conference participants will share their visions for the DPLA effort and explore multiple points of entry for public participation in the initiative’s work. Registration is free and open to the public. A full list of submissions, including interactive demos, is available on the new DPLA website....
Berkman Center for Internet and Society, Oct. 5
Bowker launches global ebook study
Publisher support company Bowker
will launch a major study to assess and track device adoption, attitudes, and purchasing habits of ebook consumers in Europe, Asia, Australia, and North and South America. The study, commencing in January 2012 and repeating annually, will enable comparisons between ebook markets in countries experiencing different growth patterns and arm the publishing industry with a comprehensive range of qualitative and quantitative data. The project will be supported by the Book Industry Study Group (BISG), Pearson, A. T. Kearney, and other groups....
Bowker, Oct. 12
Kindle check-outs: Clunky but awesome
Nate Anderson writes: “11,000 U.S. libraries can now lend books to Kindle through OverDrive, an electronic media company that has long provided ebook and audiobook downloads to libraries across the country. The work of providing Kindle access happens on OverDrive’s end, rather than requiring something new of library IT staffers, making the whole process less painful for libraries and patrons alike. Selection remains modest—my own library offers only 4,032 books through eMediaLibrary—and the system adheres to a bookish conception of lending.”...
Ars Technica, Oct. 10
Authors Guild files amended complaint
The Authors Guild filed an amended complaint October 6 that expands its suit against university libraries over a book-scanning collaborative known as HathiTrust. In a release, the Authors Guild said its suit would be joined by a host of international author groups, as well as individual authors, including Norwegian academic Helge Rønning, Swedish novelist Erik Grundström, and American novelist J. R. Salamanca. In the statement, the new plaintiffs joined in harshly criticizing the libraries....
Publishers Weekly, Oct. 7; Authors Guild, Oct. 6
Romantic fiction’s passion for ebooks
Alison Flood
writes: “Nobody knew what to make of the slim, unprepossessing e-reader when he first came to town, all cables and corners. But as the crescendo in ebook sales swells towards a mighty roar, this electronic wizard has cast a spell over romantic fiction, and swept her off her feet. No longer are romance fans forced to conceal the covers of their latest purchases (right) from fellow commuters. Instead, they can follow their heroine’s romantic adventures with impunity, safely protected by the anonymity of their e-readers.”...
The Guardian (U.K.), Oct. 10
Kansas makes progress on ebook platform switch
Michael Kelley writes: “Kansas State Librarian Jo Budler is making steady gains in her unprecedented year-long battle to wrest the state consortium’s ebook collection from OverDrive’s platform and make it accessible, at no extra charge, on the new platform being offered by 3M. To sweeten its offering, 3M has been negotiating with Amazon to make the 3M Cloud Library compatible with the Kindle e-reader and is taking a position diametrically opposed to OverDrive’s.”...
Library Journal, Oct. 10
Enhanced ebooks
Peter Brantley writes: “The release of Amazon’s Kindle Fire has ignited a great deal of discussion about the emergence of a mass market in enhanced ebooks. A notable aspect of these enhanced books, which provide audio and video content as a central and integral component of the storytelling, is that they demonstrate production quality that matches or exceeds the best of what academic scholarly initiatives have delivered. What the consequence of this will be for libraries is extremely difficult to fathom.”...
Publishers Weekly: PWxyz, Oct. 11
EPUB 3 becomes final IDPF specification
The International Digital Publishing Forum on October 11 announced the completion of a major revision to EPUB, the global standard interchange and delivery format for ebooks. The IDPF membership unanimously voted to elevate EPUB 3.0 to a final IDPF Recommended Specification, publicly available online. Based on HTML5, EPUB 3 adds support for rich media, interactivity, global language support, styling and layout enhancements, SVG, embedded fonts, expanded metadata facilities, MathML, and synchronization of audio with text....
International Digital Publishing Forum, Oct. 11
Will the ebook kill the footnote?
Alexandra Horowitz writes: “The ebook hasn’t killed the book; instead, it’s killing the page. Today’s e-readers scroll text continuously, eliminating the single preformed page, along with any text defined by being on its bottom. A spokesman for the Kindle assured me that it is at the discretion of the publisher how to treat footnotes. Most are demoted to hyperlinked endnotes or, worst of all, unlinked endnotes that require scrolling through the e-reader to access. Few of these will be read, to be sure. I admit to being somewhat mystified that technological innovation is imperiling footnotes.”...
New York Times Sunday Book Review, Oct. 7
Europe is set to embrace the ebook
European publishers are becoming less resistant to the “digitization tsunami” as local distribution networks are built and publishers await the arrival of global players such as Amazon, Apple, and Google in their territories. According to a new report looking into the global ebook market published by O’Reilly Media ahead of its Tools of Change for Publishing conference in Frankfurt on October 11, “significant momentum” is building....
The Bookseller, Oct. 10
Google launches UK eBookstore
Google eBooks has opened its eBookstore for customers in the UK. Google said it has hundreds of thousands of commercially available books to buy at launch, in addition to two million public-domain ebooks. Google eBooks are stored in an online library and are accessible across devices including laptops, netbooks, tablets, smartphones, and e-readers. The development comes almost a year after its U.S. eBookstore went live, with Google now promising launches in other English-language markets such as Australia and Canada to follow soon, and European expansion slated for next year....
The Bookseller, Oct. 10
Join your colleagues in Dallas for the ALA Midwinter Meeting, January 20–24, in the Dallas Convention Center at 650 S. Griffin Street, as well as several nearby hotels. A map of the area is available (PDF file).
Quarterback for the New Orleans Saints, Drew Brees has a history of success on the gridiron. But his success goes far beyond football. In 2003 he established the Brees Dream Foundation, which advances research in the fight against cancer and provides care, education, and opportunities for children in need. In this Celebrity READ poster, he is reading The Itsy Bitsy Spider. NEW! From ALA Graphics. |
New this week
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Great Libraries of the World
Royal Danish Library, Copenhagen, Denmark. The library was founded in 1648 by King Frederick III, opened to the public in 1793, and became part of the University of Copenhagen system in 1993. The central library consists of two buildings, a neoclassical one completed in 1906 by architect Hans Jørgen Holm, and a new building, linked to the older one by three passageways, and completed in 1999 by the firm of schmidt hammer lassen. Its angular glass-and-black-granite exterior has earned it the nickname “Black Diamond.” An electroacoustic sound ornament titled Katalog by the Danish composer Fuzzy plays for three minutes every day, changing each week with different selections inspired by one of the library’s treasures.
National Library, Helsinki, Finland. The library is the oldest and largest research library in the country. Established in 1640 as the collection of the Royal Academy in Turku, the library was destroyed by fire in 1827. The 800 books that remained were moved to Helsinki, where a new neoclassical university library, designed by German architect Carl Ludvig Engel with lavish interior Corinthian columns, opened in 1845. Still a part of the University of Helsinki, it also served as the main university library until 2006. The bulk of its collection is stored in a 57,600-cubic-meter underground bunker drilled into solid rock, 59 feet below the library. This AL Direct feature showcases 250 libraries around the world that are notable for their exquisite architecture, historic collections, and innovative services. If you find yourself on vacation near one of them, be sure to stop by for a visit. The entire list will be available in The Whole Library Handbook 5, edited by George M. Eberhart, which is scheduled for publication later this year by ALA Editions. |
Career
Leads from Library Director, Lincolnwood Public Library, Lincolnwood, Illinois. The Lincolnwood Public Library District seeks a dynamic, outgoing, and creative library director to provide the strategic vision and leadership to successfully implement both traditional and innovative services and technologies. We are looking for a leader who excels at building partnerships, empowering staff, and collaborating with other community agencies in a politically savvy environment; a librarian who can articulate, support, and promote the library’s mission to create and sustain a sense of place for residents, bring the community together in order to celebrate its diversity, offer individuals a welcoming gateway to knowledge and discovery, and fulfill residents’ desire for cultural and recreational activities.... |
Digital Library of the Week
The Lincoln Highway Digital Image Collection is part of the University of Michigan Library’s Transportation History Collection and consists of the archive of the original Lincoln Highway Association (1910–1927). The association was made up of representatives from the automobile, tire, and cement industries, with the goal of planning, funding, constructing, and promoting the first transcontinental highway in North America. The route, consisting of both existing and newly built roads following the most direct route possible, ran from New York to San Francisco, covering approximately 3,400 miles. The digital collection consists of approximately 3,000 images, including views of construction underway, towns and cities, markers, bridges, cars, camp sites, scenic views, and snapshots of association directors and field secretaries traveling the route. The photographs were digitized from 1999 to 2007. Do you know of a digital library collection that we can mention in this AL Direct feature? Tell us about it. Browse previous Digital Libraries of the Week at the I Love Libraries site. |
Public
Perception “I’ve caught stupidity. And he cured me.” —16-year-old Matthew Whittington, a junior at Skyview High School in Vancouver, Washington, referring to teacher-librarian Mark Ray, in a news story by Kristine Guerra, “Skyview High Teacher-Librarian Is ‘Slayer of Ignorance,’” Portland Oregonian, Oct. 7. @ More quotes... |
Follow: Association of Internet Researchers, Annual Conference, Seattle, Oct. 10–13, at: Iowa Library Association, Annual Conference, Council Bluffs, Oct. 12–14, at: Minnesota Library Association, Annual Conference, Duluth, Oct. 12–14, at: Colorado Association of Libraries, Annual Conference, Loveland, Oct. 13–15, at: #scla2011 American Libraries news stories, blog posts, tweets, and videos, at: |
Oct. 17–20: Nov. 16–19: Museum Computer Network, Annual Conference, Atlanta. “Hacking the Museum: Innovation, Agility, and Collaboration.” Nov. 28–30: Nov. 29– Dec. 2: Dec. 5: Dec. 7–9: Specialized Information Publishers Association, Annual Marketing Conference, Eden Roc Renaissance Hotel, Miami Beach, Florida. Jan. 20–24: American Library Association, Midwinter Meeting, Dallas. Jan. 23–25: Jan. 24–25: Jan. 28–30: Feb. 1–3: Association of American Publishers, Professional and Scholarly Publishing Division, Annual Conference, Mayflower Hotel, Washington, D.C. “Prospering with Digital: Making Investments Pay.” Feb. 6–9: VALA2012, Conference, Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre, Australia. “eM-powering eFutures.” Mar. 13–17: @ More... |
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Darkness redux
Betsy Bird writes: “It seems a recent article in the New York Times has everybody buzzing like a little hive o’ bees. The piece is ‘No More Adventures in Wonderland’ by Harvard folklore professor Maria Tatar, and in it she discusses darkness in contemporary children’s books versus books for kids in the past. I haven’t read all the responses yet, but I have heard a couple discussions of it. To my mind the piece suffers, in part, because its author is lumping YA literature in with children’s literature. But let’s unpack this a little.”...
School Library Journal: A Fuse #8 Production, Oct. 11; New York Times, Oct. 9
Adventures in nonfiction
Amy Pelman writes: “As someone who has been devoted to reading novels for most of my life, I used to think of nonfiction books as something to be used for school or for personal reference like a cookbook—not something I read from cover to cover. Turns out, I was way wrong. Recently I’ve read some nonfiction books that have stuck with me in the way only the best novels do. Here is a sampling of some recent reads, broken down in my own newly made-up categorization scheme.”...
YALSA The Hub, Oct. 11
Bookmarks to bookmark
Neil Hollands writes: “Only published every other month, Bookmarks magazine will never rival Booklist or other major review journals for the number of books that it reviews, but for years now, without much fanfare, this magazine has been quietly doing one thing very well: aggregating reviews. On their website, Bookmarks features a list of recent reviews and a list of the books that have been reviewed most often in the last few months. Consider adding Bookmarks to your box of tools in preparing for book group.”...
Booklist Online: Book Group Buzz, Oct. 12
With a Little Help: Now at your library
Cory Doctorow writes: “It’s been nine months since the launch of With a Little Help, and, as with most trade books, the action has slowed down. For some months, my PW editor, Andrew Albanese, has been telling me that I’m crazy not to pitch the book to libraries. He’s right. Libraries love me, and it’s mutual. I spend a lot of time touring libraries, I speak at ALA and several regional libraries, I lobby alongside professional librarian associations, and I worked at libraries through high school. So, yeah, I should be selling to libraries. But how?”...
Publishers Weekly, Oct. 7
The Picasso of dust jacket design
Stephen J. Gertz writes: “He brought poster, advertising, and dust jacket design out of the 19th century and into the 20th, integrating the aesthetic and forms of modern art into his work. It was welcomed in England. It was rejected in the United States. In his time he was, ultimately, the most significant graphic designer in the English-speaking world. Born in Montana, Edward McKnight Kauffer (1890–1954) was one of Europe’s most prolific and influential advertising poster artists during the 1920s and 1930s.”...
Booktryst, Oct. 10
Digital badges could measure 21st-century skills
How can schools accurately measure and categorize a student’s 21st-century skills? The MacArthur Foundation hopes to solve this problem with a new competition that calls on participants to create what is known as a “digital badge.” Digital badges and the digital badge system would, advocates say, help define the skills and knowledge students pick up in an informal way, such as through internships, online courses, open courseware, competitions, and much more....
eSchool News, Oct. 11
ARL asks GPO to reverse depository library decisions
The Association of Research Libraries has released a statement calling upon the U.S. Government Printing Office to reverse its recent, troubling decisions concerning the Federal Depository Library Program. Decisions by the leadership of GPO over the last nine months call for costly changes in practice by federal depository libraries that are not supported by provisions in Title 44, the governing statute of the program....
Association of Research Libraries, Oct. 12
Where does knowledge come from?
Nick Milton writes: “In most of the training courses I run, I ask the question, ‘Where does knowledge come from?’ Every time, I get the answer, ‘Knowledge comes from experience.’ Never does anyone answer, ‘Knowledge comes from information.’ Never. So why do we persevere with the Data / Information / Knowledge pyramid? It’s misleading, and it does not represent what people think.”...
Knoco Stories, Oct. 10
A librarian’s guide to the elevator pitch
Ellyssa
Kroski writes: “Let’s face it, as librarians (or soon-to-be librarians) we aren’t the best at tooting our own horns. The elevator pitch is one of the most important tools for personal branding and can be an excellent opportunity for you to promote yourself at conferences, events, job interviews, and online. I would recommend that you not only create a written bio, but a more informal version of that bio as your elevator pitch that you can use whenever needed. Here are some resources to help you do that.”...
iLibrarian, Oct. 10
Advocacy and lobbying: What’s the difference?
Linda W. Braun writes: “Frequently I talk with librarians about advocacy in teen services. We talk about a lot more related to speaking up and out about teen services to a variety of audiences including colleagues, community members, and government officials. I recently realized that for some librarians there is a concern that if they talk with legislators in order to advocate for teen services, that they might actually be lobbying. And, for some, lobbying is not allowed within their job description. This got me thinking, what is the difference between advocacy and lobbying?”...
YALSA Blog, Oct. 4
Boston renovates Leventhal Map Center
The Boston Public Library will open a new space in the McKim Building on Copley Square for the Norman B. Leventhal Map Center on October 22. The renovated space, under construction since April, features a new exhibition gallery, a public learning center, and a reading room for rare map research. Other elements include a custom stained-glass reproduction of a 1775 map of Boston, exploration areas designed for children, and a world globe three feet in diameter....
Boston Public Library, Oct. 6
OCLC and Rutgers to study Virtual Reference Services
The Institute of Museum and Library Services has awarded a $250,000 National Leadership Grant for a collaborative research project between OCLC Research and the Rutgers University School of Communication and Information to investigate library-based Virtual Reference Services. The two-year project includes the investigation of VRS models that rely upon more extensive collaboration among librarians and subject experts....
OCLC, Oct. 7
Celebrate autumn @ your library
Between school breaks, Halloween, and Thanksgiving, fall is a busy time of year for everyone. Here are just a few examples of how libraries are celebrating autumn. The Burbank (Calif.) Public Library will host “Fall Cool Crafts @ your library.” Children in grades 1–8 are invited to visit the library and begin preparing their Halloween costumes by making masks (above)....
ALA Campaign for America’s Libraries, Oct. 11
American Archives Month
October is American Archives Month—an opportunity to raise awareness about the value of archives and archivists. Since 2006, the Society of American Archivists has provided public relations kits (PDF file) that offer practical information and great ideas to help make your archives program more visible year-round. For 2010–2013, SAA is focusing on the “I Found It In the Archives!” campaign, which reaches out to users nationwide to share stories about what they found in the archives that has made a difference in their lives....
Society of American Archivists
What artifacts can teach us about genealogy
Karen DePauw writes: “What can the fabric from six dresses and a curtain tell us about 150 years of one family’s history? As it turns out, quite a lot. Within the Connecticut Historical Society archives lives a clue to six generations and 150 years of a family’s past: a small board with seven swatches of fabric lovingly attached. Six of the fabrics are from wedding dresses and the seventh is a curtain fragment. Each piece was labeled with the name of a bride, her groom, and their wedding date. The swatches of fabric were handed down and finally assembled as a unique family record.”...
Your Public Media, Oct. 6
Hard choices: Do libraries really destroy books?
Linda Holmes writes: “Libraries have a certain amount of space and a certain amount of money. The careful culling of books is painstaking work. I spoke to Betsy Simpson, the president of ALCTS. She told me that while there are always choices to be made because it’s simply not possible for every library to collect and retain every book, it’s not as if they’re throwing books in the shredder because they don’t care. ‘Libraries really take seriously their mission to preserve the cultural record,’ she says.”...
National Public Radio: Monkey See, Oct. 12
A visit to the Law Library of Congress
Stephanie Rocio Miles writes: “In early October I had a great visit at the Law Library of Congress. My visit began with an introduction by David Mao, deputy law librarian of Congress, who provided information on the library’s history, the scope of its collection, and the type of services it provides. Afterwards I met Janice Hyde, director of GLIN (Global Legal Information Network) Central, who shared all her tricks about this great database.”...
Bilingual Librarian, Oct. 8
Scott Spicer’s Digital Image Collections Guide
Scott Spicer writes: “This resource is a curated bibliography of quality digital-image collections spanning about 85 subjects and including some 950 digital collections that have been culled primarily from the LibGuides Community. Several subject areas have been further refined by 20 subject liaison librarians at the University of Minnesota–Twin Cities. The goal of the site is to share this work with the visual resources community, hopefully making the resource stronger through participation for others to repurpose.”...
ALA Connect
Misinformation in TV drama conveys credibility
Our beliefs about the world are shaped by many factors. A new research study suggests that nuggets of misinformation embedded in a fictional television program can seep into our brains and lodge there as perceived facts. What’s more, this troubling dynamic seems to occur even when our initial response is skepticism. But this all-important skepticism diminishes over time as our memory of where we heard the fact or falsehood in question dims. That’s the conclusion of a study published in the journal Human Communication Research....
Miller-McCune, Oct. 10
Get It Loud in Libraries
Get It Loud In Libraries focuses on playing noisy, energetic, contemporary music in libraries: places that are relaxed, traditional, and very quiet. Does not sound very promising, does it? If we were to list the public places to host a gig, the library would be down near the bottom, alongside the local police station. Yet this project has been a runaway success in the UK, hosting gigs across the country and boasting an impressive catalog of acts including singer Adele and rapper Chipmunk....
The Phonograph, Oct. 10
Mistakes and misprints in the King James Bible
The Folger Shakespeare Library is celebrating the 400th anniversary of the King James Bible. In this video (2:07) “Manifold Greatness” curators Hannibal Hamlin and Steven Galbraith share some of the more well-known printing errors from early editions of the bible, including the accidental substitution of Judas for Jesus (in the “Judas Bible”), the omission of an important word from the seventh commandment on adultery, and even some gender confusion in the 1611 edition....
YouTube, Sept. 29
The Librarians on Hulu
All three seasons (2007–2010) of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation’s hit comedy, The Librarians, are now available on Hulu. Despite the description (“Frances O’Brien is the highly-strung head librarian of the Middleton Interactive Learning Centre, and is completely insensitive to the needs of her eclectic group of employees and the public in general”), the show is amusing and has been popular with Australian librarians....
Hulu
