What’s new in LIS schools
Beverly Goldberg writes: “Librarianship thrives on having in its midst colleagues who are also content specialists. So, it’s only natural that MLIS programs would embrace a cross-disciplinary approach to educating new professionals. LIS programs are now in the business of acknowledging the intersection of information gathering, dissemination, and analysis in the missions of librarians, journalists, information technologists, health care researchers, urban planners, and sociologists, among others.”...
American Libraries feature

On My Mind: An old friend in the library
Jennifer Burek Pierce writes: “As summer days grew longer and the heat increased, so did my trips to the public library. This summer, I had a companion: a longtime friend’s 84-year-old mother—now another good friend. While I cruised the children’s section, Doris would head to the shelves with large-print books. Her library use heightened my sensibilities about how we serve aging adults. Despite professional statements about serving the elderly, I’ve begun to doubt that these ideals play an active part in our daily practices.”...
American Libraries column, Sept./Oct.

IFLA: Googlization, copyright, and public awareness
Leonard Kniffel writes: “Siva Vaidhyanathan (right), author of The Googlization of Everything, delivered a dynamic and challenging speech August 15 on the fourth full day of programming during the World Library and Information Congress of the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA) in Helsinki, Finland. At the same session Päivikki Karhula of Finland talked about internet censorship, and ALA’s Michael Dowling focused on how to increase the public visibility of libraries on a shoestring budget by using the Campaign for the World’s Libraries materials.” See the IFLA photo essay....
AL: Global Reach, Aug. 16; AL Focus, Aug. 16

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Pitney Bowes donates $35K to hurricane-damaged libraries
Hurricane Irene caused widespread destruction and major flooding in the Northeast during the last week of August 2011. Libraries were not spared, with many suffering extensive damage and ruined materials and equipment. Thanks to a generous grant of $35,000 from the Pitney Bowes Foundation, ALA has distributed $3,500 to 10 public and school libraries in New York and Connecticut to help them rebuild their collections....
Chapter Relations Office, Aug. 21

Legislator in the library
Librarians across the country are taking advantage of the slow end of summer to invite policymakers and business leaders to visit their libraries. On August 21, Martha Hutzel, manager of Central Rappahannock Regional Library’s John M. Porter Memorial branch in Stafford, Virginia, brought Rep. Rob Wittman (R-Va.) into her branch to speak to members of the North Stafford Rotary Club, a local chapter of Rotary International. Hutzel has been a long-time member of the service organization....
District Dispatch, Aug. 21

Muslim Journeys Bookshelf deadline, programming extended
The National Endowment for the Humanities has extended the deadline to apply for “Muslim Journeys,” a Bridging Cultures Bookshelf program, to October 25. The 1,000 sites that are selected will become eligible in January 2013 to receive a Let’s Talk About It reading and discussion series grant of up to $4,500 from the NEH. A free introductory online learning session will also be available to participating public and academic libraries. “Muslim Journeys” aims to familiarize public audiences in the US with the people, places, history, faith, and cultures of Muslims in the US and around the world....
Public Programs Office, Aug. 21

ALA-APA survey: Librarian salaries flatten in 2012
According to results of the 2012 ALA-APA Salary Survey: Librarian—Public and Academic, increases for librarians rose less than 1%, making salaries basically flat. The survey shows aggregated data from 11,315 individual salaries of librarians with an ALA-accredited master’s from 618 libraries, categorized by region and state. Survey responses from public and academic libraries in all 50 states and the District of Columbia indicate that salaries range from a low of $22,000 in public libraries to a high of more than $258,000, with the highest salary earners being library directors in university libraries....
ALA-APA, Aug. 21

Building and managing ebook collections
Beginning with a short history of ebooks and a review of the ebook publishing industry, Building and Managing E-Book Collections: A How-To-Do-It Manual for Librarians, edited by Richard Kaplan, provides a thorough treatment of collection development issues, including the selection process and development policies, the use of approval plans, patron-driven acquisition, and practical solutions for creating ebook collection policies. Kaplan is the dean of library and learning resources at the Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences....
ALA Neal-Schuman, Aug. 20

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Student rate for LITA Forum
LITA is offering a special LIS student registration rate to its National Forum, to be held October 5–7 in Columbus, Ohio. In exchange for 50% off the regular registration rate, students will assist LITA organizers and forum presenters with on-site operations. Students must register by August 24....
ALA Student Membership Blog, Aug. 15

Scott Westerfeld to keynote closing of YA Symposium
Author Scott Westerfeld (right) will be the keynote speaker for the general closing session of the 2012 Young Adult Literature Symposium to be held in St. Louis. Westerfeld will give an “illustrated lecture” about working with artist Keith Thompson on the Leviathan trilogy, with digressions on the history of illustration and the future of fan art. He will consider such questions as: Why did illustrated novels mostly disappear? How does illustration change the writing process? And why do young readers interact differently with visual media than with pure text? Registration for the November 2–4 symposium is open....
YALSA, Aug. 21

“Health Information 101” is a CEU first for RUSA
The September 17–October 28 offering of the online course “Health Information 101” will offer one continuing education unit (CEU) upon completion, becoming the first-ever RUSA course to offer CEU credit. This course will demystify and decode medical terminology and also cover the basics of evidence-based biomedical literature searching. Participants will learn how to systematically evaluate a health website and then look at some of the best sites for medical, pharmaceutical, and drug information. Registration is open....
RUSA, Aug. 21

New online course offers ILL foundation
Registration is now open for the first offering of “Interlibrary Loan (ILL) 101,” which will be held September 17–October 14. This online course will provide new ILL managers and practitioners with a broad overview of ILL policies, procedures, and practices and a firm foundation in borrowing and lending protocols, best practices, copyright and licensing issues, and ILL systems. Topics covered are of particular interest to public and academic libraries....
RUSA, Aug. 21

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Nominations for the 2012 I Love My Librarian Award
Library users can nominate a librarian for the 2012 Carnegie Corporation of New York / New York Times I Love My Librarian Award. The nomination form is available on atyourlibrary.org, the ALA public awareness website. The award invites library users to recognize the accomplishments of librarians in public, school, college, community college, and university libraries for their efforts to improve the lives of people in their community. Up to 10 librarians will be selected as winners. The deadline is September 12....
Campaign for America’s Libraries, Aug. 17

California Library Hall of Fame
The California Library Association has nominated its first 10 inductees to the California Library Hall of Fame, which honors the historical significance and lifetime achievements of the many librarians, library workers, and supporters who have helped promote and improve library services in California. The inductees are featured in CLA’s online California Library Hall of Fame and honored at the Awards Gala during the CLA annual conference. Among the 10 are Michael Gorman, Regina Minudri, Gary Strong, and Lawrence Clark Powell....
California Library Association

ACRL funds 2012 Spectrum Scholar
As part of its commitment to furthering diversity in librarianship, ACRL is supporting Charlotte King (right) as its 2012–2013 Spectrum Scholar. King will attend the San Jose State University School of Library and Information Science. Prior to entering library school, King had a career dedicated to underserved communities....
ACRL, Aug. 20

2012 IFLA honors and medals
Leonard Kniffel writes: “IFLA closed its World Library and Information Congress in Helsinki, Finland, August 16 by honoring several of its longtime members and activists. Winston Tabb of the US and Ellen R. Tise of South Africa were made Honorary Fellows, the organization’s highest honor. The coveted IFLA Medal went to OCLC President and CEO Jay Jordan for his leadership in the globalization of library services, to Eeva Kristiina Murtomaa of Finland for her work in improving bibliographic standards, and to Helena Asamoah-Hassan of Ghana for her work in building bridges across Africa and between African countries.”...
AL: Global Reach, Aug. 16; District Dispatch, Aug. 20

Smart Investing earns county government honor
When the Georgetown County (S.C.) Council recently won an Honorable Mention in the J. Mitchell Graham Memorial Award competition August 5, it was lauded for its groundbreaking Smart Investing @ your library program, which teaches financial fitness through festivals, workshops, kids’ programs, and job fairs. The competitive award is given by the South Carolina Association of Counties to honor outstanding achievements by county governments in South Carolina....
Smart Investing @ your library

Huntsville librarian wins RWA Librarian of the Year Award
Mary Moore (right), reference and adult services manager at the Huntsville–Madison County (Ala.) Public Library, is the winner of the 2012 Romance Writers of America Librarian of the Year Award. The award came with a free trip to the Romance Writers of America’s 2012 annual conference, held in July in Anaheim, California. It honors a librarian who demonstrates outstanding support of romance authors and the romance genre....
Huntsville (Ala.) Times, Aug. 20

Women’s National Book Award
Ann Patchett (right) has been selected as the 2012 Women’s National Book Award winner by the Women’s National Book Association. Patchett is the bestselling author of several works of fiction, among them Patron Saint of Liars, Taft, Bel Canto, The Magician’s Assistant, and State of Wonder. The award is presented to a living American woman who derives part or all of her income from books and has done meritorious work in the world of books beyond the duties or responsibilities of her profession or occupation....
Women’s National Book Association, Aug. 6

2012 Harper Lee Prize for Legal Fiction
New York Times bestselling author Michael Connelly will receive the 2012 Harper Lee Prize for Legal Fiction for The Fifth Witness. The prize, cosponsored by the University of Alabama School of Law and the ABA Journal, celebrates the role of lawyers in society and the ideals represented by Atticus Finch. Connelly will receive the award during a special ceremony September 20 at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C....
University of Alabama School of Law, Aug. 13

2012 CBCA Book of the Year Awards
The winners of the 67th annual Children’s Book Council of Australia Book of the Year Awards were announced August 17. Of the 77 books nominated for older readers, The Dead I Know by Scot Gardner came out on top. The compelling story focuses on teenager Aaron Rowe, a sleepwalker with much instability at home, as he starts a new job at a funeral parlor. Kate Constable, another Victorian writer, took out top honors in the younger readers category with her time-travel story Crow Country....
Sydney Morning Herald, Aug. 18

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Man to live in “prison of books” during Banned Books Week
Corey Michael Dalton, a fiction writer and associate editor of the Saturday Evening Post, will spend the entirety of Banned Books Week (September 30–October 6) inside a “prison” made completely out of banned books from previous years. Dalton’s weeklong project will take place at the Kurt Vonnegut Memorial Library in Indianapolis, and its goal is to protest the treatment of Vonnegut’s masterpiece, Slaughterhouse-Five, by a Midwestern school district....
New York Daily News: PageViews, Aug. 16; Kurt Vonnegut Memorial Library, July 25

Indianapolis library reaches out to Sister Cities
Nicole James (right), manager of the Indianapolis Public Library’s College Avenue branch, is visiting the Cologne (Germany) City Library (Stadtbibliothek Köln) August 18–September 8 as part of a Sister City ambassadorial exchange. James will share her 17-year experience with German colleagues, leading to an exchange and comparison of best practices and policies. A Cologne City Library representative will visit Indianapolis in 2013. IPL staffers Ann Ricciardelli and Sailan Liang will travel to Sister City Hangzhou, China, in October....
Indianapolis Public Library

Salsa throwdown in San Antonio
Picking up the culinary gauntlet thrown down by San Antonio (Tex.) Public Library, 20 area teens formed several salsa-making teams at SAPL’s Central Library August 8 at the “Pica! Teen Salsa Throwdown” and left it to the judges to decide which team of 13–18 year-olds had created the zestiest dish. Designed to teach healthy eating habits and combat child obesity, the event is part of an ongoing effort by SAPL in conjunction with the San Antonio Food Bank....
AL Focus, Aug. 21

Libraries could serve as post offices
Meredith Schwartz writes: “In areas where post offices are closing or reducing hours, the US Postal Service is reaching out to libraries, service stations, and convenience stores to ask if they would like to add limited postal service through the Village Post Office program (PDF file). This lets the town keep its ZIP code and offers the most popular services, including collection, stamps, and flat rate packaging sales. In May, the cash-strapped USPS announced its plans for handling rural mail service more affordably through closures, reduced hours, consolidation with nearby facilities, and VPOs.”...
Library Journal, Aug. 16

Racine man helps library find Little Golden Books
Eighty-nine and counting: That’s how many Little Golden Books the Racine (Wis.) Public Library still lacked (PDF file) as of August 17. It’s a relatively small fraction of the approximately 1,100 Little Golden Books, published in Racine from 1942 to 2001, that the library covets to complete its collection. Local salesman Chris Terry has been on a one-man crusade to help the library complete its archival collection....
Racine (Wis.) Journal Times, Aug. 20

Pranksters rearrange furniture in Vermont library
A group of youngsters in northeastern Vermont turned to midnight mischief August 13 at two public libraries and a town hall to help pass the time. Books were rearranged. Furniture was piled almost to the ceiling. A needed date stamp went missing. At the Barton Public Library, they stacked furniture into a 20-foot pyramid in the middle of the building (above). Three miles away at the Glover Public Library, about 1,000 library books were rearranged on the shelves—for the second time in three months....
Burlington (Vt.) Free Press, Aug. 15

Group packs heat at Richmond library protest
A group of gun owners brought their guns to the Richmond (Va.) Public Library August 15 to raise awareness and protest a policy they claimed could confuse gun owners. The library’s gun policy reads, “Carrying concealed weapons is prohibited, except as permitted by law.” Virginians with the proper permits are allowed to carry guns inside the library. Pro-gun advocate Philip Van Cleave is pushing to have the rule reworded over fears it could confuse legal gun owners into believing that bringing a gun to the library is against the law....
WTVR-TV, Richmond, Aug. 15

Aluminum screens to deter Bobst suicides
The 150-foot-high atrium in New York University’s Elmer Holmes Bobst Library has been the location of three student suicides—two in 2003 and another in 2009. Now, floor-to-ceiling perforated aluminum screens have been installed that completely enclose the balconies around the perimeter of the atrium and the open staircase connecting them, transforming the space. University officials expect the renovation to be finished in September. But student reactions are mixed....
New York Times, Aug. 19; Gothamist, Aug. 22

The mystery of the rare Nazi book in La Grange Park
A rare, historically significant book stamped “secret” and published in Germany in 1941 has found its way to the Holocaust Museum in Washington, D.C., after it was mysteriously left in a bookdrop at La Grange Park (Ill.) Public Library. Vier Jahre Hermann-Göring-Werke Salzgitter, 1939–1941, a report on the gigantic steel works set up in Salzgitter by Reichstag President Hermann Göring, had been given to workers at the state-owned mills. Circulation Services Director Ursula Stanek (at center of photo) recognized its significance and contacted the museum library....
The Doings La Grange, Aug. 17

The difficulty of insider book theft
Travis McDade writes: “For an insider, stealing rare books, maps, and documents is easy. It takes no talent and very little planning. But turning those stolen items into cash while also staying out of jail requires skill, and a great deal of effort. The first step in the successful insider heist is to identify items unlikely to be either missed by the institution or recognized by buyers as stolen. For the same reason that stealing the Mona Lisa is a bad idea, taking the most famous or in-demand items in a library or archive is ill-advised.”...
OUPblog, Aug. 18

Sleeping incidents on the rise in San Francisco
The number of people observed sleeping in San Francisco’s Main Library has increased by more than 80% over the past year. According to new data, a total of 4,412 security incidents were reported last fiscal year. That was down from 4,798 in fiscal 2010–2011. But sleeping incidents increased from 588 to 1,065, disturbances jumped by 214 incidents for a total of 776, and drug use more than doubled on the lower level but declined on the first floor....
San Francisco Examiner, Aug. 14

Special collections in Texas
At age 90, William Blair Jr., a former Negro League pitcher, Dallas-area civil rights leader, and longtime newspaperman, came to the realization that much of the history he had lived through had already been forgotten by younger generations. He recently turned over the photographs, newspapers, and memorabilia he had collected to the University of Texas at Arlington Special Collections Library. It took seven trucks to haul Blair’s collection to the university, which intends to develop a public exhibition around it....
New York Times, Aug. 17

The great Schulz Library moving caper
Books are back on the shelves exactly one year after Hurricane Irene flooding forced the evacuation of the Schulz Library at the Center for Cartoon Studies in White River Junction, Vermont. The Schulz Library’s new home is in a recently purchased and renovated historic Post Office building in the village. See photos of the move and the new library digs....
Center for Cartoon Studies, Aug. 17

The Aomushi Showa Manga Library
Ryan Holmberg writes: “The number one Japanese tourist site for manga fans that I would recommend is the Aomushi Showa Manga Library in Fukushima Prefecture. Housed in a former wood-frame church, Aomushi is a spacious and atmospheric treasure house of manga from the postwar 1940s, 1950s, and 1960s. It is a pain to get to, but the returns for the manga lover and for the researcher far exceed all the museums combined. Only at Aomushi can you read old and rare manga freely (though not for free) and voluminously.”...
The Comics Journal, Aug. 20

Closing the door on Canadian history
Valerie Knowles writes: “On June 19, Canadian MP David McGuinty (Liberal–Ottawa South) rose in Question Period to ask which federal departments or agencies have closed or will be closing their libraries and what is the rationale for such closures. In posing these questions, McGuinty spotlighted a development that has been quietly underway for months and that will seriously impede research and undermine our understanding of Canada’s history.”...
iPolitics, Ottawa, Aug. 10

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October is National Reading Group Month. Start getting ready now by reading Booklist’s Book Group Buzz blog, which provides helpful information to all reading groups.

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