Contents
American Libraries Online | ALA News | Booklist Online
Division News | Awards & Grants | Seen Online
Tech Talk | E-Content | Books & Reading | Actions & Answers
Great Libraries of the World | Digital Library of the Week | Calendar
The e-newsletter of the American Library Association | February 8, 2012
Ebook talks: The details
ALA President Molly Raphael (right) writes: “As recently reported, I led an ALA delegation to New York last week to meet separately with Penguin, Macmillan, Random House, Simon & Schuster, and Perseus. We had frank discussions related to library ebook lending, and in every meeting we reaffirmed our mutual desire to bring authors and readers together. We didn’t leave New York with complete and perfect solutions; that wouldn’t have been a realistic expectation. But I am happy with the progress that we made on multiple fronts.”...
AL: E-Content, Feb. 2, 8
Preserving black academic library history
Shanesha R. F. Brooks-Tatum writes: “The success stories of more than 100 libraries participating in the Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) Library Alliance—involving institutions in 20 states, the District of Columbia, and the US Virgin Islands—are being captured through the Atlanta-based organization’s ‘Preserving Our History’ project. So far, the project has documented nine success stories. Here are two of those stories: that of the University of the Virgin Islands and the Atlanta University Center.”...
American Libraries feature
Librarian’s Library: Great lists of great reads
Karen Muller writes: “While awards help us define the criteria for ‘good’ books, the lists of winners and notables are just a few of the readers’ advisory tools available to help us learn about books and other library media so we can guide readers of all ages to the most appropriate resources, whether award-winning or not. Among our ever-expanding choices are the extremely popular genres of graphic novels, manga, and street literature—all of which may be outside your comfort zone but are nevertheless worth learning about.”...
American Libraries column, Jan./Feb.
Voguing online
ProQuest is offering a free trial period to its full Vogue Archive (1892–2012) through February 16. Try it out through American Libraries here. Ann Arbor–based electronic publisher ProQuest held a special event in Dallas January 22 to introduce its customers to this archival set of Vogue magazine consisting of more than 400,000 pristine, full-color pages that includes all covers, images, ads, and fold-outs....
AL: Inside Scoop, Feb. 2
Currents
Joshua Youngblood (right) recently became the research and outreach services librarian at the University of Arkansas Library in Fayetteville. Effective in June, Sherrie Bergman will retire as director of Bowdoin College’s Hawthorne-Longfellow Library in Brunswick, Maine. Kathleen B. Hegarty, 81, died after a short illness on January 28. She served at the Boston Public Library for 46 years as coordinator of adult services, staff officer for programs and public relations, and staff officer for special programs and services....
American Libraries column
Groups ask Congress to halt work on SOPA, PIPA
Approximately 70 grassroots groups (including ALA), venture capitalists, entrepreneurs, human rights groups, communities of color, and internet companies sent Congress a letter February 6 saying it should stop its work on the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) and Protect Intellectual Property Act (PIPA). The letter states, “Now is the time for Congress to take a breath, step back, and approach the issues from a fresh perspective.”...
Public Knowledge, Feb. 6
Library Boing Boing is up and running
PC Sweeney writes: “ALA Happy Mutants rejoice! Library Boing Boing is here with its inaugural post about World Book Night. Basically, ALA’s amazing and wonderful Jenny Levine put together an opportunity to post to Boing Boing using the name LibraryLab. The content will be based around libraries and exposing all of the amazing things that libraries do for people in a nonlibrary-based forum.”...
PC Sweeney’s Blog, Feb. 6; Boing Boing, Feb. 6
The Golan v. Holder copyright decision
A summary of the recent Golan v. Holder decision by the US Supreme Court was written up (PDF file) for the Library Copyright Alliance by attorney and intellectual property expert Jonathan Band. On January 13, the Supreme Court by a 6–2 vote affirmed the Tenth Circuit decision in Golan v. Holder, which restored copyright in foreign works that had entered into the public domain under certain circumstances. ALA, ACRL, and the Association of Research Libraries in June had joined an amicus brief (PDF file) written by the Electronic Frontier Foundation in support of reversal....
INFOdocket, Feb. 7
Flake, Myracle, Otsuka join JCLC
Award-winning and bestselling authors Sharon Flake (right), Lauren Myracle, and Julie Otsuka will join the Joint Conference of Librarians of Color for two special author luncheons, September 19–23, in Kansas City, Missouri. The conference is for everyone and brings together a diverse group of librarians, library staff, library supporters, and community participants to explore issues of diversity in libraries....
Office for Diversity, Feb. 7
Civility and bias in the workplace
Two new training resources addressing civility and bias in the workplace are now available from the ALA Office for Diversity. These training cards feature strategies for increasing civility and combating bias to help foster diversity in the profession. Each card helps define the topic, its effect on the workplace, and strategies for addressing the issue. The cards are designed to be used as conversation starters, for one-on-one coaching, or in professional development programs....
Office for Diversity, Feb. 7
How to follow an ALA Connect group
Jenny Levine writes: “If you’re a member of an ALA working group or a community on Connect, you can already set up your subscriptions to receive email notifications whenever new content is posted to your group. But what do you do if you want to get email notifications from a group you’re not a member of? Now it’s easier than ever to do that thanks to the ‘follow a group’ feature.”...
ALA Connect, Feb. 6
“100 Days for Haiti” raises $14,000
Generous library supporters contributed $6,999.95 to the ALA Haiti Library Relief Fund in a 100-day campaign from October through January in support of the Petit-Goâve Public Library, destroyed in the earthquake of January 12, 2010. Deborah Lazar, librarian at New Trier High School in Northfield, Illinois, had offered to match ALA’s fundraising up to $5,000 during this period, but when she heard how successful it was, she agreed to increase her match, dollar for dollar—including an extra 10 cents to make it come out to an even $14,000....
AL: Global Reach, Feb. 7
Connect with your Kids is now in Spanish
The Connect with Your Kids @ your library Family Activity Guide is now available in Spanish. This guide for parents provides tips for using library resources to create quality family time. Suggested activities, such as learning to manage money, exploring different cultures and living green, are grouped by themes: learn, explore, connect, play, and create. Both the English and Spanish family activity guides are hosted online on ALA’s public awareness website....
Campaign for America’s Libraries, Feb. 7
Texas A&M, Pasadena City College get LSSC perks
Texas A&M University announced that it will award up to a 4% salary increase to any library support staff members who complete the ALA-APA Library Support Staff Certification (LSSC) program. Employees must show the relevancy of LSSC to their job and receive advance approval. Graduates of the Pasadena (Calif.) City College Library Technology Certificate Program can now receive LSSC certificates without having to complete additional courses or portfolios....
ALA–Allied Professional Association, Feb. 7
Free tools for public library programming
In Technology and Literacy: 21st-Century Library Programming for Children and Teens, published by ALA Editions, Jennifer Nelson and Keith Braafladt foster a different kind of thinking about what literacy in the 21st century really entails. One of the simplest and most powerful tools for technology-based public library programming is called Scratch. It’s a free, easy-to-use programming language that can be used to create everything from 3D animation and graphics to music-enhanced presentations and games.”...
ALA Editions, Feb. 3
Reading comprehension in secondary schools
A companion volume to Collaborative Strategies for Teaching Reading Comprehension: Maximizing Your Impact, which covered lower grades, Coteaching Reading Comprehension Strategies in Secondary School Libraries: Maximizing Your Impact, completes the educational arc by focusing on adolescent readers in Grades 6–12. Published by ALA Editions, Judi Moreillon’s timely resource encourages classroom teacher-school librarian partnerships....
ALA Editions, Feb. 6
@ Visit Booklist Online for other reviews and much more.... |
School librarians await response from White House
A petition in support of school library programs created by Carl Harvey, Indiana school librarian and the president of AASL, has raised the 25,000 signatures needed to put the petition in the hands of President Obama and his administration. “The petition was a way to build awareness of the importance of including school libraries in the reauthorization of ESEA,” said Harvey....
AASL, Feb. 7
Tickets available to the 2012 Arbuthnot Lecture
ALSC and the Miami University School of Education, Health, and Society have announced that tickets for the 2012 May Hill Arbuthnot Honor Lecture featuring author Peter Sís (right) are now available. The lecture, titled “Reading in the Dark,” will be held at 7 p.m. on April 4 in Hall Auditorium, Miami University, Oxford, Ohio. Required tickets are free and must be obtained through Miami University....
ALSC, Feb. 8
Video contest asks students why they belong in the library
AASL, in collaboration with SchoolTube, has announced the launch of the School Library Month 2012 student video contest, “You Belong @ Your School Library.” Video submissions will be accepted through March 29 that illustrate why the school library is (either physically or virtually) the place to be....
AASL, Feb. 7
Next Chapter Book Club webinar
The Next Chapter Book Club (NCBC) is a community-based literacy and social program for adolescents and adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities. NCBCs include five to eight people with a wide range of reading skills who gather weekly in bookstores, cafés, and libraries. ASCLA is offering a webinar describing this approach on February 16. Registration ends on February 14....
ASCLA Blog, Feb. 8
Online branch planning
Are you considering opening an online library branch or do you need guidance for your existing online branch? ASCLA will offer a new webinar, “Strategic Planning for Your Online Library Branch,” to cover this topic on February 21. Registration closes on February 14....
ASCLA Blog, Feb. 8
ALCTS seeks journal editor
ALCTS seeks to appoint a dynamic and forward-thinking professional as editor for its journal, Library Resources and Technical Services (LRTS). The editor will serve a four-year term, beginning July 1. Send nominations and applications to Search Committee Chair Tim Strawn through March 16....
ALCTS, Feb. 2
If libraries are more than just books, where are the technology awards?
Andy Woodworth writes: “I don’t have any qualms about recognizing authors and illustrators for their fine efforts. However, if a case is being made that libraries are more than just books and ALA hands out awards mainly to people who create books, there is some sort of dissonance afoot. I concede that there are probably some technology awards hidden in the Awards and Grants page that I didn’t discover. But those professional awards don’t share the same stature as Newbery or Caldecott or Printz accolades.”...
Agnostic, Maybe, Feb. 6
PLA award winners
PLA has announced 13 award winners for 2012, honoring the best in public library service, innovation, and outreach. PLA President Marcia Warner will recognize all of the award winners as part of the PLA President’s Program and Awards Presentation on June 24 at the 2012 ALA Annual Conference in Anaheim, California....
PLA, Feb. 7
2012 Miriam Dudley Instruction Librarian Award
The ACRL Instruction Section has awarded Barbara J. Mann (right), assistant director for public services at the University of Maryland University College, its 2012 Miriam Dudley Instruction Librarian Award. The honor recognizes a librarian who has made a significant contribution to the advancement of instruction in a college or research library environment....
ACRL, Feb. 3
2012 EBSS Distinguished Librarian
The ACRL Education and Behavioral Sciences Section has awarded Scott Walter (right), associate university librarian for services at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, its 2012 Distinguished Education and Behavioral Sciences Librarian Award. The award honors a distinguished academic librarian who has made an outstanding contribution as an education and/or behavioral sciences librarian....
ACRL, Feb. 3
2012 Marta Lange/CQ Press Award
The ACRL Law and Political Science Section has awarded John Eaton (right), law librarian at the E. K. Williams Law Library of the University of Manitoba, its Marta Lange/CQ Press Award. The award honors an academic or law librarian who has made distinguished contributions to bibliography and information service in law or political science....
ACRL, Feb. 3
2012 Routledge Distance Learning Award
The ACRL Distance Learning Section has awarded
Johanna Ruth Tuñón (right), director of distance and instructional library services at Nova Southeastern University, the 2012 the Routledge Distance Learning Librarianship Conference Sponsorship Award. The award honors an ACRL member contributing to the success of distance learning librarianship or related library service in higher education....
ACRL, Feb. 6
National Friends of Libraries Week awards
The Friends of the Ennis (Tex.) Public Library (right) and the Friends of the Poughkeepsie (N.Y.) Public Library District were recognized for winning the 2011 National Friends of Libraries Week Awards by ALTAFF during its Gala Author Tea in Dallas. Each group received $250 and a certificate....
ALTAFF, Feb. 7
Sacramento wins 2012 National Library Week grant
The Sacramento (Calif.) Public Library is the winner of the 2012 Scholastic Library Publishing National Library Week Grant. The $3,000 grant is awarded annually for the best public awareness campaign in support of National Library Week. This year, libraries were asked to develop a proposal using the 2012 National Library Week theme, “You belong @ your library.”...
Public Information Office, Feb. 7
Four winners of YALSA’s first Writing Award
YALSA has named four members as winners of its first writing award in four categories: Sarah Ludwig (Young Adult Library Services), Casey H. Rawson (The Journal of Research on Libraries and Young Adults), Linda Braun (YALSA Blog), and Maria Kramer (The Hub). The winners for the journals will each receive $500, due to the more extensive nature of their work. The winners for the blog posts will each receive $200....
YALSA, Feb. 7
2012 De Gruyter European Librarianship Study Grant
Liladhar R. Pendse (right), librarian for Slavic and Eastern European and Eurasian studies at Princeton University, has received the 2012 ACRL Western European Studies Section’s De Gruyter European Librarianship Study Grant. The grant provides $3,000 in support of a trip to Europe to enable Pendse to write a comprehensive bibliography and subject analysis of Indo-Portuguese periodicals held by the National Library of Portugal and other libraries in Lisbon....
ACRL, Feb. 6
2012 Loleta D. Fyan Grant
Carmen Patlan, Waukegan (Ill.) Public Library, has been awarded the 2012 Loleta D. Fyan Grant of $5,000 for her proposal titled “Promotoras Ambassador Program.” The program will establish a team of ambassadors to reach out to underserved Latino residents and will highlight the library’s role as a place to access computers and other valuable free-of-charge services....
Office for Research and Statistics. Feb. 7
Memphis wins 2012 Light the Way grant
The Memphis Public Library and Information Center has received the 2012 Light the Way: Library Outreach to the Underserved Grant, administered by ALSC and its Library Service to Special Population Children and Their Caregivers Committee. As the winner of the grant, the library will receive $3,000 for its “Read With Me, Sign With Me” project....
ALSC, Feb. 7
New Virginia Mathews Memorial Scholarship
The American Indian Library Association has named its library school scholarship the Virginia Mathews Memorial Scholarship to honor the memory of one of the original founders of AILA. Virginia Mathews (right), member of ALA for 50 years and recipient of its Honorary Membership in 1994, died on May 7, 2011. She was the first American Indian to run for the ALA presidency and was a proud member of the Osage Nation. The scholarship will provide tuition to an American Indian individual in an ALA-accredited MLIS program....
Office for Diversity, Feb. 7
Women’s Caucus for Art: Lifetime Achievement Award
Ferris Olin (right), Rutgers University professor, educator, women’s studies scholar, and librarian, is one of five women who will receive the 2012 Women’s Caucus for Art Lifetime Achievement Award in Los Angeles February 25. Olin was cited for playing a crucial role in ensuring that
the aesthetic and intellectual impact of women and diverse communities is recognized
and documented in the cultural record....
Women’s Caucus for Art
2012 Tufts Poetry Awards
Timothy Donnelly has won the $100,000 Kingsley Tufts Poetry Award for his book The Cloud Corporation (Wave, Picador). The award, given annually to a midcareer poet, is one of the largest monetary poetry prizes in the United States. Katherine Larson has won the $10,000 Kate Tufts Discovery Award for her book of poetry, Radial Symmetry (Yale University Press). The award is given annually for a first book by a poet of genuine promise. Both awards are based at Claremont Graduate University....
Claremont Graduate University, Feb. 1
Free speech off-campus
Frank D. LoMonte writes: “If the justices of the Minnesota Supreme Court lose sight of larger constitutional issues, the outcome in the Tatro v. University of Minnesota case could give colleges virtually limitless authority to silence speech critical of their programs, no matter where it is uttered. The case began in 2010 when Amanda Tatro was called before the student-conduct board at the University of Minnesota over a series of postings on her personal Facebook page.”...
Chronicle of Higher Education, Feb. 5
A new question of internet freedom
European activists who participated in recent American internet protests learned there was political power to be harnessed on the web. In the US protests opposing SOPA, websites went dark January 18. European activists are hoping to use similar pressure to stop the international Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA) (PDF file), meant to clamp down on illegal commerce in copyrighted and trademarked goods. In another development, Ars Technica’s Nate Anderson looks at the “new, totally secret intellectual property chapter for the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), a regional trade agreement.”...
New York Times, Feb. 5; Ars Technica, Feb. 2
Tucson ethnic studies reinstatement sought
Families in a 38-year-old segregation lawsuit against Tucson Unified School District are asking a federal judge to reinstate the school district’s recently suspended Mexican-American studies classes, arguing they are critical to ending discrimination for students. Attorneys with the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund alleged the district has, by suspending the classes, reneged on a desegregation plan that district leaders and families spent nearly four decades developing under a federal judge’s oversight....
Phoenix Arizona Republic, Feb. 7
Internet access, libraries, and porn
The Seattle Public Library is holding fast to unrestricted online access to adults despite complaints about men watching pornography in very public settings. An SPL official said the library wants to work with complainants to mitigate “inadvertent viewing.” At the Malibu branch of the County of Los Angeles Public Library, a resident saw another patron watching explicit content on a library computer and was told nothing could be done about it. The North Central Regional Library in Wenatchee, Washington, is still defending itself in a years-old lawsuit brought by the ACLU that says it censors legitimate access for research, art, and political activism....
MSNBC, Feb. 3; Seattle Post-Intelligencer, Jan. 31, Feb. 2; Malibu (Calif.) Times, Feb. 1; KING-TV, Seattle, Feb. 2; ACLU, Oct. 24, 2011
Public libraries add language-learning software
Sarah Rich writes: “As libraries have dealt with draconian budget cuts the past few years, they have managed to add more and more services—such as language-learning software. The Wayne County (Mich.) Public Library is one example of this emerging trend. For the past 18 months, the library has made interactive foreign-language software available at its facility as well as remotely to users with a library account.”...
Government Technology, Feb. 6
Hyping classroom technology only helps tech firms
Michael Hiltzik writes: “Something sounded familiar when I heard US Education Secretary Arne Duncan and FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski make a huge pitch for infusing digital technology into America’s classrooms. Every schoolchild should have a laptop, they said, because in the near future, textbooks will be a thing of the past. Where had I heard that before? The year was 1913 and the speaker, Thomas Edison, was referring to the prospect of replacing book learning with instruction via the moving image.”...
Los Angeles Times, Feb. 4
Nebraska students build milk-jug igloo in library
Paxton (Nebr.) Public School students found a unique way to learn about recycling and Inuit culture. School librarian Jody Storer came up with the idea of building an igloo out of recycled milk jugs as a place to hold storytime. 700 milk jugs and 10 man-hours later, a 6-by-10-foot igloo arose in the library....
KNOP-TV, North Platte, Nebr., Feb. 4
Library commission blindsided by storybook reader’s dismissal
Boulder (Colo.) Library Commission members said they were blindsided by the recent decision to dismiss longtime storybook reader Judy Volc, and they urged the library director to reconsider. Volc has been reading to children in Boulder for almost 50 years, most recently as a volunteer after her position as children’s librarian was cut in 2003. She also used to teach children’s literature at the University of Colorado....
Boulder (Colo.) Daily Camera, Feb. 1
Arabian horse library opens
A library at California State Polytechnic University, Pomona, that showcases one of the largest Arabian horse collections in the world recently opened its doors to the public. The W. K. Kellogg Arabian Horse Library was built to collect and preserve materials about the breed. The library provides a permanent home for the Arabian horse collection, which has been moved from place to place over the years with no dedicated space large enough to hold the entire collection....
Diamond Bar (Calif.) Patch, Feb. 4; Cal Poly Pomona PolyCentric, Feb. 1
Libraries aren’t like supermarkets
British crime author Ann Cleeves penned this tribute to libraries for
the UK’s National Libraries Day, February 4: “Our librarian was Mrs. Macgregor. All those years ago, and I still remember her name, although those of my teachers are long forgotten. Mrs. Macgregor turned me into a crime writer. She introduced me to mysteries with chases and pace and surprise endings. She remembered which titles I’d read and saved copies of those I hadn’t under the counter, producing them, like a magician’s rabbit from a hat, as I walked through the door.”...
Yorkshire Post (UK), Feb. 7
Library poem by UK children’s laureate
Libraries are being closed all over the United Kingdom, so English writer, playwright, and Children’s Laureate Julia Donaldson (right) wrote a special poem for National Libraries Day, February 4, that begins: “Everyone is welcome to walk through the door. /
It really doesn’t matter if you’re rich or poor.”...
The Guardian (UK), Feb. 3
Computer system simplifies carrel assignments
Until recently, assigning carrels was an arduous, paper-based process, one that left students submitting preferences and hoping for the best. Convinced there could be an easier way, Ann-Marie Costa—who doles out carrel assignments at Harvard’s Widener Library—oversaw the creation of an online application that makes picking the perfect nook as simple as selecting a seat on a flight through an airline website....
Harvard Gazette, Feb. 2
How to buy a wireless router
Samara Lynn writes: “Wireless routers are the starring players in a home or small business network, yet they often cause great frustration for home users, business users, and anyone who is not a wireless networking guru. The enigma of wireless networking isn’t helped by router makers who, in a frenzy to differentiate and sell their products, tout unrealistic bandwidth speeds, load on extra bells and whistles, and sometimes create products that are difficult for the average user to set up, manage, and optimize.”...
PC Magazine, Feb. 2
Six technologies that will shape higher education
Game-based learning, learning analytics, and the “internet of things” are three of six technologies that will have a profound impact on higher education in the next one to five years, according to the NMC Horizon Report: 2012 Higher Education (PDF file) released by the New Media Consortium and the Educause Learning Initiative....
Campus Technology, Feb. 6
Three years later, Chrome arrives on Android
Stephen Shankland writes: “On February 7, Google released a beta version of its Chrome browser for Android, a momentous step that marries two of Google’s most important programming projects. The new browser, unlike the stock Android browser, is available in the Android Market so that people don’t have to wait for handset makers to offer it through an operating system upgrade.” Engadget says that pages, even loaded desktop ones, pull up pretty quickly. The only significant hiccup was a delay in rendering parts of more complex sites when scrolling to new portions....
CNET News, Feb. 7; Engadget, Feb. 7
Search engine finds answers within itself
Less than three years ago, 52-year-old scientist, software designer, and entrepreneur Stephen Wolfram created a new kind of search engine, called Wolfram Alpha. Unlike Google or Microsoft’s Bing, Wolfram Alpha does not forage the web; it culls its own painstakingly curated database to find answers. As of late it has delivered many answers for Siri, the question-answering personal assistant in the Apple iPhone 4S. The new version, called Wolfram Alpha Pro, arrived February 8 and can handle data and images....
New York Times, Feb. 6
Why your MP3s sound bad
Jamie Lendino writes: “More data translates to better-sounding audio files—but those files are largely unavailable to most consumers. Granted, to the casual listener, Amazon MP3 and Apple iTunes Store sound pretty good, as they are encoded as 256Kbps MP3 and AAC files for the most part. 256Kbps is also iTunes’s default encoding rate for when you rip audio CDs (although you can change it), and it’s the size iCloud uses to deliver tracks to other PCs or mobile devices on your network. The thing is, 256Kbps still isn’t enough.”...
PC Magazine, Feb. 1
Preservation status of e-resources
Oya Y. Rieger (right) and Robert Wolven write: “Academic libraries are increasingly dependent on commercially produced, born-digital content that is purchased or licensed. The purpose of this presentation is to share the findings of a 2CUL study that assesses the role of LOCKSS and PORTICO in preserving each institution’s e-journal collections. The 2CUL initiative is a collaboration between Columbia and Cornell university libraries to join forces in providing content, expertise, and services that are impossible to accomplish acting alone.” Watch the video (58:57)....
Coalition for Networked Information, Feb. 6; YouTube, Jan. 31
Random House makes ebook history
Dennis Johnson writes: “On February 2, the biggest of the Big Six, Random House, threw caution to the winds and announced it had struck a deal with libraries: It would raise the price of its ebooks to library wholesalers, but once a library had bought the book, that was it. They could loan it out as many times as they wanted and never have to pay for it again. Of course, what hasn’t been said is how much more Random House is going to charge for those books.”...
Melville House Books, Feb. 3; AL: E-Content, Feb. 3
Ebooks and blind or print-disabled readers
Amy Mason (right) writes: “The landscape of ebook reading technology is littered with hundreds of combinations of file formats, devices, and platforms. These competing platforms and devices include varying levels of accessibility and different methods of access. In this article we look at several of the major ebook platforms, their accessibility features, major drawbacks, and other pertinent information, so that users can make informed choices about which platforms and file types are likely to be of most use to them.”...
Braille Monitor, Jan.
Temple University swaps textbooks for digital alternatives
When students groan about buying traditional textbooks, their grievances follow a familiar refrain: They’re expensive and usually boring. So this fall, a team of Temple University professors abandoned old-fashioned texts for low-cost alternatives that they built from scratch. The pilot project, designed by AUL for Research and Instructional Services Steven J. Bell, gave 11 faculty members $1,000 each to create a digital alternative to a traditional textbook. To enliven students’ reading, the instructors pulled together primary-source documents and material culled from library archives....
Chronicle of Higher Education: Wired Campus, Feb. 7; Temple University, Jan. 27
E-content and mobile logins
Michelle Kraft writes: “Many e-content vendors like Elsevier and McGraw Hill direct smartphone users immediately to their mobile sites. While this is nice, their mobile sites require users to sign in using the personal login they created. So a library user would have to have a personal login for each database. If someone is accessing our resources off-campus, these personal logins are needed in addition to our proxy login that users already need to access library resources from home. Why have vendors created this artificial barrier?”...
The Krafty Librarian, Feb. 7
Dan Rather, award-winning journalist who anchored CBS Evening News for many decades, will be one of the featured speakers at ALA Annual Conference, June 21–26.
Completely overhauled since its last edition, the 8th edition of The ALA Book of Library Grant Money remains the gold standard for locating sources of funding for libraries and schools. NEW! From ALA Editions. |
Marsh’s Library, Dublin, Ireland. Built for Dublin Archbishop Narcissus Marsh in 1701, this was the first public library in the country. Designed by William Robinson, the library is one of the few 18th-century buildings in the city still used for its original purpose. Many of its collections are kept on the shelves allocated to them by Marsh and Élie Bouhéreau, the first librarian, when the library opened. The interior has beautiful dark oak bookcases, each with carved and lettered gables topped by a miter, and three elegant wired alcoves where readers were locked in with rare books.
National Library of Ireland, Dublin. Designed by Thomas Deane, the library opened in 1890 to house the collections of the Royal Dublin Society. The first-floor reading room (where James Joyce located the literary debate in Ulysses) features a magnificent dome reminiscent of the British Museum. 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 in 2013 by ALA Editions. |
Career
Leads from Agricultural and Environmental Sciences Librarian, University of California, Davis. The University of California, Davis Library seeks an energetic, proactive, innovative, collaborative, and user-oriented public services librarian to work closely with faculty and students in a highly interdisciplinary scientific research community. The Agricultural and Environmental Sciences Librarian delivers client-focused, innovative services that support the information needs of faculty, staff, and students in a strongly interdisciplinary science-intensive academic research campus. Working collaboratively with University of California librarians, UC Davis faculty, staff, and students, curate collections and contribute to the high quality service, instruction, and outreach efforts of the UC Davis University Library staffs.... |
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Mississippi was a focal point in the struggle for civil rights in America, and Hattiesburg, home of the University of Southern Mississippi, had the largest and most successful Freedom Summer project in 1964. The civil rights materials collected at the university’s Civil Rights in Mississippi Digital Archive document a local history with national significance. The collection includes a selection of digitized photographs, letters, diaries, and other documents. Oral history transcripts are also available, as well as finding aids for manuscript collections. 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 “A library is a good place to go when you feel unhappy, for there, in a book, you may find encouragement and comfort. A library is a good place to go when you feel bewildered or undecided, for there, in a book, you may have your question answered. Books are good company, in sad times and happy times, for books are people—people who have managed to stay alive by hiding between the covers of a book.” —American writer E. B. White, in a letter to the children of Troy, Michigan, on the benefits of a library, Apr. 14, 1971. @ More quotes... |
Feb. 10–12: Feb. 15–19: Feb. 19: Feb. 23: Mar. 9: Apr. 2–3: Apr. 4: Apr. 12–13: May 3–4: May 3–5: May 15–18: May 18–19: June 10–14: July 10–13: Sep. 30– Nov. 7–8: Nov. 11–15: @ More... |
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Some points about the Elsevier response
Wayne Bivens-Tatum writes: “Elsevier has briefly responded to the steadily growing petition by researchers to refuse to publish, referee, or do editorial work for Elsevier journals until they change how they operate. 4,480 researchers have signed the petition so far. I don’t want to address the entire post, but a couple of points especially stand out.” Kent Anderson also wonders whether the boycott makes sense in the first place...
Academic Librarian, Feb. 3; Library Connect, Feb. 2; Scholarly Kitchen, Feb. 2
10 things you might not know about Charles Dickens
Melody Lau writes: “February 7 marks the 200th anniversary of Charles Dickens’s birth, and in honor of the celebrated author, we dug up some facts about him that you might not know.” For example, he had a thing for nicknames, he was obsessive-compulsive, and he was epileptic. People all over the world are celebrating the 200th anniversary of Charles Dickens’s birth....
National Post (Canada), Feb. 7; Agence France Presse, Feb. 7
3D technology helps autistic children learn to read
A menagerie of virtual 3D animals that swim, eat bugs, and fly is helping autistic children develop crucial reading skills at Audubon Park Elementary in Orlando, Florida. Teachers at the nearby Baldwin Park public school say Letters Alive, software that combines interactive 3D technology with sounds, words, and realistic animal actions, is helping the school’s 50 autistic children overcome the challenges they encounter when learning to read....
eSchool News, Feb. 7
Former NBA star Abdul-Jabbar selected as cultural ambassador
On January 18, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton met with Hall-of-Famer Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, the NBA’s all-time leading scorer and a New York Times bestselling author, to discuss his new role as a global cultural ambassador. In his new role, Abdul-Jabbar will lead conversations with young people on the importance of education, social and racial tolerance, cultural understanding, and using sports as a means of empowerment....
US Department of State press release, Jan. 18
Children’s picture books don’t show nature
A group of researchers led by University of Nebraska-Lincoln sociologist J. Allen Williams Jr. studied the winners of ALA’s prestigious Caldecott Medal between 1938 (the year the prize was first awarded) through 2008. They looked at more than 8,000 images in the 296 volumes, and found decreasing depictions of nature and animals. The results are sobering....
Care2 Causes, Feb. 4; Sociological Inquiry 82, no. 1 (Feb.): 145–159
A wild and crazy librarian
Mary Kelly writes: “What happens in Vegas... Now this one sounds fun! This time our featured librarian is not shy and virginal but actually cuts loose. Better yet, this time she is a library consultant and advocating a bookstore model for libraries (gasp). She does sound wild. Who knows? Maybe one too many cocktails at a library conference led to some poor decisions. This book is a keeper and I think ALA needs to consider Las Vegas for a conference venue very soon.” (ALA will be there for the 2014 Annual Conference.)...
Awful Library Books, Feb. 3
Code of Best Practices in Fair Use
This webcast (1:00:32) introduced the Code of Best Practices in Fair Use for Academic and Research Libraries on the day of the code’s release, January 26. The code facilitators—Patricia Aufderheide of the Center for Social Media at American University, Brandon Butler of the Association of Research Libraries, and Peter Jaszi of the American University Law School—delivered a brief presentation on the contents of the code, followed by a question-and-answer session. To read the code and view related resources, visit the ARL website....
YouTube, Jan. 30
The end of academic library circulation?
Will Kurt writes: “Unless current patterns change, by 2020 university libraries will no longer have circulation desks. This claim may seem hyperbolic if you’ve been observing your library. Here is a chart (right) that shows total circulation for academic libraries, and while there’s a decline it certainly doesn’t look like it will hit zero anytime soon, definitely not in just eight years. But there is a problem with this data and this perspective on library statistics. When we talk about ‘total circulation,’ we’re talking about a property of the library, but we’re not really thinking about users.”...
ACRL Tech Connect, Feb. 1
10 ways to bring a conference back to work
Connie Malamed writes: “If you are one of the fortunate people from your organization to attend a professional conference, how can you bring it back to the workplace so everyone can benefit? Sharing what you’ve learned will not only benefit others in your workplace, it may help you take better notes and stay more organized during the conference. If you’re ready to hone your leadership skills, here are 10 ideas for how you can bring the conference back to work.”...
The Learning Circuits Blog, Feb. 5
IMLS report on state library agencies
The Institute of Museum and Library Services has released its report (PDF file) on the State Library Survey for fiscal year 2010. The data collected in this annual survey show that state library agencies’ revenues fell by 24.1% in the previous decade and that reduction in staff has been one of the largest impacts of this shortfall. The agencies continue to provide essential services to libraries....
Institute of Museum and Library Services, Feb. 6
Three tips for better customer service during tax season
Mary Kelly writes: “I love tax time at the library. Without fail, I can usually convert a nonlibrary user to library supporter, while helping hand out tax forms. Here are three simple strategies to get more out of tax season so you make the library look good and help patrons.”...
The Practical Librarian, Feb. 4
Maximize your broadband and minimize your costs
Charles R. McClure writes: “Despite the difficulties in providing high-quality rural broadband and information technology services, individuals can make a huge difference in minimizing the effect of the digital divide. We interviewed Sherry Millington, technical services coordinator at the Suwannee River Regional Library in north central Florida. Here is how her library system maximizes broadband impact and minimizes costs.”...
Libraries Connect Communities, Feb. 6
Birmingham Botanical Gardens Library: A hidden treasure
Cathy Adams writes: “There’s more to the Birmingham (Ala.) Botanical Gardens than 45 acres of cultivated plants. As part of its mission to educate about plants, gardens, and the environment, the BBG boasts the largest public horticultural library in the United States. Librarian Hope Long calls her territory ‘a hidden treasure.’ The library has been enhanced in recent years with the addition of an Archives and Rare Books Room developed by Archivist Jason Kirby (right).”...
Weld for Birmingham, Feb. 6
Intellectual freedom papers needed for IFLA in Helsinki
The IFLA Committee on Freedom of Access to Information and Freedom of Expression seeks papers that analyze trends, cases, and current concerns about privacy and intellectual freedom in cyberspace for its World Library and Information Congress in Helsinki, Finland, August 11–17. Proposals are due to Päivikki Karhula by March 15....
IFLA Committee on Freedom of Access to Information and Freedom of Expression
A century of music at NYPL
George Boziwick writes: “As the centennial year of the New York Public Library’s Stephen A. Schwarzman Building comes to a close and the next 100 years begin, it’s a good opportunity to journey through the history, collections, and people behind the scenes of one of the world’s premiere music collections. The music holdings were brought together as part of the merger in 1895 of the library of John Jacob Astor and the Lenox Library, with support from the Tilden Foundation to form the research collections of the New York Public Library.”...
New York Public Library blogs, Feb. 3
Games: A heretical/holistic point of view
Diane Rasmussen Neal writes: “I am a hardcore gamer. And a director-at-large of the American Society for Information Science and Technology. And a librarian. And a nerd. And many other things. But there is one thing I am not: somebody who fits in the boxes. One thing I have noticed is that gaming provides a perfect example of the divide between library practice and information science research.”...
tl;dr, Feb. 2
Many deleted Facebook photos are still online
Jacqui Cheng writes: “Facebook is still working on deleting photos from its servers in a timely manner nearly three years after Ars Technica first brought attention to the topic. The company admitted February 3 that its older systems for storing uploaded content ‘did not always delete images from content delivery networks’ quickly enough, but said it is currently finishing up a newer, faster system. In the meantime, photos that users thought they deleted from the social network months or even years ago remain accessible via direct link.”...
Ars Technica, Feb. 6
FEMA grant helps restore Katrina-damaged archives
The Federal Emergency Management Agency announced February 3 approximately $1.7 million in public-assistance funding to restore New Orleans Notarial Archives’ book volumes and historical records damaged during Hurricane Katrina in 2005. The FEMA grant will mainly fund in-house stabilization efforts to restore the damaged archives....
US Federal Emergency Management Agency, Feb. 3
StoryTubes 2012 contest
StoryTubes is an online contest sponsored by schools and public libraries. English-speaking kids anywhere are invited to submit by February 20 a YouTube or TeacherTube video of two minutes or less that describes their favorite book. Public library partners structure the contests, provide the staff time to review entries and manage the event, and secure prizes. Schools often secure parental permission, work with students to develop their online booktalks, and provide technical expertise....
StoryTubes
Digital storytelling resources
Shelly Terrell writes: “Young language learners have powerful stories to tell in blogs, Facebook, YouTube, or Twitter. Through digital storytelling, we motivate our learners to apply, contextualize, visualize, and personalize the language they learn. There are hundreds of free digital tools and websites to inspire your learners to create extremely imaginative stories and share them with a global audience. I hope these tips and resources will help you along your journey towards integrating digital storytelling into your curriculum.”...
Teacher Reboot Camp, Feb. 8
Reading Rainbow to return as an app?
Sarah Kessler writes: “When Reading Rainbow ended its 26-year run in 2009, it left behind decades of preschoolers for whom its theme song will forever resonate: ‘Take a look, it’s in a book, a reading rainbow.’ The PBS program was cut because the Bush administration believed in funding programs that taught children how to read, not why they should read. LeVar Burton (right), Reading Rainbow’s executive producer and host, thinks the latter goal is still relevant. And he plans to use digital media to bring the show back.”...
Mashable, Feb. 6
The Lead Pipe on professional development
This week, the In the Library with the Lead Pipe blog is fielding professional development and career questions from LIS students at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. The questions they asked range from committee work to composing cover letters to conference attendance. The blog team has responded with a range of perspectives....
In the Library with the Lead Pipe, Feb. 8
Little library launches in Syracuse
The Little Free Libraries in Syracuse, New York, launched February 3, following in the footsteps of the Little Free Library in Wisconsin. Syracuse’s project, however, is made out of reclaimed phone kiosks, which are meant to convey an exchange of information as well as to bring new life to these obsolete structures. They have been retrofitted to hold approximately two dozen books and are weatherproof, have a Plexiglas door, and have lighting inside so books are visible any time of day. Syracuse University LIS students created a customized list of titles intended to reflect the interests of the community and to seek book donations....
Syracuse Little Free Libraries, Feb. 4
Four crazy librarian ideas
Syracuse University LIS student Mia Breitkopf writes: “I’m going to be a librarian. Here are four things I’ll never do: One, touch books. There are plenty of librarians out there who never touch a book as part of their professional work. Information is a librarian’s work, and, as you know, information doesn’t always come in the form of a beautiful, delicious-smelling book.”...
Syracuse University School of Information Studies, Information Space, Feb. 6
Library blogger’s love for Ryan Gosling (and libraries)
Gwendolyn Nixon-Carter, a public librarian from the D.C. area, shares her story behind her Tumblr blog, which is dedicated to her love for Ryan Gosling and libraries. “I started this on a whim, fueled by jealousy over the Public History Ryan Gosling blog, and thought surely there must be one for librarians. There wasn’t one that I could find, so I started one just to make myself laugh, mostly. Then I shared it with a few friends, who in turn shared with their friends. The page received 120,000+ visitors within the first two days.”...
I Love Libraries
