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 22, 2012
Book traffickers to smuggle literature into Tucson
Educators in the Houston metro area are readying a “book trafficker” caravan that will travel March 12–18 from Houston to Tucson to donate books about the Mexican-American experience to four volunteer libraries. The donations are meant to counter the January removal of at least seven titles from Tucson Unified School District classrooms, where they had been taught as part of the district’s now-outlawed Mexican-American Studies program. Watch the video (1:24) on Librotraficante....
American Libraries news, Feb. 22; YouTube, Jan. 17
Newsmaker: Jamal Joseph
In 1970, Jamal Joseph (right) exhorted students at Columbia University to burn their campus to the ground. Today, he is an associate professor at Columbia’s School of the Arts film division in New York City. His personal odyssey—from the streets of Harlem to Rikers Island, Leavenworth penitentiary, and the halls of Columbia—is detailed in Panther Baby: A Life of Rebellion and Reinvention (Algonquin, 2012). He sat down with American Libraries Associate Editor Pamela Goodes to discuss his book and about growing up with the Black Panthers. Watch the full interview (20:35)....
American Libraries column, Mar./Apr.; AL Focus, Jan. 30
Tools of Change Conference, day 2
Kate Sheehan writes: “Data, data, data. It seemed as though everything I heard at the Tools of Change for Publishing Conference February 15 mentioned data in one way or another. Len Vlahos, executive director of the Book Industry Study Group, and Kelly Gallagher, vice president of Bowker, gave a talk chock-full of charts, graphs, and numbers from their work (right) studying the ebook market. And these were some important numbers....
AL: Perpetual Beta, Feb. 15
Will’s World: The coolness factor
Will Manley writes: “Age among librarians used to be fairly easy to determine, but that’s no longer true in our era of nips, tucks, Botox, and hair coloring. You can’t just come out and ask someone his or her age. My suggestion is that if you’re really curious, for whatever reason, about how old a librarian is, the safest and most effective approach is to start talking about obsolete library resources.”...
American Libraries column, Mar./Apr.
Original University of Pittsburgh charters on display
Two original state charters will be on display from February 27 at the University of Pittsburgh’s Hillman Library, part of the school’s 225th anniversary commemoration. One charter (right), dated February 28, 1787, led to the establishment of the university’s progenitor, the Pittsburgh Academy, in a small log house on the edge of the American frontier....
AL Focus, Feb. 22
Make your mark: Vote in the 2012 election
Polls will open at 9 a.m. Central time on March 19 for the ALA annual election. Gina J. Millsap and Barbara K. Stripling are the candidates for the 2013–2014 presidency. Results will be released on May 4....
Public Information Office, Feb. 21
New ALA “News Know-how” campaign
ALA unveiled a new campaign February 21 to engage librarians, journalists, news ethicists, and students across the country in a news literacy education project. The campaign, “News Know-how,” is supported by the Open Society Foundations. The two-year, $722,000 project seeks to create partnerships and collaborations for a nonpartisan, critical analysis of news and information. High school students, with public libraries as their newsroom, will learn information literacy principles to help them develop critical thinking skills and analyze news coverage in all of its formats....
Office for Intellectual Freedom, Feb. 21
David Weinberger to speak at Annual Conference
Celebrated internet philosopher and coauthor of The Cluetrain Manifesto David Weinberger (right) is the newest addition to the high-profile Auditorium Speaker Series at 2012 ALA Annual Conference on June 23. Weinberger’s most recent book, Too Big to Know, shakes the foundations of our concept of knowledge—from the role of facts to the value of books and the authority of experts—and provides a compelling vision of the future of knowledge in a connected world....
Conference Services, Feb. 21
Three new Executive Board members
Robert (Rob) Banks, Alexia I. Hudson, and John A. Moorman have been elected to serve on the ALA Executive Board. They were chosen by ALA Council in a vote taken at the 2012 ALA Midwinter Meeting, January 20–24 in Dallas. Banks, Hudson, and Moorman will each serve three-year terms beginning in July 2012 and concluding in June 2015....
Office of ALA Governance, Feb. 21
Free materials for National Bookmobile Day
You can now download free materials—publicity templates, logos, sticker templates, flyers, and bookmarks—for National Bookmobile Day 2012. These customizable resources will help libraries across the country prepare for the third annual celebration of National Bookmobile Day on April 11....
Office for Literacy and Outreach Services, Feb. 17
Astro4Girls and Their Families
The ALA Public Programs Office is partnering with NASA-funded astrophysics education and public outreach programs to offer nine public libraries across the country the opportunity to present “Astro4Girls and Their Families” in March during National Women’s History Month. The program is designed to provide participants with a special opportunity to showcase women’s success, especially in science....
Public Programs Office, Feb. 17
JCLC registration opens March 1
Kansas City, Missouri, will play host to the Joint Conference of Librarians of Color, September 19–23. Housing and registration will open March 1. Emmy Award–winner Sonia Manzano will welcome attendees at the opening keynote. There will be numerous opportunities to network and socialize, including an opening reception at the beautiful Kansas City Public Library’s central branch....
Office for Diversity, Feb. 21
How to host public issues forums
Programming Librarian and the ALA Center for Civic Life will offer a free, four-part series of webinars for libraries called “The Conversation Continues Here: Hosting Public Issues Forums @ your library,” February 28–May 22. This series is suitable for any librarians who are interested in learning more about deliberative forums and how to implement programs in the library that encourage public debate on important issues of common concern....
Public Programs Office, Feb. 21
Ask the Advocate webinar
“Ask the Advocate: Find What You Need to Make the Case” is a free webinar taking place 1–2 p.m. Central time on February 29. Attendees will have an opportunity to ask questions on advocacy issues at their library, as well as learn what resources are available to help make the case for libraries. Registration is mandatory....
Office for Library Advocacy, Feb. 21
Earth Week workshop shows how to green your library
A new 90-minute workshop called “Greening Your Library: Save Money and the Environment” with Kathryn Miller will take place April 18. Miller, author of Public Libraries Going Green, will discuss practical ideas for how to become green, teach green, and lead green. She will introduce environmentally friendly, money-saving initiatives that fit your existing building and services. Ideas for hands-on activities—such as rain barrels and butterfly gardens—will help you raise awareness and get your community involved....
ALA Editions, Feb. 21
Provide great customer service
Trainer and coach Laurie Brown will show you how to create a welcoming, friendly experience for patrons, students, and other library users in a new April 19 workshop called “How to Deliver Great Library Customer Service.” In addition to learning how to fulfill the expectations of the people who use your library, you will also get pointers on listening and communications skills to help your conversations with angry, chatty, or overly demanding patrons as gracefully as possible....
ALA Editions, Feb. 21
New eCourse on WebDewey and DDC
In a new four-week facilitated eCourse called “Understanding and Applying Dewey Decimal Classification,” expert cataloging instructor Cheryl Tarsala (right) will show how to gain a comprehensive grounding in Dewey Decimal Classification principles and practice. The eCourse will begin April 2 and will teach you how to assign DDC numbers with correct meaning in hierarchy, build numbers using tables, and apply numbers that help patrons browse your library....
ALA Editions, Feb. 21
A special report on privatizing libraries
Privatizing Libraries, a timely special report published by ALA Editions, provides a succinct but comprehensive overview of the “privatization” of public libraries. Authors Jane Jerrard, Nancy Bolt, and Karen Strege provide background on the trend of local and state governments to privatize public services and assets, and then examine the history of public library privatization up to the recently introduced California legislation to restrict cities from privatizing library services....
ALA Editions, Feb. 21
@ Visit Booklist Online for other reviews and much more.... |
Applications now being accepted for ACRL tracks
Apply for ACRL’s Immersion ’12 Program Assessment and Intentional Teacher Tracks. The tracks will be offered simultaneously November 14–18 in Nashville, Tennessee. Applications for both tracks are being accepted through May 7....
ACRL, Feb. 21
Registration open for RBMS preconference
Registration for the 53rd Annual Rare Books and Manuscripts Section Preconference is now open. The preconference, “Futures!,” will be held June 19–22, in San Diego, California. Register by May 18 and save $50 off the full registration fee. Registration materials are available on the RBMS website. Preconference plenary sessions will focus on three components of special collections and archives work: use, object, and discovery....
ACRL, Feb. 21
AASL updates position statement on flexible scheduling
AASL has released an updated position statement on flexible scheduling. The statement stresses the role of the school library program as a fully integrated part of the educational program so that students, teachers, and school librarians become partners in learning. To be fully integrated, classes need to be flexibly scheduled into the library on an as-needed basis to facilitate research, training, and use of technology....
AASL, Feb. 21
Participate in the PLDS survey
Make sure your library is counted. Participate in the PLDS Statistical Report survey. Visit the survey site to participate. You will need your library’s individual PLDS ID number and password. Completed surveys are due by March 30....
PLA Blog, Feb. 15
Explore Philadelphia during PLA 2012
Attendees at the PLA 2012 Conference, March 13–17, Philadelphia, should plan on building some time for exploration into their schedules. More than 10 tours will take participants around Philadelphia—to historic landmarks, haunted corners, urban gems, and libraries—as well as into the surrounding, beautiful country. Click here for complete details and pricing information....
PLA, Feb. 21
Winners chosen in PLA contests
Two winners have been chosen in PLA’s recent “Win a Trip to PLA 2012” contests. They will receive free registration to the PLA 2012 Conference in Philadelphia, four nights’ stay at a hotel, and up to $500 reimbursement for travel to and from the conference. Amy Mikel, a student at the University of Washington Information School, was selected from more than 60 participants for her essay contest entry; and Catherine Pruett, youth services librarian at the Marion County (S.C.) Library, won for her video contest entry....
PLA, Feb. 21
Winter issue of YALSA’s research journal
The Winter 2012 issue of YALSA’s Journal of Research on Libraries and Young Adults is now available. This issue features reflections on young adult librarianship and research from Anthony Bernier, Carol Kuhlthau, and Virginia Walter....
YALSA, Feb. 17
A bear in a tutu: My first ALA award committee
Emily Tichenor writes: “It all ended with a bear in a pink tutu sitting on my keyboard. I arrived in my office weary and weighed down with books on January 24, still in recovery mode from my trip to ALA Midwinter where I had participated in my first-ever ALA award committee. I opened a package on my desk and there she was: Lucille Beatrice Bear (above), star of the 2012 Carnegie Medal–winning film Children Make Terrible Pets. It was the perfect end to an incredible experience.”...
ALSC Blog, Feb. 21
Patty Wong receives 2012 Equality Award
Patricia (Patty) M.Y. Wong (right), county librarian and chief archivist of the Yolo County (Calif.) Library, is the 2012 recipient of the ALA Equality Award. The annual award is given to an individual or group for outstanding contributions toward promoting equality in the library profession. The award jury noted Wong’s outstanding efforts in teaching and mentoring students....
Office of ALA Governance, Feb. 21
John F. Helmer wins 2012 Hugh Atkinson Award
John F. Helmer (right), executive director of the Orbis Cascade Alliance, has been named the 2012 winner of the Hugh C. Atkinson Memorial Award. The award, administered by four ALA divisions, recognizes an academic librarian who has made significant contributions in the area of library automation or management. The award cited Helmer as an effective leader and champion of new ideas and initiatives in academic libraries....
ACRL, Feb. 21
Women and Gender Studies Section Award announced
Kayo Denda, Alicia Graham, Rhonda Marker, and Li Sun of Rutgers University Libraries, and Kirsten Canfield and Lucy Vidal of the Center for Women’s Global Leadership in the School of Arts and Sciences at Rutgers University are the winners of the 2012 ACRL Women and Gender Studies Section Award for Significant Achievement in Women’s Studies Librarianship. The WGSS Award honors a significant or one-time contribution to women’s studies librarianship....
ACRL, Feb. 21
2012 Banks/Harris Preservation Award
Julie Allen Page (right), co-coordinator of the California Preservation Program and the Western States and Territories Preservation Assistance Service, has won the 2012 Paul Banks and Carolyn Harris Preservation Award, given annually by the ALCTS Preservation and Reformatting Section. Page has been an advocate for preservation activities since 1989, during which time she contributed to the development of a preservation program that spanned the entire 10-campus University of California system....
ALCTS, Feb. 21
Jane Greenberg selected for Margaret Mann Citation
Jane Greenberg (right) is the recipient of the 2012 Margaret Mann Citation presented by the ALCTS Cataloging and Metadata Management Section. Greenberg is a highly sought-after author whose works include Knitting the Semantic Web and a special issue of the Journal of Library Metadata. In recent years, she has written on such diverse topics as automatic metadata creation, metadata best practices, ontology research, the Semantic Web, data repositories, and thesauri. The Mann Citation recognizes outstanding professional achievement in cataloging or classification....
ALCTS, Feb. 21
Leadership in Library Acquisitions Award
The ALCTS Acquisitions Section has selected Lisa German (right), associate dean for collections, information, and access services at Pennsylvania State University Libraries, to receive its 2012 Harrassowitz Leadership in Library Acquisitions Award. The award is given to a librarian in recognition of outstanding contributions in the field of acquisitions and includes a $1,500 monetary award....
ALCTS, Feb. 17
2012 Best of LRTS Award
Erin Stalberg, director of discovery and access at the Mount Holyoke College Library, and Christopher Cronin, director of metadata and cataloging services at the University of Chicago Library, have been awarded the 2012 Edward Swanson Memorial Best of LRTS Award for their article “Assessing the Cost and Value of Bibliographic Control,” Library Resources and Technical Services 55, no. 3 (2011): 124–137. The award is given each year to the authors of the best paper published in LRTS....
ALCTS, Feb. 17
2012 Notable Children’s Recordings
ALSC has selected its 2012 list of Notable Children’s Recordings. The list includes recordings for children 14 years of age and younger that are of especially commendable quality; demonstrate respect for young people’s intelligence and imagination; exhibit venturesome creativity; and reflect and encourage the interests of children and young adolescents in exemplary ways. The complete list with annotations can be found on the ALSC website....
ALSC, Feb. 21
Sparky Awards Peoples’ Choice Prize
A team led by Bryan Killian, a junior biological sciences student at the University of Illinois at Chicago, has won the 2011 Sparky Awards Peoples’ Choice prize for the short film, Open Access. The video (1:47) was selected in an open online vote held earlier this year. The Sparky Awards were created by the Scholarly Publishing and Academic Resources Coalition and have been widely adopted by campuses across the US....
SPARC, Feb. 21; YouTube, Mar. 25, 2011
Hill Harper receives Sankofa Freedom Award
Award-winning actor and author Hill Harper is the 2012 recipient of the $7,000 Sankofa Freedom Award, presented by Tulsa City–County (Okla.) Library’s African American Resource Center and the Tulsa Library Trust. The presentation was made February 11 at the Rudisill Regional branch. The awarded is presented every other year during Black History Month to a nationally acclaimed individual who has dedicated his or her life to educating and improving the greater African-American community....
Tulsa (Okla.) World, Feb. 12
The Descendants wins USC Scripter Award
Author Kaui Hart Hemmings and screenwriters Alexander Payne, Nat Faxon, and Jim Rash won the 24th annual University of Southern California Libraries Scripter Award for their creative contributions to The Descendants. Selection committee cochair Naomi Foner announced the winners at the black-tie ceremony on February 18. The Scripter gala, presented by the Friends of the USC Libraries, honors each year’s best cinematic adaptation of the written word....
USC Libraries Lïbwïre, Feb. 18
2012 Sami Rohr Prize for Jewish Literature
The Jewish Book Council announced Gal Beckerman’s When They Come for Us We’ll Be Gone: The Epic Struggle to Save Soviet Jewry (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2010) as the winner of its 2012 Sami Rohr Prize for Jewish Literature. The prize recognizes the important role of emerging writers in examining the Jewish experience. The award of $100,000 honors a specific work as well as the author’s potential to make significant contributions to Jewish literature....
Jewish Book Council, Feb. 15
UK kids vote A Monster Calls best book of 2012
Patrick Ness has won the Red House Children’s Book Award 2012 for his novel A Monster Calls, which tells the story of a boy whose mother has cancer. The book was the overall winner, as well as the winner in the Older Readers category. The award, administered by the Federation of Children’s Book Groups, is the only national book award in Britain voted for entirely by children. This year more than 80,000 votes were cast....
The Guardian (UK), Feb. 18
Friends turn old books into purses
Once a week the women come to the Willow Glen branch of the San Jose (Calif.) Public Library for a book club meeting. But they are there to deconstruct discarded editions of Reader’s Digest Condensed Books and remake them into chic handbags, with colorful linings and beaded handles. All active members of the Friends of the Willow Glen Library, the women donate their time and efforts to raising money for the branch....
San Jose (Calif.) Mercury News, Feb. 15
Collector pleads guilty to multiple thefts
Self-educated presidential historian and collector of inauguration memorabilia Barry Landau (right) pleaded guilty in federal court February 7 to stealing thousands of historical documents from the libraries of the Maryland Historical Society, Historical Society of Pennsylvania, Connecticut Historical Society, University of Vermont, New-York Historical Society, and the Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library. According to the plea agreement (PDF file), Landau and his Canadian accomplice Jason Savedoff researched their targets, compiling lists of the most valuable documents in the collections....
The History Blog, Feb. 10; Baltimore Sun, Feb. 7
Library can’t recoup money stolen by hackers
At least $37,500 that was stolen during a computer hacking may have ended up in the Czech Republic, James Dunivan, chairman of the Craighead County Jonesboro (Ark.) Public Library’s trustees, said February 16. A hacker gained access to the library’s direct deposit account, using the names of six people to move the money. Library Director Phyllis Burkett said the library will eat its loss by having a reduction in carryover funds....
WHBQ-TV, Memphis, Tenn., Feb. 17
Yonkers library staffer admits stealing money
A former Yonkers (N.Y.) Public Library worker agreed February 16 to serve one to three years in state prison for stealing $163,582 from the library over seven years. Margo Reed pleaded guilty in Westchester County court to second-degree grand larceny and filing a false tax return, both felonies. The plea satisfied an 18-count indictment that included other fraud charges....
White Plains (N.Y.) Journal News, Feb. 16
Occupiers leave Harvard’s Lamont Library
Echoing the spirit of solidarity, about 20 members of the Occupy Harvard movement exited Lamont Library together as a group at 10 p.m. on February 17. They had occupied Lamont since February 12 to protest planned staff reductions in Harvard libraries. Protesters said the library workers were “overwhelmingly supportive” of the group’s effort, but they encountered some bumps along the way....
Harvard Crimson, Feb. 20
Valuable Western collection is in between homes
Jeffrey Lee and his wife, Ann Martin, who met on the job as employees of the Tattered Cover Book Store, amassed a collection of 30,000 books on the West over a span of 23 years. Called the Rocky Mountain Land Library, the collection could soon be homeless because the house they are renting in Denver will be sold. But Lee is close to signing a 99-year lease for a residential land-study center two hours from Denver and Colorado Springs where the library could be home to workshops, classes, conferences, field work, heritage tourism, and more than 20,000 of Lee and Martin’s books. A March 8 deadline looms....
Denver Post, Feb. 20
UK library advocates hit a stone wall
Campaigns to save London libraries were dealt a severe blow after a recent ruling from UK Culture Secretary Jeremy Hunt. It came in a letter to protesters in Brent in which he dismissed their claim that he was required to intervene on libraries about to be closed as “academic.” Annie Mauger, chief executive of the Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals, called for the culture secretary to set out a “framework for what library services should be delivering.”...
London Evening Standard, Feb. 21; Huffington Post, Feb. 21
Toronto Borges letter was a prank
The librarian who claimed to find a 1978 greeting card belonging to famed Argentinean author Jorge Luis Borges in the Agincourt branch of the Toronto Public Library has revealed that his “unbelievable discovery” was a hoax. Louis Choquette wrote February 15 on the branch’s blog that he had found a greeting card bearing Borges’s signature in an old copy of Plato’s Republic in the library. In a February 17 update, he wrote that “while not a true account, [it] is a very good story.”...
Toronto Star, Feb. 18; Agincourt District Libraries Blog, Feb. 15
Web tracking: Is this a big deal?
Dan Tynan writes: “Web tracking companies say anonymous tracking is harmless. What’s the real story? Here are two scenarios where online tracking can come back to bite you. The harm from having your movements tracked across the web depends in part on how anonymous this data really is. For example, the Ghostery folks put together a clever Periodic Table of the Most Common 100 Web Trackers, using data from its GhostRank surveys.”...
PC World, Feb. 19
10 steps to smartphone privacy
Eric Zeman writes: “Your smartphone is simultaneously your best friend and your worst enemy. If it falls into the wrong hands or even if it doesn't fall into the wrong hands, a smartphone can expose your contacts, location history, and banking data. This means all smartphone owners need to be vigilant in order to protect themselves. Here are some essential tips to help keep your vital data under control.”...
Information Week, Feb. 18
The best mobile hotspots
Alex Colon writes: “Looking to get online anytime, anywhere? Mobile hotspots are a great one-size-fits-all solution because they let you connect laptops, tablets, or any other Wi-Fi-enabled devices to the mobile network of your choice. Depending on your hotspot, plan, and usage, nationwide connectivity can start at $34.99 per month, albeit for limited use. But you could pay well over $100 if you do lots of downloading or streaming. Here is our roundup of the best mobile hotspots on the market today.”...
PC Magazine, Feb. 22
Data storage can cripple mobile apps
Tom Simonite writes: “The latest smartphones and tablets at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas in January came with an emphasis on faster processors and compatibility with faster wireless networks. But new research shows that the biggest performance bottleneck with popular smartphone apps such as Facebook and Google Maps is the speed they can read and write a device’s data storage: Without changing how mobile gadgets store data, the benefits of new networks and processors will be limited.”...
Technology Review, Feb. 20
10 Drupal fundamentals
Steve Petersen writes: “Partly due to how robust and powerful it is, Drupal has a learning curve. Like other content management systems, it has some of its own lingo. Understanding the fundamental terms here will help anyone (technically inclined or not) better grasp the system. These terms are applicable to the three versions of Drupal (5, 6, and 7) that I have used.”...
The Brick Factory, Feb. 15
HarperCollins sticks to its 26-loan cap
Michael Kelley writes: “In 2011, when HarperCollins implemented its 26-loan cap for library ebook lending, the new policy brought down upon the publishing house all the thunder that the library world could conjure. But the publisher has remained not only committed to its model but also to the market. And for this, it is receiving from some librarians, if not praise, at least a sober reappraisal—even from some of those who are holding firm to their boycott.”...
Library Journal: The Digital Shift, Feb. 17
Amazon yanks 5,000 IPG titles from Kindle
Amazon has turned off the buy button on nearly 5,000 Kindle titles from distributor Independent Publishers Group after IPG refused to capitulate to Amazon’s demand for better terms. The Chicago-based IPG is a distributor, which means that it provides services like marketing, sales, and distribution to smaller client publishers. The company represents some 400 publishers....
paidContent, Feb. 22
Ebook publishers and ALA awards
Andromeda Yelton writes: “I looked up the Caldecott and Newbery winners and honorees, 2010–2012, and the publishers’ stance toward library ebook lending at the time of the award. Of 23 honorees, nine are from publishers that sold ebooks to libraries; one is from HarperCollins, after it announced its policy of selling to libraries with a 26-checkout restriction; and 12 are from publishers that did not sell ebooks to libraries. Just to be clear: Over half of the books that ALA honored with its awards since 2010 are books that the publishers would not at the time—and may not now—let libraries lend electronically.”...
Andromeda Yelton, Feb. 13
Enhanced digital editions
In his international bestseller The Hare With Amber Eyes, Edmund de Waal traces the fortune of a collection of carved Japanese netsuke figurines. Readers grew so entranced by the story of these objects that they started clamoring to see them. So after the hardback, the ebook, and the paperback came the deluxe illustrated edition in November 2011—along with something called the “enhanced” digital edition....
The Economist: Prospero, Feb. 21
Dress up an e-reader for style and comfort
Mickey Meece writes: “E-readers are functional right out of the box. But when consumers start using them, many find that they are craning their necks awkwardly, constantly wiping the screen with their sleeves, or holding some readers to the light at night while straining to read others in the sun. Help is at hand. The marketplace for e-reader and tablet accessories is booming. What accessories users want depends in large part on the e-readers they own.”...
New York Times: Personal Tech, Feb. 15
The best ebook readers
Jamie Lendino writes: “With prices falling below the magic $100 mark, it's a great time to buy an ebook reader. But which one should you choose? A good way to narrow the field is to consider it split into two major categories: E Ink–based ebook readers, which are designed primarily for reading, and color tablet ebook readers, which may offer a specific focus on reading but can also function as full-blown tablets.”...
PC Magazine, Feb. 15
Ebooks can’t burn
Tim Parks writes: “At the university where I work, certain professors, old and young, will react with disapproval at the notion that one is reading poetry on a Kindle. It is sacrilege. Are they right? In practical terms it is all too easy to defend the ebook. But I want to go beyond practicality to the reading experience itself, our engagement with the text. The ebook actually seems to bring us closer than the paper book to the essence of the literary experience.”...
New York Review of Books: NYRblog, Feb. 15
How to access your ebook library on an iPad via Dropbox
Jason Fitzpatrick writes: “You’re a reader on the move and you don’t have time for a tethered sync. Today we’ll show you how to keep your ebook library synced to your iPad via Dropbox. Whether you’re reading novels, brushing up on your favorite RPG manuals, or otherwise consuming ebooks on the go, this tutorial will show you how you can leverage your Dropbox account to keep your documents at your fingertips.”...
How-To Geek, Feb. 21
Eight downsides of the switch to ebooks (satire)
Christina H writes: “As ebook sales overtake paper-book sales, it seems like everybody is crying and wringing their hands about what it means. What are some effects of going to an all ebook world that haven’t been talked to death? I dug around and tried to find some ebook ramifications that would appeal to the type of people who spend more time preparing for a zombie apocalypse than unemployment or retirement.” Number 3: How will people open secret passageways?...
Cracked, Feb. 14
Chris Colfer is one of the stars on the award-winning TV show Glee. He recently completed his first children’s book, The Land of Stories, and will be part of the Auditorium Speaker Series at ALA Annual Conference, June 21–26.
Find out why librarians love Booklist. Check out the results of the |
Biblioteca Ambrosiana, Milan, Italy. Named after St. Ambrose, bishop and patron saint of Milan, the library was established in 1609 by Cardinal Federico Borromeo, who wanted it to be a center for Catholic scholarship open to the public. His agents scoured Europe looking for books, acquiring the manuscripts of the Benedictine Bobbio Abbey and the library of scholar Gian Vincenzo Pinelli of Padua, whose large collection of ancient Greek manuscripts included a 5th-century illuminated copy of Homer’s Iliad. Other treasures are a copy of Virgil’s Æneid with marginalia by Petrarch, the 12-volume Codex Atlanticus of Leonardo da Vinci, a 7th-century Latin list of books of the New Testament (the Muratorian fragment), an original copy of Luca Pacioli’s treatise De divina proportione, and the earliest known copy of Sibawayh’s Arabic grammar. The building and some of its holdings were damaged during World War II, but it was restored in 1952 and 1990–1997.
Biblioteca Angelica, Rome, Italy. Established in 1604 by Bishop Angelo Rocca adjacent to the Basilica di Sant’Agostino, this library owns collections related to the works of St. Augustine of Hippo and the history of the Reformation and Counter-Reformation. Since 1940, the library has housed the archives of the literary Academy of Arcadia. 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 Circuit Librarian, US Courts, Fifth Circuit, |
|
The Burgert Brothers Photographic Collection presents a pictorial record of the commercial, residential, and social growth of Tampa Bay and Florida’s west coast from the late 1800s to the early 1960s. Nearly 15,000 images in this collection chronicle the history of the Tampa Bay area as it faced wars, natural disasters, and economic booms and busts. The images offer a view of a community at work, from cigar factories, sponge docks, and strawberry fields to grocery stores, service stations, and bank lobbies. Many of the photographs also depict a community at leisure, enjoying a day at the beach, participating in local celebrations, attending the Florida State Fair, or playing games such as golf, tennis, shuffleboard, or checkers. 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 librarian should be as unwilling to allow an inquirer to leave the library with his question unanswered as a shop-keeper is to have a customer go out of his store without making a purchase.” —Samuel Swett Green, “Personal Relations Between Librarians and Readers,” Library Journal 1, no. 1 (Sept. 1876): 74–81. “I wrote all my books at a library. Lately, it’s been the New York Society Library. . . . I have friends who are the librarians there, and I can come out of the stacks and tell them how poorly it’s doing. They make me laugh and send me back in.” —Joe Drape, author of Our Boys: A Perfect Season with the Smith Center Redmen, speaking at the Towanda (Kans.) Public Library, Feb. 8. @ More quotes... |
Feb. 28: Mar. 1–3: Mar. 9–11: Mar. 12–13: Mar. 14–16: Mar. 22–23: Mar. 23–24: Apr. 2–4: Apr. 9–11: Apr. 12–13: Apr. 12–13: Apr. 14: Apr. 16–18: Apr. 26–27: May 2–4: May 3–5: July 13–15: Sept. 19–21: @ More... |
Contact
Us
AL Direct is a free electronic newsletter emailed every Wednesday to personal members of the American Library Association and subscribers.
Jennifer Henderson, To
advertise in American Libraries Direct, contact:
Send
feedback: AL
Direct FAQ: All links outside the ALA website are provided for informational purposes only. Questions about the content of any external site should be addressed to the administrator of that site. Sign up to receive AL Direct every Wednesday here. American
Libraries ISSN 1559-369X |
Science for the nonscientist
Bill Ott writes: “I was never any good at science, whether it was dissecting a frog or completing a science-fair project. My personal nadir came on a chemistry exam in high school. Which is why, back in 1998, I had mixed feelings about meeting with the author of a soon-to-be-published historical novel about 17th-century scientists. I had enjoyed Iain Pears’s mysteries about art forgery in Rome, so when his publicist stopped by the Booklist office, with the author in tow, to discuss Pears’s new novel An Instance of the Fingerpost, I was intrigued.”...
AL: Rousing Reads, Feb. 22
National Book Count suggests Canada reads
By the time you read this sentence, 25 books will have been sold or circulated in Canada. The second annual National Book Count, held January 23–29, shows that Canadians buy or borrow from a library more than five books every second. This year, ebooks were included in the count—which was tracked by a partnership of bookstores and libraries—revealing that 10% of all books sold in English-speaking Canada are ebooks and 3% of all library loans are digital....
National Post (Canada), Feb. 16
The truth about anthropodermic bibliopegy
Keith Veronese writes: “Rare old books are occasionally bound in human skin, including nipples, and even the face of a Guy Fawkes conspirator. Antiquarians have discovered these grisly leather covers on prayer books, astronomy treatises, court cases, and anatomy texts—all written in the past 300–400 years. Let’s take a look at a how human skin was obtained to bind these books.”...
io9, Feb. 22
Battle of the bad bookmarks
Travis Jonker writes: “What’s up with all these terrible bookmarks people use? Am I right? While I’m all for marking a page by any means necessary, some bookmarks make more sense than others. This week in a bracket-style tournament based on your votes, we’re going to determine once and for all which bookmark is the worst. P.S., if you want your bookmark to mark your page, it’s not a good idea to use something that people are tempted to steal.” See the finalists here....
100 Scope Notes, Feb. 20–22
The Gentleman’s Magazine: An 18th-century Google
Praise was certainly due to Edward Cave’s Gentleman’s Magazine, which he began in January 1731. Printed at St. John’s Gate in London, it was a “repository of all things worth mentioning,” and the first magazine in the modern sense. Dealing with almost every imaginable fact and fantasy, it was the first source to consult. This fact truly makes it the 18th-century answer to Google. Every page is a surprise. The University of Otago Library Special Collections Department created this online exhibition....
University of Otago Library, Dunedin, New Zealand
A video compilation of bad book-critic clichés
Dianna Dilworth writes: “What’s the one word you wish book reviewers would stop using? The ‘Sh*t Book Reviewers Say’ video (2:44) has arrived, and we saved it for your afternoon viewing pleasure. Washington Post fiction editor Ron Charles starred in the video, reviving his Totally Hip Book Reviewer video series with a satirical exploration of book-review jargon.”...
GalleyCat, Feb. 17; YouTube, Feb. 11
Joining the movement: A call to action
Barbara Fister writes: “The public is now becoming aware that publishers actually want a system that cuts public libraries out completely. Why do librarians continue to perpetuate the very system that we have been scolding scholars about for years? Many of our scholarly journals are published by the same corporations that supported the Research Works Act and continue to do what they can to maximize profits, which means making research in librarianship unavailable to many. To preach open access without practicing it is baffling to me. I challenge academic librarians to be as brave as other principled academics who are willing to make a sacrifice for the greater good.”...
Library Journal: Peer to Peer Review, Feb. 16; Inside Higher Ed: Library Babel Fish, Feb. 16
Effective school libraries contribute to student success
The New Jersey Association of School Librarians released findings February 15 of a three-year study conducted by the Center for International Scholarship in School Libraries at Rutgers University, which explored the value of quality school libraries to education in New Jersey. The findings show that New Jersey school libraries and school librarians contribute in rich and diverse ways to improvements in student test scores and increased interest in reading....
New Jersey Association of School Librarians, Feb. 15
A Chicago librarian speaks out about cutbacks
Kari Lydersen writes: “‘John,’ 67, has been a librarian since 1973, much of that time spent in Chicago’s currently embattled library system. Working in a branch in a low-income neighborhood, John—who asked his real name not be used since he’s not authorized to speak to reporters—sees firsthand the important role the city’s libraries play and how library workers and residents have been affected by more than 100 recent layoffs and cuts in service hours.”...
In These Times, Feb. 21
Public libraries and COPPA compliance
danah boyd writes: “The Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) was created to prevent corporations from collecting data about children without parental permission. This law explicitly does not apply to public institutions, nonprofits, and government agencies. Yet, many public institutions not only choose not to collect data about children; they forbid children from accessing information without parental permission. Much to my surprise, this includes many public libraries.”...
apophenia, Feb. 20
Free 1940 Census release online
The National Archives, with its partner Archives.com, launched a new website February 21 in preparation for the first-ever online US Census release, which will take place April 2. The public is encouraged to bookmark the website now in order to more quickly access the 1940 census data when it goes live. Users will be able to search, browse, and download the 1940 census schedules, free of charge, from home computers or public computers at National Archives locations nationwide. Watch the video (3:13)....
National Archives, Feb. 21; YouTube, Feb. 14
Library documentary: Balancing the Books
Patricia Snyder writes: “Balancing the Books: Modern Library Function and Funding will be a documentary about libraries, their place in people’s lives, and how we pay for them. Submissions are being sought for a collection of stories about the place libraries have in people’s lives. These can be a recollection from the writer’s past or about something happening now. Work must be original and belong to the person submitting it. Submissions of up to 2,000 words may be emailed by June 29.” Watch the trailer (2:14)....
I Love Libraries
Digital technology makes the library invisible
Tom Scheinfeldt writes: “There is a scene from the first season of the television spy drama, Chuck, that takes place in a library. In the scene, our hero and unlikely spy Chuck (right) has returned to his alma mater, Stanford University, to find a book his former roommate Bryce, also a spy, has hidden in the stacks as a clue. All Chuck has to go on is a call number scribbled on a scrap of paper. I like this clip because it illustrates how I think most people—scholars, students, geeks like Chuck—use the library.”...
Found History, Feb. 22
Take a survey on link resolvers
Marshall Breeding writes: “Participate in a survey on OpenURL-based link resolvers and knowledge bases conducted through Library Technology Guides. Link resolvers have been implemented in libraries that offer collections of electronic resources to their users to facilitate linking to full-text content. Only one response per library is allowed. It should be completed by or in consultation with the persons in your library who deal closely with electronic resources and your linking product.”...
Library Technology Guides blog, Feb. 22
Snooki, whale sperm, and Google
Margaux DelGuidice writes: “Late one night I flipped to a talk show where the infamous Snooki (right) of Jersey Shore fame happened to be the guest. As I went to change the channel, I paused when I heard her reason for being asked onto the show: She was there to promote her book. ‘Oh, it’s totally true,’ she giggled while carelessly flipping her hair over a glittery shoulder. ‘The ocean is salty because of whale sperm.’ The interviewer raised her eyebrows as Snooki continued, doing her part to educate the American public. ‘I’m telling you, it’s true, just Google it.’”...
In the Library with the Lead Pipe, Feb. 22
Doodle 4 Google contest
For the last five years Google has invited students across the US to submit their own doodles for a chance to be featured on the Google homepage. The doodling theme for the 2012 Doodle 4 Google contest is “If I could travel in time, I’d visit....” In addition to seeing his or her art on the Google homepage on May 18, the Doodle 4 Google 2012 national winner will also receive a $30,000 college scholarship and a $50,000 technology grant for their full-time school. 50 state winners will win a trip to New York City. Doodles must be postmarked no later than March 20....
Google Nonprofits Blog, Feb. 21
Public libraries around the world
Public libraries exist in many developing countries. Kenya has 58 libraries, Peru 729, Indonesia 1,598. These libraries are addressing their communities’ development goals—supporting entrepreneurs in Vietnam, providing vital health information in Nepal and Kenya, or helping their citizens to be engaged, informed, and involved in Honduras and Romania. This map of world public libraries was created by IFLA and other international organizations, with the support of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation....
Beyond Access blog, Jan. 21
European Library Standards Handbook released
The European Library Standards Handbook (PDF file) serves as a handbook for libraries providing data to the European Library and other services such as Europeana. The document, produced as part of Europeana Libraries, clarifies the advantages of outsourcing specific data-provision tasks to an aggregator and provides a complete description of the process. Watch the introductory video (2:33)....
Association of European Research Libraries, Feb. 20; YouTube, Feb. 3
Historian versus the Wikipedia cops
Timothy Messer-Kruse writes: “For the past 10 years I’ve immersed myself in the details of one of the most famous events in American labor history, the Haymarket riot and trial of 1886. Along the way I’ve written two books and a couple of articles about the episode. In some circles that affords me a presumption of expertise on the subject. Not, however, on Wikipedia.”...
Chronicle of Higher Education: The Chronicle Review, Feb. 12
Five websites that could lower your stress level
Fact: Sitting at your computer at work can cause all sorts of stress. Next time you feel an Incredible Hulk moment coming on, open your browser and take solace by surfing a novelty website. It’s worth a shot, and cheaper than retail therapy....
Geek Sugar, Feb. 19
