Summer reading goes to school
Malavika Shrikhande and Ellen Speirs write: “A growing number of academic and school libraries are now taking a page from their public library counterparts by hosting summer reading programs—and they’re seeing positive results. What follows are two examples of how summer reading programs sponsored by nontraditional institutions are making a difference for students and staff, one at St. Ambrose University in Davenport, Iowa, and another at Cheshire (Conn.) High School.”...
American Libraries feature

Research shows public awareness gap about ebooks in libraries
Larra Clark writes: “A June 22 report from the Pew Research Center’s Internet and American Life Project finds that 12% of readers of ebooks borrowed an ebook from their libraries in the past year, and a majority of respondents (62%) don’t know if their local library provides ebooks. Somewhat startlingly, even 58% of library card holders were unsure if their library offered the service. In addition, a majority were either unable to borrow from the library an ebook they were seeking (56%) or encountered wait lists (52%).”...
American Libraries news, July 11

Librarian ethnicity
Q. Does ALA have recent information on the ethnic distribution of librarians? A. As reported by the US Census Bureau following the 2010 census, the population of the US is becoming increasingly racially diverse. While the white population remains the majority nationally, some areas of the country now have nonwhite majorities. Here is the research we have....
AL: Ask the ALA Librarian, July 11

Solutions and Services: New Ask a Librarian service
In June, Tutor.com announced the launch of Ask A Librarian Online Reference Center. This new service is a cost-effective way to add reference librarians to your staff. The virtual reference service also helps bring a higher return on a library’s investment in its website, online catalogs, and resources....
American Libraries column, July 6

Currents
In September, William Noel (right) will become director of the Special Collections Center at the University of Pennsylvania Libraries and founding director of the Schoenberg Institute for Manuscript Studies. Dorothy Carlson retired in June as head of children’s services at Radnor (Pa.) Memorial Library. Margaret Goggin, 93, died June 10; she had been dean of the graduate school of librarianship at the University of Colorado and in 1980 was cofounder of the Colorado Antiquarian Book Seminar....
American Libraries column

Pinterest boards on library associations
Want to browse through a visual collection of North American library associations? Check out our Library Asssociations (North America) board. We are still adding to it, so let us know of any we missed. And we started a new one on Library Associations (National).

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Maureen Sullivan responds to Forbes
ALA President Maureen Sullivan has issued a statement in response to a June 8 Forbes article deriding the value of a library and information science master’s degree. She writes: “It is true that many librarians are not paid for the full value of their work. The profit-centered, corporation-based measures valued by Forbes suggest that pay rates and growth are the only valid reasons for selecting a career or seeking an advanced degree. . . . [F]or librarians, the primary motivation is job satisfaction derived from the opportunity to make a significant difference in the lives of others.”...
Public Information Office, July 6; Forbes, June 8

Final program for ALA Virtual Conference
Experimentation and innovation are the name of the game at the “Mapping Transformation” Virtual Conference July 18–19. High-profile speakers and presenters will highlight how new services are transforming both their libraries and their communities, while the two days of interactive web sessions, conversations, and insights offer starting points for discussion as well as practical ideas for moving forward and trying something new. Here are the speakers and topics scheduled....
Conference Services, July 10

Bad reporting and weird views about ALA
AL columnist David Lee King (right) writes: “My wife passed this article by Emily Whitten on the ALA’s social activism along to me, and it irritated me. A lot. So I left a comment on the article, and thought I’d share it here, too. ‘Emily seems to be a fine writer, but needs to brush up a bit on her research skills, as her article about the American Library Association is highly inaccurate at best. Here are some examples of those inaccuracies.’”...
David Lee King, July 7; WorldMag, July 6

Still time to become an Emerging Leader
There is still time to apply to the ALA Emerging Leaders program. The deadline to apply is August 3. The program is designed to enable library workers to get on the fast track to ALA and professional leadership. Individuals who are considering applying to the program should be under 35 years of age or be a new library professional of any age with fewer than five years of library experience....
Human Resource Development and Recruitment, July 10

Two important Council resolutions
At Annual Conference in Anaheim, California, the ALA Council passed two important resolutions on the value of school libraries and librarians and voter restrictions. The first directs ALA to lead the Association in “addressing the urgent need for advocacy on behalf of school libraries and librarians.” The second opposes voter ID laws, restrictions on voter registration, cuts to early voting, and any other laws resulting in the restriction of lawful access to voting....
Office of ALA Governance, July 10

COA announces accreditation actions
The ALA Committee on Accreditation has announced the actions taken at the 2012 ALA Annual Conference in Anaheim. Continued accreditation status was granted to programs at Indiana University, Louisiana State University, and the University of Southern Mississippi. Conditional accreditation status was granted to programs at the University at Buffalo and the University of Missouri in Columbia....
Office for Accreditation, June 10

ALA-APA recognizes two community college programs
The ALA–Allied Professional Association announced July 10 that it has completed agreements with Three Rivers Community College in Connecticut and New Mexico State University’s Doña Ana Community College. The agreement will allow graduates of their library science programs who meet the established criteria to receive the Library Support Staff Certification (LSSC) designation....
ALA–Allied Professional Association, July 10

Newbery and Caldecott Awards guide
What book was honored with a Newbery Award in 1931? Or awarded the Caldecott Medal in 1957? In 1974? Last year? Updated to include the 2012 award and honor books, The Newbery and Caldecott Awards: A Guide to the Medal and Honor Books, 2012 edition, published by ALA Editions, gathers together the books deemed most distinguished in American children’s literature and illustration since the inception of the renowned prizes....
ALA Editions, July 6

First releases from Huron Street Press
Huron Street Press, a new ALA publishing imprint, has released its first three titles. In line with ALA’s mission to enhance learning and ensure access to information for all, they harness the expertise of the Association and encourage library use among the public. Available through Independent Publishers Group in both print and ebook editions, the titles are: Read with Me: Best Books for Preschoolers, by Stephanie Zvirin; Build Your Own App for Fun and Profit, by Scott La Counte; and The Entrepreneur’s Starter Kit: 50 Things to Know Before Starting a Business, by Paul Christopher....
ALA Huron Street Press, July 6

Looking beyond avatars
Making the argument that community is not an inevitable result of communication, Digital Dialogues and Community 2.0: After Avatars, Trolls, and Puppets explores the communities that use digital platforms, portals, and applications from daily life to build relationships beyond geographical locality and family links. Editor Tara Brabazon and her contributors provide detailed analyses of how technology realigns the boundaries between connection, consciousness, and community....
ALA Neal Schuman, July 10

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Don’t sweat the Common Core
Register now for the new AASL e-Academy course, “Common Core: Moving from Complex to Calm, Cool, and Collected.” This four-week, self-paced course facilitated by Paige Jaeger (right) will run from August 6–31. Registration and course information are available on the AASL e-Academy page. Participants will learn how and why inquiry-based instruction supports the Common Core State Standard....
AASL, July 10

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Nominations open for I Love My Librarian award
Library users can now nominate a librarian for the 2012 Carnegie Corporation of New York / New York Times I Love My Librarian Award. The nomination form is available on atyourlibrary.org, the ALA public awareness website. The award invites library users to recognize the accomplishments of librarians in public, school, college, community college, and university libraries for their efforts to improve lives. Up to 10 librarians will be selected, and each will receive $5,000, a plaque, and a $500 travel stipend to attend an award ceremony and reception in December in New York....
ALA Public Information Office, July 6

2012 Branford Boase Award
My Sister Lives on the Mantelpiece by Annabel Pitcher (Orion Children’s Books) was announced as the winner of the £1,000 (US $1,552) Branford Boase Award at a ceremony at Walker Books HQ in London on July 5. The award is given annually to the author and editor of the most outstanding debut novel for children. It tells the story of a family torn apart after a terrorist attack, while also dealing deftly with other difficult issues including racism, bullying, and alcoholism....
The Telegraph (UK), July 5

2012 CWA Dagger awards
The winners of the 2012 Crime Writers’ Association Dagger awards, which recognize the best crime novels written in the UK over the past 12 months, were revealed in London July 5, with Aly Monroe scooping the CWA Ellis Peters Historical Dagger for Icelight. The CWA International Dagger was won by Andrea Camilleri for his latest Inspector Montalbano novel, The Potter's Field, while the husband-and-wife team of Anthony Summers and Robbyn Swan picked up the CWA Dagger for Nonfiction for The Eleventh Day....
Foyles, July 6

Englander wins Frank O’Connor Award
Author Nathan Englander has won the world’s most valuable short story prize. Englander won the Frank O’Connor International Short Story Award with his collection, What We Talk About When We Talk About Anne Frank (Weidenfeld & Nicolson). He will pick up €25,000 (US $30,656) from the award’s founders, the Munster Literature Centre, with the prize money funded by Cork (Ireland) City Council. However, the future of the prize is uncertain....
The Bookseller, July 9

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The battle over the New York Public Library
Jason Farago writes: “The hottest cultural controversy of this already hot summer concerns the New York Public Library and a plan to slice open the stacks in the Steven A. Schwartzman Building and ‘replace books with people,’ in the words of NYPL CEO Anthony Marx. It’s enraged writers and professors, demoralized a staff already coping with layoffs, and called the entire purpose of the system into question. And the debate is getting bitter.”...
The Guardian (UK), July 7

Library cards at root of voter ID challenge
New Memphis library cards that include a photo have become a challenge to a new Tennessee law requiring certain state-issued photo identification in order to vote. The library system unveiled the move to the photo library cards in early July with Memphis Mayor A. C. Wharton Jr. saying the new library cards could be used to vote starting with the upcoming August 2 elections. Less than 24 hours later, Tennessee Elections Coordinator Mark Goins contradicted that, saying the new library cards are not valid for voter identification. Pennsylvania is facing a similar quandary....
Memphis (Tenn.) Daily News, July 10; Keystone Politics, July 10

Residents try to save the Pomona Public Library
A citywide task force of residents, business people, and others is working on strategies to keep the Pomona (Calif.) Public Library open. Ideas range from placing containers in businesses where customers can drop in donations to a tax levy in the November election ballot. Councilwoman Paula Lantz asked for volunteers after a proposal went before the city council calling for a year-long temporary closure of the library beginning in mid-August as a way for the cash-strapped city to save money....
Ontario (Calif.) Inland Valley Daily Bulletin, July 8

Jacksonville plans to cut hours, jobs
Faced with a requirement to cut $4.66 million from its budget, the Jacksonville (Fla.) Public Library board has proposed cutting jobs and closing all library branches on Sundays and most branches at least one other day a week. This 24% reduction will come along with the elimination of 71 full-time positions. That includes 41 vacancies and 30 filled jobs, including librarians and library technicians, from a total staff of 352, a 20% cut....
Jacksonville Florida Times-Union, July 9

Rosa Parks Avenue branch library could be renamed
Library officials want to rename Montgomery (Ala.) Public Library’s Rosa Parks Avenue branch the Bertha Pleasant Williams branch to commemorate the city’s first black librarian. Williams began serving in 1948 at the first branch for African Americans, who weren’t allowed in Montgomery’s other libraries at the time. “This would in no way be disrespectful to Mrs. Parks, who has a library and museum named for her downtown,” local historian Mary Ann Neely said, noting that Williams was among “those who have contributed so much to the community.”...
Montgomery (Ala.) Advertiser, July 10

Washington school librarians defend their positions
No one knows exactly how many teacher librarians have been cut in Washington state during the past five years. But the number has definitely increased, said Craig Seasholes, president of the Washington Library Media Association. Teacher librarians want to change that trend. Since 2008, the association has hired a lobbyist in Olympia to ensure policymakers include trained librarians in education planning....
Yakima (Wash.) Herald-Republic, July 4

Using restaurant buzzers in libraries
You’ve been waiting for more than half an hour for a seat. It’s incredibly crowded because you came at a peak hour and everyone seems to be taking their time. Just as you’re starting to get frustrated, the buzzer in your hand lights up and vibrates, alerting you that a space has finally opened. No, you’re not at a restaurant during the dinner rush—you’re at Lisle (Ill.) Public Library and your computer terminal is ready....
Arlington Heights (Ill.) Daily Herald, July 9

Worcester’s magic bus
Matthew Robert writes: “When press releases for the Worcester (Mass.) Public Library bookmobile began appearing this spring, spreading the news that ‘Libby the Library Express’ would roll out soon after, the catch phrase was, ‘this is not your mother’s bookmobile.’ I boarded the magic bus on its second day of operation, June 5, and talked to mobile librarians Mark Lindberg and Joe Blake. They say that, while patrons of the bus would prefer their own neighborhood library branch, the Library Express, with its collection of books and DVDs and hi-tech gizmos, is a branch library.”...
Worcester Mag, June 20

Mexican architects create a bookmobile
A truck carrying more than 1,200 volumes of visual art and culture, the A47 travels the streets of Mexico City, providing the residents of various neighborhoods with access to its contents. The A47 Mobile Library is a project developed by the Fundación Alumnos47, an organization that brings learning communities together around contemporary artistic practices and visual culture. Given that the foundation’s major project is to build a contemporary art museum by 2014, it seemed reasonable to use a mobile unit to activate the museum’s existing collection until the building to house it is completed....
Domus, July 2

Stolen artifacts return to Polish Museum
Officials at Chicago’s Polish Museum of America breathed a sigh of relief after the FBI announced June 20 the return of more than 120 stolen artifacts, worth an estimated $5 million. The artifacts, which include 300-year-old documents, military medals, rare artwork, and Nazi propaganda from World War II, had been missing from the museum since the 1970s or 1980s. The items were found in the basement of a home where a curator from the museum used to live. Tenants of the home had found them and sold them to a dealer, who later determined they had belonged to the museum....
Chicago Sun-Times, June 20

Chasing a prairie tale
Tony Perrottet writes: “‘Are you ready for the scalping party?’ Lynn Sullivan, an Omaha (Nebr.) Public Library staffer, asked cheerily as she handed me a pair of archival cotton gloves. In a neon-illuminated room, she unwrapped layers of protective foam to reveal a thick mat of golden brown hair. The glossy locks were attached to an oval of human hide, cured like old leather. The scalp once belonged to William Thompson, an English-born railway worker who was surprised in Nebraska in 1867 by Cheyenne raiders.”...
New York Times, June 22

Reagan Presidential Library hosts major Disney exhibit
On opening day July 6, hundreds of visitors toured “D23 Presents Treasures of the Walt Disney Archives,” featuring about 500 artifacts from almost nine decades of Disney history. It’s the largest temporary exhibit ever housed at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, California. Many of the items have never been displayed publicly, including the Alice contract signed by Disney in 1923 and the books used in the opening scenes of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Cinderella, and Sleeping Beauty....
Ventura County (Calif.) Star, July 6

Spanish police recover 12th-century codex
The Codex Calixtinus, an illuminated 12th-century manuscript that is considered the world’s first guidebook, was recovered July 4 by Spanish police a year after it was stolen from the library of the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela. The presumed thief, Manuel Fernández Castiñeiras, a disgruntled former employee of the cathedral, housed the priceless manuscript in a garbage bag in his garage along with a variety of other stolen books from the cathedral’s library and €1.2 million (US$1.5 million) in cash. Susan Boynton writes about the importance of this codex. More about the robbery (in Spanish) here....
Fine Books Blog, July 6; OUPblog, July 6; Hechos de Hoy, July 6

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Don’t miss next week’s ALA Virtual Conference, “Mapping Transformation,” focusing on practical experimentation and innovation. Just added as opening keynote speaker: Travis Good from MAKE Magazine, who will discuss Makerspaces in libraries. From ebooks and digital content to thinking like startups and other innovators, from designing a better library user experience to the library as cocreator, inspiration will be plentiful. Consult the final program and get inspired—register now!

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