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The e-newsletter of the American Library Association | June 20, 2012

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American Libraries Online

Libraries Connect Communities, the AL Summer 2012 Digital SupplementLibraries Connect Communities: An AL Digital Supplement
Strategic vision and careful management have helped US public libraries weather the storm of the Great Recession. However, a new report underscores the competing concerns that face America’s libraries: cumulative budget cuts that threaten access to libraries and services, increasing demand for technology training, and the chronic presence of the digital divide. These findings are among the highlights of the 2012 Public Library Funding & Technology Access Study, produced by the ALA Office for Research and Statistics and funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. Read it as an American Libraries Digital Supplement. (Note: Any Zmags publication can be changed into a PDF within your browser by clicking the PDF icon.)...
Office for Research and Statistics, June 19

Top portion of US Public Libraries Weather the Storm infographicUS public libraries infographic
Public libraries continue to transform lives by providing critical services and innovative solutions to technology access, in spite of years’ worth of cumulative budget cuts. Use this infographic (right) from the Office for Research and Statistics to educate your patrons on how public libraries have weathered the storm....
Office for Research and Statistics, June 19

Smartphones get “classified”Cataloging then, now, and tomorrow
Elise (Yi-Ling) Wong writes: “Not long ago (when I was still in library school), if someone had asked me what exactly a cataloger is, my answer would have been, ‘a guardian of the catalog.’ But catalogers are also mediators between libraries and other information organizations, as they are charged with understanding the interoperability between the MARC standard and different non-MARC metadata systems.”...
American Libraries feature

The new commissioner of Chicago Public Library, Brian Bannon, says “new media provides insight into where libraries are headed”Newsmaker: Chicago Public Library’s Brian Bannon
Brian Bannon (right), the new commissioner of Chicago Public Library, at 37 already has a lengthy list of accomplishments under his belt. As the former chief information officer of San Francisco Public Library, Bannon was responsible for its digital and technology strategy. He also served as chief of branches during his six-year tenure at SFPL, leading the design and construction process of its $200 million Branch Library Improvement Program—the largest capital improvement program in the library’s history....
American Libraries column, May/June

Journalist Dan Rather welcomed his many fans as they lined up for signed copies of his latest book, Rather Outspoken: My Life in the News, at the recent BookExpo America trade show. Photo by Don ChathamIndies see surge at BookExpo
Bill Ott writes: “Long before the controversies that now bedevil the book publishing and bookselling industry—ebook polices and the many-tentacled presence of Amazon.com—appeared on the horizon, there was still concern about the lack of actual booksellers on the floor at the annual BookExpo America trade show. The convention, many worried, had become a subsidiary-rights show, with interactions between publishers and booksellers growing less and less frequent.”...
American Libraries news, June 20

Teen avatar reading and posing at READ poster poseball picture-taking carousel in American Library Association area on Info Island in Second Life virtual worldYouth book, audiobook, and ebook numbers
The newest edition of the Library and Book Trade Almanac (formerly known as the Bowker Annual Library and Book Trade Almanac) put out by Information Today now includes audiobook and ebook numbers. Contributing Editor Catherine Barr and Constance Harbison of book wholesaler Baker & Taylor compiled the report on “Book Title Output and Average Prices: 2008–2011,” which appears on pages 514–529 of the 2012 (57th) edition....
AL: Ask the ALA Librarian, June 20

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ALA News

What’s Happening at Annual Conference
ALA Senior Associate Executive Director Mary Ghikas has compiled a handy, informal guide (PDF file) to the most important tips, facts, events, and activities at ALA Annual Conference in Anaheim, California....
ALA Connect, June 18

A panoply of pavilions
The ALA Exhibit Hall will showcase the latest publications, products, and technologies available to libraries. Many of these products will be featured in special showcase pavilions to help conference attendees get an in-depth look at what is new. The Government Information Pavilion (middle of Aisle 1800) is new this year and showcases information from featured government agencies. The Gaming and Graphic Novel Pavilions (back of 600–800 Aisle) have been combined to make an especially fun section of the exhibits....
ALA Conference Services

Rich HarwoodRich Harwood on reclaiming Main Street and libraries
A recent study revealed that many Americans feel that the country is lost amid a sea of changes and that they crave more openness, simpler living, humility, and compassion. They want to kick-start a new trajectory for the country that begins with small, local actions. Richard C. Harwood (right), president and founder of the nonprofit Harwood Institute for Public Innovation, will discuss these and other key findings from his recently released Main Street study at Annual Conference in Anaheim on June 24....
ALA Washington Office, June 13

Say hi to your Ambassador
ALA offers an Ambassador’s program for those attending the Annual Conference for the first time—or for anyone needing some assistance. Ambassadors are volunteer members who serve as friendly and helpful faces. They are located at the Registration Area and at the ALA Pavilion on the exhibit show floor (booth 1939), and they will be wearing bright blue-and-gold Ambassador ribbons....
ALA Membership Blog, June 19

Mobile app for ALA Conference scheduler
Attendees can keep track of everything while on the go at the 2012 ALA Annual Conference in Anaheim. The new mobile app for the Conference Scheduler puts all the information people need right at their fingertips, including their existing schedule, list of exhibitors, and notes from the full Scheduler site. They just have to log in with the same username and password as on the Scheduler to access all of their existing conference information....
ALA Conference Services, June 15

From left: Yinka Ayo-Yusuf (Nigeria), Darya Bukhtoyarova (Kazakhstan), Lukas Kilemba (Kenya), Valerie Clarke (Barbados), and Deborah Eddy-Ugorji (Nigeria)International librarians visit ALA headquarters
Sixteen librarians visited the ALA offices in Chicago June 15 from countries as far away as Nigeria, Egypt, and Japan, among others. The librarians were part of an annual summer associates program assembled by the Mortenson Center for International Library Programs at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Michael Dowling, director of ALA’s International Relations Office, talked with the group about transformations within the library field....
AL: Global Reach, June 15

NetGalley logoNew member benefit: Armchair ALA
Earlier this year, ALA announced the official launch of a new member benefit program in partnership with NetGalley. ALA members who sign up to request digital galleys from NetGalley can now add their member number to their profile, to speed approval of requests and to access upcoming titles. This program will help ALA members use digital galleys to preview more titles and make more informed purchasing decisions for their collections. Register here....
ALA Membership Blog, June 18

Sacramento poster "These are library patrons"Marketing to the GLBT community
Libraries looking to market their services to the gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender community can now access new promotional tools, thanks to the Sacramento (Calif.) Public Library. New posters, transit signs, and window clings are now available on the Campaign for America’s Libraries website. These tools were originally created by the Sacramento Public Library as part of its promotion for National Library Week 2012....
Campaign for America’s Libraries, June 15

ALA returns to Second Life
Although ALA Island officially closed on January 1, ALA now has a presence on Info Island at (25, 135, 23). You can still follow @ALA_Island on Twitter and ALA Island on Facebook for updates....
Virtual Communities and Libraries MIG

EMIERT celebrates 35 years
The Ethnic and Multicultural Information Exchange Round Table will mark 35 years of service as the Association’s source of information on recommended ethnic collections, services, and programs with three sessions during the ALA 2012 Annual Conference in Anaheim. All three programs are free to all Annual Conference attendees....
Ethnic and Multicultural Information Exchange Round Table, June 13

Eight libraries to host “Discover Tech” exhibition
The ALA Public Programs Office, in partnership with the Space Science Institute, the Lunar and Planetary Institute, and the National Girls Collaborative Project, announced that eight public libraries will host a new interactive traveling exhibition called “Discover Tech: Engineers Make a World of Difference.” The exhibition will tour from September 2012 to June 2014, visiting each of the eight sites for eight weeks. Each site will receive a grant of $1,000 to support public programs related to the exhibition....
Public Programs Office, June 19

Islamic portolan chart showing Andalusia, Spain“Muslim Journeys,” a Bridging Cultures Bookshelf
The National Endowment for the Humanities, in collaboration with the ALA Public Programs Office, is accepting applications through September 25 for “Muslim Journeys,” a Bridging Cultures Bookshelf program. The program aims to familiarize public audiences in the United States with the people, places, history, faith, and cultures of Muslims in the US and around the world. For more information and resources to help get your application started, visit the “Muslim Journeys” website....
Public Programs Office, June 19

Cover of Being a Teen Library Services AdvocateNew Teens @ the Library series
Three new titles in the YALSA Teens @ the Library Series from Neal-Schuman Publishers help YA librarians hone their skills and improve their programs to serve teens more effectively: Being a Teen Library Services Advocate, by former YALSA President Linda W. Braun; Answering Teens’ Tough Questions, by mk Eagle; and Evaluating Teen Services and Programs, by Sarah Flowers....
ALA Neal-Schuman, June 15

Cover of Not Your Ordinary LibrarianDebunking popular perceptions of librarians
Librarians have long struggled to combat some of the negative stereotypes about their image and profession, but to do so effectively it’s necessary to look at these perceptions in a historical context. Not Your Ordinary Librarian: Debunking the Popular Perceptions of Librarians, by Ashanti White, published by Chandos Publishing and available through Neal-Schuman Publishers, explores the origin of images of the librarian in popular media and looks at the effects of these stereotypes, both negative and positive....
ALA Neal-Schuman, June 15

Cover of Fundamentals of Library InstructionFundamentals of library instruction
Being a great teacher is part and parcel of being a great librarian. In his new guide Fundamentals of Library Instruction, published by ALA Editions, veteran instruction services librarian Monty L. McAdoo helps librarians connect with students as effectively as possible. McAdoo lays out the basics of the discipline in straightforward, accessible language with expert guidance for putting theory into practice....
ALA Editions, June 18

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Cover of Harlem’s Little Blackbird: The Story of Florence MillsFeatured review: Nonfiction for youth
Watson, Renée. Harlem’s Little Blackbird: The Story of Florence Mills. Illustrated by Christian Robinson. Oct. 2012. 40p. Grades 1–3. Random, hardcover (978-0-375-86973-0).
In Washington, D.C., at the opening of the last century, a little girl grew up in an itty-bitty house listening to her mother sing spirituals. The girl, Florence Mills, could sing, too, and had enough faith in herself to believe she’d become a star. And so she did, singing on stage in the US and London while also facing discrimination. When she first sang in Washington, D.C., the friends she brought with her weren’t allowed to sit in the audience. But Mills was an activist before the word was even invented. Another element that will draw readers to the book is Robinson’s art. Simple collage shapes with a folk-art appeal capture everything from the warm relationship between Mills and her mother to her decision to forgo the Ziegfeld Follies for a show that introduced young black talent....

Top 10 Biographies for YouthTop 10 biographies for youth: 2012
Ian Chipman writes: “This year’s gathering of the best biographies is, as always, an eclectic bunch, moving from the depths of the ocean (Life in the Ocean: The Story of Oceanographer Sylvia Earle) to the air above Manhattan (Balloons over Broadway:The True Story of the Puppeteer of Macy’s Parade) and from richly documented history (Abraham Lincoln & Frederick Douglass: The Story behind an American Friendship) to the mirror house of memory (Drawing from Memory).”...

@ Visit Booklist Online for other reviews and much more....

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Anaheim Update

The new Blue Sky Cellar exhibit focuses on the founding of Radiator Springs. Photo by Adrienne Vincent-PhoenixDisneyland Resort update
The rededication of the “new” Disney California Adventure means a fresh start for the beleaguered theme park, which has suffered from poor word-of-mouth and low attendance since opening in 2001. Thousands of fans waited outside DCA’s gates June 15 to see the changes first hand, and many praised Disney managers for how well they handled the opening-day crowds. As expected, the majority of early arrivals headed straight to Cars Land after the rededication ceremony, some splitting off to first grab a Fastpass ticket for the new Radiator Springs Racers attraction....
MousePlanet, June 18

Finding Nemo subs Neptune and ExplorerFinding Nemo Submarine Voyage
The Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage is an attraction located in the Tomorrowland area of Disneyland Park. Based on the characters and settings of the 2003 Disney/Pixar film, Finding Nemo, the ride allows you to board the yellow research submarine of the Nautical Exploration and Marine Observation Institute (N.E.M.O.) and be dazzled by underwater curiosities as your submarine dives fathoms beneath the surface....
Disneyland Park

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Division News

Cover of Choice's Outstanding Academic Titles, 2007-2011Choice’s Outstanding Academic Titles
Honoring the best in scholarly publishing, Choice’s annual “Outstanding Academic Titles” list is widely recognized in the academic community for its sweeping coverage of the most significant scholarly titles published each year. Now available is a comprehensive print collection of reviews representing excellence in a five-year period, Choice’s Outstanding Academic Titles 2007–2011, edited by Choice Humanities Editor Rebecca Ann Bartlett....
ACRL, June 19

ABCYA.com logoGreat Websites for Kids expands its recommended list
ALSC has added 11 more recommended websites to Great Websites for Kids, its online resource containing hundreds of links to exceptional websites for children. Newly added sites include ABCYA.com, CIA for Kids–Games, Common Sense Media, and PBS Kids Raising Readers Kids Island....
ALSC, June 19

Did you participate in Preservation Week?
The third Preservation Week, sponsored by ALCTS, took place April 22–28. The Preservation Week Working Group would like to get a better understanding of how well the event is reaching its intended audience and how successful your institution’s efforts were in 2012. To gather this information, we invite you to fill out this survey. (Only one person per institution should fill out the survey)....
ALCTS, June 18

Apply for a Teen Read Week grant
Through funding from the Dollar General Literacy Foundation, YALSA will offer ten $1,000 grants to recognize outstanding Teen Read Week activities by its members. Applicants must plan and present an outline for a Teen Read Week activity that is coordinated by a library. Applications are due July 1....
YALSA, June 19

Spend Sunday afternoon with LITA
Join LITA on June 24 in Anaheim, California, for a Sunday afternoon of great programming, networking, and camaraderie, starting at 1:30 p.m. with Top Technology Trends and LITA Award Presentation, LITA’s ongoing roundtable discussion about trends and advances in library technology. Immediately following the awards reception, stick around for the LITA President’s Program, followed by the LITA Happy Hour at Hearthstone Lounge at Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel....
LITA, June 14

New AASL podcasts
AASL has released a new set of podcasts in its 30-Second Thought Leadership: Insights from Leaders in the School Library Community series. The new set focuses on the May/June Knowledge Quest issue, “Caring is Essential,” and explores the question, “How do school library programs contribute to the development of the Whole Child?” Patricipants are Sean Slade, Jami Jones, Kafi Kumasi, and Olga Nesi....
AASL, June 18

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Awards & Grants

Richard Chabrán2012 Achievement in Library Diversity Research
Richard Chabrán (right), adjunct professor in the School of Information Resources and Library Science at the University of Arizona, has been named the 2012 Achievement in Library Diversity Research Honoree. Chabrán has had a full career in libraries, including work at the Chicano Studies Library at the University of California, Berkeley. His numerous articles and book chapters focus on digital inclusion and the digital divide, globalization and culture, and Chicano discourse....
Office for Diversity, June 18

Cynthia CohenEx Libris Student Writing Award
Cynthia Cohen (right), May 2012 graduate of the San José State University SLIS, has been named the winner of the 2012 Ex Libris Student Writing Award, sponsored by Ex Libris Group and LITA. Cohen's paper, titled “Extending LOCKSS: The Preservation Risks of Private LOCKSS Networks,” provides a review of the basics of the LOCKSS (Lots of Copies Keep Stuff Safe) project....
LITA, June 15

2012 ALA scholarships announced
The ALA Scholarship Program has chosen 10 scholarship recipients for 2012–2013. Scholars were selected in the following categories: general, support staff, and specialty or practice area in children’s services, new media, and federal librarianship. Criteria for the scholarships include academic excellence, leadership, and evidence of commitment to a career in librarianship....
Human Resource Development and Recruitment, June 14

2012 Diversity Research Grants
The Office for Diversity has announced the recipients of the Diversity Research Grants for 2012: Jaime C. Naidoo and Lance Simpson, Danny P. Wallace, and Wayne A. Wiegand. The grants consist of a one-time $2,000 award for original research and a $500 travel grant to attend and present at the 2013 ALA Annual Conference in Chicago. The recipients are expected to conduct their research over the course of the year and compile the results into a conference program....
Office for Diversity, June 18

Salem Press Library Blog Awards
The public has voted online. All votes have been tallied. The judges have now spoken. Salem Press presents its list of the 2012 Library Blog Award winners, broken down by category and complete with collective musings on what made these eight blogs beat the competition....
Salem Press, June 19

Cover of All Hell Let Loose, by Max HastingsPritzker Military Library Literature Award
British historian Sir Max Hastings has won the 2012 Pritzker Military Library Literature Award for Lifetime Achievement in Military Writing. At the library’s annual Liberty Gala in October, the historian will receive a $100,000 honorarium. Hastings has written 23 books, most recently Inferno: The World at War, 1939–1945 (published as All Hell Let Loose in the United States). The annual prize celebrates “a body of work that has profoundly enriched the public understanding of American military history.”...
GalleyCat, June 19

Cover of A Monster Calls2012 CILIP Carnegie Medal winner
The 2012 CILIP Carnegie Medal was awarded to Patrick Ness June 14 for his novel A Monster Calls (Walker Books). Not only is this the second consecutive Carnegie Medal for Patrick Ness, a feat only achieved once before, in 1979 and 1980 by Peter Dickinson; but for the first time ever, the same book has also won the CILIP Kate Greenaway Medal, sister award to the Carnegie Medal, with Jim Kay taking the prize for his haunting illustrations for A Monster Calls. Founded in 1937, the CILIP Carnegie Medal is the UK’s oldest and most prestigious prize for children’s and young people’s writing....
Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals, June 14

IMLS grant supports libraries’ roles in broadband adoption
The Institute of Museum and Library Services announced on June 14 a $250,000 award to WebJunction to work with state libraries in Illinois, Mississippi, and West Virginia; federal policy makers; and the national nonprofit Connect2Compete to help national digital literacy efforts effectively work with libraries to deliver digital literacy training. The grant will identify model approaches for partnerships with libraries to meet public demand for training....
Institute of Museum and Library Services, June 14

Laura Bush 21st Century Librarian grants
The Institute of Museum and Library Services has announced 32 Laura Bush 21st Century Librarian grants totaling $10.4 million. Recipients are matching these awards with $6.6 million in nonfederal funds. View the complete list of funded projects....
Institute of Museum and Library Services, June 14

Camp of 31st Pennsylvania Infantry near Washington, D.C., 1862Civil War programming grant opportunity
Libraries are invited to apply for $1,000 public programming grants for “Civil War 150.” The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History, in partnership with the Library of America, is accepting applications from libraries for grants to develop public programming around this free traveling panel exhibition. Fifty sites will be awarded $1,000 to host the exhibition, and 150 sites will be awarded $500 to provide the public programming component. Apply by July 15....
Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History, May 23

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Libraries in the News

UC Berkeley libraries are in trouble
University of California, Berkeley Librarian Tom Leonard surveyed the faculty in April to see if they preferred closing 16 of the 24 campus-supported libraries or just 10—but with fewer librarians. The professors objected to being told they had just two choices, horrible or terrible, and petitioned the university for an extra year to find other ways of keeping the libraries not just afloat, but great. Berkeley has reduced its library spending by 12% since 2008, even as the University of Michigan, its main public competitor, has spent 24% more....
San Francisco Chronicle, June 18

Artist's rendering, Back of the Yards High SchoolChicago to build its first joint high school–public library
Debra Lau Whelan writes: “Chicago’s taking the partnership beween public and school libraries to the next level—it’s building its first public library as part of a school. The Chicago Public Library’s Back of the Yards branch plans to open its doors in the fall of 2013, serving both the new Back of the Yards High School and the local community. The 8,000-square-foot building, which will sit next to the high school and have a separate entrance for the public, is taking its cue from the success of the library’s YOUmedia teen space.”...
School Library Journal, June 14

The stolen Waukegan (Ill.) Public Library statuesStolen Waukegan statues were sold and melted down
Despite the arrest of one of the two people suspected of stealing two statues valued at $15,000 from the Waukegan (Ill.) Public Library, police said the artworks won’t be recovered because they have been melted down for scrap. “Little Scholar” and “Imagine That,” which portrayed children reading books, were stolen from the library sometime overnight May 29–30. On June 11, police got an anonymous tip and began questioning Daniel R. Ramos, who said he and another person took the statues to J.B. Metals in Chicago and were paid $268.80 for the scrap-metal value....
Chicago Tribune, June 14

Van Halen's A Different Kind of Truth album cover, showing SMU's photo of a Henry Dreyfuss locomotiveVan Halen goes to SMU to find an album cover image
Van Halen singer David Lee Roth’s influence on the band’s latest album extends beyond his musical prowess. He selected the cover image for A Different Kind of Truth, sending designers on a far-reaching hunt that led to Southern Methodist University’s DeGolyer Library in Dallas. Roth was looking for a photo of the streamlined 1930s-era Henry Dreyfuss–designed locomotive, and his designers located an original in DeGolyer’s Robert Yarnall Richie photography collection....
Southern Methodist University, June 18

Cardinal Raffaele FarinaThe Pope looks for a new librarian
Cardinal Raffaele Farina (right) will no longer head the Vatican’s Apostolic Library or its Secret Archive. Farina decided to retire as his 80th birthday approaches in September. So now, Pope Benedict XVI is looking for someone else to take over that job. That won’t be easy though, since Farina has an extensive cultural background. Perhaps more than anything, he will be remembered for leading the impressive three-year restructuring of the library....
Rome Reports, June 16

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Issues

School library funding included in appropriations bill
ALA applauds the efforts of the Senate Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education Appropriations subcommittees on including funding for libraries in the most recent markup. The bill includes $30 million for the Innovative Approaches to Literacy, which is a $400,000 increase over FY2012. By law, a minimum of half of the funds under this program ($14.5 million) must go to school libraries in the neediest school districts as a competitive grant. The bill also includes level funding for IMLS at $231.9 million....
ALA Office of Government Relations, June 18

Acxiom logoBig Business, gathering data on you
Natasha Singer writes: “It knows who you are. It knows where you live. It knows what you do. It peers deeper into American life than the FBI or the IRS, or those prying digital eyes at Facebook and Google. Right now in Conway, Arkansas, more than 23,000 computer servers are collecting, collating, and analyzing consumer data for a company that, unlike Silicon Valley’s marquee names, rarely makes headlines. It’s called the Acxiom Corporation, and it’s the quiet giant of a multibillion-dollar industry known as database marketing.”...
New York Times, June 16

Netflix request for ratings: Rate what you have seen so we can reveal suggestions for youNetflix analyzes your viewing habits
Derrick Harris writes: “Netflix is capturing and analyzing an incredible amount of data to try and figure out what you want to watch next. It’s important work: Already, Netflix Senior Data Scientist Mohammad Sabah said, 75% of users select movies based on the company’s recommendations, and Netflix wants to make that number even higher. Here’s a taste of what Netflix is collecting, and how much.”...
GigaOM, June 14

NSA won’t say if it’s spying on you
The surveillance experts at the National Security Agency won’t tell two powerful US senators how many Americans have had their communications picked up by the agency as part of its sweeping new counterterrorism powers. The reason: It would violate your privacy to say so. That claim comes in a short letter (PDF file) sent June 15 to civil libertarian Senators Ron Wyden (D-Oreg.) and Mark Udall (D-Colo.)...
Wired: Danger Room, June 18

Google reports on content-removal requests
Google said that between July and December 2011, it received more than 1,000 requests from governments around the globe to remove content or turn over information about its users. It complied with over half of those cases, which are detailed in its twice-a-year Global Transparency Report released on June 17. The company said it was alarmed by the number of government requests to censor political speech, particularly from Western democracies like the United States, Spain, and Poland....
New York Times: Bits, June 18

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Tech Talk

The Neo-carrel does triple duty as chair, laptop stand, and comfortable napping station. Photo by Jim HarrisonHarvard’s Library Test Kitchen
Jonathan Shaw writes: “Last fall, Harvard Professor Jeffrey Schnapp, who is deeply interested in design questions triggered by the digital revolution, teamed up with Law Professor John Palfrey (who chairs the steering committee of the Digital Public Library of America project) to teach a seminar at the Graduate School of Design to explore what form the library of the 21st century might take. Its success led to a renewed incarnation as a Library Test Kitchen this spring, a ‘rapid prototyping studio’ at the GSD.”...
Harvard Magazine, July/Aug.

Microsoft's Surface tabletMicrosoft unveils Surface tablet
The star of Microsoft’s mystery June 18 unveiling has been revealed: Surface, a Windows tablet. Just as Windows 8 is a reimagining of the Windows operating system, Microsoft describes Surface as a reimagining of the tablet. Surface is designed to work as both tablet and PC and comes in a version running Windows RT as well as a version running Windows 8 Pro. A built-in kickstand holds it up while you’re typing or viewing videos. Chris Taylor has a hands-on review of the Surface....
Mashable, June 18

Desktop computers are looking more like smartphones
Nick Bilton writes: “In 2010, when the iPhone interface began winning its legions of converts, it was apparent to me that the mobile operating system Apple had developed was a much more intuitive and simple experience than the desktop model that had existed for decades before it. Each time Apple announces updates to OSX, it borrows more functions from iOS. This week was no exception.”...
New York Times: Bits, June 13

Standard display and Retina display comparedSo what’s the deal with the new MacBook Pro?
Tim Brookes writes: “In mid-June the internet was awash with news of Apple’s latest addition to their laptop line, the MacBook Pro with Retina display. Following recent trends, the company has managed another world first—this time claiming the world’s highest-resolution notebook display. Retina display aside, there are a few other big changes to the company’s mobile powerhouse.”...
MakeUseOf, June 20

Locating a tower in San Francisco using Apple’s Maps appThe Apple-Google map wars
Quentin Hardy writes: “For many people, phones have become an important way to navigate the world, and mobile maps are at the core of the journey. So far, Google has reigned supreme, with its maps on every iPhone and Android phone sold. In mid-June, though, Apple gave notice it would enter the battle, announcing that in the fall, its phones would no longer carry Google maps, but instead would have Apple’s own map service built in, part of its new mobile operating system.”...
New York Times, June 17

How to find coordinates on Google Maps
It is possible to get the longitude and latitude coordinates of a location on a Google Map. The program does note them on the map, but the information is not in plain sight. To see the coordinates of a location, right-click on the town or area. In the contextual menu, choose the “What’s here?” option....
New York Times: Gadgetwise, June 11

Back up your most important data
Jill Duffy writes: “We all know we should back up our computers, but who has the time? If backing up your computer is a chore you’ve put off for too long, this article will speed you through some of the most time-consuming steps and hopefully convince you to back up at least part of your computer: the stuff that matters most to you.”...
PC Magazine, June 18

Windows 7 password recovery
Neil J. Rubenking writes: “You probably won’t forget your own Windows account password, but you may well need to help a friend or relative who did. Laid off anyone lately? A disgruntled employee might well lock your main PC with an unknown password just before leaving. Even without ill-will, an employee might take another job or succumb to illness without passing on the password. This could be devastating. What can you do?”...
PC Magazine, June 14

Bell Telephone Labs tape recorder, 1938Reel-to-reel tape recorder timeline
As an adjunct to their online museum of reel-to-reel tape recorder photos, Chris and Martin Theophilus of Phantom Productions have created this useful timeline of recorder history, from 1860 to the present. It includes significant dates in the history of sound recording equipment, microphones, mixers, and headphones....
Phantom Productions

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E-Content

Publishers long overdue in offering ebooks
ALA President Molly Raphael writes: “To the surprise of many readers, public library ebook ‘shelves’ now sport gaping holes. The Witness by Nora Roberts? Unseen. The Lost Years by Mary Higgins Clark? Missing. Drop Dead Healthy by A. J. Jacobs? DOA. The truth is that for the first time, libraries are unable to purchase some materials on behalf of our communities. Several of the largest trade publishers (the Big Six) refuse to sell to us.”...
The Huffington Post, June 19

OverDrive promo for the 2012 ISTE ConferenceDoes OverDrive really care about libraries?
Christopher Harris writes: “As a school librarian, I am currently being inundated by vendor emails from not only the upcoming ALA Annual Conference in Anaheim, but also the near-concurrent ISTE conference being held just down the coast in San Diego. This does, however, make for some interesting comparison points for marketing research. Do some of our vendors really care about our libraries? Or do they just care when they are talking to us?”...
AL: E-Content, June 19

A call for libraries to transform
Jamie LaRue writes: “In too many venues, particularly around the issue of ebooks and publishers, librarians are doing a lot of whining lately. Mostly, it’s to each other. I believe the modern library has to devise strategies to deal not just with one stream of e-content, but four. It isn’t the job of libraries to keep publishers in business; it is our job to provide access to the intellectual content of our culture. In order to achieve that, I can suggest the following strategies.”...
Library Journal: The Digital Shift, June 20

Libraries, publishers square off on ebook pricing
G. Jeffrey MacDonald writes: “A battle is brewing over digital content. On one side are librarians, stretched thin by lean budgets, who are eager to get more electronic books into the hands of readers and satisfy a growing need in their communities. On the other side are publishers, jittery about slim profits, who are making it harder for libraries to get electronic content. The standoff is hurting both sides.”...
Christian Science Monitor, June 18

Bibliotheca logoBibliotheca supports Douglas County model
Bibliotheca, a global supplier of library technologies, is partnering with the library community to help adopt open source platforms for the delivery of electronic content. The company will build upon the concepts originally designed and developed by the Douglas County (Colo.) Libraries to enable libraries, first in North America and then around the globe, to meet the many challenges that the emerging world of ebooks presents....
Bibliotheca, June 19

An e-reader revolution in Africa
Geoffrey A. Fowler and Nicholas Bariyo write: “It is time for a vocabulary lesson in Bernard Opio’s sixth-form class at the Humble Primary School in Mukono, Uganda. One new word the students have already learned this year is ‘Kindle.’ Opio instructs them to pull out their Amazon Kindle e-reading devices. Within seconds, most of the teenagers have a digital Oxford English Dictionary open on their screens. ‘It took the kids just a few days to learn how to use them,’ said Opio.”...
Wall Street Journal, June 15

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ALA 2012 Annual Conference in Anaheim logo

ALA Annual Conference, Anaheim, June 21–26.

Follow #ala12

Don’t miss this historic last chance to rock out with the Rock Bottom Remainders at ALA/ProQuest Scholarship Bash on June 23. ALA is honored to host this landmark last concert in the “Past Our Bedtime” tour. Rock out with Stephen King, Amy Tan, Mitch Albom, Dave Barry, Matt Groening, Scott Turow, Ridley Pearson, Greg Iles, James McBride, Roy Blount Jr., Sam Barry, and Roger McGuinn of The Byrds.

Virtual Conference 2012


Innovative Interfaces Sierra Create


Midwest Tape


Hide Out with a Book poster

Capture the charming power of reading under the stars with this Hide Out with a Book poster. A CLASSIC! From ALA Graphics.


Solutions and Services

Great Libraries of the World

Russian State Library (Leninka), entrance hall, 1980

Russian State Library, Moscow. Founded in 1862 as the city’s first free public library, the State Library was first housed along with art collections in the Pashkov House palace near the Kremlin. A new library, designed by Vladimir Shchuko and Vladimir Gelfreikh, began construction in 1930 and finally opened in the 1940s. A 250-seat reading room opened in 1945, with further additions continuing until 1960. Called the Lenin State Library from 1925 to 1992, it retains the nickname “Leninka.” It currently holds more than 43 million items in 247 languages, with special collections of note in maps, sheet music, audio recordings, newspapers, and dissertations.

Barcelona Athenaeum, entrance

Barcelona Athenaeum, Barcelona, Spain. In 1872, two cultural organizations in the city merged to form the Ateneu Barcelonès, which became a key element in the intellectual life of the capital of Catalonia. The athenaeum moved in 1906 to the Palau de Sabassona, an 18th-century neoclassical building that was remodeled by modernist architect Josep Maria Jujol to accommodate it. Its library features Jujol’s elaborate glass-and-wood bookshelves and ceiling frescos by the 18th-century Catalan painter Francesc Pla, which were carefully restored in 2007. Its collection focuses primarily on humanities and social sciences in Catalonia.

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. There is also a Great Libraries of the World Pinterest board.

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Archivist, Oakland (Calif.) Public Library. The city of Oakland currently has a vacancy at the African American Museum and Library of the Oakland Public Library. The Archivist will provide comprehensive archival management of varied collections in accordance with accepted standards and practices of archival management, and ensures the preservation of collections. The Archivist will also plan and direct exhibitions and publications, and assist with broader programs collections....

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Digital Library of the Week

1010 S. Preston Street, Louisville, Kentucky. This building has three ghost signs, two of which read "Ohio Valley Bags and Burlap Co." and the other is "Enro Shirts."

A ghost sign is a painted advertisement on a building, most prominent prior to the 1930s. They are typically painted on brick buildings. People have begun to document these fading remnants of advertising in urban environments, and digital archives of ghost signs are building across the United States and beyond. The Ghost Signs of Louisville collection, a digital initiative of the University of Louisville Libraries, Kentucky, emerged from a partnership between the libraries and the Fine Arts department. Students in a documentary photography class in the fall of 2011 searched selected neighborhoods for ghost signs, photographed them, and recorded metadata about each image (PDF file). Of the 201 photographs submitted by the class, 122 were added to the digital collection. Library employees went out and photographed 22 additional images. This collection will continue to grow with future submissions.

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, Check out our Featured Digital Libraries Pinterest board.


Noted and Quoted

About once a year, I announce to my sisters that I’m going to get my master’s in library science. I’m very serious about it. The idea of being a librarian is like the happiest job I can think of. My sisters laugh at me every single time, and they’re like, ‘It’s not going to happen, let it go.’ But one day I’m going to have a library in Vermont somewhere.”

Grey’s Anatomy Executive Producer Shonda Rhimes, interview in The Hollywood Reporter, June 4.

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Enjoy our latest content

Families: Step Up to the Plate @ your library!

Step up to the plate at your library 2012

Presidential Campaigns and How They Are Covered by the Press

Photography and the Cult of Celebrity at the Getty

Living and Dying on Death Row

Summer Reading @ your library: Not Just for Children

How to Pay for College: Financial Aid 101

Karen Thompson Walker: 'Incredibly Inspiring'(video)

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Calendar

July 17:
Kentucky School Media Association,
Summer Refresher, Bowling Green High School, Bowling Green, Kentucky.

July 18–19:
ALA Virtual Conference
. “Mapping Transformation: Experimentation and Innovation.”

July 21–24:
American Association of Law Libraries,
Annual Meeting and Conference, John B. Hynes Veterans Memorial Convention Center, Boston. “Learn, Connect, Grow.”

July 29–31:
Church and Synagogue Library Association,
Annual Conference, Hilton Springfield, Springfield, Illinois. “Lincoln Logs On: Tradition and Innovation in Library Ministry.”

Aug. 8–9:
GALILEO Knowledge Repository Project,
Cooperative Curation Symposium and Workshop, Clough Undergraduate Learning Commons, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta.

Aug. 8–10:
IEEE International Conference on Information Reuse and Integration,
Las Vegas, Nevada.

Aug. 12–16:
Association for Computing Machinery, Special Interest Group on Information Retrieval,
Conference, Marriott Downtown Waterfront, Portland, Oregon.

Sept. 1–30:
Library Card Signup Month.

Sept. 7:
Ohio Library Council,
Expo, Lausche Building, Ohio Expo Center, Columbus.

Sept. 28–30:
Center for the History of Print and Digital Culture,
Conference, Pyle Center, 702 Langdon Street, Madison, Wisconsin. “Protest on the Page: Print Culture History in Opposition to Almost Anything*
(*you can think of).”

Sept. 30–
Oct. 6:

Banned Books Week.

Oct. 4–6:
North Carolina School Library Media Association,
Annual Conference, Benton Convention Center, Winston Salem. “School Libraries @ the Core
.”

Oct. 10–12:
West Virginia Library Association,
Annual Conference, Stonewall Jackson Resort, Roanoke, West Virginia.

Oct. 15–16:
Back in Circulation Again,
Conference, Room 325/326, Pyle Center, 702 Langdon Street, Madison, Wisconsin. Sponsored by the University of Wisconsin/Madison SLIS.

Oct. 26:
Brick and Click: An Academic Library Symposium,
B. D. Owens Library, Northwest Missouri State University in Maryville, Missouri.

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Books & Reading

Author James Joyce with bookseller Sylvia Beach at Shakespeare & Co. in Paris, 1920How Fifty Shades of Grey is like Ulysses
Danielle Sigler writes: “Eighty years ago, before Fifty Shades of Grey was even a twinkle in E. L. James’s eye, librarians across the US were asked how they might respond to another controversial book if it became available in a reasonably priced edition: James Joyce’s Ulysses. The terms of the debate surrounding the acceptability of James’s novel on library shelves are not that far from those recorded in a series of questionnaires sent to public and university libraries by Random House in preparation for a federal Ulysses obscenity trial.”...
The Daily Beast, June 16

What’s right with publishing
Barbara Fister writes: “When it comes to publishing, Charles Dickens was half right. It’s the worst of times, and it always has been. But to a large extent, it really is the best of times for publishing. So I thought as a corrective I would toss out a few things related to publishing that make me feel hopeful and happy, particularly as just this morning I sent out some not-so-happy tweets, including ‘Grrr. Just grrr.’ Time to balance out the grumpiness.”...
Inside Higher Ed: Library Babel Fish, June 14

Tarzan first appeared in the pulp magazine All-Story in 1912King of the Jungle still swinging at 100
Jeremy Howell writes: “At some point in childhood, who hasn’t leapt onto a rope swing, real or imagined, beat their chest like a wild person, and hollered a blood-curdling yell before plunging into cool waters below? Homage to this familiar scene will be paid this year with the centennial celebration of Edward Rice Burroughs’s creation of Tarzan in 1912. Bill Hillman, who curates the Edgar Rice Burroughs fan site, said Tarzan has had the ability to evolve with the times.”...
Fine Books Blog, June 17

Fictional entry for Lillian Virginia Mountweazel in the 1975 New Columbia EncyclopediaCopyright traps: 10 things that don’t exist
Adrienne Crezo writes: “Facts are hard to copyright—impossible, actually. This is problematic for people who deal in information; any reference material is factual, and therefore difficult to protect from dirty, lying thieves who want to steal your work. That’s where fictitious entries come in: Facts become very easy to copyright when they aren’t true. Here are 10 people, places, and things that exist only on paper, solely to thwart would-be infoburglars.”...
Mental Floss, June 19

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Tips & Ideas

Cover of Supreme Librarians in MetaspaceEmporia State’s new LIS comic book
The Emporia (Kans.) State University School of Library and Information Management has released a new comic book aimed at generating excitement for librarianship and increasing the awareness of the many opportunities that an MLS degree can provide. From the same team that created Library of the Living Dead (PDF file) and Monster Clash, Supreme Librarians in Metaspace (PDF file) highlights the many facets of librarianship in a quirky, tongue-in-cheek manner....
Emporia State University SLIM, June 13

Affection for PDA
Steve Kolowich writes: “Patron-driven acquisition, or PDA, is not new, but it is on the rise. Approximately 400 to 600 libraries worldwide have switched to a patron-driven system for purchasing new works, and that number is likely to double over the next year and a half. The rise of PDA is expected to save libraries a lot of money on collections management. But how PDA stands to affect university presses is harder to predict.”...
Inside Higher Ed, June 20

First page of Charles Leale's medical report on Lincoln's conditionIf you discover something in an archive, it’s not a discovery
Suzanne Fischer writes: “A few weeks ago, an important document was discovered after more than a century of neglect. It was a medical report (right) on President Lincoln, sent to the Surgeon General by Charles Leale, the first doctor to arrive at Ford’s Theatre after Lincoln was shot. So where was this document found? It was in the National Archives in a box of incoming correspondence to the Surgeon General, filed alphabetically under ‘L’ for Leale. In short, this document was right where it was supposed to be.”...
The Atlantic, June 19; Rose Melnick Medical Museum, June 6

Which site provides the best census source citations?
Randall J. Seaver writes: “I’ve been accused of being a Source Citation Nazi by email correspondents, which I deny. I do like well-crafted source citations, however. I asked myself the question: ‘Which website that provides census records does the best job at creating source citations?’ The concept of ‘best’ is subjective, of course. I chose the 1930 US Census entry for my grandfather, Lyle L. Carringer (1891–1976) who resided in San Diego, California. Here are my findings.”...
Genea-Musings, June 19

A happy man using Black's Law DictionaryUsing secondary legal resources
Shameena Rahman writes: “This spring, several of the staff in the Law Library of Congress reading room began to update the quick guides to legal research that can be found on our website. I had created the Guide to Secondary Legal Resources in 2006 and I thought now would be a good time to direct our readers to this and other guides as well as to provide some brief information about various secondary legal resources.”...
In Custodia Legis: Law Librarians of Congress, June 18

Perambulating Library in Cumberland, England, 1857A field guide to mobile libraries
Brooke Palmieri writes: “Even if it is shocking to think that libraries are still under threat, it’s nothing new, and neither is the success of a little creative advocacy on their behalf. In the case of mobile libraries, what began as a lone man pushing books in a wheelbarrow (right) through Cumberland, England, in 1857, then a horse-drawn cart by the turn of the century, and finally a fully tax-funded scheme complete with branded vans, continues to this day. There are bookmobiles serving villages across England from Staffordshire to Cambridgeshire.”...
Fine Books Blog, June 13; British Workman, Feb. 1, 1857

Clark County (Ohio) book trailerA field guide to book trailers
Larry Nix writes: “I wrote previously about a 1937 ALA publication titled Book Automobiles. It has a chapter on ‘Book Trailers,’ which includes photographs of the Gary (Ind.) Public Library book trailer and the Clark County (Ohio) Public Library book trailer (right). And it describes a proposal by Henry Bailey Stevens, then secretary of the Agricultural Extension Service of the University of New Hampshire, for the use of book trailers in a kind of traveling library system.”...
Library History Buff Blog, Apr. 13, 2010; June 18

10 handy mobile apps from Uncle Sam
Take a look at federal agencies’ newest iPhone, Android, and mobile applications, ranging from a Smokey Bear wildfire-tracking app to an app that advises you how long it will take to clear customs at the airport....
InformationWeek, June 15

Trip Planner screenPlan a road trip and pick the best weather
Melanie Pinola writes: “There are lots of great road trip planning tools, but if you want one specifically designed to ensure the most sunshine along the way, this web app is for you. Created by design studio Stamen for the Weather Channel, the Trip Planner forecasts the weather along your route and also shows you nearby attractions.”...
Lifehacker, June 19

OCLC adds linked data to WorldCat
OCLC is taking the first step toward adding linked data to WorldCat by appending Schema descriptive mark-up to WorldCat.org pages. With the addition of Schema mark-up to all book, journal, and other bibliographic resources in WorldCat, the entire publicly available version of WorldCat is now available for use by intelligent web crawlers, like Google and Bing, which can make use of this metadata in search indexes and other applications....
OCLC, June 20

DDC 23 released as linked data
Michael Panzer writes: “As announced June 18, an exciting new set of linked data has been added to dewey.info. All assignable classes from DDC 23, the current full edition of the Dewey Decimal Classification, have been released as Dewey linked data. This includes every schedule number that is not a span or a centered entry, bracketed or optional, with the hierarchical relationships adjusted accordingly. These are numbers that you find attached to many WorldCat records as standard Dewey numbers (in 082 fields), as additional Dewey numbers (in 083 fields), or as number components (in 085 fields).”...
025.431: The Dewey Blog, June 19

Screen shot from library instructional videoHow to make library instructional videos
Chad Boeninger writes: “This video (13:11) shows the basics of making library instructional (or other educational) videos and screencasts. The video discusses the inexpensive equipment and software needed, and shows how to make a video from start to finish. It discusses camera selection, how to use Screencast-o-matic.com, how to edit the video in Windows Live Moviemaker, and how to upload to YouTube. For a detailed write-up of the process, visit my earlier post on how I make library instructional videos.”...
Library Voice, Jan. 13, June 1

Columbia teaching John Bull his new lesson, satirical printWar of 1812: New reference aid
Barbara Orbach Natanson writes: “Two hundred years ago, the United States declared war on Great Britain, so you wouldn’t think we’d have breaking news to report. But recently Library of Congress curator Sara Duke surveyed the Prints and Photographs Division holdings for images relating to the War of 1812, and she summarizes her findings in an illustrated reference aid, The War of 1812: Selected Images from the Collections of the Library of Congress.”...
Picture This: Library of Congress Prints and Photos, June 18

Things to know when going solo
Lindsay Harmon writes: “Solo librarians like me can be found in nearly every type of library, from school to academic to special to (generally branch or rural) public libraries. One thing that most of us probably have in common is that we didn’t start out intending to work in a one-person library, and we weren’t trained for it since there’s no library-school track designed with solos in mind. If I could have enrolled in one before I started my solo job, these are some things that would have been useful to know.”...
Letters to a Young Librarian, June 14

To stay on schedule, take a break
Want to be more productive? A growing body of evidence shows that taking regular breaks from mental tasks improves productivity and creativity—and that skipping breaks can lead to stress and exhaustion. Mental concentration is similar to a muscle, says John P. Trougakos, assistant management professor at the University of Toronto Scarborough. It becomes fatigued after sustained use and needs a rest period before it can recover....
New York Times, June 16; Science Daily, Feb. 8, 2011

Jar of Sanford's library pastePlease don’t eat the library paste
Jennifer Kennard writes: “Eating library paste was a popular arts and crafts pastime when I was young. Maybe this explains why I love books so much. Made mostly of a vegetable starch such as flour and water, it was used on paper and paperboard as an adhesive binder. I recently discovered this Sanford’s Library Paste jar (right) in my travels and recognized it as one I had seen as a wood engraving from an early 20th-century stationer’s catalog I own. It now contains just the dried and crusty remains of the white paste.”...
Letterology, June 11

Card catalog made into a hideaway barLibrary chic: Card catalog furniture
Alysha Findley writes: “Between the nostalgia, the symmetry, and the compartmentalization that card catalogs offer, they have recently jumped to the top of my ‘to find’ list. I’ve become quite fond of old library furniture lately. I am now on the hunt for some good old card catalogs to make into something spectacular. Here are a few inspirational makeover ideas I’ve been tossing around lately.”...
Apartment Therapy, June 19

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