Library Design Showcase 2012
As the transformation of libraries continues, it follows that the physical structure would have to transform as well to support changes in services, missions, and audiences. The 2012 Library Design Showcase highlights the best in new and newly renovated library buildings, divided into 12 sections that each focus on one architectural aspect....
American Libraries feature

Rowdy librarians at SXSWi
Paul Vinelli writes: “Saturday is typically the most frenetic day at the SXSW Interactive conference in Austin, Texas, March 9–13, as dealmakers recover from the previous night’s parties and rally for a second day of negotiations and networking. Librarians rally just as fiercely as anyone else—only we put more heart into what we do. Panelists offered new ways of thinking about the field while challenging us to take action in redefining how we serve our communities.” Look for other rowdy librarians posts here, here, and here. A group called #sxswLAM (Librarians, Archivists, and Museum Professionals) is making its presence felt at the conference, and OIF Director Barbara Jones is also blogging the event....
ALA Membership Blog, Mar. 10–13; The Signal: Digital Preservation, Mar. 12; OIF Blog, Mar. 14

Reflective teaching for librarians
Char Booth writes: “Research and attentiveness build a composite of ideas collected through chance and diligence, which is similar to a reflective concept I call gleaning—incorporating the connections that naturally occur through collaboration, participation, and simply moving through the day into whatever you happen to be working on. It is a mindset in which you notice potential solutions to the challenges you face and make use of the resources around you. Gleaning grows out of a willingness to become an active and interested sponge, and involves four elements: observation, documentation, integration, and acknowledgement.”...
American Libraries feature

Newsmaker: Jeanette Winterson
Sanhita SinhaRoy writes: “British author Jeanette Winterson (right) grew up in poverty, with few books and even fewer prospects for escape from the small industrial town where she was raised. In her new memoir, Why Be Happy When You Could Be Normal? (Grove Press, March) the author pays tribute to the power of books and the influence libraries and librarians had in helping her break away from an abusive upbringing and build a better life for herself.”...
American Libraries column

A conversation at the Newberry
Laurie D. Borman writes: “Author Scott Turow and US Court of Appeals Judge Richard Posner discussed the future of authors, books, and libraries at the Newberry Library in Chicago February 22 at the first of the ‘Conversations at the Newberry’ series created by National Public Radio’s Chicago affiliate WBEZ. Turow, currently in his second term as president of the Author’s Guild, spoke passionately about the rights of authors and the guild’s fight against the Google Books Project. Posner opened his remarks on how the internet simplifies research, particularly for academics.”...
AL: Inside Scoop, Mar. 12

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Actor, author Chris Colfer to appear at Annual Conference
Award-winning actor Chris Colfer will appear in the high-profile Auditorium Speaker Series at 2012 ALA Annual Conference on Saturday, June 23, in the Convention Center. Best known for his starring role as Kurt Hummel in the critically acclaimed Golden Globe and SAG Award–winning comedy Glee, Colfer has authored his first children’s book, The Land of Stories, which will be released July 17....
Conference Services, Mar. 13

Start planning for Annual with the Preliminary Program
ALA Annual Conference Preliminary Program offers the latest highlights and details, showcasing the huge range of events and sessions that can help you expand your network, build your knowledge, and improve your profession. Look for details on coverage of books and authors, information and public policy, and support for career development. Find out more about the new Tech Talks, ALA Masters Series presentations, Conversation Starters, Ignite Sessions, Unconference, Library Camp, and the Networking Uncommons....
Conference Services, Mar. 13

2012 ALA elections open March 19
Voting in the 2012 ALA elections will begin 9 a.m. Central time March 19. Between March 19 and March 21, ALA will notify voters by email, providing them with unique passcodes and information about how to vote online. Polls will close on April 27. For the fourth year in a row, ALA is holding its election exclusively online. To be eligible to vote, individuals must be members in good standing as of January 31....
Office of ALA Governance, Mar. 13

Disaster response and planning
Fire, water, mold, construction problems, power outages—mishaps like these not only bring library services to a grinding halt, but can also destroy collections and endanger employees. Preparing for the unexpected is the foundation of a library’s best response. A third edition of Disaster Response and Planning for Libraries, published by ALA Editions, comes to the rescue with a timely update of the best step-by-step, how-to guide for preparing and responding to all types of library disasters....
ALA Editions, Mar. 7

ALA and iPAC research libraries’ e-government needs
ALA and the Information Policy and Access Center at the University of Maryland College Park have launched a project, “Libraries and E-Government: New Partnerships in Public Service,” in recognition of the expanding role of the public library in the provision of e-government services. The project focuses on the development of an online resource that will assist public librarians to better meet the e-government needs of the communities they serve....
District Dispatch, Mar. 8

ALA Graphics summer catalog
Two treasured children’s characters star in new illustrated posters and bookmarks: The Frankie Pickle poster (right) and the Yoko Learns to Read poster. In honor of the 30th anniversary of Banned Books Week, two dramatic poster designs, Banned and Forbidden, buttons, and double-sided bookmarks will help libraries, schools, and community groups celebrate the freedom to read September 30–October 6. “It Came from the Library,” YALSA’s 2012 Teen Read Week theme, is highlighted in a spooky poster. Find all of the new products at the ALA Store....
ALA Graphics, Mar. 13

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At the Muzeo: The Word
The Muzeo (which means “museum” in Esperanto) is a relatively new center for arts, knowledge, entertainment, and culture, housed in a former Carnegie library building at 241 S. Anaheim Boulevard. During ALA Annual Conference, the Muzeo will feature an exhibit on “The Word: Ink and Blood” that reviews the history of the Bible and the origins of written language. Artifacts on display include authentic Dead Sea Scroll fragments, Hebrew Torahs, ancient Greek texts, Medieval Latin manuscripts, original pages from the Gutenberg Bible, and rare English printed Bibles....
The Muzeo

Disney’s Cars Land set to open in June
Disney California Adventure, one of the two theme parks in the Disneyland Resort, is opening a new attraction June 15 based on Radiator Springs, the fictional town in the Disney-Pixar movie Cars. Cars Land is designed to look like old Route 66, complete with prominent neon signage. Rides will include the Radiator Springs Racers, Mater’s Junkyard Jamboree, and Luigi’s Flying Tires. Watch a video (1:30) about the neon creations....
Disney Parks Blog, Mar. 9; Disney California Adventure Park; YouTube, Mar. 10

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Family life in the digital age
Lori Takeuchi, director of research for the Joan Ganz Cooney Center at Sesame Workshop, will be the keynote speaker at the AASL President’s Program at the 2012 Annual Conference. During her presentation, Takeuchi will discuss Families Matter: Designing Media for a Digital Age (PDF file), the findings of two studies that document how families with young children are integrating digital media into the rhythm of daily life....
AASL, Mar. 13

New name, logo for AASL’s research journal
AASL’s online refereed research journal, School Library Media Research, has changed its name to School Library Research (SLR). Beginning with its 15th volume in April 2012, all research manuscripts in the journal will carry the new name and be branded with the new logo (above)....
AASL, Mar. 13

School Libraries Count! deadline extended
The deadline to participate in the AASL 2012 “School Libraries Count!” longitudinal survey has been extended to March 30. The survey gathers basic data about the status of school library programs across the country. AASL will use this information to develop advocacy tools to support school library programs at the local, state, and national levels. All K–12 schools—public and private—are invited to participate on a voluntary basis....
AASL, Mar. 13

Mackin to sponsor student video contest prizes
Mackin Educational Resources will once again sponsor prizes for AASL’s School Library Month student video contest. Mackin will award the school libraries of the student winners with a prize of $500 in books. The 2012 contest, You Belong @ Your School Library, asks students to visually illustrate why the school library is (either physically or virtually) the place to be. Submissions for the video contest will be accepted through March 29....
AASL, Mar. 13

ALSC spring online courses
The schedule for ALSC’s spring 2012 online courses is now available. Classes begin April 2 and registration is now open for all courses. Detailed descriptions and registration information is available on the ALSC website. Fees are $95 for personal ALSC members; $145 for personal ALA members; and $165 for nonmembers....
ALSC, Online Learning, Mar. 13

Webinar: Managing teen behavior
When teens flood into the library, anything can happen. But chaos needn’t reign in your teen space. By setting the right tone with regulars, establishing appropriate boundaries, and equitably addressing problem behaviors, you can create a teen space that is consistently welcoming using strategies from “Managing the Swarm,” YALSA’s April 19 webinar, led by Erin Downey Howerton (right)....
YALSA, Mar. 8

Visit the PLA Store
If you are going to the PLA Conference in Philadelphia, check out the PLA Store at the Pennsylvania Convention Center near the Broad Street entrance. The store is located near registration, ideal for easy access and convenient browsing. With plenty of new and bestselling items available, you’ll want to make sure to carve out some time in your schedule to stop by....
PLA, Mar. 12

ALCTS preconference to look at authority work, RDA
“A Change in Authority: Authority Work in the RDA Environment” is the topic for the upcoming ALCTS preconference at this year’s ALA Annual Conference. This one-day preconference is intended for catalogers new to authority work and/or who work with authority control issues at the local level. The preconference will be held June 22. Registration is required and a separate registration fee applies....
ALCTS, Mar. 13

LITA preconferences announced
LITA is offering three full-day preconferences, to be held June 22, at the ALA Annual Conference in Anaheim, California. The three preconferences include “Web Content Strategy for Libraries,” “Creating Library Linked Data: What Catalogers and Coders Can Build,” and “Building Digital Collections Using Islandora.”...
LITA, Mar. 13

Explore Ireland’s libraries, pubs, historic sites
ASCLA is following up its sold-out Paris trip with a fall trip to Ireland in 2012 to explore the emerald isle, its castles, libraries, and important historic sites. The trip will run October 4–12, and will include hotels and transportation to Dublin, Kilkenny, Cork, Cobh, and Killarney; four dinners; tours of the National Library and the Killarney Library, Trinity College and the Book of Kells, Powerscourt Gardens, Kilkenny and Blarney Castles, and the Ring of Kerry. Download the brochure (PDF file)....
ASCLA, Mar. 13

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OCLC/LITA Kilgour Award winner
LITA has announced G. Sayeed Choudhury (right) the 2012 winner of the Frederick G. Kilgour Award for Research in Library and Information Technology. Choudhury, associate dean for research data management at the Sheridan Libraries of Johns Hopkins University, was recognized for his leadership in the field of data curation and for his ongoing impact on the field of librarianship in applying the principles of librarianship to the curation and preservation of digital data....
LITA, Mar. 13

2012 Notable Children’s Books
ALSC selected its 2012 list of Notable Children’s Books in January during the ALA Midwinter Meeting in Dallas. The list of titles includes fiction, nonfiction, poetry, and picture books of special interest, quality, creativity, and value to children 14 years of age and younger. View the annotated list of titles....
ALSC, Mar. 13

2012 Coretta Scott King Book Donation Grants
The Morton School of Excellence in Chicago, the Perris (Calif.) Library, and the Prentiss (Miss.) Public Library are the recipients of the 2012 Coretta Scott King Book Donation Grants. The grant provides to libraries and other organizations the books submitted for consideration for the Coretta Scott King Book Awards, including a full set of the 2012 winning titles. Each year, three organizations are selected that demonstrate need and potential benefit from receiving the collection....
Ethnic and Multicultural Information Exchange Round Table, Mar. 8

Bookapalooza Program winners announced
ALSC has awarded the 2012 Bookapalooza Program to three libraries: First Regional Library in Hernando, Mississippi; Conley Elementary School Library in Whitman, Massachusetts; and Saginaw Chippewa Indian Tribe–Saginaw Chippewa Academy in Mount Pleasant, Michigan. The award includes a variety of materials from books to DVDs and audiobooks....
ALSC, Mar. 13

Queens Memory Project receives citation
ALCTS has declared the Queens Memory Project as the recipient of its Outstanding Collaboration Citation for 2012. The citation recognizes and encourages collaborative problem-solving efforts in the areas of acquisition, access, management, preservation, or archiving of library materials. The project is dedicated to digitizing, preserving, and providing access to the local history of Queens, New York....
ALCTS, Mar. 12

New RUSA BRASS travel grant
Academic business librarians are encouraged to apply for the BRASS Business Expert Press Award for Academic Business Librarians, a new conference travel grant offered by the Business Reference Services Section of RUSA and sponsored by Business Expert Press. This award, in its inaugural year, recognizes a librarian new to the field of academic business librarianship and provides $1,250 for expenses related to attendance to the 2012 ALA Annual Conference. Download the nomination form (PDF file)....
RUSA, Mar. 13

Apply for a Jan Stauber Grant
The Beacon Society, a nonprofit affiliate of the Baker Street Irregulars, has set a May 1 deadline for librarians, teachers, and others in the US and Canada to apply for a $250 Jan Stauber Grant. The grant will fund programs that introduce young people to Arthur Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes stories. The society’s website also offers ideas on how libraries can use Sherlock Holmes to spur reading....
Beacon Society

Movers and Shakers 2012
Library Journal’s Movers and Shakers award spotlights librarians and others in the library field who are doing extraordinary work to serve their users and to move libraries of all types and library services forward. They hail from all corners of the library world. They’ve been nominated by their colleagues, friends, bosses, and admirers. This year’s group of 53 brings the Movers cohort to more than 550....
Library Journal, Mar. 13

2012 Judaica Bibliography Award
The Research Libraries, Archives, and Special Collections Division of the Association of Jewish Libraries has announced the winner of its 2012 Judaica Bibliography Award. Bibliographia Karaitica (Brill), edited by Barry Dov Walfish and Mikhail Kizilov, is a mammoth bibliography that captures every conceivable aspect of Karaite literature and culture....
People of the Books Blog, Mar. 12

2011 National Book Critics Circle awards
On March 8, the National Book Critic Circle presented its awards for the publishing year 2011. The prize in fiction went to Edith Pearlman for Binocular Vision: New and Selected Stories (Lookout Books), a collection of 34 Chekhov-like short stories that was also nominated for the National Book Award. The nonfiction prize went to Maya Jasanoff for Liberty’s Exiles: American Loyalists in the Revolutionary World (Knopf), a book of fresh, original, and sprightly scholarship....
National Book Critics Circle, Mar. 8

2011 James Tiptree Jr. Award
Every year, the Tiptree Award celebrates an unusual novel that contemplates shifts and changes in gender roles. This year’s winner is Redwood and Wildfire (Aqueduct) by Andrea Hairston, a story of a “hoodoo woman” who migrates from rural Georgia to Chicago at the turn of the 20th century. The citation noted that the “characters in Redwood and Wildfire deftly negotiate freedom and integrity in a society where it’s difficult to hold true to these things.”...
James Tiptree Jr. Literary Award Council, Mar. 9

2012 AHS Book Award winners (PDF file)
Each year, the American Horticultural Society recognizes outstanding gardening books published in North America with its annual Book Award. This year, five winners were named, among them The Holistic Orchard by Michael Phillips (Chelsea Geren) and The Year-Round Vegetable Gardener by Niki Jabbour (Storey)....
The American Gardener, Mar./Apr.

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Books sought for Henryville school libraries
The elementary and secondary schools in Henryville, Indiana, were severely damaged by a March 2 tornado, especially the high school library located on the hard-hit south end of the complex (right). Few books survived the assault, according to Henryville teacher Shawn Turner. The Greater Clark County Schools Educational Foundation in Jeffersonville, Indiana, is accepting donations to help rebuild the collection. Indiana authors are holding a raffle to encourage donations. At least two school libraries in Kentucky were also badly damaged in the same storm system....
Greater Clark County Schools; Louisville (Ky.) Courier-Journal, Mar. 7; GalleyCat, Mar. 13; Lexington (Ky.) Herald-Leader, Mar. 8

Obama nominates two librarians to national board
President Obama announced March 9 his intent to nominate Luis Herrera and Suzanne E. Thorin to the National Museum and Library Services Board. Herrera is the city librarian of the San Francisco Public Library and Thorin is university librarian at Syracuse University. The NMLSB is an advisory body that includes the director and deputy directors of IMLS and 20 presidentially appointed and Senate-confirmed members of the general public....
White House, Mar. 9

Court: Excerpting and linking online is fair use
On March 9, the US District Court in Nevada issued a declaratory judgment (PDF file) that makes it harder for copyright holders to file lawsuits over excerpts of material and burden online forums and their users with nuisance lawsuits. The judgment—part of the nuisance lawsuit avalanche started by copyright troll Righthaven—found that Democratic Underground did not infringe the copyright in a Las Vegas Review-Journal article when a user of the online political forum posted a five-sentence excerpt, with a link back to the newspaper’s website....
Electronic Freedom Foundation, Mar. 10

The rebirth of New Orleans libraries
For some New Orleanians, the story of the post-Katrina public library system’s resurrection might read like a never-ending tale. While officials managed to reopen five of the 13 storm-damaged locations quickly, many neighborhoods have been forced to rely on makeshift mini-libraries. But city hall is preparing to cut the ribbons on five new state-of-the-art libraries over the next few months, including three in rapid-fire succession in March....
New Orleans Times-Picayune, Mar. 12

Strike deadline looms for Toronto library workers
The union representing Toronto Public Library workers says it’s battling the city to give members full-time jobs as a strike and lockout deadline looms. More than half of the workforce at Toronto Public Library is part-time, and an increasingly understaffed library system has made it so part-timers are competing with other part-timers, said library union official Maureen O’Reilly....
CBC News, Mar. 7

Former library president admits stealing nearly $100K
The former president of Blue Mountain Community Library in Pen Argyl, Pennsylvania, admitted March 9 to stealing nearly $100,000, in a plea agreement under which his wife will be allowed to enter into a first-offender program. Over nine years, Richard Leidich used the public library’s funds to support himself, his wife, and his various business interests, pilfering $99,212 from it before he was caught....
Allentown (Pa.) Morning Call, Mar. 9

Google to partner with the Belgian Mundaneum
Google is linking up with an information precursor that aimed to do something similar in the 19th century, on paper. The company announced March 13 it is forming a partnership with a museum in Mons, Belgium, the Mundaneum, dedicated to the compilation and indexing of knowledge in a giant, library-style card catalog with millions of entries—an analog-era equivalent of a search engine or Wikipedia—conceived in 1895 by Paul Otlet and Henri La Fontaine. The partnership is part of a campaign by Google to demonstrate that it is a friend of European culture....
New York Times, Mar. 12

A cataloger of carillons
Joy Banks (right) is thought to be the only carillon librarian in the world. She chronicles and catalogs the largest collection of carillon music known. That extensive collection is housed inside the centerpiece of the Bok Tower Gardens in Lake Wales, Florida, the Singing Tower. Banks actually manages two libraries inside the tower: the Bok Tower archives and the Anton Brees Carillon Library, which houses books, periodicals, recital programs, music scores, maps, recordings, slides, and photographs related to carillon music....
Winter Haven (Fla.) News Chief, Mar. 11

Houston library helps mayor delve into her roots
Thanks to KUHT-TV and Houston Public Library’s Clayton Library Center for Genealogical Research, Mayor Annise Parker stands a good chance of getting some of her genealogical questions answered. KUHT is preparing a program documenting Parker’s genealogical journey to accompany the PBS series Finding Your Roots. Clayton Reference Librarian Ashley Riggenbach said she has found apparent paternal ancestors for Parker dating to the 1870s....
Houston Chronicle, Mar. 12

Little free libraries are catching on in many places
Pat Schneider writes: “I ran into Rick Brooks recently and, not surprisingly, talk soon turned to Little Free Library—the project he cofounded with Todd Bol (right) that places small boxes offering free books in places where people will find them. ‘We’re now in 34 states and 17 countries,’ said Brooks, an outreach manager with UW-Madison’s Division of Continuing Studies. The effort started in 2010 when Bol put up the first one in Hudson, Wisconsin, to honor his late mother. Brooks says today there are 400 to 500 Little Free Libraries now in use around the world.” Watch the newscast (2:41)....
Madison (Wis.) Capital Times, Mar. 11; MSNBC, Mar. 11

The story behind Nairobi’s McMillan Library
When the final story of the McMillan Memorial Library is written, it will be about a person, eccentric philanthropist and plantation owner William Northrup McMillan, who bequeathed part of his wealth to the citizens of Nairobi, Kenya, and had it protected by an Act of Parliament. That was the work of a genius. As the only landmark building in Nairobi specifically protected by law, this library will remain for years as a showcase of Victorian architecture....
Business Daily Africa, Mar. 8

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Behavioral economist, bestselling author, and frequent presenter Dan Ariely takes a groundbreaking look at the way we behave, and talks about his forthcoming book, The Honest Truth About Dishonesty: How We Lie to Everyone— Especially Ourselves, on Sunday, June 24, in the Convention Center at ALA Annual Conference.

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