The e-newsletter of the American Library Association | April 10, 2013

Emerging Leaders: Class of 2013
They’re the new people greeting you at the reference desk, shelving books in the stacks, and experimenting with fresh ideas behind the scenes. These are the new library rising stars, the generation that will move, shape, and influence the present and future of ALA and the library profession. The 55 honorees in the Class of 2013 represent a wide variety of libraries and professional specialties. These are the American Library Association’s Emerging Leaders of 2013....
American Libraries feature

Editor’s Letter: Something old, something new
Laurie D. Borman writes: “Seven years ago, then–ALA President Leslie Burger helped launch the Emerging Leaders program with 117 participants and 23 projects. This year’s class of 55 Emerging Leaders met at Midwinter in Seattle, and will present their projects at the ALA Annual Conference in Chicago. Open to librarians and support staff who are new to the profession, the 2013 class of Emerging Leaders gathered to network and begin assigned group projects while learning more about ALA.”...
American Libraries column, Mar./Apr.

Caroline Kennedy helps Highland Park library celebrate
Laurie D. Borman writes: “Author Caroline Kennedy spoke to a packed audience April 5 at Highland Park (Ill.) Public Library about her family’s love for reciting and collecting poetry. She found that learning poems gave her confidence to not be afraid. Kennedy was at the library to help celebrate its 125th anniversary, Librarypalooza. She is the honorary chair of ALA’s National Library Week this year.”...
AL: Inside Scoop, Apr. 8

Poems while you wait at Deerfield
Laurie D. Borman writes: “Library patrons lined up for personalized poems, created by six local poets at the Deerfield (Ill.) Public Library’s ‘Poems While You Wait’ event in celebration of April as National Poetry Month. Poets tapped out verse on vintage typewriters for patron-selected themes that ranged from Ninjas and sports to twins, English bulldogs, Thailand, and even secret gardens.”...
AL: Inside Scoop, Apr. 8

AL Live: The present and future of ebooks
American Libraries Live, a free, streaming video broadcast that you can view from your home, library, or on the go, returns on April 18 with a new episode, “The Present and Future of Ebooks.” Sue Polanka, ebook expert and author of No Shelf Required, will lead an interactive discussion focusing on what ebooks and their exploding popularity mean for libraries and librarians. The hour-long episode will feature ebook pioneers Jamie LaRue and Scott Wasinger....
AL Live, Apr. 8

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National Library Week PSA on Disney Channel
New public service announcements (0:31) of National Library Week Honorary Chair Caroline Kennedy are currently appearing on the Disney Channel. Approximately 1.4 million viewers see the PSAs every time they air. Kennedy appears in the PSA with the star of Disney Channel’s Austin and Ally, Laura Marano. They discuss the value and opportunities available at libraries. Librarians can use embed code to post the PSAs on their own websites, blogs, or Facebook pages....
Campaign for America’s Libraries, Apr. 5

Kennedy visits Seattle school library
In her role as honorary chair of National Library Week 2013, April 14–20, author, editor, and library and literacy advocate Caroline Kennedy visited with students at Sanislo Elementary School library in Seattle to discuss the power of poetry and libraries. The visit was timed to celebrate April as School Library Month. Kennedy shared poems with Sanislo Elementary librarian and AASL member Craig Seasholes and 1st–3rd graders in Sanislo’s poetry club. See more photos from her visit....
Campaign for America’s Libraries, Apr. 9

Find out who supports library legislation
To prepare for National Library Legislative Day—the annual day when hundreds of librarians and library supporters will converge in D.C. to protect library funding—ALA has released the 2012 ALA Legislative Scorecards for the House (PDF file) and Senate (PDF file). National Library Advocacy Day participants can use the scorecards to hold their elected representatives accountable. If they didn’t cosponsor critical library legislation, ask them why. If they did, be sure to thank them and show your appreciation for their support....
District Dispatch, Apr. 9

Dan Cohen to speak at Annual
Dan Cohen (right), founding executive director of the Digital Public Library of America, will be the featured speaker in the ALA President’s Program and Awards Presentation at the 2013 ALA Annual Conference on June 30. Cohen will focus on the role and contribution of the DPLA to ALA President Maureen Sullivan’s ongoing initiative, “The Promise of Libraries Transforming Communities.” After his presentation, Sullivan will conduct an interview and moderate a Q&A with the audience....
Conference Services, Apr. 9

Think like a freak at Annual Conference
Steven D. Levitt (right), coauthor of the upcoming Think Like A Freak and the international bestseller Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything, promises to turn attendees’ brains inside out before 2013 ALA Annual Conference even starts. Levitt, keynote speaker for the Opening General Session on June 28, is interested in showing how applying counterintuitive approaches to everyday problems can bear surprising results....
Conference Services, Apr. 8

Susan Crawford to anchor Washington Update at ALA Annual
Susan Crawford, telecommunications policy expert, former White House official, and author of Captive Audience: The Telecom Industry and Monopoly Power in the New Gilded Age (2013), will share insights about national technology policy and implications for the library community during the Washington Update session on June 29 at the 2013 ALA Annual Conference in Chicago....
Office for Information Technology Policy, Apr. 9

Ethics preconference at ALA Annual
“Ethics Matters: Ethical Decision-Making for Librarians and Information Professionals,” a half-day preconference on June 28 prior to the 2013 ALA Annual Conference in Chicago, will provide attendees with practical tools for resolving the daily ethical issues librarians face. Led by Nancy Zimmerman, this highly interactive event will challenge librarians to develop ethical awareness, identify the global common ground of values underlying ethics, analyze ethical issues using real-life dilemmas, and resolve dilemmas using practical resolution principles. Registration is open....
Office for Intellectual Freedom, Apr. 9

ALA and the 1893 World’s Fair
Larry Nix writes: “When ALA members gather in Chicago on June 27 it will mark the 120th anniversary of ALA’s meeting in conjunction with the World’s Columbian Exposition of 1893. It was one of the most significant annual conferences in ALA history, and it was the first of many in Chicago. It marked a high point in the prominence of Melvil Dewey in ALA and the library profession. For the exposition, ALA sponsored an exhibit of a model library with a collection of 5,000 of the ‘best’ books available to libraries.”...
Library History Buff Blog, Apr. 10

Carrie Russell to host copyright workshop
To help school librarians and educators better understand copyright law, author Carrie Russell (right) will host the workshop “Copyright for K–12 Librarians and Educators” on April 11. Russell will discuss her newly released book Copyright for K–12 Librarians and Educators and offer guidance on ways to legally provide materials to students by exploring common scenarios encountered by school educators and librarians. Registration for this ALA Editions workshop is available on the ALA Store....
Office for Information Technology Policy, Apr. 5

Smithsonian Libraries hosts “Preservation Matters!”
The Smithsonian Libraries will host the program “Preservation Matters!” on April 24 in the S. Dillon Ripley Center, Washington, D.C. The event is part of the Preservation Week celebration April 21–27 and will feature Steve Berry (right), national spokesperson for Preservation Week, who will deliver a keynote on the topic “Why Preserving History Matters.”...
ALCTS, Apr. 8

Preservation Week resources for military families
For Preservation Week 2013, ALA has created a new section at Preservation @ your library, “For Military Families,” which focuses on issues that military personnel, their families, and their friends encounter when they want to save, document, or record their family’s military experience. The feedback of librarians who serve this community made the featured resources possible, including the print-ready PDF handouts, “Quick Preservation Tips: for Military Families” (PDF file) and “Quick Preservation Tips: Take the First Step” (PDF file)....
ALCTS, Apr. 9

Celebrate National Bookmobile Day
Stacey Nordlund writes: “The concept of mobile outreach is not new, nor is it likely to decline or disappear. Even as the role of libraries changes and new technologies replace outdated models of service, the idea of bringing the library to the people instead of waiting passively for library patrons to enter our institutions remains vital. Do your part to support the value—and necessity—of bookmobiles by participating in National Bookmobile Day on April 17.”...
Public Libraries Online, Apr. 8

Reference through social media
ALA Editions will host a facilitated eCourse on “Reference through Social Media: Developing Standards, Guidelines, and Policies.” Sarah Steiner will serve as instructor for this three-week course, which starts on June 3. Registration can be purchased at the ALA Store....
ALA Editions, Apr. 9

Teaching information literacy
ALA Editions announces a new session of Joanna Burkhardt’s facilitated eCourse on “Teaching Information Literacy to College Students.” Burkhardt, head librarian at the University of Rhode Island branch libraries, will serve as the instructor for this three-week course, which starts on June 3. Registration can be purchased at the ALA Store....
ALA Editions, Apr. 9

Introducing RDA with Chris Oliver
ALA Editions announces a new session of its popular workshop, “Introducing RDA” with Chris Oliver. This 90-minute workshop will take place on June 13. Oliver will give an overview and look at the key aspects that make RDA different from AACR2. Registration for this ALA Editions Workshop is available on the ALA Store....
ALA Editions, Apr. 9

Handy tech tools for library outreach
ALA TechSource announces a new 90-minute workshop, “Handy Tech Tools for Library Outreach.” This workshop will take place on June 19. In this fun, informative workshop, librarian and academic technology coordinator Sarah Ludwig looks closely at tech tools both new and old. She’ll give a guided tour of the possibilities and limitations of these tools. Registration is available on the ALA Store at both individual and group rates....
ALA TechSource, Apr. 5

How to run great training webinars
ALA TechSource announces a new workshop, “How to Run Great Training Webinars for Librarians” with Dan Freeman. This 90-minute workshop will take place on June 12. Freeman, online learning manager for ALA TechSource and ALA Editions, will give you the information you need to run effective, productive webinars that fit your needs and budget. Registration is available on the ALA Store....
ALA TechSource, Apr. 9

How to host an Edible Books Festival
The Public Programs Office and Programming Librarian will hold a webinar to highlight the successful Edible Book Festival program held at the Wills Library, University of North Texas, and explore how such an event can be tailored to other institutions. “Eat Your Words: Hosting an Edible Book Festival” will take place May 1 and be hosted by Kristin Boyett. Register (PDF file) by mail....
Public Programs Office, Apr. 8

Evaluating the impact of your library
Outlining a rigorously tested approach to library evaluation and offering practical tools and highly relevant examples, this new second edition of Evaluating the Impact of Your Library, available through ALA Neal-Schuman, enables library managers to come to grips with the slippery concept of service impact and to address their own impact questions in their planning. Sharon Markless and David Streatfield have fully updated the text....
ALA Neal-Schuman, Apr. 5

Web analytics strategies
Whether gathering information for a department report or planning a website redesign, easy access to meaningful, actionable data is critical. In Web Analytics Strategies for Information Professionals: A LITA Guide, published by ALA TechSource, Tabatha Farney and Nina McHale address the distinctive needs of libraries’ educational mission with specific advice on how to use web analytics in a library setting....
ALA TechSource, Apr. 9

A planner for balancing work and life
Offering a fresh strategy for reexamining life and work goals, The Work/Life Balance Planner: Resetting Your Goals addresses numerous practical concerns, such as housing, moving, education, career choices, family, and emotional support. Written by Ann Kepler and published by Huron Street Press, this workbook and planner is adaptable to almost any lifestyle change and allows readers to work at their own pace, gather facts and define their goals....
ALA Huron Street Press, Apr. 8

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Chicago History Museum
The Chicago History Museum (known as the Chicago Historical Society until 2006) was founded in 1856 to study and interpret Chicago history. It is located in Lincoln Park at 1601 North Clark Street. The permanent exhibit, “Chicago: Crossroads of America,” is a 16,000-square-foot space that explores the city’s development and its influence on American history. Nearly 600 objects document the people and events of the past 200 years. Special exhibits during Annual Conference include “Inspiring Beauty: 50 Years of Ebony Fashion Fair” and “Shalom Chicago.”...
Chicago History Museum

All those stones stuck on the Tribune Tower
A teacher was looking recently for information about all of the cool stones embedded in the outer façade of the Tribune Tower at 435 North Michigan Avenue. The complete list is on the Tribune Tower entry in the Chicago Architecture Info database, but she wanted photos of the individual rocks. So, here they are, all 149 of them as of May 2009. Click on each of the thumbnails to see a larger picture of the stone in question....
Chicago Architecture Blog, Mar. 5

Top 40 Chicago novels
Geoffrey Johnson writes: “As much as Chicago is a metropolis built of glass, brick, and steel, it’s also a city whose glory rests on a foundation of books. Writers have flocked here from the moment Chicago began to take its place on the world’s stage—in the decades following the great fire of 1871—and their collective stories provide a vivid portrait of the city and its citizens. It’s a record for the ages.”...
Chicago magazine, June 2010

Chicago’s best Mexican restaurants
True foodies want to know who makes the best tamales in town. Who has their own tortilleria, making the flour and corn staples right before your eyes? Whose hot sauce provides the most flavor? Who has the best selection of tequila? Who makes their margaritas fresh? All these questions are Mexican food for thought. Here are the top 10 Mexican restaurants in Chicago, selected by Gayot. For a narrower list of five Mexican restaurants, consult the Zagat Blog....
Gayot; Zagat Blog, Mar. 20, 2012

The most life-changing hot dog in America
An exacting commitment to quality is what makes Superdawg, at 6363 North Milwaukee Avenue, the winner of Esquire’s 2013 Eat Like a Man contest for America’s favorite hot dog. Not much has changed at Superdawg since it opened at the corner of Milwaukee and Devon in 1948. The Superdawg itself is a large, all-beef hot dog made to a family recipe, boiled, and topped with all the condiments of a Chicago-style dog—mustard, relish, onions, a dill pickle, and hot sport peppers—plunked in a poppy-seed bun and garnished with a Superdawg specialty: a green pickled tomato....
Esquire, Apr. 3

The best ways to get airline seat upgrades
Eva Norlyk Smith writes: “If money isn’t an issue, by all means use your mileage earnings for ticket upgrades. But if you don’t have that much money, the question becomes whether using those precious miles for seat upgrades is worthwhile. If you buy the most discounted economy ticket you can find (which is what most of us do), a cushiony upgrade will cost you 15,000 miles plus a $75 fee, or the equivalent of $225 (valuing the miles at $150 or roughly 1 cent per mile). Ouch! You do have other options for comfort, however.”...
CreditCardGuide, Dec. 3, 2012

TSA, DHS, devices, and your rights
Sarah Houghton writes: “As someone who has had (unfortunately) extensive experience with the TSA, the DHS, and customs officials while traveling for both work and pleasure, I will share some advice to protect your information. I figured out what the TSA could and could not do within the United States, and since I travel internationally I looked into what was legal at border crossings, particularly at airports. Here are documents I suggest everyone read if you travel within the US or internationally. Know your rights.”...
Librarian in Black, Apr. 3

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Teams selected for ACRL Assessment in Action
ACRL has selected 75 institutional teams from a pool of 98 applicants to participate in the first year of the program Assessment in Action: Academic Libraries and Student Success (AiA). In their applications, each institution identified a team consisting of a librarian and at least two additional team members as determined by the campus (faculty member, student affairs representative, institutional researcher, or academic administrator). They also identified goals for their action-learning projects....
ACRL, Apr. 9

Keeping up with digital humanities
ACRL has launched Keeping Up With…, an online current awareness publication featuring concise briefs on trends in academic librarianship and higher education. Each edition will focus on a single issue, with an introduction to the topic, summaries of key points, and implications for academic libraries. The initial issue features a discussion of Digital Humanities by Jennifer L. Adams and Kevin B. Gunn. The publication is available on the ACRL website and each issue will be sent via email to ACRL members....
ACRL Insider, Apr. 10

School Libraries Count! personalized reports
Personalized reports are now available for participants in the AASL School Libraries Count! longitudinal survey. These personalized reports complement AASL’s suite of advocacy tools, including an online module for implementing the AASL learning standards and program guidelines, “A Planning Guide for Empowering Learners.” School librarians can then present a more complete case when advocating for their school library programs and community needs....
AASL, Apr. 9

AASL seeks proposals for 2014 ALA Annual Conference
AASL invites proposals for programs to be presented during the ALA Annual Conference in Las Vegas, to be held June 26–July 1, 2014. The deadline for preconference submissions is May 27, 2013, and August 26, 2013, for concurrent session submissions. Read the details online....
AASL, Apr. 9

Have breakfast with graphic novelists at AASL13
Faith Erin Hicks (right), Jennifer and Matthew Holm, Jarrett Krosoczka, and Raina Telgemeier will share the creative process behind the exciting genre of graphic novels at the Author Breakfast on November 17 during the AASL 16th National Conference and Exhibition in Hartford, Connecticut. Attendees will see a rousing live demonstration of the art of creating graphic novels. Registration is open....
AASL, Apr. 9

Report: School librarians lead, on- and off-campus
A new report released by the National Center for Literacy Education, Remodeling Literacy Learning: Making Room for What Works, reveals that school librarians are highly involved leaders playing a critical role in their schools through consistent and sustained collaboration with other educators, and that they deliver professional development to peers, educators, and staff in their schools. The report details key findings from a nationwide survey of more than 2,400 educators from all grade levels and subject areas....
AASL, Apr. 9

New webinars make the case for school libraries
A new webinar series from AASL’s Advocacy Committee explores critical questions currently facing the school library profession. Presented in a new 20-minute format, “Quantity vs. Quality,” “A Space vs. A Learning Space,” and “Strong School Library Programs Build Strong Communities” covers the tools that most effectively promote school-library programs. Visit here for more information and to register. Also, two eCOLLAB webinars have been added to the archive for AASL members to view....
AASL, Apr. 9

How to dedicate a Literary Landmark
United for Libraries will present a webinar on “How to Dedicate a Literary Landmark in Your Community” on April 25. Join Rocco Staino, director of the Empire State Center for the Book, and Karen Neurohr, who has facilitated the dedication of several Literary Landmarks in Oklahoma, to learn about the program. Find out how to select sites in your community, what to plan for, and how to get the community and media involved. The webinar is free; registration is limited to 100....
United for Libraries, Apr. 9

Consultants Give Back at Annual Conference
The ASCLA Library Consultants Interest Group (LCIG) will again be sponsoring Consultants Give Back on June 30 at the 2013 ALA Annual Conference in Chicago. They are currently seeking library consultants to participate. This year’s sign-up process will be slightly different from previous years: Consultants can sign up on a website developed by Lori Ayre. The deadline to register is April 30....
ASCLA Blog, Apr. 5

Preconference on shared print monographs
On June 27 at the 2013 ALA Annual Conference in Chicago, ALCTS will present “Shared Print Monographs: Making It Work.” This all-day preconference will cover the challenges and outcomes of shared print programs for monographs. Register through the 2013 ALA Annual Conference website....
ALCTS, Apr. 8

Harkness and Neal stand for PLA President
Elections for PLA, as well as those for ALA and its other divisions, are open through April 26. This year in the PLA election, the two presidential candidates are Alan Harkness, assistant state librarian for library development at the Georgia Public Library Service; and Larry Neal, director of the Clinton-Macomb (Mich.) Public Library....
PLA, Apr. 9

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2013 Peggy Sullivan Award
ALA has awarded the 2013 Peggy Sullivan Award for Public Library Administrators Supporting Services to Children to Kathleen Reif (right), director of St. Mary’s County Library, Leonardtown, Maryland. The Sullivan Award is presented annually to an individual in a library administrator role who has shown exceptional understanding and support of public library service to children. Reif was cited for her sustained and effective efforts in early literacy and learning and the Every Child Ready to Read initiative....
Office of ALA Governance, Apr. 8

2013 Beta Phi Mu Award
Elizabeth Aversa (right), professor of library and information science at the University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, has been selected to receive ALA’s 2013 Beta Phi Mu Award. This annual award, donated by the Beta Phi Mu International Library Science Honorary Society, is presented to an individual who demonstrates distinguished service to education in librarianship. Aversa was selected for her strong commitment to mentoring students and colleagues....
Office of ALA Governance, Apr. 8

2013 Scholastic Library Publishing Award
ALA has named Heather Ketron (right), head of children’s services at the Gum Spring branch of the Loudoun County (Va.) Public Library, the recipient of the 2013 Scholastic Library Publishing Award. The honor is bestowed on a librarian whose extraordinary contributions to promoting access to books and encouraging a lifelong love of reading exemplifies outstanding achievement in the profession. Ketron will receive a citation and $1,000 prize, donated by Scholastic Library Publishing....
Office of ALA Governance, Apr. 5

Tune in for 2013 Carnegie Medal finalists
ALA plans to announce the shortlist of finalists for the Andrew Carnegie Medals for Excellence in Fiction and Nonfiction at 11 a.m. Central time on April 22 during a free live 15-minute webcast. The announcement will be made by Nancy Pearl, selection committee chair, and ALA President Maureen Sullivan. Only 3,000 virtual seats are available, so register early....
Booklist, Apr. 9

Princeton Public Library named Library of the Future
A technology program at Princeton (N.J.) Public Library has been named the 2013 winner of the ALA Information Today Library of the Future Award. The award cited the library’s Community Collaboration for Enhanced Technology Services project submitted by Erica Bess (right), team leader for adult services, on behalf of her colleagues. Its goal was for the library to be known as the place in town to visit for receiving excellent technology assistance....
Office of ALA Governance, Apr. 9

2012 Excellence in Library Services to YA winners
YALSA has selected 25 innovative teen programs to be featured at the 2013 ALA Annual Conference and included in a sixth edition of Excellence in Library Service to Young Adults. These successful programs focus on addressing new or ongoing teen needs or interests in innovative or unique ways. Each award will be presented to the applicant’s institution for use with future teen programs and/or for the applicant’s travel to the conference....
YALSA, Apr. 9

RUSA award winners
RUSA has selected the winners of its 2013 achievement awards, as well as its research and travel grants. The RUSA Achievement Awards Reception and Volunteer Appreciation Party will be held on June 30 at one of the ALA Annual Conference hotels. All conference attendees are invited to participate in this celebration....
RUSA, Apr. 8

Business librarianship research proposals wanted
Submissions are due April 12 for the 2013 Emerald Research Grant offered by RUSA’s Business Reference and Services Section. The grant offers $5,000 to an individual or team seeking support to conduct research in business librarianship. Due to technical difficulties, the award committee asks anyone who has already submitted a proposal to resubmit their materials to Kim Bloedel. New proposals should also be sent to this same address....
RUSA Blog, Mar. 22

ALCTS microgrants
The ALCTS Transforming Collections Task Force seeks proposals for its 2013 microgrant program. All ALCTS members in good standing are eligible to submit a proposal. The $1,500 grants are designed to support innovative practices, emerging technologies, and innovation in collections. The deadline for applications is May 15....
ALCTS, Apr. 8

Deadline nears for Citizens-Save-Libraries grants
There’s still time to apply for Citizens-Save-Libraries grants from United for Libraries, made possible by the Neal-Schuman Foundation. The deadline has been extended to April 15. The 20 grants, 10 to be awarded in 2013 and the rest in 2014, will support local advocacy for libraries with troubled budgets by sending experts to help library Friends, directors, and trustees develop individualized campaign blueprints. Among the criteria to apply is a willingness to “pay it forward” by sharing what is learned with others in your state. Apply online....
United for Libraries, Apr. 9

Follett Challenge winners
Educators and students across the country gathered in front of their computer monitors for the announcement of the winners of the Follett Challenge. Seven months and 452,776 votes later, in a live webcast on April 5, Follett crowned six schools as the most innovative in the world. This second Follett Challenge contest awarded $200,000 in Follett products and services to innovative K–12 schools that are expertly aligning their curriculum to teach 21st-century learning skills....
Follett School Solutions Group, Apr. 5

Society of Midland Authors 2012 Award winners
Each year since its inception in 1915, the Society of Midland Authors has presented awards for excellence to authors and poets from the Heartland. The society will present its awards in Chicago on May 14 for the best books by Midwestern authors in 2012. This year there were two winners in adult fiction: Nick Dybek, When Captain Flint Was Still a Good Man (Riverhead), and Jack Driscoll, The World of a Few Minutes Ago (Wayne State University)....
Society of Midland Authors, Apr. 4

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WikiLeaks launches Kissinger-era intelligence library
WikiLeaks has combined the 250,000 State Department documents it had previously released in 2010 (now called “Cablegate”) with 1.7 million documents from the department’s Henry Kissinger era to launch the Public Library of US Diplomacy (PlusD). The Kissinger cables date from January 1, 1973, to December 31, 1976, and include assessments of Vietnam and transcripts of Kissinger conversations. Most of the documents have been declassified, but the diplomatic records were largely in PDF format at NARA. Watch Amy Goodman’s interview (30:22) with WikiLeaks spokesperson Kristinn Hrafnsson....
PC World, Apr. 8; Democracy Now!, Apr. 8

A lack of Kander
Missouri Secretary of State Jason Kander appears to be uninterested in meeting with library officials to discuss personnel cuts at the state library, maintaining that he’s only doing his job and the benefits of the process will become apparent. Protests of the staff cuts from the Missouri Library Association have drawn support from ALA President Maureen Sullivan, who said Kander’s plans to cut staff in order to funnel more resources into local libraries are like a school district buying more buses while laying off drivers....
Missourinet News (Jefferson City, Mo.), Apr. 8

Washington State Library faces devastating cuts
Less than three months after taking office, Secretary of State Kim Wyman is faced with a Senate budget, passed April 5, that cuts the Washington State Library’s $8.6 million allocation by $632,000. The proposed budget, headed to the House on April 12, moves financing for library operations from the general fund into a capital budget previously set up to pay for a future Heritage Center. The budget cut might leave too little revenue to run it....
Olympia (Wash.) Olympian, Apr. 7; Washington State Library

Court ruling has Kentucky libraries on edge
A judge’s decision in Campbell County, Kentucky, has libraries across the state fearful it might lead to closings and cuts should the ruling stand. The ruling could slice the property tax rate for the Campbell County Library District by more than half—from 7.7 cents per $100 to its 1978 level of 3 cents. Circuit Court Judge Julie Reinhardt Ward ruled April 2 that the library had improperly raised tax rates over the past 35 years by not gathering a petition as required by state law....
Cincinnati Enquirer, Apr. 4

Tom Leonard wins New Yorker cartoon caption contest
University of California, Berkeley, Librarian Tom Leonard is tickled to have won the New Yorker’s weekly cartoon caption contest. New Yorker judges picked his caption as one of three finalists and readers voted it their top pick. For his labors, Leonard won a signed copy of the cartoon by artist Joe Dator with his caption. According to contest rules, it’s worth $250. The cartoon appears in the April 8 print edition....
UC Berkeley NewsCenter, Apr. 8

Activists criticize library’s port-a-potty
A new portable toilet behind the El Sobrante branch of the Contra Costa County (Calif.) Library has upset some community activists, who say it was a bad idea to place it near a community garden, tot lot, Friends of the Library book storage house, and the entrance to the library conference room. The facility was installed in late March on the grounds in response to what County Supervisor John Gioia said is “a public health issue.” Homeless people for years have used nearby San Pablo Creek as a corridor and as a toilet....
San José (Calif.) Mercury News, Apr. 10

NYC pays for destroying Occupy Wall Street Library
The city of New York agreed April 9 to pay $47,000 in damages and $186,350 in legal fees for destroying a donated collection of some 5,500 books that had constituted the Occupy Wall Street Library. The November 15, 2011, incident took place during a police raid to evict Occupy Wall Street protesters from Zuccotti Park. The $47,000, which OWS had claimed in library damages, is part of a more than $366,000 settlement of a lawsuit brought by people whose property was destroyed....
New York Times, Apr. 9; Village Voice, May 24, 2012

Librarians and archivist solve lost ring mystery
A bizarre coincidence at the Boyden Library in Foxborough, Massachusetts, helped librarians solve a local mystery and return a long-lost heirloom to a former local high school student. For three years, Kristopher John Brooks’s class ring from Foxborough High School sat in the lost and found box at the library and evaded librarians’ attempts to identify its owner. For 40 years, Brooks, a 57-year-old Edmonton, Canada, resident, still reminisced about the ring, which he said he lost when he was 17....
Boston Globe, Apr. 8

Rare books and coffee in Brooklyn
Colin Moynihan writes: “Lucas Pinheiro and Magda Mortner entered the Mellow Pages Library at 56 Bogart Street in Brooklyn, greeted the others there, and began to look at some of the library’s inventory of 1,300 books, many of them from obscure presses or by little-known writers. Matt Nelson (on the left), a graduate student in creative writing at Queens College and one of the library’s two founders, explained the origins of the place, which was launched in February as a reading room, gathering spot, and circulating library.” A similar citizen library, Ourshelves, has sprung up in San Francisco....
New York Times, Apr. 7; Co.Exist, Apr. 8

The Beinecke Library turns 50
In 1963, Yale University opened the most modern of structures to house its most ancient of books. The Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library was an architectural incongruity amid the university’s traditional neo-Classical and neo-Gothic campus. Among Yale librarians, Gordon Bunshaft’s avant-garde design was decried as a “floating folly,” and the director even marked up postcards of the building to highlight perceived design flaws. Fifty years later, however, the Beinecke Library is more beloved than reviled....
Boston Globe, Apr. 7

Saving the UK’s digital memory
Regulations that came into force April 6 will enable six British libraries to collect, preserve, and provide long-term access to the nation’s cultural and intellectual output that appears in digital form—including blogs, ebooks, and the entire UK web domain. The British Library, the National Library of Scotland, the National Library of Wales, the Bodleian Libraries, Cambridge University Library, and Trinity College Library Dublin now have the right to receive a copy of every UK electronic publication, on the same basis as they have received print publications for several centuries. Watch the video (1:00)....
British Library, Apr. 4

Nazi-looted books and German libraries
Catherine Hickley writes: “There is no official estimate for how many Nazi-looted books remain in German libraries. Tracing their owners and returning them is a task that librarians say will take decades. The Berlin Central and Regional Library estimates it has as many as 250,000 books that are potentially looted. More than 40,000 were seized from the homes of Jews who were deported or murdered. Yet few of these books carry visible signs of being looted.”...
Bloomberg Businessweek, Apr. 7

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Scott Turow on the demise of American authors
Mike Masnick writes: “We’ve written more than a few times about Scott Turow (right), a brilliant author but an absolute disaster as the Luddite-driven head of the Authors Guild. During his tenure, he’s done a disservice to authors around the globe by basically attacking everything new and modern. However, in his latest New York Times op-ed, he has basically thrown all of his cluelessness together in a rambling mishmash of ‘and another thing,’ combined with his desire to get those nutty technology kids off his lawn.”...
Techdirt, Apr. 8; New York Times, Apr. 7

President’s FY2014 budget would restore 2.7% to IMLS
President Obama released his FY2014 Budget Request to Congress April 10. The budget includes $225.8 million for the Institute of Museum and Library Services, an increase of 2.7% from the FY2013 budget as enacted, post-sequestration. Within the requested amount and within existing programs, IMLS is highlighting two strategic areas in the FY 2014 budget: early childhood development and learning in science, technology, engineering, and math....
Institute of Museum and Library Services, Apr. 8, 10

Filling the advocacy gap
John Chrastka writes: “Regardless of what The West Wing may have told us, elections are always a numbers game. If you work in a district library where you have to go out for voter approval, I’m not telling you anything you don’t know. Losing a $15 million appropriation to build a new public library by 74 votes is a generational fail—a failure of vision or action that lasts well into the future. With a successful bond measure, you have a 20-year revenue source to pay for the facility, staff, and collections. Without a successful bond, it’s an equivalently long lack.”...
Library Journal: Advocates’ Corner, Apr. 3

Ithaka study: Scholars value libraries less
Jennifer Howard writes: “Faculty members say they still appreciate many of the services traditional publishers offer, but the traditional services of libraries, scholars say, are less valuable than they used to be.” Among the results of the 2012 Ithaka survey of academics, which were released April 8, is that “Over time, we have seen a clear trend away from respondents’ reporting that they begin their research at the library itself—in either its physical or digital instantiation—and towards beginning at either scholarly or general-purpose online resources.”...
Chronicle of Higher Education, Apr. 8

The professionalization of library theft
Travis McDade writes: “The indication that an ordinary string of rare book thefts has evolved into a terrifying string of rare book thefts often comes down to this: the presence of a man whose sole job it is to get rid of library ownership marks. No other single trait indicates as certainly that a theft ring has moved from the amateur to the professional ranks. Though it’s encouraging that five people involved in the Girolamini Library thefts have been sentenced for their crimes, it should be only the beginning of the prosecutions.”...
OUPblog, Apr. 4

Canada’s digital divide likely to widen
Michael Geist writes: “A new House of Commons study conducted by the Standing Committee on Industry, Science, and Technology offers the chance to gain a better understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of Canadian high-speed networks and what role the government might play in addressing any shortcomings. The study is ongoing, yet two issues are emerging as key concerns: access and adoption.”...
Toronto Star, Apr. 5

Costa Rica to install internet access in every school
The government of Costa Rica announced April 5 a plan to install access to the internet in every public school in the country in order to reduce the digital divide and have better teaching tools. At present, 4,800 public schools have access to the internet and this year will reach 100% with the installation of the service in the 151 that still do not have it....
Latin American Herald Tribune, Apr. 7

Through Google Glass, darkly
Chandra Steele writes: “Google’s latest invention, the augmented-reality eyewear known simply as Glass, is not even on the market, yet along with excitement over this possible glimpse into the future, Glass is also causing controversy. It’s become the focus of a Stop the Cyborgs campaign, spawned proposed legislation in West Virginia that bans its use while driving, and is device non grata at one bar in Seattle. Dubbed Glass Explorers, 8,000 beta users outfitted with Google Glass are about to embark on an experiment documenting what Glass can and can’t do.”...
PC Magazine, Mar. 9, 25, Apr. 4

Computers that can recognize you by your thoughts
Instead of typing your password, in the future you may only have to think your password, according to researchers at the University of California, Berkeley’s School of Information. A new study explores the feasibility of brainwave-based computer authentication as a substitute for passwords. The project was led by School of Information Professor John Chuang (right), who presented his team’s findings at the Seventeenth International Conference on Financial Cryptography and Data Security in Okinawa, Japan....
UC Berkeley School of Information, Apr. 3

A Sesame Street for makers?
David Zax writes: “Adafruit Industries has launched an educational series aimed at kids. And it’s about time. I’ve interviewed a lot of engineers over the years, and it’s amazing how many of them can trace their fascination with technology to a youthful moment where they played with or took apart a piece of kit. This is how passions are born. Watch Episode One, entitled, adorably, ‘A is for Ampere’ (3:51) featuring a blue puppet called ADABOT.”...
MIT Technology Review, Apr. 5; Hack a Day, Apr. 2; YouTube, Apr. 1

Become an Evernote power user
Christopher Null writes: “You can already bend Evernote’s notes, notebooks, and stacks to your will. And maybe you’ve directed your team to use Evernote Business. Evernote is friendly when you’re getting started with it, but the more you use it, the more your notes can pile up, threatening your productivity. That’s when it’s time to dig into Evernote’s arsenal and charge ahead like a true note-taking, to-do-list-tackling warrior.”...
PC World, Mar. 15, Apr. 10

How to uninstall Windows 8
Brian Westover writes: “If you’re fed up with the Windows 8 operating system that came on your new laptop and just want to switch back to Windows 7, I’ve got good news and bad news. The good news is that it is possible. You can remove Windows 8, install Windows 7, and go about your life as if Windows 8 never happened. The bad news is that it’s a complicated endeavor.”...
PC Magazine, Apr. 8

Five best document scanners for going paperless
Alan Henry writes: “Not every scanner is a great one if you’re thinking about going paperless. You need a good one that’ll handle all the documents, receipts, and oddly shaped papers you need to digitize, and preferably one with great software support to help you keep all that stuff organized. Here’s a look at five of the best.” Within two days, readers had voted the Doxie Go their favorite....
Lifehacker: Hive Five, Apr. 7. 9

Top IT campus security worries
Michelle Fredette writes: “In 2012, 61 educational institutions reported data breaches involving more than 2 million records, according to the nonprofit Identity Theft Resource Center. Talk to enough university IT professionals and you’ll hear one resounding message about security: The battle never ends. With only limited resources to keep their systems and their constituents safe, IT administrators are battling on four major fronts: phishing, Bring Your Own Device, data management, and privacy in the cloud.”...
Campus Technology, Apr. 4

Apple bans digital comic
Charles Brownstein writes: “On April 9, word quickly spread about Apple banning the sale of Saga #12 on iOS apps such as comiXology because of two small depictions of gay sexual content within the context of a larger sequence of images. The images in question appear on the faceplate of the character Prince Robot IV, who possesses a television monitor for a head, while he lies wounded on a battleground. It is within Apple’s rights as a private company to refuse to carry the comic. However, retailers have a right to sell Saga #12, readers have a right to possess it, and the creators and publisher had the right to create it.”...
Comic Book Legal Defense Fund, Apr. 10

James LaRue at “Imagine. Create. Innovate”
Christopher Harris writes: “I’m writing this from the Monroe County (N.Y.) Library System’s Central Library of Rochester and Monroe County, which is hosting ‘Imagine. Create. Innovate.’ The technology conference is focusing on future issues like the library as publisher and ebook adoption. James LaRue (right) from Douglas County (Colo.) Libraries and the ALA Digital Content and Libraries Working Group gave the morning keynote.” On Day 2, Jim Loter of Seattle Public Library talked about optimizing the discoverability of e-content and the ReadersFirst movement....
AL: E-Content, Apr. 8, 10

Ebooks everywhere
Alan S. Inouye writes: “Central to the purpose of ALA’s Digital Content and Libraries Working Group (DCWG) is communication. DCWG members and staff, along with ALA leadership, engage in a wide variety of outreach activities, whether presenting at conferences or meetings, representing ALA in forums, participating in workshops, or publishing articles and reports. May will be a big month for published contributions by DCWG. Foremost, ALA will be releasing a new (our third) American Libraries digital supplement on digital content.”...
AL: E-Content, Apr. 5

Keeping tabs on student e-reading
Educators from nine universities are testing technology from a Silicon Valley start-up company, CourseSmart, allowing them to track their students’ progress with digital textbooks. CourseSmart individually packages for each professor information on all the students in a class—a bold effort that is already beginning to affect how teachers present material and how students respond to it, even as critics question how well it measures learning....
New York Times: Bits, Apr. 9

April ebook report from Douglas County
Christopher Harris writes: “For April, the Douglas County (Colo.) Libraries ebook price report (PDF file) turns to the top 25 bestselling ebooks from Digital Book World. Overall, libraries fare better in this comparison, with 11 of the 25 titles available through OverDrive and 10 through 3M. Still, there are two titles that are only available digitally and yet are not carried by either major library ebook provider: Wait for You by Jennifer Armentrout and Just One Night by Eve Gaddy. With no print version to purchase, patrons are completely shut off from these two bestsellers.”...
AL: E-Content, Apr. 3

Chinese libraries and ebook lending
Alan S. Inouye writes: “ALA Immediate Past President Molly Raphael (on the left) had the opportunity to visit China in the fall of 2012 to speak to the library community there about some of the struggles that many American libraries face as they try to provide ebooks and digital content to the public. Her speaking tour included stops in Beijing, Shanghai, Hangzhou, Xi’an, Guangzhou, Dongguan, Hong Kong, and Macau.”...
AL: E-Content, Apr. 4

LC invites no-cost digitization proposals
Vidya Vish writes: “A critical strategy is to make the Library of Congress collections available, not just on-site, but through digital copies online. LC has released a request for proposals for third-party digitization—essentially seeking collaborators interested in digitizing collection materials at no cost to the library. Proposals from commercial and noncommercial entities in the digital content community, such as ebook publishers or distributors, educational institutions, libraries, and archives, are welcome. More details here.”...
The Signal: Digital Preservation, Apr. 8

Gale partners with the Associated Press
Database publisher Gale announced an agreement with the Associated Press to digitize its corporate archives, including millions of pages of news copy (some never before published), bureau records, correspondence, and the personal papers of reporters. Throughout the course of this multiyear project, Gale will work with an advisory board of professors and subject matter experts to guide the development of the digital products, with the first products available within the next year....
Gale Cengage Learning, Apr. 8

ALA Annual Conference, Chicago, June 27–July 2. Early bird registration discounts end on April 12 for the 2013 Annual Conference. This Chicago conference is looking outstanding, from programs and speakers to fun events and award celebrations—as does the Windy City itself, of course. Register now to save.

Celebrate National Library Week with Caroline Kennedy and 'Austin and Ally' Star Laura Marano (video) 30 Reasons to Celebrate School Libraries National Library Week Book Spine Poetry Contest Iowa Students Learn About the Inner Workings of News Organizations Through the News Know-how Project Triumph Over Apartheid--The 1994 Election in South Africa and Nelson Mandela As Asian-Pacific Americans Become More Popular on TV, Mindy Kaling Leads the Way Turning Point in TV History: When Edward R. Murrow Stood Up to False Accusations Great Movies: Night of the Living Dead and the Films of Italian Horror Master Dario Argento Join Us on Facebook Subscribe to our Newsletter

Roger Ebert’s best reviews of movies based on books
Kim Ukura writes: “When I heard that Roger Ebert passed away after his long battle with cancer, I thought of two pieces of writing: a beautiful 2010 profile of Ebert in Esquire that still makes me cry, and a scathing yet heartfelt review Ebert wrote for The Last Song that same year. The review is an absolute gem. Rereading that review sent me down an internet rabbit hole looking for some of Ebert’s other best writing on books that have been turned into movies. These are some of the gems I found.”...
Book Riot, Apr. 8; Esquire, Feb. 16, 2010; Roger Ebert, Mar. 30, 2010

The world’s strongest librarian
Julia Jenkins writes: “Josh Hanagarne, blogger at The World’s Strongest Librarian, ‘might be the only person whose first 300-pound bench press was accompanied by the Recorded Books production of Don Quixote.’ This is just one of his remarkable singularities. A gentle giant who tears phone books for fun, at 6 feet 7 inches he tends to catch the eye at the Salt Lake City Public Library, even when his Tourette syndrome is not acting up. His memoir explores these contradictions and oddities, and his remarkable journey from idyllic childhood to painfully jerky young adulthood to a contented family and work life.”...
Shelf Awareness, Apr. 9

What the heck does a book cost?
Joseph Esposito writes: “Libraries purchase books in a number of ways, including title by title, approvals, digital aggregations, and patron-driven acquisitions. The fact is that marketing books is now as complex as the marketing of any product, and it is much more complex than marketing journals. As an industry, book publishers have not caught up with this yet. When libraries come up with more efficient workflows with the aid of their many suppliers, publishers raise the prices for the materials that are put through that workflow. We should expect libraries to push back at this, and they are.”...
The Scholarly Kitchen, Apr. 8

The chemistry of the murder mystery
Deborah Blum writes: “In the midst of World War I—or so the story goes—a young Englishwoman received a literary challenge from her sister. Could she write a mystery novel in which the true villain was impossible to guess? The response was a tale of strychnine and murder that launched one of the most successful careers in crime fiction. The book was published, after several years of publisher hunting, in 1920; its title is The Mysterious Affair at Styles; its brilliant fictional detective was called Hercule Poirot and its author (30 years old at time of publication) was Agatha Christie.”...
Wired Science: Elemental, Apr. 8

10 unfairly neglected or forgotten books
Emily Temple writes: “We asked the folks at Slightly Foxed, a quarterly journal we love, to put together a list of unfairly neglected literary works that deserve a little more love. They write, ‘Some of our 10 are obscure, others popular in their day but now forgotten, others once forgotten but now not so, and others almost lost but we think that they are all worth discovering or rediscovering, for one reason or another.’ Check out the list.”...
Flavorwire, Apr. 8

The story of the Seven Sisters
Raymond Pun writes: “The Seven Sisters: Many have heard of them without even realizing it. They were the quintessential women’s magazines of the 19th and 20th centuries. Before Cosmo there was Ladies Home Journal and Better Homes and Gardens, to name just two. The Seven Sisters devoted their monthly and general interest articles and columns toward improving the lives of the suburban housewife. Good Housekeeping was aimed toward women of affluent backgrounds and Better Homes and Gardens inspired women with ideas on home economics and leisurely activities.”...
The Huffington Post, Mar. 31

Top 10 teen twin books
Penelope Bush writes: “Twins can hate each other or love each other too much, get separated at birth, be unaware that they have a twin yet deep down feel that something is missing. They can swap places either for fun or for more sinister reasons. The following list of books, which explores the complex relationship between twins, contains all these scenarios. In teen fiction, a recurring theme is one of identity when one or both of the twins is seeking to assert their own individual personality.”...
The Guardian (UK), Mar. 28

On identity
Emily Calkins writes: “Identity—who we are, how we become those people—is a central theme in many YA novels. Given what has been called the ‘still-in-progress audience’ of YA literature, the prevalence of questions surrounding identity is not surprising. Two recent articles examining queer YA were published recently, one by Claire Gross in The Horn Book and another by Jen Doll in the Atlantic Wire. What struck me in these articles was the authors’ focus on questions of identity other than sexual and gender identity.”...
YALSA The Hub, Apr. 8; The Horn Book, Mar. 26; Atlantic Wire, Mar. 28

How children’s books treat modern reproduction
Jennifer Bleyer writes: “In the past five years, nearly 100 English-language picture books have appeared to help teach the preschool set about donor conception. The trend has not gone unnoticed. Three years ago, Patricia Sarles, a school librarian, and Patricia Mendell, a therapist specializing in fertility issues and alternative family building, published an article about the phenomenon, ‘Where Did I Really Come From?’ (PDF file) in Children & Libraries, which led to calls for the Library of Congress to create a new subject heading for children’s books about donor offspring.”...
The Atlantic, Apr. 9

Celebrating Deaf History Month
Brigid Cahalan writes: “One of the ways the New York Public Library has commemorated Deaf History Month (March 13–April 15) over the past few years has been by inviting children of deaf adults (CODAs) who have written memoirs to share their stories. CODAs often have a foot in both worlds: the deaf and the hearing. Many of them have written compelling tales of their lives and the lives of their families; here are a few.”...
New York Public Library Blogs, Apr. 3

How to wait for a sequel
Laura Perenic writes: “We’ve all been there: You finish a novel only to discover that unresolved plots necessitate a sequel. Your book ends in a cliffhanger and there is no sequel . . . yet. Suddenly you are left hanging. The characters you love are in limbo. How can you deal with your feelings of anger, frustration, and resentment? Here are some tips for turning your unrequited fandom into a productive way to while away the days until the sequel arrives.”...
YALSA The Hub, Apr. 4

From Russia with YA
Jessica Lind writes: “A year and a half ago, I relocated from Southern California to Moscow. I do not speak or read Russian, but I had my first American YA sighting shortly after I arrived. While checking out the book section of a hypermarket, I was surprised to see Cassandra Clare’s City of Ashes (right) face-out on one of the shelves. Despite the Russian text, it was easy to spot since the cover art was the same, with a fierce-looking Clary beyond the cityscape. Since that first sighting, I have encountered a number of other translated YA titles.”...
YALSA The Hub, Apr. 9

Minecraft in the library
Jessica Schneider writes: “I’ve wanted to host a Minecraft program at my library ever since I began working there last August. I mentioned the idea to our teens and quickly saw that there was a captive audience for it. When Teen Tech Week came along, it felt like the perfect opportunity to test out a Minecraft program. Even with insufficient computers, no budget, and minimal technical know-how, I was able to pull off a successful Minecraft program— and you can, too.”...
YALSA Blog, Apr. 4

10 of the most beautiful Minecraft libraries
Eric Smith writes: “Over Easter weekend, my nephew received a set of Minecraft Legos. He was overjoyed, but I couldn’t really grasp his excitement. Lots of my friends play Minecraft; some are hopelessly addicted to it. Me? I never really understood the appeal. But it got me thinking. How have true Minecraft fans managed when it comes to building libraries? Readers, prepared to be awed. Some are works of imagination, others are real places rendered in purely pixelated glory. I give you 10 of the most beautiful libraries ever built. In Minecraft.”...
Book Riot, Apr. 4

New NCSU library aims for LEED Silver
Design firm Snøhetta’s latest project is a forward-thinking library space for North Carolina State University in Raleigh. Called the James B. Hunt Jr. Library, the technologically sophisticated hub is destined for LEED Silver. Snøhetta designed both the library and surrounding landscape, creating an environment that emphasizes the natural beauty of the North Carolina terrain. Green technologies such as active chilled beams and radiant panels help to cool and heat while reducing energy consumption....
ArchDaily, Apr. 4

Reaching teens through passive programming
Kelly Jensen and Jackie Parker write: “Looking for a way to implement programming at your library, but strapped for cash, staff, or time? Want an easy—and maybe even subversive—way to reach teens? Passive programming is the answer. Passive programming engages teens in the library without requiring much from staff in terms of supervision. It can be applied by those of all experience and comfort levels, making it an ideal solution for those who aren’t necessarily teen experts or when staff is simply spread too thin.”...
Programming Librarian, Apr. 3

How do we help users identify trustworthy scholarly content?
Jonathan Rochkind writes: “It is clear to me that libraries have a responsibility and a role to play in helping our users distinguish the ‘legitimate’ scholarly peer-reviewed publications from the ‘junk’ ones that will print anything for a fee. It’s part of our core mission, and succeeding in meeting new challenges like this will help justify the continuing existence and funding of academic libraries. It’s clear to me that our online interfaces—my own area of work—need to be involved in this role. It’s less clear to me how to do so.”...
Bibliographic Wilderness, Apr. 9

Uke Lending Library
Got uke? No? No worries; the library does. Library card holders can now check out ukuleles from the Teen Room of the Portland (Maine) Public Library. Based on a madcap idea by library teen staff member Michael Whittaker, local businesses Curious City and Moose County Music and Surf teamed up to create a Ukulele Lending Library. Four ukuleles were donated by Moose County and named by Curious City after teen books in the library collection. Watch the Portland ukulele “Let It Be” video (2:06)....
Curious City Flickr stream, Mar. 21; Vimeo, Apr. 7

Promoting books and bicycles
How can you attract library patrons, build the community, and show people that librarians are cool? One of the ways to do this is by organizing a Bicycool Library in your town. The Bicycool concept was born in Poland and the first event took place in May 2010. By 2012 it was held in nearly 100 towns in Poland. This year it will take place in many different countries between May 1 and June 9. They offer some ideas to make your event successful. (Another group, Cycling for Libraries, is hosting an Amsterdam to Brussels journey June 18–26 to carry a manifesto for public libraries to the EU Parliament.)...
Bicycool Library; Cycling for Libraries

Atwood, Kingsolver at 2013 National Book Festival
Margaret Atwood and Barbara Kingsolver are among the more than 100 authors and poets speaking at the 13th annual Library of Congress National Book Festival September 21–22 on the National Mall. This year’s celebration is focused on “Books That Shaped the World.” Festival details are online....
Library of Congress, Apr. 9

Results of survey on school district library supervisors
The Lilead Project team will hold its first webinar to discuss preliminary findings from its national study of school district library supervisors. The webinar will be held on April 23 via Adobe Connect. The study, carried out by researchers at the University of Maryland’s College of Information Studies, represents the first of its kind since the late 1960s. Its findings offer a revealing glimpse at the job titles, education, major roles and responsibilities, and challenges faced by the individuals in these positions....
The Lilead Project, Apr. 3

How to see everything in your Facebook news feed
Amy-Mae Elliott writes: “Facebook introduced its overhauled News Feed in early March. If you’re one of the few who can access the new design, you may wonder how the changes affect what surfaces on the homepage. While Facebook’s algorithms determine by default what appears in your stream, a few new options give you much greater control over what appears. But if you don't want to miss any updates whatsoever, you can kick it old school and set News Feed to view every single post in real time.”...
Mashable, Apr. 2

The value of indexes
Whether you commission an index, make your own, or decide to do without one, you need to understand what an index does. These days, few do. For anyone who wonders why ebooks need indexes, who ponders the difference between search and indexing, or who struggles to understand how indexing fits into digital publishing processes, the Society of Indexers has launched a new website dedicated entirely to these exciting and challenging new areas....
Society of Indexers

The Atlas of Early Printing
The Atlas of Early Printing is an interactive site designed to be used as a tool for teaching the early history of printing in Europe during the second half of the 15th century. The atlas is the creation of Greg Prickman, head of special collections and university archives at the University of Iowa Libraries. Version 2 went online in 2013. The atlas shows the spread of printing, publishing centers, universities, paper mills, fairs, conflicts, and trade routes....
University of Iowa Libraries

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