Persepolis pulled from Chicago Public Schools classrooms
Chicago Public Schools Chief Barbara Byrd-Bennett has reversed a directive to pull Marjane Satrapi’s graphic novel, Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood, from CPS libraries, though she maintains the book is not appropriate for 7th graders and should be removed from classrooms. Byrd-Bennett’s reversal comes amid criticisms and complaints from parents, teachers, students, and others about the decision, which was dictated in a poorly worded email sent to schools on March 14 ordering removal of all copies of the book from school libraries and classroom instruction by March 15. The Freedom to Read Foundation has filed a FOIA request (PDF file) for all documents related to this action. Watch ALA Office for Intellectual Freedom Director Barbara Jones on Chicago Tonight (14:08)....
American Libraries news, Mar. 15; Chicago Tribune, Mar. 15; WTTW-TV: Chicago Tonight, Mar. 18

American Libraries Live on library security
We apologize for the technical problems with Google Hangouts that suspended the March 14 web episode of American Libraries Live. We have recorded a conversation on Library Safety and Security with Cathy Hakala-Ausperk (right) and Brett Lear that is now available on the AL Live website. You can also view the video on our YouTube channel (32:33)....
American Libraries Live; YouTube, Mar. 20

Librarians make their mark on South by Southwest
Patricia Martin writes: “It’s no surprise when librarians turn up at the annual SXSW Interactive festival in Austin, Texas. But this year, it felt like a breakthrough. Librarians were everywhere—appearing on panels, leading core conversations with nonlibrary audiences, hosting receptions and meet-ups. Bonnie Tijerina (right) of Harvard University popped up an idea lab in a rented house where people could drop in and talk about the future of libraries. The action was live streamed.”...
American Libraries photo essay, Mar. 18

SXSW wrap-up
Aspen Walker writes: “‘Happiness is contagious.’ This missive, which is one of the many kernels of wisdom I jotted down at SXSW, stands out as I pour through my notes and reflect on the powerful, transformative experience I just had in Austin, Texas. The quote was about workplace happiness, but I saw it play out all around me and felt it myself at this megaconference. Did you know when we smile—or see someone else smile—our bodies dump happiness-inducing chemicals right into our bloodstream? I learned that through and through at South By.”...
AL: Inside Scoop, Mar. 14

Make-to-Learn Symposium
From creating working paper audio speakers to crafting Arduino-lit textiles and rewiring Frankentoys, the free Make-to-Learn Symposium in Chicago on March 13 offered loads of ideas for makerspaces. Play and learn time encompassed the first half of the day, when participants crowded around tables to learn from experts at working makerspaces around the US and Canada. Maker Kids, a nonprofit workshop space in Toronto, opened boxes of toys that could be chopped, amended, or just rewired to look and act different....
AL: Inside Scoop, Mar. 13

The new civics
The Digital Media and Learning Conference is an annual event sponsored by the Humanities Research Institute at the University of California, Irvine. Its topics ranged widely from the use of digital media as a form of participatory culture to how youth activism benefits society and the ways in which social media expands the political voice of individuals and groups. Its fourth annual meeting was held in Chicago, March 14–16. The keynote speaker on the first day was Ethan Zuckerman (above), director of the Center for Civic Media at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology....
AL: Inside Scoop, Mar. 14

Librarian’s Library: Leadership and advocacy
Karen Muller writes: “A thread through ALA President Maureen Sullivan’s mission has been ‘leadership.’ Leadership takes many forms throughout our professional lives. We lead colleagues to accomplish the work of our libraries; we lead community groups to advocate on behalf of the library; we lead teams to learn new skills or to adapt a service in new ways. The skills of leadership encompass far more than marching at the head of the parade, as this selection of recent publications shows.”...
American Libraries column, Mar./Apr.

New AL Direct feature: Libraries on Film
Starting this week, AL Direct is featuring a new sidebar item, “Libraries on Film.” It consists of an annotated list of hundreds of movies (and some TV shows) in which libraries or librarians are depicted. Our Libraries on Film Pinterest board will compile the text and images as the list moves along (which is why we are starting with the Z’s and not the A’s, to make it come out in alpha order). A portion of the list will also appear in the forthcoming Whole Library Handbook 5, published by ALA Editions.

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Polls are open for the ALA Elections
Voting in the 2013 ALA elections began at 9 a.m. Central time on March 19. By March 21, ALA will notify eligible voters by email, providing them with their unique passcodes and information about how to vote online. The polls will close on April 26 at 11:59 p.m. Central time. Use “Your Guide to the 2013 Elections” (as a PDF file and a flip book) to read about the candidates for ALA president, treasurer, and Council. (Candidates for ALA president and treasurer have also published statements in American Libraries.)...
Office of ALA Governance, Mar. 19; American Libraries feature

Stone and Kuznick to talk about the dark side of US history
Academy Award–winning filmmaker Oliver Stone and historian Peter Kuznick will provoke important questions and discussions when they talk about their recent joint project, “The Untold History of the United States.” Stone and Kuznick will appear as Auditorium Speakers at the 2013 ALA Annual Conference on July 1. They are also eager to talk with librarians about what they see as the current sorry state of history books available to middle and high school students....
Conference Services, Mar. 14

Reardon to serve as ALA Endowment trustee
Siobhan A. Reardon (right), president and director of the Free Library of Philadelphia, has been elected to serve as ALA’s newest Endowment trustee. The ALA Executive Board made this selection during the Midwinter Meeting held in Seattle on January 29. Reardon’s three-year term officially begins at the conclusion of the 2013 ALA Annual Conference on July 2 in Chicago....
ALA Finance and Accounting, Mar. 14

“Bridging Cultures” recipients eligible for LTAI grant
The National Endowment for the Humanities and ALA’s Public Programs Office invite libraries and state humanities councils that were selected to receive the “Bridging Cultures Bookshelf: Muslim Journeys” to apply for an additional programming grant of $4,500 to “Let’s Talk About It: Muslim Journeys.” Apply by March 29 for this additional program series, which features some of the “Bridging Cultures Bookshelf” materials....
Public Programming Office, Mar. 19

The practice of law firm librarianship
Law Firm Librarianship: Issues, Practice, and Directions, available through ALA Neal-Schuman, introduces the reader to the challenges, qualifications, and work conditions of this distinct type of research librarian. Author John Azzolini begins by asking what law firm librarianship is, while the second chapter focuses on law firms and their culture. The third chapter covers the law firm library itself, including the practical aspects of firm librarians’ interaction with their professional environments....
ALA Neal-Schuman. Mar. 18

Children’s and YA library services
Outlining a vision for children’s and young adult library services in the next decade, Library Services for Children and Young People: Challenges and Opportunities in the Digital Age, available through ALA Neal-Schuman, carves out a strategy for engaging with the challenges and opportunities for children’s and YA librarians and policymakers in the Google environment. Editors Carolynn Rankin and Avril Brock, alongside a host of internationally known practitioners and academics, offer a wide perspective on all aspects of library services for 6–18 year olds....
ALA Neal-Schuman, Mar. 18

Strategies for serving at-risk teens
Working with at-risk teens, including those who are homeless, incarcerated, or in foster care, is a rewarding but often challenging endeavor. Based on best practices and personal experiences from many leaders in the field today, including authors Angela Craig and Chantell L. McDowell, Serving At-Risk Teens: Proven Strategies and Programs for Bridging the Gap, shows how libraries and communities can work together to find new ways to serve this population....
ALA Neal-Schuman, Mar. 14

Michael Cart’s top 100 adult books for young adults
In Cart’s Top 200 Adult Books for Young Adults: Two Decades in Review, published by ALA Editions, former YALSA President Michael Cart applies his considerable expertise as one of the nation’s leading experts on YA literature to identify exceptional adult books that will satisfy a variety of young adults’ recreational reading tastes. Drawing on his work as columnist and critic for Booklist, Cart bases his recommendations on the notoriously choosy reading interests of today’s older young adults....
ALA Editions, Mar. 15

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Ernest Hemingway birthplace and museum
For Hemingway aficionados as well as more casual readers, the author’s birthplace (right) in the Chicago suburb of Oak Park provides a close look into family life as Hemingway knew it from birth to age 6. His grandfather owned the house on 339 N. Oak Park Avenue, which was built around 1890. A few blocks away at 200 N. Oak Park Avenue is the Ernest Hemingway Museum, which features exhibits on the author’s boyhood, high school years in Oak Park, his career as a journalist and novelist, and how Hollywood treated his writings....
Pittsburgh (Pa.) Post-Gazette, July 20, 2008

The Berghoff restaurant
The Berghoff restaurant, at 17 W. Adams Street in the Loop, was opened in 1898 by Herman Joseph Berghoff and has become a Chicago landmark. After closing for a year, the restaurant reopened in 2007 with a new menu. It’s now considered German cuisine fused with Contemporary American, tagged as “tradition with a twist.” In addition to the restaurant, customers can also visit the Berghoff Bar and lower-level Berghoff Café. The Berghoff is participating in Dine Around Chicago and is also the hydration sponsor for the Think Fit Fun Run 5K and Walk....
The Berghoff

Late-night pizza spots
This list is a good one to keep handy when you visit Chicago, whether it’s for Annual Conference or any other time. Chicago-style pizza (right) typically refers to a deep-dish pizza style with a crust up to three inches tall at the edge and slightly higher than the ingredients, which include large amounts of cheese and chunky tomato sauce. Besides deep-dish, the term also refers to stuffed pizza, another Chicago style. But most pizza parlors in Chicago, voted the number 1 pizza city by Travel and Leisure readers, also offer thin-crust pizzas....
Metromix Chicago, Mar. 1; Wikipedia; Travel and Leisure, Mar.

Impressionism, fashion, and modernity
The Art Institute of Chicago, 111 S. Michigan Avenue, will be featuring a special exhibit on “Impressionism, Fashion, and Modernity” starting June 26. The exhibit will cover the period between the 1860s and 1880s that saw not only the rise of the department store and the proliferation of fashion magazines, but also serious interest among an artistic and literary elite in the ephemeral and constantly innovative qualities of fashion as a means of discovering new visual and verbal expressions. Also, check out AIC’s new app, which contains 50 tours that guide visitors through the museum, from its signature works to its lesser-known collections....
Art Institute of Chicago

The story of Bertha and Potter Palmer
At the end of the 19th century, Chicago was a wild, marshy, muddy town. But for a few industrious individuals like Potter Palmer, who could see the potential of the wild prairie perched on the Great Lakes, Chicago was a place of opportunity. “Love Under Fire: The Story of Bertha and Potter Palmer” tells the epic love story between young socialite Bertha Honoré and Potter Palmer, a self-made man 20 years her senior. Chicago PBS station WTTW will air the documentary on March 24; check local listings for additional air dates. Watch the teaser (3:08)....
Corn Bred Films; Vimeo

For your return flight
At Chicago’s O’Hare Airport on March 15, American Airlines introduced a new check-in system for departing passengers with bags to check. The new self-tag system with its own set of dedicated check-in kiosks allows departing passengers who don’t need assistance from a customer service agent to check in their own baggage, print out baggage tags, and avoid having to wait for an agent to do all of this. The new system is aimed at speeding up the check-in process....
Chicago Business Journal, Mar. 13

Glennan named JSC representative
Kathy Glennan (right), head of metadata creation and enhancement and music cataloger at the University of Maryland, has been named the new ALA representative to the Joint Steering Committee for the Development of RDA (Resource Description and Access). The appointment is made by ALCTS based on a recommendation from its Cataloging and Metadata Management Section. Glennan replaces John Attig, whose term ends June 30....
ALCTS, Mar. 18

Emily J. Pointer Library to become Literary Landmark
United for Libraries, in partnership with the Emily J. Pointer Public Library in Como, Mississippi, will designate the library a Literary Landmark in honor of Stark Young (right) on March 28. Often called the greatest drama critic in the history of American theatre, Young contributed to the literary legacy of the 20th century as a novelist, playwright, and poet, and was an accomplished artist and educator. Young’s best-known work is So Red the Rose (1934)....
United for Libraries, Mar. 19

Go digital during storytime
Storytime isn’t just for books anymore. Learn how to navigate the crowded world of digital media for children’s programming during the hour-long webinar, “Early Literacy Programming in the Digital Age: Apps and Ebooks in Storytime,” presented by PLA on April 17. Instructor Cen Campbell (right) will explore mobile apps and ebooks and share practical techniques for integrating these tools into traditional early literacy programming....
PLA, Mar. 14

YALSA seeks editor for research journal
YALSA is seeking a member editor for its open-access, peer-reviewed, electronic research journal, the Journal of Research on Libraries and Young Adults. JRLYA publishes high-quality research on library services to young adults quarterly. The position term would begin June 1, and the deadline for applications is May 1. See the complete description of the position and list of qualifications....
YALSA, Mar. 18

RUSA online learning
Springtime is learning time at RUSA. The division has several new webinars on the calendar, and most of its courses are being offered this spring as well. Here is a complete list, along with links for registration and more information....
RUSA Blog, Mar. 15

Library spaces for the 21st-century learner
Building learning environments that empower 21st-century students will be explored in “Envisioning New Library Spaces,” a new AASL webinar. It will be offered at three different times on April 2 to allow school librarians across the country to attend. Presented by Margaret Sullivan, the webinar will provide attendees with observation skills to help them conceptualize the future of their school libraries. Register by April 1....
AASL, Mar. 18

Extend your classroom beyond the bookstacks
The archive of the recent webinar, “Join the Common Core Conversation,” is now available online as a part of the AASL professional development repository, eCOLLAB. Presented by Kristina Holzweiss, the webinar introduces participants to professional social networking using Edmodo and illustrates its use in establishing nationwide connections....
AASL, Mar. 18

New AASL podcasts
AASL presents the newest set of podcasts in its 30 Second Thought Leadership: Insights from Leaders in the School Library Community series. The just-released 30 Second series focuses on the March/April 2013 Knowledge Quest issue, “Mentoring Through Partnerships,” and explores the question, “How does taking the time to mentor others benefit a school librarian?”...
AASL, Mar. 18

ASCLA online learning
ASCLA’s calendar is overflowing with online learning events. Whether it’s grabbing some quick tips or best practices from a webinar, or gaining a new perspective or relevant skills from an online course, there’s something here to improve your résumé and directly impact service delivery at your public, academic, or special library....
ASCLA Blog, Mar. 15

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Aaron Swartz receives ALA Madison Award
On March 15, ALA posthumously awarded activist Aaron Swartz the 2013 James Madison Award for his dedication to promoting and protecting public access to research and government information. ALA President Maureen Sullivan (right) presented the award to Swartz’s family during the 15th Annual Freedom of Information Day in Washington, D.C. Before his untimely death in January, Swartz was an outspoken advocate for public participation in government and unrestricted access to peer-reviewed scholarly articles. Meanwhile, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology announced March 19 that it would voluntarily release redacted documents related to the Swartz prosecution....
District Dispatch, Mar. 15; Chronicle of Higher Education: Wired Campus, Mar. 19

Carla Hayden receives Lippincott Award
Former ALA President Carla D. Hayden (right), executive director and CEO of the Enoch Pratt Library in Baltimore, is the winner of the 2013 Joseph W. Lippincott Award. The jury cited her extraordinary success in positioning the Pratt Library as a major and indispensable force in civic, community, and municipal affairs. This year marks the 75th anniversary of the award, which honors distinguished service to the profession of librarianship....
Office of ALA Governance, Mar. 14

Elizabeth Martinez wins 2013 Equality Award
Elizabeth Martinez (right), director of the Salinas (Calif.) Public Library and former ALA executive director, is the 2013 recipient of the ALA Equality Award. The annual $1,000 award is given to an individual or group for outstanding contributions toward promoting equality in the library profession. Throughout her career, Martinez has been known for her visionary leadership, innovative ideas, and advocacy for cultural diversity....
Office of ALA Governance, Mar. 14

2013 Innovation in College Librarianship Award
Erin T. Smith and Jamie P. Kohler (right), both of Westminster College’s McGill Library, have been named the 2013 recipients of the $3,000 ACRL College Libraries Section’s ProQuest Innovation in College Librarianship Award for their work on the Westminster College library mini-golf orientation. Smith is the director of library services, and Kohler is the cataloging and collection management librarian....
ACRL, Mar. 18

2013 Miriam Dudley Instruction Librarian Award
Ellysa Stern Cahoy (right), education and behavioral sciences librarian and assistant director at the Pennsylvania Center for the Book at Pennsylvania State University, is the winner of the $1,000 ACRL Instruction Section Miriam Dudley Instruction Librarian Award. The award recognizes a librarian who has made a significant contribution to the advancement of instruction in a college or research library environment....
ACRL, Mar. 18

2013 WGSS Career Achievement Award
Hope Olson (right), professor in the University of Wisconsin Milwaukee’s School of Information Studies, has been selected as the 2013 winner of the ACRL Women and Gender Studies Section Career Achievement Award. The award honors significant long-standing contributions to women’s studies in the field of librarianship over the course of a career. Olson manages to include feminist theory and pedagogy in all aspects of her work....
ACRL, Mar. 18

2013 WGSS Significant Achievement Award
Randy Gue (right), curator of modern political and historical collections at Emory University, is the winner of the 2013 ACRL Women and Gender Studies Section Award for Significant Achievement in Women and Gender Studies Librarianship for his work in arranging, promoting, and publicizing the LGBT archives of Emory University’s Manuscript, Archives, and Rare Book Library. The award honors a significant or one-time contribution to women’s studies librarianship....
ACRL, Mar. 18

Applications open for Baker & Taylor Awards
Applications are being accepted for the Baker & Taylor Awards of $1,000, given annually since 2000 to Friends groups and library foundations for outstanding efforts to support their library. Awards will be given based on a specific project that took place or culminated during the 2012 calendar year or for outstanding activities. Apply by May 1 (PDF file)....
United for Libraries, Mar. 19

Gale Cengage Learning Financial Development Award
The University of Massachusetts Amherst Libraries is the winner of the prestigious Gale Cengage Learning Financial Development Award. The award is presented annually to a library organization that exhibits meritorious achievement in creating new means of funding for a public or academic library. UMass Amherst developed the Library Sustainability Fund to engage philanthropic support from faculty, students, alumni, and friends who recognize the value of the rapidly-growing field of sustainability studies....
Office of ALA Governance, Mar. 14

Dollar General literacy grants go to 20 libraries
Twenty libraries are receiving $1,000 to help fund summer internships for teens. The Teen Summer Internship Program Grants provided by YALSA are funded by the Dollar General Literacy Foundation. By providing internships in libraries, YALSA is not only able to help teens build needed job skills, but these teen interns provide critical support to public libraries during their busiest season....
YALSA, Mar. 18

Movers and Shakers 2013
Library Journal’s 2013 class of Movers and Shakers may have more librarians working outside traditional libraries than ever before, attesting to the role librarians, and those in the library field, play in the larger world. Yet whatever their title or workplace, these Movers are making outsize contributions. This latest group of 50 (rolling out over the next week) brings the number of Movers to over 600....
Library Journal, Mar. 19

The Great Librarian Write-out: Round two
PC Sweeney writes: “The winner of the second annual Great Librarian Write-out is Anne Marie Madziak (right), Southern Ontario Library Service, who wrote an article for the July 2012 issue of Municipal World Magazine titled “Public Libraries: Helping Communities Thrive in a Changing World” (PDF file). Her award for this article was $800, thanks to contributions by LibraryAware, Andy Woodworth, Tina Hager, and Sue Anderson.”...
PC Sweeney’s Blog, Mar. 19

Brimstone Award: Applications due
The National Storytelling Network’s preliminary applications for the 2013–2014 Brimstone Award are due April 30. This $5,000 grant supports a model storytelling project that is service-oriented, based in a community or organization, and to some extent replicable in other places and situations. Applicants must be a member of the National Storytelling Network or join at the time of application....
National Storytelling Network

Peacebuilding Support grants for libraries
The United States Institute of Peace and the Institute of International Education are launching the second application cycle of the USIP Public Education for Peacebuilding Support initiative. The program helps colleges, universities, and public libraries in the US to hold events that advance and promote the understanding of peacebuilding and international conflict resolution. The initiative provides $2,000 each to 250 institutions and public libraries. The deadline to apply is May 3....
United States Institute of Peace

2013 Pritzker Prize for Architecture
Japan’s Toyo Ito has won this year’s Pritzker Prize for Architecture, endowed by Chicago’s billionaire Pritzker family. Ito is best known for his 2001 Sendai Mediathèque (right), a seven-story glass library that was dramatically shaken, though only lightly damaged, by the Tohoku earthquake in 2011. The Mediatheque's structural and electrical systems are bundled inside 13 vertical tubes, leaving library and exhibition spaces open and accessible from all sides and visible from the street through floor-to-ceiling glass....
Chicago Tribune, Mar. 17; ArchDaily, Mar. 17

2012 Man Asian Prize
The Malaysian novelist Tan Twan Eng has won the $30,000 Man Asian prize with his novel, The Garden of Evening Mists. The book was hailed by chair of judges Maya Jaggi for its “stylistic poise and probing intelligence.” The shadow of World War II looms over this story of a lawyer who seeks solace in a mountaintop garden after surviving a Japanese war camp and becoming involved in the prosecution of Japanese war criminals....
The Guardian (UK), Mar. 14

Scottish Children’s Book Awards
The winners of this year’s Scottish Children’s Book Awards, which celebrate the best children’s books of 2012, were announced in Dundee for World Book Day, March 7. The awards are run by the Scottish Book Trust in partnership with Creative Scotland, and are Scotland’s biggest children’s literary prizes. Barry Hutchison won in the Older Readers category (12–16 years old) for The 13th Horseman (Harper Collins), while Jonathan Meres won in the Younger Readers category (8–11 years old) for The World of Norm: May Contain Nuts (Orchard)....
Highlands and Islands Arts, Mar. 8

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School librarian murdered
Lori A. Bresnahan (right), librarian at the Willow Field Elementary School in Liverpool, New York, was leaving a gymnastics class with a 10-year-old child at a shopping mall northwest of Syracuse March 14 around 9 p.m. when they were attacked in the parking lot. The attacker is said by police to be David J. Renz, a Cicero, New York, man facing charges of child pornography, who had cut off his security bracelet. Renz drove the two to a nearby road and stabbed Bresnahan, who later died from her injuries. The child was raped but escaped. Bresnahan was a 1992 graduate of the School of Information Studies at Syracuse University. The iSchool is in the process of establishing a scholarship in her name. A Facebook page has been set up as a memorial....
Syracuse (N.Y.) Post-Standard, Mar. 15; Syracuse University iSchool

Saving libraries by selling their land
The Brooklyn Heights library (right) is neither the oldest nor the most dilapidated branch of the Brooklyn Public Library system. But the 52-year-old limestone building is nonetheless ripe for demolition. It sits on land that developers crave, in a fashionable neighborhood where housing is in high demand. And so the library system, desperate for money to pay for $230 million in long-deferred repairs for its 60 branches, has decided to sell the land to developers, who would tear down the branch and rebuild it at no public expense on the ground floor of a new apartment tower. But the approach has provoked growing protest in the affected communities....
New York Times, Mar. 17

Racine man forbidden from visiting any library
A man has been prohibited from entering any and all libraries after his alleged lewd behavior in the Racine (Wis.) Public Library. Tyree S. Carter was in court March 14 where his signature bond was set at $1,000. As a condition of his bond, Carter was told to “stay out of all the libraries on the face of the earth,” according to court records....
Racine (Wis.) Journal Times, Mar. 14

War in the classroom, New York Post–
style
Michael Lieberman writes: “The New York Post is touting an exclusive March 18 story with this headline: ‘New York approves war-oriented reading textbooks for third-grade classrooms.’ The local CBS affiliate picked it up. The uproar is over the introduction of a book dealing with war into classrooms. Specifically targeted is Jeanette Winter’s 2005 book The Librarian of Basra: A True Story from Iraq that has been approved through the city’s new Common Core curriculum to be read in grades 3 and above.”...
Book Patrol, Mar. 18; New York Post, Mar. 18; WCBS-TV, New York, Mar. 18

Iraqi librarian saved 30,000 books during 2003 invasion
Ten years ago this week, British forces entered Iraq’s second city, Basra, as part of the US-led invasion of the country. No one remembers that decisive event more so than librarian Alia Baqer (right), the subject of The Librarian of Basra (above). Known locally as a cultural hero, Baqer moved to rescue the contents of Basra’s central library before everything was lost. Baqer and her staff moved fast to carry the most precious books to safety, transporting them in curtains to the Hammdan restaurant next door....
Reuters, Mar. 17

New code of conduct for Canadian federal librarians
Federal librarians and archivists in Canada who set foot in classrooms, attend conferences, or speak up at public meetings on their own time are engaging in “high risk” activities, according to the new code of conduct at Library and Archives Canada. Given the dangers, the code says the department’s staff must clear such “personal” activities with their managers in advance to ensure there are no conflicts or “other risks to LAC.” The code also spells out how offenders can be reported. Two-hour PowerPoint training sessions, which start with a primer on values and ethics, will be given to all employees at the agency to ensure the controversial code “is known and understood by all.”...
Postmedia News, Mar. 15, 19

New University of Hawaii library director’s salary criticized
University of Hawaii at Manoa administrators are asking the Board of Regents to approve a salary of $195,000 for the university’s next head librarian, a pay level that’s being criticized as “out of line” and “appalling” by some librarians, their union, and a state lawmaker who has been critical of UH spending choices. This week, the university regents will vote on a proposal to hire Irene Herold (right), dean of Mason Library at Keene (N.H.) State College, as UHM’s university librarian, overseeing three libraries, a $15 million annual budget, and about 145 faculty and staff....
HawaiiNewsNow, Mar. 15

Residents rally to save Hammond Public Library
Although tempers flared and fingers were pointed, a standing-room-only crowd of concerned residents and some public officials agreed March 19 to work together to save the Hammond (Ind.) Public Library. The meeting in the library’s community room introduced an advocacy action plan to help the library board gain access to $800,000 already collected from property taxes and prevent any state legislation that would force the Lake County Public Library to take over the Hammond library....
Times of Northwest Indiana, Mar. 19

Baltimore County wants to eliminate school librarian requirement
New Baltimore County Schools Superintendent Dallas Dance (right) wants to eliminate a policy requiring that each school have a librarian and shift library science functions from the instruction and curriculum department to testing and technology. Dance said that neither the reorganization nor the proposed policy revisions are intended as a slight to librarians, and that he doesn’t intend to reduce the number of librarians. But librarians say the moves send a different signal....
Baltimore Sun, Mar. 14

Oklahoma librarian wins unlawful firing lawsuit
A Rogers County jury ruled in favor of an Inola, Oklahoma, librarian who sued the town after it fired her. Paula Corle’s attorney said the town refused to give her information about the library’s budget and when she continued to press them for the information, they fired her. He contends the town's actions violated the state’s Open Meetings Act....
KRMG-FM, Tulsa, Okla., Mar. 13

Maine library designated national historic landmark
The Camden (Maine) Amphitheatre and Public Library complex was selected March 11 as a national historic landmark. Dave Jackson, the director of Camden Harbor Park and Amphitheatre, said Fletcher Steele’s amphitheatre is an excellent example of the garden theaters constructed in the 1920s and early 1930s. Library Director Nikki Maounis said the amphitheatre is important to the library and its programs, including musical events, movies, and occasional plays....
Bangor (Maine) Daily News, Mar. 16

School librarian suggested The Outsiders movie
In March 1980, a school librarian named Jo Ellen Misakian wrote to Francis Ford Coppola and, on behalf of the students at Lone Star School in Fresno, California, asked him to consider adapting their favorite novel, S. E. Hinton’s The Outsiders, for the big screen. Also included were a copy of the book and a petition signed by 110 of the kids. Amazingly, three months later she received an unexpected and cautiously optimistic reply from producer Fred Roos, who soon advised Coppola to read the book. Coppola did exactly that, and two years later production on the movie began....
Letters of Note, Mar. 6

Oxford library worker fired for allowing “Harlem Shake”
University of Oxford students are petitioning for a library worker to be reinstated after she was fired because a “Harlem Shake” video (0:31) was filmed in the library. Calypso Nash, a library staffer and graduate student at St Hilda’s College, was given the boot after 30 students filmed themselves in February doing the latest dance craze in the library. Nash was working in the library but was not involved in organizing the dance....
Huffington Post UK, Mar. 19; YouTube, Mar. 19; Cherwell, Mar. 18

The Jackie Clarke Collection of Irish history
The Jackie Clarke Collection, partially housed in the Ballina branch of the Mayo County Library in Ireland, is an astounding treasure of more than 100,000 items that provide an intimate retelling of Ireland’s long struggle to free itself of English rule. It contains fragile maps and rare newspapers, political posters and editorial cartoons, books, diaries, photographs, films, and even a scrapbook that Clarke began as a boy. Beginning in April, the artifacts will be on display in a former bank building rechristened the Jackie Clarke Collection....
New York Times, Mar. 15

The letter that opened Spain’s national library to women
With a 20-line letter written to the Spanish minister of the interior in 1836, Antonia Gutiérrez Bueno (1781–1874), whose name nobody remembers today, ended a history of gender discrimination at Spain’s national library, the Biblioteca Nacional in Madrid, that extended back to 1713. Just one month later, history had been changed, perhaps in part because Spain was then ruled by a woman, the Regent Maria Christina, who ordered Antonia to be authorized to enter the library and conduct her research....
El País (Madrid), Mar. 15

Former Girolamini Library director sentenced (in Italian)
Marino Massimo de Caro (right) was sentenced to seven years in prison March 15, along with a lifetime exclusion from holding any public office, for his role in the thefts from the Girolamini Library in Naples, Italy. Others involved in the case received lighter sentences. Preliminary hearings in the next round begin on March 26, when a judge will set a trial date for de Caro and 13 others on conspiracy charges....
Napoli Today, Mar. 15

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Kirtsaeng ruling upholds first-sale doctrine
The US Supreme Court, in a 6–3 vote, affirmed consumer rights and libraries in the high-profile Kirtsaeng v. Wiley & Sons, Inc. case March 19 by ruling that goods lawfully made overseas are protected by the first sale doctrine. It affirmed the rights of libraries to loan materials regardless of where the items were manufactured (PDF file). In what Cory Doctorow calls “one of the most important copyright cases of the century,” Justice Steven Breyer wrote for the majority: “The American Library Association tells us that [US] library collections contain at least 200 million books published abroad. How can they find, say, the copyright owner of a foreign book, perhaps written decades ago?... Are the libraries to stop circulating or distributing or displaying the millions of books in their collections that were printed abroad?” The Library Copyright Alliance issued a statement on the case, and Carrie Russell offers some background....
District Dispatch, Mar. 18–19; Associated Press, Mar. 19; Boing Boing, Mar. 19; Office of Government Relations, Mar. 19

Register of Copyrights says the law is broken
Maria Pallante (right) heads up the US Copyright Office, a part of the Library of Congress, which helps establish practices and standards for copyright registration. During a speech at Columbia University in early March, Pallante announced she will try to convince Congress to review and revise the country’s copyright law, which was last seriously changed in 1998 with the controversial Digital Millennium Copyright Act. The House subcommittee that oversees intellectual property and the internet has scheduled a March 20 hearing to discuss Pallante’s recommendations, which include slightly shorter copyright terms....
The Verge, Mar. 20; Ars Technica, Mar. 19

Federal judge finds National Security Letters unconstitutional
Ultra-secret national security letters that come with a gag order on the recipient are an unconstitutional impingement on free speech, a federal judge in California ruled in a decision released March 15. US District Judge Susan Illston (right) ordered the government to stop issuing so-called NSLs across the board, in a stunning defeat for the Obama administration’s surveillance practices. She also ordered the government to cease enforcing the gag provision in any other cases. However, she stayed her order for 90 days to give the government a chance to appeal to the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals....
Wired: Threat Level, Mar. 15

A week of action opposing CISPA
ALA belongs to a coalition of internet advocacy organizations and individuals that are launching a week of action to combat the Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act (CISPA). Viewing CISPA as one of the greatest threats to internet users since the 2011 Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA), the coalition intends to leverage popular outrage to oppose the dangerously broad cybersecurity bill. Here are its most objectionable provisions....
District Dispatch, Mar. 19

House passes the Workforce Investment Act
On March 15, the US House of Representatives passed H.R. 803, the Supporting Knowledge and Investing in Lifelong Skills (SKILLS) Act, which would reauthorize the Workforce Investment Act. The ALA Washington Office has been working with lawmakers on both sides of the aisle on this legislation and is encouraged that H.R. 803 would help to ensure greater participation of libraries in our nation’s workforce investment system....
District Dispatch, Mar. 19

Seven ways libraries can go Open Access
Ellyssa Kroski writes: “As a librarian I use a lot of information, software, and resources that are made available to me through Creative Commons licensing, open access repositories, and the open source community. If you’re like me and looking for ways to give back, here are a few ways you can contribute to these amazing communities.”...
iLibrarian, Mar. 19

A single internet minute
Amanda Kooser writes: “Intel has broken down what happens in an internet minute into an easy-to-digest infographic. In a single minute of internet time, 204 million emails are sent. Online denizens view 20 million photos on Flickr. Twitter processes 100,000 new tweets and 320 new Twitter accounts are created. That’s more than five new Twitter users per second. No wonder it’s so hard to keep up with all that tweeting.”...
CNET: Crave, Feb. 18, Mar. 20; Intel, Mar. 13

How to Git
Eric Phetteplace writes: “Why should you learn Git? Are you into digital preservation and/or personal archiving? Then Version Control is your wildest dream. Are you a web developer? Then knowing Git can get you on GitHub, and GitHub is an immense warehouse of awesomeness. Are you an instruction librarian? Git can track any text file, so your lessons can easily be versioned and collaborated upon just like software programs are. Are you a cataloger? Versioning bibliographic records makes a lot of sense. All right, so now we know Git is great, but how do we learn it?”...
ACRL TechConnect, Mar. 18

10 red flags that signal you are about to be scammed
Matt Petronzio writes: “You can’t imagine ever getting scammed. Besides being a diligent internet user who knows the ins and outs of web terrain, you have an email account that siphons all harmful messages into a neat little folder, which you never even check. So you’re completely safe, right? Think again. Scammers are getting smarter these days. It’s not just that one Nigerian prince from years ago; there’s a whole royal family of scammers out there. Here’s a list of 10 scam indicators you should watch out for in your email.”...
Mashable, Mar. 20

The future of wearable computing
David Pescovitz writes: “Thanks to continued miniaturization and ubiquitous wireless networking, wearable computing has emerged from the laboratory in the form of Google Glass, Sony’s SmartWatch, Fitbit, and a slew of other body-worn sensors. Wearable computing is increasingly blending into the fabric of our lives, and in the near future that fabric will be laden with computation. Here are three signposts pointing toward the future of wearable computing.”...
My Life Scoop, Mar. 18

Google Cloud Print
Mark Wilson writes: “Printing documents is easy enough: Fire up the appropriate app, load the file, and hit Print. But when it comes to Android, you probably find that you email or copy files from your phone or tablet so you can print from your PC. Things are a great deal easier if you turn to Cloud Print.”...
How-To Geek, Mar. 18

Picking the best platform for your classroom blog
Richard Byrne writes: “Choosing the right blogging platform can help you manage your classroom blog in the long run. Before we answer the question of which blog platform to use, we need to understand some terminology commonly used when talking about blogs. This will help you make an informed decision about which platform is best for your situation. I wish I had known some of this when I started blogging.”...
Free Technology for Teachers, Mar. 19

I built a Drupal thing
Kate Kosturski writes: “Drupal was on my radar since August, when I went to Drupal Camp CT. I had a local server and installation complete, which made the learning process easier—the back end was all finished. In the space of two days, I had some modules and themes installed, customized the theme I chose for the final site to my liking, got most of my content from my old site imported and streamlined, and had the site residing on a local LAMP server we made from a desktop PC I received in an office computer lottery. Here are some lessons learned.”...
The Librarian Kate, Mar. 17

Five simple tools for providing remote tech help
Richard Byrne writes: “If you’re the techie person in your school but you’re not in the IT department, occasionally your colleagues come to you with questions. Sometimes those questions come over the phone, and you find yourself trying to explain where to click next or struggling to understand the problem the other person is trying to explain. That’s when it's handy to have a screen-sharing tool readily available. Here are five that are quick and easy to use.”...
Free Technology for Teachers, Mar. 18

Reselling ebooks and the one-penny problem
David Pogue writes: “Both Amazon and Apple have filed for patents to make reselling ebooks possible. These patents would cover not just ebooks but music, movies, and computer programs. But material degradation is what ensures that the resale price matches the diminishing value of the product. If every copy is perfect, the whole thing breaks down. With unlimited ebook sales, every book’s price would eventually drop to a penny. I couldn’t believe that Apple and Amazon would be so naïve, so I decided to read the actual patents.”...
New York Times: Pogue’s Posts, Mar. 14; New York Times, Mar. 7

An in-depth look at library ebook borrowing
Gary Price writes: “Matt Weaver, a Library Renewal board member, has written an interesting and discussion-provoking report about ebook borrowing titled Struggling to Satisfy Demand. You can find the full-text report along with a sidebar listing key dates in libraries and ebooks (2011–June 2012) on the Library Renewal website. In a nutshell, Weaver analyzes ebook borrowing statistics made available by five US public libraries.”...
Library Journal: INFOdocket, Mar. 19; Library Renewal, Mar. 18

Building an aggregated ebook reading app for libraries
Jenny Ellis and Kyle Cook write: “Library ebooks are currently read in different, unconnected reading platforms. Because all library ebook vendors use the same Adobe ADEPT digital rights management system to circulate ebooks, they could be delivered to a single aggregated reading app. This article discusses social reading and why libraries should look at the underlying technology. It details the Adobe ADEPT DRM system, OAuth, and application programming interfaces to illustrate how an aggregated reading app could be built.”...
In the Library with the Lead Pipe, Mar. 19

Seminar on ebooks in libraries: Presentations
Gary Price offers a set of links to a number of interesting presentations from the “Ebooks in Libraries: A Global Question of Survival?” seminar that took place in London on February 21. The event was cosponsored by IFLA MLAS (Management of Library Associations Committee) and CILIP (Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals) and featured presentations by experts about the ebook situation in libraries around the world....
Library Journal: INFOdocket, Mar. 20

Schools realize ebooks are not books
Beth Bacon writes: “That’s right, ebooks are not books. Ebooks are actually software. School acquisition professionals are realizing this before most other people in education. In fact, it seems like they’re realizing this before it’s dawning on most book publishers. Books are objects. They are limited by their physicality. Ebooks, however, have practically no physical limitations.”...
Digital Book World, Mar. 18

E-movies from the library
Steve Matthews writes: “It appears this is a continuation of the inroads that libraries are making into the other-than-print e-materials made available to library customers. Harford County (Md.) Public Library customers can now borrow thousands of movies, television shows, music albums, and audiobooks from a smartphone, tablet, laptop, or computer, using hoopla. Harford County is one of seven libraries to beta test hoopla and provide critical feedback to its vendor, Midwest Tape, before it is made available nationwide.”...
21st Century Library Blog, Mar. 20; Dagger News Service, Mar. 17

Poetry’s tense relationship with e-readers
Lonnae O’Neal Parker writes: “Washington poet and literary activist E. Ethelbert Miller insists there is a difference when his poem ‘Before Hip Hop’ is shown in print and when it appears on an e-reader. Form is essential to the art, Miller says. Line breaks, stanza breaks, and pacing—that’s the poetry; otherwise it’s just words. And form is precisely what gets lost when poems get converted to e-readers. Miller doesn’t publish on e-readers because they don’t honor his work.”...
Washington Post, Mar. 15

The dog ate my e-reader
Travis Jonker writes: “When we started lending e-readers in my school library in 2012, I expected there would be some damaged devices. I envisioned the occasional drop, or maybe a backpack smash. I didn’t see this coming (right). People have joked that arming students with devices would eliminate the age-old ‘My dog ate my homework’ excuse. I now officially beg to differ.”...
School Library Journal: 100 Scope Notes, Mar. 19

Amazon promises faster royalty payments
Amazon Publishing said in a March 18 letter to literary agents that it will start paying its authors royalties on a monthly basis, up from every three months. Amazon’s VP of Publishing Jeff Belle wrote that each month’s royalties would be released within 60 days of the end of every month. Most publishing houses pay royalties twice a year....
paidContent, Mar. 18

Snow Byte and the Seven Formats
Tess Webre writes: “In a recent meeting, some colleagues and I discussed the age in which individuals should start understanding the basics of digital preservation. I suggested that, with children creating digital files earlier and earlier, it should be taught as early as possible. So here is the never-before published tale of Snow Byte and the Seven Formats (movie rights pending). I promise it will make a great bedtime story—kids’ll fall right to sleep. Illustrations are by Sara Allen.”...
The Signal: Digital Preservation, Mar. 15

ALA Annual Conference, Chicago, June 27–July 2. From civil rights legends to an Academy Award-winning filmmaker, from bestselling authors to a celebrity chef, the lineup of thought leaders and experts speaking at the ALA Annual Conference grows more impressive by the day. It includes: Congressman John Lewis, Oliver Stone, Alice Walker, Khaled Hosseini, Cory Doctorow, Giada De Laurentiis, David Vinjamuri, Temple Grandin, Chris Raschka, Eric Rohmann, Lois Lowry, Patrick Ness, Veronica Roth, Peter Kuznick, Ping Fu, Jonathan Kozol, Erin McKean, Oren Slozberg, Rich Harwood, and Lee Rainie.

See the new products ALA Graphics has on offer in its Summer 2013 catalog, just released, with Henry Cavill on the cover. Download the PDF file or request a printed catalog here.

Loren Long: 'Almost as cool as going to gym class' Point Shaving in College Sports Continues Despite Efforts to Stop It HIV: 1.1 Million Living with It in U.S.; 1 in 5 Don't Know It Print Books Remain Important in Digital Age Greta Marlatt: Librarian Serving Her Country We Went Back: Photos of Europe 1933-56 by Chim Join Us on Facebook Subscribe to our Newsletter

Library pioneer Anne Carroll Moore
A new picture book by Jan Pinborough, Miss Moore Thought Otherwise, tells the remarkable story of Anne Carroll Moore (1871–1961), a New York Public Library children’s librarian who bucked the trend of the day and not only insisted that children needed books and libraries but encouraged authors to write more material specifically for children. After Pinborough’s friend Shauna Cook Clinger was asked to paint a portrait of Moore for the Utah State University’s Anne Carroll Moore Children’s Library, Pinborough researched Moore’s life and found she agreed with the artist that the world needed to know Moore’s story....
Salt Lake City Deseret News, Mar. 16

Great reads by librarians
Richard Davies writes: “This is a unique reading list. These books were all written by librarians and most of them were recommended to us by librarians. If any profession is well-qualified to write books, then librarians truly fit the bill. Our featured book (right) is Hemlock and After by Angus Wilson, illustrated by Ronald Searle, and was a bestseller in 1952. Wilson was a librarian in the British Museum. (We decided to exclude Chairman Mao and his Little Red Book.)”...
AbeBooks’ Reading Copy, Mar. 18

67 books every geek should read to their kids
Erik Wecks writes: “So what books should geeks be reading to their kids? Well, that depends on the parent, and that depends on the kid. Some kids can handle the long slog to get Frodo to Rivendell where The Lord of the Rings finally takes off and becomes a rollicking adventure; many kids (and adults) cannot. So rather than creating a single list of recommended books, we decided to let members of the GeekDad team create a long list. Consider these the staff picks at your own personal geek library.”...
Wired: GeekDad, Mar. 4

10 famous novelists who have dabbled in comics
Emily Temple writes: “We were delighted to come across You’ll Have to Save That for Another Time, a comic written by Dave Eggers and drawn by Noah Van Sciver (right), over at Trip City. Unaware as we were that Eggers had any talent for the comic strip, we were inspired to go hunting for other noted novelists who’ve made forays into the graphic form, whether official (that is, published) or personal. Check out these novelists who can also write comics.”...
Flavorwire, Mar. 19; Trip City, Mar. 15

Strong heroines in YA fiction
Molly Wetta writes: “Katniss. Katsa. Tris. These seem to be names most commonly offered as examples of strong heroines in young adult fiction. These characters are all strong, in their own way, and their stories are all compelling and exciting. But they aren’t the only examples of strong heroines. In honor of Women’s History Month, I’d like to offer some suggestions of contemporary, realistic, and historical young adult fiction with strong female protagonists.”...
YALSA The Hub, Mar. 14

Great apps for readers
Carli Spina writes: “As a fan of both technology and reading, I love finding a great app almost as much as I love finding a great book. Even better is finding the perfect combination of the two: an app related to books or authors. In honor of Teen Tech Week, here are some great examples of apps that will appeal to readers, such as book tie-in games.” Molly Wetta also has some suggestions to pair your favorite books with some relevant apps....
YALSA The Hub, Mar. 15

18 great books you still can’t get as ebooks
Jeff O’Neal: “While poking around Bookish.com when it launched, I noticed something strange on the page for To Kill a Mockingbird—the ebook price is $90. I bounced over to Amazon to see if this was some sort of mistake, only to find that it isn’t for sale there at all digitally. I then started checking other collected lists and prizewinners and found that pretty consistently 10%–15% of any given list of novels still under copyright are only available in print. And in most cases, if one of an author’s work was still print-only, the majority of their work was as well. Here are some others.”...
Book Riot, Mar. 18

20 rules for better book displays
Susan Brown writes: “I write a lot about social media engagement, but it is clear that even in the digital era of ebooks and Pinterest, visually appealing physical displays with interesting topics are still a great way to engage readers. I have thought about what makes a good book display. For this issue, I’ve expanded my list from 10 to 20 and changed them from tips to rules, as I think they are pretty solid words to live by when it comes to designing displays.”...
RA News, Mar.

Yesterday’s newspaper of tomorrow
Matt Novak writes: “In the 1920s it was radio that was supposed to kill the newspaper. Then it was TV news. Then it was the internet. Visions of what newspapers might look like in the future have been varied throughout the 20th century. Sometimes they’ve taken the form of a piece of paper that you print at home, delivered via satellite or radio waves. Other times it’s a multimedia product that lives on your tablet or TV. Today we’re taking a look at just a few of the newspapers from futures that never were.”...
Smithsonian: Paleofuture, Mar. 18

Balanced Scorecard Initiative
The Association of Research Libraries has issued a call for participation in the third Balanced Scorecard Initiative cohort. The year-long initiative will engage a small number of research libraries in a systematic way to consider the benefits of applying a locally developed library scorecard. Libraries with a keen interest in continuous improvement and strategic assessment are invited to apply to Martha Kyrillidou....
Association of Research Libraries, Mar. 14

Make the case for school libraries
A new infographic from Colorado’s Library Research Service presents highlights of all of LRS’s school library impact studies in an accessible and concise format. Two versions of the infographic are available: one for online viewing, and one for printing. LRS also maintains a bibliography of US school library impact studies for those who are interested in delving deeper into this topic....
Library Research Service News, Feb. 27

Rounding up readers
Leigh Ann Jones writes: “In my last post, I bemoaned the fact that we have readers in our middle and high schools who never darken the library door. In this post, I’ll share what I’m doing to try to round up those readers. In no particular order, here are a few ideas that I’m trying.”...
Shelf Consumed, Feb. 25, Mar. 5

Building bridges in the library
Amy Koester writes: “Do you offer opportunities for children to build and engineer things in your library? What about one-off STEM programs that help build those visual-thinking and problem-solving skills in new ways? If that idea inspires you, allow me to suggest you consider building some bridges. The Corporate Parkway branch of the St. Charles City-County (Mo.) Library District held a Bridge Science program February 18 that was a fun, simple, sneakily educational hit.”...
ALSC Blog, Mar. 19

Google Reader users flock to Feedly
Google’s controversial decision to shut down Google Reader on July 1 has left its users searching for a new news-collecting homeland, and we now have an idea of the scale of the RSS diaspora. Feedly has announced that more than half a million Google Reader users have signed up for its RSS service following Google’s service termination announcement on March 13. Feedly also says it is working to keep up with its growth, increasing bandwidth by tenfold and adding new servers. Digg is also building a Google Reader clone. Here are some other options. Ellyssa Kroski has three alternatives she likes....
The Verge, Mar. 13–14, 16; Lifehacker, Mar. 13; iLibrarian, Mar. 14

Seven cool browser tricks
Michael Muchmore writes: “All browsers are basically all the same, right? They display your favorite websites, end of story. Far from it! In years of testing many, many versions of most of the major web browsers, I’ve come across quite a few splashy features unique to each browser. For example, Firefox’s Social API easily enables the Facebook Messenger for Firefox, which keeps you apprised of any Facebook activity. The API isn’t Facebook-specific, however, and developers from any social service can create one of these amazingly simple to install (and uninstall) add-ins.”...
PC Magazine, Mar. 14

Teaching news literacy
In many localities, youth groups and community organizations are creating alternatives to mainstream journalism using the rich resources of digital media. Critical-thinking skills and news literacy (the ability to distinguish fact from fiction, opinion, or propaganda) are essential tools for students and other citizens who are trying to collect, analyze, and disseminate accurate information to their communities. At the Digital Media and Learning Conference in Chicago, representatives from six community groups came together in a March 15 panel discussion to share their techniques for teaching news literacy....
AL: Inside Scoop, Mar. 15

Making connections with history
Facing History and Ourselves was founded in 1976 by Margot Stern Strom and William S. Parsons, public school teachers in Brookline, Massachusetts, who designed a program to teach the Holocaust in such a way that students could make personal connections between the historical event and their own lives. The organization now has nine offices in the United States, and its programming has expanded to include other topics in race relations, intolerance, and mass violence. The last day of the Digital Media and Learning conference in Chicago on May 16 featured a panel of Facing History staffers and a Chicago teacher....
AL: Inside Scoop, Mar. 16

The Labs at Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh
Erinn Batykefer writes: “If you’re looking for a cutting-edge example of a creative digital literacy initiative in a large urban public library system, you’ve come to the right place. We’re proud to continue our partnership with Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh and to share a new post in our series on The Labs @ CLP. This week, Digital Learning Librarian Corey Wittig shares his perspective on how The Labs’ programs are changing to meet the needs of Pittsburgh’s teens. Don’t miss the links to previous installments.”...
The Library As Incubator Project, Mar. 14

Reading, writing, and video games
Pamela Paul writes: “Today, educational technology boosters believe computer games should be part of classroom lessons at increasingly early ages. The optimistic theory is that students wearied by the old pencil-and-paper routine will become newly enchanted with phonemic awareness when letters dressed as farm animals dance on a screen. There’s an underlying fear that if we don’t add interactive elements to lower-school curricula, children won’t be able to handle fractions or develop scientific hypotheses—concepts children learned quite well in school before television.”...
New York Times: Sunday Review, Mar. 15

Six months of Congress.gov
Andrew Weber writes: “It has been six months since we introduced Congress.gov. During that time we’ve been busy working to develop the beta into a full system. The major enhancement to the system came toward the end of January when we added the Congressional Record. One of my favorite improvements over THOMAS has been the addition of the Status of Legislation graphic. It attempts to boil down the legislative status steps into something that quickly conveys a wealth of information.”...
In Custodia Legis, Mar. 19

Agriculture Innovation and Heritage Archive
With the Agriculture Innovation and Heritage Archive, the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History is asking the public to help it preserve the innovations and experiences of farming and ranching across the United States. Online visitors can share their stories about the technologies and innovations that have changed agricultural work, as well as how these changes have affected their communities. The museum hopes to build a comprehensive digital archive of modern agriculture through user-submitted personal stories, photos, and other ephemera....
National Museum of American History; O Say Can You See?, Mar. 18

March 22 is World Water Day
World Water Day is held annually on March 22 as a means of focusing attention on the importance of fresh water and advocating for the sustainable management of freshwater resources. Each year, World Water Day highlights a specific aspect of freshwater. In 2013, in reflection of the United Nations International Year of Water Cooperation, the event is also dedicated to the theme of cooperation around water and is coordinated by UNESCO....
UNESCO

Explore the highest mountains with Google Maps
Now you can explore some of the most famous mountains on Earth, including Aconcagua (Argentina), Kilimanjaro (Tanzania), Elbrus (Russia), and Everest Base Camp (Nepal) on Google Maps. These mountains belong to the group of peaks known as the Seven Summits—the highest mountain on each of the seven continents. With Google Maps you can instantly transport yourself to the top of these peaks and enjoy the sights without all of the avalanches, rock slides, crevasses, and dangers from altitude and weather that mountaineers face. Sara Pelosi explains how they did it. Next, Google Maps is off to the Canadian Arctic....
Google Official Blog, Mar. 18; Google Lat Long Blog, Mar. 18, 20

The problem with Wikipedia
Matt J. Lauer writes: “Don’t get me wrong: Wikipedia is a wonderful innovation. (In fact, I was an early donor.) The website provides a vast encyclopedia, including previously unavailable information. But it has a weakness. The site does not allow corporations, individuals, or organizations to defend themselves transparently or submit information on their own behalf. This policy results in many articles on the site that are inaccurate or even blatantly false.”...
Washington Post: Capital Business, Mar. 17

Pick up your books and Joyce Around
Stand-Up Librarian Meredith Myers (right) loves James Joyce and all things Irish, so in honor of St. Patrick’s Day, she decided to mash up James Joyce with the 1990s hit “Jump Around” by House of Pain. Grab your copy of Ulysses or Finnegan’s Wake and get ready to “Joyce Around” (3:51) at the James Joyce Irish Pub in Ybor City, Florida. Myers explains how she came up with the idea....
YouTube, Mar. 17; StandUpLibrarian, Mar. 17

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