The e-newsletter of the American Library Association | August 13, 2014

Newsmaker: An interview with Azar Nafisi
“In Iran, whoever goes to jail because of what they write is a hero in the eyes of the people,” author Azar Nafisi said. Through her memoirs Reading Lolita in Tehran and Things I’ve Been Silent About, she has elevated public discourse about the political nature of reading. Educated in Iran, the UK, and the US, Nafisi is a lecturer for the Foreign Policy Institute at Johns Hopkins University’s School of Advanced International Studies. American Libraries spoke with Nafisi as she was completing The Republic of Imagination, scheduled for publication this fall....
American Libraries column, July/August

Custom library book bikes roll out across US
In Cleveland Heights, Ohio, where winter temperatures reached a record low of –11°F the first week of January 2014, many bicyclists would have likely opted to drive. But for one librarian and avid bike rider, the weather was no obstacle for his commitment to his library’s book bike program. The Cleveland Heights–University Heights Public Library’s Book Bike program, initiated in spring 2013, was supposed to run for only spring, summer, and fall. But the zeal of participants like Eric Litschel made it a successful yearlong program....
American Libraries feature

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Sari Feldman on the importance of libraries
ALA President-Elect Sari Feldman (right), executive director of the Cuyahoga County (Ohio) Public Library, spoke to the City Club of Cleveland on August 8 about ALA, the future of libraries, privacy, and a variety of other topics. The presentation (57:05), “Why Libraries are More Important than Ever,” included a question-and-answer session with the audience....
YouTube, Aug. 8

Nominating committee extends deadline
The ALA 2015 Nominating Committee is extending its deadline for completing the candidate biographical form. Any ALA members interested in being considered for candidacy for the positions of ALA president-elect or councilor-at-large have until August 29, to complete the form....
Office of ALA Governance, Aug. 8

People to People delegation to India
Consider joining a custom-designed library and information services delegation to New Delhi, Jaipur, and Agra, India, November 2–11. As a People to People Citizen Ambassador, you will network with your library and information services peers from India and around the world through vibrant professional exchanges and discussions. The delegation will be led by Nancy M. Bolt, former chair of the ALA International Relations Committee. Email People to People or call (877) 787-2000 for more information....
People to People

Voting opens for Teens’ Top Ten
The voting period for the 2014 Teens’ Top Ten officially opens on August 15. Teens aged 12–18 can vote for their favorite titles through the end of Teen Read Week (October 18). The nominees for this year are made up of 25 titles ranging from a diverse collection of genres and storylines. The official Top Ten titles will be announced the week of October 20. DOGObooks, a website where kids and teens can review books, will host the landing page for the 2014 Teens’ Top Ten Books voting....
YALSA, Aug. 12

Teen Book Finder app for Android
YALSA has released the Android version of its popular Teen Book Finder app. Android users can download the app for free through the Google Play store. The app allows users to access YALSA’s recommended reading and award winning titles from the past years on their mobile devices....
YALSA, Aug. 12

YALSA president-elect to participate in Media Institute
YALSA President-Elect Candice Mack has been chosen to participate in the Asian American Journalists Association’s first-ever Media Institute. The Media Institute is a two-day workshop that will take place August 15–16 in Washington, D.C. It is aimed at training nonprofit professionals in the art of working and presenting themselves with and in the media....
YALSA, Aug. 12

PLA@ALA Annual Conference proposals due
The deadline is August 15 to submit a proposal for a PLA-sponsored program at the 2015 ALA Annual Conference to be held June 25–30, 2015, in San Francisco. Preconference and program proposals showcasing public library practices and innovations will be accepted online....
PLA, Aug. 12

Gain confidence for your weeding project
Are your library shelves groaning under the weight of a heavy collection? Then it might be time to register for the upcoming, hour-long webinar from PLA, “Weed ’Em and Weep: Hoarding Is Not Collection Development,” on August 27. Presenters Holly Hibner and Mary Kelly will discuss weeding techniques, collection management policies, and how to motivate reluctant weeders. The registration deadline is August 25....
PLA, Aug. 12

ALCTS continuing education for the fall
From copyright issues to collection management standards to fundamentals, there is an ALCTS webinar or web course waiting for you. You can see the line-up of offerings and get registration information by visiting the ALCTS Online Learning web page....
ALCTS, Aug. 12

RUSA’s fall online learning
RUSA has announced a new lineup of its online courses for professional development for fall 2014. Registration is open now for all courses, which began as early as September 22....
RUSA, Aug. 12

LLAMA webinar on library service plans
Is it time to reinvent your library services, but you’re not sure how to get started? LLAMA will present “Planning to Transform Your Library” on September 3. This webinar will present library service inquiry methods, including planning steps and models, to help you start to develop your next library service plan. Register online....
LLAMA, Aug. 11

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Grant helped Clarkston library pass its millage
Clarkston (Mich.) Independence District Library (right), recipient of a United for Libraries 2013 Neal-Schuman Foundation Grant, successfully staved off closure with the passage of a millage of 1.25 for the library on August 5. The millage, first proposed in 2012, passed this time with more than 68% of the vote. As part of the grant, the library’s advocates received expert training and tools for their campaign by United for Libraries....
United for Libraries, Aug. 12

Apply for a Bechtel Fellowship
The ALSC Special Collections and Bechtel Fellowship Committee is accepting online applications for the 2015 Louise Seaman Bechtel Fellowship. The fellowship is designed to allow qualified children’s librarians to spend at least four weeks reading and studying at the Baldwin Library of Historical Children’s Literature, part of the George A. Smathers Libraries at the University of Florida, Gainesville. The deadline for submissions is October 1....
ALSC, Aug. 12

ALSC announces scholarship winners
ALSC has announced six scholarship winners for the 2014–2015 academic year. Four winners were awarded the $7,500 Bound to Stay Bound Books Scholarship: Sylvia Cecilia Martin Aguiñaga, Omar Ramirez, Callen Nicole Taylor, and Elissa MaryAnne Sperling. The $6,000 Frederic G. Melcher Scholarship went to Danielle Christine Crickman and Sheila Laurence Olson....
ALSC, Aug. 12

American Dream grant aids Illinois library
Through an American Dream Starts @ your library grant provided by the ALA Office for Literacy and Outreach Services and the Dollar General Literacy Foundation, the Eisenhower Public Library District (right) in Norridge and Harwood Heights, Illinois, has been able to expand its ESL collection and begin hosting English-language learning programs. The library serves a diverse array of foreign-language speakers....
Office for Literacy and Outreach Services, Aug. 12

Carnegie Trust launches fund for UK libraries
The Carnegie UK Trust is starting a new £200,000 ($336,270 US) project to help expand the role of public libraries. A three-year funding program, Carnegie Library Lab, will create partnerships with up to 15 libraries looking to develop “innovative practice.” UK libraries can apply for a grant in September, submitting an idea that finds a new way to use the space, offers a alternative method to deliver the library service, brings different activities into the library, or involves a new partnership....
The Bookseller, Aug. 12

The Lilead Fellows Program
The Lilead Fellows Program is an intensive professional development program designed to empower, enable, and equip school district library supervisors to think differently about their library programs and to be effective and inspirational leaders for change in their districts. A group of up to 25 Fellows from districts across the country will engage in an 18-month program of virtual and face-to-face learning. Applications are due by October 13....
Lilead Fellows Program

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NYC libraries struggle to meet demand for ESL classes
The Bronx Library Center has become a hub of English instruction at a time when many of New York City’s public libraries are seeking to expand their language and literacy programs to better serve patrons who increasingly come from all over the world. The New York Public Library taught English to 4,398 people last year at 32 of its 88 neighborhood branches, including 16 in the Bronx alone. Library officials, who surveyed the participants about why they chose the library classes, reported finding that more than three-quarters said they simply had nowhere else to go....
New York Times, Aug. 6

Missouri libraries hit by budget squeeze
Missouri Democratic Gov. Jay Nixon and the Republican-controlled General Assembly are squabbling over a tax-break package passed last spring in Jefferson City. Nixon has restricted more than $1 billion from the state budget, including more than $6.6 million set aside for public libraries. One restriction freezes a $3.5 million state fund to help libraries with their operating expenses, and another freezes a $3.1 million fund for the Remote Electronic Access for Libraries program to help cover internet and technology costs. “This is huge and it will hurt,” said Joplin Public Library Director Jacque Gage (above)....
Joplin (Mo.) Globe, Aug. 12; KSNF-TV, Joplin, Aug. 9

Boston to trim its collections citywide
Boston Public Library administrators are disposing of up to 180,000 little-used volumes from shelves and archives of branches citywide by the end of the year. Library officials say the reductions help assure that patrons can comfortably sift through a modern selection that serves their needs. Library President Amy Ryan said some items slated for removal are either missing or duplicates. The library system continues to add 132,000 volumes to its overall collection each year....
Boston Globe, Aug. 8

LC acquires ballet theatre archives
American Ballet Theatre, which is celebrating its 75th anniversary this year, has donated its archives, more than 50,000 items of visual and written documentation, to the Library of Congress. The collection will enhance and complement the library’s many other dance, theater, and music collections held in its Music Division, including the papers of composers Leonard Bernstein, Aaron Copland, and Morton Gould; set designer Oliver Smith; and choreographer Bronislava Nijinska....
Library of Congress, Aug. 7

Fleas shut down Steinbeck library
The John Steinbeck branch of the Salinas (Calif.) Public Library closed for a week starting August 6 after patrons began complaining about out-of-control fleas in the facility. Fleas infest the carpeting and anything else made of cloth. The library’s successful Tuesday program where kids read to dogs might have brought in the unwelcome pests, which were successfully eliminated by August 12....
KSBW-TV, Salinas, Calif., Aug. 7; Monterey (Calif.) Herald, Aug. 12

Rare coins stolen from Australian library
Sydney police are hunting for a thief who stole $1 million worth of rare coins—including one that sold for $410,000 in 2012—during a brazen robbery at the State Library of New South Wales. State Librarian Alex Byrne said the thief broke into a coin case on the afternoon of August 6 and escaped with 12 coins, including examples of Australia’s earliest currency that Byrne said were “historically, extraordinarily important.” The coins, part of the library’s collection, were on exhibition in a secure locked case in a gallery at the library....
Sydney Morning Herald, Aug. 8

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The public library wants to be your office
Anita Hamilton writes: “Over the past decade, dozens of reading rooms have been reincarnated as de facto coworking spaces. Some, including D.C.’s Digital Commons (right) and the Eureka Loft in Scottsdale, Arizona, cater expressly to startups by helping them find funding, mentors, and other resources to advance their business plans. Others take a laissez-faire approach geared more toward solo artists seeking a no-frills space. Altogether, more than half of all public libraries now offer workspaces for mobile workers.”...
Fast Company, Aug. 8

E-rate never sleeps
Marijke Visser writes: “As part of the ALA Washington Office’s efforts to make sense of the recent E-rate Modernization Order (PDF file), we co-hosted a webinar with PLA that featured key staff from the Federal Communications Commission: Jonathan Chambers, chief of the Office of Strategic Planning and Policy Analysis; and Patrick Halley, Lisa Hone, and Chas Eberle of the Wireline Competition Bureau. PLA has made the webinar archive available.”...
District Dispatch, Aug. 8

Not impressed with all-digital libraries
Adam Feldman writes: “Digital evangelism has lulled many of us into what I think ought to be an embarrassingly anti-intellectual comfort zone. Some are coming to believe that everything we need to know about the world can be skimmed in a compulsively reloaded feed, algorithmed and tailored to all our narrow biases. It is a mistake to assume that because of all of the reading on screens that we do these days that libraries are undergoing some sort of seismic shift. Or that they must.” Phil Bradley offers a response....
Next City, Aug. 8; Phil Bradley’s Weblog, Aug. 11

Deconstructing the “Can I Use That Picture?” flowchart
Nancy Sims writes: “A new flowchart flying around Facebook and Twitter this morning purports to answer the ‘Can I Use That Picture?’ question. (Here’s the original post.) One thing that author Curtis Newbold does really well is engage on some ethical issues. But the legal information has some problems. There is a lot to like here, but as a complete guide to the ‘Can I Use That Picture?’ question, it falls short.”...
Copyright Librarian, Aug. 6; The Visual Communication Guy, July 14

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LibraryQuest levels up
Kyle Felker writes: “Almost a year ago, Grand Valley State University Libraries in Allendale, Michigan, launched LibraryQuest, our mobile quest-based game. It was designed to teach users about library spaces and services in a way that (we hoped) would be fun and engaging. The game was released in the last week of August 2013 and ran continuously until late November. For details on the early development of the game, take a look at my earlier post. This article will focus on what happened after launch.”...
ACRL TechConnect Blog, Aug. 13; Sept. 17, 2013

Run through this checklist before calling IT support
Jackson Chung writes: “Being the IT support person sucks. Everyone lays their issues on you, and blames everything but themselves for whatever’s going on with their computer. No, there was nothing wrong with the keyboard prior to you spilling coffee all over it. The IT support team is there to help and work with you, so do them a favor by learning a few basic troubleshooting methods before calling. Here’s one that will solve 99% of all computer problems.”...
MakeUseOf, Aug. 12

Three tools that schedule your social media posts
Sarah Jacobsson Purewal writes: “Maybe you were tasked with managing social media accounts because you’re the youngest staffer and therefore deemed the most social-media savvy. Whatever the reason, you’re stuck with it—but posting to Twitter is likely the first thing to drop off your to-do list when the work piles up. If that’s you, it’s time to embrace a social media scheduling service.”...
PC World, Aug. 7

Eight tech ripoffs and how to avoid them
Avram Piltch writes: “Mainstream consumers have been using computers for more than 30 years, smartphones for at least half a decade, and tablets for several years, but gadget vendors are betting that their customers aren’t tech savvy. How else can you explain why these companies would offer a bevy of overpriced or unnecessary products and services in hopes of fooling you into buying them? Don’t be their dupe. These are the top eight tech rip-offs—and how to avoid them.”...
Laptop, Aug. 12

Create a recovery drive
Chris Hoffman writes: “Computers don’t come with operating system installation CDs anymore. If your operating system won’t boot, you’ll need a bootable recovery drive to fix it. All operating systems allow you to create these. These recovery drives provide access to the same recovery options your operating system includes. You can always create them later, although you may need access to a computer running the same operating system.”...
How-To Geek, Aug. 13

Why the public library beats Amazon
Geoffrey A. Fowler writes: “A growing stack of companies would like you to pay a monthly fee to read ebooks, just like you subscribe to Netflix. Don’t bother. Go sign up for a public library card instead. More than 90% of American public libraries have amassed ebook collections you can read on your iPad, and often even on a Kindle. You don’t have to walk into a branch or risk an overdue fine. And they’re totally free.”...
Wall Street Journal, Aug. 12

Why Amazon won’t stop picking fights
Donna Tam writes: “Amazon is at it again. The online retail giant took on yet another partner in early August, halting DVD preorders for such Disney titles as Captain America: The Winter Soldier and Maleficent, and escalating a four-month publicity battle with Hachette over the pricing of ebooks. Why is Amazon taking on these big dogs? Because it can.”...
CNET, May 24, Aug. 10, 12

Authors United
James LaRue writes: “Douglas Preston, author of techno-thriller and horror novels, wrote a letter protesting the ‘thuggery’ of Amazon against Hachette authors, and urging his fans to let Jeff Bezos know they were upset, too. The campaign has now attracted the support of many other authors, more than 900 names big and small. The letter ran as a full-page ad, along with those names, August 10 in the New York Times.” Amazon responded in a web posting and a letter sent out to its Kindle authors that asked people to write to Hachette’s chief executive, Michael Pietsch....
AL: E-Content, Aug. 8; Publishers Weekly, Aug. 6; New York Times, Aug. 10

Volunteers needed for Smithsonian transcription project
On August 12 the Smithsonian launched its Transcription Center website. The site is designed to use crowdsourcing to help the Smithsonian transcribe the content of thousands of digital documents, such as handwritten Civil War journals, personal letters from famous artists, 100-year-old botany specimen labels, and examples of early American currency. Volunteers can register online to help transcribe projects relating to art, history, culture, and science....
Smithsonian, Aug. 12

Making scanned content accessible
Chris Adams writes: “Scanning objects en masse has never been easier, storage has never been cheaper, and large-scale digitization has become routine for many organizations. This poses an interesting challenge: Our capacity to generate scanned images has greatly outstripped our ability to generate the metadata needed to make those items discoverable. Most people use search engines to find the information they need, but our terabytes of carefully produced and diligently preserved TIFF files are effectively invisible for text-based search.”...
The Signal: Digital Preservation, Aug. 4

Used ebooks
James LaRue writes: “So much hinges on copyright. The doctrine of First Sale meant that publishers couldn’t lock libraries out of the market. But digital works, like software, got swept under licensing agreements. Licensing means—in the US, anyhow—that there are no such things as used ebooks. Consumers pay top dollar for anything that isn’t Creative Commons, public domain, or by an unknown author. In other words, when an item is new or resurgent, consumers rent access to it through various vendors (mainly Amazon, Kobo, Google, and Apple).”...
AL: E-Content, Aug. 8

ReadersFirst eases the ebook experience
After more than a year of development and research, the ReadersFirst Guide to Library Ebook Vendors (PDF file), which compiles information on ebook vendors and their products and then rates them on ease of use and efficiency, is available to the public. And it’s working....
American Libraries feature

2014 Annual Conference and Exhibition, Las Vegas, June 26–July 1. Look back at the 2014 ALA Annual Conference, enjoyed by 18,626 attendees and exhibitors. Enjoy American Libraries coverage. Get the Cognotes highlights. Looking for handouts? See you in 2015! Bundle registration opens on September 9.

Climate change fiction is hot
John Dupuis writes: “Climate change fiction (or ‘cli-fi’ to use the rather ugly short form) is fiction, either speculative or realistic, that takes as its basis the fact that the earth’s climate is changing and jumps off from there. Not surprisingly, the last 20–30 years has seen many climate change novels published, with a number of notable ones in the last five years or so. Here are several of the most interesting ones, listed chronologically.”...
Confessions of a Science Librarian, Aug. 13

50 novels by female authors under 50
Emily Temple writes: “There’s something about catching a writer at the beginning of her career and following her for years that is supremely satisfying—not to mention the fact that young female writers need readers rather more than Jane Austen does. So in an effort to get you in on the ground floor (or at least, like, the third floor), here are 50 novels written by 50 female novelists under 50 that are worth your time.”...
Flavorwire, Aug. 7

Books to inspire DIY and creativity
Carla Land writes: “Making stuff isn’t something that is usually associated with libraries, but it should be. The maker movement is showing everyone that teens use libraries for all sorts of learning—including how to make things. Finding maker themes in YA fiction wasn’t as easy as I thought it would be until I thought bigger and stopped limiting myself to duct tape. When I did that I found a bunch that I thought might spark some interest in doing with teens. I also found some nonfiction titles, too, to get us all started on the doing.”...
YALSA The Hub, Aug. 13

Readalikes for fall TV premieres, part 2
Hannah Gómez writes: “Here are some more upcoming fall TV shows, plus YA and YA-friendly adult books that make for great companion pieces. For example, Jane the Virgin (The CW), starring Gina Rodriguez. A strange turn of events leads to Type-A, virginal Jane being artificially inseminated without her knowledge. Based on a telenovela, this soapy dramedy has the potential to spark conversations about cultural clashes, reproductive rights, and feminism.”...
YALSA The Hub, Aug. 7

What belongs in the children’s library?
Elisabeth Gattullo Marrocolla writes: “I was so excited when the graphic novel adaptation of Neil Gaiman’s The Graveyard Book arrived in my library this week. I’ve been looking forward to the graphic novelization for months. Advance reviews were glowing, and it seemed like the perfect addition to our Kids Graphic Novel section, which serves all reading children in our library (mostly ages 6–12). Then I opened the book.”...
ALSC Blog, Aug. 12

Want to read s’more?
Jennifer Rummel writes: “Summer is the perfect time for reading for fun and making s’mores. In fact, August 10 was National S’mores Day. So I decided to combine these two concepts and give you three books on the same topic—think of them as the graham cracker, the marshmallow, and the chocolate of a s’more—all deliciously good.”...
YALSA The Hub, Aug. 11

Folger Shakespeare Library opens its digital collection
Erin Blake writes: “It’s official: Images in the Folger’s Digital Image Collection are now licensed CC BY-SA. That is, they can be used under a Creative Commons Attribution–ShareAlike 4.0 International License, one of the two Creative Commons licenses approved for free cultural works. That’s almost 80,000 images and counting. We’ve already started adding images to Wikimedia Commons for use in Wikipedia and elsewhere, and encourage you to do the same.”...
The Collation, Aug. 12

Teen services in a rural library
Rebekah Kamp writes: “Rural librarianship can mean a small staff, but it can also mean a tight-knit community full of residents and organizations happy to share their knowledge. Working with other organizations and local experts helps maximize impact and expand services to new audiences without overburdening librarians. How do you find new partners? Leave the library!”...
YALSAblog, Aug. 10

Another Carnegie library for sale
Larry Nix writes: “You can buy a Carnegie Library in Alexandria, Minnesota, but you need to act quickly. The owner is accepting sealed bids for this restored Carnegie building on August 26. From the photos on the website advertising the building it looks to be in great shape. According to the website: ‘The building was built in 1903, designed by Henry A. Foeller, and fashioned as a public library.’”...
Library History Buff Blog, Aug. 13

10 people the library can’t live without
Gina Sheridan writes: “Close your eyes and imagine your public library. Who do you see inside? Yourself? Quiet readers? Students? A hip librarian behind a large wooden desk? A cat named Dewey wending its way through the stacks? After I began collecting true stories for my blog, I realized I had developed a catalog of the colorful characters who visit the library each day. So open your eyes and take a look at 10 people the library can’t live without.”...
The Huffington Post, Aug. 11

Lego week at Homer Public Library
Amy Koester writes: “To celebrate the interest and skills of its community builders, Homer (Alaska) Public Library held its 4th Annual Lego Contest in early August and included a building session in its weekly summer series of Maker Mondays for kids and teens. The Lego contest for ages 18 and under has the same basic format each year, but we tie the contest to our summer reading program by incorporating an element of the program’s theme. This year our theme was ‘Fizz, Boom, Read,’ and we focused on all aspects of science.” The Louisville (Colo.) Public Library also held a Lego event....
Little eLit, Aug. 6; Programming Librarian, Aug. 11

Bigger programs are not always better
Karen Jensen writes: “It’s the end of summer reading, and almost the end of our fiscal year, which means that I have been compiling statistics. Administrators, city council, and board members love to look at numbers on a page to get a sense of what you’re doing; but the truth is, numbers don’t tell the whole story. The other truth is that bigger is not always better.”...
Teen Librarian Toolbox, Aug. 10

Working abroad as a librarian
Raymond Pun writes: “Thinking about working abroad? There are growing opportunities to work abroad as a librarian or information specialist these days. However, when you consider working abroad as an adventure, there will be tons of unexpected challenges and bumps along the way. These challenges are generally true for all professionals working abroad. Here are some things to consider.”...
INALJ, Aug. 12

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