The e-newsletter of the American Library Association | July 23, 2014

Viva Las Vegas, again
Relive the 2014 ALA Annual Conference and Exhibition in the July/August issue of American Libraries. We recap all of the action, from talks by Lois Lowry and Stan Lee (right) to Council meetings and new technologies featured in the exhibit hall. Other articles include a look at how school librarians are reasserting their value, a conversation with Iranian writer Azar Nafisi, and a discussion on how libraries are being used as citizenship resources....
American Libraries, July 23

Metadata for image collections
Eddie Woodward writes: “Many libraries are eagerly digitizing their materials and making them accessible online. This enthusiasm often stems from patrons, who are excited to make use of the resources on the internet, or from administrators, who are intent on elevating the library’s public profile. But the push for digitization often puts pressure on library staff to make digital objects available before they have been properly prepared. This can turn into a numbers game in which the quantity of the images becomes more important than the quality of the descriptive metadata attached to them.”...
American Libraries feature

The kid- and teen-friendly library
Mariam Pera writes: “The July 10 episode of American Libraries Live, ‘The Kid- and Teen-Friendly Library,’ featured a discussion on getting children and youth involved with the library and library services. Jennifer Velasquez moderated a panel consisting of Amy J. Alessio, Lana Adlawan, Heather Booth (above), and Amanda Foulk, who shared their insights on the topic....
American Libraries Live

Building a pipeline to education in Azerbaijan
Leonard Kniffel writes: “There is money in Azerbaijan and plenty of it. Petroleum wealth mostly. How has all this oil wealth affected the nation’s libraries? Opened in 2013, the state-of-the-art library on the campus of Azerbaijan Diplomatic Academy University, is a prime example of the country’s emerging emphasis on investment in education for international business. The library’s book holdings have already shot up to 40,000, and plenty of shelf space is available for more material.”...
American Libraries feature

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Public Innovators Lab for Libraries
ALA and the Harwood Institute for Public Innovation will host an intensive three-day training opportunity to help libraries strengthen their role as agents of positive change in their communities. The Public Innovators Lab for Libraries will be held October 8–10 at the Loudermilk Convention Center in Atlanta. Librarians, community partners, and stakeholders in libraries of all types can register online by September 30....
Public Programs Office, July 22

The Turning Outward approach
Libraries Transforming Communities, an ALA initiative, seeks to strengthen librarians’ roles as core community leaders and change agents by sharing tools to help them turn outward, an approach developed by the Harwood Institute for Public Innovation. Alice Knapp (right), director of user services at the Ferguson Library in Stamford, Connecticut, attended a Harwood Public Innovators Lab in October 2013. Here, Knapp tells ALA about her library’s experience with turning outward....
Programming Librarian, July 17

2014 Digital Inclusion Survey
Nearly 100% of America’s public libraries offer workforce development training programs, online job resources, and technology skills training, according to a new ALA study. Overall, libraries report technology improvements—including nearly ubiquitous public Wi-Fi, growing mobile resources, and a leap in ebook access—but ALA’s 2014 Digital Inclusion Survey also documents digital differences among states and an urban/rural divide....
Office for Information Technology Policy, July 22

Obama signs workforce act
President Barack Obama signed on July 22 the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act, a bill that will open access to federal funding support to public libraries for effective job training and job search programs. ALA President Courtney Young applauded the presidential signing and released a statement about the bill....
Office of Government Relations, July 22

A library lens on network neutrality
On July 18, ALA urged the Federal Communications Commission to adopt the legally enforceable network neutrality rules necessary to fulfill library missions and serve communities nationwide. The Association joined 10 other national higher education and library organizations in filing joint public comments (PDF file) with the FCC. The comments build on network neutrality principles released July 10 and suggest ways to strengthen the FCC’s proposed rules (released May 15) to preserve an open internet....
Office for Information Technology Policy, July 18; District Dispatch, July 10

Tom Wheeler on libraries and the E-rate
Marijke Visser writes: “During the ALA Annual Conference in Las Vegas, the ALA Washington Office secured a video from the chairman of the Federal Communications Commission, Tom Wheeler (right). We are pleased to share four clips from the video (as well as a full transcript, PDF file) for use in your own advocacy work on the importance of high-capacity broadband and the E-rate program for your libraries and the communities you serve.”...
District Dispatch, July 17

Host a First Folio
The Public Programs Office, in collaboration with the Folger Shakespeare Library and Cincinnati Museum Center, is accepting applications for the traveling exhibition “Shakespeare and His First Folio.” The application deadline is September 5. The exhibition—part of the celebration of the 400th anniversary of William Shakespeare’s death—will bring the 1623 original edition of the playwright’s first published collection to 53 sites: one site in all 50 United States, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands....
Public Programs Office, July 22; Washington Post, July 8

Information governance and security
Written by Alan MacLennan, Information Governance and Assurance: Reducing Risk, Promoting Policy, published by Facet Publishing and available through the ALA Store, is a comprehensive textbook that discusses the legal, organizational, and ethical aspects of information governance and information security and their relevance to all aspects of information work. This book will equip practitioners and students alike to implement good information governance practice in real-world situations....
ALA Publishing, July 21

Letting go of legacy services
Just as important as proposing and adding new services is the sometimes unpleasant process of critically examining existing realities and letting go of obsolete or less useful programs. Libraries can choose a measured, proactive response. Edited by Mary Evangeliste and Katherine Furlong, Letting Go of Legacy Services: Library Case Studies, published by ALA Editions, contributors take readers step by step through approaches they’ve used at their own institutions....
ALA Editions, July 21

Customer-based collection development
Edited by Karl Bridges, Customer-Based Collection Development: An Overview, published by ALA Editions, gathers together the best practitioners in the emerging field of customer-based collection development, whose goal is to find out what library users need and want and manage collections accordingly. Speaking from firsthand experience, professionals from a variety of academic and public libraries offer strategies for planning and implementing a customer-based collection program....
ALA Editions, July 22

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New public library data available
The Public Library Data Service (PLDS) FY2013 data is now available with a special section on outcome measures. This valuable data from more than 1,100 North American libraries can be exclusively accessed and customized through the online data portal PLAmetrics. PLDS captures valuable data (voluntarily submitted annually) on staffing, operating finances, output measures, interlibrary loans, and technology provisions from public libraries....
PLA, July 22

Technology trainer online course
The interactive online course, “The Accidental Public Library Technology Trainer,” is coming live to a computer near you, September 8–October 3. This four-week blended-learning program presented by PLA is designed for public library professionals who have unexpectedly found themselves responsible for technology training of users or staff at their library. The deadline to register for this course is September 5....
PLA, July 22

School librarians and Senior/Capstone Projects
AASL has released a new position statement on the role of the school librarian in Senior/Capstone Projects. These projects are research-oriented courses driven by student interest and not curricular mandates. The position statement affirms that school library programs, and specifically school librarians, are crucial to the successful implementation of these projects....
AASL, July 22

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Nominate a library for the National Medal
For more than 20 years, the Institute of Museum and Library Services has recognized museums and libraries that make extraordinary contributions to their communities. The National Medal for Museum and Library Service is the nation’s highest honor for exemplary service by these institutions. IMLS is now accepting nominations for the 2015 medal. The forms are due October 15....
Institute of Museum and Library Services, July 17

Billy Joel to receive LC’s Gershwin Prize
Librarian of Congress James H. Billington announced July 22 that Billy Joel (right) will be the next recipient of the Gershwin Prize for Popular Song. Joel will receive the prize in November and be feted with a series of events, including an honoree’s luncheon and musical performances. The Gershwin Prize honors a living musical artist’s lifetime achievement in promoting the genre of song as a vehicle of cultural understanding; entertaining and informing audiences; and inspiring new generations....
Library of Congress, July 22

AAS wins National Humanities Medal
The American Antiquarian Society in Worcester, Massachusetts, is one of 10 winners of the 2013 National Humanities Medal, awarded by the National Endowment for the Humanities for outstanding achievements in history, cultural studies, filmmaking, cultural commentary, and historic preservation. For more than two centuries, the AAS has amassed an unparalleled collection of historic American documents, served as a research center to scholars and students, and connected generations of Americans to their cultural heritage....
National Endowment for the Humanities, July 22

YALSA student stipend winner
Shawna Manchakowsky (right), an LIS student at the University of Alberta, has won the 2014 Young Adult Literature Symposium student stipend from YALSA. In her library school work, Manchakowsky has created a book club, served on the Young Reader’s Choice Award, and wrote an original score inspired by books studied in class. The symposium will be held November 14–16 at the Hyatt Regency Austin in Austin, Texas....
YALSA, July 22

2014 Summer Reading Program Grant
ALSC has awarded its 2014 Baker & Taylor Summer Reading Program Grant to the Ames (Iowa) Public Library. This $3,000 grant is designed to encourage summer reading programs and recognize ALSC members for outstanding program development. The library’s collaborative summer program, “Fizz, Boom, Read,” encourages literacy—both reading and scientific—in children from infancy to 3rd grade....
ALSC, July 22

2014 Urban Player Award
Philanthropists and civic leaders Joan and Irwin Jacobs (right) have received the Urban Libraries Council’s 2014 Urban Player Award in recognition of their instrumental support and advocacy that propelled construction of the new San Diego (Calif.) Central Library. In total, the Jacobs contributed $30 million to the project and leveraged an additional $35 million in outside contributions. The annual award is presented to individuals who stand out as strong and effective advocates for the essential leadership role of public libraries in local communities....
Urban Libraries Council, July 22

2104 International Thriller Writers Awards
The International Thriller Writers have revealed the winners of their 2014 Thriller Awards. On July 12, ITW concluded ThrillerFest IX in the city of mystery, crime, and suspense—New York—with the unveiling of the 2014 winners. Scott Turow, the author of 10 bestselling works of fiction, won the Thrillmaster Award. The award for the best hardcover novel went to Andrew Pyper for The Demonologist (Simon & Schuster), while the best paperback prize went to Jennifer McMahon for The One I Left Behind (Morrow)....
Booklist Online: Likely Stories, July 16

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Singapore backpedals on gay-themed book destruction
Singapore has stopped its national library from destroying two children’s books with gay themes, after its decision in July produced a public outcry over literary censorship. Information Minister Yaacob Ibrahim ordered that the books be moved to the adult section, where parents can borrow them for their children. However, it was already too late to save one title, Who’s in My Family? by Robie Harris, which had already been pulped by the National Library Board....
The Guardian (UK), July 18

Policy not followed in Little Brother dispute
The Escambia County (Fla.) School District is taking measures to ensure educators and administrators are aware of its policies on challenging educational material assigned to students. Washington High School Principal Michael Roberts came under fire from teachers, community members, and author Cory Doctorow in June when he unilaterally decided to end the school’s One School/One Book program that was to feature the YA novel Little Brother....
Pensacola (Fla.) News Journal, July 21

Second attempt to suppress Part-Time Indian in North Carolina
Frances Wood isn’t backing down from her efforts to remove a controversial young adult novel from classrooms in the Cedar Grove Middle School in Supply, North Carolina. Wood has appealed a mid-July decision by a team of parents and educators to keep Sherman Alexie’s The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian on the shelves. She argued in her complaint, accompanied by a petition signed by 42 members of her Baptist church, that there are no positive qualities to the book and it is inappropriate for any age group....
Wilmington (N.C.) Port City Daily, July 18

San Diego library gets ready for Comic-Con
The San Diego (Calif.) Public Library is getting gamers geared up for the July 24–27 Comic-Con International. In June, the library launched an alternate reality game, inspired by the works of American literary icon H. P. Lovecraft, that participants say is the perfect way to prepare for the upcoming expo. Special Events Librarian Erwin Magbanua said the game involves players finding clues in the library and online to solve puzzles. SDPL is also issuing a limited-edition library card (above) officially licensed by Comic-Con. If you are attending, here are some activities recommended by the Electronic Frontier Foundation and the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund....
KSWB-TV, San Diego, Calif., July 21; Electronic Frontier Foundation, July 21; Comic Book Legal Defense Fund, July 23

Allen County focuses on employee wellness
After 30-year-old Courtney Pifer (on the left) started working at the Allen County (Ind.) Public Library in 2013, there was an unexpected benefit: She became more active and lost 15 pounds. Pifer said her healthy lifestyle changes were a result of the library’s in-house wellness program, coupled with an employee workout room at the downtown branch. The room is open to all 400 employees, although one piece of fitness equipment has been placed at the library’s technical services office....
Fort Wayne (Ind.) Journal Gazette, July 6

San Antonio hosts Google Maker Camp
Five teenagers spend part of a summer afternoon in a circular room at the San Antonio (Tex.) Public Library’s downtown branch. They are using conductive thread, a coin cell battery, and a sewable battery holder to create soft circuits. Within an hour, the teens have crafted fun wearable technology with LED lights. For six weeks this summer, SAPL is hosting its first Google Maker Camp, where teens ages 13–18 can explore, create, and share in an easygoing yet educational space....
San Antonio (Tex.) Express-News, July 23

Transforming a school bus into a book café
Jenny Granger (right), teacher-librarian at Emerson Elementary School in Snohomish, Washington, is delivering books to kids around town to beat the summer slide. She has turned an old yellow school bus into a bookmobile called the ‘Book Café.’ Now she’s spending her summer break bringing the library to kids in trailer parks and to places with activities for children. Inside the bus, the books are shelved in wooden boxes similar to those in a record store. That way kids can see the illustrations on the front as they sort through titles.”...
Everett (Wash.) Herald, July 17

Glasgow School of Art seeks book donations
The main Glasgow (Scotland) School of Art library and lending collections were unaffected by the fire in the Mackintosh Building on May 23. However, the Mackintosh Library and its special collections were lost. The librarians have compiled a want list (PDF file), which is kept updated on a weekly basis and publicly available. They are seeking very specific titles that hold particular relevance to the school’s history, alumni, and research activities....
Glasgow School of Art

Germany puts World War I documents online
Hundreds of thousands of rare records and images from World War I have been put online by the German government, ahead of the 100th anniversary of the start of the conflict on July 28. More than 700,000 documents, photos, films, and audio recordings are now accessible on a new portal on the Federal Archive’s website. Access to the complete archive is free....
The Local, July 23

B.C.’s forgotten provincial documents
There are 33,000 boxes of important provincial documents abandoned in a Victoria warehouse, orphaned by a lack of government interest and funding, according to British Columbia’s information and privacy czar. In her report released July 22, Elizabeth Denham said the neglect is severely hampering access to information and the public’s right to know about key decisions of their government....
Canadian Press, July 22

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What the internet can see from your cat pictures
Using cat pictures—that essential building block of the internet—and a supercomputer, Florida State University Art Professor Owen Mundy has built a site, I Know Where Your Cat Lives, that shows the locations of the cats in photos posted on Flickr, TwitPic, and Instagram. He extracted latitude and longitude coordinates that many modern cameras attach to each image. The message: If you include more metadata than you have to with your photos (there are tools to scrub that data), don’t be surprised if it’s used online in ways you didn’t expect and can’t fully control.”...
New York Times: The Upshot, July 22; Owen Mundy, July 16; Digital Inspiration, July 22, 2012

Encryption: Part of the struggle over net neutrality
Stephen Lawson writes: “Activists fended off efforts in the 1990s to ban internet encryption or allow the government ways around it, but an even bigger battle over cryptography is brewing now. Encrypted traffic can’t be given special ‘fast-lane’ treatment because it can’t be identified. That could eliminate a major revenue source for ISPs, giving them a strong reason to oppose the use of encrypted services and potentially an indirect way to degrade their performance.”...
PC World, July 18

Beyond the book brand
Emily Weak writes: “Information sucks as a brand. Maybe one reason why librarians like ‘information’ as a brand so much is because librarians really like information. It fills us with secret glee. But friends, this is not normal. Loving information is a trait that is much more common among librarians than it is in the general population. I think the new library brand will look something more like literacy. And not just reading literacy, but digital skills, financial skills, engaged-with-the-world skills.”...
MLISsing in Action, July 20

US libraries and homelessness
Ian Simpson writes: “George Brown, a homeless man in Washington, D.C., has a simple answer when asked how often he uses a public library. ‘Always. I have nowhere else to go,’ Brown, 65, said outside the US capital’s modernist central library after a morning reading sociology books. Homelessness is an especially acute issue for libraries as the United States slowly emerges from the 2007–2009 recession and deals with stubborn poverty.”...
Reuters, July 17

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Engineering students create Bed Bug Box for libraries
University of Nevada, Las Vegas undergraduate engineering students Jack Cheney, Nicole Ramos, and Vachara Maneeraj created a solar-powered book drop that roasts bed bugs to death. The project was part of UNLV’s engineering senior design competition. Their inspiration came when Shawn Gerstenberger, dean of the School of the Community Health Sciences, spoke to the students about the public health challenge of bed bugs sneaking into library books....
Las Vegas (Nev.) Review-Journal, July 16

Left to our devices
In November 2013, American Libraries Live hosted one of its most popular panel discussions, on tablets and mobile applications. The online show, archived along with other past episodes and a schedule of upcoming shows, is excerpted here. During the hour-long episode, moderator Heather Moorefield-Lang (above) led a conversation about the role libraries are playing in the emerging field of mobile technology, the challenges librarians face, the benefits of these devices on our institutions, and the considerations that must be made for broadband connectivity....
American Libraries feature

10 tips all Samsung Galaxy owners should know
Mark Spoonauer writes: “Using a Samsung Galaxy phone can make me feel like I’m on a treasure hunt. Consider this guide your treasure map. Most importantly, I’ll show you how to use the features that will save you time and help you get the most out of your device, whether you own a Galaxy S4 or S5, a Galaxy Mega or mini, or a Note 3.”...
Laptop, July 18

How to audit a website for accessibility
Marcy Sutton writes: “In addition to checking the heading outline and tabbing through a webpage, I usually start with a few automated tools. Chrome’s Accessibility Developer Tools can audit your code to point out common issues, and now it can look inside Shadow DOM subtrees (see Accessibility and the Shadow DOM). Here are some items that came up in an audit of one website.”...
Substantial, Feb. 5, July 22

Are you using a password manager?
Jill Duffy writes: “Ever since I really understood what password managers are all about, it’s become my mission to convince everyone I know to use one. I’m not kidding. I feel very strongly about password managers. If you don’t use one, you should. Let me tell you why—and start with the disclaimer that many of them are free. I’ll also give you some tips for getting up and rolling with a password manager in an efficient way.”...
PC Magazine, July 21

Maybe it’s okay to reuse weaker passwords
Dan Goodin writes: “By now, most readers know the advice cold: Use long, randomly generated passwords to lock down your digital assets and never use the same password across two or more accounts. In abstract terms, these rules are some of the best ways to protect against data breaches. But a team of researchers (PDF file) says this widely repeated advice isn’t feasible in practice, and they’ve provided the math they say proves it.”...
Ars Technica, July 16

Amazon Unlimited
James LaRue writes: “The technological disruption continues, and it’s hard not to see the announcement of the new Kindle Unlimited ebook service as a significant challenge to libraries. If you read a lot, a library still saves you money, even if most library checkout systems are not only expensive, but cumbersome to use. Now consider the Amazon alternative. Consumers can sign up for $9.99 a month, and have instant access to more than 600,000 ebook titles, including many bestsellers.”...
AL: E-Content, July 3, 18; GigaOM, July 16

Should you get Kindle Unlimited?
Kate Knibbs writes: “You can start a free trial today, but if you’d like to know immediately whether this is the digital borrowing service for you, we’ve got the answer: Probably not. Books are marvelous. But Kindle Unlimited seems decidedly unmarvelous and probably isn’t the most logical deal for you, especially if you’re an existing Amazon Prime member. New releases published by the Big Five publishing companies are nowhere to be found, because Amazon doesn’t have agreements with them.”...
Gizmodo, July 18; New York Times, July 18

The emerging ebook audience: Predictions
James LaRue writes: “What do new enterprises such as Scribd, Oyster, and Kindle Unlimited tell us? First, they tell us that the subscription service model makes at least some sense both to aggregator and consumer. (Although I continue to find Total Boox a fascinating alternative.) Second, they tell us that since the Big Five don’t play in any of these models, a new market is emerging.”...
AL: E-Content, July 22

DPLA and the promise of libraries as platforms
Kenny Whitebloom writes: “Using a digital library as a platform where anyone can build tools and services is a now a hot topic in the LIS field. Libraries can maximize use of their digital collections—and fulfill their mission of democratizing access to knowledge—by providing a reliable method for developers, researchers, and others to integrate library data into applications, visualizations, and tools. The Digital Public Library of America feels strongly about this promise of platform architecture.”...
Simmons GSLIS: Unbound, July 21

Liberio: A new ebook publishing platform
Mike Butcher writes: “Liberio is a new platform (launched July 22 out of private beta) for simple ebook creation and publishing straight from Google Drive. Liberio can be used to create an ebook, magazine, or school project, then publish and distribute the finished product. Some teachers are using it to create publications for the iPad for students, and education is likely to be a special focus for the platform.”...
TechCrunch, July 22

When was the last time you used a print dictionary?
Bonnie Swoger writes: “I used to keep a small dictionary in my bedside table, another in the end table near the couch, one on my home office desk, and another on my desk at work. When I was an undergraduate geology major, I had a specialized geology dictionary that I kept near my desk. Fast forward to 2014 and three of these dictionaries are gone, the fourth (in my office at work) is rarely used, and the geology dictionary is kept primarily for nostalgia.”...
Scientific American: Information Culture, July 22

Apple agrees to settlement in ebook suits
Apple has agreed to pay $450 million to resolve state and consumer claims that the iPad manufacturer conspired with five major publishers to fix ebook prices, according to court records filed July 16. The settlement, which would provide $400 million for consumers, is conditioned on the outcome of a pending appeal of a New York federal judge’s ruling last year that Apple was liable for violating antitrust laws....
Washington Post, July 16

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.

How the public library turned me into a reader
Claire Fallon writes: “Books are my passion and my job, so imagine my profound embarrassment several months ago when I had to admit something shameful: I did not yet have a library card for the New York Public Library, despite having resided in the city for the past four years. Yes, it’s horrible. I know. My only defense is this: I have a bizarre inability to let go of books.”...
The Huffington Post, July 22

In defense of NYPL’s summer reading list for kids
Rita Meade writes: “As a librarian (with a background in both secondary education and library youth services) currently working in New York City, I had many problems with the views Naomi Schaefer Riley presented in the New York Post about children’s literature and the way the New York Public Libraries come up with the summer reading lists. Subsequently, I thought I’d do a paragraph-by-paragraph response just to clear the air (or, at least, clear my headspace). So let’s get to it.”...
Book Riot, July 17; New York Post, July 14

Around the world in 80+ children’s books
Marianna Vertsman writes: “Summer is here, and with it comes the joy of getting away from it all. While we research our destinations with some assistance from guidebooks, children don’t really have that option. The books on this list offer young travelers a great opportunity to explore new cultures through a colorful world of illustrated stories and fairytales. These books will introduce your children to the rich cultural heritage and traditions of your international destinations.”...
New York Public Library Blogs, July 22

Stop me if you think you’ve heard this one before
Jessica Lind writes: “While scanning through a list of new YA releases recently, I couldn’t help noticing that many of the titles seemed awfully familiar: Quite a few of them share (or are very similar to) titles of songs. Some of these will have you humming the second you see the covers. (The title of this post is a reference to a song by The Smiths and a similarly titled 2008 YA book by David Yoo.)”...
YALSA The Hub, July 21

Morris Award authors: Where are they now?
Katie Shanahan Yu writes: “Have you ever wondered what YALSA’s Morris Award–winning authors have been up to today since they were recognized for their first novels? Well then, this post is the one for you. YALSA has been giving out the Morris award since 2009, which honors debut young adult authors with impressive new voices. Here is what some of our Morris winners and finalists have been writing since winning their awards.”...
YALSA The Hub, July 22

Movie and TV adaptations in the pipeline
Nora Rawlinson writes: “Book adaptations are not only hot in the film industry, they’ve also become a major source for TV, as evidenced by the nominations for the upcoming Emmy Awards. There are so many that Word and Film created a Book Lover’s Look at the 2014 Emmy Nominations (led, of course, by Game of Thrones). In total, we are tracking 35 titles that have been announced for TV adaptation. We know because we recently organized our adaptation information into a spreadsheet.”...
EarlyWord: The Publisher | Librarian Connection, July 23; Word and Film, July 11

July 23 is Batman Day
Traci Glass writes: “It’s officially Batman Day, as declared by DC Comics, a celebration of Batman and the glorious 75 years that he has graced us with his batty-presence. No matter what form of Batman you prefer—animated series, comic books, video games, movies—we are celebrating him in all his incarnations today. I’ve got a little bit of a history for you, a few of my favorite stories, and a look at where Batman is going in the future.”...
YALSA The Hub, July 23

Wattpad enables fan fiction
Dianna Dilworth writes: “Digital writing community Wattpad is making it easier for writers to make their work available to be the basis of fan fiction. The social network has expanded its Creative Commons licensing option to level 4.0, which essentially means that they are giving writers more options to rework and remix the work of other writers.”...
GalleyCat, July 22

Bookish shoes for literary feet
Rachel Manwill writes: “Make all the fetish jokes you want, but we here at the Book Riot HQ have a thing for bookish shoes. Heels, flats, sandals, sneakers: If they have a literary twist, we’ll wear them. Some of these have been featured in some of our past Book Fetish articles, but there are a few new kicks here as well. Of course, single-theme shoes are a must for a list like this.”...
Book Riot, July 21

Libraries get a shrinking share of university budgets
Phil Davis writes: “As a percentage of overall university expenditures, libraries have been steadily losing ground. This is the main message of an updated graphic (PDF file) produced by the Association of Research Libraries. Based on reports from 40 research libraries, the percentage of university funds spent on libraries has shrunk by over one-half in the past three decades, from a high of 3.7% in 1984 to just 1.8% in 2011. I believe that ARL’s graph tells a mixed story of success and failure.”...
The Scholarly Kitchen, July 22

The varied life of an academic librarian
Ariana Santiago writes: “What is it like being an academic librarian? Every day is different. Sometimes I’m teaching, or alone at my desk (often doing the planning for teaching), in meetings or collaborating with colleagues in the library, at an event or training session where I get to learn from people outside the library, or attending events like an Orientation Information Fair. I’d say the variety is definitely something I like the most about this career.”...
ACRLog, July 20

So you want to be an academic military librarian?
Lauren Dodd Hall (right) writes: “Near the end of my LIS program, I learned of a paid internship opportunity in an academic military library that had the potential to turn into a full-time job after graduation. I had never considered working in military libraries before, but only because I hadn’t realized they existed. Long story short, I interviewed and was offered the internship, which did convert to a full-time position after graduation. This was the start of what has become, so far, my academic military librarian career.”...
Letters to a Young Librarian, July 17

A new Netherlands library smashes attendance records
Cat Johnson writes: “Facing declining visitors and uncertainty about what to do about it, library administrators in the new planned city of Almere in the Netherlands redesigned their libraries and in 2010 opened the Nieuwe Bibliotheek (New Library), a thriving community hub that looks like a bookstore. The library groups books by areas of interest, combining fiction and nonfiction; it displays books face-out to catch the eye of browsers; and it trains staff members in marketing and customer-service techniques. It greeted more than 100,000 visitors in its first two months.”...
Shareable, July 21

Tennessee family bibles online
Visitors to the website of the Tennessee State Library and Archives in Nashville can now access family bible records previously available only to patrons visiting the building. Over the past few years, TSLA volunteer Cinamon Collins scanned more than 1,500 family bibles held at the library, including one published in 1538. Only the title page and genealogical information were scanned—not the entire book....
Tennessee State Library and Archives, July 9

Report from the Latina/o Studies Conference in Chicago
Adan Griego writes: “There I was, humming the melody to ‘Amor, amor’ by Andy Russell at a panel on Latina/o representation in mass media. Indeed, an innovative technique to engage the audience at an 8 a.m. presentation when some in attendance were still functioning in an earlier time zone two hours away. This was one of the more than 100 panels (PDF file) encompassing 277 presentations as part of the inaugural International Latina/o Studies Conference in Chicago, July 17–19.”...
Seminar on the Acquisition of Latin American Library Materials, July 22

Mostly Lost at LC’s Packard Campus
Steve Zalusky writes: “On July 18, day two of the ‘Mostly Lost’ preservation event at the Packard Campus of the Library of Congress in Culpeper, Virginia, we were treated to a heaping helping of rare (although incomplete) footage of silent comedians. Comedy experts were busy tapping into their extensive knowledge, while others frantically combed through websites on their laptops, tablets, and smartphones. Viewers looked for clues within the film, such as dates on wall calendars, years on license plates, and information from scenery or props.” Be sure to read part one....
At Your Library, July 22

Europeana shows the value of historic newspapers
The Europeana Newspapers Project partners have gathered beautiful historic newspaper material to tell their story through video (1:45). The project, which lasts through January 2015, will aggregate 18 million historic newspaper pages for Europeana and the European Library and create a special content viewer that will improve online newspaper browsing....
Europeana Newspapers Project, July

The value of working as a temp librarian
Harold Rougeux writes: “After what seemed like an endless string of applications and interviews, I finally had a solid job offer on the table. The only problem was that the job was temporary, in another state, some 600 miles away. To date, my time as a temp librarian may be one of the most beneficial gambles I’ve ever taken. If you’ve avoided applying for temp jobs because you think they are a waste of time, you need to rethink that strategy.”...
INALJ, July 22

Five ways libraries are using Instagram
Amy Mollett and Anthony McDonnell write: “Instagram is fast becoming an exciting platform through which libraries can share news, achievements, and images of everyday life among the bookshelves. But it’s not only for its novel approach to photo sharing that libraries are using Instagram. With the majority of users in key university-student age brackets, it certainly makes sense for libraries to consider Instagram’s merits. Here are five ways that libraries are using the program.”...
London School of Economics Review of Books, Apr. 12

Storytime tip: Project without straining
Ingrid Abrams, Michelle Kilty, and Natasha Forrester provide answers to the question of how to project your voice during storytime. Michelle writes: “When you are a bit quieter of a presenter, you need to know effective crowd control. I have been known to stop reading a book and just wait for the room to get quiet. I know it seems old school, but it works on the adults. I don’t worry about the kids’ noise level too much.”...
Storytime Underground, July 22

Miss Public Libraries: Mary Eileen Ahern
Denise Rayman writes: “Festschrifts are a common way to honor someone in academia. They typically contain academic essays related to the person’s life work, contributed traditionally by the person’s former doctoral students and colleagues. But what about a Festschrift that’s instead full of nothing but praise for the person gathered from common workers in her field, and furthermore isn’t for an academic, but instead for a public service librarian? This was the final issue of Libraries magazine in 1931, honoring one Mary Eileen Ahern (above).”...
ALA Archives Blog, July 21

Ohio’s Traveling Library
Larry Nix writes: “The Ohio State Library in Columbus operated the largest and longest-lasting traveling library program in the United States. Traveling libraries were small, rotating collections of books. They were used by state libraries to extend library service beyond public library buildings. They preceded and were alternatives to bookmobiles. The traveling library program of the Ohio State Library (PDF file) started in 1896, lasted until 1973, and used postcards to advertise its services.”...
Library History Buff Blog, July 22; State Library of Ohio News, Apr. 2003

Collaborative color wheel
Ariel Cummins writes: “This is a passive program I ripped right out of our school-aged summer series and plopped on the boredom-buster table. It’s dead simple, but really fun. I took a piece of white poster board and divided it up into six wedges. I looked up my trusty color wheel colors and wrote in the appropriate colors in each wedge. Then I put out discarded magazines, scissors, and glue, and invited kids to cut things out of the magazines and paste them in the appropriate wedges.”...
Hushlander, July 21

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