The e-newsletter of the American Library Association | June 18, 2014

Libraries stream toward Roku lending
Beverly Goldberg writes: “It’s been two years since the Ephrata (Pa.) Public Library began lending Roku devices—digital video players that people plug into their TVs so they can view on a larger screen digitized programming that is archived online (such as PBS content) and on other streaming platforms like Netflix. The lending program has proven wildly popular, Technical Services Manager Laura Brandt told American Libraries, even as DVD circulation continues to mushroom.”...
American Libraries feature

Digital resources in school libraries
Roger Rosen writes: “As a publisher of educational materials for students in K–12 schools for more than 34 years, I’ve collaborated closely with school librarians who deliver content and programming to the populations that we both serve. Close collaboration with librarians informs everything we do, and it is not limited to content creation but also includes impassioned advocacy on behalf of the profession to raise awareness about the vital role that school librarians play in the lives of their students.”...
American Libraries feature

AL Live: Going Beyond Google
Mariam Pera writes: “The June 12 episode of American Libraries Live tackled the million-dollar question: Why do we need librarians if we have Google? Panelists for “Going Beyond Google” were Joanna Burkhardt, Nikki Krysak, John McCullough, and Beth McDonough. Each addressed the myth that Google—or the internet or other search engines—has all the right answers, but also discussed the ways in which Google provides opportunities for librarians and enhances library services.” Watch the full episode online (1:00:55)....
AL: The Scoop, June 18; YouTube, June 12

Creating networking bridges
Mariam Pera writes: “In May, ALA’s Office for Diversity and Spectrum Scholarship Program partnered with libraries and graduate schools of library and information science in five cities to present essential information workshops for people interested in graduate education and careers in library and information science as part of the Knowledge Alliance project. The project is intended to create a diverse network of library colleagues who serve as resources for those interested in pursuing library careers. Here are some insights from the workshop organizers and attendees.”...
AL: The Scoop, June 18

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Get the latest on Annual Conference
Read the June preview issue of Cognotes to get the highlights, updates, and news about Annual Conference—online now, free in print every day once you get to Las Vegas. The Cognotes interactive edition lets you easily share articles with colleagues, search the exhibitor list, discover events in the exhibit hall, and read about the multitude of programs, sessions, conversations, speakers, authors, social events, award ceremonies, and celebrations. There is also a mobile version, an accessible version, and a PDF version....
Conference Services

ALA welcomes open internet bill
ALA is rallying librarians to support the Online Competition and Consumer Choice Act of 2014, a net neutrality bill that would prohibit paid prioritization over the internet. Introduced June 17 by Rep. Doris Matsui (D-Calif.) and Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), the legislation would require the FCC to use whatever authority it sees fit to make sure that internet providers do not speed up certain types of content (like Netflix videos) at the expense of others (like email). ALA President Barbara Stripling responded to the introduction of the bill with this statement....
Office for Information Technology Policy, June 17; NPR: All Tech Considered, June 17; Washington Post: The Switch, June 17

75th anniversary of the Library Bill of Rights
Seventy-five years ago at the 1939 ALA Annual Conference in San Francisco, ALA Council adopted the original Library Bill of Rights, echoing the spirit of a document from the Des Moines (Iowa) Public Library in 1938. This document, refreshed in 1944, 1948, 1961, 1967, 1980, and 1996, remains the library profession’s major policy document on intellectual freedom....
Office for Intellectual Freedom, June 17

36 participants selected for second Leadership Institute
Thirty-six mid-career librarians have been selected from a highly competitive pool to participate in Leading to the Future, ALA’s second four-day immersive leadership development program for future library leaders. The full list of participants is on the Transforming Libraries website....
Office of ALA Governance, June 17

Time to reskill
The ALA Committee on Literacy will sponsor a discussion of the Programme for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies Survey and its ramifications for libraries on June 28 during the 2014 ALA Annual Conference in Las Vegas. “Time to Reskill: An Action Plan for Literacy” will provide an overview of the PIAAC survey results as well as a report on the new National Action Plan from the US Department of Education....
Office for Literacy and Outreach Services, June 17

Library service to immigrants highlighted at Annual
US Citizenship and Immigration Services will participate in a panel discussion to explore practical ways libraries are assisting immigrants in a session titled, “Citizenship Programs and Resources at the Library” on June 29 during the 2014 ALA Annual Conference in Las Vegas....
Office for Literacy and Outreach Services, June 17

#DiversityatALA
Hannah Gómez writes: “You are likely aware of the #WeNeedDiverseBooks movement, which ignited in May in response to BookExpo America’s all-white lineup for its first ever Book Con. While the hashtag has died down, the furor, uproar, and excitement certainly have not. Some librarians and authors (myself included) have decided to take a similar effort to Annual Conference.”...
YALSA The Hub, May 1, June 16

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

What you need to know about graphic novels
ALA Editions will hold a new 90-minute workshop, “What You Need to Know About Graphic Novels,” with David Serchay on September 10. Serchay will help you develop your graphic novel collection by providing a wealth of tips and practical advice about buying, recommending, cataloging, and shelving graphic novels. Registration is available on the ALA Store....
ALA Editions, June 16

Seven strategies for creating career opportunities
In the August 14 workshop, “Seven Strategies for Creating Career Opportunities,” consultant, professor, and LIS career coach Kim Dority will offer you concrete strategies and solutions for how to create career opportunities for yourself in a field where many are anxious about the future. Registration is available on the ALA Store....
ALA Editions, June 17

A handbook for organizing exhibitions
Drawing on international museum practice but applicable to any exhibition or display, Organizing Exhibitions: A Handbook for Libraries, Archives, and Museums, by Freda Matassa, offers practical guidance for creating and organizing successful exhibitions. Designed for the first-time exhibition organizer as well as the professional, and a key text for cultural management students, this book sets out a timeline from the initial idea to the final outcome....
ALA Publishing, June 17

Using LC as a teaching resource
With nearly 142 million items and one of the largest bodies of high-quality, digitized content available, the Library of Congress is an enormously useful resource for librarians and teachers. Interacting with History: Teaching with Primary Sources, published by ALA Editions, explores the wealth of materials freely available for free from LC. Editor Katharine Lehman and a stellar roundup of contributors offer an up-to-date survey of teacher resources to help educators shake the dust off state-mandated history and literature curricula....
ALA Editions, June 13

A landmark examination of rare books and special collections
From cuneiform, coins, and codices to prints, drawings, photographs, and maps, special collections departments are the premier repositories of significant printed and manuscript works and artifacts. Entrusted with the responsibility of preserving the records of history and culture, these institutions enable access to millions of source materials. Rare Books and Special Collections offers a landmark examination of this field. Sidney E. Berger presents a meticulous and systematic overview....
ALA Neal-Schuman, June 17

A guide to data sources for reference
The Reference Guide to Data Sources takes the guesswork out of locating the best sources of data, a process more important than ever as the data landscape grows increasingly cluttered. Much of the most frequently used data can be found free online, and this book shows readers how to look for it with the assistance of user-friendly tools. This thoroughly annotated guide by Julia Bauder will be a boon to library staff at public, high school, and academic libraries, as well as other research institutions....
ALA Editions, June 17

Guide to Reference in Medicine and Health
Drawn from the extensive Guide to Reference database, Guide to Reference in Medicine and Health is an up-to-date annotated list of print and electronic biomedical and health-related reference sources, including online resources and digital image collections. Edited by Christa Modschiedler and Denise Beaubien Bennett, this book is an important tool for both library staff answering health queries as well as patrons undertaking research....
ALA Publishing, June 17

The ALA War Service in Siberia
Larry Nix writes: “In November 1918, Harry Clemons, professor and librarian at Nanking University in China, was appointed the official ALA representative in Vladivostok to develop library services for American forces in Russia. I have written previously about his work in Siberia, but recently I became aware of an envelope (right) mailed on December 23, 1918, by Clemons shortly after his arrival in Vladivostok, which may be the only letter in private hands that he mailed as ALA’s representative.”...
Library History Buff Blog, Dec. 17, 2011; June 18

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Las Vegas Natural History Museum
The Las Vegas Natural History Museum, located in the city’s Cultural Corridor at 900 Las Vegas Boulevard North, opened in 1991. It offers permanent exhibits on dinosaurs, American and African wildlife, an aquarium, Egyptian artifacts, and a geology gallery. A special exhibit, “Hatching the Past” (right), explores dinosaur family groups and dinosaur eggs. Its website offers a two-for-one admission coupon....
Las Vegas Natural History Museum

Nevada State Museum
The Nevada State Museum, located at the Las Vegas Springs Preserve, houses items from the development of the city as well as the natural history of the area. Across a 13,000-square-foot permanent exhibit gallery, visitors will find out how geology shaped the Great Basin and Nevada, learn of the early flora and fauna that roamed this once great sea, and hear the story of Native Americans, early settlers, miners, railroaders, ranchers, and entrepreneurs. A special exhibit on “150 Years of Communication in Nevada” opened in May....
Nevada State Museum

Las Vegas implosions
Vegas.com has compiled a list of the most significant property implosions of the recent past and the stories surrounding them. For example, the Landmark Hotel and Casino’s explosive demolition (right) in November 1995 will forever be immortalized as the Martian-destroyed Galaxy Hotel in Tim Burton’s Mars Attacks! The hotel starred in a few other movies prior to its implosion, most notably Diamonds Are Forever and Casino....
Vegas.com

11 over-the-top burgers
E. C. Gladstone writes: “Whether it gets the credit or not, Las Vegas has led America in the fussy-fancy burger trend, dating back to Michelin-starred chef Hubert Keller’s Burger Bar in 2004, if not earlier. With the appearance of original fancy burger garçon Daniel Boulud at the Venetian in May, and the arrival of a Shake Shack at New York–New York Hotel and Casino later this year, the beef stampede shows no signs of letting up.”...
Bon Appétit, May 13

Best doughnuts in Las Vegas
Grace Bascos writes: “Fried dough covered with sugar is good every day (for some people), but since today happens to be dedicated to doughnuts, we thought you should treat yourself to a little something special besides your usual at Dunkin’ Donuts or Krispy Kreme. Channel your inner Homer Simpson and check out these spots for our favorite sweet treats around Las Vegas.”...
USA Today: Travel, June 6

Yes, a few bookstores
Although it may not have as many as other cities, Las Vegas does have some bookstores worth visiting. Bauman Rare Books, at the Shoppes in the Palazzo, is open 12 hours a day, seven days a week. The Sci Fi Center is farther away at 600 East Sahara Avenue, Suite 13. Cosmic Comics at 3830 East Flamingo Road, Suite F-2, has a huge selection of comics....
Yahoo! Local

The Neon Museum and Neon Boneyard
The Neon Museum, 770 Las Vegas Boulevard North, where Sin City’s most iconic signs go to retire, has begun aiming more than 100 multicolored spotlights at its outdoor collection of 150 signs. It’s also extended its guided tour hours to the evening, and a handful of signs have been fully restored with new bulbs. Each of the nearly 150 signs in the museum’s Neon Boneyard collection offers a unique story about the personalities who created it, what inspired it, where and when it was made, and the role it played in Las Vegas’ distinctive history. More pix here....
Neon Museum; New Zealand Herald, May 14; Miss 604, May 6; Thrillist, Mar. 27

The UNLV Center for Gaming Research
The Center for Gaming Research, inside the University of Nevada, Las Vegas’s Lied Library, provides support for scholarly inquiry into all aspects of gambling, including the business of gaming, its economic and social impacts, and its historical and cultural manifestations. The center issues reports on gaming data at local, statewide, and national levels. It also hosts a “Neon Survey” online exhibition with images and facts about Las Vegas neon signage....
UNLV Center for Gaming Research

Staying fit
Stefanie Bailey writes: “One of the most difficult aspects of traveling is trying to maintain your normal health and fitness routine while you’re away from home. Staying in a hotel and eating out at every meal can be fun but can also deter you from exercising and eating healthy. For those of you who want to squeeze in a workout session or try a new fitness activity while in Vegas, this post is for you.”...
YALSAblog, June 16

For librarian daredevils: Vegas on the edge
You think you’re big-time? Prove it. Anyone over a certain height can ride a roller coaster, but it takes a real man or woman to swim with sharks, fly like an eagle, ride the Desperado’s Turbo Drop, free-fall on the Skyjump at the Stratosphere, or race like a NASCAR pro at the Richard Petty Rookie Driving Experience at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway....
Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority

Legal tips for your Las Vegas trip
Jenny Tsay writes: “People visit Sin City to get a little wild and maybe win some extra cash. But if you aren’t careful, your Las Vegas vacation could lead to legal trouble. Here are our top five legal tips to remember when you’re visiting Vegas.”...
FindLaw, Apr. 4

McCarran Airport
Group shuttles are an economical way to get from McCarran International Airport to most major hotels. While en route, shuttles make multiple stops at locations along the way, so relax and enjoy the spectacular view. The airport recently opened a Medical Clinic and Pharmacy that is staffed by a doctor who can provide remedies from flu shots and hangover cures to replacing a prescription if one was left behind. And if you are stranded, you can always shoot a video like Richard Dunn did (5:20)....
McCarran Airport; TheCelebrityCafe.com, June 8; Las Vegas Weekly, June 10; Vimeo, June

Beware the taxicabs
“We conservatively estimate airport passengers were overcharged $14.8 million in 2012,” reads an audit report on taxi services in Las Vegas. The biggest scam: long hauling, or taxi-speak for deliberately taking an indirect route. The audit found that long hauling occurred on 22.5% of taxi rides from the city’s McCarran Airport. Another surprise for passengers, although it’s perfectly legal: a $3 surcharge if you pay your taxi fare with a credit card....
Forbes, May 1, 2013

Three airlines reduce carry-on luggage dimensions
Mary Forgione writes: “Three airlines recently downsized their acceptable dimensions for a carry-on bag, catching one travel pro by surprise and sending up a warning flag for others who might be caught unaware. American, Delta, and United airlines recently altered carry-on sizes to a maximum of 22 inches long, 14 inches wide, and 9 inches high. Not all airlines hew to the new size limits. JetBlue and Southwest, for example, allow bigger bags that measure at most 24 inches long, 16 inches wide, and 10 inches high.”...
Los Angeles Times, June 12

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The Embedded Librarian’s Cookbook
The Embedded Librarian’s Cookbook offers step-by-step guidelines for implementing tested approaches to embedded librarianship. Following the popular format of ACRL’s 2009 release The Library Instruction Cookbook, the book, edited by Kaijsa Calkins and Cassandra Kvenild, features 55 “recipes” sorted into categories related to working with a variety of instructional situations, audiences, and levels of engagement. The Embedded Librarian’s Cookbook provides librarians with a smorgasbord of approaches to embedding instruction and assessing these activities....
ACRL, June 17

Great Websites for Kids grows
ALSC has added more sites to Great Websites for Kids, its online resource containing hundreds of links to exceptional websites for children. Great Web Sites for Kids features links to high-quality websites of interest to children 14 years of age and younger, organized into diverse subject headings....
ALSC, June 17

Hot books from small press
United for Libraries will present “Hot Books from Small Press” on June 29 at the ALA Annual Conference in Las Vegas. Join Robert Dawson (The Public Library: A Photographic Essay), Adele Griffin (The Unfinished Life of Addison Stone), and Russ Kick (right, The Graphic Canon of Children’s Literature) as they discuss their latest books. Authors will sign their books following the event....
United for Libraries, June 17

Programs for Friends, trustees, and foundations
United for Libraries will host “Nuts and Bolts for Friends, Trustees, and Foundations” on June 27 at the ALA Annual Conference in Las Vegas. It will feature Jan Masaoka and Robert Karatsu. United for Libraries will host several other programs and discussion groups....
United for Libraries, June 17

Martin and Roberts join AASL Fall Forum
Ann M. Martin and Kathleen R. Roberts, leaders in the school library profession, will join educator David Warlick as presenters at the AASL 2014 Fall Forum. Taking place October 17–18, “School Librarians in the Anytime Anywhere Learning Landscape” will convene in St. Louis and be broadcast to nine satellite sites across the country....
AASL, June 13

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Inaugural Roald Dahl Miss Honey Social Justice Award
School librarian Betsy Lobmeyer has won AASL’s inaugural Roald Dahl Miss Honey Social Justice Award for her project “Charlie’s Ever Warming Blankets” Children in Poverty. Students at Plymell Elementary School in Garden City, Kansas, voted to make blankets for children of jailed women in Ecuador. Sponsored by Penguin Random House, the award recognizes collaboration between school librarians and teachers in the instruction of social justice using school library resources. Lobmeyer will receive $2,000 and up to $1,000 in reimbursement for travel to the 2014 ALA Annual Conference in Las Vegas....
AASL, June 17

2014 Talk Story Grant winners
The American Indian Library Association and the Asian/Pacific American Librarians Association, supported by Toyota Financial Services, have awarded $600 grants to 10 libraries and community organizations to host “Talk Story: Sharing Stories, Sharing Culture Programming.” A literacy program that celebrates and explores stories through books, oral traditions, and art, “Talk Story” reaches out to Asian Pacific American and American Indian/Alaska Native children and their families....
Talk Story, June 16

Tribal library receives Institutional Excellence Award
The Jamestown S’Klallam Tribal Library (right) in Blyn, Washington, was awarded the 2014 Library Institutional Excellence Award by the Association of Tribal Archives, Libraries, and Museums. Included in the recognition were Tribal Planning Director Leanne Jenkins and her library staff. ATALM commended the Jamestown S’Klallam Tribe for bringing its library services into the 21st century, offering opportunities for digital access to treasured tribal collections, and providing a state-of-the-art library....
Between the Lines, June 11

2014 RWA Librarian of the Year
The RWA Librarian of the Year Award is presented by the Romance Writers of America to a librarian who demonstrates outstanding support of romance authors and the romance genre. This year, the award went to Sean Gilmartin, teen librarian at the Anythink Library in Thornton, Colorado. He is in the process of writing his own romance novel. In this interview in USA Today, Gilmartin says that he loves promoting the romance genre in person and in booklists....
Romance Writers of America; USA Today, June 16

Apply for a Paul Evan Peters Fellowship
The Paul Evan Peters Fellowship—sponsored by the Coalition for Networked Information, the Association of Research Libraries, and Educause—was established to honor and perpetuate the memory of CNI’s founding executive director. It is awarded every two years to students pursuing graduate studies in librarianship or the information sciences. Two fellowships will be awarded in 2014. The deadline to apply is June 24....
Association of Research Libraries, June 15

2014 Kansas Notable Books
The State Library of Kansas has announced 15 books featuring quality titles with wide public appeal, either written by Kansans or about a Kansas-related topic. The Kansas Notable Book List highlights the state’s lively contemporary writing community and encourages readers to enjoy some of its best writing. An awards ceremony will be held at the Kansas Book Festival on September 13 to recognize the talented Notable Book authors....
State Library of Kansas, June 17

2014 Horatio Nelson Fiction Prize
Mike Meginnis has won the inaugural Horatio Nelson Fiction Prize for his debut novel Fat Man and Little Boy. As the winner he earns a $5,000 cash prize, as well as a book deal with Black Balloon Publishing. The new prize from Black Balloon Publishing is aimed at honoring books that invoke the spirit of Admiral Lord Horatio Nelson, “a one-eyed, one-armed lunatic genius who never gave up.”...
GalleyCat, June 13

2014 International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award
The Sound of Things Falling, by Colombian author Juan Gabriel Vásquez and translated from the Spanish by Canadian Anne McLean, is the winner of the 2014 International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award. The €100,000 ($135,700 US) prize, organized by Dublin City Council, is the world’s largest prize for a single novel published in English. The winning novel, set during the era of Colombian drug lord Pablo Escobar, was chosen from a total of 152 titles that were nominated by 150 libraries in 39 countries. The novel was nominated by Biblioteca Cosio Daniel Villegas in Mexico City....
International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award

2014 Walter Scott Prize
Robert Harris’s An Officer and a Spy (Arrow), a recreation of one of the most infamous miscarriages of justice in modern history, the conviction of Jewish officer Alfred Dreyfus for treason in Paris in 1895, was announced as the winner of the 2014 Walter Scott Prize for Historical Fiction at the Borders Book Festival in Melrose on June 13. Now in its fifth year, the Walter Scott prize honors Scott’s achievements as one of the world’s most influential novelists....
The Guardian (UK), June 13

2014 Tower Hamlets reading lists
The 2014 Tower Hamlets Schools Library Service annual book lists were released in mid-June. These two lists are chosen by the library staff and students of Tower Hamlets Schools in London: a must-read list aimed at preteen students (9–11 years old), and a teen list. Both contain a selection of 40 exciting new fiction titles published in the last year that cover a diverse range of subjects, genres, authors, and interests....
Tower Hamlets Schools

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White House Maker Faire
To celebrate America’s students and entrepreneurs who are inventing the future with new technologies and techniques, President Obama hosted the first-ever White House Maker Faire on June 18. The event featured Makers, innovators, and entrepreneurs of all ages who are using cutting-edge tools to bring their ideas to life. The president has proclaimed June 18 as a National Day of Making. Among the guests was IMLS Director Susan H. Hildreth, who represented the many libraries and museums around the country engaged in the Maker movement....
White House Maker Faire, June 18; Institute of Museum and Library Services, June 18

Sacramento libraries plan to boost services
For the first time in years, the Sacramento (Calif.) Public Library isn’t trying to figure out how to do more with less. Voters earlier in June affirmed their support for public libraries by approving Measure B, a $12 annual tax on single-family homes in the city. The measure’s passage will provide city libraries with $1.9 million in additional funding for library staffing, operating hours, materials, and technology. SPL Director Rivkah Sass (above) hopes to expand the library’s digital services, which now include 3D printers and computers equipped with Photoshop software....
Sacramento (Calif.) Bee, June 16

Former librarian bequeaths $2.2 million to SUNY Albany libraries
The University at Albany, New York, has received a $2.2 million gift from the estate of the late Alice Hastings Murphy (right) to benefit its libraries. The bequest is one of the largest gifts from an individual in the university’s history and the largest in support of the university libraries. Hastings Murphy was the first person to hold the position of director of university libraries, retiring in 1970. The university will name the library’s Preservation Laboratory in honor of Hastings Murphy’s gift....
University at Albany, June 5

Man with gun at Kalamazoo library
An incident involving a man carrying a gun at the Kalamazoo (Mich.) Public Library’s Summer Reading Party (right) shows the need to add libraries to the list of gun-free zones in Michigan, said Library Director Ann Rohrbaugh. But a spokesman for Michigan Open Carry says the library owes the man an apology. Rohrbaugh said the man had a handgun in a holster at the June 8 event in the parking lot of the downtown library. When approached by library staff, “he told us that he carries a gun to protect his young daughter,” Rohrbaugh said....
Kalamazoo (Mich.) Gazette, June 17

Rose Reading Room closes for six months
The New York Public Library’s Rose Main Reading Room will remain closed for the next six months for inspection and repairs after a plaster rosette fell from its ceiling on May 29 (right). The reading room is the jewel of the library’s flagship Fifth Avenue building, which draws 2.3 million visits a year. The room’s 52-foot-tall ceilings are adorned with painted clouds and other decorations molded in plaster. NYPL will conduct a “full-scale inspection” of the ceilings in both the reading room and the catalog room....
Wall Street Journal, June 16

Schomburg establishes center to study the slave trade
New York Public Library’s Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture is establishing a major center for the analysis of the transatlantic slave trade, the only such center based in a public research library. Expected to open in January 2015, it will be called the Lapidus Center for the Historical Analysis of Trans-Atlantic Slavery and endowed with a $2.5 million gift from Ruth and Sid Lapidus. The gift includes about 400 rare books and other printed material about the slave trade....
New York Times, June 12

Romare Bearden murals move to Hartford Public Library
Two abstract murals commissioned by Hartford, Connecticut, three decades ago will get the display and respect usually accorded works of public art. The Hartford Public Library has agreed to exhibit the murals by Harlem Renaissance painter Romare Bearden (1911–1988) in its main branch beginning in mid-July, after the collages are removed from the city’s XL Center, where they have hung in relative obscurity since the late 1980s and required the price of a ticket for viewing....
Hartford (Conn.) Courant, June 13

LC names Charles Wright new US poet laureate
Librarian of Congress James H. Billington has appointed Charles Wright (right) the library’s 20th Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry for 2014–2015. Wright will open the library’s annual literary season with a reading of his work at the Coolidge Auditorium on September 25. He is the author of 24 collections of poems, the most recent of which is Caribou (2014). Wright taught for many years at the University of Virginia, where he was the Souder Family Professor of English....
Library of Congress, June 12; From the Catbird Seat, June 13

Atari party at Sunnyvale Library
Add a new category of folks who enjoy an occasional but precious trip into the past: Atari aficionados. More than 100 of them—including many who fondly remember playing Atari video games as kids in the 1970s or 1980s on the company’s original, ground-breaking consoles—flocked June 14 to an Atari party at Sunnyvale (Calif.) Public Library. The event also featured two speakers—former Atari engineer Dan Kramer, who championed the creation of the Trak-Ball controllers for the Atari 2600, and Pong creator Al Alcorn (above)....
San José (Calif.) Mercury-News, June 14

Librarians return to Winchester
It took a decade, but full-time librarians have finally returned to each of the elementary schools in Winchester, Massachusetts. Faced with tight budgets, the School Committee had cut the district’s five library resource managers at the start of the 2004–2005 school year. Parent volunteers opted to keep them open with the help of 20 to 30 parents at each school. Since then, librarians have been slowly returning to the schools....
Winchester (Mass.) Star, June 16

Idaho school libraries try to stop summer slide
Six school libraries in Idaho are staying open during summer break, thanks to an innovative pilot project the Idaho Commission for Libraries is undertaking. Schools in Coeur d’Alene, Plummer, Meridian, Jerome, Burley, and Caldwell are remaining open two days per week to help stop the “summer slide” that occurs when young minds sit idle for three months. Boise State University Literacy Professor Roger Stewart (above) is researching whether opening school libraries over the summer can maintain or increase youth literacy skills....
Spokane (Wash.) Spokesman-Review, June 12

Grand jury: Mendocino County owes library $1.2 million
Mendocino County, California, may owe its library more than $1.2 million because the county librarian’s salary was improperly paid out of the library’s budget for 15 years rather than out of the county general fund, according to a report released recently by a Mendocino County grand jury. The library’s budget paid an estimated $1,280,00 between 1998 and 2013 for the county librarian’s salary and benefits, which is against the law, according to the grand jury....
Ukiah (Calif.) Daily Journal, June 16

Director sues over disability discrimination
The director of the Ansonia (Conn.) Library (right) is suing the city over what she calls unfair treatment because of a physical disability. Joyce Ceccarelli, who has been employed as library director since 1995, has filed a federal lawsuit under the Americans with Disabilities Act seeking unspecified damages. She suffers from multiple sclerosis. Although in 1999 the city granted her “reasonable accommodation” to perform her job, Ceccarelli claims the city told her in 2012 that “she was no longer permitted to work an altered work schedule.”...
New Haven (Conn.) Register, June 13

Woman arrested for soliciting in Tewksbury library
A 20-year-old woman was charged with offering to perform sex acts at the Tewksbury (Mass.) Public Library on June 10. Brittany Macintyre was arrested after she allegedly offered her services as a prostitute to an undercover detective who had been alerted by a library patron. Macintyre and the police officer exchanged written notes as they negotiated the transaction. Library workers said they were shocked to hear what was taking place inside....
WCBV-TV, Boston, June 11

Yale acquires Sackville-West papers
Yale University’s Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library has acquired the papers of Vita Sackville-West (right) and Harold Nicolson, prominent figures in English arts and letters in the 20th century whose complex relationship was intimately recounted in the 1973 biography, Portrait of a Marriage. Sackville-West, an accomplished writer and gardener, is best known for her novels, poetry, and gardening books. Nicolson is remembered as a diplomat, novelist, and historian....
Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library, June 14

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Supreme Court delivers key free-speech victory
On June 16, the Supreme Court, in a unanimous 9–0 ruling for Susan B. Anthony List v. Driehaus, upheld the right of people and organizations to preemptively challenge a law that infringes on First Amendment rights. The decision represents a key victory for free speech. The central issue of the case was the right to bring “pre-enforcement” challenges to potentially unconstitutional laws....
Comic Book Legal Defense Fund, June 18

Time to retire the “digital divide”?
Margaret Kavaras writes: “On June 17, prominent researcher John Horrigan proposed a new take on what many have referred to as ‘digital literacy’ as part of a new report released at the Information and Technology Innovation Foundation. Digital Readiness (PDF file) shares findings from a 2013 national survey and questions the logic of the typical framing and focus on the digital divide.” A panel of experts weighed in on the report; the full discussion is on video (1:27:00)....
District Dispatch, June 17; YouTube, June 17

Does the scientific journal have a future?
Bonnie Swoger writes: “This summer, scholars will use the break from teaching to submit manuscripts, review papers, and develop new ideas. But even as the major functions of scholarly publishing march on, scholars, publishers, and librarians start to ask, ‘What does the future of the scholarly journal look like?’ Perhaps we should be asking a different question. Perhaps we should be asking, ‘Does the scholarly journal have a future?’”...
Scientific American: Information Culture, June 18

Engaging girls in STEM
C. M. Rubin writes: “In Finland (unlike the United States), the math and science achievements of girls and boys, as tracked by national and international measurements, are very even. Pasi Sahlberg (right), one of Finland’s visionary educators, said that strategies have included ‘making sure that curricula and textbooks are gender-neutral.’ In Finland, students do not take any standardized tests until the end of their high school education. Sahlberg believes that this allows for more focus on project-based creative learning versus simply remembering facts.”...
Huffington Post Blog, June 12

How your phone lets others listen in
Sean Gallagher writes: “For every data leak that has been plugged by the major websites, another springs up on mobile. Mobile devices are the ones that face the greatest risk of surveillance and attack—not so much from the National Security Agency, but from companies and criminals looking to track and target individuals on a smaller scale. Depending on how a public Wi-Fi network is configured, anyone connected to it could collect the same sort of data based on your internet traffic.”...
Ars Technica: Risk Assessment, June 13

Five myths about net neutrality
Nancy Scola writes: “It’s not you. Net neutrality is confusing. As broadband internet has replaced dial-up in the United States, the FCC has struggled to come up with rules to make sure high-speed internet service providers adhere to the principle of ‘neutrality.’ Fans and foes of net neutrality both say that if they don’t get their way, the internet will be ruined. But will it?”...
Washington Post, June 12

The library isn’t flat
Barbara Fister writes: “Something a faculty member said a few weeks ago when we were discussing threshold concepts may have actually been a threshold concept for me. These are the ones that are troublesome, irreversible, integrative, and transformative. They may disturb the way you think about the world, but can also profoundly change the way you think about the world. This new insight may not seem all that profound, but it put a burr under my intellectual saddle. She said that Google seems to flatten knowledge.”...
Insider Higher Ed: Library Babel Fish, June 12

Copyright decision-making flowchart
Nancy Sims writes: “On June 12, a new infographic on copyright decision-making for teachers started making the rounds in my social media spheres. Because several people asked my opinion of it, I thought it’d be worthwhile to post a review. I wanted to both praise the good parts, and highlight the parts that make me believe it should not be shared in its current form.”...
Copyright Librarian, June 13

Can I sell my iPod?
Abby Lull writes: “At present, digital ownership and copyright is a complicated issue, a fact made clear during an educational briefing hosted by the Congressional Internet Caucus Advisory Committee on June 13. The panel included industry representatives Sandra Aistars of the Copyright Alliance and Keith Kupferschmid of the Software and Information Industry Association. Their stance was that the first-sale doctrine only applies to tangible goods, and any changes in the copyright law to reflect a ‘digital first sale’ were unwarranted.”...
District Dispatch, June 17

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Out-of-the-box laptop tips
Avram Piltch writes: “You pull your brand-new notebook out of its packaging and plug it in for the first time. Then you go through the Windows setup, and you’re all done, right? Not really. Your laptop is not really ready—or truly yours—until you do some tweaking. Here are 10 things you should do with your new system.”...
Laptop, June 13

EBSCO adds metadata sharing to 50 more databases
EBSCO has increased the number of databases that are included in its policy for metadata sharing and technology collaboration partnerships with discover vendors. The company now makes all metadata (and full text when contractually allowed) available for a new total of 179 full-text databases, as well as all 74 full-text historical digital archives and all 550,000+ EBSCO eBooks....
EBSCO, June 16

The CreoPop: A versatile 3D pen
Signe Brewster writes: “The CreoPop is a new 3D printer pen that debuted on Indiegogo on June 17. It is a totally quiet device that works with ink that is cool to the touch, making it more friendly for use by children. The pen is based on a rival 3D printing technology known as stereolithography. It puts out a light-sensitive goop, which is then hardened by a UV light attached to the pen’s front. Other 3D printing pens melt plastic that hardens as it cools, producing a lot of noise and, at times, fumes.”...
GigaOM, June 17

How to anonymize everything you do
Andy Greenberg writes: “Cryptography has shifted from an obscure branch of computer science to an almost mainstream notion: It’s possible, user privacy groups and a growing industry of crypto-focused companies tell us, to encrypt everything from emails to IMs. Mere encryption hides content, but not who’s communicating. Use cryptographic anonymity tools to hide your identity, on the other hand, and network eavesdroppers may not even know where to find your communications.”...
Wired: Threat Level, June 17

22 common network jargon names explained
Chris Hoffman writes: “Computer networking is filled with jargon that isn’t self-explanatory. Here’s a quick overview of many of the terms you’ll see when you glance at the network status information on any device. We’re definitely simplifying things a bit here—this isn’t an in-depth look at any one term.”...
How-To Geek, June 16

The best mobile hotspots
Eugene Kim and Alex Colon write: “Looking to get online anytime, anywhere? Mobile hotspots are a great one-size-fits-all solution because they let you connect laptops, tablets, or any other Wi-Fi–enabled devices to the mobile network of your choice. If you need to get online when you’re out of the house, or even overseas, mobile hotspots will work just as well with your laptop as they will with an iPad, iPod touch, or Kindle Fire HDX. Here is our roundup of the best mobile hotspots on the market today.”...
PC Magazine, June 11

Saving old software from extinction
Ron Amodeo writes: “Some software has come to depend so completely on cloud servers that we are starting to create an ecosystem that will be historically untraceable. That’s an issue, because software we use today will eventually be an important part of history. It’s about time we started asking ourselves: What are we leaving behind for future generations? When our descendants look back on the computer revolution, what will they still have access to?”...
Ars Technica, June 18

Apple reaches settlement in ebook lawsuit
Apple has reached a settlement in a civil class-action lawsuit pertaining to the pricing of ebooks, according to a filing with a New York court on June 16. Steve Berman, an attorney representing consumers and some US states, said Apple and the plaintiffs reached an agreement in principle. The exact terms of the settlement are under seal and need to be approved by the court. The plaintiffs had been seeking $840 million from Apple....
Wall Street Journal, June 17

ALA’s path to ebook progress
Molly Raphael writes: “Flash back to just three years ago. Chances are, if you were working in a library at that time, the rapidly changing issues around access to digital content challenged you and your library. To be sure, information in digital form had been in libraries for decades. Libraries had become quite adept at not only acquiring but also applying finding aids to that information. What confronted us in 2011 was different.”...
American Libraries feature

Ebook discovery
Larra Clark writes: “Libraries and publishers are in the business of connecting readers and authors. Bestsellers make up the majority of traffic in public libraries, but how can libraries, publishers, and others in the ecosystem team up to help readers discover the best fit for their tastes? This is the brass ring that supports a diversity of thought and reading experiences, creates markets for more authors to survive and thrive in their profession, and elicits the joy of finding a new title for a reader.”...
American Libraries feature

College libraries push back over ebook price hike
Avi Wolfman-Arent writes: “Academic librarians have long decried the prices commercial publishers charge for access to serial publications, particularly electronic journals in the sciences. With journal packages taking up increasingly large chunks of library budgets, the prospect of publishers’ ramping up prices on another digital format has spooked some librarians. At issue is a short-term loan model for ebook purchasing that has been tested over the past two years.”...
Chronicle of Higher Education, June 16

Oyster expands to Android, Kindle Fire, and Nook
The $9.95 per month ebook subscription service Oyster, which was previously only available on iOS, expanded to Android, Kindle Fire, and Nook HD tablets June 17—thus removing one of the differentiating factors between it and rival service Scribd. New features include “read time” for books and the ability to turn a book’s pages using the volume buttons....
GigaOM, June 17

How libraries can survive in the digital age
Lauren C. Williams writes: “Books as we know them are clearly in a state of flux. One in five Americans now read on e-readers or tablet computers, and most things that can be found in a book are little more than a click or touch away online. A fast-evolving digital world has created a dichotomy where there’s an increased opportunity to access troves of information, but access isn’t guaranteed. That’s where libraries come in.”...
Think Progress, June 12

2014 Annual Conference and Exhibition, Las Vegas, June 26–July 1. Counting the days! To help plan, you can now access the PDF of the print program book. The Conference Scheduler and mobile app also allow you to keep track as you create your personal calendar including sessions, programs, events, and exhibitors to visit.

The best books about soccer
Edd McCracken writes: “For four weeks in 12 cities across Brazil, 32 countries will battle it out in 64 games to decide who will go home with the greatest sporting trophy of them all. Curiously when it comes to literary heft, compared to such other sports as boxing and baseball, soccer (or ‘football’ to a decent chunk of the world) punches well below its weight. Here’s a handy list of some of the best books—both fiction and nonfiction—to read if you want to double down on soccer during World Cup season.”...
Book Riot, June 11

NPR’s summer reading lists
Beth Novey writes: “In previous summers, we gave you lists of new books organized by genre. And that was fun. But this summer we wanted to try something different. This year, we are highlighting books that feature themes or memorable scenes of transportation and transit. Eventually we settled on 12 lists: trains, planes, cars, bikes, boats, on foot, city transit, horses, balloons, rocket ships, time, and a miscellaneous category that includes drugs, dragons, and giant peaches.”...
NPR: Morning Edition, June 17

Summer solstice reads
Anna Dalin writes: “The summer solstice is the longest day of the year, or in other words, the 24-hour period with the greatest amount of sunlight. It usually falls on June 21. There are several young adult novels concerning or including the summer solstice, in particular a few which have been published fairly recently. Here is a sampling. Grab one on Saturday, go relax in the sunshine, and enjoy.”...
YALSA The Hub, June 18

Eight literary impostors
Ariel Schrag writes: “In my novel, Adam, a 17-year-old straight boy finds himself spending the summer surrounded by lesbians and ends up wooing one of them by allowing her to believe he is a trans man. The following list explores some of my favorite chameleon characters—dear souls who, for a wide variety of reasons, find it preferable at some point in time, to lead others to believe they are people they aren’t. A warning: Some of what follows contains spoilers.”...
Huffington Post Blog, June 13

A roundup of LGBTQ teen lit
Lalitha Nataraj writes: “June is Pride Month, which celebrates the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender community and affirms their right to live visibly in dignity and equality. In honor of Pride, I want to share some amazing LGBTQ novels (some of which aren’t out yet, but you’ll want to add them to your to-read pile) that had me laughing and crying all over the place. Michael Barakiva’s One Man Guy is about a boy who experiences first love and the importance of living one’s life with integrity.”...
YALSA The Hub, June 13

Riveting World War I reads
Jade writes: “World War I reshaped nations, toppled empires, and inspired an outpouring of literature. From the very first week of battle, soldiers and civilians alike wrote reams of poetry. Later, the shell-shocked fields of France would echo in the Dead Marshes of J. R. R. Tolkien’s Middle Earth. From the trenches emerged one of the most admired war novels of all time, Erich Maria Remarque’s All Quiet on the Western Front. As we approach the 100th anniversary of the war, we’ve gathered together 20 of Goodreads members’ favorite WWI books.”...
Goodreads Blog, June 17

25 humorous books
Jason Diamond writes: “What each of us defines as funny depends on the individual subject. Some of us might think there’s something funny about The Stranger by Camus, while others prefer Adam Sandler making fart sounds. The point is that humor works as a device that can make you laugh with reckless abandon, but also ponder this strange situation we call life. These 25 books offer an opportunity to see how writers have used humor in different ways, leading to often brilliant results.”...
Flavorwire, June 17

IMLS releases 2011 Public Libraries report
The Institute of Museum and Library Services released its Public Libraries in the United States Report, an in-depth examination of Fiscal Year 2011 survey data with important findings about the state of public library service in the US. For the first time, the agency used statistical modeling to examine the relationship between investments in public libraries and use of libraries and found that in most cases when investment increases, use increases....
Institute of Museum and Library Services, June 18

Apps for content creation
Nicole Hennig writes: “Libraries maintain their relevance by offering programs and services that help users create content—such as helping local authors write books, offering coworking spaces, and helping people make interesting objects using 3D printing. It’s good for librarians to know some of the best mobile apps to recommend to users as tools for their creative projects. Here is a sample of the many apps available that can be used for content creation and curation.”...
Simmons GSLIS: Unbound, June 8

How to create a Snapchat contest
Paige Alfonzo writes: “In January I started hearing a lot of buzz about the privacy chat app Snapchat. From NPR to Mashable, everyone was discussing this new app. One fortuitous morning, I saw articles by both TechCrunch and Mashable reporting on a study that found that more than 77% of college students use Snapchat every day. This started my wheels turning, and I decided to launch a Snapchat contest for my library. Here are the steps I took to create the contest.”...
Library Enumerations, June 12; TechCrunch, Feb. 25; Mashable, Feb. 24

Image collections with many free images
Ellyssa Kroski writes: “I’m often asked where to go to find high-quality and hi-resolution still images for reuse, so I’ve put together this guide. There have been several new image collections that have opened up to the public just within the past year that not many people are aware of yet, but they offer access to thousands, or in some cases millions, of outstanding photographs that can be downloaded for free.”...
iLibrarian, June 18

Where gun stores outnumber museums and libraries
Christopher Ingraham writes: “I thought it might be useful to map museums and libraries against an institution that conservatives might be more fond of: gun stores. I took the IMLS museum counts from June and added to its count of libraries. The idea here is that museums and libraries play similar roles, as institutions of informal learning where students and adults can go to learn more about their communities and the world around them.”...
Washington Post: Wonkblog, June 17

Eight surprising things I learned about Google Scholar
Aaron Tay writes: “Google Scholar is increasingly becoming a subject that an academic librarian cannot afford to be ignorant about. Recently, I’ve been fortunate to be able to encounter and study Google Scholar from different angles at work. I would like to set out eight points or features about Google Scholar that surprised me when I learned about them.”...
Musings about Librarianship, June 11

Attention, authors
Alan Henry writes: “Whether you’re learning English or you’ve been speaking it your whole life, Ginger Page (Android/iOS/Windows/Chrome) is a new writing tool that wants to make sure that your spelling and grammar are accurate. Ginger Page is both a translator and a grammar checker that will take what you write and help you spruce it up so it’s easier to read. It’ll correct your spelling, offer synonyms and alternate words in context with what you’re writing, and define words for you.”...
Lifehacker, June 17

Future-proofing the research library
The inaugural Judith Nadler Vision Lecture took place on May 22 at the University of Chicago’s Regenstein Library. Sarah Thomas (right), vice president for the Harvard Library, spoke on “Future-Proofing the Research Library.” A video of the entire lecture (1:02:30) is now available on YouTube....
YouTube, June 16; AL: The Scoop, May 26

LC approves new class number for juvenile fiction
Overcrowding in Library of Congress classification PZ7 makes classifying new materials there very difficult at times and leads to unwieldy Cutter numbers for the authors. A new classification number, PZ7.1, will therefore be approved for use. Classification in PZ7 and PZ7.1 will be based on the period of activity of the author, which mimics the way that adult literature is classed in PA–PT. Authors who began to publish in about 1870 through 2014 will continue to be classed in PZ7. Authors who begin to publish in 2015 and later will be classified in PZ7.1....
Library of Congress, June 13

What you can do with Facebook graph search
Amit Agarwal writes: “It’s your first day at work and you’re trying to figure out if there are other people from your hometown who happen to work in the same company. Now instead of approaching the HR, what you can do is log into your Facebook account and type a little query—People from [Your Town] who work at [Company Name] in [Current City]. You may even find connections with one degree of separation using a query like—My friends of friends who work at [Company Name].”...
Digital Inspiration, June 17

The British Library Big Data Experiment
James Baker writes: “In early June, the British Library Big Data Experiment launched. A collaboration between the British Library Digital Research team, University College London Computer Science, and the UCL Centre for Digital Humanities, the effort will experiment with opening up the digital collections at the British Library to encourage research in the arts and humanities. The project is the first stage of a long-term collaboration that will see computer science students making use of British Library open data and public domain digital collections.”...
British Library: Digital Scholarship Blog, June 6

Weird and wonderful animals of the bestiary
Sarah J. Biggs writes: “Those of you who follow our blog regularly will surely have noticed our deep and abiding love for medieval animals and bestiaries; in the past we’ve done posts about dogs, cats, elephants, hedgehogs, beavers, owls, and more. But today we thought we would have a look at a few of the more fantastic creatures that are featured in medieval bestiaries: the amphisbaena, the manticore, the bonnacon, the leucrota, and the basilisk (above).”...
British Library: Medieval Manuscripts Blog, June 17

UK librarians launch crowdfunded festival
A group of British librarians hopes to launch a festival of public libraries, backed by a crowdfunded campaign. Sue Lawson and Richard Veevers (right) have set up the National Public Library Festival to celebrate the work of libraries around the UK. They hope to hold the festival at the Library of Birmingham on August 30 to mark the 50th anniversary of the 1964 Museums and Public Library Act, which guaranteed that local authorities must provide a “comprehensive and efficient” library service. Watch the video (with subtitles, 2:06)....
The Bookseller, June 17; Vimeo, June

Five awesome bike libraries
Anna Brones writes: “A bike library is exactly what it sounds like: a place where you can check out a bicycle just like you would check out a book. That makes it easy to encourage cycling as a mode of transportation, even for people who don’t own a bike. More people riding bikes? That’s a good thing. From cargo bike rentals to fat-tire cruisers, here are a few bike libraries to check out.”...
Care2 Causes, June 15

The prison library on Orange Is the New Black
Joe Hardenbrook writes: “Last year I binge watched season one of the hit Netflix series Orange Is the New Black. Now I’m doing the same with season two. Naturally, as a librarian, I’ve been tied to some of the scenes involving the prison library and reading. There’s a Tumblr devoted to the books shown in various scenes. On the series, the characters Taystee (above) and Poussey, two of my favorites, are shown working in the prison library, usually shelving books.”...
Mr. Library Dude, June 14; Books of Orange Is the New Black

More “Happy” videos from US libraries
Gary Price writes: “About three weeks ago we shared a music video for the Pharrell Williams hit ‘Happy’ starring the staff of the D.C. Public Library in Washington, D.C. Today, we present a small collection of more ‘Happy’ music videos produced by libraries and starring library staff members from around the United States, including Forsyth County (N.C.) Public Library (4:30).”...
InfoDocket, June 14; YouTube, Apr. 25, May 20,

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