The e-newsletter of the American Library Association | March 5, 2014

Federal library funding cut in proposed budget
On March 4, President Barack Obama released his budget request for the 2015 fiscal year. The proposed budget for the Library Services and Technology Act falls $2 million short (PDF file) from the $180.9 million enacted by the US Congress for the 2014 fiscal year. The big hit came to the state program, with slight increases to the set aside for Native Americans and Hawaiians and the National Leadership grants. On a disappointing note, the President did not include any resources for school libraries....
AL: The Scoop, Mar. 5

Underfunded school libraries fight back
Beverly Goldberg writes: “Advocating for school library services is a year-round necessity that becomes particularly pressing as spring approaches. That’s the season when school-district officials make their budget projections, recently resulting in many school library workers receiving a provisional pink slip, issued just in case administrators need to follow through. The FY2015 cycle promises to be a particularly brutal one, according to Marci Merola (right), director of ALA’s Office for Library Advocacy, who tells American Libraries she bases her observation on the ‘spike in calls since mid-February.’”...
American Libraries feature, Mar. 5

Creating a participatory ALA
ALA President Barbara K. Stripling (right) writes: “ALA is in the process of reimagining itself. We have engaged in conversations with members, Council, the Executive Board, and division leadership to understand what we, as a profession, want from our Association. In a nutshell, we have found that we want a welcoming, inclusive, engaged, and supportive organization. But building a participatory culture is a pretty tall order for an organization of more than 57,000 members.”...
AL: President’s Message, Mar./Apr.

Happy birthday, Dr. Seuss
To mark the 110th birthday of Dr. Seuss, libraries across the country celebrated Read Across America Day on March 3, with librarians and patrons donning tall, floppy, red-and-white-striped hats and reciting the poet and illustrator’s works in their signature cadence. One of the more decorative and active celebrations took place at the Tulare (Calif.) Public Library, where Vice Mayor Carlton Jones (right) led children in reading, singing, and dancing. He was joined by Youth Librarian Melissa Emerson, commonly known as Queen B (for “Queen of Books).”...
American Libraries photoessay. Mar. 5

March/April issue now online
Laurie D. Borman writes: “Whether you braved the weather for the 2014 Midwinter Meeting in Philadelphia or not, we’ve got you covered in the March/April issue of American Libraries. Our wrapup gives you the highlights, with links to interview videos that help bring the meeting alive. The cover story features the latest class of Emerging Leaders. The group met at Midwinter to break into work groups and begin their projects.”...
AL: Editor’s Letter, Mar./Apr.

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Gearing up for the 2014 ALA election
Polls will open at 9 a.m. Central time on March 19 for ALA’s annual election. For the sixth year in a row, ALA is holding its election exclusively online. In late February, members received notification by email confirming their eligibility to vote. To be eligible, individuals must have been members in good standing as of January 31. The polls will close on April 25....
Office of ALA Governance, Feb. 27

ALA 2012–2013 Annual Report
ALA has released its 2012–2013 Annual Report, an overview of the Association’s initiatives and accomplishments on behalf of the library profession, libraries, and the public. The report shows how ALA and its members continue to lead the way in the transformation of libraries and library services in an increasingly global digital environment. The report shows ALA’s ongoing support for intellectual freedom, ebook access, patron privacy, and literacy....
Public Information Office, Feb. 27

ALA joins SXSW technology policy discussions
ALA will join the technology policy conversations in play at the South by Southwest EDU and Interactive conferences in Austin, Texas, March 7–11. Privacy and the “internet of things” will be among the topics on the agenda for ALA’s Office for Intellectual Freedom and Office for Information Technology Policy. ALA also will join members and sister library organizations at the joint “Innovative Booth for Libraries.” More information is posted online....
Communications and Member Relations, Mar. 4

Amicus brief filed in First Amendment case
ALA and the Freedom to Read Foundation on February 28 joined a broad range of organizations and bookstores in filing an amicus brief with the US Supreme Court (PDF file) in a case potentially affecting the right to challenge laws that infringe on the First Amendment prior to their enforcement. The case, Susan B. Anthony List v. Driehaus, is on appeal after the Sixth Circuit affirmed a lower court ruling that the Susan B. Anthony List lacked standing to submit a pre-enforcement challenge to an Ohio law regulating speech in campaign advertising. Opening arguments are scheduled for April 22....
Freedom to Read Foundation, Mar. 4

ALA groups celebrate National Women’s History Month
During the entire month of March, the ALA Committee on the Status of Women in Librarianship, the SRRT Feminist Task Force, and the ACRL Women’s and Gender Studies Section will recognize and celebrate women’s historic achievements during National Women’s History Month. Resources include: Caregiver’s Toolkit, Women of Library History, and Women and Gender Studies Websites....
Office for Human Resource Development and Recruitment, Mar. 4

Fiels caps PALA meeting with sound career advice
ALA Executive Director Keith Michael Fiels keynoted (17:30) the 4th Annual Meeting of the Polish American Librarians Association at Loyola University in Chicago on February 23. After offering insight into his own professional development, Fiels quipped that his approach to success involves a “secret four-step process”: Show up, offer to do something, actually do it, and repeat as often as needed....
Polish American Librarians Association, Feb. 28; YouTube, Mar. 1

“Marvel Moon” webinar
The ALA Public Programs Office and the Lunar and Planetary Institute invite library professionals to attend a free online learning opportunity on March 10 demonstrating hands-on activities to engage young audiences in space science. Titled “Marvel Moon,” the session will acquaint library audiences with NASA’s investigations into the ongoing saga that has shaped our moon and will present the LPI’s Explore learning module. Registration is required....
Public Programs Office, Mar. 4

Getting involved with IFLA
The International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions serves as the voice of libraries in the international community and hosts the World Library and Information Congress each August. If you are curious about IFLA, what it does, and how you might get involved, consider taking this March 20 webinar. IFLA President-elect Donna Scheeder and IFLA Governing Board Member Loida Garcia-Febo will provide an overview of IFLA initiatives and outline the benefits of attending WLIC....
International Relations Office

Serving ESL and non–English speaking patrons
In today’s library, you often need to serve patrons and students who do not speak English. This can be intimidating—how do you communicate? How do you avoid the risk of creating cultural misunderstandings? In “Serving ESL and Non–English Speaking Patrons in the Library,” Cate Carlyle, a librarian who has devoted her career to working with non-English-speaking and ESL library users, will provide you with the strategies, resources, and best practices to help you meet this challenge....
ALA Editions, Mar. 4

12 months of children’s programming
Library programs and services for children need to incorporate programs for elementary-age children that integrate the school, the library, and the community. In “12 Months of Children’s Programming: Grades K through 6,” Lisa M. Shaia and Joanne M. Moore will show librarians how to do just this using their fully integrated, holistic approach, which builds children’s programming with schools and the full calendar year in mind....
ALA Editions, Mar. 4

Building great adult programs
Adults are core patrons for any public library, and book programs are among the most popular library programs. In “Building Great Adult Programs,” Amy Alessio will show you how to improve the book programs you already have for adults or build new ones from scratch. She’ll cover programs for both high and low-tech users and a variety of themes and library settings....
ALA Editions, Mar. 4

Teaching information literacy with discovery tools
A new workshop, “Teaching Information Literacy with Discovery Tools,” on May 15, shows how discovery tools free you from the cumbersome necessity of toggling back and forth between multiple screens. Instead you can focus on developing students’ skills with search terms and strategies, simultaneously training them in how to use a critical eye while sifting through results....
ALA TechSource, Mar. 4

Being indispensable: A school librarian’s guide
School librarians are worried about their jobs, and with good reason. Budget cuts have taken many jobs, and those who have retained their jobs find their resources stretched thin. In “Being Indispensable: A School Librarian’s Guide to Proving Your Value and Keeping Your Job,” respected authority Hilda K. Weisburg will give school librarians concrete strategies for demonstrating and proving their worth through clear, focused leadership....
ALA Editions, Mar. 4

iPads, tablets, and gadgets
ALA Editions is offering a new iteration of its eCourse, “iPads, Tablets, and Gadgets in the Library: Planning, Budgeting, and Implementation.” Rebecca Miller, Carolyn Meier, and Heather Moorefield-Lang will serve as the instructors for this six-week facilitated eCourse starting on March 31. Registration can be purchased at the ALA Store....
ALA Editions, Feb. 26

Book as iPad app
ALA Editions is once again offering its eCourse, “Book as iPad App: Multimedia, Multi-Touch E-Books and their Future in Libraries.” Nicole Hennig (right) will serve as the instructor for this four-week facilitated eCourse starting on April 7. To participate, you will need access to an iPad and be comfortable using it. Registration can be purchased at the ALA Store....
ALA Editions, Feb. 27

What librarians need to know about ebooks
ALA Editions will hold a session of its popular facilitated eCourse, “Ebooks: What Librarians Need to Know Now and for the Future” with Mirela Roncevic (right). This four-week eCourse will begin on April 7. Topics include defining ebooks and understanding how they work, where ebooks are available, and how ebooks are used in libraries. Participants will need regular access to a computer with an internet connection. Registration can be purchased at the ALA Store....
ALA Editions, Feb. 27

Archives and recordkeeping
Articulating the core principles and issues that shape the discipline as well as their impact and relevance for the 21st-century professional, Archives and Recordkeeping: Theory into Practice, published by Facet Publishing, simplifies and demystifies archives and recordkeeping theory and its role in contemporary practice. Using an accessible approach, it outlines and explores key literature and concepts and the role they can play in practice....
ALA Neal-Schuman, Feb. 26

ALA photo collection of WWI soldiers reading
Denise Rayman writes: “While the battles, uniforms, and weapons that made up a World War I serviceman’s life are very well documented in the history books, the day-to-day monotony of a soldier’s life doesn’t often get as much attention. The ALA Archives has recently placed its collection of digitized lantern slides from World War I online, which shows one way these men filled their downtime—reading.”...
ALA Archives Blog, Feb. 27

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Make your case to attend ALA Annual Conference
Making the case for time off and support for travel and expenses to attend a conference requires a solid understanding of the potential benefits to your institution, supervisor, and colleagues. And you need to be able to communicate those benefits clearly—especially in times of tight budgets and reduced staff. Use the information that follows to help make your case....
Conference Services

ALA Annual in Las Vegas—in 1973
Larry T. Nix writes: “One of the readers of this blog suggested that I do a post on the 1973 ALA Annual Conference in Las Vegas since it will be meeting there again this summer after a 41-year hiatus. I thought it was a great idea, especially since I was one of the 8,539 individuals who attended that conference. Of course, with the unbelievable development of Las Vegas since 1973, the 2014 conference should be unforgettable for many reasons other than the heat.”...
Library History Buff Blog, Mar. 2

Las Vegas visitor’s guide
Start planning your trip with a free visitor’s guide from the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority. It offers a comprehensive listing of restaurants, shops, hotels, and spas, and it lists the price range for each and whether you will need reservations. The guide also suggests golfing spots and nearby desert road trips. Send away for a copy or download one when you need it....
Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority

Getting your grub on, Vegas style
Jennifer Jost writes: “While Vegas buffets may have begun as a way to keep gamblers at the tables for as long as possible, providing a way to eat quickly for little money, many casino buffets today are a destination in themselves, with gourmet food and a price tag to match. The newest and grandest addition to the buffet scene is the Bacchanal Buffet at Caesars Palace, which recently celebrated its first anniversary in true Vegas style, with a video (2:41) arranged by Emmy-nominated dancer and choreographer Travis Wall.”...
YALSAblog, Nov. 27, 2013; YouTube, Sept. 9, 2013

ALSC Institute to feature Andrea Davis Pinkney
Award-winning author and editor Andrea Davis Pinkney will present the Closing General Session during the ALSC National Institute in Oakland, California, September 18–20. A New York Times bestselling writer of more than 20 books for children and young adults, Pinkney has launched many high-profile publishing and entertainment entities, including Hyperion Books for Children/Disney Publishing’s Jump at the Sun imprint, the first African-American children’s book imprint at a major publishing company. Registration is open....
ALSC, Mar. 4

FY2013 Preservation Statistics Survey
The FY2013 Preservation Statistics Survey, a project to document and analyze the preservation activities of cultural heritage institutions in the United States, is now available. Any US library conducting preservation activities may complete this survey, which will be open through April. Additional information, instructions, a worksheet, and a link to the FY2013 survey are online....
ALCTS, Feb. 26

ALCTS preconferences at Annual
Exciting preconferences are coming your way from ALCTS during this year’s ALA Annual Conference in Las Vegas. From “Fundamentals of Collection Assessment” to “Streaming Media,” there is a preconference that meets your needs. Join your colleagues June 26–27 for these events. Register through the 2014 ALA Annual Conference website....
ALCTS, Feb. 28

Environmental scan of OERs, MOOCs, and libraries
ACRL has released a new research report, “Environmental Scan of OERs, MOOCs, and Libraries: What Effectiveness and Sustainability Means for Libraries’ Impact on Open Education.” Carmen Kazakoff-Lane introduces and provides background on the open educational resources and massive open online course movements and investigates the effectiveness and challenges to sustainability of each. The report is downloadable (PDF file) from the ACRL website....
ACRL Insider, Mar. 4

ALA Store at the PLA Conference
Take time at the PLA 2014 Conference, March 11–15, to see what’s new at the ALA Store, located at booth #1319, near the center of the exhibit hall. With plenty of new and bestselling items available, you’ll want to make sure to carve out some time in your schedule to stop by. ALA Graphics will feature bestselling posters and bookmarks, and ALA Publishing will have numerous bestsellers as well as titles hot off the press....
ALA Publishing, Feb. 27

YALSA plans Twitter takeover during TTW
YALSA will turn over its @yalsa Twitter account to a different partner each day of Teen Tech Week, March 9–15. Partners will use the opportunity to inform and engage YALSA’s 22,000+ Twitter followers about relevant issues from their perspectives as well as share resources of interest to YALSA’s audience. Topics will include connected learning, digital badges, making and makerspaces, practical tips for using digital tools, and technology policies....
YALSA, Mar. 4

100 Days till Summer countdown
YALSA will be counting down to the first day of summer through a slew of online activities. The idea is to help libraries gear up for their summer reading and learning programs. Discussion forums will be hosted online through YALSA’s official Summer Reading and Learning website with the first one starting on the 100th day before summer, March 14. A new forum will take place every 25 days through June 21....
YALSA, Feb. 26

Video contest asks how school libraries change lives
AASL, in collaboration with ProQuest, Abrams, and SchoolTube, has launched the School Library Month 2014 student video contest, “Lives Change @ your library.” Contestants are urged to let loose their creativity and use humor, drama, music, and special effects to illustrate how the school library program changes a student’s life. Contest rules and eligibility are found on the AASL website. Submissions will be accepted through April 15....
AASL, Mar. 4

Webinar on student loan forgiveness
A new webinar from AASL and the ALA Washington Office explores the financial aid forgiveness programs available to school librarians. Presented by staff members from the US Department of Education, “Federal Student Loan Forgiveness and Cancellation Benefits for School Librarians” will take place on March 6. Register online....
AASL, Mar. 4

School Library Research, volume 17
The newest volume of AASL’s peer-reviewed online journal, School Library Research, opens with studies on college readiness, information literacy during the high-school-to-college transition, and educational stakeholders’ perceptions of school library programs. The purpose of SLR is to promote and publish high-quality original research concerning the management, implementation, and evaluation of school library programs. Articles can be found on the AASL website....
AASL, Mar. 4

ALCTS President appointed Williamsburg director
The Williamsburg (Va.) Regional Library board of trustees has named Genevieve S. Owens (right) library director, effective March 1. She is the current ALCTS president. Owens has been interim director since former Director John A. Moorman, ALA Executive Board member, retired in December 2013. She has been employed at the library since 1996 and became its assistant director in October 2001....
ALCTS, Feb. 28

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Patrick Carr receives Esther J. Piercy Award
ALCTS has named Patrick Carr (right), assistant director for acquisitions and collection management at the Joyner Library, East Carolina University, Greenville, North Carolina, the winner of its 2014 Esther J. Piercy Award. The award recognizes the contributions to library collections and technical services by a librarian with no more than 10 years of professional experience. Carr will receive a grant of $1,500 grant donated by YBP....
ALCTS, Feb. 28

2014 Margaret Mann Citation
Sara Shatford Layne (right) is the recipient of the 2014 Margaret Mann Citation presented by the ALCTS Cataloging and Metadata Management Section. The Mann Citation, recognizing outstanding professional achievement in cataloging or classification, includes a $2,000 scholarship donated in the recipient’s honor by OCLC to the library school of the winner’s choice. She has chosen the UCLA Department of Information Studies Program to receive the scholarship....
ALCTS, Mar. 4

2014 EBSS Distinguished Librarian
Stephanie Davis-Kahl (right), scholarly communications librarian at Illinois Wesleyan University, is the recipient of the 2014 ACRL Education and Behavioral Sciences Section’s Distinguished Education and Behavioral Sciences Librarian Award. She will receive a prize of $2,500 and a citation, donated by John Wiley and Sons....
ACRL, Mar. 4

2014 John Ames / Humphrey / OCLC / Forest Press Award
Shali Zhang (right) is the 2014 recipient of the ALA International Relations Committee’s John Ames / Humphrey / OCLC / Forest Press Award, given to an individual for significant contribution to international librarianship. Zhang is dean of libraries at the University of Montana in Missoula....
International Relations Office, Mar. 4

Distinguished librarians in reference announced
RUSA has selected the winners of its 2014 achievement awards, which provide research and travel grants in recognition of the nation’s most exceptional librarians, libraries, and projects involving reference services today....
RUSA, Mar. 4

2014 H. W. Wilson Staff Development Grant
The Martin County (Fla.) Library System has been named the 2014 H. W. Wilson Library Staff Development Grant recipient for its “Connect: Customer Service Excellence at Martin County Library System” program. The focus of this program is to develop and train each staff member to be knowledgeable in every area of library operations. After completion, staff will be capable and confident in answering complex questions and handling difficult situations....
Office of ALA Governance, Mar. 4

2014 Jan Merrill-Oldham Travel Grant
Madeline Kelly (right), collection development support specialist at George Mason University, has been awarded the 2014 Jan Merrill-Oldham Professional Development Grant. The grant is administered by the ALCTS Preservation and Reformatting Section to support travel to the ALA Annual Conference for librarians and paraprofessionals new to the preservation field....
ALCTS, Mar. 4

ALCTS Collaboration Award
ALCTS has chosen The Alberta Library Online as the recipient of its Outstanding Collaboration Citation for 2014. The award recognizes and encourages collaborative problem-solving efforts in the areas of acquisition, access, management, preservation, or archiving of library materials....
ALCTS, Mar. 4

United for Libraries grant helped pass millage increase
Salem–South Lyon (Mich.) District Library, one of 10 recipients of a United for Libraries 2013 Neal-Schuman Foundation Grant, successfully passed a millage increase of .0495 for the library on February 25. The increase passed by a margin of nearly 3–1. As part of the program, the library’s advocates received expert advocacy training and tools for their campaign by United for Libraries....
United for Libraries, Mar. 4; Detroit Observer and Eccentric, Feb. 25

Wisconsin IF award winner
Megan Schliesman (right), long-time librarian at the Cooperative Children’s Books Center at the University of Wisconsin–Madison and manager of its intellectual freedom services for the past 11 years, is the winner of the 2014 Intellectual Freedom Award. The award is given jointly by the Wisconsin Library Association and the Wisconsin Educational Media and Technology Association. Schliesman also manages the CCBC online forum and serves on the ALSC board....
Wisconsin Library Association, Feb. 24

Apply for the Roger K. Summit Scholarship
ProQuest’s Roger K. Summit Scholarship was established to honor the founder of Dialog, a ProQuest business, for his outstanding contributions to the field of information science. The scholarship is open to all LIS students worldwide. The award is the equivalent of $5,000 and is presented at the Special Libraries Association Annual Conference or at a regional location in proximity to the winner. Applications will be accepted through April 30....
ProQuest, Mar. 4

American history book prize
The British may have lost the colonies in 1781. But the tale of their defeat has just won a prestigious literary honor, thanks to Andrew Jackson O’Shaughnessy’s study The Men Who Lost America: British Leadership, the American Revolution, and the Fate of the Empire (Oneworld), which was awarded the New-York Historical Society’s annual American history book prize. The prize comes with a $50,000 cash award....
New York Times: ArtsBeat, Mar. 5

2014 Jewish Quarterly–Wingate Prize
Otto Dov Kulka, Professor Emeritus at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, has won this year’s prestigious Jewish Quarterly-Wingate prize with his memoir, Landscapes of the Metropolis of Death (Harvard University). Kulka was awarded the £4,000 ($6,667 US) prize February 26 at a ceremony in London as part of Jewish Book Week. The book explores his childhood, which was spent first in the ghetto of Theresienstadt, and then in Auschwitz, where he became one of the few survivors....
The Telegraph (UK), Feb. 27

2013 Scottish Children’s Book Awards
More than 38,000 children in Scotland have voted and rendered their verdict on the best Scottish writers of 2013. The Bookbug Readers award (for readers aged 3–7) went to Chae Strathie for his picture book Jumblebum, illustrated by Ben Court (Scholastic). Janis Mackay was the winner of the Younger Readers award (8–11) for The Accidental Time Traveller (Kelpies). And Claire McFall won in the Older Readers category with her first novel Ferryman (Templar)....
The Guardian (UK), Mar. 5

2014 Golden Kite winners
The Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators has announced the winners of its Golden Kite and Sid Fleishman Awards, given annually to children’s books published in the preceding year. The Golden Kite Awards are given annually to recognize excellence in children’s literature in the previous calendar year in four categories. The 2014 winner in the Picture Book Illustration category was Mr. Tiger Goes Wild (Little, Brown) by Peter Brown. The winner of the Sid Fleishman Humor Award was Openly Straight (Arthur A. Levine) by Bill Konigsberg....
Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators, Mar. 3

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Libraries in the Ukraine crisis
Ukrainian Library Association Vice-President Valentyna Pashkova writes: “During the months of January and February 2014, the National Parliamentary Library of Ukraine found itself at the center of the antigovernment clashes in Kiev. Severe clashes between the protesters and government forces took place in front of the library. Librarians remained neutral and did not take direct part in the protests, but helped save people and protect library collections and the building. The Ukrainian Library Association and other organizations formed a Ukrainian National Committee on February 21 to help preserve cultural property.”...
International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions, Mar. 4

NYPL renovation plan on hold
As a candidate in July 2013, Bill de Blasio (right) told Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg that New York City should stop financing the ambitious renovation of the Fifth Avenue flagship of the New York Public Library until someone figured out how much it was all going to cost. Now that de Blasio is mayor, he holds that very power, and people on both sides of the question are weighing in on how he should wield it as the city budgeting process begins....
New York Times, Feb. 26

Kansas bill would make prosecuting educators easier
The Kansas Senate may consider a bill that would make it easier to prosecute teachers, librarians, or school principals for exposing students to materials deemed offensive. Senate Bill 401 (PDF file), approved by the Senate Judiciary Committee in late February, was drafted in response to a January incident at a Shawnee Mission middle school in which a poster used in sex education classes was put on a classroom door....
Wichita (Kans.) Eagle, Feb. 28

House of the Spirits stays in Watauga County
On February 27, nearly 200 people packed Courtroom 1 in the Watauga County (N.C.) Courthouse to find out the fate of Isabel Allende’s The House of the Spirits. With a vote of 3–2, the school board elected to keep the book in sophomore honors English classrooms—a certain victory for the freedom to read. Parent Chastity Lesesne had filed a complaint against the book in October after it was assigned to her son in a sophomore honors English class....
Comic Book Legal Defense Fund, Mar. 3

Meridian library helps set up little free libraries
Meridian, Idaho, has six new little free libraries, thanks to donations from Home Depot and volunteer work at the Meridian Library. Silverstone Branch Manager Natalie Nation spearheaded the project, which harnessed the energies of local high school students on February 22 to build little free libraries for six locations around town. Some little free libraries will be equipped with a box that will promote digital content, including library information and ebooks. Nation, a participant in ALA’s Leadership Institute, launched the initiative as a leadership goal....
Meridian (Idaho) Press, Feb. 25

Patrons send love letters to Multnomah County Library
How much do you love the library? The Multnomah County Library in Portland, Oregon, wants to know. As part of its 150th anniversary celebration, the library asked its patrons to share their love letters to the oldest public library system west of the Mississippi River....
Portland Oregonian, Feb. 28

Layoffs in Grand Rapids
A worsening budget picture will prompt more layoffs than expected in the Grand Rapids (Mich.) Public Library. In late February, Director Marcia Warner emailed staff about a “new financial reality” that will force the system to “operate with less staff and less staff costs.” Initially, that means 18 people are set to lose their jobs at the end of the fiscal year in June. The library faces a shortfall of about $900,000 in its budget of about $9 million....
Grand Rapids (Mich.) Press, Mar. 1

Louisiana libraries embrace 3D printers
A few public libraries in Louisiana are offering a new tool for their patrons: 3D printers. The Livingston Parish Library was the first library in the state to introduce the next wave of printing technology when it launched the device in early fall at its main branch in the town of Livingston. Calcasieu Parish Public Library recently bought a 3D printer, and East Baton Rouge Parish plans to roll out its 3D printers in late spring. The printers cost about $2,000 each....
Baton Rouge (La.) Advocate, Mar. 3

Donors respond to Anne Frank vandalism in Japan
While investigators continue to be baffled by the vandalism in Tokyo libraries of copies of Anne Frank’s Diary of A Young Girl, some are already stepping in to replace the damaged works. The Jewish Community of Japan organization announced that together with the Israeli Embassy, it will donate 300 copies of Anne Frank’s diaries to Tokyo libraries. An anonymous donor using the name Chiune Sugihara (a Japanese diplomat who helped thousands of Lithuanian Jews escape during World War II) also sent two boxes of Anne Frank books to the Tokyo Central Library....
Japan Daily Press, Feb. 28

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Father Guido was right
Rob Weir writes: “Father Guido Sarducci (Don Novello) on Saturday Night Live had a routine that claimed you could teach in five minutes everything that an average college student remembers five years after graduating (watch the video, 4:02). Most higher-ed teachers are mercifully exempt from the politicized standardized testing that bedevils public primary and secondary teachers. Significantly, my students hardly mentioned content when recalling what they had learned in college, and when they did it was too random to discern any pattern. But they did give me plenty to consider.”...
Inside Higher Ed, Feb. 28; YouTube, Sept. 29, 2008

Naming rights as revenue generators
Ed Rossman writes: “I conducted a survey across several library discussion lists, focusing on the current state of the use of naming rights as a revenue stream. Only 25 libraries responded, which makes the results statistically insignificant, but I think the responses and comments help frame the issue well. Some 60% of those surveyed use naming rights now and 71% plan to in the future. My conclusion from the survey and my research is that naming rights are an untapped resource that will be used more in the future.”...
RUSA Public Libraries Briefcase, no. 29 (2014)

Lawrence Lessig wins fair use case
Lawrence Lessig settled his lawsuit February 27 against an Australian record label over the use of clips of the popular song “Lisztomania” by the band Phoenix in a lecture on fair use that was later posted to YouTube. Liberation Music, which represents Phoenix, claimed the clips infringed copyright, demanded YouTube take down the lecture, and then threatened to sue Lessig. Represented by the Electronic Frontier Foundation, Lessig fought back, asserting his fair use rights in court....
Electronic Frontier Foundation, Feb. 27

Georgia Tech study of online copyright misconceptions
In the age of mashups, fan fiction, and content sharing, online media creation has spurred new complexities in copyright, effectively turning the legal concept of fair use on its ear, according to a new study from Georgia Tech. The research reveals many persistent legal misconceptions and highlights online social norms—independent of actual law—that guide the use of copyrighted works in fan communities....
Georgia Tech News Center, Feb. 19

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Google Glass needs a killer app
Rachel Metz writes: “Aside from the fact that it’s not yet publicly available, there are plenty of reasons to not wear Google Glass even if you get the chance. To explore whether Glass could get more useful, I’ve been wearing a bright orange unit and testing a variety of free apps that make the most of Glass’s nascent capabilities and its prime placement on my head. I did find several with potential to save time and make life easier, and a couple that are already effective even though Glass is clunky, finicky, and horribly obtrusive.”...
MIT Technology Review, Mar. 5

Indiana receives Mellon grant for Kuali development
Indiana University has received an $882,000 grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation for the Kuali Open Library Environment, an open-source, community-based library software system created by a partnership of university libraries. With this grant, the IU Kuali team will work to expand the community of libraries partnering with the project and continue to fine-tune software for the version 2.0 release later this year. The University of Chicago and Lehigh University will be the first implementers this summer....
Indiana University Newsroom, Mar. 5

The shadowy world of Wikipedia’s editing bots
Thomas Steiner writes: “In a little over a decade, Wikipedia has evolved from an internet experiment into a global crowdsourcing phenomenon. Today, this online encyclopedia provides free access to more than 30 million articles in 287 languages. Less well known is Wikidata, an information repository designed to share basic facts for use on different language versions of Wikipedia. Wikidata therefore plays a crucial role in lubricating the flow of information between these online communities.”...
MIT Technology Review: Emerging Technology from the arXiv, Feb. 13

Is your laptop plugged in but not charging?
Brian Westover writes: “When you plug in your laptop, you usually find yourself greeted with a cheerful chirp from your PC, a new glowing LED indicator light, and a display that perks up and beams a bit more brightly. At least that’s what it’s supposed to do. Sometimes, though, what happens instead is that you connect the AC adapter and you get nothing. No glowing lights. No brightened display. And no battery charging. What went wrong?” Watch the video (2:42)....
PC Magazine, Mar. 3; YouTube, Dec. 19, 2013

Top 10 questions about the Samsung Galaxy S5
Chloe Albanesius writes: “Samsung finally announced the Galaxy S5 at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona in February. The smartphone has not yet landed stateside, and some of you might be wondering if the Galaxy S5 is the device for you. Read on for the top questions about the new phone to see if you should pick one up.”...
PC Magazine, Feb. 27

Landlines on the way out?
AT&T is seeking approval from the federal government to start experiments in Florida and Alabama (two states where the task will be most difficult) that could set in motion the end of the traditional landline phone. In Alabama, the challenge is geography, since many of the state’s residents live in sparsely populated rural areas. In Florida, the hurdle is demographics, as the state’s large population of seniors is likely to resist giving up the technology....
The Hill: Hillicon Valley, Feb. 28

The price is right at Unite for Literacy
James LaRue writes: “How would you like 100 free ebooks for children, ready for immediate MARC upload to your catalog? One of the most powerful ways to lift children out of poverty through education is strikingly simple: Get 500 books in the home of a child between the ages of 0–5. Enter Unite for Literacy. This Colorado-based social enterprise offers free digital picture books, with a twist: Parents can not only sit and read these original English texts from the Unite for Literacy website, but also hear them read in a variety of languages.”...
AL: E-Content, Mar. 4

COPPA-compliant participatory websites
Marianne Martens writes: “One of the success stories of the intermingling of technology and books has already happened in YA books. Though it is legal to create online participatory sites for users over age 13, the Child Online Privacy Protection Act restricts participation for those younger. However, some sites for younger children have successfully become COPPA-compliant. For example, KidzVuz, cofounded by Rebecca Levey, and BiblioNasium, started by Marjan Ghara.”...
ALSC Blog, Mar. 3

Free download of danah boyd’s It’s Complicated
Cory Doctorow writes: “danah boyd has posted a free PDF of the full text of her must-read book It’s Complicated, the best book about young people and the internet I’ve read to date. boyd hopes you’ll enjoy the book and then support her and her publisher by buying a copy, sending a signal ‘that this book is important, that the message in the book is valuable.’”...
Boing Boing, Mar. 3; Apophenia, Mar. 3

Golden Age comics from the Digital Comic Museum
The Digital Comic Museum offers free access to hundreds of pre-1959 comic books, uploaded by users who often offer historical research and commentary alongside high-quality scans. The site’s moderators and administrators are particularly careful to avoid posting non-public-domain comics. The resulting archive is thus devoid of many familiar comic-book characters, like those from Marvel, D.C., or Disney. On the other hand, the archive offers an interesting window into the themes of lesser-known comics in the Golden Age....
Open Culture, Mar. 3

The sorry state of ebook search results
Joe Wikert writes: “Why is Google so popular and how does it quickly help you find what you’re looking for? Google uses a variety of metrics, including how many inbound links a site has, to determine what’s in their search results and how those results are presented. Imagine Google without their algorithm. Rather than using all those metrics, they just give you a list of sites that happen to contain your search phrase. Pretty worthless, right? So why do we accept that same lame functionality in ebooks today?”...
Joe Wikert’s Digital Content Strategies, Feb. 24

What do you mean by archive?
Trevor Owens writes: “One of the tricks to working in an interdisciplinary field like digital preservation is that all too often we can be using the same terms but not actually talking about the same things. In my opinion, the most fraught term in digital preservation discussions is ‘archive.’ At this point, it has come to mean a lot of different things in different contexts. It can mean so many different things that some in digital preservation are reluctant to use the term. Here are some of the ways we parse and disambiguate the word’s meaning.”...
The Signal: Digital Preservation, Feb. 27; AVPreserve. Nov. 10, 2011

Survey on digital curation
If you are involved in taking care of digital materials of any type, format, and purpose and are interested in the advancement of digital curation as a professional field, the ACRL Digital Curation Interest Group invites you to participate in a study that looks at patterns of professional participation in digital curation. The survey takes about 20 minutes to complete....
ACRL Digital Curation Interest Group, Mar. 4

Librarians as drivers of digital transition
Lauren Barack writes: “Digital materials from ebooks to online databases, and tools from tablets to 3D printers, have quickly found their way into school libraries, classrooms, and public library branches. Having a core leader (a librarian) who can help stitch these tools into an educational experience can make the difference between merely a fun moment and one that incorporates learning. As schools adopt more digital tools and services, library spaces are changing to accommodate this transition.”...
The Digital Shift, Mar. 3

2014 Annual Conference and Exhibition, Las Vegas, June 26–July 1. More you won’t want to miss: ALA Division President speakers confirmed so far include: Black Girls Code founder Kimberly Bryant (LITA); introverted leadership author and champion Dr. Jennifer B. Kahnweiler (ALCTS); syndicated advice columnist and family reading advocate Amy Dickinson (ALSC); leadership and human resources expert Carrie Messina (LLAMA); high-wire artist Philippe Petit (United for Libraries); financial educators Michelle Singletary and David Eisler (ACRL).

Children’s Book Week poster, 2014
The Children’s Book Council and Every Child a Reader released the official 2014 Children’s Book Week poster. Illustrator Robin Preiss Glasser created the poster, which celebrates the 95th annual event for young readers. Glasser won the Children’s Choice Illustrator of the Year Award last year for Fancy Nancy and the Mermaid Ballet and has drawn the covers of many classic children’s books. Children’s Book Week will be celebrated May 12–18....
GalleyCat, Feb. 27

Big followers in little books
John Lubans teaches an eight-week class on “The Democratic Workplace” in the Department of Information and Library Studies at the University of Latvia in Riga. He writes: “One of the most engaging activities in my teaching involves children’s books. I put the students into small groups and give each group a blank piece of paper and a box of crayons. Then I have each team choose a children’s book from the several I’ve brought to class, and I tell them to go to it. Why this assignment? Two reasons.”...
Leading from the Middle, Mar. 4

Book tasting to support readers
Buffy J. Hamilton writes: “My colleague Jennifer Lund and I have been working with some of our 9th-grade teachers to give students an opportunity to select a book and engage in self-facilitated reading. I used a strategy, ‘book tasting,’ during my time at Creekview High to support inquiry and literature circles. Jennifer and I decided to adapt it for this unit, but our challenge was tweaking it for eight sections of classes, a variety of readers, and completely open choices rather than giving students a pre-selected menu.”...
The Unquiet Librarian, Feb. 27; Feb. 9, 2012

Robert Sean Leonard tribute
Libby Gorman writes: “Actor Robert Sean Leonard turned 45 on February 28. Although perhaps best recognized as the somewhat-saner colleague of Hugh Laurie’s Dr. House, in his younger days he starred in two great teen-rebel films: Dead Poets Society and Swing Kids. They both feature Leonard as a character who is questioning the authorities around him, and whose rebellion has tragic consequences. Pick up one of these classic films to watch in his honor—and maybe a book to read afterwards.”...
YALSA The Hub, Feb. 28

Diversity in youth literature
Lessa Pelayo-Lozada writes: “At ALA Midwinter in Philadelphia, the conversation about people of color in youth literature migrated from the convention center to the Karma Cafe for the Asian Pacific American Librarians Association dinner. The event featured a discussion with authors Soman Chainani and Ellen Oh, moderated by HarperCollins Children’s Books Editorial Director Phoebe Yeh (right). Both authors started off describing their works and the process behind their stories.”...
YALSA The Hub, Mar. 4

The novel that predicted Russia’s invasion of Crimea
Michael Idov writes: “Written in 1979, Vassily Aksyonov’s The Island of Crimea imagines an alternative history (abetted by alternative geography—Crimea is a peninsula) wherein the Russian Civil War ends with the tsarist forces able to hold onto this southern scrap of the old empire. Skip forward 60 years, and Crimea is a booming Hong Kong to the USSR’s China. In the US, where the book came out in 1983 (in Michael Henry Heim’s translation), it was rather expectedly read as a dissident tract.”...
New Yorker: Page-Turner, Mar. 3

Read 1,000 words a minute with Spritz
Carey Dunne writes: “A new technology called Spritz claims to have figured out a way to turn us into speed-readers. By flashing words onto a single point on a screen, much like watching TV, Spritz says it will double your reading speed. In an attempt to redesign reading—and rename it ‘spritzing’—the company streams one word at a time at speeds varying between 250 and 1,000 words per minute. Words are centered around an Optimal Recognition Point in a special display called the Redicle.”...
Co.Design, Mar. 3

Does anyone read books the right way anymore?
Charlie Jane Anders writes: “And I’m not talking about paper versus digital. I’m talking about curling up with a good book, for hours. Sitting in a hammock, or in a chair by the fire, just totally pulled into a book. Is the long, totally focused book-reading session a thing of the past? And does this mean we’re getting less immersed in our stories? There are plenty of signs that the way we’re reading books is changing. Not because of ebooks per se, but because our lives and relationships with technology are changing.”...
io9, Mar. 3

10 authors who ignored the basic rules of punctuation
May Huang writes: “While the majority of sentences in published texts (including this article) depend on punctuation to make sense, the literary world is nonetheless no stranger to great writers who have famously forgone punctuation conventions and gotten away with it. Here are 10 writers whose usage of punctuation (or lack thereof) has both bewildered and impressed readers.”...
Qwiklit, Mar. 5

Novel First Lines will tweet first sentences
Twitter user Dylan Smith has started a new Twitter account called Novel First Lines, on which he will tweet the first line of a novel every day for a year, starting March 1. So far tweets have included the first sentences of Chromos by Felipe Alfau, Post Office by Charles Bukowski, The Go-Between by L. P. Hartley, and Still Life With Woodpecker by Tom Robbins....
GalleyCat, Mar. 3

12 books that end mid-sentence
Gabe Habash writes: “Way back before The Sopranos made people angry or confused for cutting to black out of nowhere, books were messing with the heads of readers by daring to not use a period as the last typeset keystroke on the very last page. Here are 12 books that have no need for the standard last punctuation mark.” Franz Kafka’s The Castle (1926) ends: “She held out her trembling hand to K. and had him sit down beside her, she spoke with great difficulty, it was difficult to understand her, but what she said”...
Publishers Weekly: PWxyz, Mar. 4

Change the conversation at SXSWi
Some of the best parts of South by Southwest Interactive in Austin, Texas, are the connections and conversations you have daily with other attendees. Between the parties, the lines, the sessions, and the shuttles, there are many opportunities to engage in some great idea sharing. Here are a few conversation starters for when you’re out and about that may help get attendees thinking about libraries and librarians in new, exciting ways. Change the conversation about libraries one interaction at a time....
sxswLAM, Feb. 26

Librarians are major tech players at SXSWi
John Chrastka writes: “Representatives from ALA and other library organizations are attending South by Southwest Interactive and will be represented at the Innovative booth for libraries (#1036). Libraries continue to be the original coworking space and are evolving as drivers of the technology ecosystem. Librarians are leveraging their libraries as showrooms to get products into the hands of consumers. Here are several examples of libraries and librarians on the cutting-edge of tech.” More SXSWi librarian links here and here....
EveryLibrary Blog, Mar. 5; SXSW, Feb. 13; Urban Librarians Unite, Feb. 10

OCLC partners with FamilySearch
OCLC and FamilySearch International are working together to share data between WorldCat and the FamilySearch Catalog to provide more resources for improved genealogy research. More than 1 million FamilySearch genealogical records are now discoverable in WorldCat, and links to WorldCat are now available on FamilySearch.org. Many FamilySearch records in WorldCat represent large collections of vital information, such as birth and death records from localities all over the world. If they are digital, the records link back to FamilySearch.org where they can be viewed online....
OCLC, Mar. 4

Eight places to do city directory research online
Kenneth R. Marks writes: “City directories are the next best thing to census records. I became excited about San Francisco city directories when I had a Footnote (now Fold3) subscription many years ago. They had a nice collection of older San Francisco directories. Then I moved to the Internet Archive, which has a nice page-flipping feature that makes it easy to look for specific surnames once you select a specific city directory publication. I also discovered Don’s List.”...
The Ancestor Hunt, Feb. 24

Chat reference tip
Joe Hardenbrook writes: “We get over 25% of our reference questions through chat and the number grows every year. I spend a lot of time guiding students to the right library databases and brainstorming keywords with them. I’ve come to rely on the ability to share permanent URLs of search results from our library databases, the largest of which are EBSCO and ProQuest.”...
Mr. Library Dude, Mar. 4

Gale expands its product line
Reference publisher Gale has expanded its product and services initiatives, adding new collections and science, technology, engineering, and mathematics content from partners. As a part of the expansion Gale will now provide STEM ebook collections from Springer and Elsevier through the Gale Virtual Reference Library. The company has also launched 70 new ebook collections covering STEM, humanities, and social sciences, as well as general-interest topics like travel and do-it-yourself....
Gale Cengage Learning, Mar. 3

A librarian’s look at afterschool programs
Sara Bryce writes: “In February, the Afterschool Alliance published a report titled Taking a Deeper Dive into Afterschool: Positive Outcomes and Positive Practices (PDF file). There are four factors the alliance points out that are hallmarks of quality afterschool programs: strong program design, staff quality, effective partnerships, and program evaluation/improvement. What really interested me when reading this study was its approach to strong program design.”...
Bryce Don’t Play, Mar. 3

Get ready for a Long Night
Ilka Datig and Luise Herkner write: “In an effort to encourage study and to provide students with research and writing help, the New York University Abu Dhabi Library and Writing Center began collaborating in the fall of 2012 to organize a Long Night Against Procrastination. The event consisted of more than seven hours of students working and rushing around us, coming to workshops and tutorials, asking questions about writing and citations, and enjoying desk yoga and brief dance parties. Our two Long Nights have been quite successful, which is why we encourage other libraries and writing centers to give it a try.”...
College and Research Libraries News 75, no. 3 (Mar.): 128–131

10 changes a school library must consider
Meris Stansbury writes: “How can school libraries support an increasingly digital education? According to Michelle Luhtala, head librarian at New Canaan (Conn.) High School, there are roughly 10 changes library administrations should make to keep up with schools’ digital transition.”...
eSchool News, Mar. 3

Google Maps Gallery debuts
Dara Kerr writes: “Ever wanted to know the best escape route out of a city in case of an emergency? How about which of the world’s coral reefs are in the greatest danger? Or the exact route of the Lewis and Clark expedition in 1804–1806 (right)? All of these maps are now far easier to find because of a feature Google launched February 27 called Google Maps Gallery. This gallery is full of interactive digital maps from a variety of businesses, governments, and nonprofit organizations.” Other interesting maps in the gallery are internet users, Mars, roads of North America, and energy consumption....
CNET News, Feb. 27; Google Official Enterprise Blog, Feb. 27

Libraries and literacy in San Joaquin County
The Library and Literacy Foundation for San Joaquin County, California, in collaboration with the Stockton–San Joaquin County Public Library, has secured a Creative Work Fund grant that will create a photographic documentary of libraries and literacy efforts in the county. Titled “Raising Literacy,” the project will feature the artistic expertise of Robert Dawson, one of America’s leading documentary photographers and the author of Public Library: A Photographic Essay (forthcoming in April)....
Stockton–San Joaquin County (Calif.) Public Library, Feb. 27

Producing and performing a Skype interview
Michael Rodriguez writes: “Skype interviews are my favorite. As fewer employers can afford to fly candidates around, Skype is displacing face-to-face interviews at all stages of candidacy. With Skyping, you need not worry about traffic, handshakes, hard chairs, or what to order for lunch. Skype interviews place you in control of your environment and performance to a significant degree—and this is pressure of the productive sort.”...
Hack Library School, Feb. 27

Hmong virtual library expands
The Hmong Cultural Center in Saint Paul, Minnesota, is planning a major expansion and enhancement of its Hmong Studies Virtual Library. The library contains the links to full-text books, research articles, and published reports related to Hmong studies and Southeast Asian American studies. The center has added 19 Hmong-language documents on Hmong culture and history....
Asian American Press, Mar. 2

Jefferson Parish launches monthly video magazine
On March 1, the Jefferson Parish (La.) Library launched a monthly video news program, JPL Now, that showcases programs and services in the 16-branch system. Hosted by staffers Brian Meibaum and Jennifer Dumas, the March episode (8:15) features the teen gaming program at the Belle Terre branch and a behind-the-scenes look at the Friends of the Jefferson Public Library as they prepare for their Big Book Sale in April....
Vimeo, March 1

The Public Domain Review
Angela Terrab writes: “Like an iceberg, the public domain is massive, and most of it is hidden from sight. Luckily, this iceberg has a team of explorers dedicated to mapping its extent. The Public Domain Review is a godsend for anyone who knows that the public domain is full of great content waiting to be discovered and utilized. It is a slick, beautiful site that draws from digital archives across the world to bring viewers a well-organized, curated look at the best the public domain has to offer.”...
The Library As Incubator Project, Mar. 4

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