American Library Association • October 14, 2014
 
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Hangout with ALA presidents, October 20

ALA President Courtney Young (left) and President-Elect Sari Feldman (right)

Whatever you’re passionate about in the library world, there’s an ALA group full of other people with that same interest. Learn more about finding your niche and getting the most out of participating in ALA during a Google Hangout with ALA President Courtney Young (left) and ALA President-Elect Sari Feldman (right) on Monday, October 20, from 11 a.m.–noon Eastern time. Visit ALA’s Google Plus page on the 20th to join in....

ALA Tumblr, Oct. 14

Adobe responds to ALA on e-reader privacy

Adobe Digital Editions logo

ALA decries the e-reader data breaches by Adobe and is calling for immediate corrective action to encrypt and protect reader information. The transmission of reader data over the internet that was first reported October 7 presumably stretches back as far as the release of Adobe Digital Editions (ADE) 4.0 in early September. In response to ALA’s request for information, Adobe reports they “expect an update to be available no later than the week of October 20” in terms of transmission of reader data....

Office for Information Technology Policy, Oct. 13


Sponsored Content

Frank Menchaca

Curriculum alignment at Gale

Frank Menchaca, Senior Vice President, Global Project Management, Gale, National Geographic Learning

At Gale these days, our product and go-to-market strategies have all centered on answering a single question: how do we help libraries provide value that they can measure and demonstrate to their stakeholders?

Gale logoOne initiative dedicated to advancing this cause is our new curriculum alignment service. This involves a deep and extensive consultation with a customer to identify: What are their metrics of value; who are the stakeholders that evaluate those metrics, and how does a Gale product demonstrate that value?...


 
Gale
 

The Center for the Future of Libraries: A place to start

Center for the Future of Libraries logo

Miguel A. Figueroa writes: “It’s something that we’ve all heard—we can’t predict the future. And that’s probably a good thing. It helps remind us that we are not destined for one single future, but rather that there will be many different futures based on how we work with our communities and with each other. In the absence of a single blueprint for the library of the future, ALA’s Center for the Future of Libraries will focus its work on three key efforts.”...

Center for the Future of Libraries blog, Oct. 10

 
Project Muse
 

Aspen Institute report: Re-envisioning public libraries

Cover of Rising to the Challenge: Re-Envisioning Public Libraries

The Aspen Institute announced the release of a new Dialogue on Public Libraries report, Rising to the Challenge: Re-Envisioning Public Libraries (PDF file), at a New York Public Library event on October 14. Over the past year, Aspen has brought together a 35-member group of library professionals, policymakers, technology experts, philanthropists, educators, and civic leaders to explore, develop, and champion new ways of thinking about public libraries. The Dialogue was created by the Aspen Institute Communications and Society program in partnership with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation....

AL: The Scoop, Oct. 14

 
ALA Midwinter Meeting
 

Collections are for collisions

Collections are for collisions: Design it into the experience

Steven J. Bell writes: “As a profession we are likely in agreement that serendipitous discovery in the library stacks is a good thing. Think of it as collision with our collections. A patron is browsing through the aisles when he or she randomly happens upon a book that for some reason captures his or her attention. What happens next may amount to nothing more than a brief touch and scan or a routine reading. It’s on those other occasions, when the collision engages someone and has the potential to create some seismic shift in his or her life, that the collection reaches its full potential.”...

American Libraries feature

 
Corner Shelf
 

YA books for Learning Disabilities Awareness Month

Cover of Dying to Know You, by Aidan Chambers

Geri Diorio writes: “Learning Disabilities Awareness Month is a time to give recognition to folks with LD and perhaps learn a bit more about these disabilities. ‘Learning disabilities’ is a phrase that can encompass many different things: dyslexia, dyscalculia, dyspraxia, and dysgraphia. According to the National Institutes of Health, 15% of the US population has a learning disorder. So it is little wonder that there are many YA literature characters who have some sort of LD. Here are five titles to explore.”...

YALSA The Hub, Oct. 14

The best 3D printers

Ultimaker 2 3D printer

Tony Hoffman writes: “The category of 3D printers has proven to be more than a passing fancy. Clearly, they are here to stay. A number of fine models geared to hobbyists, schools, and professionals are now available. We are still looking for that breakthrough 3D printer with the combination of modest price, good print quality, and easy setup and operation for it to be a winning consumer product, but improvements have been made on all these fronts. Here are the best 3D printers that we’ve reviewed in the past year.”...

PC Magazine, Oct. 10

Get all your social media updates in one place

HootSuite sign-in

David Nield writes: “You log into Facebook and check your updates, switch to Twitter to do the same, then to Snapchat, then Instagram, then Tumblr, then WhatsApp, then two or three more. Save yourself from social media fatigue and earn back some productivity points by consolidating all your incoming feeds into one place. Here are some ideas about how to go about it.”...

Gizmodo, Oct. 14


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