American Library Association • October 21, 2014
 
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2014 Teens’ Top Ten titles announced

Screenshot from Teens' Top Ten video

YALSA has announced the official titles of the 2014 Teens’ Top Ten, a “teen choice” list where YAs nominate and choose their favorite books of the previous year. Teens all over the world voted from August 15 through Teen Read Week (October 12–18, 2014). Altogether, more than 12,000 votes were cast for the 25 nominees. A YouTube video (1:51) featuring Hunger Games actress Willow Shields, who plays Primrose Everdeen in the franchise, announces the winning titles....

YALSA, Oct. 20

Michigan supports school libraries

Top portion of School Libraries in Michigan informational poster

The Michigan State Board of Education passed a resolution at its October 14 meeting in support of school libraries staffed by certified school librarians as a way to achieve 21st-century learning and teaching goals. The resolution (PDF file) was supported in public comments by Kathy Lester, president of the Michigan Association for Media in Education (MAME) and a school librarian at East Middle School in Plymouth, Michigan; Kafi Kumasi of Wayne State University; and Jeanna Walker, MAME Secretary and a school librarian at Portage (Mich.) Northern High School, an AASL Vision Tour School....

American Libraries: The Scoop, Oct. 20


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?

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Gale
 

The Georgia State e-reserves reversal

Georgia State University library

Steve Kolowich writes: “In May 2012 fair-use advocates celebrated a federal judge’s decision in a high-profile copyright case. The ruling was seen as a decisive victory for Georgia State University, whose librarians wanted to be able to make as much copyrighted material as possible freely available to students via its electronic reserve system. On October 20, a federal appeals court ended that celebration by reversing the judge’s decision and sending the e-reserves case back to the lower court for further action.” On October 21, ALA President Courtney Young issued a statement on the ruling....

The Chronicle of Higher Education, May 13, 2012; Oct. 18, 20; ALA Washington Office, Oct. 21

 
Project Muse
 

National Library of Medicine to preserve Ebola web content

Ebola research in Canada

The National Library of Medicine has launched an initiative to capture and preserve selected born-digital content documenting the 2014 Ebola outbreak. This initiative is a part of its previously announced web content collecting effort. Initiated on October 1, selected content related to the outbreak includes websites and social media from government and non-government organizations, journalists, healthcare workers, and scientists in the United States and around the world, with an aim to collect and preserve a diversity of perspectives on this unfolding health crisis....

National Library of Medicine, Oct. 20

 
ALA Midwinter Meeting
 

President-elect Sari Feldman to kick off LLAMA webinars

Sari Feldman

LLAMA will present the first in a series of 60-minute webinars featuring library thought leaders from a wide variety of library types and sizes. ALA President-elect Sari Feldman (right) will kick off the series with a free webinar at 1–2 p.m. Central time on November 12. Feldman is a past president of PLA (2009–2010) and has served as executive director of the Cuyahoga County (Ohio) Public Library since June 2003. Under her leadership, CCPL has become one of the nation’s best and busiest public library systems....

LLAMA, Oct. 20

Amazon’s new Kindle Voyage

Kindle Voyage

Farhad Manjoo writes: “Amazon’s new Kindle is a tech-industry miracle. If that sounds over the top; it’s not. The Voyage’s main trick is a high-resolution display that mimics the look of a printed page. Text on its screen appears at a resolution of 300 pixels per inch, which is on par with the displays now found on most of our other mobile devices. Compared with previous Kindles, text on the Kindle Voyage appears both sharper and in starker relief against the background.”...

New York Times: Bits, Oct. 20

Carry on screaming

Vampire-slaying kit, 19th century, British Library exhibit

There’s no better place to begin discussing autumnal shivers than the British Library’s major new exhibition, “Terror and Wonder: The Gothic Imagination.” The exhibition explores 250 years of Gothic literature, beginning with Horace Walpole’s The Castle of Otranto. The exhibit, which runs through January 20, features 200 rare objects; some of these pieces shine the spotlight on works by writers Mary Shelley, Bram Stoker, and Clive Barker. Visitors will see “posters, books, film, and even a vampire-slaying kit (right).” Watch the video (1:49)....

British Library: English and Drama blog, Oct. 14; YouTube, Sept. 30

Celebrate National Friends of Libraries Week

Friend your library

Friends of Libraries groups have their very own national week of celebration. United for Libraries will coordinate the ninth annual National Friends of Libraries Week, October 19–25. The celebration offers a double opportunity to celebrate Friends. Use the time to creatively promote your group in the community, to raise awareness, and to promote membership. It is also an excellent opportunity for your library and board of trustees to recognize the Friends for their help and support of the library....

United for Libraries


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