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ALA Treasurer Mario M. Gonzalez reported Fiscal Year 2014 year-end results in an open message to ALA Council on October 30. These figures were reviewed by the Budget Analysis Review Committee, Finance and Audit Committee, and the Executive Board at meetings this month. His message: “For the Fiscal Year 2014, we are showing total ALA revenue exceeding expenses by $1.923 million. This is primarily driven by $2.9 million in expense reductions across the Association and its divisions.”...
AL: The Scoop, Oct. 30
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ALA and the Association of Research Libraries renewed their opposition to a petition filed by the Coalition of E-book Manufacturers seeking a waiver from complying with disability legislation and regulation. Amazon, Kobo, and Sony are the members of the coalition, and they argue that they do not have to make their e-readers’ Advanced Communications Services accessible to people with print disabilities, because because basic e-readers are primarily used for reading and have only rudimentary ACS....
District Dispatch, Oct. 29
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Kriston Capps writes: “Across the nation, the libraries that Andrew Carnegie built have been transformed and reused as historical museums, city halls, art centers, and even bars and restaurants, sometimes by dramatic means. It is a testament to Carnegie’s philanthropic investment in cities—the largest in US history—that so many of these buildings are still in use. Yet no one can say exactly how many are standing now. Despite the important roles the libraries continue to play in towns and cities, our understanding of these buildings as a piece of civic infrastructure is far from cohesive.”...
The Atlantic: CityLab, Oct. 28
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Karen Pundsack writes: “Library budgeting has never been an easy task. As we settle into the ‘new normal’ in library budget planning, traditional approaches like line item budgeting become less effective. The decline in traditional library metrics, such as print circulation, also makes it difficult to justify flat or increased funding from year to year. New approaches, like priority-based and outcome-based budgeting, could help align a library budget with its services and dollars received. These methods can provide enhanced accountability and transparency to the budgeting process.”...
Public Libraries Online, Oct. 29
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Gabrielle Karampelas writes: “Some of the earliest pages from the World Wide Web have been restored and are once again browsable, providing a glimpse of how the web once operated. Stanford Libraries has made these pages available with Stanford Wayback, a customized version of an open source platform that enables long-term access to archived web assets. The first website featured in Stanford Wayback is the SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory site. Originally created in 1991, the SLAC site is the earliest known website in the United States.”...
Stanford Report, Oct. 29 |
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Emily Singley writes: “What are the most common UX problems with academic library websites and library tools? I looked at 16 studies conducted over the past two years, and here is what I learned: 1) What does that mean? Library jargon. This was by far the most cited problem: 10 out of 16 studies reported library jargon. Not surprising, considering a recent review of library web sites that found only 49% to be jargon-free. Terms that were problematic: catalog or discovery tool, fulfillment, journal and database terminology, research links, and locations.”...
Usable Libraries, Oct. 1
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EBSCO Information Services is introducing Flipster, which allows library patrons to browse the latest issues of high-quality digital versions of popular magazines, courtesy of their library. Flipster provides users easy access to digital magazines for online browsing via their desktops or any mobile device. Flipster allows libraries to give their patrons the option of accessing the content at the library or remotely. They can also download magazines to their Android device, iPad, or iPad mini via a native app for offline reading....
EBSCO, Oct. 30
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Holly Young compiles the top tips for learning a new language from live chat with multilingual experts, including: Donavan Whyte, vice president of enterprise and education at Rosetta Stone; Aaron Ralby, director of Linguisticator; and Rebecca Braun, senior lecturer in German studies at Lancaster University. The panelists’ tips included making realistic goals, reminding yourself why you are learning, reading for pleasure, and ignoring the myth that learning languages is harder for adults....
The Guardian, Oct. 30
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Kelly Jensen writes: “For fans of Halloween and books, there’s something irresistible about a good literary jack-o’-lantern. It’s not only fun to see what other book lovers have created on the canvas of a pumpkin, but it’s also neat to think about what possibilities are out there for your own bookish carving. Here’s a roundup of 15 awesome bookish jack-o’-lanterns to ooh and ahh over and to be inspired by for your own knife date with a gourd.”...
Book Riot, Oct. 22 |
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