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Alison Marcotte writes: “For Hartford (Conn.) Public Library, block parties and community theater are more than just forms of entertainment. They are potential ways to solve the issue of public safety and build a stronger relationship between residents and the police department. HPL is one of 10 public libraries in the US that have been participating in ALA’s ‘Libraries Transforming Communities’ initiative since April 2014.”...
AL: The Scoop, Aug. 3 |
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The ACRL Instruction Section’s Instructional Technologies Committee has published its latest Tips and Trends article, “Libraries in the Learning Management System,” written by Meredith Farkas. Tips and Trends introduces and discusses new, emerging, or even familiar technologies that can be used in library instruction. A learning management system is web-based software that allows instructors to deliver content, collect student work, and administer their classes....
ACRL Instructional Technologies Committee, Summer |
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 Deborah Fallows writes: “In 2010, the administrators of the Deschutes Public Library system, in the beautiful high desert region of central Oregon, had a great idea. As part of their extensive research about their patrons’ library use and needs, they would also film some Q & A sessions with community residents about the library. For Todd Dunkelberg, the director of the six-branch Deschutes libraries, the results were a wake-up call about the library’s visibility and familiarity.”...
The Atlantic, Aug. 2 |
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As Islamic State militants set out to destroy Iraq’s history and culture, a major preservation and digitization project is underway at the Iraq National Library and Archive to safeguard history. In darkrooms in the library’s back offices, employees use specialized lighting to photograph some of the most precious manuscripts. Mazin Ibrahim Ismail, the head of the microfilm department, said they are testing the process with documents from the Interior Ministry under King Faisal II (1939–1958)....
US News & World Report, Aug. 4 |
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Polina Garaev writes: “In most of the major libraries across Germany, one can find books that were taken by the Nazis, but port cities such as Hamburg have particularly extensive collections. ‘All books that came to the library between 1933 and 1945 are somewhat under suspicion,’ admitted Anna von Villiez of the University of Hamburg library, ‘especially those which were donated to us by the Gestapo, according to the old ledgers, which luckily survived the war.’”...
i24news (Tel Aviv), Aug. 1 |
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Mike Ashenfelder writes: “The annual Personal Digital Archiving conference is about preserving any digital collection that falls outside the purview of large cultural institutions. Considering the expanding range of interests at each subsequent PDA conference, the meaning of the word ‘personal’ has become thinly stretched to cover topics such as family history, community history, genealogy, and digital humanities. Presenters and attendees always share the same core interest: taking action about digital preservation.”...
The Signal: Digital Preservation, Aug. 3 |
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Because of ebooks, “new people are coming into the library,” said Ben Johnson, collection development manager at the Council Bluffs (Iowa) Public Library. “We’ve been hearing from people who really haven’t entered a library building in a long time.” Ebooks have become so mainstream, in fact, that their growth at US libraries is starting to level off. They’re part of a new normal for libraries: a foundation of physical materials with growing layers of digital collections....
Omaha (Nebr.) World-Herald, Aug. 2
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Samit Sarkar writes: “Windows 10 is here, and Microsoft’s latest operating system is designed for a mobile-first, cloud-first future, as CEO Satya Nadella puts it. But that future relies on big data—your data—and by default, Windows 10 can track and share the websites you visit, the purchases you make, the places you go, the words you type, and the things you say. You have the ability to control Windows 10’s data collection, but it takes some doing.”...
Polygon, July 31
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Katrina Schwartz writes: “Some adults worry that kids’ reading for pleasure is in danger of disappearing. But creative school librarians are proving there are plenty of great ways to get kids excited about reading on their own. Michelle Luhtala, librarian at New Caanan (Conn.) High School, is implementing many innovative ideas to get kids reading in her school; she also asked colleagues to weigh in with their own ideas to promote independent reading at every grade level.”...
KQED News: Mind/Shift, July 22 |
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The NPR staff writes: “As we get into the hottest, most languorous months of the year, it’s the perfect moment for a hot read. It’s the NPR Books Summer of Love, and we have 100 great romances for you, from historical to paranormal to LGBTQ to the subgenre that started it all, category romance (the slim-spined Harlequins of your childhood). For example, under Paranormal romance, the Immortals After Dark series by Kresley Cole: In Cole’s world, there are hundreds of paranormal races living secretly alongside humans. But every 500 years, war breaks out—and that time is now. Vampires and Valkyries, demons and sorceresses spark and court against a backdrop of supernatural battle.”...
NPR Books, July 29 |
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Shari’s Berries writes: “Movies have popcorn, and books have dessert. Nothing pairs better with a good book than a sweet treat lifted right off its pages. Imagine perusing The Help with a forkful of pecan pie, or immersing yourself in The Great Gatsby while nibbling on lemon cakes. Why just read the words when you can taste them as well? That’s our idea of savoring a story. So we’ve gathered a few of our favorite tales and treats in this infographic so you can have a taste too.”...
Shari’s Berries, July 1 |
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