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Julie Todaro (right), dean of library services at Austin (Tex.) Community College, has been elected 2016–2017 president of the American Library Association. Todaro received 2,899 votes, while her opponents, Joseph Janes, associate professor at the University of Washington Information School, received 2,877 votes; James LaRue, CEO of LaRue and Associates in Castle Rock, Colorado, received 2,222 votes; and JP Porcaro, librarian for acquisitions and technological discovery at the New Jersey City University’s Guarini Library, received 2,121 votes. Todaro will serve as president-elect for one year before stepping into her role as president at the close of the 2016 ALA Annual Conference in Orlando....
AL: The Scoop, May 8 |
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A three-judge panel of the US Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, based in New York, on May 7 ruled (PDF file) that the National Security Agency’s collection of millions of Americans’ phone records violates the USA Patriot Act. It is the first appeals court to weigh in on a controversial surveillance program that has divided Congress and ignited a national debate over the proper scope of the government’s spy powers. The court determined that the government stretched the meaning of the statute to enable the vast collection of data from US phone companies on a daily basis without a warrant....
Washington Post, May 7; New York Times, May 7; Politico, May 7 |
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ALA members can make their voices heard on the organization’s strategic direction and budget priorities by sharing ideas and and offering suggestions during the annual Virtual Membership Meeting on June 4. This interactive online forum provides real-time access to ALA leaders and opportunities to connect with colleagues about critical areas of ALA’s policy and advocacy work. Registration is required. Resolutions must be submitted by May 28....
ALA Membership Development Office, May 5
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Sponsored Content
The Audies, sponsored by the Audio Publishers Association (APA), is the United States’ premier awards program recognizing distinction in audiobooks and spoken-word entertainment across a variety of categories. The 20th Annual Audie Award finalists, representing 30 categories, were announced on February 11. The 2015 winners will be recognized on May 28 in New York City at the Audie Awards Gala, hosted by award-winning author Jack Gantos. Nominations were bestowed on over 160 titles from 36 unique publishers. Browse a selection of nominated works. |
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Get amped for Annual! Check out these must-dos for the ALA 2015 Annual Conference, San Francisco, June 25–30, including a “focus on the future.” As community centers and technology hubs, libraries are always forward-focused. ALA’s Center for the Future of Libraries presents various sessions concentrated on the Library of the Future. Hear experts from Google, Steelcase, and the Long Now Foundation discuss trends in libraries and the latest on innovative learning, online search, and literacy. Need more inspiration? Look into these 10 books featuring San Francisco....
American Libraries feature; The Guardian (UK), Mar. 7
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In what’s shaping up to be an exciting literary event at ALA Annual Conference in San Francisco, author and retired basketball player Kareem Abdul-Jabbar will be the keynote speaker at the celebratory 2015 Andrew Carnegie Medals for Excellence award ceremony. The event, held 8–10 p.m. on June 27 at the Hotel Nikko, will also include the announcements of the two medal winners—one for fiction, one for nonfiction....
Booklist, May 8
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New York City libraries took a $10 million hit in Mayor de Blasio’s 2016 budget. The three systems received $323 million—including $5 million from the City Council—in operating funds in 2015, and this year were only promised around $313 million. They also didn’t get the combined $1.4 billion in capital funds they’d requested for the next 10 years, although de Blasio pledged $300 million for their infrastructure needs, the largest capital commitment ever. “The mayor’s proposed operating budget is a setback for libraries,” said NYPL President Tony Marx (above)....
New York Daily News, May 8 |
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Sara Zettervall writes: “The idea that librarians and social workers have something to offer each other isn’t new. Today, we’re living in what may become a golden age of library–social work collaboration, as libraries experiment with hosting and hiring social services staff, as well as novel methods for reference services that go beyond information provision. This is a perfect time to reflect on how this trend can have a positive impact on all libraries.”...
Public Libraries Online, May 5 |
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Michael Zimmer writes: “The move towards cloud computing platforms in libraries threatens to disrupt norms of patron privacy protection. Much of cloud computing is based upon encouraging increased information flows and the tracking, capturing, and aggregating of data about users’ activities. Many librarians appear divided on how to address this tension between preserving traditional librarian ethics and offering Library 2.0 services.”...
Choose Privacy Week, May 6 |
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Jacob Hoffman-Andrews writes: “HTTPS, the secure version of HTTP, encrypts all traffic between a web browser and a server. The conventional wisdom of the 1990s was that HTTPS was only necessary to protect credit card numbers and passwords. But that opinion has changed. To celebrate ALA’s Choose Privacy Week, the Electronic Frontier Foundation offers five recommendations for libraries.”...
Electronic Frontier Foundation, May 6 |
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The new ninth edition of the Intellectual Freedom Manual, published by ALA Editions, is fresh off the press. ALA’s Office for Intellectual Freedom will present a free talk show–style webinar, “I.F. Live,” featuring the manual’s editors and contributors, who will introduce the revised manual and its new and useful features for practicing librarians, on May 12. Attendees will receive a code to purchase the manual at a discounted price....
Office for Intellectual Freedom, May 5 |
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David Nield writes: “Knowing the difference between HDMI and USB qualifies me as the local tech expert, so folks often invite me around to fix their computer problems. I’ll let you into a little secret, though: Most of the time, I’m not doing anything all that impressive or magical. Troubleshooting basic computer problems is actually pretty straightforward.”...
Gizmodo, May 5 |
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Monica Bertz writes: “Every year in the May 1 issue, our Mystery Showcase, Booklist compiles the 10 best adult crime novels reviewed over the previous 12 months. As a special treat, we’ve collected all of these titles from the past decade, spanning 2006–2015, in this post. That makes for 101 novels that will keep you reading into the next year, or at least until August. For example, Shovel Ready, by Adam Sternbergh: This galvanizing debut thriller boasts a compelling antiheroic protagonist—a garbage collector turned hit man—and a vividly evoked landscape in which Manhattan is reeling from a dirty bomb.”...
The Booklist Reader, May 6 |
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