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At the AASL National Conference in Columbus, Ohio, on November 6, Dave Rohl, principal of Perry Meridian Middle School in Indianapolis, introduced a group of administrators with Project Connect, who are helping to empower their school library programs. On the final day of the conference, author Brian Selznick talked about the power of stories and Northwestern University Professor Eszter Hargittai offered a revealing look at internet skills....
AL: The Scoop, Nov. 7, 9 |
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It might seem crazy what he’s about to . . . write. Grammy Award–winning singer, songwriter, and producer Pharrell Williams—best known for his 2014 global hit “Happy”—can now add “author” to his long list of accomplishments. His recent picture book Happy! (G.P. Putnam’s Sons, 2015) features photos of children around the world celebrating life’s joys....
American Libraries feature, Nov. 10 |
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Meredith Farkas writes: “We know that intellectual freedom is a core value of our profession, but it’s easy to become complacent and lose sight of the magnitude of our role in protecting patron privacy. This may stem from the fact that there is now so much that is outside of our control, but that makes our role as advocates and educators even more important.”...
American Libraries column, Nov./Dec.
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Marijke Visser writes: “Internet access is no longer optional for today’s libraries. Without it, many library services grind to a halt and our patrons are left without access to the resources they need for education, employment, entrepreneurship, individual empowerment, and community engagement—The E’s of Libraries. In December 2014, the FCC completed a major reform of the E-Rate program—the national telecommunications program that helps libraries and schools connect to the internet.”...
AL: The Scoop, Nov. 9; FCC, Jan. 13 |
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James LaRue writes: “Fed-up academics are taking a harder line against increasing journal prices: ‘All six editors and all 31 editorial board members of Lingua, one of the top journals in linguistics, last week resigned to protest Elsevier’s policies on pricing and its refusal to convert the journal to an open-access publication that would be free online.’ Elsevier’s prices have been outrageous for scientific journals for a long time; now that’s spread to the social sciences.”...
AL: E-Content, Nov. 10; Inside Higher Ed, Nov. 2 |
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 Martha Boksenbaum writes: “Last year Boston got hit with snow for weeks on end. However, all Boston winters are cold, windy, and wet, and here are some quick tips on what to pack to prepare for the beautiful winter wonderland we don’t stop complaining about until spring thaw. You will need a real winter coat, one that will cover your whole torso and can put up with Boston winter temperatures. Typical January temperatures are 30 degrees F., but it can get colder.”...
YALSA Blog, Nov. 10 |
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The third annual American Library in Paris Book Award, which carries a prize of $5,000, was awarded to The Marquis: Lafayette Reconsidered by Laura Auricchio at the George C. Marshall Center on November 6. The library received 102 eligible submissions this year. Book-length prose works originally written in English—including but not limited to fiction, history, biography, travel, politics, food, and art—are eligible for the award....
American Library in Paris, Nov. 8 |
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The winners of the 2015 World Fantasy Awards have been announced at the World Fantasy Convention in Saratoga Springs, New York. The winner in the Best Novel category was David Mitchell, The Bone Clocks (Random House/Sceptre UK). The Best Collection award went to Helen Marshall for Gifts for the One Who Comes After (ChiZine Publications) and the Best Anthology was Kelly Link and Gavin J. Grant, eds., Monstrous Affections: An Anthology of Beastly Tales (Candlewick Press)....
SF Signal, Nov. 9; World Fantasy Convention |
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A new IMLS national report finds that many museums and libraries are using their prominent local positions to help rebuild troubled neighborhoods, driving economic, educational, and social efforts that help raise standards of living. Museums, Libraries, and Comprehensive Initiatives: A First Look at Emerging Experience (PDF file) examines the ways that museums and libraries are helping fuel successful comprehensive community revitalization efforts....
Institute of Museum and Library Services, Nov. 9 |
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The Digital Public Library of America has been awarded $150,000 from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation to research the potential integration of newspaper content into the DPLA platform. DPLA plans to investigate what resources it would take to potentially provide seamless discovery of the newspapers of all states and US territories, including the over 10 million pages already currently available in the Library of Congress’s Chronicling America....
Digital Public Library of America, Nov. 9 |
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John Hessler writes: “In the summer of 1901, Joseph Fischer was searching through a small library in the tiny village of Wolfegg, Germany. He happened upon a book that contained the only surviving copies of two of the great masterpieces of Renaissance cartography, the long-lost 1507 and 1516 World Maps by Martin Waldseemüller. Missing from the book, when it initially came to the Library of Congress, was a rare copy of the first printed star-chart of the Southern Hemisphere by the artist Albrecht Dürer. But after many years, in late October, LC acquired the Dürer chart, thereby reassembling all of the original materials.”...
Library of Congress: Worlds Revealed, Nov. 6 |
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Emily S. Rueb writes: “We followed Breakfast at Tiffany’s as it journeyed through the New York Public Library system. At 10:57 a.m. on October 27, we logged onto nypl.org and requested the book. To test the limits of the system, we asked that it be sent to the Stapleton branch on Staten Island. A library’s circulating collection is perpetually in motion. Last year, 38.5 million items (including renewals) were pumped through 150 library branches in the New York and Brooklyn Public Library systems.”...
New York Times, Nov. 6 |
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Sarah Carnahan writes: “It’s difficult to talk about gender definitions and not talk about labels, double standards, and stereotypes. There is a fine line between narrowing the focus in a book search based on gender and narrowing topics or experiences. There is a place for gendered booklists, but it should not be the deciding factor. Should gender play a significant role in readers’ advisory? How often have you asked an adult, ‘Are you reading a boy or a girl book?’”...
YALSA The Hub, Nov. 10 |
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Nathaniel Mott writes: “Pinterest has introduced a visual search feature that allows its users to identify specific objects shown in the images people collect and share on its site. The tool works by allowing people to select a portion of an image—presumably centered on whatever they wish to learn more about—and searching for similar images. It’s basically Google’s Image Search built right into Pinterest’s service.”...
Gigaom, Nov. 9; Pinterest Blog, Nov. 8
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Chris Hoffman writes: “What’s the password to your Wi-Fi network, anyway? Whether you’ve changed the default password or not, it’s simple to find it. You can look up any Wi-Fi network password if you’ve previously connected to that network from a Windows PC or Mac. This is essential for hooking up new devices to a network. Whether you’ve misplaced your home network’s password or you’re visiting someone and don’t want to ask them for the password a second time, here’s how you can find it.”...
How-To Geek, Nov. 10
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