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James LaRue writes: “On October 7, 3M’s Cloud Library team announced to its customers that the 3M Library Systems Business, including the 3M Cloud Library, had been sold to Bibliotheca. Matt Templis, who led 3M’s ebook efforts, would be going there too, along with the entire Cloud Library team. For now, all of the support contacts are in place, and most customers should expect to see business continue pretty much as usual. So what does it mean?”...
AL: E-Content, Oct. 8; Bibliotheca, Oct. 5 |
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 Adam Eisgrau writes: “The Senate on October 7 approved legislation to limit the service of all future Librarians of Congress. Coauthored by all five members of the Senate’s Joint Committee on the Library, and passed without debate by unanimous consent on the day of its introduction, the Librarian of Congress Succession Modernization Act of 2015 (S.2162) would establish a 10-year term for the post renewable by the President upon Senate reconfirmation. Comparable House legislation is expected.”...
District Dispatch, Oct. 8 |
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 Meredith Farkas writes: “Whether the Library of Congress ends up with a visionary leader, a conservative supporter of business and the status quo, or a public intellectual without demonstrated managerial skills depends on whether President Obama sees this position as a vital part of his legacy and wants to expend the political capital to appoint someone who embodies open government and data, equality of access to information, and a commitment to a 21st-century digital infrastructure.”...
New Republic, Oct. 6 |
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Suzanna Caldwell writes: “Need to borrow a polar bear fur? Or a walrus skull complete with tusks? Or how about a beluga whale vertebrae or piece of baleen? All you need is a library card and a trip to the Alaska Resources Library and Information Services on the University of Alaska Anchorage campus. The library is home to the Furs, Mounts, and Skulls collection. It’s where hundreds of animal specimens from wolverine furs to stuffed puffins are available for checkout by the general public.”...
Alaska Dispatch News, Oct. 6 |
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Elena Goukassian writes: “Once only found at academic institutions or highly specific retreats, creative residency programs are now taking place aboard Amtrak trains, in Antarctica, inside laundromats, and at the Large Hadron Collider. So it should come as no surprise that many public libraries now also offer artist-in-residence programs. The DC Public Library is taking that idea a step further, adding a maker-in-residence to its growing repertoire of non-traditional programming.”...
DCist, Oct. 5 |
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Belarusian journalist Svetlana Alexievich was awarded the Nobel Prize for literature October 8 for work that the Swedish Academy described as “a monument to suffering and courage in our time.” The Nobel committee rarely chooses nonfiction writers for the literature prize. Alexievich is the author of, among other books, Voices from Chernobyl, about survivors of the nuclear plant disaster in Ukraine in 1986. She has also been a forceful critic of Russian military action and of President Vladimir Putin....
Washington Post, Oct. 8 |
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April Hathcock writes: “The library profession is so imbued with whiteness, extending even to the ways in which we discuss and address diversity, it is no wonder that our myriad diversity initiatives are not working. When we recruit for whiteness, we perpetuate whiteness in the profession, even when it comes in the form of a librarian with a diverse background. A look at the application requirements for a typical LIS diversity initiative demonstrates this point.”...
In the Library with the Lead Pipe, Oct. 7 |
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Kathleen Gruver writes: “So you want to host a comic con at your library but don’t have any funding? Or you’ve been lucky enough to secure funding but still need some low or no-cost programs to fill out your comic con schedule. Fortunately, there are options for the budget conscious con organizer. For example, a Cosplay Dating Game.” You can also apply for a Will Eisner Graphic Novel Innovation Grant, which provides support to a library for starting a graphic novel program. The application deadline is January 25....
Cosplay, Comics, and Geek Culture in Libraries, Oct. 8; Graphic Novels and Comics Member Initiative Group, Oct. 8
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J. K. Rowling’s readers can now enjoy the Harry Potter series on their Apple devices. The company has made the enhanced ebook editions of all seven installments available at the iBooks Store. Fans can read all about the adventures of The Boy Who Lived on an iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, or Mac computer. These digital books feature interactive animations and intricate illustrations. Fans will also find annotations throughout their literary journey, written by the author herself.”...
GalleyCat, Oct. 8; Apple Press Info, Oct. 8
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More than 30,000 libraries and schools are participating in the world’s largest global ebook reading club. Big Library Read, facilitated by OverDrive, connects readers around the world with an ebook. For the first time, two titles will be available to borrow online through participating libraries and schools: The Door in the Hedge by Robin McKinley (Open Road) and In the Shadow of Blackbirds by Cat Winters (Abrams). The free program runs October 7–21; all you need is a library card or student ID....
OverDrive, Oct. 8 |
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Craig Mod writes: “From 2009 to 2013, every book I read, I read on a screen. And then I stopped. You could call my four years of devout screen-reading an experiment. I felt a duty—not to anyone or anything specifically, but more vaguely to the idea of ‘books.’ I wanted to understand how their boundaries were changing and being affected by technology. Committing myself to the screen felt like the best way to do it.”...
Aeon, Oct. 1 |
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Woody Leonhard writes: “With Microsoft saying that 110 million PCs run Windows 10, you’ve no doubt encountered a problem or two or three, either with your upgrades or with those of your colleagues, family, or friends. Here’s my attempt to address the most frequent Windows 10 installation problems, including initial setup problems. Hopefully the advice and pointers will help ease the pain, should you find yourself trapped.”...
InfoWorld, Oct. 8 |
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Miriam Aronin writes: “Perfect for science fairs, school assignments, or plain old fun, these fantastic nonfiction series are packed with projects and backed by the science kids need to know as they tackle the activities. For example, FUN-damental Experiments (Bearport), K–Grade 3. The books in this colorful, visually appealing series promote scientific thinking in young children by asking for predictions and observations.”...
Booklist, Oct. 1 |
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