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Ahead of the announcements of the winners of the Andrew Carnegie Medals for Excellence in Fiction and Nonfiction, ALA is launching its #ShareTheStory campaign highlighting the six 2017 shortlist titles and how they remind us of the power of stories. Now through June 1, readers are encouraged to tell us their own stories about their lives, communities, and histories and how they relate to these titles....
RUSA, Dec. 12 |
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In an online election concluding December 8, LLAMA members overwhelmingly approved new bylaws to reorganize the division. The bylaws will take effect immediately, and the full reorganization will be phased in within a year. LLAMA’s eight sections will initially become communities of practice, and separate section memberships will no longer be required. The committee structure will also be simplified. The size of the LLAMA board will be reduced from 15 members to seven....
LLAMA, Dec. 9 |
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Swastikas and racist graffiti scrawled with red and black markers were found in four different parts of the Kansas City (Mo.) Public Library on December 11, and since then the library has worked to remove them. Library Director Crosby Kemper (right) said, “We have a picture of the person from our cameras. We hope the police catch him, and he should go to jail for the defacement of public property.” Swastikas were marked on a portrait of a former bank executive, inside a bathroom, on a stairwell, and on the glass of the main entrance....
Kansas City (Mo.) Star, Dec. 13; WDAF-TV, Kansas City, Dec. 12 |
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Raywat Deonandan writes: “Universities and colleges across Canada are having their budgets severely tightened for a host of reasons, some more rational than others. In this quest for slashing costs, libraries have found themselves on the chopping block. To many, this move represents an attack on the very idea of scholarship, and the undermining of the nation’s quest to be a leader in the knowledge economy. The University of Ottawa recently announced that it will be reducing its library budget by almost $2 million.”...
The Huffington Post: What’s Working blog, Dec. 13; Ottawa (Ont.) Citizen, Dec. 2 |
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Howled at by cat lovers worldwide, then beaten at the ballot box, a lame-duck city councilman in White Settlement, Texas, still wants to get rid of Browser, the city’s beloved library cat (right). At his farewell meeting December 6, Elzie Clements said he wants the council to reinstate a ban on animals in city buildings. But Mayor Ronald White has ignored him, and so far Browser is not on the agenda. Clements and Paul Moore had voted June 14 to give Browser a 30-day eviction notice after six years as the city library’s reading mascot....
Fort Worth (Tex.) Star-Telegram, Dec. 10; White Settlement (Tex.) Detail, June 22 |
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A new drama starring Emilio Estevez, Alec Baldwin (left), and Taylor Schilling (right) will start filming in Cincinnati in mid-January. Estevez wrote the screenplay for The Public and will also direct it. The movie is about a standoff between patrons of the Cincinnati Public Library and police. The patrons there stage an Occupy-style sit-in. Baldwin plays a negotiator, with Estevez and Jena Malone cast as library workers. Schilling will portray an activist....
Cincinnati Enquirer, Dec. 9 |
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Kate MacMillan writes: “School and public library partnerships were the buzzwords at the California Library Association conference in Sacramento in November. A packed room of librarians gathered to discuss and debate the pros and cons of school and public library partnerships. The panel encouraged everyone to talk about what is working, what’s not, what needs to happen to move forward, and how we can work together to make it happen. They quickly shared their ideas, dreams, and concerns.”...
Knowledge Quest blog, Dec. 13 |
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Barbara Fister writes: “A new Project Information Literacy report by Alison Head has just been published, the first in a new ‘practitioner’s series.’ Planning and Designing Academic Library Learning Spaces involved interviewing 49 librarians, architects, and consultants involved in 22 library construction projects. The research probes how these three parties negotiate their values and incorporate them into designs, what kinds of learning these spaces support, and what best (and worst) practices inform libraries embarking on a renovation.”...
Inside Higher Ed: Library Babel Fish, Dec. 6
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Lee Rainie and Cary Funk explain the type of research they do with Pew Research Center, as well as how the organization chooses what projects to tackle, in this video (27:09) from Sage. The Pew Research Center is a nonpartisan American “fact tank” based in Washington, D.C. It provides information on social issues, public opinion, and demographic trends shaping the US and the world....
Pew Research Center, Dec. 8
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Steve Inskeep writes: “Hazardous as the post-truth, post-trust era may be, it shouldn’t cause despair. It’s all right for Americans to be skeptical of what they read and hear. In general, traditional news organizations are more reliable because their business model is to paint the clearest picture of the world that they can manage. But in the post-trust era, we know that any news source can steer you wrong at times, and they’re likely all jumbled together in your news feed anyway. So here’s a finder’s guide to facts.”...
NPR, Dec. 11
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Jim Fisher writes: “Action cameras are small, lightweight, wearable, mountable, portable, and sometimes waterproof camcorders. They’re useful because you can mount them to pretty much anything. Sure, you can also mount a traditional camcorder, which could very well feature better functionality and performance for the price. But regular camcorders are too heavy and bulky to strap onto yourself, your apparel, or your equipment. Here you’ll find the top-rated action cams we’ve tested.”...
PC Magazine, Dec. 12
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The Best Books of 2016 list showcases 80 fiction and nonfiction books from a variety of genres picked by librarians at the Chicago Public Library as the “best of the best.” The staff also compiled lists of the best teen fiction and nonfiction published in 2016, the best graphic novels and Manga for teens, the best children’s fiction and picture books, and informational books for younger and older readers....
DNAinfo Chicago, Dec. 6; Chicago Public Library
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