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A man opened fire in the Clovis-Carver (N.Mex.) Public Library on August 28, killing two people and leaving four more injured. Police declined to name the suspect, who is in custody, but early reports identified him as a student at a local high school. Youth Services Librarian Krissie Carter (left) and Circulation Assistant Wanda B. Walters were killed. Lisa Baird, a witness, said that she was talking with a library patron at the reference desk when she heard a “very loud bang.” After taking cover, she heard the man moving around the library and firing multiple shots. ALA President Jim Neal issued a statement of support for the library staff on August 29....
AL: The Scoop, Aug. 29; Clovis Eastern New Mexico News, Aug. 29; ALA Public Awareness Office, Aug. 29 |
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In the wake of historic flooding fueled by Tropical Storm Harvey, ALA and the library community continue their commitment to disaster relief efforts within the Gulf Coast Region. Because the crisis is ongoing, reports of damage to libraries have yet to come in; however, one early report suggests the Aransas County Public Library in Rockport, Texas, was affected. The University of Houston campus sustained some major flooding. ALA members are welcome to assist their colleagues in Texas with recovery efforts by participating in local fundraising efforts. ALA offers a list of resources for dealing with natural disasters at Libraries Respond. AASL also offers two disaster recovery grants to help public school libraries....
ALA Public Awareness Office, Aug. 28; Washington Post, Aug. 29; Houston Chronicle, Aug. 29; WFLA-TV, Tampa, Fla., Aug. 27; Inside Higher Ed, Aug. 28; Texas Library Association |
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A 27-year-old man is under arrest in connection with the death of an assistant football coach who also worked as a school librarian in Odenville, Alabama. D’kota Chance Griffin, of Lineville, is charged with the murder of Michael Collins (right) and is being held without bond at the St. Clair County Jail. Collins’s body, found in his home in Springville on August 21, was stabbed more than 70 times, according to Assistant Sheriff Billy Murray....
KABB-TV, San Antonio, Tex., Aug. 25; WBMA-LD, Birmingham, Ala., Aug. 22 |
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Just five months after the city council forced out two trustees, exacerbating the turmoil at the Berkeley (Calif.) Public Library, Director Heidi Dolamore (right) has resigned. Dolamore, who has been in her position for less than a year, will step down on September 22. No reason was given for the resignation. Her departure makes two library directors in a row who have resigned after political turmoil....
Berkeleyside, Apr. 5, Aug. 28 |
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The Library of Congress has put the papers of Alexander Hamilton online for the first time in their original format. LC holds the world’s largest collection of Hamilton papers—approximately 12,000 items concentrated from 1777 until Hamilton’s death in 1804, including letters, legal papers, drafts of speeches, and writings. Now these original documents—many in Hamilton’s own hand—will be available for researchers and students anywhere in the world to explore and read....
Library of Congress, Aug. 28 |
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Lola Pyne writes: “The Library of Congress will again host a festival Twitter Pre-Party ahead of its annual National Book Festival, September 2, at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center. For the last two years, thousands have joined LC online to share the excitement leading up to the nation’s celebration of books and reading. The festival Twitter Pre-Party will take place August 31, 2–3 p.m. Follow @LibraryCongress and use the hashtag #NatBookFest.”...
National Book Festival Blog, Aug. 25 |
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Gavin Baker writes: “The Committee on House Administration this year began examining Title 44 of the US Code, which is the authority for the Federal Depository Library Program and the Government Publishing Office. This process is an important opportunity for librarians to advocate for FDLP improvements. The Depository Library Council has invited suggestions from the library community and, in response, ALA submitted comments to the FDLP on August 23.”...
District Dispatch, Aug. 25; Federal Depository Library Program, July 24 |
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The University of Toronto’s Thomas Fisher Rare Book Library is undertaking an inventory—the first in 40 years—which aims to go through many of the library’s 800,000 books in two weeks. Home to the rarest books in Canada, the library is closed for this period, and librarians and archivists are gently removing books and manuscripts off the shelves, organizing and looking for items that may have been misplaced, lost, or stolen....
Toronto Globe and Mail, Aug. 25
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Officials opened an inquiry into the causes of a fire that gutted an aristocrat’s private library and museum in Cosenza, Italy, on August 19, killing three people living in an apartment below the museum and destroying priceless works by the Renaissance philosopher Bernardino Telesio and letters to Galileo Galilei. The museum’s collection of the Bilotti Ruggi D’aragona family was one of the most important libraries in southern Italy. The fire was blamed on three squatters living in the apartment....
The Telegraph (UK), Aug. 20 |
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Kylie Peters writes: “There has been a big push to give teens agency, a voice, and opportunities for action through our library services. One way to do this is through a Teen Advisory Board. But as a middle school services librarian, I had my doubts about handing any real responsibility over to a bunch of 11-to-14-year-olds. So it was with some trepidation that I took on an advisory board for middle schoolers, which we call Library Squad. It has blossomed into a tight-knit community of library-loving tweens.”...
YALSA Blog, Aug. 28
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Daniella Smith writes: “This month I am following up on my first post about edcamps as an option for professional development. Last month I attended Edcamp Library 2017 in Frisco, Texas. I got some great tips on coding with students. I am about to start some projects, and I found the information that was shared to be quite timely. My favorite session was about coding. This is an overview of what I learned.”...
Knowledge Quest blog, Apr. 27, Aug. 28
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Stuart Kells writes: “I recently had the privilege of circling the world to write a book about libraries. My timing was excellent: After a short-lived ebooks scare, physical books are back in fashion, and libraries are the place to be. My trip was not unlike the pilgrimages made by 18th-century library tourists. On my journey I noticed two trends that are changing how we think of books and libraries. The first is a stronger focus on provenance research; the other involves breaking away from traditional ideas of what constitutes a meritorious book.”...
The Guardian (UK), Aug. 26
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