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Libraries from California to Colorado, Pennsylvania to Missouri, are finding themselves on the front lines of a battle they never anticipated fighting. The fact that libraries are open to all, offer relative anonymity, and generally allow patrons to stay as long as they like make them uniquely vulnerable to those seeking a place to use drugs. In 2015, more Americans died from drug overdose than from car accidents and gun homicides combined, and more than six out of 10 of those overdoses involved an opioid....
American Libraries feature, June 21; New York Times: The Upshot, Apr. 14; Centers for Disease Control and Prevention |
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Chase Ollis writes: “Librarians are suiting up for battle. Faced with a dramatic policy shift that contradicts the core values of libraries, an awakening of hate groups empowered by this shift, and the perpetual suspense that accompanies uncertain times, librarians are rising to the challenge of maintaining safe spaces by advocating for intellectual freedom and declaring that libraries are for everyone. This is a guide for librarians seeking best practices and resources to serve the LGBTQ+ youth community.”...
American Libraries feature, June; PBS NewsHour, Feb. 13 |
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Steve Zalusky writes: “Film scholars, archivists, and enthusiasts huddled in the dark movie theater with a steady stream of live organ music playing in the background. Those in the theater fastened their eyes on the flickering film screen, drawing on their pooled expertise and yelling out clues. Nearly 200 people had gathered for a labor of love and a test of their research skills and knowledge of film history June 15–17 at the Library of Congress’s Packard Campus for Audio-Visual Conservation in Culpeper, Virginia.”...
AL: The Scoop, June 22 |
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Arlene Hopkins and Stephen Maack write: “The world faces global ecological systems challenges of unprecedented severity and threat. The scientific reality of climate change has been politicized; President Trump has withdrawn the US from the Paris Agreement and the action has moved city and state leaders to offset this maneuver. The role of public libraries as hubs for reliable information, learning, and community building is ever more critical to our future resilience and sustainability.”...
AL: The Scoop, June 23; New York Times, June 7 |
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On June 22, ALA announced a new competitive grant program, sponsored by Google, that will fund a cohort of school and public libraries to develop resources to help get US libraries “Ready to Code.” The $500,000 pilot program is part of Phase III of Libraries Ready to Code, an ongoing collaboration between ALA and Google to ensure that expert library professionals are prepared to develop and deliver programming that promotes computer science and computational thinking among youth....
AL: The Scoop, June 23 |
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Nic Newman writes: “The 2017 Reuters Institute Digital News Report comes amid intense soul-searching in the news industry about fake news, failing business models, and the power of platforms. And yet our research casts new and surprising light on some of the prevailing narratives around these issues. With data covering more than 30 countries and five continents, this research is a reminder that the digital revolution is full of contradictions and exceptions.”...
Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism |
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Abigail Geiger writes: “Millennials in America are more likely to have visited a public library in the past year than any other adult generation. A new analysis of Pew Research Center survey data from fall 2016 finds that 53% of Millennials (those ages 18 to 35 at the time) say they used a library or bookmobile in the previous 12 months. That compares with 45% of Gen Xers, 43% of Baby Boomers, and 36% of those in the Silent Generation.”...
Pew Research Center, June 21 |
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The National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped at the Library of Congress is enhancing its ability to serve its patrons through several major technological initiatives being advanced this summer. NLS is launching a new and improved website and a new multimedia education campaign—both designed to raise awareness of NLS’s remarkable free services. The new website is designed to accommodate blind and reduced-vision users, providing every visitor with an easy-to-navigate educational experience....
Library of Congress, June 21
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Science publisher Elsevier won a default legal judgement on June 21 against websites that provide illicit access to tens of millions of research papers and books. A New York district court awarded the company $15 million in damages for copyright infringement by Sci-Hub, the Library of Genesis (LibGen) project, and related sites. Judge Robert Sweet had ruled in October 2015 that the sites violate US copyright. The court issued a preliminary injunction against the sites’ operators, who nevertheless continued to provide unauthorized free access to paywalled content....
Nature News, June 22; Dec. 4, 2015 |
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In a major announcement on June 22, HarperCollins has agreed to make a selection of its ebook backlist titles available to public library users on a multi-user lending model, via Midwest Tape’s hoopla digital platform. Starting in July, the publisher will make about 15,000 ebook titles available, including works from bestselling authors. Library Ideas will also offer HarperCollins titles via its multi-user platform Freading, and vendor OverDrive will also offer the titles via its “Cost-Per-Circulation” model....
Publishers Weekly, June 22
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Lost L.A., the University of Southern California Libraries’ collaboration with public media company KCETLink, has earned two Emmy Award nominations. A three-episode pilot season of the TV series first aired in January 2016. It grew out of an existing partnership between the two organizations to share the history of the Los Angeles region through the member collections of L.A. as Subject, a research consortium hosted by the USC Libraries. It is possibly the first Emmy nomination for an academic library....
USC Libraries, June 16
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This world map by RSOE EDIS shows real-time occurrences of emergencies, hazards, alerts, and other notable events (for example, earthquakes, storms, explosions, epidemics, vehicle accidents, terrorist attacks). You can zoom in on regions around the world, so it’s not just limited to the United States....
Emergency and Disaster Information Service |
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Grant Brunner writes: “There is an absurd number of free-to-play games available for the PC, and with that comes both pros and cons. The huge variety means that there’s something to fit just about any taste, but the signal-to-noise ratio is abysmal. Instead of trudging through dozens of clones and halfhearted cash grabs, let us separate the wheat from the chaff for you. In today’s post, we’re highlighting 20 of the best free games on the PC.”...
ExtremeTech, June 22 |
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