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Cybersecurity has been dominating news cycles this year, and libraries are no exception. In Episode 28, Dewey Decibel looks at cybersecurity in the library world. The podcast features Todd Stephens and Chris McSwain from Spartanburg County (S.C.) Public Libraries, the victim of a ransomware attack in January, as well as Patrick Craven, director of the nonprofit Center for Cyber Security Safety and Education based in Florida....
AL: The Scoop, July 31 |
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Lizzie Kardon writes: “It’s every system administrator’s worst nightmare. Hackers gain access to your system, stealing information or locking sensitive files. Whether it’s a damaged reputation or lost data, cyberattacks are tremendously destructive. But not all cyberattacks are the same. They use different methods to achieve different ends and thus require different prevention strategies. Here are the top six cyberattacks you need to be ready for in 2018.”...
LLRX, July 28 |
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The Denmark branch of the Brown County (Wis.) Library moved to Denmark High School in 1999. It is one of just eight Wisconsin public libraries inside a school building. But a combination of sex-offender laws, school security issues, and rules governing grant money virtually guarantees the branch cannot be open to the public during the school day once the school has installed a new security system, the Raptor Visitor Management System, this summer....
Green Bay (Wis.) Press Gazette, July 30 |
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At least six people have overdosed in public libraries in Suffolk County, Long Island, New York, over the past year, mostly inside the restrooms. Police say two overdoses happened at the Patchogue-Medford Library, and the others were in Centereach, Shirley, Brentwood, and Middle Island. None of the incidents were fatal. “We have trained literally hundreds of library staff members around Suffolk County on mental health awareness, on use of Narcan, on various first aids and support services,” said Kevin Verbesey, Suffolk Cooperative Library System director....
News 12 The Bronx, July 30; WABC-TV, July 25 |
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Jaime Herndon writes: “The 2018 midterm elections are important. All of the seats in the House of Representatives, a third of the Senate, dozens of governorships, and a bunch of state legislature positions are all up for grabs. The outcome of the midterm election could impact legislation in Congress, the investigations regarding the Trump administration, Supreme Court nominations, and countless state laws. This recommended reading list is by no means an exhaustive one, but it includes books on many pressing topics.”...
Book Riot, July 31 |
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The National Archives and Records Administration recently marked the 45th anniversary of a devastating fire at the National Personnel Records Center in St. Louis that destroyed approximately 16–18 million Official Military Personnel Files documenting the service history of former military personnel discharged from 1912 to 1964. The fire was reported shortly after midnight on July 12, 1973. It burned out of control for 22 hours and took two days before firefighters were able to re-enter the building....
National Archives News, July 23 |
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Michelle Easley writes: “As we prepare for students returning to school, many of us are getting the library ready. Take some time to be intentional about creating an environment that supports diversity, not just through diverse collections, but also by sustaining an environment that all students will feel comfortable in. Consider these questions as you walk around: What does the imagery on your walls reflect? What do the artifacts displayed mirror? Do your displays and artwork represent a range of cultures?”...
Knowledge Quest blog, July 30 |
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Joel Shoemaker writes: “Recently, I noticed a new resource coming from ProQuest in September, the LGBT Magazine Archive. Besides the core relevance of this collection for LGBT studies and gender/sexuality research, it will cater to interests in many related fields that intersect with it, including political science, sociology, psychology, history, literature, and cultural studies. The archive will offer full runs of the most influential, established, long-running periodicals of this type.”...
GLBT News, July 26 |
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Iris Eichenlaub writes: “Student-voice advocate and educational consultant John McCarthy says that student-centered learning (SCL) is when we encourage students ‘to share in decisions, believing in their capacity to lead, and remembering how it feels to learn.’ As I reflect on my own teaching, the lens of SCL has pushed me to consider ways that I can release the control of my lessons into the hands, minds, and hearts of the learners. A student-centered library is a way to scale this concept up and is also about putting the customer first.”...
Knowledge Quest blog, July 31; Edutopia, Sept. 9, 2015 |
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Cassandra Neace writes: “Zombies are, oddly enough, a favorite topic of ours. They have inspired a number of popular TV shows, and they are staples in comic books and novels. There’s a trend here: These things are all aimed at adults and teens, and that kind of makes sense. Zombies are meant to be scary, and we have a natural urge to protect kids from things that are scary. But kids like to be scared, too. Here’s a list of 25 zombie books for kids that will let them get in on the zombie-loving action.”...
Book Riot, Jan. 23, July 16, 2018; Sept. 19, 2016; Oct. 31, 2015 |
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Richard Byrne writes: “Whiteboard-style videos and Common Craft–style videos can be good for helping students understand big concepts in short, easy-to-follow videos. But for smaller concepts, an animated GIF can do the trick. In the last few months I’ve come across many free tools for making animated GIFs. Here’s a rundown of seven of the better ones.”...
Free Technology for Teachers, July 29 |
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Craig Lloyd writes: “It’s common knowledge that water does bad things to electronics, but there are still a few things you may not know about how exactly water can damage electronic components and what you can do if you ever accidentally take your devices for a swim. Let’s say that you accidentally drop your smartphone into a puddle of water and it ends up damaging the device, leading to malfunction and, eventually, total failure. How exactly did the water do all that damage?”...
How-To Geek, July 31 |
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