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ALA President Loida Garcia-Febo launched her Libraries = Strong Communities tour October 5 with a visit to Pikes Peak Library District in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Libraries = Strong Communities is a national advocacy effort aimed at highlighting the value of academic, public, and school libraries. Garcia-Febo says she chose PPLD as one of the six destinations because of the vital resources and opportunities it provides through its 14 library branches and mobile and online services. Her first stop was at the Sand Creek branch, where she addressed the crowd in Spanish at the library’s Culture Mash....
AL: The Scoop, Oct. 9 |
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Google announced October 8 that it will shut down the consumer version of Google+ following the discovery of a bug that it opted to keep secret. In a blog post, the search giant framed the decision as one that makes sense given that very few people actively use Google+—“90% of Google+ user sessions are less than five seconds,” wrote Ben Smith, a Google fellow and VP of engineering—and it doesn’t warrant the work required to keep tabs on developers. The bug, patched in March, affected about 500,000 Google+ users. In addition, Google is rolling out a change to its developer tools that will give users much more control over privacy permissions for their account data....
PC Magazine, Oct. 8; Engadget, Oct. 8 |
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The Lafayette Parish (La.) Library and Delta Lambda Phi have postponed drag queen storytime until a new venue has been found. “The library was notified today by South Louisiana Community College representatives that they can no longer host the Drag Queen Storytime program due to ongoing and increasing concerns regarding safety and security,” the library system said in an October 4 statement. However, the library confirmed that it is not permanently canceling the program....
KLFY-TV, Lafayette, La., Oct. 4 |
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The UCLA Library has launched Documenting Global Voices with a $5.5 million grant from Arcadia, a charitable fund. The new international initiative will preserve at-risk cultural heritage materials and make them publicly available online. Through Documenting Global Voices, the library will award grants to archives and cultural heritage organizations around the world. The program will focus on regions with limited capacity for preservation and where archival materials may be in danger of being lost. The first call for proposals opens December 1....
UCLA Newsroom, Oct. 9 |
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Scholars have a new space at Yale to explore the humanities in detail using digital tools and STEM-related methods. The Franke Family Digital Humanities Laboratory opens in Sterling Memorial Library on October 9, as part of the university’s Founders Day celebration. The space, previously the Franke Family Reading Room, underwent a renovation that preserved its character while outfitting it for the lab’s high-tech mission. The Digital Humanities Lab assists scholars in applying technology and quantitative methods to humanistic questions....
Yale News, Oct. 4 |
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With few exceptions, public libraries in southeastern North Carolina made it through Hurricane Florence with barely a scratch. Reecie Tate, director of the Brunswick County library system, said there were “just some limbs down and some shingles in the parking lot.” Some New Hanover County branches suffered some water seepage, with the Myrtle Grove branch reopening late due to downed trees blocking access. Pender County libraries stayed largely high and dry....
Wilmington (N.C.) Star-News, Oct. 6 |
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Moving from what letters look like to what they sound like is a complex multisensory task that requires cooperation among brain areas specialized for visual and auditory processing. Researchers call this the “reading network.” According to a new neuroimaging study from the University at Buffalo, the extent to which these sensory-specific parts of the brain are able to connect as a network, not necessarily anatomically, but functionally, during a child's development predicts their reading proficiency....
Science Daily, Oct. 2 |
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Melissa Sokol writes: “I found the ALSC Institute in Cincinnati, September 27–29, to be an exciting weekend filled with some of the best professional training sessions I have ever had the opportunity to take part in. Every program and session I attended provided some fresh perspectives and practical applications for my work as a children’s services librarian, but our Public Awareness Committee wants to highlight a few of the things we learned that we can put into practice immediately.”...
ALSC Blog, Oct. 8 |
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BBC America and the Women’s Media Center’s study, “Superpowering Girls: Female Representation in the Sci-Fi/Superhero Genre,” focused on the impact of female superheros and sci-fi characters on youth ages 5–19. The findings? Kids want to see heroes who look like them. Every demographic expressed a desire for female heroes, especially characters who are people of color. The study found that this kind of representation can impact kids’ confidence and self-image, as well as influence their career choices....
SyFy Wire, Oct. 8; WMC Reports, Oct. 8 |
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The ALA Social Responsibilities Round Table has announced the first annual Herb Biblo Conference Travel Grants to help finance up to two SRRT members’ attendance at the ALA Annual Conference. The $1,000 award covers limited fees related to airfare, lodging, and conference registration. The deadline to apply is December 15. All applicants will be notified of the Selection Committee’s decision by January 15....
Social Responsibilities Round Table, Oct. 8 |
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Jessica Stewart writes: “If you love the New York Public Library as much as we do, you’ll enjoy this detailed tour of the building by Architectural Digest. The video is a nearly 25-minute view into every nook and cranny of the beloved building. Archival photographs help viewers understand some of the architectural styles that influenced its construction. Narrators include design historian Judith Gura, architectural historian Paul Ranogajec, and Keith Glutting, manager of the NYPL visitor volunteer program.”...
My Modern Met, Oct. 8, Architectural Digest YouTube channel, Sept. 27 |
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Caroline Stewart writes: “Engineering toys aren’t just for preparing kids to enter a STEM field—teaching kids important engineering skills can foster critical thinking that will help them no matter what career path they choose. Whether they like designing bridges and cars or solving puzzles and mazes, there’s sure to be an engineering kit on this list that will spark a child’s interest in the world in critical thinking and logic.”...
Review Geek, Oct. 5 |
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