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For daily ALA and library news, check the American Libraries website or subscribe to our RSS feed.
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Carrie Smith writes: “How can libraries preserve local digital content, connect researchers with resources in a way that saves time for reference staff, and curate and present their physical collections in unique digital ways? At DPLAFest 2019 on April 17 in Chicago, speakers addressed ways to preserve and highlight collections while amplifying marginalized histories and connecting with communities. ‘Many of us, every day, are thinking much more critically about the impact digital technology has on our society,’ said Digital PublicLibrary of America Executive Director John Bracken at the opening session.”...
AL: The Scoop, Apr. 22 |
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As part of ALA President Loida Garcia-Febo’s efforts in the area of diversity, equity, and inclusion, the Office for Diversity, Literacy and Outreach Services has invited ALA’s ethnic affiliate members of the Joint Conference of Librarians of Color to an online conversation to share their history, projects, and news in a free 90-minute webinar on May 1. Attendees will hear from six ALA affiliates: American Indian Library Association, Asian/Pacific American Librarians Association, Black Caucus of the American Library Association, Chinese American Librarians Association, Joint Council of Librarians of Color, and Reforma. Register online....
Office for Diversity, Literacy, and Outreach Services, Apr. 22 |
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ALCTS is offering two free seminars during Preservation Week, April 21–27. “Preserving Your Family History” on April 23 will feature Kenyatta D. Berry, author of The Family Tree Toolkit: A Comprehensive Guide to Uncovering Your Ancestry and Researching Genealogy, and provide tips on researching, preserving, and sharing all aspects of your family’s history. “Caring for Family Keepsakes” on April 25 will feature genealogist Denise May Levenick. Find recordings of past years’ free Preservation Week webinars on YouTube....
ALCTS |
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At a forum in January, Yale University Librarian Susan Gibbons outlined a seemingly uncontroversial proposal: to relocate tens of thousands of books from the undergraduate library to make space for more seating. She said declining circulation and the recent increase in the size of the student body justified the plan, which would reduce the print volumes from 150,000 to 40,000. The proposal prompted an angry response from students, who framed the move as an assault on “book culture” that would make it harder to browse materials. In response, Gibbons in February announced an updated renovation plan by which the library would keep 61,000 print volumes....
Washington Post, Apr. 21; Yale University Library, Feb. 3; Yale News, Feb. 8; Aug. 24, 2017 |
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Healthy forests play an crucial role in Earth’s ecosystem as growing trees take up carbon from the atmosphere. NASA satellites and airborne missions study forests to see how carbon moves through ecosystems—and now citizen scientists can help investigate this key question as well by using their smartphones to measure tree height. The GLOBE Observer app provides a step-by-step guide for people to collect scientific data on their surroundings. With its new GLOBE Trees feature, observers can record tree height by tilting their phone up and down to align the screen with the tree’s top branch and base, and pace off the distance to the tree; the app does the rest....
NASA, Mar. 26 |
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More than 25 people came to get a workout and enjoy the adorable baby goats April 17 at the Cullman County (Ala.) Public Library. Two Norwegian pygmy goats joined the weekly yoga class for the first goat yoga event at the library, and more are planned. Library Director Sharon Townson said she was pleased with the turnout....
Cullman (Ala.) Tribune, Apr. 18 |
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Boasting everything from unique photos of Henry Ford, Louis Chevrolet, and Amelia Earhart to color swatches for classic car restoration and documents from Detroit’s role in winning World War II, the National Automotive History Collection is back in business. More than a year after a broken water pipe threatened it, historians, enthusiasts, authors, and the public again have access to the stately 87-year-old special collection in the Skillman branch of the Detroit Public Library. It began acquiring automotive materials in 1896, when it purchased Notes on Motor Carriages, a 34-page book by John Henry Knight....
Detroit Free Press, Apr. 20 |
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The Norwegian consortium for higher education and research and global science publisher Elsevier agreed on April 23 to a pilot national license that provides Norwegian researchers with access to academic research while making Norwegian research available through open access publishing. The pilot will run for two years, giving seven universities and 39 research institutions across Norway access to Elsevier’s platform. The Norwegian Directorate for ICT and Joint Services in Higher Education and Research (UNIT) and Elsevier will jointly monitor the program. At €9 million, UNIT will pay Elsevier about 3% more for access than its previous agreement....
Elsevier, Apr. 23; Financial Times (UK), Apr. 22 |
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Barbara Fister writes: “Something important became clear after the redacted Mueller Report was made public. It turns out a lot of journalists got it right. Stories they reported have been confirmed by the work of the Special Counsel. Of course, there will still be a large percentage of Americans who believe it was all a witch hunt. I’m mulling this over while reading John Wihbey’s new book, The Social Fact: News and Knowledge in a Networked World. The book is about the role of journalism in our networked world, how our current information technologies impact knowledge, and what we can do to make the sharing of knowledge healthier and less susceptible to distortion.”...
Inside Higher Ed: Library Babel Fish, Apr. 22 |
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Abby Hargreaves writes: “After living in the DC area for almost five years, I finally went to the Library of Congress to get a reader’s card. The process is actually pretty easy and, once you have it, you can access reading rooms and materials at the Library of Congress beyond what’s available online. In the Jefferson Building, the Microform and Electronic Resources Center (where card registration happens) is also a research room, so you’ll want to keep the volume down. Reader’s cards are good for two years and must be renewed in person with a valid ID. According to the LC website, acceptable ID may be a ‘valid driver’s license, state-issued identification card, or passport.’”...
Book Riot, Apr. 23 |
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Brandi Vincent writes: “Security experts have reported a substantial increase in the number of weaponized PDFs being sent largely to recipients in the US and UK—most of which seem to be originating in Russia. Through all of 2018, network security company SonicWall discovered more than 47,000 new attack variants within PDF files. But in March 2019 alone, 73,000 PDF-based attacks were discovered, according to a report released April 18. Many traditional security controls cannot yet identify or mitigate links hidden inside PDF files, predominantly fraud, scam, or phishing-style documents that look realistic.”...
Nextgov, Apr. 19; SonicWall, Apr. 18 |
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Andy Kelly writes: “In a world gone mad, it’s fine to occasionally slam your head into the sand and enjoy some videogames. The following games are ones I find myself turning to whenever life gets too intense. They’re all wildly different, but have one thing in common: They are extremely chill. So whether you want to live another life in 1980s Japan, slam galaxies together, or solve a gentle mystery, these are, for my money, the most relaxing games you can currently play on a PC.”...
PC Gamer, Apr. 23 |
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