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ALA expressed unease about changes announced by Simon & Schuster to its ebook and digital audiobook lending models for libraries. These changes place a financial burden on public libraries and limit public access to library resources. Effective August 1, S&S will replace its perpetual access model for digital audiobooks with two-year access at prices ranging from $39.99 to $79.99, and its one-year model for ebooks with a two-year, one copy/one user model, with most new releases priced between $38.99 and $52.99. The latter move reduces flexibility and increases costs for public libraries....
ALA Public Policy and Advocacy Office, July 2; Publishers Weekly, July 1 |
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Christine Hauser writes: “At dozens of barbershops and laundromats across the US, the sound of children reading aloud mingles with the buzz and snip from barbers’ tools or the din of washers. Makeshift shelves and crates hold books featuring cartoon characters, stories about pigeons, or the capers of superheroes. This developing movement, supported by nonprofit groups, entrepreneurs, libraries, and community fundraising, is redefining the borders of traditional neighborhood public libraries by creating literary spaces in places where children find themselves with time on their hands.”...
New York Times, July 2 |
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Volunteers at the Forest (Ont.) Museum have made a discovery right out of the movies. David McLean and Bud Orr were clearing out the storage shed behind the town’s small museum in June when they discovered that the walls were covered in cardboard. When they removed the cardboard, they discovered dozens of posters advertising silent movies. The museum has exposed five panels of full-sized posters, each containing layers pasted on top of each other, meaning it was possible the material was used as insulation. The museum plans to reach out to professional conservationists to determine the best way to preserve them....
CBC News, June 28 |
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The Willowbranch branch of the Jacksonville (Fla.) Public Library organized a Storybook Pride Prom, inviting LGBT teens to come in costume as their favorite book characters, with a dress code of “casual, formal, or in drag—whatever makes you feel great. Be you!” More than 100 teens planned to attend. When the event caught the attention of a conservative blogger who encouraged her nearly 700,000 Facebook followers to call the library to complain, the library canceled the event in late June amid fears for the teens’ safety. But the Buckman Bridge Unitarian Universalist Church stepped in and held the prom June 28, the same night as the original event....
Washington Post, July 1; WJXT-TV, Jacksonville, Fla., June 28 |
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As parade-goers in Annapolis, Maryland, drank glitter beer and celebrated the city’s first LGBTQ pride parade June 29, two protesters were removed by police for disrupting a drag queen at a storytime and shoving a library board member among 165 toddlers and parents at the Severna Park Community Library. Anne Arundel County Libraries spokeswoman Christine Feldmann said about 30 protesters prayed and talked peacefully outside the event, but two went inside and began shouting at performer Balena Canto. Feldmann said the men were removed by police after one of them shoved board member Rob Sapp, who asked them to be quiet....
Annapolis (Md.) Capital Gazette, June 29 |
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Stokely Memorial Library staff member Meschelyn Barrett was one of several people inside the Newport, Tennessee, library on the afternoon of June 17 when thunderstorms caused a fallen tree to tear open the roof. Rain began pouring onto hundreds of years of genealogical records and other historical documents. “We started putting tarps over the different shelves we have,” Barrett said. She was standing on a chair covering some shelving when ceiling lights fell and knocked her into a cabinet and trapping her. Police helped her get out unhurt. Cocke County Library board member Pat Mason said insurance will cover most of the damage, except for deductibles....
WBIR-TV, Knoxville, Tenn., July 1 |
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Myko Clelland writes: “When you think of historical family records, you probably visualize delicate old documents with elaborate handwriting from olden times, full of names and dates to populate your family tree. In most cases, that’s exactly what these genealogical gems offer; but every so often you’ll also uncover a little extra. When I find something interesting, disturbing, or downright bizarre, I share it on my Twitter profile for others to enjoy. These are just some of the weird and wonderful discoveries I’ve made.”...
Findmypast, June 24 |
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Katherine Hickey writes: “Education professor Frances Carlson coined the term ‘big body play’ to describe the boisterous and physical kind of play engaged in by children. Whereas fighting is a display of frustration, BBP is a display of joy with the intent of having fun. BBP can occur alone or with friends, in a structured or unstructured format, with objects (such as balls) or by simply using one’s body. As children spend more time sitting and immobile than previous generations, librarians have the opportunity to support physical activity through play-based programs and activities.”...
ALSC Blog, July 1; Active Living Research, Jan. 2014 |
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Nadine Ajaka, Glenn Kessler, and Elyse Samuels write: “The internet is increasingly populated with false and misleading videos. These videos (spread by politicians, advocacy groups, and everyday users) are viewed by millions. The Fact Checker set out to develop a universal language to label manipulated video and hold creators and sharers of this misinformation accountable. We have found three main ways video is being altered: footage taken out of context, deceptively edited, or deliberately altered. This guide is intended to help all of us navigate this new information landscape and start a necessary conversation.”...
Washington Post, June 25 |
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Donna Seaman writes: “The most exceptional biographies reviewed in Booklist since June 2018 rescue lost stories about women war heroes and scientists and a Black athlete, cast new light on the lives of activists and artists from Lorraine Hansberry to Edward Gorey, and present in full the achievements of a mighty Supreme Court Justice.” For example, in D-Day Girls, Sarah Rose tells the stories of the daring women who made crucial and dangerous behind-the-scenes contributions to the 1944 Allied invasion of France....
Booklist, June 1 |
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Jill Duffy writes: “Just like any other place where you keep your stuff, Google Drive can get messy. You make a file or two, import a couple of document from Gmail, accept a shared folder, and before you know it, the whole place is a disaster. You can organize files in your Google Drive by putting them into folders and using other tools, both conceptual and actual, to ensure you can always find what you need. These tips and points of advice will show you how to organize files in Google Drive, and they should also work well if you’re using Google Drive for Work.”...
PC Magazine, July 1 |
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The Topeka and Shawnee County (Kans.) Public Library needed a suitably spectacular kickoff for its summer reading program, so it called upon SJ and Brail (right) to create a rap about the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing....
Topeka and Shawnee County (Kans.) Public Library YouTube channel, July 1 |
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