American Libraries articles from August 2006

American Libraries archives from August 2006

New Orleans: Ready, but Never the Same
August 1, 2006... It was almost like watching a ballet, the carefully choreographed presentation of the meals at the Newbery/Caldecott Banquet in New Orleans during the ALA Annual Conference. Many conferees had arrived still a little nervous about whether or not...

Libraries Transform Communities
August 1, 2006... Someone recently told me that "transformation" is really just a fancy word for change. Perhaps that's true, but to me it is really a more powerful way to convey the "Libraries Transform Communities" theme of my presidential year. ...

Court rules against inmate in open-access case.(Amicus Inc. )(Brief article)
August 1, 2006... The filing of an amicus brief by ALA's Freedom to Read Foundation and other groups on behalf of a prisoner who challenged the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections' blanket policy barring some long-term prisoners' access to all newspapers,...

ALA reacts to CALEA ruling.(American Library Association )(Communications Assistance for Law Enforcement Act)(Brief article)
August 1, 2006... "ALA is disappointed that the D. C. Circuit Court of Appeals supported the Federal Communications Commission in extending the Communications Assistance for Law Enforcement Act to internet access and voiceover Internet Protocol," 2006-2007 ALA...

Reference research award created.(Emerald Group Publishing Ltd. donates )(American Library Association )(Brief article)
August 1, 2006... RUSA's Business Reference and Services Section will award the new Emerald Research Grant Award to support business reference research for a two-year period beginning in 2007. Two $5,000 cash awards, donated by Emerald Group Publishing Limited...

New YALSA members to get free books.(Young Adult Library Services Association)(Brief article)
August 1, 2006... New YALSA regular members who join the division before September 15 will receive new titles from Orca's Soundings series of teen novels for reluctant readers, Orca's Currents series of novels for reluctant middle school readers, and...

Scholarly institute applicants sought.(American Library Association)
August 1, 2006... ACRL and the Association of Research Libraries are offering a second Institute on Scholarly Communication to be held December 6-8 at Duke University in Durham, North Carolina. The deadline for applications is August 15. Acceptance is limited...

"Looking At: Jazz" libraries selected.(National Video Resources Inc. in partnership with American Library Association)(Brief article)
August 1, 2006... National Video Resources (NVR), in partnership with the ALA's PPO, has named 43 public and academic libraries nationwide as pilot sites for the documentary film viewing and discussion series "Looking At: Jazz, America's Art Form." The...

SRRT Task Force revises website.(American Library Association)(Brief article)
August 1, 2006... ALA's SRRT Hunger, Homelessness, and Poverty Task Force has added two sections to its website (www.hhptf.org) focusing on resources and organizations. The resources section includes links to poverty-focused documents, publications, and...

AASL launches permanent blog.(American Library Association, American Association of School Librarians)(Brief article)
August 1, 2006... Building on the success of its national conference blog, AASL has established a permanent weblog called AASLblog (blogs.ala.org/aasl.php) to provide a focused and flexible format for providing information about programs, conferences,...

C & RL editor sought.(American Library Association)
August 1, 2006... Applications and nominations are being sought for editor of College and Research Libraries (C & RL), ACRL's bimonthly scholarly research journal. The deadline is December 4. The editor is appointed for a three-year term, which may be...

AASL seeks conference proposals.(American Library Association, American Association of School Librarians)
August 1, 2006... AASL is seeking program and Exploratorium proposals for its 13th national conference and exhibition, themed "The Future Begins @ your library," to be held October 25-28, 2007, in Reno, Nevada. More than 100 75-minute peer-reviewed...

APALA names literature winners.(American Library Association)(Brief article)
August 1, 2006... Aloft (Riverhead, 2004) by Chang-rae Lee is the 2006 adult title winner of this year's APALA Awards for Literature, which honor individual works published in 2004 and 2005 about Asian/Pacific Americans and their heritages. The awards...

2006 Card Sign-up Month tools debut.(from American Library Association)(Brief article)
August 1, 2006... Promotional tools in Spanish and English are available online at www.ala.org/library-cardsignup/ to promote "The Smartest Card. Get It. Use It. @ your library" theme for September's observance of Library Card Sign-up Month. New this year...

Guide to Best Reading goes digital.(American Library Association)(Brief article)
August 1, 2006... ALA's Guide to Best Reading in 2006, a joint publication of ALSC, Booklist, RUSA, and YALSA, is available for the first time in a digital format. The guide includes camera-ready copy of ALA units' annotated recommended and notable...

A buckeye state welcome.(Cleveland Public Library)(Brief article)
August 1, 2006... More than 30 members of CALA's Midwest Chapter converged on the Cleveland Public Library May 5-6 for its annual conference. The library co-hosted the event that carried the theme "Challenges for Libraries: Chinese American Librarians'...

Accolades.(Elva Garza of St. John Branch)(Brief article)
August 1, 2006... Elva Garza, managing librarian of Austin (Tex.) Public Library's St. John Branch, is Reforma's 2006 Trejo Librarian of the Year. Garza recieved the award in recognition of her local involvement, community outreach, and nationwide...

Best friends.(Janet Loveless, Donna Paz Kaufman awarded )(Brief article)
August 1, 2006... Janet Loveless (far left), assistant director of the Nassau County (Fla.) Public Library, and Donna Paz Kaufman (second from left), president of the Friends of the Fernandina Beach branch, accept the $10,000 2006 FOLUSA/Harper Collins Barbara...

LAMA Cultivates Library Leaders
August 1, 2006... The Library Administration and Management Association remains the foremost association for aspiring and experienced library leaders from all types of libraries. LAMA's popularity and continued growth are due in large part to a diverse membership...

New ALA President Loriene Roy to Focus on Literacy, Education, Wellness
August 1, 2006... The feeling is one of honor and responsibility," said Loriene Roy, ALA's first American Indian president, who will take over as head of the Association at the end of the 2007 ALA Annual Conference in Washington, D.C. (AL, June/July, p. 6)....

"John Does" Allowed to Speak
August 1, 2006... Nearly one year after receiving a National Security Letter (NSL) from the FBI demanding computer records from one of their member libraries (AL, May, p. 16), four librarians on the executive board of the Library Connection--a nonprofit...

Net Neutrality Loses Two Rounds in Congress
August 1, 2006... The House of Representatives passed legislation June 8 that would allow telephone companies to offer competitive, bundled packages of telecommunications services in new markets, but it rejected an amendment to ensure equal access to online...

House Holds Hearings on Social-Networking Websites
August 1, 2006... The House of Representatives held hearings July 11 on whether schools and libraries should be made ineligible for e-rate funding unless they bar minors from access to social-networking websites like MySpace and Facebook. Testimony before the...

Senators question DOJ on Anderson probe.(Department of Justice)(Brief article)
August 1, 2006... At a June 6 hearing examining the FBI's attempt to gain access to the papers of the late investigative journalist Jack Anderson (AL, June/July, p. 15), the Senate Judiciary Committee criticized the recalcitrance of a Justice Department...

Library of Congress.(cuts posts)(Brief article)
August 1, 2006... The Library of Congress is laying off 29 clerical, technical, and audiovisual employees in its Congressional Research Service effective September 29, according to the July 9 Washington Post. Following a 2005 announcement that LC planned to...

University of North Carolina.(Jose-Marie Griffiths appointed at National Science Board)(Brief article)
August 1, 2006... Jose-Marie Griffiths, dean of the School of Information and Library Science at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, has been chosen by President Bush to serve on the National Science Board, the 24-member policymaking group that...

The presidents of 17 locals of the American Federation of Federal Employees, the National Treasury Employees Union, the National Association of Government Employees, and Engineers and Scientists of California have signed a letter asking Congress to halt the closure of the Environmental Protection Agency libraries (AL, Apr., p. 11).(Brief article)
August 1, 2006... The presidents of 17 locals of the American Federation of Federal Employees, the National Treasury Employees Union, the National Association of Government Employees, and Engineers and Scientists of California have signed a letter asking...

In a 5-4 ruling on the Garcetti v. Ceballos case, the Supreme Court asserted May 30 that the Constitution does not necessarily protect government employees from retaliation by their supervisors for anything they might say in the course of their employment.(Brief article)
August 1, 2006... In a 5-4 ruling on the Garcetti v. Ceballos case, the Supreme Court asserted May 30 that the Constitution does not necessarily protect government employees from retaliation by their supervisors for anything they might say in the course of...

Hall feels oats as new laureate.(Donald Hall named noble laureate )(Brief article)
August 1, 2006... A longtime resident of Eagle Pond Farm in Wilmot, New Hampshire, Donald Hall was named the 14th poet laureate of the United States June 13 by Librarian of Congress James H. Billington. Hall has published 15 books of poetry, including Ox-Cart...

Gwinnett County Board Fires Director
August 1, 2006... Many months of differences of opinion between the Gwinnett County (Ga.) Public Library trustees and Library Director Jo Ann Pinder culminated June 12 at a tumultuous meeting where the board voted 3-1 to terminate Pinder, who has run the library...

New Jersey Director Blasted for Requiring Subpoenas
August 1, 2006... Michele Reutty, director of Hasbrouck Heights Public Library and president-elect of the New Jersey Library Association, faces discipline from the library's board of trustees over her requiring police to obtain subpoenas before giving them patron...

California Libraries Regroup after Voters Reject Construction Measure
August 1, 2006... California libraries planning construction and renovation projects are struggling to regroup following the failure of Proposition 81. The measure, which would have allowed the state to borrow $600 million in bonds for public library construction...

Northeastern Flooding Takes Toll on Archives, Libraries
August 1, 2006... River cities in the northeastern part of the United States took a multimillion-dollar hit in late June and early July from heavy rains that caused flooding damage to libraries in at least six states and the District of Columbia. The National...

Homeless residents sue over borrowing restrictions.(Legal Assistants Corp. and American Civil Liberties Union sues Worcester Public Library)(Brief article)
August 1, 2006... The Legal Assistance Corporation and the American Civil Liberties Union have filed a class action lawsuit in U.S. District Court in Massachusetts, charging that the Worcester Public Library is unfairly restricting the borrowing privileges of...

Fired Director Sues Paris Library Board
August 1, 2006... Following a contentious annual membership meeting attended by some 130 members of the American Library in Paris June 20, Library Director Shirley Lambert revealed that she is filing suit against the board of directors for unemployment...

Gov. Bush Vetoes Florida Library Grants
August 1, 2006... As part of an unprecedented $448.7-million line-item veto of state funding, Florida Gov. Jeb Bush slashed a total of $5.8 million in grants to public libraries, pilot projects for library homework help and web-based high-school texts, and...

Buffalo dissolves Informatics School, moves LIS to education.(Library and Information Studies moved by State University of New York at Buffalo)(Brief article)
August 1, 2006... The State University of New York's University at Buffalo announced June 16 that it was dissolving its School of Informatics, with its two components--the Department of Library and Information Studies and the Department of...

One indicted in Chicago arson.(Erica Graham accused of Chicago Public Library's fire accident)(Brief article)
August 1, 2006... A 21-year-old homeless woman was indicted July 13 on charges that she set fire to and damaged 100 books in the gay-lesbian-bisexual-transgender and African-American sections of the Chicago Public Library's John Merlo branch, located in the...

Berkeley PL director resigns.(Jackie Griffin resigns from Berkeley, California. Public Library)(Brief article)
August 1, 2006... Jackie Griffin, director of Berkeley (Calif.) Public Library for five years, resigned effective June 30, following a controversial decision to install RFID devices and ongoing staff complaints about her management style. The library agreed to...

Canada's Library of Parliament reopens.(Brief article)
August 1, 2006... Speaker of the House of Commons Peter Milliken (left), Public Works Minister Michael Fortier, and Speaker of the Senate Noel Kinsella admire the grandeur of the newly refurbished Library of Parliament. The library reopened to the public June...

A yellow swarm.(American Library Associations )(Brief article)
August 1, 2006... A YELLOW SWARM of determined "Libraries Build Communities" volunteers blanketed New Orleans libraries with aid during a two-day painting, fixing, sorting, and cleaning marathon at some 20 locations in the flood-ravaged city. Their efforts...

Wrapped up in reading.(Chicago Public Library's )(Brief article)
August 1, 2006... WRAPPED UP IN READING is the Egyptological theme for Chicago Public Library's summer reading program, created in partnership with the Field Museum. Mayor Richard M. Daley (above center) does double duty June 12, kicking off the program and...

Cultural commingling.(International Family Day Festival)(Brief article)
August 1, 2006... Author, illustrator, and storyteller Ashley Bryan participates in the International Family Day Festival May 20 that culminated the weeklong "Art of Storytelling Festival and Workshops" at Miami-Dade (Fla.) Public Library's main branch. The...

Have it your way.(Gail Borden Public Library's Carole Medal )(Brief article)
August 1, 2006... To publicize the new drive-up service at the Gail Borden Public Library in Elgin, Illinois, Director Carole Medal served as carhop-for-a-day May 10, offering car-bound customers French-fry containers filled with bookmarks, coupons, and other...

Jim Neal on the RLG/OCLC Merger
August 1, 2006... On July 1, after an approval vote of more than two-thirds of its organizational members, the Mountain View, California-based Research Libraries Group officially integrated its products and services with the OCLC Online Computer Library Center in...

By the numbers.(Brief article)
August 1, 2006... 136 Number of sections of the U.S. Copyright Code summarized in verse by Israeli game designer Yehuda Berlinger. Section 108 reads: "And libraries, too, can make/ Copies for archiving/ If the works are all public/ And no money...

Global Reach
August 1, 2006... CANADA The Nisichawayasihk Cree Nation became on July 17 the first tribal reserve in Manitoba to open a public library branch. The branch, located in the Atoskiwin Training and Employment Centre at Nelson House, is partnering with the...

Miami-Dade schools sued for banning A Visit to Cuba.(American Civil Liberties Union files against )(Brief article)
August 1, 2006... On June 21, the Greater Miami Chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union of Florida filed suit against the board of the Miami-Dade County Public Schools for ordering the removal June 14 of the children's picture book Vamos a Cuba and its...

Incarnate Word returns to the Times.(University of the Incarnate Word's Mendell D. Morgan Jr. )(Brief article)
August 1, 2006... The library of the University of the Incarnate Word, a private Catholic university in San Antonio, announced June 30 that it was reinstating its print subscription to the New York Times only two days after ordering its cancellation. Dean of...

Joy of Books Stay, Donor Departs
August 1, 2006... Nampa, Idaho, business owner Larry Knapp has announced that he will withhold a $10,000 donation he had considered making toward a new library facility to protest the Nampa Public Library board's decision to retain The Joy of Sex and The Joy of...

Morehouse gets King archives.(Morehouse College's collection)(Brief article)
August 1, 2006... A week before the private papers of civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. were set for a New York City auction, Atlanta Mayor Shirley Franklin announced a deal June 23 that will move the collection to Morehouse College, King's alma...

Imprints to Florida Atlantic.(Sybil Weiner, Marvin Weiner donates to Florida Atlantic University )(Brief article)
August 1, 2006... Marvin and Sybil Weiner have donated their collection of more than 13,000 printed items from the American Revolutionary era to Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton. The collection, with an estimated value of $3.8 million, was the...

Other acquisitions.(COLLECTIONS)
August 1, 2006... * Actor Robert De Niro's archives of 100 boxes of scripts and notes and more than 3,000 costume items and props -- to the Harry Ransom Humanities Research Center at the University of Texas at Austin. * The uncollected papers of novelist...

Book Lovers' Show Offers Peek into Publishing: BookExpo America
August 1, 2006... At 9 o'clock on Friday morning, May 19, the doors to the exhibit hall in the convention center in Washington, D.C., opened to 31,971 registrants, and the three-day frenzy known as BookExpo America began, wilder than a day-after-Thanksgiving...

Straight Answers from George Christian and Peter Chase
August 1, 2006... Connecticut librarians George Christian and Peter Chase are two of the four "John Doe" plaintiffs in the Doe v. Gonzales case (see p. 8) that challenged the constitutionality of the nondisclosure provisions of National Security Letters (NSLs)...

Sunny Celebration in Ottawa: Canadian Library Association Annual Conference
August 1, 2006... In contrast to the flooding during last year's meeting in Calgary CAL, Aug. 2005, p. 34), warm, sunny weather greeted the 61st annual conference of the Canadian Library Association in Ottawa, the nation's picturesque capital, June 14-17. Not...

Special Librarians Embrace Transformation in Baltimore: SLA Annual Conference
August 1, 2006... Information Is Power. Is Your Company in the Dark?" asked ads that appeared on downtown Baltimore buses in mid-June, just in time for the Special Libraries Association Annual Conference, held June 11-14. SLA sponsored the mobile billboards to...

Health Explosion Heats Up in Phoenix: Medical Library Association Annual Meeting
August 1, 2006... If you wanted to learn how medical librarians swim with sharks or soar with eagles, then Arizona was the place to be May 19-24. That's when 2,317 health care professionals--slightly higher attendance than last year's meeting in San...

Thus Said ... How the World Sees Us
August 1, 2006... "There is no point, it is useless, reading has and always will be something for only a minority. We aren't going to demand that everybody have a passion for reading." 1998 Nobel laureate in literature JOSE SARAMAGO, criticizing Portugal's new...

Correction.(Correction notice)
August 1, 2006... The author of the June/July "On My Mind" column is Arthur Mask. Although his name was misspelled in the printed magazine, the error has been corrected in the magazine's archived electronic version at www.ala.org/alonline. AL apologizes for...

On My Mind: Hands off MySpace
August 1, 2006... The managers of the public library where I work are not going to be pleased that I have published this article; however, they would never dream of censoring me. We're all good librarians here. We nod sagely when GraceAnne DeCandido argues that...

Building Bridges through Consensus: Four Mississippi River Towns Embark on a Shared-Service Mission Thanks to the Skilled Navigation of Their Library Directors
August 1, 2006... Public libraries across the country are facing mounting pressure from governing authorities to regionalize, downsize, and become more cost-efficient. Staying ahead of the curve, the four directors of the public libraries serving Scott County,...

Websites You Can Trust
August 1, 2006... Whether you are a CEO, student, or parent, you need to know which websites you can trust and which are junk. Most people already know that it's easy to make a worthless site look professional. So how do you distinguish the real gold from the...

Libraries in the Eye of the Storm: Lessons Learned from Hurricane Katrina; Are We Better Prepared for Future Emergencies?
August 1, 2006... Hurricane Katrina was one of the deadliest storms in the last 100 years, and the costliest natural disaster ever to strike the United States. Katrina and the other storms of 2005 caused widespread damage along the Gulf Coast. Libraries and...

New Orleans Gathering Sends Message of Hope and Renewal: Nearly 17,000 Librarians Turn out for Programs, Speakers, and Work Detail, Making a Difference in the Beleaguered Big Easy
August 1, 2006... You are pioneers, and you are sending a signal to the world that says New Orleans is okay," Mayor C. Ray Nagin told librarians at the opening session of the American Library Association's June 22-28 Annual Conference in the Big Easy, the largest...

Dallas Welcomes All for Many Voices, One Event
August 1, 2006... If your library-service community includes people whose cultures and ethnic backgrounds include American Indians, Asian/Pacific Americans, African Americans, Chinese Americans, or Latinos or others who are Spanish-speaking, then your...

Technically Speaking: A Sharper Focus in New Orleans
August 1, 2006... I don't think I've ever felt more welcomed at an ALA conference than I did in New Orleans. It's also amazing what a little perspective can do. There was less complaining among the almost 17,000 in attendance than at most ALA Annuals about the...

Xrefer.(Announcements)(Jenny Walker appointed)(Brief article)
August 1, 2006... Xrefer has appointed Jenny Walker as executive vice president for marketing. Active in standards work and well known as one of the leading executives of Ex Libris, where she was previously vice president of marketing, Walker will be based in...

Endeavor.(Announcements)(Voyager 6.1)(Brief article)
August 1, 2006... Endeavor debuted Voyager 6.1, its flagship product, in New Orleans. Supporting ISBN changes and more tightly integrated with Meridian, the company's electronic resource management System, Voyager also boasts improved search capabilities.

CSA and MuseGlobal were honored in May with a Codie Award.(Announcements)(Brief article)
August 1, 2006... CSA and MuseGlobal were honored in May with a Codie Award for "Best Solution Integrating Content into an Application." Muse-Global, which has been a traditional technology partner for integrating MuseSearch with integrated library systems, is...

Brooklyn Public Library.(Announcements)(Overdrive Inc. partnership)(Brief article)
August 1, 2006... Brooklyn Public Library has partnered with Overdrive to become one of the first libraries in the country to make three online formats--digital videos, music, and audiobooks--available to its patrons alongside traditional library materials....

SirsiDynix.(Alliances and acquisitions)(Serials Solutions partnership)(Brief article)
August 1, 2006... SirsiDynix will partner with Serials Solutions to offer a suite of hosted solutions for link resolving, A-Z journal lists, and metasearch. Supplanting unfinished development and overshadowing previous partnerships, the move makes sense for...

Castle Harlan.(Alliances and acquisitions)(Baker and Taylor acquisition)(Brief article)
August 1, 2006... New York private investment firm Castle Harlan has acquired Baker and Taylor in a $455-million transaction. B & T has been distributing books since 1828, and has continued successfully to distribute materials to academic- and public-library...

ALA Council: Setting Speed Records in the Big Easy
August 1, 2006... ALA Council dispatched its agenda with unprecedented efficiency at its three sessions, held June 25, 27, and 28. Council I finished slightly ahead of its scheduled adjournment time, but Council II ended an hour and 20 minutes ahead of schedule,...

ALA Executive Board: Marking a Memorable Meeting
August 1, 2006... ALA President-elect Leslie Burger voiced the feeling of many when she proclaimed, "This has been the most memorable ALA conference I've ever been at" during the ALA Executive Board's Annual Conference sessions, held June 23, 26, and 28 in New...

Currents: Professionals on the Move
August 1, 2006... After 33 years in public and academic libraries, Joseph J. Accardi has retired as dean of the Resources for Learning Division of Harper College in Palatine, Illinois. * Recently, Be Astengo was promoted to adult services manager for Alachua...

At ALA.(PEOPLE)(appointments)(Brief article)
August 1, 2006... May 30 Andrew Bridges joined the Washington Office as a communications specialist. * Adam Burling joined the Association of College and Research Libraries as program coordinator in May. * Sam Florio became online marketing manager for...

Obituaries
August 1, 2006... Robert J. Adelsperger, 80, a life member of ALA who served at the University of Illinois at Chicago Library for 41 years, died May 19. Adelsperger began work at the library when it opened in 1965, organizing the rare-books collection, and...

Cited.(PEOPLE)(awards)(Brief article)
August 1, 2006... April 28 Janet L. Barr, Eastern Suffolk School Library System director, received the School Library Systems Association of New York State's Distinguished Service Award. * Helen Cline, retired managing editor of ALA's books and publishing...

Grassroots Report: My Library Getaway
August 1, 2006... Warm weather has brought flowers and foliage to my garden, and me to my computer. Writing, rather than vacation travel, dominates my summer. Visions of far away places lurk between writing and weeding, and libraries foster my virtual...

Internet Librarian: At Arm's Length
August 1, 2006... OK, I'm going to brag. Not about myself, but about Lorri Mon, a recent graduate from our doctoral program who is the University of Washington's gift to the LIS research and teaching community as she takes up a faculty position this fall at...

Working Knowledge: Still Happy after All These Years
August 1, 2006... In a previous column, I invited lifelong librarians who are still satisfied with their jobs and careers to let me know (AL, May, p. 62). From the responses I received, it is evident there are many long-term librarians who still enjoy their work....

Grade-A Tips.(Resources for Continuing Education)(Tips and Other Bright Ideas for Elementary School Libraries, vol. 3)(Tips and Other Bright Ideas for Secondary School Libraries, vol. 3)(Brief article)(Book review)
August 1, 2006... Editor Sherry York shares practical tips and advice in two new collections: Tips and Other Bright Ideas for Elementary School Libraries, Volume 3 and Tips and Other Bright Ideas for Secondary School Libraries, Volume 3. York compiled the...

Spotlight on info literacy.(Resources for Continuing Education)
August 1, 2006... The spring/summer issue of the online Educator's Spotlight Digest (the digital magazine for the S.O.S. for Information Literacy project) features the debut of Abby Kasowitz-Scheer's "College Connection" column, which addresses issues related...