American Libraries articles from January 2003

American Libraries archives from January 2003

President's Message: Mobilizing to Save America's Libraries. (ALA)
January 1, 2003... Every country has hospitals, police, and schools, but only free countries have free libraries. Yet, libraries are an institution the American public takes for granted until the doors of their own local libraries close. Now, as budget cuts are...

Divisions and others pledge $250,000 for CIPA suit. (ALA News).(American Library Association; Children's Internet Protection Act )(Brief Article)
January 1, 2003... In anticipation of the Supreme Court hearing ALA arguments against the Children's Internet Protection Act (AL, Aug. 2002, p. 18), several ALA divisions, the Freedom to Read Foundation, and members have pledged their financial support to the...

ALA questions Web page removals. (ALA News).(American Library Association; U.S. Department of Education policy)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2003... ALA has joined several other groups in opposition to a U.S. Department of Education policy to reorganize and/or remove any key public Web page that the department says "does not reflect the priorities, philosophies, or goals of the present...

Divisions support Job Shadow Day. (ALA News).(Americal Library Associations divisions)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2003... AASL, ACRL, and PLA have joined forces with associations across America in support of the sixth year of National job Shadow Day (www.jobshadow.org), kicking off on January 31. The yearlong initiative gives students a chance to "shadow" a...

Support Staff to be focus of COPE III. (ALA News).(Congress on Professional Education: Focus on Library Support Staff )(Brief Article)
January 1, 2003... The third Congress on Professional Education: Focus on Library Support Staff is scheduled for May 16-17, 2003, at the College of DuPage in Glen Ellyn, Illinois. To be facilitated by Maureen Sullivan, COPE III will focus on the three main...

Academic Libraries to join campaign. (ALA News).
January 1, 2003... The Campaign for America's Libraries will launch the academic- and research-library component of its national "@ your library" initiative during the ACRL national conference, April 10-13, in Charlotte, North Carolina. The campaign is...

Libraries announce Technology program. (ALA News).(Library Technology Access pilot program)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2003... Four public and two university libraries are the first participants in the Library Technology Access pilot program, a joint effort of ASCLA and Hewlett-Packard (HP) to develop accessible computer workstation solutions for people with...

PLA proposal deadline nears. (ALA News).
January 1, 2003... January 31 is the deadline for ALA/PLA committee, division, or affiliate-sponsored program and preconference proposals for the 10th PLA national conference to be held February 24-28, 2004, in Seattle. Proposals must be entered using the...

Libraries host Declaration road trip. (ALA News).(Brief Article)
January 1, 2003... Louisville (Ky.) Free Public Library and Nashville Public Library were the first public library stops on the national Declaration of Independence Road Trip (AL, Aug. 2002, p. 64). The three-and-a-half-year nonprofit, nonpartisan project is...

AASL Basks in National Spotlight. (the Association's Associations)
January 1, 2003... Since 1951 the American Association of School Librarians (AASL) has served and supported school library media specialists in the United States and Canada by drawing attention to their unique abilities and key professional issues. Last summer the...

Homeland security bill lets libraries turn over Internet records. (News Fronts Washington).(Brief Article)
January 1, 2003... The homeland security legislation passed by the Senate November 19 includes a provision that gives greater latitude to providers of Internet services--including libraries--to turn over information about their users if they believe an...

Justice Department Sets Date for Patriot Act Suit Response. (News Fronts Washington)
January 1, 2003... In response to a suit filed by the American Civil Liberties Union, the Freedom to Read Foundation, and other groups (AL, Dec. 2002, p. 16), the Justice Department has agreed to say by January 15 which documents it would release about how the...

Supreme Court agrees to hear CIPA suit. (News in Brief).
January 1, 2003... The Supreme Court agreed November 12 to review the Children's Internet Protection Act, whose constitutionality the American Library Association challenged last year. The Justice Department appealed the case after a three-judge panel in...

E-Government act passed by Congress. (News in Brief).(Brief Article)
January 1, 2003... Among the many bills passed by Congress as it prepared to adjourn was the E-Government Act of 2002, designed to promote federal initiatives on the Web. The legislation, passed by both the House and Senate November 15, funds an...

President Bush signs Webcast-royalty bill. (News Fronts Washington).(Brief Article)
January 1, 2003... Legislation resolving the battle between Webcasters and recording-industry officials over Internet-radio royalty fees was passed by Congress November 14 and signed by President Bush December 4. Rather than setting specific royalty rates, as...

Report faults LC's lack of safety preparedness. (News Fronts Washington).(Library of Congress)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2003... A report issued November 25 by the Congressional Office of Compliance found "significant safety and health hazards" at the Capitol and related office buildings. The agency noted that the Library of Congress police failed to evacuate the...

Congress approves .kids domain. (News Fronts Washington).(Dot-Kids Implementation and Efficiency Act of 2002)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2003... The Dot-Kids Implementation and Efficiency Act of 2002, which would establish a family-friendly kids area for children 12 and younger within the .us domain, got congressional approval November 15. President Bush signed the legislation...

Ralph Nader Rallies Forces to Rescue D.C. Public Library. (News Fronts)
January 1, 2003... The cash-strapped District of Columbia Public Library, the sorry state of which was documented during 2002 in the Washington Post, may have found its champion in Ralph Nader. The consumer activist and former presidential candidate hosted a...

Referenda Roundup, 2002: Statewide Successes, a Mixed Bag Locally. (News Fronts)
January 1, 2003... Although the nation's economic downturn has had a detrimental effect on library funding, it doesn't appear to have had an overwhelming impact on the library measures before the voters in the November 5 election. The results were the usual...

Alaska State Library Staffer Charged with Embezzlement. (News Fronts)
January 1, 2003... A former financial manager in charge of purchases for the Alaska State Library pleaded innocent in Juneau Superior Court December 2 to more than 20 felony counts of fraud, theft, and forgery. Gary L. Martin, 43, was indicted by a grand jury...

Access denied. (Quick Takes).(Brief Article)
January 1, 2003... The Flesh Public Library in Piqua, Ohio, had a brand-new Web site, but the library's Internet filters wouldn't let the director access it. "We banned ourselves," Director James Oda said in the November 22 Cincinnati Post. The...

Suddenly, a song broke out. (Quick Takes).
January 1, 2003... From cell phones to music escaping from a patron's headphones, plenty of sounds interrupt the quiet of many modem libraries. But at Columbia University's Butler Library, it was a seemingly impromptu Broadway-musical-style number--complete...

Kaiser Study: Filters Impede Health Research. (News Fronts)
January 1, 2003... The level of Internet filtering software on school and library computers can significantly affect the content of retrievable health and medical information, according to a Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation study released December 10 in...

Digital Children's Library Debuts; Media Buzz Ensues. (News Fronts)
January 1, 2003... The University of Maryland/College Parks College of Information Studies and Human-Computer Interaction Lab, in partnership with the Internet Archive, launched a prototype International Children's Digital Library (icdlbooks.org) November 20. Held...

Lincoln Library feted. (Updates).(Abraham Lincoln Library and Museum dedication party)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2003... Illinois Gov. George Ryan hosted a dedication party November 18 for the soon-to-be-completed Abraham Lincoln Library and Museum in Springfield, though critics complained of the event's $287,000 price tag. Several thousand people attended the...

Ex-Gov. turns over papers. (Updates).
January 1, 2003... After a months-long dispute (AL, Nov. 2002, p. 28), former Virginia Gov. Jim Gilmore turned over to the state library 228 of the remaining 242 boxes of his administration's files November 17. Since June, the library had claimed Gilmore was...

Nunga-Nungas stay in school. (Censorship Watch).(coming-of-age novel 'Knocked Out by My Nunga-Nungas' at Oregon Middle School, Oregon, Wisconsin)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2003... The mother of an 8th-grader at the Oregon (Wis.) Middle School lost her bid November 25 to have the coming-of-age novel Knocked Out by My Nunga-Nungas removed from the school library, the Madison Wisconsin State Journal reported November 26....

Sex-ed books repopulate Texas shelves. (Censorship Watch).(Montgomery County (Tex.) Library System )(Brief Article)
January 1, 2003... Montgomery County (Tex.) Library System Director Jerilynn Williams took the advice of a materials review committee November 19 and ordered the reinstatement of two sex-education books by Robie H. Harris to their original places on the shelves...

Russian books go to two schools. (Updates).(Library of Congress sending thousands of books on Russian history and culture to Texas A&M University/College Station and Miami University)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2003... The Library of Congress is sending thousands of books on Russian history and culture--saved from the incinerator earlier this year (AL, May 2002, p. 30)--to Texas A&M University/College Station and Miami University in Oxford, Ohio. The two...

Consultant worries Enoch Pratt activists. (Updates).(controversy over hiring of library consultant Ronald Dubberly by Enoch Pratt Free Library in Baltimore, MD)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2003... The Enoch Pratt Free Library in Baltimore has hired library consultant Ronald Dubberly to assess the system's facilities and services. But his hiring is causing concern among community activists, who unsuccessfully fought the closure of five...

Cincinnati-area branches to remain open. (Updates).(public library branches)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2003... Trustees of the Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County decided at their November 11 meeting to keep open all 41 branches through 2003. The board had considered closing five branches to make up for budget shortfalls due to reduced...

85-year-old loses library privileges. (Updates).(Ernest Heyneman admits theft of books and videos)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2003... Ernest Heyneman, who admitted to the theft of more than 3,000 books and videos worth $26,000 from Simi Valley and Thousand Oaks libraries in California (AL, Mar. 2002, p. 29), was banned from all area libraries and placed on three years'...

Houston reboots SimDesk contract. (Updates).(Houston City Council affirms controversial, $9.5-million contract with SimDesk Technologies for library workstation software)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2003... In an 8-7 vote, the Houston City Council affirmed December 11 a controversial, $9.5-million contract with SimDesk Technologies to continue providing word-processing, spreadsheet, and e-mail software on all public-access library workstations...

Westchester dismisses seven staffers. (News in Brief).(Westchester Library System in Ardsley, New York)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2003... Faced with potential cuts in next year's state budget and a near-certain 15% loss of county funding, the Westchester Library System in Ardsley, New York, has notified seven employees they will be laid off effective March 31. The affected...

Three libraries win IMLS National Awards. (Awards).(Institute of Museum and Library Services)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2003... The winners of the 2002 National Award for Library Service were announced October 23 by Robert S. Martin, director of the Institute of Museum and Library Services. First Lady and former librarian Laura Bush presented the awards at an October...

Threat traced to Detroit-area teen. (News in Brief).(Johnnie Edward Harris accused of sending threatening e-mails to President Bush)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2003... A teenager in Warren, Michigan, is accused of sending threatening e-mails to President Bush using a computer in the Edgar A. Guest Branch of the Warren Public Library. Johnnie Edward Harris, 17, was arrested December 2 and arraigned on...

Vandals lop limbs from puppets. (News in Brief).(Rogers (Ark.) Public Library )(Brief Article)
January 1, 2003... Librarians at the Rogers (Ark.) Public Library are considering installing surveillance cameras after someone apparently used a librarian's scissors to top off paws, arms, and legs from puppets in the children's room November 7. "They...

SFPL involved in snarled art dispute. (News in Brief).(San Francisco Public Library may be forced to return gift painting)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2003... The San Francisco Public Library could be forced to return a painting it received as a gift from the Mexican government because the artist was never paid his promised $15,000 fee. Mexican-born artist Enrique Chagoya, now an assistant art...

Ex-lawyer charged in Faulkner theft. (News in Brief).(Robert Hardin Smith charged with stealing six William Faulkner letters from Kent Library rare book room at Southeast Missouri State University )(Brief Article)
January 1, 2003... Prosecutors charged a former Arkansas attorney and convicted documents thief November 19 with stealing six William Faulkner letters from the Kent Library rare book room at Southeast Missouri State University in Cape Girardeau. Robert...

School library fire thought arson. (News in Brief).(Teachers' Memorial Middle School, Norwich, Connecticut)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2003... Fire gutted the library of Teachers' Memorial Middle School in Norwich, Connecticut, November 5, melting computers, burning books, damaging furnishings, and causing classes to be canceled for six days. Fire officials said the fire broke out...

Ill. rejects filters-again. (News in Brief).(defeat of bill mandating installation of blocking software on every public-library computer )(Brief Article)
January 1, 2003... A statewide filtering bill that would have mandated the installation of blocking software on every public-library computer that is accessible to minors died in the Illinois General Assembly's House Computer Technology Committee. The ecember 3...

MIT blasts off into DSpace. (News in Brief).(Massachusetts Institute of Technology established Web-based electronic library called DSpace.)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2003... The Massachusetts Institute of Technology has established a Web-based electronic library (www.dspace.org) to house the large number of scholarly documents it has produced only in digital form. Called Dspace--the "D" stands for durable,...

Staffer charged with student sex. (News in Brief).(Laurie Augustine of Glenbard East High School, Lombard, Illinois)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2003... A female library assistant at Glenbard East High School in Lombard, Illinois, pleaded not guilty November 12 to having sex inside the school with three male students. Laurie Augustine, 41, was arrested October 16 at a mall where she had...

Supremacists settle one suit, threaten another. (News in Brief).(Brief Article)
January 1, 2003... The white-supremacist group World Church of the Creator (WCOTC) agreed November 18 to settle out of court a suit it brought in July against the Martin Memorial Library in York, Pennsylvania, over its revised meeting-room policy (AL, Aug....

NYC budget restores $1.5 million to libraries. (News in Brief).(Brief Article)
January 1, 2003... The budget approved by the New York City council November 25 restores $1.5 million of the cuts in library funding proposed November 14 by Mayor Michael Bloomberg, which amounted to $24 million across three boroughs. According to...

Donor wants money back from Boston U. (News in Brief).(David Mugar)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2003... Philanthropist David Mugar, who gave $3 million to Boston University in 1993 toward the expansion of the school's main library, has threatened to sue if the university does not return his money, along with $1 to $2 million in interest. ...

British Library saves composers' archive. (Global News).(donation by Heritage Lottery Fund helps in acquisition of archive of Royal Philharmonic Society)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2003... With help from a last-minute [pounds sterling]150,000 ($236,000) donation by the Heritage Lottery Fund, the British Library paid [pounds sterling]1 million ($1.6 million) to acquire the archive of the Royal Philharmonic Society November 18,...

Ukraine Library books damaged. (Global News).(pipeline bursts in Ukraine National Library )(Brief Article)
January 1, 2003... More than 200,000 books, magazines, and newspapers at the Ukraine National Library in Kiev were heavily damaged by water, steam, and humidity when a pipeline in the library's central heating system began leaking early on the morning of...

Global Reach. (News Fronts)
January 1, 2003... UNITED KINGDOM Librarians in the cast London borough of Hackney have been on strike for a year, after they heard their extra Saturday payments were being replaced with a flat rate of pay under a new contract. The staffers, who arc among the...

Thus Said. (Opinion)
January 1, 2003... "I think Winona Ryder got a bum rap. Ernest Heyneman, who stole more than $10,000 worth of public library books and tapes, was ordered by the court to return the books, stay away from all local libraries, and turn over his library card. If...

Reader Forum. (Opinion)
January 1, 2003... First Lady's No Activist I am sure that in selecting the top 10 library stories of 2002 (Dec., p. 35-40) you had to make some decisions about what to include and what to omit. Perhaps you should have stopped at nine. Laura Bush is not...

Change Is Good, and Other Tricky Theories. (Editorial)
January 1, 2003... I tend to like the first-do-no-harm rule that you sometimes hear physicians intoning. In magazine publishing, however, refreshing the readers' eyeballs about every five years or so is considered a pretty good idea. This is not change for the...

Corrections.(Correction Notice)
January 1, 2003... In News Fronts ALA (Dec., p. 10), Ward Burton, winner of the 2002 Daytona 500, was mistakenly identified as the 2001 champion. The obituary of Ian Robert Mackenzie Mowat (Nov., P. 63) incorrectly stated that he was the first international...

How You Can Help Save Library Education. (on My Mind)
January 1, 2003... Much concern has been voiced recently about the state of library education: Not enough graduates are being produced. Those who graduate know little about the traditional values and practices of librarianship. Too few faculty in ALA-accredited...

Is More Always Better? When Quality Is the Goal, Access to Everything May Not Be the User's Best Bet.
January 1, 2003... At one time I subscribed to "the more full text, the better" philosophy. It's hard to think otherwise. Creating access to information for education and research discovery is a fundamental mission of a library, and database aggregators and...

Changing the Way We Do Business: Pressures to Run Libraries like a Business Are Misguided and Dangerous. (Professionalism)
January 1, 2003... In the October 2002 American Libraries, Steve McKinzie (p. 42) contends that only professional librarians should handle reference queries, arguing that we alone have the training and skills required for the job. In the same issue, ALA President...

Chile's Information Transformation: A $9.2-Million Grant Launches a Nationwide Project to Expand Access to Electronic Resources. (International)
January 1, 2003... Imagine a country with deserts and copper mines in the north, rich agricultural valleys and a robust fishing community in the central region, and gravity-defying mountains and fjords in the south. Picture a country that encompasses some of the...

Pushing for Higher Library Salaries: Now or Never? Librarians Leslie Burger and Beverly Lynch Debate the Issues Surrounding Pay Equity for Librarians and Library Workers. (Pay Equity)
January 1, 2003... The issue of increasing salaries for librarians and library workers is a major agenda item facing this month's ALA Midwinter Meeting in Philadelphia. ALA leadership will again tackle finalizing the organizational details for the Allied...

City of Brotherly Love Pictorial Preview: Salaries, Career Issues to Top Key Midwinter Meeting Discussions in Philadelphia. (Midwinter Meeting)
January 1, 2003... ALA members will have an opportunity to break from business sessions to hear an array of guest speakers and participate in career-focused discussions during the Association's Midwinter Meeting, January 24-29 at the Pennsylvania Convention Center...

Public Forums for Today's Critical Issues: Pre-Midwinter Training Session to Explore Americans' Role in the World. (Midwinter Meeting)
January 1, 2003... Libraries are ideal places to convene public forums where members of the community can engage with each other to learn about complex public issues and practice deliberative democracy. Public forums transform libraries into spaces where Americans...

Philadelphia: a gastronome's delight; ALA Midwinter visitors will have their palates pampered. (Midwinter Meeting).(Directory)
January 1, 2003... Philadelphia, home of the Declaration of independence, the Liberty Bell, the Philadelphia Museum of Art, and over 24,000 restaurants, welcomes American Library Association Midwinter attendees January 24-29. Long known as a "City of...

A Jewel of American History: The Library Company of Philadelphia's Zinman Collection Offers Meeting-Goers a Virtual Window into Early America. (Midwinter Meeting)
January 1, 2003... Near the corner of 13th and Locust Streets in Philadelphia's Center City district Midwinter Meeting--goers will find a focal point for research in American history. Founded in 1731 by Benjamin Franklin, the Library Company of Philadelphia was...

The Seeds of Prosperity: ALA in the 1970s: former executive director recalls some of the Association's finest hours in the first of a two-part feature. (ALA History).(Excerpt)
January 1, 2003... Part I In 1972, when David Clift retired and cleaned out his desk after 22 years as ALA executive director, he left a note stuck under the desk blotter that he had apparently intended to include in a speech on some occasion. It said in...

For outstanding service. (Cited).(NewYork Times' Librarian Awards)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2003... John Moran, social sciences reference librarian at the Queens Borough Public Library in Jamaica, New York, was one of 15 New York--area librarians honored for outstanding public service by the New York Times October 8. The Librarian...

University of Alabama/Tuscaloosa Libraries. (Currents).(Mary Alexander named coordinator of metadata services)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2003... Mary Alexander has been named coordinator of metadata services at the University of Alabama/ Tuscaloosa Libraries.

Columbia College. (Currents).(Jessica Alverson named electronic resources librarian)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2003... Jessica Alverson is now electronic resources librarian at Columbia College in Chicago.

California State Polytechnic University/Pomona. (Currents).(Brief Article)
January 1, 2003... At California State Polytechnic University/Pomona, Pamela Arroues has been appointed electronic resources catalog librarian.

George Mason University. (Currents).(Mario Ascencio named head of acquisitions and gifts librarian )(Brief Article)
January 1, 2003... Mario Ascencio has been named head of acquisitions and gifts librarian at George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia.

University of Alabama/Tuscaloosa Libraries' catalog department. (Currents).(Martha Bace named head)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2003... Martha Bace is the new head of the University of Alabama/Tuscaloosa Libraries' catalog department.

Middleton (Wis.) Public Library. (Currents).(Elizabeth Batter appointed circulation service librarian )(Brief Article)
January 1, 2003... Elizabeth Batter has been appointed circulation service librarian at the Middleton (Wis.) Public Library.

University of Minnesota/Twin Cities' Bio-Medical Library. (Currents).(Brief Article)
January 1, 2003... James Beattie as begun as reference librarian at the University of Minnesota/Twin Cities' Bio-Medical Library.

Sirsi. (Currents).(Susan Buchanan joins as strategic account manager)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2003... Susan Buchanan recently joined Sirsi as strategic account manager for Canada and the western United States.

County of Santa Clara. (Currents).(Brief Article)
January 1, 2003... December 30 Melinda Cervantes began as librarian for the County of Santa Clara, California.

Executive Office of the President in Washington, D.C. (Currents).(Robyn C. Frank appointed)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2003... Robyn C. Frank recently became director of library and research services for the Executive Office of the President in Washington, D.C.

James Ford Bell Library. (Currents).(Brian Frykenberg appointed curator)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2003... Brian Frykenberg has been appointed curator of the James Ford Bell Library at the University of Minesota/Twin Cities.

University of Illinois/Urbana-Champaign Library. (Currents).(Esther Guile named music digital services coordinator and assistant professor of library administration)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2003... Esther Guile was recently named music digital services coordinator and assistant professor of library administration at the University of illinois/Urbana-Champaign Library.

Rice University. (Currents).(Samantha Hager joins as government information librarian for Fondren Library)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2003... Samantha Hager has joined Rice University in Houston as government information librarian for the Fondren Library.

East Lake Community Library. (Currents).(Manny Leite resigns as director )(Brief Article)
January 1, 2003... October 28 Manny Leite resigned as director of the East Lake Community Library in Palm Harbor, Florida.

Kutztown (Pa.) University. (Currents).(Eloise Long named assistant professor of library science)
January 1, 2003... Eloise Long is now assistant professor of library science at Kutztown (Pa.) University.

LaCrosse County (Wis.) Library. (Currents).(Brief Article)
January 1, 2003... Chris McArdle-Rojo has been named director of the LaCrosse County (Wis.) Library.

Schools of Library and Information Studies and Public Administration. (Currents).(Brief Article)
January 1, 2003... Judith A. Mulholland has joined the faculty of the Schools of Library and Information Studies and Public Administration at Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia.

University of Oregon/Eugene Libraries. (Currents).(Brief Article)
January 1, 2003... Karen Munro is now literature librarian at the University of Oregon/Eugene.

Epixtech's Asia Pacific region. (Currents).(Margareta Nicholas named customer relations manager for Asia Pacific region)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2003... November 4 Margareta Nicholas became customer relations manager for Epixtech's Asia Pacific region.

West Long Branch (N.J.) Public Library. (Currents).(Elsalyn Palmisano retires as director)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2003... Elsalyn Palmisano has retired after 12 years as director of the West Long Branch (N.J.) Public Library.