American Libraries articles from June 2009

American Libraries archives from June 2009

Sweet Home Chicago
June 1, 2009... Hardly anyone I know in Chicago is actually from Chicago, born and raised here that is. Most of my friends and colleagues are from someplace else, a lot of us from Michigan. I always tell people back home in Detroit that if the Midwest were a...

American Libraries direct.(ala.org)(Brief article)
June 1, 2009... * Free every Wednesday in your e-mail, American Libraries Direct delivers a roundup of library-related news links from around the country and the world, featuring links to AL Online and dozens of newspapers and websites. Stay informed. Let...

Annual Conference.(ala.org)
June 1, 2009... Annual Conference Over 300 programs, top-notch speakers, and entertainment, July 9-15, in the Windy City. Register at ala.org; click 2009 ALA Annual Conference. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

JobLIST.(ala.org)
June 1, 2009... JobLIST Your #1 source A for careers in library and information science and technology. Job seekers and recruiters sign in at joblist.ala.org.

Advocacy.(ala.org)
June 1, 2009... Advocacy Show your devoted patrons how they can take action to support library services in their schools and communities at ilovelibraries.org.

Legislation.(ala.org)
June 1, 2009... Legislation Let the ALA Washington Office make a library lobbyist out of you at wo.ala.org/districtdispatch. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

AL focus.(ala.org)
June 1, 2009... AL Focus Videos and library attitude, featuring authors, library boosters, and leading voices in the profession. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

LITA forum.(ala.org)
June 1, 2009... LITA Forum Join ALA's Library and Information Technology Association in Salt Lake City, October 1-4, for the annual CE experience "Open & Mobile."

Posters.(ALA STORE)
June 1, 2009... Check out the recently released Banned Books Week poster featuring a quote from The Lorax by Dr. Seuss [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

Books.(ALA STORE)
June 1, 2009... For pleasure and professional development, consult the forthcoming Small Business and the Public Library: Strategies for a Successful Partnership from ALA Editions. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

ALAConnect.(BOOKMARK IT!)
June 1, 2009... ALAConnect Work with ALA groups, start a new community, or find your friends and add them to your network. Members and nonmembers welcome. connect.ala.org.

Inside Scoop.(BOOKMARK IT!)
June 1, 2009... Inside Scoop News and views from 50 East Huron, blogged by AL editorial staffers. al.ala.org/insidescoop

Once in a Lifetime: ALA Leader Bids Farewell as Term Ends
June 1, 2009... If you find the no-frills Billy Goat Tavern on a list of restaurants for the America Library Association's Annual Conference in Chicago, the likely reason is that it inspired and remains true to the 1970s Saturday Night Live "Cheezborger!...

Roberta Stevens Wins 2010-2011 ALA Presidency
June 1, 2009... Roberta Stevens, outreach projects and partnerships officer at the Library of Congress (LC) and project manager for the National Book Festival, has been elected 2010-11 ALA president. Stevens received 6,796 of the total 12,212 votes cast for...

2008 Most-Challenged Books named.(NEWS)(Brief article)(List)
June 1, 2009... For a third consecutive year, Justin Richardson and Peter Parnell's award-winning And Tango Makes Three, a children's book about two male penguins caring for an orphaned egg, tops ALA's Office for Intellectual Freedom's (OIF) list of the 10...

Teen book drop.(NEWS)(Brief article)
June 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Caption: Staff members of Oakland (Calif.) Public Library (OPL) and Children's Hospital and Research Center (CHRC) look over some of the 600 new teen books received April 16 as part of ALA's Young Adult Library...

Authors highlight AASL conference.(NEWS)(ALA Young Adult Library Services Association)(Brief article)(Conference notes)
June 1, 2009... Authors Laurie Halse Anderson, James Patterson, Linda Sue Park, Richard Peck, and Charles R. Smith Jr., will speak during ALA's American Association of School Librarians national conference "Rev Up Learning @ your library," November 5-8 in...

"We the people" awardees named.(NEWS)(Brief article)
June 1, 2009... A total of 4,000 school and public libraries are recipients of the sixth annual We the People Bookshelf awards sponsored by ALA's Public Programs Office and the National Endowment for the Humanities. Each selected library received a...

"Step Up to the Plate" contest underway.(NEWS)(Brief article)
June 1, 2009... Season four of the national "Step Up to the Plate @ your library" program is well underway. The program teams up two American classics--baseball and libraries--to promote the importance of information literacy skills and to increase awareness...

Report: Library Funding Lags, Services Reduced
June 1, 2009... The value of libraries in communities across the country continued to grow in 2008--and has accelerated as the national economy sank and people looked for cost-effective resources, according to ALA's annual State of America's Libraries report,...

OITP files comments on recovery bill.(NEWS)(Office for Information Technology Policy )(Brief article)
June 1, 2009... ALA's Office for Information Technology Policy (OITP) filed comments April 14 with the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA), the Rural Utilities Service (RUS), and the Federal Communications Commission (FCC)...

All about children.(NEWS)(Walter Dean Myers's speech)(Photograph)
June 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Caption: Author Walter Dean Myers (center), the 2009 ALA Association for Library Service to Children May Hill Arburthnot Honor Lecture speaker, joins members of the lecture committee after his April 18 address at...

Thinkfinity features new online resources.(NEWS)(Brief article)
June 1, 2009... "Add It Up: Libraries Make the Difference in Youth Development and Education" is a new online resource designed to help advocates make the case for libraries. Picking up on ALA' s Campaign for America's Libraries, Thinkfinity.org/@yourlibrary...

Celebrate bookmobile day in 2010.(NEWS)(Brief article)
June 1, 2009... The contribution of bookmobiles and direct-delivery outreach services to public life will be recognized during the first National Bookmobile April 14, 2010, as part of National Library Week, the annual celebration of the contributions of our...

"Pride and Passion" tour announced.(NEWS)(Brief article)
June 1, 2009... Twenty-five additional libraries are scheduled to host the "Pride and Passion: The African American Baseball Experience" traveling exhibit that tells the story of black baseball players in the U.S. over the past century and a half. The...

FINRA unemployment resource available.(NEWS)(Financial Industry Regulatory Authority Inc.)(Brief article)
June 1, 2009... Public libraries can take advantage of financial and unemployment-related information developed by the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) and administered by ALA's Reference and User Services Association (RUSA). FINRA's...

Birth of a teen scribe.(NEWS)(Elizabeth Bunce)(Photograph)
June 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Caption: Elizabeth Bunce, ALA's Young Adult Library Services Association's first William C. Morris Award recipient, signs copies of her book A Curse Dark as Gold March 22 at Johnson County (Kans.) Library's Lackman...

Calendar.(Calendar)
June 1, 2009... ALA EVENTS July 9-15: ALA Annual Conference, Chicago, www.ala.org/annual. Oct. 1-4: Library and Information Technology Association National Forum, Salt Lake City, www.ala.org/lita. Oct. 18-24: Teen Read Week, www.ala.org/yalsa....

The associations association's: ASCIA.(NEWS)(Association of Specialized and Cooperative Library Agencies )(Conference news)
June 1, 2009... WHO IS ASCLA? The Association of Specialized and Cooperative Library Agencies (ASCLA) is the home to a wide variety of librarians representing areas of specialty within the profession as well as diverse library types and independent...

Worlds Connect @ Your Library
June 1, 2009... For 51 years, National Library Week (NLW) has been celebrated by libraries of all types across the country and internationally. This year's annual observance, April 12-18, carried the theme "Worlds Connect @ your library" to demonstrate the...

Library Legislative Day Brings 400 Advocates to D.C
June 1, 2009... A weak economy did not discourage the 400+ participants in this year's National Library Legislative Day from traveling from across the country to the nation's capital to speak up for libraries. In fact, the poor economy seemed to ignite a...

Cuts, Freezes Widespread in Academic Libraries
June 1, 2009... Many academic libraries are facing major planned or potential budget cuts as the nation's economic meltdown plays itself out. Online reports and announcements from major U.S. universities show that significant budget cuts may be widespread among...

Florida Boosters Save State Library Aid
June 1, 2009... "You did it! The people of Florida roared--and the state's leaders listened!" proclaimed a May 3 message on the Florida Library Association website from Immediate Past President Charlie Parker. On April 30, lawmakers had approved the...

Pay cuts save San Diego branches.(U.S. & International)(Brief article)
June 1, 2009... San Diego Mayor Jerry Sanders's attempt to close a $43-million budget deficit resolved on a positive note April 13 when he announced that there would be no service cuts, layoffs, or branch closures at the public library. This announcement...

LSU Library School Faces Loss of Autonomy
June 1, 2009... At an April 14 faculty forum, Louisiana State University Chancellor Michael V. Martin announced major changes in the school's organization that would affect the School of Library and Information Science. Effective July 1, he explained, the...

Miami's beachfront branch.(U.S. & International)(sand castle-building program )(Brief article)
June 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Caption: Sand-castle aficionados in Miami Beach render an inspirational vision of what libraries means to them in the second annual sand castle-building program sponsored by the Miami-Dade Public Library System through...

Academic libraries become all the rave.(U.S. & International)(flash raves)(Brief article)
June 1, 2009... University students headed to their campus libraries en masse the week before exams at the end of April, but not just to study: At the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, the University of Kentucky in Lexington, the College of...

Politics Heats Up Materials Challenges
June 1, 2009... This spring, citizens in West Bend, Wisconsin, and Topeka, Kansas, began playing political hardball with local officials in their efforts to get library titles restricted that treat sexuality in a positive light. The firestorm over West Bend...

Verse buds.(U.S. & International)(Photograph)
June 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Caption: A young patron contributes to the "poetree" that Augusta County Library in Fishersville, Virginia, installed for a combined celebration of National Poetry Month, Earth Day, and Arbor Day. The live tree...

Quite a quilt.(U.S. & International)(75th anniversary of Union County College)(Photograph)
June 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Caption: To commemorate the 75th anniversary of Union County College, the oldest community college in New Jersey, librarians Josaine Royster (left) and Rae Wong combined their love of quilting and books. The quilt,...

Indianapolis PL Loses Construction Suit
June 1, 2009... A jury rejected claims by the Indianapolis--Marion County Public Library that an engineering firm was responsible for $24.5 million in damages caused by defects in the concrete beams of an underground parking garage in its renovated central...

Pilfered in Civil War, Rare Book Returned
June 1, 2009... Nearly 145 years after it was taken by a Union soldier during a raid on Lexington, Virginia, a book on the Napoleonic Wars has found its way back to the special collections department of Washington and Lee University. Charles S. Gates, of the...

Global Reach
June 1, 2009... IRELAND 1 Public libraries in County Monaghan are unable to purchase any new books this year because their acquisitions budget of 165,000 euros ($224,400 U.S.) has been suspended due to a shortage of funds available to the county council....

OCLC Web-Based Service Challenges ILS Vendors
June 1, 2009... In what clearly represents a challenge to the integrated library system (ILS) industry, OCLC has created what it calls "the first web - scale cooperative library management service," inviting member libraries to "take the first step to realizing...

DOJ Examines Google Scanning Settlement
June 1, 2009... The Department of Justice is looking into whether Google's proposed settlement of lawsuits challenging its Book Search project violates antitrust laws. The department's lawyers have been in contact with the Internet Archive, Consumer...

Kindle targets textbooks.(TECH NEWS IN BRIEF)(Amazon.com Inc.'s Kindle DX)(Brief article)
June 1, 2009... Three months after launching the Kindle 2, Amazon has released the Kindle DX, a larger version with a 9.7-inch screen (compared to a 6-inch screen on the standard version). Six universities--Princeton University, Pace University, the...

Regional history online.(TECH NEWS IN BRIEF)(Brief article)
June 1, 2009... The Kentucky Virtual Library, Kentucky Department of Education, and University of Kentucky Libraries Special Collections and Digital Programs have created Kyleidoscope, a digital archive of historic resources dating back to 1750 for K--12...

CC media sources.(TECH NEWS IN BRIEF)(Creative Commons licenses)(Brief article)
June 1, 2009... The Sitepoint blog listed April 30 more than 30 sources of audio, video, images, and text available under Creative Commons licenses. The licenses allow for free usage of the material, although there are several variants of the Creative...

Cloud antivirus.(TECH NEWS IN BRIEF)(Panda Security's new antivirus software)(Brief article)
June 1, 2009... Panda Security has created Panda Cloud Antivirus, a free download that uses Panda's cloud computing technology to detect viruses and other malware on a user's system. The company says the cloud option uses less RAM than traditional antivirus...

Open Discovery Interfaces: These Open Source OPAC Discovery Layers Allow Libraries to Experiment Freely with Their User Interface
June 1, 2009... Discovery interfaces allow libraries to offer more modern tools to their users for searching library collections. While the ILS serves as the automation environment for library staff, the discovery interface extracts data from the ILS and other...

Your Stuff, Their Rules: What to Expect with Hosted Web Services
June 1, 2009... The gulf between what the technological have and have-not libraries could do on the web used to be so much larger. Years ago, if a library didn't have access to its own server, it didn't have a website, or at least not one that could be easily...

Words, Words, Words: Within Books or without, They Maintain Their Power
June 1, 2009... I recently had the chance to spend a few days in London and wandered into the National Portrait Gallery on a fine spring morning. While there, my eye fell on two intriguing details. The first image acquired as the museum was taking shape in the...

How the World Sees Us
June 1, 2009... "[Makers rooms] belong in a public library.... Ask Thomas Edison, Wilbur Wright, Grace Hopper, Steve Wozniak, Esther Dyson, Bre Pettis, or Phillip Torrone.... Inventiveness belongs in a public library because libraries are houses of ideas." ...

Nancy.(Cartoon)
June 1, 2009... FREE CDS & DVDS! [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] WATCH FREE MOVIES! [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] LISTEN TO FREE MUSIC! [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] GET FREE INTERNET! [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] READ THE LATEST...

Teaching How to Teach: User Instruction Remains a Professional Priority
June 1, 2009... Change in the information environment keeps coming at a terrific pace. Traditional reference statistics are down, electronic resources proliferate, and Google's Book Project is on the march. Despite all this flux, the public service aspect of...

Prescription for Financial Recovery: The Current Economic Crisis Holds Opportunities as Well as Challenges for Libraries
June 1, 2009... A tsunami of bad news for all types of libraries has swept the country, and very few libraries have been spared. In Philadelphia, the mayor briefly sought closures of 11 public library` branches and reductions in hours at others (AL, May, p....

Librarians as Writers: Published Practitioners Share Their Experiences and Advice
June 1, 2009... Librarians tend to be creative people, and what other profession than librarianship could be more encouraging for writers? We are surrounded by books, technology, and people, providing the opportunity not only to write for the profession but...

Licenses and legalities: know your rights--and obligations--when using licensed electronic content.
June 1, 2009... You have just signed a license agreement to access an electronic database. You know that the use of the database is subject to certain terms and conditions as set out in the license agreement. What are your obligations, however, in informing...

Summertime in Chicago: The 2016 Summer Olympics U.S. Contender City and Site of the Association's Headquarters Welcomes Conference-Goers
June 1, 2009... From a visit to such hot spots as Navy Pier, Millennium Park, and Buckingham Fountain to dining on deep-dish pizza or a Chicago - style hot dog, a variety of activities and cuisines awaits the thousands of librarians, vendors, authors, and other...

Chow down in chi-town: American libraries' Annual Conference dining guide.(Annual Conference 2009)(Directory)
June 1, 2009... ALA sure picked a great place for its headquarters when it moved here in 1909. Sure, the winters are terrible, and the sticky heat of a Chicago summer is enough to tax anyone's patience, but when it comes to restaurants, Chicago has the best...

ALA Executive Board: Reserve Tapped in Anticipation of FY2009 Shortfall
June 1, 2009... To prepare for a projected FY 2009 overall net revenue loss of $2.9 million, the ALA Executive Board approved a $441,500 transfer from the general fund net asset reserve as the anticipated final measure in a series of moves taken to prepare for...

What's Old Is New Again: It's about Time Library Gaming Made a Comeback
June 1, 2009... Is there a librarian alive who hasn't heard the argument that games now belong in libraries? Blogs, podcasts, and even books tout the idea that games are a new means of encouraging younger users to feel welcome and engaged. Except they're not....

Stephanie Archer.(Currents)
June 1, 2009... Stephanie Archer has joined Santa Monica (Calif.) Public Library as acquisitions librarian.

Kathy Arsenault.(Currents)
June 1, 2009... Kathy Arsenault has retired as dean of Poynter Memorial Library at the University of South Florida in St. Petersburg.

Susan Benton.(Currents)
June 1, 2009... May 4 Susan Benton was named president and CEO of the Urban Libraries Council in Chicago.

Cathy Blake.(Currents)
June 1, 2009... The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Graduate School of Library and Information Science has appointed Cathy Blake associate professor.

Christie P. Brandau.(Currents)
June 1, 2009... June 1 Christie P. Brandau retired as state librarian of Kansas.

Clara M. Chu.(Currents)(professor and department chair at University of North Carolina )(Brief article)
June 1, 2009... Clara M. Chu will become professor and department chair at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro Department of Library and Information Studies in the fall.

Miles Efron.(Currents)
June 1, 2009... Miles Efron will join the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Graduate School of Library and Information Science as assistant professor in the fall semester.

Patty Furr.(Currents)
June 1, 2009... Patty Furr has been named executive director of Hancock County (Miss.) Library System. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

Leah Green.(Currents)
June 1, 2009... September 1 Leah Green will retire as director of DuBois (Pa.) Public Library.

Melanie Huggins.(Currents)
June 1, 2009... Melanie Huggins will become executive director of Richland County (S.C.) Public Library in July. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

Shana Johnson has been promoted to youth services librarian.(Currents)(Brief article)
June 1, 2009... Shana Johnson has been promoted to youth services librarian, Roger Kelly has been appointed youth services librarian, and Susan Lamb has been promoted to reference services librarian at Santa Monica (Calif.) Public Library.

Deanna Lee.(Currents)
June 1, 2009... New York Public Library has appointed Deanna Lee vice president for communications and marketing.

Haipeng Li.(Currents)
June 1, 2009... April 20 Haipeng Li became associate library director at Rutgers University in Newark, New Jersey.

May 5 Stark County (Ohio) District Library named Patty Marsh.(Currents)(associate director )(Brief article)
June 1, 2009... May 5 Stark County (Ohio) District Library named Patty Marsh associate director for public services and Karen E. Miller assistant associate director for public services and main library manager.

Cara Nett.(Currents)
June 1, 2009... Laramie County (Wyo.) Library System has promoted Cara Nett to manager of technical services.

Caroline Norton.(Currents)
June 1, 2009... Caroline Norton has joined the University of Northern Colorado in Greeley as head of technical services.

Mary Ochs.(Currents)
June 1, 2009... Cornell University in Ithaca, New York, has named Mary Ochs director of the Mann Library.

Vailey Oehlke.(Currents)
June 1, 2009... May 1 Vailey Oehlke became director of Multnomah County (Oreg.) Library.

Patt Paul.(Currents)
June 1, 2009... Patt Paul retired in May as manager of the Parker branch of Douglas County (Colo.) Libraries. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

Dorothea Richards.(Currents)
June 1, 2009... Dorothea Richards has been named integrated library system coordinator at Stark County (Ohio) District Library.

Louise S. Robbins.(Currents)
June 1, 2009... Louise S. Robbins will retire as director of the University of Wisconsin at Madison's School of Library and Information Studies in August.

Rachel A. Schipper.(Currents)
June 1, 2009... Rachel A. Schipper is now associate dean for technology and support services at the University of Florida Smathers Libraries in Gainesville. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]