American Libraries articles from March 2008

American Libraries archives from March 2008

Getting Involved: Don't Wait for Permission
March 1, 2008... I try to be careful about what I ask for, largely because there's always a chance, however remote, that I might actually get it. During ALA's Midwinter Meeting in Philadelphia, I heard quite a few younger attendees talking about how difficult...

Circle of Service: Crust of the Snow Month or Onaabana-Giizis
March 1, 2008... Librarianship is remarkable for the range of services we provide to our diverse communities. Service is the keystone of our work. Many LIS programs provide opportunities for graduate students to test, develop, and deliver services directly to...

How the World Sees Us
March 1, 2008... "Think of it as your parents' liquor cabinet." Writer DREW HAYDEN TAYLOR opining on how banning library books only makes them more popular, Now Magazine (Toronto), Nov./Dec. 2007. "After spotting a rare and valuable book in the stacks at the...

Overvaluing the Virtual: Second Thoughts about Second Life
March 1, 2008... I'm sure by now that most of you have heard the hum about Second Life--the virtual online community where users create worlds and interact through 3D avatars. I'm proud to say that my campus has been quick to explore the significance of this...

Gates funds e-rate project.(ALA)(Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation)(Brief article)
March 1, 2008... Aproject designed to increase the benefits that public libraries obtain from the federal e-rate program is underway by ALA's Office for Information Technology Policy, based in Washington, D.C., and funded by a $950,000 grant from the Bill and...

Presidential citation recognizes gaming.(ALA)(Brief article)
March 1, 2008... ALA President Loriene Roy is offering a unique, one-time presidential citation to libraries--and librarians--that use games and gaming as tools for learning, literacy development, and community development. Nominations are being accepted...

APA report shows Librarian Salary rise.(ALA)(Allied Professional Association)(ALA-APA Salary Survey: Librarian - Public and Academic)(Brief article)
March 1, 2008... Mean salaries for librarians rose faster than some estimates of inflation, according to surveys conducted in 2007 by the ALA-Allied Professional Association. Six-figure salaries were also reported for several non-MLS positions in libraries....

Petition Candidates Seek Council Posts
March 1, 2008... In addition to the candidates for ALA Council published in the December 2007 American Libraries (p. 15-16), 31 individuals have petitioned to be included on the ballot. According to ALA's Governance Office, petition candidates are: *...

Smart investing grant recipients announced.(ALA)(Brief article)
March 1, 2008... Thirteen libraries and library networks are the recipients of more than $853,000 in the "Smart Investing @ your library" project funded by the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority's Investor Education Foundation and administered by ALA's...

RUSA releases "list for America's readers".(ALA)(Reference and User Services Association)(Brief article)
March 1, 2008... Away: A Novel (Random House) by Amy Bloom and The Zookeeper's Wife: A War Story (W.W. Norton) by Diane Ackerman are among the fiction and nonfiction books that comprise the 2008 list of outstanding titles for the general reader compiled by...

Booklist chooses eight for Top of the List.(ALA)(American Library Association)(Brief article)
March 1, 2008... Eight titles comprise the 18th annual Top of the List chosen from the annual ALA's Booklist Editors' Choice selections as the best books and media of 2007. They include: adult fiction--Falling Man (Scribner) by Don DeLillo; adult...

"Batting for literacy" winner announced.(ALA)(Al Smitley)(Brief article)
March 1, 2008... Al Smitley of the Northville (Mich.) District Library has won ALA's Campaign for America's Libraries "Batting for Literacy @ your library" competition for his use of baseball to promote literacy and library services. Smitley receives a...

Oakley scholarship funds sought.(ALA)(Robert L. Oakley Memorial Scholarship Fund)(Brief article)
March 1, 2008... Donations are being accepted for the Robert L. Oakley Memorial Scholarship Fund, in memory of the late professor and law librarian who died in 2007. Oakley's widow, Barbara Oakley, establishing the fund in collaboration with ALA and the...

Children's Book Day celebrations to begin.(ALA)(Brief article)
March 1, 2008... To support the festivities that will be held nationwide April 30 in celebration of El dia de los ninos/El dia de los libros (Children's Day/Book Day), the Publishing for Latino Voices Task Force of the Association of American Publishers and...

Affilate founder comes home.(ALA)(E. J. Josey of the Black Caucus of the American Library Association)(Brief article)(Photograph)
March 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Caption: E. J. Josey (seated), founder of the Black Caucus of the American Library Association, joins ALA President Loriene Roy (left) and Josey's son-in-law Lawrence Turner during the BCALA membership meeting in...

Leaders in training.(ALA)(American Library Association's Midwinter Meeting)(Brief article)(Photograph)
March 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Caption: The second group of Emerging Leaders and their facilitators gather for the first time during ALA's Midwinter Meeting in Philadelphia. The project, designed to put newer librarians on the fast track to...

New E-Spot for hot topics.(AL FORUM)(Brief article)
March 1, 2008... Are you looking for a way to share your views on an American Libraries feature, column, or news story? AL Forum is the new online location to share your comments on these and other library-related issues. Read what your colleagues have to...

Calendar.(library associations conferences)(Brief article)
March 1, 2008... ALA EVENTS Mar. 14: Freedom of Information Day. www.ala.org/washoff. Mar. 25-29: PLA National Conference, Minneapolis. www.placonference.org. Apr. 13-19: National Library Week. "Join the circle of knowledge @ your library."...

AILA book award winners named.(AFFILIATE BRIEFS)(American Indian Library Association)(Brief article)
March 1, 2008... The American Indian Library Association announced the winners of its first American Indian Youth Literature Awards, created to identify and honor the best writing and illustrations by and about American Indians. The winners are: picture...

BCALA Literary Award winners announced.(AFFILIATE BRIEFS)(Black Caucus of the American Library Association)(Brief article)
March 1, 2008... The Black Caucus of the American Library Association has announced the winners of the BCALA Literary Awards, which recognize excellence in adult fiction and nonfiction by African-American authors published in 2007. New England White...

CALA Scholarship deadline nears.(AFFILIATE BRIEFS)(Chinese American Library Association)(Brief article)
March 1, 2008... The deadline is March 15 for the Chinese American Library Association's 2008 scholarships. Four opportunities are available to full-time MLS students--the CALA Scholarship of Library and Information Science of $1,000; the C. C. See to...

It's election time.(MEMBERS-ONLY ALERT)(American Library Association)(Brief article)
March 1, 2008... Polls open March 17 for all paid ALA members as of January 31 to cast election ballots either via the Web or by paper. Again this year, there is an extended period between the last date for requesting a paper ballot (March 3) and the last...

Alcts
March 1, 2008... INVESTING IN THE NEXT 50 YEARS The Association for Library Collections and Technical Services celebrated its 50th anniversary last year with many gala events centered on the theme "Commemorating the Past, Celebrating the Present, Creating the...

Grassroots Group Grows School Library Support
March 1, 2008... More than 100 people gathered in the rain at the state capitol steps in Olympia, Washington, February 1 to rally for school libraries despite cold winds and a storm in the eastern half of the state that prevented many from attending. Gov....

Minneapolis Public Library Merges with Hennepin County Library
March 1, 2008... Nearly a year after their boards initially approved the merger, Minneapolis Public Library joined the Hennepin County Library January 2. The merger combines Minnesota's two largest public library systems into a 41-branch operation with more...

Bush's FY09 budget boosts libraries.(U.S. & International)(George W. Bush's fiscal year 2009)(Brief article)
March 1, 2008... Although much discretionary spending was cut and many programs eliminated in President Bush's fiscal year 2009 budget, released February 4, the Library Services and Technology Act saw several key increases, including: * $171.5 million...

Fla. awaits effects from latest tax cuts.(U.S. & International)(Brief article)
March 1, 2008... A constitutional amendment overwhelmingly approved by Florida voters January 29 will cut property taxes by some $9.3 billion over its first five years, with dire consequences likely for libraries already reeling from previous tax rollbacks....

New Jersey Tax Cap Threatens Libraries
March 1, 2008... The New Jersey Library Association got major support from library users in January with its campaign to send thousands of postcards to legislators opposing any efforts to weaken local library funding. Volunteers, Friends, and trustees made...

Archivist charged with state library thefts.(U.S. & International)(Daniel Lorello)(Brief article)
March 1, 2008... A New York state archivist has admitted stealing hundreds of historical artifacts beginning in 2002 from the New York State Library in Albany that he sold on the internet to pay for household repairs and his daughter's $10,000 credit card...

Truckful of materials recovered from home.(U.S. & International)(Tammie Ware)(Brief article)
March 1, 2008... An Akron woman faces felony charges of theft and receiving stolen property after police hauled more than 1,000 missing books, movies, music, and toys belonging to Akron-Summit County (Ohio) Public Library, some of which had disappeared as...

Indianapolis Opens Tangled in Fiscal Woes
March 1, 2008... A splendid new central library opened in downtown Indianapolis December 9, amid ongoing controversy over who is responsible for $50 million in construction cost overruns and how a frozen operating budget will support a facility that has...

Scieszka named Ambassador.(Jon Scieszka)(Brief article)
March 1, 2008... Popular children's author Jon Scieszka was appointed by the Library of Congress January 3 as the first National Ambassador for Young People's Literature. Scieszka, the writer of The True Story of the 3 Little Pigs and the Caldecott...

Protesting librarians shut down Victoria PL.(U.S. & International)(Great Victoria Public Library)(Brief article)
March 1, 2008... Members of the Canadian Union of Public Employees Local 410 did not report to work for three days, effectively closing the nine branches of Greater Victoria (B.C.) Public Library January 16, 18, and 21, in a recent skirmish in its labor...

Dewey's dedication.(U.S. & International)(Melvil Dewey)(Brief article)(Photograph)
March 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Caption: A roadside historical marker now stands before the Adams Center, New York, birthplace of Melvil Dewey. The creation of the marker, which indicates Dewey's lifespan as 1851-1931 and recognizes him as a...

APT adapters.(U.S. & International)(20th annual Scripter Award of the University of Southern California Library)(Brief article)(Photograph)
March 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Caption: The author and screenwriters of No Country for Old Men received the Friends of the University of Southern California Library's 20th annual Scripter Award for the best film adaptation of a book February 2....

A case of art.(U.S. & International)(suitcases designed by Chanika Svetvilas)(Brief article)(Photograph)
March 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Caption: Artist Chanika Svetvilas, whose work appears in the exhibit "Cost of Living" at the Queens (N.Y.) Library through April 14, transforms suitcases using found objects, text, and mixed media to critique...

Chopper child.(U.S. & International)(''Extreme Heroes'' program of the Lee County Library System)(Brief article)(Photograph)
March 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Caption: A young patron of the Lee County Library System in southwest Florida receives some impromptu helicopter training January 4 from a representative of the state's Division of Forestry as part of the library's...

Penguins on the brain.(U.S. & International)(grand opening of the new Main Library of Champaign Public Library, Illinois)(Brief article)(Photograph)
March 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Caption: At the January 6 grand opening festivities for Champaign (Ill.) Public Library's new Main Library, a black-and-white dress code for staff encompassed penguin hats donned by children's staffers Molly MacRae...

Black History on display.(U.S. & International)(Brief article)(Photograph)
March 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Caption: An autographed 1961 Dr. Martin Luther King tribute program from Carnegie Hall in New York City and a 1773 first edition of poems by former slave Phillis Wheatley were among the...

By the numbers.(U.S. & International)(Brief article)
March 1, 2008... $125 Savings per branch per Sunday achieved by Toronto Public Library's elimination of Sunday hours between September 9 and October 21, 2007, at 16 branches. The library anticipated a total savings of nearly $165,000 from the move, but an...

Give a Boy a Gun triggers challenge.(CENSORSHIP WATCH)(Brief article)
March 1, 2008... A reconsideration committee for Bangor Area (Pa.) Middle School unanimously voted to keep Todd Strasser's Give a Boy a Gun on library shelves over a student's aunt's concerns over the book's depiction of school violence. School board members...

Golden Compass spin slows.(CENSORSHIP WATCH)
March 1, 2008... The Calgary (Alberta) Catholic School District has returned Philip Pullman's The Golden Compass to its library shelves two months after ordering its removal in November (AL, Jan.-Feb., p. 20). Calgary was among several Catholic school systems...

Global Reach
March 1, 2008... SPAIN 1 A small-town Spanish mayor concerned about a high dropout rate in local schools has devised a way to keep kids studying--pay them. Agustin Jimenez Crespo, Socialist mayor of the central agricultural town of Noblejas, is recommending...

LIS Educators Meet to Further Community Engagement
March 1, 2008... More than 400 current and prospective library and information science educators gathered in Philadelphia January 8-11 for the annual conference of the Association for Library and Information Science Education. ALISE President Connie Van Fleet of...

Girls Raise Cash for Kenya
March 1, 2008... Danielle Rodriguez and Megan Adams believe Gandhi's words: "We must become the change we want to see in the world." They know that literacy saves lives and gives hope, so they started Literacy Leads to Hope, a fundraising initiative to support...

LC teams with Flickr.(Tech News)(Library of Congress)(Brief article)
March 1, 2008... The Library of Congress announced January 16 that it has teamed with the photo-sharing website Flickr to broaden public access to the 14 million photographs and other visual items in LC's collections. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The pilot...

Microsoft vs. Google in Digital Derby
March 1, 2008... Microsoft went public in February with an aggressive bidding war, expected to exceed $50 billion in cash and stock, to acquire Yahoo. By mid-month, an initial offer of $44.6 billion had been rejected, and the race with Google for web dominance...

Techy textures.(Tech News)(Medina Library in Ohio)(Brief article)(Photograph)
March 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Caption: Self-checkout machines, 24-hour pickup lockers, and a high-tech look greeted 6,000 opening-day visitors to the new Medina (Ohio) Library January 12, a door-count record. Completed in 29 months at a cost of...

NISO publishes RFID best practices.(TECH BRIEFS)(National Information Standards Organization)(radio-frequency identification)(Brief article)
March 1, 2008... The National Information Standards Organization has issued RFID in US Libraries, a free report of best practices for the implementation of radio frequency identification for books and other library materials. NISO's recommendations include...

Bringing color, video to e-books.(TECH BRIEFS)(Brief article)
March 1, 2008... Writing in the January/February issue of Technology Review, the magazine's chief correspondent, David Talbot, observes that while Sony Reader, Amazon Kindle, and other e-book readers attempt to reproduce the experience of ink on paper,...

Tips for Google Calendar ...(TECH BRIEFS)(50 Tips, Tweaks, and Hacks to Make the Most of Google Calendar)(Brief article)
March 1, 2008... Christina Laun published "50 Tips, Tweaks, and Hacks to Make the Most of Google Calendar" at the VirtualHosting blog (www.virtualhosting.com/blog) January 14. Her techniques cover Facebook integration, remote access via cell phone or IM,...

... and Google search.(methods in using search engine)(Brief article)
March 1, 2008... Gina Trapani posted "10 Obscure Google Search Tricks" at Lifehacker (lifehacker.com) January 2. Included are methods to show only faces in image searches, find alternatives by using the "better than" and "reminds me of" keywords, and access...

Open Everything: Embracing Web 2.0 in the City of Brotherly Love
March 1, 2008... I was a bit apprehensive when first asked to write about the exhibits at Midwinter for American Libraries this year. Andrew Pace had covered the exhibit hall brilliantly for the past four years, bringing his deep knowledge of library systems and...

Ending the Status Quo: The Future of Information Organization
March 1, 2008... "She canna take it anymore, Cap'n!" --Chief Engineer Scotty to Captain James T. Kirk Having spent my entire career moving up administratively in technical services, I have often come back to this quotation and wondered why we as a profession...

Mansell, Part Deux: Librarianship's Newest Tools Inhabit a Different Conceptual Universe
March 1, 2008... After half a decade of writing this column, I finally touched a nerve: The response to my January/February column (p. 34) on the National Union Catalog Pre-1956 Imprints ("Mansell" to the cognoscenti) generated way more response and e-mail than...

Stephen M. Kohn
March 1, 2008... Attorney Stephen M. Kohn of the Washington, D.C., law firm of Kohn, Kohn, and Colapinto is currently serving as legal counsel for FBI whistleblower Bassem Youssef, who appeared January 12 at the ALA Midwinter Meeting in Philadelphia (see p. 54)....

All Seasons & All Reasons: Lifelong Learning Involves the Establishment of a Continuum of Library Use That Moves Our Patrons through a Lifetime of Learning, for Every Age at Every Stage, Connecting Every Type of Library
March 1, 2008... We've all heard authors or other celebrities at a library event begin their speech with an anecdote about how the library was a formative part of their early years. We listen attentively, applaud politely, and think quietly "Oh sure, they...

Story Quilt: Poems of a Place; A Library's Social History Project Turns a Community's Stories into Homegrown Poetry
March 1, 2008... Most days, you'll find John Mechanik, 81, outside his family homestead in Galway, a tiny village in upstate New York, tinkering with his tractor, splitting wood, or making cider in his homemade apple press. If you catch him in the right mood, he...

Speakers from NBA to FBI Attract 13,600 to Philadelphia: Attendance Reaches New High as a Basketball Legend, Notable Authors, and a Whistleblower Tackle Issues of Free Speech, Privacy, and Literacy
March 1, 2008... Award-winning authors and books, a basketball superstar, and an FBI whistleblower were among the top attractions at the January 11-16 ALA Midwinter Meeting in Philadelphia. Sports legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar delivered a heartfelt address at a...

Camila Alire: Candidate for ALA President
March 1, 2008... Imagine great libraries! Imagine a great library association! As we approach the second decade of the 21st century, it is more crucial than ever that we use our unified voice within ALA to clearly articulate the value of libraries, librarians,...

J. Linda Williams: Candidate for ALA President
March 1, 2008... Libraries are our foundation and our future. Our country was founded on the freedom of access to information and our future is secured by that same freedom. All libraries have a role in protecting this freedom. It is essential to speak out...

Presidential Candidates Answer Questions at Forum: Midwinter Meeting Session in Philadelphia Prompts Agreement on Basics, Including Diversity, Bilingual Education, and Professional Engagement
March 1, 2008... Nominees for 2009-10 ALA president Camila Alire and J. Linda Williams shared their views with some 100 observers at a forum January 12 during ALA's Midwinter Meeting in Philadelphia. Made by the Nominating Committee, their nominations were...

ALA Council: Governing Body Adopts Revised Accreditation Standards, Pushes for Accessibility, and Calls for an End to Destruction in Kenya and Iraq
March 1, 2008... ALA's governing Council sailed through full agendas during sessions January 13, 15, and 16 at the Midwinter Meeting in Philadelphia. Among other actions, the group gave the nod to revised accreditation standards (Council Document #47, #47.1),...

ALA Executive Board: Holding Pattern Forecast for 2008 Library Legislative Agenda
March 1, 2008... Everything we hear is that 2008 is going to be a complete holding year," ALA Washington Office Executive Director Emily Sheketoff told the Executive Board, summing up the atmosphere in the nation's capital during one the board's three sessions,...

Kristine Alpi.(Currents)
March 1, 2008... March 17 Kristine Alpi joins North Carolina State University in Raleigh as director of the Kenan Library of Veterinary Medicine.

Sophia Anastos.(Currents)
March 1, 2008... Sophia Anastos became director of River Forest (Ill.) Public Library February 25.

Laura Baldwin.(Currents)
March 1, 2008... Laura Baldwin is the new collection development coordinator at Anchorage (Alaska) Public Library. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

Sally Bryant.(Currents)
March 1, 2008... Sally Bryant has been promoted to head of access services at Pepperdine University in Malibu, California.

Faye Clow.(Currents)
March 1, 2008... Bettendorf (Iowa) Public Library Director Faye Clow retired in January.

Nancy Cummings.(Currents)
March 1, 2008... January 4 Nancy Cummings retired as director of Washoe County (Nev.) Library System.

Eva Davis.(Currents)
March 1, 2008... Eva Davis became director of Canton (Mich.) Public Library January 2.

Tabszeera Dosu.(Currents)
March 1, 2008... Tabszeera Dosu joined California State University at Sacramento as library dean December 8, 2007.

Ron Dubberly.(Currents)
March 1, 2008... February 1 Ron Dubberly became president of Library Systems and Services's public library management operations.

Jenny Emanuel.(Currents)
March 1, 2008... In February, Jenny Emanuel was named digital resources and reference services librarian at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

Carol Erickson.(Currents)
March 1, 2008... Carol Erickson became executive director of READ Global in Incline Village, Nevada, in January.

Amanda Feigley.(Currents)
March 1, 2008... Towson (Md.) University has appointed Amanda Feigley research and instruction librarian for science and mathematics.

Susan Gibbons.(Currents)
March 1, 2008... March 1 Susan Gibbons became vice provost and dean of River Campus libraries at the University of Rochester, New York.

Nicholas Graham.(appointed as librarian in University of North Carolina )(Brief article)
March 1, 2008... Nicholas Graham joined the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill as North Carolina Maps Project librarian December 1, 2007, and Chad Haefele became reference librarian for emerging technologies November 5, 2007.

Ethan Henderson.(Currents)
March 1, 2008... Ethan Henderson has been named head of special collections and university archives at Pepperdine University in Malibu, California.

Helen Henry.(Currents)
March 1, 2008... The University of California at Davis has appointed Helen Henry associate university librarian for administrative services.

George Jaramillo.(Currents)
March 1, 2008... George Jaramillo became library director for the Town of Taos, New Mexico, December 3, 2007. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

Amy Kautzman.(Currents)
March 1, 2008... Amy Kautzman has joined the University of California at Davis as associate university librarian for humanities and social sciences.

Patricia Kim.(Currents)
March 1, 2008... Patricia Kim is now librarian at the College of the North Atlantic's Happy Valley-Goose Bay (Newfoundland and Labrador) campus.

Marcel LaFlamme.(Currents)
March 1, 2008... Independence (Kans.) Community College has named Marcel LaFlamme director of its Learning Resource Center.