American Libraries articles from October 2009

American Libraries archives from October 2009

Going the Distance
October 1, 2009... The future of online learning is now, says Kenneth E. Hartman, academic director for Drexel University Online and chairman of National Distance Learning Week (November 9-13). His article in this issue (p. 48) makes a compelling case for online...

Free every Wednesday in your e-mail.(ala.org)(Brief article)
October 1, 2009... Free every Wednesday in your e-mail, American Libraries Direct delivers a roundup of library-related news links to stories, photos, and video from American Libraries Online and dozens of newspapers and websites around the world. Let American...

The public.(ala.org)
October 1, 2009... * The Public Link to @ your library on your website and turn on potential users to the treasures awaiting them in person and online, atyourlibrary.org.

ALA JobList.(ala.org)
October 1, 2009... * Your #1 source for career information and jobs in library and information science and technology, newly enhanced and easier to use at joblist.ala.org.

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

Legislation.(ala.org)
October 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)
October 1, 2009... New video from the IFLA World Congress in Milan, plus dozens of interviews and conference reports, alfocus.ala.org. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

Meet AASL.(ala.org)
October 1, 2009... Join ALA's American Association of School Librarians in Charlotte, November 5-8, for "Rev Up Learning @ your library." Details at aasl.org.

Rachel McAdams.(ALA STORE)
October 1, 2009... Entice patrons to read with the latest Celebrity READ Poster, featuring the star of the summer movie hit The Time Traveler's Wife. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

Books.(ALA STORE)(Brief article)(Book review)
October 1, 2009... Loaded with popular appeal and illustrated with 130 rich color photos, The Library by Stuart A. P. Murray will please readers on both sides of the service desk. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

ALA Connect.(BOOKMARK IT)
October 1, 2009... connect.ala.org ALA Connect lets you work with ALA groups, start a new community, or find your friends and add them to your network. Members/nonmembers welcome.

American Libraries' Inside Scoop.(BOOKMARK IT!)
October 1, 2009... al.ala.org/insidescoop American Libraries' Inside Scoop delivers news and views from inside 50 East Huron.

Spectrum's $1-Million Challenge: The Race for Professional Ethnic and Racial Diversity
October 1, 2009... The Spectrum Scholarship Program is one of the more successful programs initiated by ALA. It began as part of then--ALA Executive Director Elizabeth Martinez's vision to recruit more minorities into the library and information management...

Free library.(Cartoon)
October 1, 2009... "This book on procrastination is two weeks overdue." [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

Correction.(Correction notice)
October 1, 2009... CORRECTION: Baltimore County Public Library Director Jim Fish was incorrectly identified as Trustee Citation winner David H. Goldsmith (left, Aug./Sept., p. 69). AL apologizes for the error; a corrected page is posted at www.ala.org.alonline. ...

What's included with your full registration?(BOSTON)(Calendar)
October 1, 2009... ALA / ERT EXHIBITS OPENING RECEPTION Friday, January 15, 2010, 5:30-7:30 PM The Exhibits Opening Reception, sponsored by ALA and ERT, will feature food, entertainment, prizes, and will allow attendees to meet and greet with vendors and...

General Information
October 1, 2009... MEETING LOCATION The 2010 Midwinter Meeting will take place in the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center, located at 415 Summer Street, Boston, MA, as well as several hotels near the Convention Center. You can find information on the...

Travel Information
October 1, 2009... GENERAL INFORMATION Experient is ALA's official hotel and registration company. As an ALA Attendee or Exhibitor, you are eligible for special hotel rate discounts. Please be advised that registration cannot be made over the phone and that you...

Hotel map.(Directory)
October 1, 2009... 1 Westin Boston Waterfront ALA Headquarters 425 Summer Street [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] 2 Boston Marriott Copley ALA Co-Headquarters 110 Huntington Avenue 3 Renaissance Boston Waterfront ALA Co-Headquarters 606 Congress...

Advance Registration & Housing Information
October 1, 2009... JANUARY 15-19, 2010 - MIDWINTER MEETING, BOSTON, MA Conference registration is now required to make a housing reservation. Advance rate deadline is December 4, 2009. After December 4, 2009, onsite rates will apply but you may still register...

Institutes and optional events.(Calendar)
October 1, 2009... BRINGIN' 'EM ON! 21ST-CENTURY SKILLS ALIGNING WITH STANDARDS AASL, Type of Event: Institute Friday, January 15, 8:30 am - 3:15 pm What are the skill sets students will need to have in their future? How do we empower students to address...

ALA calls for public option in health care reform.(ALA)(American Library Association)(Brief article)
October 1, 2009... ALA is voicing its support for including a public option in health care reform legislation and for a single-payer option. ALA Washington Office Executive Director Emily Sheketoff said in an August 19 letter to Congress that the Association...

Landmark designation.(ALA)(Jackson/Hinds Library System)(Brief article)
October 1, 2009... Jackson/Hinds (Miss.) Library System's Eudora Welty branch has joined the more than 100 historic homes, libraries, and museum collections on ALA's Association for Library Trustees, Advocates, Friends, and Foundations Literary Landmark Register....

Book censorship map available online.(ALA)(Brief article)
October 1, 2009... Censorship in the United States is not limited to isolated pockets of the country. A new online map of book censorship, available on the ALA Office for Intellectual Freedom Banned Books Week (BBW) site at www.bannedbooksweek.org, shows that no...

OITP seeks broadband stimulus funds.(ALA)(Office for Information Technology Policy )(Brief article)
October 1, 2009... ALA's Office for Information Technology Policy (OITP) in Washington, D.C. has filed an application seeking $1.6 million from the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) through the Broadband Technology Opportunities...

Race to the Top Fund omits school libraries.(ALA)(Brief article)
October 1, 2009... ALA has filed comments with the U.S. Department of Education regarding the Race to the Top Fund, a one-time grant program funded through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act that aims to encourage and reward states that are leading...

California site of 2010 Arbuthnot Lecture.(ALA)(Brief article)
October 1, 2009... The Riverside County (Calif.) Library System will host the 2010 Association for Library Service to Children May Hill Arbuthnot Lecture to be delivered by Kathleen T. Horning, director of the University of Wisconsin-Madison's Cooperative...

ALSC, Candlewick Press offer grant.(ALA)(Association for Library Service to Children)(Brief article)
October 1, 2009... ALA's Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC), in partnership with Candlewick Press, will offer the $3,000 "Light the Way: Outreach to the Underserved" grant in 2010. Originally intended to be a onetime honor in 2008, the award is...

AASL announces one book selection.(ALA)(American Association of School Librarians, Born Digital: Understanding the First Generation of Digital Natives )(Brief article)
October 1, 2009... ALA's American Association of School Librarians (AASL) has chosen Born Digital: Understanding the First Generation of Digital Natives (Basic Books, 2008) by John Palfrey and Urs Gasser as the One Book, One Conference selection for its 14th...

New job site available.(ALA)(Brief article)
October 1, 2009... Developed by nine ALA units in collaboration with the ALA-Allied Professional Association, the new Get a Job! website at getajob.ala.org, offers job seekers advice, resources, best practices, and real-life examples. The website launch was...

Calendar.(Conference news)(Calendar)
October 1, 2009... ALA EVENTS Oct. 7-9: Association of Bookmobile and Outreach Services Conference, Everett, Washington, www.abos-outreach.org. Oct. 18-24: Teen Read Week, www.ala.org/yalsa. Nov. 5-8: American Association of School Librarians National...

The Association's Associations: PLA
October 1, 2009... PLA 2010 PREPARATION Two-time Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist Nicholas D. Kristof will keynote the opening general session for PLA 2010, the division's national conference, to be held March 23-27, 2010, in Portland, Oregon. Joining...

Flooded Louisville Library Reopens: Service Limited as Recovery Efforts Continue
October 1, 2009... Louisville (Ky.) Free Public Library's central facility, heavily damaged by a flood three weeks earlier, partially reopened August 27. Although limited to the facility's main floor, the reopening came 12 days earlier than the Labor Day target...

IMLS Grant Advance Saves Illinois Town's Library
October 1, 2009... The south suburban Chicago town of Robbins will continue to enjoy uninterrupted public library service thanks to the infusion of $25,500 in emergency grant funding it was promised just days before a lack of revenue would have closed its doors as...

Encouraging the country's future.(U.S. & International/P>)(Photograph)
October 1, 2009... President Barack Obama and U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan talk to a group of students in Arlington, Virginia's Wakefield High School library prior to delivering a nationwide speech on education September 8. The president's talk, which...

Mondowney Accepts Detroit Top Post amid Cash-Flow Kerfuffle
October 1, 2009... Detroit Library Commission President Georgia A. Hill announced August 17 that Jo Anne Mondowney has accepted the top post at Detroit Public Library, effective August 24. Her appointment as director comes amid controversy raised in June over the...

Tagging in the Crescent City.(U.S. & International)(Photograph)
October 1, 2009... Huge, hand-lettered READ signs adorn boarded storefronts around New Orleans, the apparent work of a graffiti artist identified only as Mr. Read, Read More Books, or the Booker. The black-and-white lettering, some as large as semi trucks, has...

Hawaii Board Rejects Monthly Two-Day Closures, Furloughs
October 1, 2009... The Hawaii Board of Education failed to approve a proposal September 3 to address a $5.7-million cut in funding by closing all public-library branches at least two days a month and furloughing employees twice a month. The plan also called for...

Librarians Join AAUP Strike in Michigan; University Settles after Week of No Classes
October 1, 2009... In Rochester, Michigan, librarians, teachers, and students at Oakland University went back to school September 10, ending a week-long faculty strike that included a dozen tenure-track librarians from the Kresge Library. The university...

Cash-Strapped Ohio Library Drops out of WorldCat ILL
October 1, 2009... As part of its quest to close a $14-million shortfall for FY2010, Cuyahoga County (Ohio) Public Library has ended its participation in OCLC's WorldCat Resource Sharing so it can close the library's interlibrary loan department. CCPL Deputy...

Marking time.(U.S. & International)(Brief article)
October 1, 2009... One Life, One Book, One Time, a Coptic-sewn book, is one of 50 Guild of Book Workers juried pieces that compose the "Marking Time" exhibit on view through November 22 at San Francisco Public Library's main branch. Created by bookbinder Kathy...

Global Reach
October 1, 2009... SPAIN (1) Police arrested a 47-year-old Hungarian man in Pamplona August 7 in connection with the theft of 67 rare maps and cartographic materials from several libraries in northern Spain. The man, identified only as "Z. V.," has been the...

Michigan Librarians Speak out; Governor Granholm Listens
October 1, 2009... Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm's announcement in July that the Department of History, Archives, and Libraries would be disbanded, bringing serious budget cuts and likely scattering the Library of Michigan's collections, prompted an August 5...

Unexpected greeting.(U.S. & International)(Photograph)
October 1, 2009... The Crutcher family--Ambria, Mario, and their sons Jamir, 2, and Dre-don, 7-- are greeted with balloons for checking out the 10-millionth item from the Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County. The family, who were visiting the library...

A Tribute to Al Trezza
October 1, 2009... Alphonse "Al" Trezza was a visionary librarian who made unique contributions to librarianship as an individual, although he often worked with groups or teams in accomplishing his goals. With his death on July 15 at age 88, libraries lost a...

Interview
October 1, 2009... American Libraries: What were some of the difficulties you faced when you established the library in 2006? MOHAMMAD ABBAS: The critical security situation that prevented us from moving around the city and the country, limited space, a lack of...

Original Moon Pictures Preserved and Restored
October 1, 2009... The Lunar Orbiter Image Recovery Project is restoring and releasing the first up-close pictures of the moon, taken by five unmanned Lunar Orbiter missions in the late 1960s, among them a famous 1966 black-and-white shot of the Earth-rise from...

Fixing Facebook.(TECH NEWS IN BRIEF)(Brief article)
October 1, 2009... Fixing Facebook... Facebook's popular, but it has its annoyances. Sean Captain wrote on the Switched blog July 30 about 14 of them, with workarounds to fix those that can be fixed. Recommendations include installing a Greasemonkey script to...

... And saving tweets ...(TECH NEWS IN BRIEF)(Brief article)
October 1, 2009... ... and Saving Tweets... Read-WriteWeb reported August 11 on 10 ways to keep Twitter tweets archived and, more important, searchable. Approaches include desktop application The Archivist, the Word-press-based Twitter Tools, the Outlook plugin...

... Or integrating them.(TECH NEWS IN BRIEF)(using Twitter)(Brief article)
October 1, 2009... ... or Integrating Them Jennifer Farley described a number of ways to display your Tweets on your web site on the Sitepoint blog September 4. While Twitter offers widgets to post to MySpace or Facebook, as well as a customizable profile widget,...

Shrink your own URLs.(TECH NEWS IN BRIEF)(Brief article)
October 1, 2009... Shrink Your Own URLs Life-hacker described August 14 how people with server space and a $10 domain name registration can make their own URL-shortening service using the Yourls web app. The article also describes a few services that don't require...

Laptop protection.(TECH NEWS IN BRIEF)(Brief article)
October 1, 2009... Laptop Protection A stolen laptop can give the thief access to almost any information about the rightful owner's identity. Ars Technica described August 17 five ways for laptop owners to protect their data, even if the machine gets stolen,...

CMS recommendations.(TECH NEWS IN BRIEF)
October 1, 2009... CMS Recommendations Word-Press and Drupal topped NetTuts+'s (net.tutsplus.com) August 27 listing of the most usable content management systems. The article made 10 recommendations, highlighting WordPress's simplicity, Drupal's active user...

Digitizing South Carolina.(TECH NEWS IN BRIEF)(Brief article)
October 1, 2009... Digitizing South Carolina The University of South Carolina has received a two-year, $350,000 National Endowment for the Humanities grant to digitize selected South Carolina newspapers published between 1860 and 1922. The roughly 100,000 pages of...

Too much tech.(TECH NEWS IN BRIEF)(rehabilitation center for internet addicts)(Brief article)
October 1, 2009... Too Much Tech? The United States has its first internet addiction recovery center. Located in Fall City, Washington, about 15 miles from Microsoft's headquarters, reSTART offers the country's first inpatient internet addiction program. The...

Amazon, Yahoo, Others File Briefs in Google Book Search Settlement
October 1, 2009... A myriad of parties filed legal briefs supporting and opposing the proposed settlement of lawsuits challenging Google's Book Search project before a September 9 deadline. A hearing on the settlement is scheduled for October 7 in the Federal...

Building a Digital Branch: Web 2.0 Positions Librarians to Deliver Fully Functional Library Branches on the Web
October 1, 2009... Library websites have been around for about 15 years. The list of what has changed in the past 15 years could fill a library. Programming languages have changed. Web browsers have changed. Internet connections have gotten faster, and websites...

What Do You See? Sometimes a Blot Is Just a Blot
October 1, 2009... On what was apparently a slow news day, the front page of the July 29 New York Times featured YAWA--yet another Wikipedia article--a variation on the enduring theme of "Wikipedia is changing the world; how shocking" (or how wonderful, depending...

Pathfinder in a Box: Crafting Your Own Authoritative Metasearch Engine
October 1, 2009... Librarians have been creating internet guides or pathfinders since before the birth of the graphical web. Look at most libraries' websites and you'll find lists of what their librarians consider the most useful and authoritative resources on a...

How the World Sees Us
October 1, 2009... "Yes, a librarian can now be anyone--from your cute neighbor or cool classmate, to that sophisticated babe or handsome hunk. Or better yet, he can be a multitalented computer expert who is into flip spin, poi, fire breathing, and photography."...

Killjoy Was Here: The Librarian as Spoilsport
October 1, 2009... Recently I listened to a commencement speaker who said, "If faculty members can't offer students some hope and optimism for their future, some path of confident thinking in uncertain times, then we have no right or reason to be around them." I'd...

From Distance: Thanks to Online Education, Neither Time Constraints nor Geographic Isolation Can Deter Aspiring Librarians from Their Career Goals
October 1, 2009... Library professionals have long been at the forefront of information technology, and they continue to lead the charge in learning with IT. So it should come as no surprise that education for librarianship continues its growing trend as being...

The Children We Serve: Five Notions of Childhood Suggest Ways to Think about the Services We Provide
October 1, 2009... In Children and Libraries: Getting It Right (ALA Editions, 2001), I proposed three alternative visions for the children we would be serving as we moved into the 21st century: the original notion of the child reader, an idea that inspired and...

E-Readers in Action: An Academic Library Teams with Sony to Assess the Technology
October 1, 2009... E-books are nothing new, and librarians and library patrons have long struggled with their lack of utility. Reading on a computer screen for long periods of time is not most people's cup of tea and leads to hundreds-of-pages-long printouts in...

A la Fullbright: After Taking the Road to Morocco, a Librarian Connects with Her Students Online
October 1, 2009... When I began my Fulbright teaching award in Morocco, I had one Moroccan "friend" on Facebook, the international social networking website. This friend was a student at the library school where I had been assigned, the Ecole des Sciences...

Pipeline to the People: Public Awareness Is the Key to More and Better Library Use, Leading to Stronger and More Powerful Advocacy
October 1, 2009... Every librarian knows that today's libraries--although venerable places of learning, innovation, and opportunity-face contradictions in many areas of public perception: [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] * While libraries are popular, they are often...

Milan's Warm Welcome: The International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions Sends Positive Messages Home about the World Financial Outlook
October 1, 2009... Those who wondered why the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA) would meet in Italy in the heat of August got their answer August 25, when the city of Milan opened its treasures to IFLA. At a time of year when...

Hannah Bennett.(Currents)
October 1, 2009... * Princeton (N.J.) University has appointed Hannah Bennett architecture librarian.

Alix Bentrud.(Currents)
October 1, 2009... * Alix Bentrud has joined Lyrasis in Philadelphia as preservation services librarian.

Jennifer Bowen.(Currents)
October 1, 2009... * Jennifer Bowen has been named assistant dean for information management services at the University of Rochester (N.Y.) River Campus Libraries.

Monica Brooks.(Currents)
October 1, 2009... * Monica Brooks has been appointed assistant vice president for information technology: online learning and libraries at Marshall University in Huntington, West Virginia.

Lisa Campbell.(Currents)
October 1, 2009... * The University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa has named Lisa Campbell reference librarian.

Judith Carter.(Currents)
October 1, 2009... * Judith Carter is now head of technical services at Marquette University in Milwaukee.

William Coffee.(Currents)
October 1, 2009... * William Coffee has been elected to the board of directors of the Metropolitan Library System in Burr Ridge, Illinois.

Paul Coleman.(Currents)
October 1, 2009... * Paul Coleman has been appointed chief information officer and director of the library at Asian University for Women in Chittagong, Bangladesh.

Khue D. Duong.(Currents)
October 1, 2009... * Khue D. Duong has been appointed science librarian at California State University, Long Beach. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

Michelle Foss.(Current)
October 1, 2009... * Michelle Foss has be come science and technology librarian at the University of Florida Marston Science Library in Gainesville.

Barbara Genco.(Currents)
October 1, 2009... * Barbara Genco recently retired as director of collection development at Brooklyn (N.Y.) Public Library.

Martin Gomez.(Currents)
October 1, 2009... * June 11 Martin Gomez was appointed city librarian of Los Angeles Public Library.

Yvonne Hilliard-Bradley.(Currents)
October 1, 2009... * Yvonne Hilliard-Bradley has been named director of Blackwater Regional Library System in Courtland, Virginia.

Ned Himmel.(Currents)
October 1, 2009... * Ned Himmel, assistant library director of San Jose (Calif.) Public Library, retired August 26.

Peg Hooper.(Currents)(manager of Jefferson County Public Library)(Brief article)
October 1, 2009... * Peg Hooper resigned as manager of the Lone Tree branch and bookmobile of Douglas County (Colo.) Libraries to become manager of the Golden branch of Jefferson County (Colo.) Public Library.

Brent Husher.(Currents)
October 1, 2009... * Brent Husher has been named library instruction coordinator at the University of Missouri at Kansas City.

Teresa Jensen.(Currents)
October 1, 2009... * Teresa Jensen has joined San Antonio Public Library as library services administrator.