Library Stuff The library weblog dedicated to resources for keeping current and professional development 2015-08-30T23:54:10Z http://www.librarystuff.net/feed/tumblog/ WordPress Steven M. Cohen http://www.librarystuff.net <![CDATA[School and Library Spotlight: How Schools Buy and Use E-Books]]> http://www.librarystuff.net/?p=16932 2015-08-30T23:54:10Z 2015-08-30T23:54:10Z “Debate over the pros and cons of implementing e-books into schools continues to be robust in publishing and educational circles. But most observers agree that e-books are here to stay—at least for the foreseeable future, which is the best anyone can predict in an era of technological advances. As a new academic year kicks off and more students than ever have access to e-books, we take a look at where the educational e-book market stands today and how those titles are being purchased and used by schools. (via Publishers Weekly)

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Steven M. Cohen http://www.librarystuff.net <![CDATA[Denver Library brews a month of craft beer, coffee and tea events]]> http://www.librarystuff.net/?p=16930 2015-08-30T23:48:24Z 2015-08-30T23:48:24Z “There’s more to libraries than books. To prove it, the Denver Public Library has brewed up a month of events focused on craft beer, coffee, kombucha and even comedy. BrewHa!Ha! kicks off next week with two beer releases plus lessons on brewing kombucha and herbal potions. There are also coffee tastings throughout the month, lessons on cooking with beer and coffee, a book club and a concert by Cop Circles and Thug Entrancer. And for those already imbibing at breweries and coffee houses, there will be deals throughout the city in September from 32 partners. Getting a deal is simple: Just show your library card.” (Via Denver Post)

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Steven M. Cohen http://www.librarystuff.net <![CDATA[This Librarian Bicycles Around San Francisco Towing a Miniature Library With Free Books]]> http://www.librarystuff.net/?p=16928 2015-08-30T23:45:42Z 2015-08-30T23:45:42Z “School librarian Alicia Tapia is on a mission to spread the love of reading. Knowing the important influence books can have on literacy and learning she started towing a miniature library around San Francisco in 2013. She calls her creation Bibliobicicleta.” (via Visual News)

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Steven M. Cohen http://www.librarystuff.net <![CDATA[Semi filled with books helped Biloxi library get back in business]]> http://www.librarystuff.net/?p=16926 2015-08-30T23:44:09Z 2015-08-30T23:44:09Z “Ten years ago, a semi truck full of books was bound for a public library in hurricane-ravaged Biloxi, Mississippi. Dozens of cardboard boxes had been sorted, packed and labeled — children’s stories, young adult fiction, adult novels and reference books. Nearly all of them had been collected by one man in Columbia.” (via The Missourian)

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Steven M. Cohen http://www.librarystuff.net <![CDATA[British Library turns down Taliban archive because of UK terror laws]]> http://www.librarystuff.net/?p=16924 2015-08-30T23:42:12Z 2015-08-30T23:42:12Z “The British Library is refusing to store a collection of Taliban material because of UK anti-terrorism legislation. It took the decision not to store the archive, which has been compiled over the past three years, on legal advice. The library was told that it could be in breach of the law if it made the material, which includes Afghan Taliban maps, radio broadcasts and news papers, accessible. Since 2012 experts have been translating the archive into English as well digitising the information.” (via The Telegraph)

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Steven M. Cohen http://www.librarystuff.net <![CDATA[How the New York Public Library digitizes its vast map collection]]> http://www.librarystuff.net/?p=16922 2015-08-27T14:28:54Z 2015-08-27T14:28:54Z “While much of the city’s mapping community is focused on creating something new, a great deal of energy also goes into recovering maps that are quite old. The New York Public Library, the spiritual heart of the city’s mapmaking community, is gradually putting online its vast collection of 435,000 maps. This past January, it received a $380,000 grant from the Knight Foundation to digitize using a software program it calls “Building Inspector.” The project involves more than 1,000 volunteers manually inputting information contained on old maps that computers can’t easily handle, such as street addresses and building footprints. It’s arduous work—only 33,000 of the library’s maps have been digitized—but so far the volunteer army has completed 1.2 million tasks and helps the library to bring old maps online much faster than it could otherwise.” (via Crains)

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Steven M. Cohen http://www.librarystuff.net <![CDATA[Amazon e-book deal with NYC public schools postponed as blind advocates say it would leave out visually impaired students]]> http://www.librarystuff.net/?p=16919 2015-08-26T12:54:12Z 2015-08-26T12:35:51Z “City education officials have shelved a $30 million deal to give students electronic books after advocates complained it would exclude the visually impaired. Online retail giant Amazon had been poised to land the groundbreaking, three-year contract to create a new e-book marketplace for the Big Apple’s 1,800 public schools. But Department of Education officials said Tuesday they were delaying the plan after advocates complained that readers with visual impairments could have trouble accessing its design.” (via Daily News)

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Steven M. Cohen http://www.librarystuff.net <![CDATA[Colombian Garbage Collector Rescues Books for Children]]> http://www.librarystuff.net/?p=16917 2015-08-26T12:31:58Z 2015-08-26T12:31:58Z “A second-grade education has not stopped garbage collector Jose Gutierrez from bringing the gift of reading to thousands of Colombian children. Gutierrez started rescuing books from the trash almost 20 years ago, when he was driving a garbage truck at night through the capital’s wealthier neighborhoods. The discarded reading material slowly piled up, and now the ground floor of his small house is a makeshift community library stacked from floor to ceiling with some 20,000 books, ranging from chemistry textbooks to children’s classics.” (via NYT)

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Steven M. Cohen http://www.librarystuff.net <![CDATA[Duke librarian doubles as scrabble whiz]]> http://www.librarystuff.net/?p=16915 2015-08-24T12:31:39Z 2015-08-24T12:31:39Z “For Duke librarian Hannah Rozear, playing Scrabble is more than just a rainy day activity. Rozear, librarian for institutional services at Perkins Library, recently placed fifth in her division at the North American Scrabble Championship in Reno, Nev. The event—which ran from Aug. 1-5—featured approximately 350 players from around the world and included prize money for the winners. “I was hoping to come home with number one, but I wound up with fifth place,” Rozear said in a recent conversation.” (via Duke Chronicle)

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Steven M. Cohen http://www.librarystuff.net <![CDATA[Madison to be named Little Free Libraries’ first ‘City of Distinction’]]> http://www.librarystuff.net/?p=16913 2015-08-24T12:28:09Z 2015-08-24T12:28:09Z “According to the founder of the Little Free Libraries movement, Madison is the city that made it all possible — and, this weekend, Madison will receive the organization’s first “City of Distinction” award in recognition of that. “When I started this, I thought to myself, ‘Where in this country would you test this to see if it’s viable?” said Todd Bol, creator of the movement that now spans the globe. “I thought it had to be a fairly innovative, progressive place that would embrace literacy and family and community and I thought: ‘Madison.’” (via Madison.com)

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Steven M. Cohen http://www.librarystuff.net <![CDATA[Turning a page: downsizing the campus book collections]]> http://www.librarystuff.net/?p=16911 2015-08-24T12:26:10Z 2015-08-24T12:26:10Z “When, in 2005, the University of Chicago entered into a US$81 million renovation of a major library building, one of the primary goals was to ensure that the university’s collection of printed books in the social sciences and humanities would remain under one roof. That goal was achieved six years later. However, it also meant that a good part of the library’s print collection, while technically being “under the library roof,” was moved “under the ground.” The renovation included a subterranean automated system that can store and retrieve up to 3.5 million books. Chicago’s library project could well represent the end of an era – the era of colleges and universities expending millions of dollars so that printed books can be housed in on-campus libraries.” (via The Conversation)

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Steven M. Cohen http://www.librarystuff.net <![CDATA[An idiosyncratic library squirreled away in SoMa]]> http://www.librarystuff.net/?p=16909 2015-08-24T12:23:55Z 2015-08-24T12:23:55Z “It’s difficult, very likely even impossible, to explain the Prelinger Library without also discussing its founders, Megan and Rick Prelinger. In so many ways, the library is them. “It is a map of our shared consciousnesses,” Rick says. Each object is a reflection of their interests, the organizing principals follow their own streams of consciousness, even the way the library exists — quietly, almost hidden, but open to all — is a direct representation of their “punk ethos.” “It’s a collaborative project that has its roots in each of our individual practices,” Megan says. “I think we were each drawn to ephemeral evidence of everyday life and cultural history and what elements of cultural history are being overlooked or what kinds of stories could be found in the kinds of literature nobody is reading anymore.” (via SF Chronicle)

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Steven M. Cohen http://www.librarystuff.net <![CDATA[Review: A Despairing Librarian Is Ready to Check Out in ‘After Words’]]> http://www.librarystuff.net/?p=16907 2015-08-21T13:02:09Z 2015-08-21T13:02:09Z “In September, television viewers will have a chance to see Marcia Gay Harden play a brusque, decisive, rule-bending doctor in the new CBS drama “Code Black.” Anyone who wants to see her play more or less the polar opposite of that character is hereby referred to “After Words,” a romance novel of a movie featuring the world’s most stereotypical librarian. Ms. Harden plays that librarian, Jane, a mousy woman who as the film opens is laid off and uses the occasion to give up on life, which she seemed not to be enjoying much anyway. She plans a one-way trip to Costa Rica, leaving her last will and testament behind on her table. Once in that country, though, she hires a personal guide named Juan (Óscar Jaenada) who gradually draws her out of her shell.” (via NYT)

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Steven M. Cohen http://www.librarystuff.net <![CDATA[World’s first public-library Starbucks coming to downtown Tulsa after renovations complete]]> http://www.librarystuff.net/?p=16905 2015-08-21T13:00:35Z 2015-08-21T13:00:35Z “Tulsa’s Central Library will be the first public library in the world to house a Starbucks location, according to an announcement Thursday. In a meeting of Tulsa City-County Library oversight commission, an update on the downtown Central Library renovation included news that the popular coffeehouse would be housed in the space at Fourth Street and Denver Avenue.” (via Tulsa World)

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Steven M. Cohen http://www.librarystuff.net <![CDATA[Baltimore writer returns overdue library book 34 years late]]> http://www.librarystuff.net/?p=16903 2015-08-20T13:00:20Z 2015-08-20T13:00:20Z “When faced with the unenviable task of going through her late mother’s personal effects, Baltimore-area writer Michele Wojciechowski uncovered something she hadn’t seen in over three decades. While rooting through a cabinet over her mother’s refrigerator, she discovered an old paperback copy of “Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein,” adapted and illustrated by Alice and Joel Schick. The thrill of an unexpected find was quickly tempered by a horrific realization: Ms. Wojciechowski had checked out the book from the nearby Enoch Pratt Free Library Southeast Branch’s Branch when she was 13. That was in 1981.” (via Washington Times)

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Steven M. Cohen http://www.librarystuff.net <![CDATA[Man named to library board despite 1999 attempt to ban school book]]> http://www.librarystuff.net/?p=16901 2015-08-20T12:58:35Z 2015-08-20T12:58:35Z “A resident who tried and failed in 1999 to have a book removed from a high school curriculum has been appointed to the Downers Grove Public Library board of trustees. The village council voted 5-2 Aug. 18 to approve the nomination of Arthur Jaros Jr. to the six-member board. Jaros was one of 20 people whose appointments to various village boards and commissions were approved. Jaros’ nomination for the unpaid post was the only one that drew scrutiny and more than 150 emails from residents about it. Citing the number of emails he had received about Jaros’ nomination, commissioner Bob Barnett tried to delay the vote on the appointments. He said he wanted more time to read all the emails.” (via Chicago Tribune)

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Steven M. Cohen http://www.librarystuff.net <![CDATA[Up From The Ashes, A Public Library In Sri Lanka Welcomes New Readers]]> http://www.librarystuff.net/?p=16899 2015-08-20T12:56:51Z 2015-08-20T12:56:51Z “Rising two stories and capped by three domes, the Jaffna Public Library looks a bit like a stately wedding cake. Gleaming white under the Sri Lanka sun, the building’s classical lines and beautiful proportions make it one of the architectural standouts of the South Asia region. That it survived at all is a testament to resilience. The fact that it was restored to such pristine condition, including its lush gardens, and modernized (it now offers Wi-Fi) makes it all the more remarkable.” (via NPR)

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Steven M. Cohen http://www.librarystuff.net <![CDATA[Don’t Suffer From Library Anxiety: How to Best Research in Libraries]]> http://www.librarystuff.net/?p=16897 2015-08-19T17:10:22Z 2015-08-19T17:10:22Z “There’s a name for it. “Library anxiety.” We learned about this in library school. Symptoms: anxiety, uncertainty, sudden shyness, fear, worry that one might seem woefully ignorant, embarrassment, bewilderment, lack of confidence, and perhaps even shame that one should “know better” or already know the answers before the questions are even posed. If not treated, additional more-severe symptoms may develop, including: frustration, despair, a spirit of defeat, giving up, bitterness, and a vow to never do this again (whatever “this” is). (via ancestry.com)

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Steven M. Cohen http://www.librarystuff.net <![CDATA[How libraries became the front line of America’s homelessness crisis]]> http://www.librarystuff.net/?p=16895 2015-08-19T12:59:59Z 2015-08-19T12:59:59Z “On any given night in 2014, over half a million people in the United States found themselves without a home. While the majority of these people (69 percent) secured shelter for the night, many do not provide daytime accommodations for their patrons. This leaves many in search of daytime activity and protection from the elements. Unfortunately, many homeless are also living with debilitating mental illnesses. The intimate relationship between homelessness and mental illness is well-established. Almost all psychiatric conditions are over-represented in homeless populations.” (via Washington Post)

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Steven M. Cohen http://www.librarystuff.net <![CDATA[Book Ban in Venice Ignites a Gay Rights Battle]]> http://www.librarystuff.net/?p=16893 2015-08-19T11:54:04Z 2015-08-19T11:54:04Z “As subversive books go, many of the 49 children’s tales hardly seem seditious. There is the story of the male dog who aspired to be a ballerina. The one about the little boy who wanted to be a princess, and a princess who wanted to be a soccer player. The tale of the penguin egg hatched and adopted by two male penguins (based on a real story at the Central Park Zoo in New York). And another about a little boy who learns to live with a physical disability, metaphorically depicted as a little saucepan that bangs around in his wake.” (via NYT)

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Steven M. Cohen http://www.librarystuff.net <![CDATA[A Library Writes Its Own Story]]> http://www.librarystuff.net/?p=16891 2015-08-18T17:01:48Z 2015-08-18T17:01:48Z “The public library in Redlands, California is much more than a steward of books and information. It is an exemplar of the history of the town and a living legend of its spirit of generosity, a hallmark of Redlands since its first days.” (via The Atlantic)

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Steven M. Cohen http://www.librarystuff.net <![CDATA[Law Firm Librarians Feel Underused and Underpaid]]> http://www.librarystuff.net/?p=16889 2015-08-18T15:34:13Z 2015-08-18T15:34:13Z “Last month, Bloomberg Law surveyed 80 librarians from large and medium sized law firms about their respective roles. The result? Law firm librarians feel underutilized as analysts and underpaid for the analytical work they’re already doing. Ninety-three per cent of respondents said their library resources and training could be put to greater use servicing their firms’ business development functions, and 77 percent felt their compensation was not commensurate with analysts in similar industries. The survey was occasioned by the annual conference of the American Association of Law Libraries (AALL), where Bloomberg Law representatives polled some librarians in person, and others later, over email.” (via BNA)

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Steven M. Cohen http://www.librarystuff.net <![CDATA[In Rockaways Library, ‘a Sign of Recovery’]]> http://www.librarystuff.net/?p=16887 2015-08-18T12:57:52Z 2015-08-18T12:57:52Z “When the Peninsula branch of the Queens Library opens to the public on Tuesday, it will be the first time in nearly three years that local residents have a fully restored library. The library, which just received a $3.6 million renovation, has been closed to the public since superstorm Sandy. The facility, which had been slated for renovation before the storm, was decimated: Water inside the building rose to 4 feet, tossing shelves and books around the room. Data and electrical wires were destroyed, a window shattered and books washed down the street.” (via WSJ)

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Steven M. Cohen http://www.librarystuff.net <![CDATA[Boy writes apology to library for damaging book while falling asleep reading]]> http://www.librarystuff.net/?p=16885 2015-08-17T18:54:30Z 2015-08-17T18:54:30Z “A young reader looking to atone for tearing a borrowed comic book has won over Toronto library staff – and many others online – with a handwritten apology note. The note, addressed to “Library” and signed by “Jackson,” explains in large blue writing that a page accidentally ripped after the book fell from the bunk where the child had fallen asleep reading. The boy then writes that he’s sorry and swears “it won’t happen again.” (via Global News)

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Steven M. Cohen http://www.librarystuff.net <![CDATA[The Rise of Phone Reading]]> http://www.librarystuff.net/?p=16882 2015-08-14T12:28:02Z 2015-08-14T12:28:02Z “Last fall, Andrew Vestal found himself rocking his baby daughter, Ada, back to sleep every morning between 3 a.m. and 5 a.m. Cradling Ada in the crook of his arm, he discovered he could read his dimly-lit phone with one hand. That’s how he read David Mitchell’s 624-page science-fiction saga “The Bone Clocks.” Mr. Vestal’s iPhone has offered him a way to squeeze in time for reading that he otherwise might have given up. He reads on lunch breaks. He even reads between meetings as he walks across Microsoft’s Seattle campus, where he works as a program manager.” (via WSJ)

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