NEWSMAKER Kay Ryan
■
GLOBAL IFLA in Quebec
■
TECHNOLOGY 63 Site Visits
OCTOBER 2008
THE MAGAZINE OF THE AMERICAN LIBRARY ASSOCIATION
CRUEL
TO BE KIND
What to Do about Dysfunctional Staff Plus: Hennen’s American Public Library Rankings, Round 8 1008_Cover1v2.indd 1
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CONTENTS AMERICAN LIBRARIES
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October 2008
Features 52
48
LIBRARIES CONNECT COMMUNITIES
Site visits to 63 public libraries reveal the power of technology—as a lure to users BY PEGGY BARBER AND LINDA WALLACE
56
HENNEN’S AMERICAN PUBLIC LIBRARY RATINGS 2008
The latest iteration of the popular ranking system BY THOMAS J. HENNEN JR.
62
RETHINKING THE E-RATE
The pros and cons of why libraries should be tapping the largest available pot of federal dollars BY CARRIE LOWE
56 73 33 62 48
COVER STORY
CRUEL TO BE KIND
Why do we keep unproductive employees? BY MIRIAM POLLACK
Cover design by Jennifer Palmer; photo by Oppenheim Bernhard.
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CONTENTS AMERICAN LIBRARIES
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OCTOBER 2008
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VOLUME 39 #9
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ISSN 0002-9769
Departments
35
INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY
42 44 45
TECH NEWS INTERNET LIBRARIAN Beyond the Barriers
BY JOSEPH JANES
IN PRACTICE
Our New Website Is a Blog
BY MEREDITH FARKAS
PEOPLE
66
CURRENTS
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
68
News 24 28 41
ALA U.S. AND INTERNATIONAL NEWSMAKER: U.S. Poet Laureate Kay Ryan
YOUTH MATTERS
Feeding the Whole Child
BY JENNIFER BUREK PIERCE
69
WORKING KNOWLEDGE
70
LIBRARIAN’S LIBRARY
71
ROUSING READS
Retreat! Retreat!
BY MARY PERGANDER
A Linguaphile’s Delight
BY MARY ELLEN QUINN
What’s for Breakfast . . . at Tiffany’s?
Special News Reports
72
37
4
FROM THE EDITOR
8
PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE
38
BY BILL OTT
SOLUTIONS AND SERVICES
OPINION AND COMMENTARY
ALASKA COLLEGE’S SHUTDOWN THREATENS HISTORIC COLLECTIONS IFLA CONFERENCE SHOWCASES QUÉBECOIS FRENCH CULTURE
32
41
26
38
Vigilant Lifelong Learning Partners in Learning
BY LEONARD KNIFFEL
BY JIM RETTIG
10
READER FORUM
46
PUBLIC PERCEPTION
47
ON MY MIND
80
WILL’S WORLD
Letters and Comments How the World Sees Us The Not-So-Dark Side
BY LAURIE MCFADDEN
Everyone in Their Places
BY WILL MANLEY
EVENTS
12
ALA 2009 MIDWINTER MEETING ADVANCE REGISTRATION
JOBS
75
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FROM THE EDITOR | Contributors
Vigilant Lifelong Learning by Leonard Kniffel
I
Thomas J. Hennen Jr. (“Hennen’s American Public Library Ratings,” p. 56–61) is the director of the Waukesha County (Wis.) Federated Library System, the creator of the HAPLR Library Ratings, and the author of Hennen’s Public Library Planner (Neal-Schuman, 2004.) His website is at www.haplr-index.com and his e-mail is thennen@HAPLR-Index.com. Carrie Lowe (“Rethinking the E-rate,” p. 62–64), director of the Program on Networks for ALA’s Office for Information Technology Policy in the Washington Office, directs the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation– funded project Improving Library E-rate Participation. She is coauthor of Information Literacy: Essential Skills for the Information Age, second edition (Libraries Unlimited, 2004). Lowe has an MLS from Syracuse (N.Y.) University’s School of Information Studies. Miriam Pollack (“Cruel to Be Kind,” p. 48–50) has more than 30 years of experience working in nonprofit organizations, public and special libraries, library systems, and library education programs. She was assistant director at the North Suburban Library System in Illinois for 17 years. Her current consulting work at Miriam Pollack and Associates includes long-range planning, executive director recruitment, training, and grant proposal research and writing. She received the 2003 ALA’s Reference and User Services Association Margaret E. Monroe Award for significant contributions to adult library services. She has an MLS from the University of Wisconsin at Madison and a bachelor’s degree in human resource development from Northeastern Illinois University.
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f there’s anything this lengthy political season is teaching me, it’s the importance of lifelong learning—not just encouraging it for the clients we serve, but for the sake of our own jobs. In the lead feature in this issue (p. 48), Miriam Pollack points out how much we stand to lose when we refuse to learn and change. At ALA headquarters, the presidential campaign has taught us a few lessons about political speech and how rapid electronic information exchange relates to the Association’s tax-exempt status. Two national news stories with a strong library connection erupted in late August and early September—one about an attempt to align Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama with a former radical militant (p. 30), the other trying to expose vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin as a censor and would-be book banner (p. 28). In both cases, when these stories suddenly involved libraries, alarms went off at ALA, and SeWe are committed to nior Associate Executive Director Mary reporting the facts in a Ghikas reminded staff and members of politically neutral context. ALA Council that using an ALA forum such as American Libraries or the Council discussion list to campaign for or against a candidate for public office threatens the Association’s 501(c)3 tax-exempt status. At AL, we knew that we had to follow both of these stories, but we didn’t do it without lengthy discussion and without examining what kind of “political speech” could threaten our tax status. American Libraries is a piece of ALA, but we are also in the news business, and it was important for us to make it clear that reporting news about a candidate for office does not constitute endorsing or opposing that candidate. It’s not unlike publishing the HAPLR public library rankings (p. 56), which requires us to explain repeatedly that the ratings are the result of one person’s independent research and not the judgment of AL or ALA. After quite a lot of back-and-forth on the Council list, ALA management determined that the ALA–Allied Professional Association, as a 501(c)6 organization, is an appropriate venue for political discussion, and the debate was moved there. AL and AL Direct, meanwhile, will continue to provide factual information and breaking news on library-related issues, including those involving candidates for public office, making every effort to talk directly with those involved. As journalists, the editorial staff is committed to reporting the facts in a politically neutral context in the best interests of ALA. In “Libraries Connect Communities” (p. 52), Peggy Barber and Linda Wallace talk with librarians about the pressure to keep up and how technology has stepped up the pace, offering infinite possibilities to excel as well as to botch things up. The debate over political discussion within ALA has served as a reminder that the instant availability of information challenges us to keep our heads and remind ourselves that continuous learning is an essential piece of our jobs. z
Peggy Barber and Linda Wallace (“Libraries Connect Communities,” p. 52–55) are principals and cofounders of Library Communication Strategies, a consulting firm based in Chicago. Their mission: to help libraries and librarians market themselves more effectively. In their past lives, Barber was ALA’s associate executive director for Communication, and Wallace director of ALA’s Public Information Office. They are currently writing a book about word-ofmouth marketing for libraries. They can be contacted at librarycomm@librarycomm .com.
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MASTHEAD | Ad Index
Keep up with
AL ONLINE
THE MAGAZINE OF THE AMERICAN LIBRARY ASSOCIATION
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indexed 1996–2007 index at www.ala.org/alonline/. Available full text from ProQuest, EBSCO Publishing, H. W. Wilson, LexisNexis, and Information Access. Full-text searchable database of 2003–2007 issues available online free to ALA personal members. reprints Glen Holliday, Reprint Department, 2137 Embassy Dr., Suite 202, Lancaster, PA 17603, 800-259-0470, gholliday@reprintdept.com subscribe Libraries and other institutions: $70/year, 10 issues, U.S., Canada, and Mexico; foreign: $80. Subscription price for individuals included in ALA membership dues. 800-545-2433 x5108, e-mail membership@ala.org, or visit www.ala.org. Claim missing issues: ALA Member and Customer Service. Allow six weeks. Single issues $7.50, with 40% discount for five or more; contact Charisse Perkins, 800-545-2433 x4286. published American Libraries (ISSN 0002-9769) is published 10 times yearly by the American Library Association (ALA). Printed in U.S.A. Periodicals postage paid at Chicago, Illinois, and additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Personal members: Send address changes to American Libraries, c/o Membership Records, ALA, 50 E. Huron St., Chicago, IL 60611. ©2008 American Library Association. Materials in this journal may be reproduced for noncommercial educational purposes.
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ALA | President’s Message
Partners in Learning Fulfilling patron needs in a struggling economy dents for jobs and technologies that don’t yet exist . . . in order to solve problems we don’t even know are problems yet.” It asks the educational establishment: “Are you providing the resources and training necessary to prepare students to be successful in 21st century society?” The question has other formulations: “Are we preparing today’s students to be lifelong learners?” “Are we teaching today’s students how libraries are partners in their lifelong learning?” Through public libraries’ story hours and preschool literacy programs, through classroom and one-to-one lessons by school librarians, through the guidance of college librarians, through public library services for adults, our multitiered network of libraries demonstrates that the library is the only agency or institution in American society that provides lifelong learning. As the nation’s economy struggles, public libraries nationwide report increases in circulation and new demand for other services. Services such as Cuyahoga County (Ohio) Public Library’s long-established career center are becoming more important. It “empowers adults by offering resources, expert advice and counsel, and a setting where everyone can explore the next step of their unique career journeys.” “Did you know?” cites a U.S. Department of Labor estimate, “that today’s learners will have 10 to 14
jobs . . . by their 38th birthday.” As global competition transforms employment patterns, as the domestic economy fluctuates, as individuals discover new interests and pursue new careers, lifelong learning has become a constant necessity in Americans’ lives. Public libraries of-
Our multitiered network of libraries demonstrates that the library is only agency or institution in American society that provides lifelong learning. fer a lifetime of learning opportunities, just as academic libraries offer opportunities to career changers who enroll in community college or other adult education programs. But do adults, motivated either by desire or grim necessity, recognize how much their libraries can help them realize their ambitions? The current economic trough offers libraries an opportunity to demonstrate to new and returning users that libraries are partners in their lifelong learning. The relevance of “Did you know?” to libraries is obvious. Each library just needs to find effective ways to make the obvious obvious to those it serves. How is your library responding to this opportunity to make lifelong learners lifelong library users? Please share those stories with me at jrettig@richmond.edu. z ALA President JIM RETTIG is university librarian at Boatwright Memorial Library, University of Richmond in Virginia.
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I
f you are not one of the 11 million-plus who have seen Karl Fisch’s “Did you know?” video (tinyurl. com/2rzrn9) or its 2006 predecessor, “Shift Happens,” on YouTube, I recommend that you invest eight minutes and 19 seconds to watch it. Then ask yourself: How is it relevant to libraries? Fisch’s thought-provoking presentation asks which country in the world is the richest, is the center of global business and finance, has the strongest educational system, and the highest standard of living. The answer: the United Kingdom—in 1900. It then notes that in 2006 the United States produced 1.3 million new college graduates, while India produced 3.1 million, and China 3.3 million. The implication is unmistakable. Just as in the 20th century the United States supplanted the U.K. as the world’s preeminent nation, China and India are racing to supplant the United States in the 21st century. Education of their growing populations is a key component in their competitive strategies in the global marketplace. The video also presents data illustrating the rapidity of change in technology and scientific knowledge, the emergence of new academic disciplines, and the swift adoption of text messaging, the internet, and other communications media. Fisch concludes: “we are living in exponential times.” Created for a 2006 meeting of the faculty of Arapahoe High School in Centennial, Colorado, the video notes that “We are currently preparing stu-
by Jim Rettig
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Content you trust… more ways to use it Booklist Online is a sophisticated yet easy-to-use tool for librarians who are serious about collection development, readers’ advisory and general title research–whether they’re looking for fiction, nonfiction, or media.
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Your patrons will thank you Make Booklist Online accessible to patrons at branches and through remote login for the best self-service readers’ advisory available. Plus, they’ll enjoy features, like the Book Group Buzz Blog and Review of the Day.
NOW WITH ONE-CLICK ORDERING TO BAKER & TAYLOR TITLE SOURCE 3! Incredibly useful for collection development. Why go toone of those large compiled databases when Booklist Online has everything I need? —Shawna Thorup, Assistant Director, Fayetteville (AR) Public Library
See how Booklist Online can transform your workflow. Sign up now for a free 30-day trial*!
www.booklistonline.com Booklist Online is really helping our workflow and efficiency in the library. . . . We love it! —Jane Levine, Head of Technical Services, Winnetka-Northfield (IL) Public Library
* Contact Dan Kaplan at (312) 280-5284 or dkaplan@ala.org to set up a free institutional trial.
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OPINION | Reader Forum
Letters and Comments “Free” Is Not a Dirty Word I find it ironic that I read Hillary Theyer’s opinion piece, “Time to Retire the F Word” (Aug., p. 45), on the same day that my director forwarded a Chicago Tribune article stating that library use is up in the Chicagoland area due to the poor economy and pointing out the fact that public libraries are free. Theyer might not value free things, but my patrons would strongly disagree. An adult learning how to type a résumé at our computers, a teen trying out the Wii at our game nights, or children being able to gorge themselves on our
dreaded “free.” They do the best they can with next-to nothing and deserve our respect. If “free” has been given a bad rap by our culture and by the corporate interests that steer it, then it is time for libraries to take it back. The upside of this lousy economy is that it provides an opportunity to prove the snobby wine tasters of the world wrong. It is time for us to show our patrons that they can get an exceptional materials selection, engaging programs, and world-class service for free. Sarah E. Stump Des Plaines Valley (Ill.) Public Library District
kids books know the value of not being asked to pay up. The digital and information divide is very real in our communities and free is one of our key assets. I think Theyer is confusing value with price and we should certainly make sure that patrons know the value of what they get for their tax dollars. But we should never forget that public libraries are uniquely positioned in our communities to offer our items and services without pay. Despite her disdainful statements to the contrary, there are libraries that operate mostly with volunteers and heavily rely on donations. I have worked in places that have had to rely on her
I can’t agree that the word “free” has been completely devalued for all time, and for all library audiences. In hard economic times it may have some power left. The Federal Trade Commission, for instance, considers “free” an implied promise and such a powerful attraction to consumers that it has strict guidelines limiting its use in advertising. The study cited by Hillary Theyer, on the influence of price on the perception of wine quality may be relevant, but wine is a prestige product; the phrase “free wine” might not suggest high quality. But these results can’t be generalized to libraries, which offer a huge range of services, from the mundane to the extraordinary, to their clientele. Many state and regional library organizations are coming up with more nuanced, empirically based marketing strategies for libraries. In an August 4 entry on her New Jersey State Library marketing blog, Nancy Dowd considers
The editors welcome letters about recent contents or matters of general interest. Letters should be limited to 300 words. Send to americanlibraries@ala.org; fax 312-440-0901; or American Libraries, Reader Forum, 50 E. Huron St., Chicago, IL 60611-2795.
Patricia Lawson Phillipsburg, New Jersey
Fewer Is Not Greener Regarding Jim Dwyer’s comments on holding fewer but greener conferences (Aug., p. 12), he misses the whole point of conferences. I have attended conferences for close to three decades and I could not begin to itemize the value and importance that attendance has meant to me by providing vital information on issues affecting libraries. While Mr. Dwyer alludes to the “interpersonal contact” at conferences, neither that contact, attending a program, the value of the follow-up Q&A, or the camaraderie can ever be replaced with the insulation and
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If “free” has been given a bad rap by our culture and by the corporate interests that steer it, then it is time for libraries to take it back.
the question of communicating the value of library services.The Highlands Regional Library Cooperative, also in New Jersey, has undertaken an ongoing project called “Valuing Libraries—Demonstrating the Contributions Libraries Make to Their Communities.” The toolkit allows a librarian to create on-the-fly a concrete statement of the value to taxpayers provided by the library, just in time for that unexpected meeting with a major funder. “Valuing Libraries” can also be used to build a comprehensive marketing plan. I applaud Ms. Theyer for her urgency. We all need to communicate the value our libraries provide for the dollars we receive. But let’s not eliminate the word “free” from our vocabulary just yet, with house prices down and gas prices up. Perhaps we’ll learn to respect “free” as a powerful term that can cut two ways, and learn to use it wisely in a comprehensive marketing plan.
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New York Public Library
Wikipedia “Call” Lacks Merit Good intentions notwithstanding, Jack Baur’s excoriation of librarians for their critical attitudes about Wikipedia (“A Call for Sense,” Aug., p. 49) lacks merit on multiple counts. His claim that librarians will be perceived as “fossils” for their rejection of Wikipedia is equally preposterous as claiming that people who derogate SUVs risk being branded as anti-automobile. And while Mr. Baur’s argument possesses a certain calamitous charm
@
Craig Gable Buffalo, New York
Continue the conversation at al.ala.org/forum/
october 2008
While we appreciate Scott McCann’s views (Sept., p. 12), the actual design process for the proposed renovation of New York Public Library’s Mid-Mahattan and Humanities Research libraries renovation has not yet begun. The renovated library will offer large new reading rooms in spaces that are currently inaccessible to the public. Regarding internet access, the Humanities Library offers 127 free internet connections, both through dedicated computers and high-speed ports. The library does not place any restrictions on internet use through these connections beyond those required by the Children’s Internet Protection Act. Users over age 17 have access to anything on the Web.
David Offensend
|
David Ferriero
NYPL Merger Rebuttal
(as do all good doomsday prophecies), the reality is that the rejection of a single popular web-based entity will hardly precipitate our profession’s fall from grace in the public’s mind. Wikipedia, he rightly points out, is “one of the biggest stories of the Web 2.0 movement.” Yet what he fails to add is that its notoriety is due largely, and persistently so, to its various shortcomings, not to its stature as a quality reference resource. In tandem with his own observation that “the factuality of [Wikipedia’s] facts is sometimes (even often) questionable,” librarians advising people against using Wikipedia scarcely qualifies as “bilious rancor.” Mr. Baur cannot be faulted for encouraging librarians to instruct patrons in how to properly evaluate Wikipedia’s contents, but his utopian imaginings get the better of him in mistakenly believing that what librarians are capable of accomplishing by virtue of their training is the same as what librarians, in reality, can accomplish, with limited time, staffing, and resources, on a weekly basis. Quite probably experience as a full-time professional will serve to disabuse Mr. Baur of this happy delusion, but hopefully it will not simultaneously dampen his apparent enthusiasm.
american libraries
Shirley Lang Syosset (N.Y.) Public Library
Although in very rare cases parts of the library have been closed for events that generate funding to support our operations, these closings are announced ahead of time on our website and on signs posted in the building. All of our revenues, including rental income, are publicly reported. We endorse ALA’s Library Bill of Rights and are in full compliance with its tenets. We are confident that once the facility is completed Mr. McCann will appreciate access to the integrated circulating and research collections that he will be able to use in a striking state-of-the-art facility in the heart of our city.
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impersonal nature of an online chat. I do take home vendor handouts since they are important reminders of things to consider for future acquisition. The ability to see competing products and to compare the real, in-the-flesh items has made a difference in purchase decisions and the avoidance of costly mistakes. As for putting American Libraries online, perish the thought! I cannot imagine taking my computer to bed in order to read AL. I would have to print out the whole magazine, so how “green” would that be? Mr. Dwyer’s argument gives encouragement to those who want to close libraries, claiming books, magazines, and all print materials are obsolete in this computer age. My library supports both trustee and staff conference attendance. The return on this investment has been stellar. As a trustee, I see how my library staff comes back refreshed, invigorated, and energized to better serve our community. Teleconferencing is a tool but it can never and should never be considered as a replacement for the real thing.
9/18/2008 3:05:22 PM
2009 ALA Midwinter Meeting | January 23-28, 2009
Colorado Convention Center, Denver, CO
WHAT’S INCLUDED WITH YOUR FULL REGISTRATION? ALA / ERT EXHIBITS OPENING RECEPTION FRIDAY, JANUARY 23, 2009, 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 colleagues. Exhibitors will be raffling off unique prize baskets, worth over $75 each which will be awarded during the Reception, so make sure to visit our participating exhibitors and register to win!
ALA/ERT AUTHOR FORUM FRIDAY, JANUARY 23, 2009, 4:00-5:15 PM
Woman of Mystery: The art of revealing “who did it?” with bestselling female authors
Erica Spindler
The New York Times bestselling author has written 28 novels, including Last Known Victim, Copycat, Killer Takes All, See Jane Die, Dead Run and BoneCold. Sponsored by Macmillan
Francine Mathews
Stephanie Barron is the author of nine Jane Austen mysteries as well as a work of historical fiction, A Flaw In The Blood. Barron is also the penname for Francine Mathews, and her latest book under her real name is The Alibi Club. Sponsored by Random House
Mary Jane Clark
Mary Jane Clark is the bestselling author of ten novels, including Do You Want To Know A Secret, Do You Promise Not To Tell, Let Me Whisper In Your Ear, and Close To You. Sponsored by Harper Collins
Nancy Atherton
Atherton is the author of thirteen previous Aunt Dimity mysteries. The first, Aunt Dimity’s Death, was voted “one of the century’s 100 favorite mysteries” by the Independent Mystery Booksellers Association. Sponsored by Penguin Group USA
EXHIBITS The 2009 Midwinter Meeting Exhibits will be held in the Colorado Convention Center in Halls A, B and C. The Exhibits will be open from Friday, January 23 5:30 pm–7:30 pm, Grand Opening/Saturday, January 24 9:00 am–5:00 pm, Sunday, January 25 9:00 am–5:00 pm / Monday, January 26 9:00 am–2:00 pm
ARTHUR CURLEY LECTURE SATURDAY, JANUARY 24, 2009, 1:30 PM
ADULT LITERATURE SPOTLIGHT SATURDAY, JANUARY 24, 2009, 2:00-4:00 PM
Join adult authors on the exhibit floor for book signings and free galleys.
Each morning of the Midwinter Meeting, Saturday, Sunday and Monday—January 24–26, get up early and attend a lively, educational and innovative speaker session, which will run from 8:00 am–9:00 am. The Sunrise Speaker Series is included in the cost of a full Midwinter Meeting Registration and the Exhibits Supreme Badge.
Leigh Rubin Saturday, January 24, 2009
Maybe you could call Leigh Rubin a sit-down comedian. But whatever you call him, he’s just gratified to have the opportunity to make other people laugh. With his cartoon panel, Rubes, in hundreds of newspapers across the country and gracing millions of greeting cards, mugs and T-shirts, Rubin has plenty of opportunities. Originally self-syndicated, Rubes is now distributed by Creators Syndicate to more than 400 newspapers worldwide.
Dom Testa and Kevin J Anderson together on Sunday, January 25, 2009
Testa is the co-host of the top-rated radio morning show in Denver, the “Dom and Jane Show” (KIMN-FM on MIX 100. Dom founded The Big Brain Club to encourage students to overcome peer pressure and to provide a forum to help them explore their writing talents. Sponsored by Tor Kevin J. Anderson has published over 80 novels, including twenty-nine national bestsellers. His critically acclaimed original novels include Captain Nemo, Hopscotch, and Hidden Empire. He has collaborated on any number of franchise series, including Star Wars, XFiles and Dune. In his spare time, he also writes comic books. Sponsored by HarperCollins and Orbit
Richard North Patterson Monday, January 26, 2009
Patterson is the New York Times bestselling author of Exile, The Race, and thirteen other critically acclaimed novels. Formerly a trial lawyer, he was the SEC liaison to the Watergate special prosecutor and has served on the boards of several Washington advocacy groups. Sponsored by Henry Holt & Co.
ALA PRESIDENT’S PROGRAM SUNDAY, JANUARY 25, 2009
TECHNOLOGY SHOWCASE MONDAY, JANUARY 26, 2009, 10:00 AM-1:15 PM The Showcase will consist of free concurrent programs on the exhibit floor featuring new products and demonstrations.
DISCUSSION GROUPS Over 200 discussion groups, featuring a variety of speakers and hot topics, will be held throughout the Midwinter Meeting.
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FRIDAY, JANUARY 23–-MONDAY, JANUARY 26, 2009
DENVER SUNRISE SPEAKER SERIES
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CHILD CARE
ALA will reimburse the charges expended on childcare in the amount of $25 per day, per child to a maximum of $50 per day, per family to any fully registered parent for each day of the Midwinter Meeting week, January 23- 28, 2009. This covers only childcare in the parent’s hotel room or other residence in the meeting city (Denver) and does not include charges for children’s food and transportation or gratuities and transportation for the sitter. ALA will not reimburse childcare expenses to attendees who live within the Denver area that would be paid to the regular provider whether the parent was attending the Midwinter Meeting or not. Parents may contact their hotel childcare center/baby sitting service where it is available or select one from the phone book. Reimbursement forms will be available at the ALA Registration Desk and must be signed by the individual performing the childcare services and presented by the parent to the Registration Desk Manager by Monday, January 26, 2009. Please note: Strollers are permitted on the exhibit floor, but children must remain seated in them at all times. Unescorted children are not permitted on the exhibit floor. See the Children’s Policy for more information.
PLACEMENT SERVICES
Provided by the ALA Office for Human Resource Development and Recruitment (HRDR), the Placement Services will be open: Saturday and Sunday, 9:00 am– 5:00 pm
MIDWINTER MEETING POLICY
The ALA Midwinter Meeting is convened for the primary purpose of expediting the business of the Association through sessions of its governing and administrative delegates serving on board, committees and Council. Programs designed for the continuing education and development of the fields of library service shall be reserved for Annual Conference except by the specific authorization of the Executive Board acting under the provisions of the ALA Constitution. Hearings seeking membership reactions and provisions for observers and petitioners at meetings of Council, committees and boards are to be publicized; programs of orientation or leadership development to Association business are encouraged; assemblies of groups of individuals for information sharing vital to the development of Association business shall be accepted as appropriate to the purposes of the Midwinter Meeting. By Council action it was voted that all meetings of the Association are open to all members and to recognized members of the press. Closed meetings may only be held to discuss matters affecting privacy of individuals or institutions. Unit chairs may contact their staff liaison officer when unable to determine whether an open or closed meeting is appropriate.
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If you have a special physical or communication need that may impact your participation in this meeting, please contact Anne Weglewski at aweglewski@ala.org, to specify your special need. While every effort will be made to meet attendees’ needs, we cannot guarantee the availability of accommodations in response to requests received after December 5, 2008. We work to make sure your experience will be a pleasant and accessible one. Here are features we have put in place to make sure the ALA 2009 Midwinter Meeting is accessible to all: t We caption our main sessions, e.g. President’s Program, Membership Meeting, Council Meetings, and others as requested by organizers. The captioning is available on a one-on-one basis when the captioner is not working at sessions mentioned above. Reservations are made on a first-come, first-served basis and require at least one day’s notice. t We have accessible rooms in our hotel block. There are rooms for the deaf, blind and attendees in wheelchairs. Please fill out the housing form and check the appropriate box. An Experient representative will contact you to make sure you are placed in an appropriate room. t Leader animals of all kinds are welcome throughout the ALA Meeting. t Listening devices are available for those who are hard of hearing. t Our shuttle bus company has accessible buses. Instructions on how to obtain rides will be available in each hotel, in the convention center on site, and in the onsite newspaper, Cognotes. t Based upon availability in each city, we maintain a limited number of wheelchairs and scooters on a first come, first served basis. Please contact Anne Weglewski at aweglewski@ala.org as soon as possible to reserve a wheelchair or scooter, for use in the convention center only, or if you wish to discuss any other special needs.
Job seekers should register and search for jobs on the JobLIST website at www.joblist.ala.org. All services are free to job seekers. Registration is not required, but is recommended. Registration will give registered employers access to your resume information. It will also allow for direct communication between job seekers and employers. There will be an orientation for job seekers on Friday, January 23, 4:00 pm the Placement Center. Employers who want to post positions should post them on the JobLIST website at www.joblist.ala.org. Employers who want to use the interviewing facilities must have an active ad placed on JobLIST at the time you schedule an interview. Employers who want a booth in the Placement Center should contact Beatrice Calvin at 800/545-2433 ext. 4280. There will be an orientation for employers on Friday, January, 23, 3:00 pm in the Placement Center.
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ACCESSIBILITY INFORMATION
t Interpreters are no longer requested for meetings in general. They must be requested by the deaf member for meetings they need interpreted. To use the service, send a list of required interpreter meetings to Anne Weglewski at aweglewski@ala.org, or ALA Conference Services, 50 E. Huron Street, Chicago, IL, 60611 by December 5, 2008. t Two interpreters will also be on-call in the Conference Services Office in the Colorado Convention Center Saturday-Monday for last minute requests on a first-come, first-served basis. t If you have any other requests not mentioned above that ALA can reasonably provide, please contact Anne Weglewski at aweglewski@ala.org, by December 5, 2008, and we will help you have a most accessible meeting.
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The 2009 Midwinter Meeting will take place in the Colorado Convention Center, located at 700 14th Street in Denver, CO, (the closest major intersection is Colfax Avenue and Speer Boulevard), as well as several hotels near the Convention Center. As the Meeting draws closer, more information will be available at the Midwinter Meeting website at www.ala.org/midwinter.
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MEETING LOCATION
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New this year! You must be registered for the Midwinter Meeting to make a housing reservation. Hotel reservation requests will be accepted until December 19, 2008, subject to availability. A list of selected hotels and their rates is included in this section. Rates are quoted for the room, not per person, and all rooms are assigned on a first-come, first-served basis. Special rates are available only when you book directly with the ALA travel desk. All rooms are subject to applicable tax. All requests must include six choices. Make sure to give accurate dates of arrival and departure for everyone occupying the requested room. Please note that the ALA travel desk does not assume the responsibility of pairing guests for double occupancy or in multiple housing units. After December 19, the ALA travel desk will continue to make reservations on a space available basis only (i.e., book early to get the hotel of your choice).
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HOTEL CONFIRMATIONS, CANCELLATIONS OR CHANGES
Confirmation of the room reservation will be acknowledged by the travel desk and sent within 72 hours. If you have any questions regarding your reservation, or to make changes or cancellations, contact the ALA Travel Desk at 1-800-621-1082 or local 1-847-940-1176, not the hotel. One night’s room and tax guarantee to a credit card is required to hold hotel reservations. All changes and/or cancellations prior to January 14, 2009, must be made through the ALA Housing Headquarters. Last minute changes and cancellations must be made to the hotel at least. After January 14, changes and cancellations must be made direct to the hotel at least 24 hours prior to arrival date.
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This special offer applies Travel Time: Typically 30-40 minutes ER T WA C to travel on domestic segments of all United Pa BYRON on round Airlines, United Express, TED and United code SuperShuttle is offering discounts Downtown Aquarium trip travel to and from the Denver International share flights (UA*) operated by US Airways, US Airport (DIA) and the hotels in the ALA block. Airways Express and Air Canada. There are no Use the special ALA online discount code fees to use this 800 number. W. 23RD AVE. CE LET6A at http://www.supershuttle.com ESor Purchase your ticket online at www.unitR RIV C check out this linkERto the discount informaed.com and receive a 5% discount off the DR The Children’s tion page, http://www.supershuttle.com/ FR Museum of lowest applicable fares. After you link to www. O Coupons/DIA/ALA.pdf. CR NT Denver united.com enter your origin and destination, ES VIE CE W travel dates, click on More Search Options and NT TRAIN AND BUS TRAVEL enter your promotion code number, 500CR; Elitch Garde TO DENVER Amusement then we’ll display the available flights. Flights 25 DENVER UNION STATION: 1701 Wynkoop Platte River that qualify for the discount will be clearly idenoffers a 10% tified with a red star symbol, which means that St, Denver, Co 80202. Amtrak Greenway W. 20THoff AVE. discount the lowest applicable fare for reserthe itinerary is “electronic certificate eligible”. vations made over the phone at 800-872-7245, When you select an electronic certificate eligible flight, we will automatically calculate and using X48T-941. For more information and schedules, call or go online www.amtrak.com present your discounted fare. This special offer applies to flights to or from the US only. There GREYHOUND: 1055 19th St, Denver, CO are no fees for booking on line. Note the Code 80202. For information, contact Greyhound 500CR is case sensitive and the characters at 800-229-9424 or go online at www.greyneed to be capitalized. To check schedules hound.com Invesco Field at Mile High and to take advantage of this offer, please visit E. www.united.com W. 17TH AV RENTAL CARS DICK CONNER AVE. Experient reservations will provide custom ALA has negotiated exclusive rates with Hertz . ST itineraries with the lowest applicable air fares for the meeting. For rates and reservations call UT N and best journey time. The United Discounts 800-654-2240 or access the website for this L WA above are available through the ALA Travel event at www.ala.org/midwinter and look for Desk, as well as flights on other airlines, using travel and hotels. You must use the CV number the information below. To make reservations 049J0001 when calling to receive a discount. through the ALA Travel Desk, call toll-free, 25 W. COLFAX AVE. 1-800-621-1083 (847-940-1176, outside the PARKING COLFAX VI COLFAX AVE.Center provides onU.S. and Canada) 8:00 am to 5:00 pm CST, The Colorado W. Convention Monday through Friday. $22.00 service fee site parking in our 1000 space parking garage. per airline ticket issued. Save $5.00 when you For more information go to www.denverconbook online. vention.com/center-services-parking.htm To book online travel through Experient, go to www.travelport.net/registration. You will ALA SHUTTLE BUS SERVICE be asked to register. The Company Name is ALA. Free shuttle buses, sponsored by Thomson The Pin Number is QABSCK93. Please enter the Gale, will operate between all participating hoinformation, as instructed, which will grant you tels and the Colorado Convention Center duraccess to book your flights on-line, anytime. ing the meeting. Service will also be provided Helpful hints: Once you are prompted to for attendees with disabilities. Shuttle bus serU.S. Mint (including daily pickup times,Denver Art M “Go To Travelport”, you will be sent to the Exvice schedules perient Welcome page. The New User ID is locations and destinations) will be published & show County your email address (that you entered on the in Denver Cognotes City (the daily newspaper avail-Denver Public registration page). The Password is the passable during the meeting) and will be available Building word you provided on the registration page. onsite. Complimentary bus service is provided Center Parkforget to stop by theirColorado Histo For security measures, you will be asked to byCivic Thomson Gale. Don’t change your password. Once you have combooth and say thanks for the lift! pleted these tasks you are authorized to book
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air travel. The service fee is $17.00. Experient will append any discount related to your meeting, as applicable. To return to the site in the future, simply go to www.travelport.net. W. 28TH AVE.
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Experient is ALA’s travel management company for both hotel and airline reservations. As an ALA attendee or exhibitor, you are eligible for special airline and hotel rates. To reach the ALA travel desk, please call 1-800-621-1082 or local 1-847-940-1176 and identify yourself as an attendee or exhibitor of the ALA Midwinter Meeting in Denver. The ALA travel desk is open Monday through Friday from 8:00 am – 5:00 pm CST. You may also make hotel reservations by mailing or faxing the housing reservation form located in this section. In addition, you can make your hotel reservations online through the ALA home page at www.ala.org/midwinter. Choose “Travel & Hotels” and follow the directions. The housing reservation form features SSL encryption to ensure the privacy of your information. New this year: You must be registered for the Midwinter Meeting before you may register for housing.
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$159/$169
$179/$189
Sheraton Denver Hotel - H, OP, BC, IN (HS), SF, RS (Co-Headquarter)
$139/$149
$159/$159
Brown Palace Hotel - H, BC, IN (WI/HS), SF, F, RS
$190/$190
$220/$250
Comfort Inn - H, BC, IN (COMP), SF, F, CB (HOT), RS
$119/$119
$134/$149
Curtis - H, BC, IN(WI/HS - COMP), F, RS
$149/$149
$159/$169
Denver Courtyard by Marriott - H, BC, IN(WI/HS - COMP), SF, F, RS
$149/$149
$169/$169
Grand Hyatt - H, BC(KINKOS), IN(WI/HS), S, F, IP, RS
$139/$139
$164/$189
Hilton Garden Inn - H, BC, IN(WI/HS - COMP), SF, F, RS
$145/$145
$155/$155
Crowne Plaza Denver City Center - H, BC, IN (WI - COMP), SF, F, RS
$99/$109
$119/$129
Magnolia Hotel - H, BC, IN (WI/HS - COMP), SF, F, CB/HB, RS
$159/$159
$179/$179
Marriott City Center - H, BC, IN (WI/HS), SF, F, IP, RS
$166/$166
$176/$186
Ritz-Carlton - H, BC, IN(WI/HS), SF, IP, RS
$199/$199
$199/$199
Teatro - H, BC, IN(WI/HS - COMP), S, F, RS
$190/$190
$290/$290
Westin Tabor - H, OP, IN (WI/HS), SF, IP, RS
$159/$159
$179/$179
AMENITIES KEY H=handicapped accessible rooms; S=smoking rooms available; F=fitness center; IP= indoor pool; OP=outdoor pool; CB=continential breakfast included; HB=hot breakfast; FB=full breakfast included; SF=Smoke Free Hotel; AT=complimentary airport transportation; RS=room service; BC=business center; IN=internet in room; WI=wireless internet access; HS=high speed internet access, CAT=Complimentary Airport Transfer
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NEW THIS YEAR! Conference registration is now required to make a housing reservation. Advance rate deadline is December 5, 2008. After December 5, 2008, onsite rates will apply.
Daily Fees (Paid on-site only) ALA Personal Member* / Division Member*/Retired Member* ALA Student Member** Non Member
$190 $87 $300 $25 $50
$135 $62 $205
Daily fees are charged onsite only, and allow an attendee to register for just one day of the meeting.
ADVANCE REGISTRATION
To register, print or type and complete all sections of the form that follows. You may register for all listed events and pay with one check. Use one form per person for full registration or exhibit badges only. Registration forms must be received or electronically submitted by December 5, 2008, to receive the Advance rate. Forms received after December 5 will be charged at the Onsite rate. Mail early to meet the deadline. Onsite registration rates apply after December 5, 2008.
JOIN ALA AND SAVE
Join ALA as a regular, student, international or retired member and save as much as 30% off your registration! Call 800-545-2433, option 5 or visit www.ala.org/membership to join today. (Printed membership application and registration form must be submitted at the same time.)
THREE WAYS TO REGISTER Sorry, no phone registration BY MAIL Send your completed registration form with payment to: ALA Advance Registration 568 Atrium Drive Vernon Hills, IL 60061 BY FAX If you pay with a credit card you may fax your completed registration form 24 hours a day by dialing 800-521-6017 or Local 847996-5401. Note: Do not mail form if previously faxed. Send fax only once. ONLINE If you pay with a credit card, you can complete the on-line registration form located at http://www.ala.org/midwinter.
Visit the exhibits only, for $25 in advance, by completing the registration form on the next page. Exhibits Only registrations are good for all 4 days of the exhibits. (Friday evening and Saturday-Monday) Exhibits Supreme badges are $50 and include all four days of the exhibits, plus admittance to the Sunrise Speaker Series. No refunds for “Exhibits Only” or “Exhibits Supreme” registration. Exhibits Only and Exhibits Supreme badges will be available on site. Use one form per person for Exhibits Only and Exhibits Supreme badges. Requests for multiple Exhibits Only and Exhibits Supreme badges will not be honored if sent on only one form.
PAYMENT
Include full payment with your registration. Registrations without valid form of payment cannot be processed. Make checks payable to the American Library Association or charge your VISA, MasterCard or American Express. Fees in U.S. dollars.
CONFIRMATIONS
The ALA Registration & Housing Headquarters will e-mail or mail a registration and housing confirmation. If you do not receive a written confirmation within one week, please email or call Experient’s Customer Service Center at ala@experient-inc.com or 800-974-3084 or Local 847-996-5876, to verify the status of your registration and housing.
BADGES
If registration is received by December 5, 2008, your badge will be mailed to you no later than two weeks before the conference. Badges will not be sent to countries other than the U.S. and Canada. Residents of other nations may pick up badges at the Will Call Counter in the Colorado Convention Center.
REFUNDS AND CANCELLATIONS
Substitutions are welcome at any time. Otherwise, registration cancellations must be made in writing and postmarked or faxed by December 5, 2008. Cancellations will result in a full refund less a $25 processing fee. No phone cancellations will be accepted. No refunds for cancellations postmarked after December 5, 2008. No “Exhibits Only” or “Exhibits Supreme” refunds. Refunds will be processed after the Midwinter Meeting. Send cancellations to 568 Atrium Drive, Vernon Hills, IL 60061 or email ala@ experient-inc.com.
CHILDREN’S POLICY
Strollers are permitted on the exhibit floor, but only if there is a child in them at all times. Unescorted children are not permitted on the exhibit floor. Children under the age of five must be restrained at all times (stroller, back pack, etc.). Any child over the age of five must have an “Exhibits Only” badge to be admitted to the exhibit floor. These badges are available at onsite registration for $25. An adult must accompany all children under the age of 16.
PHOTOS
Your registration constitutes permission to utilize photos taken of you at the event for news, promotion and similar purposes.
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Please note: we will no longer accept purchase orders as payment on-site. If paying by purchase order, they must be received by the Advance Registration deadline of December 5, 2008.
EXHIBITS ONLY AND EXHIBITS SUPREME REGISTRATION
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ALA Personal Member* / $165 Division Member*/Retired Member* ALA Student Member** $65 Non Member $245 Exhibits Only Badge $25 Exhibits Supreme Badge $50 *must show proof of ALA membership **must show proof of ALA library student membership
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REGISTRANT INFORMATION: All mailings concerning the Midwinter Meeting will be sent to you at the
address provided below: Member Number Name: First Last Position Title Organization Name Address City State
Zip Code
Country
Daytime Phone
Fax Number
IS THE ABOVE MAILING ADDRESS:
HOME
WORK
I AM A FIRST-TIME ATTENDEE Attendees may receive exciting advance information from exhibitors like invitations, contests and other hot news.
COUNT ME IN!
YES
NO
BADGE INFORMATION: Complete the information below, abbreviating as needed. Write clearly and please do not exceed the maximum characters.
FIRST NAME (15 characters) LAST NAME (15 characters) INSTITUTE/ORGANIZATION (25 characters) STATE
IF YOU HAVE A PHYSICAL OR COMMUNICATION NEED that may affect your participation in Midwinter Meeting activities, please contact Anne Weglewski at aweglewski@ala.org, 312-280-3220 no later than December 5, 2008. We cannot ensure the availability of appropriate accommodations without prior notification of need. I have a special physical or communications need and will contact Anne Weglewski at aweglewski@ala.org to discuss accommodations, no later than December 5, 2008.
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CITY (25 characters)
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7:L7D9; H;=?IJH7J?ED >EKI?D= <EHC F7=; ( DEADLINE FOR ADVANCE REGISTRATION IS DECEMBER 5, 2008 SECTION I. MIDWINTER MEETING REGISTRATION Please check off your selection and insert the appropriate fee in “Amount Due.” BY DECEMBER 5
REGISTRATION TYPE
ONSITE
AMOUNT DUE
ALA Personal Member*/Division Member*/Retired Member*
$165
$190
$
ALA Student Member**
$65
$87
$
Non-Member
$245
$300
$
Exhibits Only Badge
$25
$25
$
Exhibits Supreme
$50
$50
$
All fees in US Dollars *must show proof of ALA membership ** must show proof of ALA library student membership
TOTAL FROM SECTION I: $
SECTION II. OTHER EVENTS Copy the event code from the following pages for the events you wish to register for into the column below. Include the price of your event and the number of tickets you wish to purchase, then put the final amount in the “Amount Due” column. Add up all your events and put that amount into the “Total from Section II”. Please print clearly. EVENT CODE
PRICE PER TICKET
# OF TICKETS
AMOUNT DUE
$
x
=$
$
x
=$
$
x
=$
$
x
=$
$
x
=$ TOTAL FROM SECTION II: $
02 PURCHASING DECISION-MAKING ROLE
03 PURCHASE PLANS NEXT 12 MOS.
04 OPERATING EXPENDITURES
01 Book, Periodicals, Documents 02 Library Automation 03 Equipment, Furniture, Shelving 04 A/V Equipment/ Materials 05 Services 06 Other Products and Services
01 02 03 04
01 02 03 04 05 06
01 02 03 04 05
$0-49,999 $50-99,999 $100-249,999 $350-499,999 $500-999,999 $1 million +
$0-499,999 $500-999,999 $1 mil-1,999,999 $2 mil-4,999,999 $5 mil +
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Final Specify Recommend No Role
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01 PRINCIPAL PRODUCT INTEREST
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Please complete the survey, circling one item per category (circle one)
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SURVEY:
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7:L7D9; H;=?IJH7J?ED >EKI?D= <EHC F7=; ) DEADLINE FOR ADVANCE REGISTRATION IS DECEMBER 5, 2008 SECTION III. HOUSING Deadline December 19, 2008
You must be registered for the Midwinter Meeting to register for housing. This section is not valid without the attached registration form or a registration number (found on your online registration).Credit card information is required to confirm your hotel reservation. Complete the credit card guarantee portion below to guarantee your hotel reservation. DO NOT DUPLICATE FORMS- If sharing room(s) designate one person to send request. Be sure to include your E-mail address. Reservations can also be made on the ALA Midwinter Meeting Website at: http://www.ala.org/midwinter. REGISTRATION NUMBER ARRIVAL DAY/DATE
DEPARTURE DAY/DATE
OCCUPANT(S) (Please do not duplicate. If sharing a room, designate one person to complete form.) Print last name first 1
2
3
4
HOTEL CHOICES (Please print name and number of hotel as listed on Hotel Locator Map) 1
2
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ROOM PREFERENCE Bedding requests are based on availability. Every effort will be made to accommodate requests. Single (one person/one bed) Triple (three people/1-2 beds) Requires ADA accessible room Double (two people/one bed) Quad (four people/two beds) Mobility Hearing impaired Double/double (two people, two beds) Important notes:
Visually impaired
t 3 PPNT BSF BTTJHOFE PO B iGJSTU DPNF GJSTU TFSWFEw CBTJT BOE SPPN BWBJMBCJMJUZ GPS ZPVS BSSJWBM EFQBSUVSF t 1 IPUPDPQZ UIJT GPSN JG NPSF UIBO POF SPPN JT SFRVJSFE 1MFBTF EP OPU SFRVFTU NVMUJQMF SPPNT PO POF GPSN * Failure to check into your hotel on the scheduled date of your arrival will result in the cancellation of your reservation and a charge equal to one nightâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s room and tax to the credit card used to guarantee your reservation. t " MM DIBOHFT BOE PS DBODFMMBUJPOT QSJPS UP +BOVBSZ NVTU CF NBEF UISPVHI UIF "-" )PVTJOH )FBERVBSUFST -BTU NJOVUF DIBOHFT BOE DBODFMMBUJPOT NVTU CF NBEF UP UIF IPUFM BU MFBTU "GUFS +BOVBSZ DIBOHFT BOE DBODFMMBUJPOT must be made direct to the hotel at least 24 hours prior to arrival date.
CREDIT CARD INFORMATION Add the total from sections I and II, and enter here: TOTAL AMOUNT ENCLOSED: $
PAYMENT INFORMATION: Check the type of payment enclosed: Check (credit card included
Visa
Mastercard
American Express
below for room guarantee only)
If paying by credit card, signature indicates that you agree to the terms to the right.
EXPIRATION DATE (must be 1/09 or later)
CARDHOLDERâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S SIGNATURE
DATE
CANCELLATION POLICY: Written requests for refunds must be postmarked by December 5, 2008. Cancellation of registration will result in a handling fee of $25 for each item cancelled. No phone cancellations. No refunds after December 5, 2008. No refunds given for â&#x20AC;&#x153;Exhibits Onlyâ&#x20AC;? and â&#x20AC;&#x153;Exhibits Supremeâ&#x20AC;? badges. Refunds will be processed after February 1, 2009. Send cancellations to 568 Atrium Drive, Vernon Hills, IL 60061 or email ala@experient-inc.com.
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CREDIT CARD NUMBER
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ACRL Friday, January 23, 2009, 1:00 pm–4:30 pm Discover how to create search plug-ins for web browsers and the social networking site Facebook.com. Through use of real life examples and hands-on instruction, the workshop presenters will illustrate how to deliver currently existing online content and services in the form of a plug-in. Plug-ins allow the user to customize their own search experience, providing access to content and services from the library without having to navigate to the library website first. Find out how plug-ins can help increase the online presence of your library. Speakers: Paul Beatty, Distance Learning Librarian, Regis University; Erin McCaffrey, Digital Systems Librarian, Regis University Tickets: Advance and Onsite: ALA Member, $205; Division/RT Member, $245; Non-Member, $275; Student/Retired Member, $95 Event Code AC3
DO YOU Q? LOOKING AT YOUR USERS IN A NEW WAY!
ACRL Friday, January 23, 2009,1:00 pm–4:30 pm Do you need to know what your users are thinking? Of course! But, how? Using Q
ACRL Friday, January 23, 2009, 9:00 am–4:00 pm Many people become librarians because of a love of research and reading or a strong commitment to public service - not because they love getting up in front of groups and teaching. Yet academic librarians are more frequently finding themselves thrust into the teaching spotlight by the increasing demand for library skills and information literacy programs. This workshop uses a little lecture mixed with a lot of discussion and meaningful activities to explore some pedagogical fundamentals that will help you become better in the classroom. Speakers: Michelle Drumm, Emerging Technology Trainer; Laura Coons, Instructor, General Education, Johnson and Wales University Tickets: Advance and Onsite: ALA Member, $235; Division/RT Member, $285; Non-Member, $305; Student/Retired Member, $95 Event Code: AC1
IMPLEMENTING AN INSTITUTIONAL REPOSITORY: BENEFITS AND CHALLENGES
ALCTS Thursday, January 22, 2009, 8:30 am–5:00 pm Many libraries have joined the movement to create an institutional repository, providing a mechanism to acquire, maintain, and preserve scholarly and other material of lasting value to the institution. The presentations will focus on the challenges, pitfalls and promises of establishing and supporting institutional repositories. A discussion of the legal and access issues as well as various IR
BREAKING DOWN THE SILOS: PLANNING FOR DISCOVERY TOOLS FOR LIBRARY 2.0
ALCTS Friday, January 23, 2009, 8:30 am–4:30 pm Libraries today face many choices when trying to optimize resource discovery for their patrons. Much of our information resides in separate silos, yet patrons want an integrated, intuitive, and interactive discovery experience. Many companies have developed products that attempt to deliver that experience. How can libraries evaluate the options: next generation catalog interfaces, federated search engines, link resolvers? How do they choose which will be the best fit? Tickets: Advance: ALA Member, $249; Division/RT Member, $199; Non-Member, $299; Student/Retired Member, $99; Onsite: ALA Member $299; Division/RT Member, $249; Non-Member $349, Student/Retired Member $99; Two-day: ALA Member $419; Division/RT Member, $339; Non-Member, $499; Student/Retired Member, $198 Event Code: AS1
october 2008
BRING IT ON HOME! CREATING CUSTOM SEARCH PLUG-INS FOR YOUR LIBRARY
NOBODY TOLD ME I’D HAVE TO TEACH! STRATEGIES FOR THE ACCIDENTAL LIBRARIAN
platforms and models will allow attendees to make informed decisions regarding the introduction of an institutional repository. Speakers: Greg Tananbaum, Consulting Services at the Intersection of Technology, Content & Academia; Georgia Harper, Scholarly Communications Advisor, University of Texas at Austin Libraries; Leah Vanderjagt, Digital Repository Services Librarian, University of Alberta Libraries; Marilyn Billings, Scholarly Communication & Special Initiatives Librarian, University of Massachusetts, Amherst; Jessica Branco Colati, Colorado Alliance of Research Libraries, Project Director, Alliance Digital Repository; Bob Gerrity, Director of Library Systems, Boston College Libraries; Robert Tansley, Google Tickets: Advance: ALA Member $249; Division/RT Member $199; Non-Member $299; Student/Retired Member $99; Onsite: ALA Member $299; Division/RT Member $249; Non-Member $349; Student/Retired Member $99; Two-Day: ALA Member$419; Division/RT Member $339; Non-Member $499; Student/Retired Member $198 Event Code AS2
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AASL SCHOOL LIBRARY ADVOCACY INSTITUTE AASL Friday, January 23, 2009, 9:30 am–4:30 pm This Institute provides information, resources, and strategies that will help define advocacy and facilitate the development of long-term advocacy action plans for school library media programs. This Institute incorporates various tools available to school librarians, including the AASL Advocacy toolkit of online resources, the marketing resources developed through the ALA @ your library campaign, and the resources that will assist school librarians in developing a multiple year advocacy action plan that goes beyond PR and marketing. Speakers: Deborah Levitov, MS Tickets: Advance: ALA Member, $229; Division/RT Member, $189; Non-Member, $279 Event Code: AA1
Method you can measure the qualitative, fuzzy opinions of users in a quantitative way. Making strategic plans, evaluating new services, developing staff training programs —all of these can be helped with Q Method. Discover how to use Q in your library. During the workshop, receive sample data, and practice administering the sorting. Learn to use the freeware software developed by the Q Method community and brainstorm ideas for using Q in your library. Speakers: Mary Wilkins Jordan Tickets: Advance and Onsite: ALA Member, $205; Division/RT Member, $245; Non-Member, $275; Student/Retired Member, $95 Event Code: AC2
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INSTITUTES REQUIRING ADDITIONAL REGISTRATION
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?DIJ?JKJ;I H;GK?H?D= 7::?J?ED7B H;=?IJH7J?ED 9EDJ?DK;: WHEN OPPORTUNITY KNOCKS: STARTING A LIBRARY FOUNDATION
ALA Development Office Friday, January 23, 2009, 2:00 pm- 5:00 pm Many public and academic libraries have separate 501(c)3 organizations that specialize in raising funds. The impetus for setting up a foundation might be a fund-raising campaign for a specific purpose, a large bequest or donation, or come about as part of a library’s strategic planning process. This workshop will feature examples from both large and small libraries, presented by library practitioners and others in the form of case studies with both descriptive and how-to information. Speakers: Peter Pearson, The Friends of the Saint Paul Public Library, St. Paul, MN; Paula Goedert, Barnes & Thornburg LLP, Chicago, IL; Chris Watkins, Christine Watkins Consulting, Chicago, IL; Additional speakers Tickets: Advance: ALA Member, $65; NonMember, $75; Student/Retired Member, $65; Onsite: ALA Member, $75; Non-Member, $100; Student/Retired Member, $75 Event Code: AD1
2009 ALTA PRESIDENT’S RECEPTION
ALTA Friday, January 23, 2009, 7:00 pm–10:00 pm Don’t miss you chance to register for the 2009 ALTA President’s Reception in Denver. Tickets are $55.00, and advance registration is recommended, as seating is limited. Specific location information will be available at a later date and posed on the ALTA Website at www.ala.org/alta or please call ALTA at 800-545-2433, ext. 2161. Tickets: $55 Event Code: AT1
THE TRANSFORMATIONAL POWERS OF THE LIBRARY: ENSURING THE FUTURE OF YOUR LIBRARY.
Colorado Association of Libraries Friday, January 23, 2009, 9:00 am–4:30 pm Information about public library funding is presented based on research from the latest OCLC report, From Awareness to Funding. The research shows that people who experience the library as a transformational force in their lives are more likely to support tax increases to fund libraries. Listen to a panel that will highlight ways in which they are working to position their organizations as transformational and leave with some creative take-aways on aligning your advocacy and marketing efforts from Barnhart Communications. Speakers: Cathy De Rosa, Global Vice President of Marketing, OCLC; Jenny Johnson, Executive Director of Marketing and Branding, OCLC; Brenda Bailey-Hainer, President and CEO, BCR; Jamie LaRue, Director, Douglas County Libraries; Janine Reid Director, High Plains Library District; Barnhart Communications. Tickets: Advance: ALA Member, $100; NonMember, $125; Student, $75. Event Code: CO1
SUCCESS IN THE WORKPLACE
HRDR/Conference Services Friday, January 23, 2009, 1:00 pm-5:00 pm What does it mean to be successful in the workplace? Participants will identify barriers to their success and consider ways to feel more motivated and satisfied at work. Learn how to showcase talents, document progress, effectively communicate, and develop learning plans. Techniques for improving your relationship with your supervisor will be discussed. The workshop is interactive and will provide opportunities to share useful strategies and reflect on individual behavior in the workplace. Speakers: Debra Wilcox Johnson, Ph.D., Johnson & Johnson Consulting Tickets: Advance: ALA Member, $100; Division/RT Member (LSSIRT), $100; NonMember, $175 Onsite: ALA Member, $125; Division/RT Member (LSSIRT), $125; NonMember, $200 Event Code HR1
MISSION POSSIBLE: PRACTICAL PROJECT MANAGEMENT
LLAMA Friday, January 23, 2009, 9:00 am–5:00 pm Projects can finish on time, under budget, at the level of quality you desire, and with everyone still speaking. An effective planning process can ensure improvement in the management of special projects, ongoing multiple projects, and even personal time. Participants will learn how to identify and address the basic causes of project successes and failures involving management of personnel and resources, and correct underlying problems in existing projects. Speaker: Pat Wagner Tickets: Advance and Onsite: ALA Member, $245; Division/RT Member, $195; Non-Member, $345; Student/Retired Member, $95 Event Code: LA1
LIBRARY LEADERSHIP: YOU ARE HOW YOU COMMUNICATE
LLAMA Friday, January 23, 2009, 9:30 am–4:00 pm Library leadership is an essential core value for all who work in libraries. Effective communication skills, both verbal and non-verbal, are necessities for developing a vision, and the organizational advocacy for that vision. You will learn the essential tools to: t *EFOUJGZ CFTU DPNNVOJDBUJPO QSBDUJDFT GPS leadership including interpersonal communication, group dynamics, negotiation and conflict resolution; t 6OEFSTUBOE BOE CVJME ZPVS TVDDFTTGVM leadership communication style; t 6OEFSTUBOE BOE XPSL XJUI UIF DPNNVOJcation styles of others. Speakers: Alexis Sarkisian, international marketing executive, consultant, and entrepreneur, uses her education and professional experience today to help libraries and library staff to understand and utilize best practices in library marketing communication. Alexis is also a member of the adjunct staff at Dominican University. Tickets: Advance and Onsite: ALA Member, $285; Division/RT Member, $235; Non-Member, $385; Student/Retired Member, $135 Event Code: LA2
USER CENTERED DESIGN FOR DIGITAL PROJECTS
LITA Friday, January 23, 2009, 9:00 am–5:00 pm Learn about design process for managing digital projects in libraries, usability theory
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CHAPTER LEADERS ORIENTATION
Chapter Relations Committee Friday, January 23, 2009, 9:30 am–4:00 pm This institute presents information on such topics as how to create an excellent organization, how to financially manage an association; how to further your commitment to diversity; how chapter councilors work for the chapters; how to effectively navigate your way through ALA; and more. Join the “hot topic” discussions on board meetings, budgets, conference planning, diversity, advocacy and legislative issues, membership recruitment and retention, and more. This event requires advance registration and includes lunch. Tickets: Advance and Onsite: ALA Member,
$70; Division/RT Member, $60; Non-Member, $70; Student/Retired Member, $50 Event Code: CR1
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?DIJ?JKJ;I H;GK?H?D= 7::?J?ED7B H;=?IJH7J?ED 9EDJ?DK;: and methodology. Includes: staff skills and responsibilities, artifacts of the design process, communication channels, Web technologies and standards. Receive practical steps to implement a design process in your own library plus a copy of Brenda Reebâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s latest book, Design Talk: Understanding the roles of usability practitioners, web designers, and web developers in user centered web design (soon to be released by ACRL). Speakers: Brenda Reeb, University of Rochester Libraries Tickets: Advance and Onsite: ALA Member, $315; Division/RT Member, $220; NonMember, $495 Event Code: LI1
THE ADVOCACY INSTITUTE
OLA Friday, January 23, 2009, 9:30 amâ&#x20AC;&#x201C;3:30 pm Tickets: Advance: ALA Member, $50; Division/RT Member, $50; Non-Member, $50; Student/Retired Member, $50 Onsite: ALA Member, $75; Division/RT Member, $75; NonMember, $75; Student/Retired Member, $75 Event Code: OL1
BEHIND THE GENEALOGY REFERENCE DESK
RUSA Friday, January, 23, 2008, 8:30 am-5:00 pm Genealogical research has never been more popular. Find out about the latest digital sources and the best methods for helping genealogy patrons get the answers they
need. This institute was created for librarians looking for the tools they need to help these library users and will feature four speakers who are authorities in genealogical research. The program will be held at the Denver Public Library. Registration includes lunch and a tour of the facility. Speakers: James Jeffrey and Connie Reik Tickets: Advance: ALA Member, $115; Division/RT Member, $95; Non-Member, $140; Student/Retired Member, $65; Onsite: ALA Member, $135; Division/RT Member, $115; Non-Member, $160; Student/Retired Member, $85 Event Code: RU1
YALSA MIXER & TECH PLAYGROUND
YALSA Friday, January 23, 2009, 8:00 pm-10:00 pm Join YALSA for a fun evening of mingling with colleagues and sampling new technologies for teen library services. Gain hands-on experience with great tech tools such as virtual worlds, micro-blogs, video cameras, games and more. Receive personal attention from a â&#x20AC;&#x153;tech conciergeâ&#x20AC;? and leave with ideas on how everything applies to your own library setting, no matter how small your budget. Refreshments and fun tech prizes available. Visit http://tinyurl.com/mw2009 for more details. Tickets: Advance: Division/RT, $40; ALA Member, $40; Non-Member, $40; Student/ Retired, $40 Event Code: YA1
Special Deal: Register for Reaching Todayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Diverse Teens and YALSAâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Mixer & Tech Playground together and save! Event Code YA1 and YA 2 Division/RT, $230; ALA Member, $270; Non-Member, $320; Student/Retired Member, $230
REACHING TODAYâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S DIVERSE TEENS
YALSA Friday, January 23, 2009, 9:00 amâ&#x20AC;&#x201C;4:30 pm There are over 30 million teens in America today and they are the most ethnically diverse generation ever. Are you ready for them? Participants will learn how to identify all of the teens in their service area, as well as learn exciting, interactive and innovative ways to reach this diverse group. Serving recent teen immigrants will also be explored, as will how to maximize your impact by collaborating with youth serving organizations in your community. Tickets: Advance: Division/RT, $210; ALA Member, $250; Non-Member, $300; Student/Retired, $210 Event Code YA2 Special Deal: Register for Reaching Todayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Diverse Teens and YALSAâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Mixer & Tech Playground together and save! Event Code YA1 and YA 2 Division/RT, $230; ALA Member, $270; Non-Member, $320; Student/Retired Member, $230
AMERICAN LIBRARY ASSOCIATION CONFERENCE MEDIA REGISTRATION GUIDELINES
1MFBTF /PUF &WFO JG ZPV IBWF RVBMJmFE GPS BO "-" NFEJB CBEHF JO UIF past, you must re-qualify for each subsequent ALA conference. For more detailed information on ALAâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s media credential policy please visit www.ala.org/mediapolicy.
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ONSITE REGISTRATION All members of the media who have not registered in advance must register at ALA conference Press Room. The Press Room will
MEDIA BADGE: WHAT IT ENTITLES YOU TO Media badge holders are entitled admission to: t 1SFTT DPOGFSFODFT BOE CSJFmOHT t 1SFTT SPPN t &YIJCJU nPPS t "-" 1SFTJEFOU T 1SPHSBN t "-" CVTJOFTT NFFUJOHT t 1SFTT CBEHFT EP OPU QSPWJEF GSFF BDDFTT UP UJDLFUFE QSPgrams or events.
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ADVANCE REGISTRATION The deadline for advance registration is one week prior to the ALA Midwinter Meeting or Annual Conference. After this date, media representatives will need to register onsite at the ALA Press Room.
usually open at 8 a.m. on the first day of ALA Conference programming, but check the ALA Web site to confirm dates and times.
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ALA CONFERENCE MEDIA CREDENTIAL POLICY Media credentials are for members of the press that plan to provide coverage. Those requesting media registration must be currently employed by a publication or news organization. Account representatives, sales executives, book authors, and engineers do not meet the criteria for media registration. All reporters and editors that plan to provide coverage of the ALA Midwinter Meeting or Annual Conference must submit a letter of assignment on letterhead. Those that register onsite also must provide a business card.
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NEWS | ALA
Carnegie Funds I Love My Librarian
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arnegie Corporation of New York has awarded $489,000 to ALA for the new Carnegie Corporation of New York/New York Times I Love My Librarian Award. Administered by ALA’s Public Information Office and the Campaign for America’s Libraries, the award launches this year and will continue annually through 2013. It is designed to encourage library users to recognize the accomplishments of librarians in public, school, college, community college, and university libraries for their efforts to improve the lives of people in their community. Nominations for public librarians ended October 1; school and academic librarians nominations continue through October 15. Up to 10 librarians will be selected each year and each will be hon-
ored at a ceremony and reception in New York at the Times Center hosted by the New York Times. Each winner also will receive $5,000 and a $500 travel stipend to attend the awards reception. In addition, a plaque will be given to each awardwinner’s library. Each nominee must be a librarian with a master’s degree from an ALAaccredited library and information studies program or a master’s degree with a specialty in school library media from an educational unit accredited by the National Council for the Accreditation of Teacher Education. Nominees must be currently working in the United States in a public library, a library at an accredited two- or four-year college or university, or at an accredited K–12 school. For more information, visit www .ilovelibraries.org/ilovemylibrarian.
New Award Honors Zora Neale Hurston A new award, sponsored by Harper Perennial Publishing, a division of HarperCollins, will honor the late Zora Neale Hurston. The deadline for nominations is December 1. Administered by ALA’s Reference and User Services Association, the Zora Neale Hurston Award will recognize the efforts of RUSA members who promotes African-American literature through a program, readers’ advisory project, or similar efforts in their library community. It includes funding to attend ALA’s Annual Conference as well as a set of Hurston’s books. Hurston, who is associated with the Harlem Renaissance literary movement, is considered the most significant African-American woman writer of the early 20th century. Her body of work includes Their Eyes Were Watching God. The first award-winner will be announced in January 2009 at the Midwinter Meeting in Denver and will receive the award at Annual Conference in Chicago. For more information, visit www.ala.org.
Members of the Joint Conference of Librarians of Color Steering Committee gather during ALA Annual Conference in Anaheim to plan the second meeting of ALA’s five ethnic caucuses, dubbed JCLC2012. Committee representatives include members from the American Indian Library Association, the Asian/Pacific Americans Librarians Association, the Black Caucus of the American Library Association, the Chinese American Librarians Association, and Reforma, the National Association to Promote Library and Information Services to Latinos and the Spanish Speaking. The conference location has yet to be determined.
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jclc2012 planning gets underway
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Nancy Cartwright, the voice of Bart on The Simpsons, is featured on three 30-second 2008 Teen Read Week public service announcements (www.ilovelibraries.org/teenread). The annual observance, celebrated October 12–18 this year, is hosted by ALA’s Young Adult Library Services Association. Cartwright has voiced characters in Nickelodeon’s Rugrats and the Disney Channel’s Kim Possible. She has also narrated a number of audiobooks, including her autobiography, My Life as A Ten-Year Old Boy and Stink.
ALSC Creates Kids’ List for Oprah’s Website
Library Accessibility Toolkit Available
ALA’s Association of Specialized and Cooperative Library Agencies has developed a toolkit, “Library Accessibility—What You Need to Know.” Edited by Monique DeLatte, the toolkit includes 15 documents that outline the challenges faced by disabled patrons and offers methods for delivering one-on-one library services to these groups. It was compiled by an ASCLA committee in partnership with experts in the field of library access, library science students at Louisiana State University, and patrons with disabilities and their families. To download an online version, visit www.ala.org/ascla.
Second “Picturing America” Apps Due
The National Endowment for the Humanities, in cooperation with
Oct. 8–10: Association of Bookmobile and Outreach Services Annual Conference, Columbus, Ohio, www.abos-outreach.org. Oct. 12–18: Teen Read Week, www.ala.org/teenread. Oct. 16–19: Library and Information Technology Association Forum, Cincinnati, www.lita.org. Oct. 17–19: American Association of School Librarians Fall Forum, Oak Brook, Illinois, www.ala.org/aasl. Nov. 7–9: Young Adult Literature Symposium, Nashville, Tennessee, www.ala.org/ yalsa. Nov. 15: National Gaming Day @ your library, www.ala.org. Jan. 23–28, 2009: Midwinter Meeting, Denver, www.ala .org. Mar. 8–14: Teen Tech Week, www.ala.org/yalsa. Mar. 12–15: Association of College and Research Libraries National Conference, Seattle, www.ala.org/ acrl. Apr. 2–4: Public Library Association Spring Symposium, Nashville, Tennessee, www .ala.org/pla. Apr. 12–18: National Library Week, www.ala.org.
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ALA’s Association for Library Service to Children has teamed with The Oprah Winfrey Show to provide a Kids Reading List at www.oprah.com. The list, compiled by ALSC’s Quicklists Consulting Committee, is divided into five age groups, from infant-to-2 through 12-and-up. Each grouping contains an annotated bibliography of librarian-recommended reading and has a separate “Classics” section giving
Lisa Lintner-Sizemore, manager of Louisville (Ky.) Free Public Library’s Iroquois branch, and Laura Anne Lowe, a student at the University of Illinois ChampaignUrbana’s School of Library and Information Science, will each receive $1,000 stipends to attend the 2008 Young Adult Literature Symposium, administered by ALA’s Young Adult Library Services Association. The symposium will take place November 7–9 in Nashville, Tennessee, sponsored in part by the William C. Morris Endowment. For more information, visit www.ala .org/yalitsymposium.
ALA Events
october 2008
TV’s Nancy Cartwright Does Teen Read PSAs
YA Symposium Winners Named
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ALA’s conference registration and housing is now a twofold process for one-stop shopping. Attendees of both the 2009 Midwinter Meeting, January 23–28 in Denver, and Annual Conference, July 9–15 in Chicago, will need to register simultaneously in order to book into the housing block of rooms. Bundled registration and housing is designed to save up to 20%. To register, visit www.ala.org. Experient is the third-party vendor contracted for both the registration and housing. For more information, call 800-974-3084.
parents the opportunity to share the books they once loved with their own children. The website also provides a list of ways to make reading fun for kids and other helpful tips for parents.
american libraries
Bundled Conference Registration Underway
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NEWS | ALA
History in their Hands
ALA’s Public Programs Office, is accepting online applications through October 31 for the second round of “Picturing America” at picturingamerica.neh.gov. A free educational resource, “Picturing America” is designed to help teach American history and culture by bringing works of art directly to classrooms and libraries. At no cost, winning libraries will receive a 40-piece set of American art reproductions and an illustrated teachers’ resource book with information about the artists and artwork and lesson ideas for all grade levels. Materials are slated to be delivered in spring 2009. Additional online educational resources are also available. All public libraries and schools (K–12, public, private, parochial, charter, and home school consortia) in the United States and its territories who have not previously received “Picturing America” may apply. Previous recipients are not eligible for a second award.
Proposals Sought for AASL Conference
ALA’s American Association of School Librarians is accepting pro-
Benjamin Franklin (left), portrayed by actor Dean Bennett, and Cecilia Brauer, one of 14 armonicists in the world, explain the glass musical instrument Franklin created in 1716 to Salvation Army daycare students July 23. The event served as the closing program of the “Benjamin Franklin: In Search of a Better World” traveling exhibit, administered by ALA’s Public Programs Office, at Jacksonville (Fla.) Public Library’s main branch. posals at www.ala.org/aasl for concurrent and Exploratorium sessions at its 14th national conference, “Rev Up Learning @ your library,” to be held November 5–8, 2009, in Char-
lotte, North Carolina. The deadline for submissions is March 30, 2009. The conference will offer multiple 75-minute peer-reviewed concurrent sessions on three areas of
Member Alert
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LA members will have new opportunities to communicate their success stories through an association-wide virtual poster session, part of President Jim Rettig’s initiatives. The first of two poster sessions will debut this fall. Its focus is “Community Central.” Members are being asked to share their experiences of making
libraries vital in individual communities and to demonstrate the specific purpose of the community involvement and the ways that it has been achieved. Photos, images, and sound may accompany your presentation. To be considered for inclusion in the poster session, send a summary of the library’s efforts to John
Budd at buddJ@missouri.edu. The deadline for submitting proposals is November 15. Approximately 25 submissions will be selected and will be available for viewing in January 2009. A second virtual poster session will take place in the spring of 2009. For more information, visit jimrettig.org.
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virtual poster session Submissions sought
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ALSC Updates “Kids! @ your library” Site
In 2009, PLA will hold its biennial Spring Symposium continuing education event in Nashville, Tennessee, April 2–4. It will offer public librarians and library staff the opportunity to attend one of seven in-depth, dayand-a-half-long workshops as well as to meet and mingle with colleagues in a more intimate setting than the PLA national conference. PLA members will have the option of participating in “Turning the Page: Building Your Library Community” at the symposium. Developed by PLA with funding from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, “Turning the Page” is a training program designed to equip librarians and library supporters with the skills they need to effectively advocate for their libraries. The training is primarily offered only to library systems participating in the Gates Foundation’s Opportunity Online hardware grants program, but is being offered free of charge to 200 PLA members during the 2009 Spring Symposium. To register, visit www.pla.org. —Louisa Worthington, manager, marketing and communications
Each month the Association’s Associations spotlights the activities and agenda of one of ALA’s divisions. Next month: Reference and User Services Association
For information about tattoos, contact JanWay at 800-877-5242. Mention ALSC’s customer number (26981) and the set-up fee will be waived. For information on rubber stamps, visit www.kidstamps.com. ALSC is offering 10 cash prizes of
$100 each to libraries for the best use of Kids! campaign materials. Contest details are posted at www .ala.org/ala/alsc/contest. Entries are due by October 15, and winners will be announced during the 2009 ALA Midwinter Meeting in Denver. ❚
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ALA’s Association for Library Service to Children has announced the latest updates to its “Kids! @ your library” public awareness campaign. The additions include: The Library Dragon readers’ theater script, line art adapted from children’s illustrator Michael P. White’s Kids! campaign artwork, and a Dr. Seuss–themed hidden treasure puzzle and a Dr. Seuss Mad Lib game. They are all free to download from www.ala.org/kids. ALSC has also teamed with JanWay and Kidstamps to make Kids! campaign art available to librarians on temporary tattoos and rubber stamps.
CONTINUING EDUCATION UPDATE
october 2008
Young Adult Library Services (YALS), the quarterly journal of ALA’s Young Adult Library Services Association, received an Award of Excellence from the APEX Awards for Publication Excellence. YALS was recognized in the category of journals and magazines over 32 pages. It won for issues from its fifth and sixth volumes, which were edited by Valerie Ott. RoseMary Honnold is the current YALS editor. The APEX Awards were based on excellence in graphic design, editorial content, and the success of the entry in achieving overall communications effectiveness and excellence. More than 800 journals and magazines entered the annual competition. A full list of winners is available at www.apexawards.com.
In May, members of the Public Library Association voted to approve changes to the bylaws, effectively reshaping the organization to create a more nimble structure that would better suit member needs. With the new bylaws came a shift from traditional committees to member-driven communities of practice. Communities of practice are interest-focused virtual groups. Members have the power to create groups, as well as to morph and/or disband them at their discretion. This allows all PLA members, many of whom are unable to travel to in-person committee meetings, to get involved with the organization and the public library issues they care about most. To support communities of practice, PLA launched the website PLAspace in September to connect members with one another to exchange ideas, share knowledge, make professional connections, and collaborate virtually. The site is home to ever-morphing communities of practice, including groups dedicated to discussing such topics as Readers’ Advisory, Cataloging, and Technology. Visit www.plaspace.org to join the conversation.
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YALSA Receives APEX Award
ENGAGING MEMBERS ONLINE
american libraries
responsibility: Learning and Teaching, Information Access, and Program Administration. The two-hour Exploratorium will offer participants the opportunity to visit and browse a variety of learning stations and browse at their own pace.
THE ASSOCIATION’S ASSOCIATIONS: PLA
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NEWS | U.S. & International
Critics Revisit Library Flap That Paints Palin as Censor
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ournalists and bloggers scrutinizing Sarah Palin’s record of public service have made national news out of a 1996 library incident in Wasilla, Alaska, where the Republican vice-presidential nominee was then mayor. The story that has emerged—in countless reports, from the blogosphere to the New York Times—paints Palin as a would-be censor and then–city librarian Mary Ellen Emmons as nearly losing her job for disagreeing. An article in the September 4 Anchorage Daily News tried to clarify the 12-year-old story by looking at its own coverage of the incident, saying, “Back in 1996, when she first became mayor, Sarah Palin asked the city librarian if she would be all right with censoring library books should she be asked to do so.” The report goes on to say that “according to news coverage at the time, the librarian said she would definitely
not be all right with it.” Emmons then received a letter from Palin, the News goes on to say, telling her she was going to be fired because she did not fully support the mayor. Emmons, however, was said to be popular with the public and, after a wave of support, kept her job, but resigned in August 1999, two months before Palin was voted in for a second mayoral term. To make matters murkier, Emmons was largely unavailable for comment, although she did tell ABC News September 10 that “I simply do not recall a conversation with specific titles.” As of mid September, Palin had not publicly addressed the current controversy. Reporters and bloggers have relied on local reports written at the time along with comments from other Alaska librarians who remember the incident. Reporting October 28, 1996, the Sitka Sentinel said the newly elected mayor had “asked all of the city’s top
managers to resign in order to test their loyalty to her administration.” Palin told the newspaper, “Wasilla is moving forward in a positive direction. This is the time for the department heads to let me know if they plan to move forward or if it’s time for a change.” Emmons, the Sentinel stated, “said she couldn’t speak without the mayor’s approval.” June Pinnell-Stephens, chair of the Intellectual Freedom Committee of the Alaska Library Association, was quoted in the September 4 Daily News as saying she had no record of any books being censored in the Wasilla library nor any conversations about the issue with Emmons, who was president of the association at the time. But she did recall that Palin “essentially forced Mary Ellen out. She all but fired her.” Other librarians began criticizing Palin on the “Librarians against Palin” blog, which was formed after the 1996 story resurfaced. Discussion also erupted on the electronic discussion list of
Spanish outreach liaison Vicente Viveros reads to young children at a World Language Storytime at Hennepin County (Minn.) Library this summer. The program, which presents stories in children’s native languages to help develop pre-reading skills, won a 2008 National Association of Counties Achievement Award for innovative county government programs.
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Recognition for Reading Readiness
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the American Library Association’s governing Council and quickly turned into the kind of political debate that ALA’s 501(c)3 tax-exempt status prohibits. After the ALA executive office cried foul, the discussion was moved to the electronic list of the ALA–Allied Professional Association, whose 501(c)6 tax status permits arguing for or against a candidate for elective office.
1996 coverage posted
The Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman posted on the internet its original December 18, 1996, coverage September 6 “to accommodate numerous requests for the story from media worldwide and curious individuals,” with a caveat to readers: “Please note that not at any time were any books ever banned from the
Wasilla city library.” Bloggers then began asking for a list of books that Palin wanted banned. A bogus list soon surfaced on the internet but it included books not yet published in 1996, and has been discredited at snopes.com and elsewhere. Written by Paul Stuart, a semi-retired Frontiersman reporter, the 1996 article suggests that at the very worst, Palin was sending up what Emmons (now Mary Ellen Baker and public services manager for the Noel Wien Library in Fairbanks) then called a “trial balloon,” to which Emmons responded with “a step-by-step blueprint of procedures for anyone wanting to challenge the selection and availability of library material.” ABC News, however, noted in the September 10 report that Stuart had said specific titles were at issue and
recalled one of them as Pastor, I Am Gay by Howard Bess, who was pastor of the Church of the Covenant in nearby Palmer, Alaska. Bess said Palin’s church at the time, the Assembly of God, was pushing for the removal of the book from local bookstores, “and she was one of them. This whole thing of controlling information, censorship, that’s part of the scene.” The December 1996 Frontiersman article quoted Palin as saying, “All questions posed to Wasilla’s library director were asked in the context of professionalism regarding the library policy that is in place in our city. Obviously the issue of censorship is a library question . . . you ask a library director that type of question.” American Libraries’ attempts to obtain interviews with both Palin and Baker were unsuccessful. —L.K.
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which a reopening schedule would be established. In the meantime, the library’s website, catalog, and subscription databases remained available. Most NOPL facilities reopened September 9 At Tulane University in New Orleans, President Scott Cowen wrote on his blog September 3 that he and several colleagues had returned that morning and toured the campuses and parts of the city. “Our campuses sustained minimal damage,” he said. “Our preliminary assessment found broken windows, debris on the ground, missing roof tiles and some water in the basements of a few buildings. Our facilities services people believe they will attend to most of the issues prior to classes resuming on Monday.” Two weeks later, Hurricane Ike struck hard along the Texas Gulf Coast September 13, destroying a temporary library in Cameron Parish, Louisiana, and leaving much of Galveston, Texas, in ruins. Early reports indicated that the city’s Rosenberg Library was heavily damaged. Shuttered by the storm, Houston Public Library had fully reopened by September 19 and was helping residents apply for FEMA aid or file insurance claims and making internet access available for those attempting to contact relatives and friends. For breaking news visit www.ala.org/alonline/. —L.K.
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n the eve of the third anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, which destroyed or damaged libraries and schools throughout the Gulf Coast region, Hurricane Gustav hit land September 1, but the area was spared the predicted destruction that had prompted the evacuation of the Crescent City and surrounding communities. Nevertheless, fallen trees and power outages were widespread and area libraries were still assessing the damage weeks later. The Louisiana Library Status Blog indicated that the state library was without power until late on September 5; the problem was plaguing many public libraries as well. St. Charles Parish Libraries Director Mary desBordes reopened the system September 8, after electricity was restored and sewers were functioning. The Avoyelles Parish Library posted that out of seven branches, three experienced damage—the Simmesport branch major roof and water damage. Ironically, the Bunkle branch “narrowly missed major water damage, not directly from the storm but from a fire which broke out in the building next door.” State library officials had made direct contact with most libraries and some damage was reported at Point Coupee and East Baton Rouge libraries. New Orleans Public Library notified blog readers September 5 that officials would assess on September 8 “if the interior of all branches are in good shape,” after
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Gulf Coast Libraries Prepared for Worst; New Orleans Spared Hurricanes’ Wrath
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NEWS | U.S. & International
Conservative Writer Accuses Library of Denying Access to Obama Records
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ollowing accusations by conservative political line that he was “assured by a reference librarian that, writer Stanley Kurtz that the University of Illialthough I have no UIC affiliation, I would be permitted nois at Chicago blocked his access to documents to examine the records.” But after making an appointthat might portray Democratic presidential nominee ment and arranging a trip to Chicago, he “received an eBarack Obama in an unpatriotic light, the university mail from the special-collections librarian informing issued a statement August 22 that the material will me that she had ‘checked our collection file’ and deterbe “available for public inspection” August 26. mined that ‘access to the collection is closed.’” Once in Charging that UIC’s Richard J. Daley Library prevent- Chicago, Kurtz said, he was greeted with a message from ed him from examining materials that might connect Ann C. Weller, professor and head of special collections, Obama’s political agenda with those of radical activist indicating that no one currently has access to the collecWilliam Ayers, Kurtz had demanded that UIC “take imtion because “it has come to our attention that there is mediate public steps to insure the safety of the Chicago restricted material in the collection. Once the collection Annenberg Challenge records, to release the identity of has been processed it will be open to any patron interthe collection’s donor, and above all to swiftly make the ested in viewing it.” collection available to me, and to the The Chicago Tribune reported Aupublic at large.” gust 21 that Chicago Mayor Richard M. After being accused The UIC statement says that “auDaley was asked at an August 20 press of blocking access to thority to grant public access to the conference if he supported access to archives was recently called into the CAC collection in the library, potentially controversial question” but that “university offiwhich bears the name of his late faChicago Annenberg cials promptly initiated a thorough ther, mayor of Chicago from 1955 to Challenge documents, inquiry into the legal circumstances 1976. Daley urged instead that people of the gift and its custody of the docshould stop trying to align Obama the University of Illinois uments. Pending resolution of this with radical activities that took place determined that it had the challenge, access to the archives in during “a terrible time [for] our countheir secure location was temporarily legal authority to make try.” suspended.” It goes on to say that the Although UIC is a publicly supportthem “available for public university has “determined that the ed institution, the Daley Library is not inspection” and did so. terms of the gift have been fulfilled a public library per se. UIC rules govand that it has the legal authority to erning the use of special-collection allow public access to its archive of Chicago Annenberg materials require “permission from the copyright ownChallenge documents in accordance with the customary er before making any public disclosure of the contents.” procedures of the Special Collections Department of the The acquisition of materials does not automatically give UIC library.” the library the legal right to open the materials to the Established largely through the efforts of Ayers, the public or to reveal the identity of the donor or other Chicago Annenberg Challenge was a nonprofit publicconfidential information that might be embedded in the private partnership founded in 1995 to improve school documents. performance. Now a professor of education at UIC, AyThe campaign of presumptive Republican presideners is also an unapologetic former member of the tial candidate John McCain issued a statement urging Weather Underground, a leftist organization that orgaObama to call for the release of the documents. The Asnized a riot in Chicago in 1969 and bombed buildings in sociated Press reported August 21 that the Obama camthe 1970s. Obama served as the CAC board’s first chair; paign said the senator has no control over the UIC he remained on the board until the project ended in documents, but “we are pleased the university is pursu2001 but has denied any ties with Ayers’s radical past. ing an agreement that would make these records publicKurtz claimed in the August 18 National Review Only available. —L.K.
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Director Fires Library Diaries Author over Patron-Privacy Concerns
Dickson cited as typical a chapter entitled “The Bonkers,” the author’s fictionalized name for an overweight Ludington family that, according to Stern-Hamilton, has “not one high school diploma between the four. They check out the GED book, but none of them have successfully taken
Excerpt from Library Diaries by Ann Miketa, aka Sally Stern-Hamilton
all the time,” but that Library Diaries “turns the whole concept of compassion over. What is mean-spirited? Letting someone who can’t take care of children have them? Letting pedophiles and sex offenders come to your library and risking children’s safety?” Acknowledging that “some people say [the book] is a thesis for eugenics,” she added, “you cannot broach the subject without the kneejerk reaction of ‘Oh, she’s a Nazi.’” At the end of the WZZM interview, Stern-Hamilton indicated she will not appeal her dismissal. —B.G.
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Choice example
One “Denialville, Michigan” family has “not one high school diploma between [them]. They check out the GED book.”
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Stern-Hamilton, in the July 18 Ludington Daily News, said that she finds her firing from a public library for writing a book an “absolute irony” since libraries are “a pillar of free speech” and the book a work of fiction. Conceding in an August 26 interview with ABC-TV affiliate WZZM that “some of the characters are taken from characters at the library,” she explained that her motivation for writing Library Diaries was “primarily to let people know about what’s going on in public libraries these days,” specifically that “there’s pedophiles in the library, there’s sex offenders in the library.” Issued June 9 by the print-on-de-
the test.” She also reveals that the “Bonkers” daughter is pregnant and opines, “She certainly would have had sex with any man who would show her one ounce of attention. There are plenty of dumb drunks who will have sex indiscriminately.” He has since gotten phone calls from several dismayed residents who have asked him, “Is my daughter in that book?” Asserting that she anticipated Dickson’s reaction to the book, Stern-Hamilton told WZZM that popular culture “makes fun of people
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Pillar of the community
mand firm Publish America, the introduction to Library Diaries states, “After working at a public library in a small, rural Midwestern town (which I will refer to as Denialville, Michigan, throughout this book) for 15 years, I have encountered strains and variations of crazy I didn’t know existed in such significant portions of our population.” While Ludington is never mentioned by name, the book cover includes a small photo of the Carnegie building’s exterior as part of a collage. Dickson told AL that he first became aware Stern-Hamilton had written a book, which she published under the pen name Ann Miketa, when “a patron brought it in [in midJune] and said, ‘Do you know Sally’s written a book?’” The woman also told him that Stern-Hamilton was promoting the book’s release through postcards, e-mails, and conversations with patrons, as well as public readings at a local café. He ordered a copy for the library and after reading the book, “it didn’t take me very long to realize [SternHamilton] isn’t cut out for public service,” despite her long tenure at the Ludington library.
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he director of the Mason County (Mich.) District Library contends that he did not violate the First Amendment rights of a library assistant he fired in late July after reading her unflattering book about the quirky and disreputable characters who populate Library Diaries. Robert Dickson told American Libraries that “every single character in the book is a specific, identifiable person with nothing changed [except their names],” some 15–20 of which are real-life patrons of the Ludington library Dickson heads and at which author Sally Stern-Hamilton worked for 15 years. “The information she’s learned about these people over the years was revealed in the book, and our immediate reaction was that this was an invasion of privacy.” Numerous attempts by American Libraries to contact Stern-Hamilton were unsuccessful.
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NEWS | U.S. & International
Most Valuable reader
A standoff of more than a year ended August 29 in Lewiston, Maine, when city officials decided not to pursue further action against JoAn Karkos, who has refused to return the Lewiston Public Library’s copy of the youth sex-education book It’s Perfectly Normal that she borrowed in the summer of 2007 to keep it out of circulation (AL, Nov. 2007, p. 19). Karkos had defied an August 27 district court order to return the book and pay a $100 fine and was threatened with jail time if she did not return the book by 4 p.m. August 29. “We feel there’s little to be gained” by seeking imprisonment, library Director Rick Speer told American Libraries. “It would help her be a martyr and may bring pub-
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Young reader Chris Hart poses with the Miami Dolphins mascot and his “Most Valuable Reader” plaque at a special game day, concluding MiamiDade Public Library’s Summer Reading Program. “Wild about Reading” attracted 12,500 youths who competed for prizes that included signed footballs and jerseys and a visit to the team’s training camp. Dolphin players, cheerleaders, and alumni appeared during the sevenweek program, sponsored in part by the Miami Dolphins Foundation.
City Won’t Seek Jail for Normal Protester
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Family-Values Group Wins Library Suit
Citizens for Community Values has won a First Amendment lawsuit against the Upper Arlington (Ohio) Public Library over the library’s objection to the content of the group’s scheduled “Politics and Pulpit” program several days after approving a February 27 meeting-room reservation for the event. CCV had described the program as “a discussion of what the Bible teaches regarding involvement by Christians, pastors, and churches in politics” as well as “the current status of the law regarding political involvement by Christians, pastors, and churches.” Six days before the program was to take place, library Director Ann Moore had written CCV to request that the scheduled program not include “a time of prayer petitioning God for guidance . . . and singing praise and giving thanks to God for
the freedom we have in this country to participate in the political process” to comply with UAPL’s meeting-room policy barring “inherent elements of religious service.” CCV filed suit, saying its free-speech rights were violated (AL, May, p. 29–30). In his August 14 decision, U.S. District Judge George C. Smith permanently enjoined UAPL from singling out elements of a group’s program as “quintessentially religious” because such an action constitutes viewpoint discrimination. “The prayer and singing elements of plaintiff’s proposed Politics and the Pulpit event do not constitute mere religious worship, divorced from the otherwise permissible discussion elements of plaintiff’s event,” he wrote, going on to conclude, “In reaching this narrow holding, the court expresses no opinion on the constitutionality of defendant library’s policy of precluding religious services” per se. “The board has decided not to appeal the decision,” UAPL Director Ann R. Moore told American Libraries. A statement from trustees noted that Judge Smith’s ruling assures them that “permitting the plaintiff’s proposed program in a public facility that is funded by public monies would not place the library in jeopardy of violating the Establishment Clause—an underlying concern of the library when it adopted its
october 2008
customers who returned the stolen items they bought from him, pay a $56,000 confession of judgment to the Department of Education, and forfeit the items seized as well as his private book collection. Lorello, who earned roughly $70,000 annually in his former position, confessed in January that he stole the items to pay for household repairs and his daughter’s $10,000 credit card bill.
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A former archivist pleaded guilty August 6 to stealing more than $50,000 worth of historic documents and artifacts from the New York State Library and Archives in Albany, which he then sold on the internet or at collectors’ shows. Daniel D. Lorello admitted stealing more than 1,600 items from the archives during his employment as an archives and records management specialist with the state Department of Education from January 1997 until he was arrested in January 2008 (AL, Mar., p. 22). Lorello has since been fired from his state position and is expected to be sentenced to up to six years in prison on October 1, according to the August 6 Troy Record. He will also pay $73,000 in restitution to
Lawrence (Kans.) Public Library Director Bruce Flanders contemplates his lunch of barbecued mealworms August 20 as he prepares to keep the promise he made to 2,200 “Catch the Reading Bug” participants this summer. “I’d do almost anything to get people to read,” he said in the August 21 Lawrence Journal World of his bet that the children would not read enough books to extend a paper-chain of ants around the library. Some 30 youngsters witnessed Flanders digging in; one tried a mealworm and found it “crunchy and disgusting.”
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Archivist Pleads Guilty To State Library Thefts
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lic sentiment to her side.” He noted, however, that because of the case, the community expressed its support for the library on the issues of theft and censorship. Karkos’s efforts also failed to make the title unavailable for borrowing in Lewiston. An August 29 city press release noted: “The library now has four copies of the same book, all donated by others, instead of the one that existed, [and Karkos’s] right to use the public library has been suspended and will remain so until such time that she complies with the order.” The Lewiston Sun Journal reported September 6 that the fine was paid by Doug Taylor, a local minister who has previously held protests against the Harry Potter books (American Libraries Online, June 23, 2003).
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NEWS | U.S. & International
meeting-room policy prohibiting religious services.â&#x20AC;?
J. K. Rowling Wins Copyright Fight
A U.S. district court ruled September 8 that Michigan publisher RDR Books could not proceed with the print publication of The Harry Potter Lexicon, a 400-page reference work by former school librarian Steven Vander Ark based on the website he created in 2000. In addition to ordering a permanent injunction barring the bookâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s publication, Judge Robert P. Patterson awarded the minimum damages of $750 for each of the seriesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; seven novels and Rowlingâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s two companion booksâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;a total of $6,750â&#x20AC;&#x201D;to Rowling and Warner Brothers, which is in the midst of filming the final three movies based on the Potter series.
The decision does not affect the continued availability of Vander Arkâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s online reference guide. Some five months after unsuccessfully urging the parties to the lawsuit to settle out of court (AL, June/July, p. 32â&#x20AC;&#x201C;34), Judge Patterson wrote that Vander Arkâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s lexicon â&#x20AC;&#x153;appropriates too much of Rowlingâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s creative work for its purposes as a reference guide.â&#x20AC;? However, he also ruled that â&#x20AC;&#x153;while the lexicon, in its current state, is not a fair use of the Harry Potter works, reference works that share the lexiconâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s purpose of aiding readers of literature generally should be Âencouraged rather than stifled.â&#x20AC;? In a statement made after the ruling was released, RDR Books said it was encouraged by the courtâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s recognition â&#x20AC;&#x153;that as a general matter authors do not have the right to stop the
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publication of reference guides and companion books about literary works.â&#x20AC;? The publishing company added that it was â&#x20AC;&#x153;considering all of its optionsâ&#x20AC;? including an appeal; RDR Publisher Robert D. Rapoport told the September 9 Muskegon Chronicle that he was also weighing whether to use Judge Pattersonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s ruling as a guide for bringing Vander Arkâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s manuscript into copyright compliance. â&#x20AC;&#x153;It was a question of law over a difference of opinion and, in a way, Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m glad itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s finally over,â&#x20AC;? Lexicon creator Vander Ark told the September 9 Grand Rapids Press. He spoke to the newspaper from England, where he moved last year to research and photograph British sites referenced in the Harry Potter series for a 256-page travel book scheduled for release in October by Methuen Publishing.
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cup o’ tea, love? Patented in 1902, this brass and copper “teasmade” is on display at the British Library’s “Weird and Wonderful Gadgets and Inventions” exhibit, which features early examples of technology being harnessed for everyday use. When the device’s alarm clock rang, it forced one lever to push another, causing a match to strike and light an oil fire, heating a water kettle. When the water boiled, it was automatically poured into a nearby teapot: Presto, tea’s made! The show runs through November 10.
The U.S. Department of Justice revealed September 3 that the content of a library internet search was among the pieces of evidence leading to the August 30 arrest of a Michigan man for allegedly plotting to disrupt the 2008 Republican National Convention with Molotov cocktails. However, FBI agents pursuing the case never sought investigative assis-
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FBI: Suspect Surfed for Bomb Info at Library
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The Hartford, Connecticut, city council broke into cheers September 9 at the announcement that two state legislators had persuaded the leaders of the state house and senate to give Hartford Public Library one-time donations of $100,000 apiece from their respective $2-million contingency funds to reopen the Blue Hills and Mark Twain branches as of September 15. “I’m thrilled, I’m thrilled because we seemed to be at an impasse,” Hartford Public Library board President Geraldine Sullivan said in
million from its FY2009 budget to make up for declining federal and state support. The September 4 board meeting also brought trustees the news that Louise Blalock was retiring as director at the end of 2008 after 15 years at the library’s helm. “I’ve had a great run,” Blalock e-mailed American Libraries, emphasizing that the timing was unrelated to the tumultuous year the library has had. “I love a challenge and believe it is always an opportunity,” she added. “I have great faith the library will fulfill its mission; the people want their library.” As if to prove Blalock’s point, community organizer Terese Walker of the Blue Hills Civic Association told the September 10 Courant, “We need to set something in place with the budget [because] in Hartford, Connecticut, we’re not going to have libraries that are shut down.”
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Shuttered Branches Get Second Reprieve
the September 10 Hartford Courant. “This is a way that gives everybody time to reassess how the city wants to fund the library, and at what level, and how we’re going to proceed.” “It was to me a no-brainer,” House Speaker James Amann (D-Milford) told the Courant of his decision. “The kind of activities that occur at a library are the things we want to see young people involved in,” state Sen. Eric Coleman (D-Hartford) told the newspaper, expressing frustration that library services were cut even as “there were young people on the street shooting at one another”—a reference to dozens of violent incidents that have plagued the city this year. Shuttered since July 3 (AL, Sept., p. 20), the two libraries had been on the verge of reopening August 25 with an emergency $200,000 restoration to the library budget until Mayor Eddie Perez refused to approve the funds transfer because the city council had not specified from what municipal budget line the money would come. The deadlock escalated September 4 when the board proposed a compromise that would entail the library accepting $50,000 from the city council provided that city officials not force HPL to find the other $150,000 it needed in its already-strapped budget. Later that same day, the mayor’s office announced that Hartford had to cut $8
american libraries
Stating that she “took no pleasure at all in bringing legal action,” Rowling said in a prepared statement that she “went to court to uphold the right of authors everywhere to protect their own original work.” Another product of the case is the creation earlier this year of the Right to Write Fund within the University of New England’s Center for Ethics in Action as a repository and clearinghouse of information about issues that authors and publishers encounter as works move between print, film, fine arts, and new media. The organization, whose president is RDR Books Publisher Roger D. Rapoport, has also pledged to make pro bono counsel available to recipients of cease-anddesist letters and lawsuits.
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NEWS | U.S. & International tance from any staff members at Hennepin County (Minn.) Library, where the suspect allegedly sought information on how to make more effective bombs. HCL spokesperson Stacy Opitz confirmed to American Libraries that the FBI did not approach the library to request information on the suspect’s internet session there. Nonetheless, the statement from DOJ’s Minneapolis office details how Matthew Bradley
DePalma, 23, allegedly “went to the Hennepin County Library on August 18 and spent 90 minutes researching recipes for explosive devices. DePalma produced a handwritten list of items he would need to construct special Molotov cocktails that would stick to people and other targets.” “It is our policy to not disclose information without a warrant,” Opitz asserted, stating that the library “has no idea” how the federal agents ob-
tained details about the content of DePalma’s internet search. However, according to the FBI affidavit submitted August 29 to the U.S. District Court in Minneapolis, a warrant was unnecessary: DePalma was accompanied to the library by a confidential source who first met him in July at the CrimeThinc Convergence meeting (held to plan disrupting the RNC) and who feigned friendship to observe DePalma. z
Global Reach UNITED KINGDOM
1
1 A public inquiry has ruled 2 4 3 against Oxford University’s 5 6 plans for its world-famous Bodleian Library. The university, which hoped to build a £29-million depository at Osney Mead to house 8 million books, said the ruling was a “great disappointment.” The project was approved by councilors in a narrow vote last year, but it was put on hold when critics said the building would ruin Oxford’s skyline.— BBC News, Sept. 10.
GERMANY
2
Peter McCallum, associate professor in musicology at the University of Sydney, Australia, believes he has discovered Beethoven’s final piano composition. The 32 bars of handwritten musical notation caught his eye when he was studying the composer’s last sketchbook in the Berlin State Library in 2006. McCallum said he believed the piece was written in October 1826, a few months before Beethoven died in March 1827.—Sydney (Australia) Morning Herald, Sept. 5. 3
The world’s largest monastery library, in Admont, Austria, reopened in mid-August after four years of restoration work that have restored its rococo splendor. The Benedictine Admont Abbey’s ornate library, itself the size of a cathedral, was built in 1776 to designs by architect Joseph Hüber. The restoration, which cost 6 million euros ($8.9 million) and was partially funded by the European Union, involved the entire library, from the walls to the artwork and the windows.—Agence France-Presse, Aug. 17.
CZECH REPUBLIC
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Culture Minister Václav JehliČka dismissed National Library Director Vlastimil Ježek September 9 over the planned construction of a new library building in Prague designed by Czech-born British architect Jan Kaplický. Ježek was an avid supporter of the design, which critics have called a “blob” or an “octopus.” However,
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ITALY
5
Cardinal Raffaele Farina, prefect of the Vatican Library in Rome since 1997, said August 15 that the library’s ongoing restoration will include construction of a fireproof bunker to store rare manuscripts and a climate-controlled room for precious papyrus fragments. In addition, the library is reclaiming as a reading room the finely decorated Sistine Hall, which has been used in recent times for Vatican Museum exhibits. The work will be completed in 2010.—Catholic News Service, Aug. 15.
ISRAEL
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A 215-year-old Jewish manuscript discovered missing a decade ago will be returned by the German library where it surfaced. Israeli Embassy officials are currently arranging the manuscript’s transfer from the German National Library in Berlin back to Israel, said Avigdor Levin, the top cultural official at the Tel Aviv municipality. A 1998 inventory check at the city’s Rambam Library revealed that the one-of-a-kind manuscript was missing. Titled The Book of the Levite’s Worship, it is a treatise on Jewish law written by Rabbi Israel Judah Reisz in 1793.—Associated Press, Sept. 9; Haaretz (Tel Aviv), Sept. 9.
AUSTRALIA
7
The National Library of Australia is celebrating 40 years since the opening of its iconic building in Canberra. Director-General Jan Fullerton said the building, with its Parthenon-like columns, is one of the city’s landmarks. But in mid-August, a public accounts committee suggested NLA may have to cut 45 jobs over the next four years if budget pressures do not ease.—ABC News, Aug. 25.
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AUSTRIA
Jehlička said that the plan was “at variance with the law” and could neither begin at the site chosen nor on time. But Ježek countered the next day that he had found another site for the library and did not understand the reason for his dismissal.—Prague Daily Monitor, Sept. 10.
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Special Report | NEWS
Alaska College’s Shutdown Threatens Historic Collections no room to add additional materials, noting, “We can’t fit anything else in and still allow air to circulate.” About once a month the group met to sort through the library’s materials, a task complicated by a lack of access to the catalog following removal of the campus servers. Blackson said the most valuable tool was a typewritten catalog of the historical collections that had been prepared for James Michener when he was researching his 1988 novel Alaska at the library. However, the monthly sessions ended when the college hired a new firm to manage the campus in July. Blackson said she was able to return to the library for the first time in several months on August 19, and “the only thing I can say is, it’s just awful.” The ceiling is leaking where the historical collections had been previously located, she said, adding that the humidity in the building is “unbelievable” and “the whole place smells musty.”
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The college’s board of trustees has appointed a ninemember library advisory group comprising librarians and community members, which has recommended that the Andrews collection be given to Sitka’s Kettleson Memorial Library. However, Blackson said the trustees, who hope to reopen the school, are reluctant to relinquish any of the holdings, feeling that “the Stratton Library is the last jewel in our crown.” At the August 12 trustees meeting, the local consortium, the Sitka Library Network, proposed that it be allowed to develop a plan for long-term dispersal of the collection. The first step would be to apply for grants to inventory the holdings; local libraries could then request items that are not in their collections. If the college were to reopen, the materials would be returned. The trustees approved the proposal in principle, but stopped short of putting it into effect by removing the word “implement,” Blackson said. Blackson, who is now working as librarian at Sitka High School, fears that time is of the essence: “I don’t feel that anything that is unique or of historical significance should remain in the building much longer.” She observed that the college is at least $7 million in debt, with no revenue stream other than rental on a few of the buildings, and it cost more than $27,000 to heat the building in FY2006; since then, she noted, fuel costs have doubled. —G.F.
october 2008
Reluctant to relinquish
american libraries
W
hen Sheldon Jackson College in Sitka, Alaska, shut down its operations last year, among the many logistical questions was what to do with the 48,000 items held by its Stratton Library. The oldest institution of higher education in the state, the 130-year-old school abruptly dismissed its 100 faculty and staff on June 29, 2007, following years of financial troubles. Ginny Norris Blackson had been library director for less than a year when the closing was announced. Agreeing to serve as a paid consultant to deal with protection of the collection, Blackson’s immediate concern was the fragile collection of 923 plate-glass negatives by turn-of-the20th-century photographer E. W. Merrill, which she arranged to be loaned to the National Park Service. Blackson then turned her attention to the print materials, particularly the collection of some 1,000 rare and firstedition books about Alaska from the personal library of customs official C. L. Andrews. Although she told American Libraries that summertime temperatures in the region can drop into the 40s, she wasn’t able to negotiate the restoration of heat to the building until October. By this time, the college had voided her consultant agreement, but she was allowed In December 2007, to continue on a volunteer basis. over 20 community volunteers and Alaska Blackson and a group of State Library staffers around 20 librarians, museum inventoried and packed the Sheldon workers, and other concerned Jackson archives and individuals began moving the historical collections, then relocated them to most valuable materials to a seca safer room within the ond-floor conference room that building. was far away from water pipes that could freeze and break. Libraries and archives across the state donated 300 Hollinger boxes and acid-free backing paper and other archival supplies, and a dehumidifier was installed in the room in late October 2007. About 5,000 items are currently being stored in the conference room, including all the historical collections and the college’s archives, as well as paintings formerly housed in other campus buildings. However, Blackson said, there’s
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NEWS | Special Report
IFLA Conference Showcases Québecois French Culture
october 2008
| american libraries
change.” Said Lux, “Our network within IFLA and the network of library associations in the individual countries are the guarantee for the further development of information Honors and greetings services through libraries, to imKicking off an elaborate opening prove the lives of people throughout session, Canadian Governor Gener- the world.” al Michaëlle Jean welcomed the delAmid great pomp and circumegates to the 400th anniversary stance, Ismail Serageldin received celebration of the an honorary doctorfounding of Québec City. “When people ate from Laval UniDelivered in French, her versity for his understand speech was a heartfelt leadership as director paean to libraries as an of the Bibliotheca Althe world of antidote to the “forces of exandrina in Egypt opportunity they destruction and oppo(AL, Aug. 2007, p. can find through nents of liberty” that 26–27). Robed faculty threaten civilization. members from Laval computers and “Libraries, big or small, University filed onto the internet, they virtual or traditional, the stage to present are inspired to have a unique role,” she the honor. Known to said, “through the dilearn 21st-century many as “the most versity of their services technology skills.” intelligent man in and collections.” Her Egypt,” Serageldin —Victor Arredondo, speech echoed the conserves in an advisory Mexico’s Vasconcelos ference theme, “Licapacity to a number Program braries without Borders: of academic, reNavigating towards search, and scientific Global Understanding.” organizations internationally and Preceded by a performance by has been the recipient of 21 other First Nations dancers, the governor honorary degrees. general’s speech, and words of welThe 2008 winner of the Access to come from organizing committee Learning Award is the Vasconcelos Chair Claude Bonnelly and repreProgram in Mexico’s Veracruz state. sentatives of Québec government The $1-million award honors the were interspersed with dancing, po- organization’s innovative efforts to etry, and a pair of Inuit throat singconnect the public to information ers, leading to a keynote speech by and knowledge through free access author Dany Laferrière. IFLA Presi- to computers, the internet, and dent Claudia Lux of Germany delivtraining. William H. Gates Sr. was in ered her presidential address, Québec to present the award, and he calling the conference “a great optalked about his son Bill Gates’s portunity for more professional exphilanthropic objectives and dedi-
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Claude Bonnelly, IFLA local organizing committee chair, greets delegates at the conference opening.
linda Gates Foundation. The major conference programs are conducted in seven languages, with live simultaneous interpretation.
Photo: Yves Tessier
C
anada played host to the 74th World Library and Information Congress of the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA), which convened August 10 in Québec. The annual IFLA conference is the largest and most diverse international gathering of library and information science professionals in the world. The five-day conference offered more than 3,280 delegates from 150 nations an opportunity to meet colleagues from around the globe, to hone their skills at 224 sessions, and to enjoy the cultural offerings of the host city. IFLA also served as a backdrop for the announcement of the annual $1-million Access to Learning Award by the Bill and Me-
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Beacher Wiggins of the Library of Congress (right) talks with delegates, including ALA Publishing head Don Chatham (left), about the launch of Resource Description and Access (RDA).
cept the award. “Many of the communities we visit are initially hesitant to embrace information technology, but we remove this barrier by tailoring our programs to meet local economic, health, and educational needs, and ensuring our approach aligns with the indigenous cultures in which we work.” Deborah Jacobs, the foundation’s newly appointed deputy director for global libraries and former Seattle Public Library director, hosted the award presentation. The Access to Learning Award, now in its ninth year, recognizes the innovative efforts of libraries and similar organizations outside the United States in providing free access to computers and the internet.
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OCLC CEO Jay Jordan announced the Jay Jordan IFLA/OCLC Fellows for 2009—six library and information professionals from Armenia, Kenya, Pakistan, Serbia, Uganda, and Zambia. OCLC recently renamed the award in Jordan’s honor because of his commitment to its continuance. Australian librarian Ros Dorsman picked up first place in the IFLA International Marketing Award, sponsored by Emerald Group Publishing. Dorsman won for a classroom partnership involving homework help for students in the Central West Librar-
october 2008
Good work rewarded
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people need via bus, with top-ofthe-line equipment and a skilled, dedicated staff. When Vasconcelos visits a community, it opens up new worlds of opportunity.” Created and managed by Victor Arredondo, Veracruz secretary of public education, Vasconcelos targets communities where state and federal authorities have provided computers in public spaces such as schools and community centers but the equipment remains underused because residents lack basic computer skills. A bus and training team spend up to two weeks in each village providing computer literacy and other training to people of all ages. Prior to each visit, Vasconcelos works with local leaders to make sure the training meets each community’s needs and identifies support so the centers can continue these services. Since 2005, Vasconcelos’s fleet of 24 all-terrain vehicles—each equipped with computers, satellite internet connections, and a team of experienced trainers—has supported more than 120,000 people in more than 200 communities. “When people understand the world of opportunity they can find through computers and the internet, they are inspired to learn 21st-century Native American dancers were among the diverse technology skills,” said Arrecultural performances presented at the opening sesssion of the IFLA conference in Québec. dondo, in Québec City to ac-
cation to libraries, while praising the strong support the Vasconcelos Program receives from the government of Veracruz. The organization is being rewarded for bringing library services to rural, indigenous communities using all-terrain vehicles equipped with technology classrooms. Microsoft will also contribute to the Vasconcelos Program by providing software and a technology training curriculum through its applicable programs. “Veracruz is a rural state. Its towns and villages are poor and remote. There isn’t enough electricity or equipment or money or staff to make sure that every one of them can maintain a good library with computers and internet access,” said Gates Sr., “so the Vasconcelos Program delivers all the resources
american libraries
IFLA opening ceremonies included the awarding of an honorary doctorate from Québec’s Laval University to Ismail Serageldin (center), director of Egypt’s Bibliotheca Alexandrina.
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NEWS | Special Report
ies service area in New South Wales. The Shawky Salem Conference Attendance Grant for 2008 was awarded to Mahmoud Khalifa, a cataloger at the Library of Congress Cairo Office in Egypt. Plenary session speakers included French-born artist, sociologist, and philosopher Hervé Fischer; Herman Pabbruwe, CEO of Brill Publishing in the Netherlands; and James Bartleman, Canadian diplomat and member of the Chippewas of Mnjikaning First Nation. Fischer began by showing photographs of new national libraries around the world and praising government investment in both digitization and monumental buildings. While defending the eternal value of books, he also decried the notion that private companies such as Google somehow represent an evil threat to libraries. Fischer admitted, however, that “I prefer the dust of library shelves to digital dust.” Pabbruwe talked about his 325-year-old company’s work in preserving the record of the world’s languages, many of which, particularly those of small indigenous populations, are threatened with extinction by the globalization of media. Bartleman talked passionately about his childhood as the offspring of Native American mother
Nepal, and one each from Nigeria, and white father, for whom disPakistan, and South Africa were also crimination and poverty never turned away. The August 9 Toronto meant despair Star reported that Citizenship and Loriene Roy, American Library Immigration Canada spokesperson Association immediate past presiDanielle Norris said that with more dent, keynoted a session called “Inthan 3,200 participants, only 13 outdigenous Knowledge: Language, right rejections means “they did very Culture, and Information Technolowell.” Claudia Lux said the governgy.” Along with another ALA past ment had “expressed regret.” president, Barbara Ford, and VeronLux also introduced Jennefer da Pitchford of the Urban Libraries Nicholson, who will replace Lor as Council, Lesley Farmer of California IFLA secretary-general in SeptemState University at Long Beach, Miber. The former executive director of chele M. Reid of North Dakota State the Australian Library and InformaUniversity in Fargo, Lori Driscoll of tion Association said she was looking the University of Florida in Gainesforward to leveraging the “intellectuville, and delegates from the U.K. al capital” of IFLA’s membership. and Canada, she participated in “IFLA is what it is and who it is be“Women, Information, and Librarcause of its members and partners,” ies,” a discussion group focusing on she said. “empowering women professionals The conference also marked the to lead in the information society.” release of Reaching Out: Innovations At an August 11 press conference, in Canadian Libraries, from Library IFLA Headquarters Secretary-General Peter Lor explained the circumand Archives Canada and the Bibliothèque et Archives Nationales du stances surrounding what became Québec. the major downside of the conferThe surprise announcement that ence—the refusal of Canada to grant San Juan, Puerto Rico, had been sevisas to 27 delegates, 13 of whom lected as the site of IFLA 2011 brought were ultimately turned away despite the conference to a close, along with the federation’s attempts to interinvitations to attend IFLA 2009 in vene. Among those denied entry was Fariborz Khosravi, deputy director of Milan, Italy, and 2010 in Brisbane, —L.K. the National Library of Iran. Five Co- Australia. lombians, two delegates Learn more about IFLA at www.ifla.org each from Egypt and
@
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Indigenous emphasis
IFLA President Claudia Lux (right) watches the opening ceremonies with Canadian dignitaries, including Governor General Michaëlle Jean (center).
Photos: Yves Tessier
Representing the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, William H. Gates Sr. chats with Access to Learning Award winner Victor Arredondo, founder of the Vasconcelos Program in Mexico.
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Interview | News
NEWSMAKER: Kay Ryan
L
ibrarian of Congress James Billington announced July 17 that Kay Ryan had been appointed as the library’s 16th poet laureate, for 2008–09. Ryan is scheduled to open LC’s annual literary series this month with a reading from her work. In making the announcement, Billington called Ryan “a distinctive and original voice within the rich variety of contemporary American poetry.” She is the author of seven books, including Niagara River, published in 2005 by Grove Press. American Libraries caught up with Ryan by telephone August 27. Librarians are “my favorite group of people,” she said, noting that her family had “moved to the Mojave Desert” when she was going into the 7th grade and the public library in Rosamond, California, “was my sanctuary that first summer.”
kay ryan: My partner, Carol, and I
How did you react? I said I would never do it, but actually Carol changed my mind. She said, “You’ve got to do it. You can’t say no to that.”
Any special projects that you’ll be
What should they read? They should
working on for the Library of Con-
read widely and almost randomly. When we only follow our own tastes or our own inclinations, we further narrow ourselves. If we just keep reading in the area that we like, we get more and more limited. I like the random.
gress? It’s so strange that the poet
laureate is suddenly asked to do outreach when what makes poetry is a lifetime of dedication to in-reach! Doesn’t it mean many speaking engagements? That part I’m ready for.
How do you see the role of librar-
Figuring out some kind of project is leaving me somewhat baffled, but I’m glad to read my poems in public, and I’m glad to have an opportunity to do it widely.
ians in society? Librarians are earth
What does the role mean to you? A
terrific stamp of approval. I think [former poet laureate] Billy Collins called it the opportunity to wear the
Who are your favorite writers, the ones you go back to again and again? I love to read Joseph Brodsky.
angels. They’re my favorite group of people. I cannot think of another profession in which the professional delight is to satisfy your curiosity, to help you in whatever direction you’re going. Librarians really welcome you. You aren’t an interruption, you really are the job itself. z
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Photo: Jane Hirshfield
had just come back from the Aspen Ideas Festival in Colorado where I had been reading, and there was a message on my phone from Dr. Billington at the Library of Congress, and he asked me to call him at home. Well, that was fairly alarming, but I didn’t have any overdue books! Knowing something about how this is decided, I thought this can’t be anything other than the laureateship or he would not have asked me to call him at home.
october 2008
poet laureate?
yellow jersey, like from the Tour de France. The poet gets to take a lap in the yellow jersey, so it’s kind of like a victory lap. It’s a big prize, a big honor. It’s what Gertrude Stein would have called la gloire. It’s glory, and my poor, starved animal self was very happy to take it.
trying to write? My lifetime advice is don’t listen to advice, and don’t pay much attention to the opinions of others for a long time. For me, it’s very important that I satisfy myself. Beginning writers are dangerously vulnerable to the opinions of others. I wouldn’t even advise people to take creative writing classes. Instead, they should do an awful lot of reading.
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out that you had been selected to be
Do you give advice to others who are
american libraries
American Libraries: How did you find
I love the bracing quality of ferocious aesthetes like Vladimir Nabokov. I love to read Italo Calvino’s essays more than his fiction. I love to read Jorge Luis Borges. In terms of poetry, I have a weakness for Stevie Smith. She’s really my secret passion. I love to read Philip Larkin. I’m a great admirer of Robert Frost, of course, and I love Gerard Manley Hopkins, John Donne, and well, okay, I love Emily Dickinson.
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Technology | News
Preserving Bush Websites
T
he Library of Congress, the California Digital Library, the University of North Texas Libraries, the Internet Archive, and the U.S. Government Printing Office announced August 14 a collaborative project to preserve public U.S. government websites of the current presidential administration, which ends January 19, 2009. Intended to document federal agencies’ online archives during the transition of government, the partnership will also enhance the existing collections of the five partner institutions. As part of the collaboration, the Internet Archive will undertake a comprehensive crawl of the .gov domain. The Library of Congress has been preserving congressional websites on a monthly basis since December 2003 and will focus on the further development of this archive. The University of North Texas and the California Digital Library will focus on in-depth crawls of specific government agencies.
Katrina lessons online The Library of Congress added a “Learning from Katrina” section to its Emergency Preparedness website August 29, the third anniversary of the hurricane striking New Orleans. “Learning from Katrina,” available at www.loc.gov/preserv/emergprep/ katrinarespond.html, contains interviews with 10 conservators who volunteered in recovery efforts in which they share their experiences and suggest best practices. Net neutrality in brief Opposing Views, a debate site that presents contrasting expert viewpoints on a variety of topics, has turned its attention to the net neutrality debate. The site’s “Should the Government Regulate Net Neutrality” page features “Yes” arguments from Save the Internet, the Open Internet Coali-
tion, and Public Knowledge, and “No” arguments from the Cato Institute and Hands Off the Internet. The participants have the ability to post their own arguments and make counterpoints and objections to other arguments. Readers can rate debates and add their own comments.
Ebrary additions Ebrary announced August 25 the addition of e-books from 14 publishers to its e-content platform. The new publishers include CQ Press, Georgetown University Press, McFarland and Company, and the International Monetary Fund.
Open-source tutorials At the Mashable blog July 30, Cameron Chapman assembled more than 20 video tutorials on four popular opensource programs: the Linux operating system, Gimp photo-editing
at play
Preloaded digital audiobooks from Playaway are now available for borrowing at Newport News (Va.) Public Library System. Patrons receive batteries with the loan but supply their own headphones/earphones or purchase earbuds for $1. With no tapes or CDs, each unit can hold up to 80 hours of preloaded content, and the check-out period is 14 days. Half the size of a deck of cards, Playaways make it convenient for library users to listen to a book on the go.
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Tech News in Brief
The collaboration will involve government information specialists—including librarians, political and social science researchers, and academics—to assist in the selection and prioritization of websites to be included, as well as in identifying the frequency and depth of the collecting. The Government Printing Office will lend expertise, as will libraries in its Federal Depository Library Program. A tool has been designed by the project team and developed by the University of North Texas to facilitate the collaborative work of these specialists. “Digital government information is considered at risk, with an estimated life span of 44 days for a website. This collection will provide a historical record of value to the American people,” said Director of Program Management Martha Anderson of LC’s National Digital Information Infrastructure and Preservation Program. Visit www.loc.gov/webcapture and other partner websites for more details about the project.
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program, Open Office productivity software, and Nvu HTML editor. The skills covered in the tutorials include creating hand-drawn sketch effects in Gimp, installing Ubuntu Linux on a PC, and creating a pdf from Open Office.
Presenting onlineâ&#x20AC;&#x201A; AuthorStream, where users can upload PowerPoint presentations for viewing, embedding in blogs or networks, or distributing to iTunes or YouTube, has introduced the Present Live feature. Present Live enables real-time presentations; when the presenter clicks through the presentation, all attendees will see the next slide. Presenters can contact attendees via VoIP applications or telephone conference calls. Digitized steelâ&#x20AC;&#x201A; The Institute of Museum and Library Services
awarded Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh a $600,000 National Leadership Demonstration grant September 2 to allow the library to digitally preserve more than 400,000 pages of historic materials related to the iron and steel industry and make them available to the public. Some of the materials in the â&#x20AC;&#x153;Legacy of Iron and Steelâ&#x20AC;? collection date to the 1800s, and nearly 20% are too fragile to handle. The digitized collection will incorporate social networking software to allow users to comment on and share their stories about items.
Out-of-print, on-demandâ&#x20AC;&#x201A; The University of Michigan has installed an Espresso Book Machine that prints books on demand, the Ann Arbor News reported September 3. The libraryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s on-demand offerings include out-of-copyright works
from sources like the Internet Archive, as well as 1.5 million books already digitized as part of the Google Books Library Projectâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;a figure that will increase to 7.5 million volumes when the scanning is complete in about three years.
Web 2.0â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s bombsâ&#x20AC;&#x201A; In â&#x20AC;&#x153;Web 2.0â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Most Ridiculous Sites,â&#x20AC;? PC World identifies 14 of the least worthwhile examples of the social websites that, as author Robert Luhn writes, have â&#x20AC;&#x153;impenetrableâ&#x20AC;? missions, solve problems that have â&#x20AC;&#x153;been solved a million times already or didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t need solving in the first place,â&#x20AC;? and have names that â&#x20AC;&#x153;love the letter â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;râ&#x20AC;&#x2122; but eschew vowelsâ&#x20AC;? or are â&#x20AC;&#x153;a refugee from â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Jabberwockyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;.â&#x20AC;? Called out are Blipprâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Tweet-sized media reviews, YubNubâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s command complexity, Plurkâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s extraordinary vapidness, and Denodoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s buzzwordtasticity.â&#x20AC;&#x201A; z
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TECHNOLOGY | Internet Librarian
Beyond the Barriers A quest for real-time gold
kill television” story, and even a papers but also old-new phenomena “fiddle with your IP address to make (remember Netscape?). That’s not the blocking software think you’re fickleness, it’s choice. We embrace in Brazil” story. what we like and what works for us, For our purposes, this is first of all and vehicle and format are often less a “where stuff comes from and how relevant. we get it” story. That’s familiar terriPeople are always ahead of the tory: Over the last curve, because couple of dethey are the People are always cades, we’ve dealt curve. They won’t ahead of the with the shift act in the precise curve, because from subscripunison of the tions to licensing; they are the curve. Chinese drumconsolidation in mers, but each in many important their own myriad supplier industries; and, conversely, way reinforces what OCLC told us in the rise of open access and open ’03: content over containers. source alternatives in several venues Libraries’ agility in recognizing and and the injection of entirely new understanding these trends becomes realms of forms, genres, and delivery ever more critical as companies condevices, all of which we have to at least solidate and formats expand. attend to in serving our clientele. Our strongest and irreplaceable advantage lies in our proximity to our communities. Know them; enFit to be untied gage them, wherever they are; and Which leads to part two, the “instibe part of the curve. tutions figuring it out” story. A My typical quadrennial postwoman in Arkansas said in the Times, “In the age of the internet . . . partum lull will be even more profound this year; these were the last why be tied to a TV? [Networks] no games that CBC had rights to, so longer have the same viewer mounless I can figure out how to get a nopoly they had 30 years ago—why subscription to CTV between now don’t they see that?” Why indeed? and 2010, I’m left to NBC’s tender Quite simply, they can’t. Institumercies. I’ll be one of those destions (TV networks, publishers, governments, libraries) that under- perate scroungers—unless, of course, somebody in Vancouver stand their clientele’s interests and hears my plaintive cries . . . but needs and preferences will thrive; that’s another story. z others will suffer the consequences of their slow-footedness. People are often portrayed as fick- Joseph Janes is associate dean in the Information School of the University of le, because of their lack of loyalty not Washington in Seattle. Send ideas to only to traditional media like newsintlib@ischool.washington.edu.
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B
eeeeeeeeep. Alarm. 4:50. Predawn. Downstairs. Coffee. Eyes . . . opening . . . slowly. Countdown. 2,008 drummers, thousands more dancers, singers, athletes from all around the world, a couple of speeches, a flying gymnast lighting the torch, and the unsettling feeling that it can’t possibly only be 9 o’clock. This is a story of the indomitable human spirit. Not of the amputee South African marathon swimmer or the Togolese bronze-medal kayaker, but of the thousands of ordinary Americans desperate to see the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games in Beijing—gasp—as it was happening. On August 8 (or 08.08.08; was there a virgule shortage?), those unlucky enough not to have the Canadian broadcast available (Merci, CBC!) were scrambling on the internet to find a live feed. This quest, arguably the first event of the Beijing Games, made the front page of the New York Times. It began a cat-and-mouse game between these dedicated fans and NBC, who, as owners of the exclusive U.S. broadcast rights, got YouTube to pull foreign videos and tried to plug other holes in streaming media to prevent early viewing. The network itself planned to provide over 2,200 hours of live streaming coverage, up from two hours at the 2006 Winter Olympics in Torino. There’s an “information wants to be free” story here, and a “timeshifting by VCR/TiVo/DVR didn’t
by Joseph Janes
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9/18/2008 3:19:22 PM
In Practice | TECHNOLOGY
Our New Website Is a Blog
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MEREDITH FARKAS is head of instructional initiatives and liaison to the social sciences at Norwich University in Northfield, Vermont. She blogs at Information Wants to Be Free and created Library Success: A Best Practices Wiki. Contact her at librarysuccess@gmail.com.
october 2008
to the Cascading Style Sheets (CSS), or a library can design its own theme. As a result, Wordpress library websites range from the simple to the polished. Few online visitors would guess that Troy (N.Y.) Public Library’s sleek site (thetroylibrary.org) was developed with blog software. Some organizations supporting rural libraries have found that Wordpress is a great tool to enable web development in geographically remote areas. Utah State Library and BCR have teamed up to offer Website-in-a-Box (utahlibraries.org), which has helped rural library directors create websites in a single day using Wordpress. The State Library of Kansas and the Kansas Regional Library Systems offer a similar program, which is called My Kansas Library on the Web (mykansaslibrary.org). While there are many other tools for managing web content (some of which I plan to discuss in American Libraries’ November and December issues), Wordpress is simple software that’s easy to install and use, and is also a familiar interface for many who blog. Wordpress puts control of web content into the hands of librarians regardless of their tech savvy, enablng them to make their websites dynamic representations of their libraries. z
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eeping a website curwikis, and open-source content rent and engaging can management systems to manage be a challenge for a their website content. This makes it library without techeasy for all staff members to add and savvy staff members. Many small update web content in their areas of libraries have websites whose responsibility without needing to content hasn’t changed in months know HTML. (if not years), meaning that their Wordpress (wordpress.org) is a events and displays go unnoticed popular free, open-source blogging by those who aren’t frequent visi- platform that is used by many librartors. Often, ians in their the librarpersonal and These days, if you can ians aren’t professional use a word processing happy with lives. Many the library’s libraries have program, you can current web Wordpress create web content. presence, blogs that they but feel use to keep powerless to fix things because their patrons up to date with what’s they have no one with web design new at the library, to share knowlskills on staff to update the site. edge, and to solicit feedback. Many new technologies have While Wordpress was developed for reduced the barriers for adding conblogging, some libraries use it as a tent to the Web. These days, if you can content management system for their use a word processing program, you entire website. The software allows can create web content. This is mainly for the creation and management of due to the creation of WYSIWYG ediblog posts and static pages, meaning tors. WYSIWYG stands for What You that libraries can use it to post both See Is What You Get, and means that timely and permanent content. For instead of having to understand how instance, Park County (Wyo.) Library to format text online, you can format System (parkcountylibrary.org) has text at the click of a button. So just like news content on its front page, with in your usual word processing prolinks to static pages on the top and gram, you’ll see buttons for centering side. text, making it bold, inserting URLs, But just because your site uses and more. WYSIWYG editors can be blog software doesn’t mean it has to found on many popular social techlook like a blog. Wordpress has hunnologies such as blogs and wikis. dreds of themes created by talented users of the application. Choosing a 2.0 website solutions different theme allows the library to An increasing number of libraries change its website’s look. Themes are starting to use tools like blogs, can be modified by making changes
by Meredith Farkas
american libraries
Using Wordpress for content management
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9/18/2008 3:20:02 PM
OPINION | Public Perception
How the World Sees Us “If you are of the view that book reading in a public library is nothing but a tryst with dust and worms, think again.” News item on plans for a new state library in Chennai, Tamil Nadu State, India, Times of India, Aug. 14.
“Think of the library system as something akin to the open-source movement before software. Subsidized institutions buy books, subscribe to journals and proprietary databases, and pay people to help you find ‘stuff,’ all essentially at no cost to you. . . . While you may not get instant gratification from a library, and few if any are really cutting-edge when it comes to their use of web technologies, there is something to be said for the diversity and quality of information they provide you in your daily development tasks.” WILLIAM HICKS, Digital Web Magazine, Aug. 12.
“Is Long Beach at war with the printed word and books? I have great love for
“The actors in The Breakfast Club are now the age of the parents of the very teens J. C. Penney is attempting to attract. Who really wants to dance in a school library with their parents?”
public libraries and received my education there. It was in the library stacks I discovered centuries of human thought and mined those stacks for mind-expanding experiBlogger STEVE HALL criticizing the clothing giant’s television ences to fuel my writing. ads featuring teens reenacting famous scenes from the 1985 There the great authors John Hughes film, AdRants, July 24. were standing shoulder to shoulder on the library shelves just waiting for me to discover Eliot and his poem, ‘The Love Song of J. them.” Author RAY BRADBURY decrying Alfred Prufrock.’ ‘They should come into the pending closure of the Long Beach (Cathe library and use our services,’ library lif.) Public Library’s main library, Long Beach spokeswoman Suzanne Thinnes said.” Press-Telegram, Aug. 5.
Report regarding the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh, WTAE ABC-TV, July 28.
“The biggest of libraries is wonderful, and a source I will still use, what with on- “This plump high priestess had obviously line renewal and a large maximum limit not been chosen for her beauty. Her of checked-out material. However, the black Cleopatra wig was a quarter turn smallest of libraries also has its place. from center, and she would have looked Yes, it’s a quieter place and doesn’t better in wool, patrolling the stacks in a make as big a splash, but it reminds me library.” Description of Miss Cornelia Chippendale, a high priestess of the dark side of that any place treasuring thoughts and the underworld as portrayed in Billy Bones: ideas is a place to be reA Tale from the Secrets Closet by CHRISTOvered, respected, and above all, visited on a regular basis.” PHER LINCOLN (Little, Brown, 2008). Writer SANDRA MILLER-LOUDEN, reflecting on her experience at the small Salisbury (Pa.) Public Library, Pittsburgh Tri-
Posted August 20 by Harrod on Bar-Toons, a blog featuring a daily comic drawn on the back of a bar napkin.
“Unusual graffiti was found written on parts of the library on Forbes Avenue on Monday morning . . . . ‘I wish I were a pair of ragged claws scuttling across the floors of silent seas,’ said a note on a wall, attributed to J. Alfred Prufrock. Instead of crediting Prufrock, the quote should have been attributed to T. S.
McCARTHY (Knopf, 2006).
z
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bune-Review, Aug. 3.
“Years later he’d stood in the charred ruins of a library where blackened books lay in pools of water. Shelves tipped over. Some rage at the lies arranged in their thousands row on row. He picked up one of the books and thumbed through the heavy bloated pages. He’d not have thought the value of the smallest thing predicated on a world to come. It surprised him. That the space which these things occupied was itself an expectation. He let the book fall and took a last look around and made his way out into the cold gray light.” The Road by CORMAC
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9/19/2008 11:48:48 AM
On My Mind | OPINION
The Not-So-Dark Side
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As a result, the library network in which I worked became consumed by exhausting exercises designed to justify its value to the corporation. The library limped along until the tech bubble burst in 2000. Two years ago, when I became a victim of the corporate ax, I asked myself where an unemployed corporate librarian goes in a changing marketplace. As part of my downsizing pack-
october 2008
The bubble and the ax
challenges that they face. The skills age, I worked with a career counsel- required to conduct a good referor who encouraged me to explore ence interview are put to the test alternate careers. I never thought to as I assess the situation and offer work as a library vendor, but at the solutions to streamline resource suggestion of a vendor contact apmanagement. To identify trends plied for a position at the subscripand new business opportunities, a tion and database firm EBSCO. summary of each visit is logged for In my last few years as a tradifurther review. tional librarian, my library strugExcellent communication skills gled with an are required because identity crisis. library vendors serve I have found The word many masters with a new place “library” became competing goals. In to utilize the the “information addition to servcenter” and MLS ing library clients, library skills researchers were the vendor must I’ve acquired. replaced with forge partnerships MBAs or lowerwith publishers and paid paraprofessionals. Titles were library consortiums. Serving the changed from “librarian” to “inforconflicting needs of both sets of mation analyst” or “information re- clients often puts the vendor in a searcher.” I wondered when the precarious balancing act—much the words “library” and “librarian” had way a library director must strive to become outlawed and the MLS deplease library users requesting more gree no longer a source of pride. materials and the library funder My attitude soon changed when watching the bottom line. This balEBSCO stressed that they were speancing act requires diplomacy and a cifically looking for someone with deep understanding of the needs of an MLS degree. (The firm employs both sets of clients. more than 130 MLS librarians in In summary, if you find yourself sales, training, and other adminisat a career crossroad, don’t panic, trative positions.) After years of and be open to pursue every ophaving my degree questioned and portunity that comes your way. I scrutinized, it felt wonderful to be now look back at the downsizing appreciated. as a positive experience because it forced me to try something that I Skills are transferable never would have considered and I have found a new place to utilize that I have found to be a challenging the library skills I’ve acquired. and wonderful experience. z As an account services manager, LAURIE McFADDEN is an e-resource account I regularly visit with my library services manager for EBSCO Information clients and listen to the issues and Services’ regional office in Tenafly, New Jersey.
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I
t is hard to believe how much the profession has changed in the 17 years since I got my MLS degree. In the late 1980s, I pursued the degree in part because of an article in a popular magazine that listed corporate librarians as one of the fastest-growing professions in the coming decade. Before I even completed school, I had landed a job in one of the largest and most prestigious corporate library networks in the country. I planned to stay there until I retired: The work was challenging, the benefits were great, and I loved the interaction with my professional colleagues. I was so addicted to libraries that I spent one weekend a month working at the reference desk at my local public library. But by the mid-1990s, the profession as I knew it was changed forever with the introduction of the internet and the notion that all information was readily available to end users for free.
by Laurie McFadden
american libraries
An out-of-work librarian becomes a vendor
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9/18/2008 3:21:00 PM
Cruel
to Be
Kind Why do we keep unproductive employees? by Miriam Pollack
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ave you ever worked in an organization where: The materials aren’t shelved for a week? Some employees cannot handle rush times at a service desk so they are only given desk time during “slow” periods? The organization provides a service that patrons do not use, but the service continues because it is a pet project of the director? The organization keeps making the same mistakes, not learning from earlier problems? Some employees provide poor customer service but nothing is done about it?
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What do we need to do? We in libraries need to learn to look at the needs of our clientele and our organizations, and understand how to best meet our goals and serve our patrons. Do our cur-
| american libraries
mentally healthy administrator is able to value all comments from his or her patrons, understanding that those who are willing to share criticism are offering a valuable gift. In my experience, I have observed three types of organizations: n Those that meet the needs of those we are supposed to serve: An organization where each person does his or her job successfully—where each person’s job matches his or her skills and talents. There is an emphasis on vision, mission, and those that we are supposed to be serving. n Those that meet the needs of the director or person in power: Individuals are kept in the organization because they are yes-persons to self-absorbed or confrontation-averse directors who use the organization to meet their own needs for power or recognition. n Those that meet the needs of a dysfunctional system or the collective neuroses of the staff: Individuals do not or cannot perform the functions of their jobs, and no one is doing anything about it. Duties are taken over by those able to do so, thereby overworking competent staff. We allow those individuals to remain in their jobs, stressing other workers and bringing down the morale of departments or the organization as a whole. In my first career, I was a special-education teacher working with multiply-handicapped children and adults. I believe that all organizations should consider employing such individuals. However, because of this background, I understand the importance of placing individuals in appropriate jobs. Placing people in jobs for which they do not have the aptitudes or skills is not kind. It harms the individual and the organization.
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We often hear that the most valuable resources of the library—the staff— go home at night. This is true. Most people who work in libraries are dedicated individuals who love library work. They care about libraries and librarianship; in fact, they have a passion for it. You will never find a group of professionals so willing to share their ideas and resources—so willing to help others succeed. We take care of others and want to make everyone happy. We are also very open to many types of personalities, lifestyles, interests, and styles of communication. Therefore, we often enjoy and accommodate the eccentric person—the person with peculiarities. However, often our best qualities can work against us and become our worst traits. We are a group of people with very little You’ve gotta be tolerance for conflict. We would rather be Cruel to be kind in the right measure, miserable and live with Cruel to be kind it’s a very good sign, a difficult employee Cruel to be kind means that I love you, than face the problem. As managers, we neBaby, you’ve gotta be cruel to be kind. glect our responsibili—Nick Lowe ties to do so. Jobs are reorganized around the work that someone wants to do or can do. We aid the problem employee in being dysfunctional and enable incompetence. Whether that person can or will not buy certain library materials, work with certain patrons, or carry his or her weight at a public service desk, we don’t seem to be able to assist the organization by training, moving, or eliminating the employee. I have always believed that 85% of good management is about good mental health. The healthy manager understands the difference between personal and organizational issues and does not take everything personally. Teams are used effectively, and individual success is seen as success for the organization and does not threaten any group or individual. What happens in the library is about the organization as a whole, not about one person on the staff or board. In addition, a
october 2008
85% of good management is about good mental health.
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rent programs and services help us accomplish our mission and vision? Do we have the appropriate staff with the appropriate skills? Do we employ appropriate individuals or those who should have been fired years ago? Deal with conflict. Library directors and all staff in management positions need to develop the skills to deal with conflict—to have those “essential conversations.” We have to learn to manage unpleasant situations and people. We also have to gain some comfort with having people who work for us be angry. Any leader who makes a difference in an organization is going to anger someone. If everyone thinks you are wonderful, you are probably not doing your job. Train managers. All managers and supervisors need to be trained in two important areas: How to hire appropriate employees and how to conduct disciplinary conversations with their staff when necessary. According to Joan Levey, project coordinator for Chicago Public Library, we ask the wrong questions during interviews. We need interviewees to demonstrate or at least provide examples of the strengths they claim and also describe the strengths of the other people with whom they worked. If you are hiring someone for a managerial job, ask the applicants to explain how they form, motivate, and keep team members. How do they create a positive environment and motivate and cultivate the strengths of their team? Regardless of the position, make sure interviewers explain exactly what the job duties and responsibilities are, and ask questions that allow them to determine an interviewee’s potential for this job or another in the same career path. Assist staff members in getting help or with moving on. Often, our staff members need assistance dealing with psychological and social issues. We are not psychologists or social workers, and we need to direct those individuals to appropriate professionals. If your organization is a member of an Employee Assistance Program, encourage the use of that service. Unproductive employees need to recognize that they are not performing their job well or are causing problems for other staff members. Coaching those
staff members to other positions or out of the library can be a good move. But also be careful about asking each manager to coach without the necessary training; a good manager is not necessarily a good coach. A manager has to understand the skills and talents of each employee and cultivate and motivate staff to deliver the best it is they can do.
Create healthy organizations Nancy Cunningham’s wonderful LIScareer.com article, “In Search of an Emotionally Healthy Library” (www .liscareer.com/cunningham_eiq.htm), identifies characteristics of emotionally healthy libraries, including: n Positive attitude toward library’s patrons n Visible respect for all staff at all levels n Decision-making process is open and shared n Criteria for decision-making is grounded in fairness and commitment to mission n Meetings in general are well-organized, wellfacilitated, focused, and appropriate n Committees are well-structured, and both professionals and paraprofessionals have opportunities to chair committees n Constructive criticism from stakeholder groups is responded to appropriately and in a timely fashion n Mechanisms exist to celebrate everyone’s contribution n All staff are included in planning n Managers at all levels work together and share the same vision n Ongoing training for all levels of library staff n Socializing is inclusive and open To determine how healthy a library is, Cunningham suggests asking how well information is shared, how decisions and crises are handled, what the turnover rate is, how long the library administration has been in place, and what the director’s relationship with the staff is like. We have to make sure that our organizations are focused on providing the services our mission dictates. As professionals, it is our duty to deal with conflict, give honest feedback, and do the most we can to make sure we have the right people in the right positions. z
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We would rather be miserable and live with a difficult employee than face the problem.
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9/18/2008 3:21:56 PM
ALA’s first National Gaming Day @ your library
• Receive donated games • Compete in a national videogame tournament • Help set a boardgame record
Visit www.icanhaz.com/ngd for more details and register your library for National Gaming Day!
© 2008 Hasbro
Untitled-5 1
© 2008 Wizards of the Coast
09/17/2008 11:49:58 AM
Libraries Connect by Peggy Barber and Linda Wallace
Site visits to 63 public libraries reveal the power of technology on staff and users
Communities A
n elderly African-American woman researches her family tree online at her public library.
Nearby, a retired physician, on break from his parttime job, checks the status of his investments.
At 10 a.m. on a weekday, all but one of the adult computer stations are occupied in a medium-size urban library located in an old school house. Such scenes were typical during our visits to public libraries for the Public Library Funding and Technology Access Study. Now in its second year, the study documents the proliferation of information technology in libraries
and gathers the only data available on technology expenditures. It is conducted by the American Library Association and the Information Use Management and Policy Institute at Florida State University, with funding from ALA and the Bill and Melinda
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An immigrant from Pakistan corresponds with journalists in his home country.
Gates Foundation. The report includes results of a national survey of public libraries and of an questionnaire sent annually to the Chief Officers of State Library Agencies (COSLA). As part of the study, we made site visits to 63 public libraries in eight states—Delaware, Maryland, New York, Nevada, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Utah, and Virginia. The libraries—a mix of urban, suburban, and rural—employ varying levels of information technology. Scenes such as the ones above constantly amazed us both with the numbers and diversity of people served and the multitude of uses powered by technology. Altogether we conducted focus groups and interviews with some 500 library employees, trustees, and users. What we saw and heard was remarkably consistent and brings the survey findings to life in a way that numbers alone can’t.
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Getting an up-close look at how successful library administrators and boards deal with technology issues reinforces many tried-and-true techniques. n Have a plan. A director in Virginia has established a technology committee with community representatives to develop a technology plan tied to the library’s mission and with priorities for implementation. “The better plan we have the easier it’s going to be for us to sell this to the county government as an essential component.”
n Use research. More than one director told us that customer-satisfaction surveys gave them the ammunition they needed to convince their governing boards and/ or voters to support a funding increase.
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n Build and mobilize a strong network of supporters. A Delaware Friends group has mobilized many of its 269 dues-paying members to serve as liaisons to other community groups and “take the library everywhere.” Many trustees have become activists and enjoy it. “I tell anyone and everyone that the library is the best thing.”
october 2008
n Treat your local government like a customer. Several library directors stressed the importance of building relationships with governing bodies outside of the annual budget review. Some libraries provide orientation tours for newly elected officials, conduct Internet training, host thank-you luncheons, and partner on programs. A Virginia library develops and hosts websites for city and county governments.
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people.” Some staff estimated they that technology has become a selling spend up to 80% of their time on point for the library. “In terms of my troubleshooting technology and budget pitch, the library was always teaching people how to use it. Helpthought of as a 9-to-5 operation, but ing people perform tasks such as I can clearly walk in there and give filling out a job application can conthem the calendar of the week and say, sume several hours and involve ‘This is our 24-hour, seven-day-a-week teaching such basic tasks as setting cycle of activities, and we’re seeing over up an e -mail account. “People are 1,600 people a day.’ I challenge any overwhelmed. Having staff nearby is county commissioner to find another critical.” county agency that serves that many Everywhere we went, frontline people a day—walk-in, as well as vir- staff expressed concerns about their tual users.” technical skills (or lack thereof). They Even before the latest economic said people expect more, better, and downturn, most directors antici- faster service, and they count on library pated flat or declining revenues staff to be technology experts. Most due to growing resistance to taxes libraries rely on staff training proand government budget vided by state libraries deficits. Hiring is at a and vendors, but some try virtual standstill. Our The impact of to offer more. A library interviews confirmed technology on system in Virginia sends that many libraries are its IT staff out to do trainlibrary staff increasingly turning to ings in branches over grants, fundraising, and cannot be doughnuts or lunch. A gifts to supplement pub- overestimated. Maryland library records lic financing. One small its training sessions and library in a rapidly growedits them into smaller ing rural-suburban area established pieces focused on specific procedures a foundation that raised $600,000 for staff to view on the library’s intra—designated for technology—in its net when they feel the need. first year. A Utah library found a In an ideal world, almost every corporate sponsor to fund its online library director would like at least one reference services. dedicated IT person on staff. Libraries Cooperation—with other libraries, that are part of larger systems or congovernment agencies, and commu- sortia generally enjoy better (but often nity groups—is more important than not enough) tech support. Staff at ever. In North Carolina, public small, independent libraries say it is libraries banded together to provide not unusual for them to call on library downloadable audiobooks at a dis- users (especially teens), friends, and counted price. A Utah library director spouses for help. Computer classes are convinced a county IT department to offered only if there is a staff person give him laptops that were scheduled who feels capable and is willing to to be discarded. A computer user teach. If that person leaves, the classgroup helped a small Nevada library es end. Many of these libraries do not install wireless. have technology plans or computer The impact of technology on library replacement schedules. Directors of staff cannot be overestimated. “Our libraries large and small expressed a world is revolutionized,” said one. “We need for a higher level of expertise in provide so much more service than before identifying future trends and needs. we had computers.” A head of reference “How do we push to the next level while observed, “It’s changing how we define keeping things running on the floor?” is reference work. We’re about teaching how one Maryland director put it.
american libraries
What staff told us Most directors told us
What Works
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What the public told us
Our site visits included interviews with about 300 computer users. At some libraries, we saw lines of people waiting to get in; most headed straight for the computers. Most of those we interviewed— about two-thirds—said they use library computers once a week or more, some of them daily. Many said computers are the primary reason they come to the library. Not surprisingly, people at libraries with more and newer computers expressed a higher level of satisfaction with their experience, but users at less–well-equipped libraries also expressed strong satisfaction. Many people told us they learned everything they know about computers at the library and expressed great appreciation for the help they received. Everyone agreed it is important, even essential, for libraries to provide public access computing. “I can’t think
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the American g department of
WorldCat Local at the University of Washington Libraries Library Technology Reports Vol. 44:6
on Libraries
ctober 44:7
NOW AVAILABLE FROM ALA TechSource By Jennifer L. Ward, Steve Shadle, and Pam Mofjeld
the Intersections” Update: Broadening Guide, “Gaming and Libraries Development Specialist and Strategy by Jenny Levine, Internet n, Chicago, IL American Library Associatio
il 3
of anything more important. This is the most said they also use library computers for entertainment, including way of the world.” People in poorer communities playing games, following sports, or focused more on economics (“It’s social networking. Our interviews with users conimportant for people like me who can’t afford computers”), while users in firmed that job-seeking and starting/ running a business is a more-affluent areas talkmajor activity—one that ed more about education/ reinforces the imporresearch (“Computers are What we saw tance of libraries in ecomore important than books and heard nomic development. today”) and the library as Even entry-level jobs for a quiet, convenient place brings the casinos and supermarto go (“Some of us don’t survey findings kets often require online w a n t c o m p u t e r s a t to life in a way applications. home”). One library director Most adults over age 30 that numbers shared a story about a told us they use library alone can’t. man who developed the computers mainly to ebusiness plan for his mail friends and family, catch up on the news, look for work, multi-million-dollar company at the download tax forms, and research library. E-government—dealing with personal interests such as genealogy, health, and travel. While almost all agencies like Social Security, state students work on school assignments, employment commissions, the IRS,
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interviewed said they had internet connections at home. They gave a variety of reasons for using computers at the library, such as liking the atmosphere or wanting to get out of the house; not having to compete with other family members to use the computer; a faster connection at the library; their equipment is broken; it is convenient to their work; or the availability of help.
What next? The last decade has been one of the most exciting and challenging in library history. In 1996, only 28% of Americaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s public libraries offered public access computing; by 2000 almost 95% provided free public internet service. In the last four years, the number of libraries offering wireless has tripled. There has been a not-so-quiet revolution in libraries, but it is far from over. We came away from our site
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55
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visits greatly impressed by the creativity, foresight, and determination with which many library managers address the day-to-day challenges of connecting their communities. We also saw that many of the challenges are ongoing. Providing the latest computers and the fastest internet connections isnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t enough: Libraries must also invest in training and technical support to help their staffs and users use technology successfully. The Public Library Funding and Technology Access Study provides data and insights to help library staff and supporters strengthen their advocacy efforts. Libraries Connect Communities: Public Library Funding and Technology Access Study, including state-bystate summary data, is available for free download at www.ala.org/ plinternetfunding. Bound copies can be purchased at the ALA Store (www .alastore.ala.org).â&#x20AC;&#x201A; z
american librariesâ&#x20AC;&#x192;
Immigration and Naturalization Service, and traffic courtâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;is another growing area of use reported by library users. Many agencies refer the public to libraries to use computers and access online forms. The libraryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s role in bridging the digital divide was evident everywhere we went. Most of those interviewedâ&#x20AC;&#x201D; 70%â&#x20AC;&#x201D;said they own computers, but about the same number (69%) said they do not have internet access at home, either because itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not available or they canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t afford it. As is true generally, people living in less-affluent communities and seniors were least likely to report having computers at home. At one urban library serving a largely low-income, African-American community, 9 of 10 people interviewed did not own a computer. The one who did was checking e-mail on his lunch hour. At libraries serving more-affluent communities, up to 90% of those we
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Hennen’s H
Amer can Publ c L brary Rat ngs
So what has changed in the stateby-state outlook over the past four years? New Mexico and Wyoming have increased their standings the most (from 42nd to 31st for New Mexico and from 22nd to 17th for Wyoming). Florida and Hawaii have fallen the most (from 38th to 41st for Hawaii and 30th to 35th for Florida). Ohio, Utah, Oregon, Washington, and Indiana have all maintained their relative positions in the top five. Mississippi, the District
2008 By Thomas J. Hennen Jr.
of Columbia, Alabama, Tennessee, and Georgia took the bottom five spots for this year’s rankings. The top 10 libraries in each servicepopulation category are listed on the accompanying chart. Ranking number one in their respective slots are six Ohio libraries: Cuyahoga County Public Library (500K), Lakewood Public Library (50K), North Canton Public Library (25K), Twinsburg Public Library (10K), Columbiana Public
Library (5K), and Grand Valley Public Library (2.5 K). The other four in the number-one slot are: Santa Clara County Library in California (250K), Naperville Public Library in Illinois (100K), Sodus Free Library in New York (1K), and Hardtner Public Library in Kansas (less than 1K). The “Year-to-Year Changes” chart (see sidebar) compares data for this edition with data from the prior (2006) edition and from the first edition
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american libraries
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october 2007
APLR 8” is how I’m dubbing this edition of Hennen’s American Public Library Ratings, as they enter their second decade. Although I have tried to avoid doing so, others have frequently called the ratings annual. But the vagaries of federal data reporting have kept that from being the case. The ratings were first published in American Libraries in 1999. “HAPLR 8” corresponds to the current year but only by happenstance.
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HAPLR 2006
Number of libraries
9,076
3.7%
-0.2%
Population
285,579,896
10.1%
1.1%
Staff FTE
136,014
15.5%
-0.1%
Collection expenditure
$1,142,839,506
35.9%
-0.8%
Total expenditure
$8,632,693,011
55.5%
4.2%
Book volumes
803,013,857
13.2%
0.4%
Periodical subscriptions
1,820,422
-1.8%
-4.2%
Hours open
35,915,538
8.5%
-2.3%
Visits
1,320,647,162
30.4%
3.0%
Reference
303,914,504
6.9%
0.7%
Circulation
2,008,090,565
22.3%
2.3%
Expenditure per capita
$30.23
41.3%
3.0%
Percent budget to materials
13.2%
-12.6%
-4.8%
Materials expend per capita
$4.00
23.5%
-1.9%
FTE staff per 1000 population
0.48
5.0%
-1.2%
Periodicals per 1000 residents
6.37
-10.8%
-5.3%
Volumes per capita
2.81
2.8%
-0.8%
Operating expend. per circulation
$4.30
27.1%
1.8%
Visits per capita
4.62
18.5%
1.8%
Book collection turnover
2.50
8.1%
2.0%
Circulation per FTE staff hour
7.10
5.9%
2.5%
Circulation per capita
7.03
11.1%
1.2%
Reference per capita
1.06
-2.9%
-0.4%
Circulation per hour open
55.91
12.7%
4.8%
Visits per hour open
36.77
20.2%
5.4%
Circulation per visit
1.52
-6.2%
-0.6%
(NCES) created its Peer Assessment Tool, the HAPLR ratings rely on six input and nine output measures, compared consistently for each population grouping. The measures are fairly traditional. I thought then, as now, that electronic resources, youth services, and building size ought to be included, but the data for these measures is simply too unreliable for consistent calculation and comparison I had hoped to publish this eighth edition of HAPLR in fall of 2007 but the release of the necessary data for FY2005 became a problem. A handoff of the statistics-reporting duty from NCES to the Institute of Museum and
Library Services had been scheduled for 2007. It appeared at that time that the late publication of FY2005 data by NCES would be followed in just a matter of months by the much earlierthan-usual publication of FY2006 data by IMLS. For that reason, I chose to skip the normal fall 2007 publication in favor of a spring 2008 set of HAPLR ratings based on the FY2006 data. Subsequent events proved that to be a bad decision, because the new IMLS data was not forthcoming. This was not the first time it became necessary to skip a year of HAPLR reports because of a delay in federal data. I had to do so back in 2004 because the FY2002 data
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HAPLR 1999
american libraries
HAPLR 2008
Data
57
(1999). Consider some of the changes. On average, for every dollar spent on operating costs, 14 cents is spent on capital. That continues a decade-plus trend of 13 to 15 cents for capital for every dollar of operating expenditures. Total operating expenditures went up 4.2% while collection expenditures declined 0.8%. Circulation continued its multiyear climb with a 2.3% rise. Visits bested the circulation with a 3% increase. Reference answers saw a 0.7% increase, a change from the declines posted in the last several years and still 6.9% ahead of the rate for the 1999 edition. The most noticeable decline was in the availability of magazine subscriptions per capita, a 4.2% drop. That is probably a testimony to continuing growth in library preference for online sources over their print counterparts. Overall, libraries have 1.9% fewer subscriptions than they did in the 1999 HAPLR edition. Back in the mid-â&#x20AC;&#x2122;70s when I went to graduate school, Wheeler and Goldhorâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s numbers represented the gold standard for library planning when they published Practical Administration of Public Libraries in 1962. It was a library school textbook for a long time thereafter. They recommended that 20% of a public library budget should go toward materials. More recently, the common wisdom has pointed to 15%. The latest data shows another in a series of continuing declines, to 13.2%. In the 1999 HAPLR edition it was 15.1%. Circulation per staff hour is up 2.5% this year and 5.9% since the first edition. Visits and circulation per hour open are up again for this edition by a whopping 20.2% and 12.7% respectively from the first edition. After adjusting for inflation since the first edition, expenditures per item circulated remain about the same at they did nearly 10 years ago. How many public or private enterprises can say that? First published two years after the National Center for Education Statistics
october 2008
YEAR-TO-YEAR CHANGES
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TOP 10 LIBRARIES IN 10 POPULATION CATEGORIES Rank 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Library Cuyahoga County Public Library Multnomah County Library Columbus Metropolitan Library Denver Public Library Baltimore County Public Library Hennepin County Library Salt Lake County Library System Public Library of Cincinnati And Hamilton County Pikes Peak Library District Montgomery County Public Libraries Santa Clara County Library Howard County Library Saint Charles City-County Library District Johnson County Library Madison Public Library Stark County District Library Lincoln City Libraries Toledo-Lucas County Public Library Allen County Public Library Chesterfield County Public Library Naperville Public Library Monroe County Public Library Santa Clara City Library Medina County District Library Arapahoe Library District St Joseph County Public Library Douglas County Libraries Middletown Public Library Salt Lake City Public Library Loudoun County Public Library Lakewood Public Library Washington-Centerville Public Library Carmel Clay Public Library Euclid Public Library Cleveland Heights-University Heights Public Library Newton Free Library Worthington Public Library Willoughby-Eastlake Public Library Wheaton Public Library Palatine Public Library District North Canton Public Library Porter Public Library Wadsworth Public Library Upper Arlington Public Library Southwest Public Libraries St Charles Public Library District Suffern Free Library Lake Oswego Public Library Elmhurst Public Library Massillon Public Library
was fatally flawed: One of the largest states in the nation failed to report any data for that year, so we skipped a year of HAPLR reports. As soon as the FY2006 data is released by IMLS, I will begin working on the next edition,
State
Score
OH OR OH CO MD MN UT OH CO MD CA MD MO KS WI OH NE OH IN VA IL IN CA OH CO IN CO OH UT VA OH OH IN OH OH MA OH OH IL IL OH OH OH OH OH IL NY OR IL OH
861 855 848 842 807 802 789 751 738 735 915 897 868 839 811 786 768 735 729 727 923 879 873 870 861 855 852 846 845 844 956 954 915 907 899 899 888 884 881 878 929 926 900 898 894 881 881 880 871 869
which I hope it will be available in the first half of 2009. For now, accept my apology that this eighth edition is a year later than I would have preferred. When I started my library career, no survey by ALAâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;or indeed any other
organizationâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;would have asked the public whether or not they thought public libraries would continue to be needed in the future. But by the turn of this millennium, it became a standard question to all those op-ed writers speculating about the internet replacing what librarians do. The 2006 American Library Association @ your library: Attitudes Toward Public Libraries Survey shows that 90% of the public says yes, they need us more than ever, the internet notwithstanding. But the scrutiny about what we do and how well we do it will continue to grow. This is one of the main reasons that in the last decade we have seen an increase in attempts at rating public libraries. The public and the profession want to know: How can we demonstrate our worth? How do we measure the results of our investment in libraries? A number of efforts have been undertaken over the past 11 years:
NCES Peer Assessment Tool The NCES established the Peer Assessment Tool in 1997. This online tool is now the responsibility of the Institute of Museum and Library Services and available at harvester.census.gov/ imls/. The tool lets library planners set parameters and come up with peer libraries that the library specifies. Although it is useful for many purposes, the learning curve is somewhat steep and the number of options and variables can be overwhelming. BIX, German Library Index In 1999, the same year that HAPLR was introduced, the Bertelsman Foundation sponsored BIX (Der Bibliotheksindex) to compare libraries in Germany. BIX uses many of the same measures as HAPLR, but there are three major differences. First, the German project is voluntary and libraries must pay to participate. Second, the project provides for measures from year to year, often called a longitudinal analysis. Third, BIX
58
american american libraries libraries
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october octOBER2008 2007
25,000
50,000
100,000
250,000
500,000
Pop
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Twinsburg Public Library Wickliffe Public Library Hays Public Library Way Public Library Rocky River Public Library Peters Township Public Library Orrville Public Library Darien Library Dover Public Library Brown Deer Public Library Columbiana Public Library Bridgeport Public Library Wright Memorial Public Library Kinsman Free Public Library New Cumberland Public Library Bristol Public Library Crestline Public Library St. Helena Public Library Lee Memorial Library Dover Town Library Grand Valley Public Library Mt. Pleasant Public Library Bell Memorial Public Library James Kennedy Public Library Yoakum County/Cecil Bickley Library Pelican Rapids Public Library Tracy Memorial Library East Palestine Memorial Public Library Ewell Free Library Falconer Public Library Sodus Free Library Flomaton Public Library Centerburg Public Library Riceville Public Library Utica Public Library District Seneca Free Library Edgerton Public Library Dike Public Library Upton County Public Library Conrad Public Library Hardtner Public Library Mary E. Tippitt Memorial Library New Woodstock Free Library Poland Public Library Washburn Public Library Raquette Lake Free Library Aquinnah Public Library Meadow Grove Public Library Silverton Public Library Clayville Library Association
the project promised to meld library data, demographic data, and even GIS (geographic information systems) information into a seamless product available to libraries for analysis and planning. I wrote at the
State
Score
OH OH KS OH OH PA OH CT OH WI OH WV OH OH PA OH OH CA NJ MA OH UT IN IA TX MN NH OH NY NY NY AL OH IA IL KS MN IA TX IA KS TN NY NY TN NY MA NE CO NY
954 937 926 917 907 900 897 895 886 885 956 926 925 921 903 902 900 887 883 881 933 921 912 910 896 894 890 886 884 881 934 929 907 902 891 890 887 880 880 880 907 895 890 888 888 887 884 878 876 874
time that the project seemed very promising, but that I was concerned that the company only let me see the prototype data as presented by the developers rather than letting me drive the product myself. (For the
|
10,000 5,000 2,500
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Library
59
Normative Data Project Before it was launched in 2005, I reviewed the Normative Data Project for American Libraries (April 2005, p. 81). Sponsored by SirsiDynix, the integrated library system vendor,
Rank
american libraries
Bibliostat Begun in 1998 and acquired by Baker and Taylor in 2000, Bibliostat Connect is a tool that provides access to national, proprietary, and local summary statistics for public library peer comparisons. Bibliostat Connect’s annual subscription prices of $300 to $4,500 are based on a subscribing library’s population. A number of states use the software for collecting annual statistics for their public libraries.
1,000
Audit Commission Reports, U.K. In 2000, Great Britain adopted national library standards, and the Audit Commission began publishing both summary annual reports of library conditions and individualized ratings of libraries. Audit Commission personnel base the reports on statistical data, long-range plans, local government commitment to the library, and a site visit. The Audit Commission is an independent body. Every library is assigned a score. The scoring chart displays performance in two dimensions. A horizontal axis shows how good the service is at present, on a scale ranging from no stars for poor to three stars for excellent. A vertical axis shows the improvement prospects over time of the service, also on a four-point scale. “Building Better Library Systems” is available at www .audit-commission.gov.uk. From the data on the website, however, the project appears to have stalled after 2001.
Pop
>1,000
ratings include employee retention as a positive measure of employee satisfaction, a factor that the U.S. data has never included. As planned, the BIX project was turned over to the German Library Association in 2005.
october 2008
TOP 10 LIBRARIES IN 10 POPULATION CATEGORIES
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information that was presented at the time, see SirsiDynixâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s February 2005 OneSource newsletter.) Alas, since the introduction of the Normative Data Project and my review, the company appears to have abandoned this very promising project.
Gannett Databaseâ&#x20AC;&#x201A; Gannett News Service released a searchable database July 17 (AL, Sept., p. 30) that compares trends affecting public library systems between 2002 and 2006. The analysis used NCES data as well as more current statistics collected directly from state library data coordinators, compared figures for about 9,200 library systems, and found that library visits increased by roughly 10% during that five-year period and circulation of materials rose by 9%. Database users can select a library system from a dropdown list of counties by state to
learn about changes in book and video circulation, number of visits, operating expenses, and the number of public-use computers. The intent is to provide newspapers in the Gannett chain with information on libraries that local newspapers can use to highlight comparative data about libraries in their media market. As I see it, the problem with the Gannett database is that it does not provide sufficient data to make broad comparative analyses of a given library to other libraries. A fair number of newspapers have already used the Gannett Library Systems Database for local newspaper articles, but comparative data and analysis are lacking because of the limitations of the product. The Gannett News Service Library Systems Database is available at data .gannettnewsservice.com/libraries/ library_start.php.
HAPLR vs. LJ Index For years, critics of HAPLR have argued that these ratings are improperly done and, in fact, should not be done at all, asserting that libraries, unique among American institutions, are just too local to be judged nationally. Recently, however, Library Journal announced that two of those critics, with backing from Bibliostat, plan to publish the â&#x20AC;&#x153;LJ Index.â&#x20AC;? They are calling it â&#x20AC;&#x153;a new ranking system that focuses more trans parently on ranking libraries based on their performance.â&#x20AC;? They say it will scrutinize â&#x20AC;&#x153;only such statistics that describe library service outputs, such as visits, circulation, public internet computer usage, and program attendance.â&#x20AC;? It will exclude â&#x20AC;&#x153;resource inputs, such as staffing levels, collection size, and revenues and expenditures.â&#x20AC;? In announcing their new ranking system in LJ, Keith Curry Lance and Ray Lyons said, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Inputs, we believe, do not mea-
/IITMRK YT [MXL XLI PEXIWX MRJSVQEXMSR XIGLRSPSK] MWRX IEW] 8LEXW [LIVI 1MGLEIP 7XITLIRW GSQIW MR %R MRWXVYGXSV MR (SQMRMGER 9RMZIVWMX]W +VEHYEXI 7GLSSP SJ 0MFVEV] ERH -RJSVQEXMSR 7GMIRGI LI LEW E OREGO JSV QEOMRK IZIR XLI QSWX GSQTPI\ GSRGITXW WMQTPI XS KVEWT ,IW [VMXXIR E LS[ XS KYMHI JSV XIGL XVEMRIVW ERH TVMHIW LMQWIPJ SR XIEGLMRK WXYHIRXW MR E GSQTIPPMRK ERH IRXIVXEMRMRK JEWLMSR ,MW ETTVSEGL§ERH (SQMRMGERW§MW ER]XLMRK FYX F] XLI FSSO
1EMR 'EQTYW ;IWX (MZMWMSR 7XVIIX 6MZIV *SVIWX -PPMRSMW
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american american libraries librariesâ&#x20AC;&#x192;â&#x20AC;&#x192;
|â&#x20AC;&#x192;â&#x20AC;&#x192;
october october2008 2007
EQE^MRK QMGLEIP
1008_Feature_Hennen.indd 60
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I read this criticism of using input measures while visiting Cuyahoga County, where that is exactly what they were doing. Cuyahoga County Library Director (and vice-president of ALA’s Public Library Association) Sari Feldman is leading her library’s push for a bond issue for operating and capital expenses. Their campaign is based, in part, on their great HAPLR scores. These are scores that include high spending and other output measures that are matched by comparably high usage (output measures). High investment equals high yield. Cuyahoga has a lot of company. Many libraries have noted that you get what you pay for as a community. Most of the time, the more a community puts into a library the more its residents receive. If that is not a message for our times, what is? HAPLR presents the balance between inputs and outputs. The LJ Index wants us to avoid the issues. But what was the
@
Learn more about HAPLR @ www.haplr-index.com.
|
Using input measures
reason again? Is it to protect libraries, taxpayers, or who exactly? Have they suppressed information to protect libraries regardless of the consequences? Or, protect libraries at the expense of information? Neither formulation looks all that good from the perspective of a respect for the free flow of information that one might expect from our profession. Lance and Lyons talk about not using the input measure of spending because some libraries in small towns don’t capture all the personnel costs. But then they want to use program attendance as a measure, even though a library may have no space to program. Now let’s have a word about those statistical and philosophical justifications for a “clean use” of just four variables: Here is what happens with statistical theory that I believe does not work in the real world of library services. Total spending by a library on a per capita basis and just the materials spending per capita almost always go together. Because that is so, the LJ Index authors would have us abandon one or the other measure. But here is where it matters in the real library world: sometimes a library has a lot of money per capita but devotes very little of it to buying materials. I continue to judge that a bad thing. Their statistics and philosophy would have us ignore it. Providing that all other things are equal, which they rarely are, and looking at things from only the big picture perspective, they might be right. But— and this is what is important—the HAPLR ratings judge things at the library level. That way, the disparity between total spending and materials spending per capita speaks, one can only say, volumes. ❚
american libraries
Lance and Lyons talk about not wanting to use funding per capita as a factor. They assert in the June 15 Library Journal that “few potential rankings users would welcome the news that their libraries topped rankings on staffing, collection size, or—least of all—funding. While such rankings should be something to brag about in an ideal world, in these tight economic times, they could invite cuts on the rationale that the library would still have ‘nothing to complain about,’ or that maintaining outputs despite input cuts (a doubtful eventuality) would represent an improvement in the library’s ‘efficiency.’ For these reasons, we chose to leave input measures out of the LJ Index” [emphasis mine].
61
sure library performance. That is why we emphasize outputs, which indicate some of the services people receive from libraries.” It will be interesting to see how the LJ Index rankings then differ from the position of those same libraries in HAPLR. A part of me wishes that I hadn’t chosen so many factors or weighted them when developing HAPLR. It certainly seems that the LJ Index will be easier to calculate—four factors as opposed to 15 and no weighting of the factors. I chose to use both input factors and output factors for HAPLR; what a community brings to the table in spending per capita, books per capita, and staffing levels matters. One also must judge some factors more important to the equation than others, but by refusing to weight factors, Lance and Lyons make all factors equal. Are the number of actual visits, circulation, electronic uses, and program attendance really equal in importance? Don’t some things we do in libraries cost more and count for more than others? Both LJ Index authors have berated me about the variations that result from using per-capita measures. They lament that when one moves from one population category to another the ratings change in HAPLR. But, as far as I can tell, the same thing will happen for the LJ Index. One is tempted to ask why what is good, or bad, for the HAPLR goose is perfectly okay for the LJ Index gander. In “The Trouble with Hennen,” published in the Nov. 15, 1999, Library Journal, Oregon State Librarian Jim Scheppke criticized the HAPLR methodology for using outputs rather than his preferred method of inputs only. We should judge libraries on what they have to offer in terms of available staffing, materials, and building size, he said. But what will he say if the LJ Index ignores those factors?
october 2008
“Many libraries have noted that you get what you pay for as a community.”
1008_Feature_Hennen.indd 61
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ALA | Special Report
Rethinking the E-Rate
W
for advanced telecommunications and information services, extending the USF’s priorities to include K–12 schools and public libraries. Thus, the birth of the e-rate. If you have ever examined your telephone bill and noticed a charge called universal service fee, you may already have a sense of how the e-rate works. Phone companies pay into the USF, creating a pool of money administered by the Universal Service Administrative Company (USAC), a not-for-profit entity established and overseen by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). The money collected is then used to provide discounts based on need to schools and libraries. These discounts are for specific goods and services broken
into two priorities—priority one includes telecommunications and internet access and priority two encompasses internal connections within a library building and basic maintenance on those connections.. It’s been five years since the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision against the American Library Association on filtering internet access on public library terminals. The fight over the Children’s Internet Protection Act, which tied e-rate eligibility and other federal money for some services to a filtering mandate, had an negative impact on e-rate participation. Four years ago, e-rate disbursements ground to a halt as the FCC was suddenly faced with a mandate forcing the program to comply with the Anti-Deficiency Act (ADA), which requires that the money related to any funding commitment, such as those made after applications are reviewed, must be in the agency’s account at the time the commitment is made rather than at the point the funds are received and invoiced. Since e-rate money is received from service providers on a rolling basis, this law immediately placed a moratorium on disbursement of funds. The quick action of supporters compelled Congress to create an 11thhour temporary ADA exemption for the e-rate and for all of the universal service support mechanisms.
Is the e-rate worth it? State e-rate coordinators Malavika Muralidharan, Arizona, and Richard Brock (center), Georgia, consult with John Noran of the Universal Services Administrative Company.
While there might be a great deal of money available to e-rate applicants, there are also a lot of challenges.
62
american libraries
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october 2008
hat is the largest source of potential federal funding for public libraries? Your first thought may naturally be the Library Services and Technology Act , a program that provided around $220 million for libraries in FY2008. But the correct answer is the Education-Rate Program, commonly known as the “e-rate,” with at least $2.25 billion per year—one of the four programs that comprise the federal Universal Services Fund (USF) that was established in the Communications Act of 1934 to equalize the cost of telephone services to underserved areas of the country. The 1996 Telecommunications Act took it a step further by adding support
by Carrie Lowe
Photos: Greg Landgraf
The pros and cons of why libraries should be tapping the largest available pot of federal dollars
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stalking horse in congressional debates. Opponents dubbed it the “Gore tax” (after Vice President Al Gore, who was instrumental in its creation) and pointed to it as an example of unnecessary government spending—a point that millions of schoolchildren and library patrons would probably dispute. Many feel that the e-rate narrowly escaped elimination during these early years. Once the dust from these debates began to settle, distressing stories about misuse of e-rate funds began to emerge. Several high-profile congressional hearings brought to light incidences of egregious fraud and abuse of funds. It is important to note that most of these problems occurred early in the program and years before the hearings took place. Regardless of the timing of the problems themselves, the hearings once again threw the program into turmoil. The result of this political upheaval was increased scrutiny of applications, more audits, and the adoption of several new program rules.
| american libraries
Though reports of political instability, bad press, and increased scrutiny have created a poor public impression of the e-rate program, what these reports fail to capture is the fact that thousands of applicants play by the rules and millions of library patrons and students benefit every year as they connect to the internet at their local library or school. So what is the truth about the political environment of the e-rate? The fact is that the program, now in its 11th year, is strong and stable. Thanks in large part to the commitment of many applicants, members of Congress have gotten the message that the e-rate is a key program that provides much-needed funding to schools and libraries. What about the myths that the erate is overly complicated and that the return on investment is too low
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Benefits abound
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Photos: Greg Landgraf
Libraries have historically faced a little for the amount of time that must number of challenges when dealing be invested, and that to participate with the program. One issue is the one must filter represent some of the complicated application process. Filcommon understanding about the ing for reimbursements of monthly program in the library community. telecommunications and internet Thousands of libraries across the services can involve over a dozen country depend on the e-rate prosteps in the application and disburse- gram and they receive millions of dolment processes—all tied to a specific lars—more than $609 million went to timeline that may not be consistent libraries in the first 10 years—to help with local purchasing and decisionmeet the need for internet access and making timelines. Also, the necessary to provide other technology-driven e-rate recordkeeping can overwhelm solutions. Applications are submitted even the most meticulous librarian. in a myriad of ways—from large conMany of the forms associated with the sortium or statewide applications to application process single applications are long and comfrom rural one“Without the e-rate, plicated, and once room libraries. In we wouldn’t be able the application is fact, the only thing filed other parts of these library applito keep pace with the process start, cants have in comthe broadband which may demand mon is that they have needs of our patrons, more time and atfigured out how to tention. crack the program particularly in poor The discount code to obtain the rural communities” that e-rate applineeded dollars to —Linda Lord, chair cants receive is support connectivity ALA’s OITP E-Rate Task Force. based on poverty in this noncompetilevels determined tive program. by eligibility for the National School So what is the truth about the eLunch Program as well as the library’s rate? Let’s consider the first myth, urban or rural location. The percentand perhaps the biggest one: A library age of students at a given school who that doesn’t filter internet access canqualify to receive a free or reduced not receive the e-rate. While it is true lunch establishes a school’s poverty that libraries who apply for e-rate level and determines the e-rate disdiscounts on internet access or intercount received. However, libraries nal connections must filter, libraries must use an average of the school that apply for e-rate discounts on any lunch numbers from across the local telecommunications services are not school district. This means that a required to filter under CIPA. Keep in library branch near a high-poverty mind that there are many big-ticket school—for example, one that reitems in this category of service, inceives an 80% discount—but is in cluding telecommunication circuits the same district as a fairly wealthy that can help a library achieve true school, perhaps at a 20% discount— broadband connectivity. ends up with a much lower discount Next, let’s probe the idea that the rate. In comments submitted to the e-rate is politically unstable to a FCC, ALA has advocated to change point where participation could repthis discount methodology. resent a significant risk. There was a moment in the program’s history Shattering myths where this might have been true, but Beliefs that the e-rate program is unno longer. Soon after the program stable, overly complicated, returns was established in 1997, it served as a
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ALA | Special Report
to bother applying? It is true that some e-rate applications are enormously long and complicated to the point where they may require fulltime work. However, these applications tend to be for large statewide or consortium programs and may return millions of dollars annually. There are thousands of small libraries that file very simple applications, such as ones to receive discounts on basic telephone services. While they may not lead to big-ticket items and broadband connectivity, the resulting funds are a steady and dependable source of money that allow these libraries some budgetary freedom to purchase other needed items. In 2005, ALA and its E-Rate Task Force filed a proposal with the FCC to simplify the program making the argument that its complexity excludes many smaller library applicants. It also pointed out that the many steps involved with the application and fund-disbursement processes can actually obscure places where fraud and abuse can take place.
Get involved
Although the ALA filing took place three years ago and the FCC has not yet acted on the suggestions, the Association continues to advocate for simplification and the FCC has indicated increased interest in taking a
fresh look at the entire USF in the coming months. Although this inquiry would not be focused specifically on the e-rate, many experts feel that the USF’s high-cost fund that supports telephone companies in rural and remote areas is badly in need of reform. Addressing this issue will likely reopen all of the programs within USF to scrutiny, including the e-rate. The simplest and most important way to get involved with the e-rate is to apply for discounts on telecommunications and internet services. The good news is that in the 11-year life of the program, every correctly submitted application for priority-one services has been funded. In fact, millions of dollars that could be going to priority-one library applicants roll over each year into priority-two funding. While there are good reasons why a local public library should participate in the e-rate at some level, it can be intimidating to get started. One good source for advice is your state library’s e-rate coordinator. For the past two years, ALA’s Office for Information Technology Policy has been working closely with state e-rate coordinators in a project
@
Stay informed: www.wo.ala.org/districtdispatch/.
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State coordinators from across the country get training in Chicago May 7 to assist libraries in applying for federal e-rate program dollars.
funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. The goal is to create a nationwide network of experts who can share ideas and support local applicants. The state coordinators meet biannually for three days of training on the e-rate application and disbursement processes and to review any program changes. The training has made a real difference for state coordinators, according to Bob Bocher, technology consultant with the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction’s Division for Libraries, Technology, and Community Learning. “We’ve observed a high turnover rate among e-rate coordinators across the country,” noted Bocher, a former chair of ALA’s E-Rate Task Force. “This, combined with the steep learning curve that erate presents, means that traditional learning opportunities may not be enough. “ If you are not at a public library or otherwise eligible for the e-rate, it is still important to be aware of the program and be ready to advocate for it when necessary. Stay abreast of the latest on the e-rate and make your voice heard when necessary, through the ALA Washington Office’s District Dispatch blog. One thing that supporters and detractors agree upon is that while it is far from a perfect program, library applicants depend on the e-rate. “Without e-rate, we wouldn’t be able to keep pace with the broadband needs of our patrons, particularly in poor rural communities,” said Linda Lord, deputy state librarian for the Maine State Library and chair of ALA’s OITP E-Rate Task Force. “While the e-rate is not yet perfect, it is absolutely necessary to help libraries and schools afford the telecommunications and related services to serve their patrons and students.” z
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09/09/2008 2:32:26 PM
People | Announcements
n The University of Cali fornia in Irvine has named Virginia Allison research librarian for visual arts. n The New Jersey State Library’s Library for the Blind and Handicapped has appointed Maria Baratta assistant director. n In June Jessica Bowdoin joined George Mason University in Fairfax, Vir ginia, as head of inter library loan and document delivery. n Amy Ciccone has been named director of collec tion development, and Bill Clintworth has been named associate dean of the Health Sciences Libraries at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles. n West Palm Beach (Fla.) Public Library has pro moted Janice L. Collins to library supervisor for technology. n K. Matthew Dames has been appointed copyright and information policy adviser at Syracuse (N.Y.) University Library. n Gail Dickinson be comes editor-in-chief of Library Media Connection effective with the January/ February 2009 issue. n George Mason Univer sity Libraries in Fairfax, Virginia, named Chris Dixon assessment, plan ning, and organizational development coordinator in June. n Jackie Dooley joined
OCLC Programs and Re search as consulting ar chivist in September. n October 24 Martín Gómez steps down as president of the Urban Libraries Council to be come director of San Ma teo County (Calif.) Library. n William A. Gosling re cently retired as curator of children’s collections at the University of Michigan Special Collections Library in Ann Arbor. n The University of West ern Ontario has appointed Adrian K. Ho scholarly communication librarian. n Karen Howell has been named head of Leavey Library and John Juricek has been named head of accounting and business libraries at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles. n Jennie Kiffmeyer be came reference and theo logical librarian at Earlham College in Rich mond, Indiana, in August. n Anne Liller has been named manager of urban branches for the Public Library of Youngstown and Mahoning County, Ohio. n Michael Madden will retire as director of Schaumburg (Ill.) Town ship District Library De cember 31. n Broward County (Fla.) Library has promoted Christopher Marhenke to manager of the new Mira
Maria Baratta
K. Matthew Dames Charles E. McMorran
mar branch. n Charles E. McMorran has been appointed direc tor of New City (N.Y.) Library. n The University of Southern California in Los Angeles has named Kevin Mulroy assistant dean for contracts and grants. n July 30 Wess-John Murdough retired as re search librarian at Krames Health and Safety Library in San Francisco. n In July Gretchen Reynolds became social sci ences liaison librarian for the Arlington, Virginia, campus of George Mason University. n Jennifer Rodrick be came youth services man ager at West Palm Beach (Fla.) Public Library Au gust 11. n Sandy Rodriguez has been named special proj ect cataloger at the Uni versity of Missouri in Kansas City. n December 31 Isabel Schon will leave Califor nia State University’s Ba rahona Center for the Study of Books in Spanish for Children and Adoles cents to become director of the Isabel Schon Inter national Center of Spanish Books for Youth at San Di
Andrea Simzak
ego Public Library. n Andrea Simzak has joined the New Jersey State Library Information Center as library associate in the reference services section. n Rachel Kuhn Stinehelfer has been appointed human resources librarian at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. n July 21 Teri R. Switzer was appointed dean of the Kraemer Family Library at the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs. n Anne Thomason be came assistant archivist at Earlham College in Rich mond, Indiana, in July. n Sara Tompson has been named associate dean of public services at the University of Southern California Libraries in Los Angeles. n Saint Louis University has appointed Kristin Vogel associate professor/ reference and government documents librarian. n Scott Warren has joined Syracuse (N.Y.) University as science and technology bibliographer. n West Palm Beach (Fla.) Public Library has named Lisa Webb assistant di rector. n Beth Filar Williams
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Currents
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Scott Warren
ber joined the ALA Library as reference librarian. n May 27 Eileen Hardy joined the Governance Office as Executive Board secretariat. n Bob Hershman, manager of operations for Marketing, retired July 25. n American Libraries Associate Editor Daniel Kraus became Books for Youth associate editor for Booklist September 8. n Liz Markel became Reference and User Services Association/Association of Specialized and Cooperative Library Agencies marketing specialist
July 7. n Kerri Price became program officer for the Office for Accreditation September 2. n Laura Tillotson has been promoted to Booklist Books for Youth editorial director. n May 19 Timothy Vollmer became information technology policy analyst for the Office for Information Technology Policy. n Booklist Books for Youth editor Stephanie Zvirin became acquisitions editor for ALA Editions in July. z
Send notices and color photographs for Currents to Greg Landgraf, glandgraf@ala.org.
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Timothy Vollmer
n Laura Dare has been promoted to assistant director for the Office for Accreditation. n Jill Davis joined ALA Editions as marketing manager May 12. n Gillian Engberg has been promoted to managing editor for Booklist Books for Youth. n Jaclyn Finneke joined the Office for Library Advocacy as communications specialist July 8. n Dan Freeman became editor for online resources in the Publishing Department May 20. n August 4 Rebecca Ger-
school system. n Gary R. Houk, 56, OCLC vice president of corporate information technology and business integration, died August 18 of cancer. Gary R. Houk n Sam Ousley, 68, library media teacher at Oakdale (Calif.) High School for 30 years, died August 21 of complications from necrotizing pancreatitis. n Allen Smith, a faculty member at Simmons College Graduate School of Library and Information Science since 1978 and 2006–07 associate dean, died August 2 after a brief illness. Smith lectured in reference, humanities, oral history, and computer programming at Simmons; prior to joining the school, he lectured at the College of Librarianship in Aberyst wyth, Wales, for almost 10 years.
october 2008
n June 23 Amanda Armstrong became development associate in the Development Office. n Alicia Babcock became conference coordinator in Conference Services June 2. n Washington Office Press Officer Andrew Bridges left ALA July 25. n Diane Buck became marketing manager for ALA Graphics June 2. n Ian Chipman has been promoted to Booklist Books for Youth associate editor. n May 27 Allison Cline became deputy executive director for the American Association of School Librarians. n June 9 Lisa Coy became development coordinator for the Development Office.
n Jack F. Bulow, 66, director of Birmingham (Ala.) Public Library from 1993 until his 2002 retirement, died August 28. Bulow joined the library in 1971 as assistant bookmobile librarian. He was a pioneer of book-bymail programs and served as president of the Alabama Library Association in 1994. n Marilyn Burstein, 77, librarian for Adath Jeshurun Congregation in Minnetonka, Minnesota, for the past 10 years, died July 10 of breast cancer. Her previous service included 20 years as librarian for the Talmud Torah School in Minneapolis. n Wilma Sowell Cravey, a librarian in the Dekalb (Ga.) School System from 1955 until her 1983 retirement, died August 13. In 1966, she became the first coordinator of educational media, with the purpose of unifying library programs throughout the
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At ALA
obituaries
american libraries
has been appointed networked information services librarian at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. n Grace Xu has been named head of the social work information center at the University of Southern California Libraries in Los Angeles. n June 16 Catherine Yanikoski became adult services manager at Des Plaines Valley (Ill.) Public Library District.
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Professional Development | Youth Matters
Feeding the Whole Child How libraries can nourish hungry stomachs and minds
people once summer comes when they get their midday meals at school from the NSLP the rest of the year. When Teitelbaum worked with José Ocadiz at SDCL’s Lincoln Acres branch, the California Nutrition Council hosted free lunches there during the summer, and the two librarians served after-school snacks to youth patrons on weekdays. After moving to the Spring Valley branch, Teitelbaum was interested in providing the same services there. “The San Diego County Library staff gave me full support as I went forward,” she said. During the school year, the library and volunteers provided after-school snacks to the first 125 students under the age of 17. Throughout the summer, the library served at least 30 lunches to young people in its community room. “Many of the children do come daily, but the lunch program has seen many new faces,” she said. Teitelbaum noted that she scheduled programs to follow meals as well as snacks. It is the sort of effort that creates its own publicity.
Word of mouth
“Word is spreading,” she told me partway through the summer. One of the 33 branches of SDCL, Spring Valley has seen “approximately double the attendance over the nexthighest branch in programs,” she explained. By summer’s end, there were indications that many of the library’s core statistics, like circulation, were rising too.
Teitelbaum believes that both the food and the library’s resources matter to area residents. “This program has been a win-win in a community that can appreciate this and all the library services,” she said. The library’s location and community dynamics play a part in attracting young users. “Spring Valley Library has always had plenty of children at the branch since moving to the new location a few years ago,” Teitelbaum explained, noting that the library is situated between an elementary school, middle school, teen center, and gymnasium. “Many of the youth come straight from school and stay for hours, so the little bit of nutritious snack they receive goes a long way,” she added. When I was last in touch with Teitelbaum in late August, the start of school was near—a time when it’s only human for youth services librarians to have wrapped up their summer programs with a collective sigh of relief. Already, though, she was considering the days ahead and next summer, too. “I will definitely be doing this as long as the state budget allows, and if we had more volunteers I would increase the daily nutrition giveaways,” she said. Providing food to area youngsters in need has energized Teitelbaum. “For myself, I find I’m helping the community, and the library benefits by giving back to the patrons.” z JENNIFER BUREK PIERCE is assistant professor of library and information science at the University of Iowa in Iowa City. Contact her at youthmatters@ala.org.
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I
n The Beet Fields: Memories of a Sixteenth Summer, one of the challenges Gary Paulsen’s anonymous 16-year-old protagonist faces is hunger. The boy, as Paulsen calls him throughout this brief and intense work, survives by completing all sorts of grueling labor, often with only the most meager of meals to sustain him. Paulsen’s protagonist has cognates in the real world, and not only because of the novel’s autobiographical nature. According to the Economic Research Service of the U.S. DepartThere were ment of Agrifree lunches culture, the National at the library School Lunch Program during the summer and after- (NSLP) serves more than 29 school snacks for million chilyouth patrons on dren each day. Jennifer weekdays the rest Teitelbaum, a of the year. librarian at the Spring Valley branch of the San Diego County (Calif.) Library, knew that area youth patrons arriving to participate in programs or to check out materials were among the faces behind those numbers. Her history with the library system and partnerships with area agencies enabled her to address a concern that experts on child nutrition and food insecurity have broached in recent years: how to continue feeding lunch to young
by Jennifer Burek Pierce
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Working Knowledge | Professional Development
Retreat! Retreat! Reviewing your priorities, in turn, can guide you toward saying no more easily and making room for those vital yeses that seem to get short shrift.
Your true values
For example, being the first to say yes to extra tasks at professional association committee meetings may be robbing you of time for your true priority—perhaps writing your book or playing with your kids. If saying no is too hard, consider taking on a smaller assignment than you normally would, thus creating time for alternative pursuits. Refocusing can give you the courage to say no to conflicting commitments while saying yes to the things that support your true values or purpose in life. z
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Are you planning to be more selective in saying yes, and to become more consistent in meeting your commitments? Write your intentions on paper. Put them in your drawer for a couple of months. When you come across the page again, see how closely your life now reflects your plan. You might be pleasantly surprised.
october 2008
WORKING WISDOM
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A
re commitments to your to me and not just trying to win the library, family, and approval of others? Am I realistic professional or social about what I can accomplish, so I do activities colliding? not let people down? Conversely, am Are you guilty of promising more I being as productive as I can be? Am than you can effectively deliver? I managing my resources (time, enI, too, have suffered the throes ergy) effectively? Is there more I of having said “yes” too many could or should do? times to worthy commitments that came too closely spaced. Head for the hills Efficiency expert David Allen, au- We all need to escape once in a while thor of Getting Things Done: The Art of to reconsider our options. Take a day, Stress-Free or just a mornProductivity Which choices support ing, for a mini(Viking, retreat to my life’s purpose and 2001), says refocus. Pack a that the best notebook (pavalues? What is the way to get per or laptop), consequence if I say more time is favorite snack, no to this? to “learn to a beverage, and say no—faster, maybe an inand to more things. . . .” spiring quote or two. Then head into A dear friend commented that, at the woods, hills, local college student a certain point, the quality of our center, coffee shop, state park, large lives is not about adding more stuff, hotel lobby, or public library in anbut about selecting what really mat- other community. ters and letting go of the rest. How Find a quiet spot to contemplate do you say no to wonderful choices? the questions above, and be sure to (Disclaimer: I am not recommendput your thoughts in writing whething saying no to your boss. That can er using paper or computer. I like to be a career-limiting move!) write down some of the questions ahead of time so my subconscious starts thinking, and my conscious Ask the right questions It is an important life skill to learn to mind knows that there is a task ahead. As a result, I have fewer disask these questions: Which choices support my life’s purpose and values? tracting thoughts during the retreat. During the few hours spent reWhat is the consequence if I say no to flecting, consider your higher-level this? Am I doing things that matter values and priorities. Include all aspects of the well-lived life: social/faMary Pergander is director of Deerfield milial, physical, professional, (Ill.) Public Library. Send comments or spiritual/religious, and intellectual. questions to working@ala.org.
by Mary Pergander
american libraries
Choosing what really matters
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Professional DEVELOPMENT | Books
Librarian’s Library A linguaphile’s delight
Indexed, 314 P., $27.95 from The Overlook Press (978-1-59020-061-2).
Teen Spirit
As readers’ advisory grows, it expands to more audiences (like teens)
The journey starts in Wales, where Crystal goes to explore English accents.
and genres (like nonfiction). Both teens and nonfiction come together in Elizabeth Fraser’s Reality Rules! A Guide to Teen Nonfiction Read-
ing Interests. The book starts out with two sections focusing on a handful of high-interest genres: adventure, true
New From ALA No Small Change Librarians are so good at making do with very little that we may think we don’t need a book called The Small Public Library Survival Guide: Thriving on Less. But author Herbert B. Landau became the director of a small public library after spending 30 years “in the executive ranks of industry,” and so he brings a different perspective to common challenges. Library leaders, Landau says, must think and behave like the small-business CEOs, adopting business strategies to gain funding, patrons, and support. Charging fees for some services, organizing benefit events like auctions or tasting tours, bartering, and writing a library column for the local paper are just a few of the many ideas he offers. Indexed, 159 P., PBK., $38, $34.20 for ALA members (978-0-8389-3575-0).
Girls Just Want to Have Tech Why is the typical techie a male? That’s the question Lesley Farmer explores in Teen Girls and Technology: What’s the Problem, What’s the Solution? Societal messages and family, social, economic, academic, and governmental pressures all play a role in turning girls off to technology by the time they get to middle school. Putting an end to the “cycle of inequity” requires the right resources and activities, as well as an understanding of how girls develop. What makes this guide especially useful is that the analysis is bolstered by lots of suggestions for projects that can be carried out in school, in the community, and at home. Indexed, 180 P., PBK., $35, $31.50 for ALA members (978-0-8389-0974-4). Order from ALA Order Fulfillment: 866-746-7252, Fax: 770-280-4144; www.alastore.ala.org.
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L
anguage lovers will be familiar with David Crystal, the man behind such books as The Stories of English (2004) and How Language Works: How Babies Babble, Words Change Meaning, and Languages Live or Die (2006). His latest book, By Hook or by Crook: A Journey in Search of English, is succinctly described as a “linguistic travelogue.” The journey starts in Wales, where Crystal goes to explore English accents in the region for the BBC. This trip is the jumping-off point for a virtual tour that extends beyond the U.K. and to such farflung places as Johannesburg, South Africa; Lodz, Poland; and Silicon Valley, California. Everywhere he goes, Crystal uncovers linguistic oddities, leading to ruminations on pub and shop names, railway signs, commemorative plaques, idioms, and the origins of words like blurb and Bovril. Deep knowledge, a keen wit, and insatiable curiosity about language make him a wonderful guide.
by Mary Ellen Quinn
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ROUSING READS
Indexed, 246 P., $48 from Libraries Unlimited (978-1-59158-563-3).
We’ve been told that teens are different in terms of what they need from libraries, and the title of Paula Brehm-Heeger’s book, Serving Urban Teens, suggests that the urban teen subset has needs distinctly its own. In fact, the urban difference lies in the library itself— systemwide coordination, multiple branches, big buildings in which teen concerns could easily get lost, and so on. This guide discusses numerous staffing and training issues, as well as how to handle the constraints of physical space, collection development, programming, and outreach, all from an urban perspective. But the basic principles of teen service are the same everywhere, as described by my favorite line from the book: “All staff serve teens.” Indexed, 229 P., PBK., $40 from Libraries Unlimited (978-1-59158-377-6). z
W
hen I was 14 years old, I saw the movie version of Truman Capote’s Breakfast at Tiffany’s and concluded that being a writer in New York was the coolest thing a person could do in life, possibly even cooler than playing center field for the Giants. The actual writing part was a little fuzzy (we only see George Peppard as Paul Varjak sitting at his typewriter a couple of times), but the perks were fantastic: hanging out in the city, going to truly wild parties where people made out in the bathtub, having Henry Mancini provide the soundtrack to your life, and, of course, living downstairs from Audrey Hepburn, who, if you were sufficiently sensitive and helped find her cat, would fall into your arms as “Moon River” played over the credits. Sign me up for the full package, please. A few years later, by which time I believed I’d become ever so worldly and cynical, I read Capote’s novella. Well, I didn’t quite finish it, for the simple reason that I wasn’t ready to let go of my vision of Paul Varjak, complete with a typewriter, a cat named Cat, and a girl called Holly Golightly. Don’t get me wrong: I knew that one never admitted to liking the movie better than the book, and I knew that George Peppard was a long way from an A-list actor, but damn it, in Capote’s story, the narrator doesn’t even have a name, so there’s no scene where Holly tries to introduce “Varjak, Paul” (just like in the card catalog) to a formidable NYPL librarian. I loved that scene in the movie, and I refused to have my breakfast at Tiffany’s without it. Flash forward about 40 years, and an advanced copy of the 50th-anniversary edition of Breakfast at Tiffany’s (Vintage) lands on my desk. Am I finally ready for a breakfast alternative? Yes I am, but surprisingly, it’s not quite as different from the film as I thought it would be. There’s no Mancini, and no romantic ending (though the ending isn’t exactly unhappy), and sadly, no “Varjak, Paul,” but there is a double serving of Holly’s voice. We remember Capote for the perfect crispness of his prose, but he could also write bravura monologues. Holly in full cry is nothing short of spectacular. There’s plenty of Capote in the movie—much of Holly’s screen dialogue comes straight from the book—but there’s more of it on the page, and it’s far saucier: “I’d rob a grave, I’d steal two-bits off a dead-man’s eyes if I thought it would contribute to the day’s enjoyment.” Don’t think for a minute, though, that I’m turning my back on Varjak, Paul. Breakfast at Tiffany’s (the movie) is still the best damn romantic fantasy about being a writer ever to hit the big screen, and I’m going to go right on lapping up that final scene in the rain with Cat, Holly, and “Moon River” like I always have. But just because I sometimes like a deliciously sweet bonbon for breakfast doesn’t mean I can’t enjoy a perfectly turned omelet when the mood is right.
Bill Ott is the editor and publisher of ALA’s Booklist.
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Mary Ellen Quinn is editor of ALA Booklist’s Reference Books Bulletin.
What’s for breakfast . . . at tiffany’s?
american libraries | october 2008
crime, and “personal stories”—memoir, autobiography, and biography. A third section includes a number of chapters on nonfiction subject interests, from history and literature to clothing, comics, and cooking. The emphasis is on recreational reading, and fiction read-alikes are helpfully provided in each chapter. This is another good addition to the publisher’s ongoing Genreflecting Advisory Series.
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SHOWCASE | New Products
Solutions and Services www.kingsley.com
www.scheduline.com Scheduline is a web-based personnel scheduling system. The system allows administrators to take factors including seniority, vacation, overtime, and special requests into account when building schedules, and it disseminates information via text message, internal e-mail, and online bulletin board. Staff members can log in from any computer to check and print their schedules or request time off or special shifts.
TekStar book returns from Kingsley are available in three models, accepting books, audiovisual materials, or both. The units feature electronic sensors that detect smoke and heat and shut down the depository in the event of fire, as well as channels that capture and divert any liquids in the book drop. The returns are constructed from 16-gauge stainless steel with flush-mounted, inward-opening, and self-closing doors.
american libraries | october 2008
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Durham Manufacturing Company offers vertical and rotary literature racks in a number of sizes for library periodical displays. The racks are manufactured of welded steel with powder-coated finish in black, blue, burgundy, tan, putty, and gray. Each pocket holds a magazine up to 150 pages thick and displays the top 2½ inches for identification.
<<<
<<< www.durhammfg.com
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>>>
www.wildamerica.com Marty Stouffer Productions has released its entire library of the Wild America nature television series. The series comprises 120 episodes and 12 one-hour specials available as a set of 24 DVDs or as downloadable video.
To have a new product considered for this section, contact Brian Searles at bsearles@ala.org.
9/19/2008 11:57:26 AM
<<< www.accessible.com Accessible Archives has released updates to two historic databases: The Liberator and African-American Newspapers: The 19th Century. The releases add issues of The Liberator, an abolitionist newspaper published between 1845 and 1855, and Frederick Douglass’ Paper, published between 1859 and 1863. Both databases are fulltext searchable.
www.flipatonce.com Flip@once converts pdf files into interactive documents or presentations with links, video, sound, and search functions. It is available as a desktop application or a pay-per-page online service.
CASE STUDY
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mary contractor for the project. “We wanted to utilize a gas-fired plant to take advantage of the lower price of natural gas. We wanted to install energy-efficient condensing equipment. Because the mechanical room was located on the building’s top floor, small, light units were a necessity.” To meet its needs, the library selected three 2.0-million BTU/hour Benchmark Boilers from Aerco. The boilers operate with minimal noise, thanks to a jacket of water that surrounds the fire-tube design of the heat exchanger. Each has a footprint of 11 square feet and offers condensing capabilities that improve efficiency by up to 12%. They also have a modulating system that adjusts heating output to the facility’s demand. The modulation also distributes the workload among three boilers, which also improves performance because they operate more efficiently The Aerco Benchmark Boiler. The John F. Kennedy at lower loads. While running at part Library and Museum in Boston has installed three load, the boilers can achieve 95% therof the units in an effort to reduce electricity and heating costs. mal efficiency.
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he John F. Kennedy Library and Museum in Boston is a 135,000-square-foot building with a nine-story, white precast-concrete tower, a glass-enclosed pavilion, and an 18,000-square-foot museum. In 2003, faced with increasing electricity costs that made operating the building’s original electric heating plant increasingly expensive, the library opted for a change. “When the library decided to overhaul the heating system, there were three major stipulations,” said Justin Harder of Frazer Engineering, the pri-
american libraries
T
october 2008
MODERNIZING HEATING FOR JFK
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NEW TITLES NOW NEW TITLESFROM NOW AVAILABLE NEW TITLESFROM NOW AVAILABLE AVAILABLE FROM
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Public Libraries and Internet Service Roles Measuring and Maximizing Internet Services Public Libraries and Internet Service Roles Measuring and Maximizing Internet Services Public Libraries and R. McClure Internet Charles Service Roles and Paul T. Jaeger Measuring and Maximizing Internet Services
Charles R. McClure and Paul T. Jaeger Public Libraries and Internet Service Roles Charles R. McClure Charles R. McClure and Paul T. Jaeger and Paul T. Jaeger Price: $65.00 | ALAand Members: $58.50 Public Libraries Internet Service Roles 120 pages | 6” x 9” |and Softcover Charles R. McClure Paul T. Jaeger ISBN: $65.00 978-0-8389-3576-7 Price: | ALAand Members: $58.50 Public Libraries Internet Service Roles 120 pages | 6” x 9” | Softcover Charles R. McClure and Paul T. Jaeger ISBN: Price: 978-0-8389-3576-7 $65.00 | ALA Members: $58.50 120 pages | 6” x 9” | Softcover Rob Reid ISBN: 978-0-8389-3576-7
More Family Storytimes Rob Reid More Family Storytimes More Family Storytimes Rob Reid
Twenty-four Creative Programs for All Ages
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JEANNETTE WOODWARD JEANNETTE WOODWARD Creating the Customer-Driven Academic Library Jeannette Woodward WOODWARD Price:JEANNETTE $58.00 ALA Members: $52.20 Creating the| Customer-Driven Academic Library 208 pagesWoodward | 6” x 9” | Softcover Jeannette ISBN: $58.00 978-0-8389-0976-8 Price: ALA Members: $52.20 Creating the| Customer-Driven Academic Library 208 pages | 6” x 9” | Softcover Jeannette Woodward ISBN: Price: 978-0-8389-0976-8 $58.00 | ALA Members: $52.20 208 pages | 6” x 9” | Softcover ISBN: 978-0-8389-0976-8
Teen Teen Spaces Teen Spaces Spaces
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The Step-by-Step Library Makeover Second Edition The Step-by-Step Library MakeoverSecond Edition Second Edition
Fundamentals of Collection Development and Management, Second Edition Peggy Johnson of Collection Development Fundamentals Price:Management, $70.00 | ALA Members: $63.00 and Second Edition 432 pages | 6” x 9” | Softcover Peggy Johnson Fundamentals of Collection Development ISBN: $70.00 978-0-8389-0972-0 Price: | ALA Members: $63.00 and Management, Second Edition 432 pages | 6” x 9” | Softcover Peggy Johnson ISBN: Price: 978-0-8389-0972-0 $70.00 | ALA Members: $63.00 Thepages Hipster 432 | 6” x Librarian’s 9” | SoftcoverGuide to ISBN: 978-0-8389-0972-0 The Hipster Librarian’s Guide to
Teen Craft Projects Teen Craft Projects Teen
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Craft Projects Tina Coleman and Peggie Llanes
Kimberly Bolan
Coleman Foreword by Tina Heather Booth and Peggie Llanes
More Family Storytimes Rob Reid Price: $45.00 ALA Members: $41.50 More Family| Storytimes 200 pages Rob Reid | 6” x 9” | Softcover ISBN: $45.00 978-0-8389-0973-7 Price: Members: $41.50 More Family| ALA Storytimes 200 pages Rob Reid | 6” x 9” | Softcover ISBN: Price: 978-0-8389-0973-7 $45.00 | ALA Members: $41.50 200 pages | 6” x 9” | Softcover ISBN: 978-0-8389-0973-7
Kimberly Bolan
Teen Spaces, Second Edition Kimberly Bolan Price: Spaces, $40.00 | ALA Members: $36.00Kimberly Bolan Teen Second Edition 176 pages | 8.5” x 11” | Softcover Kimberly Bolan ISBN: $40.00 978-0-8389-0969-0 Price: | ALA Members: $36.00 Teen Spaces, Second Edition 176 pages | 8.5” x 11” | Softcover Kimberly Bolan ISBN: Price: 978-0-8389-0969-0 $40.00 | ALA Members: $36.00 176 pages | 8.5” x 11” | Softcover ISBN: 978-0-8389-0969-0
Coleman Foreword by Tina Heather Booth The Hipster Librarian’s Guide and Peggie Llanes to Teen Craft Projects Tina Hipster Coleman Librarian’s and Peggie Llanes Foreword The Guideby Heather Booth $40.00 to Teen| ALA CraftMembers: Projects$36.00 168 pages | 8.5” 11” | Softcover Tina Coleman andx Peggie Llanes The Librarian’s Guide ISBN:Hipster 978-0-8389-0971-3 $40.00 | ALA Members: to Teen Craft Projects$36.00 168 | 8.5” 11” | Softcover Tina pages Coleman andx Peggie Llanes ISBN: $40.00978-0-8389-0971-3 | ALA Members: $36.00 168 pages | 8.5” x 11” | Softcover ISBN: 978-0-8389-0971-3
www.alastore.ala.org + toll free 866-746-7252 + fax 770-280-4155
www.alastore.ala.org + toll free 866-746-7252 + fax 770-280-4155
www.alastore.ala.org + toll free 866-746-7252 + fax 770-280-4155 Untitled-3 1
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Classifieds | PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
Career Leads from Your #1 source for job openings in Library and Information Science and Technology
Print Deadline October 6 for the November issue, which mails about November 1. Ads received after the 5th will be published as space permits through about October 15.
Contact E-mail joblist@ala.org or call 800-5452433, Jon Kartman, ext. 4211. C areer Leads, American Libraries, 50 E. Huron St., Chicago, IL 60611; fax 312-440-0901.
ACADEMIC LIBRARY
A salary range is requested for all job recruitment ads per ALA guidelines. The ALA Allied Professional Association endorses a minimum salary for professional librarians of not less than $40,000 per year. Job applicants are advised to explore “faculty rank” and “status” carefully. ALA opposes residency requirements and loyalty tests or oaths as conditions of employment. Job titles should reflect responsibilities as defined in ALA
edu. Continuous recruitment. For more information on this position visit www. uhh.hawaii.edu /uhh /hr/jobs.php. For information about UH Hilo visit www.uhh.hawaii.edu. The University of Hawai’i at Hilo is an EEO/AA Employer D/M/V/W. MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS: At rank of Librarian II: ALA-accredited MLS or international equivalent. At rank of Librarian III: ALA-accredited MLS or international equivalent; 24 post baccalaureate credits in addition to the MLS; at least 3 years of experience in public services in a college or university library. At rank of Librarian IV: ALA-accredited MLS or international equivalent; second master’s degree in a subject area in addition to the MLS, and at least 7 years of appropriate experience. Minimum qualifications for post-baccalaureate credit and years of appropriate experience for rank are non-negotiable. Pay
Billing Payment Terms: Visa, MasterCard, or American Express. If pre-approved, net 30 from invoice date. Invoice and tearsheet mailed to the advertiser following publication. Cost of ad furnished upon request.
range: Librarian II: $32,640-$49,296; Librarian III: $38,184-$58,512; Librarian IV: $43.200-$60,768. Relocation funds available when appropriate. To apply: Submit letter of application which addresses the applicant’s ability to fulfill the responsibilities of the position and how the applicant meets each minimum and desirable qualification, a current resume, a sample of professional writing, official graduate and undergraduate transcripts, three letters of recommendation from people able to address the candidate’s professional qualifications and achievements, and the names and contact information of three additional references. Interviewees will be expected to make a presentation to library faculty and staff as part of the screening process. Continuous recruitment: The position will remain open until filled; however, applications received after
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ACCESS SERVICES LIBRARIAN II, III, or IV, (Circulation/ILL/Reserves), Position No. 83826, University of Hawaii at Hilo, Hilo Hawaii. University of Hawai‘i at Hilo, Edwin H. Mookini Library, full-time, tenure-track, general funds, to begin approximately September 1, 2008 (negotiable), pending availability of funds. This position will be required to work some Saturdays, and may be required to work some evenings. This position may also need to fill-in on short notice some evenings and weekends when staff call in sick. Application address: Ms. Veronica Tarleton, Search Committee for Access Services Librarian, University of Hawai‘i at Hilo, Edwin H. Mookini Library, 200 W. Kawili Street, Hilo, HI 96720-4091. Inquiries: Ms. Veronica Tarleton, 808-974-7759, tarleton@hawaii.
Advertising Policies
personnel guidelines. ALA requires that organizations recruiting through the Association’s publications or placement services comply with ALA antidiscrimina tion policies. Policy 54.3 states that the Association “is committed to equality of opportunity for all library employees or applicants for employment, regardless of race, color, creed, sex, age, disabilities, individual life-style or national origin.” By advertising through ALA services, the orga nization agrees to comply with the policy. Ads are edited only to conform to standard style. Acceptance of an advertisement does not constitute endorsement. ALA reserves the right to refuse advertising.
october 2008
“Librarians’ Classifieds” and “ConsultantBase” are convenient and economical ad sections that put your products and services in front of more than 100,000 readers. See print ad rates above. No ALA institutional member discount. Discounts for multiple insertions: 2–5 months, 5%; 6 months or more, 10%. ConsultantBase appears in the January, April, June, and October issues.
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Consultants or Classifieds
Visit JobLIST.ala.org to establish an institutional account in order to place Webonly ads, print ads in American Libraries and C&RL News, or any combination. Print ads in American Libraries cost $7.50 per line, $5.50 for ALA institutional members. Display ads range from $125 to $2,340. Print ads may be posted on JobLIST for 60 days for an additional $75, $65 for ALA institutional members. Complete rate and size information at JobLIST.ala.org.
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Place a Job Ad
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CAREER LEADS | Academic Library
Instructional Technologies Librarian Lehman College/CUNY Lehman College/CUNY is now accepting applications for the position of Instructional Technologies Librarian. Reporting to the Coordinator of Information Literacy, the Instructional Technologies Librarian creates and implements online learning modules to support the Libraryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s active information literacy, reference and web-based learning programs. Develops and applies innovative learning technologies and resources to the instructional process, supports development of both onsite and virtual reference services, as well as enhances the library websiteâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s interactivity with multimedia tutorials and social networking tools. Provides library instruction, reference service, and collection development. REQUIRED: ALA-accredited MLS; experience in website management and architecture; demonstrated knowledge and experience with Web authoring tools (Dreamweaver, Flash), course management tools (Blackboard), graphic design tools (Photoshop, Fireworks), scripting and mark-up languages (Java, CSS, HTML and XML), with a strong commitment to outstanding public service.
Review of applications will begin Nov. 1 and will be accepted until position is ďŹ lled. Please submit letter, resume, and names and addresses of three references to: Professor Galina Letnikova, Chair, Search Committee, Leonard Lief Library. Lehman College, 250 Bedford Park Boulevard West, Bronx, New York 10468-1589; Galina.Letnikova@lehman.cuny.edu; www.lehman.edu/provost/library/. Lehman College/CUNY is an EEO/AA/ADA employer.
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,,,1 1 Committee for Hawaii Community College Librarian, University of Hawaiâ&#x20AC;&#x2DC;i at Hilo, Edwin H. Mookini Library, 200 W. Kawili Street, Hilo, HI 96720-4091. HAWAII COMMUNIT Y COLLEGE Inquiries: Ms. Veronica Tarleton, 808-974LIBRARIAN II or III, or IV, Position No. 73359, University of Hawaii at Hilo, Hilo 7759, tarleton@hawaii.edu. Continuous recruitment. For more information on Hawaii. University of Hawaiâ&#x20AC;&#x2DC;i at Hilo, this position visit www.uhh.hawaii. Edwin H. Mookini Library, full-time, edu/uhh/hr/jobs.php. For informatenure-track, general funds, to begin tion about UH Hilo visit www.uhh. approximately Sept. 1, 2008 (negohawaii.edu. The University of Hawaiâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;i at
tiable), pending availability of
funds. Hilo is an EEO/AA Employer D/M/V/W. This position will be required to work MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS: At rank of some Saturdays, and may be required to Librarian II: ALA-accredited MLS or interwork some evenings. This position may national equivalent. At rank of Librarian also need to fill-in on short notice some III: ALA-accredited MLS or international evenings and weekends when staff call equivalent; 24 post baccalaureate credits in sick. The Edwin H. Mookini Library is a in addition to the MLS; at least 3 years of shared used facility and serves both the experience in public services in a college University of Hawaii at Hilo and Hawaii or university library. At rank of Librarian Community College. Application adIV: ALA-accredited MLS or international dress: Ms. Veronica Tarleton, Search July 25, 2008, cannot be guaranteed full consideration.
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PREFERRED: Understanding of and experience with document management systems (Stellent), as well as database management systems and query languages. Familiarity with either Adobe Camtasia or Captivate. Knowledge of virtual reference, social networking strategies and Web 2.0 technologies. At least one year of academic library or professional training experience. Second Masterâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s degree is preferred and required for appointment to Assistant Professor.
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VPA002 Director of University Library Ad v02 2008-08-21
ALA
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American Libraries, the monthly magazine of the American Library Association, seeks an Associate Editor to join the editorial and production team that produces ALAâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s flagship membership magazine and associated publications, American Libraries Direct e-newsletter and American Libraries Focus videocasts. The Associate Editor will report to the Editor in Chief and will be responsible for editing and packaging feature articles, reporting and writing news and event coverage for print and online publication, supporting weekly publication of the e-newsletter, and working with freelance writers, photographers, and illustrators. QUALIFICATIONS: Minimum of 2 years editorial experience, with B.A. in journalism, English, or equivalent work experience. MLS and professional involvement preferred. Knowledge of HTML and online environment a plus. We offer an excellent benefit package that includes medical/dental, generous paid vacation, a 35-hour work week and retirement annuity. Starting salary from the high-$30sâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;negotiable based on experience. Closing date: October 15, 2008. Interested candidates should forward a cover letter and resume to: American Library Association, Human Resources Department, Ref: AssocEditorAL, 50 E. Huron St., Chicago, IL 60611; fax 312-280-5270; e-mail mpullen@ala.org. The American Library Association is an affirmative-action, equal-opportunity employer. Applications are invited from women, minorities, veterans, and people with disabilities.
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Associate Editor
American Libraries Magazine
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CAREER LEADS | Academic Library equivalent; second master’s degree in a subject area in addition to the MLS, and at least 7 years of appropriate experience. Minimum qualifications for post-baccalaureate credit and years of appropriate experience for rank are non-negotiable. Pay range: Librarian II: $32,640-$49,296; Librarian III: $38,184-$58,512; Librarian IV: $43.200-$60,768. Relocation funds available when appropriate. To apply: Submit letter of application which addresses the applicant’s ability to fulfill the responsibilities of the position and how the applicant meets each minimum and desirable qualification, a current resume, a sample of professional writing, official graduate and undergraduate transcripts, 3 letters of recommendation from people able to address the candidate’s professional qualifications and achievements, and the names and contact information of three additional references. Interviewees will be expected to make a presentation to library faculty and staff as part of the screening process. Continuous recruitment: The position will remain open until filled; however, applications received after July 25, 2008, cannot be guaranteed full consideration. REFERENCE/INSTRUCTION LIBRARIAN. Southwestern College Library in Winfield, Kansas, invites applications for a full-time, faculty status reference/ instruction position. RESPONSIBILITIES INCLUDE managing reference services; developing, teaching, and evaluating our information literacy program; and help with circulation duties. APPLICANTS MUST HAVE an MLS from an ALA-accredited program, experience in reference and instruction, demonstrated ability of providing customer service, and effective oral and written communication skills. Complete job description found at www.sckans.edu/ about/e mployment. Applications will
be accepted until position is filled. Send cover letter addressing qualifications, resume, and 3 professional references to: Southwestern College, HR Director, 100 College Street, Winfield, KS 67156 or Sue.Simmons@sckans.edu. EEO/AA.
LAW LIBRARY C ATA L O G I N G L I B R A R I A N . T h e George Washington University Law Library is reopening its search for a cataloging librarian with foreign language skills to perform original descriptive and subject cataloging and to edit shared cataloging copy for older legal materials in a variety of foreign languages. Additional information and application instructions are available on the law library’s web site, www. law.gwu.edu/Burns/About/jobs.htm. The George Washington University is an equal-opportunity, affirmative-action employer.
LIBRARY EDUCATION ASSISTANT PROFESSOR-LIBRARY SCIENCE. The University of Nebraska at Omaha invites applications for a tenure-track assistant professor in library science. The university and department have a strong commitment to achieving diversity among faculty and staff. We are particularly interested in receiving applications from members of under-represented groups and strongly encourage women and persons of color to apply for this position. DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES: Teach undergraduate and graduate courses in library science; supervise student teachers and/or practicum students in library science; participate in student advising;
public library
provide service to both urban and rural educational communities; conduct research and prepare scholarly articles. QUALIFICATIONS: Doctorate in library science or related field, ABD considered; experience in school and/or non-school library settings required; potential for or record of research and publication; and knowledge of technology teaching applications. Salary is competitive and commensurate with qualifications. Position open until filled. Anticipated start date is August 17, 2009. Complete an application on line at careers.unomaha.edu; attach a cover letter, vita and 3 references. Additional information: Contact Dr. Lana M. Danielson, Chair, Teacher Education Department, ldanielson@unomaha.edu.
PUBLIC LIBRARY LIBRARY DIRECTOR, Pulaski County, Virginia. Two-branch county library. ALA-accredited MLS and 5 years of management experience required. Starting salary: $50,000. Go to www. pulaskicounty.org for application and information. Email application/resume to rhiss@pulaskicounty.org. Application review begins December 1.
SALES LIBRARY AUTOMATION SALESPERSON. The Integrated Technology Group (ITG) is seeking outside salespersons located throughout North America to meet the demands of its quickly growing RFID, self-checkout, materials handling, PC reservation, and print control systems. Position requires experience within the library industry, either selling high end software applications to public and academic libraries or working for at least three years in library IT. Applicant must be conversant with library automated circulation and materials management systems and be prepared to travel. Compensation is commensurate with experience and includes base of $50,000+, attractive commission package, profit sharing and full benefits. Submit your resume to careers@integratedtek.com.
Monthly salary: $4,006-$5,255. Go to www.colapublib.org for job announcement and standard application. Contact Human Resources at (562) 940-8434 for interview appointment. M.L.S. required.
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LIBRARIAN I Permanent and temporary part-time librarian positions available with the County of Los Angeles Public Library. People with bilingual skills and/or interest in children services especially needed.
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Consultant base PAULA MURPHY CONSULTING Call Paula Murphy Consulting for multimedia, special collections and facilities problems; digitization and web portal projects; internet research; digital presentation and web based training; digital education initiatives; and audiovisual needs. Contact: 708-383-4591; pmurphy121@aol.com.
CONSULTANT BASE
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A ASSOCIATES INC.
Personnel staffing, records management, and consulting support for libraries and information centers.
gfield Ave., Suite 3, Summit, NJ 07901 0077 t (800)262-0070 bra.com t email: staffing@prolibra.com
Practical Consulting From strategic planning to customer service programs, our business is to help your library and the people who support it thrive, even during difficult times. 25 years of experience. Please contact us for free information. Pat Wagner, Pattern Research, Inc. POB 9100 Denver, CO 80209-0100 303-778-0880; Fax: 303-722-2680 pat@pattern.com; www.pattern.com
Library Planning Workshop S CLASSIFIEDS in London
Librarians’ Classifieds FOR SALE
WANT TO BUY CHEMICAL OR BIOLOGICAL AB STRAC TS AND OTHER SCIENCE JOURNALS. Contact: e-mail eva@ rpbs.com; 713-779-2999; fax 713779-2992.
USED STEEL LIBRARY SHELVING. 90 inches, double-faced cantilever, excellent condition. $135 per section. Jim Stitzinger, 800-321-5596; e-mail jstitz@pacbell. net; www.booksforlibraries.com.
PERIODICALS AND SERIALS JOURNALS AND BOOK COLLECTIONS WANTED. Ten years of service, work worldwide. Managed numerous projects of 100,000+ vols. Archival Resource Company, PO Box 488, Collingswood, NJ 08108; JournalSets@ Gmail.com; 800-390-1027; 215-7011853 (e-fax).
WANTED UNNEEDED LIBRARY MATERIALS AND EQUIPMENT WANTED. Books for Libraries, Inc., Jim Stitzinger, 23800 Via Irana, Valencia, CA 91355; 800-3215596; e-mail jstitz@pacbell.net.
Join Aaron Cohen Associates (ACA) on DOCTORAL PROGRAM
october 2008
For more information go to:
www.acohen.com/workshops.htm
ALL EX-LIBRARY MATERIALS WANTED, specialize in old/rare. Archival Resource Co., POB 1175, Bala Cynwyd, RARY MATERIALS PA 19004; 800-390-1027; backsets@ 79 T WANTED.1008_Leads.indd Books aol.com. Since 1995.
american libraries
june/july 2008
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for Libraries, Inc., Jim Stitzinger, 23800 Via Irana, Valencia, CA 91355; 800-3215596; e-mail jstitz@pacbell.net.
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Or contact:
Aaron Cohen Associates 159 Teatown Road Croton-on-Hudson, NY 10520 Phone 914-271-8170 Fax 914-271-2434 Website www.acohen.com
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OKS AND PERIODIBooks for Libraries, r, 23800 Via Irana, 55; 800-321-5596; ell.net.
DOCTORAL PROGRAM
american libraries
NTED
October 23, 2008, for a full day planning workshop that will help you develop a process to improve the “library as place,” learn ways to develop an adaptive organization and become aware of issues that are changing the traditional model of library services. Tour the Camden Market in London and Learn about Libraries.
9/18/2008 3:35:01 PM
COMMENTARY | Will’s World
Everyone in Their Places Nothing says welcome like an open parking space
I
Why would a
regard any other eye, and asked library invite ill arrangement as in his sternest unfair and elitist. voice, “Were will by reserving That’s why you will you thinking spaces for staff? never see a parkabout parking ing lot that desighere?” nates preferred spaces for high-end “No, sir,” I lied. “My engine vehicles and undesirable spaces for stalled. I would never think about junkers. It’s just not democratic. parking here.” Why then do some libraries invite “That’s good because otherwise I their patrons’ ill will by reserving would have had to issue you a parkspaces for some staff members? ing citation.” I felt like asking him The worst case of parking elitism about his interpretation of the First I ever saw was at a city hall lot with Amendment, but drove off instead. big red signs setting aside the seven I once had a library board presibest parking spots as: “Reserved for dent insist on having a reserved spot City Council Members Only/24 because “I put in a lot of hours here Hours Every Day/Don’t Even Think for free!” Of course, it made the othAbout Parking Here.” One day, I er trustees jealous. When his term idled near one of these designated was up, the man who expected to spaces and pondered why these succeed him called me to say, “Will, elected officials, of all people, didn’t when I get elected board chair torealize how much they’d be hated for night I expect my car to be in the these signs. special parking spot!” Suddenly, the flashing lights of a “You mean after tonight, right? police car appeared. What was John is still president until you are wrong, I worried. Expired license voted in.” plates? Faulty brake light? The offi“I mean tonight . . . the minute I cer approached and motioned for am voted in!” When he muttered me to roll down my window. He something about my job being on asked for my li- the line, I decided to take his absurcense, registra- dity seriously. But how to make the tion, and proof switch? I couldn’t have the cars of insurance. moved. That would be breaking and After verifying entering. Finally, I was hit by a that everything stroke of genius. Have someone was in order and move the sign during the meeting. there were no And that’s how I kept my job. z warrants out for my arrest, he WILL MANLEY has furnished provocative commentary on librarianship for over 25 years leaned over, “I’ll give you the signal about 8:12.” and nine books on the lighter side of library looked me in the science. Write him at wmanley7@att.net.
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n planning a library building, there are a million design details to consider, but none is more important than parking. In our auto-obsessed society, public service institutions live and die by their parking lots. You won’t learn this fact in library school but you will in the real world. Just how important is parking to patrons? My public library has two branches and a main building. All three have solid collections, wonderful programs, and excellent staffs. The main building and one of the branches have convenient and ample parking. The other branch has a tiny parking lot. I rarely go there. It is important to remember, however, that there is more to parking than the sheer number of spaces. A 1974 orange Ford Pinto has as much right to a front row parking space as a 2008 champagne-colored Mercedes Benz. Yes, certain cars carry social status, but when it comes to parking, it’s first come, first served. Visitors would
by Will Manley
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Select by yellow page heading, type of business, number of employees, SIC and NAICS, estimated sales volume & more!
has to say:
• 120 Million U.S. Households & 210 Million U.S. Residents Includes household income and home value; contains “Map It” and “Show Neighbors” features.
• Health Care Database
Do a search on over 835,000 physicians, surgeons and dentists!
• CorpTech™
95,000 high tech companies and 285,000 executives!
• 1.4 Million Canadian Businesses & 12 Million Residents Select by contact name, title, number of employees, sales volume, gender, and more.
• 3 Million International Businesses
Over 3 million of the world’s largest corporations and 5 million decision makers — identify and contact executives all over the world using a single resource.
Additional products available: • American Manufacturers Directory Contains every manufacturer in the U.S. with 20 or more employees – more than 641,000 listings!
• American Big Businesses Directory Includes America’s largest companies, more than 210,000 companies that employ 100 or more people. Also includes 720,000 top executives and directors.
• State Business Directories
Most libraries subscribe to several commercial databases. One such database is ReferenceUSA. This powerful market-research tool contains data on millions of consumers and businesses, combined with lifestyle records and census information. Business owners and sales executives can obtain information on all pet stores that are in Brooklyn, NY including address, sales volume, surrounding residents’ that own dogs and their income levels. One entrepreneur used the manufacturer database to locate motorcycle dealers because he wanted to market his motorcycle-detailing kit. Using ReferenceUSA, he researched their credit rating scores and created a targeted mailing list of dealers with top credit ratings. “Putting that kind of information together can help people make more knowledgeable decisions,” states Susan Phillis, director of the Brooklyn Public Library’s Business Library.
Contain virtually every business within each state. Available in all 50 states plus Washington D.C.
Omaha: 5711 S. 86th Circle P.O. Box 27347 Omaha, NE 68127
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Call Steve Laird For a FREE 7-day Trial: (866) 313-4037 or Email: reference@infoUSA.com Check out our website at: www.libraryUSA.com Phone: (866) 313-4037 • Fax: (402) 596-7688
Washington D.C.: 1717 Pennsylvania Ave NW Suite 150 Washington, DC 20006 23LJO
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