LISNews:

And Yet Another Urbana Story...

birdie — Wed, 19 Jun 2013 14:21:32 +0000

State Journal Register, Urbana IL — Some Urbana residents are upset and calling for the library director's resignation after thousands of books were mistakenly removed from the shelves.
(See two previous articles below)

Director Debra Lissak says the removal at the Urbana Free Library was a "misstep" and some of the titles are being returned.

The (Champaign) News-Gazette says workers removed art, gardening, computer science, medicine and cooking books from the stacks when they were culling the collection to remove volumes that were more than a decade old.

About half the library's 66,000 adult non-fiction books meet that threshold, but not every older book was removed because the process was halted.

Discarded Books as Photo Project...and then...Book

birdie — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 16:33:35 +0000

Do you ever feel sentimental about weeded books? Then this one's for you. (The NYT recommends that you view it full screen).

While books may not necessarily make for a better reading experience (ed. but it's ok to have a preference one way or the other), they are superior as subject matter for a photo project. (I defy you, dear reader, to find a loving portrait of a Nook.)

To wit, witness Kerry Mansfield’s “Expired,” a twenty-page photo series whose substance is the physicality of discarded and withdrawn library books. She brings the lens in close, showing worn edges and torn covers and photographing the ephemera of the library experience: the check-out cards and the paper pockets they went into

Ray Bradbury's Books to Go to Waukegan Library

birdie — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 01:07:18 +0000

From the Daily Herald:

Author Ray Bradbury moved to Los Angeles in 1934 and spent the rest of his life on the West Coast, but his fondness for Waukegan IL never dissipated.

After his death, in June of last year, library officials learned Bradbury had bequeathed his personal book collection to the County Street facility. It's no small gift.

"Every room had a bookshelf overflowing," said Rena Morrow, the library's marketing, programming, and exhibits manager. The collection contains some books that could be valuable, such as first editions of noted works or autographed books, Morrow said.

The library also stands to receive copies of books Bradbury wrote, including some in foreign languages. The collection's value is being appraised.

The library may receive some of Bradbury's personal belongings, too.
"We'd like to get one of his typewriters," library Executive Director Richard Lee said. "He had four."

Dance @ Your Library

birdie — Mon, 17 Jun 2013 20:23:46 +0000

for your Monday entertainment... Britain's Cascade Dance Company at the Tunbridge Wells Library in "Big Dance Library Project", recorded in the summer of 2012.

Miscommunication or Mismanagement? (Part 2 of The Urbana Free Library Saga)

Anonymous Patron — Mon, 17 Jun 2013 13:21:52 +0000

In the interviews that [Library Director Deb] Lissak gave Friday afternoon, the words “misunderstanding,” “miscommunication,” and “communication errors” were used repeatedly. Whose misunderstanding? Whose miscommunication? Whose communication errors?

http://smilepolitely.com/culture/miscommunication_or_mismanagement/

Libraries Check Out E-Sales

Bibliofuture — Mon, 17 Jun 2013 05:08:55 +0000

Public libraries across the U.S. are getting into the online book-selling business, providing convenience for patrons but also raising concerns that the sales threaten to commercialize taxpayer-supported institutions founded to provide information free-of-charge.

The practice is poised for a boost, as three of the largest library systems in the U.S.—all serving New York City—prepare to start selling print books through their online catalogs by July.

At least 75 of the 8,951 public-library systems in the U.S. are offering online patrons the option to buy new print copies of titles in their catalogs, and an additional three dozen are preparing to do so, according to book distributors, library officials and library-software developers.

Those selling print books online include libraries in Orlando, Fla.; Jacksonville, Fla., Burley, Idaho; Mount Laurel, N.J.; and Douglas County, Colo. The Boston Public Library is among those considering adding the service.

Full article in the WSJ

Letter: A library fable

Bibliofuture — Mon, 17 Jun 2013 05:06:45 +0000

At Cincinnati.com there is a post -- Letter: A library fable

Not quite sure how best to describe it. Read it and make your determination.

Hands off my meta-data

Bibliofuture — Mon, 17 Jun 2013 04:47:03 +0000

NPR piece about privacy past and present. Story contains picture where a protestor is holding a sign that says, "Hand off my meta-data"

Interesting to be a librarian in a time where people are on the streets holding signs about meta-data.

LISTen: An LISNews.org Program -- Episode #247

StephenK — Mon, 17 Jun 2013 03:31:58 +0000

This week's program brings another retransmission from the Voice of America where the continuing cyber-snooping situation is discussed. Stephen tells a tale of how communications metadata can be used in a benign but contemporary way. A news miscellany is also presented.

Santa Monica College library workers' 'diversion' saved lives

Bibliofuture — Sun, 16 Jun 2013 06:22:33 +0000

When a gunman entered the campus library, the aides moved into a closet and blocked the doors, drawing his attention away from dozens of students cramming for finals.

Full article

No Country for Slow Broadband

Bibliofuture — Sun, 16 Jun 2013 06:10:37 +0000

The popular story going around about the state of America’s broadband networks is almost entirely false.

Opinion piece in the NYT

Japan's Amazing Book Towers

birdie — Sat, 15 Jun 2013 01:11:12 +0000

Kotaku.com shows us books stacked up in a variety of different formations.

Traditionally, books in Japanese bookstores are stacked in small piles or placed on shelves—like anywhere else. The book tower trend isn't exactly new and puts a flourish on retail presentation, whether it's the straight up "tower pile" or the "spiral pile" variation.

Back in 2009 to mark the launch day of Haruki Murakami's new book 1Q84, Tokyo book retailer Sanseido changed its shop sign to "Books Murakami Haruki" and unveiled a book tower that was then copied by other stores. Now, it seems there are even manga towers and spirals—but don't think every bookstore does this.

Free with Your Books at the Chappaqua Library

birdie — Fri, 14 Jun 2013 15:19:28 +0000

From CBS News:

You may want to avoid curling up in bed with any books that you bought at Chappaqua Library’s used book sale.

A single bed bug was found hanging on a stage curtain in the auditorium that hosted the sale. During the event, the room was crawling with buyers and fears persist that a bug may have hitched a ride on one of the $17,000 worth of used books that were sold.

“We don’t want to sweep it under the rug,” assistant library director Martha Alcott told CBS 2?s Dave Carlin on Thursday night. Other areas of the library were given the all-clear, but some families said they weren’t taking any chances. “We put all the books that we got into this big bag,” said 7-year-old Niamh Lee.

Most Chappaqua Library patrons consider themselves bookworms, but they said they aren’t willing to scratch and suffer for their reading habits.

Urbana Free Library Aggressive Weeding Draws Criticism

Rochelle — Fri, 14 Jun 2013 14:25:46 +0000

The Urbana (IL) Free Library is facing scrutiny after the director, Deb Lissak made a "made a unilateral decision to weed books in the print collection by date alone," ignoring established criteria and without the knowledge of the Adult Services Director, Anne Phillips. Anecdotal reports indicate that the adult non-fiction collection has been weeded 50-75% and that the titles have been shipped to Better World Books

According to Mary Ellen Farrell, Board of Trustees President, a “conscious effort” was made “to find the most efficient way to get [the library] up to par as far as RFID tagging and … for the most usable [and] efficient things that … our library needs to have here as a core collection, and to identify things that are easily accessed, either from other libraries … or online.”

At least three staff members reported to Phillips that they were instructed to "[weed] as quickly as possible, even at the level of going through a range in 30 minutes of 2,000 titles.” That’s less than one second per book.

The details of this story are at Smile Politely.

Struggling Farmers in India Find Promise in Ancient Seeds

Bibliofuture — Fri, 14 Jun 2013 04:28:02 +0000

Since a devastating cyclone hit in 2009, farmers in a region of India have struggled with salty soil. With climate change, that problem is likely to worsen. Special correspondent Sam Eaton reports for the NewsHour's ongoing series "Food for 9 Billion," about how some farmers have returned to ancient seeds for better results.

Reading Erotica in Prison

birdie — Thu, 13 Jun 2013 12:53:59 +0000

A San Francisco appeals court ruled that a werewolf erotica novel must be returned to Andres Martinez, an inmate of Pelican Bay State Prison, after prison guards took it away from him on the grounds that it was pornography. Although the court grants that novel in question, The Silver Crown, by Mathilde Madden, is "less than Shakespearean," it argues that the book nevertheless has literary merit and shouldn't be banned under prison obscenity laws.

Story from NPR's The Two-Way.

Library and Archives Canada private deal would take millions of documents out of public domain

Blake — Thu, 13 Jun 2013 12:00:28 +0000

Library and Archives Canada has entered a hush-hush deal with a private high-tech consortium that would hand over exclusive rights to publicly owned books and artifacts for 10 years.

The plan is scheduled to be announced publicly on Friday and according to documents obtained by the Ottawa Citizen, a gag order has been placed on everyone involved in the project until then.

Reading comprehension just as good using a Kindle as with paper

Blake — Thu, 13 Jun 2013 11:28:12 +0000

http://gizmodo.com/the-brilliant-insanity-behind-the-new-mac-pros-design-512574427

In 2010, a reassuring study in fact found no difference in recall after reading material electronically versus paper. Now Sara Margolin and her colleagues have looked at reading comprehension and again found no deficits in understanding of material consumed on a Kindle or a computer versus paper.

How Technology Widens Class Divisions

Bibliofuture — Thu, 13 Jun 2013 05:50:53 +0000

Paul Solman speaks with Jaron Lanier, widely regarded as the father of virtual reality and the author of "Who Owns the Future?", about how big computers -- and the government and businesses they empower -- are creating more economic inequality.

What Kids Are Reading, In School And Out

Bibliofuture — Wed, 12 Jun 2013 14:19:27 +0000

Some experts are concerned that both in-school assignments and the books kids read for pleasure may not be challenging them enough.

Full piece on NPR

Every Library and Museum in America, Mapped

Blake — Wed, 12 Jun 2013 12:58:04 +0000

“There’s always that joke that there’s a Starbucks on every corner," says Justin Grimes, a statistician with the Institute of Museum and Library Services in Washington. "But when you really think about it, there’s a public library wherever you go, whether it’s in New York City or some place in rural Montana. Very few communities are not touched by a public library.”

In fact, libraries serve 96.4 percent of the U.S. population, a reach any fast-food franchise can only dream of. On a map, that vast geography looks like this:
http://www.theatlanticcities.com/neighborhoods/2013/06/every-library-and-museum-america-mapp...

The Card Catalog is Dead; Long Live the Card Catalog

birdie — Tue, 11 Jun 2013 15:39:42 +0000

The Boston Herald reports on a project undertaken by Greenfield, MA Community College Librarian Hope Schneider.

On a wall in the corner of Greenfield Community College's Nahman-Watson Library, 128 artifacts from the library's card catalog hang preserved in a glass case — signed by the authors who penned the very books to which the cards once led.

The project has been 14 years in the making for librarian Schneider, who wanted to memorialize the cards after the library's catalog went digital in 1999. In the years that followed, Schneider sent cards to local authors and artists, asking if they would sign their card and make some contribution to the display. A decade later, after GCC's library was expanded, she resumed her quest — sending letters across the country to novelists, poets and politicians.

Library Director Deborah Chown said Schneider's project captures a time when people would find new books through serendipity — simply because it was next to another book or classified through a similar subject matter. Chown and Schneider don't deny the advantages that new library technology offers — the opportunity to search rapidly through online databases and access books, journals and newspaper articles.

But there was also some surprise and sadness when a tour of prospective students came through the library, saw the display and didn't recognize the cards.

What I was thinking when I said that wild stuff

Bibliofuture — Tue, 11 Jun 2013 04:51:45 +0000

At our Publishers Launch Conference on the Wednesday of BEA, Michael Cader and I introduced a new feature we think will become regular at our events: a candid 1-on-1 conversation between us. It went well.

In fact, it went so well that what reads like a pretty damn accurate verbatim account of much of it constituted a story for Ed Nawotka at Publishing Perspectives. So, now, thanks to Ed, much of the world knows that I made a number of pretty bold forecasts, probably the boldest of which is that we’ll see the US market boil down to one dominant trade publisher over the next 10 years.

There are a lot of unexpressed assumptions in that calculation. And, in the “predicting the future” part of my business, when I say 10 years I don’t count myself “wrong” if it takes 15. So, with thanks to Ed for reporting me accurately, it seems worthwhile to elaborate a bit more on what I said last week.

Full post

Book Explores How Biotech Creates Weird Wildlife

Bibliofuture — Tue, 11 Jun 2013 04:27:31 +0000

Ray Suarez talks with writer Emily Anthes about the sometimes wild and weird outcomes when scientists experiment on animals. In her new book, "Frankenstein's Cat: Cuddling up to Biotech's Brave New Beasts," Anthes looks at the ethical limits of -- and our emotional reactions to -- the use of animals to explore biotechnology.

The Foundation of All Knowledge

birdie — Mon, 10 Jun 2013 23:43:59 +0000

This public library in Samara, Russia needed to have a wall repaired and the powers that be decided to save a little money and use material they already had plenty of…

via Factura

LISTen: An LISNews.org Program -- Episode #246

StephenK — Mon, 10 Jun 2013 03:41:34 +0000

This week's episode brings a brief essay, retransmission of an excerpt of a program from US government external broadcaster Voice of America concerning the cyber-snooping situation, and a news miscellany.

Author Reflects on the Long, Deadly Road to WWII Victory

Bibliofuture — Sat, 08 Jun 2013 15:05:45 +0000

In honor of the 69th anniversary of D-Day, Ray Suarez talks to historian Rick Atkinson about his new book, "The Guns at Last Light," which chronicles the brutal fight for victory at the end of World War II.

Does Google Have an Ethical Obligation Not to Spy?

Bibliofuture — Sat, 08 Jun 2013 15:00:29 +0000

Many Americans are outraged at the government for mining user data from Apple, Google, Facebook and other Silicon Valley giants. What about the actions of the companies themselves -- have they met their ethical obligations to their customers and society as a whole? Do they even have any?

Full article

LISTen: An LISNews.org Program -- Episode #245

StephenK — Fri, 07 Jun 2013 02:04:36 +0000

This special edition discusses the current news of revelations of government acquisition of Verizon cell phone customer call records and discusses some software solutions available for preserving privacy.

Why Book Publishers Are Still Dragging Their Heels on Selling You E-Books

Bibliofuture — Thu, 06 Jun 2013 14:32:09 +0000

Some of the problem stems from tradition. The people drawn to publishing as a professional are, by and large, book lovers, and as such, often as attached to books’ physicality as to their text. More is paranoia: unlike music, whose digital age developed largely in response to an already thriving pirate industry, book publishing has held back, waiting for reliable DRM that seems unlikely to materialize.

On some levels, their reluctance is pragmatic. The technology of digital publishing is awkward and inconsistent. The closest thing to a single file standard, e-pub, is still far from platform-agnostic and notorious for destroying formatting elements, which limits what writers and designers can do structurally if they’re planning for digital.

Full piece here.

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