April 2005

mdoneil writes “I was talking to a Filipino friend tonight and he has a relative sitting the librarian certification boards in the PI.

They recently amended their laws and require certain specific qualifications before one is allowed to practice librarianship. The practice of librarianship without the proper license is a crime, just as the unlicensed practice of law is in this country. The full text of the law is available from the PI government website .

It must be a somewhat hard examination as the Manila Standard newspaper reports that 174 examinees of 599 who wrote the certification exam passed.

N.B. I have a more than casual interest in this, as it is similar to my Ph.D. research proposal.”

A Hard Hitting Report from MTV on a shocking and outrageous problem that plagues California librarians: lame CDs.
“It’s kind of a shock to see things you’d expect at a garage sale,” said Steve Sloan, supervising librarian of Sunnyvale Public Library, whose shipment will include 16 copies each of Martin’s Sound Loaded and Everclear’s Songs From an American Movie, Vol. Two, 14 copies of Simpson’s lackluster Irresistible and nine copies of Christina Aguilera’s 2000 Christmas album. “It’s like what you’d see if you walked into a used-CD store and went to the dollar bin. It seems like the record companies are going through their warehouses and donating what won’t sell.”

Is ths the kind of lame music we want our children exposed to in a public library?

Articles all over the place this morning on the House of Representatives subcommittee on crime, terrorism and homeland hearings yesterday. Reuters has one, but The Washington Times has a much more exciting haedline: 9/11 hijackers used public libraries

“The computers in the library were used to review and order airline tickets on an Internet travel reservations site,” Mr. Wainstein said. “The last documented visit to the library occurred on August 30, 2001. On that occasion, records indicate that a person using Alhazmi’s account used the library’s computer to review September 11 reservations that had been previously booked.”

During a public hearing on a bill to prohibit schools from spending public funds on books or other materials that recognize or promote homosexuality as an acceptable lifestyle Patricia Todd “I feel you all hate us,”
Bill sponsor Rep. Gerald Allen, R-Tuscaloosa, said the proposed legislation was not a manifestation of hate, but instead a response to citizens’ concerns about cultural preservation and government spending.

“This is not about hate. This is about our culture being under attack and about the fact that a majority of citizens support not spending tax dollars to promote a lifestyle that’s not acceptable,” Allen said.

More.

BlogJunction is WebJunction’s niche in the blogosphere.
You may already know The WebJunction site as the online community where library staff meet to share ideas, solve problems, take online courses – and have fun. Now they have a blog!

Michael McGrorty sent along an interesting Post From Genealogy and How where Steve writes:
“I certainly don’t want to see libraries turn to dust. But I think the old model of having local governments manage and fund libraries is coming to an end. Instead, I would like to see private organizations step up to create collections that they take an interest in. Historical societies already do this. How about helping our local churches do this too? How about helping local Chambers of Commerce create business libraries?

I would like to see our lawmakers create legislation that removes whatever roadblocks that make it difficult for these organizatiosn to do so.”

B writes “A trip into Mesa’s past: A quick trip by elevator to the lower level of Mesa Public Library can transport visitors into Mesa’s past.

Anna Uremovich, head archivist for the Mesa Room, said the people who use the materials for research are as diverse as the collection. advertisement”

From today’s New York Times:

Libraries are, as conventional wisdom suggests, about books rather than art objects. Nevertheless, significant works of art have found their way into many libraries, some acquired by purchase but most by donation.

A large case in point is the main building of the New York Public Library, which over the years has received an impressive array of art from important donors. But maintaining that it is not a museum, the library has from time to time put works up for sale, and recently announced that it would dispose of the cream of its art collection to raise money to buy books and manuscripts and to pep up its endowment …

Recent visits to some of these institutions reveal that while their holdings may not be in depth, they cover a wide range. Lively murals by W.P.A. artists at the public libraries, portraits by earlier American painters at two private libraries, a collage by the New York School painter Esteban Vicente at the Cooper Union, and works by New York contemporary artists at the City College of New York are among them.

Complete article (registration required).

Anonymous Patron writes “The April issue of Marketing Treasures, the free library marketing
newsletter, has been published. The following articles can be viewed
at The Marketing Treasures Site

So You Want to Publish a Newsletter…

What is a Call to Action?

Working with an Embroidery Company

A License to Read – Library License Plates

PAGES Filler Subscription Service

Library e-Postcards from American Greetings

Ideas for Connecting with Clients

Golden Opportunities – upcoming workshops/presentations on marketing topics”

Anonymous Patron writes “DTH Online Reports on an idea to establish a task force to consider establishing a ‘digital curation center.’ Looks like they want to digitize first and figure out how to preserve later. Best of luck.”