July 2005

Former Milwaukee Librarian Now An Author

Always fascinated by the names of streets in his hometown (Milwaukee, WI) even as a teenager, former librarian Carl Baehr did a massive amount of research and then finally put pen to paper to came up with “Milwaukee Streets: The Stories Behind Their Names” in 1995, a self-published book that has since been reprinted several times. He’s currently working on another book, the history of the Irish in Milwaukee.

Of his experience as a self-published author, Baehr says, “Writing the book was fun, selling it was hard work. And let me tell you, it isn’t easy for a self-published author to get noticed by the chain bookstores.” He also hopes to sell copies of his new book to libraries and other organizations of a historical and genealogical nature. More here .

Pride in Exile library card

kmccook writes “Refuge at rainbow’s end: Hillsborough County (FL) gays and lesbians, shunned at home, are offered a safe haven.
A St.Petersburg Times article
relates how Key West and Monroe County commissioners have passed proclamations declaring Aug. 12-14 Hillsborough County Pride in Exile Days. There will be a dramatic re-enactment of the June 15 vote by the Hillsborough commission.

Hillsborough commissioners voted 5-1 last month to abstain from acknowledging, promoting or participating in gay pride recognition and events. The vote came after patrons complained about a gay pride display at West Gate Regional Library highlighting books by gay authors and exploring gay themes. Those who attend the Keys’ festival can get a Pride in Exile library card good for discounts at stores, restaurants and other attractions.

N.B. The Florida Library Association has sent a letter of protest to Hillsborough County and is boycotting the county.”

U.S. Senate votes to make permanent almost all expiring provisions of Patriot Act

The Reader’s Shop writes On Friday, the U.S. Senate passed a bill to reauthorize the USA Patriot Act. The House passed it’s version earlier this month. The Senate bill would require the federal government to report how the provisions are used to view library and medical records. The ability to go to a secret court for permission to seize records from libraries and bookstores will renew for 4 years under the Senate bill. The house bill has a 10 year sunset for this provision.

The Senate and House bills must be reconciled before a final measure can be sent to Bush. Congressional officials said they were confident that they could work out a compromise.

More on the story can be found here

Hey Collectors, A New Stamp Honoring Presidential Libraries

For all you philatelists out there (and friends of same), a new postage stamp commemorating presidential libraries will be dedicated at the William J. Clinton Presidential Center next week .

The ceremony is scheduled for Thursday morning, August 4th. Attendees include former President Clinton and Alan Kessler, vice chairman of the U.S. Postal Service Board of Governors, and Allen Weinstein, U.S. Archivist.

Nancy Pearl, Celebrity Librarian…& LISNews Interviewee!

Continued good news on everyone’s favorite librarian, Nancy Pearl of Seattle. This article in bloomberg.com fills you in on Nancy’s activities and future plans.

The only thing the article DOESN’T MENTION…is that LISNews has scored an exclusive interview with Nancy, via this reporter! We will be compiling questions for Ms. Pearl and getting her responses to be published sometime in mid-August.

Hope everyone’ll put on their ‘thinking caps’ and come up with some good questions — Blake will post a call for questions shortly.

IMLS Releases National Report on Status of Museums’ Data Collection

kathleen writes “With the reauthorization of the Museum and Library Services Act in September 2003, the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) was charged with increased analysis of museum and library trends and needs. As one step in developing a plan to
implement this new charge, IMLS requires a regular report on the status of data collection about the nation’s museums. The most recent IMLS report was completed in 1998. In the summer of 2004, the IMLS asked McManis & Monsalve Associates to update this report. This new study examines the status of museum data sources produced between 1999 and 2004 and projected through 2006. It includes a comprehensive listing of the information sources that meet the selection criteria, and assesses the general strengths and weaknesses regarding the status of museum data, with a particular emphasis on the national perspective. Full report is available as a pdf file.”

Online Student Engagement

A couple of weeks ago a few librarians had interesting email exchange about engaging students with online activities. I didn’t blog it at the time – though I should have. So what follows is transcript of it woven together from a dozen or so email messages…
The thread began with a comment on how one librarian was “struggling with the ongoing tension between being online, and consuming stuff in a browser. What is the expectation of students re: browser delivered material. Do they think of it as being an offline environment, or an online one?”

Employers Face Challenges in a Digital World

When Gutenberg invented the
printing press 560 years
ago, he changed society for
centuries to come — in ways that could
hardly be predicted at the time. His
creation of the printing press allowed
for an efficient and unprecedented way
to produce and disseminate large
amounts of information. As a result,
knowledge spread quickly and the
exchange of ideas began to flourish
around the world. The widespread
use and development of computers
has also revolutionized the way
society functions. With little or no
incremental cost, companies can now
store unfathomable amounts of data
and information about their business.
Documents, e-mails, and financial data
all can be sent and retained indefinitely
with the simple click of a mouse.
As remarkable and efficient as these
capabilities are, they create dramatic
new challenges for individuals and
organizations alike.

More, from This PDF @Employment Law Strategist.