July 2010

L.A. Public Library Cuts Prompt Demonstration Outside Main

Los Angeles Public Library supporters are gathered outside Central Library today to protest a two-day-a-week closure caused by budget cuts.

The demonstration started at 9:30 a.m. outside the Fifth Street entrance, 630 W. Fifth Street, said Mark Siegel, a city librarian.

Each of the city’s 73 libraries will now be closed Sundays and Mondays because of a massive budget shortfall. Library services absorbed a 28% reduction in its workforce.

Siegel said at least seven librarians and 50 support staff have been laid off in the restructuring. He said Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and the City Council had misplaced priorities in allowing the cuts.

“We just completed a massive rebuilding program, and people aren’t able to use their libraries,” he said. “We want them to move us up on the list.”

Video from ABC news and story from the LA Times and the LA Daily News.

July 19, 2010 by Librarians Libraries

6 of the Best Free Linux Library Management Systems

6 of the Best Free Linux Library Management Systems
To provide an insight into the quality of software available, we have compiled a list of 6 excellent library management systems. Hopefully there will be something of interest for anyone who needs an enterprise resource planning system for a library.

Now, let’s explore the 6 library management systems at hand. For each title we have compiled its own portal page, providing a screenshot of the software in action, a full description with an in-depth analysis of its features, together with links to relevant resources and reviews.

July 19, 2010 by Librarians Libraries

Preserving The Carnegie Tradition

Opinion from the Pittsburgh Gazette:

You already know that Pittsburgh holds a rich history of the public library, but let’s review the distinctions (lest we take them for granted):

• Pittsburgh boasts America’s first Carnegie Free Library charter (Allegheny), whereas Braddock beat Allegheny to erecting the first Carnegie library building.

• Pittsburgh claims the first library designed with stacks for open-access browsing (Lawrenceville), the first Carnegie branch library (Lawrenceville), and the first Carnegie branch library system (City of Pittsburgh).

• Pittsburgh was on the forefront of children’s librarianship with the first fully organized children’s department (Main), the first pre-designed children’s room in a library building (Lawrenceville), the first story time (West End), and the first training program for children’s librarians (Main).

Opinion from the Pittsburgh Gazette:

You already know that Pittsburgh holds a rich history of the public library, but let’s review the distinctions (lest we take them for granted):

• Pittsburgh boasts America’s first Carnegie Free Library charter (Allegheny), whereas Braddock beat Allegheny to erecting the first Carnegie library building.

• Pittsburgh claims the first library designed with stacks for open-access browsing (Lawrenceville), the first Carnegie branch library (Lawrenceville), and the first Carnegie branch library system (City of Pittsburgh).

• Pittsburgh was on the forefront of children’s librarianship with the first fully organized children’s department (Main), the first pre-designed children’s room in a library building (Lawrenceville), the first story time (West End), and the first training program for children’s librarians (Main).

Andrew Carnegie wasn’t born here but he learned the power of the library here when he began his legendary self-education in the private library of Colonel James Anderson. Hill District-born playwright August Wilson learned the power of the library here, too; his life changed forever when he walked into Carnegie’s Hazelwood branch with a basketball under his arm and discovered a small “Negro section” of books. He went on to systematically design his own high school curriculum, studying for the next four years at the Main library in Oakland. In a 1999 speech about literacy and libraries, Wilson emphasized: “That shelf of books gave me … the proof that it was possible to be a writer.”

With such a tradition of library firsts and inspiring patrons in Pittsburgh, why not continue as the forerunners of the next wave, as libraries add digital resources and new library buildings go green — without losing the best of the neighborhood resources and patron attention we already enjoy?

Read more: http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10199/1073248-109.stm#ixzz0u2mCwubs

July 18, 2010 by Legal Issues Libraries School Libraries

First-ever National Study: Millions of People Rely on Library Computers

First-ever National Study: Millions of People Rely on Library Computers for Employment, Health, and Education
Nearly one-third of Americans age 14 or older – roughly 77 million people – used a public library computer or wireless network to access the Internet in the past year, according to a national report released today. In 2009, as the nation struggled through a recession, people relied on library technology to find work, apply for college, secure government benefits, learn about critical medical treatments, and connect with their communities.

The report, Opportunity for All: How the American Public Benefits from Internet Access at U.S. Libraries, is based on the first, large-scale study of who uses public computers and Internet access in public libraries, the ways library patrons use this free technology service, why they use it, and how it affects their lives. It was conducted by the University of Washington Information School and funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the Institute of Museum and Library Services.

The report’s findings are based on nearly 50,000 surveys – including 3,176 from a national telephone survey and 44,881 web survey responses – from patrons of more than 400 public libraries across the country. View 2-page summary of the report’s findings (PDF, 209KB). The full report is available at http://tascha.washington.edu/usimpact.

July 16, 2010 by Internet Librarians Libraries School Libraries Technology

The Greatest Unknown Literary Treasure in Los Angeles

…might be The Clark Library. Many feel this way when they discover the rare-book library, which is run by UCLA but located in Jefferson Park. Brick walls hide it from passersby, and most undergraduates have never heard of it. But those who know the library say it is unmatched and unforgettable.

Many details of the library reflect the younger Clark’s personal style and history. The bookcases in the reading rooms include copper mined by his family. Clark, who loved chamber music and founded the L.A. Philharmonic, had the drawing room designed to hold concerts.

Clark’s taste gave the building and its five-acre grounds a unique charm that remains today. Original furniture manufactured in 1920s Pasadena stands in the reading rooms, and a grand piano occupies the drawing room.

Clark’s influence also appears in the books themselves. Experts say his foresight is a major reason the library continues to stand out. Instead of hunting the most sought-after Elizabethan texts, he focused on later writers such as John Dryden and Oscar Wilde.

Clark librarians run a blog called ‘The Clog’, which in its latest installment, informs us that the dearly departed Mr. Clark can now be found on facebook.

LA Times reports.

July 16, 2010 by EBooks Libraries Music

Libraries focus on convenience with mall locations

Libraries focus on convenience with mall locations
People streamed into a storefront on a recent summer day at an upscale Dallas mall, but they weren’t drawn to a heavy discount on designer clothes. It was story sing-a-long time for babies at one of the city library’s newest outposts.

The library for kids 12 and under has been wildly successful in offering unconventional access to families who might not make a trip to a traditional public library, and it’s one of a growing number of strategies used by librarians nationwide to reintroduce communities to their local library.

July 16, 2010 by Google Libraries

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July 16, 2010 by LISNews

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