January 2016

Fourteen million fewer books are available in British public libraries today than when David Cameron became Prime Minister in 2010, official statistics have revealed.
Funding cuts and library closures mean that around one in every seven books available on library shelves six years ago have now gone.
Campaigners said Tory ministers had taken an “abysmal and appalling” approach to Britain’s libraries and demanded they act to stop councils closing any more.
The statistics from Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy (CIPFA) reveal the depth of library cuts implemented since the Tories entered office.

From 14 million fewer books available in libraries than when David Cameron took office – Telegraph

However – and this is a huge “however” for Bertino – they can only read if they can find the books they need and want.

And that’s why Bertino “killed Dewey.”

Troy, Bertino said, is one of the first school districts in Illinois to classify books based on Common Sense Categories rather than on the “antiquated” Dewey Decimal System, which is how libraries have classified books for more than a century.

Bertino feels Dewey is impractical for 21st century kids accustomed to searching online by keywords. The beauty of Common Sense Categories is that students easily transition to traditional libraries when they enter high school, Bertino said, even without ever formally learning Dewey.

From Libraries at Troy School District 30-C adopt Common Sense Categories | The Herald-News

There are few things that make you slow down better than a good book. Perhaps that’s why the Seoul Innovation Park and the City of Seoul chose them as one key part of an initiative to revitalize an unloved site previously occupied by the ministry of food and drug safety. The Mobile Library project sees four miniature library pop-ups designed by Korean studio Spacetong(Archworkshop) with collaboration from designers Jae-Choul Choi, John (Pyung Ki) Kim, and Woo-Yeol Lee.

The four small spaces are called ‘Mirage’, ‘Block’, ‘Pipe’ and ‘Membrane’. It’s not hard to guess which is which, with each structure embodying its defining feature. Each lends a much needed touch of culture to a rather dull corner of the city, transforming it into a space you’d now consider for a relaxing break. Lovely.

From Tiny Mobile Libraries Revitalize a Corner of Seoul

The provision in question is Item 3, Section 57, which states: “A public body, or a person acting for a public body, shall not, during the period 60 days before an election in which a local ballot question appears on a ballot, use public funds or resources for a communication by means of radio, television, mass mailing, or prerecorded telephone message if that communication references a local ballot question and is targeted to the relevant electorate where the local ballot question appears on the ballot.” In addition, public employees violating this ruling could be fined anywhere from $1,000 to $20,000 and could be imprisoned.

From Libraries gagged by new election law ask for relief

So, out of Wikipedia’s 5,053,647 articles (with 808,187,367 total edits), what was the most-edited the most each year? And what are the most edited articles ever? 

From The Most Edited Wikipedia Articles From Every Year Of Its Existence – Digg

It’s Wikipedia’s 15th birthday

This year we’re celebrating 15 years of free and open knowledge—learning, discovery, and joy for people on every continent ⟩

To ensure future support for this vision, we are pleased to announce the creation of the Wikimedia Endowment ⟩

From Wikipedia 15

On January 6th, 2016, The New York Public Library made over 187K digital items in the public domain available for high resolution download. This is one of many experiments by the NYPL Labs to help patrons understand and explore what was contained in that release.

From NYPL Public Domain Release 2016 – Visualization

If this sounds like you and you want to submit, HIGH FIVE! This is what I’m looking for:

Content regarding being a first-generation library professional. This can be on any facet of it in any format you desire – essays, prose, artwork (keep in mind this will be in black and white, though). Don’t worry about sounding “professional” or “academic” – this isn’t either. This is about your voice.
The pages will be a half-sheet, so 8.5″x6.5″ – keep this in mind when you’re creating (nothing too long or big)
Please keep your submissions free of racism, sexism, homophobia, transphobia, classism, etc etc etc. I don’t think this’ll be a problem (I HOPE) but I figured I’d better put it out there just in case.
Please indicate in your submission how you’d like to be identified in your submission – full name, first name, pseudonym, anonymously, whatever.
If you’d like to submit or just have questions, email me at kelly.kietur[at]gmail dot com. If you’d like to submit something via snail mail, email me and I’ll give you an address to mail your stuff to.

From zine-o-philia: call for submissions for a first-gen librarian zine – she blinded me with library science

Visiting each of the Toronto Public Library System’s 100 branches sounds like a daunting task, and this literary scavenger hunt aims to navigate you through each one.

Toronto-based graphic designer and web developer Noah Ortmann created the Toronto Library Passport as a way of encouraging local readers to explore each outpost in the city and utilize their free resources. One challenge urges readers to find a book about Roman architecture, while another instructs you to read a mystery novel in the Arthur Conan Doyle Collection—a room in the Toronto Reference Library modeled after Sherlock Holmes’s study. The 36-page booklet also includes branch hours, information about fines, and spaces to jot down your impressions of each location.

From Take a Scavenger Hunt Through Toronto’s 100 Libraries | Mental Floss

Several years ago, Forbes Magazine listed the advanced degrees with the worst job prospects—and a master’s in library sciences was No. 1 on the list. Despite that gloomy prediction and some staid image problems, young librarians say their work is relevant in the 21st Century and is as needed now as it has ever been.

“You say, I’m going to library school, and everybody is like, ‘Well, aren’t libraries kind of over? What are you going to be doing?'” said 34-year-old Jay Granger, a management and library and information sciences student in the online program at the University of Southern California.

From How young librarians are figuring out the field’s future — NewsWorks