February 2016

FULLY IMPLEMENT ESSA SCHOOL LIBRARY PROVISIONS
School librarians are on the front lines of librarianship. For many young minds they are the first contact with both librarians and libraries and provide the kinds of opportunities for imaginative exploration that libraries freely and democratically provide through their books, programs, and services. Children are allowed to explore literature and new ideas freely in school libraries while also developing a love of reading and strong skills in literacy that will help them throughout their life.

From Fully Implement ESSA School Library Provisions – EveryLibrary

FULLY IMPLEMENT ESSA SCHOOL LIBRARY PROVISIONS
School librarians are on the front lines of librarianship. For many young minds they are the first contact with both librarians and libraries and provide the kinds of opportunities for imaginative exploration that libraries freely and democratically provide through their books, programs, and services. Children are allowed to explore literature and new ideas freely in school libraries while also developing a love of reading and strong skills in literacy that will help them throughout their life.

From Fully Implement ESSA School Library Provisions – EveryLibrary

Warnings about libraries spreading their resources too thin are partly based on the fact that book funds are in decline. But the real issue here is that society finds it difficult to take the authority of knowledge seriously. It cannot find any justification for quiet spaces and rows of bookshelves. The trust’s emphasis on extracurricular activities undermines the purpose of libraries – that is, to foster independence and self-realisation.

It seems the Carnegie Trust no longer wants us to read books – it would rather we drank tea and ate biscuits instead.

From Libraries are for reading not knitting – The Future Cities project

Warnings about libraries spreading their resources too thin are partly based on the fact that book funds are in decline. But the real issue here is that society finds it difficult to take the authority of knowledge seriously. It cannot find any justification for quiet spaces and rows of bookshelves. The trust’s emphasis on extracurricular activities undermines the purpose of libraries – that is, to foster independence and self-realisation.

It seems the Carnegie Trust no longer wants us to read books – it would rather we drank tea and ate biscuits instead.

From Libraries are for reading not knitting – The Future Cities project

In recent years, there has been much talk about what to do with the various library branches as they continue to adapt to the digital era. Originally, the Mid-Manhattan was due to be sold and its services moved into a fully renovated main building. Now those controversial plans have been scrapped in favor of a new “Midtown Campus Renovation,” and the Mid-Manhattan has been tapped for an overhaul, with designs set to be unveiled later this year, and completed by 2019. The carpets could certainly use a good cleaning, and it would be nice if the elevators and climate control worked better, but I hope the revamp won’t alter the branch’s freewheeling energy.

From The Unruly Pleasures of the Mid-Manhattan Library – The New Yorker

In recent years, there has been much talk about what to do with the various library branches as they continue to adapt to the digital era. Originally, the Mid-Manhattan was due to be sold and its services moved into a fully renovated main building. Now those controversial plans have been scrapped in favor of a new “Midtown Campus Renovation,” and the Mid-Manhattan has been tapped for an overhaul, with designs set to be unveiled later this year, and completed by 2019. The carpets could certainly use a good cleaning, and it would be nice if the elevators and climate control worked better, but I hope the revamp won’t alter the branch’s freewheeling energy.

From The Unruly Pleasures of the Mid-Manhattan Library – The New Yorker

Call to Action: Building the Change Agenda for the Information Profession
IFLA President’s Meeting: Donna Scheeder
Thursday/Friday April 7-8, 2016 with Welcome Reception; Pre & Post Library Tours, April 6 & 9

This two day summit focuses on the exploration of building the change agenda at the global, national, institutional and personal level.  It brings together leading thinkers, information professionals, and experienced practitioners from different segments of the library and information services community who represent efforts to address new directions needed as a result of societal trends reflecting both regional and library sector perspectives.   Engage with public, academic, and institutional librarians as well as library educators, creative and critical makers, futurists, and others in conversation about the change agenda for the information profession.

From IFLA 2016 President’s Meeting – Home

Call to Action: Building the Change Agenda for the Information Profession
IFLA President’s Meeting: Donna Scheeder
Thursday/Friday April 7-8, 2016 with Welcome Reception; Pre & Post Library Tours, April 6 & 9

This two day summit focuses on the exploration of building the change agenda at the global, national, institutional and personal level.  It brings together leading thinkers, information professionals, and experienced practitioners from different segments of the library and information services community who represent efforts to address new directions needed as a result of societal trends reflecting both regional and library sector perspectives.   Engage with public, academic, and institutional librarians as well as library educators, creative and critical makers, futurists, and others in conversation about the change agenda for the information profession.

From IFLA 2016 President’s Meeting – Home

inlibraries.com
Flask web application that runs the inlibraries.com website

The application generates a random library conference website based on the subdomain of the request URL. Underscores in the subdomain will be replaced with spaces.

Examples:

http://badgers.inlibraries.com
http://rabid_badgers.inlibraries.com

From inlibraries.com/README.md at master · waharnum/inlibraries.com

inlibraries.com
Flask web application that runs the inlibraries.com website

The application generates a random library conference website based on the subdomain of the request URL. Underscores in the subdomain will be replaced with spaces.

Examples:

http://badgers.inlibraries.com
http://rabid_badgers.inlibraries.com

From inlibraries.com/README.md at master · waharnum/inlibraries.com

Nashville Public Library officials have told Nashville’s chapter of Black Lives Matter that meetings that welcome only people of color can’t take place inside the city’s libraries.

That decision has outraged members of Black Lives Matter, who say the library canceled all future meetings the group had organized for later this month.

From Black Lives Matter ‘color-only’ rule runs afoul of Nashville library

Separate and unequal access to knowledge is the antithesis of library ideals. The American Library Association actively commits its programs and resources “to those efforts that combat prejudice, stereotyping and discrimination against individuals and groups in the library profession and in library user populations on the basis of race, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, creed, color, religious background, national origin, language of origin or disability.”

From Libraries: Liberty and justice for all

Separate and unequal access to knowledge is the antithesis of library ideals. The American Library Association actively commits its programs and resources “to those efforts that combat prejudice, stereotyping and discrimination against individuals and groups in the library profession and in library user populations on the basis of race, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, creed, color, religious background, national origin, language of origin or disability.”

From Libraries: Liberty and justice for all

Inspired by the Library Freedom Project’s uncompromising bravery in the face of a DHS threat against a town library in Kilton, NH, that was running a Tor exit node to facilitate private, anonymous communication, the New Hampshire legislature is now considering a bill that would explicitly permit public libraries to “allow the installation and use of cryptographic privacy platforms on public library computers for library patrons use.”

From NH bill would explicitly allow libraries to run Tor exit nodes / Boing Boing

Inspired by the Library Freedom Project’s uncompromising bravery in the face of a DHS threat against a town library in Kilton, NH, that was running a Tor exit node to facilitate private, anonymous communication, the New Hampshire legislature is now considering a bill that would explicitly permit public libraries to “allow the installation and use of cryptographic privacy platforms on public library computers for library patrons use.”

From NH bill would explicitly allow libraries to run Tor exit nodes / Boing Boing

Author whose 1961 novel became a defining text of 20th century literature and of racial troubles in the American south has died in Monroeville, Alabama

From Harper Lee, author of To Kill a Mockingbird, dies aged 89 | Books | The Guardian

Author whose 1961 novel became a defining text of 20th century literature and of racial troubles in the American south has died in Monroeville, Alabama

From Harper Lee, author of To Kill a Mockingbird, dies aged 89 | Books | The Guardian

Summary
This issue is much bigger than just Apple providing access to a single device, it’s much bigger than the encryption debate and it’s much bigger than just the US. There are angles to this we haven’t thought about yet and it’ll continue to be sensationalised by the press, misrepresented by the government and rebuked by Apple.

The ramifications of them actually complying with this court order would likely spread well beyond just compromising a device that’s in the physical possession of law enforcement. A precedent the likes of Apple being forced to weaken consumer protections will very likely then be applied to other channels; what would it mean for iMessage when the authorities identify targets actively communicating where they’re unable to gain physical access to the device? It sets an alarming precedent and all the same arguments mounted here by the FBI could just as easily be applied to end to end encryption.

But let me finish on a lighter note: this also has the potential to result in greater consumer privacy for everyone. In part because if Apple successfully defends their stance then they’ll have the precedent the next time the issue is raised. In part also because this incident may well prompt them to tie their own hands even further and indeed this appears to be the case with the newer generation of device. And finally, because the world is watching how this plays out and it will influence the position of other governments and tech companies outside the US. If sanity prevails, we may well all be better off for having gone through this.

From Troy Hunt: Everything you need to know about the Apple versus FBI case

Summary
This issue is much bigger than just Apple providing access to a single device, it’s much bigger than the encryption debate and it’s much bigger than just the US. There are angles to this we haven’t thought about yet and it’ll continue to be sensationalised by the press, misrepresented by the government and rebuked by Apple.

The ramifications of them actually complying with this court order would likely spread well beyond just compromising a device that’s in the physical possession of law enforcement. A precedent the likes of Apple being forced to weaken consumer protections will very likely then be applied to other channels; what would it mean for iMessage when the authorities identify targets actively communicating where they’re unable to gain physical access to the device? It sets an alarming precedent and all the same arguments mounted here by the FBI could just as easily be applied to end to end encryption.

But let me finish on a lighter note: this also has the potential to result in greater consumer privacy for everyone. In part because if Apple successfully defends their stance then they’ll have the precedent the next time the issue is raised. In part also because this incident may well prompt them to tie their own hands even further and indeed this appears to be the case with the newer generation of device. And finally, because the world is watching how this plays out and it will influence the position of other governments and tech companies outside the US. If sanity prevails, we may well all be better off for having gone through this.

From Troy Hunt: Everything you need to know about the Apple versus FBI case