February 2016

Controversial book still in school libraries in central Florida

Channel 9 found out a controversial book that’s been pulled from the shelves of Seminole County school libraries is in two more districts.

Last week, Seminole County school leaders pulled “This One Summer” from elementary and high schools after a third-grader brought home the graphic novel.

The book has numerous curse words and talks about oral sex.

Several high schools and one middle school in Brevard County has the book in the libraries, along with several high schools in Lake County.

There are no plans to pull the book from the shelves. 

From Controversial book still in school libraries in central Florida | WFTV

February 9, 2016 by Books Libraries School Libraries

Why don’t public libraries deliver?

It got me to thinking: Why doesn’t the library team up with somebody with real expertise in the logistics of home delivery — Amazon, UPS or one of the many food delivery services that have sprung up over the past year or so — to figure out a way to cover “the last mile” — the journey from the library to my house and back again? Then it really would seem even more like Amazon Prime, and I can’t imagine that that wouldn’t help grow the market for library books.

From Why don’t public libraries deliver? – The Washington Post

February 9, 2016 by Libraries

libraries function as vibrant centers of America’s towns: technology, education, and community

The traditional impression of libraries as places for quiet reading, research, and borrowing books—and of librarians as schoolmarmish shush-ers—is outdated, as they have metamorphosed into bustling civic centers. For instance, Deschutes Public Library in Bend, Oregon, now cooperates with dozens of organizations, from AARP (which helps people with their taxes) to Goodwill (which teaches résumé writing). A social worker trains staff to guide conversations about one of the most frequent questions people trustingly bring into the library: Can you help me figure out how to meet my housing costs?

There are three areas where libraries function as vibrant centers of America’s towns: technology, education, and community.

From Deb Fallows on The Local Library – The Atlantic

February 9, 2016 by Libraries School Libraries Technology

Free Webinar: Introduction to IT Security for Libraries and Librarians

We all know we should use good passwords, keep everything updated and follow other basic precautions online. Understanding the reasons behind these rules is critical to help us convince ourselves and others that the extra work is indeed worth it. Who are the bad guys? What are tools are they using? What are they after? Where are they working? How are they doing it? Why are we all targets? We’ll talk about how to stay safe at the library and at home.

Join Blake Carver, Systems Administrator At LYRASIS to learn strategies for IT security. We’ll talk ways to keep your precious data safe inside the library and out — securing your network, website, and PCs, and tools you can teach to patrons in computer classes. We’ll tackle security myths, passwords, tracking, malware, and more, covering a range of tools and techniques, making this session ideal for any library staff.

From Introduction to IT Security for Libraries and Librarians

February 8, 2016 by Internet IT Security in Libraries Librarians Libraries Privacy Technology

Never trust a corporation to do a library’s job

Google Books is still online, but curtailed their scanning efforts in recent years, likely discouraged by a decade of legal wrangling still in appeal. The official blog stopped updating in 2012 and the Twitter account’s been dormant since February 2013.
Even Google Search, their flagship product, stopped focusing on the history of the web. In 2011, Google removed the Timeline view letting users filter search results by date, while a series of major changes to their search ranking algorithm increasingly favored freshness over older pages from established sources. (To the detriment of some.)

From Never trust a corporation to do a library’s job — The Message — Medium

February 8, 2016 by Google Internet Legal Issues Librarians Libraries

Beyond Books: Why Some Libraries Now Lend Tools, Toys and More

Beyond boosting digital literacy and fostering intellectual curiosity, lending these items also ties into the broader trend of collaborative consumption or the sharing economy. “Seldom-used tools like the stud finders or soil testers are great because you use them once or twice a year, so there’s no point in purchasing them yourself,” Lent says. He adds that a colleague in Brookline, Massachusetts, a suburb of Boston where many residents live in small spaces, finds kitchen equipment to be in high demand. “[In Brookline], people have mostly apartments, and so they don’t want to have all this kitchen gear [when they’re not using it],” Lent explains. 

From Beyond Books: Why Some Libraries Now Lend Tools, Toys and More – US News

February 8, 2016 by Books Libraries

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