http://www.thejointlibrary.org/autism/
This website offers a video and other resources to help library staff learn how better to help library customers who have autism.
Judy Blume : “I Was Margaret” — Interview October 6, 2009
http://www.doublex.com/section/arts/judy-blume-i-was-margaret
The Web magazine doubleX offers this interview with noted author Judy Blume.
Best Free Reference Web Sites 2009 October 1, 2009
The ALA Reference and User Services Association (RUSA) offers its eleventh annual list of the best free reference web sites.
A Readable Feast September 11, 2009
http://sites.google.com/site/areadablefeast/
Reader’s advisory tips and programming ideas for librarians working with cookbooks are found here. In addition, there is a history of cooks included and help with collection development relating to cookbook collections and more.
The Future of Libraries, With Or Without Books September 9, 2009
http://edition.cnn.com/2009/TECH/09/04/future.library.technology/
An interesting article by CNN reporter John D. Sutter about the future of libraries and librarians and what some libraries and librarians are doing now to provide help and services to customers who do not have a real interest in books.
Awful Library Books August 14, 2009
http://awfullibrarybooks.wordpress.com/
“This site is a collection of public library holdings that we find amusing and maybe questionable for public libraries trying to maintain a current and relevant collection. Contained in this site are actual library holdings. No libraries are specifically mentioned to protect our submitters who might disagree with a particular collection policy”–From the Website. This blog is entertaining but may also have information on titles that can help you with weeding decisions in your library.
Open Library July 16, 2009
A project of the Internet Archive, the Open Library aims to create a web page for every book in existence. Currently a very young beta site, the infrastructure has been created and approximately 20 million records are currently searchable. Full records contain typical metadata fields as well as an image of the book.
Wolfram|Alpha May 22, 2009
Wolfram|Alpha has been getting a lot of buzz lately, but if you haven’t come across it yet, it is a “computational knowledge engine.” What does that mean? Well, I could try to explain it to you, but Phil Bradley has done a much better job than I could: Phil Bradley’s post on Wolfram|Alpha.
Most important thing to note: This is NOT a search engine. But, really, please read the post above before trying it out. It will save you a number of frustrations.
Oh, and for the time being, you might want to confirm information you find here in a second source. I did a search for “Memphis” and noticed that the current time was incorrect.
Online Catalogs : What Users And Librarians Want, An OCLC Report April 30, 2009
http://www.oclc.org/reports/onlinecatalogs/fullreport.pdf
This is OCLC’s report showing the results of the research its staff did in 2008 on online catalogs. The report includes the enhancements that both users and librarians would like to see in online catalogs. There is also an Executive Summary of the Report available.
Libraries and Tough Economic Times April 26, 2009
h1ttp://www.tnla.org/displaycommon.cfm?an=1&subarticlenbr=241
Thanks to Caroline Barnett from Cordova for this post.
The Tennessee Library Association offes this page that provides a comprehensive list of links to resources of job training and unemployment and other job-related resources to help library customers and links to resources to help libraries in these tough economic times.
ALA’s 2008 Top Ten List Of Most Frequently Challenged Books April 17, 2009
http://www.ala.org/ala/newspresscenter/news/pressreleases2009/april2009/nlw08bbtopten.cfm
And Tango Makes Three continues to top the list of most frequently challenged books in libraries, according to the ALA in this press release. The remaining most frequently challenged titles are also included.
Libraries Featured in March 2009 Issue of Woman’s Day March 20, 2009
The American Library Association offers this article on how the March 2009 issue of Woman’s Day magazine has stories on how libraries have helped people. The article also talks of the contest Woman’s Day is sponoring, which asks women 18 and over to submit stories on how resources in libraries helped them to save money, find jobs, and provide necessary resources during these tough economic times. This initiative continues an eight-year partnership between the ALA and Woman’s Day.
The File Room — Archive of Cases February 12, 2009
http://thefileroom.org/documents/CategoryHomePage.html
A special project of the National Coalition Against Censorship this an archive of historic and contemporary censorship cases that have occurred around the world.
Banning Children From Libraries? January 24, 2009
I just received a call about Congress’ move to ban children from libraries… WHAT??!!
OK, calm down, and take a deep breath. There is much more to the story.
The Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA), passed this past August, requires that all products for children under 12 must be tested for lead. Books are subject to this requirement, as lead is often present in ink, but testing is expensive and time consuming.
So what does this mean for libraries? Well, that is not completely clear just yet. The Consumer Product Safety Commission is still working on guidelines for all industries, including schools and libraries, for when the law takes effect on February 10th. Libraries and schools could be granted an exemption.
For more information:
ALA Wiki – http://wikis.ala.org/professionaltips/index.php/Consumer_Product_Safety_Improvement_Act_(CPSIA)
Library Journal - http://www.libraryjournal.com/article/CA6628453.html
Programming Librarian January 22, 2009
http://programminglibrarian.org/
The ALA Public Programs Office offers this site to assist libraries in creating programs. The site will continue to grow and will be able to provide even more information and assistance in the future.
