Saturday, May 26, 2012

"Gear Up For Good" @ the Indianapolis Marion County Public Library 2012 Summer Reading Program



No "Shades of Grey" @ Fort Bend County Libraries



Related posts:
Brevard County Public Library reverses its decision on "50 Shades". (5/26/2012)
A Woman's Touch is Riding the "50 Shades" Wave. (5/26/2012)
Is there some wiggle room in your collection development policy?  5/24/2012)
Have you dusted off your policy on erotica?  (5/22/2012)
Pulling "Shades" doesn't keep the noise out @ the Brevard County Public Library.  (5/15/2012)
"We do not collect erotica @ Gwinnett County Public Library"  (5/13/2012)
Will Fond du Lac residents now be clamoring for this books.  (4/12/2012)

Save NYC Libraries


Excerpt:    The three library systems in New York City, Queens Library, Brooklyn Public Library, and New York Public Library serve 8 million residents from a combined 212 locations. Mayor Bloomberg's Executive Budget for FY'13 calls for a reduction in funding of $26.7 million for Queens Library, $26.9 million for Brooklyn Public Library, and $42.8 million for New York Public Library. This $96.4 million in cuts is almost 32% of the total library budget. These cuts would result in the closure of 46 libraries across the city. Library hours would be drastically reduced in those left, to two or three days a week in Queens, and by about 50% across the board in Brooklyn. 

Google has not killed the library and ebooks won't do it either. The biggest threat to the public library in American culture is limited hours. In the new budget reality if libraries are forced to dramatically decrease their hours then they will be drastically reduced in their ability to serve their public.

Brevard County Public Library Reverses Its Decision on "50 Shades"



Related posts:
A Woman's Touch is Riding the "50 Shades" Wave. (5/26/2012)
Is there some wiggle room in your collection development policy?  5/24/2012)
Have you dusted off your policy on erotica?  (5/22/2012)
Pulling "Shades" doesn't keep the noise out @ the Brevard County Public Library.  (5/15/2012)
"We do not collect erotica @ Gwinnett County Public Library"  (5/13/2012)
Will Fond du Lac residents now be clamoring for this books.  (4/12/2012)

A Woman's Touch is Riding the "50 Shades" Wave


Fifty shades of reaction to 'mommy porn'. (Wisconsin State Journal, 5/26/2012)

Excerpt: More than 1,300 people are waiting for a copy through the South Central Library System, which includes the Madison Public Library, and the trilogy's popularity has even been credited with a surge in sales for sex toys locally.


Also ridiing the wave.  An erotic writer from Middleton, Wisconsin.


Related posts:
Is there some wiggle room in your collection development policy?  5/24/2012)
Have you dusted off your policy on erotica?  (5/22/2012)
Pulling "Shades" doesn't keep the noise out @ the Brevard County Public Library.  (5/15/2012)
"We do not collect erotica @ Gwinnett County Public Library"  (5/13/2012)
Will Fond du Lac residents now be clamoring for this books.  (4/12/2012)

Friday, May 25, 2012

Survey Says....Declining Survey Response Rate Makes No Difference in Accuracy of Information

Survey contact, cooperation, and response rates, 1997-2012

9% - Pollsters Face Challenges in Getting Survey Respondents. (Pew Research Daily Number, 5/25/2012)

Excerpt    These challenges have led many to question whether surveys are still providing accurate and unbiased information. But a new study by the Pew Research Center for the People & the Press finds that, despite declining response rates, telephone surveys that include landlines and cell phones and are weighted to match the demographic composition of the population continue to provide accurate data on most political, social and economic measures. This comports with the consistent record of accuracy achieved by major polls when it comes to estimating election outcomes, among other things.

As much as I respect Pew Research, isn't this a variation of the fox watching the henhouse?

Print Upheaval @ New Orleans Times Picayune


New Orleans Newspaper Scales Back in Sign of Print Upheaval. (The New York Times, 5/24/2012)

ExcerptThe decision will leave New Orleans as the most prominent American city without a newspaper that is printed every day. But it also reflects the declining lure of the paper as a printed product. In 2005, before Katrina struck, the paper had a daily circulation of 261,000; in March of this year, the circulation was 132,000.

The developments were the latest instance of reorganization in a rapidly changing industry, which continues to struggle with declining advertising revenue and the changing preferences of readers for online news outlets. Data tracked by the Audit Bureau of Circulations showed that papers with a circulation of 25,000 or more had a 21 percent drop in circulation between 2007 and 2012.


Three Newhouse newspapers in Alabama are following suit.





Thursday, May 24, 2012

Match the Authors to their Favorite Mystery


Clued in: 12 mystery masters name their favourites. (Toronto Globe & Mail, 5/18/2012)


Delicate Demolition @ the Holyoke Public Library



Related posts:
Ebook, Netflix, and library building projects, part 120.  (11/27/2011)
Holyoke Public Library building project "is not a simple issue"..  (8/8/2010)

The Elizabeth (New Jersey) Public Library



It's not your call, guy



Republican announces primary challenge for Duffy. (Wausau Daily Herald, 5/24/2012)

Excerpt:  Krsiean [ker-SEEN], who described himself as a “staunch defender of the constitution,” said Thursday morning that the federal government has become too large and he would eliminate government agencies if elected.


From his unsuccessful 2010 run in the 3rd Congressional District as an independent.



Something tells me that Mike has never had an original idea in his life.



Same goes for William.

The New Powell River Public Library: "A go-to place for all of us"




William Jeanes Memorial Library


Montco couple's gift transforms library. (Philadelphia Inquirer, 5/21/2012)

Excerpt: Founded in the 1930s in memory of a local Quaker farmer known never to miss a Sunday meeting, the William Jeanes Memorial Library was not wearing its age well when the Karabots proffered a portion of their fortune.

With their $4.4 million gift two years ago, the couple assured the rebirth of the library as a cutting-edge atheneum, fashioned from the dilapidated shell of its former self.



Is There Some Wiggle Room in Your Collection Development/Materials Selection Policy?


Despite buzz some libraries say 'Grey' too blue. (Houston Chronicle, 5/23/2012)

Excerpt:   Jerilynn A. Williams, director of the Montgomery County Public Library, said the novels were rejected under the system's collection review process*, which is based on professional reviews in Publisher's Weekly and other library journals**. 

 "Without a professional review that recommends the work, it can be as popular as can be and we will still not carry it," Williams said, adding that the library tries to buy "the best of the best" with limited dollars. [Emphasis added.]


*Goal 2C. To serve a heterogeneous community of more than 200,000 people who have different cultural, inspirational, informational, and recreational pursuits through building collections of printed and other materials suitable to such a diverse group, within the limitations of budget, space, and availability of materials;


**Selection criteria 6C.   Some materials are considered because of widespread or local demand.

Retiring Guy investigates further.

Step 1.  Access library website.

Step 2:  Go to catalog and search for offending title.


Step 3;  Click on white arrow in red circle.

Step 4:  Check holdings information.
All locations are libraries in neighboring Harris County (west and northwest), although it appears that Montgomery County residents may place holds on this title.

On the other hand, Montgomery County Memorial Library cardholders can download their red-hot reading interests.

Gotta love the cupcake!

Happy 10th anniversary, Blaze!


Related posts:
Have you dusted off your policy on erotica?  (5/22/2012)
Pulling "Shades" doesn't keep the noise out @ the Brevard County Public Library.  (5/15/2012)
"We do not collect erotica @ Gwinnett County Public Library"  (5/13/2012)
Will Fond du Lac residents now be clamoring for this books.  (4/12/2012)

Wednesday, May 23, 2012

Meet the Two Finalists for Madison Public Library Director



The obligatory -- for me, anyway -- Internet search.

Gregory Mickells

Jody Risacher


Tuesday, May 22, 2012

Have You Dusted Off Your Policy on Erotica?


Libraries Debate Stocking '50 Shades of Grey" Trilogy.  (The New York Times, 5/21/2012)

Excerpt:  In some cases demand has been so great that it has forced exasperated library officials to dust off their policies — if they have them — on erotica.

Spot check.

(Still) nothing to dust off here.


Nor here.





The enthusiasm has carried over to libraries.

Holds lists for print copies more than double in 6 weeks!!



Did a variation of this conversation take place in 1959?   Too bad Ann Lesser, who worked from 1956 to 1991 at the Warren Public Library, is no longer here to ask.


Lady Chatterley's Lover is now well-represented in LINKcat.

Among those who have declined, or returned, an invitation to the party, and merited a mention in the article.

Another brief excerpt:  Last week a group of organizations that included the National Coalition Against Censorship formally responded, sending a letter to the library board in Brevard County scolding it for refusing to stock the book alongside standards like “Tropic of Cancer” or “Fear of Flying.”  (15 copies in LINKcat.)

And a final quote.


Ooooookay.

Related posts:
Pulling "Shades" doesn't keep the noise out @ the Brevard County Public Library.  (5/15/2012)
"We do not collect erotica @ Gwinnett County Public Library"  (5/13/2012)
Will Fond du Lac residents now be clamoring for this books.  (4/12/2012)

No Rosy Scenario for City of Manitowoc Finances



City finances still shaky, analysts say. (Manitowoc Herald-Times-Reporter, 5/21/2012)

Excerpt: However, the city's financial picture is far from rosy. 

Moody's Investors Service continues to assign a "negative outlook" to the city's general obligation promissory notes that are part of its debt of some $76 million. 

A report issued recently states the negative outlook "reflects Moody's expectation that the city will be challenged to return to structural balance given the recent deterioration of the city's available reserves and its limited power to increase its levy due to state-instituted levy limits." 

Moody's report labeled a "challenge" that the city's undesignated general fund balance was just 0.1 percent of revenues in fiscal 2010. 

Simply put, millions of dollars was taken out of reserve funds over the past decade and the cupboard is now bare.

In the Meantime, the WMC Has Bigger Fish to Fry




Fox Valley manufacturers face uphill battle to find workers. (Appleton Post-Crescent, 5/21/2012)

Excerpt: In October, Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce will roll out a public awareness campaign to highlight manufacturing’s importance to the state.

Perhaps the WMC should focus on what's best for all Wisconsin residents, not just our travelin'-man-of-a-Governor Scott Walker.

Related posts:
Skilled workers in short supply.  (4/3/2012)
Connecting the dots: Education, skilled workforce, job creation. (3/26/2012)
Wisconsin manufacturers struggle to find skilled workers.  (10/5/2011)

Monday, May 21, 2012

Book Release Party @ the Waunakee Public Library

Congratulations, Katie!


















And on a related note.......

Ginger Cruickshank, a second cousin on the Luthgren side of the family, is the author of this book.
And there on page 34 is my maternal grandfather, Adolph Luthgren, 19, with his parents and three younger siblings.  Oscar is Ginger's grandfather.


More Gassy Expellations from "Politifart"


Behind the rhetoric: How Walker's union limits affected school budgets (5/19/2012).

Here's the concluding paragraph.

But at least a third of districts 
  • saw staffing increases, 
  • stayed steady or 
  • had very modest staffing reductions,
and it’s useful to remember that enrollment declines are behind some of the staff reductions.  {Bullet points added.]

Some.

As in "how many"?


Really?!  Don't you want to break this down for us?

These are 3 outcomes that should not be lumped together in such a cavalier, ho-hum fashion. And I'd be interested to know how "very modest" is defined.

Better reading.

Making Matters Worse: School Funding, Achievement Gaps and Poverty under Wisconsin Act 32,
  •  State budget cuts hit high poverty districts the hardest.
  •  High poverty districts have less state revenue to support the needs of children, and taxpayers in high poverty districts pay taxes at increasingly higher rates.
  •  Reductions in employee compensation hit high poverty districts the hardest.
  •  Reductions in the size of the workforce hit high poverty districts hardest. 
  •  Act 32 increases funding gaps for poor and minority students.