Rules of Conduct for Library Use.
#10. Standard practice.
Saturday, May 22, 2010
Security at the Kansas City Public Library: The Times They are A-changin'
Link to May 19 Kansas City Star article, "Kansas City Public Library confronts a rise in security violations".
Excerpt: Shhhhh!
Anymore, that’s not the only thing librarians must tell patrons.
Leave your gun at home. Do not assault other patrons. Please stop bathing in the restroom. Refrain from viewing pornography on the Internet. Do not lurk in the children’s area unless you have business there.
Lately, Kansas City Public Library officials said, such security violations have become more serious, more numerous and more costly to combat.
The library board met Tuesday with police and community leaders to discuss the situation and ways to improve it.
Increase in offenses, 2008-2009
- +49%. Public display of explicit sexual material or child pornography.
- +105%. Controlled substances or alcohol.
- +75%. Offensive/threatening gestures.
- +16%. Physical altercations.
- +275%. Sexual misconduct.
- +500%. Bodily hygiene.
Dylan Days at the Hibbing Public Library
And you can celebrate, too, with this recipe.
Sounds good, but Retiring Guy has sworn by this recipe for nearly a quarter century.
Friday, May 21, 2010
Rand Paul, Please Take a Look at this Birmingham Public Library Digital Collection
Excerpt: Over the years Birmingham Public librarians collected newspaper articles about the Civil Rights Movement in Alabama and arranged them in scrapbooks. The articles were clipped from several newspapers including The Birmingham News, Birmingham Post-Herald, and the Montgomery Advertiser. Covering the years 1950-1969, these scrapbooks are now available online.
Memphis Mayor Proposes Closing 2 Library Branches
Link to May 20 Memphis Commercial Appeal article, "Memphis mayor Wharton: Tight budget will bring 'pain'. Says he's 'trying to repair the damage' in his decision to close 2 libraries, 2 golf courses".
Excerpt: [Memphis mayor A C] Wharton also proposed closing the Highland and Cossitt branch libraries and reducing library book purchases by $148,000. The council Budget Committee voted Wednesday to approve as presented the budget of the division that houses the Public Library and Information Center, meaning the libraries are safe for now. The full council must approve the budget. [Emphasis added.]
Link to mayor's statement on closings.
Excerpt: [Memphis mayor A C] Wharton also proposed closing the Highland and Cossitt branch libraries and reducing library book purchases by $148,000. The council Budget Committee voted Wednesday to approve as presented the budget of the division that houses the Public Library and Information Center, meaning the libraries are safe for now. The full council must approve the budget. [Emphasis added.]
Link to mayor's statement on closings.
Bad News/Good News from Wheaton (Illinois) Public Library
Link to May 20 Daily Herald article, "Wheaton library to close on Fridays to save".
Excerpt: Library officials said the Friday closures are needed to make up for the loss of $300,000 in property tax revenue the city withheld to deal with its own budgetary problems.
"It wasn't the only option," library board President Colleen McLaughlin said of the closures, which take effect June 4, "it was the option that we felt was the most doable."
The library already made a variety of budget cuts in 2009 after its funding was reduced by $300,000.
"We've cut the material and database budget as much as we can without saying, 'OK, there won't be any new books or periodicals,'" McLaughlin said. "There are a lot of fixed costs that we have absolutely no control over."
Related articles:
More budget cuts could lead to no Friday hours. (3/20/2010)
Outpouring of Support for Wheaton Public Library. (3/6/2010)
Customer Service Tips That Can Be Applied to Libraries, Too
Excerpt: It is often the little details that customers recall even more than the product they purchased or the service they received. Little details that customers notice, and that makes them feel good about not only making the purchase, but making the purchase from you, is a significant part of the overall customer experience. Here are six ways to go above and beyond good customer service and boost customer loyalty. [Emphasis added for library purposes.]
- Attentiveness
- Recognition
- Personalization
- Consideration
- Appreciation
- Delight
Oops! Cut-and-Paste Website Construction Doesn't Pass Inspection
Perhaps this is what you're looking for?
Link to May 21 channel3000.com article, "Candidate's Website Included Text Copied From Others". (via Playground Politics, "Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery".)
Excerpt: "We had some staffers on our Web team that obviously were inspired by some of the other Republican campaigns, pulled text and we didn't catch it in editing, and we are working to correct the mistake," Summers said.
When asked whether Summers would call what happened plagiarism, he replied, "I would call it inspired."
Inspired?
The Recess Supervisor at Playground Politics has another word for it: Lazy.
The New-Look Barnes & Noble
Photo source: Barnes & Noble
Link to May 21 Wall Street Journal article, "E-Books Rewrite Bookselling".
Excerpt: In the massive new Barnes & Noble superstore on Manhattan's Upper East Side, generous display space is devoted to baby blankets, Art Deco flight clocks, stationery and adult games like Risk and Stratego.
The eclectic merchandise, which has nothing to do with books, may be a glimpse into the future of Barnes & Noble Inc., the nation's largest book chain.
For 40 years, Barnes & Noble has dominated bookstore retailing. In the 1970s it revolutionized publishing by championing discount hardcover best sellers. In the 1990s, it helped pioneer book superstores with selections so vast that they put many independent bookstores out of business.
Today it boasts 1,362 stores, including 719 superstores with 18.8 million square feet of retail space—the equivalent of 13 Yankee Stadiums.
The following link provides a thorough review of the 2003 state of the art of libraries using the bookstore model.
What libraries can learn from bookstores: Applying bookstore design to public libraries. (Kansas Library Association presentation)
Fact Checking: Isn't This One of the Reasons We Need News Librarians?
Link to newsletter of the
Special Libraries Association News Division
Link to Greg Sargent's "The Plum Line" column in the May 19 Washington Post, "Who woulda thunk it: Fact-checking is popular!" (via Techdirt)
Excerpt: "What we tend to forget in journalism is that we got in the business to check facts," Fournier says. "Not just to tell people what Obama said and what Gingrich said. It is groundless to say that Kagan is anti-military. So why not call it groundless? This is badly needed when people are being flooded with information."
[snip]
Fournier says these pieces require real newsroom resources*, often taking up more than one staffer for more than a day. But it's also good business. With so much information available at any given time, people seek out efforts to cut through the noise and to take a stand with authority.
*As in at least one full-time news librarian?
(Unfortunately) related article:
Endangered Species: News Librarians are a Dying Breed. Columbia Journalism Review, January 29, 2010.
Amy Disch, Chair of the SLA News Division and News Librarian at the Columbus (Ohio) Dispatch, responds in her "Notes from the Chair" column, "Perception is Everything" in the Spring 2010 issue of News Library News.
Speaking of Cell Phones
Why are they so annoying?
Link to May 21 Stuff (New Zealand) post. (via textually.org)
Excerpt: Ever wonder why overhearing a cellphone conversation is so annoying? American researchers think they have found the answer.
Whether it is the office, on a train or in a car, only half of the conversation is overheard which drains more attention and concentration than when overhearing two people talking, according to scientists at Cornell University.
"We have less control to move away our attention from half a conversation (or halfalogue) than when listening to a dialogue," said Lauren Emberson, a co-author of the study that will be published in the journal Psychological Science.
"Since halfalogues really are more distracting and you can't tune them out, this could explain why people are irritated," she said in an interview.
Last year Americans spent 2.3 trillion minutes chatting on cellphones, according to the U.S. wireless trade association CTIA -- a ninefold increase since 2000. [Emphasis added.]
Halfalogues? Paging Merriam-Webster.
Link to May 21 Stuff (New Zealand) post. (via textually.org)
Excerpt: Ever wonder why overhearing a cellphone conversation is so annoying? American researchers think they have found the answer.
Whether it is the office, on a train or in a car, only half of the conversation is overheard which drains more attention and concentration than when overhearing two people talking, according to scientists at Cornell University.
"We have less control to move away our attention from half a conversation (or halfalogue) than when listening to a dialogue," said Lauren Emberson, a co-author of the study that will be published in the journal Psychological Science.
"Since halfalogues really are more distracting and you can't tune them out, this could explain why people are irritated," she said in an interview.
Last year Americans spent 2.3 trillion minutes chatting on cellphones, according to the U.S. wireless trade association CTIA -- a ninefold increase since 2000. [Emphasis added.]
Halfalogues? Paging Merriam-Webster.
The Cell Phone Dilemma for Pollsters
Link to May 20 Pew Internet & Ameridan Life report, "Assessing the Cell Phone Challenge".
Excerpt: The latest estimates of telephone coverage, released last week by the National Center for Health Statistics, found that 25% of households (and 23% of adults) in the second half of 2009 had no landline service and only cell phone service (just 2% of households had no telephone service of any type). For certain subgroups in the population, the numbers are considerably higher: 30% of Hispanics are cell-only, as are 49% of adults ages 25-29.
Yet pollsters and other survey researchers who use the telephone as the principal means of reaching potential respondents face a difficult decision as to whether to include cell phones in their samples. Doing so adds significantly to the cost and complexity of conducting surveys at a time when respondent cooperation is becoming increasingly difficult to obtain. [Emphasis added.]
Thursday, May 20, 2010
Sculpture Park at Bozeman Public Library
Link to May 19 Bozeman Daily Chronicle article, "Organizers hope to raise $49,000 for Bozeman library Sculpture Park".
Excerpt: "The first construction phase will be to build nine viewing areas and pedestals for the sculptures," Zak Zakovi, a local sculptor and director of the Bozeman Sculpture Park project, said this week. "Eventually, it will fill out at 24 viewing areas and pedestals."
The Bozeman Sculpture Park will be set up along the asphalt stretch of the Bozeman Trail behind the library that leads to Peets Hill.
Louisville Free Public Library Grand Reopening Following Flood Damage
Excerpt: The main branch of the Louisville Free Public Library was closed for 23 days after the flood and has opened various sections of the building as $12 million in work was completed.
The flood damage was estimated at almost $8 million, but city and library officials told The Courier-Journal that they decided to use the opportunity to make other long-delayed improvements in the building's south wing, which was built in 1908.
Pictures at Facebook.
Related articles:
Main library to reopen mezzanine and second floor. (9/10/2009)
Library Flood-Recovery Fund Closes in on $100,000. (9/8/2009)
Downtown library reopens. (8/29/2009)
Courier-Journal editorial: "Our library needs you". (8/10/2009)
Damage estimate now $5 mil. (8/6/2009)
Louisville Free Public Library: wet, dark. (8/5/2009)
Flooding causes $1+ damage at Louisville Free Public Library. (8/4/2009)
Charlotte Mecklenburg Trustees Vote to Close 4 Branches
Link to May 20 Charlotte Observer article.
Excerpt: In what could be the first round of closings, Charlotte Mecklenburg Library trustees agreed this afternoon to shut down the Carmel, Belmont Center and CheckIt Outlet branches by June 19.
Trustees also agreed to temporarily close the Beatties Ford Road branch, which is currently under renovation, starting July 3. The branch would reopen in early 2011, and would replace the Freedom Regional Center as the regional library on the west side of town, library leaders said.
The closings come as the library system is trying to deal with a proposed $14.7 million cut to its budget from Mecklenburg County.
The proposed cuts equal about 45 percent of the system’s current budget. Steeper cuts were avoided by working out a plan to consolidate the library’s security and facility maintenance services with those of the country, saving more than $2 million.
Related articles:
Mecklenburg County tightens its belt. (5/20/2010)
County manager cuts $14.7 million from library budget. (5/18/2010)
2010-11 Mecklenburg County budget to be unveiled today. (5/18/2010)
North Carolina woman plans on "going straight to the top" to keep Charlotte libraries open. (5/16/2010)
Charlotte Mecklenburg officials ask local municipalities for $3 million contribution. (4/30/2010)
Library Board chair speaks out. (4/25/2010)
County commissioners seek ways to ease library cuts. (4/23/2010)
Mecklenburg County needs to reduce $85-90 million deficit. (4/16/2010)
County manager takes library board to task. (4/10/2010)
Libraries now open fewer hours. (4/6/2010)
"Save Our Libraries Sunday". (3/29/2010)
Charlotte Mecklenburg users owe average of 55 cents in fines. (3/27/2010)
Library announces new hours for branches. (3/26/2010)
Library Board applies a Band-Aid to its bleeding system. (3/25/2010)
Follow-up on Charlotte Mecklenburg Library Board vote. (3/25/2010)
Charlotte Mecklenburg Library Board votes to keep all branches open. (3/24/2010)
Charlotte Mecklenburg Library Board presented with 2 budget-cutting alternatives. (3/24/2010)
More and bigger cuts looming on horizon. (3/23/2010)
Charlotte Mecklenburg Library System Rethinks Closings. (3/22/2010)
A New Day is Dawning in Charlotte/Mecklenburg County. (3/21/2010)
Excerpt: In what could be the first round of closings, Charlotte Mecklenburg Library trustees agreed this afternoon to shut down the Carmel, Belmont Center and CheckIt Outlet branches by June 19.
Trustees also agreed to temporarily close the Beatties Ford Road branch, which is currently under renovation, starting July 3. The branch would reopen in early 2011, and would replace the Freedom Regional Center as the regional library on the west side of town, library leaders said.
The closings come as the library system is trying to deal with a proposed $14.7 million cut to its budget from Mecklenburg County.
The proposed cuts equal about 45 percent of the system’s current budget. Steeper cuts were avoided by working out a plan to consolidate the library’s security and facility maintenance services with those of the country, saving more than $2 million.
Mecklenburg County tightens its belt. (5/20/2010)
County manager cuts $14.7 million from library budget. (5/18/2010)
2010-11 Mecklenburg County budget to be unveiled today. (5/18/2010)
North Carolina woman plans on "going straight to the top" to keep Charlotte libraries open. (5/16/2010)
Charlotte Mecklenburg officials ask local municipalities for $3 million contribution. (4/30/2010)
Library Board chair speaks out. (4/25/2010)
County commissioners seek ways to ease library cuts. (4/23/2010)
Mecklenburg County needs to reduce $85-90 million deficit. (4/16/2010)
County manager takes library board to task. (4/10/2010)
Libraries now open fewer hours. (4/6/2010)
"Save Our Libraries Sunday". (3/29/2010)
Charlotte Mecklenburg users owe average of 55 cents in fines. (3/27/2010)
Library announces new hours for branches. (3/26/2010)
Library Board applies a Band-Aid to its bleeding system. (3/25/2010)
Follow-up on Charlotte Mecklenburg Library Board vote. (3/25/2010)
Charlotte Mecklenburg Library Board votes to keep all branches open. (3/24/2010)
Charlotte Mecklenburg Library Board presented with 2 budget-cutting alternatives. (3/24/2010)
More and bigger cuts looming on horizon. (3/23/2010)
Charlotte Mecklenburg Library System Rethinks Closings. (3/22/2010)
A New Day is Dawning in Charlotte/Mecklenburg County. (3/21/2010)
New Jersey's Gov. Christie Does Not Love and Value Libraries
Links to all the bad news
Link to May 20 northjersey.com article, "Librarians rally at statehouse".
Excerpt: Hundreds gathered at the State House Annex in Trenton recently to oppose Gov. Chris Christie's proposal to cut 74 percent of funding for the state library system, an action many believe will be nothing less than devastating.
Library patrons from across New Jersey voiced their concerns over the proposed cuts via 60,000 orange postcards hand delivered the day of the rally including 5,000 from the Wayne Public Library and its Preakness branch. Employees from the Valley Road location joined forces with over 650 people who filled the annex courtyard to help spread the message that "libraries matter."
Related articles:
Rally protests state cuts to library funding. (5/7/2010)
Today is rally day. (5/6/2010)
Rally protests state cuts to library funding. (5/7/2010)
Today is rally day. (5/6/2010)
Chris Christie needs to hear the mess message. (4/3/2010)
Good News from the Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development
Quincy Massachusetts Library Adjust to Budget Cuts
Photo source Wikipedia
Link to Patriot-Ledger article, "Quincy budget cuts mean shorter hours, fewer new books at Thomas Crane Public Library".
Excerpt: The Thomas Crane Public Library is bracing for another round of budget cuts this summer.
In addition to being open fewer hours, the cuts will also mean fewer new books on the shelves, less time on computers for patrons and longer waits to get questions answered. Those are the predictable effects of a $232,000, or 9 percent, cut to the library’s $2.6 million budget being proposed by Mayor Thomas Koch in his budget plan for the fiscal year that begins July 1.
That’s in addition to the 10 percent cut made in the current fiscal year budget. Library director Ann McLaughlin said previous budget cuts have forced the sharpest service cuts in the city’s library system since the Proposition 2 1/2 property tax limit went into effect in 1982.
New reductions announced Monday by the library trustees include:
The main library will remain closed on Sundays, and will also be closed on Saturdays in July and August.
The Adams Shore, North Quincy and Wollaston branches will be open 1-5 p.m. Monday through Thursday, a drop from 28 to 16 hours a week.
Side Benefit of Attending Library School
Excerpt: You didn't need to be a library science student to guess when the giant counter at San Jose's Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Library would hit 100 million, but apparently it helped.
Joel Eanes, a San Jose State University student working on his master's degree in library and information science, was announced Tuesday afternoon as the winner of the contest, which had 629 entries.
The time and date Eanes entered was just a minute off the actual moment the counter — which tracks all materials checked out systemwide since the joint SJSU-city library opened Aug. 1, 2003 — hit its milestone.
Eanes picked May 11 at 8:18 p.m. and the numbers changed at 8:19 p.m.
What was his secret? He tracked the change in numbers for 15 consecutive days and based his guess on that.
His prize included a bag with a book collection of stories from "New York" magazine, a book journal, chocolate wafers and hot chocolate.
Mecklenburg County Tightens Its Belt
Understanding the Impact of Budget Cuts
Link to May 20 Charlotte Observer article, "County cuts, layoffs will be far-reaching. Mecklenburg libraries, parks, schools among most affected".
Excerpt: Library trustees vote today.
The planned library cuts have received some of the most public attention. Today, trustees will meet to discuss the $14.7 million proposed reduction in their budget and vote on closing Carmel branch, Belmont Center and the Checkit Outlet on South Tryon Street uptown.
The proposed cuts equal about 45 percent of the system's current budget. Steeper cuts were avoided by working out a plan to consolidate the library's security and facility maintenance services with those of the country, saving more than $2 million.
Director Charles Brown says library staff will meet with county officials in coming weeks, to try to convince them to add back $5 million to the budget.
"I think we've heard citizens really want to preserve as much of library system as could possibly be preserved, and we're working with the community to try and accomplish that," Brown said.
Related articles:
County manager cuts $14.7 million from library budget. (5/18/2010)
2010-11 Mecklenburg County budget to be unveiled today. (5/18/2010)
North Carolina woman plans on "going straight to the top" to keep Charlotte libraries open. (5/16/2010)
Charlotte Mecklenburg officials ask local municipalities for $3 million contribution. (4/30/2010)
Library Board chair speaks out. (4/25/2010)
County commissioners seek ways to ease library cuts. (4/23/2010)
Mecklenburg County needs to reduce $85-90 million deficit. (4/16/2010)
County manager takes library board to task. (4/10/2010)
Libraries now open fewer hours. (4/6/2010)
"Save Our Libraries Sunday". (3/29/2010)
Charlotte Mecklenburg users owe average of 55 cents in fines. (3/27/2010)
Library announces new hours for branches. (3/26/2010)
Library Board applies a Band-Aid to its bleeding system. (3/25/2010)
Follow-up on Charlotte Mecklenburg Library Board vote. (3/25/2010)
Charlotte Mecklenburg Library Board votes to keep all branches open. (3/24/2010)
Charlotte Mecklenburg Library Board presented with 2 budget-cutting alternatives. (3/24/2010)
More and bigger cuts looming on horizon. (3/23/2010)
Charlotte Mecklenburg Library System Rethinks Closings. (3/22/2010)
A New Day is Dawning in Charlotte/Mecklenburg County. (3/21/2010)
Dells Library Board Decides on Parking Plan
Link to May 18 Wisconsin Dells Events article, "Library board nixes lot, favors street parking".
Excerpt: The Kilbourn Public Library Board approved a new plan Thursday that provides additional angled and parallel parking spots on Cedar Street and Minnesota Avenue and essentially rejects construction of a 21-car parking lot that would have interrupted green space east of the library.
The board had been divided on whether to build a parking lot in the middle of the block. The library board met to revise its parking plan after the Wisconsin Dells Plan Commission asked it to create a plan all members could support.
The new plan entails reconfigurating the parking spaces on Elm Street to add another handicap parking space and short-term parking. Staff parking will be in nine parallel parking spaces on Minnesota Avenue, and visitors can park in about 33 slots to be created on Cedar Street.
A sidewalk connecting the parking on Cedar Street to the library's east entrance will be constructed. The parking on Cedar Street is to be marked with signs proclaiming it for library use only.
A minimum of 50 parking spaces is mandated by city zoning code for the estimated $2.5 million building addition that will approximately double the size of the current library.
Related articles:
Dells plan commission to library board: parking plan, please. (5/10/2010)
Library expansion project includes parking lot. (4/12/2010)
Library board reviews expansion plans. (1/30/2010)
New Viroqua Library Cost Estimate: $5.7 Million
Link to May 19 Vernon Broadcaster article.
Excerpt: This estimate was prepared by Himmel and Wilson, a library consultant firm, at the request of the library’s task force. The task force is in the process of putting together a project program statement for a new library. The task force reviewed the updates at their meeting Wednesday, May 12.
Viroqua has outgrown the McIntosh Memorial Library and library director Trina Erickson and the library task force are looking to partner with local organizations and businesses to create a multi-use library building.
"The biggest thing that we were waiting on is how much this is going to cost," Erickson said.
The report estimated the library will need 18,782 square feet, a slightly larger figure than previously proposed. At approximately $200 a square foot, the building is projected to cost $3.75 million.
An expanded parking lot, landscaping, construction contingency, furnishings and equipment, architectural fees, information technology and owner costs were also figured into the total estimated project cost of $5,677,782. These figures don’t factor in the possibility of partners sharing some of the costs.
Related articles:
Library building project update. (3/15/2010)
Viroqua's McIntosh Memorial Library Space Needs Study Update. (1/16/2010)
Viroqua's McIntosh Memorial Library Space Needs Task Force. (12/28/2009)
Yet Another Book Challenge in Fond du Lac
Latest title on Ann Wentworth's dishonor roll
Link to May 17 wisc.info post, "Parent challenges another Theisen library book".
Excerpt: A book hearing scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Monday, June 7, invites public comment on the book "Forever in Blue: the Fourth Summer of the Sisterhood," by Ann Brashare.
Parent Ann Wentworth is requesting the Fond du Lac School District remove the book from the library at Theisen Middle School, where her daughter attends.
"Forever in Blue" is the fourth and final novel in the author's "Sisterhood" series. The story concludes the adventures of four girls who share a pair of "magical" pants that fit each one of them perfectly, despite their vastly different shapes and sizes, according to the author.
The school district's reconsideration committee will also meet at 6 p.m. that same night to move forward the process on another book Wentworth is challenging: "Get Well Soon" by Julie Halpern.
Wentworth, who has been crusading to remove from the middle schools books that contain what she feels is inappropriate subject matter for children in that age group, appeared Thursday before the committee to state her case.
"Some (of the characters in the book) are sexually active, and alcohol is part of their recreation. I pointed out that in a community such as ours, where we have the Drug Free Task Force attempting to address and eradicate underage drinking, it seems very contradictory to have books in our school libraries that are promoting that very thing," Wentworth told the committee. [Emphasis added.]
Nutty stuff. That's like saying libraries promote crime because they have detective and mystery novels in their collections.
Related articles:
Wentworth motors on. (5/3/2010)
Ann Wentworth gets fan mail. (4/29/2010)
School board upholds decision to keep book on shelves. (4/13/2010)
School library challenge moves to next step. (4/5/2010)
Parent appeals decision to keep book. (2/28/2010)
Fond du Lac School District: Update on Remaining Book Challenges. (2/24/2010)
Sonya Sones Letter to Fond du Lac School Superintendent. (2/23/2010)
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
Food and Drink Always Allowed at this Tempe Arizona Library
Planning a trip to the Phoenix area?
The brunette "librarian" is holding the book pictured below, which was published in 1993. From Library Journal: The target readers for this personal finance guide are time-pressed working people with little or no experience at active money management. (No copies in LINKcat.)
Troy (Michigan) Public Library Threatened With Closure, Part 2
Excerpt: The Troy Public Library is likely to be closed and Troy residents are poised to lose privileges at other area libraries, too.
Last week, the Troy City Council approved the 2010-11 budget, which calls for the library to close by July 1, 2011.
As a result, the Rochester Hills Public Library in Rochester and the Baldwin Public Library in Birmingham are implementing borrowing restrictions and other limits for nonresidents.
The Baldwin library serves residents of Birmingham, Beverly Hills and Bingham Farms. The Rochester Hills library serves that community, Rochester and Oakland Township.
Both libraries have had reciprocal agreements with Troy.
Related article:
Troy (Michigan) Public Library threatened with closure. (4/25/2010)
Stanford's Physics and Engineering Libraries (Not Quite) Going Bookless
New books page last updated 1-20-2010.
Excerpt: One chapter is closing — and another is opening — as Stanford University moves toward the creation of its first "bookless library."
Box by box, decades of past scholarship are being packed up and emptied from two old libraries, Physics and Engineering, to make way for the future: a smaller but more efficient and largely electronic library that can accommodate the vast, expanding and interrelated literature of physics, computer science and engineering.
"The role of this new library is less to do with shelving and checking out books — and much more about research and discovery," said Andrew Herkovic, director of communications and development at Stanford Libraries.
Libraries are the very heart of the research university, the center for scholarship. But the accumulation of information online is shifting their sense of identity. [Emphasis added.]
It sounds as though "going bookless" is similar to "Retiring Guy" -- moving toward but not having fully realized the goal. As in not a totally electronic library and having nothing to do with shelving and checking out books.
Related article:
Developing the concept of bookless libraries. (11/17/2009)
Congratulations, Terry Dawson!
Terry Dawson, who attended UWFV from 1966-68, has served as director of the Appleton Public Library since 1996.
From the May 19 Oshkosh Northwestern.
Maybe we'll see a picture of the award presentation here?
No New Taxes!! Arizona Voters Sing a Different Tune
Excerpt: Voters in Oregon and Pennsylvania chose their major-party candidates for governor on Tuesday (May 18), while Arizona’s electorate handed Governor Jan Brewer a significant victory by easily approving a temporary hike in the state sales tax.
The Arizona vote allows state lawmakers to avoid much deeper spending cuts than those already approved earlier this year — including the elimination of all-day kindergarten and reduction of health care services for the poor. The measure, which takes effect in two weeks, generates much-needed revenue by raising the sales tax by a penny per dollar, to 6.6 cents, for three years. It is expected to bring in about $1 billion per year.
Notably, the outcome in Arizona runs counter to a common national narrative about 2010 being a sharply anti-tax year.
Link to May 19 Arizona Republic article, "Arizona votes approve Prop 100".
Excerpt: Education appeared to be the winning ingredient. The Yes on 100 campaign relied heavily on appeals to the needs of schools and noted repeatedly that two-thirds of the revenue would go to education.
It's a temporary measure which expires on May 1, 2013.
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
Mecklenburg County Manager Cuts $14.7 Million From Library Budget
Proposed Library Budget
$1,300,000,000 FY11 Mecklenburg County Budget
$17,678,177 FY11 Library Budget
Library budget is 1.3% of county budget
Link to May 18 Charlotte Observer article, "Meck budget proposal cuts $81.1 million from services".
And $14.7 million of this amount is being cut from the library budget.
Let's see; this means the Charlotte Mecklenburg Libraries are shouldering 18% of the cuts.
And the County Manager admits it coulda been worse.
Excerpt from linked article: The cuts are slightly smaller than the $85 million shortfall staff had said the county was facing for the budget year that starts in July.
But they will still bring pain, says Jones:
County libraries likely will have to close some branches and reduce hours at others after losing $14.7 million. The library was spared from even deeper cuts because it plans to consolidate its maintenance and security with the county. [Emphasis added.]
As Patricia Cavill notes in "The Importance of Creating a Common Agenda"....
1. People do things for their own reasons, not yours.
2. People pay attention to the things they love and value.
It's clear the Henry Jones doesn't love and value libraries. Charlotte and Mecklenburg County library adovcates...you've got your work cut out for you.
Related articles:
2010-11 Mecklenburg County budget to be unveiled today. (5/18/2010)
North Carolina woman plans on "going straight to the top" to keep Charlotte libraries open. (5/16/2010)
Charlotte Mecklenburg officials ask local municipalities for $3 million contribution. (4/30/2010)
Library Board chair speaks out. (4/25/2010)
County commissioners seek ways to ease library cuts. (4/23/2010)
Mecklenburg County needs to reduce $85-90 million deficit. (4/16/2010)
County manager takes library board to task. (4/10/2010)
Libraries now open fewer hours. (4/6/2010)
"Save Our Libraries Sunday". (3/29/2010)
Charlotte Mecklenburg users owe average of 55 cents in fines. (3/27/2010)
Library announces new hours for branches. (3/26/2010)
Library Board applies a Band-Aid to its bleeding system. (3/25/2010)
Follow-up on Charlotte Mecklenburg Library Board vote. (3/25/2010)
Charlotte Mecklenburg Library Board votes to keep all branches open. (3/24/2010)
Charlotte Mecklenburg Library Board presented with 2 budget-cutting alternatives. (3/24/2010)
More and bigger cuts looming on horizon. (3/23/2010)
Charlotte Mecklenburg Library System Rethinks Closings. (3/22/2010)
A New Day is Dawning in Charlotte/Mecklenburg County. (3/21/2010)
Ghostbusters at the New York Public Library
Fun stuff. (via boingboing, "Ghostbusters attack budget cuts at the New York Public Library)
Oh, and be sure to notice how few people use libraries anymore!
Oh, and be sure to notice how few people use libraries anymore!
The C. H. Moore Collection at the Vespasian Warner Public Library
Link to May 17 Daily Herald article, "Downstate library's archive yields rare treasures".
Excerpt: Jenny Freed spends her days sorting through time.
Walking among floor-to-ceiling shelves filled with books, the archivist at Vespasian Warner Public Library said, "Our pride and joy is the C.H. Moore collection.
"Moore had the largest circulating collection of books outside of Chicago," Freed said, something pretty extraordinary for the 19th century.
When Moore died at the beginning of the 20th century, the friend and associate of Abraham Lincoln gave his 5,000 books to the community with the understanding a library would be built to house them, she said. And Vespasian Warner, Moore's son-in-law, paid for the library and gave the land for it, she added, with the library opening its doors in 1908.
2010-11 Mecklenburg County Budget to be Unveiled Today
All eyes are on Mecklenburg County Manager Harry Jones
Link to May 17 Charlotte Observer article, "Mecklenburg to show where the money isn't".
Excerpt: For weeks, Mecklenburg County officials have told the public to brace for deep cuts to county services and potential layoffs of more than 500 workers.
The news has rippled through the community with talk of library branch closings, layoffs of hundreds of teachers, and the possible loss of the Veterans Services Office and other programs.
The full extent of the cutbacks will become clearer Tuesday when County Manager Harry Jones unveils his proposed budget for the fiscal year that starts July 1.
Related articles:
North Carolina woman plans on "going straight to the top" to keep Charlotte libraries open. (5/16/2010)
Charlotte Mecklenburg officials ask local municipalities for $3 million contribution. (4/30/2010)
Library Board chair speaks out. (4/25/2010)
County commissioners seek ways to ease library cuts. (4/23/2010)
Mecklenburg County needs to reduce $85-90 million deficit. (4/16/2010)
County manager takes library board to task. (4/10/2010)
Libraries now open fewer hours. (4/6/2010)
"Save Our Libraries Sunday". (3/29/2010)
Charlotte Mecklenburg users owe average of 55 cents in fines. (3/27/2010)
Library announces new hours for branches. (3/26/2010)
Library Board applies a Band-Aid to its bleeding system. (3/25/2010)
Follow-up on Charlotte Mecklenburg Library Board vote. (3/25/2010)
Charlotte Mecklenburg Library Board votes to keep all branches open. (3/24/2010)
Charlotte Mecklenburg Library Board presented with 2 budget-cutting alternatives. (3/24/2010)
More and bigger cuts looming on horizon. (3/23/2010)
Charlotte Mecklenburg Library System Rethinks Closings. (3/22/2010)
A New Day is Dawning in Charlotte/Mecklenburg County. (3/21/2010)
State House Retirements: Wisconsin 20, Minnesota 13
Late in the 4th quarter. (Minnesota has a June 1 nominating signature deadline.)
Link to May 17 Smart Politics blogpost, "Retirements from Minnesota State House in 2010 Currently Down from '06 and '08".
Excerpt: Although the names of Minnesota Representatives who are retiring from their House seats in 2010 continue to trickle in during this election year, there has not yet been an exodus from the legislature that is out of step with previous election cycles this decade.
In fact, a Smart Politics analysis finds that the number of open seats in the state House is down in 2010 (13) from both 2006 (23) and 2008 (15), and is only slightly higher than 2004 (12).
Excerpt: Although the names of Minnesota Representatives who are retiring from their House seats in 2010 continue to trickle in during this election year, there has not yet been an exodus from the legislature that is out of step with previous election cycles this decade.
In fact, a Smart Politics analysis finds that the number of open seats in the state House is down in 2010 (13) from both 2006 (23) and 2008 (15), and is only slightly higher than 2004 (12).
Wolfram Alpha Struggling to Find an Audience
Link to May 18 cnet news post, "Wolfram Alpha's niche continues to elude".
Excerpt: One year after its debut, the world is still not ready for Wolfram Alpha.
Few would argue that despite the success of Google, Internet search is a solved problem. The way that content is being shared across it is evolving so quickly means that better ways of discovering and presenting that content will always be welcome.
Wolfram Alpha certainly provides a different way to think about Internet search. It's heavily weighted toward computational queries, and its practice of curating its results as opposed to simply serving up whatever is available on the Web means its results can be more authoritative than a list of links.
But that strategy--useful as it might be to researchers and technical types--hasn't resonated with the general public. ComScore's assessment of unique users to wolframalpha.com over the past year shows that fewer people visited the site in April 2010 than did in May 2009. That traffic last year was undoubtedly juiced by curiosity and media attention, and usage has risen since a trough in late summer 2009, but as a search provider Wolfram Alpha doesn't even register on ComScore's radar.
Let's take a closer look.
Just under the search bar, you'll find a "New to Wolfram Alpha" link, which offers you "a few things to try".
Like a specific date. Retiring Guy typed in his birth date.
Retiring Guy then typed in his city of birth.
Auburn, Washington, located between Seattle and Tacoma, was a much smaller city in 1950. How much smaller?
Wikipedia to the rescue. Auburn is a post-WWII boomtown that continues to grow at an accelerated pace.
Related article:
Googling myself. (4/10/2008)
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