Library Lovers' LiveJournal

Aquisitions Question (or for those in the know)

Fri, 16 May 2008 19:06:02 GMT

A few questions:

Do you use TLC to maintain your catalog?
If so, do you use OSA for your ordering? Why or why not?
How much do you routinely order a month if you do use OSA?
How large is your collection?

We're just switching from Dynix/Horizon to TLC and I'm just curious about what other people think of TLC/OSA. Previously we had just downloaded carts directly from Title Source into Horizon (no electronic billing), and so this is something new to me.

Thanks!

I would apply for this if I wasn't already happily employed.

Thu, 15 May 2008 22:50:22 GMT

Announcement for Medical Veterinary Librarian under the cut.

ANNOUNCEMENT OF PROFESSIONAL VACANCY
Auburn University, a land grant institution with an enrollment of more
than 22,000 students, invites applications for a twelve month tenure
track position as Veterinary Medical Librarian.

The AU Libraries belong to the Association of Research Libraries, house
a collection of more than three million volumes, and operate with a
current materials budget of $5.8 million.

VETERINARY MEDICAL LIBRARIAN: Auburn University Libraries seeks
innovative, accomplished and user-focused candidates for the
tenure-track faculty position as Veterinary Medical Librarian serving at
the Cary Veterinary Medical Library to provide administrative and
operational oversight of one of two campus branch libraries. The
Veterinary Medical Librarian is responsible for establishing and
maintaining strong and effective partnerships with the College of
Veterinary Medicine.

MAJOR RESPONSIBILITIES: The Veterinary Medical Librarian develops,
manages and evaluates the collections, staff, and services of the Cary
Veterinary Medical Library.

This staff includes 2 paraprofessionals and 2.25 FTE (6 total) student
assistants. The Veterinary Medical Librarian selects materials to
develop the Veterinary Medicine collection in support of the curricular
and research interests of the College.

He/she is responsible for maintaining effective service environments,
both physical and virtual, including reference and research
consultation, library instruction, liaison with Veterinary Medicine
faculty and students, and outreach.

He/she works with faculty and other campus groups to increase the
library’s presence in new digital learning environments. As a member
of the Library Faculty, he/she serves the University, contributes to the
profession, and engages in professional development. Some night and
weekend reference desk coverage may be required. This position reports
to the Associate Dean for Public Services/Head of Reference and
Instruction Services in the University Libraries.

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS:
● A Master’s degree from an ALA-accredited library program and an
academic or employment background that includes some area of the
sciences

● A strong service orientation

● Experience in providing support in reference/research, in
consultation, in developing collections, and/or in supervising staff

● Demonstrated commitment to user-centered services including
instruction, outreach programs and training as evidenced by examples
from prior work experience or programs ●

Substantial knowledge and understanding of key issues, trends and the
use of emerging technologies in information services and academic
libraries

● An understanding of the goals, structures, practices and politics of
research universities

● Demonstrated ability to serve as a member of a team and create a
positive work environment

● Demonstrated ability to work collegially with college teaching and
research faculty as well as clinicians, administrators and students

● A record of effective interpersonal communication and collaborative
efforts involving a diverse group of stakeholders

● Ability to analyze activities and initiate innovative ideas

● Willingness to take risks, consider new and untested approaches and
use creative problem-solving skills in fast-changing environments

● Strong organizational and analytical skills

● Experience in policy development

DESIRED QUALIFICATIONS:

● A record of scholarly, professional, and research activity

● An academic background in the Life Sciences

● Supervisory and/or management experience

SALARY/BENEFITS: Minimum salary $49,190 for a Librarian II, higher with
experience, or appointment as a Librarian III.

Rank will be commensurate with experience/qualifications. Twelve-month
tenure track position.

Benefits include 20 days vacation; 12 days sick leave; participation in
state teachers’ retirement (mandatory); other additional voluntary
retirement plans available; health/life/disability insurance.

APPLICATION: Application review process begins May 23, 2008, and will
continue until a qualified candidate is selected and recommended for
appointment. Complete application must include letter of interest,
resume, names, addresses, and telephone numbers of three current
references.

The candidate selected for this position must be able to meet
eligibility requirements to work in the United States at the time
appointment is scheduled to begin and continue working legally for the
proposed term of employment; excellent communication skills required.

APPLY TO: Linda Caudle, Executive Assistant and Business Manager, RBD
Library, Auburn University, Auburn, AL 36849-5606; e-mail:
caudlnm@auburn.edu.

AUBURN UNIVERSITY IS AN AFFIRMATIVE ACTION/EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER.

WOMEN AND MINORITIES ARE ENCOURAGED TO APPLY

Thu, 15 May 2008 04:16:17 GMT

Generation R (R Is for Reader)
The book business may be flat, but there's at least one bright spot: the booming sales of books for teens--and no, it's not all Harry Potter.

Jamie Reno
Newsweek Web Exclusive

Christopher Collins, 13, who attends Marshall Middle School in suburban San Diego, and Alexandra Roquemore, 17, who attends Valley High School in West Des Moines, Iowa, are both typical teenagers. He likes boogie boarding, playing PlayStation 3, listening to My Chemical Romance on his iPod and watching the San Diego Chargers. She likes oil painting, speaking French, listening to Sarah Brightman on her iPod and hanging out at the mall with friends. And they both love reading fiction....

Collins, whose favorite novels include "Maniac Magee" by Jerry Spinelli, and the "Cirque du Freak" vampire series by Darren Shan, likes reading books because "unlike movies, you create the world in your mind. Books make me laugh, cry, and truly connect with the characters and provide an escape to a different reality." Roquemore, whose favorite novels include Kate Chopin's "The Awakening" and Stephanie Meyer's "Twilight" vampire series, likes reading books because she can "experience someone else's life and understand different points of view. It provides a healthy escape from the real world to a world where everything is possible."

While it may sound like they were recommended to NEWSWEEK by the American Booksellers Association, Collins and Roquemore are both very real teenagers with a genuine passion for books. And they're not alone. Contrary to the depressing proclamations that American teens aren't reading, the surprising truth is they are reading novels in unprecedented numbers. Young-adult fiction (ages 12-18) is enjoying a bona fide boom with sales up more than 25 percent in the past few years, according to a Children's Book Council sales survey. Virtually every major publishing house now has a teen imprint, many bookstores and libraries have created teen reading groups and an infusion of talented new authors has energized the genre.

"This is the second golden age for young-adult books," says David Levithan, an acclaimed author of several young-adult novels ("Wide Awake," "Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist") and executive editorial director at Scholastic Inc., the world's largest publisher and distributor of books for kids and teens. In just the past few years, Scholastic and many other publishers of young-adult (also known as YA) fiction have seen "amazing success," says Levithan, who calls this the "most exciting time for young-adult literature since the late 1960s and 1970s when 'The Chocolate War' [by Robert Cormier] and 'Forever' [by Judy Blume] were published."

Levithan and others cite several reasons for this perfect storm for teen lit, the most obvious two being the increasing sophistication and emotional maturity of teenagers and the accompanying new freedom for writers in the genre to explore virtually any subject. Another is that bookstores and libraries are finally recognizing this niche and separating teen books from children's books. "Teenagers don't want to walk past the Curious George books to get to their books. They want and deserve their own section," says Levithan, who points out that "because of MySpace, Facebook, blogs and authors' and publishers' Web sites, young readers are communicating interactively now with each other and with authors." Another reason for the YA boom cited by Levithan and others is that teen books have become an integral part of today's overall pop-culture entertainment menu. They segue into television series, movies, videogames, cartoons and the Internet. If teens see that, say, "The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian" is coming out in theaters, they'll read the book in advance of the movie.

Maybe it's even simpler than that. Jack Martin, assistant coordinator of YA services at the New York Public Library, says that the single most important fact is that young-adult books are simply better and more diverse than ever, and readers are responding. "There's so much good writing now, that's the key," says Martin. "They're telling better stories, and there is such variety, something for everyone." And, yes, he admits, it started with the Harry Potter books, which have "generated a passion for reading in an entire generation of preteens and teens and many have taken that passion with them to other books." Martin suggests that the Potter series has captured the interest of young readers who otherwise would never read fantasy, or read at all, and instilled in them an enthusiasm for reading in general. "Harry Potter has made kids trust the book as a source of information that is exciting, not just a school assignment," he says, adding that the most popular books for teens now are fantasy. Also popular are graphic novels, adventure, romance, humor and, as has always been the case in the YA field, coming-of-age stories.

But amid this good news there is a subtext of controversy because of the mature content of many of these books for teens. Some, like the "The Gossip Girls" series that is popular with young girls, are graphic in their depictions of drinking and even sexuality, while others, such as "13 Reasons Why," look at teen suicide. Others are graphically violent and uncompromising in their language and depictions of real-life situations. There are books written specifically for teens about just about everything, from meth addiction to sexual abuse to the war in Iraq.

Still, most of these books, even the darkest ones, cling to some semblance of hope. And most are smart, well written and do not pander or talk down to their audience. That's a welcome change, because for more than a decade, the common knock on young-adult books has been that there were too many so-called problem novels that self-righteously told kids how to behave in a "just say no" fashion. "A lot of those books were based on fear, they were cautionary and sermonlike. Teen readers rejected them," explains Martin. "Too many books for teens just stated obvious messages, like 'doing drugs is bad.' But now the messages are imbedded into the story. This new crop of writers would rather present drugs as a miserable existence and show what it's like to live through this experience than to preach."

There may also be some pain behind this book-reading trend among teens. A majority of teens interviewed for this story agreed that reading books—especially fantasy fiction—is a healthy way to momentarily escape from the sometimes debilitating stresses of adolescence (grades, peer pressure, sports, parental pressure, etc.). Madison Springgate, 17, who attends University High School in Morgantown, W. Va., is an avid reader of fiction because it takes her to a world different from her own: "With all the stressful things about school and sports and getting into college, it's really relaxing to get into bed and read about kids that are experiencing the same things but also are more interesting than your own life."

Mante Koliakinaite, 15, who attends Deer Valley High School in Glendale, Ariz., and is currently reading "Elizabeth CEO" by Alan Axelrod, says that while she was forced to read at first by her parents, "when they stopped pressuring me, it kind of stuck to me. I got hooked. I think books are popular with teens because of all the stress they're going through. Books are a way a way to just forget about everything for a while. My favorite books would probably have to be the Harry Potter series. They are so amazingly written, and I guess they just take me away when I read them."

Connie LeFever, a former middle-school teacher who coordinates the young-adult section at Bay Books, an independent bookstore in Coronado, Calif., says teen books now act as a sort of therapy for teens. "There's a lot of pressure on teens now, and sometimes they aren't getting what they need at home in terms of communication and support. And they're finding that what they see on TV isn't working in their daily lives," she says. "A lot of these books are resources that are almost like talking to a counselor. There are some quality writers of young-adult fiction now who are telling great stories that resonate with these kids."

Among the most celebrated authors of new teen fiction is Sarah Dessen, whose stark but poignant books ("Just Listen," "The Truth About Forever") are packed with raw emotion. Dessen, who's sold more than 1.5 million books, is one of the hottest writers this side of J. K. Rowling, but she doesn't deal in fantasy. Her books address such topics as divorce, intimate-partner violence, substance abuse, alienation and loneliness. In her latest, "Lock & Key," which is No. 3 on the New York Times best-seller list this week, she tells the story of Ruby, a tough, complex teen living by herself after her mother leaves her. Dessen, whose first two books were consolidated into the Mandy Moore movie "How to Deal," always employs a female narrator in her books.

"I don't want any distinguishing characteristics on my covers, no pictures of girls, not even hair color, because I want the readers to feel that they could be the girls in my stories," says Dessen, who has fought about this issue with her publisher because "with the kind of books I write, readers can hopefully read them and think, 'this book is my school, this is me, these are my friends, this is our lives.' In our popular culture now there is so little that real people can actually relate to. Maybe that's the draw with books that movies don't have: with a book you can lose yourself in it, you can really put yourself in the story."

Dessen loves writing young-adult fiction. "I have a supportive publisher, and really there are no limitations any more in this genre," she says. "And the other great thing is the immediate buzz and feedback. A few days after 'Lock & Key' came out, I got an e-mail from a reader asking me when I was going to write a sequel. This audience buys a book, they read it in a day, or less, and then they go on their blog and write about it. It's immediate. They read it fast and then they are ready for next one. I have an 8-month-old baby, and I'm still promoting this book, I haven't even thought about writing another one yet."

Dessen is very aware of the undercurrent of controversy in the young-adult book scene. A Florida school system tried to ban her last book, "Just Listen," about a girl who is assaulted at a party and finds the strength to speak up about what happened to her. When the passage describing the attempted rape was read out at a school board meeting, chairwoman Jennifer Faliero described the book as "repulsive." Teachers and librarians in the school district had to fight to keep it in the library. "I understand that parents are just being protective of their children. That's of course a good thing," Dessen says. "I just ask that before they criticize my books, they read them and understand the context." And even Dessen agrees that because her books and others deal with mature issues, parents as well as teachers, librarians and booksellers have an added responsibility to know what these kids are reading.

"I wouldn't recommend a Sarah Dessen book to anyone under 15," says Jack Martin. "They are terrific books, but there is an emotional maturity there that some younger teens are simply unequipped to handle. Realism penetrates these books, it's important for parents to know this. That's why it's important that parents talk with their kids about what they are reading, just like it's important for parents to know what movies and television shows they are watching and what kind of videogames they are playing."

Some parents are just saying no to violent videogames like Grand Theft Auto and yes to books. Steve Hunyar, owner of a software company in Alpine, Calif., says his 12-year-old twins are both voracious readers. But videogames are out. "My son enjoys the fantasy-fiction books while my daughter loves the coming-of-age genre." he says. "We do not have a PlayStation nor Xbox in our house, and no video in our cars. Academics and sports keep them quite busy. In fact, there have been times on our vacations when we've had to tell them to put their books down and look around."

As for Christopher Collins, the 13-year-old voracious reader you met atop this story, he says his parents are very aware of what he reads and they approve. His father, Craig Collins, 47, confirms that. "The books that Christopher and other teens are reading now challenge them, and that's what they like about them," he says. "I know there are people who get wound up about Harry Potter and fret that it might be promoting witchcraft and instilling anti-Christian thoughts into young minds. I think such people are fairly closed-minded. The great thing about literature is that it promotes the expansion of thought and the opening of minds."

Collins doesn't doubt that there is teen lit that crosses the line on controversial issues like drinking, drugs and sex. But, he says, the teen books his son has read have "gripped him and opened his eyes to the world. In addition to fanciful topics," he says, "many big issues are also touched upon in these books, including the Holocaust, bullying, death of a parent, death of a brother from leukemia, abusive parents, failure, success, love, war, etc. These are profound issues that I've seen handled tastefully. They're issues that some might think are too big for a teen. But teens, like adults, live in the real world. And I get the sense that they appreciate fiction that's honest and might give them a glimpse of what awaits them as adults."

URL: http://www.newsweek.com/id/136961

A book search?

Tue, 13 May 2008 23:13:59 GMT

I'm not sure if this is allowed, and if it not, than please delete? But I am in need of desperate help. Do you know the feeling where you remember what the plot is, but can't recall title/author? And then you feel the burning need to reread the book that you can't even find? That's how I'm feeling. I read this book about 4+ years ago and I remember the plot perfectly but I have no clue how to find it since I don't remember the title/author of the book. Anyways, please, please, please tell me if you can so I can reread it? Here it goes: the book started with a girl and her brother running away from soldiers who are getting rid of people with special Talents. They come across this gigantic keep and find a widower and his child. The widower is the sad, glum type because of his Talent which is seeing the future of anyone he touches. Which is why he wears gloves all the time. There was also a secret that he was guarding, the last batch of dragons. Does this even seem familiar to anyone or have I just dreamed it up? Please help!!

Participate in Virtual Library Legislative Day 2008 in Second Life! (lightly cross-posted)

Tue, 13 May 2008 16:59:10 GMT

National Library Legislative Day 2008
American Library Association - May 13 & 14, 2008
http://www.ala.org/nlld

Hi, everyone -- Valerie Hawkins of the Library of the American Library Association here!

On May 13 & 14, 2008, hundreds of librarians and library supporters of all kinds are going to Washington, DC, for an event like no other: National Library Legislative Day (NLLD), a two-day event in which people who care about libraries participate in advocacy and issue training sessions, interact with Capitol Hill insiders, and visit Congressional member offices to ask Congress to pass legislation that supports libraries.

Can’t go to Washington? Participate in Virtual Library Legislative Day 2008 in Second Life!

Above is a picture of my avatar, ALALibraryVal Miles, modeling the free t-shirt now available from the kiosk in Second Life for ALA's National Library Legislative Day on ALA Island (134, 103, 29).

You can participate in Virtual Library Legislative Day 2008 in Second Life by having your avatar wear the National Library Legislative Day 2008 t-shirt on May 13 and/or 14.

Take a snapshot of your avatar wearing the t-shirt.

Upload the snapshot to an online photo sharing web site, such as Flickr, and add the tag "VLLD08" or "VLLD2008" for Virtual Library Legislative Day 2008.

Just to make sure we see it, send the link for the photo(s) by IM to ALALibraryVal Miles in-world in Second Life -- or send an e-mail to vhawkins@ala.org. Also use this contact information for any questions or concerns you might have.

NOTE: You have the option to take your VLLD2008 snapshot at the READ Poster Picture Frame Station on ALA Island (183, 94, 29).

Stupid Thing of the Day

Fri, 09 May 2008 17:38:40 GMT

The AV selector, in her glorious wisdom (/sarcasm) has decided that we will have Wii, xBox 360s and PS2 games available for checkout. Well, they were getting stolen. (Like I said they would.) So, they've made dummy cases to keep out on the shelves and when someone wants the game they take the dummy case to the circ desk and the clerk will go to the back and get the actual game and case.

Our patrons are now stealing the dummy cases.

*thunk*

Help! :)

Mon, 05 May 2008 22:23:36 GMT

So, I recently joined the tech services staff of a college library. To help me meet people, our director has volunteered me to help plan our department's retreat in June. It's just a half-day thing, where small groups give brief presentations on various library-related topics. The planners pick topics (usually w/ articles, so the groups don't have to do a ton of research and so everyone else can read them beforehand too, if they'd like) and people sign up to be in a group to present on each topic. So I'm trying to come up w/ some topic ideas - at the last retreat they talked about WorldCat Local and Primo, Archivist Toolkit, and looked at various other college catalogs. The director suggested this year we have RDA as a topic, but the rest are up to us. I'm thinking that maybe open access journals might be good, but I'm blanking on anything else. It doesn't need to be serious - it could be a fun topic, as long as it's library-related and ideally a current/hot topic! Any suggestions? Thanks! :)

(x-posted to library_grrls)

library catalog software question

Thu, 01 May 2008 11:27:51 GMT

is there a good, reliable piece of opensource software to create a usable, searchable database to organize a small (1000+) collection of books?

it needs to be cross platform (linux, windows) and have a user friendly interface.

I have searched and only found for-pay software.

geek-savvy librarian community, please hop into phonebooths and be my supermen or superwomen.

50 Best Cult Books

Tue, 29 Apr 2008 01:13:48 GMT

Since one good book list (or a list of good books) deserves another, the UK Telegraph has decided to list the 50 Best Cult Books. It's an interesting list. Do yourself a favor and ignore the snide comments from the reviewers, though. Enjoy!

Mulitple Copies for Prison Library Book Club

Sun, 27 Apr 2008 14:37:33 GMT

I'm less than a month into my first library job (second-career after retiring from the Postal Service), full librarian at a California state prison. Within the next two weeks, I and a degree-holding inmate with great organizational skills will create and guide a new book club. The problem that woke me this early in the morning on my day off is how to get a half dozen copies of each week's reading selection. Though my senior librarian suggested having members each read a different book by the same author, everything I recall from my school days suggests that, especially in the early going, discussions will be more fruitful if we've all read the same thing. The other way reeks of school daze book reports, and carries as well, especially with participants new to book discussion, the issue of plot "spoilers." In addition I very much want the discussion group to choose its own reading and discussion matter. Neither I nor my inmate colleague should choose for them, and I don't want them to be limited by what is on hand.

Multiple copies are rare, usually topping out at just two or three, in the library's poorly weeded and equally poorly seeded collection of about 37,000. Though we receive regularly hand-me-downs from local public libraries, new acquisition takes place just once a year on a severe budget. This year's was already well underway when I began. For security reasons, we operate with no access at all to the Internet. So far my most consistent duties, largely self-assigned, have been weeding and cataloging.

Two solutions to the "copies" problem come immediately to mind. 1) If I ask the as yet unformed group to select just short or long short stories or articles, then I can photocopy enough. We have ample paper and the machine. 2) Though we're badly underpaid compared to educational employees in the same facility or librarians between here and the coast, I'm relatively flush due to my retirement. I can buy on my own half a dozen paperbacks each week. But I'm not all that flush that it wouldn't become a drag after a several weeks.

Clearly, down the road, especially if the project gets a good start and keeps on, there's the possibility of grants (about which at this point I'm ignorant), next Spring's budget, even, I guess, appeals to authors (hey, these guys love your work, can you spare a few ... ) But right now--Any suggestions how to obtain multiple copies right away based on unpredictable weekly group decisions? And, copyright-wise, do I have the same photocopy rights that educators seem to have? Would whole book copying, even in our closed environment, be beyond the pale?

I'm more than open, too, to you guys' title suggestions. Patron reading ability here ranges from high-school dropout to probably exceeding my own. Though I have no intention to imposing readings, I can suggest.

fg

Southern California Schools

Thu, 24 Apr 2008 19:16:22 GMT

Hi Everyone,
Does anyone know of the MLS programs in schools around the southern California area that are credited? I'm currently at CSULB and they don't have a MLS, only a slightly different Library program that doesn't count for most libraries jobs. I think UCLA has one, but I haven't checked it out throughly though. How any of you ever attended any of these schools? Thanks so much.

Tue, 22 Apr 2008 19:38:57 GMT

I was wondering if you all could help me with citing a source. I'm doing a presentation tomorrow night on the book The Newbery and Caldecott Medal Books a Comprehensive Guide to the Winners. Well seeing as how it is a book and hard to show examples on power point I went to Amazon.com and used their Look Inside feature. I then did print screen and put the image as a slide in the presentation. Now my question is how do I give credit to Amazon on my reference page. It has to be in APA style. Also, for the authors etc I used Google Images. Can I somehow just cite Google Images instead of each individual website? Thanks

Good or Bad Sign?

Tue, 22 Apr 2008 13:54:46 GMT

First of all, thank you veyr much for the advice on my last post! Well, I had the interview yesterday morning. I think I bombed it (first time interviewing with two people, too nervous), but did get my points across...I'm wondering if what they said is a sign that they're considering me?

One big reason I think I bombed it was because I was so nervous, I totally forgot to shake the second interviewer's hand at the end because I asked the first interviewer for her business card after I shook hers (I wasn't too sure whether I did shake the 2nd person's hand, but let's say I didn't...but if I did, great! Lol).

Anyway...if they say voluntarily that "It will take about 2 weeks since we have to interview for other positions, but we'll contact you one way or another", do I have a chance? The thing is that they're hiring circulation clerks for several branches so multiple positions are available, and I told them I am extremely flexible with availability.

So what do you think the chances are, based on what they say? And would the fact that I forgot to shake the second interviewer's hand cost me thejob? Thank you so much!

In training

Tue, 22 Apr 2008 03:38:33 GMT

I have a desire to help teenagers. At church AND in the greater community. Naturally, I want to be a YA librarian. But something that has continued to hurt my job opportunities is a lack of volunteer work with teens. Been searching for places where I feel qualified to help.

A few weeks back I offered to help at the library book club. I want more involvement with teens, so let me try something easy: teens who share my love for reading. Two meetings that day, one for book club, the other for manga lovers. I introduced myself at both meetings as a YA librarian-in-training. The book club was small, but populated by interactive high schoolers. Granted, most members were disinterested in the chosen book for the month. However, they discussed and shared personal stories, and talked about news from the community.

The manga club, in contrast…UTTER CHAOS. Dominated by middle school girls, there was an unending din of noise. It felt like the YA head gathered everyone into the meeting room, shut the door, and tried to contain all that energy for an hour. The odd-yet-interesting thing was…it was a club. Though there were frequent tangents and odd stories, the kids WERE talking about manga. About their favorite characters, inferences on where a plot was going, recommending new series to each other, comparing the book vs. the cartoon, etc. I could not see the order, but it WORKED.

Arjayen

Suggestions of what to do with ARCs/Proofs

Sat, 19 Apr 2008 18:17:25 GMT

Ok, I just cleaned out my garage and have almost 15 boxes of Advance reader copies and proofs I need to unload. Any one know addresses to send donations of books? What do other libraries do with this stuff? Just toss it?

edit: 4/22 Thanks everyone for their suggestions! The major problem is that I have hundreds of these and in the past I've dumped them all at once. I usually had an address of a soldier in Iraq that I could send them too, but I no longer have that info and books for soldiers won't actually accept book donations. I've also donated to prisons, jury reading rooms, and our local infirmary. I guess I'm looking for new venues to spread the love around and was curious to see how others handled their ARCs as my husband thinks I'm a little obsessive over donating them. He doesn't think it's a big deal to sell them or donate them to a church book sale.

Intro! oh dear second try...

Sat, 19 Apr 2008 07:51:54 GMT

Hello, I'm new in this community! I posted an intro earlier, but I attempted to edit it and ended up deleting it by accident. >< Anyway, greetings to everyone! I had an issue, but perhaps I'll refrain from posting about it (again!) in too much detail until it is resolved.

Anyway, just wanted to say hello, and glad to be part of this network.

Georgia State sued over electronic reserve

Fri, 18 Apr 2008 14:31:42 GMT

Two days old, but I just came across this Library Journal story. Oxford University Press, Cambridge University Press and SAGE are suing GSU for its 'over 6700 total works available for some 600-plus courses' accessible via Blackboard that they say violate fair use.

At first I was thinking this was a fiendish attack on fair use, but after reading the entire story I'm not so sure. My first thought was that they were putting up PDFs of materials available through their databases, but that's probably not the case. No money is being asked for in the suit, and two of the publishers are non profit. It also doesn't seem to have come out of nowhere for GSU: Oxford University Press' Niko Pfund said, 'It’s a shame. We’ve successfully come to agreements with others over the years. But Georgia State just wouldn’t talk with us.'

Does anyone have more information or insight?

Interview Help Please =)

Fri, 18 Apr 2008 03:55:53 GMT

*waves* Hello! Newbie here...hope I'm doing this right. If not, feel free to correct anything!

Anyway it would be wonderful if you guys can help me prepare for an interview I have with the Markham Public Library on Monday, for a Circulation Clerk position. I want this job so bad, but I'm not really good at interviews...

How would you guys answer the generic questions such as the below, if you either work there already, or if you were to be interviewed for a similar position? I find it easier to answer specific questions pertaining to the tasks than the standard ones.

1) Why do you want to work in a library?

2) Why should we hire you?

Also, the requirements for this position is surprising low, as you only need a high school diploma and some library experience. Yet they pay you almost $18 an hour! I'm wondering if the interview would be "easier" because of the low education requirement, or would the pay count more so they ask you harder questions...you know, "get your money's worth" lol.

Thank you so much in advance for any input! They are very much appreciated.

Advice requested

Thu, 17 Apr 2008 20:58:09 GMT

I am going for an interview next week for a Reference Librarian position at a local state college, and have been asked to prepare an instruction session for a freshman English Comp class - 20 minutes.

I have done plenty of BI sessions before, but they of course run 40-50 minutes, so I am not sure how much I should try to tackle in just 20. Any ideas/suggestions from those who have been through this (or sat on a selection committee for such) before? This is the first time I've been asked to present as part of the interview process...

Thanks in advance!

Fair use question

Thu, 17 Apr 2008 17:12:11 GMT

As a research addict and library type person, I'm feeling a bit dodgy and concerned as to "fair use" of available online images.

I have saved LOTS of random pictures from online. Although I try, I'm bad about keeping source information attached to all the images. I have these images saved in folders on my home computer, some are kept in public and private albums online (flickr and imagecave), and sometimes I post them in my Live Journal entries.

It's mostly for my own visual file reference use, or sharing with other interested persons. I am not claiming them as my own work or using them for any sort of profit.

What sort of guidelines and netiquette are out there as far as copy right and respecting other's intellectual property?

Wed, 16 Apr 2008 10:43:23 GMT

Libraries get their due in two very different books

By Bob Minzesheimer, USA TODAY
It's National Library Week. USA TODAY'S Bob Minzesheimer examines two books about libraries — one mystical, the other more mundane....

The Library at Night

By Albert Manguel

Yale University Press

384 pp., $27.50

EXCERPT: Visit Manguel's 'Library at 'Night'

In his "foolhardy youth," Alberto Manguel confesses, "when my friends were dreaming of heroic deeds in the realms of engineering and law, finance and national politics, I dreamed of becoming a librarian."

He didn't, blaming "sloth and an ill-restrained fondness for travel." Instead, he became an essayist, novelist and author of such ambitious works as A Dictionary of Imaginary Places and A History of Reading.

The Library at Night is a personal and intellectual account of the libraries in Manguel's life, or the ones he's merely read about or imagined. It's for readers who take books seriously. The writing is challenging but rewarding.

Manguel, who was raised in Argentina, moved to Canada and now lives in France, takes a global and historic view of libraries. He's intrigued by what he sees as the mysterious human desire to give order to the universe, despite all evidence that life is not all that ordered.

He notes that the diarist Samuel Pepys organized and shelved his 3,000 volumes behind glass according to their size. Manguel's own 30,000-volume library is shelved on more of a personal basis in his home, a renovated 15th-century barn in the hills south of the Loire.

Quiet, Please

By Scott Douglas

Da Capo, 352 pp., $25

In contrast to Manguel, Scott Douglas offers a more parochial, gritty and irreverent view of working in a library where bookish isn't always the most apt adjective.

His memoir, Quiet, Please: Dispatches From a Public Librarian, deals with both the frustrations and joys of life in a branch library in Anaheim, Calif., where one of his fellow staffers is certain that Thomas Pynchon is Julia Roberts' latest boyfriend and the patrons are full of surprises.

Douglas, a contributor to McSweeney's website, is too self-consciously hip for my tastes, though it's hard to argue that libraries would benefit from more creative staffs with a sense of humor. He organizes his stories around the Dewey Decimal system and sprinkles his text with hundreds of footnotes that are meant to be jokes but often fall flat.

Douglas raises useful questions about the power of mass media and technology. He likes to challenge authority and writes, "The trouble with so many things is there aren't enough visionaries in the world, because the visionaries got stuck going to trade school."

He mentions but doesn't really do much with the two dramatic changes in public libraries in the past decade: the coming of computers and a new wave of immigrants.

But he does come to appreciate and celebrate the fact "that libraries would change, technologies would change, even patrons would change, but the role of libraries as the gateway to something greater would always stay the same."

http://www.usatoday.com/life/books/reviews/2008-04-15-library-manguel-douglas_N.htm

Good job, librarians.

Mon, 14 Apr 2008 14:21:51 GMT

I can't remember which library LJ community first posted about POPLINE, but:

Health site blocked 'abortion' searches

BALTIMORE --

A prominent public health school has restored the word "abortion" as an acceptable search term on a reproductive health Web site funded by a federal agency that restricts references to abortions.
The move by the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health follows criticism from some health advocates and librarians that the restriction amounted to censorship.

The restriction on the POPLINE Web site - "population information online" - had been put in place after inquiries by the United States Agency for International Development, which funds the site, according to a statement from Dr. Michael J. Klag, the dean of the Bloomberg school.

USAID denies funding to non-governmental organizations that perform or actively promote abortion as a methods of family planning in other nations. The policy was started under President Ronald Reagan and was revived when President Bush took office in 2001.

"I could not disagree more strongly with this decision, and I have directed that the POPLINE administrators restore 'abortion' as a search term immediately," Klag said in a statement. "The Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health is dedicated to the advancement and dissemination of knowledge and not its restriction."

USAID officials did not immediately respond to calls seeking comment Saturday.

POPLINE is a free database containing citations and abstracts of scientific articles, reports and books about population, family planning and related health issues. It contains nearly 360,000 records.

Loriene Roy, president of the American Library Association, applauded Klag's action, saying the restriction denied "researchers, students and individuals on all sides of the issue access to accurate scientific information."

Wayne Shields, president and CEO of the Association of Reproductive Health Professionals, said in a statement that restricting access to the information could possibly jeopardize patient care, because it prevented doctors and women from linking to scientific literature on the topic.

"Removing abortion as a search term on a publicly funded reproductive health database is clearly a decision driven by ideology - and not based on the medical or scientific needs of the reproductive health professional community the database exists to serve," Shields said.

New from Library Juice Press: Questioning Library Neutrality

Mon, 14 Apr 2008 12:04:38 GMT

Questioning Library Neutrality: Essays from Progressive Librarian

Editor: Alison Lewis
Price: $18.00
Expected: April 2008
ISBN: 978-0-9778617-7-4
Printed on acid-free paper

Questioning Library Neutrality: Essays from Progressive Librarian presents essays that relate to neutrality in librarianship in a philosophical or practical sense, and sometimes both. They are a selection of essays originally published in Progressive Librarian, the journal of the Progressive Librarians Guild, presented in the chronological order of their appearance there.

We begin with Progressive Librarian editor Mark Rosenzweig's editorial, "Politics and Anti-Politics," which provides a philosophical framework for considering the historical role of "neutrality" within the profession of librarianship. It is followed by Peter McDonald's "Corporate Inroads and Librarianship," which exposes the outsourcing of library functions in various settings and advocates for the retention of local professional involvement and humanistic values. Sandy Iverson provides a post-modernist and feminist critique of neutrality or "objectivity" in "Librarianship and Resistance." Steven Joyce revisits the so-called "Berninghausen debate" surrounding issues of social responsibilities within the American Library Association in the 1970s and relates it to a similar conflict within the profession over homosexuality in the 1990s in "A Few Gates Redux." In "Activist Librarianship: Heritage or Heresy?" Ann Sparanese relates the circumstances surrounding her now-famous "saving" of Michael Moore's book Stupid White Men and the motivations behind her own decision to act rather than remain a passive, neutral observer. Robert Jensen provides useful insights into the impossibility of remaining neutral with his comparison of librarians to professionals working in journalism and higher education in "The Myth of the Neutral Professional." Jack Andersen's "Information Criticism: Where is It?" looks at librarianship's inability to critique and analyze the information it deals with and places the blame for this on the profession's embrace of a technological and managerial discourse that overlooks practical use and societal impact. Likewise, John Doherty challenges librarianship's lack of critical self-awareness in "Towards Self-Reflection in Librarianship: What is Praxis?" and provides practical examples of his own attempts to integrate the ideas of educational theorists into his practice of bibliographic instruction. In "The Professional is Political," Shiraz Durrani and Elizabeth Smallwood examine the library within a global context, then narrow their focus to innovative practices in public libraries in Britain, providing a concrete example of a needs-based youth advocacy program. Lastly, Joseph Good critiques neutrality as a form of moral relativism in "The Hottest Place in Hell." Here at the beginning of the twenty-first century, "neutrality" no longer means "impartiality" or "objectivity," but too often lapses into what might be better termed "indifference." These essays are presented in the hope that they will stimulate further interest in and debate about the concept of neutrality within the library community, if not provoking the downright opposite of indifference.

Buy from Amazon

Buy from Barnes and Noble

"EW" Celebrates National Library Week

Mon, 14 Apr 2008 10:57:13 GMT

18 Sexy Trips to the Stacks
Okay, maybe all these library scenes aren't as ''sexy'' as the naughtiness in ''Atonement'' but it's National Library Week -- why quibble? ...

By Joy Piedmont

ATONEMENT (2007)
A sex scene in a library that is scorching hot? It seems so wrong — and it is — but it's also amazing. Robbie (James McAvoy) and Cecilia (Keira Knightley) get down and dirty against the bookshelves in this pivotal scene from Atonement, but it is also surprisingly tender; that is, until young Briony (Saoirse Ronan) walks in on them and the whole thing becomes super awkward.

THE BREAKFAST CLUB (1985)
An entire day in the school library doesn't sound like punishment to me, but I'm not an athlete, a basket case, a princess, a criminal, or even a brain with suicidal thoughts. The breakfast club tear pages out of books (that sound you hear is my breaking heart), smoke pot, and play loud music; all big no-nos for a hall of learning. However, the teens learn from each other (awww) and that's why the library rocks.

GHOSTBUSTERS (1984)
The New York Public Library's ghost is not nearly as scary as the mess she leaves in her wake. Who's going to re-shelve all those books and reassemble the scattered card catalog? Not the Ghostbusters, who run screaming from the nasty hag...and their responsibility to the Dewey Decimal system.

JUMPER (2008)
Wet books smell gross, so I don't envy the poor librarian who will have to clean up the flood that David Rice (Hayden Christensen) brings into the library stacks. Although, he could be forgiven because it's kind of hard to be thoughtful when a) you're drowning in a frozen lake, and b) you don't even yet realize that you can teleport.

THE MUMMY (1999)
We first glimpse librarian Evelyn Carnahan (Rachel Weisz) in a less than adventurous moment, but her reaction after toppling several bookcases (''oops!'') reveals her sense of fun. And just in case you didn't know, libraries can be full of dangers, such as sexist curators and selfish brothers (John Hannah) who will hide in a sarcophagus just to scare their sister. Evie's drunken declaration of her profession should serve as a battle cry for librarians everywhere.

BEAUTY AND THE BEAST (1991)
Nope, that's not a library Belle visits in the beginning of the film. The local bookseller just lets her borrow because she's probably the only person in that town who reads. As a young bibliophile, I nearly died seeing the library that the Beast gives to Belle. Books stacked so high it's probably a hazard to even attempt to get them down. All girls should be so lucky.

HARRY POTTER AND THE GOBLET OF FIRE (2005)
When problems plague Harry Potter (Daniel Radcliffe), Hermione (Emma Watson) consults the school library because the wizarding world doesn't have Google. In Goblet of Fire the teens pull an all-nighter looking for a spell to breathe underwater. Yes, Neville tells Harry how it can be done, but Harry might have been sleeping with the fishes if it weren't for the library.

SEVEN (1995)
Ah, the glories of good old-fashioned research in a quiet library set to the music of Bach. Compared to the cold blue palette of David Fincher's film, the green banker lamps in the library are warm and inviting; a brief moment of calm in a movie filled with tension. It's only appropriate that the first viable lead toward catching John Doe (Kevin Spacey) comes from his library card.

INDIANA JONES AND THE LAST CRUSADE (1989)
If you ever wondered why librarians treat their territory like hallowed ground, perhaps it's because it actually is. The Last Crusade really takes off during this scene in the church-turned-library/catacombs. Indy (Harrison Ford) finds the secret entrance faster than you can say ''Holy Grail,'' but the stained-glass windows and stone columns are a gorgeous diversion before we descend to the rat-infested tunnels below.

PHILADELPHIA (1993)
Libraries are not always the perfect environments we would hope them to be. In one of the many heart-breaking scenes from Philadelphia, Tom Hanks' character Andrew Beckett endures the suspicious and fearful stares of other library patrons and the librarian who helps find a book about AIDS discrimination. Witnessing the struggle, Joe Miller (Denzel Washington), who had previously declined to take Beckett's case, agrees to the job.

DESK SET (1957)
In Desk Set, Katherine Hepburn plays Bunny Watson, reference librarian at the Federal Broadcasting Network. As expected, she is a veritable encyclopedia, witty, and far superior to a computer that threatens to replace her. In one scene, Hepburn and Spencer Tracy have a drunken conversation while sitting against the bookcases, which just proves that even intoxicated she's got one superior brain.

THE DAY AFTER TOMORROW (2004)
A mischievous ghoul haunted the New York Library in Ghostbusters, but that was nothing compared to the global-warming disasters that plague the building in The Day After Tomorrow. Jake Gyllenhaal and Emmy Rossum do their best to stay alive inside the library while the world outside crumbles. I'll let the book-burning slide — barely — because they're trying to keep warm.

NATIONAL TREASURE: BOOK OF SECRETS (2007)
Does the Library of Congress contain a top-secret book that has all the answers to our nation's biggest conspiracies? I wouldn't be shocked if it was true, but maybe that's because it's easy to believe that such a beautiful building is likely to be home to some pretty confidential stuff. Nicolas Cage doesn't really seem the library-going type in National Treasure, but he's a man on a mission, and that mission happens to lead him to the country's greatest library.

THE MUSIC MAN (1962)
I've never been a big fan of The Music Man, but even my cranky heart melts a little watching Robert Preston sing ''Marian the Librarian''. Just the sheer cheesiness of book-related choreography is enough to make this scene brilliant, but the full-out partnered dancing makes it a classic.

ALL THE PRESIDENT'S MEN (1976)
As far as libraries go, the Library of Congress is the Grand Pooh-Bah of them all. While Bob Woodward (Robert Redford) and Carl Bernstein (Dustin Hoffman) are carefully going through circulation records, the camera pans out from a tight close-up on their hands to a fantastic wide view of the circular reading room. It's a beauty shot of the library, and the exciting part is that such a place actually exists.

LORENZO'S OIL (1992)
Lorenzo's determined parents, Augusto and Michaela (Nick Nolte and Susan Sarandon), cannot accept the certain death of their son so they tirelessly search for a cure to an incurable disease called adrenoleukodystrophy (ALD). They practically set up camp in a medical library, spending hours researching any and all possible treatments that may save their son. It's not always thrilling to watch other people read, but when the effects of ALD flash across the screen as Augusto is researching, the feeling of urgency is palpable.

THE NINTH GATE (1999)
Okay, this Johnny Depp satanic-book-mystery is not a great film — one might hesitate to even use the term ''good film'' — but Depp does his best as Dean Corso, a rare book dealer who travels to some luscious libraries in his quest to validate a rare copy of The Nine Gates of the Kingdom of Shadows.

A BEAUTIFUL MIND (2001)
It's no surprise that a genius like John Nash (Russell Crowe) spent a lot of his time in the library. In A Beautiful Mind he practically lives in Princeton's stacks when he is trying to develop an original thesis. His eureka moment happens at a bar (not exactly like a library, but good ideas aren't picky...and there are usually shelves). Later in his career, Nash returns to Princeton, allowed only space in the library rather than an office. The set-up leads to popularity among students and a return to lecturing. Thus, a library saves another career!

http://www.ew.com/ew/gallery/0,,20190897,00.html

Sun, 13 Apr 2008 19:53:56 GMT

Librarians, parents angry over cuts to Reading Is Fundamental program

BY ANNMARIE COSTELLA
DAILY NEWS WRITER

Jade Stebbins developed her love of books thanks to her mother - and Reading Is Fundamental (RIF).

"I love books because I like to read," said Jade, 5, as she handed copies of "The Berenstain Bears" and "The Gingerbread Boy" to her mother, Jacqueline, at the Brooklyn Public Library branch in Gravesend.

But other children may not get the same head start as Jade.

President Bush wants to eliminate funding for RIF's Inexpensive Book Distribution program from the 2009 federal budget. ...

Brooklyn Public Library librarians and patrons are fighting the cuts, saying the program is too important to lose.

RIF and library officials encouraged supporters to contact their congressional representative and ask them to oppose the funding cut.

"Children are the most important group we serve," said Mel Henkle, a veteran librarian who works at the Gravesend branch. "We are trying to establish a lifelong connection."

RIF is the oldest and largest nonprofit children's literacy program in the country, providing 16 million free books annually to 4.6 million children nationwide.

In New York state alone, RIF serves more than 400,000 children at more than 1,000 sites.

"They get free books on their grade level and it has helped their progress in school," said Anissa Lorenzo, whose children, Karissa, 11, and Brandon, 6, are both enrolled in RIF at the New Utrecht branch.

"I would be really upset to see it go. I don't believe this President."

RIF has received federal funding under every federal administration since 1975.

Last year, RIF collected less than $7 million in private donations. The group would have to raise an additional $26 million to replace the federal funds.

Children who sign up for RIF receive a free book as a gift. Then, they check out two books weekly and get a free book on every third visit.

RIF supporters say the program promotes a healthy "library habit" in which children begin a cycle of checking out, reading and returning books. It also encourages them to begin their own library.

"We often hear from RIF alumni who tell us that they still have their RIF books," said RIF President and CEO Carol H. Rasco. "Receiving books to keep gives children a sense of ownership, allowing them to write their name in the book, and often creating a lifelong love of reading."

"I love to see how excited kids get when they receive a free book," said Ellen Holiday, the RIF coordinator for the Brooklyn Public Library.

"There is no way we could continue our level of service without federal funding."

http://www.nydailynews.com/ny_local/brooklyn/2008/04/01/2008-04-01_librarians_parents_angry_over_cuts_to_re.html

Here is a link to the RIF website where you can write a letter to your Congressional representatives communicating your displeasure and desire to reinstate the funding for RIF into the FY09 budget. Please, make your voice heard.