The Frederick County (MD) Commissioners voted to eliminate an English-only restriction on audio books bought by the Frederick County Public Libraries.
Four commissioners voted on the issue Tuesday after Commissioner Kai Hagen asked the board to reconsider the policy.
Saturday, August 30, 2008
Friday, August 29, 2008
Household Hazardous Waste Days
Those empty paint cans are considered household hazardous waste and should not be thrown out with your regular trash. Empty paint cans should be disposed of during Albany's regularly scheduled Household Hazardous Waste Days. The next Household Hazardous Waste collection day is September 4, 2008. Residents must pre-register by calling toll- free 1-800-494-CARE (2273). Only residents of the City of Albany are eligible to participate. However, small businesses that generate less than 32 gallons a month of hazardous waste may participate but will be charged a small fee. All participants must pre-register to be admitted. The following dates -- all Thursdays -- have been scheduled:
• September 4
• October 2
• November 6
• December 4
All hazardous waste days will run from 4 to 7 PM and take place at the City of Albany Rapp Road Landfill. At no time should household hazardous waste be placed curbside for disposal. Any questions on the Household Hazardous Waste program, please call the Albany Landfill at 869-3651. For a full listing of acceptable materials download the Household Hazardous Waste flyer here: http://albanyny.gov/Files/Household%20Hazardous%20Waste%202008.pdf
• September 4
• October 2
• November 6
• December 4
All hazardous waste days will run from 4 to 7 PM and take place at the City of Albany Rapp Road Landfill. At no time should household hazardous waste be placed curbside for disposal. Any questions on the Household Hazardous Waste program, please call the Albany Landfill at 869-3651. For a full listing of acceptable materials download the Household Hazardous Waste flyer here: http://albanyny.gov/Files/Household%20Hazardous%20Waste%202008.pdf
Mansion Neighborhood House & Garden Tour, Festival of American Music, Summer In The City Youth Talent Exhibition and more!
Historic Albany Foundation (HAF) has some interesting events coming up this fall:
Tiptoe through the gardens of the Mansion Neighborhood on their House & Garden Tour, Sunday 7, 2008. Join us noon-5pm, rain or shine, for a tour of stunning mid-1800’s architecture, classic interiors and imaginative gardens. Tickets are available at several places including here at the HAF offices (check the list of sellers on our website http://historic-albany.org/mansion.html). Or purchase tickets the day of the tour at Bleecker Park, corner of Madison Avenue and Eagle Street. Pre-sale tickets are $17, day of are $20. For more information call 465-0876 x10.
Thanks to Thisbe Nissen of Woodstock and her mention of HAF’s Architectural Parts Warehouse in her article documenting the restoration of her historic home, HAF is in this month's issue of Preservation magazine. Preservation magazine is the bi-monthly publication of the National Trust for Historic Preservation. Check out the article online here: http://www.preservationnation.org/magazine/2008/september-october/place-nissen-house.html.
St. Joseph’s Church in the Ten Broeck neighborhood will host another fabulous concert with ARIA (formerly Albany Ensemble) on September 28, 2008 at 4pm with special guests, national renowned pianist Lincoln Mayorga and singer/songwriter Sheri Mayorga. The Festival of American Music will highlight the works of two prominent American composers: George Gershwin and Scott Joplin. With Lincoln Mayorga at the piano, Gershwin’s renowned Rhapsody In Blue will be the featured presentation. ARIA artists will present selections from Scott Joplin’s ragtime opera Treemonisha and other classic, jazz and folk works from great American composers. Sheri Mayorga will present her original music and American folk tunes. Tickets are $30 at the door. For more information contact 465-0876 x10 or 432-0849 or email info@allegrorep.com
St. Joseph’s is a busy busy place these days. HAF will be hosting the 2008 Summer In The City Youth Talent Exhibition as part of 1st Friday on October 3, 2008. The Summer In The City Exhibition will celebrate the accomplishments of young people in Arbor Hill, showcasing performing arts, multimedia, poetry, cultural and political knowledge projects and more created during the summer of 2008. The Summer in the City program was founded in 2004 by the College of Saint Rose American Studies Program to help inform Arbor Hill families about summer programs for youth with an emphasis on cultural and educational activities. For more information contact HAF at 465-0876 x10.
HAF is so close to finishing the $300,000 matching grant from the NYS Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation. If everyone who’s helped HAF with St. Joseph’s gave only $38 dollars HAF would be all set. So please check out HAF's website and send your check today! http://historic-albany.org/stjoes-donate.html
If you would like to see preservation in action in a possibly precedent-setting case here in Albany then go to the Court of Appeals on Wednesday, September 3, 2008 at 3:30 pm to hear the case of St. Brigid’s vs. the Archdiocese of New York. The Committee to Save St. Brigid’s was able to get a court injunction in 2006 to stop the demolition of the historic Irish Famine Church designed by Patrick Keely. Patrick Keely is the architect of Albany's Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception and St. Joseph’s Church. It is thought that St. Brigid’s is the oldest Keely church still standing of the 600 or so he designed. To get more information visit www.savestbrigid.com. The Committee to Save St. Brigid’s would love to see the courtroom packed so head on down and support historic preservation. Look out for HAF Executive Director, Susan Holland. She’ll be there!
Take an architectural trip with the Turpin Bannister Chapter of the Society of Architectural Historians, September 20-21, 2008 with a bus trip to Newport, Rhode Island. Newport is lousy with beautiful architecture, particularly the grand estates of the gilded age built in the second half of the 19th Century. The cost of the trip is only $280.50, per person, sharing a double room; a single supplement of $35 will be added for a single. Contact Ned Pratt with questions or reservation at 432-0220 or nedprat66@aol.com HURRY RESERVATIONS NEED TO BE MADE BY AUGUST 29TH. SO CALL NOW!
2009 is a major year for Albanians. Not only is it the 400th anniversary of that fateful landing of Henry Hudson, but it is the 35th anniversary HAF. Not so long ago hundreds of buildings were demolished for the South Mall (Empire State Plaza for the young’uns). With more demolitions slated for the Hudson/Park and Center Square neighborhood, a group of residents organized to save the buildings and so was the birth of Historic Albany Foundation.
Tiptoe through the gardens of the Mansion Neighborhood on their House & Garden Tour, Sunday 7, 2008. Join us noon-5pm, rain or shine, for a tour of stunning mid-1800’s architecture, classic interiors and imaginative gardens. Tickets are available at several places including here at the HAF offices (check the list of sellers on our website http://historic-albany.org/mansion.html). Or purchase tickets the day of the tour at Bleecker Park, corner of Madison Avenue and Eagle Street. Pre-sale tickets are $17, day of are $20. For more information call 465-0876 x10.
Thanks to Thisbe Nissen of Woodstock and her mention of HAF’s Architectural Parts Warehouse in her article documenting the restoration of her historic home, HAF is in this month's issue of Preservation magazine. Preservation magazine is the bi-monthly publication of the National Trust for Historic Preservation. Check out the article online here: http://www.preservationnation.org/magazine/2008/september-october/place-nissen-house.html.
St. Joseph’s Church in the Ten Broeck neighborhood will host another fabulous concert with ARIA (formerly Albany Ensemble) on September 28, 2008 at 4pm with special guests, national renowned pianist Lincoln Mayorga and singer/songwriter Sheri Mayorga. The Festival of American Music will highlight the works of two prominent American composers: George Gershwin and Scott Joplin. With Lincoln Mayorga at the piano, Gershwin’s renowned Rhapsody In Blue will be the featured presentation. ARIA artists will present selections from Scott Joplin’s ragtime opera Treemonisha and other classic, jazz and folk works from great American composers. Sheri Mayorga will present her original music and American folk tunes. Tickets are $30 at the door. For more information contact 465-0876 x10 or 432-0849 or email info@allegrorep.com
St. Joseph’s is a busy busy place these days. HAF will be hosting the 2008 Summer In The City Youth Talent Exhibition as part of 1st Friday on October 3, 2008. The Summer In The City Exhibition will celebrate the accomplishments of young people in Arbor Hill, showcasing performing arts, multimedia, poetry, cultural and political knowledge projects and more created during the summer of 2008. The Summer in the City program was founded in 2004 by the College of Saint Rose American Studies Program to help inform Arbor Hill families about summer programs for youth with an emphasis on cultural and educational activities. For more information contact HAF at 465-0876 x10.
HAF is so close to finishing the $300,000 matching grant from the NYS Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation. If everyone who’s helped HAF with St. Joseph’s gave only $38 dollars HAF would be all set. So please check out HAF's website and send your check today! http://historic-albany.org/stjoes-donate.html
If you would like to see preservation in action in a possibly precedent-setting case here in Albany then go to the Court of Appeals on Wednesday, September 3, 2008 at 3:30 pm to hear the case of St. Brigid’s vs. the Archdiocese of New York. The Committee to Save St. Brigid’s was able to get a court injunction in 2006 to stop the demolition of the historic Irish Famine Church designed by Patrick Keely. Patrick Keely is the architect of Albany's Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception and St. Joseph’s Church. It is thought that St. Brigid’s is the oldest Keely church still standing of the 600 or so he designed. To get more information visit www.savestbrigid.com. The Committee to Save St. Brigid’s would love to see the courtroom packed so head on down and support historic preservation. Look out for HAF Executive Director, Susan Holland. She’ll be there!
Take an architectural trip with the Turpin Bannister Chapter of the Society of Architectural Historians, September 20-21, 2008 with a bus trip to Newport, Rhode Island. Newport is lousy with beautiful architecture, particularly the grand estates of the gilded age built in the second half of the 19th Century. The cost of the trip is only $280.50, per person, sharing a double room; a single supplement of $35 will be added for a single. Contact Ned Pratt with questions or reservation at 432-0220 or nedprat66@aol.com HURRY RESERVATIONS NEED TO BE MADE BY AUGUST 29TH. SO CALL NOW!
2009 is a major year for Albanians. Not only is it the 400th anniversary of that fateful landing of Henry Hudson, but it is the 35th anniversary HAF. Not so long ago hundreds of buildings were demolished for the South Mall (Empire State Plaza for the young’uns). With more demolitions slated for the Hudson/Park and Center Square neighborhood, a group of residents organized to save the buildings and so was the birth of Historic Albany Foundation.
Thursday, August 28, 2008
Might we suggest your neighborhood pool?
Don't forget, the library will be closed this Saturday, Sunday and Monday in honor of the Labor Day holiday.
The Albany Public Library Board of Trustees has moved its next meeting from Monday, September 8th to Wednesday September 10th. It's still slated for 5:30PM on the third floor of the Main Library and, as always, is open to the public.
The Albany Public Library Board of Trustees has moved its next meeting from Monday, September 8th to Wednesday September 10th. It's still slated for 5:30PM on the third floor of the Main Library and, as always, is open to the public.
"Impressionist Giverny" Free on 1st Friday
SEPTEMBER 1st FRIDAY
Friday, September 5
5:00-8:00 pm
Admission: FREE
During the September 1st Friday Program the Albany Institute of History & Art will offer free admission to all participants, including the new exhibition IMPRESSIONIST GIVERNY: American Painters in France, 1885-1915; Selections from the Terra Foundation.
IMPRESSIONIST GIVERNY
IMPRESSIONIST GIVERNY will feature more than 50 oil paintings of Impressionist masterworks by American artists who worked in the small French village of Giverny, the home of Impressionist master Claude Monet, during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Tracing the chronological, stylistic and thematic evolution of art produced by Americans in Giverny, the exhibit includes work by artists such as John Leslie Breck, Frederick MacMonnies, Theodore Robinson, Willard Leroy Metcalf, Lilla Cabbot Perry, Frederick Carl Frieseke, Dawson Dawson-Watson.
Museum Shop
AIHA members will receive a 10 percent discount on select items in the Museum Shop, which features a wide variety of merchandise of local and regional interest, including books, jewelry, calendars, traditional blue-and-white delft, Tiffany-style lamps, polish boxes, scarves, greeting cards, and more.
Impressionist's Garden Shop
For IMPRESSIONIST GIVERNY, the Museum Shop has expanded to include a special Impressionist's Garden Shop, featuring a wide variety of Impressionism-inspired merchandise,and the lavishly illustrated catalog, Impressionist Giverny: A Colony of Artists, 1885-1915. See the article below for details about the Impressionist's Garden Shop. AIHA members will receive a 10 percent discount.
| IMPRESSIONIST'S GARDEN SHOP | |
| Experience a 19th-century French garden! During the IMPRESSIONIST GIVERNY exhibit at the Albany Institute, visitors to the Museum Shop will discover that the Rice Gallery adjacent to the shop has been transformed into a 19th-century French garden in which shoppers can select from a wide variety of Impressionism-inspired merchandise. The Impressionist's Garden Shop will feature dried flower arrangements by Barbara Jefts of Native Farm Flowers. Also featured will be colorful and impressionistic jewelry by Leni Singerman and Charlotte King, as well as decoupage trays and flower pots by Maggie Correia. The shop will also have a wonderful selection of children's books and coloring books, as well as adult art books, cards, magnets, puzzles, matted prints, ornaments, and art supplies. Also on sale in the shop is the lavishly illustrated catalog, Impressionist Giverny: A Colony of Artists, 1885-1915. The catalog expands the context of Impressionism to include not only American artists, but also European painters who worked in Giverny. Edited by Katherine M. Bourguignon, associate curator at the Musée d'Art Américain Giverny/Terra Foundation for American Art, this scholarly work traces the theoretical context of artists' colonies; the technical and visual characteristics of Impressionism as practiced by Giverny artists; and the colonists' relationship to Claude Monet. The full-color, 224-page book sells for $49.95 plus sales tax; AIHA members' price, $44.95, plus sales tax. For more information on the Impressionist's Garden Shop, please call (518) 463-4478, ext. 459. | |
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
Albany library needs volunteers for vacant board seat
From the Times Union, By TIM O'BRIEN, Staff writer, Tuesday, August 26, 2008.
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
September is National Preparedness Month
I received an e-mail from the CPM Industry Insider that had a link to the article Survey: American Small Businesses Not Prepared For Power Outages. Probably not coincidentally, on the very same day, SBA sent out a press release about September being National Preparedness Month, from which I will quote extensively:
Homeowners, Renters and Businesses Are Encouraged to Plan Before Disaster Strikes
WASHINGTON – Recent floods in the Midwest and hurricanes/tropical storms in Texas and Florida have cost homeowners, renters and businesses millions of dollars in damages. These events serve as reminders to the public to have a disaster preparedness plan in place.
National Preparedness Month, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), is designed to enhance the public’s awareness of the necessity of having an emergency plan in place to respond to a natural or man-made disaster. The U.S. Small Business Administration is one of the many government and private sector coalition partners participating in this fifth annual National Preparedness Month.
"There’s a tendency – and it’s human nature – to think that a large-scale disaster is not going to happen where you live," said SBA Acting Administrator Sandy K. Baruah. "Accepting the inevitability of an emergency, and then taking responsibility for your own recovery are the necessary first steps toward protecting your family, your assets, and your community."
To prepare for disasters, SBA offers the following tips:
• Develop a solid emergency response plan. Find evacuation routes from the home or business and establish meeting places. Make sure everyone understands the plan beforehand. Keep emergency phone numbers handy.
Business owners should designate a contact person to communicate with other employees, customers and vendors. Individuals and business owners should ask an out-of-state friend, colleague or family member to be a “post-disaster”
point of contact, supporting the flow of information about short-term relocations, recovery, additional sources of assistance, etc.
• Make sure you have adequate insurance coverage. Disaster preparedness begins with having adequate insurance coverage – at least enough to rebuild your home or business. Homeowners and business owners should review their policies to see what is or isn’t covered. Businesses should consider “business interruption insurance,” which helps cover operating costs during the post- disaster shutdown period. Flood insurance is essential. To find out more about the National Flood Insurance Program, visit the Web site at www.floodsmart.gov.
• Copy important records. It’s a good idea to back up vital records and information saved on computer hard drives, and store that information at a distant offsite location. Computer data should be backed up routinely. Copies of important documents and CDs should be stored in fire-proof safe deposit boxes.
• Create a "Disaster Survival Kit." The kit should include a flashlight, a portable radio, extra batteries, a first-aid kit, non-perishable packaged and canned food, bottled water, a basic tool kit, plastic bags, cash, and a digital camera to take pictures of the property damage after the storm.
More preparedness tips for businesses, homeowners and renters are available on the SBA’s Web site.
The Institute for Business and Home Safety also has information on protecting your home or business. To learn more about developing an emergency plan, visit the DHS’s Ready Campaign Web site at www.ready.gov or call 1-800-BE-READY to receive free materials.
The SBA makes low-interest loans to homeowners, renters and non-farm businesses of all sizes. Homeowners may borrow up to $200,000 to repair or replace damaged real estate. Individuals may borrow up to $40,000 to cover losses to personal property.
Non-farm businesses and non-profit organizations of any size may apply for up to $2 million to repair or replace disaster damaged business assets and real property. Small businesses that suffered economic losses as a direct result of the declared disaster may apply for a working capital loan up to $2 million, even if the property was not physically damaged.
Homeowners, Renters and Businesses Are Encouraged to Plan Before Disaster Strikes
WASHINGTON – Recent floods in the Midwest and hurricanes/tropical storms in Texas and Florida have cost homeowners, renters and businesses millions of dollars in damages. These events serve as reminders to the public to have a disaster preparedness plan in place.
National Preparedness Month, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), is designed to enhance the public’s awareness of the necessity of having an emergency plan in place to respond to a natural or man-made disaster. The U.S. Small Business Administration is one of the many government and private sector coalition partners participating in this fifth annual National Preparedness Month.
"There’s a tendency – and it’s human nature – to think that a large-scale disaster is not going to happen where you live," said SBA Acting Administrator Sandy K. Baruah. "Accepting the inevitability of an emergency, and then taking responsibility for your own recovery are the necessary first steps toward protecting your family, your assets, and your community."
To prepare for disasters, SBA offers the following tips:
• Develop a solid emergency response plan. Find evacuation routes from the home or business and establish meeting places. Make sure everyone understands the plan beforehand. Keep emergency phone numbers handy.
Business owners should designate a contact person to communicate with other employees, customers and vendors. Individuals and business owners should ask an out-of-state friend, colleague or family member to be a “post-disaster”
point of contact, supporting the flow of information about short-term relocations, recovery, additional sources of assistance, etc.
• Make sure you have adequate insurance coverage. Disaster preparedness begins with having adequate insurance coverage – at least enough to rebuild your home or business. Homeowners and business owners should review their policies to see what is or isn’t covered. Businesses should consider “business interruption insurance,” which helps cover operating costs during the post- disaster shutdown period. Flood insurance is essential. To find out more about the National Flood Insurance Program, visit the Web site at www.floodsmart.gov.
• Copy important records. It’s a good idea to back up vital records and information saved on computer hard drives, and store that information at a distant offsite location. Computer data should be backed up routinely. Copies of important documents and CDs should be stored in fire-proof safe deposit boxes.
• Create a "Disaster Survival Kit." The kit should include a flashlight, a portable radio, extra batteries, a first-aid kit, non-perishable packaged and canned food, bottled water, a basic tool kit, plastic bags, cash, and a digital camera to take pictures of the property damage after the storm.
More preparedness tips for businesses, homeowners and renters are available on the SBA’s Web site.
The Institute for Business and Home Safety also has information on protecting your home or business. To learn more about developing an emergency plan, visit the DHS’s Ready Campaign Web site at www.ready.gov or call 1-800-BE-READY to receive free materials.
The SBA makes low-interest loans to homeowners, renters and non-farm businesses of all sizes. Homeowners may borrow up to $200,000 to repair or replace damaged real estate. Individuals may borrow up to $40,000 to cover losses to personal property.
Non-farm businesses and non-profit organizations of any size may apply for up to $2 million to repair or replace disaster damaged business assets and real property. Small businesses that suffered economic losses as a direct result of the declared disaster may apply for a working capital loan up to $2 million, even if the property was not physically damaged.
Thursday, August 21, 2008
Barbara Smith reviews The Intuitionist!
Drop by Tuesday the 26th at 12:15PM for the Friend's Noon-Time Program at the Main Library for what promises to be a lively discussion.
Barbara Smith, 4th Ward Common Council Person reviews The Intuitionist by Colson Whitehead. This marvelously inventive, genre-bending, noir-inflected novel, set in the curious world of elevator inspection, portrays a parallel universe, where matters of morality, politics, and race reveal unexpected ironies.
Barbara Smith, 4th Ward Common Council Person reviews The Intuitionist by Colson Whitehead. This marvelously inventive, genre-bending, noir-inflected novel, set in the curious world of elevator inspection, portrays a parallel universe, where matters of morality, politics, and race reveal unexpected ironies.
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
I Love My Librarian Award Announced
From the announcement:
Carnegie Corporation of New York has awarded the American Library Association $489,000 to support a new Carnegie Corporation of New York/New York Times I Love My Librarian Award.
Administered by the ALA’s Public Information Office and Campaign for America’s Libraries, the award will launch this year and will continue annually through 2013. The award encourages library users to recognize the accomplishments of librarians for their efforts to improve the lives of people in their community.
Carnegie Corporation of New York has awarded the American Library Association $489,000 to support a new Carnegie Corporation of New York/New York Times I Love My Librarian Award.
Administered by the ALA’s Public Information Office and Campaign for America’s Libraries, the award will launch this year and will continue annually through 2013. The award encourages library users to recognize the accomplishments of librarians for their efforts to improve the lives of people in their community.
Monday, August 18, 2008
State budget cuts?
The state Legislature is being recalled to Albany on Tuesday by Governor Paterson for a Special Session to consider $1 billion in additional cuts to the 2008-09 State Budget to address the state's fiscal situation. Included in the proposed additional cuts is a 6% reduction in Library Aid (on top of the 2% that was imposed back in the Spring). The library community has already done its fair share in shouldering the burden of the state's fiscal situation and now it is time for others to do their part.
If you have not already done so, please contact your state legislators to urge them to reject further cuts in Library Aid. Visit www.nyla.org and click on Contact you Elected Officials button to send a letter today. Thanks for your cooperation.
If you have not already done so, please contact your state legislators to urge them to reject further cuts in Library Aid. Visit www.nyla.org and click on Contact you Elected Officials button to send a letter today. Thanks for your cooperation.
Friday, August 15, 2008
Speed matters: A report on Internet speeds in all 50 states
From Communications Workers of America.
The results of a nationwide study of Internet connection speeds in the United States reveal little progress over the previous year in the country’s median data download speed. At the present rate—with a gain of only four-tenths of one megabit per second—it will take the U.S. more than one hundred years to catch up with current Internet speeds in Japan.
The national report is based on aggregated data from nearly 230,000 Internet users who took the online Speed Matters Speed Test (www.speedmatters.org), a project of the Communications Workers of America (CWA).
The Speed Test, which measures the last-mile speed of a user’s Internet connection, shows that the median real-time download speed in the U.S. is a mere 2.3 megabits per second (mbps). The best available estimates show average download speeds in Japan of 63 mbps, in South Korea of 49 mbps and in France of 17 mbps. That means the same multimedia file that takes four minutes to download in South Korea would take nearly an hour and a half to download in the U.S.
The results of a nationwide study of Internet connection speeds in the United States reveal little progress over the previous year in the country’s median data download speed. At the present rate—with a gain of only four-tenths of one megabit per second—it will take the U.S. more than one hundred years to catch up with current Internet speeds in Japan.
The national report is based on aggregated data from nearly 230,000 Internet users who took the online Speed Matters Speed Test (www.speedmatters.org), a project of the Communications Workers of America (CWA).
The Speed Test, which measures the last-mile speed of a user’s Internet connection, shows that the median real-time download speed in the U.S. is a mere 2.3 megabits per second (mbps). The best available estimates show average download speeds in Japan of 63 mbps, in South Korea of 49 mbps and in France of 17 mbps. That means the same multimedia file that takes four minutes to download in South Korea would take nearly an hour and a half to download in the U.S.
The Disconnected
Who these 3.8 million people are, and why libraries need to help them
By Kathy Degyansky -- Library Journal, 7/15/2008. APL gets a mention!
By Kathy Degyansky -- Library Journal, 7/15/2008. APL gets a mention!
Thursday, August 14, 2008
Albany gun-violence forum set for Tuesday, Aug. 19
Albany's Gun Violence Task Force will conduct a forum on Tuesday at 7 p.m. at Philip Schuyler Achievement Academy at 667 Clinton Ave.
For information contact the Rev. Valerie Faust, the task force's acting chair during August at 364-8931 or e-mail her at maschil7@att.net.
For information contact the Rev. Valerie Faust, the task force's acting chair during August at 364-8931 or e-mail her at maschil7@att.net.
Trustee vacancy
Have you ever thought about serving as a Trustee of the Library? Well, now you have your chance to be appointed.
Due to the untimely passing of library trustee and Board President Jim Gallagher, there is a vacancy on the Board. The Trustees are soliciting letters of interest from residents interested in being appointed to this seat. Visit the APL website or stop into your local Albany Public Library to learn how you can become our next trustee.
If you have questions about the position or just want more information, call Interim Library Director, Tim Burke at 427-4379 or you can email him.
Due to the untimely passing of library trustee and Board President Jim Gallagher, there is a vacancy on the Board. The Trustees are soliciting letters of interest from residents interested in being appointed to this seat. Visit the APL website or stop into your local Albany Public Library to learn how you can become our next trustee.
If you have questions about the position or just want more information, call Interim Library Director, Tim Burke at 427-4379 or you can email him.
Wednesday, August 13, 2008
Mean Librarian Salaries Up 2% in 2008
To which one librarian quipped, "I wonder what the nice librarians got."
Tuesday, August 12, 2008
Monday, August 11, 2008
Canadian dollars per litre
On a website, I saw a reference to the price of gas as 1.279. Initially, I didn't get it. Then I realized I was on a Canadian website and it was a reference to Canadian dollars per liter. So what is that in US dollars per gallon? And how do I figure it out without having to do two calculations, one for liter to gallon and another for the currency.
Google, of course. To use my example, type: 1.279 CAD per litre in USD per gallon and click "Google Search". When I did it at noon on August 11, the result was "1.27900 (Canadian dollars per litre) = 4.58349234 U.S. dollars per US gallon". By the way, it doesn't matter if you spell it "litre" or "liter".
What you will need is the three-letter code for currency, which you can find several places, including here, one of the sites noted on this website.
More about Google's unit conversions g=here.
Tip of the cap to Arthur @ AmeriNZ, who mentioned this on his podcast.
Google, of course. To use my example, type: 1.279 CAD per litre in USD per gallon and click "Google Search". When I did it at noon on August 11, the result was "1.27900 (Canadian dollars per litre) = 4.58349234 U.S. dollars per US gallon". By the way, it doesn't matter if you spell it "litre" or "liter".
What you will need is the three-letter code for currency, which you can find several places, including here, one of the sites noted on this website.
More about Google's unit conversions g=here.
Tip of the cap to Arthur @ AmeriNZ, who mentioned this on his podcast.
Friday, August 08, 2008
Search Engine Use
From Pew/Internet. "The percentage of internet users who use search engines on a typical day has been steadily rising from about one-third of all users in 2002, to a new high of just under one-half (49%). With this increase, the number of those using a search engine on a typical day is pulling ever closer to the 60% of internet users who use email, arguably the Internet's all-time killer app, on a typical day."
Thursday, August 07, 2008
Librarians All a Twitter
I'll admit that I didn't always understand Twitter, its appeal or particularly its functionality. After reading Want to try microblogging, but don’t know how to get started? Read on, I'm definitely seeing the applicability in library, business and news applications.
Wednesday, August 06, 2008
State archivist admits stealing more than $50K in artifacts
By CAROL DeMARE, Staff writer, Times Union.
Podcasts from SLA 2008
Here are podcasts of a few sessions from the SLA 2008 Annual Conference. Speakers and facilitators volunteered to have their remarks recorded. While questions were not included in the recording, you will hear the answers to queries from the audience.
Please note: These podcasts are MP3 files; you must have an MP3 player program installed on your machine to hear the recordings. The sound quality varies from one recording to another. In some cases, sound quality varies within a recording. It may take longer than you are used to to load.
Please note: These podcasts are MP3 files; you must have an MP3 player program installed on your machine to hear the recordings. The sound quality varies from one recording to another. In some cases, sound quality varies within a recording. It may take longer than you are used to to load.
Tuesday, August 05, 2008
Hill Library Trends Newsletter
In the July 2008 edition of the Hill Library Trends Newsletter, learn what libraries can do to encourage funding and public support, find out which market research firm acquired another, and see how the U.S. House of Representatives is looking into the tracking of your activities online.
Monday, August 04, 2008
Albany Midtown Homeownership Program
This Wednesday, August 6th, the City of Albany, Citizens Bank, Albany
Medical Center, The College of Saint Rose, The University at Albany,
Albany Law School, Albany College of Pharmacy and The Sage Colleges are
hosting an event to promote the Midtown Homeownership Program. The
event will take place from 4:00 - 7:00 p.m. in front of Albany Law
School at 80 New Scotland Avenue (the corner of Holland and New
Scotland) to provide information about the program and promote living in
Midtown.
The residents of Albany, the City and its partners would
like to help spread that message and encourage potential buyers to
consider Midtown for their new home. The Council of Albany Neighborhood Associations (CANA) will have representatives there from each of the participating institutions as well as realtors with listings in the area tabling to show off their Midtown properties. Local restaurants will bring samples of their food, donate gift certificates for raffle, or simply provide menus to hand out or display. The Capital District Transportation Authority (CDTA) will be there to promote the wonderful multi-modal, gas-saving, environmentally-friendly transportation available when living in an urban neighborhood as well as to tout their free-pass partnership with the Midtown Homeownership Program. The Affordable Housing Partnership of the Capital Region (AHP) , Albany Community Development Agency (ACDA) and several other well-known and well-loved acronyms will be represented as well.
Strong levels of homeownership are proven to increase the stability and
quality of life of any neighborhood. This program, which provides a
$5,000 forgivable loan toward downpayment and closing, has been
contributing to that goal since 2005. It has already added 50 new
homeowners to your communities. CANA is excited to re-energize and expand
the program, and hope you'll be there to spread good news
about Midtown.
Posted on behalf of CANA
Medical Center, The College of Saint Rose, The University at Albany,
Albany Law School, Albany College of Pharmacy and The Sage Colleges are
hosting an event to promote the Midtown Homeownership Program. The
event will take place from 4:00 - 7:00 p.m. in front of Albany Law
School at 80 New Scotland Avenue (the corner of Holland and New
Scotland) to provide information about the program and promote living in
Midtown.
The residents of Albany, the City and its partners would
like to help spread that message and encourage potential buyers to
consider Midtown for their new home. The Council of Albany Neighborhood Associations (CANA) will have representatives there from each of the participating institutions as well as realtors with listings in the area tabling to show off their Midtown properties. Local restaurants will bring samples of their food, donate gift certificates for raffle, or simply provide menus to hand out or display. The Capital District Transportation Authority (CDTA) will be there to promote the wonderful multi-modal, gas-saving, environmentally-friendly transportation available when living in an urban neighborhood as well as to tout their free-pass partnership with the Midtown Homeownership Program. The Affordable Housing Partnership of the Capital Region (AHP) , Albany Community Development Agency (ACDA) and several other well-known and well-loved acronyms will be represented as well.
Strong levels of homeownership are proven to increase the stability and
quality of life of any neighborhood. This program, which provides a
$5,000 forgivable loan toward downpayment and closing, has been
contributing to that goal since 2005. It has already added 50 new
homeowners to your communities. CANA is excited to re-energize and expand
the program, and hope you'll be there to spread good news
about Midtown.
Posted on behalf of CANA
Freedom From Mildew
By NICK TAYLOR
THE Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum at Hyde Park, NY, the nation’s first presidential library, is literally falling apart. The roof leaks, the basement floods, asbestos is flaking from old steam pipes, an ancient electrical system could send the whole place up in smoke. This sorry situation is an insult to the person the library and museum honor: the founder of the New Deal, the greatest investment in our nation’s modern development.
Roosevelt inaugurated the tradition of national presidential libraries when he donated his personal and presidential papers to the government, as well as land from his estate along the Hudson River. Friends of the president formed a nonprofit corporation to raise money to build the library, which was designed by Roosevelt himself with a facade to incorporate the native Hudson Valley fieldstone that he loved. Construction started in 1939 and finished in 1941. Much of it has not been
SOURCE http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/28/opinion/28taylor.html
SOURCE http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/28/opinion/28taylor.htmlupdated since. (Yes, the visitors’ center, which opened in 2003, is new, but that’s not where the archives and the historical collection are stored.)
The National Archives and Records Administration runs the library and museum. It is a modest place compared with more recent presidential libraries, but the importance of the New Deal and World War II to researchers of 20th-century American history guarantees that the library’s archives are among the most used of the 12 presidential libraries. And with 110,000 visitors last year, it was among the most popular presidential museums.
While the library sits high above the river, its basement lies below the water table. Sump pumps installed in 1939 are supposed to keep it dry, but don’t. Storms have caused flooding in the basement where collections are stored and in restrooms and public areas. What’s worse, storm and sewer drainage run together, which means they mingle if there’s a backup in the basement.
The electrical system, which was also installed in 1939, has outlived the suppliers of replacement parts. Archivists turn the lights on and off using the original circuit breakers. And with the electrical vault in the flood-prone basement, the library’s director, Cynthia Koch, fears that a short in the system could set the place on fire and destroy the entire collection.
Parts of the steam heating system are also original, including the asbestos that was used to insulate the steam pipes. The asbestos is cracking and peeling, a danger to workers in the mechanical rooms and, less directly, to the public, including the 15,000 elementary and high school students who visit the library each year.
The heating system is so out of date that it can’t be calibrated or repaired. The staff members stuff towels against doorjambs to keep water out. An old transformer contains PCB, a dangerous toxic material. Household dehumidifiers are deployed among the archive stacks and museum exhibits in a losing battle to control damaging humidity. Security and fire systems are outdated. These conditions grossly violate the National Archives’ own standards for preserving its most valuable collections, and probably most local building codes.
The Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt Foundation has raised donations for new exhibition galleries to replace the current ones, but they can’t be installed until the building gets new electrical and heating and cooling systems. A modest sprucing up of the research room covered new lighting and reading desks, but no data ports or electric outlets for researchers were installed because the electrical system can’t handle them.
The House Financial Services Subcommittee has approved funds for repairs and new equipment at the library, covering the first year of a three-year program. The House Appropriations Committee is the next step, and, of course, the Senate must agree.
We can and should be better stewards of our history. Franklin Roosevelt’s New Deal agencies literally rebuilt the United States and brought it from the 19th century into the 20th. It would be sad if the original materials documenting this historic legacy, which brought us roads, bridges, dams and even libraries and museums, could not live on for centuries more.
Nick Taylor is the author, most recently, of “American-Made: The Enduring Legacy of the W.P.A.”
SOURCE
New York Times, July 27, 2008
THE Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum at Hyde Park, NY, the nation’s first presidential library, is literally falling apart. The roof leaks, the basement floods, asbestos is flaking from old steam pipes, an ancient electrical system could send the whole place up in smoke. This sorry situation is an insult to the person the library and museum honor: the founder of the New Deal, the greatest investment in our nation’s modern development.
Roosevelt inaugurated the tradition of national presidential libraries when he donated his personal and presidential papers to the government, as well as land from his estate along the Hudson River. Friends of the president formed a nonprofit corporation to raise money to build the library, which was designed by Roosevelt himself with a facade to incorporate the native Hudson Valley fieldstone that he loved. Construction started in 1939 and finished in 1941. Much of it has not been
SOURCE http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/28/opinion/28taylor.html
SOURCE http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/28/opinion/28taylor.htmlupdated since. (Yes, the visitors’ center, which opened in 2003, is new, but that’s not where the archives and the historical collection are stored.)
The National Archives and Records Administration runs the library and museum. It is a modest place compared with more recent presidential libraries, but the importance of the New Deal and World War II to researchers of 20th-century American history guarantees that the library’s archives are among the most used of the 12 presidential libraries. And with 110,000 visitors last year, it was among the most popular presidential museums.
While the library sits high above the river, its basement lies below the water table. Sump pumps installed in 1939 are supposed to keep it dry, but don’t. Storms have caused flooding in the basement where collections are stored and in restrooms and public areas. What’s worse, storm and sewer drainage run together, which means they mingle if there’s a backup in the basement.
The electrical system, which was also installed in 1939, has outlived the suppliers of replacement parts. Archivists turn the lights on and off using the original circuit breakers. And with the electrical vault in the flood-prone basement, the library’s director, Cynthia Koch, fears that a short in the system could set the place on fire and destroy the entire collection.
Parts of the steam heating system are also original, including the asbestos that was used to insulate the steam pipes. The asbestos is cracking and peeling, a danger to workers in the mechanical rooms and, less directly, to the public, including the 15,000 elementary and high school students who visit the library each year.
The heating system is so out of date that it can’t be calibrated or repaired. The staff members stuff towels against doorjambs to keep water out. An old transformer contains PCB, a dangerous toxic material. Household dehumidifiers are deployed among the archive stacks and museum exhibits in a losing battle to control damaging humidity. Security and fire systems are outdated. These conditions grossly violate the National Archives’ own standards for preserving its most valuable collections, and probably most local building codes.
The Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt Foundation has raised donations for new exhibition galleries to replace the current ones, but they can’t be installed until the building gets new electrical and heating and cooling systems. A modest sprucing up of the research room covered new lighting and reading desks, but no data ports or electric outlets for researchers were installed because the electrical system can’t handle them.
The House Financial Services Subcommittee has approved funds for repairs and new equipment at the library, covering the first year of a three-year program. The House Appropriations Committee is the next step, and, of course, the Senate must agree.
We can and should be better stewards of our history. Franklin Roosevelt’s New Deal agencies literally rebuilt the United States and brought it from the 19th century into the 20th. It would be sad if the original materials documenting this historic legacy, which brought us roads, bridges, dams and even libraries and museums, could not live on for centuries more.
Nick Taylor is the author, most recently, of “American-Made: The Enduring Legacy of the W.P.A.”
SOURCE
New York Times, July 27, 2008
Saturday, August 02, 2008
Here's Some Weekend Entertainment
Eight examples of Book Cart Drill Teams. Also there's a podcast. Listen to the story on the "Only a Game" website at this link. The librarian story starts at 40:15. You don't have to listen to the whole program. Wait for the feed to load and move the slider to 40:15 and you'll be able to listen.
As a library colleague who pointed this out to me, "Is this wrong?"
As a library colleague who pointed this out to me, "Is this wrong?"
Friday, August 01, 2008
Leonard S. Marcus, author of Minders of Make-Believe, at U Albany
Leonard S. Marcus will be speaking about his book Minders of Make-Believe: Idealists, Entrepreneurs, and the Shaping of American Children’s Literature
When: Thursday October 23, 2008, 4:00 PM,
Where: Standish Room, Science Library, University at Albany, SUNY
Free and open to the public
Leonard Marcus, one of the foremost authorities on the history of children’s literature, will discuss and sign his new book, Minders of Make-Believe (2008, Houghton Mifflin), an animated first-time history of the visionary editors, authors, librarians, booksellers, and others whose passion for books has transformed American childhood and American culture.
What should children read? Marcus tackles this three-hundred-year-old question that sparked the creation of a rambunctious children’s book publishing scene in Colonial times. And it’s the urgent issue that went on to fuel the transformation of twentieth-century children’s book publishing from a genteel backwater to big business. Marcus delivers a provocative look at the fierce turf wars fought among pioneering editors, progressive educators, and librarians - most of them women - throughout the twentieth century. His story of the emergence and growth of the major publishing houses - and of the distinctive literature for the young they shaped - gains extraordinary depth through the author’s path-finding research and in-depth interviews with dozens of editors, artists, and other key publishing figures whose careers go back to the 1930s.
Leonard S. Marcus began his publishing career with Awakened by the Moon, a widely acclaimed biography of Goodnight Moon author Margaret Wise Brown, and last fall Random House released Golden Legacy: How Golden Books Won Children’s Hearts, Changed Publishing Forever, and Became an American Icon Along the Way. Marcus, a consummate professional, capable of discourse on a wide range of topics, also possesses a wry wit, hinted at in the picture book he created with his wife, Amy Schwartz, Oscar: The Big Adventure of a Little Sock Monkey (HarperCollins/Katherine Tegen Books).
Free and open to the public. Seating is limited. RSVP to: Brian Keough, at bkeough@albany.edu or 518-437-3931. Sponsored by the University at Albany Libraries & the Marcia J. Brown Fund
When: Thursday October 23, 2008, 4:00 PM,
Where: Standish Room, Science Library, University at Albany, SUNY
Free and open to the public
Leonard Marcus, one of the foremost authorities on the history of children’s literature, will discuss and sign his new book, Minders of Make-Believe (2008, Houghton Mifflin), an animated first-time history of the visionary editors, authors, librarians, booksellers, and others whose passion for books has transformed American childhood and American culture.
What should children read? Marcus tackles this three-hundred-year-old question that sparked the creation of a rambunctious children’s book publishing scene in Colonial times. And it’s the urgent issue that went on to fuel the transformation of twentieth-century children’s book publishing from a genteel backwater to big business. Marcus delivers a provocative look at the fierce turf wars fought among pioneering editors, progressive educators, and librarians - most of them women - throughout the twentieth century. His story of the emergence and growth of the major publishing houses - and of the distinctive literature for the young they shaped - gains extraordinary depth through the author’s path-finding research and in-depth interviews with dozens of editors, artists, and other key publishing figures whose careers go back to the 1930s.
Leonard S. Marcus began his publishing career with Awakened by the Moon, a widely acclaimed biography of Goodnight Moon author Margaret Wise Brown, and last fall Random House released Golden Legacy: How Golden Books Won Children’s Hearts, Changed Publishing Forever, and Became an American Icon Along the Way. Marcus, a consummate professional, capable of discourse on a wide range of topics, also possesses a wry wit, hinted at in the picture book he created with his wife, Amy Schwartz, Oscar: The Big Adventure of a Little Sock Monkey (HarperCollins/Katherine Tegen Books).
Free and open to the public. Seating is limited. RSVP to: Brian Keough, at bkeough@albany.edu or 518-437-3931. Sponsored by the University at Albany Libraries & the Marcia J. Brown Fund
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