This artwork loads slowly but is neat if you appreciate "mere books and experts."
Wednesday, October 31, 2012
Monday, October 29, 2012
The impact of public access venues and the benefits of libraries
Public access to information and communication technologies (ICTs) can play an important role in development. Communities benefit when people can access information and communicate with experts and people in their social networks to learn about health, jobs, education, leisure activities, or whatever inspires them. When access to ICTs is public and available to everyone in the community, such as in public libraries, telecenters, and cybercafés, it can be an effective tool for those that need it most.
In some countries, public libraries deliver this core service. There are over 230,000 libraries worldwide, most in developing countries. Many of these libraries offer free computer and Internet access, sometimes the only options for free and reliable access, yet they are often overlooked when development agencies implement policies to promote public information and communication.
This brief describes some of the emerging findings of the Global Impact Study of Public Access to Information & Communication Technologies related to the impact of public access on development, including the unique benefits successful public libraries offer.
In some countries, public libraries deliver this core service. There are over 230,000 libraries worldwide, most in developing countries. Many of these libraries offer free computer and Internet access, sometimes the only options for free and reliable access, yet they are often overlooked when development agencies implement policies to promote public information and communication.
This brief describes some of the emerging findings of the Global Impact Study of Public Access to Information & Communication Technologies related to the impact of public access on development, including the unique benefits successful public libraries offer.
Friday, October 26, 2012
Prepare for Hurricane Sandy
Hurricane Sandy is moving up the eastern coast of the United States.
Use the National Hurricane Center's mobile website to track the storm on your mobile device or online.
Learn how to prepare for the storm by visiting Ready.gov.
Follow the instructions from your state and local emergency management officials.
Use the National Hurricane Center's mobile website to track the storm on your mobile device or online.
Learn how to prepare for the storm by visiting Ready.gov.
Follow the instructions from your state and local emergency management officials.
Tuesday, October 23, 2012
Outlawed by Amazon DRM
Linn travels a lot and therefore has, or should I say had, a lot of books on her Kindle, purchased from Amazon. Suddenly, her Kindle was wiped and her account was closed. Being convinced that something wrong had happened, she sent an e-mail to Amazon, asking for help. This was the answer...
More here.
(Hat tip to Steve Bissette)
More here.
(Hat tip to Steve Bissette)
Monday, October 22, 2012
Treasure-trove of maps headed to L.A. Public Library
From the Los Angeles Times:
When real estate agent Matthew Greenberg cleaned out the Mount Washington cottage after the occupant died, he couldn't bring himself to throw out a treasure-trove he discovered inside--all kinds of maps.
Instead, he invited the Los Angeles Public Library's map librarian to look at the find.
Stashed everywhere in the 948-square-foot tear-down were maps. Tens of thousands of maps. Fold-out street maps were stuffed in file cabinets, crammed into cardboard boxes, lined up on closet shelves and jammed into old dairy crates.
Wall-size roll-up maps once familiar to schoolchildren were stacked in corners. Old globes were lined in rows atop bookshelves also filled with maps and atlases. A giant plastic topographical map of the United States covered a bathroom wall and bookcases displaying Thomas Bros. map books and other street guides lined a small den.
The library's Glen Creason called the find unbelievable.
"I think there are at least a million maps here," he said. "This dwarfs our collection — and we've been collecting for 100 years."
When real estate agent Matthew Greenberg cleaned out the Mount Washington cottage after the occupant died, he couldn't bring himself to throw out a treasure-trove he discovered inside--all kinds of maps.
Instead, he invited the Los Angeles Public Library's map librarian to look at the find.
Stashed everywhere in the 948-square-foot tear-down were maps. Tens of thousands of maps. Fold-out street maps were stuffed in file cabinets, crammed into cardboard boxes, lined up on closet shelves and jammed into old dairy crates.
Wall-size roll-up maps once familiar to schoolchildren were stacked in corners. Old globes were lined in rows atop bookshelves also filled with maps and atlases. A giant plastic topographical map of the United States covered a bathroom wall and bookcases displaying Thomas Bros. map books and other street guides lined a small den.
The library's Glen Creason called the find unbelievable.
"I think there are at least a million maps here," he said. "This dwarfs our collection — and we've been collecting for 100 years."
Monday, October 15, 2012
Medicare Open Enrollment Starts Today
Medicare's Open Enrollment period is October 15, 2012 through December 7, 2012. If you have Medicare, you can change your health plan and prescription drug coverage for 2013 during this open enrollment period.
If you are satisfied with your current plan, then you don't need to do anything.
Visit Medicare's Open Enrollment Center for additional information.
If you are satisfied with your current plan, then you don't need to do anything.
Visit Medicare's Open Enrollment Center for additional information.
Friday, October 12, 2012
Accepting applications for the Young Entrepreneurs Academy
The School of Business at the University at Albany, SUNY would like to announce a final call for applications for the Young Entrepreneurs Academy scheduled to begin on campus the first week of November. Launched at the Simon Graduate School of Business at the University of Rochester with financial support from the Kauffman Foundation, YEA! takes students in grades 6-12 through the process of starting and running a real business over an eight month period. These student-run companies also have the opportunity to pitch their business plans to real investors!
To see highlights from the 2011 Investor Panel event, check out the YouTube video titled UAlbany Biz School Helps Young CEOs.
A $100 tuition discount is available to children and grandchildren of University at Albany faculty, staff, and alumni. Financial aid is also available for students who qualify.
Michael Hoffman and Brian Straughter, who represent Turf Hotels, Inc. have provided continuing support with helping us launch and grow this chapter.
Bill Brigham, the Director of our award-winning Small Business Development Center, will continue this year as the lead instructor.
To download an application, visit www.albany.edu/business/young-entreprenuers-academy.php. For further information, contact YEA! Recruitment Manager Jason Cotugno (jcotugno@ albany.edu) or YEA! Program Manager Sally Mills at 442-4272 (smills@albany.edu) in the School of Business.
To see highlights from the 2011 Investor Panel event, check out the YouTube video titled UAlbany Biz School Helps Young CEOs.
A $100 tuition discount is available to children and grandchildren of University at Albany faculty, staff, and alumni. Financial aid is also available for students who qualify.
Michael Hoffman and Brian Straughter, who represent Turf Hotels, Inc. have provided continuing support with helping us launch and grow this chapter.
Bill Brigham, the Director of our award-winning Small Business Development Center, will continue this year as the lead instructor.
To download an application, visit www.albany.edu/business/young-entreprenuers-academy.php. For further information, contact YEA! Recruitment Manager Jason Cotugno (jcotugno@ albany.edu) or YEA! Program Manager Sally Mills at 442-4272 (smills@albany.edu) in the School of Business.
Tuesday, October 09, 2012
Farmers Market hours change at APL Delaware Avenue branch
The Farmers' Market is now running from 3 pm to 6 pm on Tuesdays behind the Delaware Avenue branch of the Albany Public Library at 331 Delaware. The library also closes at 6 pm. Get there early to get tender just picked broccoli rabe. (rapini) There will also be plenty of veggies, fruit, jam, honey, eggs & baked goods. Shoppers who use EBT cards can now get a $2 dollar coupon each time they get $5 worth of Farmers' Market tokens.
Busy day at the library Wednesday, October 10. Start off with pre-school story time at 10:30 for stories, songs & play. After school teens can learn to draw Manga and enjoy Japanese snacks at 4 pm. At 6:30 pm participate in a free Pilates class that will strengthen your core & improve your balance. All at the happening place to be - the library at 331 Delaware Ave.
Busy day at the library Wednesday, October 10. Start off with pre-school story time at 10:30 for stories, songs & play. After school teens can learn to draw Manga and enjoy Japanese snacks at 4 pm. At 6:30 pm participate in a free Pilates class that will strengthen your core & improve your balance. All at the happening place to be - the library at 331 Delaware Ave.
Monday, October 08, 2012
NEW YORK PLAN FOR LSTA FEDERAL FUNDS EFFECTIVE OCTOBER 1, 2012
Bernard A. Margolis, Assistant Commissioner for Libraries and State Librarian, is pleased to announce that the federal Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) has approved New York State’s Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA) 2012-2017 Five-Year Plan. The new LSTA plan took effect on October 1, 2012.
Susan Hildreth, Director of IMLS, labeled the Plan “an excellent framework for the future” and stated that the Plan “demonstrates a commitment to embrace new service opportunities as changing information delivery services, platforms, and information policies create new challenges in providing critical materials that are the foundation for all other services.”
Each of the four goals within the new LSTA Five-Year Plan is closely linked to the recommendations in “Creating the Future: A 2020 Vision and Plan for Library Service in New York State; Recommendations of the New York State Regents Advisory Council on Libraries to the New York State Board of Regents” and to one or more of the priorities of the federal Library Services and Technology Act.
State Librarian Margolis expressed his thanks and appreciation to the many individuals and groups involved in developing the new plan. In particular, he thanked the Regents Advisory Council on Libraries LSTA Committee (Jill Hurst-Wahl, Sara Kelly Johns, Bridget Quinn-Carey and Chairperson Louise Sherby) for their leadership. He also thanked the State Library staff and other Office of Cultural Education staff who led the plan development effort, gathering suggestions and feedback from New York’s library, education and cultural communities.
The LSTA Five Year Plan, which is required by IMLS, describes potential activities that will be implemented using the federal LSTA funds provided annually to the New York State Library by IMLS and has four major goals:
1) All New Yorkers will have improved access to library resources that advance and enhance their personal, educational and working lives;
2) The New York State Library, library systems and libraries will deliver new and improved library programs that anticipate and meet New Yorkers' constantly changing needs for library services;
3) New Yorkers of all ages will perceive libraries as community learning spaces offering high-quality lifelong learning, literacy, and knowledge creation;
4) All New Yorkers will benefit from statewide programs and services of the New York State Library that effectively leverage private and public funding through collaboration and partnerships and maximize value in order to achieve goals one, two and three.
For more information on the federal LSTA program and its importance to New York State’s libraries and all New Yorkers, please visit the New York State Library’s website. Questions about New York State’s LSTA program may be directed to Mary Linda Todd, LSTA Coordinator, Division of Library Development, New York State Library at mtodd@mail.nysed.gov .
Susan Hildreth, Director of IMLS, labeled the Plan “an excellent framework for the future” and stated that the Plan “demonstrates a commitment to embrace new service opportunities as changing information delivery services, platforms, and information policies create new challenges in providing critical materials that are the foundation for all other services.”
Each of the four goals within the new LSTA Five-Year Plan is closely linked to the recommendations in “Creating the Future: A 2020 Vision and Plan for Library Service in New York State; Recommendations of the New York State Regents Advisory Council on Libraries to the New York State Board of Regents” and to one or more of the priorities of the federal Library Services and Technology Act.
State Librarian Margolis expressed his thanks and appreciation to the many individuals and groups involved in developing the new plan. In particular, he thanked the Regents Advisory Council on Libraries LSTA Committee (Jill Hurst-Wahl, Sara Kelly Johns, Bridget Quinn-Carey and Chairperson Louise Sherby) for their leadership. He also thanked the State Library staff and other Office of Cultural Education staff who led the plan development effort, gathering suggestions and feedback from New York’s library, education and cultural communities.
The LSTA Five Year Plan, which is required by IMLS, describes potential activities that will be implemented using the federal LSTA funds provided annually to the New York State Library by IMLS and has four major goals:
1) All New Yorkers will have improved access to library resources that advance and enhance their personal, educational and working lives;
2) The New York State Library, library systems and libraries will deliver new and improved library programs that anticipate and meet New Yorkers' constantly changing needs for library services;
3) New Yorkers of all ages will perceive libraries as community learning spaces offering high-quality lifelong learning, literacy, and knowledge creation;
4) All New Yorkers will benefit from statewide programs and services of the New York State Library that effectively leverage private and public funding through collaboration and partnerships and maximize value in order to achieve goals one, two and three.
For more information on the federal LSTA program and its importance to New York State’s libraries and all New Yorkers, please visit the New York State Library’s website. Questions about New York State’s LSTA program may be directed to Mary Linda Todd, LSTA Coordinator, Division of Library Development, New York State Library at mtodd@mail.nysed.gov .
Sunday, October 07, 2012
Proof That Science Books Can Be Beautiful
Or, conversely, Disbinding Me with Science, another example of book "mutilation" in the furtherance of beauty. Welcome to today's introduction to Arts and Science.
Saturday, October 06, 2012
Bill Moyers: The Bane of Banned Books
Bill Moyers addresses banned books and ALA's Banned Books Week
When I was growing up in East Texas we didn't have any money for books. My reading room was the small local library run by an organization of business professional women. To this moment, I can remember checking out my first two volumes - one was Jules Verne's Around the World in 80 Days; the other was a primer on Greek and Roman mythology (don't ask me why.) Years later, when I walked into the much larger library at the state college as a freshman, I was practically overwhelmed. I looked down row after row of books and periodicals and thought: "Wow! All this for me?!” Some of the best hours of my life were spent in that library. I even considered majoring in library science, so that I could be near those books.
Which is one reason it pains me today that even in this modern day and age, some folks in communities across America are saying: "No. That Book ISN'T For You” and for reasons that have nothing to do with the community, the school, or the reader - and everything to do with prejudice.
The American Library Association's Office for Intellectual Freedom reports 326 attempts last year to remove or restrict books from school curricula and libraries. Add those to thousands of formal complaints filed with a library or school in the last two decades - complaints about a book's content or appropriateness. Can you believe some people don't want other people to read Brave New World, The Color Purple, To Kill A Mockingbird, Catcher in the Rye, Of Mice and Men, The Kite Runner, A Wrinkle in Time, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, A Light in the Attic, the Harry Potter series, and – ironic if not surprising – Fahrenheit 451.
Think of it: some of the most inspiring and mind-opening words ever written, threatened with removal because they offended a self-deputized vigilante over who wants to deny an entire community's curiosity and passion to learn.
Censorship is the enemy of truth - even more than a lie. A lie can be exposed; censorship can prevent us knowing the difference. This is one reason that on my public television broadcast, Moyers & Company, we call out the censors every time we can. And it's why we're so grateful to the ALA – as well as the librarians, writers, booksellers, publishers, and neighbors who stand with the Association in observing the 30th anniversary of Banned Books Week, taking place this year from September 30 – October 6."
Read the rest and watch the video.
When I was growing up in East Texas we didn't have any money for books. My reading room was the small local library run by an organization of business professional women. To this moment, I can remember checking out my first two volumes - one was Jules Verne's Around the World in 80 Days; the other was a primer on Greek and Roman mythology (don't ask me why.) Years later, when I walked into the much larger library at the state college as a freshman, I was practically overwhelmed. I looked down row after row of books and periodicals and thought: "Wow! All this for me?!” Some of the best hours of my life were spent in that library. I even considered majoring in library science, so that I could be near those books.
Which is one reason it pains me today that even in this modern day and age, some folks in communities across America are saying: "No. That Book ISN'T For You” and for reasons that have nothing to do with the community, the school, or the reader - and everything to do with prejudice.
The American Library Association's Office for Intellectual Freedom reports 326 attempts last year to remove or restrict books from school curricula and libraries. Add those to thousands of formal complaints filed with a library or school in the last two decades - complaints about a book's content or appropriateness. Can you believe some people don't want other people to read Brave New World, The Color Purple, To Kill A Mockingbird, Catcher in the Rye, Of Mice and Men, The Kite Runner, A Wrinkle in Time, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, A Light in the Attic, the Harry Potter series, and – ironic if not surprising – Fahrenheit 451.
Think of it: some of the most inspiring and mind-opening words ever written, threatened with removal because they offended a self-deputized vigilante over who wants to deny an entire community's curiosity and passion to learn.
Censorship is the enemy of truth - even more than a lie. A lie can be exposed; censorship can prevent us knowing the difference. This is one reason that on my public television broadcast, Moyers & Company, we call out the censors every time we can. And it's why we're so grateful to the ALA – as well as the librarians, writers, booksellers, publishers, and neighbors who stand with the Association in observing the 30th anniversary of Banned Books Week, taking place this year from September 30 – October 6."
Read the rest and watch the video.
Friday, October 05, 2012
2012 Census of Governments
From Census.gov:
The Census of Governments identifies the scope and nature of the nation's state and local government sector; provides authoritative benchmark figures of public finance and public employment; classifies local government organizations, powers, and activities; and measures federal, state, and local fiscal relationships.
The data are available by:
level of government (state, local, or state and local combined),
type of government (state, county, city, township, special district, school district), and
category of governmental activity
The Census of Governments identifies the scope and nature of the nation's state and local government sector; provides authoritative benchmark figures of public finance and public employment; classifies local government organizations, powers, and activities; and measures federal, state, and local fiscal relationships.
The data are available by:
level of government (state, local, or state and local combined),
type of government (state, county, city, township, special district, school district), and
category of governmental activity
Thursday, October 04, 2012
New List of Privacy Resources and Sites on the Internet
From LLRX.com:
Privacy Resources and Sites on the Internet is a comprehensive listing of privacy resources currently available on the Internet. These include associations, indexes, search engines as well as individual websites and sources that supply the latest technology and information about privacy and how it relates to you and the Internet.
Privacy Resources and Sites on the Internet is a comprehensive listing of privacy resources currently available on the Internet. These include associations, indexes, search engines as well as individual websites and sources that supply the latest technology and information about privacy and how it relates to you and the Internet.
Wednesday, October 03, 2012
Internet Archive Launches News Search Service with 350,000 Broadcasts
From Internet Archive blog:
This service is designed to help engaged citizens better understand the issues and candidates in the 2012 U.S. elections by allowing them to search closed captioning transcripts to borrow relevant television news programs.
The collection now contains 350,000 news programs collected over 3 years from national U.S. networks and stations in San Francisco and Washington D.C. The archive is updated with new broadcasts 24 hours after they are aired. Older materials are also being added.
This service is designed to help engaged citizens better understand the issues and candidates in the 2012 U.S. elections by allowing them to search closed captioning transcripts to borrow relevant television news programs.
The collection now contains 350,000 news programs collected over 3 years from national U.S. networks and stations in San Francisco and Washington D.C. The archive is updated with new broadcasts 24 hours after they are aired. Older materials are also being added.
Tuesday, October 02, 2012
Libraries, Patrons, and E-books
From Pew Research:
Some 12% of Americans ages 16 and older who read e-books say they have borrowed an e-book from a library in the past year.
Most e-book borrowers say libraries are very important to them and their families and they are heavy readers in all formats, including books they bought and books lent to them. E-book borrowers say they read an average (the mean number) of 29 books in the past year, compared with 23 books for readers who do not borrow e-books from a library. Perhaps more striking, the median (midpoint) figures for books reportedly read are 20 in the past year by e-book borrowers and 12 by non-borrowers.
Some 12% of Americans ages 16 and older who read e-books say they have borrowed an e-book from a library in the past year.
Most e-book borrowers say libraries are very important to them and their families and they are heavy readers in all formats, including books they bought and books lent to them. E-book borrowers say they read an average (the mean number) of 29 books in the past year, compared with 23 books for readers who do not borrow e-books from a library. Perhaps more striking, the median (midpoint) figures for books reportedly read are 20 in the past year by e-book borrowers and 12 by non-borrowers.
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