Sparks Fly at ‘Surely You’re Joking, Dr. Wertham’ Event

As the first of several “Comic Book Roundtable” events to be held at the Soho Gallery of Digital Art under the auspices of gallery owner John Ordover and former Marvel editor, author, and educator Danny Fingeroth, this event exploring the life and legacy of Dr. Frederic Wertham was planned for the occasion of Wertham’s 118th birthday, but in the lead up to the event, recent developments in scholarship about the controversial comic reformer shed new light on the evening’s subject matter. In November 2012, librarian, professor, and scholar Carol Tilley published her findings that after examining Wertham’s papers held by the Library of Congress, some of Wertham’s methods and reports were questionable, sparking debate in comics scholarship and among comics fans, particularly after the story was picked up by major media sources in February of 2013.

Friends of the APL programs now on TV!

The time slot for the airing of Friends of Albany Public Library programs will be Wednesdays at 7:00 pm. The programs will be aired on Channel Albany, which is the Public Access channel. In the Albany area, it is channel 18.

Our first program, Brett Hartman's author talk of his book Cadillac Chronicles, will be shown this Wednesday, March 20, 2013.

Is a free association library immune from paying mortgage recording taxes?

New York State Department of Taxation and Finance
Office of Counsel
Advisory Opinion Unit

The Department of Taxation and Finance received a Petition for Advisory Opinion from the [name redacted] (Petitioner). Petitioner asks whether it is subject to mortgage recording taxes imposed by Article 11 of the Law on a construction
loan it procured from name of [bank redacted] (Bank) which is secured by a mortgage. We conclude that the recording of such a mortgage by Petitioner is not exempt from mortgage recording taxes.

Sue Fowler a top Capital Region teacher

Delaware Community School second-grade teacher Sue Fowler has been selected as one of the Capital Region's top teachers for the 2012-13 school year by WNYT/TV-13. You can check out the story online HERE.

IMLS Releases Public Libraries in the US Survey FY 2010 Report

The Public Libraries in the United States Survey report published by the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) analyzes data supplied annually by over 98% of public libraries across the country. This year’s report features nine performance indicators and examines differences in library service at the locality levels (city, suburb, town, rural and national). Nationally, public libraries have seen reductions in operating revenue, service hours, and staffing. Numbers for circulation, program attendance, and computer use continue to trend upward.

SEE IMLS Press Release

Madison Avenue Traffic Calming Report, Albany, NY: Feb 2013

The City of Albany commenced a study to evaluate the feasibility of implementing a “Road Diet”along Madison Avenue from Lark Street to South Allen Street and along Western Avenue from South Allen Street to Manning Boulevard. A “Road Diet” is when a road is reduced in the number of travel lanes and/or the effective width. The reallocation of space can result in improved safety for cyclists by providing dedicated space on the roadway; for pedestrians by reducing the potential vehicle conflicts; and for vehicles by providing clear delineation and fewer decision points. The goals of the study are to provide an assessment of the feasibility, benefits, and impacts of a road diet in the corridor by evaluating alternatives that consider bicycles, pedestrians, transit,parking, safety, and passenger vehicle operations. In addition, the alternatives should strive to maintain the existing curb lines, allow sufficient opportunities for turning vehicles, and maintain parking on both sides of Madison Avenue

The report.

Albany public school kids can 'Meet the Author and Illustrator' Saturday

Elementary-school children in the City School District of Albany on Saturday (March 9) will have a chance to talk to the authors and an illustrator of several children’s books at “Meet the Author and Illustrator Day” at Giffen Memorial Elementary School.

The event – free and open to students in all our elementary schools – is designed to get kids excited about reading.

The authors and the times they’ll speak:

Matt McElligott (author of Benjamin Franklinstein, 12 other books) – 9 a.m
Coleen Paratore (author of The Wedding Planner’s Daughter, 16 other books) – 9:35 a.m.
Bruce Hiscock (author of The Big Tree, 11 other books) – 10:30 a.m.
Liz Zunon (illustrator of The Boy who Harnessed the Wind, four other books) – 11:05 a.m.
Daniel Mahoney (author of The Saturday Escape, seven other books) -- noon

Refreshments will be served and the Giffen orchestra and chorus will perform.

Giffen is located at 274 South Pearl St.

• Library of Congress Releases National Recording Preservation Plan

If you listen to music, the state of recorded sound may strike you as healthy and robust. Whether you hear it in a club, on the radio, on mp3, compact disc or LP, and whether the recording was made last week or decades ago, the sound is solid and the experience can be immersive.

But historians of recorded sound have long been fretting about the relative delicacy of that sound, or more specifically, of the media on which it is stored. And anyone who has listened to transfers made from early cylinders – the dominant format for the first quarter-century of recordings, before the invention of the flat 78 rpm disc – or who has tried to play a digital file in an obsolete format, understands their concerns.

These worries, and their ramifications for the national legacy, became a matter of government concern when Congress passed the National Recording Preservation Act of 2000. That bill directed the Library of Congress to “plan and coordinate a national effort to develop policies and programs to save our nation’s recorded sound history and ensure its accessibility to future generations.”

More HERE.

Free pole dancing classes at library 'great success' with readers

Members of the public were given the chance to learn how to spin around the pole at Mayfield Library in Dalkeith, Midlothian, Scotland on Saturday.

They queued to watch teacher Nikki Clark before giving the dance moves a whirl.

MORE HERE.