Regents Advisory Council on Libraries members sought

The New York State Library is seeking, by June 30, recommendations for membership on the Regents Advisory Council on Libraries.

The Regents Advisory Council on Libraries advises the New York State Board of Regents on State policy regarding the New York State Library, library development programs, legislation and library aid programs. The Council works with the officers of the State Education Department in developing a comprehensive statewide library and information policy and makes recommendations to the Regents concerning the implementation of the program.

The Board of Regents will appoint two new Regents Advisory Council members to serve five-year terms from October 1, 2008 to September 30, 2013. The Council meets four times a year: January (conference call), May (Board of Regents meeting in Albany), September (Albany or NYC) and December (Albany or NYC). Members of the Regents Advisory Council are leaders in a wide variety of endeavors across the State, including business, human services, education, and libraries. For more information, see www.nysl.nysed.gov/libdev/adviscns/rac/.

The State Library particularly encourages recommendations of representatives of New York State's broadly diverse population, including but not limited to African Americans, Asian Americans, Native Americans, Hispanic origin/ancestry and people with disabilities.

Please send nominations, and if possible a brief bio or resume, for membership on the Regents Advisory Council on Libraries by June 30 to: Paula Paolucci, New York State Library, 10C34 Cultural Education Center, Albany, NY 12230; or e-mail ppaolucc@mail.nysed.gov. For more information, please contact Ms. Paolucci.

EPA Libraries Reopening in Phone Booth-Sized Libraries

WASHINGTON, DC - May 21 - Ordered by Congress to re-open its shuttered libraries, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is grudgingly allocating only minimal space and resources, according to agency documents released today by Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER). At the same time, EPA is issuing a series of edicts placing virtually every aspect of library operations under centralized control of a political appointee. Read more here

Steve Cisler, digital librarian, RIP

From BoingBoing. Considered "the quintessential digital librarian."

Read ’Em and Weep

The cover story from Metroland, Volume 31 - Number 20 - May 15, 2008 by Kathryn Lange. "As New York state’s school library books get older and older, funding to buy new ones has not been a legislative priority."

Budget passes; trustee vote in question

From the Times Union:

Albany Public Library:

Incorrectly programmed voting machines are prompting an investigation into the results of the election for a vacant seat on the Albany Public Library's board of trustees, Timothy Burke, acting director, said.

While voters should have picked one candidate for one seat, the instructions on voting machines said to choose two people for two seats. Burke said the results were tallied, and Lois Parsons -- who has occupied the seat since the death of John Bach -- was declared the winner.

"We're investigating that, and we expect to have more information about it soon," Burke said. He said he would work closely with officials from the school district during the investigation.

The other candidates are Jose Lopez and Charles Carr. Carr said he noticed the problem when he went to vote and notified Burke. He said he was frustrated by the mistake.

"Even though it's a small election, how could this mistake be made?" Carr said, saying he was "given the runaround" when he attempted to report the error. "Is it a fair election at this point?"

Burke did not offer a clear timetable when a determination might be made on the validity of the election.

Voters meanwhile approved the library's $6.7 million budget.
***
Thursday, May 22, 2008 Update: Library candidate to play appeal card; Second-place finisher (Charles Carr) wants state to review trustee ballot mix-up.

VOTE, Come to the Annual Meeting, Listen to Rex Smith

Polls open until 9 p.m. Vote early and come to the annual meeting at 7 pm, followed by a talk by the Times Union's Rex Smith.

Oh, and please let me know if you saw my incoherent babbling on Capital News 9 today. I was the first person voting at my location.

New York State Statistical Yearbook

The Rockefeller Institute of Government has published the 32nd edition of its popular New York State Statistical Yearbook, providing updated information on a vast array of state data and state agency contacts for news media, citizens, government officials, and others. The 714-page Yearbook contains information ranging from population and health statistics to information on education in the state. Information is freely available online as a series of Excel pages here.

For more information or to obtain a copy, click here. Read the news release.

Layered Local Governments in New York

From the Rockefeller Institute of Government:
New York's local governments are among the most heavily "layered" in the nation, Rockefeller Institute Senior Fellow Donald J. Boyd writes in a new paper. Unlike most states, New York is characterized by at least two general-purpose local governments in every region except New York City. Boyd was a consultant to the New York State Commission on Local Government Efficiency and Competitiveness, chaired by former Lieutenant Governor Stan Lundine. The Commission has just issued a report with recommendations to make local government more streamlined and cost-effective. Robert Ward, the Institute's deputy director, analyzed the Lundine Commission's report in a May 1 commentary for WAMC/Northeast Public Radio.

Pine Hills Library temporary site announced

The news we've all been waiting for . . . yes, you guessed it, we have formally secured a temporary site for the Pine Hills Library. The Elks Lodge, located at 25 South Allen Street, across the street from the Post Office and just a stone's throw away from our permanent location, will be our APL home in the Pine Hills neighborhood until the transformed library re-opens. The Elks Lodge location is expected to open in mid-June. Keep an eye on its progress here.

Hey, a great big shout out to everyone that attended the auctions at the Howe and Pine Hills libraries. Your enthusiasm for owning a piece of history brought in $9,000. Thanks for supporting your favorite libraries . . . a wild time was had by all!

Linda Fox Receives Distinguished Service Award

Linda Fox, Director of the Capital Region School Library System, is the recipient of the 2008 Distinguished Service Award from the School Library Systems Association of New York State (SLSA).

The Distinguished Service Award is presented to a School Library System Director whose work exemplifies six areas of consideration: professional leadership, professional service, information sharing, collaboration, quality programs and creative service.

SLSA President, Elizabeth Naylor-Gutiérrez, made the following remarks during her award presentation. "Linda is well known for her responsive leadership and the creative services she provides the school library media specialists in her system. She is also an adjunct professor at SUNY Albany and is making a direct contribution to the development of the next generation of school library media specialists."


"Last year," she continued, "Linda led SLSA through its first year of consortium online database purchasing. The Online Resource Consortium enabled School Library System Directors to offer excellent prices on needed electronic resources to the school library media specialists they serve. The Online Resource Consortium would not have become a reality without Linda's vision and diligence."

St. Sophia Greek Festival 2008. May 16, 17 and 17

The St. Sophia Greek Festival is this weekend! Friday, May 16, 6PM to 11PM; Saturday, May 17, Noon to 11PM; Sunday, May 18, Noon to 7PM. St. Sophia Greek Orthodox Church, 440 Whitehall Road, Albany, New York. Admission $2. Children under 12 free. For more information call (518) 489-4442.

StoryTubes Video Contest - Voting

Voting for the StoryTubes contest has begun. A national video contest for
students in 1st through 6th grade to promote their favorite book. There are seven children from NYS participating! You can see their entries on the NYS Summer Reading website.

The stated rules on voting will be one vote per person per day. Please
follow this link to vote: www.storytubes.info.

Each week, you will be able to vote for your favorite video in a different
category:
May 12 - May 18, 2008 - From or For the Heart
May 19 - May 25, 2008 - Of Heroes and Heroines
May 26 - June 1, 2008 - Facts, Fads and Phenoms

At the end of each week, one lucky contestant will win $500 in books. Their
sponsoring organization (school, library or designated organization for
home-schooled youth) will receive $1,000 in books.

The new library fad: borrow a person

A new library allows readers to borrow people for a 30-minute chat. Here's the experience of one man who offered himself as a human book:

http://women.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/women/the_way_we_live/article3790377.ece

APL Computer Camp

Check out the Albany Public Library Computer Camp 2008, a free day camp for kids ages 9 to 13. Register your child for one of two sessions: July 7th - 18th, or August 4th - 15th. Both sessions are held at the Main Library, Monday through Friday, 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM. Registration forms may be filled out in the Children's Room. Call 427-4310 for more information. Space is limited.

Robert Knightly at APL May 13

Join the Friends of the Library as we welcome the recent transplant from NYC, local author Robert Knightly. He is a former lieutenant with the NYPD, a criminal trial lawyer, he has published several mysteries and, from all accounts, he's rather entertaining. Join us at 12:15 on May 13th at the Main Library for a lively discussion on the process of writing short mystery stories.

Quarterly Indicators, First Quarter 2008

Reflecting ongoing weakness, the U.S. economy grew 0.6 percent in first quarter 2008, mirroring the previous quarter according to the U.S. SBA’s Office of Advocacy 1st Quarter Economic Indicators. Consumer spending rose 1 percent on an annual basis, the slowest rate since second quarter 2001.Unemployment was slightly higher than in previous months at 5.1 percent in March. On the positive side, real exports benefited from a weaker dollar with annualized growth of 5.5 percent for the quarter and 9.5 percent year to year. Both the small business optimism index from the National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB) and the University of Michigan consumer sentiment index fell to their lowest in March 2008.


Quarterly Indicators: The Economy and Small Business.

Postage going up

The Post Office is raising the postal rates starting Monday, May 12 to 42 cents for the first ounce, 17 cents each for the next few ounces, and 27 cents for a postcard. Lots of people I've talked to seem unaware of the rate change. I wonder if the Post Office still has those "forever" stamps?

2010 Census Web site

What You Need to Know about the 2010 Census

PDF Fact Sheets for:
Businesses
Community and Social Service Organizations
Educators
Elected Officials
Faith-Based Organizations
Media
Everyone

Local Recorded Music at APL?

See here for details.

Copyright Orphans

Paul Rapp "is an intellectual-property lawyer with offices in Albany and Housatonic, Mass. He teaches art-and-entertainment law at Albany Law School, and regularly appears as part of the Copyright Forum on WAMC’s Vox Pop." He writes a regular column on intellectual property rights.

His most recent column addresses the "Orphan Works” copyright and potential legislation regarding it. What is an orphan work? Paul cites Meredith L. Patterson's Radio Free Meredith where she uses this example about "your parent’s wedding pictures from 1955. You want to publish them? Guess what? The copyrights are probably owned by the photographer! Who was who? And is now where? You don’t know? Uh-oh." The proposed bill, H.R.5889, Orphan Works Act of 2008, seeks to provide "limitation[s] on remedies in cases involving orphan works."

Rapp writes just before the actual legislation was introduced, but still got it right. "The legislation will...seek to rectify the problem of lingering, abandoned copyrights, to loosen this stranglehold of ghosts on our culture, by allowing the reuse of pre-existing materials in situations where after a reasonably diligent effort, no copyright owner has been located. If, after the work is re-published, a copyright owner shows up and says 'that’s mine', the copyright owner will be entitled to a reasonable licensing fee for the use, but won’t be able to stop the use."

Rapp, BTW, is a/k/a Lee Harvety Blotto, drummer for the legendary Albany band, Blotto.

Library Use of E-books Published

E-book spending by libraries grew rapidly in 2008 but by significantly less than in 2007, according to Library Use of E-books, 2008-09 Edition, (isbn 1-57440-101-7) just published by Primary Research Group, Inc.
Data in the report is based on a survey of 75 academic, public and special libraries. Librarians detail their plans on how they plan to develop their e-book collections, what they think of e-book readers and software, and which e-book aggregators and publishers appeal to them most and why. Other issues covered include: library production of e-books and collection digitization, e-book collection information literacy efforts, use of e-books in course reserves and inter-library loan, e-book pricing and inflation issues, acquisition sources and strategies for e-books and other issues of concern to libraries and book publishers.
Some of the findings of the 110 page report are:
* Libraries in the sample expected to renew over 77% of their current contracts.
* Well over 81% of the sample cataloged their e-book collection and listed it in their online library catalog.
* For the most part, librarians in the sample felt that their patrons were less skilled in using e-book collections than they were in using databases of magazine, newspaper and journal articles.
* The libraries in the sample had MARC records for a mean of approximately 74% of the e-books in their collections.
* Many libraries reported significant use of electronic directories.
12.5% reported extensive use and 30% said that use was significant. The larger libraries reported the heaviest use.
* Use of e-books in the hard sciences was particularly high. More than 30% of participants said that use of e-books in the hard sciences (defined as chemistry, physics and biology) was quite extensive and another 26% noted significant use.
* Libraries in the sample maintained a print version for a mean of 24% of the e-books in their e-book collections.
* Nearly 21% of the libraries in our sample have digitized out-of-copyright books in their collections in order to make their contents more available to their patrons.
* E-books account for only about 3.9% of the books on course reserve,
with a minimum of 0 to a maximum of 30%.
* Nearly 70% of the sample’s total spending on e-books was with aggregators, while just over 24.6% of the total spending was spent with individual publishers.
Data is broken out by library budget size, for US and non-US libraries and for academic and non-academic libraries. The report presents more than 300 tables of data on e-book use by libraries, as well as analysis and commentary.
The report is available from Primary Research Group and from major book distributors. For a list of survey participants, table of contents and sample tables view the Primary Research website.

SPARKY VIDEO CONTEST

SECOND ANNUAL SPARKY VIDEO CONTEST SPOTLIGHTS STUDENT VIEWS ON INFORMATION SHARING

Competition showcases student productions, offers instructors a fun and thought-provoking class assignment

Washington, DC - April 30, 2008 - Six library, student, and advocacy organizations today announced the Second Annual Sparky Awards, a contest that recognizes the best new short videos on the value of sharing and aims to broaden the discussion of access to scholarly research by inviting students to express their views creatively.

This year's contest is being organized by SPARC (the Scholarly Publishing and Academic Resources Coalition) with additional co-sponsorship by the Association of College and Research Libraries, the Association of Research Libraries, Penn Libraries (at the University of Pennsylvania), Students for Free Culture, and The Student PIRGs. Details are online at www.sparkyawards.org.

The 2008 contest theme is "MindMashup: The Value of Information Sharing." Well-suited for adoption as a college class assignment, the Sparky Awards invite contestants to submit videos of two minutes or less that imaginatively portray the benefits of the open, legal exchange of information. Mashup is an expression referring to a song, video, Web site, or software application that combines content from more than one source.

To be eligible, submissions must be publicly available on the Internet - on a Web site or in a digital repository - and available for use under a Creative Commons License. The Winner will receive a cash prize of $1,000 along with a Sparky Award statuette. Two Runners Up will each receive $500 plus a personalized award certificate. At the discretion of the judges, additional Special Merit Awards may be
designated. The award-winning videos will be screened at the January 2009 American Library Association Midwinter Conference in Denver.

Entries must be received by November 30, 2008. Winners will be announced in January 2009. The Winner of the First Annual Sparky Awards in 2007 was Habib Yazdi, a student at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, for Share.

"If the medium is the message, then a video competition is an apt means of encouraging the YouTube generation to think about the challenging intellectual property issues shaping their communication environment," said SPARC Executive Director Heather Joseph.

"This video contest is an excellent venue to engage students and to explore with them the intricacies of re-using content," said Anu Vedantham, Director of the Weigle Information Commons at Penn Libraries. "The videos that emanate from this and similar contests provide vibrant examples of student creativity and ownership of new
media. At Penn, I have noticed that mashup video contests and video classroom assignments engage students and faculty in new ways with academic material, and that video creation can be effectively integrated in many disciplines including writing, history and language studies. Through involvement with the 2009 Sparky Awards, libraries and new media centers have a valuable opportunity to reach out to faculty and students."

"We're excited to be a part of the Sparky Awards again this year," said Karen Rustad, Core Team Chair for Students for Free Culture. "More and more students are having to manage issues of access and re-use in their daily school work. It's a great time to talk about the potential for open sharing."

The contest takes as its inspiration a quote from George Bernard Shaw: "If you have an apple and I have an apple and we exchange these apples then you and I will still each have one apple. But if you have an idea and I have an idea and we exchange these ideas, then each of us will have two ideas."

# # #
SPARC is pleased to welcome these co-sponsors for the 2008 Sparky
Awards:

The Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL), a division of the American Library Association (ALA), represents more than 13,500 academic and research librarians and interested individuals. It is the only individual membership organization in North America that develops programs, products and services to meet the unique needs of academic and research librarians. Its initiatives enable the higher education community to understand the role that academic libraries play in the teaching, learning and research environments.

The Association of Research Libraries (ARL) is a nonprofit organization of 123 research libraries in North America. Its mission is to influence the changing environment of scholarly communication and the public policies that affect research libraries and the diverse communities they serve. ARL pursues this mission by advancing the goals of its member research libraries, providing leadership in public
and information policy to the scholarly and higher education communities, fostering the exchange of ideas and expertise, and shaping a future environment that leverages its interests with those of allied organizations.

The Penn Libraries system includes sixteen libraries and has been in continuous operation since 1750. Penn Libraries actively explore new media by providing courseware support, encouraging technology integration and supporting creative study through flexible collaborative spaces. The Weigle Information Commons, a joint
undertaking of the School of Arts and Sciences, the Office of the Provost and the Penn Libraries, is a high-tech space that provides undergraduates with integrated academic support services for library research, writing, communication, new media, time management and planning strategies.

Students for Free Culture (SFC) is a diverse, non-partisan group of students and young people who are working to get their peers involved in the free culture movement. Launched in April 2004 at Swarthmore College, SFC has helped establish student groups at colleges and universities across the United States. Today, SFC chapters exist at over 30 colleges, from Maine to California, with many more getting
started around the world.

Students for Free Culture was founded by two Swarthmore students after they sued voting-machine manufacturer Diebold for abusing copyright law in 2003. Named after the book Free Culture by Stanford University law professor Lawrence Lessig, SFC is part of a growing movement, with roots in the free software / open source community, media activists, creative artists and writers, and civil libertarians. Groups with
which SFC has collaborated include Creative Commons, the Electronic Frontier Foundation, Public Knowledge, and Downhill Battle.

The Student PIRGs are a network of state-based, student-directed and funded public interest organizations active on over 200 college campuses in 20 states.

The Sparky Awards are organized and sponsored by SPARC (Scholarly Publishing and Academic Resources Coalition). An alliance supported and funded by hundreds of academic libraries and research institutions, SPARC promotes new scholarly communication models that use the Internet to expand sharing of information. SPARC was created in 1997 as an initiative of the Association of Research Libraries
(ARL) and operates under ARL's non-profit status.

SPARC is a founder of the Alliance for Taxpayer Access, representing taxpayers, patients, physicians, researchers, and institutions that support open public access to taxpayer-funded research.

Mad magazine's fold-ins

In honor of Free Comic Book Day tomorrow: Al Jaffee's fold-ins for Mad magazine, from the 1960s to the present, in interactive form from the New York Times. Great social commentary with an artistic flair.

Remember

Auctions at Howe branch May 7 and the Pine Hills branch May 14.
Library budget and trustee vote May 20.

See details here. You must be a registered voter at your current address by May 6.

NYLA's 2008 Legislative Priorities

The New York Library Association urges you to contact your state legislators in support of its 2008 Legislative Priorities, which can be found at www.nyla.org under Headlines. NYLA urges you to use the Online Advocacy Center (click on the Library Advocate button) to send a fax/email in support its top four priority bills which are:

Association Libraries Opt Into State Retirement (S.7507 Farley/A.10518 Paulin) The bill would allow association public libraries that meet certain criteria to join the NYS retirement system upon approval by their board of trustees.

Dormitory Authority Bonding (S.1684 Farley/A.6256 Eddington) Bill would allow NYLA to bundle small bonding projects together for submittal to Dormitory Authority to give libraries greater access to inexpensive financing and reduce their borrowing costs. Only projects below $5 million would qualify for this program. All other library projects would still need special legislation. Status: Passed Senate

BOCES-Libraries Internet Partnerships (S.2082 Larkin/ A.6592 Gunther) Authorizes Boards of Cooperative Educational Services to enter into contracts with public libraries or library systems to provide internet access and communication services. Status: Passed Senate 3/28

Sales Tax Exemptions for Book Fairs (S.1722A Lavalle/A.3463A Cahill) Bill would exempt book fairs held by school and library organizations (PTA’s/Friends Groups) from collecting sales tax.

You can only send one letter at a time, so if you want to send letter in support of more than one issue, you need to go back to the beginning of the process.

THE STATEWIDE SUMMER READING PROGRAM GEARS UP FOR 2008

Information about the 2008 Statewide Summer Reading Program, “Catch the Reading Bug@Your Library” is now available online. Librarians, teachers, and other educators planning for the 2008 program can go to www.summerreadingnys.org for ideas, links, and activities.

Schools, libraries, and library systems are invited to link directly to this site where library users can find games and other related links.

Educational studies show that kids who enjoy leisure time reading over the summer perform at higher academic levels when school resumes than those with no summer reading. The Statewide Summer Reading Program keeps kids learning and reading while school is out of session.
Participation in the 2007 Statewide Summer Reading Program was 1.35 million - up from 1.2 million in 2006. The goal is to have 1.5 million youngsters participating in the 2008 program.

Printer-friendly fliers in multiple languages encouraging parents to enroll their youngsters in the program are now available on the New York State Library’s web site. Go to www.nysl.nysed.gov and click on "Statewide Summer Reading."

Watch for more information about the Statewide Summer Reading Program website in May when more games, activities and other resources for planners will become available.

We Is Smart

There's a recent Business Review story indicating that Albany is 11th smartest metro in the nation, topping all New York cities. The full chart is here.

(And yes, I know it should be Are rather than Is.)

Three Candidates for APL Trustee Seat

Albany Public Library will be asking City of Albany voters to vote to fill one vacant seat on the Library Board of Trustees in the May 20th Albany City School District Election.

There will be three candidates on the ballot.
Charles Carr is self-employed with a background in facilities management. A lifelong resident of Albany, he and his two sons regularly use the Delaware Branch.
Jose Lopez is an assistant teacher for people with disabilities and a long time Albany resident.
Lois Parsons, the incumbent, is also a long time resident of Albany. She has worked in the nursing field and has been involved in fundraising for neighborhood associations.

The Trustee vacancy was created by the passing of longtime Board member John Bach and has been temporarily filled by the Library Board’s appointment of Lois Parsons until the next election. The candidate receiving the largest number of votes in the election will serve the balance of Mr. Bach’s term, which expires on June 30, 2009.

Polling sites for the library vote are different from the locations used for citywide elections; see the ones listed here. If you have any questions regarding the polling sites, contact the Clerk of the City School District of Albany at 475-6010.

Detailed information on APL’s May 20th election, including additional candidate and budget information, will be posted on the library’s website. If you have questions, please call Interim Library Director Tim Burke at 427-4379 or email burket@uhls.lib.ny.us.

Original Spider-Man artwork given to Library of Congress

The artwork from Amazing Fantasy #15, the first appearance of Spider-Man, has been given to Library of Congress.

"According to curator Sara Duke, an anonymous donor has given the 24 pages of original interior artwork from Amazing Fantasy #15 to the Library of Congress' Prints and Photographs division. The artwork, drawn by Steve Ditko and written by Stan Lee, first appeared in print in 1962, and is in good shape."

The APL Budget Vote May 20

When is the vote? Tuesday, May 20, 2008, 7:00 A.M. to 9:00 P.M.

What you should know about the 2009 Budget:

•The 2009 proposed budget that was unanimously approved by the Library Board of Trustees reflects a 4.13% increase in the library tax levy.

•The proposed budget will support the increased operating costs required by the opening of the five new, state of the art branch libraries that will be completed in 2009 as part of the Library’s Branch Improvement Plan.

•These operating increases include staffing to support an expanded hours schedule for all of the new branch libraries and to support the expanded library collections; dedicated public computing areas for adults, teens, and children; and the variety of community meeting spaces that will be provided in the new branch libraries.

What services does the current library tax levy support?

* Full access to a large and diverse collection of new books, DVDs, music CDs, audio books, large print books, and electronic information

* Free public computer use and wireless Internet access

* Free public programs that range from infant, pre-school, and children’s storytimes, to senior computer classes, to cultural programming, lectures and concerts for all ages and interests

* Access to professional reference librarians to provide assistance with informational and research needs

* Free use of community meeting rooms and exhibit space

* 24/7 online access to the collections of all 29 public libraries in the Upper Hudson Library System and a wide variety of research and reference databases

* The debt service on the $29.1 million Branch Improvement Plan bond

Here's detailed budget information.

Additional Voting Information

The vote will take place in conjunction with the school district budget vote. Voters will be asked to vote on the Library budget proposal and to elect a candidate to fill the vacant seat on the Albany Public Library Board of Trustees. Additional information about the candidates for Trustee will be available at all library locations and on the library’s website (www.albanypubliclibrary.org) as it becomes available.

Who can vote?
Anyone registered to vote in the City of Albany general election is eligible to vote.

Where do I vote?
There are NEW voting locations for 2008. With a focus on enhancing accessibility for voters throughout the community, there are new voting locations in election districts in eight of 15 wards.
Please Note - Polling sites for the school district and library budget vote are different from the polling locations used for citywide elections. Locate your polling place on the chart below or check our website for a directory of polling places.

Polling locations for May 20, 2008 Budget Vote
Italics indicate where changes have been made.

1st WARD, Election Districts 1-3
Thomas O’Brien Academy of Science & Technology
Lincoln Park

1st WARD, Election Districts 4-10
City Parks & Recreation Building
7 Hoffman Avenue

2nd WARD, Election Districts 1-3, 5-13 & 15-17
Giffen Memorial Elementary School
274 South Pearl Street

2nd WARD, Election Districts 4 & 14
City Parks & Recreation Building
7 Hoffman Avenue

3rd WARD, Election Districts 1-15
Sheridan Preparatory Academy
400 Sheridan Avenue

4th WARD, Election Districts 1-5 & 12
North Albany Academy
570 N. Pearl Street

4th WARD, Election Districts 6-11
Arbor Hill Elementary School
Arbor Drive

5th WARD, Election Districts 1-12
Philip Livingston Magnet Academy
315 Northern Blvd.

6th WARD, Election Districts 1-7 & 9
Thomas O’Brien Academy of Science & Technology
Lincoln Park

6th WARD, Election District 8
First Lutheran Church
646 State Street

7th WARD, Election Districts 1, 4-6, 8-9
Delaware Community School
43 Bertha Street

7th WARD, Election Districts 2-3
St. Teresa’s School
8 Hollywood Avenue

7th WARD, Election District 7
Albany School of Humanities
108 Whitehall Road

8th WARD, Election Districts 1-3, 9, 11-12
Albany School of Humanities
108 Whitehall Road

8th WARD, Election Districts 4-8, 10
St. Catherine of Siena School
35 Hurst Avenue

9th WARD, Election Districts 1-9
St. Teresa’s School
8 Hollywood Avenue

10th WARD, Election Districts 1-8
Albany High School
700 Washington Avenue

11th WARD, Election Districts 1-8
First Lutheran Church
646 State Street

12th WARD, Election Districts 1-3, 5 & 11
Harriet Gibbons High School
75 Watervliet Avenue

12th WARD, Election Districts 4 & 9
North Albany Academy
570 N. Pearl Street

12th WARD, Election Districts 6-8 & 10
Montessori Magnet School
65 Tremont Street

13th WARD, Election Districts 1-6 & 8-9
Pine Hills Elementary School
41 North Allen Street

13th WARD, Election District 7
Eagle Point Elementary School
1044 Western Avenue

14th WARD, Election Districts 1-10
Eagle Point Elementary School
1044 Western Avenue

15th WARD, Election Districts 1-3 & 8
Eagle Point Elementary School
1044 Western Avenue

15th WARD, Election Districts 4-7
Teresian House
200 Washington Avenue

APL Library Auctions!

APL has finally moved out of two of its libraries, readying them for renovation.

Auctions:
Howe Library Auction on May 7th
Pine Hills Library Auction on May 14th.

Here's What's at the classic Howe Library
As many of you know, the Howe Library was built in 1928 and has beautiful oak shelving, woodwork and classic library furniture. The preservationists among you will be delighted to know that much of the built-in wood bookcases, trim work and fireplace will be staying. But for you antique aficionados, here's what will be up for auction:
Classic Oak Library Bookcases (tall and 4', single and double)
Round Oak Library Tables
Oak Library Chairs
Small Oak Library Chairs
Oak Card Catalogs
Oak Filing Cabinets
Period Glass Globes
Oak Circulation Desk
Oak Librarian Desks
Metal shelves, metal and plastic chairs, framed prints, metal filing cabinets and much more.

Here's what's at the Pine Hills Library
Since the Pine Hills Library was renovated in the early 1990s, the shelving and furniture is contemporary and some is upholstered. And all of it is in good condition. Here's what will be up for auction:
Metal with Wood Accent Library Bookcases (tall and 4', single and double)
Wood Library Tables and Wood Chairs
Upholstered Library Reading Chairs
Metal shelves, tables, and much more.

So here's all you need to bid on a little bit of history:

Howe Library Auction - Wednesday May 7th
6:00 p.m. viewing and auction to follow
Schuyler & Broad Streets, South End Neighborhood (Morton @ South Pearl)
Item pick-up date is Saturday May 17th, 9:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m.

Pine Hills Library Auction - Wednesday, May 14th
6:00 p.m. viewing and auction to follow
517 Western Avenue, Pine Hills Neighborhood (corner of N. Allen Street)
Item pick up date is Saturday, May 17th, 1:00-3:00 p.m.

Cash & Checks Accepted.

To place a maximum bid, contact Elissa Kane at 427-4346 or kanee@uhls.lib.ny.us.

To receive an inventory list by e-mail the day before the auction contact Elissa Kane at 427-4346 or kanee@uhls.lib.ny.us.

All items must be taken either the night of the auction or on May 17th at 9:00 -11:00 a.m. for Howe and 1:00 - 3:00 p.m. for Pine Hills.

Springtime Art & Craft Show. Woman's Club of Albany May 2-3, 2008

Woman’s Club of Albany
725 Madison Ave

Albany, NY 12208

(518) 465-3626www.womansclubofalbany.org

Cathy Frank (formerly of Firlefanz Gallery) and Karen Greendale together with the Woman’s Club of Albany, 725 Madison Ave in Albany NY are pleased to announce a “Springtime Art & Craft Show: Thinking of Mom and Tulips” on May 2nd and 3rd featuring 29 women artists (8 jewelers, 6 ceramic, 13 visual, and 2 fiber artists ) and a little cafe with homemade sandwiches and sweet treats.

Hours:

May 2nd, 5pm to 9pm

The show and cafe will be part of the First Friday Art Events of Albany. The Woman's Club will be one of the stops on the event trolley line.

May 3rd, 11am to 5pm.

show and cafe

A tulip painting by Lori Lawrence will be offered in a silent auction.

The show is free and open to the public. Part of the profits from the show and cafe will benefit the Club’s programs.

Visitors will be able to vote for their favorite tulip from the 900 tulips that were planted last fall by members of the Club in the front garden of the mansion.

Featured artists are:

Jewelers:

Loretta Fontaine

Cathy Frank

Julia Glick

Karen Greendale

Nancy Miller

Katie Nare

Dana Rudolph

Cynthia Tocman

Ceramic artists

JoAnn Axford

Victoria Crowell

Cathy Frank

Brenda McMahon

Joanne Millis

Liz Vigoda

Visual artists:

Chris De Marco

Elizabeth Dubben

Georgianna Heller

Ronda Jeffer

Lori Lawrence

Willie Marlowe

Monica Miller

Gail Nadeau

Sunghee Park

Jean Strausman

Audrie Sturman

Marie Triller

Wendy Ide Williams

Fiber artists:

Cheryl Baitsholts

Lynne Holstein

About The Woman's Club of Albany

Founded in 1910, the Woman’s Club of Albany began as a civic organization dedicated to helping women and children, and improving conditions in the City of Albany. With the recent renaissance of the Club, its mission has been expanded to maintain an organized historical center for women in the Capital Region by educating and heightening awareness about the historical, social and legal movements of women; and to promote service and philanthropy including charitable fundraising and donation for those in need in our community, particularly underprivileged children and families in the Capital Region.

For additional information about The Woman's Club of Albany and its historic building, please visit: www.womansclubofalbany.org

For further information about the show please call

Cathy Frank at 518-456-1913

cathyfrank@verizon.net

or

Karen Greendale at 518-727-6875

karengreendale@yahoo.com

AdAge Magazine Creating an Insight & Information Department

The author did not know he was describing librarians. "[S]maller agencies need to have access to smart people and smart research. Whether it's just the basics of someone actively scanning current marketing writings, magazines, books and blogs and making sense of it all for us, or a more robust option that includes the aforementioned research resources. Our world demands that we have access to and utilize compelling insights to keep our work and our clients' brands relevant. [...]"

18 Sexy Trips to the Library Stacks

Movie stills from Entertainment Weekly. Belying the dowdy librarian image.

Dingell Examining Closure of Hopkins Health Database

The chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee is investigating why a government-funded, reproductive health database operated by the Johns Hopkins University briefly blocked searches using the term abortion two weeks ago.

The POPLINE database is funded by the U.S. Agency for International Development and run by Hopkins' Bloomberg School of Public Health.
Bloomberg's dean ordered all searches restored after he learned that an administrator had made it difficult to find abortion-related scientific material on the POPLINE Web site. The restriction lasted several days.

"I am concerned that the restriction of certain search terms in the POPLINE database is an ideological decision and not in line with the spirit of free scientific inquiry intended by the creation of such a database," Rep. John D. Dingell, a Michigan Democrat, wrote in a letter yesterday to USAID's administrator.

The congressman requested the names of the officials who were involved in the decision to make abortion a "stop word" - one that a search engine will ignore.

More here.

May is "Celebrate Bike Month!"

New York Bicycling Coalition Presents the 5th Annual Capital Bike Month 2008

May 1st-31st: “Let’s Celebrate Bike Month!” Poster Contest for kids.
Submissions accepted 5/1/-5/28; awards ceremony 5/31 during bicycle safety education class at Guilderland Public Library (see 5/31, below). Co-sponsored by the Guilderland Public Library and Altamont Free Library. Free and open to all children ages 4-17 throughout the Capital District. Prizes & giveaways sponsored by Plaine and Son and the Mohawk Hudson Cycling Club.

Friday, 5/2: 5:30-9PM: Urban Ride & Grand Opening of “Dream Wheels”
exhibit at UAG Gallery, 247 Lark St., Albany.
http://upstateartistsguild.org/DreamWheels (show runs 5/2-5/23).
Proceeds benefit NYBC and the Albany Bicycle Coalition (ABC). Urban ride departs at 5:30pm from Civil War Memorial in Washington Park (intersection of Henry Johnson Blvd. & State St.). 12 mile route featuring ABC’s Albany Bike Map and proposed bike routes; returns to UAG gallery for Grand Opening Gala.

Sunday, 5/4: 10:00A.M.-3:00PM: Free “Open House” Day and BBQ at Saratoga Mountain Bike Association (SMBA) Trails. Team LUNA Chix of Upstate NY and the SMBA will be co-hosting several mountain bike rides throughout the day for various ability levels on the SMBA trails in Saratoga Springs. [NOTE: you are not required to be a SMBA member to attend this event.] Beginners, intermediates, and experts are welcome and encouraged to attend. For more information, visit www.saratogamtb.org or contact john@saratogamtb.org or treesawmtb@yahoo.com.

Monday, 5/12: Mohawk Hudson Cycling Club presents “Warm up for Bike to Work Day” Ride. Check your legs and practice your commuting route with the added benefit of increased safety in numbers that fellow cyclists can provide. Meet at 5:30pm at CDTA Delmar Park & Ride (intersection of Route 32 & 52, Delmar) for 13 mile round-trip venture from Delmar to Empire State Plaza in downtown Albany. Ride departs at 5:45pm. See www.webmhcc.org or contact kjempie@earthlink.net for more details.

Tuesday, 5/13: 9AM-10:30AM: Legislative Breakfast. 10:45AM-11:30AM Ride around the Capital. Legislative Office Building, Room 211A. Similar to the League of American Bicyclist's National Bike Summit, this is an opportunity to learn about the latest state legislation pertaining to bicyclists and pedestrians, voice your concerns, and interact with your local and state representatives. Following the breakfast, there will be a short ride around the State Capital and downtown Albany area. Co-sponsored by CK Cycles. RSVP to nybc@nybc.net by Friday, May 9th

5:00-8:00PM: “Tune Up Your Bike Night” and Free Repair Clinics at Troy Bike Rescue, 15 Trinity Place, Albany, NY 12202. For more information, call 518.986.2256, email troybikerescue@gmail.com, or visit www.troybikerescue.org.

Wednesday, 5/14: 5:30pm-8:00pm: Bicycle Rodeo for Kids and Families.
Free bike safety checks and helmet giveaways for children; one child’s bike will be donated to recipient of “Citizen’s Award,” chosen by Boys & Girls Club (B&GC). Location: Boys & Girls Club, 400 Craig Street, Schenectady. Co-sponsored by Plaine and Son and the B&GC of Schenectady.

Thursday, 5/15: 5:00pm: Commuter Contest: car vs. bus vs. cyclist.
Location: Starbucks to Starbucks (downtown Albany to Stuyvesant Plaza). Fabulous prizes & swag courtesy of Steiner’s Sports. For more information, visit www.nybc.net or email nybc@nybc.net.

Friday, 5/16: Bike to Work Day. 6 staging areas with mapped routes and bicycle escorts to downtown Albany; 3 rally points with designated bicycle parking; and a “commuter buddy” program offered to cyclists who choose not to ride alone. Co-sponsored by Downtown Albany BID, CDTA, O.G.S., Sports Signup, Sandwiches to Go, Steiner’s Sports, The Downtube, Elevate Cycles, EMS, Steuben Athletic Club, Capital District YMCA and Bruegger’s Bagels. For more information, visit www.nybc.net.

7:00pm: Film showing of “Contested Streets” at Guilderland Public Library (2228 Western Ave., Guilderland, NY 12084). Brief discussion to follow. Free and open to the public. Co-sponsored by GPL & NYBC.

Saturday, 5/17: 10am-3pm: LCI “Savvy Cyclist” Road I Class. Location:
University at Albany, 1400 Washington Ave., Albany, College of Arts & Sciences Bldg. Room 123. Instructors: Claire & Bert.
This course is offered free of charge and brought to you by NYBC and a grant from the Governor’s Traffic Safety Committee. RSVP to nybc@nybc.net by Thursday, May 15th to reserve a space.

Wednesday, 5/21: 6pm: Ride of Silence (Albany). Start location: Corning Preserve (downtown Albany). 12 mile route will pass ghost bikes commemorating the deaths of 3 local cyclists. For more details, visit www.rideofsilence.org or email Claire Nolan
(cbnolou@yahoo.com) or Sue Troll (trollasko@aol.com).

Saturday, 5/31: 10:30am-12:30pm: Safe Cycling for Kids (and Their
Parents) Workshop. Guilderland Public Library. Winners of Bike Month poster contest announced and prizes distributed. Fun for the whole family! For more information, contact Jennifer Ogrodowski, Guilderland Public Library, at (518) 456-2400, ext. 34, ogrodowskij@uhls.lib.ny.us or Judith Wines, Altamont Free Library,
(518) 861-7239, winesj@uhls.lib.ny.us .

City of Albany Earth Day Electronic Drop-Off Day

Earth Day Electronic Drop-Off Day

The City of Albany is sponsoring an Earth Day Electronic and Room Air Conditioner Drop-Off Day on Saturday, April 26 from 7 AM to 1 PM at the Taft Furniture Parking lot, 1960 Central Avenue, 1 mile past Route 155--free to City of Albany residents only. Acceptable items for disposal include computers and computer parts, televisions (no consoles), telephones, VCRs, room air conditioners, radios and PDAs. City of Albany residents must contact the Department of General Services prior to April 26 to receive an admission coupon. Call 434-CITY (2489). This free program will end promptly at 1 PM sharp.

Rex Smith to Speak at Friends' Annual Meeting

The Friends' Annual Meeting will be held Tuesday, May 20, 2008 at 7 p.m. in the large auditiorium in the main library. Rex Smith, editor of the Times Union, will be speaking on "Communication for Citizenship: How Journalism Can Help Sustain Society's Progress."

Rex is Editor and Vice President of the Times Union, the dominant communication medium in a 16-county area of upstate New York. He has led the newspaper since mid-2002 to national recognition for writing, reporting, photography and design, both in print and on the Web.

Rex, who grew up in the Black Hills of South Dakota, came to Albany as a national correspondent and state capitol bureau chief for Newsday, one of the nation’s largest newspapers, then spent four years as editor of The Record in Troy. Earlier in his career, he was a congressional aide in Washington and editor of a small daily paper in Indiana. He also spent a year as a television reporter and anchor in the metropolitan New York region.

Among numerous professional citations, Rex has received the Distinguished Service Award of the national Society of Professional Journalists, the World Hunger Media Award, a Pulitzer Fellowship and a Rotary Fellowship. He has reported from Central America, South Africa and the former Soviet Union. He is a graduate cum laude of Trinity University in San Antonio, Texas, and received his master’s degree with highest honors from the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism, where he was awarded a Pulitzer Fellowship.

Rex hosts a nationally syndicated weekly program, “The Media Project,” on Northeast Public Radio, and is past president of the state press association and vice chair of the state Fair Trial/Free Press Conference. He is in demand as a public speaker and a contest judge, and has twice been a juror for the Pulitzer Prizes. He lives in Rensselaer County with his wife, the author and radio commentator Marion Roach, and their 12-year-old daughter, Grace Yu Ying Smith.

Preservation League of New York State Workshop: Enhancing Main Street

WHAT: Enhancing Main Street: Making Upper Floors Work Again

A free workshop presented by the Preservation League of New York State



WHEN: Tuesday, April 15, 2008

8:30 a.m. – 2:30 p.m.



WHERE: WAMC Linda Norris Auditorium
339 Central Avenue
Albany, NY





The workshop’s featured speakers will include:

Buffalo architect Clinton Brown, who will discuss Main Street revitalization and why it matters, and also present a case study of mixed-use project in Medina, Orleans County; Joe Fama of the Troy Architectural Program in Troy, who will explain how New York’s building codes and preservation can work together; Murray Gould of Port City Preservation in Oswego, who will provide information on funding sources and strategies for downtown conversion projects; and Sandra Adams of the Community Preservation Corporation in Albany, who will discuss how financing was assembled for recent mixed use projects on North Pearl Street.
The workshop is free and lunch will be served, but seating is limited.
Please register by Friday, April 11. Call 518-462-5658 x13 for more information or email upperfloors@preservenys.org.



Enhancing Main Street: Making Upper Floors Work Again is presented by the Preservation League of New York State, and sponsored by the Central Avenue Business Improvement District, Empire State Development Corporation, and WAMC Northeast Public Radio. Co-sponsors include the City of Albany Department of Development and Planning; Downtown Albany Business Improvement District; Historic Albany Foundation; Lark Street Business Improvement District; New York Planning Federation; and Office for Small Cities — NYS Housing Trust Fund Corporation.

Peace Corps, Anyone?

Remember the Peace Corps? What better time than now to think about it. Visit the APL for an informational seminar from 6:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. on April 15th (after you finish your taxes). Folks 50 and over are especially invited, but all are welcome. Shoot your questions to Amie Kabia at 212-352-5353 or akabia@peacecorp.gov.

Bus Meeting

Lucille Brewer announces:
Citizens for Public Transportation will meet Wednesday, April 16, 7:00 PM at the Albany Public Library, Main Branch.

SPEAKER: Joshua Poppal, Executive Director of the Bicycle Coalition

Luis Acosta of CDTA will also attend.

U.S. Funded Health Search Engine Blocks 'Abortion'

By Sarah Lai Stirland April 03, 2008 5:55:57 PM
Categories: Censorship
http://blog.wired.com/27bstroke6/2008/04/a-government-fu.html

A U.S. government-funded medical information site that bills itself as the world's largest database on reproductive health has quietly begun to block searches on the word "abortion," concealing nearly 25,000 search results.
Called Popline, the search site is run by the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in Maryland. It's funded by the U.S. Agency for International Development, or USAID, the federal office in charge of providing foreign aid, including health care funding, to developing nations.
The massive database indexes a broad range of reproductive health literature, including titles like "Previous abortion and the risk of low birth weight and preterm births," and "Abortion in the United States:
Incidence and access to services, 2005."
But on Thursday, a search on "abortion" was producing only the message "No records found by latest query."
Stephen Goldstein, a spokesman for Johns Hopkins, said he wasn't aware of the censorship, and couldn't immediately comment.
Under a Reagan-era policy revived by President Bush in 2001, USAID denies funding to non-governmental organizations that perform abortions, or that "actively promote abortion as a method of family planning in other nations."
A librarian at the University of California at San Francisco noticed the new censorship on Monday, while carrying out a routine research request on behalf of academics and researchers at the university. The search term had functioned properly as of January.
Puzzled, she contacted the manager of the database, Johns Hopkins' Debbie Dickson, who replied in an April 1st e-mail that the university had recently begun blocking the search term because the database received federal funding.
--------------------------------------
The complete article may be read at the URL above.

And they say libraries are obsolete

Queens Library's circulation for March 2008 was 2,054,870, an historic single-month high for the U.S.'s busiest library and quite possibly, the highest any U.S. library has ever done in a one-month period.

State Budget

Dear Library Advocate: Negotiations on the 2008-09 State Budget are coming to a conclusion and library supporters need to reach out again to their state legislators to urge them to restore the $5 million cut in Library Aid. The Legislature and Governor have agreed to provide a $1.8 billion increase in school aid and to fund this overly generous increase, they have to find the money to pay for it from other programs like Library Aid.

So please send a letter via email or fax using NYLA's Online Advocacy Center at www.nyla.org to contact your state legislators today. Please forward this to as many people as possible. Thanks for your cooperation.

Spring 2008 Restaurant Week

The Capital Region's first and best Restaurant Week is back, April 21 -26! Don't miss your chance to experience three-course meals at 20 great downtown Albany dining establishments for the low price of $16.09.

Click here for participating restaurants & menus.

Depository Libraries-GIO: Ask a Librarian

by Barbara Quint

A formal agreement between the U.S. Government Printing Office (GPO; www.gpo.gov) and a network of 20 depository libraries has relaunched and expanded the scope of a virtual reference service called Government Information Online: Ask a Librarian (GIO; http://govtinfo.org). Be careful about using the dot-org. Typing "govtinfo.gov" will switch you to the USA.gov site. That may not be too much of a mistake in time. One of the primary strategies of the GIO service is to promote its existence through links from other leading dot-gov sites, such as USA.gov and Thomas. The engineering of such linkages falls mainly to GPO. The depository library participants, led by the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) and managed by the Committee on Institutional Cooperation (CIC; www.cic.net), will handle providing the free chat- and email-based virtual reference service.

Reference librarians from 20 academic, state, and public depository libraries will be available to direct users to information from government agencies, in particular federal, but state, regional, and local agencies as well. The federal government coverage should be consistently strong, as all the libraries involved are federal depositories. Coverage of state and local collections will vary, along with other expertise. John Shuler, project manager and bibliographer for urban planning and government information at UIC, describes the expertise of participant library collections and staff as stretching outside the GPO collection. "We draw on multiple sources and all levels, including specific local expertise. While all have generalized expertise for the federal

[ MORE]

Friends will host Walter Auclair

Tuesday, March 25 at 12:15, the Friends will host Walter Auclair, founder of The Sentinel, to review the book by Anthony Lewis, Freedom for the Thought That We Hate: A Biography of the First Amendment.

One Library Trustee Seat Open for Election

Albany Public Library will be asking City of Albany voters to vote to fill one position on the Library Board of Trustees in the May 20th Albany City School District Election. The vacancy occurred due to the death of longtime Trustee John Bach. The Library Board appointed Lois Parsons to serve as Trustee until the next election. The person elected to this seat will serve the unexpired portion of the term (1 year remaining) commencing at the June 10 meeting of the APL Board.

Any Albany resident who was registered to vote in the November 2007 general election is eligible to run for the Board of Trustees. Candidates must collect a minimum of 101 valid signatures and file their petitions with the Clerk of the City School District of Albany by 4:30 pm on Monday, April 21st. The Library also asks that candidates notify Interim Library Director Tim Burke his/her candidacy by providing copies of their nominating petition to him by the above date and time. Nominating Petitions and instructions may be picked up from Tim Burke at the Main Library.

Detailed information on APL’s May 20th election, including candidate information and polling places, will be posted on the library’s website as it becomes available. If you have questions, please call Interim Library Director Tim Burke at 427-4379 or email burket@uhls.lib.ny.us.

From last night's News Hour on PBS

The Reading Room *
Guest essayist Julia Keller of the Chicago Tribune reflects on the future for public libraries.
Go to http://www.pbs.org/newshour/. In the right-hand column, click on
Reading Room.
-- a really great piece on libraries!

Some quotes:
" ... it's not what you come for [books,computers, dvds] that really counts, it's what you leave with..."

"How we get our knowledge may change, but human nature doesn't. And there is something profoundly consoling about a public library, about a shared space brimming with stories..."

Fundraising at APL

From Elissa Kane:

March brings us great news about our fundraising endeavors here at APL.

We've been awarded a two-year support grant from the Gates Foundation for the creation of a laptop lab that will enable library staff to set up remote computer labs at branch libraries and community locations for computer and Internet training.

We've also been awarded $118,000 from the NYS Library Construction fund for repairs to the Main Library infrastructure including replacement of the first floor air conditioning unit (the sprinkler was last year's solution), upgrade to the building-wide electrical system, installation of a fully accessible staff bathroom, replacement of the rear automatic door and, best of all, the matching funds necessary to now renovate the former gallery space on the 2nd floor into the Pruyn Local History Collection.

The Local History Room project is also funded by a very generous $50,000 capital aid grant from Assemblyman Jack McEneny. And finally, the Upper Hudson Library System has granted APL $3,000 toward a new program we're developing to train and employ teens to work in our libraries. We'll certainly be sharing more news when these projects begin to roll out.

Hey, also check out this great workshop by my friend Bill Patrick at the Troy Library (he's the guy who wrote Saving Troy: a year with firefighters and paramedics in a battered city.) Very interesting - very gripping dvd too.

And, as always, we encourage your individual contributions to support the libraries you love.

Project Sunlight

ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) -- Want to find out what your state and local elected officials are up to?

New York State has a new Web site that makes that task much easier. It's called Project Sunlight, a Web site created by state Attorney General Andrew Cuomo under a law passed by the Legislature and signed by Governor Spitzer. It puts better government accountability a click away.

The new Web site strips away the bureaucracy that surrounds much of how public policy is influenced in state government.

There's information on each piece of legislation, which lawmakers are sponsoring it and which lobbyists are supporting or opposing the measure. You can also check on campaign contributions and how much pork-barrel spending lawmakers are getting for their home districts.

The Web site's address is www.sunlightny.com.

Economic stimulus payment update

If you or someone you know that generally does not have to file a 2007 return but must do so for the economic stimulus payment:

Last week, IRS announced that the IRS Free File program is now available for nonfilers who must file a 2007 return to receive an economic stimulus payment.

IR-2008-34 has more information.

IRS info re: the economic stimulus package

The IRS has created a FAQ page regarding the economic stimulus package.

Fundraising Gala for Libraries

Any and all library supporters are invited to attend a banquet and fundraising event on Monday night, March 10, 2008. It will be held at the Holiday Inn Turf on Wolf Road in Albany (205 Wolf Road, Albany, NY) beginning at 6pm. Sponsored by New Yorkers for Better Libraries, a political action committee.

Speakers are Steve Sanders, former chair of the NYS Assembly Education Committee and Marion Roach, contemporary non-fiction writer and commentator on the National Public Radio on the show "All Things Considered."

Your $100 payment includes dinner, 10 raffle tickets, and a contribution to the PAC. Those who have already made a 2008 contribution to the PAC are invited to attend (dinner only) for $50. Pre-registration is required at www.nylibs-pac.net

New Yorkers for Better Libraries Political Action Committee (NYLIBS-PAC) was formed in 2003 by library leaders who believe in the importance of campaign contributions as part of a multi-faceted legislative strategy designed to increase state aid to libraries and library systems.

The mission of the New Yorkers for Better Libraries PAC is to provide financial support to legislators and candidates for state office who are in a position to effectively champion libraries.

Please join NYLIBS-PAC for this special evening to support the library community of New York. Thank you!

NYLA's 2008 Talking Points

NYLA's 2008 Talking Points are now availabe on its website at http://www.nyla.org under Headlines. These are helpful factoids that can assist you in your discussions with state legislators regarding 2008 Budget Priorities - 1) Restoring the $5 million cut in Library Aid, 2) Amending the Contracts for Excellence Initiative, 3) Funding Book Aid.
The Talking Points will also be part of packets handed out on Library Lobby Day.

If you have not already done so, please contact your state legislator in the upcoming days either via NYLA's Online Advocacy Center - go to the website http://www.nyla.org and click on Contact Your Elected Officials - or mail in letter - sample available under Advocacy Tools also on the website.

Revenue projections were announced this week, with the Senate Majority estimating revenues will be $99 million higher than the Governor's projections and the Assembly Majority estimating that revenues will be $615 million lower than the Governor's projections. If they cannot reach an agreement by this Friday, the state Comptroller is authorized to establish revenue numbers (the amount of money the state has to spend in Fiscal Year 2008-09).

Also please make every effort to attend Library Lobby Day (Tuesday, March 11th) this year. A large turnout will be key to persuading state legisaltors and staff to restore the $5 million cut in Library Aid. Visit the Lobby Day page to find out more details and regional coordinators in your area for travel and meeting arrangements.

March Friends of the Library Events

It's March already with four great Friends Tuesday Noon-Time programs at the Main Library.

On March 4th at 12:15 the Friends present Barbara Spring and Priscilla Fairbank, two Grannies for Peace for a discussion about their personal experiences after a recent trip to Iran with the Fellowship of Reconciliation.

St. Patrick's Day Parade

Albany's 58th Annual St. Patrick's Day Parade takes place on Saturday, March 15, 2008. The Parade steps off at 2 pm at Quail Street and Central Avenue and travels down Washington Avenue to State Street to North Pearl Street.
Be sure to don your green apparel and have some fun! Click here for more details.

Best Careers: Librarian

From U.S. News and World Report.
"Librarians these days must be high-tech information sleuths, helping researchers plumb the oceans of information available in books and digital records. It's an underrated career. Most librarians love helping patrons dig up information and, in the process, learning new things."

The Librarian Wins In The Data Breach David Vs. Goliath Battle

"A Florida librarian — whose confidential data was apparently accessed in a databreach involving Wells-Fargo and Sprint Nextel — won his lawsuit against the two giants [this month], when neither company bothered to send anyone to represent them at the hearing."

Information Isn’t Reserved for Books

From the Houston Chronicle story by Carolyn Feibel.

But research librarians say their powers have been unfairly dismissed in the online age. Not only can they outsmart Google’s dead ends and weaknesses, librarians say, but they can help people surf faster and smarter by showing them hidden databases and tricks...

In an age of clickable gratification, when books, articles and data are moving online, some people wonder whether librarians are relevant, said Leslie Burger, the immediate past-president of the American Library Association. But Burger said they are more necessary than ever.

She said librarians are subject to outdated stereotypes: “fusty, bookish, sensible shoes, eyeglasses and not particularly friendly. We’re really the polar opposite of that right now.”

Branch Improvement Plan Celebration Committee

Five new branch libraries in 2009 & 2010 - How exciting is that?!!!!!

You’ve contributed so much already, your vote for the library bond and your input on the library designs. Now it’s time to plan the parties!

Would you like to help to organize the community celebrations for the new library in your neighborhood?

You’re invited to join the The BIP CCs (Branch Improvement Plan Celebration Committee)

The Friends of Albany Public Library have launched this new volunteer program to build support for the celebrations to accompany the closing, building and opening of the five new libraries.

The first meeting of the BIP CCs is
Wednesday, March 5th, 5pm
at the Pine Hills Library, Western Avenue

Everyone welcome!!! Come bring your ideas for great library celebrations.
R.S.V.P.s encouraged to Elissa Kane, kanee@uhls.lib.ny.us or 427-4346

21st Congressional candidates at forum tonight

The event will start at 7 p.m. at 155 Washington Ave.

1st Friday at the Albany Institute of History & Art

March 7
5:00 - 9:00 pm
(Free)

Be sure to stop by the Albany Institute of History & Art if you are planning to participate in downtown Albany's 1st Friday events on March 7. The Institute will be free from 5:00-9:00 and will offer a a 10% discount on select items in the museum shop.

Exhibitions on view include:

• HORSING AROUND: 19th Century Cast-Iron Hitching Posts
• CAST WITH STYLE: 19th Century Cast-Iron Stoves from the Albany Area
• THE FOLK SPIRIT OF ALBANY: Folk Art from the Upper Hudson Valley
• VENETIAN SCENES by Walter Launt Palmer

New York State Writers Institute Spring 2008 Schedule

The New York State Writers Institute at SUNY Albany has posted its spring 2008 semester schedule at http://www.albany.edu/writers-inst/index.html. Two Albany-related events of note are the screening of Dragonwyck, which features a family said to resemble the Van Rensselaers, on Friday, March 7 at 7:30 pm at Page Hall, 135 Western Ave., SUNY Albany Downtown campus; and a Reading/Talk by Albany-born and SUNY Albany graduate, Gregory Maguire, author of Wicked: the Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West, upon which the highly-acclaimed Broadway musical Wicked is based, on Thursday, March 13 at 7:00 pm at the Recital Hall in the Performing Arts Center at the SUNY Albany Uptown campus.

Fixing up an Old House? Find Out About a NYS Tax Credit

Find out if you're eligible for a New York State tax credit for repairs you make on your older Albany home. A free workshop on this topic will be held at the Albany Public Main Library on Monday, February 25, 2008 from 5:3o pm to 7:00 pm. This free workshop will be sponsored by the Preservation League of New York State, Historic Albany Foundation, the City of Albany, the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation and the Empire State Development Corporation.

Dear Library Advocate

As you may know, $5 million in Library Aid was cut in the Governor's proposed 2008-09 Executive Budget. These funds were added by the Legislature last year as a result of the advocacy efforts undertaken by NYLA and the library community. These advocacy efforts included meetings with legislators in district offices, writing and faxing letters in support of NYLA's Budget Priorities to legislators, attendance at Library Lobby Day, recognizing legislators support through displaying the READ posters, in library newsletters and press releases, and financial contributions from the New Yorkers for Better Libraries PAC to key legislators.

The cumulative impact of all these advocacy efforts resulted in the $5 million increase last year, the second consecutive annual increase in Library Aid in over 10 years. We must now continue these advocacy efforts again this year to restore the $5 million in Library Aid. So if you have not already done so, please fax a letter either via NYLA's Online Advocacy Center at http://www.nyla.org (click on contact your elected officials button) or mail letter to your legislators (sample letter can be found at NYLA's Advocacy Page/Tools.

Now is the time to be contacting your legislators leading up to Library Lobby Day on Tuesday, March 11th. Please make every effort to attend this year's event (details can be found on NYLA's website). Listed below is timeline for Legislative actions related to the adoption of the State Budget.

Feb. 26th - Senate and Assembly release their revenue projections for 2008-09
Feb. 29th - Consensus must be reached on revenue projections or State Comptroller estimates are used.
March 12th - Senate and Assembly vote on their budget bills/resolutions setting out their priorities
March 13th - Legislative Joint Budget Committees start meeting to resolve differences between their budget versions.
March 26th - Legislative Joint Budget Committees recommendations to be completed.

3 Apples Book Awards

(2/10/08) With great excitement, the Youth Services (YSS) and School Library Media (SLMS) Sections of the New York Library Association (NYLA) announce:

The 2008 3 Apples Book Award, a New York State Children's Choice Award, goes to GREEN EGGS AND HAM by Dr. Seuss (Random House). Here's someone doing a reading of that GREAT story.


Here's an animated version:


The same animated film, flipped, tinted, and speeded up:


The 2008 3 Apples Teen Book Award, a New York State Teen Choice Award, goes to A CHILD CALLED IT: ONE CHILD'S COURAGE TO SURVIVE by Dave Pelzer (HCI).

The 3 Apples Book Award was developed to encourage the joy of reading for pleasure, and to give the children and teens of New York State the opportunity to participate in honoring their favorite books. The choice of books nominated are as wide as the children's and teen's reading interests and tastes, making these truly both Children's and Teen Choice awards.

Each year, children in grades three through six, ages 8 to 12, and teens in grades seventh and up, ages 12+, have the opportunity to nominate their favorite book at either their school or public library. Each child and teen will have the opportunity to nominate one book title. The top fifteen nominees are then announced and children and teens are encouraged to read or listen to three of the books selected. Children and teens will then vote for their favorite book from those nominated titles and a winner is announced each May 10th. Every school and public library that participates in the program then celebrates the award with their children and teens.

More information can be found at www.3applesbookaward.org.

NYC trip

The Friends of APL are offering a bus trip to the American Museum of Natural History and Hayden Planetarium in NYC on Wednesday, April 16th for an all inclusive price of $52. The bus leaves the library at 7am, Crossgates at 7:30am and will leave NYC at 5pm. To register by 3/29/08, send payment, name, address, phone # and number of people in your party to Friends of APL, 161 Washington Avenue, Albany, NY 12210 or call Grace White at 428-7131.

Librarians don’t often get credit they deserve

From the Kansas City Star. Notable quote:
"People believe in the library fairy...They think libraries are 'a natural resource' like the Grand Canyon. They don’t realize [librarians] put it there in the first place."

Readin' and Rappin' at Howe Library

On Wednesday, February 27th at 4PM, The kids can read a book related to Black History Month and then turn it into a rap song that will be recorded!

Alice Green

Drop by the Main Library at 12:15PM on Tuesday, February 19th as Dr. Green, the Director of the Center for Law and Justice speaks on racism and the criminal justice system.

Black History Month Rocks On: Black Soldiers

Join a discussion with Jacqui Williams at the Howe branch on Monday, February 18th at 6PM for Black Soldiers of the American Revolution: Rejection, Recruitment and Resettlement.

Surviving the Queue

"Ever been frustrated by the long waiting-room lineup to see a doctor? (I, know -- stupid question)." It was Tom Petty who said, "The waiting is the hardest part." Recommended read: Yes, I Mind Waiting: 10 ways to reduce lineup stress for staff and customers By Jeff Mowatt. 13 February, 2008.