LibWorm.com provides a librarian RSS filtering service. Over 1500 RSS librarian sources are combined and output via different filters. This feed contains the latest headlines from journals and sites in the Schools interest group. http://www.libworm.com/rss/librarianqueries.php Thu, 11 Mar 2010 02:50:09 +0100 FeedCreator 1.7.2 http://hhsmedia.blogspot.com/2008/02/students-parents-teachers.html Share the experience of reading 30 minutes a day for 30 days, and you could be chosen to win one of two top prizes: a starring role in a Maryland reading video or an Amazon Kindle.For more information, click here or stop by the HHS Library Media Center to pick up your reading calendar today. (Source: Huntingtown High School Library Media Center) Sat, 26 Feb 2011 05:00:00 +0100 823658 http://hhsmedia.blogspot.com/2008/02/hope-for-haiti.html Photo Source:http://www.flickr.com/photos/ifrc/ / CC BY-NC-ND 2.0During the month of February, the HHS Library Media Center is collecting books for children in Haiti. All books must in in good condition and appropriate for a Haitian child between the age of 5 and 16. You can drop your donations in the boxes labeled "Books for Haiti" near the circulation desk by February 28th. Thanks for your support! (Source: Huntingtown High School Library Media Center) Sat, 19 Feb 2011 05:00:00 +0100 821571 http://hhsmedia.blogspot.com/2010/02/read-all-about-it.html Loooking for something to read today? Teen Tribune features articles and stories written for teens, by teens. Be sure to check out this insightful article published by one of our Hurricane writers! (Source: Huntingtown High School Library Media Center) Thu, 17 Feb 2011 05:00:00 +0100 819508 http://hhsmedia.blogspot.com/2010/02/celebrate-black-history-month.html February is Black History Month. Test your knowledge of Civil Rights heroes by taking this interactive quiz.To learn more about the contributions of African Americans in history, try these great websites:African VoicesThis Smithsonian online exhibit celebrates Africa's diversity and long history.African American WorldSponsored by PBS, this website features a large collection of classroom resources for teachers and students.Black HistoryHere you can find an interactive timeline, biographies, and a collection of video clips. (Source: Huntingtown High School Library Media Center) Mon, 14 Feb 2011 05:00:00 +0100 819509 http://hhsmedia.blogspot.com/2010/02/celebrate-black-history-month.html February is Black History Month. Test your knowledge of Civil Rights heroes by taking this interactive quiz.To learn more about the contributions of African Americans in history, try these great websites:African VoicesThis Smithsonian online exhibit celebrates Africa's diversity and long history.African American WorldSponsored by PBS, this website features a large collection of classroom resources for teachers and students.Black HistoryHere you can find an interactive timeline, biographies, and a collection of video clips. (Source: Huntingtown High School Library Media Center) Wed, 02 Feb 2011 05:00:00 +0100 815254 http://hhsmedia.blogspot.com/2000/01/brrrrr.html What are you reading during this frosty season? Visit the HHS Media Center to see which books are hot right now! Write the title of a great book you've read this month, and enter to win a warm drink from Starbucks. (Hot chocolate, anyone?) Please stop by the circulation desk for contest details. (Source: Huntingtown High School Library Media Center) Sun, 09 Jan 2011 05:00:00 +0100 808400 http://hhsmedia.blogspot.com/2009/12/make-reading-resolution.html I’m posting this entry just in time for the New Year-- reflecting on my favorite books of 2009 while resolving to read many more in 2010.As the year draws to a close, top picks emerge in annual “best of” lists everywhere. The Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA) encourages teens to nominate and select their favorite books annually. In 2009, Paper Towns by John Green won the “teen’s choice” award with the most votes.Have you read it yet?Whether you're a fan of books that are romantic or realistic, fantasy-based or futuristic; be sure to check out YALSA's entire list of 2009 Teens’ Top Ten . You can also see Maryland's 2009 Black Eyed Susan nominees for great suggestions. Most of these titles are available to borrow in our HHS media center. Happy New Year! (Source: Huntingtown High School Library Media Center) Thu, 30 Dec 2010 05:00:00 +0100 804433 http://hhsmedia.blogspot.com/2009/12/happy-hello.html I am very excited to be joining the faculty of Huntingtown High School as a library media specialist. While I am new to HHS, I feel right at home working in this community. My teaching career started in 1993 at Plum Point Middle School. I taught seventh and eighth grade social studies there for nine years before taking a leave of absence for another rewarding job, motherhood!During my time at Plum Point, I grew to love technology and all the ways it can enhance classroom learning. My students benefited from informational technologies to develop award-winning history fair projects. I loved guiding students through the research process, and decided to obtain a post-Master’s degree in a school library media program while staying at home with my two children.I am looking forward to continuing my professional journey here at Huntingtown High. It would be my pleasure to help you with any research question, large or small. Please stop by to say hello!Proud to be a Hurricane,Rachael Younkers (Source: Huntingtown High School Library Media Center) Wed, 08 Dec 2010 05:00:00 +0100 799137 http://hhsmedia.blogspot.com/2009/11/fond-farewell.html Friday, 11.20.09 will be my last day here at Huntingtown High School. I will be taking on a new job which will allow me to explore Open Source Online Learning Management Systems that will let us provide classes for both students and teachers online throughout the state of Maryland. Every school in which I have worked has a special place in my heart, and HHS will be no different. I have learned so much from the HHS staff and students, and for that I thank you! I wish each and every one of you happiness and success in your future endeavors. Don't be afraid to embrace change and sieze opportunities that come your way. Remember that "keywords unlock information," and be a lifetime learner! My email address is the same, so if you need any help, feel free to email me at: voelkerc@calvernet.k12.md.us or follow me on twitter: voelkerc Proud to be a Hurricane,~Ms. Voelker (Source: Huntingtown High School Library Media Center) Thu, 18 Nov 2010 05:00:00 +0100 795093 http://hhsmedia.blogspot.com/2009/11/are-you-ready-for-new-moon.html New MoonNew Moon will be in theatres on November 20, 2009. Are you ready?Take the poll:Are you planning to see New Moon?(answers) (Source: Huntingtown High School Library Media Center) Wed, 10 Nov 2010 05:00:00 +0100 790670 http://hhsmedia.blogspot.com/2009/10/southern-maryland-youth-in-technology.html Consider this opportunity: According to their website, you can "learn first hand about careers from professionals in Defense Technologies, Information Technologies, Health Technologies, Energy Technologies, and Trade Technologies." Lunch will be provided and there will be afternoon sessions for students and parents.When: October 31, 2009 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.Where: CSM, LaPlata Campus, PE Building (Source: Huntingtown High School Library Media Center) Tue, 19 Oct 2010 04:00:00 +0100 784244 http://hhsmedia.blogspot.com/2009/09/did-you-know-40.html Something more to think about from Karl Fisch: (Source: Huntingtown High School Library Media Center) Tue, 14 Sep 2010 04:00:00 +0100 774373 http://hhsmedia.blogspot.com/2009/04/virtual-college-campus-tours.html schoolWe will miss our seniors, many of whom will be going off to college next year. For those of you who are starting to think about college, YouTube has launched a new page for you! According to the most recent MICCA (MD Instructional Computer Coordinators Association), the page "...aggregates all the videos from more than 100 institutions of higher education around the United States. The site serves up campus tours, free lectures, research and other college news all in one place. Search queries can be limited to the EDU part of the site as well. The videos could genuinely help young people make informed decisions about what schools to apply to. There’s also a lot of great content on the site for anyone to learn from." Click Here to Visit Web Site (Of course, you'll have to do this from home... sorry!)Clip art licensed from the Clip Art Gallery on DiscoverySchool.com (Source: Huntingtown High School Library Media Center) Fri, 16 Apr 2010 04:00:00 +0100 727072 http://hhsmedia.blogspot.com/2009/03/welcome-spring.html HHS (Source: Huntingtown High School Library Media Center) Sat, 20 Mar 2010 04:00:00 +0100 718054 http://www.resourceshelf.com/2010/03/10/whats-the-oldest-cultural-organization-in-nyc-the-new-york-society-library-established-1754/ Christopher Gray Writes: Even as a taxi-driving college dropout I was attracted to the library’s creaky, old-shoe character. I went in to join in the early 1970s wearing a ponytail and army pants. Behind the desk was Helen Ruskell, to me a bit scary, kind of a battle ax. She looked at me doubtfully, and with good reason: Since 1920 she had been a gatekeeper of an institution that predated the public library system by more than a century. The library was first quartered in City Hall, at Wall and Broad Streets, and it often claims to have been the first library of Congress, as congressmen borrowed its books when New York was the nation’s capital, from 1789 to 1790. Although Columbia College was also founded in 1754, I have discovered no other library, museum or similar organization predating this peculiar institution. By the mid-19th century the library flowered into a full-fledged literary organization, with lectures by Poe, Emerson and others, and in 1856 put up a new home on University Place, then a smart residential address. [Snip] Members began moving uptown and having their books delivered, and the library’s literary aspirations faded. In 1937 it relocated to its present 1917 town house on East 79th Street, after shelves were installed in the gutted shell of the back half. That was the institution guarded by Miss Ruskell when I arrived, a wonderful but musty book-lending operation for polite private school families, although anyone could come to the first-floor reference room and consult any book. The NY Society Library is located on E. 79th St. They have a Facebook page and Twitter feed. You can also learn more on their web page. Access the Complete Article Source: NY Times Hat Tip: ALA (Source: ResourceShelf) Wed, 10 Mar 2010 22:57:41 +0100 825327 http://joblist.ala.org/modules/jobseeker/controller.cfm?rssjobid=14593 Head Librarian and Bibliographer, Branner Earth Sciences Library (Stanford University, California) Stanford University’s School of Earth Sciences aspires to be a world leader in its field and the Branner Earth Sciences Library exists primarily to support the school’s teaching and research. If you are a subject specialist in an earth sciences discipline, consider joining a stellar team of science librarians at our top-ranked research university. We seek a Librarian to develop and manage collections in support of the four departments in the School of Earth Sciences: Geological & Environmental Sciences, Geophysics, Energy Resources Engineering and Environmental Earth System Science. ... Wed, 10 Mar 2010 21:50:02 +0100 825248 http://mblc.state.ma.us/jobs/find_jobs/rss.php?job_id=6078 Librarian: Full time, Applewild School, kindergarten-gr.9 independent school, Fitchburg, MA Qualifications: An MLS degree or equivalent and emphasis in children's and juvenile literature,experience working with elementary and/or middle school aged children in a teaching a/o school setting, up-to-date technology skills, good communication skills, and the desire to collaborate with faculty in integrating library and subject content curriculum. Duties: As Director of Library Services, manage two separate libraries, maintain book collection, library catalog and online resources, teach library skills classes to grades K-4, teach research skills to grades 3-9 as needed, collaborate with faculty to design curriculum, conduct book talks, maintain library webpage, and coordinate volunteers. Applewild School is a coeducational, K-9 independent day school that prepares able students for success in secondary school. We provide breadth & depth of academic programs, extensive arts offerings in impressive facilities, athletics, and service opportunities within a community that emphasizes respect. The School seeks innovative self- starters who enjoy the challenge of working collegially with like-minded professionals to achieve our mission. Competitive salaries, professional development opportunities, and a comprehensive benefits plan, as well as a warm, supportive environment for faculty are all attractions. Applewild School is committed to recruiting and retaining outstanding faculty members from diverse backgrounds. Interested candidates should send materials hard copy, attention Jeanne May at Applewild School, 120 Prospect Street, Fitchburg. MA 01420 (Source: MBLC Job Listings) Wed, 10 Mar 2010 21:43:31 +0100 825251 http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/jkbaumga/2010/03/10/journalisms-digital-transition-unique-legal-challenges-and-opportunities-conference-at-harvard-49/ “The Berkman Center’s Citizen Media Law Project and Cyberlaw Clinic are pleased to announce a one-day symposium and [continuing legal education] program to celebrate the launch of the Online Media Legal Network (OMLN) [called Journalism's Digital Transition: Unique Legal Challenges and Opportunities]. OMLN is a legal referral service that connects qualifying online journalism ventures and digital media creators with lawyers willing to provide legal services on a pro bono or reduced-fee basis. It supports promising ventures and innovative thinkers in online and digital media by providing access to legal help that would otherwise be unavailable. The program will bring together panels of academics, legal practitioners, and journalists. Topics include the legal issues arising from news aggregation and managing online communities, as well as the question of what comes next for journalism, and how the legal profession can assist (or hinder) journalism’s digital transition.” 4/9/10, 9 am – 6 pm, Harvard Law School $275 ($225 if registration is received before March 22), which includes all CLE/course materials (Source: J's Scratchpad) Wed, 10 Mar 2010 21:37:36 +0100 825256 http://feeds.guardian.co.uk/~r/theguardian/books/rss/~3/Opzft0zHepo/fiction-non-fiction-kapuscinski Every writer of reportage ought to learn from the Kapuscinski controversy. Creative non-fiction is a slippery slopeHad he lived a few years longer, Ryszard Kapuscinski might well have won the Nobel prize for literature. Although these things are shrouded in Vatican-like secrecy, I bet that he was on the Swedish Academy's rolling shortlist. Journalists in many countries would then have hailed him as the first "non-fiction" writer to win it since Winston Churchill in 1953. Now a huge row has broken out in his native Poland over a new book which suggests that his non-fiction was not so non-fictional, after all. This row has already blown round the world, because Kapuscinski's name is a global byword for a certain kind of literary-political reportage.I have just read the book, which is called (in Polish) Kapuscinski Non-Fiction. Its author is the journalist Artur Domoslawski, to whom Kapuscinski had been model, mentor and friend, and it has been criticised on several grounds. These include his handling of the travelling writer's allegedly numerous love affairs, which I do find insensitive, and of his communist past and occasional contacts with the secret police, which I think Domoslawski handles well.More broadly, the book is condemned as being a denunciation of a former mentor. Kapuscinski's widow calls it "patricide". This is not how I see it. I find that the author tries to be fair, allowing many different voices to speak. He captures the Ryszard I knew, starting with a brilliant evocation of his warm, nut-brown, disarming smile. Literally disarming in Ryszard's case, because that almost pantomime-humble smile got him through many a dangerous confrontation with armed men, in Africa and elsewhere. But this book is the protracted cry of a worried and even a disappointed disciple – one who, in his nearly three-year journey of investigation, found things that deeply disturbed him. ... Wed, 10 Mar 2010 20:04:00 +0100 825225 http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/SellersLibraryTeens/~3/KAKJ3vKm9_4/book-review-musicians-daughter.html The Musician's Daughter by Susanne DunlapClick on the cover to find a library copy.SUMMARY: Amid the glitter and glamour of musical and court life in 18th century Vienna, fifteen-year-old Theresa Maria Shurman is trying to solve a brutal mystery. Who killed her father, an acclaimed violinist, and stole his valuable Amati violin? When Haydn himself offers her a position as his assistant, it gives Theresa access to life in the palace–and to a world of deceit. Theresa uncovers blackmail and extortion even as she discovers courage and honor in unexpected places: from a Gypsy camp on the banks of the Danube, to the rarefied life of the imperial family. And she feels the stirrings of a first, tentative love for someone who is as deeply involved in the mystery as she is. (from the Amazon.com Product Description)OPINION: Theresa lives in comfort, if not style, until the day her musician father is murdered. Left with just her very pregnant mother and a younger brother, Theresa realizes that they have no money and little future without him. Theresa is duty-bound to hold her family together by making an advantageous marriage, but puts everything at risk to pursue the mystery of her father's death. The complicated political situation that emerges does threaten to overwhelm the story at times. I think it would have helped to know more about the geography and politics of the time to really understand the plot that Theresa uncovers. Nonetheless, you don't have to be a student of history to enjoy this story. With descriptions of clothes and court life, plenty of heart-pounding narrow escapes, and just a hint of romance, this book is a quick read. I recommend it for middle and high school girls who like their historical fiction on the light side. (Source: Sellers Library Teens) Wed, 10 Mar 2010 20:03:47 +0100 825258 http://www.resourceshelf.com/2010/03/10/three-ala-award-winners-announced/ 1) Jennifer Boettcher from Georgetown University has been awarded the Gale Cengage Learning Award for Excellence in Business Librarianship. Administered by: Business Reference & Services Section (BRASS) of the Reference and User Services Association (RUSA). In choosing Boettcher for this honor, the committee cited her numerous contributions to the field of business librarianship. She has published extensively in the field, including the widely used reference book,“Industry Research Using the Economic Census: How to Find It, How to Use It.” In addition, she has presented at numerous professional meetings and published on topics concerning NAICS, government sources, and scholarly communications. She is very active in the business librarian profession—including past service as chair of RUSA’s Business Reference and Services Section (BRASS)—and she has taught business reference for a number of years at Catholic University’s library school. 2) 2010 Haycock Award awarded to Michael Gorman, University Librarian Emeritus, Henry Madden Library, California State University, Fresno. He’s also a past president of ALA. The Haycock Award is an annual award honoring an individual for contributing significantly to the public recognition and appreciation of librarianship through professional performance, teaching and/or writing. “This award is a fitting acknowledgment of his lifetime contribution toward promoting the profession with dedication, intelligence and passion through many written works and hundreds of spoken presentation,” noted one individual who nominated Gorman. 3) The Library & Information Technology Association (LITA) awards to 2010 Frederick G. Kilgour Award for Research in Library and Information Technology to Dr. John Willinsky, Khosla Family Professor of Education at Stanford University and founder of the Public Knowledge Project (PKP). The Public Knowledge Project (http://pkp.sfu. ... Wed, 10 Mar 2010 19:22:27 +0100 825332 http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/PegasusLibrarian/~3/124BjFKiRk4/15-things-about-me-and-books.html Photo by Lin Pernille A while back, some other librarians revived an old meme. Way back then, I started this list. Today, I found it in my drafts. I was a late reader. I don’t remember exactly how late (being home schooled at that point was probably a blessing). I do remember being a little mortified when my younger sister and I were both reading the Little House books at the same time. She’s six years younger, and was a very early reader. I think she was four at the time. Part of our normal school day included my mom reading aloud to us. She did this well into my middle school years (at which point my youngest brother was probably 4-ish). She read everything from Charlotte’s Web to the Lord of the Rings while we kids did quiet crafts on the living room floor. The saddest I’ve ever been at the end of a book was when the dogs died in Where the Red Fern Grows. Mom was reading it aloud, and we kids were scattered around the room trying not to look at each other as we each bawled softly. What a day. I remember being curled up under the coffee table and pretty sure I’d never come out again. Dad tried to read to us at bedtime up until I was about 11. He was insanely busy getting a PhD from Harvard, though, so books would take us an astonishingly long time to finish. To this day I think of Great Expectations as a 1000+ page book. Each time we sat down to read, Dad would have to recap the entire book up to that point and then read a chapter. Luckily, Swallows and Amazons fell at a time when he could read to us at least a couple times a week. The first librarian I ever knew worked in the children’s section of our public library in Dorchester, MA. She had a cupboard way up high where she’d hide new books that she thought I’d like so that I could be the first one to check them out. ... Wed, 10 Mar 2010 16:44:25 +0100 825342 http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/SellersLibraryTeens/~3/Qbj83Z2mhwM/coming-to-shelf-near-you.html Here are the newest books in the teen section: FICTIONMegan Meade's Guide to the McGowan Boys by Kate BrianTake Me There by Susane ColasantiGoth Girl Rising by Barry LygaThe Ask and the Answer by Patrick Ness (second copy)Saving Zoe by Alyson NoelSea of Love by Jamie PontiDeadly Little Lies by Laurie Faria Stolarz (Touch series)Deadly Little Secret by Laurie Faria Stolarz (Touch series)The Diamond Secret by Suzanne Weyn (Once Upon a Time series)SHORT STORIESImmortal: Love Stories with Bite edited by P. C. CastNONFICTIONMath Doesn't Suck: How to Survive Middle School Math without Losing Your Mind or Breaking a Nail by Danica McKellar (Source: Sellers Library Teens) Wed, 10 Mar 2010 16:30:33 +0100 825257 http://stephenslighthouse.com/2010/03/10/what-is-in-the-pipeline/ This is a two part series I did for my Pipeline column in Multimedia and Internet@Schools magazine for Information Today. “My wife, Stephanie, will be teaching grade four again next year. In a career spanning 32 years, she has taught every grade from fourth through 13th and has written her fair share of textbooks, books, curricula, and websites. She caught me off guard by telling me that all of the students who will be in her class this September were born in the year 2000. I suppose most people who work with kids would have known this, but the date just caught me by surprise.” Anyway, what surprises will the future hold for them? What Is in the Pipeline? Really! Part 1 Multimedia & Internet@Schools, Sep/Oct 2009 by Abram, Stephen What Is in the Pipeline? Really! Part 2 Multimedia & Internet@Schools, Nov/Dec 2009 by Abram, Stephen I hope you find it useful. Stephen (Source: Stephen) Wed, 10 Mar 2010 15:56:55 +0100 825187 http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/node/5981 BERKMAN CENTER FOR INTERNET & SOCIETY AT HARVARD UNIVERSITYMarch 10, 2010 // Upcoming events and digital media [1] [TODAY 3/10/10] Institute of Politics Forum Event Co-Sponsored by the Berkman Center: "Digital Governance -- From the State House to the White House" with Aneesh Chopra: United States CTO; Ann Margulies: CIO, Commonwealth of Massachusetts; Teri Takai: CIO, State of California Event Moderator: Jerry Mechling: Lecturer in Public Policy, HKS (http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/events/2010/03/digitalgovernanceforum) [2] [TUESDAY 3/16/10] Berkman Center Luncheon Series: "Cyber-pluralism: Can We Get Along with Each Other in a “Splitting” Internet?" with Donnie, Hao Dong, Berkman Fellow (http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/events/luncheon/2010/03/dong) [3] [REGISTER NOW! 4/9/10] Conference: Journalism's Digital Transition: Unique Legal Challenges and Opportunities, organized by the Citizen Media Law Project and Cyberlaw Clinic (http://www.omln.org/conference) [TODAY] IOP FORUM on DIGITAL GOVERNANCE==================================================================================3/10/10, 6:00PM, JFK Jr. Forum, Harvard Institute of Politics at Harvard Kennedy School Topic: Digital Governance -- From the State House to the White HouseGuests: Aneesh Chopra: United States CTO; Ann Margulies: CIO, Commonwealth of Massachusetts; Teri Takai: CIO, State of California Event Moderator: Jerry Mechling: Lecturer in Public Policy, HKS The Berkman Center will co-sponsor a panel discussion with chief technology officers and information officers from the White House, State of CA, and State of MA. Panelists include: * Aneesh Chopra: United States CTO;* Ann Margulies: CIO, Commonwealth of Massachusetts;* Teri Takai: CIO, State of California* Event Moderator: Jerry Mechling: Lecturer in Public Policy, HKS This event will be webcast live; for more information and a complete description, see the event web page: http://cyber.law.harvard. ... Wed, 10 Mar 2010 15:55:12 +0100 825360 http://stephenslighthouse.com/2010/03/10/what-you-arent-seeing-anymore/ What You Aren’t Seeing Anymore: Has Technology Changed Our Learners’ Futures Forever? by Abram, Stephen Multimedia & Internet@Schools, Jan/Feb 2010 “My title for this month’s column poses an important question and presages a bunch more: Are we preparing our learners for a world that we have already successfully traversed but also one that no longer exists? Are there certain core principles and skills that are always hard currency in society and the employment marketplace? Do civil society and democracy require an informed electorate, and does the decline in newspapers (but not news) imply a need for different strategies? Can one live a happy and successful life without technology skills? Will the future require a vastly different set of skills?” Anyway, this is my column for the schools sector which I have great fun writing for. Stephen (Source: Stephen) Wed, 10 Mar 2010 15:46:57 +0100 825188 http://feeds.guardian.co.uk/~r/theguardian/books/rss/~3/2zahoQuMW6c/david-foster-wallace-archive Manuscripts, annotated books and juvenilia to be made available following the acquisition of the late David Foster Wallace's archive by the University of Texas's Harry Ransom CentreLook at a selection of items from the archive hereThe archive of the late David Foster Wallace - which includes everything from draft manuscripts to childhood poems - has been acquired by the Harry Ransom Centre at the University of Texas in Austin. Scholars and fans will soon be able to explore the painstaking reading and writing that went into works including his vast novel of entertainment-addled America, Infinite Jest.Wallace, whose reputation as one of contemporary America's most significant writers continues to grow, took his own life in 2008, aged 46.As well as manuscripts for Wallace's books, stories and essays (with his meticulous edits marked in different coloured inks), the archive includes research materials, his own often heavily annotated library, and early work stretching back through his college and graduate school writings to a poem he wrote as a young child. This last, "Viking Poem", was composed at around the age of six, and shows Wallace experimenting with his signature as well as revealing early signs of the acute comic sensibility that would mark his later work. ("If you were to see a viking today" the poem advises, "It's best you should go some other way / because they'd kill you very well / and all your gold they'd certainly sell / For all these reasons stay away".)A further curiosity of the archive are the lists - sometimes jotted in the endpapers of books, sometimes typed - of unusual "VOCAB" (as Wallace heads one such sheet). ... Wed, 10 Mar 2010 12:58:00 +0100 825230 http://liszen.com/trends/story.php?title=Students_should_be_able_to_enjoy_wide_range_of_books_not_--- Daily Illini - In late January, a small Virginia town's headlines exclaimed its public school system was pulling an "explicit text" from the curricul (Source: pligg - all) Wed, 10 Mar 2010 08:00:27 +0100 825130 http://liszen.com/trends/story.php?title=StimulatingBroadband-com_Feds_Award_160_Million_in_Broadband_--- The project expects to provide speeds of at least 100 Mbps to directly connect 143 anchor institutions, including schools, social service agencies, h (Source: pligg - all) Wed, 10 Mar 2010 08:00:25 +0100 825132 http://keptup.typepad.com/academic/2010/03/he-was-a-professional-student-but-not-in-a-good-way.html Eamonn Daniel Higgins spent seven years in college. Between 2002 and 2009, he attended 10 different schools in Southern California, including Cal State L.A., Irvine Valley College and Santa Monica College, according to federal prosecutors. During that time, he studied sociology, marketing, English, business and math. But Higgins was not a student and wasn't registered in any of the classes, authorities said. Rather, dozens of foreign students -- all from the Middle East -- were paying him to sit in class, take exams and write papers so that their student visas would remain valid. Read more at: (Source: The Kept-Up Academic Librarian) Wed, 10 Mar 2010 05:00:00 +0100 825280 http://keptup.typepad.com/academic/2010/03/waiting-is-the-hardest-part-for-prospective-students.html This time of year, most high-school seniors have done the grueling work of researching higher education opportunities, and filling out and sending in applications to their college choices. Now comes what is probably the most stressful phase of the college application process -- waiting to hear back. Teens can lose sleep with the pressing uncertainty about the next phase of life: "Will they accept me or reject me? Will I get wait-listed? How do I choose between two schools if they both admit me?" The wait can be especially angst-filled for ambitious students who aim for top Ivy League schools and their equivalents. Read more at: (Source: The Kept-Up Academic Librarian) Wed, 10 Mar 2010 05:00:00 +0100 825279 http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/blogspot/MKuf/~3/PfWqxG3qQK8/digital-renaissance-partnering-with.html The Renaissance, Europe's period of cultural, political and scientific rebirth, began in Florence around 600 years ago. At Google we're interested in a (small “r”) renaissance of a different kind — a digital one. Since the launch of Google Books, we’ve been working with libraries and publishers around the globe to bring more of the world's books to more readers around the globe. Any school child should be able to access the works of Petrarch, Dante or Vico (or, if they're so inclined, Machiavelli). In the case of these more famous authors, this is already largely possible, but what about the work of Guglielmo il Giuggiola or Coluccio Salutati? We want all of the great literature and writings of Italy to be accessible to the general public.Today we’re announcing an agreement with the Italian Ministry of Cultural Heritage that will push this vision forward. Working with the National Libraries of Florence and Rome, we’ll digitize up to a million out-of-copyright works. The libraries will select the works to be digitized from their collections, which include a wealth of rare historical books, including scientific works, literature from the period of the founding of Italy and the works of Italy's most famous poets and writers. It marks the first time we’ve ever joined forces with Italian libraries, and the first time we've worked with a ministry of culture.Around Europe and the rest of the world, we are effectively witnessing a digital renaissance, with an increasing number of organizations running ambitious and promising book digitization projects. We're not the only ones who have seen the need to bring the world's books into digital form. Digitization of books is a tremendous undertaking, requiring the joint effort of a great number of public and private stakeholders. For this reason, we’re supportive of many other efforts at digitization, such as the European Commission's Europeana. ... Wed, 10 Mar 2010 05:00:00 +0100 825238 http://outofthejungle.blogspot.com/2010/03/boston-public-library-branch-closings.html The Boston Globe's Andrew Ryan reports on a passionate and raucous meeting at the central Boston Public Library. Nearly 400 people packed a lecture hall in the beautiful Copley branch. When City Council President Michael Ross stepped to the microphone at one point, the crowd roared, and people shouted: "The public goes first!" and "Let the people speak!" And speak they did! The city council, Mayor Menino and the Trustees of the Public Library got quite an earful from the people of Boston. Sell a page from the 556-year-old Gutenberg Bible, one woman suggested. Charge a modest fee for library cards, said another, waving a $10 bill.One man said that he was a prison librarian while serving time in Walpole and that closing any library branches would be far worse than any of his crimes.“I may have robbed a bank, but I have never burned a book,’’ said the man, John McGrath. “And that’s what you do when you close a library branch, because they are never going to reopen.’’ (snip)“It’s outrageous that it has come to this,’’ said Yann Poisson of Dorchester. “Only a fifth-term mayor could dismiss libraries as a 21st-century anachronism, something that can be replaced by Yahoo or Google.’’The library’s president, Amy E. Ryan, outlined a broad range of criteria that will be used to target branches for potential closing, including computer usage, handicapped accessibility, proximity to other branches, and the story behind each location. No decisions have been made.The library lacks a sufficient number of computers, Ryan said, and it cannot adequately staff some of its most basic programs, such as story hours.“We have to ensure that if it says Boston Public Library over the door that we have to commit resources for families, kids, and adults,’’ Ryan said.Some at the meeting, though, accused Mayor Thomas M. Menino of trying to divide the city and pit neighborhood against neighborhood. ... Wed, 10 Mar 2010 05:00:00 +0100 825179 http://www.resourceshelf.com/2010/03/09/boston-public-library-rankings-to-decide-fate-of-libraries/ From the Article: The decision about which of Boston’s libraries to potentially close will be based on far more than just how many books and DVDs patrons borrow. Library administrators will rank the 26 neighborhood branches by foot traffic, computer use, and how many Web surfers use laptops to log on to Wi-Fi networks. They will count how many programs are offered at each location and tally the number of people who attend storytime and English classes. Amy E. Ryan, Boston Public Library president, will outline today the intricate measures the city intends to use to close as many as 10 neighborhood branches as part of a sweeping consolidation plan. {Snip] The library will quantify details about each of its buildings, noting energy efficiency, handicapped accessibility, and whether the wiring could support more computers. Administrators will examine how close each location is to another neighborhood branch and the distance to one of the system’s nine lead libraries, such as the 20,000-plus square-foot facilities in Dudley Square and on Centre Street in West Roxbury. They will scrutinize proximity to buses and subways and take into account other resources in the neighborhood, such as community centers, schools, or Boys and Girls Clubs. Source: Boston Globe (Source: ResourceShelf) Tue, 09 Mar 2010 21:02:19 +0100 824989 http://www.resourceshelf.com/2010/03/09/new-yalsa-releases-updated-competencies-for-youth-librarians/ Access the Updated Competencies from YALSA Also available as a PDF (8 pages). From the Announcement: The Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA) revised Young Adults Deserve the Best: Competencies for Serving Youth, a set of guidelines first published in 2004. The competencies were streamlined and updated to reflect changes in youth services over the past five years. YALSA developed the competencies for individuals and institutions, offering librarians guidelines for providing quality library service in collaboration with teenagers and giving libraries a framework to improve overall service capacities and increase public value to their respective communities, The competencies are divided into seven areas: leadership and professionalism, knowledge of client group, communication, administration, knowledge of materials, access to information and services. “The competencies needed to be fine-tuned in order to better reflect the world that teens and teen librarians live in,” said YALSA President Linda W. Braun. “We wanted to provide librarians, administrators, library school educators, library school students, trainers and so on with a document that can easily be incorporated into planning for and evaluating of high-quality teen services.” Access the Updated Competencies from YALSA Also available as a PDF (8 pages). Source: YALSA / ALA (Source: ResourceShelf) Tue, 09 Mar 2010 20:52:28 +0100 824992 http://lisnews.org/former_librarian_charged_grand_larceny Former librarian charged with grand larceny A former librarian for the Tuxedo School District is accused of embezzling $12,621 from the school district’s Teachers Employee Union. The chief said the investigation began with a complaint filed by union members and that his department was assisted by the Orange County District Attorney’s Criminal Investigation Unit. (Source: LISNews.org) Tue, 09 Mar 2010 20:40:23 +0100 824911 http://mblc.state.ma.us/jobs/find_jobs/rss.php?job_id=6076 27 hours/week, includes evenings and Saturdays. YA/Teen Services * Directs, plans, organizes, implements, and evaluates services to teens, including duties essential to the daily operation of the Teen Room. * Delivers reference, reader's advisory, and library orientation services to children, young adults, parents, teachers, and others. Instructs individuals and groups in the use of the library and resources such as the Internet, electronic databases, and emerging technologies. Uses technology to communicate with teens virtually. * Selects, evaluates, purchases, and weeds young adult materials in accordance with the allocated departmental budget, community needs, and professional standards. Analyzes collection use patterns. * Works with Library Director to plan and provide programs that best use the resources of the library, meet the needs and interests of the teen community, and promote library use. * Involves teens in planning and implementing services and selecting materials for their age group through active Teen Advisory Board. Maintains knowledge about the diversity of the teen community. Develops programs and acquires materials appropriate to their needs. * Initiates outreach to schools, youth centers, and other community groups. Establishes contacts and collaborates with these groups, particularly relevant to programming ideas. * Trains library staff in issues related to teens. * Promotes, publicizes, and represents teen services and the library to the community in cooperation with other library departments. * Sets short and long term goals and objectives for teen services as part of the overall library service plan. Analyzes current trends and issues affecting teens and incorporates these findings into overall services to this age group. * Advocates for teens in library discussions of policy, services and budget. May identify and work with the Director in pursuing grant and/or other funding possibilities. ... Tue, 09 Mar 2010 19:43:35 +0100 824871 http://www.librarystuff.net/2010/03/09/students-should-be-able-to-enjoy-wide-range-of-books-not-censorship/ Daily Illini – “In late January, a small Virginia town’s headlines exclaimed its public school system was pulling an “explicit text” from the curriculum of its schools. The book was criticized for its “sexually suggestive references” and comments of a “homosexual nature.” Countless other schools nationwide have pulled the same book off school and public library shelves for being “too depressing.” Even the Alabama State Textbook Committee tried to reject the book in 1983 because it was “a real downer.” Imagine my surprise when the picture accompanying the story about what must have been an undoubtedly graphic and morbidly depressing piece of literature was that of a smiling 12-year-old Anne Frank. Though the “explicit text” was temporarily reinstalled into circulation after international uproar, the usage of this particular edition will be reviewed before deciding whether it will return to the hands of students this fall.” (Source: Library Stuff) Tue, 09 Mar 2010 18:00:17 +0100 824949 http://lib.wmrc.uiuc.edu/enb/2010/03/09/clean-out-your-office-giving-back-to-the-community-by-supplying-used-computers-to-inner-city-after-school-program/ Read the full post at the Daily Tell. Clean Out Your Office, a Massachusetts company that specializes in the disposal of electronic waste, is donating dozens of discarded computers to an after-school program based in Boston. Through a partnership with Victory Generation, a faith-based nonprofit organization with a mission to build and sustain after-school services in low-income communities, the company delivered nearly 100 PCs to 11 schools and church centers. COYO plans to supply more computers to the after-school sites and has also made the goal of the partnership to give each of the 543 after-school students in the program a computer for their home by June 30, the Daily News Tribune of Waltham reported. (Source: Environmental News Bits) Tue, 09 Mar 2010 15:06:06 +0100 824864 http://www.slis.indiana.edu/careers/view_job_specific.php?job_id=6973 State: Illinois The John Marshall Law School Library is accepting applications for the newly created position of Emerging Technologies Librarian. This person will play an important role in leading the library with innovative, technology-based services by creating, promoting, and facilitating use of electronic resources and services. The Emerging Technologies Librarian will be an enthusiastic user of technology who enjoys exploring the cutting edge and applying it in a library setting. We are looking for someone who has the ability to work effectively in a collaborative team environment, takes initiative, is self-directed, and is committed to innovation and creativity. A detailed job posting is available online at: http://www.jmls.edu/library/pdf/eslibnpost.pdf To apply, send resume, cover letter including links to web-based projects, and contact information for three work references to: Christopher Bevard, John Marshall Law School Library, 315 S. Plymouth Ct., Chicago IL 60604 or fax to his attention at (312) 427-8307. Review of applications will begin on April 1, 2010. Submitted on 2010-03-04 (Source: SLIS Careers Feed) Tue, 09 Mar 2010 10:30:02 +0100 824776 http://www.slis.indiana.edu/careers/view_job_specific.php?job_id=6974 State: Indiana Three openings: Assistant Professor of Library Services To best serve our students, faculty, and staff at Valparaiso University, Library Services seeks three innovative and dedicated librarians to join our newly-created Public Services team. Reporting to the Director of Public Services, this four person team collaborates to support the day-to-day public services activities of the library, teach in the curriculum-based information literacy program, and create programming for outreach activities. Each position includes a subject liaison emphasis for collection development and information literacy activities. One position will be responsible for the health sciences (nursing, human biology); other positions will cover areas such as fine arts, government information, or social sciences. Candidates should possess an ALA-accredited Master’s Degree; a commitment to student success, excellent customer service, and thoughtful teaching; and the potential to attain tenure and promotion through job performance, service, and research. Early career librarians are encouraged to apply. Additionally, Library Services values creativity, professional initiative and leadership, technical expertise, and the ability to work both independently and collaboratively in the team environment. Salary will be commensurate with qualifications and experience. More information about benefits and the Public Services Department can be found at www.valpo.edu/library/jobs.html. Send position-related inquiries to Trisha Mileham, Director of Public Services: Trisha.Mileham@valpo.edu. With expected start dates of July 1, 2010, review of applications will begin immediately; those received before March 29, 2010, will receive full consideration. Review will continue until suitable candidates are identified for each position. All application materials must be submitted electronically. ... Tue, 09 Mar 2010 10:30:02 +0100 824775 http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ALS-Jobs/~3/ub8R0nPlB_0/jobs.cfm (Source: Alliance Library System Job Listings) Tue, 09 Mar 2010 09:20:02 +0100 824754 http://lisnews.org/world_without_public_libraries On the whole, I'm not much of a book reader. Most of my reading is done online; I read a handful of books every year, mostly non-fiction, based on various whims. Right now, I'm reading The World Without Us, a captivating exploration about how the world would revert (or not revert) back to a pre-human emergence. Some of these things have been dramatized into a series on the History Channel by a different name, providing the added element of CGI to show how buildings would collapse, infrastructure would fail, nature reclaims the suburbs, and how all that would remain for future archeologists is our stainless steel cookware. For the scientist in me, it's fascinating to see everything humans have made becoming undone by the natural forces of this world. So, in touching upon the premise of the book, I thought, "What would the world be like without libraries?" How would our demise come? Unlike the book, which asks the reader to suspend disbelief and accept the total sudden disappearance of humankind, I cannot propose nor fathom asking the same for libraries. In attempting to avoid hyperbole, I think the mechanisms of the library’s demise have already proven themselves present. It will not come through lack of innovation or adoption of technology or practices; our relevance and willingness to change in this digital information age has certainly been established. No, the end will come as it has for some libraries over the past two years: through budget cuts. Funding for all library types (public, academic, school, and special) has hung in the balance for the last couple of years after budgets tighten and communities and companies look to trim their expenditures. You need go no further than typing in the words “library budget” in a Google News search to see the current toll that is being exacted.  One problem, as I see it, is that the library as a community service does not fit nicely into any government spending niche. ... Tue, 09 Mar 2010 07:47:19 +0100 824748 http://joblist.ala.org/modules/jobseeker/controller.cfm?rssjobid=14576 Associate Dean/Director (Palmer School of Library & Information Science; Long Island University, New York) Associate Dean/Director Palmer School of Library and Information Science; Long Island University The Palmer School, a diverse and dynamic ALA accredited LIS program with over 500 graduate students is seeking an Associate Dean/Director. With locations in New York City, Westchester and Long Island, the Palmer School offers both the MLIS and PhD in Information Studies. Additional specializations include Rare Books and Special Collections, Archives and Records Management, Public Library Administration and the unique NYU/Palmer School dual degree program for Librarian Scholars. ... Tue, 09 Mar 2010 06:50:02 +0100 824704 http://librarychronicles.blogspot.com/2010_03_01_archive.html#5497341966328138939 So what will this "task force" do, exactly? Other than get another 30 of Mitch's friends' names on a meaningless but official-looking piece of paper, I mean.Maybe Leslie Jacobs can be on this task force too. (She's already on the "economic development task force") Jacobs has already combined both of these areas of expertise in advocating for a system of education which squeezes the maximum output out of its labor force. Sean Gallagher, Akili's principal and founder, said his teachers are paid to work 50-hour weeks, but often put in 60 or 70, particularly during their first months. He and Stephanie Lyon, the director of curriculum, post about 80 hours a week on a routine basis. In its first year, Akili's salaries ranged from $41,500 for novices to $52,000 for the school's most veteran teacher, who had seven years of experience. Like others at charter schools, Akili's teachers are at-will employees, without the collective bargaining or tenure of teachers in many traditional school districts.With dozens of lesson plans and a year under their belts, the teachers work less now than when they first started. But Gallagher said the school still must do more to make work conditions realistic. Akili, located in Gentilly, opened in 2008 with kindergarteners and first-graders, and plans to add a grade each year."You're going to run out of people willing to work an 80-hour week," he said. "Everyone here is single; no one has a kid. That's just not (replicable). I want us to look like something any school in New Orleans could do. Right now, we're not there."Update: Landrieu's task force has been named and, like the economic development task force, it's a mish mash of established players and stakeholders from the Charters, NOPS, RSD, UTNO, etc. What the Mayor-elect is doing with these task forces, is little more than playing the "bringing people together" game at the start of a new administration. ... Tue, 09 Mar 2010 05:00:00 +0100 825116 http://acrlog.org/2010/03/09/now-is-the-time-to-get-ala-annual-on-your-mind/ Editor’s Note: Last month we shared news about our new ACRLog-ALA Emerging Leaders Group. Each month one of our Emerging Leaders will contribute a guest post, and each will focus on some aspect of gearing up for the ALA Annual Conference in Washington, DC. To get the series started this month’s post is from Wendy Girven, Public Services Librarian at University of Alaska Southeast. Spring is in the air, which means before you know it, ALA Annual will be upon us. This year’s conference is in the nation’s capital, Washington DC, which coincidentally, is where my first Annual conference was while I was still a LIS student in 2007. My conference goals involved attending a session during every time slot, finding a job, and coming home with a few new books and ideas. Then I walked in the door of the convention center and was lost in a sea of people. I must admit, I was overwhelmed by the size! Luckily, a few friends showed me the ropes of finding out where to get my badge, figuring out the conference buses, and getting to the new member orientation programs. One of these programs that you can attend is the ACRL 101 session (with breakfast!) during the conference, where you can meet others who are new to ACRL, and make connections with librarians who are interested in/work in academic libraries. If you are in library school and have yet to decide the path you might want to choose for your career, ACRL 101 session offers a chance to explore. In addition to that meeting, there are mini-sessions held on the exhibit floor. All of these ACRL 101 sessions have an informal feeling and provide opportunity to learn names and faces. (I’ll be at each of the mini-sessions this year, come say hi!). The main lesson I learned from my first ALA was not to worry about hitting the most possible events, but to prepare yourself to be ready for all of the opportunities that can arise spontaneously. ... Tue, 09 Mar 2010 05:00:00 +0100 825026 http://philbradley.typepad.com/phil_bradleys_weblog/2010/03/school-library-websites-wiki.html Another resource I found just while I was wandering around. The School library websites wiki is interesting, though the bias is very American. Examples of Elementary, Middle and High school work. Covers tools, resources, books, reading, twitter, blogs and so on. Worth a look to see what folks are up in across the water. (Source: Phil Bradley) Tue, 09 Mar 2010 05:00:00 +0100 824918 http://keptup.typepad.com/academic/2010/03/does-this-region-really-need-another-new-university.html Edison State College plans to create a private university offering bachelor’s and master’s degrees, a spinoff institution that would be the first of its kind in Florida.  Edison University — the proposed name — would be a non-profit institution run by a different president and board of trustees. Students would pay higher tuition rates than at Edison State, but the school would boast advanced liberal arts degrees not featured at Edison State. Southwest Florida already has 10 institutions of higher learning, eight of which are private. So why does it need another school?  Read more at: (Source: The Kept-Up Academic Librarian) Tue, 09 Mar 2010 05:00:00 +0100 824908 http://keptup.typepad.com/academic/2010/03/why-is-higher-education-subsidizing-students-who-can-afford-more.html I mentor a student who is a senior in a low-performing high school. His parents clearly cannot afford to pay his way, so how much debt should he incur to get a college education? And how many tax dollars should go toward supporting that education? What seems crazy, however, is keeping the cost of college below market cost. That, in effect, gives discounts to those individuals who can afford to pay.Most individuals, for example, assume that U.C. Berkeley and Stanford are equivalent institutions but the cost of tuition, room and board this year is roughly $25,000 at Berkeley and $50,000 at Stanford. Why should someone who can afford the cost of Stanford get a price reduction for going to school at Berkeley? Read more at: (Source: The Kept-Up Academic Librarian) Tue, 09 Mar 2010 05:00:00 +0100 824905 http://information-literacy.blogspot.com/2010/03/il-courses-in-uk-for-schools-for.html 1) Information Literacy Skills and the Primary School Library. Trainer: Geoff Dubber. Key Audience: Primary school staff with responsibility for the school library. This takes place in Winsford, Cheshire, UK on 20 May 2010. School Libraries Association members £115, others £160. http://www.sla.org.uk/regional-courses.php?i=32) Promoting Information Literacy for end users (a TFPL course) "This course will equip delegates with a 'how to guide' for promoting information literacy for their end users, tailored to their particular organisational environment." In London on 22 April and 21 October 2010. Cost £350. http://www.tfpl.com/training/courses/coursedesc.cfm?ID=TR1531&pageid=-9&cs1=information%20literacy&cs2=aPhoto by Sheila Webber: It was sunny yesterday (Source: Information Literacy Weblog) Tue, 09 Mar 2010 05:00:00 +0100 824846 http://www.resourceshelf.com/2010/03/08/david-foster-wallace-archive-acquired-by-harry-ransom-center/ From the Announcement: The Harry Ransom Center, a humanities research library and museum at The University of Texas at Austin, has acquired the archive of writer David Foster Wallace (1962-2008), author of “Infinite Jest” (1996), “The Broom of the System” (1987), “Girl with Curious Hair” (1988) and numerous collections of stories and essays. The archive contains manuscript materials for Wallace’s books, stories and essays; research materials; Wallace’s college and graduate school writings; juvenilia, including poems, stories and letters; teaching materials and books. [Snip] Wallace’s publisher Little, Brown and Company is donating its editorial files relating to the author to the Ransom Center. Wallace worked with Little, Brown and Company beginning in 1993. “Little, Brown and Company is happy to donate all of our correspondence and internal memos relating to ‘Infinite Jest,’ ‘Brief Interviews with Hideous Men’ (1999), ‘Oblivion’ (2004), ‘A Supposedly Fun Thing I’ll Never Do Again’ and ‘Consider the Lobster’ to the Ransom Center,” said Michael Pietsch, Little, Brown and Company’s executive vice president and publisher and Wallace’s longtime editor. “David’s letters are delightful to read in themselves, and we hope that scholars will benefit from finding his notes to his editors and copy editors in the same archive with his draft manuscripts, journals and other correspondence.” The announcement also includes: + From A to Z: Circled words in Wallace’s dictionary + See the inside of some of Wallace’s books + Journey of an Archive: How the Wallace archive came to the Ransom Center + Several Other Features. Look in the Right Column. Source: Harry Ransom Center (Source: ResourceShelf) Tue, 09 Mar 2010 03:13:29 +0100 824765 http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/lansinglibraryteen/podcast/~3/jqYLBdUv-Bo/march-book-of-month.html From School Library Journal, 10-1-2008:According to tradition, when the Martin children turn 15, they inherit a suite in the family's small Manhattan hotel and a job: to take care of the rooms and their occupant. On Scarlett's 15th birthday, Amy Amberson sweeps into the suite that Scarlett has just inherited. The woman is demanding and brash, but she does have her charms (and large amounts of cash). In the beginning, Scarlett is overwhelmed, but then her role becomes that of Mrs. Amberson's assistant for her projects, which change on a whim. When Amy decides to help the theater troupe that Scarlett's brother is involved in put on Hamlet, the teen begins a romance with one of the actors. Then everything starts to go awry, and when things get tough, Amy abandons ship, and plucky Scarlett is left to step in and save what needs saving, something that she does with flair. Scarlett's brand of humor is particularly dry and well articulated. This novel blends sibling rivalry and the importance of family, friendship, and romance into a plot that is charming and well delivered.Emily Garrett Cassady, North Garland High School, Garland, TX (Source: Lansing Library Teen Dept. Podcast) Tue, 09 Mar 2010 00:01:22 +0100 824635 http://www.resourceshelf.com/2010/03/08/nc-state-libraries-releases-new-mobile-tool-to-turn-mobile-devices-into-nc-state-time-machines/ From the Announcement: In honor of this year’s Founders Day at North Carolina State University, the NCSU Libraries today released WolfWalk, a tool that makes it easy to explore the NC State campus and its history. WolfWalk capitalizes on the location awareness of today’s mobile devices to allow users to give themselves a self-guided historical walk through NC State’s main campus. As users stroll around campus, their mobile devices detect their current locations and then deliver a tour of nearby buildings and other historically interesting locations. Users with devices that don’t support GPS or other location detection, including older iPods, can manually navigate through the site to enjoy a tour of campus. The initial rollout of the tool provides a brief historical description of over 50 sites on campus and then serves up a range of engaging digitized photographs that shows the site throughout NC State’s history. WolfWalk is available on many current generation smartphone platforms, such as Apple’s iPhone and Google’s Android, and does not require users to download an application. An enhanced version of WolfWalk optimized for iPhones is also in development for availability in the summer of 2010. The new tool draws on the resources of the University Archives in the NCSU Libraries’ Special Collections Research Center, a vast array of documents, photos, audio files and other historical materials from the founding of the school up through the present. Access WolfWalk Source: North Carolina State University Libraries Discovered via: Wired Campus (Source: ResourceShelf) Mon, 08 Mar 2010 21:26:23 +0100 824767 http://plablog.org/2010/03/final-slate-of-programs-for-pla-virtual-conference-confirmed.html The final slate of programs for the PLA 2010 Virtual Conference is now confirmed. On March 25-26, 2010 the Public Library Association (PLA) will share a condensed, live and online PLA 13th National Conference with public librarians and public library workers who can’t make the trip to Portland. The Virtual Conference will include many familiar elements of the live conference, including high-quality educational programming, poster sessions and networking opportunities with colleagues. Each day will feature five live programs – the same programs available to in-person conference attendees. During the lunch hour, Booklist editor Donna Seaman will interview notable authors on “Inside the Author’s Studio.” Thursday’s author is Mary Roach, author of “Stiff” and “Spook,” and Friday’s author is Debra Gwartney, a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle award and author of “Live Through This.” The Virtual Conference programs include: • If You Didn’t Work Here, Would You Come Here? • Cross-Over Advisory: Adult Books for Teens and Teen Books for Adults • LITA’s Top Technology Trends • Marketing as Conversation: How to Interact with Your Community Through Your Website • S.Y.A.S.S. Save Your After School Sanity • Cracking the Code: Beyond Dewey: Words vs. Numbers • Adrift or Right on Target: Perspectives on Floating Collections • Advanced Black Belt Librarians: The Top Ten Security Issues in Public Libraries \ • Books: The Top Five of the Top Five • Shortcuts to Greatness or 10 Things That Great Libraries Know and Maybe You Don’t PLA is offering both individual and group registrations for the Virtual Conference. The group rate allows a single location to host the virtual conference for multiple attendees. Cost is determined by number of attendees. ... Mon, 08 Mar 2010 19:53:33 +0100 824691 http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/SellersLibraryTeens/~3/8pWGh_QX_lM/ironman-by-chris-crutcher.html Synopsis(taken from Chris Crutcher's website)Bo Brewster has been at war with his father for as long as he can remember. Following angry outburst at his football coach and English teacher that have cost his spot on the football team and moved him dangerously close to expulsion from school, he turns to the only adult he believes will listen: Larry King.In his letters to Larry, Bo describes his quest for excellence on his own terms. No more coaches for me, he tells the talk show icon, no more dads. I'm going to be a triathlete, an Ironman.Regulated to Mr. Nak's before-school anger management group(which he initially believes to populated with future serial killers and freeway snipers), Bo meets a hard-edged, down-on-their-luck pack of survivors with stainless steel shields against the world that Bo comes to see are not so different from their own. It's here he meets and falls in love with Shelly, a future American Gladiator, whose passion for physical challenge more than matches his own.My ReviewIronman was a heartfelt story about learning to accept that you can't change who your parents are, but you can stop yourself from becoming them. That was Bo's worst fear, to end up exactly like his dad. To him there was nothing worse in the world. As he struggles along, trying to make sense of the world, Bo works hard to compete in Yukon Jake's triathlon, pushing against anyone who wants him to fail, even his own father. This was about the third time I've read this book cover to cover and it still gets me every time. The raw emotion and the stories that leave to breathless. There are no sunshine and daises in a Chris Crutcher book, you feel the life these kids live and you wonder, that could have been me. Wonderful read. (Source: Sellers Library Teens) Mon, 08 Mar 2010 19:39:38 +0100 824734 http://feeds.guardian.co.uk/~r/theguardian/books/rss/~3/LE7w5uPm_qU/sir-kenneth-dover-obituary Distinguished classical scholar and academic who broke new ground with his book Greek HomosexualitySir Kenneth Dover, who has died aged 89, was a towering figure in the study of ancient Greek language, literature and thought. Very few could approach the range and quality of his scholarship, especially his synthesis of philological, historical and cultural acumen. His name became known to a wider public partly for his groundbreaking 1978 book, Greek Homosexuality, and partly for the publication of his controversial autobiography, Marginal Comment, in 1994.Greek Homosexuality treated the topic with unprecedented openness and nuanced definition. The work drew together the evidence of literature (not least a prosecution speech in a sensational Athenian court case); visual art (Dover inspected hundreds of sexually explicit vase-paintings, often in the basements of museums); and history, mythology and philosophy. The result was a compelling picture of the complex web of sexual and social practices that constituted the phenomena now grouped together under the label of Greek homosexuality.The book proved a turning-point in the modern study of ancient sexual cultures, leading to the growth of this field in the 1980s (and not just among specialists – Michel Foucault was among those influenced by it). Later in life, Dover was sometimes impatient that the subject had become an academic industry and that Greek Homosexuality had become the best known of his works, partly occluding what he felt to be his own central achievement as a historian of the Greek language. But the book is deservedly admired for harnessing scholarly sophistication to a shrewd and broad-minded historical imagination. If parts of Dover's argument have been challenged in relation to the kind of weight given to different sorts of evidence, the book remains an indispensable resource.Dover was born in London and educated at St Paul's school and Balliol College, Oxford, where he read classics. ... Mon, 08 Mar 2010 18:45:54 +0100 824701 http://www.resourceshelf.com/2010/03/08/new-from-google-labs-an-experimental-data-visualization-tool-for-public-data/ First, a few paragraphs of background. You likely remember when Google began offering a few data of government data (population, unemployment, etc.) on certain results pages if the search query called for it. This feature began last April. The service remains available but we haven’t heard of many other U.S. Government data sets being added aside from selected data from the U.S. Department of Labor and U.S. Census. What we did learn was that a large amount of information (some of the 800 World Development Indicators from the World Bank) became available November, 2009. Btw, this help page lists what data sets are available from U.S. Government sources and the World Bank. Of course, while Google was doing this Wolfram Alpha was developing and providing some of the same and similar data in different ways. For example, here’s the query “Unemployment Rate California” and the result from Google and Wolfram Alpha. With World Bank data is much the same. One example we found interesting was one hyperlinked directly from Google’s help page: “the world’s life expectancy.” As you’ll notice, at least at this time (things can change quickly at Google), no result with World Bank data is shown. Wolfram Alpha has an answer and a bunch of nuggets surrounding it. So, that’s the background. Today, Google Labs is releasing an experimental data visualization service called Google Public Data Explorer. Using query logs and other tools Google came up 80 most popular, “data and statistics search topics.” They include: + School comparisons + Population + Gross Domestic Product (GDP) + Last names + Consumer price index, inflation + Accidents, traffic violations The list users is based on one week of searches using only U.S. data. You can obtain a complete list of all 80 search topics in this PDF (10 pages). ... Mon, 08 Mar 2010 18:36:20 +0100 824600 http://www.madisonpubliclibrary.org/madreads/index.php/2010/03/08/an-amazing-journey/ Gail Collin’s very readable account of the last fifty years of American women’s history, When Everything Changed: The Amazing Journey of American Women from the 1960’s to the Present, begins with a woman not allowed to pay for a ticket in a government building because she was wearing pants, and ends with the historic presidential candidacy of Hilary Clinton, whose wardrobe consisted exclusively of pantsuits. Over 50 years, Collins covers changes for women that are much more substantial than wardrobe issues, and also shows the many things that have not changed in women’s lives. Collins documents events with stories from individual women, some famous and some not.  Included are interviews with many familar women, such as Rosa Parks, Gloria Steinem, Billie Jean King, and Sandra Day O’Connor.  There are also many less well know interviewees: flight attendants, factory workers, and housewives.  These interviews provide personal and first hand perspectives. The first sections are the most interesting.  During the pre-Betty Friedan era middle class women were expected to stay at home (many of them expressed their frustrations at their limited options).  Single women were expected to quit their jobs when they got married, flight attendants were regularly weighed, there were no sports for girls, and there were many male only venues.  The few women who did graduate with advanced degrees were expected to take jobs as secretaries.  Sandra Day O’Connor had many frustrating experiences in the workforce after her graduation from law school.  The Civil Rights Era is also thoroughly covered.  Rosa Parks did not randomly sit down on the bus; she was carefully chosen for her role and the event was carefully orchestrated.  There were strong women leaders behind the ministers who did most of the public speaking. ... Mon, 08 Mar 2010 17:59:22 +0100 824594 http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/lansinglibraryyouth/podcast/~3/p0KmY9p10GE/diary-of-wimpy-kid.html Sixth grader Greg records his middle school experiences in this funny, often realistic journal. And as Greg points out, this is definitely a journal, not a diary! Tag along as he deals with an older, wanna-be-rock-star brother, a younger can-do-no-wrong brother and a best friend who surprisingly passes him up on the popularity ladder. Greg is like many 6th grade boys who think about girls, ALOT, find clever ways to avoid all forms of work, and day dream about life after the dreaded middle school. Diary of a Wimpy Kid by Jeff Kinney is a quick read with amusing illustrations that every middle-schooler will enjoy. FYI--Look for this movie in theaters March 19th and the Borders in Schaumburg will host a meet & greet with the author and cast on March 10th at 7pm but you first must get a wristband at the store starting at 9am. (Source: Lansing Library Youth Dept. Podcast) Mon, 08 Mar 2010 15:54:42 +0100 824638 http://lisnews.org/young_potter_fan_raises_money_hull_library HULL, MA - Calliope Pina Parker is a sixth-grader who reads as many as 10 books a week and favors Harry Potter. She dresses as Potter characters for Halloween, plays Potter trivia with friends, and regularly revisits the series - all seven books and 4,167 pages. Calliope is also an avid user of libraries, borrowing from across the region and frequenting branches throughout the South Shore on her way to and from school, ballet, and karate practice. So it came as a particular blow when budget cuts in Hull not only sheared the local library’s funding and hours but also cost the town its state certification last month. “Now people from Hull can’t go to any other library,’’ said Calliope, whose card is no longer welcome at many other certified libraries. Wanting to do something about it, the 11-year-old organized an all-day reading of the J.K. Rowling book that started it all, “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone.’’ Yesterday’s readathon and bake sale, with wizardly cupcakes and “magic wand’’ frosted pretzel rods, raised awareness about the library’s circumstances and collected money for the nonprofit Friends of the Hull Public Library. (Source: LISNews.org) Mon, 08 Mar 2010 15:43:51 +0100 824550 http://www.docuticker.com/?p=33113 Amid Calls for More Highly Educated Nurses, New AACN Data Show Impressive Growth in Doctoral Nursing Programs Source: American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) According to new survey data released today by the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN), enrollment in doctoral nursing programs increased by more than 20% this year, signaling strong interest among students in careers as nursing scientists, faculty, primary care providers, and specialists. Final results from AACN’s 2009 annual survey confirm that enrollments in all types of baccalaureate and higher degree programs continue to trend upward. Though nursing schools have been able to expand student capacity, the latest data show that more than 54,000 qualified applications to professional nursing programs were turned away in 2009, including more than 9,500 applications to master’s and doctoral degree programs. + Full Report (PDF: 33 KB) (Source: Docuticker) Mon, 08 Mar 2010 14:32:19 +0100 824568 http://blog.booklistonline.com/2010/03/08/minority-report-unbreaking-public-education/ Is there anyting more frustrating and heartbreaking that what seems to be happening to public schools? Education — standardized testing, school reform, teacher training — these are all things I’ve followed with a passion beyond that of a book reviewer and concerned citizen, but the zeal of a parent with children in the “system.” The cover story of Sunday’s “The New York Times Magazine,” Building a Better Teacher, focused on the broader angle of teacher training (not aimed at public schools but let’s face it, you don’t hear or read so many complaints about private schools). Last week on National Public Radio, Diane Ravitch, education historian and author of The Death and Life of the Great American School System: How Testing and Choice Are Undermining Education, was interviewed on Morning Edition on March 2 because of her turnaround from conservative supporter of No Child Left Behind to supporter of public education, a position she’d ardently held some 40 years earlier. On the same day, NPR reported on the massive firings of teachers and staff at a public high school in Rhode Island. The story featured deeply hurt teachers who felt singled out for blame for the decline in student achievement and teary students sorry to see their teachers go. It was hard to listen to, but when failure has been so massive and so long in the making, somebody has to be held accountable. Does the blame reside in poverty and hyper-segregation, lack of parental involvement, too much emphasis on standardized testing, inadequate funding, too many non-English speaking students, poorly trained and prepared teachers, the teachers unions, short-sighted politicians, or any combination and all of the above? I’ve read enough books to know that fingers are pointing in all directions. ... Mon, 08 Mar 2010 13:28:20 +0100 825039 http://liszen.com/trends/story.php?title=-_Research_Proposal_The_new_school_librarian_Library_2-0_Escapades I would like to include some possible interviews with school librarians who identify with this newer form of library/information science and look at (Source: pligg - all) Mon, 08 Mar 2010 08:00:23 +0100 824432 http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/blogspot/MKuf/~3/nDG6R7mNvZM/statistics-for-changing-world-google.html Last year, we released a public data search feature that enables people to quickly find useful statistics in search. More recently, we expanded this service to include information from the World Bank, such as population data for every region in the world. More and more public agencies, non-profits and other organizations are looking for ways to open up their data and expand global access to this kind of information. We want to help keep that momentum going, so today we're sharing a snapshot of some of the most popular public data search topics on Google. We're also launching the Google Public Data Explorer, an experimental visualization tool in Google Labs.Popular public data topics on GoogleWe know people want to be able to find reliable data and statistics on a variety of subjects. But what kind of statistics are they looking for most? To help us better prioritize which data sets to include in our public data search feature, we've analyzed anonymous search logs to find patterns in the kinds of searches people are doing, similar to the patterns you can find on Google Trends and Insights for Search. Some public data providers have asked us to share what we've learned, so we decided to put together an approximate list of the 80 most popular data and statistics search topics.You can read the complete list at this link (PDF), but here's the top 20 to get you started:1. School comparisons2. Unemployment3. Population4. Sales tax5. Salaries6. Exchange rates7. Crime statistics8. Health statistics (health conditions)9. Disaster statistics10. Gross Domestic Product (GDP)11. Last names12. Poverty13. Oil price14. Minimum wage15. Consumer price index, inflation16. Mortality17. Cost of living18. Election results19. First names20. Accidents, traffic violationsYou'll notice some interesting entries in the list. For example, we were surprised by how many people search for data about popular first and last names. ... Mon, 08 Mar 2010 05:00:00 +0100 825243 http://ricklibrarian.blogspot.com/2010/03/century-and-some-change-my-life-before.html Ann Nixon Cooper died at age 107 in Atlanta in December 2009, just before her book A Century and Some Change: My Life Before the President Called My Name was published. The positive view of her death is that she finished the book in time before she departed, and that she had had enough of the fame that being mentioned for voting for presidential candidate Barack Obama had brought her. She had already lived a full life. She did not die too soon. Hers was a life to celebrate for its goodness.In some ways, Cooper's life was fairly ordinary and not really bookworthy unless we are all bookworthy as representatives of our time. What singled her out was vitality at an advanced age and living an affluent life (though never conspicuous) in the black community of Atlanta through the days of Jim Crow and the Civil Rights Movement. She served as a witness to the great talents and work ethic of blacks when white culture was denying that blacks were equal. Filled with photos as well as Cooper's memories, contemporary readers see and hear in A Century and Some Change how the families of black professionals could have nice houses, send their children to good schools, know powerful people, and yet still be expected to step to the side of a sidewalk to let whites pass or sit in the back of the bus.A Century and Some Change celebrates the good more than regrets the bad. It is a thoughtful book that may be quickly read. I recommend it for older readers wanting to remember the past and younger readers needing to know about segregation and forgiveness.Cooper, Ann Nixon. A Century and Some Change: My Life Before the President Called My Name. Atria Books, 2010. ISBN 9781439158876. (Source: ricklibrarian) Mon, 08 Mar 2010 05:00:00 +0100 824667 http://noggs.typepad.com/the_reading_experience/2010/03/while-reflecting-on-the-role-of-innovation-in-poetry-ron-silliman-pauses-to-offer-this-comment----i-have-written-before-tha.html While reflecting on the role of "innovation" in poetry, Ron Silliman pauses to offer this comment: I have written before that any history of poetry is inevitably a history of change in poetry, and that an inevitable consequence is that the well-wrought urn is almost invariably a trivial accomplishment. Indeed, it’s a trivial goal. The "Well-Wrought Urn" is of course the title of Cleanth Brooks's "Studies in the Structure of Poetry," as the book's subtitle has it. It is probably the most important critical work to emerge from the practice of "New Criticism," and it can still be read as a primer of sorts on that approach to literary criticism.  New Criticism was dislodged from its place as a dominant academic critical strategy long ago, but it continues to draw much abuse from those who associate it with an apolitical formalism or an almost religious reverence for the poem as "verbal icon" or, in Silliman's case, view it as a critical adjunct to the "school of quietude" in poetry. It is true that in invoking the "well-wrought urn" Brooks was trying to call attention to poetry as a verbal equivalent, a poem as an art object sufficient unto itself. But the trope can be dismissed as a "trivial goal"--indeed, as a "goal" at all--only if you assume that the urn is well-wrought because it successfully attains a level of "beauty" that conforms to pre-established formal requirements. Literary history as a series of such skillfully-fashioned verbal objects reinforcing aesthetic norms would indeed be a tedious procession, and the goal of adding yet one more "fine" work would indeed be trivial. But I don't see why "well-wrought urn" has to be taken in this way. ... Mon, 08 Mar 2010 05:00:00 +0100 824651 http://micheladrien.blogspot.com/2010/03/spicing-up-supreme-court-of-canada.html This is a follow up to the Library Boy post of February 28, 2010 entitled Supreme Court of Canada Statistics 1999-2009.The Osgoode Hall Law School blog The Court today published Official (and Unofficial) Supreme Court Statistics, 1999-2009, a post by Ahsan Mirza.The first section analyzes some of the numbers supplied by the Supreme Court.The second half tries to break down some of the statistics by judge:"Although the official Supreme Court statistics are interesting, they are silent on data associated with each judge. To 'spice up' this post on statistics, I decided to compile some data on decisions rendered in 2009 based on neutral citations (62 decisions from 2009 SCC 1 to 2009 SCC 62). ""An obvious disclaimer is that one year’s worth of data is too small a sample size to derive any conclusions. These findings highlight only the promise that a more comprehensive statistical project could provide." (Source: Library Boy) Mon, 08 Mar 2010 05:00:00 +0100 824620 http://philbradley.typepad.com/phil_bradleys_weblog/2010/03/bing-vs-google-vs-yahoo.html Mixxr. Usual idea - whack in a search term, see what each engine comes up with. Each engine result is framed in its own window, leading to scrolling hell. The list of 'last searches' isn't filtered either, so it might not be the kind of thing you want to make available in your library or school. However, if you want to do a quick search with a couple of engines, this would do it ok(ish) for you. (Source: Phil Bradley) Mon, 08 Mar 2010 05:00:00 +0100 824559 http://keptup.typepad.com/academic/2010/03/creative-arts-programs-excel-at-doing-more-with-less.html San Francisco State University is among several Bay Area academic institutions whose resources have been vastly reduced amid California’s fiscal crisis and the recession. A recent rehearsal there was one stop on a survey of artistic endeavors at local schools and universities. Taken as a whole, these works reveal that budget cuts have hardly dampened creative output. Even though the disastrous belt-tightening measures have put tremendous strain on teachers and students, these institutions are continuing to produce remarkable work. Read more at: (Source: The Kept-Up Academic Librarian) Mon, 08 Mar 2010 05:00:00 +0100 824546 http://www.docuticker.com/?p=33095 Build America Bonds Provide Nearly $78 Billion Nationally to Date Source: U.S. Department of the Treasury The Treasury Department today released its monthly comprehensive update on issuances of the Build America Bonds program, including state-by-state data. The Build America Bonds program is a financing tool created by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act to allow state and local governments to obtain much-needed funding, at lower borrowing costs, for new capital projects such as construction of schools and hospitals, development of transportation infrastructure, and water and sewer upgrades. Build America Bonds, which are taxable bonds, are designed to appeal to a broader set of investors than traditional tax-exempt bonds. Under the Build America Bonds program, the Treasury Department makes a direct payment to the state or local governmental issuer in an amount equal to 35 percent of the interest payment on the Build America Bonds. Potential new investors include pension funds that typically do not hold tax exempt bonds and foreign investors. These investors have been important additions to the market for municipal debt. (Source: Docuticker) Sun, 07 Mar 2010 20:11:13 +0100 824398 http://www.docuticker.com/?p=33087 16 Finalists Announced in Phase 1 of Race to the Top Competition Finalists to Present in Mid-March; Winners Announced in Early April Source: U.S. Department of Education Today the Department of Education announced that 15 states and the District of Columbia will advance as finalists for phase 1 of the Race to the Top competition. Race to the Top is the Department’s $4.35 billion effort to dramatically re-shape America’s educational system to better engage and prepare our students for success in a competitive 21st century economy and workplace. States competing for Race to the Top funds were asked to document past education reform successes, as well as outline plans to: extend reforms using college and career-ready standards and assessments; build a workforce of highly effective educators; create educational data systems to support student achievement; and turn around their lowest-performing schools. The phase 1 finalists are: * Colorado * Delaware * District of Columbia * Florida * Georgia * Illinois * Kentucky * Louisiana * Massachusetts * New York * North Carolina * Ohio * Pennsylvania * Rhode Island * South Carolina * Tennessee + Video announcement + Letter to governors + Secretary’s statement (Source: Docuticker) Sun, 07 Mar 2010 19:53:55 +0100 824401 http://feeds.guardian.co.uk/~r/theguardian/books/rss/~3/g98CtVP-SDo/dodie-masterman-obituary Versatile artist known for her illustrations of classic novelsThe artist and teacher Dodie Masterman, who has died aged 91, was best known for the illustrations she provided for classic novels, in which she perfectly captured mood and atmosphere. She was born Rhoda Glass in Brixham, Devon, into a family rich in melodrama. Her father was a car dealer, whose Russian-Viennese Jewish parents had arrived in England in the 1890s to escape pogroms. Her mother's affair with a dancing instructor led to a bitter divorce when Dodie was six. She never saw her mother again, and escaped from the trauma into a world of make-believe, constantly drawing. She spent her holidays in the Stroud valley, Gloucestershire, with her maternal grandmother, who introduced her to the Victorian era, a recurrent theme in Dodie's work.Dodie went to the Slade School of Art between 1934 and 1938, winning more prizes than anyone before her. The Slade had, she wrote, a "cult of draughtsmanship of an extremely demanding standard, but remarkably little firm leadership in painting"; the life drawing classes were so stilted and devoid of context that she and a few friends moved their easels into the corridors and painted each other there, set against background. They admired the French post-impressionists and, keen to wear that mood, raided markets for vintage blouses.Vladimir Polunin, who had designed sets for Diaghilev, taught her stage design, and his classes were the most fruitful of her Slade days. She recalled: "His department [known as the Zoo] provided a way to see things as a whole design while being a realm of fantasy." Her early paintings show the influence of the Euston Road School and she was on the fringes of the Bloomsbury group.In 1940 she married Standish Masterman, a scientist who researched rocket fuels until he was transferred to non-secret work in 1954 because he had been a member of the Communist party. ... Sun, 07 Mar 2010 19:03:11 +0100 824353 http://freegovinfo.info/node/2925 Vivek Kundra, Federal Chief Information Officer of the United States, spoke at the University of Washington's Evans School of Public Affairs in Seattle last week and outlined some of the current problems of government Information Technology and some of the approaches he is taking to address those problems. Federal Chief Information Officer Vivek Kundra speaks about Government 2.0. [streaming video] ustream.tv [about 30 minutes, plus 30+ minutes of questions and answers] See also: Federal CIO Describes Problems, Changes in IT, by Nancy Gohring, IDG News Service (Mar 4, 2010). It takes the Veteran's Administration 160 days to process benefits for veterans, he said. "That's because the Veteran's Administration is processing paperwork by passing manila folders from one desk to another" Another example of an outdated and inefficient agency is the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, which takes three years to process a patent, he said. "One reason is because the U.S. PTO receives these applications online, prints them out, and then someone manually rekeys the information into an antiquated system," he said. Federal Chief Information Officer Vivek Kundra - Making Government Work: Closing the IT Gap to Deliver for the American People [Event Announcement] University of Washington's Evans School of Public Affairs in Seattle, March 4, 2010. (Source: Free Government Information (FGI) blogs) Sun, 07 Mar 2010 17:41:29 +0100 824372 http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/DigitalKoans/~3/ZaVM65Pozz8/ First web copyright crackdown coming http://icio.us/ntafpv # Smoke got in my eyes http://icio.us/ctr1zq # Federal Intellectual Property Enforcement Gears Up http://icio.us/10roe2 # People and Ideas on the Future of Repositories-in-the-Cloud http://icio.us/3pp4is # DigitalKoans Break http://bit.ly/9hqtHe # HighWire Press 2009 Librarian eBook Survey http://bit.ly/beJZTz # Librarian for Digital Technologies and Learning at NCSU http://bit.ly/blD1Cw # "GBS March Madness: Paths Forward for the Google Books Settlement" http://bit.ly/bIXDTe # Systems and Electronic Services Librarian at Lebanon Valley College http://bit.ly/bW2B4q # SPARC: Campus-Based Open-Access Publishing Funds http://bit.ly/d5zdDU # Northeastern University Libraries sign SCOAP3 Expression of Interest http://icio.us/j4zxdm # The Ethics of Open Access and Copyright Infringement http://icio.us/ue4fvp # EFF demands FCC close copyright "loophole" in net neutrality http://icio.us/0rysff # Digital Video: Peter Suber on the Future of Open Access http://bit.ly/dvJ2uR # Applications Programmer/Analyst Associate at University of Michigan http://bit.ly/961HjL # Unintended Consequences: 12 Years Under the DMCA http://bit.ly/cUgwo9 # Programmer/Analyst, Digital Library Tools at Indiana University http://bit.ly/c0T97y # DSpace 1.6 Released http://bit.ly/9WlK0l # Supreme Court Sends Tasini Case Back to Appeals Court http://icio.us/kas5b5 # Library Groups Join in Filing Motion on Copyright Appeal http://icio.us/vproo3 # BURO crashes through 9000 items barrier http://icio.us/2sw1jw # Open Access to Research Outputs Institutional Policies and Researchers' Views: Results From Two Surveys http://icio.us/eddeo1 # Aptara Survey Reveals Publishers’ Evolving Response to eBooks http://icio.us/khh3lz # Digital initiative starts http://icio.us/sflmuz # Fighting a Copyright Charge http://icio.us/th1tii # Top 10 Best Security Plugins for Wordpress http://icio. ... Sun, 07 Mar 2010 12:00:00 +0100 824224 http://liszen.com/trends/story.php?title=Library_Advocate_Primary_Sources_America39s_Teachers_on_America39s_--- 2. my classroom library: all levels: 68%, high school: 31%; elementary school 87% 3. public library: all levels: 38% high school: 46% 4. retailers: a (Source: pligg - all) Sun, 07 Mar 2010 08:00:32 +0100 824299 http://liszen.com/trends/story.php?title=Success_Stories_It39s_tough_to_remove_labels_but_it39s_not_--- And yes, requiring parental permission is a form of censorship. In fact, in the case Counts v. Cedarville School District, a U.S. District Court has (Source: pligg - all) Sun, 07 Mar 2010 08:00:32 +0100 824298 http://liszen.com/trends/story.php?title=Review_of_Alice_in_School_Library_Journal Purists will be perplexed and the average moviegoer ultimately disinterested by director Tim Burton's pedestrian spin of Lewis Carroll's 1865 classic (Source: pligg - all) Sun, 07 Mar 2010 08:00:07 +0100 824315 http://vivabibliotecaviva.blogspot.com/2010/03/estudos-sobre-mulher-na-ciencia-da.html Adjabeng, A.,  "Las bibliotecas como recurso para Acrecentar y Apoyar el Desarrollo Económico para la Mujer".  IFLA Council and General Conference, No. 70, 2004. http://www.ifla.org/IV/ifla70/papers/037s_trans-Adjabeng.pdfDescriptores: Mujeres/Bibliotecas/Aspecto económico/Aspecto social/Discriminaión socialResumen: Los asuntos que se centran en la mujer han asumido una dimensión más profunda. Muchas actividades se han llevado a cabo para alarmar a los gobiernos, a organizaciones gubernamentales y no gubernamentales, instituciones políticas, sociales y económicas sobre los problemas de la mujer en general. Una de dichas actividades la Década para la Mujer de las Naciones Unidas 1975-1985, un periodo creado por las Naciones Unidas para crear una amplia conciencia en todo el mundo sobre los asuntos centrados en la mujer. Adjabeng, A.,  "Libraries as a source of relevant information to support and enhance economic development for women".  IFLA Council and General Conference, No. 70, 2004. http://www.ifla.org/IV/ifla70/papers/037e-Adjabeng.pdfDescriptores: Mujeres/Bibliotecas/Aspecto económico/Aspecto social/Discriminaión socialResumen: Issues concerning women have assumed a wider dimension. Many activities have been carried out to alert governments, governmental and non-governmental organizations, political, social and economic and academic institutions about the problems of women in general. One of such activities was The United Nations Decade for Women 1975-1985, a period set aside by the United Nations to create a widespread awareness in the whole world on issues concerning women. Alfaya Lamas, E., Fernández Mariño, P., and Villaverde Solar, D.,  "Análisis de datos mediante observación documental en las noticias de prensa sobre misoginia".  Jornadas Españolas de Documentación, No. 11, 2009, pp. 298-301 . http://www.fesabid. ... Sun, 07 Mar 2010 05:00:00 +0100 825058 http://digital-scholarship.com/digitalkoans/2010/03/07/last-weeks-digitalkoans-tweets-2010-03-07/ First web copyright crackdown coming http://icio.us/ntafpv # Smoke got in my eyes http://icio.us/ctr1zq # Federal Intellectual Property Enforcement Gears Up http://icio.us/10roe2 # People and Ideas on the Future of Repositories-in-the-Cloud http://icio.us/3pp4is # DigitalKoans Break http://bit.ly/9hqtHe # HighWire Press 2009 Librarian eBook Survey http://bit.ly/beJZTz # Librarian for Digital Technologies and Learning at NCSU http://bit.ly/blD1Cw # "GBS March Madness: Paths Forward for the Google Books Settlement" http://bit.ly/bIXDTe # Systems and Electronic Services Librarian at Lebanon Valley College http://bit.ly/bW2B4q # SPARC: Campus-Based Open-Access Publishing Funds http://bit.ly/d5zdDU # Northeastern University Libraries sign SCOAP3 Expression of Interest http://icio.us/j4zxdm # The Ethics of Open Access and Copyright Infringement http://icio.us/ue4fvp # EFF demands FCC close copyright "loophole" in net neutrality http://icio.us/0rysff # Digital Video: Peter Suber on the Future of Open Access http://bit.ly/dvJ2uR # Applications Programmer/Analyst Associate at University of Michigan http://bit.ly/961HjL # Unintended Consequences: 12 Years Under the DMCA http://bit.ly/cUgwo9 # Programmer/Analyst, Digital Library Tools at Indiana University http://bit.ly/c0T97y # DSpace 1.6 Released http://bit.ly/9WlK0l # Supreme Court Sends Tasini Case Back to Appeals Court http://icio.us/kas5b5 # Library Groups Join in Filing Motion on Copyright Appeal http://icio.us/vproo3 # BURO crashes through 9000 items barrier http://icio.us/2sw1jw # Open Access to Research Outputs Institutional Policies and Researchers' Views: Results From Two Surveys http://icio.us/eddeo1 # Aptara Survey Reveals Publishers’ Evolving Response to eBooks http://icio.us/khh3lz # Digital initiative starts http://icio.us/sflmuz # Fighting a Copyright Charge http://icio.us/th1tii # Top 10 Best Security Plugins for Wordpress http://icio. ... Sun, 07 Mar 2010 05:00:00 +0100 824483 http://outofthejungle.blogspot.com/2010/03/sixth-grader-organizes-reading-marathon.html The Boston Globe has a story today about Calliope Pina Parker, an eleven year old student in Hull, Massachusetts who is a heavy library user. She was appalled when the local library funding was slashed so deeply that it cost the town its state certification last month. That means that her Hull library card can no longer get her interlibrary loan or library privileges at other area libraries. (if you go to the whole Globe article, you can also watch a video featuring Calliope herself). “Now people from Hull can’t go to any other library,’’ said Calliope, whose card is no longer welcome at many other certified libraries.Wanting to do something about it, the 11-year-old organized an all-day reading of the J.K. Rowling book that started it all, “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone.’’Yesterday’s readathon and bake sale, with wizardly cupcakes and “magic wand’’ frosted pretzel rods, raised awareness about the library’s circumstances and collected money for the nonprofit Friends of the Hull Public Library.While keeping up with schoolwork at the South Shore Charter Public School in Norwell, Calliope found a location, publicized the event with fliers, phone calls, and e-mails, and organized a network of readers that extended well beyond her circle of friends.The schedule of participants filled a grid that stretched across three poster sheets at the Weir River Estuary Center. It included the names of two selectmen, provided flexibility for drop-ins, and allowed readers to go at their own pace - some took a page, some half a chapter.“It’s a great idea. Calliope really handled it herself. We were there to help her when she asked for it, but she really has put it together herself,’’ said Lindsay Clinton, a friend of Calliope’s mother, Jenn Pina, and a board member of Hull Performing Arts, which helps manage scheduling at the Weir River center. Reading marathons are something of a New England tradition. ... Sun, 07 Mar 2010 05:00:00 +0100 824371 http://feeds.guardian.co.uk/~r/theguardian/books/rss/~3/Fhrup2zjY6U/dave-eggers-zeitoun-hurricane-katrina Author, publisher and literary trendsetter: Dave Eggers is all those, and he's fast becoming the conscience of liberal America too. Here he tells how he went from 'staggering genius' to the man who gives a voice to the downtrodden and dispossessedI'm a little nervous of meeting Dave Eggers. On the way to San Francisco, where he lives and runs his groovy and influential publishing empire, McSweeney's, I consider his reputation. When Eggers published his first book, A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius, he mostly refused to do interviews except by email, and then his answers were spiky and oblique, and occasionally just a joke. He once railed against a journalist who he said had quoted him off the record with a fury that seems to me to have been just a touch disproportionate. Sure enough, before I leave London, I get an email from an assistant warning me that he will only talk about his new book, Zeitoun, and that it will drive him nuts if I ask him "what he had for dinner the night before last" (I reply that I have never asked anyone, ever, what they had for dinner the night before last and I certainly would not dream of flying half way round the world to pose such a question). As for his human rights work and many charitable projects, these things are so intimidating. Faced with such abundant goodness, I furtively examine my conscience and find it wanting.As it turns out, though, I am wrong. Entirely wrong. Granted, he is not big on self-revelation. But he is neither difficult nor mean. McSweeney's is in the Mission district of the city: it's like Camden only with wider roads and more second-hand bookshops. When I arrive, I'm led past the desks of half-a-dozen bright young things and into his office, which is small and gloomy and womb-like. Time to break the ice. You hate doing interviews, don't you? I ask, sitting down (there is no desk; he works on an old sofa). "No, not at all," he says. ... Sun, 07 Mar 2010 00:08:07 +0100 824118 http://www.madisonpubliclibrary.org/madreads/index.php/2010/03/06/the-isolates/ I am often in the market for an author I haven’t read before and to find one I sometimes troll the debut author lists in some of the journals.  That’s how I came across Asta in the Wings by Jan Elizabeth Watson. It starts in Maine, in the 1970s, where 7-year-old Asta and her 9-year-old brother Orion live with their mother, Loretta, in an isolated house in the country.  Loretta seems delightful at first; she acts out movies with the children, regales them with family stories, shares her Big Movie Book with them.  The kids don’t go to school, and do their lessons at home.   But it doesn’t take long to realize that something is pretty wrong in the household. Asta narrates the story.  As she describes her daily life, you gradually come to realize that Loretta’s crazy.  Asta and Orion believe everything Loretta tells them so they never venture outside in order to protect themselves from the plague out there and the dead bodies piled up on the side of the road.  Loretta locks them in the house when she goes to work and they entertain themselves with TV, their games, and for meals, choose from unlabeled cans of food.  They are used to, and like, the feeling of hunger as it is a sign that their bodies are keeping them healthy.  But Asta’s optimism doesn’t hide from the reader the fact that Orion is getting very ill, maybe even starving. Then one night, Loretta doesn’t come home.  The next morning the kids leave the house, in their mother’s boots and coats as they don’t have their own, to look for her.  They know so very little of the outside world, it’s amazing they manage.  Asta helps herself to some sweets in a store they come across and gets kicked out.  Eventually they get on a school bus, where a sympathetic driver figures out what’s going on and gets the police involved. ... Sat, 06 Mar 2010 21:18:29 +0100 824156 http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/article/CA6721713.html?rssid=190 Purists will be perplexed and the average moviegoer ultimately disinterested by director Tim Burton’s pedestrian spin of Lewis Carroll’s 1865 classic, Alice in Wonderland. Those hoping to see the heroine swim in the pool of tears, the pig-baby, or the Mock Turtle will leave disappointed. Instead of losing her way in Wonderland, this Alice takes the Harry Potter/Lord of the Rings route, fighting evil as an empowered warrior. (Source: School Library Journal Breaking News) Sat, 06 Mar 2010 16:38:38 +0100 824051 http://lisnews.org/review_alice_school_library_journal Purists will be perplexed and the average moviegoer ultimately disinterested by director Tim Burton’s pedestrian spin of Lewis Carroll’s 1865 classic, Alice in Wonderland. Those hoping to see the heroine swim in the pool of tears, the pig-baby, or the Mock Turtle will leave disappointed. Instead of losing her way in Wonderland, this Alice takes the Harry Potter/Lord of the Rings route, fighting evil as an empowered warrior. Full review here. Get the full text of the book here. (Source: LISNews.org) Sat, 06 Mar 2010 16:35:47 +0100 824131 http://www.swissarmylibrarian.net/2010/03/06/reference-question-of-the-week-22810 I only got involved with this towards the end, but in plenty of time for the punch line. A woman called in to reserve a meeting room for later that day, and during the process, apparently she asked: Can the ceilings of any of your meeting rooms be raised? I didn’t hear about this until the next day, but it should have been a tip-off that trouble lay ahead. However, she was told there was an available room, and she would need to fill out our online reservation form to reserve it. That night the woman came in with her group, which is when I got involved. It turns out she never did actually reserve a room, but just showed up expecting one. All our rooms were in use by then, so after much scrambling around trying to find an available space, I ended up dividing our large meeting room with the movable wall - then I went back downstairs to the Reference Desk feeling satisfied about accommodating a patron’s request. About ten minutes later, the Children’s Librarian came down to see me. Our Children’s Room is right next to the meeting room, so she can often hear what’s going on in there, even at moderate noise levels. I thought she was going to commiserate about our online room booking system or not having enough meeting space to meet community demand, but instead she asked: Did you tell that group they could use a catapult? Ha. Apparently, this group was a school group, and for a science project they built and are experimenting with a catapult. It wasn’t quiet as large as the one in the picture, but still it was too big, too loud, and too dangerous for us to let them use it in the library. I’m actually a little bit in awe of them for apparently thinking it would be perfectly okay. Now, you know I like medieval siege weapons, but perhaps this is a good rule of thumb: if the library’s ceiling is too low to do something, then that is something you cannot do in the library. ... Sat, 06 Mar 2010 14:25:47 +0100 824095 http://www.ohionet.org/jobs2.php?jid=1615 Grandview Heights City Schools (Source: OHIONET - Job Announcements) Sat, 06 Mar 2010 10:40:02 +0100 823980 http://liszen.com/trends/story.php?title=VA_School_Officials_Deny_Banning_Anne_Frank39s_Diary_-_2242010_--- By Shanti Menon -- School Library Journal, 2/24/2010. Quiet Culpeper County, VA, was thrown into a national uproar last month over allegations that t (Source: pligg - all) Sat, 06 Mar 2010 08:00:37 +0100 824073 http://www.newberry.org/genealogy/news/default.asp?postid=1128 by Grace Dumelle, Genealogy and Local History Assistant Tucked away on a side street in Cicero, Illinois is a treasure trove of materials relating to Eastern European heritage and the impact of its peoples' immigration to Chicago, the Midwest, and beyond. It's the library of the Czech and Slovak American Genealogical Society of Illinois (CSAGSI). You'll find church anniversary books, biographical compilations, pamphlets, maps, journals, high school yearbooks and so much more. Of course there are reference copies of the essential publications of CSAGSI, also held at the Newberry, such as the Denni Hlastel Obituary Index and Index to the 1872-1899 Death Records of St. Procopius Church, Chicago, Illinois. See the Newberry's pathfinder for Bohemian research here (www.newberry.org/genealogy/bohemian.html). [-more-] Flipping through the pages of the 1933 World's Fair Memorial of the Czechoslovak Group, I found a full-page story with photos about Leader Department Store, a place where I spent my allowance growing up in the Pilsen neighborhood of Chicago. Though the text was in Czech, I learned there were three locations, begun by a gentleman named Eduard Oplatka. The photo of the 18th xamp; Paulina location I frequented showed awnings on the ground floor and a vertical sign almost three stories tall - details that were long gone by the time I knew the place. Materials like these enrich the history of many city neighborhoods and suburbs such as Cicero and Riverside. Judith Mason, Volunteer Coordinator, told me she's uncovered many Irish names while indexing a Czech newspaper. The Irish worked as foremen and pressmen for the newspaper and sometimes joined Czech organizations. There are probably similarly interesting discoveries to be made in the library resources for Czech and Slovak areas in Iowa, Nebraska, Minnesota and other parts of the world. To see what the library holds, go to the CSAGSI web site www.csagsi. ... Sat, 06 Mar 2010 06:00:00 +0100 824496 http://rabid-librarian.blogspot.com/2010/03/i-feel-wonky.html So of course the first thing I did this morning (after peeing, of course, doesn't everyone do that first?) was take my blood sugar. It was 155, which is a little above normal, but incredibly low for me in the morning (I was over 300 yesterday morning, to give you an idea). So my body thinks my blood sugar is low. So first things first...I'm eating a couple of tomato basil garden burgers. Obviously the thing with waking up at 8 am didn't work out (it almost never does). But I am raring to go now that I'm starting to function. I had odd dreams, including one of a TV show with a New York lawyer who was having sex with three women (much more graphic than on TV though, and they did a little dance at the end of the segment) on the eve of closing an important case which turned out to be argued in front of second-graders at school, trying to prove that one student did not attempt to murder his teacher with a piano. I'm not sure how the piano fit in--it wasn't dropped on her. Maybe the wire for a garrote? Those were hard-core second graders, I guess. They brought her into court carrying her prone even though she'd survived and was okay. It was just very strange. Okay, I feel almost normal now. I'm going to go tackle the notes. Have a great day. (Source: The Rabid Librarian's Ravings in the Wind) Sat, 06 Mar 2010 05:00:00 +0100 825085 http://collectingmythoughts.blogspot.com/2010/03/mind-your-own-damn-business-politics.html Here's a blog with some well thought-out principles. I've only read a few of his entries, but he seems to stick with his plan. I particularly like points 7 and 8 of his 10 principles. 7. Everything has a cost. Government can only give to one group by taking resources from someone else. Therefore, be careful about taxing the other guy. Example: Don’t decide that the rich person doesn’t need to buy that yacht unless you are willing to tell the people that build and maintain that yacht that they are not entitled to their jobs because the government has a better use for the rich person’s money. 8. Self sufficiency and personal accomplishments are good. Helping others is good when you give that help of your own free will. Using government to compel others to help with your cause is not good, no matter how good you believe your cause to be. The people you compel may have causes of their own. They certainly have needs.I particularly believe that churches that take government money to run their array of "good works" from pre-schools, to lunch programs, to work training programs need to reconsider Christ's challenge to meet the needs of those less fortunate.Principles of MYODB | Mind Your Own Damn Business Politics (Source: Collecting my Thoughts) Sat, 06 Mar 2010 05:00:00 +0100 824012 http://digital-scholarship.com/digitalkoans/2010/03/05/systems-and-electronic-services-librarian-at-lebanon-valley-college/ The Lebanon Valley College Bishop Library is recruiting a Systems and Electronic Services Librarian. Here's an excerpt from the ad: Under direction of the Director of the Library, the Systems and Electronic Services Librarian provides oversight and leadership in the planning, implementation, integration, and maintenance of a broad range of library electronic services including the integrated library system (SirsiDynix Symphony), the Serials Solutions Knowledge base and 360 Suite, EZProxy, access to electronic databases, serials subscriptions and packages, and other third-party applications. The Systems and Electronic Services Librarian participates in the design and maintenance of the library web presence and also assists students, faculty, staff, and other library users with electronic systems and services and participates in reference service and library instruction. Related Posts Systems Librarian at Florida Institute of Technology Web Services Librarian at SUNY Potsdam Academic Librarian, Automation Librarian at University of Wisconsin-Fond du Lac Web Services Librarian at Dominican University Systems Librarian at George Washington University Law School (Source: DigitalKoans) Sat, 06 Mar 2010 03:02:22 +0100 823994 http://joblist.ala.org/modules/jobseeker/controller.cfm?rssjobid=14546 Science Librarian (Furman University, South Carolina) Furman University is seeking applicants for the position of Science Librarian. The Science Librarian manages the operations of the Science Library and provides reference assistance, library instruction, and oversees circulation and collection development. Candidates are required to have a Master of Library Science from an ALA accredited library school and have at least an undergraduate degree in a natural science. Knowledge of science resources, familiarity with library information technology and enthusiasm for teaching are required qualifications. ... Sat, 06 Mar 2010 00:40:02 +0100 823811 http://joblist.ala.org/modules/jobseeker/controller.cfm?rssjobid=14553 Grateful Dead Archive Project Manager (UC Santa Cruz, California) UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SANTA CRUZ Grateful Dead Archive Project Manager Full-time, $5,000 - $9,000/monthly Initial Review Date: 3/21/10 (OUF) Reporting to the University Librarian, the incumbent provides management of the entire Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) grant funded project, Virtual Terrapin Station: Blending Traditional and Socially Created Archives for Research, Teaching, and Cultural Enrichment. The Project Manager will be a member of the Grateful Dead Archive team and will be directly responsible for the planning, coordination, design, and execution of the archive exhibition website and community web publishing platform. ... Sat, 06 Mar 2010 00:40:02 +0100 823804 http://feeds.guardian.co.uk/~r/theguardian/books/rss/~3/GhiFur-3RQc/ian-mcewan-solar The novelist explains to Nicholas Wroe why he's chosen to grapple with climate change in his new book, SolarJust inside the front door of Ian McEwan's London home, the one in the shadow of the BT Tower made famous in his novel Saturday, is the obligatory recycling box full of paper, plastic and glass. "Of course we recycle," he laughs. "Who doesn't? And I'm all in favour of cutting 10% off our carbon. And of domestic solar panels. Anything that slows our consumption is useful. But ultimately I don't really think the bottle bank is going to get us out of this. And being virtuous is not going to get us out of it either. Civilisation is going to need another energy source."McEwan's own view – having been persuaded by thinkers such as Stewart Brand, and despite his own long-held suspicions of the industry – is that nuclear energy is probably our best bet in the medium term. Michael Beard, Nobel prize-winning physicist, glutton and the protagonist of McEwan's latest novel, Solar, has an even more technologically complex solution. His work in the field of artificial photosynthesis as a way of harnessing the sun's power has made him rich and famous. Beard got his Nobel for "modifying Einstein's photovoltaics", and McEwan enthusiastically explains that the bleeding-edge science in the book is real, if some way from practical application. "If you go to America the amount of ingenuity being deployed, and the private capital – until this present recession – being invested in nanotechnology and solar energy is astonishing."For McEwan science is the road not taken, and he talks slightly enviously about his geneticist son's work and training. At the age of 16 he "agonised" at school over the arts or science route. "My maths was actually pretty mediocre, but I did love science and eventually even 'got' calculus, although I always felt if I so much as sneezed I would probably lose it again. ... Sat, 06 Mar 2010 00:08:11 +0100 823792 http://feeds.guardian.co.uk/~r/theguardian/books/rss/~3/OG3nrqGmmek/waters-edge-wildness-lister-kaye Sean O'Brien on a back-to-nature book that misreads human beingsIn this calendar of walks and reflections the distinguished naturalist John Lister-Kaye urges us to live in the world rather than be distracted by the doomed comforts of over-consumption. It's hard to imagine anyone disagreeing, but you'd have to admit they do – lots of them. They do so deliberately or by thoughtless reflex, wholly or in part, for reasons including sentiment, stupidity, greed and cynicism. And the behaviour of many who agree with Lister-Kaye is often inconsistent with their principles. He seems to reckon without the effects of that allegedly disgraced term "ideology", whereby people treat artificially created conditions as natural and inevitable. Cars, to take one grim example, feel "natural" to many people, not just knuckle-dragging petrolheads.Lister-Kaye is a Darwinian, for whom life is a ceaseless competition to survive – to take and retain power – and among the creatures he describes with such power and beautiful exactitude his favourites are predators such as the wildcat: "The club tail, blunt as an aubergine, far thicker at the tip than a fox's brush, is black-ringed to a tip dipped in Indian ink . . . The white whiskers flare. The mad metamorphic eyes coldly fire." A book wholly of this order would be a treasure. His favoured activity is solitary walking and observing, and he has managed to arrange a crowded life so that indispensable solitude is just beyond the study door, beside the loch he owns on the eastern slopes of the Scottish Highlands.He is clearly a man of principle, but his immediate world is very different from one occupied by the long-term unemployed on a sink estate in Hull or in small towns in northern Scotland. ... Sat, 06 Mar 2010 00:06:55 +0100 823795 http://www.newrambler.net/lisdom/373 Random Family: Love, Drugs, Trouble, and Coming of Age in the Bronx by Adrian Nicole LeBlanc — LeBlanc spent a decade hanging out with two young women in the Bronx and the many people who came in and out of their lives — boyfriends, husbands, children, friends, and other family. It’s a long book, and one that took a long time to write, and one that took me a long time to read, but I am still stunned at how she managed to make me go from a sort of revulsion to a real love of these people in the course of a few hundred pages. The History of Love by Nicole Kraus — January’s book discussion book. Meh. Not a bad book in any way, just not one I got very excited about. [listen] That Old Cape Magic by Richard Russo — While I love all of Russo’s books (and I’ve read most of them), I kind of keep hoping that someday he will write Straight Man again. That Old Cape Magic comes closest, as it also deals largely with academics. It’s not as funny (but few things could be), but it’s quite good, and the narrator did a decent, if not inspired, job. Not My Daughter by Barbara Delinskey — Delinskey’s novel about high school girls who form a pregnancy pact and its effects on them and their mothers (who are all best friends, too!) is just as melodramatic and terrible as you might suspect. Melodrama is my favorite indulgence, though, so it worked for me. [reread] A House Like a Lotus by Madeleine L’Engle — I had forgotten, or perhaps I never knew, how very preachy L’Engle can sound at times. I was rereading bits of A Wrinkle in Time because I was thinking about using it for a set of booktalks, and I was thinking about how I always think of that book as a sort of touchstone for smart kids who grow up feeling isolated and as though no one understands them. ... Fri, 05 Mar 2010 22:31:20 +0100 823932 http://lawlib.lclark.edu/podcast/?p=3058 Law School Event Alter Wiener: Honor of International Holocaust Remembrance Day January 28, 2010 Event Announcement Alter Wiener is one of only a few Holocaust survivors living in the Portland area and will share with us his amazing life story and uplifting philosophies. Alter was only eighteen years old when he was liberated from his fifth Nazi forced labor and concentration camp. He lost his entire family and almost all of his extended family in the Holocaust and suffered unspeakable horrors during his imprisonment. Alter Wiener’s father was brutally murdered on September 11, 1939 by the German invaders of Poland. Still, Alter teaches us about the power of tolerance, forgiveness and much, much more. He is an incredible lecturer, mentor and author, including his 2007 autobiography, From a Name to a Number: A Holocaust Survivor’s Autobiography. The program was held at Lewis & Clark Law School in Portland, Oregon on January 28, 2010. View presentation here (Source: Lewis) Fri, 05 Mar 2010 22:13:02 +0100 824614 http://theshiftedlibrarian.com/archives/2010/03/05/games-and-libraries-wendy-leseman-akla10.html started out playing “Just Dance” on the Wii (whoo-hoo!) Wii is a great place to start when you’re ready to learn how to use a Wii, send your 12-year old out of the house because they show you too quickly you can teach yourself to do this (really, you can) why gaming? – connect with patrons who are gamers; they love it when you show an interest in something that’s important to them; it’s good to know about gaming regardless of what type of library you’re in – promote multiple types of literacy – increase traffic – it’s fun applied for ALA’s Gaming, Learning, and Literacy grant with the Verizon Foundation got $5000, $4000 of which was spent on Wiis & DDR for each library in the school district had a few logistical problems but money from the Verizon Foundation was slow in coming, which forced some changes she also loans her equipment out to teachers also exploring having kids create games using Scratch $1000 for gaming at her school — computers, console, and board games kids have become the experts and help each other they do a family fun night at least once a year Wendy sets up DDR and Guitar Hero + Band Hero PS2s aren’t as versatile as the Wii but can still be good to get you started, especially with DDR had trouble finding games that would run on their old computers – used Civilization, a vet game, Star Wars (which is the most popular and is her only T game) gets shy and non-sports kids involved it’s fun to watch them socialize and help each other now we’re playing group Backseat Drawing — awesome! showed some books with game themes they also read a lot of guides and cheats — they do a ton of reading around gaming mentioned “Libraries Got Game” by Brian Mayer and Chris Harris and their alignment of board games with AASL’s standards (much love in the room for this) Wendy was supposed to defend the grant to the school board because they weren’t sure they wanted to accept “gaming” money, but they had ... Fri, 05 Mar 2010 21:59:12 +0100 823912 http://info.pop.psu.edu/2010/03/05/ccd-2006-2008-data-now-available/ Common Core of Data (CCD) 2006-2007 and 2007-2008 data files are now available on SodaPop.  Included are the Local Education Agency (school district) Universe Survey and the Public School Universe Survey. (Source: News from the PRI Library and Data Archive) Fri, 05 Mar 2010 15:56:36 +0100 823900 http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/FlaJobline/~3/8tnRTiJ0dnI/summer-reading-program-coordinator.html Leduc Public Library requires a creative and enthusiastic student to organize and deliver this year’s Summer Reading Program. This position requires excellent communication and organizational skills and a passion to deliver programs that encourage children to celebrate the wonders of literacy.This temporary full-time position runs May 17h through August 27th, 35 hours per week, and reports to the Youth Services Coordinator. The bulk of the work will take place during the day Monday through Friday however some weekend or evening shifts may be required. Experience working with children and knowledge of children’s literature will be a definite asset as is enrollment in a MLIS, Library Technician, or post secondary Education program.Salary: $17.00 per hour Duties: Creation and delivery of age appropriate Summer Reading Program activities for 6-12 year olds which includes storytelling, crafts and puppetry.Coordinate summer reading performers and guestsPromotion of Summer Reading Programs (e.g., visits to schools)Supervision and coordination of any teen volunteers (ages 12-15)End of summer evaluation of all programs and activitiesContacting local businesses regarding program donations Ability to lift at least 50 lbsOther duties as assigned Resumes with references should be sent by March 19th, 2010 at 4:00 p.m. local time to:Carla FrybortLibrary DirectorLeduc Public Library#2 Alexandra ParkLeduc, ABT9E 4C4Fax: (780) 986-3462cfrybort@library.leduc.ab.caOnly those applicants that have reached the interview stage will be contacted. (Source: FLA Jobline) Fri, 05 Mar 2010 15:11:50 +0100 823922