MORE 'PUBLIC-LIBRARIES' POSTS
From The Guardian: Major literary names including Salman Rushdie, Art Spiegelman and Mario Vargas Llosa are protesting the planned $300m restructuring of the iconic Fifth Avenue branch of the New York Public Library, saying it is “a misplaced use of funds in a time of great scarcity”. A letter signed by more than 700 writers, […]
From the El Paso Times What’s new is the Algur H. Meadows Library — named after the late Dallas art collector and entrepreneur — is now open to the public with set hours. Previously, it was by appointment only and was primarily used by the museum’s staff, said Michael Tomor, director of the art museum. […]
From The Sacramento Bee: The Friday closures are scheduled May 18, and June 15 and 29. “Funding shortfalls have left the library with few choices to maintain services to the public,” Library Director Rivkah Sass said in a written statement. The library was faced with either laying off 15 to 18 staff members, requiring the […]
From the San Diego Union-Tribune: The Escondido Public Library is adding to its collection in a very modern way. A new program called LibraryYOU — the first of its kind anywhere — lets community members share expertise and local knowledge through videos and podcasts. The digital documents are cataloged like any other material in the […]
A new report released by the Carnegie UK Trust. From the News Release The Trust argues that public libraries can’t stand still in a changing world. Library services and buildings need to respond to the challenges and opportunities of reduced public spending, the digital age, and changes in lifestyles. Primary Materials Full Text Report (72 […]
GPO Releases Some Preliminary Data from 2011 Biennial Survey of Depository Libraries
Academic Libraries, Data Files, Libraries, Management and Leadership, Patrons and Users, Public Libraries, Resources, Special Libraries
|From an Article Appearing in the May 2012 Issue of FDLP Connection: In 2011, submissions were received from 1181 depository libraries, resulting in a ninety-eight percent response rate from FDLP participants. Of these, 837 were from academic libraries (including law schools), 197 from public libraries, 78 from state or state court libraries, 56 from Federal […]
Massachusetts Awards Statewide Online Database Contracts to Three Vendors
Academic Libraries, Awards, Companies (Publishers/Vendors), Data Files, Funding, Gale, Libraries, News, Public Libraries, Resources
|From the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners (MBLC) and the Massachusetts Library System (MLS): The MBLC [has] awarded contracts to Gale Cengage, Inc., ProQuest, Inc. and Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc. for statewide online magazine, newspaper, e-reference and encyclopedia databases to begin on July 1, 2012. [Clip] Among the resources are 22 periodical, biographical, e-reference and news […]
Singapore Airlines, one of the world’s great air carriers, is partnering with the National Library Board of Singapore to provide a larger selection of audiobooks to the airlines in-flight entertainment system. From Today’s Announcement: Customers on board Singapore Airlines flights can now look forward to a wider selection of audio books on KrisWorld, the Airline’s […]
Florida: Brevard County Libraries Remove Erotic Best-Seller ‘Fifty Shades of Grey’
Associations and Organizations, Libraries, Public Libraries, Publishing
|UPDATE (May 10, 2012): ’50 Shades of Grey’ won’t be coming to some libraries (via CSM) UPDATE (May 10, 2012) How Libraries in Wisconsin, Georgia and Florida are Dealing With 50 Shades of Grey; Comments from Random House, the Book’s Publisher (via AP) UPDATE (May 10, 2012): ALA’s Office Of Intellectual Freedom Issues Statement on […]
Results from Two OCLC Member Surveys About U.S. Academic and Community College Libraries Now Online
Academic Libraries, Digital Collections, Interactive Tools, Libraries, Public Libraries, Reports, Resources
|Two new reports with results from surveys of librarians are now available. Both are loaded with statistics and charts. U.S. Academic Libraries: A Snapshot of Priorities & Perspectives (4 pages; PDF) U.S. Community College Libraries: A Snapshot of Priorities & Perspectives (4 pages; PDF) Key Findings (via OCLC): Most academic and community college library staff: […]