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One week from today, the Kirkendall Public Library, in the Des Moines suburb of Ankeny, IA, will open its new maker space, the first of its kind in central Iowa. The space, officially called Hatch, will include a 3-D printer, video and audio editing equipment, an image scanner, a traditional sewing machine and a serger, and tools for digitizing VHS, vinyl, and audio cassettes.
Nearly 10,000 students at 20 local schools now have access to the Indianapolis Public Library’s collection of nearly two million items as part of the library’s growing Shared System, an inter-library collaboration that provides online circulation services and joint access to the catalogs and collections of member institutions.
According to U.S. Census Bureau statistics released today, college enrollment in fall 2012 plunged by half a million (467,000) from one year earlier. This decline, which includes both graduate and undergraduate enrollment, follows a period of substantial growth (3.2 million) between 2006 and 2011. INFOdocket editor Gary Price examines the data, including relevant K–12 statistics.
From AL.com: One week after facing an official GOP reprimand for failing to oppose Common Core, Sen. Bill Holtzclaw is calling upon state educators to ban a novel used in conjunction with the national standards. Holtzclaw objects to “The Bluest Eye,” Toni Morrison’s first novel, being included on high school reading lists. He said was [...]
Six weeks after cautioning it could shutter 22 public libraries, Miami-Dade County has found a way to keep all 49 facilities open at least some of the time, offering stripped-down services. In all, 169 librarians would lose their jobs by Oct. 1, and libraries would operate about three-quarters of the hours they do now, according to The Miami Herald. INFOdocket editor Gary Price shares the latest developments.
An impressive commitment from CEO Pat Losinski and the entire team at CML. Kudos! From 10TV.com: On the same day the state released school report card data, the Columbus Metropolitan Libraries announced a new position designed to “help ensure that students have the resources to succeed outside of the classroom.” CML officials announced Thursday the [...]
From the WSJ: New York City school librarians are fighting back. A group of librarians and parents held a rally Wednesday morning to protest the city’s request for a waiver from state librarian staffing requirements. Standing on the steps of Tweed Courthouse, the Department’s downtown Manhattan headquarters, librarians said they couldn’t just be replaced by [...]
Follett announced today a partnership with U.S. publisher Hachette Book Group (HBG) to provide preK-12 school libraries and students expanded access to popular children’s titles. Award-winning books such as Jewell Parker Rhodes’s Ninth Ward and Sherman Alexie’s The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian will be available in an ebook lending format for the 2013-2014 school year. The company recently announced a similar agreement with Random House Children’s.
Follett has partnered with Random House to offer new and popular ebook titles to school libraries. The partnership gives librarians the opportunity to enhance their collections with popular titles such as Rachel Hartman’s Seraphina and Christopher Paul Curtis’s The Watsons Go To Birmingham – 1963.
Starting later this year, Bing For Schools will offer schools in the U.S. the option to tailor the Bing experience for K-12 students by removing all advertisements from search results, enhancing privacy protections and the filtering of adult content, and adding specialized learning features to enhance digital literacy.
From Follett: Follett Corporation today announced the establishment of the Follett Knowledge Fund, a capital funding source for new technologies that have the potential to improve and even disrupt the way educational content is delivered and consumed. Follett has committed $50 million to the fund, which complements and extends the company’s extensive portfolio of digital solutions and tools.
From Digital Book World (w/ Additional Links): More than 200 digital book entrepreneurs competed in the hackathon and the winner was announced today at Book Expo America after a final round in which each company was given six minutes to pitch its idea to a panel of technology experts. The Publishing Hackathon attracted 200 people in [...]
House Bill 5614 (An Act Cocerning Ebooks and Libraries) passes Connecticut House of Representatives. Bill now heads to Senate. From the AP: The state House of Representatives voted Tuesday 143-0 to pass a bill requiring the commissioner of consumer protection to report to the General Assembly on the issue by Feb 1. The bill, which [...]
From the Columbus Telegram: The Columbus Public Library Board received its second materials challenge in five months and again rejected the protest. This time a patron objected to the book “Batman: The Killing Joke” by Alan Moore and Brian Bolland. [Clip] It is currently located in the young adult area of the library, but cataloged [...]
Update May 14: More on This Story in a New Library Journal Article by Meredith Schwartz From Bloomberg: Cengage Learning Inc., the educational publisher owned by Apax Partners LLP, said it’s seeking to negotiate with creditors on a restructuring plan and may need to file bankruptcy as part of its turnaround efforts. “We will seek [...]
Odgen, UT is located about 40 miles north of Salt Lake City. From Fox 13 Salt Lake City: The twenty Library Media Specialists were called to a mandatory meeting on Friday morning where they were told that their contracts won’t be renewed and their positions will no longer exist starting July 1. According to the [...]
Here’s a brief update on the all-digital, bookless library system now under construction in Bexar County, Texas (San Antoni0) that infoDOCKET and many others first posted about in early January. From the San Antonio Express-News: Construction is underway on the system’s 5,000-square-foot base of operations at 3505 Pleasanton Road. County Judge Nelson Wolff, Precinct 1 Commissioner Sergio [...]
The live webcast along with a live is scheduled for April 18, 2013 at 2pm Eastern/11am Pacific. It’s being organized by Connected Learning. Blurb An in-depth look at YOUmedia’s strengths as a space for connected learning, and broader considerations for application in other environments. Speaker Info Penny Bender Sebring is a founding co-director of the [...]
From Madison.com/Wisconsin State Journal: Wisconsin public schools have received $30.1 million from a state trust fund to help purchase materials for their libraries. School districts can spend the money awarded Monday on books, newspapers, periodicals, and some digital materials. A state trust fund set by the constitution uses loan interests generated on public lands to [...]
Mr. Workman passed away on Sunday. He was 74. Here’s a roundup of coverage. Announcement from Workman Publishing Blog He was the founder, president and CEO of Workman Publishing Company, one of the largest independent publishers of nonfiction trade books and calendars. In addition to the Workman imprint, the company consists of Algonquin Books of [...]
