September 17, 2013

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ALA Urges FCC to Accelerate E-Rate Goals

By on September 17, 2013 Leave a Comment
broadband

The American Library Association on Monday asked the Federal Communications Commission to accelerate the goals of E-rate, the program that provides discounted Internet access and telecommunications services to U.S. schools and libraries. ALA’s statement specifically calls for faster deployment of high-capacity broadband and new strategic investments in infrastructure, as well as program changes to save costs and streamline the process so that more schools and libraries can participate in the program.

Filed Under: American Library Association (ALA), Budgets & Funding, Featured, Legislation, Public Libraries Tagged With: ,

Not for the Timid | What We’re Reading

By on September 16, 2013

We’re reading across the spectrum this week at Library Journal/School Library Journal, with nonfiction and fiction both represented. A cross theme of strong women, from actress Anjelica Huston to warrior maiden Alanna to Anne Frank’s sister, is in play, with some humor and fantastic fantasy thrown in. There’s also real-life drama, as beleaguered hospital staffers [...]

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: ,

SLJ/LJ Resources for September 11

By on September 11, 2013 Leave a Comment
HeroesMarvel

September 11 marks a difficult anniversary. To help children’s and young adult librarians navigate the challenging teachable moments that the day might raise and to guide those librarians working in universities and public libraries to address the potential research needs of their patrons, our editors have compiled these resources.

Filed Under: Featured, Public Libraries, Resources, Schools & Districts, SLJ Archives Tagged With: , ,

Round Rock Library (TX) Gets $49.5K Grant to Create After-School Maker Program

By on September 9, 2013 Leave a Comment
RoundRockTxLibrary

The Texas State Library and Archives Commission (TSLAC) has awarded the Round Rock Public Library System a grant of $49,500 to build Innovation Station, an after-school maker space and program that aims to engage middle schoolers in project-based science, technology, engineering, mathematics, art and design activities. The grant is part of a total $1.6 million in awards that TSLAC is distributing in fiscal 2014 to Texas library programs.

Filed Under: Budgets & Funding, Featured, Public Libraries, Public Services Tagged With: , , , ,

Indianapolis Public Library Shared Catalog System Adds Local School Partners

By on September 6, 2013
IndianapolisMarionCountyPublicLibrary

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.

Filed Under: Featured, Industry News, Public Libraries, Schools & Districts Tagged With: , , ,

Popularity Contest: 2013 Hugo Awards Crown SF Winners

By on September 5, 2013
Infinity Ring- Curse of the Ancients

The arrival of fall marks the start of the literary awards season. Already Japanese novelist Haruki Murakami is being touted as an odds-on favorite to win the Nobel Prize for Literature next month. But the cynic in me guesses that the always inscrutable Swedish committee of judges will bypass the best-selling author of 1Q84, Kafka [...]

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Miami-Dade County Will Keep All Public Libraries Open but Cut Hours, 169 Librarians

By on August 24, 2013
miamilibrary

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.

Filed Under: Featured, Industry News Tagged With: , ,

Columbus Metropolitan Library Announces New Position to Work with Area Schools

By on August 22, 2013
ColumbusLibrary

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 [...]

Filed Under: Featured Tagged With: , ,

In Philadelphia, School Librarians Still In Flux

By on August 22, 2013 Leave a Comment
Philly_skyline

Already hobbled, Philadelphia schools are facing their first day with fewer school librarians—continuing a trend in the metropolitan school district and the state of Pennsylvania as well. Of the approximately 22 remaining certified school librarians working in the Philadelphia school district, some are not returning to their school librarian positions.

Filed Under: Budgets & Funding, Featured, Schools & Districts Tagged With: , , ,

Educators, Parents Fight NYC Bid to Bypass State Mandate for School Librarians

By on August 20, 2013 2 Comments
NYC_DOE_8_20_13

New York City’s librarians, teachers, and parents are prepping for a major battle with the city’s Department of Education on the heels of its official request to the New York State Education Department last week that it be exempted from state minimum staffing requirements for certified school library media specialists. The city’s move follows years of quiet noncompliance with the state mandate despite two petitions from the local teachers union to the State Commissioner of Education.

Filed Under: Featured, Legislation, Librarians & Media Specialists, Schools & Districts Tagged With: , ,

Miami-Dade Will Shut Only Four Libraries but Major Layoffs Still Expected

By on August 15, 2013
CarlosGimenez

From the Miami Herald: Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Gimenez, who last month warned that 22 of the county’s 49 public libraries could be shut down this fall due to deep budget cuts, announced Thursday that his administration now expects to shutter only four. [Our emphasis]  The dramatic reduction, while welcome news to library supporters who have [...]

Filed Under: Industry News Tagged With: , ,

ALA Hosts First ‘Declaration for the Right to Libraries’ Signing

By on August 6, 2013 1 Comment
declaration

American Library Association (ALA) President Barbara Stripling unveiled the “Declaration for the Right to Libraries” on Monday during a signing ceremony at Nashville Public Library, the first in a series of signing events the ALA plans to host across the country in the coming months.

Filed Under: American Library Association (ALA), Featured, Industry News, Public Libraries, Schools & Districts Tagged With:

Maine State Librarian Touts E-Rate Success to Senate

By on July 18, 2013 Leave a Comment
EthernetEagle

Linda Lord, Maine’s state librarian, represented the nation’s 16,400 public libraries Wednesday in her call to Congress to provide a “proactive vision for meeting the educational and learning needs of our communities for the next 15 years and beyond.” Her testimony—at a hearing of the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation—also detailed the success of the E-rate program in helping serve more than 30 million people every week.

Filed Under: American Library Association (ALA), Featured, Legislation Tagged With: ,

Community Angered by Tossed Black History Collection

By on July 17, 2013 2 Comments
booksindumpster

Highland Park, MI, residents are still enraged that a selection of books and other materials from the local high school’s collection devoted to global black history was thrown away recently. The revelation that many hundreds of titles had been found in a dumpster has spurred one community protest, accusations of neglect and mismanagement, and the resignation of an appointed school board member.

Filed Under: Books & Media, Budgets & Funding, Collection Development, Featured, Schools & Districts Tagged With: ,

Breaking Bias: Inside Maureen Johnson’s ‘Coverflip’ Challenge

By on July 16, 2013 2 Comments
Created by Mellie Ryan.

Can you imagine what the covers of classic literary works written by men might look like if those books had been reclassified as “by and for women”? How would the designs be different—and how would that impact how we perceive those books? These are the questions YA author Maureen Johnson posed to her fans in “Coverflip,” a challenge to gendered book covers that limit their audiences.

Filed Under: Authors & Illustrators, Books & Media Tagged With: , ,

With Tighter COPPA Regulations, Librarians See Hurdles to Kids’ Internet Use

By on July 9, 2013
With Tighter COPPA Regulations, Librarians See Hurdles to Kids’ Internet Use

New rules take effect this month intended to protect kids’ privacy online, and some librarians are worried. Some say that the more stringent regulations may impede mobile app use in elementary schools—and also prevent kids from recreationally sharing favorite hobby sites with each other.

Filed Under: Featured, Technology Tagged With: , , , ,

Pew Study: Teens Still Love Print Media, ‘Traditional’ Library Services

By on June 25, 2013 Leave a Comment
SLJ_web_6_13_135551890

Tech-savvy younger Americans are more likely than older adults to have read printed books in the past year, are more likely to appreciate reading in libraries, and are just as strong supporters of traditional library services as older adults, a new national report from the Pew Research Center shows. And, according to the survey of Americans ages 16–29, a majority of young adults say it is “very important” for libraries to have librarians and books for borrowing.

Filed Under: Featured, Future of Libraries, Public Libraries, Public Services, Research, Teens & YA Tagged With: , , , ,

IMLS Says Libraries Key to Early Learning

By on June 20, 2013 Leave a Comment
GrowingYoungMindsCV

The Institute of Museum and Library Services and the Campaign for Grade-Level Reading today unveiled a new report on the role of museums and libraries in early learning, and issued a call to action for policymakers, schools, funders, and parents to include these institutions in comprehensive early learning strategies.

Filed Under: Common Core, Early Learning, Featured, Literacy, Organizations & Associations, Public Libraries, Public Services, Research Tagged With: ,

Follett Launches $50 Million Education-Focused Venture Fund

By on June 18, 2013

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.

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: , ,

ISTE Hopes ConnectEd Stirs Political Will to Fully Fund E-Rate

By on June 13, 2013 Leave a Comment
SLJ_ISTEandERATE

The White House’s announcement last week of the ConnectEd initiative, President Obama’s urging of the FCC to overhaul the E-Rate program, is only the first step in what must be a larger, committed effort to fully fund technology in our nation’s schools and libraries, the International Society for Technology in Education says.

Filed Under: Budgets & Funding, Featured, Legislation, Public Libraries, Public Services, Schools & Districts, Technology Tagged With: , ,
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