Library Stuff

“Lawmakers are calling for a study of the availability of e-books to Connecticut public libraries. 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 originally called on publishers to offer e-books to libraries at a reasonable price, was amended to reflect lawmakers’ concerns about the likelihood of lawsuits.” (via AP)

“At a table in the library of the Maryland Historical Society, an investigator with the National Archives pulls file folder after file folder from a cardboard box and hands them to library director Patricia Dockman Anderson. An FBI agent sits nearby. Item No. 451: an invitation to meet Vice President Hubert Humphrey in Hawaii in 1966. Item No. 1695: a ticket stub to the 1912 Democratic National Convention. Item No. 1332: a program linked to President Abraham Lincoln’s 1865 funeral. Until recently, the documents were evidence, some of the more than 10,000 items seized in a massive theft investigation that ensnared a well-known collector of presidential memorabilia and his assistant. This week, however, they were returned to the society to become again pieces of history available to researchers.” (via AP)

“BEN FRANKLIN was one of our greatest visionaries and the founder of the first public library in America. I wonder what Franklin would think of the “visionaries” now running the Free Library of Philadelphia. The Library is asking the city of Philadelphia to restore a 20 percent funding cut, while, through a new policy, it is losing $70,000 in fines that it collects from customers who lose or are late in returning borrowed materials.” (via Philadelphia Daily News)

“The Library Copyright Alliance (LCA) applauds the introduction on May 9, 2013, of H.R 1892, the Unlocking Technology Act of 2013, by Reps. Zoe Lofgren (D-CA), Thomas Massie (R-KY), Anna Eshoo (D-CA), and Jared Polis (D-CO). The bill guarantees that legitimate uses of digital works and technologies will not run afoul of copyright law, even if they require breaking digital locks. Prompted by the recent uproar over cell phone unlocking, the bill recognizes that issue as a symptom of a much larger problem and would fix that problem permanently.” (via Library Copyright Alliance)

“From the tragic death of (Internet activist and digital wunderkind) Aaron Swartz to a recent CU-Boulder faculty resolution, new federal funding agency policy directives from the White House, and extensive international media coverage, the movement to provide open access to research and scholarship continues to build momentum and evolve at a rapid pace.

via Colorado University Libraries)

“Talk about imposing: the ceremonial stone stair leading to bronze gates and carved doors; the frieze of inspiring names and the vaulted hall that seems the very definition of hallowed. And the books, bound portals opening to anywhere imaginable, available to all comers. In cities across the nation, the central public library came into being when the country was young and striving to impress. Charles F. McKim’s Italianate palazzo-style library opened on Boston’s Copley Plaza in 1895; in 1921, Renaissance austerity suited Detroit’s Main Library designed by Cass Gilbert, while architect Bertram Grosvenor Goodhue chose Egyptian Deco for Los Angeles’s downtown Central Library of 1926. Architecturally grand, the central library was both beacon and monumental tribute to learning and civic pride; a people’s palace with knowledge freely available to all. But, really, when was the last time you spent any time there?” (via WSJ.com)

“Here’s some overdue news: The Brooklyn Public Library hauled in a whopping $1.9 million in fines last year — but it’s just a petty cash for a system needing $250 million in restoration work.The fines represent a 20% jump from the $1.5 million hauled in 2008 — and include a big boost from an online payment option unveiled in 2009, but not widely used until this year, the records show.” (via NY Daily News)

“NEW YORK, LexisNexis® Legal & Professional, a leading provider of content and technology solutions, today announced that its industry-leading legal drafting solution, Lexis® for Microsoft® Office now integrates with Lexis Advance®. With the advanced features, functionality and content of Lexis Advance, Lexis for Microsoft Office now offers users even more options to quickly surface relevant results directly within their legal drafting process, streamline their workflow and improve the quality of their work product – directly embedded within Microsoft® Word and Outlook®.” (via LexisNexis)

“I’m truly pleased to announce the launch of NYPL’s new home page! It has more and better feature items for us to share great NYPL activities and materials with you, and a new book recommender tool that we’re really excited about. This new design–which we will continue to improve–builds off of a history of Web research, as well as a lot of recent work at NYPL suggesting we should do a better job of exposing our patrons to the full breadth of great NYPL services, programs, and other offerings. If you’re here just to share thoughts about the new home page, feel free to skip down to the comments section and tell us what you think! Otherwise, read on for more detail on how we came to this design, our goals for it, and how we’ll try to figure out whether or not we’ve succeeded.” (via The New York Public Library)

“After a careful deliberation by a review committee, Northville Public School’s officials have chosen not remove the book “Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl – The Definitive Edition” from the middle school reading options. In a letter to the community, Assistant Superintendent for Instructional Services Robert Behnke indicated removing the book would amount to censorship.” (via hometownlife.com)