The Friends of the Albany Public Library

State budget cuts?

2008-08-18T19:29:00.001-04:00

The state Legislature is being recalled to Albany on Tuesday by Governor Paterson for a Special Session to consider $1 billion in additional cuts to the 2008-09 State Budget to address the state's fiscal situation. Included in the proposed additional cuts is a 6% reduction in Library Aid (on top of the 2% that was imposed back in the Spring). The library community has already done its fair share in shouldering the burden of the state's fiscal situation and now it is time for others to do their part.

If you have not already done so, please contact your state legislators to urge them to reject further cuts in Library Aid. Visit www.nyla.org and click on Contact you Elected Officials button to send a letter today. Thanks for your cooperation.

Speed matters: A report on Internet speeds in all 50 states

2008-08-15T10:33:00.000-04:00

From Communications Workers of America.

The results of a nationwide study of Internet connection speeds in the United States reveal little progress over the previous year in the country’s median data download speed. At the present rate—with a gain of only four-tenths of one megabit per second—it will take the U.S. more than one hundred years to catch up with current Internet speeds in Japan.

The national report is based on aggregated data from nearly 230,000 Internet users who took the online Speed Matters Speed Test (www.speedmatters.org), a project of the Communications Workers of America (CWA).

The Speed Test, which measures the last-mile speed of a user’s Internet connection, shows that the median real-time download speed in the U.S. is a mere 2.3 megabits per second (mbps). The best available estimates show average download speeds in Japan of 63 mbps, in South Korea of 49 mbps and in France of 17 mbps. That means the same multimedia file that takes four minutes to download in South Korea would take nearly an hour and a half to download in the U.S.

The Disconnected

2008-08-15T05:55:00.003-04:00

Who these 3.8 million people are, and why libraries need to help them
By Kathy Degyansky -- Library Journal, 7/15/2008. APL gets a mention!

Albany gun-violence forum set for Tuesday, Aug. 19

2008-08-14T17:11:00.001-04:00

Albany's Gun Violence Task Force will conduct a forum on Tuesday at 7 p.m. at Philip Schuyler Achievement Academy at 667 Clinton Ave.

For information contact the Rev. Valerie Faust, the task force's acting chair during August at 364-8931 or e-mail her at maschil7@att.net.

Lark Fest expansion

2008-08-14T17:06:00.001-04:00

The Times Union is reporting that this year's Lark Fest, which is from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 20, will be expanded to include the area of Washington Avenue and Townsend Park.

Trustee vacancy

2008-08-14T12:14:00.001-04:00

Have you ever thought about serving as a Trustee of the Library? Well, now you have your chance to be appointed.

Due to the untimely passing of library trustee and Board President Jim Gallagher, there is a vacancy on the Board. The Trustees are soliciting letters of interest from residents interested in being appointed to this seat. Visit the APL website or stop into your local Albany Public Library to learn how you can become our next trustee.

If you have questions about the position or just want more information, call Interim Library Director, Tim Burke at 427-4379 or you can email him.

Mean Librarian Salaries Up 2% in 2008

2008-08-13T12:20:00.000-04:00

To which one librarian quipped, "I wonder what the nice librarians got."

Associates Degree & Certificate Producers Rankings

2008-08-12T19:19:00.002-04:00

From Community College week.

Canadian dollars per litre

2008-08-11T12:55:00.001-04:00

On a website, I saw a reference to the price of gas as 1.279. Initially, I didn't get it. Then I realized I was on a Canadian website and it was a reference to Canadian dollars per liter. So what is that in US dollars per gallon? And how do I figure it out without having to do two calculations, one for liter to gallon and another for the currency.

Google, of course. To use my example, type: 1.279 CAD per litre in USD per gallon and click "Google Search". When I did it at noon on August 11, the result was "1.27900 (Canadian dollars per litre) = 4.58349234 U.S. dollars per US gallon". By the way, it doesn't matter if you spell it "litre" or "liter".

What you will need is the three-letter code for currency, which you can find several places, including here, one of the sites noted on this website.

More about Google's unit conversions g=here.

Tip of the cap to Arthur @ AmeriNZ, who mentioned this on his podcast.

Search Engine Use

2008-08-08T10:43:00.000-04:00

From Pew/Internet. "The percentage of internet users who use search engines on a typical day has been steadily rising from about one-third of all users in 2002, to a new high of just under one-half (49%). With this increase, the number of those using a search engine on a typical day is pulling ever closer to the 60% of internet users who use email, arguably the Internet's all-time killer app, on a typical day."

Librarians All a Twitter

2008-08-07T08:37:00.000-04:00

I'll admit that I didn't always understand Twitter, its appeal or particularly its functionality. After reading Want to try microblogging, but don’t know how to get started? Read on, I'm definitely seeing the applicability in library, business and news applications.

State archivist admits stealing more than $50K in artifacts

2008-08-06T15:11:00.000-04:00

By CAROL DeMARE, Staff writer, Times Union.

Podcasts from SLA 2008

2008-08-06T08:40:00.000-04:00

Here are podcasts of a few sessions from the SLA 2008 Annual Conference. Speakers and facilitators volunteered to have their remarks recorded. While questions were not included in the recording, you will hear the answers to queries from the audience.

Please note: These podcasts are MP3 files; you must have an MP3 player program installed on your machine to hear the recordings. The sound quality varies from one recording to another. In some cases, sound quality varies within a recording. It may take longer than you are used to to load.

Hill Library Trends Newsletter

2008-08-05T08:44:00.000-04:00

In the July 2008 edition of the Hill Library Trends Newsletter, learn what libraries can do to encourage funding and public support, find out which market research firm acquired another, and see how the U.S. House of Representatives is looking into the tracking of your activities online.

Albany Midtown Homeownership Program

2008-08-04T12:04:00.003-04:00

This Wednesday, August 6th, the City of Albany, Citizens Bank, Albany
Medical Center, The College of Saint Rose, The University at Albany,
Albany Law School, Albany College of Pharmacy and The Sage Colleges are
hosting an event to promote the Midtown Homeownership Program. The
event will take place from 4:00 - 7:00 p.m. in front of Albany Law
School at 80 New Scotland Avenue (the corner of Holland and New
Scotland) to provide information about the program and promote living in
Midtown.

The residents of Albany, the City and its partners would
like to help spread that message and encourage potential buyers to
consider Midtown for their new home. The Council of Albany Neighborhood Associations (CANA) will have representatives there from each of the participating institutions as well as realtors with listings in the area tabling to show off their Midtown properties. Local restaurants will bring samples of their food, donate gift certificates for raffle, or simply provide menus to hand out or display. The Capital District Transportation Authority (CDTA) will be there to promote the wonderful multi-modal, gas-saving, environmentally-friendly transportation available when living in an urban neighborhood as well as to tout their free-pass partnership with the Midtown Homeownership Program. The Affordable Housing Partnership of the Capital Region (AHP) , Albany Community Development Agency (ACDA) and several other well-known and well-loved acronyms will be represented as well.

Strong levels of homeownership are proven to increase the stability and
quality of life of any neighborhood. This program, which provides a
$5,000 forgivable loan toward downpayment and closing, has been
contributing to that goal since 2005. It has already added 50 new
homeowners to your communities. CANA is excited to re-energize and expand
the program, and hope you'll be there to spread good news
about Midtown.

Posted on behalf of CANA

Freedom From Mildew

2008-08-04T08:40:00.000-04:00

By NICK TAYLOR

THE Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum at Hyde Park, NY, the nation’s first presidential library, is literally falling apart. The roof leaks, the basement floods, asbestos is flaking from old steam pipes, an ancient electrical system could send the whole place up in smoke. This sorry situation is an insult to the person the library and museum honor: the founder of the New Deal, the greatest investment in our nation’s modern development.
Roosevelt inaugurated the tradition of national presidential libraries when he donated his personal and presidential papers to the government, as well as land from his estate along the Hudson River. Friends of the president formed a nonprofit corporation to raise money to build the library, which was designed by Roosevelt himself with a facade to incorporate the native Hudson Valley fieldstone that he loved. Construction started in 1939 and finished in 1941. Much of it has not been

SOURCE http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/28/opinion/28taylor.html

SOURCE http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/28/opinion/28taylor.htmlupdated since. (Yes, the visitors’ center, which opened in 2003, is new, but that’s not where the archives and the historical collection are stored.)
The National Archives and Records Administration runs the library and museum. It is a modest place compared with more recent presidential libraries, but the importance of the New Deal and World War II to researchers of 20th-century American history guarantees that the library’s archives are among the most used of the 12 presidential libraries. And with 110,000 visitors last year, it was among the most popular presidential museums.
While the library sits high above the river, its basement lies below the water table. Sump pumps installed in 1939 are supposed to keep it dry, but don’t. Storms have caused flooding in the basement where collections are stored and in restrooms and public areas. What’s worse, storm and sewer drainage run together, which means they mingle if there’s a backup in the basement.
The electrical system, which was also installed in 1939, has outlived the suppliers of replacement parts. Archivists turn the lights on and off using the original circuit breakers. And with the electrical vault in the flood-prone basement, the library’s director, Cynthia Koch, fears that a short in the system could set the place on fire and destroy the entire collection.
Parts of the steam heating system are also original, including the asbestos that was used to insulate the steam pipes. The asbestos is cracking and peeling, a danger to workers in the mechanical rooms and, less directly, to the public, including the 15,000 elementary and high school students who visit the library each year.
The heating system is so out of date that it can’t be calibrated or repaired. The staff members stuff towels against doorjambs to keep water out. An old transformer contains PCB, a dangerous toxic material. Household dehumidifiers are deployed among the archive stacks and museum exhibits in a losing battle to control damaging humidity. Security and fire systems are outdated. These conditions grossly violate the National Archives’ own standards for preserving its most valuable collections, and probably most local building codes.
The Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt Foundation has raised donations for new exhibition galleries to replace the current ones, but they can’t be installed until the building gets new electrical and heating and cooling systems. A modest sprucing up of the research room covered new lighting and reading desks, but no data ports or electric outlets for researchers were installed because the electrical system can’t handle them.
The House Financial Services Subcommittee has approved funds for repairs and new equipment at the library, covering the first year of a three-year program. The House Appropriations Committee is the next step, and, of course, the Senate must agree.
We can and should be better stewards of our history. Franklin Roosevelt’s New Deal agencies literally rebuilt the United States and brought it from the 19th century into the 20th. It would be sad if the original materials documenting this historic legacy, which brought us roads, bridges, dams and even libraries and museums, could not live on for centuries more.
Nick Taylor is the author, most recently, of “American-Made: The Enduring Legacy of the W.P.A.”

SOURCE
New York Times, July 27, 2008

Here's Some Weekend Entertainment

2008-08-02T08:33:00.001-04:00

Eight examples of Book Cart Drill Teams. Also there's a podcast. Listen to the story on the "Only a Game" website at this link. The librarian story starts at 40:15. You don't have to listen to the whole program. Wait for the feed to load and move the slider to 40:15 and you'll be able to listen.

As a library colleague who pointed this out to me, "Is this wrong?"

Leonard S. Marcus, author of Minders of Make-Believe, at U Albany

2008-08-01T04:23:00.001-04:00

Leonard S. Marcus will be speaking about his book Minders of Make-Believe: Idealists, Entrepreneurs, and the Shaping of American Children’s Literature

When: Thursday October 23, 2008, 4:00 PM,

Where: Standish Room, Science Library, University at Albany, SUNY

Free and open to the public

Leonard Marcus, one of the foremost authorities on the history of children’s literature, will discuss and sign his new book, Minders of Make-Believe (2008, Houghton Mifflin), an animated first-time history of the visionary editors, authors, librarians, booksellers, and others whose passion for books has transformed American childhood and American culture.

What should children read? Marcus tackles this three-hundred-year-old question that sparked the creation of a rambunctious children’s book publishing scene in Colonial times. And it’s the urgent issue that went on to fuel the transformation of twentieth-century children’s book publishing from a genteel backwater to big business. Marcus delivers a provocative look at the fierce turf wars fought among pioneering editors, progressive educators, and librarians - most of them women - throughout the twentieth century. His story of the emergence and growth of the major publishing houses - and of the distinctive literature for the young they shaped - gains extraordinary depth through the author’s path-finding research and in-depth interviews with dozens of editors, artists, and other key publishing figures whose careers go back to the 1930s.

Leonard S. Marcus began his publishing career with Awakened by the Moon, a widely acclaimed biography of Goodnight Moon author Margaret Wise Brown, and last fall Random House released Golden Legacy: How Golden Books Won Children’s Hearts, Changed Publishing Forever, and Became an American Icon Along the Way. Marcus, a consummate professional, capable of discourse on a wide range of topics, also possesses a wry wit, hinted at in the picture book he created with his wife, Amy Schwartz, Oscar: The Big Adventure of a Little Sock Monkey (HarperCollins/Katherine Tegen Books).

Free and open to the public. Seating is limited. RSVP to: Brian Keough, at bkeough@albany.edu or 518-437-3931. Sponsored by the University at Albany Libraries & the Marcia J. Brown Fund

Freddie Mac is seeking a reference librarian

2008-07-30T16:14:00.001-04:00

I don't usually post job positions, especially for a job in McLean, VA, but this one caught my interest:

Freddie Mac is seeking a reference librarian to provide comprehensive research, database searching, interlibrary loan, document delivery and collection development services to Freddie Mac staff and consultants. Provide a full spectrum of complex and highly specialized searches, using in-depth knowledge of multiple commercial on-line systems, such as Dialog, Lexis/Nexis, and Factiva/Dow Jones. Job requires an ALA-accredited Master’s degree in Library or Information Science; three years experience as reference librarian in corporate or law library; and a broad knowledge of print and electronic reference sources.

Other duties include:
Marketing the library through various outreach efforts Managing relationship with online service providers, including establishing IDs and troubleshooting end-user issues Serials control Using available research tools to proactively monitor hot topics of interest to library clients Monitoring new technologies for use in corporate library environment

We are looking for a self-starter who is a curious, creative problem solver with a team orientation and strong customer service skills. As part of a small team, must be willing to pitch in on all aspects of corporate information resources work. Experience in providing research for the financial service sector a definite plus.

Freddie Mac is a shareholder-owned Fortune 500 company with an important public mission: to make home possible for more of America's families. To do this, we need smart, creative people from diverse backgrounds who want to
make a difference in other people's lives as well as their own. Freddie Mac is
an equal opportunity employer who firmly supports and recognizes the value of diversity.

Visit http://www.freddiemac.com/careers/jobsearch/ to apply online for position 201280. You may also send resumes to lauren_duke@freddiemac.com.

Is Cuil Cool?

2008-07-29T09:09:00.001-04:00

A new search engine, Cuil - pronounced "cool" - started today. You can read all about its claims of being "better than Google" here and here, among many other places. Apparently, it was having start-up jityters, as one person indicated that one couldn't access it at all fotr a time.

But I got through and tried New York State Small Business Development Center; it actually suggested the whole name after I had typed New York State Sm

My result:
We didn’t find any results for "New York State Small Business Development Center"
Some reasons might be...

a typo. Please check your spelling.
your search includes a term that is very rare. Try to find a more common substitute.
too many search terms. Please try fewer terms.
Finally, try to think of different words to describe your search.

It’s the first item on Google. Meh.

And as a matter of vanity, I cuiled my blogs and they showed on the 7th page, while they're on the first page on Google.

As this writer noted: Cuil Not So Cool.

Librarians Of The Apocalypse

2008-07-28T11:28:00.000-04:00

Star Wars, stand aside! Doctor Who, you're a piker!

"There IS a wise and wonderful plan... of tomes and talismans!"

There was a series of instructional videos from the mid-1980s, put out by Mississippi educational television, called Tomes & Talismans meant to teach children about how to use the library. Described by my friend Dan, who tipped me off to this classic: "It revolves around a low
budget apocalyptic science fiction plot that is generously interrupted to, for instance, explain the Dewey Decimal System. The story is that everybody that matters is abandoning the Earth, while lunatics are running around trying to destroy books and beat up TV newscasters. Time is running out, but the heroine of the story MUST
RETRIEVE THE LAST OVERDUE BOOK. And there is no indication whatsoever that they were being funny or ironic. Absolutely delightful."

The whole Tomes & Talismans series is posted on YouTube, described there as a "Post-apocalyptic library science educational show from the mid-eighties. Learn all about the Dewey decimal system, card catalogues, and microfiche! And the fate of the Earth, of course." Dan had only watched the first episode, which was was broken down in three section and said the real action is in the third part. Each of the 13 episodes runs just under 20 minutes each.

1. Tomes Entombed— overview of library/research skills and concepts
Part 1 - noisy in the first couple minutes, but it clears up
Part 2
Part 3
2. Fact or Fiction— fact and fiction; alphabetical shelving
Part 1
Part 2: she IS a librarian
Part 3
3. Under Cover— parts of a book
Part 1
Part 2
4. In the Cards— card catalog
Part 1
Part 2
5. The System— Dewey Decimal Classification System
Part 1
Part2 : has most of the Dewey Decimal system laid right out for you
6. Information Quick— encyclopedia; typographical clues
Part 1 music to read your encyclopedia by
Part 2: the watermelon episode
7. Hidden Meaning— dictionary; thesaurus
Part 1
Part 2
8. Preference for Reference— special subject reference sources
Part 1
Part 2
9. Direction Unknown— maps; atlases; world almanac
Part 1
Part 2
10. SOS: Skim or Scan— skimming; scanning; paraphrasing; taking notes
Part 1
Part 2
11. Guide to Light— Reader's Guide; Children's Magazine Guide
Part 1
Part 2
12. Show and Tell— audiovisual resources
Part 1
Part 2
13. Final Report— summarizing reports; concluding research; bibliographic sources
Part 1
Part 2
***
Fear the Librarian

ROG

UN RECRUITMENT EXAM

2008-07-26T10:02:00.000-04:00

2009 UNITED NATIONS NATIONAL COMPETITIVE RECRUITMENT EXAMINATION
For U.S. citizens seeking junior professional posts.

EXAMINATION CRITERIA (all must be met)
1. Be no more than 32 years old as of December 31, 2009 (UN requirement).
2. Have at least an undergraduate degree (advanced degree is an advantage but is not required) in one of the following occupational fields or related areas:
· Administration
· Economics
· Finance
· Information Technology
· Public Information
· Social Affairs
· Statistics
3. Be fluent in English and/or French, the two working languages of the
Secretariat. Knowledge of additional official languages of the UN (Arabic, Chinese, Russian, Spanish) is a definite advantage.

NOTE: The exam may be limited to the 40 most qualified Americans per occupational group.

APPLICATION DEADLINE: October 31, 2008

Detailed information and application forms may be obtained at target=_new>www.un.org/Depts/OHRM/examin/ncrepage.htm
Examination will be held on February 24, 2009, in New York City and San Francisco.
Travel expenses to and from exam site will NOT be paid by the UN or U.S. Government.

Extraordinary Rendition: The Price of Secrecy

2008-07-25T08:26:00.000-04:00

From the American University Law Review.

Sweeping interpretations of presidential power and government secrecy after 9/11 bore fruit in the area of “extraordinary rendition.” Under this doctrine, the President claims to possess inherent authority to seize individuals and transfer them to other countries for interrogation and torture. In the past, Attorneys General and other legal commentators understood that: (1) Presidents needed congressional authority for these transfers and (2) the purpose was to bring the person to trial. Until recently, the Justice Department held that the President could not order someone extradited or rendered without authority granted by a treaty or statute.

Quiet in the library? Shhh!

2008-07-24T12:34:00.002-04:00

Editorial from the Chicago Tribune, which I initially found here.

The library, we thought, was a place for study and contemplation, not a hangout for gamers. Yes, we know modern libraries often have more DVDs than Blockbuster, more computers than the local community college and better coffee than Starbucks.

Comic books and CDs can be checked out along with books and magazines. Yoga and wine-tasting sessions supplement story hour, poetry readings and lectures. Some libraries have become de facto senior centers, resource labs for home-schoolers, rehearsal studios for community dance and theater groups . . . but still. Video games? What’s next—miniature golf? Walk-in medical clinics? Taco Bell?

Summer Reading Program

2008-07-24T10:18:00.000-04:00

A mid-summer reminder that the NYS Summer Reading Program website has lots of fun games and activities to supplement your own summer reading programs.

-Word games - insect puzzles in English, French and Spanish

-Online jigsaw puzzles - lots of creepy crawlies

-Reading Bug Quiz

-Silly Riddles

... and much more!

And don't forget to make a link to the site from your own web pages.