Institute of Museum and Library Services awards almost $3 Million to support conservation efforts at Nation's Museums (USA)

The Institute of Museum and Library Services has announced the 35 recipients of $2,994,748 million in Conservation Project Support (CPS) grants. These grants are awarded to museums that are committed to identifying conservation needs and priorities, and performing activities to ensure the safekeeping of their collections. "These 35 museums, by preserving and conserving their collections, are ensuring the longevity of our nation's treasures for the education and enjoyment of all Americans," said Anne-Imelda Radice, Director, IMLS"

First Monday - May 2009

First Monday - Volume 14, Number 5, 4 May 2009 now available

2009 Edgar Allan Poe Awards winners

The winners of the 2009 Edgar Allan Poe Awards have been announced

Radio Berkman: Open Accessories

"This week Peter Suber, Senior Researcher at SPARC gives us little look inside the battle for Open Access"

Roberta Stevens elected ALA President for 2010-2011

"Roberta Stevens, outreach projects and partnerships officer at the Library of Congress and project manager for the National Book Festival, has been elected president of the American Library Association for the 2010-2011 term, defeating Kenton L. Oliver, executive director of the Stark County District Library in Canton, Ohio. As ALA president, Stevens will be the chief elected officer for the oldest and largest library organization in the world. The ALA has a membership of more than 67,000 librarians, library trustees and library supporters. Its mission is to promote the highest quality library and information services and public access to information. Stevens will become president-elect in July 2009, and will assume the ALA presidency in July 2010, following the ALA Annual Conference. She will serve a one-year term as president and a one-year term as Immediate Past President"

2009 ACRL election results

Lisa Janicke Hinchliffe, coordinator for information literacy services at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, has been elected ACRL vice-president/president-elect. She will become president-elect following the 2009 ALA Annual Conference in Chicago, and assume the presidency in July 2010 for a one-year term. Lisabeth Chabot, college librarian at Ithaca College, and Ann Campion Riley, assistant director for technical services at the University of Missouri, have been elected to the ACRL Board of Directors as director-at-large. Full 2009 election results are available on the ACRL Web site

C&RL News - May 2009

C&RL News Volume 70, No. 5, May 2009 is now available from ACRL

Branford Boase Award 2009 shortlist

The shortlist for the tenth annual Branford Boase Award has been announced. The winner of the award will be announced on 9 July 2009 at an award ceremony to be held at Walker Books in London, UK:

* The Traitor Gate by B R Collins, Bloomsbury
* The Toymaker by Jeremy De Quidt, David Fickling Books
* Flood Child (originally published as Reavers' Ransom) by Emily Diamand, Chicken House
* Between Two Seas by Marie-Louise Jensen, OUP
* Bloodline by Katy Moran, Walker Books
* The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness, Walker Books
* Ways to Live Forever by Sally Nicholls, Scholastic (Marion Lloyd Books)

The Friday Brain-teaser from Credo Reference

The Friday Brain-teaser from Credo Reference - this week: Children. Answers here.

This week's brainteaser is about famous sons and daughters or their famous parents.

1. What is the name of the US actor and producer who is the son of Kirk Douglas?
2. What was the name of the American-Indian princess who was the daughter of Powhatan and who saved the life of English adventurer John Smith?
3. The Beatles' song "Hey Jude" was originally intended to be "Hey Jules", referring to whose son?
4. Liza Minnelli is the daughter of which American singer and film actress?
5. Which British guitarist was prompted to write the song "Tears in Heaven" by the death of his son, Conor, in 1991?
6. Who was the father of the Indian political leader Indira Gandhi?
7. What is the title of Prince Gautama Siddhartha, son of the rajah of the Sakya tribe ruling in Kapilavastu, Nepal?
8. Svetlana Alliluyeva is the only daughter of which former Soviet Communist leader?
9. The musician Frank Zappa had four children, all with unusual names. Can you give the first names of two of his children?
10. What were the first names of William Shakespeare's twin children?

Librarians' Internet Index - New This Week

Librarians' Internet Index - New This Week - April 30, 2009

Internet Resources Newsletter - Issue 172

Internet Resources Newsletter - Issue 172 - May 2009 - edited by Roddy MacLeod, Heriot-Watt University, is now available

Free access to influenza updates - EBSCO

"Due to the recent global outbreak of Swine Influenza, EBSCO Publishing and the DynaMed Editors are making DynaMed's latest information about Swine Influenza available at no charge to health care providers and institutions throughout the world. The DynaMed topic on Swine Influenza consolidates information from multiple sources for health care providers to stay current with recommendations for monitoring, diagnosing, and treating patients with flu-like illnesses during this outbreak"

English 4-11 Book Awards 2009 for the Best Books of 2008

English 4-11 Book Awards 2009 for the Best Books of 2008 have been announced. "English 4-11 is the only journal dedicated to English in the primary classroom. It is a joint publication of the English Association and the United Kingdom Literacy Association"

Directory of Open Access Journals - recently added titles

Advances in Hematology

Advances in Mathematical Physics

Asian Journal of Clinical Nutrition

Asian Journal of Crop Science

Asian Journal of Mathematics & Statistics

Asian Journal of Scientific Research

British Journal of Medical Practitioners

Current Research in Bacteriology

International Journal of Analytical Chemistry

International Journal of Biomaterials

International Journal of Chemical Engineering

International Journal of Pediatrics

International Journal of Zoology

Journal of Cancer Epidemiology

Journal of Toxicology

Obstetrics and Gynecology International

Revista Cubana de Fisica

Trends in Agricultural Economics

1611 : Revista de Historia de la Traducción

Byzantina Symmeikta

Design and Technology Education: An International Journal

Journal of Formalized Reasoning

Studiositas

Informática Educativa Comunicaciones

Intercâmbio

Revista de enseñanza y tecnología

Revista Lusófona de Educação

Journal of Industrial Engineering and Management

Journal of Qafqaz Universty

Global Media Journal : Canadian Edition

The Romanian Economic Journal

Current Cites - April 2009

Current Cites (edited by Roy Tennant) - April 2009 is now available

The Commons: Celebrating accomplishments, discerning futures (2008)

In December of 2008, CC and Harvard's Berkman Center for Internet & Society joined forces to bring you the panel discussion: "The Commons: Celebrating accomplishments, discerning futures." Panelists included James Boyle, The Public Domain; Lawrence Lessig, Remix; Joi Ito, Free Souls; and Molly S. Van Houweling, Creative Commons’ first Executive Director. Jonathan Zittrain, of the Berkman Center for Internet & Society, moderated. This movie is part of the collection: Open Source Movies. Creative Commons license: Attribution 3.0

Handel's Messiah: A Facsimile

"Marking the 250th anniversary of Handel's death, the British Library is publishing a full colour facsimile of the composer's most famous work, Messiah. Composed in the summer of 1741, Handel's original Messiah manuscript is one of the British Library's greatest treasures and the jewel in the crown of the music collections. Consisting of 280 pages, the draft score gives a fascinating glimpse into the composer's methods, showing his frequent changes of mind and occasional frustrations in committing his ideas to paper. The British Library's full-colour reproduction brings this creative process to life, showing every pen stroke and every crayon coloured amendment"

Wales Book of the Year 2009 longlists announced

The longlists for the Wales Book of the Year 2009 have been announced

2009 Arthur C Clarke Award winner announced

"Song of Time by Ian R. MacLeod and published by PS Publishing is the winner of this year's Arthur C. Clarke Award, the UK's premier prize for science fiction literature. The announcement was made at the award's official ceremony held in London, Piccadilly on the evening of 29 April at an exclusive event held as part of the opening celebrations of this year's SCI-FI-LONDON Film Festival. The annual award is presented for best science fiction novel of the year and selected from a list of novels whose UK first edition was published in the previous calendar year"

AASL seeking presenters for 2010 ALA Annual Conference

The American Association of School Librarians, a division of the American Library Association, is now seeking presenter proposals for the 2010 ALA Annual Conference. The conference will be held June 24-30, 2010 in Washington, D.C. The deadline to submit a proposal is 5 p.m. CDT on May 31, 2009

First female Poet Laureate named (UK)

"Carol Ann Duffy has been named as the new Poet Laureate, the first woman to be appointed in the 341-year history of the post. Duffy, 53, who takes over immediately from Andrew Motion and will serve 10 years in the position, says she will give the GBP5,750 annual payment away. The author, who is best known for her collection The World's Wife, is also the first Scot to be named Laureate. The appointment will be formally announced by the culture secretary" - BBC

Jazz Music Library from Alexander Street Press

"Jazz Music Library is the most comprehensive collection of jazz recordings available online - covering thousands of artists, ensembles, albums, and genres, from all over the world, from the beginnings of jazz to today. It's an essential resource for the study and teaching of jazz history, performance, theory, or appreciation." From Alexander Street Press

Webinar: How Social is Your Web Site

"Social media is a way for libraries to encourage, promote, innovate, learn, adapt, improve customer service, market library services, and to discover and deliver what users want. With all these benefits it's no wonder that libraries of all types and sizes are exploring the social media landscape. This information packed session will provide practical advice, tools, tips, and tricks on easy ways to optimize your website for this new social environment. Find out how other libraries are using social media to promote libraries and engage with users. Are you ready for the social?" - Presenters: Darlene Fichter, Coordinator for Data Library Services, University of Saskatchewan Library. Jeff Wisniewski, Web Services Librarian, University of Pittsburgh - 7 May 2009 - No charge for SLA Members

FreePint Newsletter 276

FreePint Newsletter 276 - 30 April, 2009 now available

A new look JISC website

"The JISC website is sporting a brand new look and feel, complete with an easy-to-use, topic-based navigation system that will help you find the information you want more quickly and easily. Ben Whitehouse, JISC digital communications manager, said: 'The revamp of the site is the result of listening to you, the people who use it. We have looked at how we can meet your information needs most effectively and improve your online experience.' Some of our work has been informed by our Audience Experts Panel of Librarians and e-Learning practitioners, who took part in focus groups last year. We also collated information via online surveys and some people took part in prototype testing our new customised homepage feature"

Giving It Away: Books, Business and the Culture of Free

Giving It Away: Books, Business and the Culture of Free. Presented by Humber College and the Book and Periodical Council in association with Authors at Harbourfront Centre - June 19, 2009 - Toronto, Canada

AALL Spectrum - May 2009

AALL Spectrum - May 2009 is now available from the American Association of Law Libraries

"At the Library" (SFPL) - May 2009

"At the Library" - Events and happenings at the San Francisco Public Library - May 2009 issue now available

The Berkshire Encyclopedia of China via Exact Editions

The Berkshire Encyclopedia of China is now available in the Berkshire Publishing shop on the Exact Editions platform. The printed volume sets will be released and sent to subscribers shortly, but the whole work is now searchable and freely sampleable. Example results for searches on 'Deng', 'HIV', 'Canton', 'Guangzhou', 'Nixon' 'Obama'

Irish Book Awards 2009 shortlists announced

"The shortlists for the Irish Book Awards 2009 feature an extraordinarily eclectic mix of authors including major literary figures such as Seamus Heaney, Sebastian Barry, Maeve Binchy and Marian Keyes alongside famous names from the world of entertainment and sport including Rachel Allen, Kathryn Thomas, Ross O'Carroll Kelly and Ronan O'Gara. The IBAS is the only industry wide event of its kind in the history of the Irish book sector and no other literary awards cover as broad and varied a range of categories. This year you can cast your public vote online for all categories (except Lifetime Achievement.) The eventual winners will be announced at The Gala Awards Dinner in Dublin's Mansion House on May 6, 2009."

2009 Waltham Forest Literature Festival

2009 Waltham Forest Literature Festival - 15-24 May 2009 - Walthamstow, UK

Los Angeles Times 2008 Book Prize winners announced

The 2008 Los Angeles Times Book Prizes were awarded Friday evening at 8pm, April 24, 2009, in a private ceremony at the Los Angeles Times building

The 56th Jane Addams Children's Book Awards winners

The winners of The 56th Jane Addams Children's Book Awards have been announced

Blackwell revolutionises reading with print-on-demand book machine

"Frustrating 'out-of-print' and 'out-of-stock' books will become a thing of the past with a new machine that prints books on demand. In the future, any novel, manual, journal or academic title, no matter how old or new can be printed in just under five minutes. On 24 April, Blackwell launched the Espresso Book Machine® (the "EBM") at its London flagship store in Charing Cross, which currently holds more than 400,000 publications. By summer there will be over a million titles available, the equivalent of 23.6 miles worth of shelving or over 50 bookshops rolled into one, in a machine the size of a photocopier."

Children's laureates choose their classics (UK)

"Just William, Stuart Little and Mary Poppins have beaten Harry Potter in being named the greatest children's books of all time. The boy wizard was not chosen for the Laureates' Table, a new promotion at Waterstone's that is part of the 10th anniversary of the Children's Laureate. Children's laureates Quentin Blake, Anne Fine, Michael Morpurgo, Jacqueline Wilson and Michael Rosen (pictured) each selected seven books but have favoured the classics over the modern era. Only five of the 35 books selected were published during the last 20 years." - The Bookseller

SirsiDynix Institute Web Seminar: May 13, 2009

SirsiDynix Institute Web Seminar - "Leading in Difficult Times" - May 13, 2009. Presented by Kitty Pope, Executive Director, Alliance Library System

E-JASL - Spring 2009

E-JASL: The Electronic Journal of Academic and Special Librarianship - v.10 no.1 (Spring 2009) is now available

2009 Locus Award finalists

The top five finalists in each category of the 2009 Locus Awards have been announced. The Locus Awards will be presented during the Science Fiction Awards Weekend in Seattle, WA, June 26-27, 2009

Google adds search power to public data

"We just launched a new search feature that makes it easy to find and compare public data" - Official Google Blog

Read This Now - video from ALA

"ALA's book and media awards represent some of the best works of the year. In this video, the chairs of many of the committees charged with choosing the award winners discuss the winning books and why they were selected"

Scholarly Communication 101 Road Show hosts selected

The ACRL Scholarly Communication Committee has selected five sites from 46 applications to host the Scholarly Communication 101: Starting with the Basics workshop this summer. Recognizing that scholarly communication issues are central to the work of all academic librarians and all types of institutions, ACRL is underwriting the costs of delivering this proven content by sending expert presenters on the road. The 46 applications represented nearly 150 colleges, universities, consortia and library networks from more than 30 states, Canada and Puerto Rico. The institutions selected are:

ACRL Louisiana Chapter, Baton Rouge, La.
Auraria Library, Denver
State University of New York at Buffalo Libraries, Buffalo, N.Y.
University of Puerto Rico at Mayagüez, Mayagüez, Puerto Rico
Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis

Literary cat makes library visits (UK)

A Kent library has been visited almost every day for two years by its own "puss in books", the council has said. Fidel, an eight-year-old black cat, turns up at Deal library almost every day while his owners are at work. He spends the day on his favourite blue chair, only leaving the building when he sees his owners arriving home. Staff say they have never tried to encourage Fidel with food and even used to put him outside when he first began to visit them, but he always came back. - BBC

Copyright Clearance Center teaches "Copyright Basics" with free animated educational video

Copyright Clearance Center, the rights licensing expert, has released a short animated video designed to help people understand copyright law. "Copyright Basics" is a six-and-a-half minute video that follows the dashing "Jim T. Librarian" as he explains the importance of copyright to a co-worker. The video is free to use for educational purposes by organizations or individuals and can be viewed and downloaded

New blog: Law Librarians of Leisure by Christine Sellers

"My name is Christine Sellers and I am a law librarian, now with some unexpected time on my hands. I was a Senior Research Librarian at Haynsworth Sinkler Boyd, P.A., in Columbia, SC, until April 15, 2009. In an effort to provide something positive to the law librarian community out of this experience, I've created this blog. I hope it will serve to gather statistics, post jobs and advice, and provide a place to stay connected."

3,000 course texts to be made available free online to further education colleges (UK)

"From May 2009 to September 2014, students at UK further education colleges will have free online access to 3,000 course texts as a result of the e-books for FE project, funded by the Learning and Skills Council and JISC. 80,000 votes were received from colleges during the consultation period, and the titles selected cover a diverse range of subjects - from Fashion Design to Engineering, from Heath and Social Care to Automobile Electronics, and from Beauty Therapy to Practical Lambing. The titles will be available on the ebrary platform, and colleges will have the opportunity to buy additional e-books at specially discounted prices to add to the collection. This will enable each college to build a digital library of e-books tailored to meet the needs of its students"

Stumpedia

"Stumpedia is a social search engine that relies on human participation to index, organize, and review the world wide web. Stumpedia does not depend on bots, algorithms, or company insiders to make decisions on the relevance and ranking of search results"

Massachusetts Library Association 2009 Conference

Massachusetts Library Association 2009 Conference - May 5-8, 2009 - Springfield, MA, USA

Wayback Machine comes to life in new home

Brewster Kahle talks about the new computer which houses the Wayback Machine

What is it like to be a Library & Information Professional in the 21st Century?

What is it like to be a Library & Information Professional in the 21st Century?: Forum and debate from a new professionals perspective - 6 July 2009 - London, UK

Amazon buys ebook firm Lexcycle Inc.

"Amazon.com Inc. has acquired Lexcycle Inc., a company that makes a popular ebook reading application for Apple Inc.'s iPhone called Stanza. Terms of the deal weren't disclosed. The acquisition adds to Amazon's growing portfolio of ebook offerings. The Seattle Internet company sells the Kindle e-book reader as well as e-book titles in its own format. In addition, Amazon recently unveiled Kindle software for the iPhone." - WSJ

Technology Competencies Webinar

On April 29 2009 WebJunction is hosting a free webinar about libraries that are using technology competencies to identify what training staff need and how staff can succeed at their jobs. Speakers:

* Lori Reed, Public Library of Charlotte and Mecklenburg County (NC)
* Phyllis Winfield and Kim Gales, Worthington Libraries (OH)
* Kris Rosenburg, St. Johns County Public Library System (FL)

The presenters will discuss how they implemented a competency-based program in their library, including steps to:

* create a training program
* define job descriptions and
* assess staff needs.

PLA now accepting talk table proposals for 2010 National Conference

"The Public Library Association is now accepting talk table proposals for its 12th National Conference, to be held March 23-27, 2010 in Portland, Ore. Proposals may be submitted through an online form, available on the PLA National Conference website. Faxed or mailed proposals will not be accepted. Proposals may be created and updated until July 20. PLA will notify all successful applicants by September 1 and provide date and time assignments by November 15" - ALA

2009 STM Spring Conference

2009 STM Spring Conference: What keeps Scholarly Publishers up at Night? Political Environments: Threats & Opportunities, Copyright Challenges & Web 3.0 - 28-30 April 2009 - Cambridge, MA, USA

The Miles Franklin Literary Award 2009

The shortlist for The Miles Franklin Literary Award 2009 has been announced:

Breath - Tim Winton - Penguin
Ice - Louis Nowra - Allen & Unwin
The Pages - Murray Bail - Text Publishing Melbourne Australia
The Slap - Christos Tsiolkas - Allen & Unwin
Wanting - Richard Flanagan - Knopf (Random House Australia)

LISTen: The LISNews.org Podcast - Episode #69

LISTen: The LISNews.org Podcast - Episode #69. "This week's episodes deals with biological science. First up we have about five minutes of audio from the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention in Atlanta on Swine Flu. Considering that most libraries are contact environments where such things could spread, this was deemed to be rather important. If circumstances warrant, further coverage may air unscheduled during this week. Following that we've got an interview with Dr. Kirsten Sanford, also known as "Dr. Kiki". A neurophysiologist by training, Dr. Kiki talked to LISTen about changes with Scientific American and how that modifies the knowledge ecology. After that segment, a network operations report is presented followed by the zeitgeist round-up". Previous Podcasts can be found here

JISC Podcast: A self-confessed geek on JISC's 'Developer Happiness' event

"In this podcast Kerry O'Neill talks, via Skype, to digital libraries and e-learning Programme Manager David Flanders who speaks about the benefits of Web 2.0 technologies, as well as the aspirations and outcomes of a JISC-supported event for web developers called 'Developer Happiness Days'"

Information Obesity by Andrew Whitworth

"Information Obesity is an exploration of information literacy and ICT skills education from the point of view of social and political theory. It uses these theories both to argue why the idea of information literacy is so important in the 21st century, and also to develop some teaching strategies to this end. The book argues that only through expanding the range of information literacy education - taking it beyond just formal school and university education and into homes, friendship networks and workplaces - can we construct an effective educational response to information technology in the 21st century. Information literacy includes, but transcends, ICT skills and ultimately is about being politically, socially and communicatively competent in an information society. Although this is a book about 'education', it argues that we need to start thinking of education as something done by families, friends, workmates and society as a whole, as well as schools and colleges. Each chapter introduces the readers to some social and political theory, but in ways accessible to a lay audience. To complement each section, 'think tasks' and practical exercises will help the readers apply the insights in their personal contexts"

World Press Freedom Prize 2009

The late Sri Lankan journalist and editor of the Sunday Leader Lasantha Wickrematunge, who was assassinated on 8 January this year, has been named laureate of the 2009 UNESCO World Press Freedom Prize

Life of Pi website relaunched to recruit readers

"Canongate publishers has revamped the Life of Pi website in time for a worldwide readalong of the Man Booker Prize winning novel. Yann Martel's Life of Pi was first published by Canongate in 2001 and went on to win the Man Booker Prize in 2002. Since then it has become one of the biggest selling Man Booker Prize winners in the prize's 40 year history. The relaunch of the Life of Pi website coincides with Canongate's bid to recruit 31,419 readers (taking inspiration from Pi) of the award-winning novel. The readalong, which will take place during August, aims to attract new readers as well as anyone who has already read and loved the book. Those who sign up will join in a shared reading experience with thousands of people all over the world"

Images from the History of Medicine (IHM)

Images from the History of Medicine (IHM) provides access to nearly 70,000 images in the collections of the History of Medicine Division (HMD) of the U.S National Library of Medicine (NLM). The collection includes portraits, photographs, caricatures, genre scenes, posters, and graphic art illustrating the social and historical aspects of medicine dated from the 15th to 21st century. The records from the Images from the History of Medicine database are also searchable in LocatorPlus. The purpose of the IHM database is to assist users in finding and viewing visual material for private study, scholarship, and research. This site contains some materials that may be protected by United States or foreign copyright laws. It is the users' responsibility to determine compliance with the law when reproducing, transmitting, or distributing images found in IHM.

MELUS: Multi-Ethnic Literature of the U.S. via Project Muse

MELUS: Multi-Ethnic Literature of the U.S., published by The Society for the Study of the Multi-Ethnic Literature of the United States, is now available via Project Muse

Project Gutenberg April 2009 Newsletter

The Project Gutenberg April 2009 Newsletter is now available online

Integrative Biology

Integrative Biology is a new, open access, journal of quantitative biosciences from nano to macro

Directory of Open Access Journals - recently added titles

Analele Universitatii Bucuresti : Chimie

Asian Journal of Algebra

Asian Journal of Epidemiology

Crimes and Misdemeanours : Deviance and the Law in Historical Perspective

Pamukkale Universitesi Egitim Fakultesi Dergisi

Diabetes, Metabolic Syndrome and Obesity: Targets and Therapy

Estudos Semióticos

Journal of Computer Science & Systems Biology

The Application of Clinical Genetics

Art and Research : A Journal of Ideas, Contexts and Methods

Dio : The International Journal of Scientific History

Dio and the Journal for Hysterical Astronomy

Nanotechnology, Science and Applications

OncoTargets and Therapy

Open Access Surgery

Psychology Research and Behavior Management

Reports in Medical Imaging

Revista Virtual de Química

Risk Management and Healthcare Policy

Public Reason

EnvironmentAsia

Les Dossiers du Grihl

Revista Corpoica : Cienca y Tecnología Agropecuaria

Revista Discurso Jurídico

New IFLA website

On Wednesday 22 April Claudia Lux, IFLA President, officially launched the new IFLA website. This happening took place in the presence of all IFLA Governing Board members that were gathered in The Hague at IFLA HQ for the April Governing Board Meeting.

Earliest-known book jacket discovered in Bodleian Library

"A librarian at Oxford's Bodleian Library has unearthed the earliest-known book dust jacket. Dating from 1830, the jacket wrapped a silk-covered gift book, Friendship's Offering. Unlike today's dust jackets, wrappers of the early 19th century were used to enfold the book completely, like a parcel. Traces of sealing wax where the paper was secured can still be seen on the Bodleian's discovery, along with pointed creases at the edges where the paper had been folded, showing the shape of the book it had enclosed. The wrapper was discovered by the Bodleian's head of conservation, Michael Turner, when sorting through an archive of book-trade ephemera that had been bought by the Bodleian in a sale in 1892. The jacket had been separated from its book, and had never been catalogued individually. It remained hidden until the library was contacted by an American scholar of dust jackets looking for the earliest known example." - The Guardian

Shh, this is a digital library (UK)

"Once upon a time a love of books and reading was considered a key requirement for an aspiring librarian. Today, with the advent of digitalisation and moves towards the virtual library, such an interest is no longer enough. Librarians must master sophisticated IT and information management skills as well as the traditional techniques..." - Times Online

Appointment of new Librarian and Archivist of Canada

The Prime Minister of Canada has announced changes in the senior ranks of the Public Service including the appointment of Dr. Daniel J. Caron as the new Librarian and Archivist of Canada. Dr. Caron has served at Library and Archives Canada since its creation, most recently as Senior Assistant Deputy Minister. In addition to his years at Library and Archives Canada and before that at the National Archives of Canada, he has held numerous positions in his 27-year career within the federal public service. Dr. Caron's appointment is effective Monday, April 27, 2009

The Shirley Jackson Awards

"In recognition of the legacy of Shirley Jackson's writing, and with permission of the author's estate, the Shirley Jackson Awards have been established for outstanding achievement in the literature of psychological suspense, horror, and the dark fantastic. The Shirley Jackson Award will be voted upon by a jury of professional writers, editors, critics, and academics, with input from a Board of Advisors. The awards will be given for the best work published in the preceding calendar year in the following categories: Novel, Novella, Novelette, Short Story, Single-Author Collection, and Edited Anthology. The Shirley Jackson Awards will be presented on Sunday, July 12 2009, at Readercon 20, Conference on Imaginative Literature, in Burlington, Massachusetts, USA"

2009 CILIP Carnegie and Kate Greenaway Children's Book Awards shortlists

The shortlists for the 2009 CILIP Carnegie and Kate Greenaway Children's Book Awards have been announced

Online Catalogs: What Users and Librarians Want

In 2008, OCLC conducted focus groups, administered a pop-up survey on WorldCat.org - OCLC's freely available end user interface on the Web - and conducted a Web-based survey of librarians worldwide. The Online Catalogs report presents findings from these research efforts in order to understand:

* The metadata elements that are most important to end users in determining if an item will meet his or her needs
* The enhancements end users would like to see made in online library catalogs to assist them in consistently identifying appropriate materials
* The enhancements librarians would recommend for online library catalogs to better assist them in their work
The findings indicate, among other things, that although library catalogs are often thought of as discovery tools, the catalog's delivery-related information is just as important to end users

Six volumes of Papal documents

Six volumes of Papal documents are now live. These consist of Petitions to the Pope, the Calendar of Vatican Papers for the first part of the reign of Elizabeth I, and three volumes of the Papal Registers. The Registers are entries in the Vatican archives which relate to Great Britain and Ireland; more volumes in this series will be published online in the coming months - British History Online

Mashed Library UK 2009

Mashed Library UK 2009 is a semi-unconference style event centred around the theme of data mash-ups in a library context ("bringing together interested people and doing interesting stuff with libraries and technology"). The first event took place at Birkbeck College in November 2008. The main sponsor of the event is Talis. July 7 2009 at the University of Huddersfield, UK

The Friday Brain-teaser from Credo Reference

The Friday Brain-teaser from Credo Reference - this week: General Knowledge. Answers here.

1. What should you do with a "brioche" - play it, eat it, or rub ointment on it?
2. Which American performer wrote and sang songs about "Sweet Caroline" and "Cracklin' Rosie"?
3. How many major tournaments do you have to win in one season to get a "grand slam" in tennis or golf: three, four or five?
4. Is Chianti a red wine or a white wine?
5. Calabria is a region of which country?
6. Which group of brothers starred in the films "Monkey Business", "Horse Feathers" and "Duck Soup"?
7. In which part of your body is the "patella": the arm, the knee or the skull?
8. Is Seoul the capital of North Korea or South Korea?
9. Was the "Cuban Missile Crisis" in 1962, 1972 or 1982?
10. Who drew a cartoon in "New Yorker" magazine with the caption
"Well, if I called the wrong number, why did you answer the phone?"

Reading for Life (UK)

"Reading for Life aims to promote the benefits of reading for your life, opportunities, health, family happiness and overall enjoyment. It's come out of the 2008 National Year of Reading. "

RCUK publishes report on open access study

"Research Councils UK has published an independent study commissioned by the Research Councils into open access to research outputs. The purpose of the study was to identify the effects and impacts of open access on publishing models and institutional repositories in light of national and international trends. This included the impact of open access on the quality and efficiency of scholarly outputs, specifically journal articles. The report presents options for the Research Councils to consider, such as maintaining the current variation in Research Councils' mandates, or moving towards increased open access, eventually leading to Gold Standard"

Gates Foundation pledges $57M to improve library Internet access in Vietnam, Poland, Romania

The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation will spend $57 million to improve Internet access at public libraries in Poland, Romania and Vietnam. The grants announced this week will focus largely on training librarians to use Internet resources, to make it easier for library patrons to get vital information and educate themselves and their children, officials said - StarTribune

DailyLit's April Newsletter

DailyLit's April Newsletter is now available

Orange Prize for Fiction 2009 shortlist announced

The Orange Prize for Fiction 2009 shortlist has been announced:

* Scottsboro by Ellen Feldman
* The Wilderness by Samantha Harvey
* The Invention of Everything Else by Samantha Hunt
* Molly Fox's Birthday by Deirdre Madden
* Home by Marilynne Robinson
* Burnt Shadows by Kamila Shamsie

Library Assessment Conference 2008 Proceedings now available

The proceedings of the 2008 Library Assessment Conference, "Building Effective, Sustainable, Practical Assessment," held August 4–7 in Seattle, Washington, are now available freely on the Web and for purchase in print or on CD-ROM

SPARC e-news - April 2009

SPARC e-news - April 2009: a bimonthly newsletter features the latest SPARC activities, an industry roundup, upcoming workshops and events, as well as articles related to developments in scholarly communication

2009 NYLA Annual Conference

2009 New York Library Association Annual Conference. Libraries: Peace, Love & Freedom - October 14-17, 2009 - Niagara Falls, New York, USA

OCLC announces strategy to move library management services to Web scale

"OCLC is connecting the content, technology and expert capabilities of its member libraries worldwide to create the first Web-scale, cooperative library management service. Member libraries can take the first step to realizing this cooperative service model with a new, 'quick start' version of the OCLC WorldCat Local service"

York University Libraries books scanned, digitized at Internet Archive (Canada)

York University Libraries are working with the Internet Archive to scan thousands of pre-1923 books and get them on the web in high-quality digitized versions available for free to the entire world

JISC Podcast: How JISC opens up resources for education

In this podcast Kerry O'Neill talks with e-learning Programme Manager David Kernohan about what JISC is doing in the Open Educational Resources arena.

Bookarmy

"Bookarmy is a social networking website for every sort of reader. Whether you're a bookaholic or someone who picks up a book only once a year while relaxing on holiday, bookarmy is the place to discuss and review books, build reading lists, get the best book recommendations, and where you and your friends, family or classmates can read books together. What makes bookarmy different from other book sites is that here you can make direct contact with authors; see what star rating they have given books, browse their reading lists, ask them questions about their own writing, and recommend titles to them"

Henry VIII blog at The British Library

"News, reviews and updates on the British Library's major exhibition on Henry VIII, running from 23 April to 6 September 2009" There is also an RSS Feed

Panlibus Magazine - Spring 2009

Panlibus Magazine - Spring 2009 edition now available from Talis

The Orwell Prize 2009 winners announced

The winners of The Orwell Prize 2009 have been announced:

* Andrew Brown wins Book Prize for Fishing in Utopia
* Patrick Cockburn wins Journalism Prize for London Review of Books and The Independent
* Jack Night wins Special Prize for Blogs for NightJack - An English Detective
* Judges award additional Special Prize to Tony Judt

5th International Digital Curation Conference

5th International Digital Curation Conference: "Moving to Multi-Scale Science: Managing Complexity and Diversity" - 2-4 December 2009 - London, UK

The People's Book Prize (UK)

The People's Book Prize - a unique award in three genres in which the public is judge and jury - will launch on 1 June. The power behind it is Tatiana Wilson, Publisher of Delancey Press, whose objective is the discovery of "quality work by new authors", and the award's patrons are novelist Beryl Bainbridge and broadcaster Paul Blezard.

Docklands library at 'heart of buzzing town centre' (UK)

"Plans for a GBP14m library that will dominate a new civic plaza in London's docklands have been unveiled by Southwark Council. Shaped like an inverted pyramid the striking structure will overhang the Canada Water basin. Designed by Piers Gough the four-storey building also has an atrium, with a timber-lined central spiral staircase, and will have a grass roof and a ground source heat pump. The library will sit at the edge of a new town centre open space that will be designed to provide facilities for a farmer's market, large TV screenings and festivals"

Librarians' Internet Index - New This Week

Librarians' Internet Index - New This Week - April 23, 2009

Google Librarian Central - April 2009

Google Librarian Central - April 2009 issue now available

'Orwell' library to be restored

The library where George Orwell researched his book The Road To Wigan Pier is to be restored. The Grade II-listed building, now the History Shop in Wigan town centre, will receive a GBP1.6m transformation over the next year to create a heritage hub. Restoration firm William Anelay said it meant Wigan's history would be in one place for the first time. "It's the story of Wigan from the Romans to the Battle of Wigan Lane," said a spokesman for the company. The Wigan Leisure and Culture Trust said the conservation project was possible following a £500,000 grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund. - BBC

Dentistry & Oral Sciences Source™

Coming in 2009, EBSCO Publishing will release Dentistry & Oral Sciences Source™. The schedule for release is:

* Release of BETA Version: April 17, 2009
* Full Release: June 1, 2009

"The release of Dentistry & Oral Sciences Source means that dental practitioners and researchers now have a definitive place to start and finish their online dental literature research. This revolutionary new database contains cover-to-cover indexing and abstracts for 160 journals and dozens of monographs. It includes indexing for all dentistry and oral sciences journals commonly purchased by dental schools and other related institutions"

DailyLit collaborates with HarperStudio

DailyLit is collaborating with HarperStudio to launch Who is Mark Twain?, a collection of never-before-published-essays by Mark Twain. This collection is being made completely free to DailyLit readers

Oxford University Press releases "Lessons from the Identity Trail"uUnder CC license

Lessons From The Identity Trail: Anonymity, Privacy and Identity in a Networked Society is a collection of essays edited by Ian Kerr, Valerie Steeves, and Carole Lucock recently published by Oxford University Press. Focusing on "the importance and impact of anonymity and privacy in a networked society", Lessons From The Identity Trail is being released under a CC BY-NC-ND license, allowing for the free sharing and spreading of the work.

CLA/ACB announces 2009 winner of the CLA/YBP Award for Outstanding Contribution to Collection Development and Management

The Collection Development and Management Interest Group of the Canadian Library Association/Association canadienne des bibliothèques has announced that Carol Stephenson (Wilfrid Laurier University Library) is the 2009 winner of the CLA/YBP Award for Outstanding Contribution to Collection Development and Management. Ms Stephenson is currently Head of Collections and Acquisitions at Wilfrid Laurier University and has served with distinction not only at Wilfrid Laurier University but also at the University of Waterloo, and previously as Project Manager for the OCUL VDX project.

New ACRL publication: Library Rx

The Association of College and Research Libraries has announced the publication of a new title, Library Rx: Measuring and Treating Library Anxiety by Martina Malvasi, Catherine Rudowsky and Jesus M. Valencia. "Library Rx" presents research findings on library anxiety in college and university students. There is strong evidence that library anxiety, the inadequate feeling students have when lost in overwhelming buildings that present mountains of information in all formats and professionals who may seem busy and unapproachable, has a negative impact on undergraduate student performance. The authors review existing research on student reactions to the library environment, describe the finding of a research project on library anxiety and present ideas for its treatment.