NETLS
NEWS
NORTHEAST TEXAS
LIBRARY SYSTEM NEWSLETTER
#131
Mar./Apr./May/Jun. 2003
Coordinator’s
Column
It’s
hard to believe that another year has come and gone.
It has been a challenging year.
Everyone is facing some test, whether it’s budget reductions,
staffing problems or professional questions.
Though the Texas budget for the next biennium has been certified, we
don’t know yet what level of funding to expect for NETLS.
With
all of the grim news, there are some highlights on the horizon, though.
The Texas State Library and Archives Commission (TSLAC), using the
firm of Himmel and Wilson, has undertaken a study of public library
development. Though changes may be recommended, the consultant’s initial
report indicates that much of what is in place is working.
A joint TSLAC and Texas Library Association (TLA) task force has been
formed to evaluate the recommendations of the study and involve the library
community with implementation.
Another
opportunity for the improvement of public libraries is a 2nd
joint task force, the TSLAC/TLA
Task Force on Public Library Standards and Accreditation.
I have agreed to chair this task force.
The charge to the task force includes the following:
§
Review
and evaluate recommendations from the Study of Public Library Development in
Texas related to minimum requirements for system membership as well as to
review and evaluate criteria for state assistance programs in other states;
§
Evaluate
the current Texas Public Library Standards and the Minimum Standards for
Accreditation of Public Libraries in the State Library System (Minimum
Criteria) for their timeliness, comprehensiveness and appropriateness;
§
Recommend
to the TSLAC and the TLA Executive Board, Council and Public Libraries
Division the relationship that should exist between the standards and the
Minimum Criteria;
§
Recommend
future changes, if any, to the Texas Public Library Standards and to the
Minimum Criteria.
Though
the thought of change can cause concern, the intent of this process is to
create a roadmap that will lead to better public libraries for all Texans.
As a part of this process, NETLS will provide a
series of opportunities to discuss and debate the “Standards”.
These meetings will be 2 to 2½ hours and will be scheduled in 10
locations around the System, sometime in August.
We encourage you to take part in this dialog about the Standards.
2003 NETLS Awards
NETLS
Awards for 2003 were presented during the Annual Awards Luncheon at the
Holiday Inn Select in Garland, June 12.
The libraries represented by our award winners received gifts donated
by various vendors. This
year’s winners are:
--
Citizen of the Year
Sara Norman, VAN
ZANDT COUNTY (Canton)
--
Library Volunteer of the Year (libraries serving 12,000 and under)
Verna Cage, VAN
ALSTYNE PUBLIC
--
Library Volunteer of
the Year (libraries
serving over 12,000)
Betty Irwin, ROCKWALL
PUBLIC
-- Library Project of the Year (libraries serving 12,000 and under)
Expansion and Renovation Project, BONHAM
PUBLIC
--
Library Project of the Year (libraries serving over 12,000)
Daycare
Bookmobile, DUNCANVILLE
PUBLIC
--
Library
Leadership Award
Current & Past Board Members,
SULPHUR SPRINGS PUBLIC
--
Government
Official of the Year
Dr. Carol Wilson, RICHARDSON
--
Lifetime
Achievement Award
Lloyd Bockstruck,
DALLAS
PUBLIC
--
Library
Director/Employee of the Year
Cami Loucks, LANCASTER
VETERANS MEMORIAL
--
Elizabeth
Crabb Award
Margaret
Irby Nichols
Contributors
to NETLS Luncheon
A
special “Thank you” to the following individuals, vendors, and libraries
who donated funds and/or gifts to the June Membership Meeting and Awards
Luncheon:
allianceUSA;
Christie Ploof, Representative
(972.503.4136)
BBC
America; Robert
Haddock, Representative (800.621.0182 x142)
Baker &
Taylor;
Jeff Scott, Representative (800.775.7930)
Bissell, Parna;
Independent Representative for Heinemann Library, National Geographic, ABDO,
Disney & Raintree books, and Hooked on Phonics (972.470.9267)
Bound to Stay
Bound;
Bill Tobin, Representative (800.637.6586 x3537)
Brodart Company;
Cheryl Duke, Representative (972.307.5559)
Brodart/McNaughton;
Guy McMullen, Representative (800.233.8467)
Ingram
Library Services;
Jeff Bowman, Representative (800.937.5300 x37472)
Janway Company;
Patty Zerphey, Representative (800.877.5242)
Library Design
Systems, Inc.;
Fred Baucom, Representative (877.234.1657)
Sagebrush
Corporation;
Carol Kahn-Thomas, Representative (800.642.4648)
SIRS
Publishing Inc.;
Jenniffer Hudson, Representative (800.232.7477)
Star Books;
Carol and Tim Timmins, Owners (817.927.0324)
The
Library Corporation
(TLC); Gerry Davies, Representative (800.767.4784)
Thorndike
Press;
Peggy Sheehan, Representative (800.223.1244 x1042)
Timberwolf
Press;
Bill Armstrong, Representative (972.359.0911 x106)
tutor.com;
Stephen Casey, Representative (214.902.0815)
Word of
Grace Christian Bookstore; LeeAnn Hamilton, Owner (903.796.7433)
TLA District 5
Fall Meeting
The
TLA District 5 meeting will take place at the Robert E. Lee High School in
Tyler on Sept. 20. The theme of
this year’s meeting will be “Hats Off to TLA District 5.”
Further
information on the meeting and a list of program topics will be available in
future Newsletters.
TexShare
Database Menu Pages
Jay Velgos,
Technical Operation Specialist at TexShare,recently announced that over 150
small and medium-sized libraries across the state have chosen to participate
in the custom menu page project. Currently,
27 NETLS-area libraries are participants.
As a part of the project, TexShare creates and
hosts customized gateway pages that allow participating libraries to provide
unique in-library and remote access to the TexShare Databases.
The customized pages offer the following benefits:
·
A
library specific, easy-to-remember Web address
·
A menu
page prominently branded with the library’s name
·
Direct
links to the library’s Web page and reference desk
·
Pages
are usable for both in-library and remote users
·
An
option is available for tracking usage statistics for the library.
There is no charge for this service.
TSLAC will create and maintain gateway pages for any Texas public
library unable to verify identity of their own users and for any Texas
academic libraries at institutions with enrollment below 1,500.
CONTINUING EDUCATION
Upcoming NETLS
Workshops
Explore!
Fun with Science
·
Thurs.,
July 10 – L.E.R. Schimelpfenig Library (PLANO PUBLIC)
Explore!,
a space science program for young patrons, is a cooperative project between
the Lunar & Planetary Institute, NASA’s Office of Space Science and
public libraries. The program is comprised of activities, resources and NASA
handouts. Attendees will launch
rockets, build a space colony and design a safe landing craft for a fragile
egg. Presented by Mary Noel,
Lunar & Planetary Institute.
Technology
Issues: Gates Grant Training
Program
·
Mon.,
July 21 - Titus County Civic Center (Mount Pleasant)
·
Tues.,
July 22 -
THE LIBRARY AT CEDAR CREEK LAKE
(Seven Points)
·
Thurs.,
July 24 – North Lake Community Library (IRVING
PUBLIC)
This
workshop focuses on three major areas: disaster planning for technology,
outcome-based evaluation for technology projects and implementing new
technologies in the library. Your
library does not need to be a Gates grant recipient to attend this training.
It is open to all levels of library staff, and presented by Christine
Peterson, Amigos Library Services. You
may register online for this workshop at <http://www.tsl.state.tx.us/ld/workshops/gatestrain/issues.html>.
Keeping
It Simple: PR, Promotion and Marketing for Public Libraries
·
Mon. & Tues., Aug. 11-12 - TYLER PUBLIC
·
Wed. & Thurs., Aug. 13-14 - W. W.
HARRISON PUBLIC
(Greenville)
This two-day interactive seminar is designed to put the fun in and take
the sting out of marketing for public libraries. Learn the steps to simple, efficient and practical library
promotion. You’ll also learn
that the skills needed for best marketing practices are exactly those many
librarians possess. The new
recommended Texas public library standards include a public relations
section with essential and enhanced marketing targets.
Attend
this seminar and learn how to develop a well-rounded marketing plan.
Presented by Alexis Sarkisian, a library marketing consultant with
extensive experience in the private and nonprofit sectors.
LIBRARY TECHNOLOGY
Email: Spam
or Ham?
Any library staff member who receives Internet
email is no doubt contending with piles of junk email, also known as
“spam”. Offers from the
latest pill discounts to X-rated Web sites clutter everyone’s inbox.
NETLS Technology Consultants have been bombarded with questions from
member librarians on how to escape from the deluge of junk email.
No
one with an email address is immune from this problem.
Articles in technical magazines and local newspapers feature lively
discussions of methods for preventing or defeating spam invasions.
A
recent article by John Udell in InfoWorld,1
describes a free software package that has the potential to help control
this problem. SpamBayes, a spam filter program, <http://
spambayes.sourceforge.net> creates an attachment to the MS
Outlook 2000 email program that identifies and differentiates “spam”
from “ham” (good email) by using words or symbols that frequently show
up in junk email (i.e., “lose weight ”) as tags.
The
software lets users view the list of tag words or items used by the program,
and allows them to “train” the program controls to spot new tags that
may appear as spammers change their messages.
Email messages are “scored” by the number of tags that appear in
the message and the resulting percentage figure defines the email as
“ham”, “possible spam” or “certain spam”.
Suspected spam can be moved into folders.
Users can keep their email inboxes free of suspected spam, while
checking the spam folders regularly to either delete or accept the messages
parked in them.
The
SpamBayes program is still in the alpha (developmental) stage, so it
is not necessarily ready for everyone to install. Currently, it may only be
used with MS Outlook 2000 or Outlook XP, not Outlook
Express or other email programs. However,
Microsoft users who have some technical know-how and whose irritation with
spam exceeds their fear of experimental software might want to try it out.
This
software is for an individual computer and not designed for a network.
There are some software packages designed for whole networks (such as
the one used by Hotmail), but currently these are prohibitively expensive
and lack the flexibility and custom controls that SpamBayes provides.
Possibly,
the appearance of this program on the market will lead other software
providers to develop additional forms of spam filters.
Sourceforge.net
is an open source software development organization; their products,
including SpamBayes, are free. An
installer program to assist users with installing and configuring the
program has been created at <http://starship.python.net/crew/mhammond/spambayes>
.
Library
staff members who would like to 
further
discuss this software are encouraged to contact NETLS Technology Consultant
Roy Lewis at 972.205.2571; <rlewis@netls.org>
.
1Udell,
John, “SpamBayes Knows Spam When It Sees It,” InfoWorld, May 19,
2003, 40.
A
Tool for Updating Windows
Updating
the operating system for computers in the library can be a time-consuming
and complex task. Large
libraries have a separate city or county department responsible for this
task. However, smaller
libraries are not as lucky, and those librarians have to put on their
“computer jockey” hats and plan how to take care of it.
In many cases, the task is put on the back burner for an indefinite
period, and unfortunately, this puts the library network in a vulnerable
position.
Home
users and small libraries can click on the Windows Update tool located in
the Program group (to find this tool, click on “Start” and then
“Windows Update”). This
tool links to the Microsoft Web site, which will tell users which updates
are available for their particular PC.
The user can decide which of the updates to download and install.
For the individual user, this is the best way to update their
operating systems with the latest browser versions, patches and/or fixes.
In
larger libraries however, the update tool would become burdensome.
The process is time-consuming and, if repeated in a library with 25
to 30 computers or more, would have to be completed during the night or at a
time when the library is closed to avoid public service interruptions. Not
the ideal situation.
Products
are available on the market that will allow an administrator to automate the
update process, but they are expensive.
The ideal tool would allow updates and patches to be downloaded one
time to a single server so the administrator can review and approve each
update and then schedule the updates to be sent to each PC.
Microsoft
has developed a free tool called Software Update Service (SUS) that does
exactly that, more or less. The
administrator sets up one server to be the target machine which checks for
updates during the night and downloads them.
The next morning, the administrator approves of the appropriate
downloads. The library’s
other PCs are pre-configured to accept the update from the library server
sometime during the night or the next time the PC is switched on. The
concept is good and the price is right, but SUS does have some drawbacks.
The
most notable drawback is that it only works with Windows XP, Windows 2000
Server/Professional and Windows Server 2003.
This means that since SUS does not work with older versions of
Windows, the best scenario would involve deploying SUS in a library that is
planning to update the operating systems for the library network. There are
other limitations as well. SUS
does not work with service packs, updated drivers, third-party updates or
Office updates. That means SUS
only works with updates that fall into the category of security updates,
patches and fixes.
Another
drawback is that SUS is not the type of tool a librarian/part-time computer
jockey can easily install. The
software must be installed on a server in the library and each PC must be
installed with a client component that accepts updates from the library
server. Some of the install
involves making changes to the registry, a task only experienced users
should attempt.
Despite
these hurdles, SUS could still be a useful tool for libraries with
increasingly smaller budgets. Librarians
at smaller libraries should certainly keep this tool in mind when working
with a tech support vendor. The
librarian could ask that this tool be installed at the beginning of a
technical support contract, which would have the effect of minimizing the
vulnerability of the library network and creating a more efficient update
process.
For
more information about SUS, go to the Software Update Services Homepage at <http://www.microsoft.com/windows2000/windowsupdate/sus/default.asp>.
For
questions regarding this or any other technology used in public libraries,
contact Jerry McCulley, Library Technology Consultant at <jmcculley@netls.org>
or call 972.205.2569.
Collaborate
on Web Sites with Contribute
The
day-to-day tasks of updating and maintaining a Web site can seem endless,
especially if the job lands in the lap of one person. That one person may cry for help.
Some
libraries are lucky enough to have more than one person working on the
library Web site. This usually
means sending update information to a Webmaster, who at a much later time
makes the necessary changes to the site.
This process causes a bottleneck.
Contributors fret and worry while they wait for their new information
to be added. Webmasters feel
overworked and under-appreciated as they try their best to add the necessary
information and protect the integrity of the code that makes up the web
site.
Assigning
library staff to act as contributors in the maintenance of the Web site
might relieve the workload of the Webmaster, but could cause problems with
the functionality of the site itself. Multiple
contributors directly adding content to a Web site can create unexpected
results, such as one contributor accidentally removing information added by
another contributor. There
is another way.
Macromedia,
creator of Dreamweaver, has developed a software product that should
be of great interest to many librarians.
The product is called Contribute, and can be used by
non-technical staff. The
interface works like a browser and is easy to use.
The
contributor browses to the page to be edited and simply makes the desired
changes. Contribute
includes email integration, which allows staff members to review each
other’s pages for approval before publishing them.
Also, previous versions of pages are stored, making it easy to go
back to a previous version of a page. Contribute
also works well with Microsoft Word and Excel, allowing users
to drag and drop content from those programs into a page without additional
formatting.
The Webmaster or administrator uses Dreamweaver to establish
editable areas and non-editable areas.
Staff members are allowed to view the entire page but only make
changes to the editable area. Additionally, the Webmaster can set a maximum
file size for images to avoid images that have not been prepared or
optimized for the Web, reducing the download demand on the library Web site.
Although
this product may not work well for some, it could be a tremendous boon to a
library that has a single Webmaster for the entire city or county.
A 30-day free trial is available by download at <http://www.macromedia.com>
.
MEDIA
Missing Shipping
Cases
Library staff members who use the NETLS Die Block
Collection are familiar with the gray or brown fiber boxes that are used by
Media Services to ship the die blocks to our libraries.
Recently, our box inventory has come up short.
Several of the shipping boxes have not been returned to the NETLS
office.
We
are asking all libraries that make use of the NETLS Die Block Collection to
check their shipping areas for our missing cases. If any are found, please return them to NETLS Media Services;
625 Austin St.; Garland 75040.
New Spanish
Language Materials
Twenty
Spanish language programs have recently been added to the NETLS Media
Collection. The new programs are translations of many of the most popular
children’s titles produced by Weston Woods Studios, among them Chato’s
Kitchen (Chato y su cena), Musical Max (Max, el prodigo
musical) and Chrysanthemum (Crisantemo).
To
see a complete list of the new titles, library staff members may go to the
NETLS Online Media Catalog <www.av.netls.org>
and click on the “Newly Acquired” button or search for all Spanish
language titles under the subject listing “Foreign Language Materials.”
Illegally Copied
Media
A
notice was recently posted to the Videolib online list by Schlessinger
Media. An online company called
Let’s Help Foundation has been selling illegally copied videos to schools
and libraries for free, while charging $8.45 for shipping and handling.
The videos are the legal property of Schlessinger Media and several
other companies. Let’s Help Foundation did not have the permission of any of
these companies to reproduce or sell the titles listed on their Web site.
The FBI and other law enforcement agencies are investigating the
company and its owner.
Libraries that may have purchased videos from the Let’s Help Foundation
are requested to contact the Customer Service Dept. at Schlessinger Media at
800.843.3620; <cs@libraryvideo.com>
.
Library staff members are urged to be very cautious when purchasing
videos online from companies who offer deals that seem “too good to be
true”. The possibility of
winding up with bad quality, pirated, or out of date materials is always
there and it is almost impossible to retrieve funds that have been sent to
one of these companies.
Most
videos produced by reputable educational video producers will contain
professionally printed labels and packaging.
For example, all Schlessinger Media titles will always have
professionally printed color sleeves and packaging.
NOTEWORTHY
Names in the
News
Jeri
Baker, manager
of the Park Forest Branch of DALLAS PUBLIC, is retiring after 30 years of
service.
Mary
Jane Bennet has
joined the staff of LONGVIEW PUBLIC as Adult Services Unit Leader.
Barbara
Blake is
leaving her position with ROWLETT PUBLIC to accept a position as
Director for Weatherford Public.
Pamela
Burrell
is joining the staff of NICHOLSON MEMORIAL (Garland) as a Reference
Librarian at the Central Library.
Alice
Coleman,
director of TEXARKANA PUBLIC, has been elected to the Amigos Library
Services Board of Trustees.
James
Karney,
formerly with IRVING PUBLIC, is the new director of Waco-McLennan County
Library.
Patty
Landers
is the new director of IRVING PUBLIC.
Linda
Lupro is
leaving her position with NICHOLSON MEMORIAL (Garland) to accept a position
as Director of Library and Information Services for Cy-Fair Library in
Houston.
Ann
Mason,
formerly with 3M Corporation as an engineering librarian, has accepted the
position of TexShare Coordinator at the Texas State Library and Archives
Commission.
Sue Smith is retiring from PALESTINE PUBLIC after 4 years of salaried service and many years of volunteer service. She will be missed.
Doug
Valentine
has joined the staff of the Walnut Creek Branch of NICHOLSON MEMORIAL
(Garland) as the new children’s librarian.
Happenings at
Area Libraries
ALLEN PUBLIC
Barbara
Buehler, Director; 972.727.0190
The Friends of the Allen Public Library used grant money from the
hotel/motel tax and from the Wal-Mart Foundation to bring a dinosaur exhibit
from the Dallas Museum of Natural History to the library.
During the six-week exhibit, Museum staff and the children’s staff
at the library provided programs on dinosaurs for both children and adults.
BONHAM PUBLIC
Barbara
McCutcheon, Director; 903.583.3128
The new
BONHAM PUBLIC library
building has received the 2003 Summit Award for Construction Excellence from
the Quoin Chapter of the Associated General Contractors of America. The award,
given for the unique roof design of the building, honors all members of the
construction team. The
contractors, Harrison, Walker & Harper, received the Quoin trophy and
architect Bradley A. Waters of Providence Architecture and the City of
Bonham each received an award plaque.
DALLAS PUBLIC
Ramiro
Salazar, Director; 214.670.1400
Family Tree Magazine, an online genealogical
periodical, has commended the Genealogy Division of DALLAS
PUBLIC as one of the specialized library collections “Best for Browsing”.
The article noted that the genealogy collection has “the largest
number of volumes in open stacks” allowing users to browse the
bookshelves.
In May, staff and supporters of DALLAS
PUBLIC celebrated the reopening of the newly renovated Fine Arts Division on
the fourth floor of the J. Erik Jonsson Central Library.
The renovation was made possible by a grant from the Hoblitzelle
Foundation and matching funds from the City of Dallas.
HIGHLAND PARK
Bonnie
Case, Director; 214.559.9400
HIGHLAND
PARK now
has a new Web-based computer system thanks to the bequest of a long-time
patron and the hard work of the Friends of the Highland Park Library.
The new TLC (The Library Connection) system was unveiled in April.
PLANO PUBLIC
Joyce
Baumbach, Director; 972.769.4208
PLANO
PUBLIC
recently received a record $250,000 gift from one of the city’s first
families. The gift is the
largest donation by an individual in the history of the library system. The money will be put into an endowment and the interest will
be used to fund several library programs that would have been cut in the
face of citywide budget reductions.
Additionally, PLANO
PUBLIC is collaborating with Presbyterian Hospital of Plano in a new “Books
for Babies” initiative designed to promote parent-child reading sessions
starting with newborns. Friends
of the Plano Public Library and the Early Foundation of Dallas fund the
initiative. Each baby born at
Presbyterian Hospital receives a goodie bag that includes suggested reading
bookmarks for parent and child, plus a certificate redeemable for a free
board book at Christopher A. Parr Library.
POTTSBORO AREA
PUBLIC
Pam
Straus, Director; 903.786.8274
POTTSBORO
AREA PUBLIC
has just completed their move to a new building.
The move allows the library to expand from 1,850 square feet of space
into 3,600 square feet. The new
facility opened June 19, with a
grand opening celebration in the planning stages.
VAN ALSTYNE
PUBLIC
Juanita
Hazelton, Director; 903.482.5991
In
March,
VAN ALSTYNE PUBLIC received
a donation of over $5,000 worth of books from the estate of a local book
collector.
WOLFE CITY
PUBLIC
Angela
Scarlet, Director; 903.496.7311
WOLFE
CITY PUBLIC
has received a 2003 J. Frank Dobie Award.
The funds will be used to update the library’s nonfiction
collection.
Tocker Foundation Grant Winners
The
Tocker Foundation awards grants to small public libraries serving
populations of 12,000 or less. The
Foundation seeks to assist in extending public library services to areas
without service or with inadequate service.
The board of the Tocker Foundation has selected the following
NETLS-area libraries to receive funds in the most recent round of grants:
·
BONHAM
PUBLIC
·
BERTHA VOYER MEMORIAL
(Honey Grove)
·
LONE
OAK AREA PUBLIC
·
MAUD
PUBLIC
·
NAPLES
PUBLIC
·
NOONDAY COMMUNITY
·
City
of Red Oak
·
SINGLETARY MEMORIAL
(Rusk)
·
SUNNYVALE
PUBLIC
·
Waskom
Library
·
WOLFE
CITY PUBLIC
Somerfest for
Libraries
The
first annual Somerfest will be held Aug. 16 from 10 a.m. – 10 p.m. at
Welch Park located on Lake Somerville in Somerville, Texas. Somerville is located about 96 miles south of Austin.
Libraries from across the state of Texas are invited to create booths
where they can tell the story of their libraries as well as sell products to
raise funds. Individual
libraries may keep all the proceeds of their sales.
There is no booth fee for participating libraries.
Libraries can prepare a 10x20 foot booth; electricity will be
provided. Each participating
library will be given four
complimentary admission tickets to Somerfest.
The community event is being sponsored by the Somerfest Committee and
Sierra Spring Water Co. to help establish a library in Somerville.
Regular admission will be $3.00 for adults and $2.00 for children.
Camping and RV spaces are available at the park for an additional
fee.
Library
staff members wishing to request additional information on Somerfest or to
reserve booth space should contact Kay Hinton at 979.272.1255.
Ezra Jack Keats
Foundation Grants
In
celebration of the 40th anniversary of the publication of The
Snowy Day this December, the Ezra Jack Keats Foundation will award
$40,000 in minigrants to deserving recipients.
2003 will also mark the fifteenth year that grants have been awarded.
The
awards recognize innovative and imaginative public library and public school
library programs designed to combat illiteracy.
Minigrants of $350 are available.
Programs
that will be considered include storytelling, innovative or noteworthy
workshops, and festivals. Workshops
targeted at parents and librarians will also be considered. Programs
featuring the works of Ezra Jack Keats will be given special attention.
Additional
information and applications are available on the Foundation Web site at
<http://www.ezra-jack-keats.org>
. Deadline for applications is Sept.
15.
WebJunction™
WebJunction™
is “an online community of libraries and other agencies sharing knowledge
and experience to provide the broadest public access to information
technology.” Created by the
combined efforts of OCLC, the Colorado State Library, The Benton Foundation,
Isoph™ and TechSoup, the Web site launched in May 2003.
The mission of the site is “to support anyone working to provide
successful and sustainable public access to information and technology.”
The
site offers information and articles on technology resources, policies and
practices, a buying guide, a learning center and a
community center. Members
of WebJunction™ may post ideas or inquiries and take advantage of online
training opportunities. There
is no fee to join.
To
receive more information or register to become a member, go to <www.webjunction.org>.
New Children’s
Book Award Established
The James Madison Book Award will be given annually to the best work of
history written for young people. The
award will include a $10,000 cash prize. The first award will be given on July 1, 2003.
Nonfiction
and historically accurate fiction titles written for children in elementary
and/or middle school and published in 2002 are eligible for the 2003 prize.
Lynne Cheney, wife of Vice President Dick Cheney and an author of
children’s books herself, has established a charitable fund that will
finance the award. Her donation
of $100,000 represents a portion of the profits from her book, America: A
Patriotic Primer.
A panel that includes filmmaker Ken Burns, former presidential
speechwriter Peggy Noonan and historian Michael Beschloss will make the
selections.
For
more information on the award, visit the James Madison Book Award Web site
at <http://www.jamesmadisonbookaward.org>
.
ALA Public
Service Ad
The
American Library Assn. (ALA) has recently created a print public service
advertisement designed to garner support for library funding and advocacy
efforts. The ad is entitled “The
future is @ your library…so make sure your library has a future.”
The
ad is an 8 x 10” printer-ready PDF file and available in both black and
white and color. Alternate file
types and a limited variety of other sizes are available upon request.
Inquiries can be sent to <atyourlibrary@ala.org>
.
ALA
is requesting that libraries use the ad in their own publications and send
it to local newspapers. Additional
information is available online at <http://www.ala.org>
.
Banned Books
Week
The American Library Assn.
(ALA) sponsors Banned Books Week annually to raise public awareness on
censorship and the First Amendment. This
year’s theme for Banned Books Week, Sept. 20-27, is Open Your Mind to a
Banned Book.
Libraries,
schools and individuals that would like to celebrate the freedom to read are
invited to visit the ALA Web site and save the 2003 Banned Books Week image
for use on their own Web sites. Go
to <http://www.ala.org/bbooks>
or contact Banned Books Week; ALA; 50 E. Huron St.; Chicago, IL 60611;
800.545.2433, ext. 4220.
Attention
Bookworms!
For
those who never get enough of a good thing
(i.e. book sales), Book Sale Finder <http://www.booksalefinder.com>
is a great find. The Web site is dedicated to advertising book sales all
around the country. Both profit
and non-profit groups may use the site to advertise their events. There is no charge for non-profit groups to advertise on the
site, provided that they can prove their non-profit status.
Friends of the library groups make up a large portion of the notices
on the site.
The
site also gives basic information about book sales in general, adding useful
tips such as “bring your own bags” and “look under the tables, there
are usually more books stored underneath sale tables”.
The
site also has a special feature called “SALE MAIL”, a notification
system that allows visitors to subscribe to email notices about book sales
occurring in their local area.