You Lose Some, You (sorta) Win Some

I’ve been following the Bruce Ivins tragedy recently, and was struck by this judicial ruling  that the FBI can search public library computers it seized as part of the anthrax investigation. What I hadn’t realized initially was that the computers were taken without a warrant from the C. Burr Artz Library.

The director, Darrell Batson, was “persuaded to give them access”,  even though the library’s procedure for such requests usually requires a court order. Hmmm. The library system supposedly subscribes to the Library Bill of Rights, (it’s posted on their website anyway). Think maybe the director hasn’t read it?

On the other hand, let’s rejoice that the Batavia Public Library Board voted to keep a link to Planned Parenthood’s Teenwire on its website. Unfortunately, TeenWire was moved from the Young Adult Library Web, where it was very easy to find, (there are only 5 links in the teen health section) to the general Web Reference area, where it competes for attention with 26 other “general health” sites…once you’ve navigated there from the gargantuan “health and medical information” site. Think teens are gonna find it there? I doubt it. Read about it in the Kane County Chronicle.

FeedBook? eBooks on iPhone?

The TeleReader Blog has some pertinent thoughts on accessing ebooks via the iPhone. This great blog (which is devoted solely to ebook issues) also pointed me to Feedbooks, ” a universal e-reading platform compatible with all mobile devices where you can download thousands of free e-books,publish and share your own content.” Yes, it works with the iPhone as well as Kindle, Sony, and various SmartPhone PDAs! Annndddd (take note Overdrive users) it works with iPods.

Another cool thing about FeedBooks: you can use it to create customized newspapers from RSS feeds and widgets which are then readable on any of the above devices. Click this Feedbooks button to see mine:

Responding to Challenges

A former library director sent me this wonderful letter by Jamie LaRue, director of the Douglas County Libraries in Colorado, in which he defends retaining a children’s book about gay marriage. The book is Uncle Bobby’s Wedding, and yes, we do have this in my library.

I admire LaRue’s calm, compassionate and thoughtful response, but I gotta admit, my gut reaction was closer to that of another poster: “F*ck you, bigot.” (Cranky librarians do not make good directors.)

I also admire LaRue’s willingness to share his response, in order to help other libraries facing reconsideration challenges. That’s what I love about our profession: library staff always go out of their way to help each other out!

Peeps in the Library

Another great example of library marketing that is fun and creative. This one has been around awhile, but if you have not yet seen Peeps do Research at the Library from the  Milikin University Library, you are in for a treat.

iReference

So we are now an iPhone household. Gotta admit: it’s pretty neat. I love how you can bring up a web page, then draw your fingers apart on the screen to enlarge the view. Although what are we going to do with our oh so passe Motorola phones now? (”predictive text”; gimme a break). We plan to recycle our old phones, but if you’re concerned about where all those obsolete Nanos and Razrs are going, see iWaste in Mother Jones magazine or GreenMyApple.

One great feature of the iPhone is the hundreds of apps designed especially for the iPhone environment. There have been PDA/Mobile versions of popular websites for awhile, (think Mapquest mobile) but the iPhone is pushing the development of products specifically tailored to handheld devices. Browsing the list of apps, you’ll see several relevant to libraries and reference: current mortgage rates, Washington Post mobile, loan and currency converters, U.S. state info, a Congressional directory, youth hostel guides, restaurant reviews, and even (gulp) Powerset Wikipedia.

All of which points to a clear trend: research on the go, via handhelds as opposed to desktops or even laptops. Stephen Abram, the vp for innovation at Sirsi, was talking about this over two years ago: libraries have much better success reaching teens and 20 somethings through texting, IM and other handheld apps than over the web or email. The medical industry is already on to this: there are dozens of health update apps for clinicians and patients. ( Epocrates is a great example.)

Now take a look at your library OPAC, or the interfaces to your EBSCO and Gale and Proquest databases. How well do they work on a handheld? Do they work at all on the typical cellphone or Blackberry? And why isn’t the library community asking vendors about this?

Here’s another idea: I was in line at Borders and heard a customer say she’d just been texted with the news that her book had arrived. Over at the library we’re still thrilled we can offer patrons email notification of their reserves, but how about a text to your phone when your books come in?

Breastfeeding in the Library

Last week a young woman came up to me and asked if she could use a conference room. The rooms were booked, so I suggested a study carrel. She confided quietly that she was at an all-day meeting and needed a place to pump her breastmilk. I immediately offered her my office, and she gratefully accepted.

It occurred to me later that even if a study room had been free, this wouldn’t have worked, since all of the meeting rooms have prominent glass doors, (gotta know what those patrons are up to after all!) So, where should libraries direct women who need to pump or breastfeed?

The bathrooms? Aside from the hygiene issues, most public bathrooms don’t have an outlet to plug in a breast pump, or comfortable seating where a woman could sit with an infant.

Think this isn’t a library issue? Think again. We blather on ad nauseum about invisible barriers to using libraries. How about the barrier of being a working woman or student who needs to spend long hours in a library, but who is also trying to breastfeed? This reminds me of a recent discussion in library circles of loud cell phones vs loud babies: if we don’t make accommodations for women with babies we effectively deny them access to libraries. DItto breastfeeding women.

And what about library employees who breastfeed? Look around your library. Is there a clean, private place where female employees could pump or breastfeed? If not, how do we expect to retain female employees through the childbearing years?

The health benefits of breastfeeding are well documented.  Theoretically, most of us agree that women should have the right to breastfeed and should be encouraged to do so. But to put this theory into action, we need to ask: do our facilities and policies match our rhetoric?

Wifi in Libraries

CNET did a forum recently on using wifi hotspots safely.  One of the posters suggested that public libraries are a safer option than  cafes, bookstores etc:

“My advice…was to stay away from the more public hotspots such as IT cafés, Starbucks, fast food places, motels, and etc. Instead…find a local library in the towns, most of which have wi-fi access, and most are open all day and part of the evenings. Libraries seldom have wi-fi lurkers, and their wi-fi systems are much more secure than those in other public places”.

Not sure if this is true or not; as we know, libraries are hardly immune from the criminal element. Still,  it’s good p.r.!

Girls and Math

Math Doesn’t Suck: How to Survive Middle-School Math Without Losing Your Mind or Breaking a Nail by Danica McKellar

As the mathphobic daughter-in-law and sister-in-law of several male mathematicians, this breezy yet tremendously helpful book made me sit up and take notice. A reminder that there are many ways to teach and to learn.

Read more about Danica, her forthcoming book Kiss My Math and her work to promote math for girls here.

Listen to an interview with her on NPR: Danica McKellar’s Mathematical Theorem

Y.A. and O.K.

Thought provoking essay from author Margo Robb on the pitfalls of having one’s novel damned with the dreaded “young adult” label…

“First they came for the Library computers…”

A children’s librarian in Vermont stood up to 5 state police detectives who had demanded to seize  all of the Kimball Public Library’s public access computers WITHOUT A WARRANT. Librarian Judith Flint refused to be intimidated, and was backed up by her director (yea!). Read all about it here in the Green Mountain Daily.

Librarians, time to review your Patriot Act procedures?