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April 30, 2007

GSTBA Luncheon

Gennifer Choldenko cited an article in the San Francisco Chronicle as the inspiration for her GSTBA winner, Al Capone Does my Shirts. The article made mention of children who lived on Alcatraz while it operated as a prison (the premise of the book revolves around 12-year-old Moose and his family who move to Alcatraz when his father gets a job as an electrician). Gennifer began her research, interviewing former inmates. She asked herself, “Why is this my book to write.” Gennifer had an autistic sister and made the connection between prisoners trapped behind bars and autistic people trapped in their minds, hence the autistic character in Al Capone (Moose’s sister). It took her 5 years and 6 major revisions before the book was ready. She credits her editor for the fabulous outcome. I met Gennifer in the Author’s Alley and she is just lovely.

Eireann Corrigan appreciated receiving the GSTBA in the 9 - 12 grade category for Splintering because it was teen selected. As primarily a teacher and then a writer, Corrigan stressed the importance of YA librarians and commented on its changing and increasingly important role in the lives of young people, citing teen spaces as a refuge. As a high school teacher, she loves directing kids to good books and telling them why they are good; Librarians help kids choose what books will become important to them.

Bruce Coville touched on many important issues intermittently acting the storyteller. He cited children’s books as the last refuge of good role models. In the absence of parental presence in a consumer driven society, Librarians now act as the Guardians of Dreams. He also pointed out the absence of male role models asking: who teaches children to read? Who reviews books? Who works in librarians? The answer is, of course, that women predominately fill these roles. “If we valued our children, ball players would be paid like teachers and librarians, and teachers and librarians would be paid like ball players.” Children as actually despised by our culture. Today, they are consumers, stripped of any opportunity to meaningfully contribute to society. Currency is power. Adult men have power, kids have none and women are in the middle. We live in a short-term society where real power is long term. Coville urged children’s authors to find the balance between action/comedy (preferred by males) and relationship/interaction (preferred by females) to take children to new places with their storytelling, and for us all to remember, our disapproval is a powerful influence to young minds.

Nicole Politi
Young Adult Services
Ocean County Library, Toms River Branch

Posted by at 5:28 PM | Comments (1)
Category: Conference 2007

"Let's Mambo at the Library" slides

Just in case you missed Bob Rynkiewicz's presention on “Website Content Management Systems” at the NJLA Conference, he posted the .ppt slides. They are now available on his website, http://www.joomlainlibrary.com/.

- JP (blog.bellepl.org)

Posted by porcaro at 12:58 PM | Comments (0)
Category: Conference 2007 Technology

April 27, 2007

One Week left to respond to science survey

On Friday, May 4th, the survey for collecting information on the type, level and frequency of science programming currently offered in NJ libraries will be closed. If you have yet to respond please take the few minutes required to do so now. To all those who have responded, Thanks for your help!

The purpose of this survey is to examine the level and types of Science programming that occur in New Jersey Libraries with the added intent to;

1) Increase awareness among libraries about the types of programming occurring in libraries.

2) Create a directory identifying libraries offering science based and science integrated programs and contact information to assist libraries interested in initiating similar programming.

3) Increase a Library's comfort with and interest in offering science programming.

4) Promote awareness and generate interest in science among our young patrons.The survey measuring the type and frequency of science programming

To take the survey click here: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.asp?u=767493254664

Thank you!

Paul Pattwell, Newark Public Library
Jessica Trujillo, New Brunswick Public Library

Posted by urban at 10:50 AM | Comments (0)
Category: Urban Libraries

Incorporating Tutorials Into Library Instruction

Eleonora Dubicki, Monmouth University
Annemarie Roscello, Bergen Community College
Ruth Hamann, Passaic County Community College

Eleonora opened the presentation with an overview of how library instruction has evolved. Lectures and handouts have been replaced by tutorials and hands-on practice. The types of tutorials vary in format from simple handouts such as a PDF on using WilsonWeb, to EBSCO’s Basic Searching Powerpoint slides, to interactive content seen in the University of Wisconsin’s CLUE multimedia tutorial, http://clue.library.wisc.edu/

Annemarie continued with showing a graphic illustrating the most effective learning (75%) takes place when students ‘practice doing.’ She also encouraged us to incorporate gaming into learning as this will engage the learner more. Additional challenging questions posed for the audience were, ‘what can we do to improve learning and retention without becoming programmers?’

Rounding out this presentation, Ruth introduced us to the ARCS Model of Model of Motivation for Instructional design by John Keller. We need to rely on and use the tools of instructional design: attention, relevance, confidence, and satisfaction as we design and create tutorials for our students.

A discussion of vendor-produced tutorials versus in-house production followed. The User Education Committee of ACRL/NJLA conducted a comprehensive review and evaluation of online database tutorials both vendor-created and library/librarian created. This valuable table was included as a handout. Some sites Ruth showed included the following:
Guess-the-Google, http://grant.robinson.name/projects/guess-the-google/guess-the-google.swf an image guess game.
An engaging tutorial on business research from Baruch College: http://www.baruch.cuny.edu/tutorials/zicklin/research/

posted by Chris Herz, Gloucester County College

Posted by at 10:36 AM | Comments (0)
Category: Academic Libraries Conference 2007 Reference Technology

More Captivating Your Audience

The session was a smorgasbord of how librarians are using Captivate in a variety of teaching settings. Four presentations were packed into the 50-minute allotted time. This User Education Committee sponsored-session gave a great value for your limited conference time! I opened the program with the following:

Creating Image Movies: More Than a Simple Slideshow
Chris Herz, Gloucester County College

Instead of PowerPoint use Captivate to create an image movie. To the resulting movie you may enhance the images with text captions, highlight boxes, and audio. The timeline feature in Captivate gives you director control of your movie.

Captivating First-Year Students: A Different Take on a Web Tour.
Leslie Murtha, Princeton University

Leslie gave an overview of the time it took from learning Captivate to its implementation in rolling out a polished, finished tutorial for first year students. While it is a tour of the library’s website, it also introduces students to its digital resources. Leslie's Captivate project can be viewed here:
http://library.princeton.edu/help/openhouse/

What Makes a Journal Scholarly?
Eileen Stec, Rutgers University

Eileen engaged the audience much as she does her students by inviting us to recall a sporting event and asking some questions leading us to the concept of the rule-enforcer, the referee. Eileen’s presentation can be viewed:
http://rci.rutgers.edu/~estec/presentations/njla2007.htm
A title Eileen recommended:
Conrad, R. & Donaldson, J. A. (2004). Engaging the online learner: Activities and resources for creative instruction. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

Captivate Tutorials, We Can Build Them But What Are We Going to Do With Them?
William Vincenti and Nicole Cooke, Montclair University

Bill discussed their experience with getting familiar with Captivate and then his and Nicole’s sales pitch to their Reference Dept. and Administration to garner support for the project.
Both their tutorial, Finding Periodicals, and their presentation are available here: http://blake.montclair.edu/~vincentiw/Captivate/FindPeriodical/

posted by Chris Herz, Gloucester County College

Posted by at 9:32 AM | Comments (0)
Category: Academic Libraries Conference 2007 Reference Technology

April 26, 2007

Ran's Ready Reference

Dr. Ran Hock, former librarian and founder of Online Strategies, presented "Exploring Internet-Enhanced Ready Reference” at the NJLA pre-conference on Monday, 23 April. Dr. Hock hailed the internet, comparing the easy-to-find information of today to what was available in print before the advent of online data. He cited an example that many a librarian related to: that of the confused patron who saunters up to a reference librarian asking for an article on a general topic from Time about two months ago. As we all know, the patron might have wanted an article from Newsweek published about two years ago. Dr. Hock pointed out that finding the specific article that patron wanted would have been nearly impossible before articles and databases were online; but with digitized information, a librarian can provide exactly what the patron is looking for.

The database example aside, Ran Hock listed the sources he uses the most—sources not unfamiliar to the librarian or the layman. He presented some shortcut searches in Google: for example, to search for a phone number without going to a white or yellow pages website, simply enter a person’s last name followed by the town and state that person lives in. Similarly, you can try the same thing for a business, and one of the first results Google yields—if not the first—is a phone number and address. Another shortcut that Hock highlighted is the calculator and conversion tools in ask.com, Google and Yahoo.

Dr. Hock suggests looking at websites’ “nooks and crannies”—all of the extra links found in a web page that offer a plethora of information. He visited the CIA’s World Factbook site, viewed a country’s profile and clicked on the icons within the page. (In the World Factbook, the icons—the nooks and crannies—provide metadata, comparisons and graphs.) He points out that a searcher could spend several hours on the Internet, browsing these ready reference sources, but that’s our job; we should be doing that!

One fun site Dr. Hock recommended is www.forbes.com/lists, such as Forbes’ list of 400 wealthiest people—which what you’d expect to find on a Forbes list—and less common lists, such as the top tastemakers, most romantic hotels and smart cars for teenagers, just to name a few.

To get a full list of the ready reference sites Dr. Hock mentioned in his class, go to www.onstrat.com/reference.

Posted by Valerie Haeder

Posted by at 3:37 PM | Comments (0)
Category: Reference

Peek-a-boo, We See You: Personal Profiles and Other Publicly Available Information

So you've Googled yourself on the web, and you think that you know everything that's said about you out there in cyberspace. Think again! In the very last session of the conference, Robert Lackie gave us an entertaining, yet scary, look at our lack of privacy in this age of social networking. Robert took two people at random from the class, and knowing only their first name, middle initial, last name and home state, was able to discover each person's age, spouse's name and age, and the names and ages of other family members - some who didn't even live in the same house. Robert then found their addresses and showed us how Live Search will give a bird's eye view of a person's home from any angle. He even showed us his blue car in the parking spot in front of the entrance to his home!

Think the information on your computer is private? The auto fill-in feature that is so convenient on your computer also makes it convenient for an identify thief. While this happens most often with public computers, is your work computer completely secure? Or would it be possible for a passer-by to use your computer to automatically log in to your Amazon or eBay account?

This was a fascinating program, with a host of valuable door prizes (thanks for my tote bag, Robert!)

See the websites described in Robert's presentation.

Posted by mowyn at 2:49 PM | Comments (0)
Category: Conference 2007

Garden State Book Awards Luncheon

Bruce Coville was the keynote speaker for the Garden State Book Awards luncheon, and his witty, moving talk was a definite highlight of the conference as a whole. Before his talk on the importance of stories in the lives of young people, Bruce table-hopped throughout the ballroom, meeting and chatting with audience members -- what a great way to warm up the room!

Bruce illustrated his point about how important stories are to children and teens by telling us some great stories from his own childhood -- about how his father, who wasn't much of a reader, sat down to read him Tom Swift; about his 6th grade teacher, who entertained his exuberant writings; and about a man who, through his belief in the power of monarch butterflies, is transformed into a butterfly himself. In short, stories open children's minds to possibilities beyond what they can imagine, and in a world that stifles creativity, this is such an important thing.

Book Award winners Lola Schafer, Barry Danziger (standing in for his late sister, Paula), Eireann Corrigan, and Gennifer Choldenko were also on hand to receive their citations as winners of the Garden State Children's & Teen Book Awards. All gave gracious, charming acceptance speeches.

Posted by at 11:57 AM | Comments (0)
Category: Children's Services Conference 2007 GSCBA GSTBA Young Adult Services

April 25, 2007

Tuesday Keynote: Meet Two of the Jane Does from Doe vs. Gonzales

On Tuesday morning New Jersey librarians got to hear the inside scoop on the story of the librarians who challenged the U.S. Patriot Act. Barbara Bailey and Janet Nocek, librarians from Library Connection, a 27-library consortium in the Hartford, Ct. area, shared the story of their experience when their organization was served a National Security Letter by the FBI. They and two other librarians from Library Connection, Peter Chase and George Christian, had their lives turned upside down.

It all started with a call from the FBI, telling them that they were going to be receiving a National Security Letter, and asking who it should be addressed to. A couple of weeks later, the letter was delivered in person to Library Connection's Executive Director, George Christian. The letter, dated in May and delivered in late June, asked for the name of the person using a computer with a specific IP address in a 45-minute time period in February, when someone had sent a questionable e-mail. In addition, there was a gag order attached to the letter. They were not allowed to speak of the letter - in perpetuity. It was also not made clear whether a lawyer could be consulted.

The four librarians knew that they could not fulfill the request, as IP addresses are generated randomly and the records not kept. They would have had to give the names of all users in one library. Since the letter referred to a date four months before, it seemed highly unlikely that there was any immediate danger. They felt that it was a fishing expedition, and that it violated their patrons' rights. After discussion, they decided to go to a lawyer. The Connecticut attorney they consulted sent them to the ACLU.

Their first hearing was held in district court in September. This was shortly after John Ashcroft talked about "hysterical librarians" with their silly concerns about the USA PATRIOT Act being used in libraries. Because of the gag order, they were not allowed to point out that the librarians were far from hysterical. The Library Connection librarians were not allowed to be in the courtroom, and had to watch through closed-circuit TV in a locked room with a security guard. The judge ruled that the letter was unconstitutional, but gave the FBI the right to appeal, which they did at the last possible moment.

The case was merged with another case of a New York Internet provider, and was held in New York City. The librarians were allowed to attend this trial, but were told to arrive separately and make no eye contact. The judges were concerned to hear that there was no reference to consulting counsel, and requested that the information that a lawyer could be consulted be added to the letter. This has happened, thanks, at least partially to Library Connection's actions.

Eventually the FBI withdrew its appeal to keep their identities hidden after Federal District Court Judge Janet C. Hall declared the perpetual gag order unconstitutional. The Patriot Act was renewed at this time; the library records issue was not resolved. Although state law states that patron records must be kept private, federal law trumps state law, and makes the state law ineffective.

The time of the trial was very tough for all the librarians. They were not allowed to discuss the case with family, friends or coworkers. George Christian's name was leaked to the press, and his teenager answered the phone one day to have a reporter ask to speak to his Dad about his FBI trial. When "John Doe" won the Connecticut Library Association's Librarian of the Year Award, but they were unable to accept (last week they were finally able to receive the award).

When their identities were revealed, they were afraid of the feedback they would receive. To their surprise, the comments were almost entirely positive. They received phone calls, hugs, flowers and more. Janet Nocek received one e-mail, calling her a "trader" to the United States, but that was the only negative comment.

Nocek and Bailey advised the audience to make sure they have policies in place for when the law comes knocking, and to review them regularly. The ALA website has good information on this in the Intellectual Freedom section. More information on the Patriot Act from the ALA website.

When Joan Bernstein introduced Bailey and Nocek at the beginning of the speech, she called them "heroes in America's war on terror." By the comments and applause at the end of their presentation, it was obvious that the entire audience agreed.

Posted by mowyn at 8:02 PM | Comments (0)
Category: Conference 2007

April 24, 2007

Graphic Novels- Not in the closet anymore!

Your guest blogger: Laverne Mann, Reference Librarian/Adult Trainer for the Ewing Branch Library, Mercer Cty Library System. My personal blog is Redhead Fangirl, where I write about comics, graphic novels, librarians, redheads in comics, my MidJersey Comicon, and lots of other stuff!

On a picture perfect spring day, librarians descended on the Ocean Place Resort for the first full day of the NJLA conference. A quick camera phone image shows the view from the conference center in Long Branch, which has gone through a lot of development in the last few years of conferences here. Remember when Ocean Place was the only large building?

I went to 4 sessions, and the keynote today, and I'm going to blog about Graphic Novels: Not in the Closet Anymore!, presented by Saleena Davidson (another redheaded librarian comic fan like myself!) of South Brunswick Public Library and Janet Rosolanko of Hillsborough Public Library.

There were three handouts: TokyoPop rating system [important to all school and public librarians!], some YA and Adult titles with gay characters, and a list of websites.

Janet suggested the title Serving Lesbian, Gay Bisexual, Transgender and Questioning Teens, ISBN 978-1-55570-566-4. Paraphrasing, Janet said that while the amount of GN literature is vastly improved and readily available, "a lot of hope but also still homophobia for the average queer teenager, who can experience harassment almost daily.".

For librarians, "adolescence can be a lonely time, and teens look for reflections of themselves, so we need to serve ALL our populations in materials"

Seleena gave an overview from The Gay League- LGBT Comics Timeline, an excellent resource:
Welcome to the GLA Timeline! In these pages we have attempted to catalog the representation of the LGBT community in comic books and comic strips. We start with the earliest days of the format, when gay content could only be hinted at; through to the time of the gay liberation movement when LGBT themes began to appear overtly

This table image shows some of the suggested titles: Y the Last Man, Death, Fun Home, Desire, Antique Bakery.

Saleena also discussed going to the NY Comicon [librarians given free passes- I've taken advantage two years in a row! Great librarian and comic/graphic novel special panels, and you can 'geek-out' completely!] She got a book from PrismComics for $5.95 on LGBT guide to comics.

Actually, I love to see that crossover into NJLA exhibits-- small or indie comics publishers who could promote and sell their work at NJLA...hint, hint...

Well, it was a 13 hour day and I hope this gives you some insight into just one session! Thank you Seleena and Janet! I even sat in front of David Lisa, one of the writers of the new Super Librarian comic, and the Director of the West Long Branch Library. All librarians should get a copy and help promote Super Librarian!

Posted by at 7:55 PM | Comments (0)
Category: Conference 2007 LGBTI Roundtable Public Libraries Reference Urban Libraries Young Adult Services

Bruce Coville: Experiencing Literature Aurally

I was very excited to hear that Bruce Coville was coming to the NJLA Conference. For years my kids and I have read and listened to his books. More recently, I have become a fan of his company, Full Cast Audio, and the works they produce. Full Cast Audio is, as the name indicates, a book that is performed by a full cast. But the readings are not dramatic abridgements: they stay true to the original text. As Bruce said in his presentation, full cast narration is like "creating a movie from the book without screwing up the plot."

Bruce is a strong proponent of audiobooks for both adults and children. He became interested in audiobooks during a cross-country trip with his 14-year-old daughter. The books they listened to were a highlight of the trip. Bruce recommended that all families listen to audiobooks on family trips. The family car is the last place where all the family spends time together. Rather than each member being isolated, with kids watching DVDs in the back seat, families can share the joy of listening to audiobooks together. (I know that my family's yearly trip to Maine would have been much less pleasant without the large stack of audiobooks we cart along with us!)

Here is some of the history of the audiobook. The first audiobooks were created 75 years ago by the Foundation for the Blind. In 1952 the first commercial audiobook was recorded. It was Dylan Thomas reading "A Child's Christmas in Wales." In 1975 the first unabridged audiobook was released and the market has only grown since then. One statistic: when the daily commute grows to 45 minutes, the use of audiobooks explode.

Bruce recommended some audiobook companies: Listening Library, Books on Tape, Recorded Books, Harper Collins, BBC Audio, Live Oak Media, and Simon & Schuster. In the past year other companies like Scholastic have begun to release their books on audio.

During the presentation Bruce talked about using audiobooks in schools (although many ideas can also be used in public libraries.) Educators tend to frown on audiobooks. Audiobooks are fun, and there are those that think there shouldn't be pleasure in education, and that if kids are enjoying themselves, they are not working hard enough.

Here are some of Bruce's suggestions for things to do with kids with audiobooks. He gave ten, but although I took notes as fast as I could I only came up with 9. Did anyone else at the presentation get the tenth?

1If a parent comes in and asks for homework, as the child will be out for several days, assign them an audiobook to listen to as a family, and then discuss.

2. If a child is home sick, give him or her an audiobook to listen to. Too much TV is bad for the eyes (and the brain!)

3. Audiobooks are valuable for modeling expressive reading.

4. Books and audiobooks used together have broken the code of how to read.

5. Use audiobooks to teach listening skills.

6. Teachers can buy time by having class listen to audiobook.

7. Audiobooks equalize the classroom experience: all students can enjoy the book at same level, regardless of reading skill.

8. Audiobooks can fill in spaces during the school day.

9. Audiobooks can serve as a reward.

Bruce reminded us that many of the greatest works, like those of Homer, were meant to be heard and that audiobooks were a continuation of this tradition.

Bruce will also be appearing at the Garden State Book Awards Luncheon on Wednesday, and will be autographing books in the bookstore in the afternoon. Check the bookstore for exact times.

More information about Bruce Coville

Posted by mowyn at 7:26 PM | Comments (0)
Category: Conference 2007

"My favorite software on the planet."

Steve Garwood is a highly quotable man. He gave us Just Push Play! - an introduction to screencasting. Screencasting is the process of recording all of your on-screen activity: mouse movement, typing, clicking, etc., and adding voiceover narration to create a tutorial video. There are lots of applications of screencasting for libraries: show patrons how to renew a book, how to find an article in Ebsco, how to place an ILL - and on and on.

Camtasia is a piece of software that creates screencasts quickly and easily. Says Steve of Camtasia: "I LOVE Camtasia. it is my favorite software on the planet." It costs about $300 and is worth every penny for the ease of use. Steve did a live demo of Camtasia - it really is quite easy to use. Here are some random tips:

Make your screencasts two minutes or less because "everyone has ADD" (another Steve quote).
Sizer is a piece of software that opens all your windows at 800 x 600 pixels, which is a good size for creating screencasts that will look good on most computers.
Any screencast you make is a video, so it's going to result in a very large file, which is going to eat up your server's bandwidth everytime someone watches it. So get free bandwidth: use YouTube or SplashCast. These services will give you a video with much smaller dimensions, but that's ok, because Camtasia has a "Zoom and Pan" feature which lets you just zoom in on the important part of the screen.

There are a couple of free screencasting programs - they will not be as easy-to-use or produce the high-quality product that Camtasia, does, but they're free. Try Wink or CamStudio.

Posted by Jessica Adler at 2:50 PM | Comments (0)
Category: Conference 2007 Technology

April 19, 2007

YA Preconference and Gaming Tourney for Librarians

Just a reminder - the NJLA Conference is quickly approaching and we have many wonderful programs scheduled, including a Preconference Program facilitated by Eli Neiburger and Erin Helmrich of the Ann Arbor District Library. The theme of the program is "Videogames as a Service: A Crash Course" and the content of the program is as follows:

"Videogames are a fundamental component of the modern media appetite, but starting a successful gaming service at a public library can be a challenge. This program will cover the basics of holding gaming events at your library, allowing you to make smart, informed choices about game hardware and software and deliver a service that attracts and appeals to gamers – especially teens – like never before."

Following the Preconference event, Eli and Erin will host a FREE gaming event for librarians from 5 - 7 p.m. Don't miss your chance to be the game player - try out Wiis, PS2s and Game Cubes!

Registration for Preconference is done through the usual channels ( i.e. conference registration form), but if you are interested in the post-preconference "party", please respond directly to me so that we may properly adjust the room.

Thank you in advance and hope to see you at NJLA!

Posted by at 10:42 PM | Comments (0)
Category: Young Adult Services

April 13, 2007

Looking for Guest Bloggers for NJLA Conference

The NJLA Conference is fast approaching. In 2006 a number of guest bloggers reported on various programs and activities at the conference - sharing their experiences with others who could not attend. They did a wonderful job! See the 2006 Conference Blog Entries.

We are now looking for volunteers to blog for the 2007 conference. There is no large time commitment. Write up just one event, if you wish. Contact me if you are interested in contributing. If you have not posted to the NJLA blog before, I will send instructions on adding to it.

If you would like to contribute to the blog, but would prefer not to use the blogging software, you can write up an entry and send it to me to post. Just let me know ahead of time that you plan on contributing, so I can coordinate bloggers and the events covered.

Posted by mowyn at 2:41 PM | Comments (0)
Category: Conference 2007

April 11, 2007

Bibliography for PreConference on April 23

The attached bibliography has been prepared by the Public Intellectual Freedom Subcommittee to support the April 23 Preconference program - When the Knock Comes.

Participants in the program include:

Lynn Miller, Esq
Miller, Miller and Tucker

Deborah Calwell-Store, Associate Director
Office on Intellectual Freedom
American Library Association

Steven Kaflowitz, Esq.
Union County Prosecutor's Office

John Hurley, Library Director
Woodbridge Public Library

Early Bird Registration may be closed but you can still register for the program.

SELECTED PROFESSIONAL BIBLIOGRAPHY
Selected Background Readings & Reference Works
Computer Professionals for Social Responsibility, Cyber-Rights Working Group. "Electronic Privacy Principles." Approved by the CPSR Board Sept. 3, 1996.
This site provides a general overview of online privacy concerns, then lists the privacy protection responsibilities of various groups, including employers, service and information providers, software developers, governments, individuals, and others. Includes links to other sources, but most are broken. Useful as an example of earlier online privacy statements.
Garfinkel, Simson. Database Nation. O'Reilly & Associates, 2000.
This book is intended as a call to action. Looking at (among other things) satellites, supermarket club cards, and Social Security numbers, Garfinkel outlines the varied threats to privacy that are embedded in daily life. Suggests how current laws (pre-USA PATRIOT Act) may be modified to preserve privacy rights.
Miller, Seumas. "Privacy, Data Bases, and Computers." Journal of Information Ethics. 7 (1), Spring 1998: 42-48.
A concise overview of the philosophical aspects of privacy is followed by a prescient concern about the potential and real abuses of the increasing amount of personal information collected and aggregated by computer databases.
Mintz, Anne, ed. Web of Deception. CyberAge Books, 2002.
Various experts describe the critical thinking skills needed to evaluate Internet and emailed charity solicitations, legal advice, medical advice, fraud, misinformation, identity theft and other threats to privacy or accuracy in Web-searching and information-gathering.
Privacy and Human Rights: An International Survey of Privacy Laws and Developments. Electronic Privacy Information Center & Privacy International. Published annually since 1999.
Issued jointly by two important privacy advocacy groups, PHR reviews the state of privacy in over fifty countries, outlining the conditions under which privacy is protected and summarizing recent events. Some of the topics covered include data protection, wiretapping and surveillance, genetic databases, ID systems, freedom of information laws, and workplace privacy rights. Full Web accessibility (at http://www.privacyinternational.org/survey/) helps make this an important resource for tracking legal and international developments.
Rosen, Jeffrey. The Unwanted Gaze: The Destruction of Privacy in America. Random House, 2000.
In this book, Rosen examines the erosion of privacy in different arenas: home, work, law, the courts, and cyberspace. In all of these areas, technology plays a central role in the loss of privacy. The author demonstrates that the failure of privacy protections to keep pace with technological advances in communication is the primary culprit behind the loss of privacy.
Raul, Alan Charles. Privacy and the Digital State: Balancing Public Information and Personal Privacy. Kluwer, 2002.
This book explores the issues of privacy and government services. Acknowledging the benefits of digital government services at the outset, Raul then outlines the flaws in current privacy law, examines constitutional foundations for existing legislation, and suggests best practices for governments. Examples of state policies are also included.
Rotenberg, Marc, editor. Privacy Law Sourcebook: United States Law, International Law, and Recent Developments. Electronic Privacy Information Center. Published annually since 1999.
This work intends to provide a "basic set of privacy materials for the US and the international sphere." Reprints privacy law and treaties from around the world, and includes sections covering recent developments and threats to privacy. Some items not reprinted from year to year; access to old volumes can be useful.
Warren, Samuel & Brandeis, Louis. "The Right to Privacy." Harvard Law Review. 4 (5), Dec. 1890: 193-220.
Source of "the right to be let alone," this foundational document has been called one of the most influential essays in the history of American law. Reflecting the upper class concerns of its day, it addresses commercial exploitation of gossip and technological aids to an invasive press, rather than Big Brother government surveillance.
Selected Readings on Privacy & Confidentiality in Librarianship
Adams, Helen R. et al “Privacy in the 21st Century: Issues for Public, School, and Academic Libraries.” Libraries Unlimited. 2005
This book explores privacy issues in an array of libraries, particularly the effect that Technology has had on personal privacy. The laws affecting personal privacy are explained and discussed in depth.

Adams, Helen R. "Privacy & Confidentiality: Now More Than Ever Youngsters Need to Keep Their Library Use Under Wraps." American Libraries. Nov. 2002: 44-48.
In this article, youth services librarians and school media specialists give examples of the privacy concerns faced by today's children and youth. A review of state and federal legislation that impacts privacy is also included, along with suggestions for training both students and staff about privacy.
Angel, Colleen. "The Right to Privacy." Journal of Information Ethics. 9 (2), Fall 2000: 11-25.
Tracing the right to privacy back to the Magna Carta, this article outlines the historical development of privacy rights, lists current threats and violations to established privacy rights, and identifies areas of action for maintaining our historic rights.
Bielefield, Arlene. Maintaining the Privacy of Library Records: A Handbook and Guide. Neal-Schuman, 1994.
This book provides an excellent overview of the relationship between libraries and the First Amendment, the constitutional right to privacy, and major federal laws that protect privacy. This book also includes a state-by-state comparison of library privacy protections, along with the actual legislation. However, any changes in the last ten years are absent, so this section of the book is not reliable.
Coyle, Karen. "Privacy and Library Systems Before & After 9/11: Outline of talk given March 27, 2002 at the Public Library Directors' Forum."
These notes provide some guidance for reviewing policies and procedures regarding information collected and stored by library information systems. Suggestions for proactively addressing privacy issues both within and beyond the library are also discussed. More recent papers are available from: http://www.kcoyle.net/.
Estabrook, Leigh S. "Public Libraries' Response to the Events of September 11th (PDF), A National Survey Conducted by the Library Research Center at the University of Illinois Graduate School of Library and Information Science." Library Research Center, Graduate School of Library and Information Science, University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign. January 22, 2003.
This survey of Illinois public libraries examined changes in security policies, collection development, and staff behavior regarding patron Internet usage and privacy issues. Awareness of the USA PATRIOT Act was also measured. This and additional studies can be found at: http://alexia.lis.uiuc.edu/~leighe/.
Fifarek, Aimee. "Technology and Privacy in the Academic Library." Online Information Review. 26 (6), 2002: 366-374.
This essay addresses privacy threats arising from the ever-increasing adoption of new information technologies in academic libraries. The author provides a systems librarian's perspective on the interaction between librarians on the one hand and campus computing and campus police on the other. Fifarek provides a case study in "privacy failure," discusses both clear and unclear aspects of privacy-related legislation (including the USA PATRIOT Act), provides a list of measures that librarians can take to protect their patrons, and concludes with suggestions on creating acceptable use policies.
Gardner, Carrie. "Fact or Fiction: Privacy in American Libraries (PDF)." Presented at Computers, Freedom and Privacy 2002.
This paper provides examples of how libraries and ALA have historically protected patrons' privacy, then outlines some concerns about privacy and the Internet. It also includes a draft of "Privacy: An Interpretation of the Library Bill of Rights."
Gorman, Michael. "Privacy in the Digital Environment: Issues for Libraries (PDF)." Presented at IFLA Council and General Conference 2001.
The ever-growing impact of technology on privacy, especially in libraries, is examined in this paper. Gorman outlines the historical development of the concept of privacy, examines issues raised by technological advances, and challenges some common library practices that don't follow the profession's historical standards.
Guenther, Kim. "Pass the Cookies and Uphold the Privacy." Computers in Libraries. 21 (6), June 2001: 56-58.
This article identifies personal profiling trends within libraries and suggests policies for protecting patron privacy. Guidelines from TRUSTe and the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development are discussed.
Hildebrand, Janet. "Is Privacy Reserved for Adults? Children's Rights at the Public Library." School Library Journal (37), Jan. 1991: 21-5.
This article addresses some of the common concerns related to children's privacy at the library, such as financial responsibility, parental rights, and age of consent. Examples of how two public libraries have approached these issues are provided, along with clear explanations of the ethical issues involved.
International Coalition of Library Consortia. "Privacy Guidelines for Electronic Resources Vendors," July 2002.
These guidelines are a template for helping database publishers and vendors develop appropriate policies for safeguarding patron privacy. Included is a sample privacy policy statement to be used by publishers and vendors.

Lord, Catherine “Defending Access with Confidence.” ALA, 2005

McFall, Mairi & Karen Schneider. "The USA Patriot Act And What You Can Do." California Library Association, 2003.
From the CLA Intellectual Freedom Committee, this concise document provides an overview of the Act, gives suggestions for responding to law enforcement requests, and has a great twelve point checklist for identifying potential stores of information in common library technology. Suggested resources for further research are provided.
Minow, Mary. "The USA PATRIOT Act and Patron Privacy on Library Internet Terminals." Published Feb. 15, 2002.
Minow, a library law consultant, answers frequently asked questions about librarians' professional and ethical responsibilities under the USA PATRIOT Act. Legal obligations under provisions of the Act are reviewed and recommendations are included.
Murray, Peter E. Library Patron Privacy. SPEC Kit, 278. Association of Research Libraries, 2003.
Fifty-eight ARL member libraries (47% of ARL) responded to a 2003 survey on Library Patron Privacy. Survey results are presented with sample privacy policies for general library policies, circulation record, Web site, interlibrary loan, electronic reference, public access computers, hardware repair and disposal, and patron record requests.
Neuhaus, Paul. "Privacy and Confidentiality in Digital Reference." Reference & User Services Quarterly. 43 (1), Fall 2003: 26-36.
Digital reference includes chat reference, e-mail reference, Web forms, automated reference agents, knowledge bases and FAQ's, and transaction logs. The privacy issues for each type are discussed, and legal and ethical underpinnings of privacy policies are reviewed.
Peace, A. Graham & Kathleen S. Hartzel. "Ethical Concerns Raised by the Use of the Internet in Academia." Journal of Information Ethics. 11 (2), Fall 2002: 17-32.
In a broad look at the Internet's impact on a range of issues, including intellectual property, freedom of speech, and accessibility, this article also examines the interaction between privacy and technology as currently employed in higher education.
"Should Libraries Play Tag with RFIDs?" American Libraries. 34 (11), Dec. 2003: 69-71.
This interview with librarians Jackie Griffin and Karen Schneider outlines both advantages and concerns of using radio frequency identification (RFID) technology in library applications.
Sturges, Paul Vincent Teng, Ursula Iliffe et al. "User Privacy in the Digital Library Environment: An Investigation of Policies and Preparedness." Library Management. 24 (1/2), 2003: 44-50.
Surveys were conducted in the United Kingdom of library users, libraries, and vendors of library management software on the privacy of digital library records. A significant disparity was found between users' expectations of the privacy of library records and libraries' preparedness to protect privacy. This study is useful for examining how another society views privacy.
Tavani, Herman. "Privacy-Enhancing Technologies as a Panacea for Online Privacy Concerns: Some Ethical Considerations." Journal of Information Ethics. 9 (2), Fall 2000: 26-36.
The development of Privacy-Enhancing Technologies (PET's), or technical and organizational concepts aimed at protecting personal identity, raises several ethical questions rather than solving privacy concerns. Viewing privacy as a commodity or a basic human right may give quite different perspectives on the need for education, informed consent, and social equity in the collection and use of personal information.
Vandergrift, Kay E. "Privacy, Schooling and Minors." School Library Journal (37), Jan. 1991: 26-30.
The author addresses a number of ways in which student privacy rights are routinely violated in the school setting, ending by addressing the role of the school library media specialist in protecting these rights.
Weiner, Robert G. "Privacy and Librarians: An Overview." Texas Library Journal. 73 (1), Spring 1997.
An overview of various privacy concerns in libraries is provided, with reference to legal cases and their significance.
Wiegand, Shirley A. Library Records: A Retention and Confidentiality Guide. Greenwood Press, 1994.
State-by-state reviews of public record retention laws as they apply to library records are provided, with recommendations to enact strong confidentiality policies and laws.
Winter, Kenneth, A. “Privacy and the Rights and Responsibilities of Librarians” (PDF). The Katharine Sharp Review (No. 4), Winter 1997
Winter gives an overview of the court decisions from which privacy has been interpreted as a Constitutional right, and discusses privacy issues in various types of libraries by reviewing specific cases.

Posted by policy at 12:11 PM | Comments (0)
Category:

April 10, 2007

Science Programming Survey

The survey grew out of a presentation made to the Urban Libraries Section by Jessica Trujillo, Young Adult Librarian at the New Brunswick Public concerning her work providing science programming to children and young adults upon receiving a grant award of $45,000.00 from NASA. In December she presented her experiences to members of the Urban Libraries section explaining the content and outcomes that this type of programming generated among her young patrons and the reactions of some of their parents. The result of that December meeting was a decision by the section to develop a survey to measure the amount, types and levels of science programming offered in libraries throughout New Jersey. In April, the survey was released via several of the NJLA section listservs and the Regional Library Cooperatives. The survey will remain open until May 4, 2007. We encourage every library’s participation in this survey and look forward to reporting the results some time after.

The link to it is: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.asp?u=767493254664.

What follows is an explanation for the survey and intended outcomes.

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There is an ever increasing need for children to understand and be comfortable with basic scientific precepts of inquiry, cause and effect, and organization. Science and technology have changed the ways we manage information and interact in our daily lives; and these changes have an even more dramatic impact on the lives of children. The intellectual models that science provides are applied to a variety of every day decision making situations requiring, more than ever, an increased level of familiarity and understanding of these principles and their application even for those who do not pursue science as a career.

The purpose of this survey is to examine the level and types of Science programming that occur in New Jersey Libraries with the added intent to;

1) Increase awareness among libraries about the types of programming occurring in libraries.

2) Create a directory identifying libraries offering science based and science integrated programs and contact information to assist libraries interested in initiating similar programming.

3) Increase a Library's comfort with and interest in offering science programming.

4) Promote awareness and generate interest in science among our young patrons.

Posted by urban at 4:07 PM | Comments (0)
Category: Urban Libraries

April 3, 2007

Print and Electronic Resources

The issues surrounding print and electronic resources will be around for some time to come. One meeting, article or discussion will not answer all our questions or even provide a satisfactory solution. Each conversation, communication or interaction is a small step in a long journey.

The Reference Section provided such a step on Tuesday, March 27, 2007 at the Mount Olive Public Library in a program about print and electronic resources. Over forty people were in attendance, which speaks to the importance of this issue. The speakers were Angela Camack of Sussex County College, Eduardo Gil, Periodicals Librarian, Harry A. Sprague Library, Montclair State University, David Lisa, Director, West Long Branch Public Library and Karen Parry, Head of Reference, East Brunswick Public Library. Below is a brief summary of the proceedings.

The cost, availability and stability of resources are three very important considerations. We all have budgets to adhere to and how we spend our money is crucial to supplying our patrons with the appropriate materials. Consideration must be given to how our patrons are accessing information. Increasingly it is online and remotely. Providing electronic formats, whether in the form of databases, e-books or e-audiobooks, is going to become fundamental to what we do because patrons are going to expect this type of service. More and more materials are becoming available in electronic format, some exclusively so. In many cases the electronic format costs less than the print version, or because of remote access, is available to a larger audience, thus lowering the overall cost to the institution. A major concern to librarians everywhere is the stability of access to the information, especially the archives. When we purchase print resources we have them until we remove them from our collections. This isn’t always the case with electronic resources. Concerns arise over the issue of whether we pay only for the right to access the information or whether we have future access to the information we paid for.

Future generations are going to be involved electronically in ways that we can’t even imagine today. Another issue facing us is how we present our services. Reference service is taking on a new face and will continue to change over our careers. What do we do with our collections and how do we reinvent our services? More and more librarians are getting out from behind the desk and walking the floor. Wireless laptops allow librarians to go to the patrons. Remote access allows patrons to get information no matter where they are or what time it is.

Three trends that we should watch for are online delivery, remote access and virtual reference services such as Q&A NJ. As more resources are available online, the demand for them will increase and patrons will expect more efficient delivery of services. Remote access will give patrons the ability to use the library 24/7. Virtual reference, a combination of personal reference service with the convenience of electronic delivery, is a very valuable and growing service.

There are many questions to ask when considering how to deal with print and electronic resources:

-What is the cost
-What are the needs of my library and its patrons
-Are databases the best resource for current information
-Should there be a cooperative effort to retain information archives
-How should staff and the public be trained to find and use electronic resources
-How would an increase in electronic resources impact the use of computers in the library
-Is library use affected by remote access and what does that mean to us
-How can we prepare for changes in software and hardware
-How do we effectively market electronic resources
-Will electronic resources alter the way patrons use the print fiction and nonfiction collections

At the ALA Annual Conference in June, the preliminary program lists the following program: “Reference Books Bulletin: Is Print Reference Dead? - A panel will discuss whether the print reference collection is a thing of the past or whether it still has a place in the increasingly electronic world of reference.” Another step in our journey.

It is clear from the March 27 meeting that there are many differing opinions. And there won’t be a one-size-fits-all solution. Each library, branch and department will have to reassess its’ needs and decide what is most important to its patrons. The most difficult part of this equation will be the need for us to change. As technology changes we must adapt our services to stay relevant. Libraries will always be an important part of society, but it doesn’t come with a free pass.

Please watch the listservs in the coming months for more programs on print and electronic resources.

-- Paul Schroeder

Posted by reference at 9:09 AM | Comments (0)
Category: Reference