Book Spine Poetry Photo Contest Finalists

Post by: Shatford Library Student Association

Hello everyone! Sorry about the wait, we had 33 wonderful entries to vote on. After much deliberation we have come up with not four, but six finalists. (Yeah, they were that good.)

So, without further adieu, I give you the finalists.

1

¡Caramba!  

¡Ask a mexican!  

Everything you need to know about latino history  

The end  

-Yvonne Romo

2

Let your life speak  

All things bright and beautiful  

The winged energy of delight  

Taking tine to just be  

Something to remember me by  

-Thomas Elrod

3

Ride the big red cars  

Scenic view ahead 

 Out with the stars  

Los Angeles  

The California I love 

-Tiffney Sanford

4

Not like I’m jealous or anything  

Liar  

Would I lie to you  

-Elizabeth Donahue 

5

Come to me in silence  

Never let me go  

Come my beloved  

Come be my light  

-Zack Elkhaldy

6

Frog and toad together  

Lost in the woods  

Where the sidewalk ends  

Loving  

A family of poems  

-Kelly Cole

Congratulations to the six finalists! 

Vote here. One vote per person please.

The winners will be announced at our potluck on Monday, April 29th. More details about the potluck will be included in an email coming to you soon. If you are not on our mailing list our email address is on the sidebar. Just shoot us an email and we will add your address to the list. 

ALA Advocacy Excerpt - The High Ground

This is an small part of a presentation given on the Expo floor of the American Library Association 2012 conference. in Anaheim, CA.



This is an open caption version of the video. We all want to support libraries and part of that support is seeking funding. This is a look at the ways that libraries and those that love them go about getting financial or resource support.

In this excerpt, the speaker talks about one of the ways to gain support for libraries is to get the attention of decision makers. Surprisingly is not always about facts or figures; is about the ideological high ground.

For more information about learning about advocacy skills that support libraries visit the American Library Association Advocacy University web site. 

U.S. Public Libraries: A Snapshot of Priorities & Perspectives

This new report details findings from a study OCLC conducted with libraries in mid-2011 to learn about their priorities, initiatives, thoughts on the future of their service points and the sources they use to keep up with developments in the library field. Nearly 1300 public library staff including directors, managers and librarians participated in the study.

Select Key Findings Most public library staff:

• Are focusing their priorities on Internet access, demonstrating value to funders and delivering e-content


• Are concentrating on e-books as their top current initiative


• Rely mostly on listservs and email to stay current—while just a few use social media


• Opinions are split on the make-up of service points in the future


• The top priority for public library directors is demonstrating the library's value to funders
  

Full report available from: http://www.oclc.org/reports/us-public-libraries/default.htm

HarperCollins, Libraries and the 27th Reader

You might have heard about this but just in case you haven't this is a quick summary. As most of you know libraries have e-books that are available to library users. Many libraries use a company called OverDrive to handle the electronic lending of e-books.

The user downloads the book for a period of time. After the loan period has been reached the book is de-activated on the user's computer or reading device. The book is virtually returned so that another patron can check out the book.

Well, publisher HarperCollins wants to change that. They want to put a cap on the number of books a library can lend. For a two week lending period that would be 26 books.

So if you have a popular e-book and readers 1 to 26 have read the book your library would be required to purchase another license to allow person 27 to download the book.

If the library cannot afford to purchase the license or has maxed out the purchasing budget reader #27 is S.O.L; stone out of luck.



This, as you can imagine is not sitting well with libraries and librarians. This is a demonstration of the policy by the number of readers who have read certain physical books. This video by librarians of the Pioneer Library System in Norman, Oklahoma.

There are some who are calling for a ban on purchasing HarperCollins publications in all its permutations. This means a lock down of J.R.R. Tolken, To Kill A Mockingbird, Ursula K. Le Guin, Creatures of Light and Darkness, Anne McCafree and Z is for Zombie.

It is more than the requirement to re-purchase the book.

This does get at the heart of who owns a copy of a book. One book, one patron at a time has been the rule. When the book needed repair the library handled it, not the publisher. When the book could no longer be in service the library withdraws the book from circulation. At that time the library purchased a new book.

Or not. Because it works both ways.

HarperCollins has responded via a letter to Library Journal.

Other folks with opinions and concerns:

• David Lee King - Let's Play Rent-A-Book
  
• Librarian by Day - Has a good list of those that are talking about this issue.
  
• Librarian in Black - Let the e-Book Revolution, Begin
  

If you want to follow the Twitter responses the hashtag is #hcod. For the full details and current news visit Library Journal.

Public Libraries and funding

Los Angeles Times article on Los Angeles County Library System
"Los Angeles County Libraries in a Bind."
By Rong-Gong Lin II, Los Angeles Times
December 6, 2010

http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-county-library-20101201,0,2066297,full.story


Private company to take over Camarillo's public library
By Steve Chawkins, Los Angeles Times
October 25, 2010
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-libraries-20101025,0,494283.story