Yahoo! Mindset

Found this via lisnews.

Yahoo! Mindset: "A Yahoo! Research Labs demo that applies a new twist on search that uses machine learning technology to give you a choice: View Yahoo! Search results sorted according to whether they are more commercial or more informational (i.e., from academic, non-commercial, or research-oriented sources)."

Schools ordered to observe ‘Constitution Day’ - Education - MSNBC.com

Found via Fark. What can your library do to help this Sept 17?

Schools ordered to observe ‘Constitution Day’ - Education - MSNBC.com: "The Constitution long has ensured that Congress can’t tell schools what to teach. But that’s no longer the case for at least one topic — the Constitution itself.

The Education Department outlined Tuesday how it plans to enforce a little-known provision that Congress passed in 2004: Every school and college that receives federal money must teach about the Constitution on Sept. 17, the day the document was adopted in 1787.

Schools can determine what kind of educational program they want, but they must hold one every year on the now-named “Constitution Day and Citizenship Day.” And if Sept. 17 falls on a weekend or holiday, schools must schedule a program immediately before or after that date."

Job Posting | Duncan Public Library

Librarian - Duncan Public Library seeks energetic and enthusiastic librarian to manage an extremely busy library and oversee upcoming building expansion project. Population 22,500, Staff of 7.5 FTE, $350,000 annual budget. QUALIFICATIONS: MLS from ALA-accredited program and two years supervisory experience. SALARY: $37,724-$43,671 DOQ.

Job description and fringe benefits for position can be found at www.cityofduncan.com.

2005 Oklahoma Summer Reading Program

2005 Oklahoma Summer Reading Program: "Public libraries throughout Oklahoma will be the place to go for the 2005 Summer Reading adventure at their public library during June and July.

Grade school children may join any time during the program dates and participate by reading books and attending storytimes and other special activities.

Summer readers will receive a Read-Team reading log, colorful book bags, stickers, and sports cards as part of the program’s activities.

Every summer public libraries become the focal point for many children looking for programs and activities to fill their free summer days. Books can take us anywhere in the universe using our most precious vehicle, imagination.

Some libraries sponsor reading contests, and award prizes to children who meet their designated reading goals. Others have special programs for preschoolers and teen readers."

Tahlequah Daily Press | No plans for chat room ban at local libraries

Tahlequah Daily Press: "No plans for chat room ban at local libraries

View opinions on this and other stories.

By SEAN KENNEDY Press Staff Writer
Monday, May 23, 2005 2:18 PM CDT

A new policy banning people from going into online chat rooms at one library in Oklahoma is not necessarily spreading to other libraries across the state.

Marilyn Hinshaw, executive director for Eastern Oklahoma District Library System - of which both Tahlequah Public Library and Hulbert Community Library are a part - said there were no plans to prohibit patrons from entering chat rooms at local branches.

'We have an Internet Policy that discusses what is appropriate for patrons to do while on the Internet,' said Hinshaw. 'We do allow chat room access, but if we get a report from someone in the library that someone is doing something illegal on our computers, we will investigate.'

The Enid library board voted to ban patrons from using chat rooms starting July 1, after police informed library officials in February that sexual predators may have used computers there to set up meetings with underage targets at the library or nearby.

Police have made no arrests, but have interviewed some possible victims.

Hinshaw said Enid library representatives contacted her after the incident, to find out what kinds of Internet policies other libraries had. She forwarded a copy of the one used by all branches in EODLS.

'The [Enid] city attorney directed her to adopt the no chat room policy,' said Hinshaw. 'I explained to her what we do here. She discussed it with other libraries, but they are an independent library with their own board and policies.'

People who want to access the Internet at any of the EODLS branches must first have a library card, and then sign the Internet user agreement.

Patrons must agree not to do anything illegal while using the library's computers.

'We don't allow people to just take over our facilities for illegal o"

The Importance of Open Access, Open Source, and Open Standards...

Found via Library Link of the Day.
The Importance of Open Access, Open Source, and Open Standards...: "Abstract

The open access, open source software, and open standards concepts have been garnering increased attention in the field of librarianship and elsewhere. These concepts and their benefits and importance to libraries are examined. Benefits include lower costs, greater accessibility, and better prospects for long-term preservation of scholarly works."

Publishers balk at Google book copy plan | CNET News.com

Publishers balk at Google book copy plan | CNET News.com: "Despite initial awe for Google's project to digitize and make library books searchable online, some publishers are now criticizing the plan, calling it a 'broad-sweeping violation of the Copyright Act.'

The Association of American University Presses, a 125-member nonprofit of scholarly publishers, made public this week a six-page letter sent to Google, whose Google Print for Libraries launched in December with the support of Harvard, Stanford and Michigan university libraries.

In the letter, the association posed a series of detailed questions to Google about the project and its scope, given that the company is making a copy of books still in copyright without explicit permission from each publisher, creating the potential for financial harm to its members.

"The fact is Google Print for Libraries appears to be built on a gigantic fair use claim, which we think is questionable at best," said Peter Givler, executive director of the Association of American University Presses. "If the fair use is not valid, it could be a gigantic copyright violation. There are fundamental questions about copyright that need to be answered.""

NewsOK.com Library seeking donations

NewsOK.com | Library seeking donations: "The Cheyenne library needs to raise $60,000 by Saturday to keep a $70,875 grant for an addition and renovation.

The library received the grant from the Oklahoma Library System but must raise matching funds for the expansion library.

For more information or to assist, call (580) 497-3777 or visit www.wplibs.com."

The Edmond Sun Online | Editorial Crossing a line

The Edmond Sun Online: "Crossing a line

Citizens who love and respect the Constitution of the United States are often troubled when laws restricting access or banning firearms are considered by state or federal legislatures, often rightly so. Such laws might put the nation on a 'slippery slope' to erosion, possibly outright repeal of the Second Amendment.

That's the same problem many have with the Oklahoma Legislature's resolution 'urging' state libraries to restrict access to children's book that have homosexual themes, such as 'Heather Has Two Mommies' or 'Daddy's Roommate.' Both books, incidentally, are written with the goal of letting children with homosexual parents feel better about themselves and educate other children about homosexual parents.

Putting aside the merits or problems of such books for a moment, it always sends a chill down the spine of First Amendment defenders when elected officials get involved in the flow of information. Professional librarians are, for the moment, declining to accept the Legislature's request, even though some Republican lawmakers have threatened to cut off funding for libraries that don't comply.

And that's why such a resolution is a problem. Libraries in Oklahoma have local boards to oversee operations at the facilities, and such decisions are rightly left to the citizens who use and support those individual libraries, not legislative bodies whose motives are somewhat suspect and usually include appeasimg groups that helped them get elected.

In a test case of the resolution Thursday, members of the Metropolitan Library Commission met with 32 people to discuss the policy. Among those who signed up to speak was St. Rep. Sally Kern, R-Oklahoma City, who sponsored the resolution. Commissioners decided not to change its policies but to study content of books to determine whether they are appropriate for children. Of course, to Kern and her cohorts, any book mentioning homosexuality is inappropriate for all of us, not just children.

If the state is successful in this, the so-called 'pro-family lobby' will celebrate a triumph. But they should consider what will the Legislature next deem offensive and should be restricted, or even banned?

The framers of the Constitution trusted the individual citizen to decide what is right and wrong for themselves in the open marketplace of ideas. Those framers knew that such license would give free rein to ideas some find offensive, or to ideas that the vast majority of citizens would find repugnant. But the Constitution allows the individual citizen to accept or reject those ideas, and firmly prohibits the government from doing so.

The Legislature has overstepped its bounds."

NewsOK.com | School district buys system for libraries

Congrats OKC Schools! NewsOK.com | School district buys system for libraries: "Parents in the Oklahoma City School District soon will be able go to the Internet and view a listing of all books offered in the school system's libraries.

The Oklahoma City School Board and Oklahoma City Metropolitan Area Public Schools Trust this week approved spending $300,000 on a library automation system from Follett Software Co.

The purchase will create a centralized library management system accessible via the Internet to all residents living in the district. Students eventually will be able to check out books housed in other district libraries.

'This will just make the educational process more efficient for students, and it's exciting for the district, as we've gone from card catalogs to just having one or two computers in the library to search the district's entire library system,' district spokeswoman Sherry Fair said.

Funds for the project come from $52 million in MAPS for Kids money that has been earmarked to spend on technology. The technology area of the plan was revised three years ago to include money for this system."

ChannelOklahoma.com | Discussion on King & King

ChannelOklahoma.com | Discussion on King & King: "Do you think children's books discussing the topic of same-sex marriage should remain in the children's sections of Oklahoma City public libraries? "

A bunch of ChannelOklahoma readers have posted their comments on King & King. What do you think or their opinions?

Chronicle Careers: A Matter of Degrees

Chronicle Careers: 05/18/2005 | A Matter of Degrees: "If you're a Ph.D. in the humanities, do you need a master's degree in library and information science to pursue a career as an academic librarian or as a curator of special collections?

That question has lately generated impassioned arguments among Ph.D.'s who seek to enter the field of librarianship, as well as among librarians and curators concerned over the integrity of their profession.

My qualified answer is yes, the library-science credential is essential -- unless the Ph.D. really, truly, and demonstrably has the equivalent experience. Before I elaborate, let me review my own background: I'm a Ph.D. in English who switched gears in the face of an abysmal faculty-job market, earned a master's in library science, and landed on my feet as an academic librarian at Yale University.

Admittedly, Ph.D.'s who attend library school may or may not acquire such earth-shaking skills and wide-ranging theoretical knowledge as will justify the seemingly unreasonable outlay of time, effort, and expense required of one who has already endured the tribulations of a doctoral program. That is, at least in part, the motivation and justification for a new fellowship program and other recent initiatives that promise to set humanities Ph.D.'s on the fast (and free or low-cost) track to academic librarianship while bypassing most if not all library-school requirements.

Still, the M.L.I.S., short for master's in library and information science (it's also known in some quarters as the M.L.S., for master's of library science), continues to serve as both a practical and an intellectual entre into professional librarianship. What's more, the M.L.I.S. protects the library profession from becoming degraded in the way that teaching has been in academe. ..."

Okiedoke - Vintage Okie opinion :: Segregating books

Lots of hot discussion over at Okiedokie on this one.

Okiedoke - Vintage Okie opinion :: Segregating books: "Can’t ever remember having a problem with a librarian. But some library officials seem to be overly defensive about this resolution passed by state lawmakers.

House Resolution 1039, by State Rep. Sally Kern, calls on Oklahoma libraries to “confine homosexually themed books and other age-inappropriate material to areas exclusively for adult access and distribution.”
-
“We’re not looking to ban any books,” Kern said. “We just think the books should be easily identifiable to parents who may not want a child to read those materials.”

However, library officials have indicated they will not cooperate with parents’ requests.

Now I’ve re-read this and thought about it for a while. It’s slightly perplexing. I’m the type of guy who thinks government should censor very little creativity, especially written materials. I feel parents have the responsibility to censor their own kids: turn off the TV when necessary, check on what video games they buy, know what websites they visit. But who should be responsible for censoring library books in the children’s section? Librarians? The community? Legislators?"

Okiedoke - Vintage Okie opinion :: One for the books

Okiedoke - Vintage Okie opinion :: One for the books: "Ever think you could live at the library?

City announces today it will auction old downtown library May 31

“This is a straight sale to the highest bidder,” Oklahoma City Finance Director Cathy O’Connor said. “The new owner will have to comply with zoning and building codes, of course, but we won’t have any special requirements about design or use plans. This property can be converted to offices, condos, retail or whatever the developer envisions.”
-
The old library was built in 1953 on four lots the city has owned since 1899 to replace the Carnegie Library, which had stood on the same site since 1901.

Looks like the life span of a library is 52 years. The Carnegie cost $60,000 and is pictured here. It had a cost over run of 20%, and created quite a stir for its grandeur."

NewsOK.com | Library funds threatened

NewsOK.com | Powered by The Oklahoman and NEWS 9: "By Judy Gibbs Robinson
The Oklahoman

See the italicized part...haven't I been saying this all along? ;-)

Some Oklahoma House members are threatening to kill new funding for the Department of Libraries unless libraries across the state remove homosexual-themed books from children's shelves.

Libraries haven't pulled gay-themed kids' books

'If the libraries do not comply with what the Legislature feels is the prevailing community standard of our towns and cities and entire state, then yes, there is a possibility that they will not receive extra funding,' said Rep. Sally Kern, R-Oklahoma City.

Kern is vice chairman of the subcommittee handling the Department of Libraries appropriation. The subcommittee chairman, Rep. Tad Jones, R-Claremore, said while no decision has been made on the library appropriation, linking it to the shelving issue 'is something we will definitely be considering.'

The Department of Libraries received almost $1.6 million in state funds this year. It has requested an additional $841,000 for next year.

The House of Representatives passed a resolution Monday urging library officials to restrict children's access to books with homosexual themes. Linking compliance to the library appropriation puts teeth in the resolution, said Lynn McIntosh, president of the Oklahoma Library Association, an organization of librarians that supports local decision-making for libraries.

'Should we let the Legislature control what's in libraries all across the state? Libraries are a reflection of their communities, and communities vary greatly,' McIntosh said.

Kern said community standards are state standards.

'My guess is that 88 percent of Oklahomans and 80 percent or more of the people in Oklahoma County support limiting access to children of homosexual-themed books,' Kern said.

The issue arose in March, when Kern asked Oklahoma City's Metropolitan Library Commission to place the book 'King and King' and others like it in the adult section.

'King and King' is a children's tale about a prince who chooses another prince as his life partner.

After a hearing May 5, a committee recommended the shelving policy remain the same. The full commission will take up the matter when it meets at 3:30 p.m. Thursday at the Downtown Library, 300 Park Ave.

The only other public library in the state with copies of 'King and King' is in Tulsa, McIntosh said. Libraries at Oklahoma State University-Tulsa and Southeastern Oklahoma State University in Durant also have copies, she said.

Although no rural libraries have 'King and King,' linking funding to shelving policy would hurt those libraries disproportionately because most of the new money requested was earmarked for them, several librarians said.

Donna Morris, executive director of the Metropolitan Library System, said many small libraries across the state depend on state funding to buy new books.

'If money was withheld from small libraries that don't even have the book, that would seem strange,' Morris said.

Kern said that is not her intent and her committee will be searching for a way around that.

'We're looking at doing something where those that are not cooperating will not receive additional money. We're not going to do anything to hurt those libraries that are complying,' she said.

The Senate appropriations subcommittee handling the library budget request is making no demands in exchange for funding, said Sen. Johnnie Crutchfield, the chairman.

'I don't like putting policy attached to appropriations,' Crutchfield, D-Ardmore, said. 'I don't think that's part of the appropriations process. That's what we have substantive bills for.'"

NewsOK.com | Libraries haven't pulled gay-themed kids' books

NewsOK.com | Powered by The Oklahoman and NEWS 9:

Oklahoma's major libraries have not moved a single book from a children's section despite a state resolution urging library officials to restrict children's access to material with homosexual themes.

The controversy over gay-themed children's books began in March when state Rep. Sally Kern, R-Oklahoma City, asked the Metropolitan Library System commission to move such books to the adult section.

House members Monday passed the resolution by an 81-3 vote.

'It's trying to limit the right of what people can read,' said Linda Saferite, chief executive officer of the Tulsa City-County Library system. 'Serving an entire community is a balancing act.'

Although the Tulsa library has not moved any books out of the children's section, employees Thursday started moving gay-themed and other books into a new parenting unit in the children's section.

Besides the gay-themed books, books in the special section will deal with other issues, including the death of family members and bullying.

'A library just reflects what is happening in society,' she said.

About 80 people attended a May 5 hearing on the proposal in Oklahoma City during a meeting of the Metropolitan Library System's Public Services Committee. The committee took no action in the shelving policy.

The full Metropolitan Library Commission could take action when it meets at 3:30 p.m. Thursday at the Downtown Library, 300 Park Ave.

Executive Director Donna Morris said all 10 copies of the book 'King & King' have been checked out since the controversy started.

'This is a local issue,' she said, referring to the statewide resolution.

Wayne Hanway, executive director of the Southeastern Public Library System based in McAlester, said he hasn't received any complaints about books in his 15 branches.

'We're down here and other people are up in Oklahoma City,' he said. 'Sometimes it filters down to us, other times it doesn't.'

Because the resolution isn't law, state funding for individual libraries will not be affected, said Bill Young, spokesman for the state Libraries Department.

'These decisions are up to the local library board,' he said.

In 10 years at the Ardmore Public Library, Director Daniel Gibbs said no one has ever filled out a protest form about a book there.

Gibbs said he thinks there are 'very few, if any,' gay-themed books in the children's section, but there are some in the young adult area.

The contents of most public libraries are determined by the needs of their communities, Gibbs said.

'It's a matter of reflecting the values of the community that you're a part of,' he said. 'Obviously what we have in our library is more conservative than what they might have in some other community.'

Wilita Larrison, director of the Public Library of Enid and Garfield County, said she doesn't think any children's books at her library fall into that category.

'We try to select things that are appropriate for our service area,' she said. 'We don't have any demand' for gay-themed books."

The Chronicle: More Than 100 Colleges Work With Google to Speed Campus Users to Library Resources

The Chronicle: Daily news: More Than 100 Colleges Work With Google to Speed Campus Users to Library Resources: "More than 100 colleges and universities have made arrangements with Google that will give people using the Google Scholar search engine on their campuses more direct access to library materials there.

The arrangements essentially let Google know which online databases the colleges subscribe to, as well as what's in their library catalogs, so that Google Scholar can point users to those campus resources.

This means that, at participating colleges, a Google Scholar search result now includes direct links to online copies of works if the institution has purchased online access to them. The results also include data on printed works in a library's collection.

When a user searches for a journal article and the library has an online subscription to the journal, for instance, a link leads to the online article. If the institution does not have an online subscription but holds a copy on the shelf, Google Scholar points users to the item's location in the library.

Users who are not on participating campuses usually see a link to a journal publisher's Web site rather than to an article's full text."

Highlights From the 2003 International Adult Literacy and Lifeskills Survey

‘Highlights from the 2003 International Adult Literacy and Lifeskills Survey’ (ALL), was released today by the Education Department’s National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) in the Institute of Education Sciences. It coincides with the release of the international results by Statistics Canada and the Paris-based Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), the international study sponsors.
The report shows that America’s adults performed worse than their counterparts in Bermuda, Norway, and Switzerland, but better than those in Italy. There was no measurable difference between the performance of Canadian and U.S. adults. ALL reports on the literacy and numeracy skills of adults ages 16-65 in six countries. A second phase of ALL, in which
additional countries are collecting data, is currently under way.
ALL is designed to answer questions about the extent to which adults can use information from written materials to understand text and tables and apply mathematics to solving problems likely encountered in real life.
It can address in addition the relationship of those skills to various economic, social, and personal characteristics. The United States also conducts a national survey of adult literacy that provides more detailed information and some state-level estimates of adult literacy skills, results of which are scheduled for release later this year. Other findings from ALL:

There was no measurable difference in the literacy performance between men and women in Bermuda, Canada, Norway, or the United States. However, in Italy and Switzerland, men outscored women.

Men outscored women on the numeracy scale in every country. In the United States, men scored 15 points higher than women on the literacy scale.

White U.S. adults outscored Black, Hispanic, and other adults in both literacy and numeracy. There was no measurable difference between the performance of Blacks and Hispanics in literacy or numeracy.

The New York Times > Technology > Your Internet Search Results, in the Round

free reg. req. (or you can use one of your local libraries' databases to get a free copy) The New York Times > Technology > Your Internet Search Results, in the Round: "For decades, computer researchers have experimented with the idea of displaying textual information in visual maps, but the concept has been slow to find practical applications.

Now, one of the pioneering companies in the field is hoping that by making its software available as part of a standard Web browser it will be able to wean surfers away from the simple ranked lists of search results offered by Google and Yahoo.

Groxis, a San Francisco-based company founded in 2001, has converted its desktop Grokker software program, which displays a Web search as a series of categories set in a circular map, to run as a Java plug-in for browsers. On Monday, the company will begin allowing computer users to view Yahoo search results with its visualization technology at www.groxis.com.

'We're not intent on replacing Google or Yahoo,' said R. J. Pittman, the chief executive of Groxis. 'This is if you want to go deeper.' ..."

Managing Information News | ALA Member Demographic survey

I am not a member of the ALA--but if you are be sure to answer this survey so they know a little more about you! Managing Information News | ALA Member demographic survey: "The American Library Association (ALA) has started collecting member demographic information in a voluntary online survey.

ALA will use the information to plan improved programs and services, present ALA statistics to policymakers and potential funding groups, and respond to questions from the press and members themselves.

The survey is located at http://www.ala.org/ala/ors/researchstatistics.htm"