14h
Shatha Baydoun writes: “There are a few occasions in one’s career that are groundbreaking. Being selected to represent Wayne State University as a Student-to-Staff at the 2018 ALA Annual Conference was such an occasion for me. Between June 21–26, I attended my first conference as an LIS student at New Orleans. I was assigned to the International Relations Office. The choice was serendipitous since I am of Lebanese descent with roots in Sierra Leone and living in Dearborn, Michigan.”
ALA Membership blog, July 20
14h
Casey Stepaniuk writes: “Looking for Muslim romance novels? You’ve come to the right place! Here are 10 of the best Muslim romance novels in which one or more of the main characters identifies as Muslim. I have, however, erred on the side of highlighting books that are also by Muslim authors. I’ve also tried to choose books with a range of characters from diverse ethnic and national backgrounds. Some are contemporary, some are YA, and one is historical.”
Book Riot, July 19
18h
Beth Cramer and John Boyd write: “After working for 26 years as academic librarians, we have reached a point in our careers where we are right-sizing professionally and personally. This year, Appalachian State University granted us a nine-month contract, enabling us to pursue our dream of cycling across the US from Washington, D.C., to Astoria, Oregon. Along the way, we are visiting public libraries, taking photos, and making notes about library services and programming, in particular services available to bicycle tourists and other non-residents.”
OUPblog, July 19
18h
Chris Hoffman writes: “Losing your hardware is bad enough, but what happens to your personal data? Could a thief with your phone, tablet, or laptop access your apps and files? It depends on the device you lost—unfortunately, most Windows PCs aren’t encrypted. Thieves can always erase your device and keep using it—unless you enable something like Activation Lock on an iPhone or iPad—but they can’t get at your personal data if your device’s storage is encrypted.”
How-To Geek, July 20
19h
Viola Davis has accrued some serious hardware—an Emmy, a Golden Globe, an Oscar, and two Tonys—for her roles in film, television, and theater. Now the actor is taking on children’s literature. American Libraries caught up with Davis to talk about libraries, storytelling, and her forthcoming book, Corduroy Takes a Bow (Viking Books for Young Readers, September), before her Closing Session appearance at the 2018 Annual Conference in New Orleans on June 26.
American Libraries Trend, July/Aug.
19h
Jamie Katuna writes: “Healthy. What a word. A trillion different opinions, guidelines, historical changes, and bits of data crammed into seven letters. A word we toss around like a hot potato, assigning to it whichever meaning is most convenient or profitable. A word that has become, essentially, meaningless. Need convincing? This headline was published in Healthline. How are they categorizing ‘super healthy?’ Doesn’t matter, just know that these 50 foods are. What can we do? Perk up with skepticism when someone claims something to be healthy.”
KevinMD.com, July 20
20h
Alex Shashkevich writes: “When historian Rowan Dorin first stepped onto the Stanford campus in early 2017, he made it a habit to visit Green Library every week to dig through its collection of medieval documents and objects. After a few months, Dorin, an assistant professor of history specializing in medieval Europe, discovered something out of the ordinary. Three leaves of ancient parchment were labeled as a Hebrew translation of text about grammar, but its margins had Latin words like fish, capers, and dill.”
Phys.org, July 20
