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May 21, 2018 120 × 165 An Overdue Discussion

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United for Libraries is accepting nominations for the ALA Trustee Citation through January 10, 2020. The citation, established in 1941 to recognize public library trustees for distinguished service to library development, honors the best contributions and efforts of the estimated 60,000 American citizens who serve on library boards. It will be presented during the Opening General Session of the ALA Annual Conference.

United for Libraries, Oct. 15
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Each year Choice, a publishing unit of ACRL, announces the editors’ selections of the best academic nonfiction titles reviewed during the year just ended. Selection as a Choice Outstanding Academic Title is a recognition of the work’s excellence and scholarly significance by the academic library community’s oldest and most prestigious review publication. Choice editors will release the list December 1, one month earlier than previously, thereby aligning the award with other annual retrospective and “best-of” reading lists.

Choice, Oct. 15
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One letter dropped from an Omaha company’s name wound up costing a Jeopardy! contestant last week. Jessica Garsed, medical librarian at Togus VA Medical Center in Chelsea, Maine, answered “What is Omaha Steak?” instead of “Omaha Steaks” in her fourth game. The question was in response to a reply from the category “Meat Industry Hall of Fame.” It said “Nebraska’s Alan Simon made his fortune with mailable beef from this company.” The flub cost Garsed $1,600. Omaha Steaks noticed and decided to donate the dollar amount of the mis-steak to the charity of Garsed’s choice. She selected the Ronald McDonald House in Bangor, Maine.

Omaha World-Herald, Oct. 14
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Ross Sempek writes: “I never thought that I would write about the erosion of privacy in libraries, but a recent piece published in American Libraries gave me pause. The article in the September/October issue on self-service or open libraries, ‘Automatic for the People,’ includes screenshots of security footage taken from an unstaffed library in Gwinnett County (Ga.). Now, I understand the rationale behind ensuring patrons’ safety, but I’m a bit vexed by the decision to visually associate libraries with surveillance. On one hand, I respect this unorthodox solution to break barriers to access. But on the other I feel that we must acknowledge the challenges that inevitably accompany novelty.”

Intellectual Freedom Blog, Oct. 15
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Lynn Lobash writes: “Ever wondered if your favorite author has a TED Talk? In honor of the #TEDReads initiative and National Book Month, check out these 12 authors who have given TED Talks.” Included are authors Roxane Gay, Amy Tan, Tracy Chevalier, Pico Iyer, and Isabel Allende.

New York Public Library Blogs, Oct. 14
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Growing up in Honolulu in the 1920s and 1930s, Fujio Matsuda was an avid reader. Despite his love for reading, Matsuda never visited Honolulu’s library during his childhood. “I had to go to school to learn English,” said Matsuda, who turns 95 years old this month. “Later on, when I was older, I went to the library, but I don’t recall any public libraries having publications in Japanese.” In the early 1900s, the library in Honolulu made no meaningful effort to stock its shelves with Japanese-language materials. The library excluded Japanese readers at a time when Japanese people in Hawaii exceeded 40% of the population.

Honolulu Civil Beat, Oct. 11
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The Dorcas Library in Gouldsboro, Maine, has much to offer, from books to programming. Trouble is, because of insufficient funding it’s open only 24 hours a week. Library Director Faith Lane has an unusual plan to address this. She is planning to take an unpaid leave of absence from her job to hike the entire Appalachian Trail. Lane, who will turn 60 next year, said she remembers hikers crossing Route 2 near where she lived as a girl in Franklin County, adding that the goal of the trip is to call national attention to the library and to help it reach an ambitious fundraising goal incrementally over a period of time. She is hoping to raise $1.25 million.

Ellsworth (Maine) American, Oct. 11

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