Author Archive: Rachel Décoste

Rep. Raúl Labrador (R-Idaho) watches a demonstration of the SaveBB app from developers (from left) Kayla Leung, Rachel Lau, and Samantha Lau at the 2016 #HouseOfCode event cosponsored by ALA's Washington Office.

Libraries Fill the App Gap

By Rachel Décoste | October 17, 2017

‎ And many libraries are getting the help they need through the American Library Association’s (ALA) Libraries Ready to Code project. The project is expanding to ensure that libraries have the resources, capacity, and inspiration to embrace activities that promote computer science (CS) among our nation’s youth. Libraries can help encourage CS education by promoting the … Continue reading Libraries Fill the App Gap →

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Anne Ford writes: “For Susan Brown, December 17, 2004, was a perfectly normal day—until she saw the elevator doors open. Brown, director of Transylvania University’s J. Douglas Gay Jr./Frances Carrick Thomas Library in Lexington, Kentucky, was walking past the staff elevator on the library’s main level when the doors parted and she reflexively glanced inside. Her gaze locked on the great red books held by two young men inside. On the 20th anniversary of what became known as the Transy book heist, American Libraries looks back at one of the most brazen and puzzling thefts ever to take place in an academic library.

American Libraries feature, Nov./Dec.
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Chase Hunter writes: “Chabot College Library and Learning Center in Hayward, California, held a ceremonial opening last week, but students have already gone so often that it’s quickly become a campus cornerstone. More than 35,000 Chabot College students have visited the new library and learning center—the tallest building on campus—this semester, already surpassing last year’s total. The new building’s geometric clean lines and splashes of orange—the school’s color—over a chrome exterior is attracting students in a way that Chabot College hasn’t experienced since the COVID-19 pandemic.”

The Mercury News (San Jose, California), Oct. 28
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Michelle Ehrhardt writes: “Like the Metaverse and NFTs before it, it feels near impossible to follow tech news right now without hearing about Artificial Intelligence (AI). I understand it can get annoying: The tech is still in development, and everyone’s still figuring out the ethics of generating AI Art, or how to make it not suck. It’s tempting to write AI off entirely. There are a few key use cases I’ve found where AI shines better than pretty much any other alternative. As an AI skeptic, here’s where I think AI is most useful.”

Lifehacker, Oct. 28
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Katherine Klosek writes: “The Librarian of Congress—based on recommendations by the register of copyrights—issued an expansion to the 2021 Digital Millennium Copyright Act regulation that permits researchers to circumvent technological protection measures to conduct text and data mining research. The updated regulation clarifies that academic researchers can securely access research collections of literary works or motion pictures hosted by other institutions of higher education for purposes of collaboration, or to facilitate their own independent research projects.”

Association of Research Libraries News, Oct. 28
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Michele Gile and Matthew Rodriguez write: “A group of Huntington Beach (Calif.) residents known as ‘Protect HB’ said they’ve gathered enough valid signatures to try repealing a new ordinance that could impact which books are put on public library shelves. More than 15,000 people have signed a petition that’s headed to the city clerk. If valid, voters will decide whether the city council majority’s community parent-garden review board [which has relocated books on puberty and potty training to the adult section] will exist.”

KCAL-TV (Los Angeles), Oct. 28
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Robin Camille Davis writes: “Three things are certain in this world: death, taxes, and librarians sending out surveys. We are a patron-focused profession, and we crave user feedback. Moreover, some of us yearn for peer feedback for articles we write or hypotheses we test. When you create a survey—if you haven’t yet, it’s just a matter of time—there are a few things you should keep in mind. These tips will improve your survey and help make it more likely that people will respond.”

Choice 360 LibTech Insights, Oct. 23
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Danika Ellis writes: “Halloween approaches! Even if you’re not usually a horror reader, this is the perfect time to dip your toe in those bloody waters. Especially when it comes to horror books, immersing yourself entirely in the story by reading it all at once allows the tension to build more effectively, and reading late into the night invites your rational brain to take a back seat while your lizard brain panics at the strange sound you just heard. If you’d like to give it a try, I’ve selected eight horror books you can read cover-to-cover on Halloween.”

Book Riot, Oct. 28

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