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Sanhita SinhaRoy
Interim Editor and Publisher
800-545-2433, ext. 4219
ssinharoy@ala.org

George Eberhart

George M. Eberhart
Senior Editor, AL Direct
800-545-2433, ext. 4212
geberhart@ala.org

Amy Carlton

Amy Carlton
Senior Editor
800-545-2433, ext. 5105
acarlton@ala.org

Phil Morehart

Phil Morehart
Associate Editor
800-545-2433, ext. 4218
pmorehart@ala.org

Terra Dankowski
Associate Editor
800-545-2433, ext. 5282
tdankowski@ala.org

Rebecca Lomax

Rebecca Lomax
Art Director
800-545-2433, ext. 4217
rlomax@ala.org

Michael Stack

Michael Stack
National Sales Manager
867-367-7120
mstack@ala.org

Carrie Smith

Carrie Smith
Editorial and Advertising Assistant
800-545-2433, ext. 4216
casmith@ala.org

Latest Library Links

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When Spanish conquerors brought home a tomato from the Americas in the 16th century, its red color made people think it was poisonous. Not until 1755 did it appear in a savory sauce recipe in a Spanish pastry cookbook written by Juan de la Mata, the pastry chef for King Philip V and King Ferdinand VI. That recipe is among a dozen adapted by contemporary chefs and incorporated into a video project by the National Library of Spain to raise the profile of its vast collection of 23,000 food-related works that date as far back as the 1400s.

New York Times, July 12
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The original map of Winnie-the-Pooh’s Hundred Acre Wood by the artist E. H. Shepard has set a world record for a book illustration sold at auction, selling for £430,000 (US$568,360). The 1926 sketch, which was privately owned and had been unseen for nearly half a century, introduced readers to the world of Winnie-the-Pooh. Purportedly drawn by Christopher Robin himself, the map is littered with spelling errors—“nice for picnicks,” “100 aker wood,” and “Drawn by Me and Mr Shepard helpd.”

The Guardian (UK), July 10
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Katy Schneider writes: “We’ve always been cult-curious, and there’s a wealth of literature to prove it. We reached out to professors, researchers, cult deprogrammers, and filmmakers to find out the best books to read on a variety of notorious groups. Almost every book we’re listing here was recommended by at least two from our panel. A few only got single mentions, so we researched those titles ourselves and decided to include them as well.”

The Strategist, June 1
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Children’s Librarian Joyce Anderson Taylor is in the hospital with back injuries after someone attacked her on July 11 at the Darby (Pa.) Free Library. Police say the attacker was after the money jar. The 60-year victim was coming into work around 10 a.m. with her 6-year-old great-grandson when police say Terrell Carter went after her as she was walking up the stairs. Taylor was shoved so hard she wound up outside on the landing. Carter got away with a five-gallon donation jar filled with coins and dollar bills.

WTXF-TV, Philadelphia, July 13
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Libraries are key to enabling participation in the upcoming 2020 Census, Senate appropriators said in a June 14 report. Starting in 2020, the US Census Bureau plans to encourage residents to respond online to the once-a-decade survey. As with previous e-government efforts, many people come to libraries to complete their census form using library computers and to get help from staff. Many libraries also collaborate with the Census Bureau and community leaders to provide information about the census.

District Dispatch, July 13
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Former President Barack Obama writes: “This week, I’m traveling to Africa for the first time since I left office—a continent of wonderful diversity, thriving culture, and remarkable stories. I’ve often drawn inspiration from Africa’s extraordinary literary tradition. As I prepare for this trip, I wanted to share a list of books that I’d recommend for summer reading, including some from a number of Africa’s best writers and thinkers—each of whom illuminate our world in powerful and unique ways.”

Barack Obama, Facebook page, July 13
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Neil J. Rubenking writes: “Passwords are the bane of online existence. It seems like everywhere you go, every site you visit, you need a password. But if you use the same password on many sites, even a strong one, a security breach on one site exposes all your logins. Start using a password manager right away. We’ve evaluated dozens of password managers so you can compare features and choose the one that’s best for you. We’ve also rounded up free password managers in a separate article.”

PC Magazine, July 12

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