Joice Public Library destroyed in fire | American Libraries Magazine

An early-morning fire completely destroyed the Joice (Iowa) Public Library on September 21. Investigators are uncertain how the fire started, but the building itself was undergoing renovations, including getting a new roof. Joice Mayor Mark Thoma says that there is no set timeline as to when the library will be rebuilt, but city council is looking at options, including a mobile trailer to house a temporary location. Librarians wishing to help in the recovery efforts can contribute to a GoFundMe account.

KIMT-TV, Mason City, Iowa, Sept. 21

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Margaret Sullivan writes: “Reading promotions are an essential tool in the librarian’s quest to create a culture of reading. Most of the reading promotions my co-librarian Elaine and I sponsor at our school are ones we learned about at conferences or by reading library blogs and professional journals. They don’t have to be original to be effective. Because I get so many great ideas from other librarians, I’d like to share some of my favorite reading promotions in hopes they will be helpful to others.”

Knowledge Quest blog, Oct. 15
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ALA and the Dollar General Literacy Foundation invite public libraries to apply for grants to expand services for adult English-language learners or adults in need of basic education and workforce development. Up to 16 American Dream grants of $10,000 each will be awarded. Public libraries are eligible if they serve adult English-language learners and are located within 20 miles of a Dollar General store. Apply online by December 14. ALA will host a free webinar on October 24 for anyone interested in learning more.

Public Programs Office, Oct. 15
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Rob Marvin writes: “Video streaming services are taking over the entertainment world, and the high bandwidth that comes with them is eating up an increasingly massive chunk of internet traffic around the world. According to Sandvine’s 1H2018 Global Internet Phenomena Report, Netflix is now responsible for 15% of worldwide downstream traffic by megabytes, followed by YouTube at 11.4%. Together, the two streaming video platforms make up over a quarter of global internet traffic.”

PC Magazine, Oct. 15
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Alyssa Diekman writes: “One of the best things a prospective LIS student can do is take advantage of all of the opportunities offered through professional organizations. The Student Chapters of ALA offered at LIS schools across the country are an excellent way for students to jump-start their careers while building new relationships and getting hands-on experience. This opportunity offers a wide range of possibilities for all students looking to strengthen their library and information skills.”

ALA Chapter Relations Office
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For most readers and writers—and book lovers in general—the library holds a special place of honor and respect. The New York Times asked 12 authors to describe their local public libraries or share a memory of a library from their past. Here is what Barbara Kingsolver, Curtis Sittenfeld, Neil Gaiman, Amy Tan, Kiese Laymon, Diana Abu-Jaber, Chris Bohjalian, Annie Proulx, Julia Alvarez, Ramona Ausubel, Charles Frazier, and Jerry Pinkney have to say about their libraries.

New York Times, Oct. 15
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Jen Sherman writes: “I moved to America from Australia almost three years ago. I knew that there are children’s authors and publishers from countries all around the globe, and that some of the Australian authors I knew and loved as a child probably weren’t as big here. But I didn’t realize that many British authors didn’t make it either. The reverse is also true: there are many American classics that I had never heard of until I had a baby. Here are some classic children’s titles from all three countries.”

Book Riot, Oct. 15
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Google announced that the camera within the Translate app for iOS and Android is now able to translate 13 new languages, including Arabic, Bengali, Hindi, Thai, and Vietnamese. The update will be rolled out to Translate users worldwide in the coming days. Translation of text seen in photos or in real-time on billboards or menus was added for Google Translate in 2015 and started with 27 languages. It can now handle visual translations of about 50 languages.

Venture Beat, Oct. 10

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