Latest Library Links
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The May 26 episode of Atlas Obscura’s podcast visits the Library of Mistakes in Edinburgh, Scotland, a carefully curated collection of miscalculations that serves as a warning for human gullibility, especially when it comes to money.
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Ian Paul writes: “The time has come and the free ride is over. As of Tuesday, June 1, your Gmail messages, Google Drive files, and Google Photos will count against a hard cloud storage limit. No more loopholes, no more ignored files, no more unlimited storage of photos (unless you’re on a Pixel) and documents. Nearly everything counts. We’ve identified five things you should do before Google’s new data cap hits.”
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Sanhita SinhaRoy writes: “On May 20, President Biden signed into law the COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act, which addresses the increase in hate crimes and violence against Asian Americans during the pandemic. Three ALA member leaders who have helped blaze the trail for Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander library workers—Maria Taesil Hudson McCauley, Lessa Kanani’opua Pelayo-Lozada, and Patricia ‘Patty’ M. Wong—discussed with American Libraries their goals for the Association, their experiences with bigotry, and what libraries and library workers can do to counter hate.”
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Wanda Whitney writes: “This week marks the 100th anniversary of the Tulsa Race Massacre, in which a mob of whites invaded and burned to ashes the thriving African American district of Greenwood, also known as Black Wall Street. I had heard about the Greenwood massacre before but didn’t know much about its history. Then late last year, a patron contacted our Ask a Librarian service with a question about racial massacres. That spurred me to investigate the library’s collections to see what I could find out about the Tulsa massacre and similar events that occurred in the United States in the post-World War I era.”
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Librarian’s Library columnist Allison Escoto writes: “After more than a year of living and working during through a pandemic, libraries around the country have been called on to do what they do best: adapt. The following titles offer insights on coping during a time of change, whether dealing with the difficulties of providing important public services remotely, keeping community members informed, maintaining productive work environments, or staying creative through challenging times.”
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Carrie Smith writes: “From housing former military installations to settling neighborhood squabbles over lighthouse design to becoming overpopulated with wild peacocks, Palos Verdes Peninsula, about 25 miles south of Los Angeles, is full of history. Monique Sugimoto, an avid bicycle commuter—and archivist and librarian for Palos Verdes Library District’s Local History Center—enjoys pairing her expertise in the region’s past with her rides to work. Thus, Pedal PV—a series of four-minute videos—was born.”
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Marshall Breeding writes: “On May 17, research information company Clarivate announced it will acquire ProQuest for $5.3 billion—the largest transaction in the library sector to date. The acquisition means a change of ownership for ProQuest but will not substantially affect the products and services purchased by libraries since Clarivate’s products and services do not typically compete in the library market. As part of Clarivate, ProQuest and its technology businesses Ex Libris and Innovative Interfaces potentially gain access to resources that will strengthen its capacity in product development and support.”
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ProctorU announced on May 24 it is discontinuing services that rely solely on artificial intelligence for exam proctoring. Instead, it will use human proctors for every test session. “We believe that only a human can best determine whether test-taker behavior is suspicious or violates test rules,” said CEO Scott McFarland. “Depending exclusively on AI and outside review can lead to mistakes or incorrect conclusions as well as create other problems.”
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Library marketer Angela Hursh writes: “Most libraries don’t have a budget to hire a photographer for every campaign or marketing initiative. They may not have a graphic designer to create illustrations. So they rely on free stock photos and art to create promotional material that looks professional and modern. But libraries must navigate the tricky legal maze of copyright issues associated with images, icons, and photos. If you are working with a limited budget, there are many websites where you can find high-quality, free stock photos.”
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A trove of Brontë family manuscripts—virtually unseen for a century—will be auctioned by Sotheby’s as part of what the auction house is calling a legendary “lost library” of British literature treasures. The Honresfield Library includes a handwritten manuscript of Emily Brontë’s poems with pencil edits by Charlotte, letters, inscribed first editions, and the family’s heavily annotated copy of Bewick’s History of British Birds (which features in the opening scenes of Jane Eyre).
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OCLC REALM Project Director Sharon Streams writes: “When the REALM [REopening Archives, Libraries, and Museums] project began in April 2020, little was known about the COVID-19 virus. Now, more than a year later, REALM has completed eight laboratory tests, synthesized emerging research findings, and produced toolkit resources for archives, libraries, and museums. In this next phase, REALM is exploring additional questions as vaccines have become available, SARS-CoV-2 variants are on the rise, and local guidelines and restrictions change. Here, I’ll discuss what the REALM project has learned over the past year and outline our next phase of work.”
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Hillary Bird writes: “Supporting an LGBTQ child or finding guidance for diverse families can come in all forms. Children’s book authors have put kids with varying identities at the forefront to help kids, allies, and parents answer questions and drive acceptance. These titles help shine a light on different families and, above all, serve as tools to help parents, teachers, relatives, and kids to accept themselves, their friends, and their families.”
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