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Jacob Nadal writes: “Every spring, libraries all across the US celebrate Preservation Week. The Library of Congress has a special role in this. Our vast scope of collecting requires us to support an extensive program of preservation services and research. From time to time, though, Congress gives the library special direction to attend to preservation issues of concern for the American people. It is a particular honor to share an example of this in the form of the Veteran’s History Project.”

Library of Congress Blog, Apr. 20
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Sarah Laskow writes: “Used from the 14th to 17th centuries, girdle books were texts that their owners needed to keep close at hand: prayer books used by monks or law books used by traveling judges. Though they were valuable objects, these books were meant to be consulted and read. Girdle books had to be small and light. From the bottom edges of their bindings extended a length of leather, usually gathered into a knot at the end. This extension could be used to carry the book like a purse or tucked into a girdle or belt.”

Atlas Obscura, Apr. 19
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The US Department of Education has announced the beginning of the application period for Innovative Approaches to Literacy grants. This program, which is open to school libraries, provides $27 million to support the improvement of literacy skills for youth in high-need schools and communities. Applicants have until May 18 to submit a grant proposal to the department. Of note this year, the department has placed a priority on funding proposals that meet specific priorities.

District Dispatch, Apr. 19
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Keturah Cappadonia writes: “Food insecurity is a growing problem across the US. Food security is a federal measure of a household’s ability to provide enough food for every person in the household to have an active, healthy life. Food insecurity is one way to measure the risk of hunger. Public libraries are increasingly stepping up to assist in combating food insecurity in their communities by collaborating with national and regional organizations that fight hunger.”

ALSC Blog, Apr. 20
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YALSA has opened registration for its 2018 YA Services Symposium, which takes place November 2–4 in Salt Lake City with the theme “Zeroing In: Focusing on Teen Needs.” In addition to the programming included with registration, attendees have the option to add various ticketed events such as Friday preconferences, a Saturday author luncheon, and extracurricular activities. Attendees are encouraged to book housing by October 12.

YALSA, Apr. 19
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PLA has announced the libraries in its 2018 Inclusive Internship Initiative (III) cohort. In 2017, PLA piloted this first-of-its-kind internship program designed to present librarianship as a viable career option for the next generation of Americans, sponsoring paid, mentored public library internships for 50 high school juniors and seniors at 39 host libraries across the US. In 2018, PLA offers this opportunity to 50 libraries, with support from an IMLS grant.

PLA, Apr. 19
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The RUSA History Section will co-host a free online discussion on the topic “Open Access Publishing in the Humanities” on April 25. The discussion will take place via the Zoom system hosted by H-Net and will also be recorded and archived for future use. Sign up online.

RUSA, Apr. 18