Archive
Fake News: How to Spot It
hey! Spotify has AudioBooks too!
Here’s a little known tip. If you open Spotify, click “Browse” (in the left hand nav), then scroll way down to “Spoken Word,” you will find a number of free audiobook collections.
Get all the details from this openculture post
Web Site of the Week: Booknotes: One Book. One Author. One Hour
Between 1989- 2007, C-SPAN aired the series Booknotes, an hour long interview with a single author of a nonfiction book (the show’s tagline: “One Book. One Author. One Hour”). The series was hosted by C-SPAN executive director Brian Lamb, who fastidiously read and annotated the entirety of any book featured on the show prior to interviewing each author. Recently, the staff of George Mason University Libraries has collected archival material related to the show. On this website, Booknotes fans can browse through photographs, listen to interviews; and examine Lamb’s original book annotations. These annotations are especially intriguing, as Lamb often crafted questions for his guests alongside his notes (for instance, inside Mikhail Gorbachev’s Memoirs, Lamb has scrawled “What do you think of Lenin now?”) Visitors can also Browse Collections or peruse 9 themed exhibits. [MMB]
From The Scout Report, Copyright Internet Scout 1994-2016.
Web Site of the Week: ABC books
Alphabet books have been used for centuries and are often one of the first texts that young children will encounter. ABC books is an online collection of 55 English language alphabet books published between 1805-1987. These books were collected from the Cotsen Children’s Library for a spring 2016 Princeton University class on children’s literature and are available for the public to browse. As the website notes, these books reveal more than changing aesthetic sensibilities; each book provides insight into past conceptions of childhood, morality, humor, and education. Many books are designed to teach moral lessons alongside literacy lessons, including Take Your Choice! (1822) and Anti-Slavery Alphabet (1947). Others are intended to be humorous and a surprising number center around apple pie. Some books, as the site notes, include offensive images, highlighting the way stereotypes and prejudice were modeled and taught to children through text. While many are centered around text and rhyming couplets, others are centered on illustration, providing a glimpse into how design in children’s books throughout the past two centuries has evolved. [MMB]
From The Scout Report, Copyright Internet Scout 1994-2016.
Web Site of the Week: History of Vaccines
The History of Vaccines is an educational site maintained by the College of Physicians of Philadelphia. Founded in 1787, the College currently runs the Mutter Museum, a museum of the history of medicine, and the Historical Medical Library. The History of Vaccines website includes an interactive timeline of vaccination history, online classroom activities, and a gallery of over 700 items related to vaccination. These three sections of the website include a number of helpful visuals (such as an interactive animation designed to help individuals visualize the concept of herd immunity) and intriguing primary documents. The Articles tab includes a variety of readings aimed at students, educators, and families alike. In the Educators area of the website, instructors will find four complete lesson plans (compatible with a variety of Science and Health Education standards) that utilize material from the website. Finally, readers will find recent news items related to vaccination in the Blog. Interested parties may also sign up to for an email list to learn about website updates.
From The Scout Report, Copyright Internet Scout 1994-2016.
Web Site of the Week: Time Magazine: Health
Time Magazine’s online Health section is an information rich resource with detailed stories on everything from public health news and developments to “lifehacker” tips for personal well-being. Recent articles have covered reports on children’s health in Flint, Michigan, updates on the Zika virus, and discussions, complete with a helpful video, on the new CRISPR gene editing technology, which may provide new hope in developing cancer treatments. These articles are concise and clearly written, allowing readers to stay up to date on health news. Readers may also browse for articles by categories. Note: a few of these articles require a subscription, but most are free to the public. [MMB]
From The Scout Report, Copyright Internet Scout 1994-2015.
Web Site of the Week: Nineteenth-Century Disability: Cultures and Contexts
Nineteenth-Century Disability: Cultures and Contexts presents primary texts and images on both cognitive and physical disability between the years 1780 and 1914. Authored by over 20 scholars of disability studies, the site includes detailed annotations of over 60 texts and artifacts. These items range from medical instruments (such as an 18th century hearing aide) to literature, both famous (Jane Eyre) and obscure (the fairy tales of Dinah Mulock Craik). Together, these sources create a vivid portrait of how disability was imagined and discussed by medical professionals and artists alike. The Discover section lets readers experience the collection by themes, such as technology, literature, and institutions. For those looking to dive into more scholarship on disability studies and the nineteenth century, the Bibliography provides a mass of sources ranging from online resources to books to scholarly articles and book chapters. [MMB]
From The Scout Report, Copyright Internet Scout 1994-2016.
Web Site of the Week: Rich in Color
Rich in Color is a resource for youth, librarians, teachers, parents, and teen mentors who are looking for new young adult (YA) fiction. The blog, maintained by a small team of teachers, writers, and book lovers, features recently released YA novels authored by writers of color and First Nations writers. The team at Rich in Color is committed to both publicizing books scheduled for release (maintaining an up-to-date book release calendar on the site) and to critically reviewing new books. Books of all genres are covered – including realistic fiction, fantasy, science fiction, and historical fiction – and often feature LGBTQA characters of color. As the site notes, “We believe that teens (and adults!) should be able to find themselves in the books that they love to read.” Readers will also find interviews and book lists by topic. [MMB]
From The Scout Report, Copyright Internet Scout 1994-2016.
Web Site of the Week: : SciStarter
Citizen science is the idea that anyone, any citizen, can volunteer their time for the good of scientific research and discovery without having to be formally trained. SciStarter is the place to find and participate in citizen science projects, whether that be an extension of one of your current hobbies, like collecting data while bird watching (The Great Backyard Bird Count), or a fun educational activity to do with a child, like collecting bugs (Urban Buzz). As a repository for citizen science projects, the SciStarter Project Finder lets users search for projects and opportunities by type of activity, such as something to do exclusively online, or by topic, such as animals, geography, or health and medicine. There are also ways to limit your search by location, by free or low cost projects, or by projects suitable for students. Each entry includes general information about the project and a link to more information about how to participate. If you’re looking to contribute a project to the database, the For Scientists section of the website offers an easy way to add suggestions, while the blog discusses news and outcomes of current citizen science fueled projects. [MM]
From The Scout Report, Copyright Internet Scout 1994-2016.
Library Board Minutes – May 2016
Allegany County Library Board of Trustees
Minutes
Regular Meeting
May 11, 2016
South Cumberland Library – 4:00 p.m.
PRESENT: Bill Devlin, Deb Hendrickson, Terry Michels, John Persons, Steve Sniderman, and John Taube.
The meeting was called to order by Bill Devlin.
A motion to accept the minutes of the regular meeting of the April 13, 2016 meeting was made by Steve Sniderman seconded by Deb Hendrickson and was approved.
- Review of Usage Statistics
- Review of Income & Expense Report for the month of April 2016.
- Review of Profit & Loss, Budget vs Actual Report for the Fiscal Year (YTD, July 1, 2015- April 30, 2016)
- Review of Special Accounts
A motion to accept both the statistical report and the financial reports of April 2016 was made by John Persons seconded by Terry Michels and was accepted.
NEW BUSINESS
Washington Street Library is hosting Allegany County Chamber of Commerce After Hours reception
We are the host of the May 18, 2016 chamber after-hours reception from 5:30 to 7:30. The Washington Street LIbrary will be decorated in a “Alice in Wonderland” theme. Staff are planning numerous stations throughout the building to highlight the many services and activities you can experience at your library. We have registered all Board members for this event.
Changes to Book Keeping Processes
With the rearrangement of administrative duties in January we have created the equivalent of an internal 2 person accounting department. We approached our auditor and asked if we brought the book keeping functions back inside the department would we have sufficient separation of duties? Their opinion was that we would and offered to answer any questions. John Taube then spoke to Bernie Kahl of our bookkeeper, Turnbull, Hoover and Kahl notifying them of the change and requested a proposal for them to continue to complete the end of year work, but not the monthly book keeping duties. The new processes will be effective on July 1, 2016 and will allow us to better track our income and expenses as well as reduce our monthly accounting fees.
Review Proposed Tuesday meeting day for Board meetings
John presented a draft of our FY2017 meeting schedule that changed our of Board meetings to the 2nd Tuesday of the month as the standing date of our meetings rather than the 2nd Wednesday. After brief discussion, the Board agree to adopt the new schedule. John will provide copies of the schedule at the June meeting.
UNFINISHED BUSINESS
South Cumberland Library Renovation –Update
We are finalizing the RFP and bid opening timeline so that work can begin in July 2016.
The South Cumberland Lego club is moving to the Washington Street Library during renovation.
We had 4 general contractors show up for our pre-bid meeting on May 3, 2016. Only 2 of them had purchased drawings and specifications as of that date.
South Cumberland Library closing ceremony reminder is Friday May 27 at 4PM.
Pre-bid meeting on 5/3/2016.
Bids due on 5/24/2016.
Library closing ceremony 5/27/2016.
Library closes for packing 5/28/2016.
Renovation begins on July 5, 2016.
Friends of the Library groups – Update
The Friends letter to the editor campaign is proceeding with a letter a week during budget deliberation time.
Washington Street Library Columns Restoration – Update
Allegany County is interested in completing the columns restoration analysis and costs estimate study as soon as possible. They have reached out to several firms seeking quotes to complete the work. I hope a firm would be selected in early May. Based on the analysis of the study, we would then determine the best course of action to get the actual restoration completed.
Discussion on FY 2017 Operating Budget Proposal
John updated the Board on considerations as staff refine the FY2017 operating budget. Items included:
- The proposed County budget does not fully fund our $50,000 request, but adds $9500.
- The State appropriation is increased by $9868.
- To maintain staff at current wage rates will require an additional $32,000.
- We are looking to reduce our accounting Services expenses from $12,000 to $4000.
- We are not budgeting any rebuilding of special accounts.
- We anticipate a $20,000 drop in revenue in fines from South being closed.
- This will be offset by decreased spending on collections for South.
- We are budgeting for decreases in USF-eRate reimbursements.
- Any fund balance will be set aside for unexpected expenses related to the South Cumberland renovation.
A full budget proposal will be delivered to the Board prior to the June 8, 2016 meeting, where we will adopt the operating budget for FY2017.
PUBLIC COMMENT
ANNOUNCEMENTS and UPDATES
John reported that our annual Food for Fines day during National Library Week was a success gathering over 1400 pounds of food for the Western Maryland Food bank.
Next Board Meeting is June 8, 2016 at 4PM at the Frostburg Library
Allegany County Library System Director's Notes 