Here is a Pinterest board that Amanda Sarra, Director of Library Services at Everglades University in Boca Raton, FL, created as a way to publicize Banned Books Week. Pinterest is a tool that libraries can use to make creative visual interpretations of what Banned Books Week represents.
Sunday, September 2, 2012
The 30th Anniversary of Banned Books Week
Here is a Pinterest board that Amanda Sarra, Director of Library Services at Everglades University in Boca Raton, FL, created as a way to publicize Banned Books Week. Pinterest is a tool that libraries can use to make creative visual interpretations of what Banned Books Week represents.
Thursday, May 10, 2012
Brevard County public libraries add "Fifty Shades of Grey" to shelves
The book, written by British author E.L. James, is about a young woman who gets involved with a domineering 27-year-old billionaire. Graphic scenes of a sexual nature led library officials to initially consider the book pornographic in nature and not of literary significance. You can read more about the initial decision to ban here and here.
Monday, May 7, 2012
myOn E-book Library for Hillsborough County Students
During an initial pilot version of myON, some parents voiced concerns over the lack of a parental controls option. They were upset about certain books that featured autopsy scenes and witchcraft, among other things. For more about the parents' objections, click here.
In response to those concerns, Capstone Digital, the makers of myON, is investigating the addition of a parental controls option, which would allow parents to delete from their children’s accounts any books that they deem to be inappropriate. The county school district has also taken some of the books that during the pilot version stage were seen by some parents as graphic or inappropriate, and restricted them from being accessed by elementary schoolers. Edit: In a comment to this post, a Capstone Digital senior product manager states that this move was taken in accordance with the school district's challenged books policy.
According to the American Library Association: “Library policies and procedures that effectively deny minors equal and equitable access to all library resources and services available to other users violate the Library Bill of Rights. The American Library Association opposes all attempts to restrict access to library services, materials, and facilities based on the age of library users.” However, the ALA does also state that: “We affirm the responsibility and the right of all parents and guardians to guide their own children's use of the library and its resources and services.” For more from the ALA on this topic, click here.
What do you think? We would like any feedback you may have, about this or other intellectual freedom issues you may see appearing in Florida libraries. Add a comment to this blog post or email Robin Shader, the chair of our Intellectual Freedom committee, at rshader@baycountyfl.gov, or myself at zenglish@evergladesuniversity.edu, and the rest of the committee will discuss your comments over email.
Monday, March 26, 2012
UF Libraries debut online exhibition as companion to opening of the Harn Museum David A. Cofrin Asian Art Wing
The online exhibition was designed by Lourdes Santamaría-Wheeler and curators were Jason Steuber, Allysa Browne Peyton and Lourdes Santamaría-Wheeler. Online content allows access to the collections of the libraries and the museum to an international audience, as well as to the local community and scholars.
All items featured in the online exhibition are also freely available as zoomable images in the University of Florida Digital Collections (http://ufdc.ufl.edu) uniting the art objects with related texts in order to create a more complete research portal.
The exhibition highlights the Korean donations of General James A. Van Fleet ( , including rare blue-and-white porcelains and hanging scroll masterpieces by Kim Hongdo (1745 - c.1806), Jang Seung-eop (1843-1897), and Kim Eunho (1892-1979), each noteworthy for their quality and rarity in Western collections.
Multimedia content is featured from an which has been extensively researched through medical imaging at both North Florida Regional Medical Center and Shands at UF, high resolution digitization in the round at the UF Digital Library Center, and both art and paper conservation.
The UF Center for the Humanities and the Public Sphere Library Enhancement Grant partially funded the online exhibition.
The Washington Post published an article Friday, March 23 (‘Buddha’ goes to the hospital: A convergence of science, history and art – http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/on-innovations/buddha-goes-to-the-hospital-medical-scans-reveal-rare-documents-inside-17th-century-sculpture/2012/03/22/gIQADq96TS_story.html) featuring images of the Buddha from the University of Florida Digital Collections.
For more information contact: Lourdes Santamaría-Wheeler, (352) 273-2564, l.s.wheeler@ufl.edu
Friday, August 19, 2011
Manatee Teens Geek the Library
http://geekthelibrary.org/archives/2011/08/florida-teens-geek-the-library.html
Tuesday, August 2, 2011
Unemployed without Internet service head to libraries
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/business/careers/ask-marcia/sfl-unemployed-online-filing,0,6365487,print.story
Wednesday, July 6, 2011
At The Library: Online Resources Available For Job Seekers
By VIC NUNEZTHE LEDGER
Published: Tuesday, July 5, 2011 at 12:01 a.m.
Last Modified: Friday, July 1, 2011 at 4:31 p.m.
Job-seekers often come to the library to search for jobs online; indeed, many companies expect prospective employees to fill out their applications, and submit their resumes electronically. Polk County libraries offer more than just Internet access.
Visit www.cityoflakewales.com/library, and check out "Career Transitions" available on their home page. This is a well-conceived web application that residents access with their library card. Once validated, users can create a personal account and explore their career interests, prepare a proper resume, and search jobs via their database search tool.
Another opportunity -- the Job & Career Accelerator atwww.lakelandgov.net/library: click on "Services" on the bar, then "Online Resources" to the left, and then the "Research" tab in the center pane. JCA is the bottom link, and invites users to create an account, validating with their library card number as "User Name." As above, JCA leads users to explore careers, create their resume, and search for jobs across many databases.
Contact your librarian for information on how to access these services.
http://www.theledger.com/article/20110705/NEWS/107055005/1308/TIMEOUT?Title=At-The-Library-Online-Resources-Available-For-Job-Seekers