Search

The article presents initiatives of the New York Public Library (NYPL) as financial education providers for the community and on campus. It discusses Money Matters for NYPL users supported by McGraw Hill Financial and Money Matters, a Laura Bush 21st Century Librarian continuing project funded by the Institute of Museum and Library Services for NYPL staff. It also offers the role of Science, Industry, and Business Library of NYPL in the development of these initiatives.

The article discusses the significance of user experience strategy on the effectiveness of an academic library in the U.S. The author featured Brian Matthews, a User Experience Librarian at Georgia Tech, who had studied the needs of a library user and the ways to meet those demands. As part of his job, Matthews initiated projects that are dedicated to point-person assessment and communications such as student laptop usage, modeling the visual identity of the library and an exposition of furniture to get opinions on the possible renovation furnishings.

Describes how staff at Vassar College Library in Poughkeepsie, New York, stopped an unidentified library patron from daily cutting out the crossword puzzle from a heavily read newspaper. Problems encountered by the staff in identifying the culprit using different methods; Use of a crossword puzzle to communicate with the offender.

The section offers updates from the U.S. library sector and the book industry as of March 2011. A statement was issued by the Council on Library and Information Resources about the widening scope and use of digital forensics. One example is its use in cultural heritage collections. In fiscal 2010, consumer spending on books, compact discs (CD) and DVD discs has declined by 76 percent. During the same period, library users have increased borrowing of the same items by 75 percent. Over 751 million books have been purchased by U.S. consumers in fiscal 2010.

The article focuses on the involvement of the American Library Association (ALA) in the network (net) neutrality debate at the U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and Congress in 2010. It defines net neutrality as the concept of online nondiscrimination. Comments were filed by ALA to the FCC on the relationship between open Internet protection and services provided over the broadband Internet access service. ALA intends to advocate for the adoption of net neutrality principles.

The article reports that while more than 99 percent of public libraries in the U.S. offer Internet access, many have not kept up with increasing infrastructure demands, which may have implications for demand at academic libraries. An average of 10.7 public access workstations are owned by public library branches, the article notes. Bandwidth speed has slightly declined, with 62.1 percent of public library branches having connection speeds of greater than 769kbps. Nearly 80 percent of libraries also claim to have insufficient workstations some or all of the day.

The article discusses the 110th U.S. Congress, which convened for the first time on January 4, 2007. The culturally diverse Democratic-controlled Congress faces potentially divisive issues, such as the Iraq War, immigration reform, and education decisions. Libraries and information services may be affected by decisions on internet policy, telecommunications, and broadband deployment. The American Library Association (ALA) plans to support policies that will ensure Internet freedom and "network neutrality."

A Dun and Bradstreet survey of 1,319 two- and four-year institutions finds a 13% increase in spending on information technology in 2004. Internet access is offered in 100% of the college libraries, 40% of the dorms and residence halls, 41% of the student centers, 64% of the classrooms and 94% of the computer labs.

Reports on the passage of ALA Council of the Resolution on the USA PATRIOT Act and Related Measures that Infringe on the Rights of Library Users in Alabama.

Discusses the concerns of the library community on the privacy of library users after the September 11 terrorist attacks in the U.S. Impact of terrorism legislation on Internet use; Response of the community to privacy threats; Benefits and disadvantages of the Internet.

Reports the award given by the American Legacy Foundation to the University of California, San Francisco. Establishment of Internet access to tobacco industry documents; Acquisition of documents through litigation; Agreement between the industry and state attorneys general. INSET: April 1 deadline for museum-library grant..