Ode to National Poetry Month

The first of April ushers in the hope of warmer weather, spring flowers, blades of green grass thrusting out of the dry brown earth and National Poetry Month. First started in 1996 by the Academy of American Poets, National Poetry Month celebrates poetry by raising awareness about the unique place poetry has in our culture, society, and history.

Interested in finding more information about NPM? Look at Poets.org.

Whatever your reason for celebrating the month of April, involve poetry. Whether you are reading it, writing it, or living it...

Here is an interesting take on one such form of poetry-Haiku by Jack Kerouac

-The "Haiku" was invented and developed over hundreds of years in Japan to be a complete poem in seventeen syllables and to pack in a whole vision of life in three short lines. A "Western Haiku" need not concern itself with the seventeen syllables since Western languages cannot adapt themselves to the fluid syllabic Japanese. I propose that the "Western Haiku" simply say a lot in three short lines in any Western language.
-Above all a Haiku must be very simple and free of all poetic trickery and make a little picture and yet be as airy and graceful as a Vivaldi Pastorella.

Kerouac from Book of Haikus: "Some Western Haikus"

He goes on to quote Basho (1644-1694)

A day of quiet gladness
Mount Fuji is veiled
In misty rain


~paul

ACRL Announces Top 10 Assumptions

I recently returned from Seattle, WA where I attended The Association of College Research Libraries conference. Keynote speakers Rushworth Kidder discussed ethical elements in every day life; author Sherman Alexie had a packed auditorium of librarians laughing and listening intently to his experience as a Native American growing up on a reservation, going to college, and just how important librarians are today. This timely talk resonated with me. I will finish my masters degree in library science this spring. Alexie pointed out that as a librarian, on top of helping students with research, we help people find their stories.
I also recorded Mr. Alexie as he read a poem titled, "My Sharona."

The convention continued with exhibits, poster sessions, workshops and wound down Sunday morning with Ira Glass, Host & Executive Producer of This American Life.

In 2007, ACRL Research Committee posted the top 10 assumptions for the future of academic libraries "after surveying member leaders and conducting literature review."

1. There will be an increased emphasis on digitizing collections, preserving digital archives, and improving methods of data storage and retrieval
2. The skill set for librarians will continue to evolve in response to the needs and expectations of the changing populations (student and faculty) that they serve
3. Students and faculty will increasingly demand faster and greater access to services
4. Debates about intellectual property will become increasingly common in higher education
5. The demand for technology related services will grow and require additional funding
6. Higher education will increasingly view the institution as a business
7. Students will increasingly view themselves as customers and consumers, expecting high quality facilities and services
8. Distance learning will be an increasingly common option in higher education and will co-exist but not threaten the traditional brick-and-mortar model
9. Free, public access to information stemming from publicly funded research will continue to grow
10. Privacy will continue to be an important issue in librarianship

Are there any other items that you would add to this list?

More information about this list can be found at ALA/ACRL

~Paul

The best of 2008

Okay, so it is already March of 2009 but it is not too late to add these titles to your reading list. Touted as the best of 2008, Booklist Online has suggested a wealth of great reading materials. Titles include stories about living in a Virginia coal-mining camp in 1948 in Little Audrey. If you still are interested in history, this narrative entitled We Are the Ship: The Story of the Negro League Baseball tells the the story breaking the race barrier in the time of segregation. This book offers the reader a scope into the lives and times of these young men who triumphantly played the game of baseball for the love of the sport while highlighting such characters as Satchel Paige and Josh Gibson.

Other titles include: Pictures at a Revolution: Five Movies and the Birth of the New Hollywood or or if you are interested in gumshoe crime novels try Lush Life by Richard Price, a crime fiction novel that takes place in New York's Lower East Side. Or for you studious types, there is the reference collection African American National Biography. This treasure trove contains records about the contributions and achievements of more than "4,000 African Americans—slaves, architects, entertainers, dentists, political leaders, artists, poets, and activists."

What better way to celebrate Spring Break?

Women's History Month

What began as week long recognition in the late 1970's highlighting the contributions of women "to our society and nation" has now flourished into a month long homage. Women's History Month honors the stories, trials, and lives of women that until recently has been over looked and under represented.

National Women's History Project offers resources and information about programs across the nation designed to honor women and their role in the advancement of education, science, government, and this years theme, "Women Taking the Lead to Save Our Planet." The website also contains press kit, tools, and resources to host similar celebrations in your community, schools, and organizations.

This year honors women taking steps to improve conditions on our planet. NWHP recognizes Rachel Carson as the founder of "the contemporary environmental movement." Honorees this year come from a diverse range of disciplines from scientists, engineers, business leaders to writers, filmmakers, conservationists, teachers, and community organizers. Each story unique and each one making a huge contribution to the advancement of women.

As the website declares, "If we don’t promote women’s history, who will?" Yes, March is declared Women's History Month, just as February is declared African-American History Month. It is essential that we honor and recognize the multi-cultural diverse community that we we all belong to and we don't have to let it stop at the end of February or March.

~paul

Copyright and Happy Birthday!

Copyright, Public Domain, Fair Use, and Creative Commons are terms that inter-relate.

The song that we all know and sing "Happy Birthday to You" is copyright protected. It has been around since 1893 and was to be released into public domain in 1991 until an extension act propelled the song to remain copyrighted until 2030. That song collects approximately $2 million dollars a year in royalties. Big blockbuster movies are liable if they use that song without permission; short independent films are just as susceptible. Singing "Happy Birthday" to grandma, you are probably safe. Unless of course there is a cover charge to get into G-ma's birthday party.

According to Section 102 of the 1976 copyright law, these items can be protected:

• literary works;
• musical works, including any accompanying words;
• dramatic works, including any accompanying music;
• pantomimes and choreography;
• pictorial, graphic and sculptural works;
• motion pictures and other audiovisual works;
• sound recordings; and
  
• architectural works.

What about public domain? "Public domain is information, knowledge, discoveries, and artistic creation never or no longer protected by copyright (Russell, 2004). Which means anyone can use the material. Here is a list of public domain websites:

• Online Books Page
• Bibliomania
• Public Domain Information Project
• Project Gutenberg
  

Fair Use allows copyrighted works to be used to promote social good. In other words, there is liberty to use works under copyright for educators and research. "Without fair use, those beneficial uses-quoting from copyrighted works, providing multiple copies to students in class, creating new knowledge based on previously published knowledge-would be infringements" (Russell, 2004). A quick checklist to determine whether the use of material is fair use:

• Purpose i.e., teaching, research, scholarship, parody, nonprofit educational institution
  
• Nature i.e., published work, factual or nonfiction based
  
• Amount i.e., small quantity, portion used is not central of significant to entire work
  
• Effect i.e., one or few copies made, no significant effect on market

Fair use has recently made the headlines concerning the iconic image of President Obama.

Creative Commons allows creators of music, literature, etc. to instill their own copyright law to their works, since copyright is automatic. Creative commons allows the creator to "get their work out there" (Russell, 2004). Creators may retain copyright but allow for its use in the public domain without the fear of repercussion to the user. ccMixter allows users to download original works of music, manipulate, and use without any monetary compensation. Many times the artist only asks for attribution.

Copyright is extensive and complicated. This is just a brief introduction into copyright. For further information about copyright you can visit the United States Copyright Office website.

Russell, C. (2004). Complete copyright: An everyday guide for librarians. Chicago: American Library Association.

~Paul

Information Commons is coming ...

The last class of the day is complete. You have your assignments; you know what you need to do. Now, you wonder where to go next. Should you go to the Student Union Building? Or maybe take a chance and try to find a seat in the School of Business computer lab.

Eureka!!

You look across the frozen campus and see the library. You think to yourself, why not? They have quiet study rooms, two computer labs, laptops to checkout, wireless, and of course friendly knowledgeable librarians.

But wait, that's not all. Nielsen Library is in the process of building an Information Commons!!!

"What is an Information Commons?" you ask. Imagine sitting in a cozy, comfortable chair, working on a laptop, while the aroma of coffee being brewed fills your olfactory system.

In short, it is a innovative educational environment that allows students to work in private or collaboratively. This redesign offers students the most up-to-date technology, flexible work spaces, and yes...coffee! Along with coffee, the Nielsen Library Information Commons will offer laptops for checkout and other technology.

Ultimately, the hope is to attract students to the library. The goal is to create a seamless learning environment that allows students access to information resources and the tools for success. The information commons or learning commons concept has been implemented on college and university campuses across the map for many years.

Nielsen Library is in the beginning stages of constructing the Information Commons on the 2nd Floor. Soon, students, faculty, and community will enjoy researching, reading, visiting, and hanging out while sipping a mocha, latte, or even tea. The saying goes, "Anything worthwhile, is worth waiting for," and we appreciate your patience as the project proceeds.

The Way of the Word

The printed word as we know is dead! Try telling that to Jorge Luis Borges who himself was the director of the National Library in Buenos Aires. "...I suspect that the human species-the only species--teeters at the verge of extinction, yet that the Library-enlightened, solitary, infinite, perfectly unmoving, armed with precious volumes, pointless, incorruptible, and secret-will endure." That is taken from a slim volume entitled The Library of Babel.

Much is being written about libraries and the volumes contained inside; they are becoming obsolete, on their way out. The Googlization of the printed word is causing today's reader to opt for an electronic hand-held device rather than a traditional volume with a dust jacket and pages to turn. According to William Skidelskey in the New Statesman, such hand held devices (Kindle), are slowly replacing how people get their information. I agree that there are numerous formats in which a variety of persons prefer to receive news and entertainment.

I myself love to read daily news online, blogs, and how I receive probably 60 percent of my information on a daily basis. I also like reading print magazines and of course, books. The death of the printed word? Just recently published (in print) in American Libraries magazine, statistics for library cards issued are up 5 percent since 2006. In other words, 68 percent of Americans have a library card. 76 percent of Americans visited their local library in the last year. The popularity of libraries is indeed not dwindling. Salai Taylor, Lead Librarian at Southern Peaks Library in Alamosa says that an average daily gate count of patron visits is 250 in the winter and 300 in the summer.

Is it any wonder libraries are popular and seen by 92 percent of Americans as "an important education resource." Not only do libraries provide access to materials and resources, but they also have programs for every age. The Maricopa Community College in Phoenix, Arizona has a videogame night in the library. Other services provided by public, academic, and special libraries range from computer classes, story hour for children, puppet shows, ESL classes, bike checkout, book clubs, homework help, coffee bars, and of course books.

The printed word and libraries are evolving as are the tastes and preferences of the library user/book lover. There are those who enjoy sitting at a table in a library surrounded by volumes of dusty volumes and others that prefer the bustling coffee shop while surfing the Internet. So grab your laptop, pack that book and enjoy the world of information.
-Paul