A Spin on the Book Sorter; New York Times, 11/6/15

Emily S. Rueb, New York Times; A Spin on the Book Sorter:

"Inside the Library Services Center in Queens, a 238-foot conveyor belt sorts about 30,000 items for the New York and Brooklyn Public Libraries."

Beneath New York Public Library, Shelving Its Past for High-Tech Research Stacks; New York Times, 11/15/15

Tom Mashberg, New York Times; Beneath New York Public Library, Shelving Its Past for High-Tech Research Stacks:

"As they skate or snack in Bryant Park, visitors might dismiss the stately New York Public Library next door as a dog-eared relic in an age of digital information.

But unbeknown to most of them, 17 feet below ground, in a concrete bunker worthy of the White House, the library is expanding and updating one of the most sophisticated book storage systems in the world.

Since March, after abandoning a much-criticized plan to move the bulk of its research collection to New Jersey, the library has been working instead to create a high-tech space underground for the 2.5 million research works long held in its original stacks.

The books will begin arriving in April, and by the end of spring library officials expect to be using a new retrieval system to ferry the volumes and other materials from their 84 miles of subterranean shelving, loaded into little motorized carts — a bit like miniaturized minecars carrying nuggets of research gold.

To fit all the books in the allotted space, the library will have to abandon its version of the Dewey Decimal System, in which shelving is organized by subject, in favor of a new “high-density” protocol in which all that matters is size."

[Job Position] Open Data and Knowledge Manager; Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh

[Job Position] Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh; Open Data and Knowledge Manager:

"POSITION TITLE: Open Data and Knowledge Manager

LOCATION: CLP- Main

POSTING DATE: October 30, 2015

REQUISITION NUMBER: 151123

Job Summary: Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh has a strong interest in using data to achieve our strategic goals and mission. The candidate is responsible for helping CLP staff treat information as an organizational asset, bootstrapping a unified data repository and working to ensure consistent, reliable, and easily accessible sources of library data. The candidate will help make strategic decisions in how the library creates, structures, manages, shares, and uses information, assisting CLP staff to incorporate data literacy into public service. The candidate will develop and update a series of organizational metrics to track progress. The candidate will also collaborate with external stakeholders to use information to improve the communities we serve, and develop open data sets to aid in regional civic data projects."

George H.W. Bush slams ‘iron-ass’ Cheney, ‘arrogant’ Rumsfeld in new biography. Also faults Bush 43; Washington Post, 11/5/15

Justin Wm. Moyer, Washington Post; George H.W. Bush slams ‘iron-ass’ Cheney, ‘arrogant’ Rumsfeld in new biography. Also faults Bush 43:

"“The big mistake that was made was letting Cheney bring in kind of his own State Department,” Bush told Meacham. “… But it’s not Cheney’s fault. It’s the president’s fault.” He added: “The buck stops there.”"

As U.S. Libraries Are Outsourced, Readers See Public Trust Erode; Bloomberg, 11/2/15

James Nash, Bloomberg; As U.S. Libraries Are Outsourced, Readers See Public Trust Erode:

"A Maryland company that runs public libraries has more than doubled in size in the past decade as governments seek savings. Bibliophile residents complain that an investment in knowledge and culture is being milked for profit.

Library Systems & Services LLC is running into opposition as it seeks to add the 24 libraries in Kern County, California, to its portfolio of 82 in six states, allowing the county to shed a unionized workforce of 118. The county north of Los Angeles would be the largest addition for LSSI since the firm, which is owned by Wayne, Pennsylvania-based Argosy Capital Group Inc., got into the book business in 1997.

The only coast-to-coast operator of public libraries has capitalized on a recession-driven trend of contracting out government functions."

Long Line at the Library? It’s Story Time Again; New York Times, 11/1/15

Winnie Hu, New York Times; Long Line at the Library? It’s Story Time Again:

"Story time is drawing capacity crowds at public libraries across New York and across the country at a time when, more than ever, educators are emphasizing the importance of early literacy in preparing children for school and for developing critical thinking skills. The demand crosses economic lines, with parents at all income levels vying to get in.

Many libraries have refashioned the traditional readings to include enrichment activities such as counting numbers and naming colors, as well as music and dance. And many parents have made story time a fixture in their family routines alongside school pickups and playground outings — and, for those who employ nannies, a nonnegotiable requirement of the job.

In New York, demand for story time has surged across the city’s three library systems — the New York Public Library, the Brooklyn Public Library, and the Queens Library — and has posed logistical challenges for some branches, particularly those in small or cramped buildings. Citywide, story time attendance rose to 510,367 people in fiscal year 2015, up nearly 28 percent from 399,751 in fiscal 2013."

Favorite son: Duquesne has a proven leader in Gormley; Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, 11/6/15

Editorial Board, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette; Favorite son: Duquesne has a proven leader in Gormley:

"Nine months ago, when outgoing Duquesne University President Charles Dougherty announced his plans to retire in June 2016, board members of Pittsburgh’s largest Catholic campus started a nationwide search for his successor. They found what they were looking for right at home in Ken Gormley, a Swissvale native who has been dean of its law school since 2008.

Mr. Gormley, 60, is a highly respected legal scholar, author and teacher who took over the leadership of Duquesne’s law school at a time of turmoil. He recruited alumni and practicing judges and lawyers for an advisory panel, hired new faculty, increased courses and raised the national stature of the school, as seen in the improved ranking of U.S. News & World Report...

As Duquesne’s 13th president and the third who is not a priest, Mr. Gormley, who is Catholic, said his top priorities will be increasing the endowment, completing a strategic plan and strengthening Duquesne’s connections with the city’s foundations, corporations and elected officials."