Latest issue of Newspoke

The latest issue of Newspoke is now available. You can get the PDF here. The July-September 2010 issue (v. 23 n. 3) includes these stories:

• A Legacy to Kenai's First Lady of Reading, Emily DeForest
• Letter from the President
• "A Native Lad": Turning Words into Pictures
• Library Advocacy Day
• Catalogers' Corner
• AkLA Chapter News
• Scholarship Awards for American Indians and Alaska Natives
• When Does A Library Cease to Be A Library?
• Newspoke Guidelines
• AkLA Officers/Calendar

True in 1905. Still True Today

In prepping for some staff training last month, I came across a clear explanation of the need for controlled vocabulary when doing comprehensive literature searches. This comes from volume 1 (1900-1904) of the Readers' Guide to Periodical Literature and I believe it is as relevant today as it was when it was first published over a century ago:

...this index has been made first of all a subject index. Articles are indexed under the subject headings which most nearly describe the actual topics treated, regardless of the headings suggested by the frequently misleading titles. This method has the advantage, not only of making accessible all the material on a particular subject, but also of bringing this material in one place, for even tho the title may adequately divulge the subject matter of an article, all titles do not call a thing by the same name. The war of the revolution may appear in one title as the revolutionary war, in another as the war for independence, in another as the American revolution. But articles on the revolution will not be scattered under these different names. They will be found under United States--History--Revolution, in whatever form the name of the war appears in the titles of the articles or whether or not it appears at all.

That is the power of controlled vocabulary. This is the power of librarian-added value. And while cataloging everything everywhere isn't an option, we should not lightly throw controlled vocabulary aside. What do you think? Leave us a comment.

Governor Palin's Entrance Interview On-Line

Robyn Russell of the University of Alaska, Fairbanks reports that the UAF Oral History Program has put up Governor Palin's entrance interview on-line. This is the oral history interview she did with Paul McCarthy several months after taking office. The URL is: http://uaf-h2007-04.uaf.edu/. People can listen to the MP3 file and/or read the written summary.

Questions about this resource should be directed to the UAF Oral History Program at Oral History Program; Alaska & Polar Regions Dept.; Rasmuson Library; University of Alaska Fairbanks; Fairbanks, AK 99775. Phone: (907) 474-5355. Fax: (907) 474-6365. E-mail: ffwss@uaf.edu.

True Then, True Now - What Libraries Do

During a recent research project, I came across this article from AkLA's newsletter:

Libraries: Alaska built.
DeForest, Emily.
Sourdough 1987, v. 24, no. 4 (Winter 1987) p. 7.

One paragraph about the role of libraries in communities really struck me as being just as true today as it was 21 years ago:

Libraries, and the buildings they are in, are a vital part of the state economy and the upturn thereof. Libraries encourage tourism by offering programs geared directly for the tourist. Libraries also assist in the many programs for the blind and handicapped. Libraries offer state and federal documents on economics, job hunting, careers, and education, all of these readily available for perusal by the public. Libraries offer educational assistance to students, story hours and reading programs for the younger set, family type film programs, discussion groups, and many, many other services over and above the lending of books, phonodiscs, tapes, etc. Libraries are among the first community facilities investigated by prospective residents.

The main correction to the above statement would be that thanks to local and state investments in remote databases like the Digital Pipeline and Homework Help, people can reap many of the benefits of the library without leaving home. But our buildings are still vibrant places as described above. Just with more media types.

At least that's true for my library. What about yours?

Tougher in Alaska premiers on the History Channel

As mentioned on our list, this series on Alaska might be of interest to some of you and your patrons. For more information, see http://www.history.com/minisites/tougher-in-alaska. I'll miss the premiere tonight, since I don't get the History Channel and I have a Juneau Chapter meeting to attend (with a tour of the new Auke Bay Labs NOAA facility!), so I'll be interested to hear what others have to say about it.

Please share in a comment to this post, or in your own!