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Join us for a Virtual LibrariesConnect Lunch on May 7

Submitted by Elaine Pritchard: Looking for some social interaction with your Libraries colleagues?  Join us for the next LibrariesConnect brown bag this Thursday, May 7, from noon – 12:30 p.m.  To join via Zoom:  https://osu.zoom.us/j/94746223336  Or call 1-301-715-8592, meeting ID 94746223336  LibrariesConnect brings our faculty and staff together in a relaxed environment where we can […]




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LibrariesConnect: Start the Conversation – What is the funniest Zoom moment you have experienced?

Submitted by Casey Cramer: Now that we are living in a time with plenty of video conference calls – and are making these calls from our homes where pets, kids and significant others may appear in the background – we all have heard and seen some funny moments. What is the funniest Zoom moment you […]




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Data in Libraries Webinar Recordings Available

Submitted by Nicole Hernandez: University Libraries participated in the RUSA Data in the Libraries webinar series this semester. The webinar recordings are now available online. The following webinar records are now available: Understanding and Working with APIs Data Processing and Visualization Open Data Data Basics and The Reference Interview Information on the webinar series, and […]




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University Libraries Zoom Pictionary May Madness Tournament

Submitted by Ashleigh Minor: Sign your team up today to participate in the University Libraries Zoom Pictionary May Madness Tournament!  Are you bummed you missed out on March Madness this year? Need a little break in the day to connect with colleagues and have some fun? We’re looking for teams of 4-6 players to challenge […]




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Scenario planning as strategic activity: A practice‐orientated approach - Bowman - - FUTURES & FORESIGHT SCIENCE - Wiley Online Library

Feb 2020 article "...Wright, Bradfield, & Cairns (2013) noted a methodological separation of the intuitive logics approach popularized by Royal Dutch Shell (Wack, 1985a, 1985b) from firm‐level strategy concepts like business models (Zott, Amit, & Massa, 2011), competitive positioning (Porter, 1985), and resource capabilities (Barney, 1991)... The weakening of the connection, related to both the use of scenario planning and the research into it, is the historical connection to strategy process research."




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willmcgugan/rich: Rich is a Python library for rich text and beautiful formatting in the terminal.




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Benita Charles: My Musical Journey To Love At Harlem Library - Oct 5th

NY-Vocalist, Benita Charles Will Be The Featured Artist For The Concert & Speaker Series At The Harlem Public Library On Oct 5th.




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How to support Denver-area bookstores, libraries with ebooks and home delivery

From canceled author readings to lost revenue and visitors amid a government-ordered shutdown, bookstores and libraries are struggling to stay connected to their audiences during the coronavirus pandemic, which has closed most brick-and-mortar gathering spots indefinitely.




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woodshedding in libraryland II

Been thinking about this blog and how a lot of the work I’ve been doing lately doesn’t always lend itself...




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Ask A Librarian: VPNs?

  From a Vermont librarian: VPNs are really important and I’d like to remind our patrons about them, but it...




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Ask A Librarian: Hard Drive Cleanup for Macs?

  I am looking for someone who can help me find and clear out excess data on one of my...




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Ask A Librarian: What About Controlled Digital Lending?

From a friend: Please explain to me your enthusiasm for controlled digital lending. Please let me know what you think...




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Ask a Librarian: Older person wanting to learn about tech

Subtitled: What’s the Yahoo! Internet Life for this generation? From a friend: A nice older lady asked for advice on...




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Ask A Librarian: Graphic Novels for Boomers?

I was wondering if you might give my little women’s (boomers) some guidance as to a beginning graphic novel for...




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2019 in Libraries

  Visiting libraries is great. Neat things to learn about communities, comfy places to sit, clean bathrooms. I went to...




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Our Library Associations

I’ve been spending some of the wintertime outlasting the blues and making sure that Wikipedia’s got entries for every state...




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Ask A Librarian: What is the deal with “free” ebook sites?

It’s been an odd set of months. I got busy with Drop-In Time and then very un-busy. I’ve been keeping...






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Wimpie Nortje: Database migration libraries for PostgreSQL.

It may be tempting at the start of a new project to create the first database tables manually, or write SQL scripts that you run manually, especially when you first have to spend a significant amount of time on sifting through all the migration libraries and then some more to get it working properly.

Going through this process did slow me down at the start of the project but I was determined to use a migration tool because hunting inexplicable bugs that only happen in production just to find out there is a definition mismatch between the production and development databases is not fun. Using such a tool also motivates you to write both the setup and teardown steps for each table while the current design is still fresh in your mind.

At first I considered a standalone migration tool because I expect them to be very good at that single task. However, learning the idiosyncrasies of a new tool and trying to make it fit seamlessly into my development workflow seemed like more trouble than it is worth.

I decided to stick with a Common Lisp library and found the following seven that work with PostgreSQL and/or Postmodern:

I quickly discounted Crane and Mito because they are ORM (Object Relational Mapper) libraries which are way more complex than a dedicated migration library. Development on Crane have stalled some time ago and I don't feel it is mature enough for frictionless use yet. Mito declares itself as being in Alpha state; also not mature enough yet.

I only stumbled onto cl-mgr and Orizuru-orm long after making my decision so I did not investigate them seriously. Orizuru-orm is in any case an ORM which I would have discounted because it is too complex for my needs. CL-mgr looks simple, which is a good thing. It is based on cl-dbi which makes it a good candidate if you foresee switching databases but even if I discovered it sooner I would have discounted it for the same reason as CL-migrations.

CL-migrations looks very promising. It is a simple library focusing only on migrations. It uses clsql to interface with the database which bothered me because I already committed to using Postmodern and I try to avoid adding a lot of unused code to my projects. The positive side is that it interfaces to many different databases so it is a good candidate if you are not committed to using Postmodern. It is also a stable code base with no outstanding bug reports.

The two projects I focused on was Postmodern-passenger-pigeon and Database-migrations because they both use Postmodern for a database interface.

Postmodern-passenger-pigeon was in active development at the time and it seemed safer to use than Database-migrations because it can do dry runs, which is a very nice feature when you are upgrading your production database and face the possibility of losing data when things go awry. Unfortunately I could not get it working within a reasonable amount of time.

I finally settled on Database-migrations. It is a small code base, focused on one task, it is mature and it uses Postmodern so it does not pull in a whole new database interface into my project. There are however some less positive issues.

The first issue is a hindrance during development. Every time the migrations ASDF system (or the file containing it, as ASDF prefers that all systems be defined in a single file) is recompiled it adds all the defined migrations to the migrations list. Though each one will only be applied once to the DB it is still bothersome. One can then clear the list with (setf database-migrations::*migrations* nil) but then only newly modified migration files will be added. The solution then is to touch the .asd file after clearing the migrations list.

The second negative point is quite dangerous. The downgrade function takes a target version as parameter, with a default target of 0. This means that if you execute downgrade without specifying a target version you delete your whole database.

I am currently using Database-migrations and it works well for me. If for some reason I need to switch I will use cl-migrations.

Using Database-migrations

To address the danger of unintentionally deleting my database I created a wrapper function that does both upgrade and downgrade, and it requires a target version number.

Another practical issue I discovered is that upgrades and downgrades happen in the same order as they are defined in the migration file. If you create two tables in a single file where table 2 depends on table 1 then you can not revert / downgrade because Database-migrations will attempt to delete table 1 before table 2. The solution here is to use the def-queries-migration macro (instead of def-query-migration) which defines multiple queries simultaneously . If you get overwhelmed by a single definition that defines multiple tables the other option is to stick with one migration definition per file.




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Indonesian Microlibrary uses prefab FSC-certified timber

In the Indonesian city of Semarang, international architecture firm SHAU has completed Microlibrary Warak Kayu, an inspiring new public space that raises the bar for community design and sustainable architecture. Prefabricated with only FSC-certified timber, the new neighborhood icon is the fifth built project in the Microlibrary series, an initiative to encourage reading in low-income areas by creating "socially performative multifunctional community spaces with environmentally conscious designs and materials." In addition to the exclusive use of sustainably grown and logged timbers, the project is the first library in Indonesia made entirely of FSC-certified wood. The Microlibrary Warak Kayu is also[...]




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LEED Gold-targeted library and community park has otherworldly appeal

Toronto-based architecture firm RDHA has completed the Springdale Library and Komagata Maru Park, a new inclusive gathering space for Brampton, a city located about 45 minutes west of Toronto. Designed as a visual contrast to the flat suburban environment, the architects created an undulating landscape of hills that is reinforced by the building’s mountainous form. Surrounded by walls of glass and solar shades, the green-roofed library is powered by geothermal energy and is expected to achieve LEED Gold certification.[...]




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Oprah Winfrey gives Prince Harry and Duchess Meghan’s baby Archie a library of books

The book that Duchess Meghan read to her son in Wednesday’s viral video was a gift from the media maven, who attended the Sussexes’ wedding back in 2018.




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Q&A: What do people ask a librarian in a pandemic? L.A. Library's InfoNow has the answer

With libraries closed, L.A. librarians now work from home to help people find free ebooks, music and movies during the coronavirus crisis.




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Is Facebook’s new Libra currency a play to become the world’s banker?

The goal is to provide financial services to billions of people around the world, including those who lack access to banking.




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A ball fit for Cinderella at the Library of Congress as the National Film Registry inducts the classic film

Fans of the Disney animated movie celebrated its addition to the National Film Registry.




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oscon: Beginner's Guide to Computer Vision - 2D/3D image fundamentals, OpenCV, OpenNI Library + more http://t.co/ph2dKrC9W4 #oscon #tutorial

oscon: Beginner's Guide to Computer Vision - 2D/3D image fundamentals, OpenCV, OpenNI Library + more http://t.co/ph2dKrC9W4 #oscon #tutorial




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The recalibration of Chinese assertiveness: China's responses to the Indo-Pacific challenge

8 January 2020 , Volume 96, Number 1

Feng Liu

In response to the changing geopolitical landscape in Asia, both China and the United States attempt to alter the regional order in their own favour, both in the economic and security realms. This article shows how diverging views on future arrangements are leading to strategic shifts and increasing tension between these two Great Powers. As part of its quest for Great-Power status, China has been actively pushing its regional initiatives such as the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) and the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB), as well as adopting assertive security policies towards its neighbours. In contrast, in order to counter China's growing influence America's regional strategy is undergoing a subtle shift from ‘rebalancing to Asia’ to focusing on the ‘Indo-Pacific’ region. However, amid an intensifying trade war and other challenges facing the region, China has chosen to moderate its proactive foreign policy-orientation in the past few years. In particular, China has made attempts to downplay its domestic rhetoric, rebuild strategic relationship with India and Japan, and to reassure ASEAN states in the South China Sea. In response to the Indo-Pacific strategy, it would be more effective for China to articulate a more inclusive regional vision and promote an institutional framework that also accommodates a US presence in the region.




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The recalibration of Chinese assertiveness: China's responses to the Indo-Pacific challenge

8 January 2020 , Volume 96, Number 1

Feng Liu

In response to the changing geopolitical landscape in Asia, both China and the United States attempt to alter the regional order in their own favour, both in the economic and security realms. This article shows how diverging views on future arrangements are leading to strategic shifts and increasing tension between these two Great Powers. As part of its quest for Great-Power status, China has been actively pushing its regional initiatives such as the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) and the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB), as well as adopting assertive security policies towards its neighbours. In contrast, in order to counter China's growing influence America's regional strategy is undergoing a subtle shift from ‘rebalancing to Asia’ to focusing on the ‘Indo-Pacific’ region. However, amid an intensifying trade war and other challenges facing the region, China has chosen to moderate its proactive foreign policy-orientation in the past few years. In particular, China has made attempts to downplay its domestic rhetoric, rebuild strategic relationship with India and Japan, and to reassure ASEAN states in the South China Sea. In response to the Indo-Pacific strategy, it would be more effective for China to articulate a more inclusive regional vision and promote an institutional framework that also accommodates a US presence in the region.




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Correction: A dual druggable genome-wide siRNA and compound library screening approach identifies modulators of parkin recruitment to mitochondria. [Additions and Corrections]

VOLUME 295 (2020) PAGES 3285–3300An incorrect graph was used in Fig. 5C. This error has now been corrected. Additionally, some of the statistics reported in the legend and text referring to Fig. 5C were incorrect. The F statistics for Fig. 5C should state Fken(3,16) = 7.454, p < 0.01; FCCCP(1,16) = 102.9, p < 0.0001; Finteraction(3,16) = 7.480, p < 0.01. This correction does not affect the results or conclusions of this work.jbc;295/17/5835/F5F1F5Figure 5C.




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Large-scale Identification of N-linked Intact Glycopeptides in Human Serum using HILIC Enrichment and Spectral Library Search

Qingbo Shu
Apr 1, 2020; 19:672-689
Research




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Acquiring and Analyzing Data Independent Acquisition Proteomics Experiments without Spectrum Libraries

Lindsay K Pino
Apr 20, 2020; 0:P119.001913v1-mcp.P119.001913
Perspective




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Large-scale Identification of N-linked Intact Glycopeptides in Human Serum using HILIC Enrichment and Spectral Library Search [Research]

Large-scale identification of N-linked intact glycopeptides by liquid chromatography coupled with tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) in human serum is challenging because of the wide dynamic range of serum protein abundances, the lack of a complete serum N-glycan database and the existence of proteoforms. In this regard, a spectral library search method was presented for the identification of N-linked intact glycopeptides from N-linked glycoproteins in human serum with target-decoy and motif-specific false discovery rate (FDR) control. Serum proteins were firstly separated into low-abundance and high-abundance proteins by acetonitrile (ACN) precipitation. After digestion, the N-linked intact glycopeptides were enriched by hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography (HILIC) and a portion of the enriched N-linked intact glycopeptides were processed by Peptide-N-Glycosidase F (PNGase F) to generate N-linked deglycopeptides. Both N-linked intact glycopeptides and deglycopeptides were analyzed by LC-MS/MS. From N-linked deglycopeptides data sets, 764 N-linked glycoproteins, 1699 N-linked glycosites and 3328 unique N-linked deglycopeptides were identified. Four types of N-linked glycosylation motifs (NXS/T/C/V, X=P) were used to recognize the N-linked deglycopeptides. The spectra of these N-linked deglycopeptides were utilized for N-linked deglycopeptides library construction and identification of N-linked intact glycopeptides. A database containing 739 N-glycan masses was constructed and utilized during spectral library search for the identification of N-linked intact glycopeptides. In total, 526 N-linked glycoproteins, 1036 N-linked glycosites, 22,677 N-linked intact glycopeptides and 738 N-glycan masses were identified under 1% FDR, representing the most in-depth serum N-glycoproteome identified by LC-MS/MS at N-linked intact glycopeptide level.




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New website allows youth to report cyber bullying at ACT libraries

A new pilot website will also make it easier for material to be taken off the internet.




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Acquiring and Analyzing Data Independent Acquisition Proteomics Experiments without Spectrum Libraries [Perspective]

Data independent acquisition (DIA) is an attractive alternative to standard shotgun proteomics methods for quantitative experiments. However, most DIA methods require collecting exhaustive, sample-specific spectrum libraries with data dependent acquisition (DDA) to detect and quantify peptides. In addition to working with non-human samples, studies of splice junctions, sequence variants, or simply working with small sample yields can make developing DDA-based spectrum libraries impractical. Here we illustrate how to acquire, queue, and validate DIA data without spectrum libraries, and provide a workflow to efficiently generate DIA-only chromatogram libraries using gas-phase fractionation (GPF). We present best-practice methods for collecting DIA data using Orbitrap-based instruments, and develop an understanding for why DIA using an Orbitrap mass spectrometer should be approached differently than when using time-of-flight instruments. Finally, we discuss several methods for analyzing DIA data without libraries.




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Correction: A dual druggable genome-wide siRNA and compound library screening approach identifies modulators of parkin recruitment to mitochondria. [Additions and Corrections]

VOLUME 295 (2020) PAGES 3285–3300An incorrect graph was used in Fig. 5C. This error has now been corrected. Additionally, some of the statistics reported in the legend and text referring to Fig. 5C were incorrect. The F statistics for Fig. 5C should state Fken(3,16) = 7.454, p < 0.01; FCCCP(1,16) = 102.9, p < 0.0001; Finteraction(3,16) = 7.480, p < 0.01. This correction does not affect the results or conclusions of this work.jbc;295/17/5835/F5F1F5Figure 5C.




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Why We Need Libraries, Or, Memory and Knowledge


"Writing is thinking in slow motion. We see what at normal speeds escapes us, can rerun the reel at will to look for errors, erase, interpolate, and rethink. Most thoughts are a light rain, fall upon the ground, and dry up. Occasionally they become a stream that runs a short distance before it disappears. Writing stands an incomparably better chance of getting somewhere.

"... What is written can be given endlessly and yet retained, read by thousands even while it is being rewritten, kept as it was and revised at the same time. Writing is magic." 
Walter Kaufmann

We are able to know things because they happen again and again. We know about the sun because it glares down on us day after day. Scientists learn the laws of nature, and build confidence in their knowledge, by testing their theories over and over and getting the same results each time. We would be unable to learn the patterns and ways of our world if nothing were repeatable.

But without memory, we could learn nothing even if the world were tediously repetitive. Even though the sun rises daily in the east, we could not know this if we couldn't remember it.

The world has stable patterns, and we are able to discover these patterns because we remember. Knowledge requires more than memory, but memory is an essential element.

The invention of writing was a great boon to knowledge because writing is collective memory. For instance, the Peloponnesian wars are known to us through Thucydides' writings. People understand themselves and their societies in part through knowing their history. History, as distinct from pre-history, depends on the written word. For example, each year at the Passover holiday, Jewish families through the ages have read the story of the Israelite exodus from Egypt. We are enjoined to see ourselves as though we were there, fleeing Egypt and trudging through the desert. Memory, recorded for all time, creates individual and collective awareness, and motivates aspirations and actions.

Without writing, much collective memory would be lost, just as books themselves are sometimes lost. We know, for instance, that Euclid wrote a book called Porisms, but the book is lost and we know next to nothing about its message. Memory, and knowledge, have been lost.

Memory can be uncertain. We've all experienced that on the personal level. Collective memory can also be uncertain. We're sometimes uncertain of the meaning of rare ancient words, such as lilit in Isaiah (34:14) or gvina in Job (10:10). Written traditions, while containing an element of truth, may be of uncertain meaning or veracity. For instance, we know a good deal, both from the Bible and from archeological findings, about Hezekiah who ruled the kingdom of Judea in the late 8th century BCE. About David, three centuries earlier, we can be much less certain. Biblical stories are told in great detail but corroboration is hard to obtain.

Memory can be deliberately corrupted. Records of history can be embellished or prettified, as when a king commissions the chronicling of his achievements. Ancient monuments glorifying imperial conquests are invaluable sources of knowledge of past ages, but they are unreliable and must be interpreted cautiously. Records of purported events that never occurred can be maliciously fabricated. For instance, The Protocols of the Elders of Zion is pure invention, though that book has been re-published voluminously throughout the world and continues to be taken seriously by many people. Memory is alive and very real, even if it is memory of things that never happened.

Libraries are the physical medium of human collective memory, and an essential element in maintaining and enlarging our knowledge. There are many types of libraries. The family library may have a few hundred books, while the library of Congress has 1,349 km of bookshelves and holds about 147 million items. Libraries can hold paper books or digital electronic documents. Paper can perish in fire as happened to the Alexandrian library, while digital media can be erased, or become damaged and unreadable. Libraries, like memory itself, are fragile and need care.

Why do we need libraries? Being human means, among other things, the capacity for knowledge, and the ability to appreciate and benefit from it. The written record is a public good, like the fresh air. I can read Confucius or Isaiah centuries after they lived, and my reading does not consume them. Our collective memory is part of each individual, and preserving that memory preserves a part of each of us. Without memory, we are without knowledge. Without knowledge, we are only another animal.




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College & Research Libraries – November 2019

The November 2019 issue of College & Research Libraries is now freely available online. Visit the C&RL website for complete contents from 1939 to the present and follow C&RL on Facebook and Twitter for updates and discussion. Note: The November 2013 issue was the final print issue of College & Research Libraries. The journal began an online-only publication model in January 2014. [...]




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College & Research Libraries – January 2020

The January 2020 issue of College & Research Libraries is now freely available online. Visit the C&RL website for complete contents from 1939 to the present and follow C&RL on Facebook and Twitter for updates and discussion. Note: The November 2013 issue was the final print issue of College & Research Libraries. The journal began an online-only publication model [...]




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College & Research Libraries – March 2020

The March 2020 issue of College & Research Libraries is now freely available online. Visit the C&RL website for complete contents from 1939 to the present and followC&RL on Facebook and Twitter for updates and discussion. Note: The November 2013 issue was the final print issue of College & Research Libraries. The journal began an online-only publication model in [...]




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College & Research Libraries – April 2020

The April 2020 special issue of College & Research Libraries, highlighting the projects of ACRL Academic Library Impact research grant recipients, is now freely available online. Visit the C&RL website for complete contents from 1939 to the present and followC&RL on Facebook and Twitter for updates and discussion. Note: The November 2013 issue was the [...]




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College & Research Libraries – May 2020

The May 2020 issue of College & Research Libraries is now freely available online. Visit the C&RL website for complete contents from 1939 to the present and followC&RL on Facebook and Twitter for updates and discussion. Note: The November 2013 issue was the final print issue of College & Research Libraries. The journal began an online-only publication model [...]




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A library in the roof / John Watson.




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A library miscellany / Claire Cock-Starkey.

Libraries.




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Fantasies of the library / edited by Anna-Sophie Springer & Etienne Turpin.

Libraries -- Philosophy.




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The data librarian's handbook / Robin Rice and John Southall.

Data libraries.




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Easy graphic design for librarians : from color to kerning / Diana K. Wakimoto.

Libraries -- Marketing.




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Syria's secret library : the true story of how a besieged Syrian town found hope / Mike Thomson.

Libraries -- Syria -- Dārayyā (Damascus)




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Welcome to the Library

    Who says dressing up is just for kids!




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Sunday at the Library

Last Sunday the Library was filled with families enjoying a day of author talks, drawing workshops, kid’s tours, craft a