News Items of Interest

JEWISH PUBLICATION SOCIETY NEWS:

There have been various rumors about Jewish Publication Society (JPS) - its demise, lamentations about its partnership with University of Nebraska, etc., several of which have been posted on Hasafran, the AJL listserv. Here is the latest Hasafran posting from JPS itself that assures us that JPS is indeed still here and moving forward. For more details, check the JPS website, or the JPS article, The University of Nebraska Press and The Jewish Publication Society Announc Collaborative Publishing Agreement, dated September 13, 2011.

From: ABlock@jps.org
Date: October 21, 2011 10:24:05 AM PDT
To: Hasafran@lists.acs.ohio-state.edu
Subject: RE: [ha-Safran]: "Jewish Publication Society Sale Brings End to Era"
Reply-To: ABlock@jps.org

Hi Everyone,

I wanted to take a moment to respond to the news about our move forward. I
can assure you that our decision to partner with the University of Nebraska
Press will not only allow us to continue to publish ground-breaking works
of Jewish interest, but to do it better than before.

For 125 years, we have been a solid institution, filling a void within the
Jewish community with scholarship, Bible and biblical commentary, and other
invaluable works. This will not change.

Under our current agreement, JPS will continue to acquire new titles, more
so than we have over the last few years. We will continue to be a nonprofit
book publisher, partnering with the University of Nebraska, who will handle
our sales, marketing, licensing, and production.

It is a win-win for JPS: we can now acquire and develop quality works for the
Jewish community without having to deal with the business side of publishing.
I personally consider the University of Nebraska Press to be our ultimate
and ideal donor, helping us to continue and shine for many years to come.

All the best,

Alx Block
Director of Sales and Marketing
The Jewish Publication Society
2100 Arch St. Phila. PA 19130
Ph: <https://mail.google.com/mail/tel:215.832.0622>215.832.0622
<https://mail.google.com/mail/http://jps.org/>http://jps.org

[Messages and opinions expressed on Hasafran are those of the individual author
and are not necessarily endorsed by the Association of Jewish Libraries (AJL).
AJL HomePage http://www.JewishLibraries.org]

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Teri Markson -- Children’s Librarian, Los Angeles (former member of AJLSC) - posted on Huffington Post

Shelve This, Bill Maher

Posted: 10/17/11 01:59 PM ET

I will state right up front that I am a librarian. I am also a big fan of Bill Maher, and have been known to overlook stupid things he's said in the past about any number of topics, especially women. I have been a loyal viewer of his show for years, and have even been a member of the studio audience on several occasions. But as far as I'm concerned he really stuck his foot in it on Friday night's Real Time with Bill Maher (Oct. 14) when he said, "We have the Internet. We don't need a library at all."
For a political guy who fancies himself a progressive and . . . [For MORE -- see: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/teri-markson/bill-maher-libraries_b_1015875.html ]

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DIGITAL LITERACY

May 2011. The U.S. Department of Commerce launched DigitalLiteracy.gov, a gateway to materials, research, online learning tools and more to help librarians and educators access and share materials to use when training learners of all ages on topics such as information literacy, computer skills, digital literacies and more. The Dept. of Commerce's National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) created the portal in partnership with nine federal agencies to provide librarians, teachers, workforce trainers and others a central location to share digital literacy content and practices. Individuals are welcome to visit the site to find resources, upload their own and/or connect with others who are offering training on these topics. Visit http://www.digitalliteracy.gov/ to access the resource, or read more about it from the ALA Washington Office's blog:
http://www.districtdispatch.org/2011/05/ala-collaborates-with-ntia-to-launch-enhance-digitalliteracy-gov/

-Beth Yoke, Executive Director
Young Adult Library Services Association
American Library Association
50 E. Huron St. Chicago, IL 60611
1.800.545.2433 x4391 - fax: 312.280.5276

ASSOCIATION OF JEWISH LIBRARIES ANNOUNCES AFFILIATION WITH AMERICAN LIBRARY ASSOCIATION

The Association of Jewish Libraries has become an affiliate of the American Library Association as of January, 2010. Among ALA’s twenty-eight affiliate organizations, there are a number that, like AJL, represent religious or ethnic library services, including the American Indian Library Association, the Asian/Pacific American Librarians Association, the Catholic Library Association, the Black Caucus of ALA, and the Chinese American Librarians Association.

AJL was welcomed into the fold with a warm “Congratulations!” by ALA’s Alicia Bastl, liaison for affiliates. “AJL’s mission is to support Judaic libraries and promote Jewish literacy. ALA wants to do the same for American libraries. Our goals overlap and reinforce each other. We hope that this new affiliation will help AJL grow and strengthen even as it helps ALA diversify,” said Susan Dubin, AJL President. “This is a great opportunity for us to educate the library world about AJL and its many activities.”

Affiliates enjoy representation at ALA conferences and in ALA print and online publications. Benefits of membership began immediately for AJL, when the winners of its 2010 Sydney Taylor Book Award were announced on the ALA website alongside their other children’s literary prizes such as the Newbery and Caldecott medals.

The Association of Jewish Libraries, established in 1966, has over 1,000 members worldwide. AJL promotes Jewish literacy through enhancement of libraries and library resources and through leadership for the profession and practitioners of Judaica librarianship. Visit the AJL website at www.jewishlibraries.org, and visit http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/affiliates/affiliates/AJL.cfm to see AJL’s presence on ALA’s website.

Source: "People of the Books," column of AJL President Susan Dubin, February 24, 2010.

Information Searches that Solve Problems

"Members of Gen Y are the leading users of libraries for help solving problems and in more general patronage."
"For help with a variety of problems, more people turn to the Internet than consult experts or family members to provide information and resources."
Source: PEW Internet & American Life Project. The PEW Center is an independent opinion research group that studies attitudes toward the press, politics, and public policy issues.

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