Library news November 2014

Russia has been in the news often over the past few months what with their incursions into the eastern part of Ukraine. Now the Russian Presidential Library has been tasked with creating a "Russian-focused alternative to Wikipedia". So far they have collected more than 50,000 books and archive documents from 27 regional libraries. Read more here.

It seems that budget cuts have hit libraries worldwide. I admit that I was not following the goings on closely but as I browsed through the UK's Public Libraries News I noticed the compromises and policy adjustments that were made, among them having libraries taking over by a council and cutting money from other areas to fund libraries. In Southampton there have been protests by residents to save libraries. This article describes how protesters want councillors to go and not the libraries-five city libraries are in danger of being closed.

The BBC is reporting that a court in India has ruled that it is against the country's constitution for female students to be banned from a main university library. This after several thousand female undergrads were banned from the Maulana Azad Library in a university in the state of Uttar Pradesh.

In Canada, a recent report cited urban-rural library technology divide as well as decreased accessibility to archival material. Also Canadians can now search their family's First World War history online. Library and Archives Canada has a Soldiers of the First World War database which is an index to the service files held by LAC for the servicemen and women who served during that era.

It is no secret that today's libraries are community hubs. The Twin Cities' oldest library (in existence since the 19th century) is being reborn as a job skills center for Emerge. The 13,000 square foot building's programs are expected to help make a dent in the region's high unemployment rate.  Read more here.

We are smack dab in the middle of NaNoWriMo and this article talks about the efforts by two librarians to push this program at their library in Oregon. The program was so popular last year that they even published a collection of writings from many of the participants.

Finally, do you want to prove that you are Native American or have Native American ancestry? This blog by the Denver Public Library shows you just how the process goes, and believe me when I say that it is not easy.