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This article reports on the 2006 American Library Association (ALA) Annual Conference held in New Orleans, Louisiana, the first major convention hosted by the city since Hurricane Katrina. Attendees contributed to local relief work. Speakers included former U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright and U.S. First Lady Laura Bush. The article highlights presentations on trends in library technology and electronic information systems, ALA business decisions and the inauguration of ALA president Leslie Burger.

The article presents news items on libraries and librarians. In June of 2010 library advocates from South Carolina got Governor Mark Sanford to overturn a veto of state aid to libraries. Library systems in Boston, Massachusetts and Charlotte Mecklenburg, North Carolina have received temporary funding for fiscal year 2011. The Institute of Museum and Library Services has awarded 38 Laura Bush 21st Century Librarian Program grants worth $22,623,984 in 2010.

The article reports the 2008 announcement that the Detroit, Michigan, Public Library was the first institution of its kind in the United States to be accredited by the Alliance of Information and Referral Systems (AIRS). Presented in the piece is information on the various criteria required to win the AIRS accreditation.

The article reports that budget constraints have hampered an undertaking by the Brooklyn Public Library, Brooklyn, New York, to open small branches in parts of the borough poorly served by the library system. The article provides a description of the branches, which were to be opened in city storefronts, and quotes Brooklyn librarian Nate Hill.

The article discusses the opening of the Indianapolis-Marion County Public Library's Central Library. Much delayed, the 293,000-square-foot facility opened its doors on December 9, 2007. Amenities include 900 seats, 300 public access computers, and 398 parking spaces. The facility is completely accessible to the handicapped.

The article reports on the announcement of several recipients of the National Leadership Grants for the year 2007 by the U.S. Federal Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS). Among the library recipients are Denver Public Library, the New York Public Library, Brooklyn Public Library and Queens Library. Academic library winners include the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, Rutgers University and Rice University.

This article discusses the budgetary problems and subsequent library closing of Saugus Public Library in Massachusetts. The library will remain shuttered unless officials pass a trash fee that will ultimately halve the library's budget in 2008. Because of the anticipated zero budget for 2008, one full time employee and one part time employee left in May 2007 for new jobs.

The article reports Michelle Reutty, the director of the Hasbrouck Heights Public Library in New Jersey, has resigned to become director of the Free Public Library of Oakdale, also in New Jersey. Reutty refused to turn over library circulation records to local police without a subpoena in May 2006. Details are given for why the request was made by police and negotiations to resolve the matter.

The article reports that the Fulton County Board of Commissioners in Georgia, voted on March 19, 2008 to approve the Atlanta-Fulton Public Library System's plan to upgrade the county's library services. The Board did not decide how to pay for the plan. It is estimated that eight new libraries would cost nearly $86 million and another $64 million would be needed to renovate or add to existing branches.

The article reports on 2008 legislation passed by the Wyoming State Legislature that provides a significant endowment to the state's public library system. Details of the funding provisions are provided. Rosie Berger, the state legislator who co-sponsored the bill, and state librarian Lesley Boughton, are quoted.

The article reports on significant bequests of money left to public libraries in 2008, donations that came as surprises to both the institutions in question. Max Hency, formerly of Monticello, Illinois, left $2 million to the Allerton Public Library and Thomas Kilfoil, a long-serving librarian at the West Hartford Public Library bequeathed $2 million to that institution.

The article reports that a state-run database system used by small businesses and schools, the New Jersey Knowledge Initiative (NJKI), ended its service on February 28, 2008. The program was the victim of significant budget cuts made by the New Jersey State Legislature. The article reports that there is a possibility the service could be restored in the future.

The article reports that small libraries have started to use the DVD rental service Netflix in place of interlibrary loans. Comments from Sanbornton Public Library, New Hampshire, Director Cab Cinton are included. The Cook Memorial Library in Tamworth, NH, uses the service to screen potential library purchases.

The article reports that Indiana has approved lower property taxes and suggests that this will affect public library budgets. The article talks about how approximately 80 percent of public library budgets come from property taxes in Indiana. The budget cuts that libraries are planning to make are discussed.

The article reports that LexisNexis has released Statistical DataSets, an online service for academic libraries that collects government and business data from 100 licensed and public domain sources. The service also makes 750 million data points accessible through one interface. The company has also expanded its Congressional Digital Collection which now provides more than 200 years of congressional proceedings and debates.

The article discusses staff changes at the District of Columbia Public Library. According to interim director of library services Nancy Davenport, thirty managers at the library will retire and another eight will be let go. The personnel moves are consistent with executive director Ginnie Cooper's stated plans to transform the library.

The article comments on library-related storm damage in the Tulsa and Oklahoma city areas. Ice storms that commenced December 9, 2007 damaged the roof of the Charles Page Library. Under cover of weather looters made off with computers from the Broken Arrow Library, according to library chief executive Linda Saferite.

The article reports that legislation passed in Erie County, New York includes an extra $1.6 million for public libraries in 2008. The Buffalo & Erie County Public Library will use the funds to extend its hours, but observes that the funding represents what it had to spend in 1998. The money helps make up for a 25% decrease in funding between 2004 and 2005.

The article reports on the profitability of BiblioTemps, a library temporary staffing service. The service was created in the year 2004 and managed by the Central Massachusetts Regional Library System (CMRLS) in Shrewsbury, Massachusetts. According to CMRLS administrator, Carolyn Noah, it's the first year money was put back into the organization since its launch. The types of library placements in BiblioTemps are discussed.

The article reports that librarian Martha Kruse Furber left $1.875 million to her alma mater, Emporia State University (ESU) in Kansas, the largest single gift to the school. The money will be used for scholarships in the School of Library and Information Management (SLIM) program. Furber earned a one-year library certificate in the year 1938 from the Kansas State Teachers College of Emporia and died in May 2006 at 92 years of age.

The article discusses the use of recycled carpeting in public libraries . The carpet industry's commitment to recycling led to the establishment of Carpet America Recovery Effort (CARE) in 2002, a partnership with local and federal governments as well as nongovernmental organizations. Most carpet recycling efforts by libraries are more cost-efficient than laying new carpet. Libraries are looking to carpet recycling to appease requirements of the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design.

The article reports that California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has cut $15 million from the Public Library Foundation program (PLF), which finances library materials, and the Transaction Based Reimbursement program (TBR), which reimburses libraries for interlibrary loans. According to the article, the cuts are part of Schwarzenegger's plan to reduce California's deficit. The article mentions the budgets of the programs.

The article presents information on the June 2007 Special Libraries Association (SLA) conference, held in Denver, Colorado. SLA President Rebecca Vargha says that special libraries are facing a time of change and need to adapt and plan strategically. Chief Executive Officer Janice Lachance reinforced that message by noting that information professionals must adapt to changing business environments.

The article reports that former U.S. Vice President Al Gore was the Opening General Session speaker for the June 2007 Special Libraries Association (SLA) conference in Denver, Colorado. Gore is reported to have spoken knowledgeably about information science. He praised librarians for their response to library shutdowns and poor planning for digital initiatives on the part of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. He also spoke on topics covered in his book, "The Assault on Reason."

This article discusses a community reading program called Suburban Mosaic, a program that aims to confront and understand issues of social and racial justice. In Chicago, a group of libraries, schools, and community organizations will initiate a dialog on the topic of immigration through an all-ages book discussion program.

This article discusses how the School of Library & Information Science (SLIS) at San Jose State University, California is embracing web-based virtual reality environments, such as Second Life. A summer 2007 class in Immersive Environments will be the first to devote itself to the phenomenon. SLIS has had a presence in Second Life since 2006 when a Soros Foundation grant enabled it to buy a 16-acre site to create an "information island."

This article describes how Danbury Public Library in Danbury, Connecticut has adopted a consumer-oriented, collaborative book cataloging web site called LibraryThing. "Tag clouds" denote major themes in books with a click producing a list of similarly tagged books for referencing. Patrons remain unable to add their own tags because it poses technical challenges with the Library's integrated library system (ILS).

The article presents information from the "LJ Insider" blog, which reports the story of the Alachua County Library District's Friends group's 2007 spring used-book sale. The Friends decision to ban handheld scanners, used by book resellers to determine saleability, at its annual used-book sale resulted in fewer attendees but higher proceeds than previous years, and volunteers had to re-sort fewer books.

The article reports that, in May 2007, the city council of Austin, Texas approved use of proceeds from the sale of city property to support operating costs for a central library scheduled for completion in 2012. The author explains that the Austin Public Library Foundation (APLF) will use the city funds together with funds raised by the foundation to establish a special operational endowment fund to meet the operating costs of the 250,000 square foot facility.

The article reports on $11 million in public library capital improvements for the San Antonio Public Library which were contained in a $550 million bond package that will be voted on on May 12 in Texas. The $11 million would pay for improvements at several library branches but is $22 million less than what the library's board of directors had requested.

The article reports on a delay which was seen in the construction of five branch libraries which were part of the San Francisco Public Library's $106 million branch renovation program that was approved by California voters in 2000. The delay was the result of increased construction costs associated with the project. As a result of the costs the library decided to use the money dedicated to the five libraries to complete 11 other branches instead.

The author reports that the Pickaway County District Public Library in Circleville, Ohio has received a $10 million bequest from the estate of Mary Joanne Clifton. Clifton had been a lifetime member of the library's Friends group. The library's Board of Trustees will review options and solicit input from the community before deciding how to use the funds.

The author reports that the Friends of the Saint Paul Public Library in Minnesota has launched a fee-based consultancy offering the services of some 35 librarians and nonlibrarians who generally work part-time as consultants. For Library Strategies, the Friends will perform administrative duties and take a percentage of the fee.

The article focuses on the Student Power Plus Card from the Louisville Free Public Library in Kentucky. In partnership with the school system, the card will allow students to use library resources, the 50 cent student fare for the Transit Authority of River City and "Kidtrax" ID code which helps schools track attendance and performance. Details are given for the project's budget.

The article reports that the Special Library Association's (SLA) 2006 annual conference in Baltimore, Maryland attracted almost 6,000 attendees. The most popular topics of discussion among conference participants revolved around the so-called "millennial generation" and creating services and technologies specifically for that group. Discussion on SLA's leadership and activities is also provided.