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ALA Releases 'State of Libraries' Report

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Contact: Macey Morales

2012 State of America’s Library Report shows free access to information in jeopardy

ALA releases Top Ten List of Most Frequently Challenged Books of 2011

CHICAGO — Publishers limiting library e-book lending, budget cuts and book challenges are just a few library trends of the past year that are placing free access to information in jeopardy. These trends as well as other are detailed in the 2012 State of America’s Libraries Report released today by the American Library Association (ALA) in conjunction with National Library Week (April 8 – 14).

The rapid growth of e-books has stimulated increasing demand for them in libraries, but libraries only have limited access to e-books because of restrictions placed on their use by publishers. Macmillan Publishing, Simon and Schuster and Hachette Book Group refused to sell e-books to libraries. HarperCollins imposed an arbitrary 26 loans per e-book license, and Penguin refused to let libraries lend its new titles altogether. When Random House raised e-book prices, the ALA urged it to reconsider. “In a time of extreme financial constraint, a major price increase effectively curtails access for many libraries, and especially our communities that are hardest hit economically,” Molly Raphael, ALA president, said in a statement.

Author T.J. Stiles hosted by STJ Library Friends

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T.J. Stiles headshot image from web site

Pulitzer Prize winning author T.J. Stiles hosted by Friends of Sprauve Library

In honor of National Library Week 2012 (April 8-14), Pulitzer Prize winning author, T.J. Stiles will speak at the Elaine I Sprauve Library on Monday, April 16th at 6 PM.

T.J. Stiles is the author of The First Tycoon: The Epic Life of Cornelius Vanderbilt and Jesse James: Last Rebel of the Civil War. He is currently at work on a biography of George Armstrong Custer, with the support of a Guggenheim fellowship.

The First Tycoon won the 2010 Pulitzer Prize for Biography and the 2009 National Book Award for Nonfiction. It was named a New York Times Notable Book and one of the best books of the year by The New Yorker, Boston Globe, Christian Science Monitor, San Francisco Chronicle, Kansas City Star, and the Washington Post.

Jesse James won the Ambassador Book Award and the Peter Seaborg Award for Civil War Scholarship. It was named a finalist for the Los Angeles Times Book Prize in Biography and a New York Times Notable Book of the Year.

The Friends of the Elaine Ione Sprauve Library will provide light refreshments. For more information please call the library at 776-6359.

VI Church Records Indexing Project March 10

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FamilySearch.org logo Kip and Arden Hansen, representatives of Family Search will be giving a presentation on the VI Church Records Indexing Project on Saturday, March 10, 2012 from 11:00 AM until noon.

Attendees will learn how to work with records of baptisms, marriages, confirmations and burials and how to make the information in these records more accessible to everyone for research. No special skills or equipment are needed. Familiarity with computers will be helpful but is not required.

The meeting will be held at All Saints Cathedral, on the ground floor of the classroom building next to the Parish Office. Bring yourself and a friend -- high school students welcome, too! For questions or more information call Susan Lugo of the Caribbean Genealogy Library, at 340-690-0531 or email her at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

Celebrate National Library Week 2012

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National Library Week, an annual celebration sponsored by the American Library Association (ALA) is April 8-14, with a number of features to benefit supporters, staff and clientele of our nation's libraries including school librarians, teen readers, and bookmobile organizers and beneficiaries. Become and advocate for our libraries in public, private and parochial schools; universities; public libraries... and of course, we encourage supporting our local independent book sellers!