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Daily Archives: September 2, 2021

How to keep your phone charged and useful in a natural disaster

Washington Post: “A smartphone can be a lifeline in a natural disaster, connecting you instantly to assistance and real-time resources. Unfortunately, many disasters like hurricanes and wildfires take out the exact things phones rely on to do that work: electricity and cell service. The remnants of Hurricane Ida unloaded a historic deluge in New York City and the surrounding area on Wednesday night, triggering states of emergencies in New York and New Jersey and leading to at least nine deaths. Nearly 1 million households are still without power in Louisiana after Ida made landfall as a Category 4 hurricane on Sunday and the heavy rain knocked down cell towers, leaving many without a phone connection. In California, record-setting wildfires are encroaching on populated areas, including South Lake Tahoe where more than 20,000 people have been ordered to evacuate. If you’re preparing for, in the midst of, or recovering from a disaster, here are some of the best ways you can get your phone in the best shape to help you. From making a charge last as long as possible, to finding the right information online…”

We lose so many lives because of misinformation”

Via MetaFilter / hurdy gurdy girl: “The negative effects of disinformation and misinformation around the globe have been clear and disturbing. In response, Stanford University’s History Education Group has put together a free curriculum with lesson plans and assessments for teachers and professors. The Civic Online Reasoning curriculum is intended to teach students how to… Continue Reading

An App Called Libby and the Surprisingly Big Business of Library E-books

The New Yorker: “Increasingly, books are something that libraries do not own but borrow from the corporations that do…The sudden shift to e-books had enormous practical and financial implications, not only for OverDrive but for public libraries across the country. Libraries can buy print books in bulk from any seller that they choose, and, thanks… Continue Reading

Study – Misinformation on Facebook got six times more clicks than factual news during the 2020 election

Washington Post: “A new study of user behavior on Facebook around the 2020 election is likely to bolster critics’ long-standing arguments that the company’s algorithms fuel the spread of misinformation over more trustworthy sources. The forthcoming peer-reviewed study by researchers at New York University and the Université Grenoble Alpes in France has found that from… Continue Reading

2021 Update to Choosing Law Librarianship: Thoughts for People Contemplating a Career Move

Via LLRX – 2021 Update to Choosing Law Librarianship: Thoughts for People Contemplating a Career Move – AALL Gallagher Award recipient Mary Whisner, Public Services Librarian, University of Washington, Marian Gould Gallagher Law Library, has updated her 2008 guide about choosing a career in law librarianship. With more than 30 years of experience in the profession,… Continue Reading

21st-Century Storms Are Overwhelming 20th-Century Cities

Wired: “In just a few hours on Wednesday night, between 6 and 10 inches of rain fell on New York City—more than has fallen on San Jose, California, in the past year. Water rose in basement apartments and leaked through roofs. Rain streamed into subway stations and pooled on the tracks. The remains of Hurricane… Continue Reading

Reporting COVID-19 Vaccinations in the United States

“CDC’s COVID Data Tracker provides COVID-19 vaccination data in the United States. Please visit the About COVID-19 Vaccine Delivered and Administration Data to better understand the IT systems behind the COVID-19 Data Tracker…CDC COVID Tracker publicly displays federal agency data individually by agency and incorporates federal agency vaccination data into national and jurisdictional progress metrics. Federal… Continue Reading

Library of Congress Releases Data for Free Download and Discovery

“The Library of Congress announced today its third release of records in its online catalog for free bulk download for research and discovery. The release supports the Library’s effort to continuously expand open access to its vast collections. This MARC (Machine Readable Cataloging Records) release surpasses previous releases and adds more than 200,000 new records… Continue Reading

Masks Work, Major Study Finds

Gizmodo: “An enormous randomized trial of communities in Bangladesh seems to provide the clearest evidence yet that regular mask-wearing can impede the spread of the covid-19 pandemic. The study found that villages where masks were highly promoted and became more popular experienced noticeably lower rates of covid-like symptoms and confirmed past infections than villages where… Continue Reading