Autism headlines: Lisa Jo Rudy urges caution

Lisa Jo Rudy

One of the most important responsibilities of an information professional is to empower clients to evaluate the credibility of information for themselves.

At About.com: Autism Spectrum Disorders, Lisa Jo Rudy offers suggestions about what to watch out for when reading stories in the media about “cures” or “causes” of autism.

Daryl Hannah raises attention for women on autism spectrum

On Facebook, sharing a link to an essay about actress Daryl Hannah, Autism At About.com relates, “I feel a certain obligation to post this sort of celebrity news, though I personally don’t find it especially compelling ... do you guys enjoy reading about ‘celebrity autistics?’”

My response is that the main focus of the essay (by the consistently informative Emily Willingham) seems less to do with Daryl Hannah and more to do with misdiagnosis or under-diagnosis of women and girls. As a woman diagnosed in adulthood, I feel this is a legitimate issue that vitally needs more attention.

Bookmobile transformations mirror those in libraries

Mendocino County Library’s “Traveling Branch Library”
http://www.facebook.com/Mendocino.County.Library

The National Center for Educational Statistics lists 864 library bookmobiles in operation in the United States, with an average annual cost of $200,000 to keep them on the road. For Library Journal, Bob Warburton argues that bookmobiles are in a state of transformation, much like the libraries they serve.

Jackson County: countwide library district proposed

Ryan Pfeil reported this week for the Medford Mail Tribune that Jackson County officials may put a countywide library district on the May 2014 ballot.

“The decision comes on the heels of a survey that polled 500 likely voters — those who have voted in at least two of the last four elections — in Jackson County. Of those surveyed, 52 percent supported creating a special district to fund libraries with a tax rate of 60 cents per $1,000 of assessed property value, survey results show. That’s $120 for a $200,000 home.”

Chrastka: Take library card sign-ups door-to-door

John Chrastka

At Library Journal, John Chrastka has a great idea to energize library card sign-ups: going door-to-door or tabling. His commentary is a valuable resource during Library Card Sign-Up Month.

“To shake a person’s hand, look them in the eye, and introduce yourself as their librarian is powerful. The library is one part of civil society where people don’t laugh when you say ‘I am from the government and I am here to help.’ For staff, friends, trustees, and volunteers, this is a powerful opportunity to say to someone ‘I am here as your neighbor. Let me tell you about our library.’”

‘Invisible’ disabilities pose job hunting challenges

People with “invisible” disabilities face a quandary when seeking work: to conceal or reveal the disability, each with potential consequences for finding and keeping employment? For the New York Times, Katherine Bouton provides an excellent, in-depth, report.

Autism: Letters help shape perceptions in media

At TheInvisibleStrings.com, M. Kelter offers perceptive analysis of autism coverage in the media, arguing that a wider range of stories are conveyed through the “new media” of blogs and social posts, but are limited to fragmented audiences.

Banned Books Week 2013: Sept. 22 to 28

Banned Books Week is being observed this week, Sept. 22 to 28. According to the American Library Association, “Banned Books Week stresses the importance of preventing censorship and ensuring everyone’s freedom to read any book, no matter how unorthodox or unpopular.”

Largest city in Oregon is ‘Poverty’

Image credit: Oregon Center for Public Policy

“If poverty were a city in Oregon, it would be the state’s largest city,” according to the Oregon Center for Public Policy.

The policy center released a fact sheet on Thursday, the same day the U.S. House of Representatives passed a bill to cut funding and tighten eligibility requirements for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. One in five Oregon residents received “Oregon Trail” benefits last month, according to KDRV Newswatch 12 reporter Rob Scott.

How does social media affect your credit score?

U.S. and international lenders are examining Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn profiles of potential borrowers. As related by Erika Eichelberger on MotherJones.com:

“Companies like Neo and LendUp seized an opening in the market to provide low-income borrowers, who may lack bank accounts or have bad credit, an alternative to payday loans. Though credit-worthiness is typically based on factors like employment, finances, and whether you make your credit card payments on time, these companies argue that they are able to serve borrowers that traditional banks deem risky because they are able to evaluate credit risk based on more subtle social media-based indicators.

“The problem, consumer advocates say, is that because there are few regulations governing this new way of grading borrowers’ trustworthiness, applicants can be subject to unfair and discriminatory decisions by lenders.”

Biblio Tech book-less library: Sign of things to come?

Artist’s rendering courtesy of Bexar County, Texas

Is this a sign of things to come in public library service? Biblio Tech, a book-less public library, opened this week in Bexar County, Texas.

EqUUal Access, UUA launch test of accessibility certification

EqUUal Access, in partnership with the Unitarian Universalist Association, is embarking on a two-year field test of accessibility certification for member congregations.

“The program helps congregations learn about accessibility issues through worship, workshops, and other means. When the certification program has been completed a congregation can vote to be recognized by EqUUal Access.”

Books in dumpster distract from greater issue

Talk about a buried lead: A proposal to change education requirements and eliminate specialization of staff at Fairfax County Public Library in northern Virginia receives only a brief mention by NBC reporter Jackie Benson in a video report from a meeting of the Library Board of Trustees.

No respect for journalists who condone child murder

At Mediaite.com, writer Tommy Christopher calls for a complete retraction and discipline for everyone involved in a CBS This Morning report that excused the murder of Alex Spourdalakis, a 14-year-old child with autism.

“On Friday’s CBS This Morning, reporter Sharyl Attkisson delivered a report that was fatally flawed on several levels, but I hesitate to even mention the reporting itself, because even if everything in the report was 100% above-board and true, it would not support the sick conclusion that permeates it: that Alex Spourdalakis’ mother had no choice but to murder him. This sounds like an exaggeration, surely, but it is not. This was the explicit message of CBS News’ report.”

Christopher offers a lengthy analysis of omissions and distortions in the CBS report. I won’t duplicate his efforts. Suffice to say the choice of footage and commentary suggests a no-win, hopeless situation in which child murder was the only way out.

Libraries that charged fees would lose ‘public’ status

In the Medford Mail Tribune, Anne Guevara argues that public libraries that charge user fees would cease to be public libraries and would lose far more than they would stand to gain in user fee revenue.

Solved: that DRM issue in OverDrive

A Library2Go workshop at the Ashland library provided me with the necessary final step to perform a Digital Rights Management (DRM) upgrade to use my OverDrive Media Console. At No. 2 among 60 ways to use a library card for Library Card Sign-Up Month, library workshops explain how to access eBooks on patrons’ personal gadgets.

‘Secret shopper’ for Autistic Self Advocacy Network

On August 28 and 29, 2013, I visited The Job Council/Worksource Oregon Career Center in Medford, Oregon. The purpose of my visit was to be a field researcher, a “secret shopper,” for the Autistic Self Advocacy Network.