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Microsoft Patch Tuesday, Sept.1

Microsoft today released updates to remedy nearly 130 security vulnerabilities in its Windows operating system and supported software. None of the flaws are known to be currently under active exploitation, but 23 of them could be exploited by malware or malcontents to seize complete control of Windows computers with little or no help from users. […]

dnsmap: an Old-School Network 1

Installing Kali Linux or any other pentesting distro reveals the massive amount of tools in today’s infosec landscape that make the work of researchers, analysts and other security professionals easier, faster and more accurate. This certainly wasn’t the case 14 years ago, when dnsmap was released. Tools like dnsmap marked the beginning of the ever-growing […]

Celebrating the accomplishment1

Anqi Xu, pictured above, is one of 240 students who deposited their work to the Stanford Digital Repository (SDR) as part of completing their programs of study at Stanford in 2020. Xu received her MA in East Asian Studies. Her thesis, available at PURL and SearchWorks, is a case study using a combination of business and […]

Expanded discovery now availab1

We’re pleased to announce expanded discovery for Spotlight at Stanford exhibits is now available via library.stanford.edu and searchworks.stanford.edu. Our colleagues on the DLSS Access Team have recently added an Exhibits tile to the bento search options, adding another discovery point for Spotlight at Stanford. There are different ways to conduct a search that will yield […]

Which Generation Reads The Mos1

Which generation reads the most? On this week’s Princh Libray Blog, Best by the numbers shares a fun infographic, that will provide you with the answers. Check out the infographic below. Have you ever wondered which generation reads the most? Are tech-obsessed Gen Z’s and Millennials actually reading less than Baby Boomers and the Silent […]

Product Update: SurfaceBrowser1

One of our newest SurfaceBrowser™ features is SQL Explorer. This cool new feature allows you to combine the power of structured query language with our huge records database, allowing you to extract the most information possible. Today we’ll share some easy-to-follow examples that can help you find interesting, and even unusual, data on SSL certificates […]

2020 Library Design Showcase

The year’s most impressive new and renovated libraries By Phil Morehart | September 1, 2020 Library Learning Center at Texas Southern University in Houston. Photo: Kayla Hartzog Welcome to the 2020 Library Design Showcase, American Libraries’ annual celebration of new and renovated libraries. These shining examples of architectural innovation—completed before the COVID-19 pandemic—address user needs […]

Virus-Responsive Design

A floor plan for furniture removal at Hennepin County (Minn.) Library’s Eden Prairie branch. Illustration: MSR Design Libraries have always been spaces for discovery. But in light of the COVID-19 pandemic, they have been tasked with transforming themselves into places that allow users to physically distance while being more digitally connected than ever. As some […]

Ready for Action

A worker installs solar panels on the roof of Ledding Library in Milwaukie, Oregon. Photo: Katie Newell/Ledding Library in Milwaukie, Oregon Sarah Preskitt has lived in Alaska for almost 40 years—and seen its climate change in ways the Lower 48’s hasn’t. “We used to joke that you had to arrange your Halloween costume over your […]

2020 ALA Award Winners

Each year, the American Library Association (ALA) recognizes the achievements of more than 200 individuals and institutions with an array of awards. This year’s winners, chosen by juries of their colleagues and peers, embody the best of the profession’s leadership, vision, and service as well as a continued commitment to diversity, equality, education, and outreach. […]

Encoding Space

In 1956, Abraham Maslow published a seminal paper on the influence our physical surroundings have on us. Participants viewed photographs of people’s faces and evaluated them based on different attributes. Maslow wanted to test how people reacted to this content while located in different physical environments. Some viewed the images while seated in a beautiful […]

By the Numbers: Rural and Smal1

Graves County (Ky.) Public Library’s bookmobile. Photo: Graves County (Ky.) Public Library 1982Year the Association for Rural and Small Libraries (ARSL) was founded by Bernard Vavrek, director of the Center for the Study of Rural Librarianship at Clarion (Pa.) University. 5Number of days the ARSL Conference will take place, September 28–October 2. Previously scheduled for […]

Bookend: The World on a String

Top: Puppeteer Morgan Matens (left) and Children’s Librarian Greg Hall pose with puppets from Nashville Public Library’s in-house troupe, Wishing Chair Productions. Below: Scenes from their viral Facebook video “Curbside Baby.” Photo: Samantha Saldana/Nashville Public Library (Matens and Hall) When Greg Hall and Morgan Matens met and fell in love as graduate students over a […]

Dragging AI

Teen participants in Boston Public Library’s “Drag vs. AI” program test their makeup and props against facial recognition software. Photo: Kathy Pham/American Civil Liberties Union of Massachusetts In November 2019, Boston Public Library’s (BPL) Teen Central hosted a digital privacy instruction workshop for teens that centered on facial recognition technology. Titled “Drag vs. AI,” the […]

Can You Hear Me Now?

Illustration: Kwun Yee/Adobe Stock When Boston College Libraries was forced to close its doors this spring during the COVID-19 pandemic, Rodrigo Castro, head librarian for access services, made a list. “I started identifying the tasks that individuals could do remotely versus tasks they could do onsite,” he says. “When you are in this situation, your […]

Common Cyber Security Risks to1

With this in mind it’s safe to assume that organizations are highly interested in protecting their data; after all, it’s at constant risk. If it’s valuable to the organization, it will surely be valuable to malicious actors, whether to be sold on the black market, used for market advantage, leveraged to ruin reputations, or just […]

LC Labs Letter: August 2020

LC Labs Letter: August 2020

August 2020 A Monthly Roundup of News and Thoughts from the Library of Congress Labs Team Job Announcements WE’RE HIRING! The Computing Cultural Heritage in the Cloud project, funded by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, is seeking an Innovation Specialist (GS-12) to work with our curators and reference librarians supporting reference questions that require data […]

Sendgrid Under Siege from Hack1

Email service provider Sendgrid is grappling with an unusually large number of customer accounts whose passwords have been cracked, sold to spammers, and abused for sending phishing and email malware attacks. Sendgrid’s parent company Twilio says it is working on a plan to require multi-factor authentication for all of its customers, but that solution may […]