Friday Bulletin: Issues

August 20, 2021

News from the Division

Library staff – Get Library Science Books and E-books

If you’re looking for a deep dive into a library/information science topic, you might want a book. The Alaska State Library has numerous books on library and information science from volunteer management, employee supervision, library gardens, ideas for collection development, technology planning, and more. See example titles with descriptions and instructions for accessing many more titles at our new Library Science Collection guide, which is linked from our extensive Continuing Education for Library Staff page.

News from L.A.M.S in Alaska

UAF Researchers Track Ancient Woolly Mammoth With Help of Museum of the North

A mammoth tusk at the University of Alaska Fairbanks’ Museum of the North was key to documenting the wide-ranging habits of woolly mammoths. Researchers from the University of Alaska at Fairbanks and elsewhere split the tusk lengthwise and extracted hundreds of thousands of microscopic samples. Their findings made the cover of 13 August 2021 issue of the journal Science. Woolly mammoths turn out to be highly mobile, with the one in the Museum of the North collection possibly walking nearly 50,000 miles during its 28-year lifetime.

While the Science article is behind a paywall for most users, summaries of the research were provided in several places:

• Study takes unprecedented peek into life of 17,000-year-old mammoth. UAF press release, 8/12/2021
• Mammoths were the original ‘ice road truckers,’ traveling vast distances across the Arctic. By Katie Hunt. CNN, 8/12/2021.
• Ice Age mammoth’s life story reconstructed in stunning detail. By Zach St. George. National Geographic, 8/12/2021.

Ketchikan Public Library Outreach Services

The August 2021 e-newsletter from the Ketchikan Public Library noted that their outreach services offer free deliveries within their service area. Community agencies in Ketchikan can contact the Library to see about getting materials delivered to their clients or having a complimentary bookshare installed at their location.

If your library, archives, or museum offers outreach services to your community, please send us a paragraph or two about what you are doing!

A Closer Look: Digitizing Celebrations at the Sealaska Heritage Institute

By now, we hope you’re aware that Sealaska Heritage Institute is in the process of digitizing all the video from every Celebration since 1982 and posting them to their YouTube channel. But how did they do that? Lyndsey Brollini of Sealaska Heritage Institute provides background on the body of video recordings and how they were digitized in a recent SHI blog post:

A CLOSER LOOK: How SHI's Celebrations are being digitized, made available online for the first time | Sealaska Heritage by Lyndsey Brollini.

Other Announcements

EEOC Launches Resource Hub on Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity

The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) has launched a resource page on sexual orientation and gender identity. The page includes the EEOC’s position on what kinds of acts in the workplace can constitute employment discrimination or harassment based on sexual orientation or gender identity. It also links to the EEOC’s more detailed technical guidance document on this issue, provides a fact sheet on notable litigation the EEOC is following, and includes litigation and enforcement statistics.

Webinar 9/14/21, 10 am Alaska: U.S. Merchant Marine Academy: Contemporary and Historical Information Resources

From our friends at the Government Publishing Office:

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Register to attend the live training webinar, "U.S. Merchant Marine Academy: Contemporary and Historical Information Resources."

• Speaker: Bert Chapman; Government Information, History, and Political Science Librarian; Purdue University Libraries
• Learning outcomes: This presentation will document how this professional military education institute prepares leaders to meet U.S. economic, maritime transportation, and national security needs as Merchant Marine Officers and commissioned officers in the armed forces. Since 95% of world products are transported over water, such leaders are vital for effectively operating the merchant fleet for commercial and military transport in peacetime and wartime. Information will be provided about this academy’s admission process and academic programs, including the ‘Sea Year’ that gives cadets operational maritime experience.

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Being Tech-Savvy Without Being Tech-Wise: Teens Fastest Growing Group Of Scam Victims

Last week PC Magazine reported on the results of the 2021 State of Internet Scams report, which shows teens are falling victim to online scams in greater numbers than before. From the article:

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It found that the number of victims of online scams under the age of 20 rose from 9,053 in 2017 to 23,186 in 2020. The amount of money lost by those victims also rose from roughly $8.3 million to nearly $71 million in that same time frame, although Social Catfish said those figures could be conservative because victims often under-report their losses.

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Find the full story, which includes scam statistics for other age groups at:

Tech-Savvy Teens Fall for Online Scams at Alarming Rate. By Nathaniel Mott. PC Magazine, 8/11/2021.

For the actual study results, read State of Internet Scams 2021 at Social Catfish.

To read about some common scams and how to protect yourself, visit our About Internet page on the Alaska State Library’s Digital Literacy Guide and scroll down to “internet safety,” “internet security,” and “remote access scams.”

Sun Related Activities Via Lunar And Planetary Institute

Our friends at the Lunar and Planetary Institute have some ideas for learning about our nearest star while having fun. From a recent e-mail announcement:

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1. Get creative with NASA’s Sun activity book (available in English and Spanish). And watch NASA’s Jewel Box Sun for inspiration.
2. Try out the Light and Shadow Explorations, Making a Sun Clock, and Tide-O-Matic activities from the Exploratorium.
3. Learn about the Sun while decorating your own delicious Sun cookies.
4. For young audiences, check out Storytime Science, pairing reading with a simple hands-on activity.
5. Find many more interactive activities on Sun science geared to grades 4-12 at the Stanford SOLAR Center

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Malware Explained And Hackers At Work

Two computer security articles we thought might be of general interest:

• Viruses, Malware, or Spyware: What's More Dangerous? : Your antivirus protects you from more than just viruses. Here's everything you need to know about the spyware, Trojans, ransomware, scareware, and other threats your security software should detect and neutralize. By Neil J. Rubenking. PC Magazine, 7/28/2021
• I Watched a Training Video for Iranian Hackers : I may not be ready to work for a state-sponsored hacking group, but at Black Hat, I learned some surprising things about how these groups operate. By Max Eddy. PC Magazine, 8/5/2021