library

Library Staff Monitoring New Catalog System

By ARLnow.com

Arlington Public Library staff have been working to iron out a few wrinkles in the library’s new catalog system, which went live Thursday afternoon.

Some library patrons have been reporting difficulty logging in, placing holds and setting up lists. Staff have been responding to the feedback and encouraging more people to report their experience with the system.

In addition to the bugs, one tipster worries that the process of signing up for the new catalog system presents an opportunity for identity theft.

“Anyone can type in somebody else’s library card number, create and enter a PIN (I.D. number), and access somebody else’s account,” the tipster said in an email. “This is a security and privacy problem.”

We tested it and indeed you can sign up for an account and then see the library card holder’s name, address and phone number — provided you have the library card number. No additional identity verification is performed.

Library spokesman Peter Golkin says they’ve been monitoring the sign-up process.

“We’re keeping an eye on how the PIN sign-up process is working,” Golkin said. “We’re also still testing some related features like the alternate username so we can revisit such issues as we proceed.”

“So far we’ve had overwhelmingly positive feedback about the big upgrade,” Golkin added.

New Arlington Public Library Catalog System Goes Live

By ARLnow.com

The Arlington Public Library system rolled out its new catalog and account system this afternoon.

The new system will allow self check-out at branch libraries, mobile access to the library’s catalog and enhanced online services for library cardholders.

The library will hold two public demonstrations of the new catalog system next week.

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Happy Valentine’s Day — To celebrate, Caribou Coffee is offering a buy one, get one free coupon. [Shirlington Village Blogspot]

Fairfax Supervisor Slams Arlington on HOT Lanes — The animus for Arlington continues over at the Washington Post. In an opinion piece published online, Fairfax County Supervisor Pat Herrity says the Arlington County Board has “thumbed their noses at every motorist sitting in traffic on our region’s congested highways” by using “gutter-style tactics” to block HOT lanes and other projects. A pro-Arlington Letter to the Editor, however, says that “The Post needs to stop blaming Arlington County for congestion on I-395.”

Library Changes This Week — Arlington Public Libraries are transitioning to a new catalog system this week. As a result, a number of library programs and resources won’t be available for the next several days. [Library Blog]

House Bill Could Cost Arlington Schools $700K — The budget bill passed by the House of Delegates calls for steep cuts to education. Arlington would lose $681,534 under the bill. Fairfax County would fare worse, losing some $5.9 million. The state Senate’s budget bill, however, does not contain such cuts. [Washington Examiner]

Arlington Approves Pike Affordable Housing Project — The Arlington County Board approved a plan to build a 121-unit affordable housing complex near the western end of Columbia Pike. The apartments will be located next to the currently under-construction Arlington Mill Community Center. [Pike Wire]

Flickr pool photo by Michael T. Ruhl

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Water Woes Continue in Ft. Myer Heights — Some Ft. Myer Heights residents were without water last night as crews worked to repair a persistent water main leak. Workers installed some temporary piping as they worked deep below the surface to repair the leak. [Ode Street Tribune]

Libraries Will Offer Self-Checkout — As part of a host of changes set to take place next week, Arlington Public Libraries will now be offering self-checkout at its Aurora Hills, Cherrydale, Columbia Pike and Glencarlyn branches. [Library Blog]

Artisphere Restaurant Name Contest Begins — Do you have a creative idea for the name of the new restaurant in Artisphere? If so, submit it online for a chance to win prizes. The arts center is letting the public decide the name of the restaurant, which is tentatively expected to open next month. [Artisphere / Washington Post]

Artisphere Appears on TLC Reality Show — The task of creating large, elaborate balloon sculptures (WARNING: link contains NSFW material) for the opening of Artisphere in October was the subject of an episode of the TLC reality series ‘The Unpoppables,’ which aired Monday night. [TLC]

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

New Library Catalog System Coming Mid-February — Arlington Public Libraries will be rolling out a new online catalog system that includes a feature that sends you a text message when a book you had on hold becomes available. The system should launch mid-February. [Library Blog]

Penrose Square Ramps Up Marketing — The new Penrose Square apartments on Columbia Pike have a slick new web site. The site markets the apartments as “urban apartment homes” in a “LEED-influenced” building.” Residents are expected to start moving in in May. [Pike Wire]

Arlington Receives Homeless Prevention Grant — The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development has awarded $1.28 million in grant funding to Arlington for homeless assistance programs. The county is looking for a potential location for a permanent homeless shelter to replace its current emergency winter shelter in Courthouse. [Sun Gazette]

New Va. Dem Chair Moran Blasts Transportation Plan — New Virginia Democratic party chair Brian Moran is critical of Gov. Bob McDonnell’s (R) plan to borrow billions to spend on transportation projects. “It’s frankly money we do not have,” he said on WAMU’s Kojo Nnamdi Show. “Arlington is a wonderful place to live and work,” Moran added, after co-host Tom Sherwood jokingly suggested that the governor “obliterate Arlington and make a big interchange.” [Greater Greater Washington]

Flickr pool photo by Philliefan99

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Bill Would Increase Handicap Parking Fine — Del. David Englin (D) — a prolific proposer of legislation — has introduced a bill that would increase the maximum fine for illegally parking in a handicapped parking space from $500 to $750. The minimum fine would remain $100. [Sun Gazette]

Blog Conducts Cupcake Taste Test — Which has the better cupcake, the new Crumbs Bake Shop (2839 Clarendon Blvd) or Bakeshop (1025 N Fillmore St)? A local blog conducted a taste test and produced an exhaustive a 1,100+ word comparison. [Clarendon Culture]

Public Library to Hold “Cello-bration” — Cellist David Rabin will perform at the Columbia Pike Branch Library (816 S Walter Reed Drive) at 2:00 p.m. on Saturday. The event, which is billed as fun for all ages, will feature the music of January birthday boys Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (Jan. 27) and Franz Schubert (Jan. 31). [Arlington Public Library Blog]

Flickr pool photo by Jason OX4

Library to Hold eReader Clinic

By ARLnow.com

If you unwrapped one of those hot new tablet devices over the holidays, you’re probably looking for ways to make the most of it without breaking the bank by buying a virtual bookcase-full of eBooks.

Well, if you have a Nook, an iPad, a Sony Reader, or another compatible device, you can actually “borrow” eBooks for free from the Arlington Public Library.

For more information on how the system works, the library is holding an eReader clinic tomorrow night. Library technology gurus will be on hand at the Central Library auditorium starting at 7:00 p.m. Thursday to show how to use the library’s eBook system and to answer frequently-asked questions.

One important caveat: Amazon’s Kindle does not work with library eBook downloads.

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Westover Beer Garden Saga Continues — Several months into the battle between the county zoning office and the Westover Market beer garden, a final resolution still has not been reached. Tens of thousands of dollars have been allocated to building new code-compliant restrooms, but more must now be spent constructing a restaurant separate from the grocery section. County regulators “are doing their best to make me a Republican,” market manager Devin Hicks told the Falls Church News-Press.

Fun and Games at the Library — The Westover Library will host a game-playing get-together for all ages this afternoon. From 2:30 to 5:00 p.m., players will face off in board games, card games and Nintendo Wii. More from the Arlington Public Library blog.

Brgr:Shack Wants to Open This Month — A new “better burger” joint is hoping to open soon in Ballston. The efficiently-named Brgr:Shack, located across from the Ballston Metro, was originally slated to open in the fall. They’re now eying a January opening, according to TBD.

Flickr pool photo by Team Rank

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Santa Visits Cherrydale — More than 300 children swarmed the Cherrydale Fire Station on Sunday afternoon, taking home free presents, stuffed stockings and fresh memories of Santa Claus. The children were beneficiaries of the 80th annual Christmas celebration sponsored by the Cherrydale Volunteer Fire Department. — Michael Doyle

End in Sight For HOT Lanes Suit? — After more than $1 million in legal costs, could the county’s lawsuit over HOT lanes on I-395 be nearing an end? Arlington “has had several positive negotiations that could lead to a settlement outside of court,” reports Ben Giles of the Washington Examiner, citing an interview with County Attorney Stephen MacIsaac.

Libraries Dominate County Manager Online Q&A — What’s on the mind of web-savvy Arlington residents these days? If Friday’s online community chat with County Manager Barbara Donnellan is any indication, they’re quite focused on libraries. Of the 14 questions asked during the question and answer session, six were about Arlington’s libraries. See a transcript here.

Tonight: The CIA and the Sunken Soviet Sub

By ARLnow.com

It’s a plot straight from a Tom Clancy novel — except it’s real.

In 1974, the CIA embarked on an outlandish, secret $350 million project to salvage a sunken Soviet ballistic missile submarine from three miles below the North Pacific. Under the cover of an undersea mining operation sponsored by the eccentric billionaire Howard Hughes, some of the country’s best and brightest were given the task of figuring out how to raise millions of pounds of steel from a nearly unreachable depth.

The result was one of the greatest feats of American engineering since the 1969 moon landing.

Tonight from 7:00 to 8:30 p.m. at Arlington Central Library, author and historian Norman Polmar will discuss recently-revealed details about the audacious effort, told in part through interviews with the men who made it happen.

Here’s a trailer for a documentary produced by the co-author of Polmar’s book, “Project Azorian: The CIA and the Raising of K-129.”

Reminder: Donnellan to Hold Budget Forum Tonight

By ARLnow.com

Arlington County Manager Barbara Donnellan will hold a public meeting tonight to discuss the county’s upcoming financial year 2012 budget.

The forum will be held from 7:00 to 9:00 p.m. at the Arlington Central Library’s auditorium (1015 North Quincy Street).

As we reported earlier, Donnellan has said that her recommended budget will likely not include any further cuts for county parks or libraries, but it will include sizable cuts in other areas.

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