Tag Archives: civil rights

Borrow an air quality monitor from the Pittsburgh Public Library

Speck air quality monitorNPR reports on a groundbreaking Pittsburgh library innovation: the Carnegie Mellon Library is lending out the Speck air quality monitor (cost $200) to help residents stay healthy.

The small, WiFi-connected device detects and calculates the level of fine particulate matter, particles that are invisible to the naked eye and just a tiny fraction of the width of a human hair. The lower the count, the better the air — and the fewer risks to health.

A high presence of particulate matter can exacerbate problems like asthma, lung disease and allergies. But the loanable air monitor is helping residents find and fix the source of the problem.

Librarians help people with job searches, research and were the country’s most outspoken defenders of residents’ civil rights and privacy in post 9/11 America.

In a ceremony tonight, the American Civil Liberties Union will present the Roger Baldwin Medal of Liberty awards to four Connecticut librarians and the president of a New York Internet Service Provider (ISP) who stood up against the Patriot Act and refused to violate the privacy of their patrons and clients.

This is one more reason to appreciate our public libraries and the fine men and women who staff them. Thank you guys!

If your library doesn’t have a Speck to lend out, make a request that they get one.