How Seattle’s libraries are leveraging technology in the pandemic

Startup bets on van vacations | Amazon sues email marketers | LinkedIn fallout ADVERTISEMENT [GeekWire]( SPONSOR MESSAGE: Become a GeekWire member: [Support independent journalism and join today!]( TODAY'S TOP STORIES Libraries, technology and the pandemic: After the Seattle Public Library was named the 2020 Gale/Library Journal Library of the Year this week, Executive Director and Chief Librarian Marcellus Turner (above) was excited to discuss everything his team did to earn the prestigious recognition, including its use of technology to provide access to resources during the pandemic. And he was nervous about another honor — his choice as GeekWire’s latest Geek of the Week. But [as you’ll see from our profile]( he definitely qualifies. COVID-19 has ravaged the economy and unraveled social safety nets that provide meals for people who are hungry. Two new tech projects in the Seattle region aim to fill the gap — connecting financially hard-hit restaurants with people in need, including healthcare providers on the frontlines and low-income kids, seniors, people experiencing homelessness and others. [Read the story.]( Is that email message really from Amazon? [These definitely weren’t]( the tech giant says. Amazon filed lawsuits in three states, aiming to squash what it describes as fraudulent affiliate marketing schemes driven by email campaigns purporting to come from the Seattle e-commerce giant. [Read the story](. Vacation in a van: In the midst of the pandemic, tech startups are pitching camping as a low-risk alternative to air travel. They include a new venture called Cabana, launched by former Seattle Department of Transportation head Scott Kubly. The startup is renovating cargo vans into Instagram-friendly campers that can be rented using an app. [Read the story](. “We require members on our platform to have real identities and we will not allow anonymous questions in all hands meetings in the future.” — new LinkedIn CEO Ryan Roslansky, apologizing publicly after employees made offensive comments during a town hall event.[Read the story](. And finally, here’s one thing you don’t need to worry about this weekend: Yes, an asteroid of city-killing proportions is heading in our direction, but the good news is that [it’ll miss us on Saturday night by 3.2 million miles](. Thanks for reading, have a great weekend, and see a full list of our latest headlines below. — GeekWire editor Todd Bishop, todd@geekwire.com, and managing editor Taylor Soper, taylor@geekwire.com. SPONSOR MESSAGE [Albers to award $87K in Master of Finance scholarships]( Thinking of going to grad school? Interested in a career in fintech? Seattle University’s Albers School of Business and Economics will be awarding $87K worth of scholarships for incoming Master of Finance students. Apply for these scholarships while applying for this highly ranked, STEM-designated program. Deadline for applications: August 20 for a Fall 2020 start. [Learn More!]( LATEST HEADLINES [As Seattle wins ‘Library of the Year,’ Chief Librarian Marcellus Turner sees key role for tech in pandemic]( [Seattle startup Cabana pitches vanlife vacations as travel alternative during pandemic]( [Vaccine veterans preview milestones on the long road to the end of the pandemic]( [LinkedIn CEO apologizes after employees make ‘appalling’ comments during virtual town hall]( [Is that message really from Amazon? Tech giant cracks down on fraudulent email campaigns]( SPONSORED: GEEK HOME OF THE DAY [Ideal “Work From Home” Setting with His and Hers Offices]( [Product placement and sales analytics startup Observa draws big-name investors with $725K round]( [Don’t panic: Huge, headline-grabbing asteroid has no chance of hitting us anytime soon]( [Chinook Therapeutics to merge with Aduro Biotech as it pushes forward with kidney disease therapies]( GEEKWORK: TODAY'S TECH JOBS - [ALLEN INSTITUTE FOR ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE (AI2): Deep Learning Engineer // Co-Founder]( - [Compete To Create: Technical Lead / Principal Software Engineer]( - [INRIX: Engineering Director – SaaS Platform]( - [INRIX: Senior UX Designer]( - [SimpliGov: Platform / Product Support Engineer]( - [ALLEN INSTITUTE FOR ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE (AI2): Technical Co-Founder // CTO (Stealth Startup)]( - [ALLEN INSTITUTE FOR ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE (AI2): CTO-in-Residence // Co-Founder]( - [INRIX: Senior Front End UI Developer]( [FIND MORE JOBS ON GEEKWORK]( [HIRING? BUY A FEATURED LISTING TO APPEAR HERE]( [About GeekWire]( [Contact Us]( [Advertise]( Copyright © 2020 GeekWire LLC, All rights reserved. You are receiving this email because you opted to receive emails from GeekWire LLC.  Our mailing address is: GeekWire LLC 123 NW 36th St, Suite 203 Seattle, WA 98107  [change email frequency or address]( | [unsubscribe](