First of all, this post is inspired by a new Facebook group called “Zero Based Library School,” which derives from an analogy to Zero Based Budgeting, where nothing is carried over from the past, and everything needs to be justified in terms of present needs and conditions. In librarianship, it means that nothing should be … Read more A note on library “traditionalism”
I refer you to Kathleen de la Pe?±a McCook’s Union Librarian blog for the best ongoing coverage of the strike at the Vancouver Public Library (outside of the union’s own blog).
Readers who speak French, you probably already know you are favored here. So for your special benefit, here is a link to a very enjoyable podcast from the radio show “Le meilleur des mondes,” from Swiss station Espace 2. It is an interview with the literary historian Jean Marie Goulemot, about his love for libraries. … Read more French podcast on libraries
Libraryjuicepress.com and Libr.org were down and out for several days due to e-gremlins. Service has been restored.
Don’t tell anybody, because it’s so embarrassing, but the ALA Social Responsibilities Round Table (SRRT) now has a Facebook group. Actually, the idea was debated for a day, and finally those opposed were swayed. The idea was originally Erik Estep’s, and he had my support. So join if you’re on Facebook and you want to … Read more Psst! SRRT Facebook group!
In many European countries, libraries pay a fee to copyright owners based on circulation statistics, in addition to buying the books outright. (And many European countries don’t do this.) This is called the “remuneration principle.” The new policies that come with the European Union are pressuring member states that don’t have this system to start … Read more Italian Library Association and the Public Lending Right
For Immediate Release July 11, 2007 American Library Association urges Congress to reform laws governing the FBI’s use of National Security Letters CHICAGO – The American Library Association’s governing body has unanimously passed a resolution condemning the use of National Security Letters (NSLs) to obtain library records and urging Congress to pursue immediate reforms of … Read more ALA on National Security Letters
I love that CAKE song, “Rock ‘n’ Roll Lifestyle,” and thought of it during that thread on “A Hipper Crowd of Shushers.” Liz of the LibraryTavern blog wrote great new lyrics, really great new lyrics, to that song, that apply to hip next-gen librarians: “How do you afford your 2.0 biblio-lifestyle?” Thanks to Mark Rosenzweig … Read more How do you afford your 2.0 biblio-lifestyle?
Terry Eagleton has a rather sad article in Saturday’s UK Guardian: Only Pinter remains: British literature’s long and rich tradition of politically engaged writers has come to an end. Eagleton tells how England’s major writers have moved to the right in recent years, and talks about the Left politics of its great writers of the … Read more Only Pinter remains
I was tickled to see today’s NY Times article in the Fashion section, “A Hipper Crowd of Shushers,” about how hip and cool younger librarians are now, in contrast to a generation ago. Throughout Kara Jesella’s article there are specific markers of hipness that distinguish the new breed of librarians as superior to their elders … Read more The judgment of taste and the “hipper crowd of shushers”
Restoring Order: The Ecole des Chartes and the Organization of Archives and Libraries in France, 1820-1870 Author: Lara Moore Expected: Spring 2008 Printed on acid-free paper Between 1789 and 1793, the revolutionary French state nationalized thousands of libraries and archival depositories, thus becoming the proprietor of many millions of books and documents, ranging from Montesquieu’s … Read more Restoring Order: The Ecole des Chartes and the Organization of Archives and Libraries in France, 1820-1870 (forthcoming)
ALA Council Report to SRRT July 3, 2007 Greetings to the members of the Social Responsibilities Round Table. SRRT took a break in proposing resolutions at the ALA Annual Meeting in Washington, DC. Perhaps we were worn out by the unsympathetic reception to our efforts at the Midwinter Meeting. SRRT did however endorse one resolution, … Read more SRRT Councilor’s Report on the ALA Conference
What is ALA-APA? It is the ALA Allied Professional Association. It was created a few years ago because the restrictions of ALA’s 501(c)(3) tax status. ALA-APA has a different tax status, which allows it to promote the welfare of a professional group, and not just the public interest. (That is the basic distinction in the … Read more ALA-APA