Category: March 2011

New book: The Culture of the Internet and the Internet as Cult: Social Fears and Religious Fantasies

March 28, 2011 by RoryLitwin

The Culture of the Internet and the Internet as Cult: Social Fears and Religious Fantasies Author: Philippe Breton Translator: David Bade Price: $22.00 Published: March 2011 ISBN: 978-1-936117-41-3 Printed on acid-free paper French author Philippe Breton examines the Internet and the culture surrounding it through the lens of its philosophical and cultural background. Central in … Read more New book: The Culture of the Internet and the Internet as Cult: Social Fears and Religious Fantasies

Professors’ email may be public

March 26, 2011 by RoryLitwin

No comment about this or predictions about where the case may be headed or whether there will be broader implications for privacy down the road, except to say to anyone out there who uses an email account set up by a public university: Best to keep as much as possible on your own private email … Read more Professors’ email may be public

Some links for you…

March 26, 2011 by RoryLitwin

I haven’t been posting much, but I do have some links to share: By Steve Coll, in the New York Review of Books: The Internet: For Better or for Worse, a review of two books skeptical of the idea of the internet as a force for liberation. By Richard Dorment, also in the NYRB: What … Read more Some links for you…

Smart commentary on Judge Chin’s decision

March 25, 2011 by RoryLitwin

I am not personally diving into the discussion of Judge Chin’s decision on the Google Settlement, because I am too war-weary of fighting it out with other librarians on issues where I feel like a lone dissenter, but I will go as far as to say that I like this post on the topic by … Read more Smart commentary on Judge Chin’s decision

A whole other basket of FOIA exceptions – statutes

March 15, 2011 by RoryLitwin

Susan Maret sent an interesting link to the PLG listserv to an article about statutes that create new exemptions to FOIA. If you’re interested in access to government information, this is something you should be aware of.

Nadia Plesner free speech case

March 14, 2011 by RoryLitwin

Librarians interested in intellectual freedom should take note of a case of censorship by copyright lawsuit. Danish artist Nadia Plesner has used an image of a Louis Vuitton handbag in some biting artwork about the genocide in Darfur to show our culpability in not bridging the gap between the tragedy there and our shallow consumerist … Read more Nadia Plesner free speech case

New book from Richard J. Cox: Archival Anxiety and the Vocational Calling

March 7, 2011 by RoryLitwin

Title: Archival Anxiety and the Vocational Calling Author: Richard J. Cox Price: $35.00 ISBN: 978-1-936117-49-9 6″ by 9″ 372 Pages Published: March 2011 Richard J. Cox’s fifteenth book on archival studies related topics, this collection of essays responds to anxieties affecting the archival profession as societal changes highlight the importance of archives and records-keeping and … Read more New book from Richard J. Cox: Archival Anxiety and the Vocational Calling

Miriam Braverman Memorial Prize – Call for Submissions (student paper contest)

March 5, 2011 by RoryLitwin

CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS Are you an LIS student interested in activism and the struggle for social justice? Do you stay awake at night thinking about how your politics might inform your professional practice? The MIRIAM BRAVERMAN MEMORIAL PRIZE, a presentation of the Progressive Librarians Guild (PLG), is awarded each year for the best paper about … Read more Miriam Braverman Memorial Prize – Call for Submissions (student paper contest)