Category: Print Culture

Statement by Former New Republic Editors and Writers

As former editors and writers for The New Republic, we write to express our dismay and sorrow at its destruction in all but name. From its founding in 1914, The New Republic has been the flagship and forum of American liberalism. Its reporting and commentary on politics, society, and arts and letters have nurtured a … Read more Statement by Former New Republic Editors and Writers

Ursula K Le Guin’s speech at National Book Awards: ‘Books aren’t just commodities’

“To the givers of this beautiful reward, my thanks, from the heart. My family, my agents, my editors, know that my being here is their doing as well as my own, and that the beautiful reward is theirs as much as mine. And I rejoice in accepting it for, and sharing it with, all the … Read more Ursula K Le Guin’s speech at National Book Awards: ‘Books aren’t just commodities’

Robert Darnton on “5 Myths About the Information Age”

The Chronicle of Higher Education published this succinct editorial by Robert Darnton, noted defender of the book and of libraries, titled, 5 Myths About the “Information Age.” Nicely, this is freely available on the web, not just for people whose institutions have access to the Chronicle. You might know Robert Darnton for his The Case … Read more Robert Darnton on “5 Myths About the Information Age”

Interview with Ray Schwartz

I have just interviewed Ray Schwartz. Ray is a systems librarian at the William Paterson University in Wayne, New Jersey. He frequently presents on topics relating to the use of many forms of electronic transactional data and datamining. He is teaching a course for Library Juice Academy next month called, “Collecting and Evaluating Electronic Transactions … Read more Interview with Ray Schwartz

Books Don’t Take You Anywhere

Great Onion article lampooning those among us who lack imagination: “Books Don’t Take You Anywhere” WASHINGTON, DC—A study released Monday by the U.S. Department of Education revealed that, contrary to the longtime claims of librarians and teachers, books do not take you anywhere. “For years, countless educators have asserted that books give readers a chance … Read more Books Don’t Take You Anywhere

Students at the University of Denver Want Books

Here is a guest post from Julie Teglovic, an MLIS student at the University of Denver, where students have been protesting a decision regarding the library… Library as Space: University Students Want Books This April, the paper books at the University of Denver’s Penrose Library began a move into a storage facility 10 miles away … Read more Students at the University of Denver Want Books

Lincoln Cushing writes on the printing renaissance of the 1960s

Red in black and white: The New Left printing renaissance of the 1960s – and beyond Essay by Lincoln Cushing in Peace Press Graphics 1967-1987: Art in the Pursuit of Social Change, Catalog for a 2011 exhibition at the University Art Museum, California State University, Long Beach. Exhibition curated by Ilee Kaplan and Carol A. … Read more Lincoln Cushing writes on the printing renaissance of the 1960s

Call for Papers: Protest on the Page: Print Culture History in Opposition to Almost Anything* (*you can think of)

2nd Call for Papers Protest on the Page: Print Culture History in Opposition to Almost Anything* (*you can think of) Center for the History of Print and Digital Culture Madison, Wisconsin September 28-29, 2012 Protest has a long and varied tradition in America. The conference will feature papers focusing on authors, publishers and readers of … Read more Call for Papers: Protest on the Page: Print Culture History in Opposition to Almost Anything* (*you can think of)

Thoughts on MiT7

I was in Cambridge, MA last weekend for MiT7: unstable platforms: the promise and peril of transition. This conference is put on every two years jointly by MIT’s Comparative Media Studies program and the MIT Communication Forum. The conference is concerned with new media and new communication technologies and their broad implications. Presenters came to … Read more Thoughts on MiT7

MiT7 podcasts

MiT7 was a great conference – intimate, warm, stimulating, interdisciplinary, and cutting-edge. There were some brilliant minds at work. I plan to post a few comments on the conference later. For now, here are links to podcasts from the three topical plenary sessions: Media in Transition 7: Unstable Platforms Archives and Cultural Memory Power and … Read more MiT7 podcasts

Adam Gopnik on books about the internet age

Adam Gopnik, frequent contributor to the New Yorker, has an article in the new issue called, “The Information: How the Internet Gets Inside Us.” It’s actually a really good bibliographic essay to recommend to someone wanting an overview of this literature. The scale of the transformation is such that an ever-expanding literature has emerged to … Read more Adam Gopnik on books about the internet age