This weeks friday updates include a library arson, bad library boards, cooperation, a bit more on Mr. Potter, good circulation stats, library stikes, heartfelt donations, Carnegie libraries, more filtering articles, the out-of-control book sale, the under-the-sea library, and much, much more….plus the Quote of the Week
This weeks friday updates include a library arson, bad library boards, cooperation, a bit more on Mr. Potter, good circulation stats, library stikes, heartfelt donations, Carnegie libraries, more filtering articles, the out-of-control book sale, the under-the-sea library, and much, much more….plus the Quote of the Week
Arson In FL
Digital City has a
Story on a bad patron in FL.
Someone tried setting fire to a branch of the Clearwater Public Library early yesterday. Burglars broke into the North Greenwood branch. Police say they used molotov cocktails, and burned a small pile of books in the library\’s center rotunda. The fire didn\’t cause much damage, but investigators say it was definitely arson. A suspicious looking briefcase was also found at the scene, but there was no bomb inside.
Board Trouble in MI
MI Live is running a
Story that shows how much trouble a library board can really be!
Two unsuccessful candidates for the Ann Arbor District Library board plan on Monday to demand the resignation of the board president and two other members who were re-elected last month.
Library board votes for Internet filters
Greenville News is running a
Story on Greenville County Library Board\’s decision to install filters. The reason given : \”Trying to head off problems with patrons accessing obscene and child pornography Web sites\” Library Board Chairman David Sudduth said it will cost $5,000 to install N2H2 filters plus $750 annually for services to block obscene materials.
Huge Bugs Atack Library System
McCall.com is running a
Story on the Bucks County Free Library\’s beleaguered computer system . The computer system, known as Taos, was installed in the county\’s seven libraries and is having some troubles. Seems like a $695,000 computer system should be bug free.
Library cooperation urged
MI LIVE Has yet another
Story on local MI libraries. I\’m sure we have more stories from MI LIVE than any other source. This one is on a report short on specifics but long in talk about cooperation. We are going through the same kind of thing here in Buffalo.
Rowling in T.O.
The Toronto Star Has rumors
Story on J.K. Rowling, author of the wildly popular Harry Potter books, being the headline attraction at this year\’s International Festival of Authors at Harbourfront Oct. 18-28.
Artistic director Greg Gatenby is scheduled to disclose the festival lineup on Thursday, but a release yesterday was a strong hint, inviting reporters to “a Harry Potter party\’\’ featuring a “spectacle of sorcery and wizardry\’\’ by children from HarbourKids Camps.
Harry Potter Coverage
I started putting together a bunch of Harry Potter stories, but then I noticed Yahoo! has
one, hundreds of stories about Harry!
Record Circulation!
Who says libraries are outdated and useless?? Not the folks in Ann Arbor, MI. This Story, even though the library is in bad fiscal shape (a ban on buying books) they still hit a record level of circulation this year. Up 4 % from last year.
Other side speaks in strike
Cantonrep.com Has a follow up
Story on the strike at the local libraries. Check out the salary stats:
$12.78 an hour and making $13.41 an hour after three years
senior librarian, who has 26 years’ experience, makes $19.87 an hour
Librarians in Akron can make a maximum of $20.74 an hour
My god, that is way too low! They say the library should stay open, in the event of a strike.
Girl donates books so others can check \’em out
The Miami Herald Has a heart warming
tale about a litte 12-year-old girl that donated 36 of her prized Babysitters\’ Club paperbacks to the library so the other kids could read them.
“I want kids to come to the library and check out some books about Babysitters\’ Club,\’\’ Naomi said. “Those books are really good. There is always some fun part that I want to read again. I hope other kids will enjoy them. I recommend them to start with the first one and go straight through.\’\’
From the Argusleader
City ponders destiny of historic library
\”Strapped for office space, Sioux Falls city officials are eyeing
the empty Carnegie Free Library to help solve their problems, even
as preservationists lobby to preserve the historic building.
From Azcentral.com
New Potter books bring quiet houses
\”Since the newest J.K. Rowling book was snatched off the shelves
this month, there\’s an absence of sound in the homes of many young
boys and girls. No Nintendo. No cartoons. Not even any arguing.
Little else but the soft sound of children turning the 734-page
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.\”
From the Baytown Sun
Libraries tackle issue of filtering obscene sites
\”As more libraries become wired with Internet access, local city
officials, parents and librarians are hoping to prevent children who
visit the library from viewing obscene Web sites with filtering
software. But opponents to Web site-blocking say the software is
ineffective and unfair.
From the Straits Times
Library book sale that got too hot
\”The annual library book sale turned Singapore Expo Hall 4B into a
fire hazard for about an hour yesterday. The crowds were so huge
organisers had to close the doors at one point to comply with
fire-safety regulations.\”
From Caller.com
13,500-square-foot building has a sea theme, meeting rooms and natural lighting
\”When visitors enter the building, they will have an almost
180-degree view of the main area. Meeting rooms, which can be
opened up as study areas or closed off for gatherings, were
incorporated into the library\’s design. \”Everything about it,
just everything is very inviting,\” Canales said. \”That\’s the way we
all would like libraries to be.\”
From Sunspot.com
Book van shifts gears
\”Now the alumni – those kids who got hooked on reading as Bradford\’s
unofficial bookmobile worked their street corners and rowhouses – are
taking over the operation. Bradford is phasing himself out as the
oldest of his readers, now 16 and 17, licensed to drive and ready
for high school graduation, become the modern-day itinerant librarians.
From cnn.com
Columbine library replaced by atrium
\”The bullet-riddled library where 10 Columbine High School students
were killed last year has been replaced by an airy two-story atrium
with a view of the Rocky Mountain foothills.
From ABPnews.com
Search Engine Finds Private Files
\”An Internet service that searches for digital music and video
files also can be used to access unsecured multimedia files on some
personal computers. The search engine of Scour Inc. of Beverly Hills
not only looks through public sections of the Internet but can find
information in home computers, the Los Angeles Times reported today.
The Quote of the Week
From that article on filtering and the first amendment
\”Over the past two centuries, Americans have invested heavily in the idea that it is better to be offended than silenced. Let\’s not abandon that idea in the face of an undemonstrated threat of an unproven harm.\”
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