LISNews: Librarian News

The Nando
Times has a great St
ory on the latest trends being used in public
libraries as
competition increases from book stores, and the
internet. They give great coverage to everything from
coffee, to library buildings.

\"Imagine a place
where you can rent videos, get your hair braided or sing
in a rock \'n\' roll band. Imagine a place where you can
also attend plays, fax a document or walk among rows
and rows of computers.

Imagine Starbucks, Amazon.com and bonus
membership cards; market research, tracking systems
and snappy slogans. Imagine all of this at no
charge. -- Read More

Brian Smith sent in this link toPJStar.com which has a story on local fundraising efforts.
Peoria Public Library is selling fiberglas swine to local businesses, for the purpose of raising funds for a new bookmobile. Pigs will be decorated and displayed, a la the \"Cows on Parade\" in Chicago last year.

The 5-foot-long fiberglass replicas due Friday are destined for artistic expression as part of a Peoria Public Library fund-raiser for a new bookmobile. Under the Peoria Is Great (PIG) program, Friends of the Library have sold 16 of the porkers at $500 a pop to local businesses or organizations.

The buyers have engaged artists to thematically decorate the pigs, which will be displayed early next month at the offices of sponsors before being offered for sale. -- Read More

The Savannah
Morning News has a Story on the lack of
libarians in a new library. The article does not say
what caused the shortage. Because of staffing shortages, the
library originally opened at just eight hours a week and
that was increased as new people were hired.Is this good news for those
currently working on their MLS? -- Read More

All hopes for endless supplies of Guinness in public libraries are dashed. Read this story from Yahoo UK.

Malcolm McLaren, the Sex Pistols pop guru who was campaigning to become mayor of London, is to pull out of the race and back another candidate, the Independent newspaper has reported.

McLaren, whose best-publicised policies were to legalise brothels and cannabis and install bars to serve alcohol in libraries, will announce next week that he is standing aside to support independent candidate Ken Livingstone, the paper said.