LISNews: Librarian News

Charles Davis writes \"The first of two weeklong library closures begins in a few weeks, as
the Seattle Public Library tries to reduce spending by $1.8 million to
help the city balance its budget next year.
All libraries in the city will shut down from Aug. 26 to Sept 1. That
means residents will not have access to catalogs, book drops,
computers, Web site, mobile services or even the automated
telephone line. Employees will not be paid.
More at
The Post Int. \"

Book drops closed, no access to catalog, web site shut down, computers not available, no programs, no telephone service, etc. This is all for just one week in August and one in December, but yikes, what happens next time? Read the press release.

Gary Price, from the VAS&ND, sent over This One from Canada, on journal prices.

They repeat what we most likely already know, Libraries at research institutions,
including the University of
Guelph, have been struggling
with higher material prices for
two decades, and one of the
most prominent problems is the
skyrocketing price of prestigious,
high-end journals professors
want. The price of journals increased 226 per cent between 1986 and 2000, while
the cost of monographs (books) increased 66 per cent.

\"Libraries are being starved for funds. What is most seriously happening is the
price of materials is going up, and libraries are less able to purchase them. It
is most acute with journals,\" said Chris Dennis, chair of the Canadian
Association of University Teachers librarians committee.

\"What\'s causing the problem is the increased commercialization of the
industry. Academics need to know articles have been scrutinized by their
colleagues,\" Dennis said. \"

Gary D. Price, The Virtual Acquisition Shelf and News Desk Guy, sent over This AP Story that says One year after launching a foundation to buy books for
America\'s libraries, first lady Laura Bush said Tuesday that she\'s off to a $5
million start -- with help from her mother-in-law.

Mrs. Bush said the donations will help expand the collections of neglected
libraries ``from fact and fiction to periodicals and prize-winning books.\'\'

``... And the wonderful thing is, once a child learns to use a library, the
doors to learning are always open.\'\'