LISNews: Librarian News

Washingtonpost.com is one of the places with the Story on the big gift to the LOC. Nice guy John Kluge is giving $60 million To The Library of Congress.
The donation will establish the John W. Kluge Center for scholars and a $1 million annual prize for lifetime achievement in scholarly endeavors.

\"We must do more to bridge existing information gaps between academia and government,\" Rep. Bill Thomas said yesterday. \"Mr. Kluge\'s generous gift to the Library of Congress will help us do just that.\"

Fox News has a story on a 16 mm film checked out of a library in January 1958 was finally returned two weeks ago during a fine-free week. \"On the slip, under \'comments,\' it says \'very good,\"\' said Marshall. \"So we not only have the film back, we\'ve got it reviewed, too.\" Fines of $1 a day for overdue films once were charged by the library, so at 1958 rates the fine could have totaled more than $15,500 by now. But library officials capped fines at $5 in the 1970s.

On a more serious note, a vandal inserted a hose into the Little Chutelibrary\'s book return sometime after 8:30 p.m. and left the water running. The prank wasn\'t discovered until 7:25 a.m. Sunday, when a Post-Crescent carrier found the hose and told a nearby restaurant owner, who alerted police. Full Story

Bob Cox sent in this Yahoo Interenet Life has an Interview with James Billington, \"the nation\'s chief archivist\". They cover whats going online, and where he sees the library heading in the future. Including the obvious and over-asked question, will we need libraries in the future? -- Read More

Ben Ostrowsky writes:

The city of
Boca Raton,
Florida,
is considering
moving
their library
into the
International Museum of
Cartoon Art.
It sounds cool, but the main reason offered is that it
would benefit the
failing museum. There\'s not enough parking and
there\'s not enough room,
but hey, anything to save a museum, right?

\"They told me in the beginning a long time ago that they
needed 70,000
square feet, and we don\'t have nearly enough,\"
[museum founder Mort
Walker] said, pointing out that the museum has 55,000
square feet.