LISNews: Power Influencer, Passion Catalyst

Over on his Cites & Insights site Walt Crawford has pulled out a selection from his latest [PDF] Cites & Insights where he points out what an excellent value proposition public libraries represent... "...quite apart from being at the heart of healthy communities large and small. Public libraries typically yield several dollars in benefits for every dollar in expenditures. Public libraries also need better funding to do better work - and unless they have separate funding agencies, must compete for that funding with other agencies at the local and state level."

His new book, Give Us a Dollar and We’ll Give You Back Four is available in three versions, from Lulu, http://lulu.com. You might go first to the Lulu home page and look for a coupon code, then search for "Give Us a Dollar" to get to the books.

Nice! ...in archives around the world lie vast repositories of information printed in ink on rustling onionskin, and images recorded on wrinkled photographic paper. As they say in the south, you can't get there from here—you have to find a car, drive out to the research facility, pull on some white cotton gloves, and page through the stuff yourself. No matter how detailed the library's finding aid (a document that lists everything in a particular collection), you may need to leaf through page after page to find whatever you're after. But make sure you're sitting down, because when you find it, the rush can take your head off.

Warren County NJ's rolling hills look more intimidating than scenic from mile 45 of a long training ride. Librarian TaraLynn Romagnoli has been climbing many of these hills via bicycle on her quest to train for a 60-mile fundraising ride to raise money for the Warren County Library according to NJ.com.

"The terrain is a little tough, especially since I'm not an experienced cyclist, but I'm enjoying the challenge and can see myself improving every day,” Romagnoli said. “I am expecting to have a great ride."

Romagnoli is cycling across the county to each branch of the Warren County Library to raise money for the new main library facility at 189 Route 519 in White Township.

This 60-mile ride, called the Ride to Read, is presented by the Friends of the Warren County Library Headquarters. The Friends hope to raise $5,000 in sponsorships to purchase furnishings, such as comfy armchairs for quiet reading, as well as diner booths and stools, an mp3-player jukebox, and a neon sign for a diner-themed teen section. Romagnoli hopes that these items will help to make this building a true community center for library users.