April 2001

Sarah Jean writes \”Progressive Librarian
,
Issue number 17, Summer 2000


The mystery and the act: towards a YA human sexuality collection by Teri Weesner


\”Young people viewing internet porn have an information need that can be addressed by youth services librarians and library collections. To ignore this information need is just as inaccurate and inappropriate as young people gleaning their information from internet pornography and cybersex chat.\” \”

South African Teachers want anti-apartheid book banned, and Quickly Change their minds.


\”The Wind Done Gone\” had its\’ day in court, and Won. The judge said it borrows too liberally from \”Gone With the Wind\” and infringes on copyright.


Five good books you\’ve probably never read


The Economist has a really Neat Story that compares the bestseller lists from Israel and the US.

popularmechanics.com has a Review of Several different eBooks.


e-books.org is a nice eBook portal for those of you with an interest, not unlike eBookAd.com.


Nature has a Story that proclaims \”Paper could soon be obsolete\”!. It\’s on E Ink\’s \’electronic paper\’. Neat stuff that is pretty much vaporware right now, but if they do make it to market it promises to have some very useful applications. Paper already publised on this subject (no pun intended).

Steven Bell writes:
\”Take a look at the April 30, 2001 issue of Time magazine. On page Y17 (special bonus section \”YOUR BUSINESS\”) has a story titled \”You\’ve Got Books\” E-libraries Want to Reinvent Term Papers.\” Questia and its plan to offer an electronic alternative to libraries is the main subject of the story, though e-brary and NetLibrary are mentioned. The story makes Questia sound like the greatest invention since sliced white bread. I find it annoying that the story completely overlooks the amazing strides academic libraries are making in creating digital libraries, and no academic library leaders were interviewed for the story. However, some might say the story is just a fluff piece to put the spotlight on one more dot-com enterprise. Still, my letter to editor is on its way. \”

Kathleene writes:
\”This is an (IMHO) horrifying piece about the ALA/ACLU lawsuit to stop
mantatory filtering. The author clearly refuses to understand the ALA\’s
position or the real problems with filters. It\’s the tired old \”the ALA
wants libraries to peddle porn to kids\” argument, but given a clear voice
and a highly-respected forum. He compares the lawsuit to Yahoo!\’s decision
to stop selling porn after the \”huge public outcry\” (which I thought much
exaggerated by the press).\”

I posted a couple quotes from the story below. He makes some interesting points.

Wall Street Journal, Editorial Page, April 20, 2001; Review & Outlook, \”Porn Again\”

Kathleene writes:
\”This is an (IMHO) horrifying piece about the ALA/ACLU lawsuit to stop
mantatory filtering. The author clearly refuses to understand the ALA\’s
position or the real problems with filters. It\’s the tired old \”the ALA
wants libraries to peddle porn to kids\” argument, but given a clear voice
and a highly-respected forum. He compares the lawsuit to Yahoo!\’s decision
to stop selling porn after the \”huge public outcry\” (which I thought much
exaggerated by the press).\”

I posted a couple quotes from the story below. He makes some interesting points.

Wall Street Journal, Editorial Page, April 20, 2001; Review & Outlook, \”Porn Again\”

\”In essence, the argument boils down to the idea that because filters are not
perfect, they are somehow unconstitutional. No business could ever take such
an absolutist position. That is what makes the comparison with Yahoo so
instructive\”

\”This is not to argue that the business world is more moral than the rest of
America. But in explaining Yahoo\’s move out of the porn business, CEO Jeff
Mallet said, \”Our main concern is our users. Their opinion matters most.\” If
only our libraries and their representatives could say the same about the
taxpayers who fund them?\”

Skip Auld writes:

\”Is anyone aware
of tests of an Internet filter called \”American Family Online,\” a product
created by a subsidiary of the American Family Association
(http://www.afo.net/)? It\’s been called an \”effective, low-cost filtering
program … available for $1-2 per month per computer when used by government
customers.\” Please contact Skip Auld, Assistant Director at Chesterfield County
(Va.) Public Library ([email protected]) with any information\”

Now that it\’s law to use filters, what are you using?

siliconvalley.com has a Story on a few companies going after the college student market by collecting academic texts that readers can search and view via the Web on any PC. They say college students are \”very attractive to us because of the photocopying and research they do\”.
Attractive college students… I know there\’s a joke there somewhere.

“The expected market growth will not occur quickly enough to meet the profitability imperatives of all players currently in the market, particularly those with high burn rates and questionable value propositions,\’\’ Eduventures.com\’s Chen wrote in a February report.

Will the library crimes never stop?


Missouri libraries found someone Selling Stolen Books on eBay. Library officials first learned the books were missing in January after receiving a call from a New York man who purchased an O\’Brian book over the Internet that had the library\’s stamp and bar code.

In Tennessee, after her request to automate the library was Turned Down librarian Elizabeth Potts took matters into her own hands, then Someone Stole it. A giant pickle jar stuffed with money was stolen.

\’\’I just think it\’s kind of low down,\’\’ Potts said. \’\’Somebody stole our pickle jar, and that was money we were collecting to fund automation of the library.\’\’

Chron.com has a sad, yet not suprising Story on the state of Questia. After almost 3 years, more than $110 million in VC, and a 300-person staff, they have yet to hit even 1,000 paying subscribers. That\’s not a mistake, not even One Thousand.


They had hoped to have 50,000 titles by February, but only have about 35,000 and another 5,000 of them not completely cleared of copyright restrictions.

Yahoo is reporting The
independent bookstores have
dropped their antitrust lawsuit against book giants
Barnes &Noble and Borders in exchange for $4.7
million.


Both sides claim they won.

“Fizzle. Fizzle. Fizzle,\’\’ said Stephanie Oda,
who publishes
Subtext, a Connecticut newsletter covering the
bookselling
industry. “Business is not fair. This is a capitalistic
system.\’\’