June 2002

Kids check out refurbished Library

Bob Cox sent This One in from The Christian Science Monitor that says The presence of Laura Bush – a former
school librarian – in the White House has
meant a big boost in morale for school
librarians. Yet despite such positive steps, many
librarians are feeling grim about the future of
their field. School districts across the
country are suddenly finding themselves
cash-strapped, and there are already signs
that budget cuts will hit librarians hard this
fall.

It\’s a sad little summary of the bleak budgets most of us are facing.

Ball Point Bullet Proof Vest

Lee Hadden writes: \”The University of Concepcion library in Chile was being robbed, when
a brave security challenged them and then began to chase the thieves on a
motorcycle. The crooks turned and shot at the guard during their escape,
hitting him in the chest. The bullet then was deflected by a Parker\’s pen
in the shirt pocket of the cop, who suffered nothing worse than a few
bruises above the heart and rush of adrenaline.


Thus, once again, at the library the pen is mightier than the sword.
So to speak.

Read more about it at Ananova

New book reveals secrets of library of Wales

Bob Cox sent along This One on a new book, A Refuge in
Peace and War: The National Library of Wales to 1952, written by
the former Librarian, David Jenkins, on the history of one of Wales\’s
most important institutions. The book recounts the first
efforts to set up a library by Richard Morris of Anglesey in the mid
18th century, of Iolo Morganwg at the beginning of the 19th century,
the concerted campaign which began in the Mold National
Eisteddfod of 1873 which ultimately led to the Budget of 1905 which
granted Wales its own national library, and the campaign to house
the Library in Aberystwyth rather than Cardiff which was deemed
too anglicised and not central to Wales.

Libraries and Copyright

LLRX writes \”Library Digitization Projects and Copyright
Mary Minow\’s extensive guide for libraries documents the process of determining whether works have expired into the public domain so that they may then be made available via the Web.
See LLRX.com for June 28, 2002\”

You may know Mary from such sites as librarylaw.com. This one is worth a read!

Libraries Play Important Role in Congregations

Here\’s A Story that says collecting and organizing the books in a congregation falls to the church or synagogue librarian, a volunteer who often goes about this work unnoticed until the day that a Sunday school teacher needs help with a lesson. Or a child wants a Bible storybook. Or a pastor needs to consult a reference text. Then the congregational library, no matter how modest, becomes a treasure trove.

\”A library helps a church because when people want to learn more about something spiritual, they have a place to go,\” says the Rev. Robert Wise, pastor of Reformation Lutheran Church in Lakeland. \”Public libraries might have a few books, but this is focused.\”

FTC to search engines: Disclose paid links

CNN ha a Blurb that says Internet search engines that take money from Web sites in exchange for prominent placement should make that practice clearer to Web users.

Many search engine Web sites, including AltaVista, LookSmart and AOL Search, give preferred placement to paid advertisers. The Federal Trade Commission said that prime space can confuse Web users who are looking for the best response to their search, rather than ads for sites that paid up front.

Kid Pelted With Jelly As Punishment for Refusing to Read

A Missouri eighth grader recently received some unusual punishment for refusing a reading assignment. His classmates threw jelly on him. He thought it was fun, and said he didn\’t feel degraded. His family had no problem with the punishment. The event has some others squawking, including a psychologist and some school board members.

I can see the ad headline now: \”Kids misbehaving? How about a good ol\’ fashioned jelly flogging?\” Read More.