August 2002

Mark Hewes writes \”The Guilford Free Library(Connecticut), was featured in the article \”Laptop Users: Plug In, Log On At Library. New Data Ports Available To Public\” by Pam Johnson in the August 22, 2002 issue of , The Guilford Courier. The article described how patrons may use their own laptops to access the Internet by means of the library\’s DSL (digital subscriber line) connection which was faciliated by their ILS (integrated library system) provider, Libraries Online, Inc., \”

steven bell writes \”Ralph Whittington may be known within the profession for the 36-year career during which he was the curator of the main reading room at the Library of Congress. In his private life, Whittington amassed one of the largest personal collections of pornography on record. In an article titled \”Librarian of Sleaze\” in the September 2002 issue of Details Magazine (pgs. 178, 183), Whittington is profiled and we learn more about his collection and what led him to become a porn collector. After many years of keeping his porn collecting a secret, the collection became known recently when Whittington sold the entire collection to the Museum of Sex, which opens in Manhattan this fall. The collection was sold for an estimated $50,000. \”

SPTimes.com has this on The Palm Harbor Library and how they offer dolls and puzzles designed for those with special needs.
The Palm Harbor Library recently purchased about 60 of these toys and is making them available for circulation. Parents with children who are disabled can use their library cards to check out these toys, just like books.

Intersting spin on This One that says Monday night\’s meeting of the Board of Education\’s[Cromwell, CT] Program Committee seemed like something straight out of the Salem Witch Trials, as a small group of residents warned about the power of Satan and the perils of the school system teaching from books that deal with witchcraft. A small number of people expressed support for a petition calling for a ban on all materials dealing with witches and witchcraft from the school system. The petition was circulated by a small group of devout Christians, who feel that the school system teaches children witchcraft by encouraging them to read books like the ones in the \”Harry Potter\” series.

\”Witchcraft is of the devil, and the devil is very powerful. When you put witchcraft in front of children and say it\’s okay to be a witch, you\’re destroying your children,\” said Ron Rio, a West Hartford resident who said he had \”strong ties\” to the school system.\”

Interestering Story out of the UK where The Shoulder of Mutton pub at Fulford, near Stone, is opening up a library in response to the declining range of services available to the local community.

Enterprising landlord Ken Brayford and his wife Kathleen have stocked specially-installed shelves at the pub with more than 400 books donated by regulars.

Yet Another Story that says according to statistics compiled by the American Library Association, nearly 60 percent of professional librarians will reach the age of 65 between 2005 and 2019. Furthermore, 40 percent of library directors say they\’ll retire in the next decade.

\”Many area library administrators feel the new generation of librarians will shed the old Marian-esque stereotype.

They will be young. They will be outgoing. They will be – dare we say – hip.\”

It is a shame that Czech treasures such as the Prague Bible were damaged becasue of massive flooding. I couldn\’t help but laugh, however, when I read about a temporary solution to the problem they are employing.

Freezing the water logged books! Lacking resources and money, this move is meant to buy them some time.

They didn\’t teach me this one in library school. Read the full story from the Guardian Unlimited.

As a nice antedote to the articles posted here about people being angry about their tax dollars going towards libraries, I present this article.

To trim $1.8 million from their budget the Seattle Public Library will be closed for this entire week and a week in December. Patrons are disappointed:

\”I am disgusted; the libraries are the only thing in the budget you shouldn\’t touch. Cut the mayor\’s salary a little. Keep the libraries open for us.\”

Other people question the construction of a new stadium, a move not supported by voters, when there aren\’t enough funds to keep the library open.

Again, the full story from the Seattle P-I

SomeOne sent over This One that says a sex education book for young adults was abruptly pulled off Montgomery County Library shelves Monday when county commissioners agreed with a group of citizens claiming it promotes homosexuality and abortion.

During Monday morning\’s Commissioners Court meeting, commissioners ordered that \”It\’s Perfectly Normal: Changing Bodies, Growing Up, Sex & Sexual Health,\” by Robie H. Harris and illustrated by Michael Emberley, be removed from county library shelves immediately, pending a review of its content after several residents complained that it was obscene.

The Great and Powerful Joe writes \”The DMCA and CARP rulings have caused several Ohio universities to drop the internet version of their campus radio stations. Here\’s the

Full Story \”

For Ohio Northern University’s radio station, WONB-FM (94.9), the plan would force it to pay between $7,000 and $10,000 a year, according to general manager Richard Gainey.