Yet Another Story on the Patriot Act and libraries.
This one says it is within public libraries, founded with the guidance of Benjamin Franklin, that the Patriot Act seems to be assailed most vehemently. Librarians are concerned that a tradition of confidentiality will be trampled because of overzealousness by the government.
February 2003
Don’t misread the point of a library
Ivana sent in This One from The Independant that takes a look at the publishing industry and libraries.
The author does a great job of tying together some seemingly unrelated points.
“In the rush to play the capitalist game in which the footfall of customers is the only indicator of success, it is the serious, bookish child and adult – who want libraries to offer what the outside world of gossip and instant gratification cannot – who are in danger of being betrayed.“
New Dumbledore picked for next Potter film
Ender noted this Salon.com Story that says Harry Potter” has a new schoolmaster: Michael Gambon.
The Irish-born actor is replacing Richard Harris, who died last year, as Albus Dumbledore in the third installment of the “Harry Potter” series, Warner Bros. announced Friday. Gambon, 62, is best known for his roles as the wealthy murder victim in 2001’s “Gosford Park” and the sinister landowner in 1999’s “Sleepy Hollow.” He also starred as President Lyndon Johnson in the 2002 TV movie “Path to War.”
Children’s Books of the Early Soviet Era
bob Cox sent in This Neat Exhibit from the Rare Books and Special Collections Division of the McGill University Libraries.
They pulled from a collection of more than 350 Soviet children’s books published in the 1920s and 30s and which are remarkable for their original aesthetic quality, linguistic variety and thematic diversity.
Harry Potter and the fields of fire
“The new Harry Potter movie yesterday set the heather alight, months before it is due to be seen by cinema audiences.”
“During filming, the veteran steam train cast as the Hogwarts Express sparked a fire which destroyed up to 50 acres of heather moorland and trees on a Highland hillside.”
“A helicopter had to be brought in to bomb the blaze with water as over 20 firefighters and forestry workers struggled to prevent the fire, close to the Glenfinnan Viaduct in the West Highlands, from spreading and causing more damage. At one stage, fire was raging along a one-mile front.”
“Film-makers working for Warner Brothers were filming scenes for the third Potter movie – Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. Filming was temporarily suspended in the wake of the fire.” (from The Scotsman)
New book on Book Burning
There is a new book coming out in May 2003 entitled, \”Libricide: The Regime-Sponsored Destruction of Books and Libraries in the Twentieth Century\”. Here is a description from Amazon:
\”Where they have burned books, they will end in burning human beings,\” declared German poet Heinrich Heine. Libricide identifies the regime-sponsored, ideologically driven and systemic destruction of books and libraries in the twentieth century that often served as a prelude or accompaniment to the massive human tragedies that have characterized a most violent century. As Knuth argues, the destruction of books and libraries by authoritarian regimes was sparked by the same impulses toward negation that provoked acts of genocide or ethnocide. Through case studies of libricide committed by Nazis, Serbs in Bosnia, Iraqis in Kuwait, and Maoists during the Cultural Revolution in China, and Chinese Communists in Tibet, Knuth illustrates the dynamics of book destruction. Anyone committed to freedom of expression and humanistic values will embrace this passionate and valuable book.\” (via Blog Drivers Waltz)
What’s so great about Caldecott and Newbery?
“Faced with rows and rows of children’s books at the library or bookstore, many parents are grateful for the “seal of approval,” a gold sticker that indicates a book has won an award.”
“But does that mean the book is really right for your child? Not necessarily. A look inside the awards may help you the next time you’re hunting for a great book for your child.” (from The Freelance Star)
New Scholarly Electronic Publishing Bibliography Available
Charles W. Bailey writes: \”Version 47 of the Scholarly Electronic Publishing Bibliography
is now available. This selective bibliography presents over
1,800 articles, books, and other printed and electronic sources
that are useful in understanding scholarly electronic publishing
efforts on the Internet.
HTML
PDF
The HTML document is designed for interactive use. Each
major section is a separate file. There are links to sources
that are freely available on the Internet. It can be can be
searched using Boolean operators.
The HTML document includes three sections not found in
the Acrobat file.
County’s ‘One Book’ program fizzling out
“A month after it was launched, the One Book, One Community program, which had hoped to get the whole county reading and discussing “To Kill a Mockingbird,” is still struggling to take flight.”
“While most of One Book’s schedule focuses on discussion groups and film showings at libraries and bookstores, several events scheduled this month were aimed at drawing bigger audiences and they have been canceled.”
“It just seems to be a nonevent,” said Shelia Fisher, president of the Friends of the Carnegie Library and a member of the organizing committee. “It’s just not making a big hit and that’s too bad. It has a lot of potential.” (from The Post-Gazette via Waterboro Lib Blog)
Imagination liberates the library
“Toronto’s libraries have turned a page; the temple of books has become a community oasis.”
“The imposing classical structures that housed the printed word in the 19th century have been replaced by modern, light-filled facilities as casual and cosy as your living room.”
“Though no one expected the electronic age would be kind to books, let alone libraries, the fact is that this city is in the midst of a bibliophilic renaissance. Despite decades of cutbacks and the continuing assault on the public realm in all its forms, intellectual and physical, the library has emerged as one community asset that actually means something to people.” (from The Toronto Star)
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