The North Texas Daily has one on a lecture on the history of banned books and information given by Frances May, Coordinator of User Education and Outreach. The presentation, hosted by the Texas Academy of Math and Science, gave brief background information about the beginnings of censorship and detailed what May feels are the positive aspects of books challenged mostly by concerned parents.
March 2004
Read any tendentious books lately?
The Jerusalem Post has an opinion piece by Daniel Pipes, who says books make up the heart of the scholarly enterprise. Articles disappear, media analyses vaporize, and classroom lectures effervesce; books endure. They build the edifice of knowledge and potentially acquire an influence across the generations.
He asks:
What sorts of books, then, are being written by today’s top scholars? And answers: a uniform leftist tone of hostility toward established institutions and an embrace of the radical fringe characterize the list.
Dutch public libraries to deploy ‘big brother’ chip
The largest supplier of books to Dutch libraries, NBD/Biblion, is going hi-tech and is planning to replace the bar code on its books with an RFID chip.
A supplier of some 2.7m books annually, NBD/Biblion hopes to use this technology to streamline its own business processes.
It should also help libraries locate and track their books more effectively, make checking-in and -out of books easier and improve the quality of (self-) service.
Full Story.
Suicide book outcry
News Out Of Australia where Education Minister Paula Wriedt will not restrict access to a controversial book which is in Tasmanian school libraries and details suicidal thoughts in explicit language.
Ms Wriedt said yesterday the novel Dear Miffy, written by acclaimed children’s author John Marsden, should not be subjected to censorship.
The book is based around the letters of angry teenager Tony, who pours out his desperate suicidal thoughts to his former girlfriend Miffy.
The book is loaded with expletives, and Internet references note that its contents are confronting and may offend some readers.
Libraries eyed as services provider
The Ontario government is looking into whether it can use public libraries across the province as a way to provide people with better access to government services and information. Finance Minister Greg Sorbara said the idea was brought forward by a library association during the recent budget discussions.
Libraries eyed as services provider is from the London Free Press.
Countless levels of data on libraries’ Web sites
An Anonymous Patron sends “along this piece from the Seattle Times promoting the prevalence, usefulness and availability of subscription databases at public libraries.
“In truth, our tax dollars pay for access to these comprehensive databases, so I think more people should know about them. Librarians are continually trying to inform the public, and maybe this column can help.”
It’s been fun, and in the process I’ve learned that public libraries can add significant value to general Internet searching. You may not care much about genealogy, but I’ll bet you can find something of interest in your library’s databases if you take the time to look.”
New book examines student rights
Fang-Face writes “First Amendment Center has an article about The Silencing of Student Voices: Preserving Free Speech in America’s Schools. Caveat Lector: this article is as much promotional plug as anything.
The Silencing of Student Voices, by First Amendment Center research attorney David L. Hudson Jr., examines issues including “zero-tolerance” policies and harsh penalties for dress, language or remarks deemed unacceptable; conflicts over material on students’ personal Web sites, and collisions between students’ artistic expression and administrators’ safety concerns.
You can find out how to order a copy through the article. I mention it here on the off chance anyone has the subject of political rights on their Want To Buy list.”
Many libraries don’t restrict what children check out
An Anonymous Patron sent “this story from the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel about a Shorewood (WI) dad who learned that he couldn’t find out what items his 12-year-old son had checked out, although he had received an overdue notice announcing a $25 fine. According to the story, “When he went to the library in person and demanded to know what materials were overdue, he was even more surprised to learn that his 12-year-old had checked out three R-rated videos. He couldn’t go to Blockbuster and rent those movies. He couldn’t get into the theater to see them. But he could stop at the library on the way home from school and check them out.”
xrefer Announces Online Reference Research Award
Ellen McCullough writes “xrefer, provider of online ready reference services to academic, public and corporate libraries, announced today that it is accepting proposals for a $1,000 grant to fund research focused on online reference usage in libraries. The award is open to librarians and to library students enrolled in ALA-accredited Master’s Programs in Library and Information Studies in the United States and Canada.
“The purpose of the award is to encourage research on the use of online reference resources in libraries. The research topic is defined broadly and might include: differing patterns of usage of e-books versus Web-based resources; measures for successful integration of online reference resources; or usage of Web-based versus print resources.”
Ellen McCullough writes “xrefer, provider of online ready reference services to academic, public and corporate libraries, announced today that it is accepting proposals for a $1,000 grant to fund research focused on online reference usage in libraries. The award is open to librarians and to library students enrolled in ALA-accredited Master’s Programs in Library and Information Studies in the United States and Canada.
“The purpose of the award is to encourage research on the use of online reference resources in libraries. The research topic is defined broadly and might include: differing patterns of usage of e-books versus Web-based resources; measures for successful integration of online reference resources; or usage of Web-based versus print resources.”“Abstracts should be submitted by May 15, 2004 to [email protected], and should not exceed 1,000 words in length.
“xrefer will select an award winner on June 15, 2004. Research should be completed by September 30, 2004, and xrefer will work with the chosen librarian or library student to publish or present the research findings in an appropriate venue in late 2004.
“About xrefer
“xrefer (www.xrefer.com) delivers technology-enhanced online reference services to libraries and their users worldwide. The company’s flexible subscription service, xreferplus, features authoritative, aggregated content from hundreds of reference books, with 1.7 million entries covering such subjects as medicine, art, technology and more. xreferplus adds value with proprietary cross-reference technology that integrates the content across topics, titles and publishers, enabling users to get accurate answers fast. Librarians and researchers can sign up for a free, 30-day trial at www.xreferplus.com.
For more information contact Ellen McCullough at (617) 426-5710, by e-mail at [email protected], or by fax, (617) 426-3103.”
Public Sphere Suppressed
Kathleen de la Pena McCook sends this article from the St.Peteresburg (FL) Times about a citizen who was told his grassroots group could no longer circulate petitions during meetings at Citrus County (FL) libraries. “If there is a remedy for this, I would think it might start with
small groups of Americans gathering in the community rooms of public
libraries. Even if their purpose isn’t ‘neutral.’ No, especially if it
isn’t.”
UPDATE Anon sent this “earlier story about this issue, which says that the library had to change its longstanding policy of prohibiting signature gathering.
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