February 2005

Thoughtful article on preserving government information

In light of the Government Printing Office’s reported proposal to stop tangible distribution of all but 50 government titles, readers may be interested in this thoughtful background and proposal by three UC San Diego documents librarians:

Government Information in the Digital Age: The Once and Future Federal Depository Library Program by James A. Jacobs, James R. Jacobs, and Shinjoung Yeo

[Article to appear in Journal of Academic Librarianship, May 2005, http://www.elsevier.com/locate/jacalib]

ABSTRACT:
Rapid technological change has caused some to question the need for the Federal Depository Library Program (FDLP). We argue that the traditional roles of FDLP libraries in selecting, acquiring, organizing, preserving, and providing access to and services for government information are more important than ever in the digital age.

February 26, 2005 by Daniel Libraries

A publisher is born

Anonymous Patron writes “A publisher is born
is an article from the Marblehead, MA, Reporter on a new local-based publishing house, Princess Tides Publishing. It’s an interesting look at the publishing industry from the point of view of the little guys.

“I thought publishers printed books,” Heston said, “but I was wrong. They don’t as much print books as much as they get them printed.”

They say Getting books published is not as easy as one might think. Not only must a publishing company work with the author on the text (easy in this situation, with the publisher and author living in the same house), but a publishing company is often responsible for designing a book’s jacket, choosing the paper stock on which the book is printed, picking the book’s binding, arranging an author tour – essentially everything but actually writing the book.”

February 26, 2005 by Blake Internet Publishing

Books provide discussion

Anonymous Patron writes “The Oklahoma Daily Online Edition (Norman,OK) says While reading a book is a one-person job, some students find discussing them in book clubs helps to enhance their reading experience. There are various groups of students around campus who canâ€™t help but carry on their leisure reading during the school year. Many of these booklovers start book clubs to discuss their revered pastime and spend time with friends.”

February 25, 2005 by Blake Books Internet School Libraries

Banned from thought: Public libraries protect citizens intellectual freedom

Anonymous Patron writes “A Looong look at many of the issues libraries are famous (or infamous) for defending, from the Fort Bragg Advocate-News.

Public libraries play a unique role in the preservation of democracy. They were established to provide an open, non-judgmental institution where individuals can pursue personal interests and gain an understanding of diverse opinions.”

February 25, 2005 by Blake Libraries

Harry…” the AntiChrist”?

Here’s a look at one extreme viewpoint of J. K. Rowling’s popular series, Harry Potter:

Paw Creek Ministries

Minister Joseph Chambers refers to the series as “a creation of hell helping prepare the younger generation to welcome the Biblical prophecies of demons and devils led by Lucifer himself.” In case you’re in agreement, they sell a video on their website that goes along with the article.

February 25, 2005 by birdie Harry Potter

Michael Gorman Responds

ALA president-elect Michael Gorman has pulled a “Sony Barari” on his blogger piece: he claims it was satirical.

Is disdain the best way to criticize problems with the blogosphere?

Furthermore, Gorman says:

Rest assure that my views on ‘blogs’ have nothing to do with my activities as ALA president-elect or president. I merely air my views and believe that everyone (including me) has a right to speak in any way they wish and that others have a right to respond.

Given how others are reading this story (cf. ALA President Not Fond of Bloggers and More Tedious And Self-Serving Attacks On Bloggers), is that an excuse a president should be making?

February 25, 2005 by John American Library Association

Desktop Search and Revenue Streams

Anonymous Patron writes “Search is a hot topic in high tech right now, so industry experts at Cyberposiumâ€™s “Search Visionary” panel drilled down for the most promising avenues to growth.
The name of the game in Internet search has always been helping users find what they’re looking for as quickly as possible, as precisely as possible. The panelists at the 2005 Cyberposium’s “Search Visionary” session at Harvard Business School on January 29th spoke about the latest efforts to refine search capabilities.”

February 25, 2005 by Blake Internet School Libraries

Losing punctuation

slashgirl writes “An editorial lamenting the lack of punctuation these days (I wonder if she’s read “Eats, shoots, and leaves”?). ‘Animals with brains invariably have ways of conveying meaning and messages. Horses flick their ears and lower their heads to say they want to be friends. Peacocks fan out their tail feathers to signal their availability and ambitions to hens. People wink and pose in a multitude of body language ways that speak volumes.

And on paper, in English, there are a host of shapes and marks that communicate meaning. Letters of the alphabet more or less symbolize sounds. Capitalized letters signify some sort of special value. Punctuation marks indicate when to stop or pause, question or exclaim when speaking what is written; they provide a sort of frame around the ideas on the page, to help keep things organized.’

The rest here.“

February 25, 2005 by rochelle Uncategorized

Swaziland Govt Blows the Dust Off the Covers in Libraries

Anonymous Patron writes “allAfrica.com Has This Report on the Swazi government’s efforts to increase literacy. They just announced new measures to revive school and public libraries, with improved training for teachers and librarians. The education ministry estimates that 70 percent of Swazis are literate, but the degree of literacy is under debate. The high number of secondary school students who failed English in recent exams was attributed to poor reading skills: three-quarters of students failing Standard 5 exams could not pass the English test.”

February 25, 2005 by Blake Libraries School Libraries

The Times of India: Name does matter

Anonymous Patron writes “Here’s One From The Times (of India) that says the publishing industry still largely banks on established authors. Bookstores in the city admit that the name of the author has a direct bearing on the sales.

Avid reader and brand manager at an MNC, Kanishka Dasgupta, explains the psyche of the reader by saying, “Renowned names like V S Naipaul and Khushwant Singh have added to Indian writing beautifully. From the readers’ point of view, Magic Seeds is believed to be the swan song. Readers realise that these might be the last few masterpieces from established authors. At the same time, a discerning reader looks to read a wide variety.”

They also add The best way to sell a book is through word of mouth.”

February 25, 2005 by Blake Uncategorized