April 2006

Freedom of Speech Tour with Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young

Neil Young has released Living with War via the Web, with CD to follow, a ferocious new album that expresses free speech to the max, as he takes on the Iraq war and President Bush in full frontal fashion. It’s called “Living with War,” it includes a song called “Let’s Impeach the President.”
–Editor and Publisher.==

The Freedom of Speech Tour this summer will reunite Young with Crosby, Stills, and Nash.

New York Public Library Map Scientific Discoveries

Jay writes “An exhibition
exhibition running through August 31 at The New York Public Library (NYPL) focuses on innovative methods of using maps and globes to convey and explain complex scientific developments. The exhibit is on view at The New York Public Library’s Science, Industry and Business Library at 34th Street at Madison through August 31, 2006. The main purpose of Places & Spaces: Mapping Science exhibit is to demonstrate the power of maps. The site further states, ‘An initial theme of this exhibit is to compare and contrast first maps of our entire planet with the first maps of all of science as we know it.'”

Dance program goes belly up at CA county’s libraries

I don’t know how we missed This One From a couple weeks ago, but Stanislaus, Californian, County Library patrons can read any of 10 books on belly dancing, from techniques to costumes. They also can check out a DVD on belly dancing as an exercise.
But they can’t attend a belly dancing program at the library anymore.

Stanislaus County Chief Executive Officer Rick Robinson has canceled the program, which was scheduled for April 22.

The Bee received several letters concerning Stanislaus County CEO Rick Robinson’s decision to halt a belly dancing class at the library — including an essay from a retired county librarian.

Speak up, please… the librarian is chatting

The Oregonian takes a look at a day in the life of Jennifer May whose job is to staff the state’s increasingly popular Internet reference chat line, known as L-net. After her shift ends, she will hand off to another online librarian. And so the cycle will continue 24 hours a day, seven days a week, making library resources available around the clock to any Oregonian who wants a librarian’s help answering any legitimate question.

Three years ago, the state’s chat line debuted with a grant from the Oregon State Library. Instantly, patrons could converse live via computer keyboard with librarians at any time, day or night.

“At first, it was a trickle,” Caleb Tucker-Raymond, coordinator of the Statewide Digital Reference Project, says of the inquiries coming in to librarians through chat. “People would sit for two hours with nothing to do. Now it’s just the opposite.”

Double think law suit

Fang-Face writes “Another challenge to King & King has taken an Orwellian twist.
An article posted to First Amendment Center reports that two couples are suing the town of Lexington and a wide range of school and administration officials, for the high crime of allowing King & King to be read in class. They allege that this violated their rights to raise their child according to their values. It’s a case that clearly pits the First Amendment against itself. I see it as an effort to place their rights in a position superior to the rights of others, in direct contravention of the 9th Amendment.”

Boy involved in ramming car into library sent to lockup

News From Ohio: One of three boys accused of deliberately crashing a stolen car into a library was sentenced to at least a year in a juvenile prison and ordered to write a letter of apology to the branch manager injured in the crash.

A Franklin County Juvenile Court magistrate also ordered Deon Roberts, 15, on Thursday to work 120 hours of community service.

Roberts pleaded guilty in February to vehicular assault and car theft. He also pleaded guilty to gross sexual imposition for an unrelated case that involved a 9-year-old. His sentence reflected all three charges. He could remain in custody until he turns 21.

Latest issue of The Compass

Anonymous Patron writes “The latest issue of The Compass, the newsletter of Librarians Without Borders has been released. Stories in the issue include: presentations at UWO by Development Workshop and CODE (a Canadian non-profit organization which promotes educational literacy in the developing world), and notes about the group’s new “Sponsor-a-Book” Campaign.”

Library book downloads picking up

Thanks to Mr. Backwage for This
One
from the Chicago Tribune. They report that A month ago, the
Chicago Public Library quietly added a link to its Web site and waited
for the tech savvy bibliophiles. “New! Download Audio Books,” the link
promised since March 15. That first day, 72 titles were downloaded to
home computers and MP3 players from chipublib.org. By the end of week
two, 617 titles were checked out, and the numbers were promising
enough that library officials doubled their initial $25,000 investment
to buy more titles. The collection jumped to 1,300 downloadable
titles.

Mark April 28 On Your Calendars — It’s National Hairball Awareness Day

Here’s probably more than you’ll ever want to know about feline hairballs. Hair balls – or trichobezoars, to the veterinarily inclined – rank among the most common ailments suffered by cats and, subsequently, by their owners.

“Usually you find them in the morning, with your bare feet,” says Ed Zigon Jr., a lab technician who lives with six cats in Morrisville. For people who own cats – a third of all American households, half of those with two or more – hair balls are an issue that keeps coming up.