July 2020

Seattle Public Librarians Just Want to Read You Stories – Slog – The Stranger

The Lit Line (206-386-4656) isn’t necessarily a newfangled idea, SPL librarian Robin Rousu told me. It’s pretty old. Rousu has been a librarian with SPL for 15 years. She used to run the Dial-a-Story program where kids were encouraged to call a number to get a story read to them. That program was built around the idea of landlines. So, naturally, it’s since faded from relevance. But, the infrastructure and the idea were perfect for the COVID-19 era.

 

From: https://www.thestranger.com/slog/2020/07/22/44139355/seattle-public-librarians-just-want-to-read-you-stories Seattle Public Librarians Just Want to Read You Stories – Slog – The Stranger

In Publishing, ‘Everything Is Up for Change’ – The New York Times

In Publishing, ‘Everything Is Up for Change’ A wave of deaths and retirements prompted publishers to name new leaders. Now the industry is in a rare moment of transformation that promises to influence the books put out into the world.

 

From: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/07/15/books/book-publishing-leadership.html In Publishing, ‘Everything Is Up for Change’ – The New York Times

Why Do We Love Henry David Thoreau? | The New Yorker

The Moral Judgments of Henry David Thoreau Why, given its fabrications, inconsistencies, and myopia, do we continue to cherish “Walden”?

 

From: https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2015/10/19/pond-scum Why Do We Love Henry David Thoreau? | The New Yorker

Why some words may be more memorable than others: Our brains use internet search engine strategies to remember words and memories of past experiences — ScienceDaily

Why some words may be more memorable than others Our brains use internet search engine strategies to remember words and memories of past experiences From: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/06/200629120204.htm Why some words may be more memorable than others: Our brains use internet search engine strategies to remember words and memories of past experiences — ScienceDaily

Just the ticket: Stunning design for Warsaw tower scoops top award to find “library for tomorrow”

A Dutch-based architectural practice has thrust Mokotów into the spotlight after basing their winning entry to find a “library for tomorrow” in the southern Warsaw suburb.

 

From: https://www.thefirstnews.com/article/just-the-ticket-design-for-warsaw-tower-scoops-top-award-to-find-library-for-tomorrow-13521 Just the ticket: Stunning design for Warsaw tower scoops top award to find “library for tomorrow” – The First News

Who Did What in Every Agatha Christie Murder Mystery Novel – Bloomberg

Who Did What in Every Agatha Christie Murder Novel All of the author’s deadly plots, plotted. (Spoilers if you look closely.)

In Agatha Christie’s novels, murder and financial fraud are often intertwined. The murderers are more likely to be men, are partial to poison, and frequently commit the crime as part of a scam such as winning an inheritance.

 

From: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2020-07-02/who-did-what-in-every-agatha-christie-murder-mystery-novel Who Did What in Every Agatha Christie Murder Mystery Novel – Bloomberg

You Purged Racists From Your Website? Great, Now Get to Work | WIRED

Truth needs an advocate and it should come in the form of an enormous flock of librarians descending on Silicon Valley to create the internet we deserve, an information ecosystem that serves the people.The blessing and curse of social media is that it must remain open so we can reap the most benefits; but openness must be tempered with the strong and consistent curation and moderation that these librarians could provide, so that everyone’s voice is protected and amplified.

 

From: https://www.wired.com/story/you-purged-racists-from-your-website-great-now-get-to-work/ You Purged Racists From Your Website? Great, Now Get to Work | WIRED

Millions of Americans Depend on Libraries for Internet. Now They’re Closed

Millions of Americans Depend on Libraries for Internet. Now They’re Closed From big cities to tiny towns, librarians are getting scrappy to meet the need

 

 

From: https://themarkup.org/coronavirus/2020/06/25/millions-of-americans-depend-on-libraries-for-internet-now-theyre-closed Millions of Americans Depend on Libraries for Internet. Now They’re Closed – The Markup