Louise

Libraries close book on age of innocence

JET writes that The Scotsman, UK Reports library staff in Scotland have been warned not to put children on their knees during story times for fear they will be branded paedophiles.

Staff have also been told not to “lead a child by the hand” out of the library to look for a missing parent under a new policy introduced by education chiefs.

As well as protecting employees from “vulnerable situations”, the policy also warns librarians to keep an eye out for potential paedophiles and to ask adults acting suspiciously near a children’s area or activity to move on or leave.

Library staff will be told to refrain from physical contact where possible, even when they are trying to comfort a distressed or injured child.

January 18, 2005 by Books Libraries

‘Eyes on the Prize’ Mired in Money Battle

The Washington Post reports that Eyes on the Prize, the award-winning documentary on the Civil Rights Movement may not be available for viewing by later generations, because of copyright issues with the footage used.

…a new generation of people who know little or nothing about what it took for black people to get this far in this country…may not be able to see the film.

…The film is hampered by the same problem many documentary filmmakers are encountering as they wrestle with buying and renewing licenses to use copyrighted archival footage, photos and music. Independent filmmakers must pay for each piece of copyrighted material, and those costs have escalated in the past 10 years.

…” ‘Eyes on the Prize’ is one of the most effective documentaries ever put together that dealt with civic engagement,” says civil rights leader Lawrence Guyot, who led the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party and today is a program manager for the D.C. Department of Human Services. “This is analogous to stopping the circulation of all the books about Martin Luther King, stopping the circulation of all the books about Malcolm X, stopping the circulation of books about the founding of America.

“I would call upon everyone who has access to ‘Eyes on the Prize’ to openly violate any and all laws regarding its showing.” [ed. note: bolding added for emphasis]

January 18, 2005 by Legal Issues Music

Private library in China changes people’s reading habits

Xinhua – English Reports from Bejing on the Beijing Science Education Library.

Located in a community compound in west Beijing’s Shijingshan District, the Beijing Science Education Library cannot be compared with many public libraries in scale, but it is unique in that it’s the first private library in Beijing.

Founder and director of the library Pan Yueyong said public libraries have many disadvantages in terms of management and service.

“Most public libraries do not open in the evenings. And they’re far away from people’s homes, which is not convenient for people to borrow and return books. But our library is near the neighborhood. We’re much smaller in scale compared to public libraries, but we can provide better services,” said Pan.

In Britain, 58% of people have a library card. In China, only less than half a percent of the population has library cards. Every 2,000 Americans share a library. In China, the figure is 800,000. Is it that Chinese people do not have a habit of reading in libraries? Pan Yueyong says no. He thinks the main reason is that current public libraries cannot cater for the needs of readers. [bolding added for emphasis]

January 18, 2005 by Librarians Libraries

ALA Announces List Of 2005 Award Winners

The Curmudgeony Librarian submits

The American Library Association announced Monday the list of literary award winners for 2005.

Among the awards announced were the John Newbery and Randolph Caldecott medals and the Coretta Scott King Award.
The winner of the John Newbery Medal was Cynthia Kadohata for Kira-Kira. The winner of the Randolph Caldecott Medal was Kevin Henkes for his work “Kitten’s First Full Moon.” The Coretta Scott King Award winners were Toni Morrison for Remember: The Journey to School Integration, and Kadir Nelson, for Ellington Was Not a Street.

Additional awards as well as the Newbery and Caldecott Honor Books are listed at the ALA website.

January 18, 2005 by American Library Association Libraries School Libraries

Oregon’s ‘attic’ is a treasure-trove of history

From the News – StatesmanJournal.com:

‘If you were to compress it into a more-or-less manageable form, you might get a 100,000-square-foot, nondescript, pale blue warehouse in an industrial district of Gresham, which nonetheless holds the heart and soul of the Oregon Historical Society.

The mantra of the Portland-based society is that its collection of artifacts includes more than 85,000 items. The truth is no one really knows for sure.

…The collection, some of which filters into exhibits such as the current “Oregon My Oregon” at the downtown museum, includes ancient objects from the earliest settlements and objects that illustrate exploration in the Oregon Country, the growth of business and industry, the development of artwork, crafts and maritime history, among many topics.

The society doesn’t go to eBay, estate sales or auctions for any of this. Most items come from people who sense they have value.

…But the general public will find the warehouse off-limits. There are precious few people to look after the valuables, let alone shepherd visitors through the stacks of stuff.’

The OHS does have a standard museum in Portland, open to the public.

November 30, 2004 by Uncategorized

Libraries could use some noise and crumbs

From San Luis Obispo (CA) Tribune

‘Am I actually suggesting that grand old libraries, guardians of silence and of free public access, should follow in the footsteps of greedy corporations? That we should sacrifice shelf space for espresso machines? That the “No Food or Drink!” signs, beaten with age, should be stripped from the doors?

In a word: Yes.

In fact, the concept is already being used by a handful of public libraries around the country to attract patrons and make extra cash.’

The article contends that a ‘handful’ (?) of libraries across the country have taken the Starbucks/Barnes & Noble route and that ‘The rise of branded third places like the coffee shop and the literary superstores has directly coincided with the fall of libraries.’ No data is cited.

November 30, 2004 by Libraries

Thousands of books pile up in Michigan collector’s home

Thousands of books pile up in Michigan collector’s home: It has taken Free Soil woman between 25 and 30 years to collect 20,000 volumes.

Buss estimates that she has about 1,000 books she hasn’t read yet, in part because she had some vision problems while she was in the middle of acquiring some books and had to store them. “I plan on retiring next year, so I’ll have plenty of time to read,” she said. “I’ll bring all the boxes down and get them done in two weeks.”

November 30, 2004 by Books

The Law of Unintended Consequences

Article: “The Law of Unintended Consequences” from econtentmag.com

…a classic example of the law of unintended consequences, an object lesson to be mindful of one’s actions.

…We see similar examples in the info-pro world.

…Take the electronic delivery of periodicals as another example. Struggling to find the space in a small corporate library for the ever-expanding collection of serials, I was delighted to buy a site license and have full-text-searchable issues available at the desktops of every employee. Everything was fine until publishers increased subscription prices for electronic subscription packages, and I was forced to cut back. Since the back issues were housed on the publisher’s server, I lost access to the archived issues when I didn’t renew my subscription. Had I maintained a print subscription, I would have retained those back issues; my switch to all-electronic copies meant that I lost ownership of the material I had paid for.

A distressing example of this involves the decision of the federal government to publish many of its reports only in electronic format…
[more]

September 17, 2004 by Legal Issues Libraries

Library Journal Choice for 2004 Politician of the Year

“Library Journal has announced their 2004 Politician of the Year:

“Building a 21st Century Library System for San Diego” was one of ten goals Mayor Dick Murphy issued when he took office in January 2001. The Mayor’s purpose was “to create a city worthy of our affection” by 2020. Libraries ranked right up there with strengthening police and fire protection, reducing traffic congestion, building affordable housing, establishing energy independence, cleaning up the pollution of the city’s beaches and bays, and even building a new baseball stadium. The rare combination of a mayor giving the city library system as high a priority as other crucial city services, articulating a long-term vision for the development of that plan, seeking allies to support it, and sticking with it even when it became a campaign issue attracted the attention of LJ’s editors… [more]

September 17, 2004 by Librarians Libraries

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