Mock Turtle

It transformed a struggling teacher into one of Britain’s most wealthy women and created a multimillion-pound publishing phenomenon.

But apart from making JK Rowling Scotland’s richest woman, the teenage wizard she created has also persuaded millions of children to spend less time on computer games and televisions and more time with books.

New research by the Federation of Children’s Book Groups (FCBG), shows that JK Rowling’s storytelling has had a major impact on literacy and reading habits in the UK.

Read the whole story from Scotsman.com

From howstuffworks, this should come in handy for any LISNewsters out there, fielding reference queries behind a desk somewhere on Tatooine:

How Lightsabers Work

Get ready for the fourth annual Free Comic Book Day, coming May 7 to a comic book store near you. On this day, participating comic book retailers across North America and around the world will give comic books absolutely free to anyone who comes into their stores.

The Free Comic Book Day site has a database of participating retailers so you can find one in your neighborhood. There is also a listing of scheduled appearances of comic book creators at select locations.

The comics to be given away are mostly special “Free Comic Book Day” editions issued by sponsoring publishers just for the one-day event. You can check out titles and cover images at the site.

Graphic novel evangelists may find some useful resources on the “New to Comics?” page.

From the Science Fiction & Fantasy Writers of America (SFWA) site:

Andre Norton, 93, the “Grand Dame of Science Fiction and Fantasy,” author, poet, editor, whose published works span seven decades, died of congestive heart failure in her Murfreesboro, Tennessee home, early Thursday morning, March 17th.

Andre Norton was born Alice Mary Norton on February 17, 1912, in Cleveland Ohio. She wrote more than 130 novels, nearly one hundred short stories, and edited numerous anthologies in the science-fiction, fantasy, mystery, and western genres. She the first woman to be a SFWA Grand Master and to be inducted in the Science Fiction and Fantasy Hall of Fame. She received Skylark, Barlog, and World Fantasy awards, and was the first woman to win the Gandalf Grand Master of Fantasy award.

Read the entire obituary here.

Also note that SFWA has created a new book award for young adult novels in Norton’s name. The annual Andre Norton Award will be announced along with the Nebulas, with the first award to be presented in 2006.

twistedlibrarian writes “PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. — With a major golf tournament, a movie star and a surprise donation, the stars were out for the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am Wednesday, raising money for their favorite charities.

KSBWChannel.com “

My favorite online bookstore, Powell’s, has launched the Powell’s Schoolbook Challenge, with the goal of placing 50,000 new books on the shelves of Portland and Beaverton (Ore.) school libraries. Now through February 28, Powell’s will purchase ten additional new books for every $5.95 one-book pledge they receive, donating all to their local school libraries.

I hope the Portland and Beaverton media specialists have their collection development lists in order!

The only known copy of a previously lost episode of the classic sitcom, “The Honeymooners” has turned up in the Peabody Awards Archive at the University of Georgia. The episode, titled “Love Letter,” originally aired on Oct. 16, 1954, on “The Jackie Gleason Show,” where “The Honeymooners” ran as a series of 10-minute sketches starting in 1952.

Archivist Margaret Compton discovered the “Love Letter” episode during a preservation review of the archives’ kinescopes and videotapes. She said plans are being made by Gleason Enterprises to release the never-rebroadcast episode on home video.

The Peabody Awards Archive at UGA holds more than 40,000 titles, including radio programs dating from 1940 and television from 1948.

Read the AP story of the “Love Letter” episode at MyWay News.

This call from Rachel Singer Gordon has been posted on several lists (newlib, nexgenlib, NMRT-L …). Here it is for any LISNewsters who might care to participate:

Hi all –

At ALA Annual this year, I had the chance to talk to ALA’s new Membership Marketing Manager, John Chrastka. He’s offered to answer your questions about ALA and its connection to younger librarians in an upcoming “NextGen” column in Library Journal. With all the discussion here about the benefits (or disappointments) of association membership, this is a great opportunity to get
your questions answered and your voices heard.

So, think about what you’d like an ALA rep to answer, and send your burning questions to me at rachel-at-lisjobs.com by next Friday, August 13. I’ll pull out
the most representative to send on to John.

Feel free to pass this on to other appropriate lists/individuals as well.

Thanks!

– Rachel

Daniel writes “The following “destroy order” was sent out by the Government Printing Office:

——————–
July 20, 2004

Dear Depository Librarian:

The Department of Justice has asked the Superintendent of Documents to instruct depository libraries to destroy all copies of the
materials listed below. Please withdraw these materials immediately and destroy them by any means to prevent disclosure of their contents. The Department of Justice has determined that
these materials are for internal use only.

Documents to be removed and destroyed:

Title: Civil and Criminal Forfeiture Procedure
Class: J 1.2:C 49/17
Item no: 0717
Shipping list: 2004-0276-M
Shipping list date: May 7, 2004

Title: Select Criminal Forfeiture Forms
Class: J 1.2:F 76/8
Item no.: 0717
Shipping list: 2004-0038-P
Shipping list date: December 12, 2003

Title: Select Federal Asset Forfeiture Statutes
Class: J 1.2:AS 7/2/2004
Item no.: 0717
Shipping list no.: 2004-0077-P
Shipping list date: February 5, 2004

Title: Asset forfeiture and money laundering resource directory
Class: J 1.89/3:M 74/2004
Item no.: 0717 A 11
Shipping list no. 2004-0120-P
Shipping list date: March 24, 2004

Title: Civil Asset Forfeiture Reform Act of 2000 (CAFRA), PL no.
106-185, 114 Stat. 202 (2000)
Class: J 1.2:C 49/16
Item no: 0717
Shipping list no.: 2000-0367-P
Shipping list date: September 23, 2000

Both GPO and the U.S. Department of Justice regret any inconvenience
resulting from this request and we appreciate your cooperation. …

Daniel writes “The following “destroy order” was sent out by the Government Printing Office:

——————–
July 20, 2004

Dear Depository Librarian:

The Department of Justice has asked the Superintendent of Documents to instruct depository libraries to destroy all copies of the
materials listed below. Please withdraw these materials immediately and destroy them by any means to prevent disclosure of their contents. The Department of Justice has determined that
these materials are for internal use only.

Documents to be removed and destroyed:

Title: Civil and Criminal Forfeiture Procedure
Class: J 1.2:C 49/17
Item no: 0717
Shipping list: 2004-0276-M
Shipping list date: May 7, 2004

Title: Select Criminal Forfeiture Forms
Class: J 1.2:F 76/8
Item no.: 0717
Shipping list: 2004-0038-P
Shipping list date: December 12, 2003

Title: Select Federal Asset Forfeiture Statutes
Class: J 1.2:AS 7/2/2004
Item no.: 0717
Shipping list no.: 2004-0077-P
Shipping list date: February 5, 2004

Title: Asset forfeiture and money laundering resource directory
Class: J 1.89/3:M 74/2004
Item no.: 0717 A 11
Shipping list no. 2004-0120-P
Shipping list date: March 24, 2004

Title: Civil Asset Forfeiture Reform Act of 2000 (CAFRA), PL no.
106-185, 114 Stat. 202 (2000)
Class: J 1.2:C 49/16
Item no: 0717
Shipping list no.: 2000-0367-P
Shipping list date: September 23, 2000

Both GPO and the U.S. Department of Justice regret any inconvenience
resulting from this request and we appreciate your cooperation. …
… Both GPO and the U.S. Department of Justice regret any inconvenience
resulting from this request and we appreciate your cooperation.

Sincerely,

JUDITH C. RUSSELL
Superintendent of Documents
————————

My library DOES NOT select the item number that these docs were sent out under, but a few of the titles strike me as suspicious, particulary the one issued in 2000. It’s been in the public domain for four years without incident, and may provide information on how DOJ is using forfeiture laws. Another item that seems strange is the publication on “Select Forefeiture Assets” What harm could result from this disclosure.

Perhaps some docs people who do select Item 0717 could comment on whether they think a determination of “Internal Use Only” seems appropriate.

IMPORTANT! – If you wish to protest the withdrawal of these materials, DO NOT BOTHER the Government Printing Office! THEY ARE BOUND BY LAW to withdraw materials at the request of issuing agencies. An agency DOES NOT have to provide a justification for a destroy order. This to me is a weakness of the law. Complaints about the withdrawal of this material should be sent to the Atty General’s office, or to Dept. of Justice, Criminal Division, Asset Forfeiture and Money Laundering Section, 202-514-1263. You may write DOJ at:
Department of Justice
Criminal Division
950 Pennsylvania Ave.
Washington, D.C. 20530-0001″

Check out the acoustic demo (freely available MP3) of Jonathan Rundman’s song, “Librarian,” available from the artist’s website. A brief excerpt below:

and when the day is over I go home at 5:03
and I give thanks to God and to Andrew Carnegie
and the U.S. Constitution and to Orwell, Poe, and Twain
and I’ll return at 8AM to open up again

This was posted over on NEWLIB-L.