Blogs

Thomas Pynchon, author of “Gravity’s Rainbow” and “The Crying of Lot 49,” characteristically declined to speak about his decision.

http://libwire.blogspot.com/2012/06/after-long-resistance-pynchon-allows.html

Houston librarians keep a wary eye for counterfeit bills
http://libwire.blogspot.com/2012/06/houston-librarians-keep-wary-eye-for.html

Waukegan needs Ray Bradbury museum, biographer says
http://libwire.blogspot.com/2012/06/waukegan-needs-ray-bradbury-museum.html

Cites & Insights 12:5 (June 2012) is now available for downloading at http://citesandinsights.info/civ12i5.pdf

A single-column 6x9 version, suitable for ereaders, is available at http://citesandinsights.info/civ12i5on.pdf

The 24-page issue (43 pages in the single-column version) is PDF as usual. The individual essays are also available in HTML form at http://citesandinsights.info or use the essay name links below.

This issue includes:
The Front (pp. 1-4)

Announcing Give Us a Dollar and We'll Give You Back Four, a study of public library benefits and funding designed to help libraries see where they stand and work to improve funding.

Also noting "the books your library needs"--two recent books published by professional library-oriented publishers that I believe are essential for, respectively, every academic and most special (and some public) library and every public and some academic and special libraries.

The Middle: Forecasts (pp. 4-12)

Following up the May essay on futurism with a whole bunch of specific forecasts--the one-year kind that can be tested and usually found wanting.

Policy: Copyright: Fair Use, Part 1 (pp. 12-24)

Book

The Story of Ain't: America, Its Language, and the Most Controversial Dictionary Ever Published

Humanities editor Skinner, who is on the usage panel for the American Heritage Dictionary, offers a highly entertaining and intelligent re-creation of events surrounding the 1961 publication of Webster’s Third New International Dictionary by G. & C. Merriam. The dictionary, assembled at a cost of $3.5 million, included a press release from Merriam’s president Gordon J. Gallan, which said the work contained “an avalanche of bewildering new verbal concepts.”

About 15 years ago I wrote a very niche, specialized book about library automation. Most of the time since then I've had the feeling that I got that ticket punched and I could move on. Last winter, however, I had the feeling that there was another book in me. I started working up a treatment for a book about the dozens of small specialized libraries on the island of Manhattan. Just when I was ready to start contacting publishers about that I got an email from Chandos Publishing in Oxfordshire. They were interested in books of a practical nature written by librarians. I realized that the Manhattan book wasn't write for them, so I sent them two ideas. The first was to be a book about the world of discovery platforms. The second was a book about how libraries should get up to speed about using social media. This was to be a very personal book about how library automation changed my life the past 50 years. Bingo!

Hachette returning e-book access to some libraries in pilot program
http://www.teleread.com/ebooks/hachette-returning-e-book-access-to-some-libraries-in-pilot-p...

Libraries change with the digital times
http://www.teleread.com/ebooks/libraries-change-with-the-digital-times/

Reddit debunks Wikipedia-fooling college class hoax in 26 minutes
http://www.teleread.com/chris-meadows/reddit-debunks-wikipedia-fooling-college-class-hoax-in...

As a Newsday journalist, Mr. McGrady led his colleagues in the creation of “Naked Came the Stranger,” a steamy parody novel.

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/05/15/business/media/mike-mcgrady-known-for-a-literary-hoax-dies...

The Swiss Army Librarian often does a “Reference Question of the Week” post that I always think is really interesting. Then I get jealous because I feel like he gets more interesting reference questions that I do. Thankfully, I do occasionally get those gems that really make you realize that you need a good librarian and that google can’t tell you everything, or if it does, you may need a second opinion.

I got a phone call recently from a frantic-sounding mom who asked me “Can you tell me where the WPA plaques are in Providence?”

Bladerunner fans may be interested in this new book that discusses the law of replicants - A Legal Theory for Autonomous Artificial Agents

Cites & Insights 12:4 (May 2012) is now available for downloading at http://citesandinsights.info/civ12i4.pdf
The issue is 44 pages long. It is also available in a 6x9" single-column version, optimized for viewing on edevices (and idevices bigger than phones) and available at http://citesandinsights.info/civ12i4on.pdf. That version (exactly the same text, but somewhat cruder appearance) is 82 pages long; if you plan to print, please download the regular version!

The issue includes the following (each essay also available as an HTML separate, noting that the single graph in the second section may not appear properly):
The Front (pp. 1-2)

Breaking down The Middle: why there won' be a long series of wholly miscellaneous sections with that heading. Also some notes on the reality since I took action based on reader polls (including the truth about people's willingness, so far, to pay the lower suggested donations).

Libraries: Public Library Closures 2 (pp. 2-14)

http://gigaom.com/2012/04/13/apple-slams-amazon-for-behaving-just-like-apple/

Pocket Ref 4th Edition The concise all-purpose pocket-sized reference book featuring abundant information on many subjects, hundreds of tables, maps, formulas, constants and conversions. If you need to know it, it is in this book!