Walt writes “Pushed a little so you can print & read it before heading off to Orlando for ALA Annual:
The July 2004 Cites & Insights (volume 4, issue 9) is now available for downloading.
This 20-page issue (PDF as always) begins with two ALA Annual-related essays:
* Perspective: Good Advice: Making Some Lists
* Bibs & Blather: Top Technology Trends Musings
Six other stories follow:
* Feedback & Followup: Monetizing, backchat, and more
* Trends & Quick Takes – nine items
* Ebooks, Etext and PoD (no big theme here!)
* The Library Stuff – eight articles
* Interesting & Peculiar Products – five items
* The Good Stuff – six articles
Enjoy. Barring surprises, the next issue won’t be out for at least five weeks.”
Re: Cites & Insights July 2004 available
It is surprising to see Crawford, in the new issue of Cites & Insights (p. 16), refer approvingly to Michael Farrelly’s statement in the Bookslut article that Crawford is discussing, “no librarian in their right mind would allow a child to view pornography.”
It is even more surprising to see Crawford refer in the same piece to “neocons” as “the group that detests ALA for saying it’s up to the parents to decide what their children read and view.” “A true conservative,” says Crawford with reference to the neocons, “might think that government should generally not act in loco parentis” [emphasis in original].
If it is correct, as Crawford grants, that no librarian in their right mind would allow a child to view pornography, then how would a librarian intervening to prevent a child from viewing porn not be acting in loco parentis in the child’s best interests, thus simultaneously against the cold, legalistic counsels of the American Library Association?
Re: Cites & Insights July 2004 available
It has always been my understanding that “neocons” were former Democrats who started those think-tanks which in turn, reversed some Republican principles, such as change should not come from the top down. I don’t think Anne Coulter or Rush Limbaugh would qualify as neocons, as Walt describes that wing of the Republican party.
Having been a Democrat and a university librarian, I would have to say the public perception of librarians as very liberal and not particularly even handed in their collection development is accurate. I know the beliefs and attitudes of my former colleagues, but even if I didn’t, the bulletin board of the displayed new book covers would certainly clue me in.