SRRT Newsletter 160/161
The new issue of the SRRT Newsletter is out, issue 160/161. It is available online in PDF, and being mailed to members in hardcopy. This issue is full of reports, … Read more SRRT Newsletter 160/161
Mitch Freedman – video of speech before striking Vancouver librarians
CUPE 391, the union representing Vancouver, BC’s striking library workers, has posted a video of former ALA President Mitch Freedman’s supportive speech before them on October 24th. Mitch took a … Read more Mitch Freedman – video of speech before striking Vancouver librarians
or whatever
Obviously the analogy I suggested yesterday for encouraging undergrads to use library resources instead of Google has problems. (It was, “Why eat at McDonalds when you can eat at a … Read more or whatever
In These Times on library privatization
There’s a good little article in the new issue of In These Times on privatization of core library services and functions: “Public Libraries for Profit,” by Akito Yoshikane. Though it’s … Read more In These Times on library privatization
An analogy for undergrads
Here’s a quick analogy for undergrads who want to just use Google for their research papers: “Why eat at McDonalds when you can eat for free at the five star … Read more An analogy for undergrads
Siva Vaidhyanathan’s Googlization blog
I am remiss not to have mentioned Siva Vaidhyanathan‘s new blog about Google and the implications of their projects: The Googlization of Everything. It’s really top notch commentary on Google, … Read more Siva Vaidhyanathan’s Googlization blog
Thanksgiving
Notwithstanding today’s earlier post and many other posts here about what is wrong in the world of information, I’d like to observe American Thanksgiving by noting that we have much … Read more Thanksgiving
NEA study: all types of reading in decline
Remember the National Endowment for the Arts study on reading in 2004, the one that noted a sharp decline in literary reading? One of the implicit causes was that computer … Read more NEA study: all types of reading in decline
Toni Samek wins first annual Library Journal Teaching Award
This is good news. Toni Samek, the subject of the last post here, has been picked for the first annual Library Journal Teaching Award. Read the article byLJ’s John N. … Read more Toni Samek wins first annual Library Journal Teaching Award
Interview with Toni Samek
The BCLA IFC blog has an interview with Toni Samek, who is a very progressive LIS professor at the University Alberta. Toni writes and teaches on topics in critical librarianship, … Read more Interview with Toni Samek
LJP Facebook Page
Library Juice Press now has its own Facebook Page…. Facebook Pages are different from Facebook Groups in that they are profiles that companies, organizations, or other entities set up in … Read more LJP Facebook Page
Pig Latin Bible
My first experiment as a publisher was a Pig Latin translation of the Book of Psalms and the Book of Proverbs. I have not been very public about this project, … Read more Pig Latin Bible
A couple of interesting links
I found these on Arts & Letters Daily. A comment about that site after the links. First, an article from the New Yorker by Anthony Grafton: Future Reading: Digitization and … Read more A couple of interesting links
Censorship at the Canadian Border
I have long been aware that that Canadian postal service will stop delivery of materials it deems obscene or otherwise censorship-worthy. I was not aware that they published a list … Read more Censorship at the Canadian Border
LJP Facebook group
Library Juice Press Facebook group….
All about Peter Suber
Peter Suber is a major leader in the Open Access movement. (His Open Access News is an indispensible source – extremely detailed and up to date.) Today Richard Poynder of … Read more All about Peter Suber
New issue of Information for Social Change
The new issue of Information for Social Change, issue 25, is available online. It is another theme issue, this time dealing with libraries and information workers in conflict situations. Examples … Read more New issue of Information for Social Change
“The truth is somewhere in between” as a way to avoid thinking
Here is a diagnosis of a certain malady in our body politic: the “both sides have a point” reflex. It stems from a desire for fairness and from the recognition … Read more “The truth is somewhere in between” as a way to avoid thinking
Two articles of interest from The Nation
First, Jeffrey Chester’s Google and Data-Seizure, about the significance of Google’s acquisition of Doubleclick, the internet marketing and company whose business is based on showing banner ads and tracking users’ … Read more Two articles of interest from The Nation
Socialism and print culture
Here’s an interesting article from the July-August isssue of New Left Review relating the history of socialism to the history of print culture. It suggests, without quite stating it, that … Read more Socialism and print culture