At ALA….
I’m thinking of planning some kind of party for Library Juice Press at ALA in Washington, DC, if there’s enough interest. I am thinking Saturday night (June 23rd). Comment or … Read more At ALA….
Tracy Nectoux on Libraries versus Bookstores
Tracy Nectoux, a library student at UIUC, is taking a class whose students were assigned to visit a bookstore and compare the atmosphere to a library’s atmosphere. This is what … Read more Tracy Nectoux on Libraries versus Bookstores
Israeli authorities planning to destroy a Palestinian library in Jerusalem
This isn’t an analysis of a military action after the fact, as with last July’s reports of the destruction of a public documents archive in Nablus. What is happening now … Read more Israeli authorities planning to destroy a Palestinian library in Jerusalem
Military recruitment in the library, and how you can get busted for interfering with it
There’s a brief story in the current issue of The Progressive titled, “Vet Prosecuted for Opposing Recruitment in the Library. It doesn’t go into great detail and is essentially an … Read more Military recruitment in the library, and how you can get busted for interfering with it
Savanna River Ecology Laboratory closing, thanks to Bush Administration small-esse
Arch Conservative Bush advisor Grover Norquist has been pushing the “Starve the Beast” strategy for a long time. This is the strategy that says run up a huge budget debt … Read more Savanna River Ecology Laboratory closing, thanks to Bush Administration small-esse
Federal Libraries Wiki
Bernadine Abbott Hoduski shared this information with ALA Council today… The ALA Washington Office and ALA Council’s Committee on Legislation have started a wiki on federal libraries. The wiki says: … Read more Federal Libraries Wiki
Sherry Turkle on alienation in our technological society
Sherry Turkle, whose 1995 book Life on the Screen: Identity in the Age of the Internet was much talked about when I was in library school, has an article in … Read more Sherry Turkle on alienation in our technological society
Why Web 2.0 is leading back to full cataloging
Just an observation of interest to librarians, about Web 2.0 types of websites. Two examples of rich Web 2.0 sites are Last.fm and LibraryThing. We often think of Web 2.0 … Read more Why Web 2.0 is leading back to full cataloging
Steven Bell tough on LIS discourse in Inside Higher Ed
Steven Bell has an article in the current Inside Higher Ed, entitled, “Good at Reviewing Books But Not Each Other,” about the major disfunctionality in LIS discourse: our excessive “niceness” … Read more Steven Bell tough on LIS discourse in Inside Higher Ed
Now that’s Library PR
Marin County’s free weekly paper, The Pacific Sun, published a feature article in its last issue about the Marin County Free Library and the broader Marin County consortium of libraries, … Read more Now that’s Library PR
SRRT’s counterparts in education – current controversy
In the area of education research and accreditation standards for primary and secondary education, there is presently a big controversy that parallels SRRT’s fight for social responsibilities in libraries. NCATE, … Read more SRRT’s counterparts in education – current controversy
Hameeda Al-Bassam
Hameeda Al-Bassam is an Iraqi librarian, a woman who is physically disabled as a result of the violence in Iraq. She operates a small, private library in service to intellectuals … Read more Hameeda Al-Bassam
Amusing correspondence
The following is a brief email correspondence that I found amusing. I’m withholding the name and email address of the person who contacted me at Library Juice Press…. I recently … Read more Amusing correspondence
Radical and Progressive Library and Information Site Search
Paul Catherall of Information for Social Change has created a Google-based web search that searches websites from the international library left. Try the Radical and Progressive Library and Information Site … Read more Radical and Progressive Library and Information Site Search
Rory Litwin joins ISC editorial board
Continuing in a self-congratulatory mode, I am proud to announce that I have joined the editorial board of Information for Social Change, the UK-based collective and semi-annual journal. ISC is … Read more Rory Litwin joins ISC editorial board
Guantanamo secrecy through plea-bargains
Another example of the Bush Administration’s information evil. Marjorie Heins has some commentary on the Free Expression Policy Project’s website about Guantanamo prisoners’ recantations of abuse charges in exchange for … Read more Guantanamo secrecy through plea-bargains
LJP books at Powell’s
I am very proud to report that all four books presently in print from Library Juice Press are on sale at Powell’s Books in Portland, Oregon, and through the Powells.com … Read more LJP books at Powell’s
Reed Elsevier and arms trade
There is unavoidably a moral dimension to business decisions. To make decisions that work from a practical standpoint we constantly make compromises with humanistic and environmental ideals. It is difficult … Read more Reed Elsevier and arms trade
Postal Rate Hike would hurt independent publishers
Media critic and theorist Robert McChesney is spearheading the campaign against the postal rate hike, which has Time Warner and other major magazine publishers’ money behind it. This is from … Read more Postal Rate Hike would hurt independent publishers
Al Kagan, letter to IFLA Journal on Freedom of the Press, Social Responsibility and the Danish Cartoons
From Al Kagan: One of my colleagues here has encouraged me to distribute this letter more widely, so here it is. It appears in the latest issue of the IFLA … Read more Al Kagan, letter to IFLA Journal on Freedom of the Press, Social Responsibility and the Danish Cartoons