Censorship in Iran
The Guardian (UK) published a story on Friday about a new wave of censorship in Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s Iran. Scores of Western classics, Western bestsellers, and liberal Iranian novels are censored … Read more Censorship in Iran
Return of the Press Barons
Journalism has changed in the last few decades because the ownership of most daily newspapers has moved from local, private hands to publicly traded corporations, which have demanded higher profit … Read more Return of the Press Barons
Four top French book awards go to non-French authors
Why do I care so much about France? I don’t know, maybe just because it’s the traditional first stop for a semi-cosmopolitan anglophone and I am less culturally far-reaching than … Read more Four top French book awards go to non-French authors
ALISE Information Ethics Special Interests Group
The Association for Library and Information Science Education (ALISE) has an Information Ethics Special Interest Group (IE-SIG) that has recently completed a Position Statement on Information Ethics in LIS Education. … Read more ALISE Information Ethics Special Interests Group
NYPL executive pay
In the past few years, the New York Public Library has sold off important assets in order to raise money to continue operations. In the same period, compensation for their … Read more NYPL executive pay
On the importance of alternative literature in libraries
I think I neglected to emphasize this… Nancy Kranich’s preface to the 6th edition of Alternative Publishers of Books in North America is online. It’s good reading about the importance … Read more On the importance of alternative literature in libraries
New from LJP: Barbarians at the Gates of the Public Library
New from Library Juice Press: Barbarians at the Gates of the Public Library: How Postmodern Consumer Capitalism Threatens Democracy, Civil Education and the Public Good By Ed D’Angelo November 2006. … Read more New from LJP: Barbarians at the Gates of the Public Library
Who is out of step with the country, really?
We get our sense of where the country is at largely from the media. When elections and opinion polls tell a different story, we have to ask questions about the … Read more Who is out of step with the country, really?
Circumscribing the “public” in public libraries
Thoughtul article in the new Marginal Librarian, McGill’s library school student e-zine: Public libraries: who or what is “public”? This article has to do with Montréal’s new anti-homeless policies (that’s … Read more Circumscribing the “public” in public libraries
One Love, One Bank
Bank of America execs exchange their souls for money in front of a camera. Not specifically library related except inasmuch as it paints a good picture of what we’re up … Read more One Love, One Bank
Information for Social Change – Call for Papers
INFORMATION FOR SOCIAL CHANGE (ISC) ISSN 1364-694X CALL FOR PAPERS The summer 2007 issue of the online journal Information for Social Change (ISC) will focus on the urgent theme of … Read more Information for Social Change – Call for Papers
Liquidation of Iraqi academics
According to the Brussells Tribunal, an international group of artists, intellectuals and activists opposed to the U.S. occupation of Iraq, the intellectual and academic community of Iraq is being destroyed: … Read more Liquidation of Iraqi academics
Alternative Publishers of Books in North America, 6th Edition
Alternative Publishers of Books in North America, 6th Edition, by Byron Anderson, is officially published, and available from Ingram, Baker and Taylor, Yankee Book Peddler, Amazon, and Barnes and Noble. … Read more Alternative Publishers of Books in North America, 6th Edition
Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh distributing right wing voter guides
The Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh District Services has sent an email to branch heads offering to distribute to interested branches 50 copies of the 2006 Voter Guide from the Pennsylvania … Read more Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh distributing right wing voter guides
The Progressive Librarian’s Guild stands with Amnesty International
The Progressive Librarians Guild approved endorsement of the following Amnesty International statement last night… AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL USA PRESS RELEASE Tuesday, October 17, 2006 Amnesty International Vows to Push for Clarification … Read more The Progressive Librarian’s Guild stands with Amnesty International
Doing the math
Are other people getting the same result when they add these things up? Pentagon monitoring peace activists’ email to “combat terrorism”…. suspending habeas corpus to prevent the fate of (pre-judged) … Read more Doing the math
AFSCME Library Workers page
AFSCME has a new page about their representation of library workers. AFSCME represents more library workers than any other union. The page is nice, and so is the logo:
Lawrence Ferlinghetti’s memorable comment
“The real culture of America is not corporate monoculture and television. It’s the writers, teachers, universities, libraries and librarians. That’s the mainstream culture of America.” – Lawrence Ferlinghetti, announcing the … Read more Lawrence Ferlinghetti’s memorable comment
Historian Tony Judt’s talks in NYC cancelled due to ADL pressure
NYU historian Tony Judt is a strong critic of Israel and a proponent, along with Noam Chomsky and the late Edward Said, of a secular, binational state as the solution … Read more Historian Tony Judt’s talks in NYC cancelled due to ADL pressure
American Anthropological Association opposition to Open Access: a letter from the AnthroSource Steering Committee on FRPAA
The Federal Research Public Access Act of 2006 (FRPAA), if passed, would mandate that research by Federal government agencies (publicly funded research) automatically go into publicly accessible open access repositories. … Read more American Anthropological Association opposition to Open Access: a letter from the AnthroSource Steering Committee on FRPAA