3d
William Germano and Kit Nicholls write: “Where do reading lists come from, anyway? Wouldn’t we love to know exactly what Plato’s students were required to read? In Aristotle and other ancient writers we have tantalizing glimpses of works and writers now lost. But even if we had them, those works would be subject to two millennia of thinking about the world, including the world of these ancient texts.”
Literary Hub, Oct. 21
3d
A Georgia 5-year-old wanted to create a book to “help kids through the pandemic.” Wade Through the Pandemic, written by Wade Williams and his father, Joshua Williams, details everything from Wade’s grandmother getting sick with COVID-19 to his mom giving birth to his sister during quarantine.
WTOC-Savannah (Ga.), Oct. 20
3d
David Barnett writes: “As we drift into the season of mists, many of us may cozy up with a ghost story or two. But who are the best known authors behind the classics, who plied their chilling trade in the Victorian and Edwardian eras? There are the usual suspects: M. R. James, Charles Dickens, William Hope Hodgson, Sheridan Le Fanu, Algernon Blackwood, Wilkie Collins. But what of Mary E. Wilkins Freeman? Evelyn Henty? Olive Harper? Elinor Mordaunt? Lettice Galbraith? B. M. Croker?”
The Guardian (UK), Oct. 22
3d
In a surprise move on July 14, the Chicago Public Library Foundation, the nonprofit fundraising arm of CPL, laid off all staff members whose wages were funded by philanthropic grants. Among these workers were all mentors in the flagship YOUmedia teen program that served as a refuge for Black and Brown youth and an incubator for the city’s top rappers, including Vic Mensa, Noname, and Chance the Rapper.
Chicago Reader, Oct. 21
3d
With its first virtual conference October 13–16, the Association of Bookmobile and Outreach Services (ABOS) celebrated its 15th anniversary—and its largest conference turnout. More than 1,000 attendees gathered online from across the US, along with a few from England and Canada, for sessions, virtual bookmobile tours, a cocktail reception, networking, and an award ceremony.
AL: The Scoop, Oct. 22
3d
Through the American Democracy Game, developed by the National Conference of State Legislatures, players can put themselves in the shoes of a lawmaker and find out what it is like to deal with public policy issues. Discover the different interests on each side of a public policy issue and learn how negotiation and compromise can lead to a good result. This online game was developed by NCSL for middle-school students and includes teacher guides and information.
National Conference of State Legislatures, Aug. 20
5d
Scientific American Associate Editor Tanya Lewis rounds up the most insidious false claims about the COVID-19 pandemic, why they’re false, and why people still believe them despite evidence to the contrary. Among the eight persistent myths are believing the virus was engineered in a lab as a bioweapon, believing that face masks aren’t effective, and believing that herd immunity will protect the population if we just let the virus spread.
Scientific American, Oct. 12
