It’s best-books-of-the-year time, but I have a problem. Many of my favorite titles of 2009—Dara Horn’s All Other Days, Michael Malone’s The Four Corners of the Sky, Mark Frost’s Game Six, and Wil Haygood’s Sweet Thunder, for example—have already been celebrated in this column. So that leaves me looking beyond the borders of 2009. As … Continue reading Gold in the Stacks
Thanks to solar panels, a geothermal heating and cooling system, and a gift of carbon-offset credits, Rangeview Library District’s new Anythink Brighton, Colorado, branch is believed to be the first carbon-positive library in the United States. The building, which opened in September, offsets 167,620 pounds of carbon dioxide—16% more than it is anticipated to use … Continue reading New Colorado Facility Becomes First Carbon-Positive Library
There has been a resurgence of student activism at public universities throughout California. State budget reductions and rising student fees have resulted in students paying more and getting less. Students have occupied buildings, held marches, and been arrested at UCLA, Berkeley, and Santa Cruz. California State University at Fresno is not known as a radical … Continue reading Fresno Students Protest with Study-in
As the December 31 deadline for reauthorization of three provisions of the USA Patriot Act approached, more than 30 state library associations had passed resolutions calling for Congress to allow Section 215, which permits the Justice Department to conduct searches of library and bookstore records, to expire. Many state library associations also voiced opposition to … Continue reading State Associations Join Call for End to Patriot Act’s Library Provision
In response to concerns voiced in November to officials of the Jessamine County (Ky.) Public Library about sexually explicit drawings by illustrator Kevin O'Neill in author Alan Moore’s graphic novel The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen: The Black Dossier, JCPL’s senior staff and trustees have decided to reclassify the library’s entire graphic-novel collection and reshelve the … Continue reading Graphic-Novel Flap Fuels Recataloging of Kentucky Library’s Collection
I don’t usually get to attend the Charleston Conference (in fact, I’ve only been to one), so I look forward to seeing the annual Charleston Conference Proceedings. The 2008 edition showed up on my desk this past November (around the time that the 2009 Conference was taking place). The theme for 2008 was “The Best … Continue reading Charleston on My Mind
New York City welcomed the 10 winners of the 2009 I Love My Librarian Award with the lighting of the city's Christmas tree at Rockefeller Center. At least the timing made it look that way, and some 750,000 extra people in the streets made it seem as if the entire city had turned out to … Continue reading New York City Welcomes America’s Favorite Librarians
Banned Books Week 2009 gave libraries, librarians, and library patrons across the U.S. an opportunity to speak out against censorship and demonstrate the meaning of free speech. Events were held around the country in places as varied as Texas, Illinois, Virginia, and Florida, where displays exhibited challenged books, concerts supported the reading of banned books, … Continue reading Banned Books Week 2009
Less than a month after city administrators in Colton, California, abruptly shuttered both public libraries as part of an effort to close a $5-million budget gap, Colton Public Library is back in business. The December 1 reopening of the main library came just two weeks after some 100 area residents, including library board President Pete … Continue reading Community Outrage Prompts Officials to Reopen Colton Libraries
In the current phase of library automation, we're inundated with the language of openness. Open source ILSs have promised to give libraries more control over their software than has been possible with proprietary products. Companies that produce and provide service for proprietary products have redoubled their efforts to offer more flexibility, openness, and interoperability through … Continue reading Opening Up Library Systems
What began as a personnel matter in September involving the actions of two employees of the Jessamine County (Ky.) Public Library has grown into a local controversy about the artistic merit of Alan Moore’s graphic novel The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen: The Black Dossier and whether two circulation clerks should be applauded for taking the … Continue reading Kentuckians Take Sides about Graphic Nature of Graphic Novel
The American Library Association, the Association of Research Libraries, and ALA’s Association of College and Research Libraries have responded to the proposed settlement of lawsuits challenging Google’s Book Search project with a guide describing the major revisions, particularly those relevant to libraries. A Guide for the Perplexed Part III: The Amended Settlement Agreement (PDF file), … Continue reading Library Groups Release Guide to Revised Google Books Settlement
