Sadly, ebooks have not only failed to deliver on much of their promise, they have become a vast lost opportunity. They are becoming a weapon capable of considerable social damage; a Faustian technology that seduces with convenience, particularly for those who consume a great many books, but offers little else while extracting a corrosive toll … Continue reading Ebooks in 2013
Along with calls for ammunition and assault-weapon restrictions, as well as heightened school security nationwide, came renewed concerns about violent videogames. The Obama administration directed the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in January to study the causes of gun violence, including the effects of violence in videogames, the media, and social media on real-life … Continue reading Gun Violence, Videogames, and Libraries
Librotraficante has had a rollercoaster year. Led by Houston-based author and activist Tony Diaz, the organization (whose name means “book smuggler” in Spanish) formed last year in response to Arizona House Bill 2281 (PDF file), which outlaws teaching courses in Arizona public schools that promote the overthrow of the United States government, foster racial and … Continue reading A Year in the Life of Librotraficante
The American Library Association (ALA) welcomed today’s announcement from Hachette Book Group that it will begin offering its full catalog of ebooks immediately for lending in US public and school libraries. ALA President Maureen Sullivan today released the following statement: “I applaud Hachette Book Group’s decision to broaden its offerings to public and school libraries. … Continue reading ALA: Hachette Book Group Marks Real Progress in Library E-Lending
“We are pleased Simon & Schuster has recognized the vital roles of libraries in supporting reading in all its formats by announcing a library e-lending pilot in New York City,” ALA President Maureen Sullivan said today in response to the publishing house’s announcement. “As we celebrate the 55th annual National Library Week, it is a … Continue reading ALA President Commends Simon & Schuster’s Entry into Library Ebook Market
The kerfuffle spread quite fast across tech and library blogs; Apple was censoring a comic because of some minor sexual content. “Unfortunately, because of two postage stamp–sized images of gay sex, Apple is banning tomorrow’s Saga #12 from being sold through any iOS apps,” wrote author Brian Vaughan on April 9. Only this turned out … Continue reading Apple Didn’t Censor Comic After All
Recent court filings, news reports, and online posts, however, have begun to shine a spotlight on libraries’ filtering policies and practices. According to legal complaints, some libraries are denying users access to websites that discuss Wicca and Native American spirituality; blacklisting websites that affirm the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) communities while whitelisting sites … Continue reading Filtering and the First Amendment
Penguin Group USA revealed today that, as of April 2, it will remove the six-month embargo on ebook titles licensed to libraries and instead offer new titles immediately after they are released in the consumer market. Other pilot terms are expected to continue, including a one-year expiration date on ebooks licensed to libraries and library … Continue reading Penguin Revisits Library Pilot Terms
Chicago Public Schools (CPS) chief Barbara Byrd-Bennett has reversed a directive to pull Marjane Satrapi’s graphic novel, Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood, from CPS libraries, though she maintains the book is not appropriate for 7th graders and should be removed from classrooms. Byrd-Bennett’s reversal comes amid criticisms and complaints from parents, teachers, students, and … Continue reading Persepolis Stays in Chicago Public Schools, But Out of Classrooms
As of January 14, elementary-school students in the Davis (Utah) School District were once again free to borrow the Patricia Polacco picture book In Our Mothers’ House, which district officials had ordered in May 2012 to be placed behind the circulation counter and made available only to youngsters who presented written parental permission for them … Continue reading Utah Suit Restores Access to In Our Mothers’ House
A multimillion-dollar lawsuit filed in June 2012 by Edwin Mellen Press against McMaster University’s Associate Librarian Dale Askey came to light in mid-February. The suit alleges that Askey committed libel while criticizing Edwin Mellen Press on a personal blog while he was a librarian at Kansas State University in Manhattan. Edwin Mellen Press is seeking … Continue reading ALA President Responds to Publisher Lawsuit against Librarian
“You are the gatekeepers between reader and writer. For someone like me, you have no idea how beautiful your existence is.” Author Jamaica Kincaid enthused about librarians throughout the Freedom to Read Foundation Banned/Challenged Author event, held Saturday night at Town Hall Seattle in conjunction with the 2013 ALA Midwinter Meeting. Kincaid was the event’s … Continue reading Jamaica Kincaid on Libraries, Censorship, and the Power of Writing
