Reading Spaces

Sex & The Library: Progressive Librarian: London Chapter Event

Thursday, November 24, 2011 at 2:30. Visual Arts Centre 100.

more reference resource controversies

In another New York Times article the controversies surrounding information in the Times Comprehensive Atlas of the World. Climate scientists contest claims about the speed at which Greenland's glaciers are melting, including mapping of ice-free parts of the coastline. Underlines the challenge of producing "neutral" information sources. Worth a read.

Felicity Barringer. "Scientists Want Publisher to Refreeze Greenland." NYTimes 24 September 2011, online at: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/25/science/earth/25atlas.html

Nunberg on Webster's 3rd New International Dictionary

Geoffrey Nunberg's essay in the NYT Sunday Book Review, "When a Dictionary Could Outrage" published online September 23, features the controversy that followed upon the 1961 publication of Webter's 3rd New International Dictionary. Nunberg tells us that the outrage went beyond the culture pages and was referred to in Rex Stout's Nero Wolfe stories and in a New Yorker cartoon by Alan Dunn:

 

Patrick Ness wins Carnegie Medal for Monsters of Men

The Chaos Walking series by expat American YA author, Patrick Ness, is among my favourites. I don't have time right now to give all the reasons why I highly recommend it, and I'm still mulling over the conclusion, but I'm happy to see the books receive this kind of recognition. The writing is at times, truly, breath-taking. He can certainly turn a very nice phrase. The Carnegie medal is awarded by a committee of librarians, and Ness gives a quote-worthy defense of libraries in his acceptance speech. To read more about the Carnegie, library cuts and Patrick Ness see this article in the Bookseller, this BBC article, or this Guardian article.

Breaking News: And Tango Makes Three is the most challenged book in US, again

No surprise there, but I was (kinda) surprised to see Sherman Alexie's The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian on the list. Of course, super popular books like Twilight and The Hunger Games are on the top 10. In fact, 7 of the top 10 most challenged books are YA novels, and when you add Parnell and Richardson's books, that makes 8 for books for young people. But, perhaps, the oddest addition this year is Barbara Ehrenreich's Nickel and Dimed. As this Associated Press release tells us,

"One curious addition was Nickel and Dimed, Barbara Ehrenreich's non-fiction work about how difficult it is to live as a waitress, maid or Walmart worker. The book is cited for offensive language, drugs and as "inaccurate."

I just finished reading Ehrenreich's Bright-Sided: How Positive Thinking Undermines America, I wonder if it will be challenged too? To my mind, it's potentially more controversial than Nickel and Dimed. I highly recommend both titles.

Over at I'm Here, I'm Queer. What the Hell Do I Read, Lee Wind has issued a reading challenge to his readers -- Read the Top 10 and protest these challenges! I've already read 7 of the 10 but have added Lush, What My Mother Doesn't Know (ok -- I read half of it) and Revolutionary Voices to the pile of things to be read.

Children's Services Benchmarks and Statistical Report 2009, Ontario Public Library Association

For Immediate Release

Increased focus on children’s programs and resources in Ontario’s public Libraries

TORONTO, March 16, 2011 --- The Ontario Public Library Association (OPLA), has published its’ Children’s Services Benchmarks and Statistical Report. The previous report on children’s services in public libraries was released in 2004. A comparison of survey results reveals an increased emphasis on children’s services in public libraries. For example:

-       Increased spending on children’s materials

-       Increased access to technology and electronic resources for children

-       Improved development of safety policies for children such as internet access and use and unattended children.

“The OPLA Child and Youth Services Committee conducts the survey every few years so that libraries can compare their services against other, similar library systems. The goal is to provide data that will help Ontario’s public libraries plan the best services possible for our young customers and their families,” comments Alicia Subnaik-Kilgour, committee chair.

The survey also looked at which agencies public libraries work with in deploying children’s services into the local community.  After schools, libraries serving populations fewer than 100,000 are more likely to partner with Ontario Early Years Centres, preschools, daycares, and colleges. In communities greater than 100,000, public libraries partner more often with preschools, daycares, social service agencies and health units.

Public libraries that participated have continued access to the online survey tool created by Counting Opinions. The tool enables one library to generate unique reports and compare its’ services against a similar library.

Electronic copies of the Children’s Services Benchmarks and Statistical Report are freely available from OPLA’s web site at:

www.accessola.com/opla/

 

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The Ontario Public Library Association (OPLA) is a division of the Ontario Library Association, and provides advocacy, networking, and professional development opportunities for more than 1,000 members who work in or with Ontario’s public libraries. The OPLA Child and Youth Services Committee promote excellence in library services for children and youth by developing programs and resources to support Ontario’s public libraries.

Contact: Alicia Subnaik-Kilgour, Chair, OPLA Child and Youth Services committee

askilgour@collingwoodpubliclibrary.ca

 

http://www.accessola.com/opla/bins/content_page.asp?cid=1071

Leave the libraries alone. You don’t understand their value by Philip Pullman

Just in case you haven't seen this yet: Philip Pullman on Libraries and the Greedy Ghost of Market Fundamentalism:

Leave the libraries alone. You don’t understand their value. | Blog | False Economy.

"Anonymity in a World of Digital Books"

A new article by Elizabeth Jones and Joe Janes, in the latest issue of Policy & Internet:

Anonymity in a World of Digital Books: Google Books, Privacy, and the Freedom to Read

Book Trailers Go Viral

From The Daily Beast: A fun article on the elusive viral book trailer. Emily Romero, vice president of marketing for Penguin Young Readers Group, on trying to reach the teen audience for the new paranormal romance series Nightshade by Andrea Cremer:

"Teens are savvy, they can tell when they’re being marketed to,” Romero says. “We wanted to create something that was more meaningful for our audience. Sure, a print ad, a banner ad campaign, a TV spot, those are pretty traditional ways to market a book, but we just wanted to try something completely different. We wanted something that spanned multiple platforms since that is how this target audience consumes their media.” What they created was a six-week, interactive campaign that kicked off September 1 with webisodes and a robust Facebook presence for one of Nightshade’s main characters, Shay Doran."

Book Trailers Go Viral.

YA authors’ boycott shuts down Teen Lit festival in Texas | Quillblog | Quill & Quire

This from writer and Q&Q blogger, Zoe Whitall:

Hopkins, whose New York Times bestselling novels deal with topics from teenage drug addiction to prostitution and suicide, says she was invited to take part in the Humble Teen Lit Fest next January but after a librarian raised a fuss with some parents about the suitability of including her, the invitation was rescinded. Teen writers including Melissa de la Cruz, Pete Hautman and Matt de la Peña all pulled out in solidarity, the event has now been cancelled, and the National Coalition Against Censorship, along with five other organisations, is calling on the school district’s superintendent to reinstate the festival “as originally planned”.

via www.quillandquire.com