Library Juice 2:7 - February 17, 1999
Contents: 1. Daniel Tsang's collection of web resources for Asian American Studies 2. Gateway Service Center of Chinese Academic Journal Publications 3. China Internet Update 4. PRC Internet: Cheaper, More Popular And More Chinese 5. Stefan Landsberger's Chinese Propaganda Poster Pages 6. Economic Outlook for East Asia [.pdf] 7. The Foreign Name Pronunciation Guide at Cal Poly Pomona 8. Dictionary (Database) of Names 9. New Publication for Digital Reference: The AskA Starter Kit 10. RUSA's "Outstanding Reference Sources for 1999" 11. The Social and Economic Cost of Digital Image Distribution 12. EPA HQ Library no longer accepting ILL requests 13. RUSA's Services to Older Adults Guideline (Draft for Review) 14. Educacion y Biblioteca, issue Janvier: Libraries and Anarchism 15. The Librarian's Canon of History: Discussion 16. "Libraries: Valuable In America?" by Karen Schneider, responses 17. Librarians' portrayal in movies - a list with analyses 18. xenia - a review of digital literature and art Quote for the week: "Intellectual Freedom without Alternative Ideas is a Sham." -Charles Willett _____________________________________________________________________________ 1. Daniel Tsang's collection of web resources for Asian American Studies http://sun3.lib.uci.edu/~dtsang/aas.htm Thorough, very useful, and full of surprises. (And LONG.) _____________________________________________________________________________ 2. Gateway Service Center of Chinese Academic Journal Publications http://www.library.pitt.edu/gateway/ With the help of a National Leadership Grant Award from the Federal Institute of Museum and Library Services, the East Asian Library of the University of Pittsburgh has begun to provide a wonderful new service to researchers in the US. This demonstration gateway "is the first global resource sharing and document delivery program between American libraries and Chinese libraries." The library will electronically retrieve, print, and mail full-text copies of articles selected by researchers from over 10,000 Chinese-language academic journal articles. Articles can be printed and mailed free of charge. Users may browse brief descriptions of the six participating libraries, search the catalogs of (currently) four of them, and request up to three articles per visit to the site. Chinese language software is necessary to read portions of the catalogs and to fill out the article request form. The library will aim to deliver documents within one week of the initial request. [MD] >From the Scout Report, Copyright Internet Scout Project 1994-1998. http://scout.cs.wisc.edu/ _____________________________________________________________________________ 3. China Internet Update http://www.east.net/China.mailings.html 1.3 million people are using the Internet in mainland China - nearly double the number of last October! FREE China mailing list available: China Internet Update is a weekly newsletter covering the China Internet Industry. For a FREE subscription: Mailto:china-internet-update-request[at]east.net with subscribe in the subject of the message or click on http://www.east.net/China.mailings.html Published by East Net (China) Ltd, Beijing, China. Contact: Managing Editor: Ola Svensson Email: eastnet[at]public.bta.net.cn (From NewJour-L) _____________________________________________________________________________ 4. PRC Internet: Cheaper, More Popular And More Chinese ------- Forwarded Message Follows ------- Date: Sat, 14 Nov 1998 15:24:21 +1100 Via: Internationally-Oriented Computer-Assisted Reporting List <INTCAR-L[at]AMERICAN.EDU> From: "T.Matthew Ciolek" <tmciolek[at]COOMBS.ANU.EDU.AU> Subject: [****] PRC Internet: Cheaper, More Popular And More Chinese The Asian Studies WWW Monitor: mid November 1998, Vol. 5, No. 68 ---------------------------------------------------------------- 11 Nov 1998 PRC Internet: Cheaper, More Popular And More Chinese U.S. Embassy Beijing, China Supplied note: "Chinese efforts to popularize and boost the Chinese language presence on the Internet through a low-cost domestic-only service, a convenient non-registration Internet service added to the telephone bill, and increased Chinese language content will likely push the total number of Chinese users to over 5 million by the year 2000. [...] The PRC government strives to assure China's place it what it sees as the coming global 'information-based economy' [... and] to restrict the vast majority of China's Internet users to domestic websites and so eliminate the need to rely on ineffectual blocking techniques." [The 40 Kb strong document also provides: (a) a list Chinese SearchEngines and Official Web Sites; (b) summary results of June 1998 Internet Survey by the China Internet Information Center - ed.] URL http://www.usembassy-china.gov/english/sandt/Inetcawb.htm Link suggested by: David Cowhig (dcowhig[at]public3.bta.net.cn) * Resource type [news - documents - study - corporate info. - online guide]: Study * Scholarly usefulness [essential - v.useful - useful - interesting - marginal]: V.Useful ---------------------------------------------------------------- Src: The Asian Studies WWW Monitor ISSN 1329-9778 URL http://coombs.anu.edu.au/asia-www-monitor.html Announce your new/improved Asian Studies' Web sites via http://coombs.anu.edu.au/regasia.html - regards - - Dr T. Matthew CIOLEK tmciolek[at]coombs.anu.edu.au Head, Internet Publications Bureau, RSPAS, The Australian National University, Canberra ph +61 (02) 6249 0110 fax: +61 (02) 6257 1893 http://www.ciolek.com/PEOPLE/ciolek-tm.html -==================================================- -- Asian Studies WWW Virtual Library invites additional editors http://coombs.anu.edu.au/WWWVLAsian/VLEditors.html -- to unsubscribe from the list send e-mail to: majordomo[at]coombs.anu.edu.au message: unsubscribe Asia-WWW-Monitor <your e-mail address> :-) :-) Message Ends; Signature File Begins (-: (-: George(s) Lessard Community Media Arts, Management & Mentoring CAUTIONS, Disclaimers, NOTES TO EDITORS and copyright information may be found [at] http://members.tripod.com/~media002/disclaimer.htm _____________________________________________________________________________ 5. Stefan Landsberger's Chinese Propaganda Poster Pages http://homepages.infoseek.com/~landsber.html Lecturer at the Sinological Institute of Leiden, the Netherlands, and avid Chinese poster collector (he claims to have about 1,000) Stefan R. Landsberger offers this attractive on-line exhibition. Propaganda, a traditionally important element in Chinese political culture, was perhaps developed to new heights by the Communist Party in China after 1949. This was especially evident in the almost universal use of posters to impart and reinforce correct ideology and behavior. Landsberger's site examines several topics explored by propaganda posters, such as the future and development of China (Visualizing the Future), the role of women (Iron Women and Foxy Ladies), the New Year Print, and the Hong Kong Handover. Each section features a number of nicely digitized posters and commentary tracing changes in the art of the propaganda poster since the 1940s. Additional resources at the site include a bibliography and related links. [MD] >From the Scout Report, Copyright Internet Scout Project 1994-1998. http://scout.cs.wisc.edu/ _____________________________________________________________________________ 6. Economic Outlook for East Asia [.pdf] http://www.ide.go.jp/English/1999/index.html An Institute for Developing Economies (IDE) publication, the 1999 Economic Outlook for East Asia analyzes the East Asian countries in 1998 and presents forecasts for 1999 (in English and Japanese). According to IDE, Thailand and South Korea will begin to see signs of recovery in the coming year, as the impact of the new Miyazawa Initiative is felt, although Hong Kong will remain "afflicted" by recession. Malaysia and Singapore are also expected to recover as will the Philippines, Vietnam, and Taiwan. As a whole, the growth rate for the East Asian economies is predicted to rise to 3.1 percent in 1999 from 0.1 percent, and general prices are forecast to "swing back" to a single-digit inflation rate of 6.6 percent. [MW] >From the Scout Report, Copyright Internet Scout Project 1994-1998. http://scout.cs.wisc.edu/ _____________________________________________________________________________ 7. The Foreign Name Pronunciation Guide at Cal Poly Pomona Cal Poly Pomona has a diverse student population. This web site will help you more accurately pronounce common Asian first and last names. Thus far, the site includes guides to Cambodian, Cantonese, Chinese/Mandarin, Filipino, and Vietnamese names. Hints about the language, phonetic pronunciations, and/or sound bytes by native speakers are available, as well as a link to a European names pronunciation website. Asian names were selected by 1997-1998 Faculty Computing Support Lab student technology assistants. Cal Poly Pomona students created the Asian name sound bytes. The Foreign Name Pronunciation Guide is linked on the Faculty Computing Support Lab web site: http://www.csupomona.edu/~faculty_center/lab All best for the New Quarter/Year - Dr. Susan Kullmann Puz Faculty Computing Support Coordinator (V)909.869.6832 (office) Faculty Center for Professional Development (V)909.869.3214(lab) California State Polytechnic University, Pomona (F)909.869.4992 mailto:skpuz[at]csupomona.edu http://www.csupomona.edu/~skpuz http://www.csupomona.edu/~faculty_center/lab _____________________________________________________________________________ 8. Dictionary (Database) of names Here is a good place to find surnames, given names and titles for every country in the world. "An Onomastikon" Dictionary of Names at http://www.gaminggeeks.org/Resources/KateMonk/ Jeanne Schramm WLSC Library W. Liberty, WV 26074 _____________________________________________________________________________ 9. New Publication for Digital Reference: The AskA Starter Kit Date: Wed, 10 Feb 1999 10:44:52 EST From: Joann Wasik <jmwasik[at]ericir.syr.edu> Subject: New Publication for Digital Reference MIME-Version: 1.0 ----------------------------Original message---------------------------- The AskA Starter Kit: How to Build and Maintain Digital Reference Services, is written to prepare organizations and individuals to create Internet-based question and answer information services. Digital reference services, or AskA services, are named for services such as "Ask A Scientist" or "AskA Librarian." This handbook is written primarily for libraries, professional associations, government agencies, academic institutions, and organizations that specialize in a given subject area or skill. The AskA Starter Kit published by the ERIC Clearinghouse on Information & Technology, contains a set of six self-instructional modules that guide readers through the common steps involved in creating and managing digital reference services. The steps include surveying the organization's environment, creating a digital reference plan, training staff, testing the service, launching the service, and evaluating service quality. Real-life experiences from existing digital reference services like AskERIC, the National Museum of American Art Reference Desk, NASA's Ask the Space Scientist, KidsConnect, Ask Dr. Math, and Morris County Library's electronic reference service, provide helpful hints for new services. For more information about the AskA Starter Kit and ordering information, please see <http://www.vrd.org/StarterKit/SKPress.html>. _____________________________________________________________________________ 10. RUSA's "Outstanding Reference Sources for 1999" Date: Thu, 11 Feb 1999 10:17:48 -0600 From: "Cathleen Bourdon" <cbourdon[at]ala.org> To: Reference and User Services Association List <rusa-l[at]ala1.ala.org> Subject: Outstanding Reference Sources for 1999 Reply-To: cbourdon[at]ala.org Sender: owner-rusa-l[at]ala1.ala.org The list of Outstanding Reference Sources for 1999 is now available at: http://www.ala.org/rusa/bestref99.html. The titles were selected at the recent ALA Midwinter meeting by the Reference Sources Committee of the Reference and User Services Association. _____________________________________________________________________________ 11. The Social and Economic Cost of Digital Image Distribution "The Cost of Digital Image Distribution: The Social and Economic Implications of the Production, Distribution, and Usage of Image Data" [.pdf] http://sunsite.berkeley.edu/Imaging/Databases/1998mellon Press Release: http://sunsite.Berkeley.EDU/Imaging/Databases/1998mellon/99press-release.html This newly released report is the product of a 22-month UC Berkeley study of the Museum Educational Site Licensing Project (MESL), a two-year experimental collaboration between seven cultural repositories and seven universities that distributed approximately 10,000 images for classroom use and individual research. The report found that, while the higher education community is enthusiastic about providing access to digital images, numerous impediments mean that digital and analog libraries will necessarily coexist for some time yet. One of the most substantial of these impediments is, and will continue to be, the conflicting concerns of universities and museum image distribution consortia over access and payment. Those involved in image digitization or distribution or those contemplating involvement, particularly members of a scholarly community, will find numerous items of interest in this report. [MD] >From the Scout Report, Copyright Internet Scout Project 1994-1998. http://scout.cs.wisc.edu/ _____________________________________________________________________________ 12. EPA HQ Library no longer accepting ILL requests Date: Fri, 12 Feb 1999 17:56:16 -0500 (EST) From: Frederick W Stoss <fstoss[at]acsu.buffalo.edu> To: SRRT Action Council <srrtac-l[at]ala.org> Subject: EPA HQ Library no longer accepting ILL requests MIME-Version: 1.0 Reply-To: srrtac-l[at]ala.org Sender: owner-srrtac-l[at]ala.org News from the environmental information agency... Please route this to other library and environmetnal lists. Thanks Fred Stoss ---------- Forwarded message ---------- Date: Fri, 12 Feb 1999 17:00:56 -0500 (EST) From: Cathy Flanagan <flanaga[at]usdoj.gov> To: Natural Resources Librarians List <NRLib-L[at]library.lib.usu.edu> Hello all, Sorry to be spreading bad news...but the attached does not sound good for any of us! Cathy Flanagan Reference Librarian Environment Library U.S. Department of Justice (202)616-8942 flanaga[at]justice.usdoj.gov -----Original Message----- From: MARY GRADY Sent: Friday, February 12, 1999 12:26 PM To: llsdc[at]GMU.EDU[at]inetgw2 Cc: WEAVER.THOMAS[at]EPAMAIL.EPA.GOV[at]inetgw2 Subject: EPA HQ Library not accepting ILL requests FYI: Due to budget and staffing cuts, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Information Resources Center is no longer accepting ILL requests. Their OCLC symbol is EJB. Please direct any questions to head librarian Tom Weaver, (202) 260-1757 (weaver.thomas[at]epa.gov). The EPA Office of General Counsel Law Library (OCLC: EJC) and the EPA Office of Pollution Prevention and Toxics Library (OCLC: EJE) are not affected and will continue to accept ILL requests. Mary Grady, Law Librarian EPA Office of General Counsel Law Library (202) 260-5920 grady.mary[at]epa.gov _____________________________________________________________________________ 13. RUSA's Services to Older Adults Guideline Available (Draft for Review) Date: Fri, 12 Feb 1999 16:37:07 -0600 From: "Cathleen Bourdon" <cbourdon[at]ala.org> To: Reference and User Services Association List <rusa-l[at]ala1.ala.org> Subject: Services to Older Adults Guideline Available Reply-To: cbourdon[at]ala.org Sender: owner-rusa-l[at]ala1.ala.org Services to Older Adults Guideline Available A draft of the "Library Services to Older Adults Guidelines", is now available at http://www.ala.org/rusa/older.html for comments and suggestions. Send comments to Ann Eccles by April 30, 1999: Ann Eccles, Hennepin County Library, Penn Lake Community Library, 8800 Penn Avenue South, Bloomington, MN 55431, e-mail: aeccles[at]sun.hennepin.lib.mn.us. The final, approved version of the guideline will be posted to the RUSA website and printed in a future issue of Reference and User Services Quarterly. _____________________________________________________________________________ 14. Educacion y Biblioteca, issue Janvier: Libraries and Anarchism From: "Robert i Dolors" <amalia[at]oem.es> To: <librarians[at]tao.ca> Date: Sun, 14 Feb 1999 16:55:54 +0100 X-Priority: 3 MIME-Version: 1.0 Sender: owner-librarians[at]tao.ca Precedence: bulk The issue of Janvier (Enero), of the Spanish Magazine Educacion y Biblioteca, is dedied to Libraries and Anarchism, they hav a reviews of Infoshops, and a long article of Ricardo Mestre and his Social Library in Mexico D.F. the adress of the magazine is: edubibli[at]mad.servicom.es _____________________________________________________________________________ 15. The Librarian's Canon of History: Discussion Date: Fri, 5 Feb 1999 11:20:46 -0800 From: "Spring, Don" <DSPRING[at]saonet.ucla.edu> To: "'Gay-Libn'" <gay-libn[at]usc.edu> Subject: The Librarian's Canon of History There was a short-lived thread on the Gay-Libn Chat listserv which brought to mind an academic question for this listserv. In grad school, back in the 70's, I wasn't taught a whole lot about the profession's history nor that of libraries in general. I think UCLA covered about two weeks worth in the "Introduction to Librarianship" class, if that, and a bit of the history of the book in the "Introduction to Bibliography" class. What I've learned, I've learned from my own research during my professional career. Below, I've listed 20 books that relate to our history, including encyclopedic works. I would appreciate any comments, pro & con, regarding this eclectic batch, not to mention suggestions of other titles. My list is very U.S./Western/male-centric, so there is a need to liberally expand on this list. Whether you send your responses via the listserv or to me personally, I will collate them and let you all know the results. THE LIBRARIAN'S CANON OF HISTORY: ANCIENT LIBRARIES by James Westfall Thompson BATTLE OF THE BOOKS: LITERARY CENSORSHIP IN THE PUBLIC SCHOOLS, 1950-1985 by Lee Burress THE BLACK LIBRARIAN IN AMERICA by E. J. Josey BOOK BANNING IN AMERICA by William Noble CHASING THE SUN: DICTIONARY MAKERS AND THE DICTIONAIRIES THEY MADE by Jonathon Green DAHL'S HISTORY OF THE BOOK, 3rd English edition by Bill Katz, ed. ENCYCLOPEDIA OF LIBRARY HISTORY by Wayne A. Wiegand, ed. THE EVOLUTION OF THE AMERICAN ACADEMIC LIBRARY BUILDING by David Kaser THE GOSPEL OF SCHOLARSHIP: PIERCE BUTLER AND A CRITIQUE OF AMERICAN LIBRARIANSHIP by John V. Richardson, Jr. THE GREATEST OF GREATNESS: THE LIFE AND WORK OF CHARLES C. WILLIAMSON (1877-1965) by Paul A. Winckler A HISTORY OF INFORMATION SCIENCE, 1945-1985 by Dorothy B. Lilley & Ronald W. Trice HISTORY OF LIBRARIES IN THE WESTERN WORLD by Michael H. Harris IRREPRESSIBLE REFORMER: A BIOGRAPHY OF MELVIL DEWEY by Wayne A. Wiegand LIBRARIAN AT LARGE: SELECTED WRITINGS OF JOHN COTTON DANA by Carl A. Hanson, ed. THE LIBRARY IN AMERICA: A CELEBRATION IN WORDS AND PICTURES by Paul Dickson A NEW INTRODUCTION TO BIBLIOGRAPHY by Philip Gaskell READER IN AMERICAN LIBRARY HISTORY by Michael H. Harris, ed. A SPIRIT OF INQUIRY by John V. Richardson, Jr. THE VANISHED LIBRARY: A WONDER OF THE ANCIENT WORLD by Luciano Canfora THE WORLD ENCYCLOPEDIA OF LIBRARY AND INFORMATION SERVICES by Robert Wedgeworth, ed. I look forward to a lively discussion, Don Spring UCLA Career Center Library dspring[at]saonet.ucla.edu <mailto:dspring[at]saonet.ucla.edu> ......................................................................... Date: Fri, 5 Feb 1999 13:12:34 -0700 (MST) From: R Ellen Greenblatt <egreenbl[at]carbon.cudenver.edu> To: The Gay/Lesbian/Bisexual Librarians Network <gay-libn[at]usc.edu> Subject: Re: The Librarian's Canon of History MIME-Version: 1.0 Here's a few more suggestions: Reclaiming the American library past: writing the women in, edited by Suzanne Hildenbrand Daring to find our names: the search for lesbigay library history, edited by James V. Carmichael and a brand new book that just premiered at this past ALA: Women of color in librarianship: an oral history edited by Kathleen de la Pena McCook -- Ellen Greenblatt <egreenbl[at]carbon.cudenver.edu> ......................................................................... Date: Fri, 5 Feb 1999 14:17:47 -0600 (CST) From: Katia Roberto <roberto[at]alexia.lis.uiuc.edu> To: The Gay/Lesbian/Bisexual Librarians Network <gay-libn[at]usc.edu> Subject: Re: The Librarian's Canon of History MIME-Version: 1.0 Read _Revolting Librarians_, like, now. That's all for now. katia. "i like saying things i mean" - harriet the spy http://www.lis.uiuc.edu/~roberto ......................................................................... A couple of additions to Don's list: George Watson Cole, 1850-1939 / Donald C. Dickinson. Metuchen, N.J. : Scarecrow Press, 1990. IIRC (and I reviewed the book for JAL!), Cole was the original bibliographer for the Huntington Library. The library alcove and other library writings / Sam Walter Foss ; selected and edited by Norman D. Stevens. Jefferson, N.C. : McFarland, 1987. Another one I reviewed. Foss was a turn of the century librarian who wrote a popular (Boston?) newspaper column on libraries for a few years. Just FYI. -- rpj ......................................................................... Date: Fri, 05 Feb 1999 21:13:18 -0800 From: Genevieve Engel <gen[at]itsa.ucsf.edu> To: gay-libn[at]usc.edu Subject: Re: The Librarian's Canon of History Mime-Version: 1.0 Seems a shame not to include Ranganathan explicitly. How's about one of these: 1. S.R. Ranganathan and the West / foreword by Patricia Glass Schuman ; edited by Ravindra Nath Sharma. New Delhi : Sterling Publishers, c1992. 2. Ranganathan, S. R. (Shiyali Ramamrita), 1892-1972. A Librarian looks back : an autobiography of Dr. S.R. Ranganathan / appended with an evaluation of his life and work by P.N. Kaula. New Delhi : ABC Pub. Hosue : Exclusive distributors, UBS Publishers' Distributors, 1992. Series title: Kaula series in library science ; 11. It's true, history is given short shrift. I once took an undergraduate history of constitutional law class -- surely we could have graduate history of librarianship classes. Given the quality of the required Library Management class I took in library school, I think History of Librarianship would have been a much better use of the time! Genny Engel gen[at]itsa.ucsf.edu ......................................................................... Editor's note: Anyone with a serious interest in Library History should consider subscribing to H-LIS, the email dis>Transfer interrupted!
. It is part of H-NET; details can be found at the H-NET website, at http://h-net.msu.edu/ . TO SUBSCRIBE: send this email message to listserv[at]h-net.msu.edu: sub H-LIS your name, institution Example: sub H-LIS Jane Smith, Illinois State U. Follow the instructions in the reply that LISTSERV will send you in response to this command. _____________________________________________________________________________ 16. "Libraries: Valuable In America?" by Karen Schneider, and two responses X-Sender: kgs[at]panix.com Date: Tue, 16 Feb 1999 10:00:37 -0500 To: ALA Council List <alacoun[at]ala1.ala.org> From: "Karen G. Schneider" <kgs[at]bluehighways.com> Subject: Libraries: Valuable In America? Mime-Version: 1.0 Reply-To: kgs[at]bluehighways.com Sender: owner-alacoun[at]ala1.ala.org warning... I"ve been stewing about this since midwinter, after a lunchtime chat... so it is long. On a broader scale, I would like to know if other members of Council feel as fervently as I do about what I consider a very serious human rights violation: the lack of good public library service in many parts of the country. New York state, for example, has more unserved public library area than any other state. The average per capita support for public libraries in the county I work in (Rensselaer) is $10. (And $10 doesn't go as far as it does in many other parts of the country.) We have a very long row to hoe when it comes to educating the public about why libraries are important. One library in my county came under attack as "extravagant" for its budget, which relied on $18 per capita... though the employees are all part-time, underpaid, and have no benefits! (Let's not talk about those of us who bring down the average, sigh...) The public has been fed such nonsense in the past twenty years that in many communities they truly believe they are "tax oppressed" even when all statistics say otherwise. Look at Trent Lott advocating for a 10% tax cut... is he also going to advocate for a 10% cut in essential services? This is REALITY for many libraries in our country... the hand-to-mouth struggle to provide good library service, advocate for better public support, and do it all on poverty-level wages. Just once I would like to see the Flying Finger of ALA come down to thump the Trent Lotts on the head for suggesting that people don't want public service, or see an ALA prez or exec tartly and very publicly dismiss the next yahoo who uses the national press to share his ignorant belief that we don't need libraries any more. And I bet that a salary/gender study would reveal what those of us in the trenches know--that many public library systems in America are heavily supported by an infrastructure of underpaid women who live on marginal salaries, have few if any benefits, and in many cases will retire poor. When we're cut back we do a Scarlett O'Hara, snipping apart our mother's curtains to make a pretty dress so no one will know how broke we are, smiling and nodding and bobbing our heads... caught in the terrible Hobson's choice of reducing services or continuing with skeletal resources. Have we no national shame about the status of librarians? Have we not figured out that we aren't attracting persons of color because no one wants to call home and say, "look, Mom, I just found a job where I will start at $26k with my expensive master's degree and work my way up to $40k, if I'm not outsourced or laid off?" Then there are public libraries in many poor sections of the country... underfunded, understaffed, continually struggling to provide service--in many cases, these libraries provide lifeline resources to communities--things we would take for granted in wealthier parts of the country, such as access to good books, copy machines and a friendly face who will answer their questions. Who will be their champions? What is our responsibility to these libraries? That was one of the sotto voce issues related to outsourcing... that some library systems are so strapped they would consider a "cheaper alternative"--and I do feel their pain. When you are trying to avoid cutbacks in service, many things look good. What are we going to do about our libraries? Our resolution on the e-rate, by the way, was very important, because so many small public libraries are overwhelmed by the onerous filing requirements... the e-rate program is unfairly biased toward schools, with their elaborate infrastructures which can support huge administrative overheads. I believe we will find that the poorest of the poor libraries were simply unable to file. As it stands, I have to do another 470 and I would rather have the flu! (we will receive $800 for last year--which I am not sneezing at, since that means we can replace our three-year-old encyclopedia--but if our consortium had not filed Year 1 paperwork for us, I would not have bothered; there are cheaper ways to raise money.) I am not dismissing any of the other issues we have discussed... and there are some social issues which are very much "the work of Council." But I would like to see ALA, and Council, direct at least part of its focus to the issue of improving library service in America. What if we spent as much time talking about guaranteed universal service, or advocating for new library construction, or expanding LSTA to help libraries transition to new services? What if we found more money for books, or outreach services, or children's programming? What if we said "services first" and proceeded from that premise? A lot of us agreed with Ann Symons that libraries are an American value... now I would like to see us put this to work... whether it is to find ways to increase ALA membership and participation from the folks in the field... or to push our states to focus on legislative agendas that translate to better library service... to throw all of our weight behind one service-related issue, whether it is computers or books or construction... to teach librarians how to advocate for better revenue streams, better pay, greater respect, more services, etc... We haved many untended gardens. _________________________________________________________________ Karen G. Schneider | kgs[at]bluehighways.com http://www.bluehighways.com Author: A Practical Guide to Internet Filters, Neal Schuman, 1997 Director, Garfield Library of Brunswick, NY... Soon: Brunswick Community Library! Garfield on the Web: http://www.crisny.org/not-for-profit/garfield/ ......................................................................... Mime-Version: 1.0 Date: Tue, 16 Feb 1999 12:57:38 -0500 To: ALA Council List <alacoun[at]ala1.ala.org> From: Mark Rosenzweig <iskra[at]earthlink.net> Subject: Re: Libraries: Valuable In America? Reply-To: iskra[at]earthlink.net Sender: owner-alacoun[at]ala1.ala.org Thanks to Karen Schneider for her powerful and moving presentation of the real situation facing public library services in this country. It is indeed a national shame that we are allowing the withering of one of the systems which keeps a democratic culture alive and flourishing. I can't help but feel that it is particularly obscene that libraries and schools are cash-starved to the point of destitution while the nation blithely allows literally millions of dollars to be wasted in the senseless bombing that has been visited these last weeks on Iraq. The money spent to inflict more pain and destruction on the unfortunate Iraqi's just these last weeks could be funding the expansion and support of public services our own nation requires. While there is such poverty and such huge service-starved populations here, while libraries and schools are closing or cutting back here, can the US really afford to play Global Cop in excercises of destruction which consume millions and millions of dollars? It's a question of priorities and these priorities can be challenged. Karen is right. ALA should play a much more active role in advocating for the under-served, the UN-SERVED. And if they want to know where the money is gonna come from, don't hesitate to say : how about spending on libraries instead of bombs! Mark C. Rosenzweig ......................................................................... From: "Pat Hogan" <p-hogan[at]dupagels.lib.il.us> To: ALA Council List <alacoun[at]ala1.ala.org> Subject: Re Libraries Valuable in America? Date: Tue, 16 Feb 1999 10:37:38 -0800 X-Priority: 3 MIME-Version: 1.0 Reply-To: p-hogan[at]dupagels.lib.il.us Sender: owner-alacoun[at]ala1.ala.org Kudos to Karen for an impassioned articulate statement; she manages to convey both the frustrations that many of us in public libraries feel as well as the reasons why we stay in public library work, because we are the lifeline and resource center of last resort for many people. In Illinois many public libraries are hurt by the tax cap so that even if their area is growing and the assessed valuation of property is up the amount that comes to libraries is capped. Legislators would like us to put fees on all but the most basic services at a time when many people who need us most couldn't afford any extra costs. Karen's message also addresses the unspoken fact that librarians often aren't valued; there remains the pervasive belief that anyone can run a public library, give a story time, develop a collection, etc. People also shouldn't forget that the trustees give of their free time and often are strong voices who can gain legislators' attention, because they are speaking as elected or appointed officials from the community. Probably we have no shame about the status of libraries and librarians because in so many communities there is some kind of service; the landscape of a town or village would not be complete without a church complete with steeple and a library. But that disguises the fact that the library at least may be limping along, open few hours per day, and limited in its collection. I hope that from Karen's and Julie's comments a discussion evolves where we can get some strategies and ways to thrive, not just cope. We seem to be having this conversation of what to do every few years; I hope this time we can get beyond the words and get some results. Once again, thank you Karen; I hope this is just step one in a very necessary conversation. Pat Hogan Councilor at large _____________________________________________________________________________ 17. Librarians' portrayal in movies - a list with analyses Date: Fri, 5 Feb 1999 09:22:44 -0800 (PST) From: Kathleen Jones <kjones[at]wahoo.sjsu.edu> To: SLIS List Serve <csu_slis[at]listproc.sjsu.edu> Subject: librarians on film MIME-Version: 1.0 Reply-To: kjones[at]wahoo.sjsu.edu Sender: owner-csu_slis[at]listproc.sjsu.edu Status: U http://library.lib.binghamton.edu/subjects/liblit/introduction.html This is the URL for the website that I mentioned in 220 last night. I thought that others might be interested, so I am posting it to the general list. This website is a comprehensive listing of films which show libraries or librarians, along with an analysis of the portrayal (whether it is positive or negative). An interesting resource! The site is maintained by Martin Raish, a librarian at BYU, and he welcomes commentary and contributions. Kathleen Jones _____________________________________________________________________________ 18. xenia - a review of digital literature and art http://www.xeniareview.com/ a review of digital literature and art ISSN 1521-2556 About Xenia: We aim to provide concise and critical notice of Web-based electronic publications in both textual and visual media. We are more interested in e-zines and the projects of individual author-artist-publishers than in the adjunct web sites of print publications. This is an effort not to centralize, but to locate and describe what is out there. Xenia will publish three to four issues per year. To join a subscription mailing list that will announce new issues, send email to subscribe[at]xeniareview.com. Contact: Brian Lennon, Editor, editor[at]xeniareview.com. (From NewJour-L) _____________________________________________________________________________% L I B R A R Y J U I C E | http://www.libr.org/Juice/ | | Except where noted, items appearing in Library Juice | are copyright-free, so feel free to share them with | colleagues and friends. Library Juice is a free weekly | publication edited by Rory Litwin. Original senders | are credited wherever possible; opinions are theirs. | Your comments and suggestions are welcome. | mailto:Juice[at]libr.org
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Date: Wednesday, February 17, 1999 09:19 AM