Library Juice 3:12 - Library Juice is now a book and a blog

Library Juice 3:12 - March 22, 2000 Contents: 1. Louis L'Amour's birthday 2. Four articles added to the Progressive Librarian website 3. Library unionization query 4. LISNews call for submissions 5. Article on libraries in Journal of Mundane Behavior 6. CyberPatrol decryption 7. "The Electronic Frontier" - Gov't report on internet crime 8. Brewer's Dictionary of Phrase and Fable 9. quoteland.com 10. The Merck Manual of Medical Information - Home Edition 11. ALAOIF thread on attacks from the right 12. Letter to Dr. Laura from the Horizons Foundation 13. "The Library as Social Centre" 14. Anniversary of Goethe's death Quote for the week: "What can I say? Librarians rule." -Regis Philbin (Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?, 17 Feb. 2000) Home page of the week: Owen Massey http://users.ox.ac.uk/~scat0173/ _________________________________________________________________________top 1. Today, March 22, is Louis L'Amour's birthday. Some biographical information is at: http://www.kirjasto.sci.fi/lamour.htm _________________________________________________________________________top 2. Four articles added to the Progressive Librarian website >From Issue 16: Agnes Inglis: Anarchist Librarian, by Julie Herrada and Tom Hyry http://libr.org/PL/16_Herrada.html The School and the Barricade, by Marianne Enckell http://libr.org/PL/16_Enckell.html >From Issue 15: Librarianship and Resistance, by Sandy Iverson http://libr.org/PL/15_Iverson.html The Cuba Poster Project, by Lincoln Cushing (with color images) http://libr.org/PL/15_Cushing.html Enjoy! _________________________________________________________________________top 3. Library unionization query Date: Fri, 10 Mar 2000 18:55:52 -0800 (PST) From: "Susan Katzenstein MHV (978) 373-1586" <katzenst[at]mvlc.lib.ma.us> To: publib <publib[at]sunsite.berkeley.edu> Subject: Unions - yes or no! We are embroiled in a union debate which is splitting the library into many adversarial factions. We are considering belonging to the teamsters, which represents the other city departments in our community of 50,000 people. Our public library has a director and 4 department heads and no assistant director. Some of the issues we are wrestling with are: -Should the M.L.S degreed librarians belong to the same union as nondegreed personnel? -Should the department heads belong to a separate union from line staff? If so, how will their relationship change? -Should we investigate other unions that perhaps specialize in library issues? -Is it advantageous to belong to a powerful city union? -Can unions get involved in library policies, such as open access to the Internet? -How will the relationship between director and department heads change if the department heads are in the union? Will it become more adversarial? -General impressions - advantages & disadvantages? I know this is a very complicated issue, but we are struggling mightily. Any advice would be extremely helpful. Thanks! _________________________________________________________________________top 4. LISNews call for submissions >===== Original Message From "Blake Carver" <btcarver[at]lisnews.com> ===== LISNews.com is currently accepting submissions of writing, poetry, essays, reviews, satirical columns and other commentary. To get a feel for our preferred content, check out our site: http://www.lisnews.com LISNews brings together practitioners from academia and industry to exchange ideas related to both traditional and emerging fields of library and information science. We invite submission of any type of work relating to library and information. TOPICS OF INTEREST INCLUDE: Libraries Electronic Publications The Internet Librarians Knowledge Management And much more.. Thank You, Blake Carver _________________________________________________________________________top 5. Article on libraries in Journal of Mundane Behavior Sent in by Library Juice subscriber Peter Glenister From: BIBCANLIB-L <bibcanlib-l-coord[at]nlc-bnc.ca> Subject: Journal of Mundane Behaviour and libraries To: BIBCANLIB-L[at]INFOSERV.NLC-BNC.CA Date: Wed, 15 Mar 2000 09:52:52 -0400 >From this morning's Ottawa Citizen A new scholarly journal, the Journal of Mundane Behavior, has an article on searching in libraries in its first issue. The article on this mundane topic is: Remarks on the social organisation of space and place by Andy Crabtree Sociology, Cartmel College, Lancaster University Journal of Mundane Behavior volume 1, number 1 (February 2000) http://www.mundanebehavior.org/index2.htm submitted by Nancy Brodie Phone: (613) 947-5887 Information Resource Management Fax: (613) 996-3573 National Library of Canada Internet: Ottawa, Ontario, K1A 0N4 Nancy.Brodie[at]nlc-bnc.ca _________________________________________________________________________top 6. CyberPatrol decryption info courtesey of Karen Schneider From: "Karen G. Schneider" <kgs[at]bluehighways.com> To: ALA Council List <alacoun[at]ala1.ala.org> Subject: [ALACOUN:4483] Fw: CyberPatrol decryption utility mirrored in response to lawsuit Date: Thu, 16 Mar 2000 10:49:18 -0500 This is what happened, in plainer English: two guys in Sweden figured out how to decrypt the Cyber Patrol filter, and posted the results on their website. As happened a couple of weeks ago when another group, Peacefire, decrypted X-Stop (the filter made infamous in the Mainstream Loudoun case), a panicked company--in this case, Mattel, the current owner of Cyber Patrol--threatened legal action. In other words, filter vendors are claiming the right not to tell you what they're blocking, how they do their blocking, or what information they are gathering on the blocked sites, and they're objecting when product reviewers analyse their products and tell you what they find. I hope these stoplists get published worldwide, so you folks all find out what "choosing" a filter really entails. But for now, note that when you give a patron a "choice," what you're really doing is handing selection decisions to third parties whose primary motivations are not the public good, and who are now fighting legal battles to keep their methods and outcomes highly secret. This is a bad precedent for the future of information access. Karen G. Schneider kgs[at]bluehighways.com Assistant Director of Technology Shenendehowa Public Library, Clifton Park, NY http://www.shenpublib.org ----- Original Message ----- From: "Declan McCullagh" <declan[at]well.com> To: <politech[at]vorlon.mit.edu> Cc: <junger[at]SAMSARA.LAW.CWRU.EDU> Sent: Thursday, March 16, 2000 9:46 AM Subject: FC: CyberPatrol decryption utility mirrored in response to lawsuit > It should be obvious to anyone who has half a clue about the Internet what > happens when a company or government tries to stomp out something it > doesn't like. > > The offending bytes appear in every corner of the globe. > > It happened in the case of DeCSS > (http://www.politechbot.com/cgi-bin/politech.cgi?name=mirror), and it's > happening now with the CyberPatrol decryption utility. So far the > verboten-ware is at: > > http://bur-jud-118-039.rh.uchicago.edu/ > ftp://blackstar.myip.org/pub/mirrored/ > http://www.shub-internet.org/cp4/cp4break.html > http://www.wwcn.org/~grit/free/ > http://www.reed.edu/~turnerd/cyberpatrol.tar.gz > http://www.mit.edu/~ocschwar/ > http://members.optusnet.com.au/~kris_j/rio.html > ftp://128.148.190.238 > http://cr939566-a.bloor1.on.wave.home.com:2600/FusionReactor.html#mattel > http://www.openpgp.net/censorship/index.html > > Slashdot.org thread: > http://slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=00/03/16/0022227&mode=thread > > Background: > http://www.politechbot.com/cgi-bin/politech.cgi?name=cyberpatrol > > -Declan > - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - From: "Karen G. Schneider" <kgs[at]bluehighways.com> To: ALA Council List <alacoun[at]ala1.ala.org> Subject: [ALACOUN:4484] Fw: Letter to the Editor, NY Times Date: Thu, 16 Mar 2000 11:21:33 -0500 I just sent this to the Times. If you find it useful, please "borrow" any of the text for a letter to your local paper. Karen G. Schneider kgs[at]bluehighways.com Assistant Director of Technology Shenendehowa Public Library, Clifton Park, NY http://www.shenpublib.org ----- Original Message ----- From: "Karen G. Schneider" <kgs[at]bluehighways.com> To: <editor[at]nytimes.com> Sent: Thursday, March 16, 2000 11:19 AM Subject: Letter to the Editor, NY Times > Editor, New York Times: > > We have Consumer Reports for objective evaluations of peanut butter and > sedans. And we have enterprising software cowboys such as Eddy L. O. > Jansson and Matthew Skala to tell us the truth about Internet content > filters ("Software Co. Sues Hackers," 3-16-00). > > Incredibly, Internet filters rely on hidden site lists that prevent > teachers, librarians and parents from seeing what the companies really > block. Mattel's threats of legal action only underscore what most of us > have suspected all along--that these companies are not interested in the > public good, and encrypt their stoplists to prevent public review and > analysis of their products. > > For too long, filter companies have lacked accountability for their > products. When good information is blocked from view, this hurts the person > trying to access the information, the person who created the information, > the people--parents, teachers, librarians, and other caregivers--responsible > for insuring people have access to information, and the democratic structure > of our society, which depends on the free flow of Constitutionally-protected > speech. > > Clearly, Mattel feels it has something to hide. Its claim that Jansson and > Skala are violating copyright law is both scurrilous and laughable. The > "irreparable harm" Mattel cites in its legal paperwork won't be caused by > showing the world what sites it chooses to block with Cyber Patrol. The > real harm comes in establishing a precedent where companies can sue people > who explain what their products actually do. > > Karen G. Schneider kgs[at]bluehighways.com > Author, A Practical Guide to Internet Filters (Neal Schuman, 1997) > 298 South Main Avenue, Albany NY 12208 > Home: 518-437-0664 W: 518-371-8622 Mobile: 518-331-7737 > - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Reply-To: "Karen G. Schneider" <kgs[at]bluehighways.com> From: "Karen G. Schneider" <kgs[at]bluehighways.com> To: ALA Council List <alacoun[at]ala1.ala.org> Subject: [ALACOUN:4487] Fw: CyberPatrol wins restraining order against "cphack" decrypt app fyi... also, in a follow-up message, McCullagh advised subscribers that Cyber Patrol had issued him a subpoena regarding the mirror sites for this information. Karen G. Schneider kgs[at]bluehighways.com Assistant Director of Technology Shenendehowa Public Library, Clifton Park, NY http://www.shenpublib.org ----- Original Message ----- From: "Declan McCullagh" <declan[at]well.com> To: <politech[at]vorlon.mit.edu> Sent: Sunday, March 19, 2000 1:00 AM Subject: FC: CyberPatrol wins restraining order against "cphack" decrypt app What's interesting is that Mattel's PR person (Mattel's subsidary sells CyberPatrol) is trying to spin this as an order that applies to mirror sites. Even the MPAA plaintiffs in the DeCSS suit haven't tried that. Read on for the hype. Linkname: Mattel Sues Over Blocking Hack URL: http://www.wired.com/news/politics/0,1283,34998,00.html Linkname: CyperPatrol Hackers Lose Round URL: http://www.wired.com/news/politics/0,1283,35038,00.html -Declan _________________________________________________________________________top 7. "The Electronic Frontier: The Challenge of Unlawful Conduct Involving the Use of the Internet: A Report of the President's Working Group on Unlawful Conduct on the Internet" http://www.usdoj.gov/criminal/cybercrime/unlawful.htm Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section (CCIPS) http://www.cybercrime.gov/ In August of 1999, President Clinton issued Executive Order 13133, which called for the creation of a Working Group to analyze unlawful conduct on the Internet. This month, the Working Group has released its report, which is now available at the Website of the US Department of Justice (DOJ). The report discusses the legal framework in which online crimes exist, the challenges facing law enforcement agencies in the online environment, and the role of public education and empowerment in combating online crime. Separate appendices focus on particular types of crime on the Internet, including fraud, child pornography, intellectual property theft, and the sale of controlled substances. The report is also available on the second site listed above, the CCIPS homepage. Launched by the DOJ on March 13, 2000, this site details their efforts to stop online crime. Here users will find materials such as speeches, reports, press releases, and testimony, covering topics including "prosecuting computer hacking, intellectual property piracy and counterfeiting, legal issues related to electronic commerce, freedom of speech, searching and seizing computers, encryption, privacy, and international aspects of cybercrime." [SW] From The Scout Report, Copyright Internet Scout Project 1994-2000. http://scout.cs.wisc.edu/ _________________________________________________________________________top 8. Brewer's Dictionary of Phrase and Fable http://www.bibliomania.com/Reference/PhraseAndFable/ As any reference librarian knows, Brewer is the first place to look for the meaning and origin of phrase and fable. And although this first hypertext edition is taken from the 1895 edition of the book, many of the phrases and fables we encounter today will appear in this classic source. The text is browsable or easily searched by keywords. The site is brought to the Web by Bibliomania.com, a source for many titles of classic literature. - rms From Librarians' Index to the Internet - http://lii.org _________________________________________________________________________top 9. quoteland.com - http://www.quoteland.com/ Quotations by Topic, Literary Quotations, Humorous Quotations, Random Quotations, How to Identify a Quote, Discussion Groups ["Who Said It?" and "I Need A Quote!"], a FAQ, and Internet Resources. There is also a Reference Library, with a short list of audio samples from historical speeches; TV commercials; TV and movie scripts; and music. Searchable. - de From Librarians' Index to the Internet - http://lii.org _________________________________________________________________________top 10. The Merck Manual of Medical Information - Home Edition http://www.merck.com/pubs/mmanual_home/mmhome.html The full-text, searchable consumer edition of the famous Merck Manual of Diagnosis and Therapy ("the textbook of medicine most widely used by health care professionals in the U.S. and worldwide"), written in everyday language for non-health care professionals. - smk From Librarians' Index to the Internet - http://lii.org _________________________________________________________________________top 11. ALAOIF thread on attacks from the right Date: Mon, 6 Mar 2000 01:48:10 -0500 From: Mark Rosenzweig <iskra[at]earthlink.net> To: ALA Office for Intellectual Freedom List <alaoif[at]ala1.ala.org> In response to Jim Sweetlands question (below): I believe that these folks are going after ALA because they're NOT really about pornography or children. They're about imposing an agenda of intolereance on public institutions, eliminating the separation of church and state and fighting freedom of thought, frredom of information.unimpeded inquiry, intellectual skepticism and cultural pluralism. Pornography is patently only a pretext for these groups in their attempt to occupy and dismantle the public sphere and re-make it along sectarian lines, imposing a cultural and intellectual conformity which is repugnant to a free, democratic people. Yes, they are genuinely, sickly, preoccupied with pornography and pedophilia too, but it's part and parcel of their preoccupation with abortion, prayer in schools,hatred of homosexuals, a free and independent press, etc. ALA repesents to them a bulwark of intellectual freedom, and librarians in the communities are the sentinels of liberty at the grass roots. That's why we are the enemy. Mark Rosenzweig >this current discussion, as well as several others recently, brings up >a question: > Since a number of profilter, and/or procensorship groups seem >to be attacking the American Library Association, any ideas on why? >This tactic (or strategy?) of going after the ALA, rather than the >publishers/authors of whatever a group finds objectionable, seems to >have begun with the Loudon County case. > And, the rhetoric appears to be escalating, so that ALA now >being accused of directly purveying "porn" rather than merely being >a "dupe". > >I have my own thoughts, but would like to hear from others-- >why has ALA become the 'bad guys'? What are the attackers after? > .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. Date: Mon, 06 Mar 2000 10:25:09 -0500 From: Chuck0 <chuck[at]tao.ca> To: ALA Office for Intellectual Freedom List <alaoif[at]ala1.ala.org> Mark hits a home run here with this simple explanation of the motivations behind these folks. They don't give a shit what gets burned in their campaign to control intellectual freedom. After all, many of these people are fundamentalists, whose view of the world is seriously challenged by a secular society and competing religions. I suspect that they are getting increasingly desperate as their support base erodes, because of the overall liberalization going in American society. If Internet porn gets a few fundamentalists to question their lives and give up trying to tell other people how to live, then we should be grateful for that. -- << Chuck0 >> Homepage: http://flag.blackened.net/chuck0/home/ Mid-Atlantic Infoshop: http://www.infoshop.org/ Alternative Press Review: http://flag.blackened.net/apr/ Free Leonard Peltier! http://www.freepeltier.org/ "A society is a healthy society only to the degree that it exhibits anarchistic traits." - Jens Bjørneboe .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. Date: Mon, 06 Mar 2000 10:04:39 -0500 From: Chuck0 <chuck[at]tao.ca> To: ALA Office for Intellectual Freedom List <alaoif[at]ala1.ala.org> Mark Rosenzweig wrote: > > Mr. Burt's contention that "The American Library Association is preparing a > program for its annual conference on "Erotica in Libraries" that will focus > on how to bring more pornography into public libraries" is an outright lie! > > First of all, it is not the ALA which is preparing the program, but the > "Alternatiuves in Print" Task Force of the Social Rsposnibilities Round > Table (AIP/SRRT). There is a BIG differenmce, and Burt knows it, between > some small sub-constituent of ALA sponsoring an event , and ALA itself, as > a 75.000 member organization sponsoring it.. He shows himself, once more, > to be a shameless, dishonorable liar and vulgar propagandist. > > As a member of that AIP task force actually sponsoring the panel (although > not involved with setting up this particular meeting) and as a member of > SRRT action Council, I can assure you that it is also untrue that the panel > is addressing "how to bring more pornography into the public library". > Unless, of course, all material with sexual content is pornography, as Burt > would apparently have it. Boy, David must really be feeling like a loser these days. I've been anticipating attacks on my session from him, although this opening salvo came a bit earlier than I had expected. Nonetheless, preparations for the "Erotica in Libraries" session are coming along fine. At this point it looks like I may have too many speakers for the session, which means I may find myself in the unfortunate position of telling somebody that they can't be on the panel. I'm not quite sure what this panel will be talking about *exactly*, because I haven't seen the final talk proposals (deadline is March 10th). Yes, this panel may talk about how to get more erotica/pornography into public libraries. Since public libraries are neglecting to carry materials which address a fundamental aspect of the human experience, sex, you can expect that a few of the speakers will talk about this. I'm gettign a strong sense that many librarians feel guilty about this and really want to see this session happen. I also promise that a few of the speakers will be talking about their ACADEMIC erotica collections. We may also have at least one librarian who writes erotica. ALA is not footing the bill for this session, nor is my employer paying my way. I plan to catch a cheap flight and sleep on the couches of Chicago-area friends. There will be some expenses involved in this session, so donations to the AIP are encouraged. If you can donate as little as $20, you can help make this session an awesome one, help Rory with his session on "Alternative Children's Lit for Libraries," and help make future AIP sessions kick ass. Is David Burt a "shameless, dishonorable liar and vulgar propagandist?" You'll get no argument from me. I'm pretty encouraged about the feedback I've gotten about this session. A lot of people are really excited about it and a few are practically begging to speak. -- << Chuck0 >> .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. Date: Mon, 6 Mar 2000 10:47:26 -0500 From: Mark Rosenzweig <iskra[at]earthlink.net> In agreement with Jamie McCarty, I think Chuck Munson may be missing a fundamental point here. Burt's charge that the panel is meant to FOCUS on "how to get more pornography into the public libraries" is untrue, as far as I know. The panel may,as Chuck notes (but not clearly enough, I believe), entail discussion on how to get more things that Burt and company would CONSIDER "pornography" (which is a fairly wide swathe of sex-related materials) into the library. But that's not the same thing. I don't believe that Chuck's panelists are proposing that public libraries need to have a subscription to "Buxom Vixens" or whatever. Correct me if I'm wrong , Chuck. This is a situation in which it is ill-advised to speak imprecisely. It only fuels the fires of Burt's book-burning ovens. Mark Rosenzweig .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. Mark: Not only did Burt misrepresent my panel, but you did too. The intention of this panel all along, for the past year, has been to focus on what kind of erotica/pornography is out there, and why libraries should collect it. I don't know what my panelists will talk about, but Mark is correct. I'm not sure how many of my panelists will propose that libraries collect "Juggs," but I wouldn't be surprised if they did. Personally, I would suggest that they collect magazines like this, at least the good ones. >From the proposals I've gotten so far, I suspect that most of the panelists will discuss your typical erotica and others will talk about why public libraries have historically engaged in censorship of sexual materials. I'm not afraid of David's book-burning ovens. I'm willing to take a controversial stand on this, because I hope that those of you who CLAIM that you are FOR intellectual freedom will stand with me. We cannot afford to let the David Burt's of the world set the terms of this debate. By asking me to tone down, or be more *precise* about what this session is about, amounts to prior censorship of my speech. I believe in intellectual freedom for all people, so please don't mind me if I engage in some on my own behalf. -- << Chuck0 >> .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. Subject: [ALAOIF:10635] Response to Christie Robbins Date: Mon, 6 Mar 2000 12:30:53 -0500 From: Mark Rosenzweig <iskra[at]earthlink.net> >OK, time for me to weigh in here. > >When we talk about putting erotica in libraries, and whether it belongs >there or not, we should remember that not only are there reasons to keep >it there. If it is what our users want, it is our mission to >provide them with that information. However, while Burt is talking about >pedophiles filling our libraries, let's look at the valid academic scholar >who is doing her dissertation on how hard core erotica -or- pornography >has changed since the advent of the feminist movement in the 60s. > >The fact is, the public library is a cultural center for the -entire- >American society, whic means that we will all find something in them that >we disagree with. > >Christie Robbins >Masters Candidate >Library & Information Sciences >University of Texas at Austin Christie, I am a proponent of systematically collecting sex-related materials in public libraries and so I approach your posting with sympathy and serious interest, But I must point out that there are different kinds of libraries with different users and patron needs (including in the areas of sexuality). The "valid academic scholar" doing her research on the effects of feminism on pornography, would be doing most of her research at academic, research and special libraries. The Research Library of the New York Public Library, has a vast collection of pornographic materials, historical and current, for just such purposes as hers. Such a researcher would not expect the local public library to be the source of much of the material she would need for her dissertation, no matter what it was on. Mark R. _________________________________________________________________________top 12. Letter to Dr. Laura from the Horizons Foundation Read it and add your signature at: http://www.horizonsfoundation.org/drlaura.htm _________________________________________________________________________top 13. "The Library as Social Centre" the opening address at the Red Wing Meeting of the Minnesota Library Association, October 12, 1905, by Miss Gratia Alta Countryman During these latter days of enormous library activity, we have been conscientiously examining the functions of the library; we have been trying all sorts of methods to popularize it, to advertise it. We have asked for and listened to the criticism of outsiders, and by the light thrown upon it through this prism have separated our work into its elemental parts and seen its various hues. We used to ereect a library as an altar to the gods of learning; now, to use Mr. Dana's words, we erect it as an altar to the "gods of good fellowship, joy and learning." So you see, our ideals are constantly rising, our horizons ever broadening, and our work continually increasing, both in extent and in depth. We might well have considered our hands fairly full to have dealt alone with this god of learning, but we find ourselves embracing the opportunity for additional service to the gods of good fellowship and joy. It might do us good to consider tonight what we are doing for the cause of learning, what the library has done to increase serious reading and study, and how it may further the educational work of the world. This question is ever present with us, and can stand any amount of discussion. But it is the gods of good fellowship and joy that we are discussing tonight, the library not as a center of learning but as a social center. We are dealing with a small crowd of people whom we may call "our public." Who are the public? Why, you and I, and my family, and others just like us. They want just the same things that we do, and to be accommodated in just the same way that we do. The public is no indefinite, intangible somebody, it is just "we." We talk about the people being hungry for books and information. Have you found it so? Then why do we have free libraries and free schools? People are willing to sacrifice fo something that they are very hungry for. Do you hunger and thirst to read Homer and Shakespeare, and Emerson and Arnold, and good histories and literature? Do you, when you are tired after a day's work, take home a scientific work or a treatise of civics? No, you are just a little sample of the public, and you think you need to read a pleasant, entertaining, restful book. You aren't hungry for information, and, as a matter of fact, the person who delights in study and has a fine taste for the best in literature has one of the "gifts extremely rare." Most of us are practical, everyday, working people, with a very limited time for reading, and this public whom we serve is just like us. A few of them will love to read the best, many of them will want information at intervals, a large proportion want recreative reading, and the vast majority use the library not at all. Now the former, who want and love the library, you need not be troubled about. They will naturally come to the library, and you will find pleasure in serving them. But these latter classes who either come for pleasure or come not at all must be drawn and held through the social instincts, and through their desire for pleasure. We may find it in friendly gatherings, social clubs, or music or conversation or games, but social pleasure of some sort is sought by all of us, great and small, in town and coutry alike. In the city there is usually plenty of opportunity - I might almost say that there is a surfeit - and one must pick and choose. But in the towns and villages it is often differen; good amusement and profitable pleasures are not always to be had, and being social beings, the social craving is satisfied with whatever means may be at hand. Young people expecially can not isolate themselves, or live unto themselves. Just where is the library going to stand in this matter? Is there anything which we can do to satisfy these natural desires and to enter more vitally into the lives of the people? This is the question to take home and think about. As individuals, we are coming to have an enormous interest in other human lives, there is a sense of social obligation upon us; we have come to know that personal righteousness is not all that is required of us, but that we must help to realize the social righteousness. The library has the duty of being all things to all men. It is no longer simply a repository of books, it is exactly what Mr. Carnegie calls it, the cradle of democracy, filled with the democratic spirit, and it endeavors, as far as circumstances permit, to minister to all the needs of the community in which it dwells. The library stands for progress, the progress of its town, and this does not mean increasing the material prosperity of the people, though that may follow, but it chiefly means the raising of the moral, social and intellectual standards of all its people, and helping men and women to be more effective in every way. The library does not exist for one side only of the life of the people, but for every side, and if it fails to provide for those who seek amusement, it shirks a good dury and renounces a privilege. The sooner we unveil the "gods of joy and good fellowship" in our library the better; and sooner we make the library a centre for all the activities among us that make for social efficiency the better. Of course there are natural limitations to the kind of work which a library can do, and in helping to further the spirit of good fellowship and to furnish pleasure, we must keep within such limits as are consistent with the spirit of a library. The library can appeal to people in other ways than by books alone, as we shall consider later, yet as books are our chief tools, it is natural to think first of giving pleasure by that method. One of our chiefest ways of late years has been through the children's room. The children get books instruction and supplementary reading and enforced book interests, all of which are needed for their development, in the schoolroom. But in the children's room at the library furnished especially for them, with low tables, picture books and low shelves containing fairy stories and all their favorite authors, they settle down to satisfy their own especial individual tastes. Then there is the story hour, of which we shall hear to-morrow. Many of the children have never learned the pleasure of reading. They do not belong to cultured homes and the presence of books. Many of them never heard a Mother Goose jingle or a nonsense verse, and a book is an unlearned delight. But what child, even of this kind, does not love to hear stories, and listening breathlessly, would not come again and again. Somehow it seems as if we could not discharge our social obligation until we had gone into the byways and hedges and gathered in these scraps of society, and taught them the pleasures of a book. The children, once acquainted with the library, will always count it among their friends, and it will forever remain a social centre to them. We grown ups are not so different from the children; we, too, like a story, and we, too, want to read the things that cheer and entertain us. We agreed a moment ago that we, as well as our public, were liable to leave the serious books for the infrequent study hour and to spend our leisure evenings with the fascinating novel. Well, I do not know of any better way to give amusement and pleasure than to furnish the people with the books they want, in which they can be interested and absorbed. The "cares that infest the day" will fold their wings better under the spell of a good story than any other way. I think we need not be frightened when libraries are accused of being only fiction distributors, for it is a library's function to amuse as well as to instruct, and if people will seek amusement through the library, so much the better for the people. It is natural that the people should feel a curiosity about the newest book and want to read what other people are talking about. This adds also to pleasant social intercourse, and gives people a common subject of conversation. Fiction is bound to be more and more an interpretation of life by which we see the motives and currents in other souls. We need not be afraid to supply good, wholesome fiction and to use it in establishing social relations with our people, so that the adults as well as the children shall feel a real pleasure in coming to the library. Many of our libraries are now housed in beautiful buildings, in which case, the building as well as the books becomes a means of social influence. If there is need of a home for social intercourse and amusement, the library may legitimately attempt to furnish such a home within its walls. If there are social or study clubs, organized labor guilds or missionary societies, or any other organizations, encourage them to meet at the library, find out what they need, let them find out that the library is their cooperative partner. And so with the schools and industries, of which I have not time to speak. The whole building at all times should be managed in the broadest spirit of hospitality; the atmosphere should be as gracious, kindly and sympathetic as one's own home. Then do away with all unnecessary restrictions, take down all the bars, and try to put face to face our friends the books and our friends the people. Introduce them cordially, then stand aside and let them make each other's blessed acquaintance. Some have tried smoking rooms, had boy's club rooms and games, and many have tried simply to make the rooms homelike and cheery, and all of their experience is valuable to us. It may be that no one of the plans used by other libraries may fit your case, for it is not necessarily good for you becasue some one else has used it successfully. But with any plan do not expect immediate results, for almost everything that succeeds permanently has a slow, gradual development; that which flashes up quickly usually dies down suddenly. Be willing to work out a good plan if you have one, and be willing to study your people and all of their interests before you shape your plans. _________________________________________________________________________top 14. Today, March 22, is the anniversary of Goethe's death 1832 -- Goethe dies, age 82, in Weimar, with last words: "More Light!" Poet/playwright/novelist/philosopher. Nothing is more revolting than the majority; for it consists of few vigorous predecessors, of knaves who accomodate themselves, of weak people who assimilate themselves, & the mass that toddles after them without knowing the least what it wants. --- Goethe >From the Daily Bleed _________________________________________________________________________top L I B R A R Y J U I C E | http://libr.org/Juice/ | | Library Juice is supported by a voluntary subscription | fee of $10 per year, variable based on ability and | desire to pay. 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