Library Juice 8:3 - February 11, 2005
Contents:
1. Links....
2. The Alternative Press Center Library: From Baltimore to the World
3. First Aid to the Enquiring Reader (1914)
Quote for the week:
"There are those who, clinging to the idea that the library profession
should be politically neutral, would contend that contributing to social
projects is not an appropriate activity for librarians. However, without
a clear and vital set of philosophical and political ideals acting as a
guiding beacon, the library profession will not remain neutral, but will
drift aimlessly with the currents of power and privilege."Librarians must forcefully articulate their commitment to serving the
information needs of all segments of society. They must rededicate
themselves to assuring the widest and most equitable access to information
by opposing fees for services and the commercialization of knowledge.
Furthermore, librarians must be willing to enter the political arena and
advocate for these principles."Henry Blanke, in "Librarianship & Political Values: Neutrality or
Commitment," Library Journal, July 1989, pp. 39-42.
Homepage of the week: Granuaile Ó Flannagáin
http://people.moreheadstate.edu/fs/g.flanag/_________________________________________________________________________top
1. Links....
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Public library administrators in the political arena
by June Garcia, Sue Sutherland
http://www.public-libraries.net/html/libraries_and_society.html[ Felipe Meneses to PLGnet-L ]
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Publishers irritated by Google's digital library
Declan Butler
Nature, 2/3/05
http://makeashorterlink.com/?P3B82146A[ Declan Butler to liblicense-l ]
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PublishAmerica Sting [Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America]
http://critters.critique.org/sting/[ Library Link of the Day - http://www.tk421.net/librarylink/ ]
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Whacking Libraries
By Jim Hightower, Alternet
Feb. 2, 2005
http://www.alternet.org/story/21161/[ Steve Labash to SRRTAC-L and PLGnet-L ]
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List of libraries/archives with major labor and radical history collections
http://www.holtlaborlibrary.org/Links.html#Other%20Labor%20Libraries[ Shannon Sheppard to Progressive Archivists ]
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The Right to Receive Information
by Susan Nevelow Mart
http://www.aallnet.org/products/2003-11.pdf[ Don Wood to IFACTION ]
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Can the Public Library (and Democracy) Survive?
[February 2005] by Jennifer Vogel
The Rake magazine
http://www.rakemag.com/features/detail.asp?catID=61&itemID=20442[ Chris Olson to the ALA Council list ]
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American Association of University Professors Statement on Professor
Ward Churchill Controversy
February 3rd, 2005
http://www.kersplebedeb.com/mystuff/s11/churchill_aaup.htmlWard Churchill - Letters of support from the CU academic community
http://www.coloradopeace.org/2005/WardChurchill/CNN Interview - Paula Zahn Now
Interview With Ward Churchill; NFL Under Pressure to Conform to Decency Standards
Aired February 4, 2005 - 20:00 ET -- Transcript
http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0502/04/pzn.01.htmlKilling the Messenger: Ward Churchill’s Sins Against the Empire
By Steven Best, Press Action
http://www.pressaction.com/news/weblog/full_article/best02102005/"Some People Push Back" - On the Justice of Roosting Chickens
By Ward Churchill
(The offending article)
http://www.kersplebedeb.com/mystuff/s11/churchill.htmlPetition in Support of Professor Ward Churchill's Right to Free Expression
http://www.petitiononline.com/wc1234/petition.html[ Mark Rosenzweig to the SRRT list, noting that he disagrees with much
that Churchill has written and doesn't necessarily support him on political
questions, but finds it important to support his right to free expression,
because it represents our freedom of expression as well. ]-----
ALA's "Save America's Libraries" campaign materials
http://www.ala.org/ala/pio/piopromotions/campaignsave.htm[ Diedre Conkling to SRRTAC-L ]
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Paid reviews bound to hurt Kirkus' reputation
By David Milofsky
Special to The Denver Post
http://www.denverpost.com/Stories/0,1413,36~31109~2690880,00.html[ found surfing ]
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The College of St. Catherine's PLG Student Chapter blog
http://stkatesplg.blogspot.com/[ found surfing ]
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2. The Alternative Press Center Library: From Baltimore to the World
By Chuck D'Adamo & Abigail Anzalone
As part of the workshop on "Alternative Libraries & Infoshops", given by
Shinjoung Yeo at the Boston American Library Association's mid-winter
conference, Abby introduced a small group of listeners to the Alternative
Press Center Library. Here you will find the complete story of our
alternative media haven and a little slice of Baltimore history as we take
you from the local to the global. The Alternative Press Center Library is
in the east Baltimore neighborhood of Waverly--if you've seen "The Wire"
on HBO, think the East Side, but slightly north.The APC is known by librarians as the publisher of the "Alternative Press
Index" and "Annotations: A Guide to the Independent Critical Press." Less
well known is the fact that the APC collection of Left periodicals is one
of the best in the country--the most recent five years are maintained at
our special library in Waverly. The back issues are archived in the Albin
O. Kuhn Library at the University of Maryland and some of them go all the
way back to 1969. Also, even fewer people know that the APC Library is
located in a former Enoch Pratt Library building, once a branch of
Baltimore public library system. We offer here a few notes about our
location in Baltimore and the uniqueness of our collection.The Progressive Action Center
On October 22, 1982, then-U.S. Congressional Representative Kweisi Mfume
and Baltimore City Council Member Mary Pat Clark gathered on the steps of
a former Enoch Pratt Library building in east Waverly with Cliff DuRand,
an activist professor from Morgan State University, to cut the ribbon
which began the celebration of the opening of the Progressive Action
Center. Thus, the building, originally constructed in 1911, began a new
history as a public space for the Left in Baltimore. That evening the late
Michael Harrington, author of "The Other America" and co-chair of the
Democratic Socialists of America, gave a keynote address on politics and
the Left to a packed audience.Mfume was until recently President of the NAACP; Clark, after a period as a
political commentator, is back in City Council; and DuRand has retired
from teaching philosophy to enjoy the vistas of San Miquel de Allende in
Mexico. But, the PAC, as it is called, celebrated its twenty-second
anniversary in October and remains a place of progressive activism.The PAC was founded in the period after the Baltimore Rent Control
Campaign, which won by a referendum of 74,000 votes but was later thrown
out by the courts. The founders, who formed a limited partnership called
Research Associates, were activists who had participated in the movements
of the 1960s and early 1970s. The initial group included a librarian, a
machinist, a truck-driver, a dockworker, two lawyers, a few social
workers, and several professors. Their politics were inspired by council
communism, democratic socialism, the work of Antonio Gramsci, independent
Marxism, Maoism, and socialist-feminism. Two of the core founders were
long-time board and/or collective members of the Alternative Press Center.
Research Associates bought the building from Baltimore City for $1,000.
Then, with a $48,000 loan from the City's Commercial Revitalization
Program, the building was completely renovated during the summer of 1982
with much volunteer labor.The first organizations located at the PAC were the Alternative Press
Center, Baltimore Information Cooperative, Central America Solidarity
Committee (CASC), Democratic Socialists of America, Red Wagon Child
Center, and Workers Action Press. Of these, three have remained the solid
foundations of the PAC--Alternative Press Center, Baltimore Action for
Justice in the Americas (formerly CASC), and Red Wagon. The "founding"
groups were joined recently by the Baltimore Green Party and the Baltimore
Independent Media Center. Over time many organizations have been based at
the PAC, including the Baltimore Rainbow Coalition, Community Share,
Industrial Workers of the World (Baltimore), and Women's Express.In 1987, Research Associates dissolved its partnership and contributed its
assets to Research Associates Foundation (RAF), a tax-exempt organization
that was designed to sponsor research and educational programs and to
"further the understanding ... of local problems in their relationship to
broader forces." RAF has offered programs that have addressed issues of
class, economics, gender, politics, and race, making connection to
national trends with the hope of furthering social justice movements.
Highlights have included discussions with* David Harvey, author of "The Limits to Capital" and professor at CUNY
* Manning Marable, author of "How Capitalism Underdeveloped Black America"
and editor of "Souls: a Critical Journal of Black Politics, Culture &
Society"
* Ralph Miliband, the late author of "The State in Capitalist Society" and
founding editor of the "Socialist Register"
* Paul Sweezy, the late author of "The Theory of Capitalist Development"
and founding editor of "Monthly Review: an Independent Socialist Magazine"
* Howard Zinn, author of the "Peoples History of the United States" and
professor emeritus at Boston UniversityResearch Associates also organized the People's History Tour of Baltimore,
a bus trip to the places of important struggles of African-Americans,
women, and workers. This bus tour has traveled around the city many times
and resulted in "The Baltimore Book: New Views of Local History," edited
by Elizabeth Fee, Linda Shopes, and Linda Zeidman and published by Temple
University Press.The Alternative Press Center Library
Say you're a lefty librarian who has come to Baltimore for a small part as
a body-pierced, tattooed reference librarian in the latest John Waters
movie "Riot at the Reference Desk." After filming, you may end up in the
Club Charles near Penn Station, an occasional hang out of Waters and his
film crews, drinking Guinness and Roma Sambucca until closing. As you
recover the next day, you decide to come visit the APC Library, to refresh
your perspectives.After you enter the former Enoch Pratt red brick building and the APC
Library, you look to your left and see white walls with black bookcases
full of periodicals, in the center some oak reading tables, towards the
back bookcases filled with classics of the Left, on your right posters--a
library room filled with old manuscripts in Spain, a stark black image
with a Bertold Brecht quote "Art is not a mirror held up to reality, but a
hammer with which to shape it," and Sara Steele flowers demanding that we
"Consider the Alternatives." As the sun shines brightly through the ten
windows, you decide to stay a few hours reading for illumination.The APC Library collection includes about 350 periodical subscriptions and
1,500 books. The collection's development began in 1969 when the APC was
founded at Carleton College in Minnesota. It spent the early 1970s in
Toronto before moving to Baltimore.The most recent five years of periodical holdings are kept at the APC
Library. The rest of the periodical collection is archived in Special
Collections at the Albin O. Kuhn Library of the University of Maryland
Baltimore County. As a special collection of Left materials, it compares
with those of some major universities. And it continues to grow, for as
Media critic Robert McChesney notes "The good news [in these times]... is
that we are enjoying a tremendous renaissance in independent and
alternative publications to fill the void in our media culture." Thus, the
3rd edition of our directory "Annotations: A Guide to the Independent
Critical Press" surveys 385 independent critical periodicals.Alternative Press Center
The Alternative Press Center (www.altpress.org), was founded "to increase
awareness of the so-called underground, or critical, press in the United
States." Its primary project, the "Alternative Press Index", originally
appeared with the subtitle, "An Index to the Publications, which amplify
the Cry for Social Change and Social Justice." In 1969, the range of the
voices making this "Cry" was becoming louder and more diverse through the
movements of African Americans, Chicanos, gays and lesbians, and women.In 1969, the "Alternative Press Index" began indexing 72 periodicals. Only
20 of the original titles indexed from 1969-71 are still publishing today.
However, the Index now covers 300 titles; since it's founding, the API has
indexed more than 900 titles. Over the past three decades the APC's
collective has tried to follow people active on the Left, whether they
have settled into academia, labor organizing, or single issue advocacy,
and to document the publications they are writing and reading. Coverage,
thus, has always been wide-ranging. Theoretical perspectives surveyed
include feminism, Marxism, critical theory, structuralism,
poststructuralism, critical race theory and queer theory. API titles have
documented dozens of political and social movements, including the efforts
of women, people of color, rank & file workers, environmentalists,
anti-apartheid student groups and Latin American solidarity supporters.If you are interested in the radical weeklies of the 1960s and
1970s--Atlanta's "Great Speckled Bird," the "Ann Arbor Sun," the "Portland
Scribe," New Orleans's "Nola Express," the "Berkeley Barb," New York
City's "The Guardian" and its other, the "Liberated Guardian," and the "DC
Gazette," you need to take a ride out to Catonsville, Maryland, the suburb
where the archived collection at UMBC is located.However, if you're interested in current dissident periodicals like
"Adbusters," "The Black Scholar," "Canadian Dimension," "Capital & Class,"
"Counterpunch," "The Ecologist," "In These Times," "Monthly Review," "New
Politics," "Off Our Backs," "Social Anarchism," "This Magazine," and "Z
Magazine," they can be found in abundance at the APC Library. Typically,
80% of the Project Censored's "Top 25 Censored Stories" are from the
periodicals found on the shelves of the APC Library.Periodical Histories
If you spend enough time at the APC Library and the Special Collection of
the Kuhn Library, you could trace the history of some interesting
periodicals and link them to larger historical currents and their
relation to social movements. For example, "Studies on the Left," the
1950s-60s era journal.Founded in the 1950s, under the influence of radical academics such as
sociologist C.Wright Mills and historian William Appleman Williams,
"Studies on the Left" had morphed, by the 1960s into "Socialist
Revolution," a forthrightly Marxist publication influenced by the analyses
of Herbert Marcuse and Antonio Gramsci. By the 1980s, the name had changed
to "Socialist Review"--as revolutionary potentialities seemed to disappear
with the 1970s. The new SR responded to the success of right wing
Reaganism by retrenching into the relatively benign arguments of social
democracy, and slipping, by the 1990s, into the politics of identity.
Today's "Radical Society," a direct descendent of "Studies on the Left,"
attempts to bring strategic thinking and Left intellectualism to
contemporary global justice concerns. To quote from a recent issue, "Our
inspirations are both old and new--from 'The Masses' and Emma Goldman's
'Mother Earth' to the Harlem Renaissance and the Paris Commune, from t!
he end of the Cold War to the beginnings of a new global justice
movement."Another interesting thread of development is from "Studies on the Left" to
"Socialist Revolution" to "Kapitalistate" to "Capitalism Nature
Socialism." The defining thread here is James O'Connor's attempt to
develop a neo-Marxist understanding of the capitalist state with strategic
intent. The first version of O'Connor's "Fiscal Crisis of the State"
appeared in "Socialist Revolution." He then helped to organize an
international group of thinkers around "Kapitalistate" to explore state
theory and socialist strategy. Later O'Connor argued that capital's
destructive relationship with nature constitutes a "second contradiction
of capitalism," the first, of course, being that of capital and labor.
Thus, "Capitalism Nature Socialism" focuses on case studies of the
environmental movement as well as theoretical work providing analysis
valuable for an eco-socialist project.And Then the Hard to Find International Periodicals...
One of the special treats of visiting the APC Library is access to
international periodicals of the Left, many of which are hard to find in
the United States. Here's a brief tour of what you will enjoy, especially
if you have some language skills--English, French, and Spanish.PARIS, FRANCE - "Alternative Libertaire," published monthly, is part of a
project to create a libertarian communist organization that would develop
a broad-based class struggle approach and assist in the formation of a
self-managed, anti-capitalist social movement. The magazine contains news
and analyses of various social and labor struggles in France and around
the globe, discussion of tactics in recent general strikes in France and
in the anti-globalization movement. www.alternativelibertaire.orgPARIS, FRANCE - "Alternatives Economiques," published monthly, emerged out
of various currents associated with the New Left in France, such as worker
control and self-management, radical democracy, and the cooperative
movement. Committed to principles of justice, solidarity, and equality,
the magazine analyzes current trends in the economy--examples include the
European Union after monetary unification, inequality in France,
flexibilization, and the impact of market forces on education. While
oriented to France, the coverage is international in scope.
www.alternatives-economiques.frCARLTON, AUSTRALIA - "Arena Magazine," published bimonthly, contains
"critical, polemical, and reflective writing" and "left political, social,
and cultural commentary" from an Australian perspective. The magazine is
connected to the "Arena Journal" which is theoretical and includes strong
critiques of global capitalism, technology, postmodern culture, and U.S.
imperialism. It also offers comparative analysis of indigenous-settler
government relations in Australia, Canada, and the United States.
www.arena.org.auSEOUL, KOREA - "Asian Journal of Women's Studies," published quarterly, has
a main objective to develop women's studies theories and practices based
on Asian women, while expanding the horizon of Western-centered women's
studies. Common themes are Asian women's literacy and education, women in
the arts, and women and (house)work. http://ewhawoman.or.kr/acwsengHONG KONG - "Asian Labour Update," published quarterly, reports on labor
issues in the Asia-Pacific region. Espousing an ethic of workers'
empowerment and gender consciousness, "Asian Labour" provides detailed
reports on labor practices, strikes, and other labor activities. Country
reports cover specific areas within the region. Topics include global and
regional labor trends, political situations related to labor, data on
wages and employment, trade union profiles, occupational safety and health
reporting, and industry-specific data. www.amrc.org.hkBRIGHTON, UNITED KINGDOM - "Aufheben," published annually, began in 1992 as
a political intellectual project of activists in the UK influenced by the
Italian autonomist movement, the Situationists, and other anti-Leninist
communist tendencies including class struggle anarchism and council
communism. The journal has featured detailed analyses of the 1995 strikes
in France, the Zapatista rebellion in Chiapas, Mexico, class recomposition
in Argentina, and critical analysis of the global justice movement and the
anti-war movement (US-Iraq War). www.geocities.com/aufheben2MONTEVIDEO, URUGUAY - "Brecha," published weekly, continues the work of the
weekly "Marcha" (1939-1974), interrupted by the coup d'etat in 1973. Since
1985, Brecha has provided extensive coverage of Uruguayan, Latin American,
and international politics, society, and culture from a left-socialist
perspective, highlighting the struggle against military impunity and
neoliberal economic policies as well as the development of the Frente
Amplio. Eduardo Galeano is among the regular contributors. International
in scope, Brecha has correspondents in Africa and Europe as well as
throughout Latin America. www.brecha.com.uyBRUXELLES, BELGIUM - "Cahiers Marxistes," published bimonthly, references
various Marxist currents in its overall philosophical orientation. The
review analyzes society as a totality, emphasizing a multi-disciplinary
approach that seeks the articulation between theory and practice. It has
published discussions of modern management techniques with their rhetoric
of "autonomy" and "collaboration," privatization, sub-contracting, and
flexibilization, Often focused on Belgium, the journal is also concerned
to link domestic issues to a global significance.
www.ulb.ac.be./socio/cmarxJAFFA, ISRAEL - "Challenge," published bimonthly, by both Arabs and Jews,
is written from an explicitly radical left perspective for those in the
international community interested in a just solution to the
Palestinian-Israeli conflict. It covers news and events in Israel, the
Occupied Territories, and Palestinian regions. Unflinching in its
criticisms of the Israeli state for its colonialist and near-apartheid
like practices in Gaza and the West bank, the magazine has also featured
analysis of the failings of the leadership in the Palestine Authority,
including corruption and its inability to formulate coherent goals and
strategy. www.hanitzotz.com/challenge/MEXICO CITY, MEXICO - "Chiapas," published annually, has studied the roots
of the conflict in southern Mexico and the injustices imposed upon its
people as a result of neoliberal economic policies. Articles follow the
struggle for indigenous rights--respect and control of their own lands in
Mexico and Latin America--as well as indigenous culture, women, and
community organization, with respect to environmental issues and human
rights. The journal has analyzed Plan Puebla-Panama, Plan Colombia, NAFTA,
the FTAA, and Bechtel's privatization of water in Cochabamba, Bolivia.
www.multimania.com/revistachiapas/SAN JUAN, PUERTO RICO - "Claridad," published weekly, has represented the
Puerto Rican struggle for independence since 1959. Its articles cover
Puerto Rican political, environmental, and labor issues, as well as Latin
American and Caribbean politics and culture. "Claridad" closely followed
the attempts to demilitarize and clean up the contamination caused by the
US Navy base in Vieques. Many articles analyze the historical relationship
between the US and Puerto Rico, expose corruption in government, and
fiercely criticize US foreign policy. A voice of resistance to U.S.
cultural imperialism, "Claridad" strives to revive Puerto Rican culture
and history.MADRID, SPAIN - "Claves de Razon Practica," published monthly, is a
magazine that attempts to serve as a "framework for the discussion of
subjects in public life which need reflection and analysis."The magazine
covers Spanish politics and issues, such as the legalization of drugs, the
rise of xenophobia, the right to autonomy. A good portion is given to
international politics and political theory. Article topics range from the
US-Iraq War, the Palestine question, the Middle East in relation to the
West, to globalization, and multiculturalism. Contributors include Octavio
Paz, Nadine Gordimer, Salman Rushdie, and Umberto Eco.
www.progresa.es/clavesJOHANNESBURG, SOUTH AFRICA - "Debate," published annually, is a journal of
political debate which was founded around the same time as the
post-apartheid state of South Africa. The journal, organized as a
collective, provides an arena for the independent socialist and Marxist
left. Specifically, it seeks "to open up a forum for left discussion,
analysis and criticism of the South African transition in the context of
global shifts in capital accumulation and class composition." Themes have
focused on US imperialism, 9/11 terrorist attacks on New York City, and
local-global connections.PARIS, FRANCE -- "Echanges," published biannually, is the publication of
the Echanges et Mouvement network, a linking of left militants who have a
history with the French groups Socialisme ou Barbarie (1949-1967) and
Informations et Liaisons Ouvrieres/Informations et Correspondance
Ouvrieres(1960-1968). It analyzes of phenomena of the class struggle
taking place everyday and information on working class self-activity. The
magazine is an excellent source on strike activity around the world.
Echanges's priority is to publish a bulletin to give workers a voice and
help coordinate industrial activity, not to develop political
organization.MEXICO CITY, MEXICO - "Fem," published monthly, with origins in second-wave
feminism cover universal feminist themes such as women's equality, work,
motherhood, health, domestic violence, and ecological feminism, as the
topics relate to the lives of Mexican women. Regular features provide
updates on the status of women in Mexico and Latin America. Look mostly
for concise articles, interviews, and personal testimonies about
empowering women to be equal to their partners, educating women about
their health and bodies, and teaching them how to combat machismo.
www.revistafem.comBROADWAY, AUSTRALIA - "Green Left Weekly," published weekly, is the
newspaper connected to Australia's Democratic Socialist Perspective,
formerly the Democratic Socialist Party. The DSP stands for a socialism
organized democratically, where people are able to take control of their
own lives. GLW contains articles on Australian news, full-page
international reports, political commentary and analysis, and a feminist
column. A fair amount of the political coverage is given to Australia's
Socialist Alliance, a development that parallels a similar one in Great
Britain. Contributors include John Pilger and Tariq Ali.
www.greenleft.org.auMADRID, SPAIN -- "Iniciativa Socialista," published quarterly, defines
itself as "on the Left, for all the Left." The journal succeeds in
exploring the nooks and crannies that define the important differences
between the views of the Spanish Socialist Party and the many other
smaller, usually further left, parties active in Spanish politics.
"Iniciativa Socialista" offers sharp, intelligent criticism of socialists
who have left behind the collective civil society that once flourished on
the Peninsula and have taken to globalizing Spanish, Catalan, Galician,
and Basque culture. It also addresses environmental issues and world
politics. www.inisoc.orgPARIS, FRANCE -- "Le Monde Diplomatique," published monthly, offers
articles with critical analyses of international relations, globalization,
neoliberalism, media monopolies, and public policy. The newspaper played a
crucial role in the formation of ATTAC (Association for the Tobin tax for
the Aid of the Citizenry) when editor Ignacio Ramonet published "Disarming
the Markets," which called for a popular association to end the tyranny of
global financial markets. International in scope, it is distributed in
more than 20 foreign language editions, and includes writers like Noam
Chomsky and Eduardo Galeano. www.monde-diplomatique.fr//HOLON, ISRAEL - "The Other Israel," published bimonthly, focuses on the
Israeli peace movement, especially Gush Shalom, It features detailed
reporting on the prospects of achieving peace in the Middle East. Articles
expose the Israeli government's hard-line attitude in the post-Oslo
period. Coverage includes accounts of foreign policy's role in Israeli
politics, with special emphasis on U.S.-Israeli relations, reports on the
on-going activities of grassroots groups in the Israeli peace movement as
well as reports on the discontent of rank-and-file soldiers serving in the
Israeli Defense Force. otherisrael.home.igc.org/KARACHI, PAKISTAN - "Pakistan Journal of Women's Studies," published
biannually, recruits writers from such varied places as Pakistan, India,
New York, Canada, and Malaysia. One of the journal's main objectives is
to "create, strengthen and disseminate information and knowledge about and
for women globally." This journal appropriates aspects of women's studies
worldwide while critiquing the influence of Western-based feminism on
Eastern women and cultures. Includes a blow-by-blow timeline of events
affecting women in Pakistan, as told by the newspaper columns. Includes
reports on women's organizations and major women's events outside of
Pakistan. www.gettysburg.edu/~taftab/JERUSALEM, ISRAEL - "Palestine-Israel Journal," published quarterly, takes
a non-partisan look at the complex issues in Palestine and Israel. The
journal aims to promote better understanding between the two nations and
to provide a platform and model for constructive interaction between
Palestinians and Israelis. Its stated purpose is "to promote
rapprochement...between the two peoples; but it will strive to discuss all
the issues without prejudice and without taboos." Includes a chronology
of events pertaining to the region in each issue. www.pij.orgMONTREAL, QUEBEC - "Possibles," published quarterly, was founded by
intellectuals who occupied a position in the Quebecois sovereignty
movement in favor both of political liberation and self-managed socialism.
This journal explores the grounds of possibility for individual autonomy
and collective emancipation and is concerned with the fundamental question
of how to link cultural revolution with socio-political revolution. Topics
include the role of science and technology in a democratically managed
society and nationalism in relation to the complex web of cultural
identity, political sovereignty, and democratic aspirations.
www.sodep.qc.caBUENOS AIRES, ARGENTINA - "Realidad Economica," published bimonthly, offers
an historical critique of Argentina's economic and social policy and of
larger Latin American and international issues. The journal analyzes small
and medium-sized businesses and the impact of economic policy on these
enterprises. "Realidad" critiques neoliberal policies, trade agreements,
and privatization, while looking at the economic dynamics of international
relations and conflicts. Its audience is both academic and those activists
involved in the cooperatives movement. Contributors are Argentines, like
Carlos Vilas, with some internationals, like Robert Boyer. www.iade.org.arLONDON, UNITED KINGDOM - "Red Pepper," published monthly, acts as the voice
of the green and radical Left in the UK, emphasizing activism and
extra-parliamentary movements, with critiques of public policy. The
magazine aims "to challenge cultural complacency and demonstrate that the
Left is alive, thinking and active in the UK and worldwide." It covers
direct action as well as traditional left sectors--reports on
confrontations between anti-road protesters and local police, coverage of
activities in defense of Britain's embattled working-class, and
discussions of constitutional reform, electoral strategy, and government
accountability. The section "Natural Born Rebel" features interviews with
activists. www.redpepper.org.ukBUNDOORA, AUSTRALIA - "Thesis Eleven," published quarterly, is an
international, interdisciplinary journal of critical theory and historical
sociology. Situated in Australia, its identity is both Continental
European and colonial, translating European social theory, mainstream and
marginal, and taking it from the margins of the world system to the
centers. The journal has been influenced by Agnes Heller (formerly of the
neo-Marxist Budapest School), Cornelius Castoriadis (Socialisme ou
Barbarie), and Zygmunt Baumann. www.latrobe.edu.au/ThesisElevenBARCELONA, SPAIN - "El Viejo Topo," published monthly, aims to develop
critical perspectives of the economic, social, cultural, scientific, and
political realm in Spain and around the world. It publishes in-depth
coverage of Spanish and European politics, with a focus on how to build a
more participatory democracy. The magazine also analyzes the
anti-globalization movement and the direction of the European Union.
Reports on the war in Iraq have been sharp with class analysis of what it
means for a country to go to war. The "Spains" section excavates the many
layers of identity on the Iberian Peninsula. Extensive coverage of Latin
American social movements.We could extend our tour of the APC Library with a note on our book
collection with volumes by Marx and Malatesta, Goldman and Gramsci,
Beauvoir and Fanon, Castoriadis and Marcuse, but rather encourage our
readers to come to Baltimore to visit. Our library is not quite a
left-wing version of old Barcelona's labyrinthine "Cemetery of Forgotten
Books" in Carlos Ruiz Zafón's novel "The Shadow of the Wind." But readers
will enjoy the experience, if not intrigue.Note: During this international tour of periodicals, we draw freely on
writings by Julie Adamo, Marie Jones, and Les Wade in the 2004 edition of
"Annotations: A Guide to the Independent Critical Press."
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3. First Aid to the Enquiring Reader (1914)
The Dial; a Semi-monthly Journal of Literary Criticism, Discussion and
Information. June 1, 1914; Vol. 56, No. 671.First Aid to the Enquiring Reader is freely and expertly rendered by most
librarians, though some insist that the visitor should reach the end of
his own resources in catalogue and reference-book consultation before
soliciting professional assistance. Probably a judicious mixture of
self-help and expert aid is wisest as a general rule. In sharp contrast
to the Lethbridge plan (described in our last issue) of mechanizing the
public library by bringing it into gear with the post-office machinery,
thus eliminating much waste, including that of time taken up in personal
intercourse between librarian and patron, an "ex-librarian" has something
to say, in the May "Public Libraries," in favor of extending that personal
side of library work which the Lethbridge scheme would abolish. We quote
a few sentences: "With no reflection upon any library in particular, it is
the experience of many readers that the atmosphere among the assistants of
the average free library is of a forbidding type. Many library helpers
seem to be so afraid that they will give an inquirer one word too many in
extending information. Perhaps the writer erred in the other direction;
but in her experience in library work she was never so happy as at a time
when an earnest reader made inquiries, and an opportunity presented itself
to gather together all the literature upon a specified subject which might
be found in indirect ways - hidden chapters of books with irrelevant
titles, etc. Certain experiences in library work in one of the largest
libraries in the country, together with two seasons of lecture-recital
programmes, have brought to vision the possibility of broadening the
influence of the free library as an educaional centre - in all branches."
Of course there is liability of imposition upon a too complaisant
librarian: he may find that he is expected to write club papers, prepare
outlines for debates, decipher difficult manuscripts, translate whole
books from the lesser-known foreign tongues, and in other similar ways
occupy his supposedly abundant leisure; but the competent and tactful
librarian will know how to decline an unreasonable request and at the same
time maintain his reputation for urbanity and omniscience.
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L I B R A R Y J U I C E
ISSN 1544-9378
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