The best in books, videos and audiobooks for children and young adults were announced on Monday.  The awards include the Caldecott, the Coretta Scott King, the Newbery, Printz Awards.
Check out the winners…http://www.ala.org

Continue Reading Literary Award Winners announced by ALA

Kimberly Miller of the Palm Beach Post wrote a good article, State university officials take aim at slashing book prices examining the issue and seeking solutions.  Some excerpts:
“The rising cost of textbooks has long been a sore spot for students and parents. And for good reason. Textbook prices have increased at twice the rate of [...]

Continue Reading Soaring Textbook Prices and Solutions

How many times have you searched the Internet for the perfect information and when you think you’ve found the site you look at it is gone.  Happens pretty frequently doesn’t it.  Of course, you can look at the ‘cached’ version and you might visit Archive.org’s “WayBackMachine”.  But daily Websites drop off never to be seen [...]

Continue Reading Archiving Websites for History’s Sake

The Internet and the news are full of reports of how libraries are meeting the needs of hurting patrons.  Here are a few examples:
Libraries are bustling with job huntersHouston Chronicle - United States
Hard times are boom times for public libraries, experts say, noting
that scanning computerized job banks and filing résumés via the
Internet largely have [...]

Continue Reading Recession and Public Libraries

PC Magazine does it again!  As I’ve been watching the Ravens vs. Steelers I’ve also been looking at the 2009  version of this invaluable list!  I used the opportunity to share some useful Web based resources from the list with my wife.  Now, she thinks I’m a genius!   Shh!  Don’t tell her otherwise.
The article has [...]

Continue Reading PC Magazine’s ‘Best Free Software of 2009′

The Library of Congress Blog posted the following:
“The Library of Congress often provides Bibles from its vast
collections for the use of Members of Congress during their swearing-in
ceremonies. But it is not every day that a president-elect makes the
same request for his inauguration. It is rarer still when that Bible is
the same one upon which Abraham [...]

Continue Reading A Special Book for a Special Inauguration

Jen Matsick wrote a thoughtful and insightful article comparing advertising and marketing of books as compared to other forms of media:
“Books are a bit of a unique element of the world of entertainment. Unlike movies and music, which can be heard, seen, and advertised using just about every aspect of the media - television, radio, [...]

Continue Reading ‘Blockbuster Books’

Ironically one of the best passages about the value of libraries I’ve ever read came from an article about library cutbacks and closings in Pennsylvania:
“In Franklin’s and Carnegie’s times, the library offered access to encyclopedias and books. It gave everyone a chance to educate himself during a time when access to education, especially higher education, [...]

Continue Reading Library Cutbacks in Pennsylvania and Lower Income Citizens

Fallon, NV’s Lahontan Valley News reports in “Libraries thrive in poor economies” that
“People’s wallets are getting lighter and are going out less unless it is to their local library.  As the economy continues to slide, local libraries are experiencing a sudden influx in clientele using their free services.”
Read on…http://www.lahontanvalleynews.com

Continue Reading “Libraries thrive in poor economies”

The Bend (Oregon) Bulletin reported in “Books fly off shelves as library use soars: Phenomenon may be a chapter in story of nation’s economy”:
“People are flocking to Deschutes County libraries, and officials say the slumping economy may be bringing them business. From July through November, patrons checked out about 10 percent more books and other [...]

Continue Reading Public Library Funding in this Economy? It’s a ‘no brainer’!