Assembled by Jessie Mannisto, Google Policy Fellow, American Library Association
Reply
Monthly Archives: August 2011
What I read whilst on holiday
“The tragedy of my life Norman Dewers – gigolo and assistant librarian”
- from Table Manners (1973) the first play in the Norman Conquests series by Alan Ayckbourn. The main character Norman is the finest exponent of librarianship ever recorded.
Open Library
It would be nice if there was another Library, aside from the Powerhouse Museum Library, that was involved in Open Library outside of OverDrive.
Google+ what’s it for?
Did anyone find a library use for Google+ yet?
I can’t see a personal reason to use it, and cannot fathom a professional, service or publicity reason to use it.
After being on it for a while, I am yet to post anything and yet to find any reason to.
Is it just me?
SLNSW better by far
Why are the events at the SLNSW so excellent, and yet the public programs of other national and state libraries are so dull. And why don’t I live in Sydney to benefit from them.
http://www.sl.nsw.gov.au/events/events_talks/events/Fashion_After_Hours_-_The_Sartorial_Male.html
Apologies for the lack of posts. Herewith scenes from a just returned library tour of Tasmania.
Proof that library closures cause riots – Isobelle Carmody stops them
Throughout the night riot police played “cat and mouse” with the gangs who smashed their way into supermarkets and shops, including many upmarket retailers, in the heart of Manchester city centre. The widespread attacks followed similar disturbances in neighbouring Salford, in which a former library was set on fire and shops attacked in the central precinct.- Daily Telegraph (UK)
If proof were needed that the closure of public libraries directly leads to wanton criminality, muggings, arson, looting by the young here is THE prime example. If that UK library had been open, would there have been riotous looting – I think not. Those young people would have been nestled in the YA section of the library reading one of the Obernewtyn books by Isobelle Carmody, or maybe researching butterflies on the Internet for their homework assignments, or maybe just relaxing with friends and discussing the library’s new graphic novels. The government and local councillors who have closed UK libraries, should be held responsible and accountable for turning the young to crime, when all they ever wanted was information access.
The state has turned the young from Hoban to Hoodies, from Turgenev to trainers and from Rand to rioting. Let these riots be a lesson that when a library closes, so do minds. Not a single UK library must be allowed to close in the current economic climate. When austerity and unemployment are prevalent, closing down the only free (at point of access) institution where people may improve themselves is a far far worse crime than stealing shoes.
National Cultural Policy – discussion paper
In 2008-09, the creative industries were valued at more than $31 billion in terms of industry gross product, representing an average growth rate of 3.9 per cent in real terms – a faster growth rate than the broader economy over the 10 years to 2008-09. Notably, this contribution to industry gross product is also larger than that of a number of other traditional industry groups, such as agriculture, forestry and fishing; electricity, gas and water supply; and accommodation and food services
This cultural policy needs to reflect the complex and diverse ways in which Australians take part in arts and creative activity – whether through downloading or uploading creative material online, visiting museums and galleries, creating artworks, learning about Indigenous culture, borrowing a book from the local library, listening to a rock band at a club, going to the movies or watching television.
Books not worth looting
Riot news from London. All the major stores in in the Clapham area of London were looted, save for the large Waterstones bookstore.
Can it be true that paper books aren’t even worth stealing now. Apparently so.
A novel way to sell books
With rising commercial rental costs, one bookseller decided to bring his work a little closer to home … in fact, his business is now run from his apartment! Check out New York City’s hidden gem, Brazenhead Books, in the video below:
You can read more about the story behind the video on the Etsy blog.
London’s Pleasures
Image copyright - Fairfax / Getty images
Library assistant, Gordon Comstock, stands idly by as local youth react to the news that Clapham public library has a copy of Stella Gibbons’ newly re-released novel Westwood.
Census 2
As it is Census time, let us look back at 100 years ago.
Men - Occupations - 1911
Women - Occupations - 1911
As we can see, there were not many library workers back then. And, in contrast to today only 37% of library staff were women. Unfortunately, given the paucity of information gathered in the census, we cannot tell how many were actually librarians or library assistants. Nor how many were stereotypical library types (aged, glasses wearing, tattooed, writers of fanfic etc.). A problem that essentially we still have today.
From other sources, we can know that librarians earned about 100 pounds a year, and library assistants half that. That probably wasn’t a great deal, but then again they didn’t have computers.
For more recent statistics see http://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs@.nsf/Products/D32427E1211847C7CA2576550013EFCD?opendocument
Victorian Libraries Saved!?
Following negotiations with the MAV, the Victorian Government has agreed:
- For this current year, to restore the funding difference for libraries that received less than their 2010-11 allocation. This includes upfront payments, but no indexation.
- For next year, to provide an additional $3.1 million in recurrent funding for public libraries. This reverses two years of funding cuts and includes indexation.
- To continue indexation in 2013-14, notwithstanding other funding improvements that may result from the MAC review, which will deliver a report in advance of the 2013-14 State Budget.
see the full MAV Press Release
http://www.mav.asn.au/media.nsf/listing/Abrighterfutureforlibrariesonestepcloser201184?OpenDocument
Number of Australian library and information staff in the Census
According to the 2006 Australian Census there were:
- 10,075 Librarians
- 8,255 Library assistants
- 11,627 Other Information and Organisational Professionals
- 5,120 Archivists, Curators and Records Managers
Will the new census (August 9) find many more librarians? or less? Will there be a new listing of Knowledge Managers? Will there be differentiation of Information workers? It’s exciting isn’t it.
9/11 and libraries
Interesting article on libraries and preservation relating to the Twin Towers and 9/11
Jan Ramirez, the curator of the National September 11 Memorial & Museum, said there was no historical consciousness surrounding the site before it was destroyed.
“It was modern, it was dynamic. It was not in peril. It was not something that needed to be preserved,” she said.
“Now we know better.”
See http://news.yahoo.com/mystery-surrounds-loss-records-art-9-11-164719650.html
