ADL – “Books Matter. Books have the potential to create lasting impressions. They have the power to instill empathy, affirm children’s sense of self, teach about others, transport to new places and inspire actions on behalf of social justice.” Users may search the more than 750 recommended books, as well as browse using these topics:… Continue Reading
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Category Archives: Libraries
Remembering the Howard University Librarian Who Decolonized the Way Books Were Catalogued
Smithsonian Magazine – Dorothy Porter challenged the racial bias in the Dewey Decimal System, putting black scholars alongside white colleagues “In a 1995 interview with Linton Weeks of the Washington Post, the Howard University librarian, collector and self-described “bibliomaniac” Dorothy Porter reflected on the focus of her 43-year career: “The only rewarding thing for me… Continue Reading
Stanford Libraries speaker series “Information, Intelligent Machines, and New Knowledge”
“In Academic Year 2018-19, Stanford Libraries will host the speaker series, “Information, Intelligent Machines, and New Knowledge.”The series will begin in autumn with the “Discovery Sessions,” a series of presentations and discussions oriented to work going on within libraries to address the rapidly changing digital information landscape. The sessions are an exploration of artificial intelligence, digital… Continue Reading
Bibliotherapy: how reading and writing have been healing trauma since World War I
The Conversation – “Bibliotherapy – the idea that reading can have a beneficial effect on mental health – has undergone a resurgence. There is mounting clinical evidence that reading can, for example, help people overcome loneliness and social exclusion. One scheme in Coventry allows health professionals to prescribe books to their patients from a list… Continue Reading
Why a library fire feels like an ‘attack on humanity’
PBS NewsHour = Published on Nov 13, 2018 – “In April 1986, fire raged through the Central Library in downtown Los Angeles, damaging or destroying more than a million books. Journalist and author Susan Orlean resurrects this nearly forgotten story in “The Library Book,” which also explores the emotional attachment so many of us feel… Continue Reading
Poll: Americans crave human interaction despite pervasive tech
More reasons why libraries and librarians will continue to play a critical role as we confront the rising tide of communications’ disconnect: “We may sleep with our smartphones and spend multiple hours a day staring at device screens, but almost of half of American adults say they prefer in-person communication, per a poll by SurveyMonkey… Continue Reading
100 Notable Books of 2018
The year’s notable fiction, poetry and nonfiction, selected by the editors of The New York Times Book Review. Categories this year are: Biography, Comics/Graphics, Current Affairs, Essays, Fiction, Foreign Affairs, History, Memoir, Nonfiction, Poetry, Science, Sociology, Sports, Stories, Thrillers. Continue Reading
Here’s What It’s Actually Like To Be A Librarian
BuzzFeedNews – Back in September, BuzzFeed Books sent out an unscientific survey to librarians, asking them about their jobs, projects, pet peeves, and more. About 1,400 librarians responded, mostly in the US. Here’s what they had to say…” [Note – this survey was sent to librarians in the public sector – but they resonate across… Continue Reading
Washington Post – Best Books of 2018
Washington Post Book Reviewers – Of all the outstanding titles that grabbed our attention this year, these 10 stood out. One of the books referenced is: The Library Book By Susan Orlean – “The New Yorker writer and author of “The Orchid Thief” has written another winner with a narrative that revolves around the devastating… Continue Reading
Treasures from NYT photo archive
“This portfolio is the first publication from Past Tense, an archival storytelling project of The New York Times. As we digitize some six million photo prints in our files, dating back more than 100 years, we are using those images to bring the events and characters of the past to life in the present. To… Continue Reading
26 People Told Us How Public Libraries Make Their Lives Better
BuzzfeedNews – 26 People Told Us How Public Libraries Make Their Lives Better [Note – many of the reasons referenced in this article are consistent with our own experiences decades ago, minus the technology. What is consistent is – the librarians.] Continue Reading
Under pressure, Pa. prisons repeal restrictive book policy
The Inquirer/Philly.com: “The Pennsylvania Department of Corrections — which in September announced it would put a halt to book donation programs and mail-order books and publications — has revised its policy, allowing book orders to resume through a new centralized processing center. “Everyone who got involved called Gov. Wolf, wrote letters, shared the story on… Continue Reading
