the costs of copyright

Sometimes life in a world of strict copyright enforcement can seem like life in a world of crazy health insurance. My doctor doesn’t know what my health care will cost — keeping me from making informed decisions factoring in cost as one data point — and Harvard professors don’t know what their coursepacks will cost students after copyright fees are figured in. Students make illegal copies because they can’t afford a $500 coursepack. Who suffers? What is learned? [stayfree]

what’s the deal with library school enrollment vs. actual JOBS?

Michael McGrorty turns his attention to one of my favorite library topics: the myth of the impending librarian shortage. Worth reading all the way through the comments.

A common complaint among current and former students is that they entered library school with the expectation that jobs would be not merely available, but plentiful.  This information did not rise into the consciousness of thousands of people independently, but came for the most part from the schools themselves, and if not, was certainly not contradicted by them.  Now, when the market is shrunken, the members of that loose cartel continue to accept students and produce graduates at a pace which ignores the reality of the market—because there has never been a penalty for encouraging the dreams of library students, and because, after all, that is their business. 

athletes, here’s the library. library, here are the athletes.

Introducing First-Year Student-Athletes to the Library: The Michigan State University Experience.

…contrary to stereotype the student-athletes had a higher graduation rate than the rest of the student population. Despite this, a program was started for the special population of student-athletes because it was believed that the student-athletes needed more library help due to their extensive athletic schedules. The program was well received and in evaluating the program the student-athletes found the program to be successful.  [shelf]