I didn’t realize that Eldred from Eldred v Ashcroft lived near me. Apparently he’s been at Walden Pond giving away some of Thoreau’s works. But there’s been in trouble because he may be cutting in to the profits of the bookstore. I’ll see if maybe he’d like to come to my library.
Category: books
hey Jonathan, why do you sing such pretty songs about the library?
Who is Jonathan Rundman and why is his latest album called Public Library? Be sure to download the title track Librarian.
I bring order out of chaos, I shine light into the dark
because power comes from knowledge just like fire from a spark
and like Gutenberg and Luther with press and pen in hand
I take the message to the masses in a form they understand
because power comes from knowledge just like fire from a spark
and like Gutenberg and Luther with press and pen in hand
I take the message to the masses in a form they understand
I’m a librarian, I’m a librarian
and I like it quiet so the pages can be heard
I’m a librarian, I’m a librarian
and I do it for the love of the word [thanks jonathan]
why people don’t read… Dr. Seuss?
Slate chimes in with its own muddled analysis on why people aren’t reading and finds as an unlikely blame-target: Dr. Seuss? It’s an interesting article with the Seuss connection being drawn more for linkability and compelling headlines than actual malice. The argument being that the sort of superego narrative characters like The Cat in the Hat make even making a mess a quick tidy affair, and that our imaginary lives and our “literary” choices aren’t always compelled by such tidiness.
Devoted readers are hoping for a chance to discover, in the narrated lives of other selves, what it’s like to be an individual confronting the unpredictable. Maybe it’s time to stop spreading fears about “reading at risk,” and try generating more excitement about reading at your own risk. How? I wish I could say you could look it up, but you can’t.
a public/private partnership I can get behind
Divine marketing opportunity. Collect donations for people not to buy your book, but to put your book in a public library. The indie press No Media Kings crowd would like you to do just that in their NO MEDIA KINGS, YES LIBRARY BLING drive. Don’t miss their how to make a book section.
I’m interested in strengthening the ties between indie culture and public libraries, because it’s a political alliance: we both fight corporate power. Just by being there we provide an alternative to our increasingly commodified culture and preserve the diversity of the public sphere. I think there’s a lot of really interesting things that can be done between these two communities, once we become aware of each other’s intersecting mutual interests.
pirated books?
Pirated books. Really? Yes. As textbook prices skyrocket and filesharing becomes ubiquitous, it’s not super-surprising that tech-savvy students are finding places to download the items on their reading lists. [lisnews]