The Google Print Library Project is going to hold off scanning books which are still under copyright until November. More over at Wired. This information was available on the official Google Blog [according to another Google blog] and quoted in the BBC article, and elsewhere, but the post itself is no longer there. Curious. [update: the post wasn’t missing/deleted, it was being update with new info, it’s back]
using your author superpowers for good (causes)
This September, Neil Gaiman and other authors you may have heard of — John Grisham, Stephen King, Dorothy Allison — are having an unusual auction. If you’re the high bidder on these eBay auctions, these authors will put your name, or the name of your choosing I assume, in their upcoming books as specified. All the proceeds go to benefit the First Amendment Project. The auction page is fun reading, this is what King is offering…
“One (and only one) character name in a novel called CELL, which is now in work and which will appear in either 2006 or 2007. Buyer should be aware that CELL is a violent piece of work, which comes complete with zombies set in motion by bad cell phone signals that destroy the human brain. Like cheap whiskey, it’s very nasty and extremely satisfying. Character can be male or female, but a buyer who wants to die must in this case be female. In any case, I’ll require physical description of auction winner, including any nickname (can be made up, I don’t give a rip).”
Laura Crossett wins!
If you read the EFF blog you’ve probably been keeping up with their Blog for Freedom where people have been writing on their blogs about their first experiences with standing up for their digital rights. What I didn’t know was that it was a contest of sorts. Today I learn that contest was won by …. a librarian. Rad Refster and library student Laura Crossett who runs lis.dom won Best Overall post for this entry. Nice going Laura! I hope they send you the pajamas.
librarians sort of rock This American Life
Erica redid the Librarian Avengers site and has posted some reactions to the This American Life show which recently aired about a band playing across libraries in Michigan. She thinks we manage to even sound frumpy over the radio and offers some tips.
What is your library doing on September 11th?
David and Sarah are ramping up The September Project this year. If your library is doing something on September 11th, let them know. If you haven’t yet thought about it, now would be a good time to get started. If you need ideas, they’ve got ’em. In 2001 librarian.net didn’t even have permalinks yet. Keeping focused by providing access to the content that others were creating was a way of making sense of the chaos that was unfolding, not just on 9/11 but in the world since then. The September Project’s events are “…activities of reflection, discussion, and dialogue about the meaning of freedom, the role of information in promoting active citizenship, and the importance of literacy in making sense of the world around us.” and it takes place throughout all of September, not just Sunday the 11th. You can keep up with the progress of the project on The September Project Blog, of course.