Month: August 2004

the decline in reading, another take

Posted on by jessamyn

The Christian Science Monitor takes on the media conclusions to the NEA “reading in crisis” report, finding some other folks to place the blame on.

Publishers and writers can blame TV, the Internet, and the media all they want, but the problem lies squarely with them. They need to activate their marketing and literary imagination in order to promote their books, as well as the act of reading, in new ways. They, more than anyone, need to be organized keepers of the reading flame.

voting programming @ your library

Posted on by jessamyn

Incidentally, one of the things I took away from the DNC was the importance of stressing the importance of voting, especially local voting. While I’m pretty critical of the ALA’s register to vote @ your library campaign — which should be called the “print out and mail this form at your own expense but only if you have an email address, otherwise you’re completely SOL @ your library” campaign — there are local elections where voting makes a huge difference and apathy can cost you money, no two ways about it. Pop Goes the Library has some good program ideas for mixing pop culture and democracy at your library.

Election years have unlimited potential for library programming ideas. From displays of books on the electoral & campaign process to town hall meetings to voter registration drives, libraries have the opportunity every few years to play an active role in being a go-to informational clearinghouse for voters.

Obama on reading and anti-intellectualism

Posted on by jessamyn

Another observation stemming from the DNC. Obama’s speech [which you can read it its entirety here] disussing anti-intellectualism, further discussed by the New York Times. Librarians take note.

“Go into any inner-city neighborhood and folks will tell you that government alone can’t teach kids to learn. They know that parents have to parent, that children can’t achieve unless we raise their expectations and eradicate the slander that says a black youth with a book is acting white.”