Library Stuff

NY Daily News – “Read it and weep, Brooklyn. A “handful” of neighborhood libraries will likely be shuttered, with hours slashed at remaining borough branches, because of city budget cuts, the Daily News has learned. Between five and seven Brooklyn library branches are now on the chopping block – down from 16 that Brooklyn Public Library officials warned would be forced to close if the mayor’s proposed $77 million cutback were enacted.”

LOC – “The Librarian of Congress today named 25 new entries to the National Recording Registry, a designation given to recordings that are culturally, historically or aesthetically significant and at least 10 years old. This year’s entries bring the total to 300 and include recordings made famous by a range of artists from Tupac Shakur, Little Richard and Bill Cosby to Loretta Lynn and Patti Smith.”

More here

And…GO REM!!!

AP – “At his Kentucky elementary school, kids taunted Brent on the playground about being gay, whatever that was. By eighth grade, he realized what they meant and came out to a friend – and vice versa. She was an avid writer, he a voracious reader. They headed to their school library in search of stories that spoke to their lives: gay, gay in the South, gay and fearing stereotypes like “disgusting” and “worthless.”

NY Post – “And on the sixth day . . . the city shut the libraries. Faced with widespread budget cuts, City Council members believe that public libraries will open only five days a week — possibly four in a worst-case scenario, The Post has learned.”

LA Times – “Best-case scenario: 4 branches stay open for 6 months. Worst-case scenario: The entire system closes, leaving many tiny towns with no public computers and a gaping hole in the fabric of the community.”

WSJ – “As real-estate entrepreneurs Eric and Paul Silverman develop Jersey City, they are also trying to preserve its history. The brothers, known for restoring historic buildings in Jersey City and revitalizing Hamilton Park historic district, are trying to save the floundering Jersey City Museum from shutting. To increase awareness and raise $100,000, the pair commissioned 10 local artists to create a working Miniature Golf Course, which doubles as an art exhibit.”

Reuters – “Books are at risk of being “swept away” by a world of new technology and moving images which are increasingly winning the competition for children’s attention, says British playwright Tom Stoppard.”

NY Daily News – “Dozens of people, determined to fight proposed funding cuts to the city’s three library systems, descended Thursday on City Hall. The protesters, many of them schoolchildren from Public School 1 in Chinatown, were armed with a whopping 200,000 letters and petition signatures to present to the City Council and in particular Councilman Jimmy Van Bramer (D-Queens), chairman of the committee on cultural affairs, libraries and international intergroup relations.

AP – “Haiti’s recovery from the devastating earthquake in January requires more than rebuilding structures, but also repairing tattered paintings and cultural objects still buried in the rubble, the island nation’s first lady Elisabeth Preval said Thursday. She visited the Smithsonian Institution to open an exhibit of children’s artwork created after the earthquake, calling it a reminder that Haiti still needs help. The paintings and drawings will be on view through the summer. She also discussed the importance of an effort by the U.S. museum complex to lead a cultural recovery effort in Port-au-Prince, where there are few, if any, professionally trained art conservators.”

Mercury News – “The Santa Clara County Library has a long history of letting people borrow items, but now the library is actually giving patrons something to keep. At the start of this month, the library system became the first in California to offer residents free music downloads. The county library system, which includes the Cupertino Library, has a new digital music service that lets library card holders search for music and download songs permanently at no charge. The service, Freegal, is an online database that provides access to songs exclusively from Sony Music Entertainment’s catalog of artists. Each library card holder can download three songs each week in MP3 format. The file is permanently saved onto computers, smart phones and other devices with access to the catalog and MP3 capabilities.”