Library Stuff

BBC – “Can pubs replace libraries? A pub in the Yorkshire Dales which also doubles as a library may be a vision of the future for many communities.” (Thanks Kathleen)

InfoToday – “Will you ever get free access to the authentic primary law (acts, codes, statutes, regulations, judicial opinions) affecting your life, your business, your money, and relationships?”

LSU Reveille – “Six electronic databases have been cut by the LSU Library after the Louisiana Board of Regents eliminated funding for electronic resources accessible through LOUIS, the Louisiana Library Network. The Board of Regents has served as a major financial component of LOUIS for the past 15 years, supplying two-thirds of its annual budget, but the board announced June 30 it would provide $500,000 to last for two months and then cease.”

Washington Post – “Environmental analysis can be an endless balancing of this vs. that. Do you care more about conserving water or avoiding toxic chemical usage? Minimizing carbon dioxide emissions or radioactive nuclear waste? But today the Lantern has good news: There will be no Sophie’s Choice when it comes to e-books. As long as you consume a healthy number of titles, you read at a normal pace and you don’t trade in your gadget every year, perusing electronically will lighten your environmental impact.”

NYT – “VOLUMES have been written about technology’s ability to connect people. But burying one’s nose in a book has always been somewhat isolating — with its unspoken assertion that the reader does not want to be disturbed. So what about a device that occupies the evolving intersection between?”

WSJ – “For those who think this too radical a notion, consider the overwhelming product placement in movies, music videos and video games.”

Reuters – “U.S. independent bookstores are discovering how to flourish despite the growth of electronic books with some even looking to form an alliance with a formidable competitor — Google. The New Atlantic Independent Booksellers Association, which represents bookstores in the northeast, said its membership has remained steady at about 300 stores over the last decade. Closures have been offset by new stores opening and existing stores have developed new business strategies.”

Bakersfield Californian – “A plan to limit access to a section of the Kern County Law Library has prompted complaints that members of the public will soon have a harder time conducting legal research there. A glass wall recently went up in the library, located on the third floor of the county Superior Court building on Truxtun Avenue. Soon only lawyers and library workers will be permitted behind the wall, the library’s board of trustees decided earlier this year.”

AP – “Officials with the Library of Congress have agreed to pay $250,000 to an employee who sued over alleged sexual harassment by the former top law librarian. The U.S. District Court in Washington formally accepted the settlement Thursday, but the agreement stipulates it is not an admission of guilt.”

WSJ – “For those who think this too radical a notion, consider the overwhelming product placement in movies, music videos and video games.”