Library Stuff

NPR – “Olly Neal grew up in Arkansas during the 1950s. He didn’t care much for high school. One day during his senior year, he cut class — and wandered into the school library.”

Press Release – “Target and The Heart of America Foundation will officially kick-off the Target Volunteers School Library Makeover program with the unveiling of one of sixteen extreme school library transformations in New York City on September 10, in support of the United We Serve nationwide service initiative. The additional unveilings, along with even more school donations, will happen across the country throughout September and October, just in time for the new school year. ”

School Library Journal – “The four board members of Wisconsin’s West Bend Community Memorial Public Library who were likely to vote against moving sexually explicit YA books to the adult section won’t be reinstated—a move that the library's director finds disturbing. In a vote of 5-2 (and one abstention), the city council this week decided not to rescind a recent motion to get rid of the board members, who the council says were taking too long to resolve a massive book challenge filed by local parents Jim and Ginny Maziarka.”

The Boston Globe – “In the place formerly known as the library, students perch on long-legged chairs and huddle in purple and black booths. Once a week, they drink coffee and discuss books in the Java Room. They watch a history lesson, school news, and CNN on a 58-inch flat-panel “digital kiosk.” (via)

NWFDailynews.com – “The Choctawhatchee High School librarian, concerned that someone had been removing money from the “school store” cash box, marked two $1 bills to try and catch the culprit, according to an Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office offense report. She had a suspect in mind and photocopied the bills before placing them in there.”

School Library Journal – “Philip Pullman, the best-selling author of the “His Dark Materials” trilogy (Knopf), has slammed the headmistress of a school in Chesterfield, England, for her decision to close the library and get rid of its librarian.”

School Library Journal – “School libraries are like Microsoft (without the revenue, of course). We’ve created and invested in library media centers—and, in recent years, their Web sites—with the expectation that our students will come to these places.”

eSchool News – “This fall, school libraries across the country will be working to implement new standards for learning in the 21st century–but many will be doing so with fewer resources at their disposal.”

Stuart Glascock – “Despite the budget pressures, some schools have maintained and expanded their libraries.”