Home > News Archive > December 2004

December 28, 2004

Developping countries, like India, are setting up digital libraries to protect their traditional knowledge from biopiracy. Devinder Sharmer, journalist and agricultural scientist, does not think this is a great idea.

source: Google News

Looking for books, zines, comics, etc. that probably aren't in your public library? Check these out: the Independent Publishing Resource Center library and the Alternative Press Center library.

source: Thanks Chris

An excellent article by Roger Avenstrup in the International Herald Tribune debunking allegations by many that Palestinian school books are filled with incitement to hatred of Isreal. Avenstrup refers to studies on textbooks done by the Israel / Palestine Center for Research and Information. Although their policy paper published in November 2004 calls for a reform in Palestinian (and Israeli) textbooks, their 2003 study (Analysis and Evaluation of the New Palestinian Curriculum. Reviewing Palestinian Textbooks and Tolerance Education Program. Submitted to: The Public Affairs Office US Consulate General Jerusalem), has some positive notes:

The overall orientation of the curriculum is peaceful despite the harsh and violent realities on the ground. It does not openly incite against Israel and the Jews. It does not openly incite hatred and violence. Religious and political tolerance is emphasized in a good number of textbooks and in multiple contexts. Some textbooks devote whole units or lessons to talking about these values and encourage students to adopt them.

source: International Herald Tribune, La Presse

December 27, 2004

Intolerance veers its ugly head again in southern US as a North Carolina school is teaching from a booklet called "Southern Slavery, As It Was," (written by two right-wing preachers associated with the League of the South) "a booklet that attempts to provide a biblical justification for slavery and asserts that slaves weren't treated as badly as people think." Read about it here.

source: CDNAct

December 18, 2004

The Department of Labor, Mine Safety and Health Administration has decided not to privatize its library.

DOL/MSHA has completed a streamlined competition for Technical Information Center and Library Services in accordance with OMB Circular A-76. On December 15, 2004, the streamlined competition form (SLCF) was certified by the ATO and the Contracting Officer, indicating the study completion. As a result of this study, performance of these functions will remain in-house (performance by incumbent Government personnel totaling 5 FTEs)

Read more about it here.

source: PLGNet-listserv, Chris

December 16, 2004

The Homelessness Research Virtual Library provides "immediate access to past and current homelessness research documents from the province of British Columbia and the Yukon."

This link sent to me today reminds me of an article I read last week about the Homeless Street Archive Project (a Daniel Cross project), where thousands of homeless Canadians who don't have access to new methods of expression and communication will be able to communicate their every day existence through a blog. In Montreal, Ile Sans Fil will be participating by providing free wireless access in parks and businesses around town.

And don't forget to tune into CKUT's Homelessness Marathon in February where "homeless people and their supporters (will) take to the airwaves, and allow a nationwide discussion on homelessness issues and possible solutions."

source: Chris and danielle

From The Chronicle of Higher Education (subscription only), the "Treasury Department removes restrictions on U.S. publications by authors in embargoed countries."

The U.S. Treasury Department ruled on Wednesday that trade embargoes do not restrict publishing, so American publishers, including scholarly journals and university presses, do not have to apply for a license if they wish to edit or publish works by authors in Cuba, Iran, or Sudan.

Read an earlier report about this embargo.

source: CHMINF-L-listserv

December 15, 2004

Dahr Jamail's Iraq Dispatches blog posted an inspiring story about Fadl Abid Oda, who opened a small library in Baghdad. He is operating so far with a budget of 200$ in an old 12' X 12' vegetable stall. In his words:

We can’t really call this a library, but this is the best we can do. Somebody has to do it. It is a small place with a few chairs, with one table, and we have a little bit of books. We wish that our library will help educate people. We want to educate all the youth in my neighborhood.

source: Thanks Chris!

December 14, 2004

Read an interview with Howard Zinn about his sequel to "A People's History" called "Voices of a People’s History of the United States" (with Anthony Arnove). "This is a powerful book that takes us through American history in a way that most history books do not: through re-published speeches, songs, verse and dialogue as spoken by the famous, the forgotten, and John Does of our times."

source: Thanks Lucine!

A wonderful World Bank (!) sponsored project called Anywhere Books has been in existance since 2003. Here is a brief description:

a mobile print-on-demand technology to address a key need of Uganda: the dissemination of books (at all reading levels) to the rural population. An "Internet Bookmobile" (...) travels to rural villages to produce requested books for children and adults. (...) A scanning station will be based at the National Library in Kampala, to allow Ugandan materials to be digitized and printed on demand by the bookmobile.

source: Chris

December 11, 2004

The Millenial Light Library has published their December issue of their Newsletter, El Farolito.

The ACLU released this statement on December 2nd (except):

The bill proposed by Representative Gerald Allen that would ban books about gay and lesbian people from public libraries is bad public policy, unconstitutional and just plain wrong. (...) Libraries hold a special place in our culture. They are places where people are given the information to make up their own minds about issues (...)

The ALA released a similar statement.

source: Google News

December 9, 2004

December 8th's story mentionned a Dutch citizen detained in Canada for carrying copies of a book about the Iranian revolution. He was thankfully released on December 3rd, but the story still remains very disturbing.

December 8, 2004

A very disturbing article in Straight Goods about Mahmoud Namini, a 44-year-old Iranian refugee and Dutch citizen jailed in Canada since October 27 for carrying a book about the Iranian uprising (The Bird About to Fly). Read more about the book here. Please contact your Member of Parliament to let them know that this is outrageous! Or contact the CLA to see what they are doing about this! With the upcoming Freedom to Read week, this should be denounced by everyone!

source: act-mtl listserv

Montreal's United Talmud Torah school reopens after a fire bomb destroyed it back in April.

source: Google News

The US isn't the only country in the grips of library closures lately. According to an article from the BBC, the Belfast Education and Library Board's Library Committee intends to close six libraries. Can anyone find the logic in this statement by one of the Board members? :

We also have to look at the libraries service perhaps, rather than buildings. We're talking about the closure, or possible closure, of buildings as opposed to a library service. We need to remember that what we're looking at or trying to look at is to provide a really good library service for the people of Belfast.

source: Google News

December 7, 2004

The Alternative Bookshop Online is a small UK company that "makes available the publications that the mainstream bookselling chains don't stock." Their selection so far is very small, but they are looking for suggestions.

source: A-librarians listserv

Streamlining its way to a skinnier government (or fatter friends of the "regime"), as of December 2nd, the Mine Safety and Health Administration has put its Technical Information Center and Library Services on the selling block, or rather on the "competitive sourcing" block.

source: Chris

According to a Houston Chronicle article, Zapatista leader Subcomandante Marcos is to "co-author a police/political novel (The Awkward Dead) that will appear in excerpts in a leftist newspaper (La Jornada)." Proceeds of the book are going to a non-governmental organization in the Chiapas.

source: A-librarians listserv

December 6, 2004

Kathleen Miller explains the "financial runaround" given to libraries in the State of New York, thanks in part to Governor Pataki.

source: NYLINE-listserv

December 5, 2004

An interesting meta-site created by Robert Rao "intended for those interested and/or concerned about the privatisation of the public intellectual sphere."

Jessamyn West is in Australia giving a talk at the ALIA New Librarians' Symposium. She's put her presentation online: Progressive Librarianship & the New Librarians: the personal [and professional] is political.

source: librarian.net

December 1, 2004

The Latse Contemporary Tibetan Cultural Library assists "those with interests in the humanities, arts, and sciences in order to promote a deeper understanding and wider appreciation of Tibetan culture and its contribution to the world's cultural heritage."

source: Chris

The Social Forum of Information, Documentation and Libraries that took place this summer has posted its final declaration.

source: PLGNet-listserv

An Alabama paper reports that "an Alabama lawmaker who sought to ban gay marriages now wants to ban novels with gay characters from public libraries, including university libraries."

source: LISNews

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