Gone are the library’s revolving doors and those original Winnie-the-Pooh dolls, sitting behind glass in the Children’s Reading Room. It may not even be called the Donnell anymore.
The Donnell Library Center’s replacement, which the New York Public Library is to unveil officially on Tuesday, has been reconceived to fit at the base of a high-rise hotel and two of the new library’s three floors will be underground.
All of the Big Six publishers have, for the first time, agreed to make e-books available to public library users.
This article discusses how to spot a censor, some of the unique challenges associated with a school library setting, the issue of self censorship, and censorship through internet access. Best practices are introduced for school librarians or staff to reference when facing a challenge. Finally, some notable banned books are listed and additional resources for further education are suggested. This wiki is intended for school librarians, but would be helpful for anyone working in a school library, including paraprofessionals and teachers.
It’s not always easy to entertain a room full of librarians, especially in Texas. A group of librarians can be split into thirds. One group fits into the stereotypical, up-tight old coot who whispers “SHHH,” and longs for the good-old-days. The second group consists of…
Here’s another disruption that’s under-considered in library land. What if the e-book retailers crowdsourced a lending library like Kindle’s? Can libraries create a national or international lending library or are we forever bound by the boundaries of our institutions, cardholders, funding models, and servers?
(via the-librarian)
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Teachers Reference Room [58th Street Branch], year unknown.](http://25.media.tumblr.com/1720d7bd3700d5aef3f9c832e85106e2/tumblr_mfaapiu5rE1rmp97po1_500.jpg)
Teachers Reference Room [58th Street Branch], year unknown.
If anyone’s wondering why I love my school so much, let me introduce you to the Doctor Who read alikes display we have set up in the library
This is why I love my school
A perennial highlight of Banned Books Week is the Top Ten List of Frequently Challenged Books, compiled annually by the ALA Office for Intellectual Freedom (OIF). OIF collects reports on book challenges from librarians, teachers, concerned individuals and press reports. A challenge is defined as a formal, written complaint filed with a library or school requesting that a book or other material be restricted or removed because of its content or appropriateness. In 2012, OIF received 464 reports on attempts to remove or restrict materials from school curricula and library bookshelves. This is an increase from 2011 totals, which stood at 326 attempts.
The most challenged books of 2012 are: “Captain Underpants” (series), by Dav Pilkey; “The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian,” by Sherman Alexie; “Thirteen Reasons Why,” by Jay Asher; “Fifty Shades of Grey,” by E. L. James; “And Tango Makes Three,” by Peter Parnell and Justin Richardson; “The Kite Runner,” by Khaled Hosseini; “Looking for Alaska,” by John Green; “Scary Stories” (series), by Alvin Schwartz; “The Glass Castle,” by Jeanette Walls: and “Beloved,” by Toni Morrison.
School libraries are bracing for further budget cuts as federal funding to the states shrinks and the states begin to reduce aid to education. Deborah Rigsby, director of federal legislation for the National School Boards Association, warned that this could lead to the closing of school libraries, among other things.
