Next time you impatiently yank an over-sized envelope emblazoned with the words: "You May Have Already Won 10 Million Dollars!!!" out of your junk-filled mailbox, take a moment to say: "Thanks." Without Publisher's Clearing House, the New York Botanical Garden might not havea library.The Botanical Garden's LuEsther T. Mertz Library is named for its largest benefactor, the genius behind the concept of the mass market mailing of multiple magazine subscription offers. Founded in 1953 by former librarian Mertz, her husband, and their daughter, Publisher's Clearing House became the largest and most profitable magazine circulation agency in the world. (And this...
Patrolman’s Books Hit Book Patrol
Searching the internet by keywords can sometimes lead to an unexpectedly intriguing result through sheer serendipity. While looking for an older post under the words Book Patrol and the post's title, a hit that popped up that sidetracked me: "The 'How to Be a Better Cop' Reading List."The man behind the list, Dean Scoville, is a retired patrol supervisor and investigator with the Los Angeles Sheriff's Department, and currently the Associate Editor of Police Magazine. He writes the "Patrol" blog for the magazine's website which is described as: "straight talk [for] officers and deputies working the urban and rural beats."...
Banned Books Week Illustrated
Sometimes a picture can save more than a thousand words. As we mark Banned Books Week, an image serves as a reminder of the importance of protecting our freedom to read. In this case a photograph of the parking garage of the Kansas City Public Library in Missouri.The books featured on this facade were chosen by citizens, who voted for their favorite titles. Interesting, most of the winners have something else in common: they were challenged by would-be censors, who requested that the books be removed from school and/or public libraries. For example Harper Lee's To Kill A Mockingbird remains...
Books Banned, Author Imprisoned
The human rights organization, Amnesty International, marks Banned Books Week (September 26- October 3, 2009) by reminding us that in some parts of the world, the price for freedom of expression is the loss of personal freedom. Librarians generally note the week with displays of books targeted for removal from school and public libraries by would-be censors. While this is a serious matter, it in no way compares to the restrictions placed on controversial books and authors worldwide.Amnesty International's website highlights the cases of writers, journalists, and documentarians who have literally risked their lives in theattempt to uphold civil liberties....
Beware Of Bibliophiles Bearing Bedbugs
To avoid what amounts to a modern day version of the Trojan Horse, Denver Public Library has banned one of its most avid borrowers due to his continued introduction of vermin into the book collection.The borrower in question, Roger Goffeney, is actually uninterested in reading the books he takes out. Rather he reviews the books, comparing them to online versions scanned into the Project Gutenberg database of archived materials. Unfortunately, this review process takes place in Goffeney 's home, an apartment in downtown Denver owned by the Catholic Archdiocese. This apartment is infested with bedbugs, and therein the rub, or...