Iraqi security forces have overtaken the state library. 20 Iraqi troops "seized the building at gunpoint yesterday, threatening staff and guards.""The reckless actions of the Iraqi forces and the US military, who appear to condone the operation, will put the staff and library and archival collections in real danger," said Saad Eskander who has run the library since 2003."They have turned our national archive into a military target...tomorrow or the day after, the extremists will attack the Iraqi forces there." says Eskander.The forces are occupying the building "to defend Shia worshippers heading to the shrine of Khadimiya, about 15 miles...
Bibliomulas: The Book Mules of Venezula
They pack up the mules and head to the remote areas of the country bringing books to the kids and adults. James Ingram of the BBC accompanies one such trek and recounts his experience in his piece Venezula's four-legged mobile libraries.They project was started by the University of Momboy, a small school that "prides itself on its community-based initiatives.""Spreading the joy of reading is our main aim" says Christina Vieras one of the project's leaders "But it's more than that. We're helping educate people about other important things like the environment. All the children are planting trees. Anything to improve...
The Seattle Central Library: The Perfect Public Space?
Linnie Rawlinson has a piece on CNN titled Seattle Central Library: Creating the Perfect Public Space in which she urges people looking for ways to make "public spaces outstanding" to look to Seattle and how it pulled off and executed the Libraries For All campaign in which it raised over $200 million to create and remodel 27 library branches. The crown jewel of the campaign being the Rem Koolhaas-designed Central Library."Seattle is a city of readers, but our library buildings were getting tired...they were not working, not big enough, not functional for the change in the way information is being...
EPA Library Openings Hit Another Political Snag
I am beginning to get the feeling that the EPA Libraries fiasco, like so many other vital services and issues that are in dire straights in our country, will not be resolved until the the cancerous Bush administration is removed or leaves office.From a July 17th Press Release by the ever so important Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER) :"Even as Congress moves to reverse EPA’s library closures, the agency is now racing to cement new procedures restricting the ability of the public to locate or read technical documents in the agency’s possession. A new proposed policy circulated internally for...
EPA Libraries Get a Lift. Bill Heads to the Senate Floor
The Senate Appropriations Committee has ordered the EPA to reopen all their closed libraries.The $2 million dollars cut by the Bush Administration will be made available again in the 2008 Interior Appropriations bill and used to "restore the network of EPA libraries recently closed or consolidated by the administration."The bill now heads to the full Senate so, if you haven't already, this is a good time to contact your Senator and urge them to support the bill. It would then need to go to the House to find support in a similar bill since this funding was not included in...