The 15 libraries of Jackson County, Oregon have now been closed for over 2 months.No storytime for kids, no books, movies or cd's for the residents and no internet access for the people most in need.Where are we today?Still no help from Washington D.C. There was an emergency appropriation in the initial Iraq War bill that the President vetoed and I am not sure what incarnation survived the recent bill the President signed off on.Oregon Senator Ron Wyden is quoted as saying back in April: "The President may veto the bill more than once, but eventually the legislation must pass...
The Librarian: Hollywood Style
The documentary film from Overdue Productions "The Hollywood Librarian: A Look at Librarians Through Film" will premier in a couple of weeks at the ALA Conference in Washington, D.C.Here's the trailer:It is the first full-length documentary film to focus on the work and lives of librarians, offering "a unique and charming blend of film clips, humor and critical analysis of the popular image of librarians." The film weaves interviews with real librarians with "movie clips of cinematic librarians."This trailer focuses more on the interviews with librarians (after all the film is premiering at the ALA Conference) but I can't help...
Voters Reject Levy to Fund Jackson County Libraries. The Dark Ages Remain
The voters of Jackson County have overwhelmingly defeated the levy that would have reopened their public libraries.By a large margin the citizens of Jackson county refused to raise their property taxes to ensure the functioning of a public library system.From the Save Our Libraries website: A Dark Day...Thank you to all who voted to support Jackson County Libraries. The failure of ballot measure 15-75 marks a dark day in the history of our county. Nevertheless, our citizens and library supporters can be proud of a campaign filled with honesty, passion, and courage; a campaign that told the truth on behalf...
Librarian Couture
Amsterdam's new Central Public Library is set to open in less than two months.The goal of the new Openbare Bibliotheek Amsterdam is to become a 21st century "island of knowledge"They are guided by this beautiful principle:"The right to information is enshrined in law and in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. It is part of the library's purpose to make these rights a reality. By facilitating the free flow of information the library makes its contribution to a democratic and humane society."and are well aware of how things work:"In the 21st century information is synonymous with power. You will notice...
The EPA Library Crisis Returns
On April 26th Congress sent a letter to the EPA to check in on them. They wanted to follow up and make sure that they are complying with their "commitment not to close any additional EPA libraries and not to dispose of any additional EPA materials"Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER), a non-profit national alliance of local state and federal resource professionals and the premier watchdog group on this issue, issued a press release on May 2 titled "EPA Quietly Resumes Dismantling Library System,"They cite an 'interim policies' document released by the EPA on April 10th which lays out procedures...