It's almost Banned Books Week!

The quote below is from the American Library Association's main webpage for Banned Books Week, which this year runs from October 1st to October 7th, Celebrate the week by supporting librarians and educators who are under fire, as well as taking a bit of time to read one of the many books that have been challenged or banned over time. This year's honourary chair of the 2023 campaign is LeVar Burton, known not only for his role in 'Star Trek', but in the beloved 'Reading Rainbow' series.

“This is a dangerous time for readers and the public servants who provide access to reading materials. Readers, particularly students, are losing access to critical information, and librarians and teachers are under attack for doing their jobs.”- Deborah Caldwell-Stone, director of the ALA’s Office for Intellectual Freedom

Banned Books Week celebrates the freedom to read and spotlights current and historical attempts to censor books in libraries and schools. For more than 40 years, the annual event has brought together the entire book community — librarians, teachers, booksellers, publishers, writers, journalists, and readers of all types — in shared support of the freedom to seek and to express ideas, even those some consider unorthodox or unpopular. The books featured during Banned Books Week have all been targeted for removal or restriction in libraries and schools. By focusing on efforts across the country to remove or restrict access to books, Banned Books Week draws national attention to the harms of censorship.

In a time of intense political polarization, library staff in every state are facing an unprecedented number of attempts to ban books. ALA’s Office for Intellectual Freedom ALA documented 1,269 demands to censor library books and resources in 2022, the highest number of attempted book bans since ALA began compiling data about censorship in libraries more than 20 years ago. The unparalleled number of reported book challenges in 2022 nearly doubles the 729 book challenges reported in 2021. Of the record 2,571 unique titles targeted for censorship, most were by or about LGBTQIA+ persons and Black, Indigenous, and people of color.

The theme for Banned Books Week 2023 is "Let Freedom Read." When we ban books, we're closing off readers to people, places, and perspectives. But when we stand up for stories, we unleash the power that lies inside every book. We liberate the array of voices that need to be heard and the scenes that need to be seen. Let freedom read!'

For a list of the 13 most challenged books of 2023, follow the link below. There are, from there (at the bottom) links to those of the previous decades beginning with the 1990s.

The 13 Most Challenged Books of 2023

I recently got a sticker from MoveOn, and progressive organisation that is supporting those who stand against book bans and challenges.  It's going on the car in celebration of Banned Books Week.

So the culture wars continue...

Texas to Dissociate with American Library Association over Alleged Marxism, Gender Ideology

It appears that

the American Library Association's Facebook account has been hacked, someone made a horrible mistake, or they gave permission to a site to post they should not have, for there are several odd posts, including why straight men like boobies. Yes, really. I hope that gets taken care of soon.

I got my new glasses today

These are a little stronger, both in the regular prescription and the bifocal, so I'm having a bit of a fishbowl effect going on. But I'm getting used to them already. I can see much clearer. My other glasses were about three years old, at least (although I've been wearing bifocal contacts the majority of the time, so it hasn't been that bad). These are more rectangular than my old ones, which were circular. I'm hoping they will give the illusion that my face isn't quite so round. Oh, and of course, they are my favourite colour--purple, though a little thicker and darker than the ones I had. I also put my order in for new contacts, as I've been wearing a trial pair for a couple of weeks now, and they should arrive in about a week.

Yesterday we wound up cancelling the game, so I got those applications into the library. First thing this morning, I renewed my American Library Association and Kentucky Library Association memberships, which had lapsed, so my résumé would be entirely accurate. :) I'd meant to renew, anyway, but that added some extra incentive. I also belong to the Medical Library Association, but that was renewed in January. Tonight I took some library books back, both for myself and for a friend, and then got some books on job interviews. Please keep your fingers crossed that I get that far!

Last night YKWIA watched 'Salem' on WGN. It was well-done in terms of story and suspense. It's not the most historically accurate show there could be (as YKWIA pointed out, the most glaring bit of wrongness is that while the trials were in Salem, the events happened in nearby Danvers Village, which was never mentioned). But overall, I am intrigued and want to see where they go with it. So right now we're mainly watching that and 'The 100' on Wednesday's CW lineup.

I'm home now. I think I'll do a bit of reading and listen to some music. If for some reason I don't write again tonight, have a great evening.

Found this today

"Books cannot be killed by fire. People die, but books never die. No man and no force can put thought in a concentration camp forever. No man and no force can take from the world the books that embody man's eternal fight against tyranny. In this war, we know, books are weapons."--attributed to Franklin D. Roosevelt in a World War II-era poster by Steve Broder. Office of War Information Poster No. 7, US Government Printing Office: 1942-O-487131.

The American Library Association shared a post on vintage posters on their Facebook page, and one of the posters had this quote.

I'm a sucker for banned books, the Lorax, and tote bags

Win an 'I read banned books' tote bag from the American Library Association's @yourlibrary website in honour of Dr Seuss' upcoming birthday and the release of the movie, The Lorax.

The Lorax is my favourite of Dr Seuss' books. 'I am the Lorax. I speak for the trees. I speak for the trees, for the trees have no tongues.' :)

I hadn't really thought about going to the movie. Normally I'm sceptical about full-length films made from books you can read in 15 minutes, but it does look intriguing. It's from the makers of 'Despicable Me', which I really enjoyed. And the granny is played by Betty White. :)



The next movie I will probably go to is The Hunger Games, also out next month. In fact, I may have it be my birthday movie this year. I still have a free pass to the cinema from our employee appreciation gift from last year.

Yay! This is one reason I'm proud to be a member of the ALA

Fighting Fire with Free Speech: ALA Will Protest Book Burning with 9/11 Qur'an Reading

Book burning is the most insidious form of book banning, and just as the American Library Association is preparing to celebrate the freedom to read during Banned Books Week, along comes one Rev. Terry Jones of the 50-member Dove World Outreach Center in Gainesville, Florida. The good reverend’s idea of world outreach is to commemorate the 9/11 terrorist attacks of 2001 with a public burning of the Qur’an, the Muslim holy book.

Via Librarian.

Remember this year's motto for the upcoming Banned Books Week (September 25−October 2, 2010) 'Think for yourself and let others do the same.'

A thoroughly library kind of day

Today I:

1. Worked on a grant that has helped keep the library books updated (my budget mostly goes to keeping the medical journals afloat, leaving little to spare). I need to report on what I've done this year so far, what I plan to do in the remaining months, and I also have to get together what I plan to do for next year so hopefully we can get it again.
2. Sent a rush interlibrary loan to another library.
3. Did the data entry work. I actually didn't have a chance to do any insurance verification today because there were some fairly complex things to enter for my regular post-library work.
4. Took some books back to the branch library I use. I was asked if I was a librarian (all three books I checked out had librarian in the title). So I chatted a bit with the lady there.
5. Picked up two books and two 7-day DVDs (since I can watch DVDs on the TV again). The books are Crimes by Moonlight, which is edited by Charlaine Harris (author of the Southern Vampire Mysteries, of which I finished the latest novel as of yesterday). It's a 14-day book, so I must remember to take it back earlier than normal. But it's a collection of short stories, so I should be able to read them in that time. There's also Tall, Dark, and Dead, part of a series I've never read by Tate Hallaway. As far as DVDs, I got Whale Rider, which I've wanted to watch for some time, and Flags of Our Fathers. My own grandfather was at Iwo Jima, the subject of the film. I'm hoping to understand more about what went on there through it.
6. Found the name of a collection of short stories related to the Sookie Stackhouse universe and downloaded that to my Kindle while I was there.
7. Went to leave and saw the poster to the right. Now, as a good citizen I can see why reporting suspicious behaviour could be considered patriotic and good. But it was a little creepy to see an appeal to inform on others in a library. It seemed to have shades of, well, not dystopia, but some sort of control of the citizenry through information. That's how it struck me anyway.
8. Found a copy of American Libraries in my mailbox when I got home.
9. Checked out something online I saw in 'American Libraries Direct'--an e-mail newsletter I get--that is really, really great if you're an HP Lovecraft fan. It's a webcomic that started back in 2008 called 'Lovecraft is Missing'. I've read chapter one, which brings me up to installments from January 2009, and I'm hooked. It's spooky. The art and writing both capture the flavour of Lovecraft's work. And the central character is a librarian whose job is to acquire books so they do not wind up in the hands of cultists who would do unspeakable things with the knowledge.

Anyway, that was my day so far. How about you?

As a solo librarian I can appreciate what she works with, and what she's done

‘Small-town library with a big heart'

A passionate, small-town librarian is getting a big-city honor for helping show how even a part-time library can help immigrants learn English.

Karla Shafer, director of the Hooper Public Library, is getting an all-expenses-paid trip to Washington, D.C., next month to tell a national gathering of librarians how even a “one-girl show” in a town of 827 can make a difference.

She was awarded a second $5,000 grant to continue a literacy program she began two years ago to help Hispanic immigrants.

And her program helped persuade backers to extend funding for the national grant program, offered through the American Library Association and the Dollar General Foundation.

The Hooper library is the smallest in the nation to receive the grants. It's open 23 hours a week, and Shafer, 58, is the only regular employee.

Help the Library Society of the World send Walt Crawford to the ALA!

Help the LSW send Walt Crawford to the ALA!

Walt Crawford, as some of you might know, studies blogs, specifically those that are library/librarian related. He also produces Cites & Insights, which is an ongoing serial containing his thoughts regarding blogging and librarianship. He's been kind enough to include this blog in his studies, and I've mentioned him in the past.

Just one thing.

Walt lost his job recently, and wasn't sure he'd be able to make the trip to the American Library Association annual meeting in Washington, DC this summer. (Yeah, both the Medical Library Association and ALA are meeting there this year).

So the folks at Library Society of the World are trying to get the word out and provide a way to send Walt to ALA. So far they've raised enough money to get him there, plus some lodging, but they need to send him back to California when it's finished, too. Here's how you can donate:

• via PayPal (account: newrambler at gmail dot com)
  
• by cheque (made out to: Laura Crossett, Send Walt to ALA Fund, PO Box 85, Meeteetse, WY 82433)
  
• directly to Walt via the PayPal button on Cites & Insights
  

Anything else left over will help keep Cites & Insights going. Thanks Laura, for the links and information, and to birdie from LISNews for the link to her post.

I did a well-meaning oops today

I've been wanting to join the American Library Association again for awhile now, and at my level of income, it's only $46 a year. Today I got paid and decided to go for it, even though it wasn't a pressing matter. I filled out my form, brought out my debit card, and whoopee, I'm now a member again for the first time since 1998. (My workplace pays my Medical Library Association and Kentucky Medical Library Association dues, as they are directly related to my work there, and in the latter case ensures reciprocating interlibrary loans.) But I'm on my own for the ALA and the Kentucky Library Association, which is the next one I want to rejoin.

Only one trouble--afterwards, as I looked at the calendar, I realised that my next paydays are the 18th and 19th. Before that happens, my phone bills (Vonage and cell phone) will apply to my account as pending (the cell phone won't go through until at least the 19th, but it 'gobbles' up the money from available funds as early as the 16th, even though the due date is the 23rd.) Now there is a way to get around this. I have enough time to end the EasyPay automatic debit programme with T-Mobile and just pay by the 23rd of each month (the real due date), which I was thinking of doing anyway, since it caused some problems for me when I first discovered they could access the money that early back in August. But it's a little more expensive ($4.99/month). On the other hand, they can't grab money a full six days before it's actually due, and if I don't, my oops will leave me with about $12 to spend this coming week and among other things, I need a $30 bus pass by Friday. You see the problem, yes?

So, rather than risking a bounce, I'm going to go over to T-Mobile and see if I can change from EasyPay to normal. Wish me luck. I really must look at the calendar though before making unusual expenses. :) I should have waited until after the 19th to join ALA, because I'd have two paydays in a week and would have extra money to spend.

PS Funny how it's easier to come up with solutions when you write things out. So anyway, I went to the website and couldn't get EasyPay discontinued, but then called customer service and spoke to a computer and managed to delete EasyPay from my account. It updated immediately on the website, which now expects me to make a payment manually by the 23rd. Yay! Now we'll just see if it plays out as it should, or if they try to take the money out anyway. Am I a little distrusting of Big Business? Maybe a little.... :)

I've spent some of my time pointing out to people that no, librarians *don't* spend all day reading

...but some do. Check this out:


Booklist is a magazine that reviews books and other media, a selection tool that librarians do read, or at least those in the public library world do. [As a medical librarian, I rely more on reviews in the Journal of the Medical Library Association, Doody's (well, sort of--I have been a selector three years running for the area of orthopaedics but I actually don't have access to the core titles myself...but word of mouth is a wonderful thing), and even extrapolation from the old standard of the Brandon-Hill Lists. Oh, and the pediatric library list circulates a core list as well, and MEDLIB-L sometimes has recommendations. So we have alternatives. But we don't have a video. :)]

A nice surprise

Today is payday at the hospital, so I got up early to check the status of my direct deposit. I found out I had an extra $20 in my cheque, which I can only surmise has to do with the tax rebates that I did not entirely keep up with that were discussed right after Obama went into office.

Yay!

That means each paycheque is higher (by about $10) than my rent. That hasn't happened in a very long time. (See why I work two jobs? You shouldn't have your rent be more than 50% of your earnings--and I don't have an exorbitant rent--it's less than $500 a month.)

Today I need to pay my rent and I'll have about $30 left over for food until I get paid at the store on Wednesday. So that $20 is much appreciated.

That next deposit from the store should be fairly nice, because I worked 30 hours again this past week, since I stayed so late on Saturday. I only have my electric and phone to pay with that, and then the next week I'll just have the cable bill, so maybe I can get ahead/get a few things I need (like clothes). I also get two more store cheques before the next rent after that, so I'll be on time and in good shape. The only factor I'm not sure of is my taxes, which I need to do this weekend. I'm sure I'll have to pay, but it shouldn't be as bad as last year since I changed my W-4 withholdings at some point in the year. Next year I might even get a refund.

I was on the American Library Association's Connect page (a sort of mini-librarian-only version of Facebook for professional networking) the other day and really started looking into membership in the ALA. I thought it would be too expensive, but they have an option for unemployed/underemployed librarians that is only $46 a year for someone who makes under $25,000, so I qualify. My position no longer requires a Master's (it is preferred, although of course I have an MSLS), doesn't supervise people, and doesn't require state certification (although I have it), so it doesn't fit regular membership requirements anyway.) I haven't been a member of ALA since library school because they didn't have that tier of membership after I graduated, as far as I remember. It's better than the MLA rate, which is also reduced. My MLA membership is vital, but I think I'd benefit from joining ALA as well. It would help me keep up with trends in the general library world and possibly network myself into a full-time job. With the way things are going, that's really more pressing than it used to be.

At the hospital, our benefits are changing due to the recession. This year our co-pays for health insurance doubled. They're eliminating our employee assistance programme, which I've used for medical and legal counseling in the past. They've suspended tuition reimbursement at least for now. There are a few minor ones involving things like our extended illness bank, etc.

The bad news is since I work for a system that relies solely on dues of a fraternity (that is ageing and not replacing members at the rate it needs to) and an invested endowment, the current oeconomic crisis means significant changes for the system. As someone who's already been partly laid off in this position, I'm aware at how little job security I have at the hospital, and it's a source of stress. Nor is the gas station completely secure, either. There's a good chance that the nearby Kroger, as part of its extended remodelling, is putting in a gas station within a couple hundred yards of our store. If that's the case, they may shut us down, and I'm really not sure if I want to go work at another, larger store, although at least there are two within a short distance from home. We'll see. One co-worker was told by a Kroger employee that it could happen as early as October.

Of course, the jobs in libraries (I do keep track of them regularly, and recently) are pretty thin right now, and the competition with the recent graduates of our library school is still a factor. Many librarians who planned to retire are holding on to their jobs. The job market is pretty bleak, and I don't have public or academic library experience so in a way my 12 years in medical librarianship doesn't exactly count, especially as the only people I've supervised are student volunteers, not professionals.

Sigh. It will get better. It has to. But if I lost my job (either of them), I really don't know what I would do. I guess if I lost the hospital job I'd go full-time at the store at least for a time, but I don't think I could make it, even at 40 hours a week, on $8.55 an hour. And if the store shuts down, I'll lose the extra money that keeps me afloat. So there you have it. It's a source of stress, but no different from millions of other people's right now.

Okay, time to get some stuff done before work. Have a good day.

Classify your pet with Dewey Decimal collars, confuse your friends

Cat Collar

and

Dog Collar

Thanks to 'Reading Kelly' from the Chatty Librarians list for passing on the link to the cat collar.