Message from Her Excellency the Right Honourable Michaëlle Jean

CLA: News: 2009 September 30

There is nothing quite as stimulating as a book to delve into the fascinating world of history, knowledge or fiction. As we celebrate Canadian Library Month, let us give ourselves over to this wonderful adventure.

Libraries open the door to new books and old favourites; they keep us informed with the most up-to-date resources. They are places of encounters and cultural exchange; places of learning that offer leading edge technology to meet the needs of members and the demands of the time. Accessible to all citizens, these bastions of knowledge play an essential role in our society. Veritable treasure troves, libraries bring us happiness and the means with which to thrive.

I warmly applaud the staff and volunteers planning activities and special projects throughout the month of October and wish each and every one of you many long, enchanting hours spent with a good book.

October 2009

Human rights tribunal denies Christian teacher's complaint

Vancouver Courier: 2009 September 30

The B.C. Human Rights Tribunal has dismissed a complaint by a University Hill secondary teacher alleging discrimination on the basis of her religion--a decision applauded by school board chair Patti Bacchus but decried as "lopsided" by Po Yu Emmy Chiang, the Christian teacher who lodged the complaint.

Life and other sweet news/history archives

NeverEndingSearch - Blog on School Library Journal: 2009 September 26

   

This week, Google Books announced that they were hosting Life Magazine's online archive, nearly 1900 scanned issues of rich print and photographic content, ranging from 1936 to 1972.

South African Children Push for Better Schools

NYTimes: 2009 September 24

  

Thousands of children marched to City Hall this week in sensible black shoes, a stream of boys and girls from township schools across this seaside city that extended for blocks, passing in a blur of pleated skirts, blazers and rep ties. Their polite demand: Give us libraries and librarians.

Book keepers

Vancouver Courier: 2009 September 25

   

As overall book sales fall, novels for young adults fly off the shelves thanks to Harry Potter and the Internet.  But are kids really reading more?

Librarian's discrimination complaint dismissed

Xtra West Vancouver: 2009 September 22

The BC Human Rights Tribunal has dismissed a Vancouver school librarian's complaint that she was discriminated against on religious grounds for not putting up gay-straight alliance stickers or stocking gay-friendly books in her library.

What they should read

National Post: 2009 September 19

 

As September rolls in and class is back in session, The Afterword has asked several Canadian authors to answer this question: If you could add one book to the high school curriculum-- a book that students couldn't graduate without having read -- what would it be, and why?

A long overdue ode to Robert Munsch

Vancouver Sun: 2009 September 18

 

This is a fan letter of sorts.

 

Not just any fan letter, but a fan letter to a Canadian treasure, to a man whose gift of storytelling has turned generations of children into readers, whose legacy of literacy has become an integral part of so many families.

YouTube - Did You Know 4.0

Internet filters urged in libraries

National Post: 2009 September 17

  

  

A Conservative member of the Ontario legislature wants a new law that would require the installation of Internet filtering software on all computers in provincial public libraries and schools.

Vancouver: The Word On The Street

http://www.thewordonthestreet.ca/wots/vancouver

Sunday, September 27, 2009

11:00 to 5:00

Once upon a time, there was Kidsbooks . . .

Vancouver Sun: 2009 September 17

  

Twenty-six years ago, before technology and teenage vampires ruled the world, a Vancouver librarian by the name of Phyllis Simon decided to open a children's bookstore in Kitsilano.

FLP - Closing

FLP - Closing

All Free Library of Philadelphia Customers,

We deeply regret to inform you that without the necessary budgetary legislation by the State Legislature in Harrisburg, the City of Philadelphia will not have the funds to operate our neighborhood branch libraries, regional libraries, or the Parkway Central Library after October 2, 2009.

Want to fight illiteracy? Support your local library

Vancouver Sun: 2009 September 14

  

...school librarians in some districts might have only one day a week to service hundreds of students.

"For kids," said Heather Daly, president of the B.C. Teacher-Librarians Association and district librarian for Coquitlam schools, "it means a library that's closed, the lights off, four days a week."

For many school libraries in B.C., said Daly, Raise-a-Reader grants are helping to keep those lights burning.

Raising a reader, 13 years on

Vancouver Sun: 2009 September 12

'Literacy is the critical skill in our society, dwarfing all others in the contribution it makes to our lives as private citizens, as working people and in our public duties in this information age."

B.C. schools face cuts to libraries, lunch programs

The Globe and Mail: 2009 September 8

Funds for hungry school kids, classroom computers and schoolyard jungle gyms are being cut this year in B.C., even as the province's education minister maintained yesterday the province's public school system is “well-funded.”

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Feed children homegrown books

National Post: 2009 September 8

What is the state of Canadian literature? For many readers and authors, the answer is "flourishing and rich." For others, it's "floundering and forgettable." In a week-long series, National Post contributors are considering our national book scene and giving their own takes

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Libraries, wisely, were spared deep cuts

Victoria Times Colonist: 2009 September 8

Today is International Literacy Day, a celebration of the benefits that come from being able to read and write.

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International Literacy Day

UNESCO

http://www.unesco.org/en/literacy/advocacy/international-literacy-day/

On International Literacy Day each year, UNESCO reminds the international community of the status of literacy and adult learning globally.

Authors get Googled

The Globe and Mail: 2009 September 7

Authors are accustomed to deadlines, but the one imposed on Canadian writers by Google Inc. was disconcerting, to say the least.

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As Goes California: A Flawed Initiative Could Become a Fabulous Opportunity

School Library Journal: 2009 September 9
http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/article/CA6685542.html?nid=3270

For school librarians, digital textbooks represent a big opportunity. Just imagine how you could customize your school’s textbooks, building in deep links to an array of content—from database articles to streaming media to books (both “e” and print) to open-source content from resources like the Library of Congress (see page 73). Librarians, of course, are experts at collecting the best content, free or for a fee, and a move to open-source textbooks might even free up funds to create stronger digital collections.

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Literary bigwigs out in full force this fall

Vancouver Sun: 2009 September 6

Dan Brown's 2003 theological thriller, The Da Vinci Code, may not have had lasting literary merit, but its impact was huge, with more than 80 million copies sold.

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CNN and me on the Future of Libraries (and Librarians)

NeverEndingSearch - Blog on School Library Journal: 2009 September 4
http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/blog/1340000334/post/90048609.html?nid=3714

Think of the change as a Library 2.0 revolution -- a mirror of what's happened on the Web.

Finally, a mainstream piece that (in my mind) nearly gets the shift right. CNN's John Sutter describes The future of libraries, with or without books.

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Writers slam proposed Google deal

Vancouver Sun: 2009 September 3
http://www.vancouversun.com/news/Writers+slam+proposed+Google+deal/1958098/story.html

Facing a deadline on Friday, several Canadian authors are urging writers to reject a Google settlement offer for copyright infringement for producing digital copies of books...

..."What purpose will libraries with shelves of books have if absolutely everything that has been written or is being written can be downloaded?" she asked. "I think what Google is doing threatens their very future."



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Amazon joins opposition to Google book deal

Vancouver Sun: 2009 September 3
http://www.vancouversun.com/news/Amazon+joins+opposition+Google+book+deal/1958026/story.html

Amazon.com Inc. joined the opposition to Google Inc.'s plan to digitize millions of books, saying that the proposed deal would fundamentally change copyright law and violate antitrust law.


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Books for Babies axed as province cuts funds

Peace Arch News: 2009 September 2
http://www.bclocalnews.com/news/56756497.html

...the province has revealed some details of the cuts, and services getting the axe include Askaway, a collaborative reference service provided by BC Libraries; technology grants; Books for BC Babies; and provincial purchasing of core electronic services.


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