Freedom to Read

The Center for the Book in the Library of Congress endorsed a new list of bibliography of books that were challenged, restricted, removed, or banned in 2008 and 2009 as reported in the Newsletter on Intellectual Freedom from May 2008-May 2009.

Banned Books Week 2009 is the twenty-eighth annual celebration of the freedom to read.
Our First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution guarantees freedom of speech and freedom of the press.

Sexual aspect, profanity, and racism remain the major categories of objections and schools and school libraries have a desire to protect children and young adults from "bad" reading materials.
According to Robert P. Doyle, approximately 85 % of the challenges to library materials received no media attention and remain unreported.

Due to the commitment of parents, students, librarians, teachers, and other concerned citizens, more and more challenges are unsuccessful, and the reading material remains available. This is the reason we are celebrating the right of freedom to read.

There are many countries in the world, that have challenges in national literacy, freedom to read, and freedom to know. Some authors are living in exile and cannot enter the homeland, other are repressed and put in jail by their governments.

Banned Books Week

The week of September 26, designated to celebrate "the freedom to read." Since 1982, American Library Association conducts the Banned Books Week to remain us our intellectual freedom granted by United States Constitution.

Librarians' Wardrobe

Every career has an image. Image defines a person. Clothing is the person's signature. To be dressed appropriately and consistently helps to provide the positive image that we, librarians, carry on in our professional community.
Personal appearance is just as important as clothing. Grooming, personal hygiene, hairstyle, cosmetics, and fragrances, along with clothing, are the non-verbal messages and impressions we convey to other people at work, patrons and co-workers.
Librarians, with the capital "L," are our intelligentsia, with Master's degree in education. Why then, Librarians, in general, dress down?

Why Audiobooks?

Research has shown that books in the audio format are an useful tool to motivate poor readers. The audio books are also indispensable in helping English Language learners. The audio books are the perfect learning and teaching instrument to help improve reading skills and expand reading interests. Specifically, they are effective in growing vocabulary, comprehension, and reading fluency.
Despite our glittering new technologies-our cell phones, e-books, and iMacs, time travel is still possible only through literature. An inspired narrator can carry a listener back in time...

Information Cascade

This is interesting. In 2008, Time magazine asked,"How many blogs does the world need?" claiming that there were already too many out on the super highway of information. The blogosphere has grown at a tremendous rate, with tens of millions of active blogs generating hundreds of millions of postings per year (http://spinn3r.com/.)

This activity leads to a huge amount of information. The question is, if you have ten minutes a day to spend on the blogosphere, which blogs should you read to keep track of the big stories?
I recommend the LRC Digital Newsletter for librarians, students, and faculty members. Please join and be my guests!

A good blog captures good stories and creates a large information cascade. An information cascade is a spread throughout the blogosphere at a tremendous rate, with tens of millions of active blogs generated hundreds of millions of postings per year.

Bibliography:

1. Kinsley,m. "How Many Blogs Does the World Need?"- Time Magazine, Nov. 2008; www.timecom/time/magazine/article/0,9171,860888.00.html

Technology Policy

Every organization that provides access to computers and Internet usage at the work place has a Technology Policy for employees.
The social networking sites include both computer and Internet usage. This is the continuation of the argument to dismiss any Facebook or Twitter within profession until the Technology Policy is updated and includes the changes regarding the tsunami of social networking.

Protection from external treats are as important as internal treats. Technology Policy for social networking is a necessity.

Literacy Day

"Literacy is a cause for celebration since there are now close to four billion literate people in the world. However, literacy for all – children, youth and adults - is still an unaccomplished goal and an ever moving target. A combination of ambitious goals, insufficient and parallel efforts, inadequate resources and strategies, and continued underestimation of the magnitude and complexity of the task accounts for this unmet goal. Lessons learnt over recent decades show that meeting the goal of universal literacy calls not only for more effective efforts but also for renewed political will and for doing things differently at all levels - locally, nationally and internationally," - says in the UNESCO web site.

International Literacy Day will be observed on September 8.

September 8 was proclaimed International Literacy Day by UNESCO on November 17, 1965. It was first celebrated in 1966. Its aim is to highlight the importance of literacy to individuals, communities and societies. On International Literacy Day each year, UNESCO reminds the international community of the status of literacy and adult learning globally. Celebrations take place around the world.