2-27-04: Emily Dickinson garden
A new garden at the Bettendorf library will feature plants mentioned in the poems of Emily Dickinson (Poems by Dickinson will inspire library garden, Quad-City Times, 2/25/04). The library is also having an Emily Dickinson poetry contest. I mainly mention this because Emily Dickinson is one of my favorite writers, and has been since I was a little girl. [via LISNews.com]
And, while we're on the subject of literature, a reviewer at Blogcritics.org blasts Carrie Fisher's new book (The Best Awful) for overuse of punctuation:
She uses ellipses with something bordering on a pathological condition ... and it does ... nothing ... for an already doomed book. That's not as bad as her use of the em dash. Now that's really something. Everywhere you go, the em dash lurks, ready to--pounce.
Call me needlessly fussy, but such over-use of punctuation isn't just an atrocity. It reflects a want of skill and even care. It conveys uncertainty of thought and craft. It's invariably distracting and frequently superfluous.
I'm not defending the book (I haven't read it and probably won't) but I was reminded of Dickinson's use of em dashes and other "superfluous" punctuation in her poetry. In fact, she may have inspired the Comma Wars of my grade-school days.
This is completely off-topic (if I ever was on topic), but I can't resist posting a link to this news item: Zombie behaviors central to human consciousness. BRAAAIIINNSSS!!!
2-25-04: another distributed library project
Back in August, I wrote about the Distributed Library Project. Here's another project, along the same lines, only focusing more on CDs, DVDs, and games: Mediachest.com. These projects seem at first like something new, but upon further reflection, they seem more like precursors of the modern public library. People realize they don't personally want to purchase, catalog, and track vast collections, but they want access to the materials. So they start a collective entity, which they jointly fund, which provides facilities and administrative support for the collection. And they call it a library. Of course, there is a social aspect, too ("friendster meets lending library" as the LISNews.com post puts it), but there is a social aspect to a good library as well.
2-24-04: collective top 100 albums
Attentive readers may have noticed that I've been slacking on my resolution to post a top-something list every Friday. (Well, a certain someone promised to help me out with lists, and has also been slacking, but diy librarian takes full responsibility for the lack of lists.) Kingblind takes a new approach to the 100 Essential Albums concept: The The Kingblind Top 100 Essential Records of All Time consists of blocks of 10 essential albums, created by different people, with the rules being no duplicates and no albums by Beatles, Beach Boys, Stones, Clash, Ramones, Sex Pistols, Led Zeppelin, Hendrix, The Who, Stooges, AC/DC, Black Sabbath, Sonic Youth, Dylan, Nirvana, thereby eliminating the eternally boring Beatles/Stones debate that fuels sales of Rolling Stone and VH1 countdowns. (Oh, yeah, by the way: the Stones are better, and "Satisfaction" is the greatest song of all time. You read it here!)
2-23-04: more bad news from the Emerald Isle
Even more bad news as we count down to St. Patrick's Day: Ireland outlaws smoking in pubs (BBC).
2-20-04: DIY comics (and a bit about RSS)
I was going to write about how frustrated I was getting trying to find a way to create RSS feeds for Google News searches. But then I found a converter at Voidstar so I'm grooving with custom news searches in my aggregator. So I'm still a bit frustrated that you can't create the feed directly from Google...but now I'm wondering if this is a function that aggregators should fill, rather than Google. Oh, well, this isn't really my thing (I just have to mess with it 'cause messing with things is my thing). And, now I don't have to do all those Google News searches that so impress researchers I provide current awareness for every week. Now the searches come to me! And all without any more email to clog my poor inbox.
So what I really wanted to write about is Steven Grant's idea that the era of self-publishing in comics is coming to an end. In his latest Permanent Damage, he writes:
So self-publishing now vestigially lingers on, but, with the conclusions of CEREBUS and BONE and the demise of STRAY BULLETS, its day seems to be done. End of an era. If it isn't, I'd be happy for someone to prove me wrong, but I haven't found that proof yet.
I'd be really happy, too. It's funny, if you self-publish a book, it tends to be regarded either as a bit of lunacy (no publisher wants your book because it's a step-by-step guide to making your own tin-foil helmet interspersed with quotes from your dog) or as simple vanity (your book simply isn't any good but you refuse to admit it). But in comics, self-publishing is often regarded as the pinnacle of creative integrity. I don't necessarily buy that line (there are plenty of good self-published or small-press comics that could really use a good editor) but it is true that self-publishing avoids censorship at the publishing level. The distributing and retail levels are another story, of course...
DIY library-in-a-box. Well, actually, it's only circulation supplies, but then it's on sale for $14.99, so who cares? Maybe someday they'll add a card catalog. The hipster pad is not complete without one, I'm sure. [via librar*]
2-16-04: this is a bad way to start my one month til St. Patrick's Day countdown
James Joyce's estate will sue for copyright infringement if there are any public readings of Joyce's works in Ireland on Bloomsday. Read more about the copywrong nonsense at funferal. [via lessig blog and Boing Boing]
But that's OK, because the critics have decided that Ulysses is a piece of literary crap: Joyce's "Ulysses" under fire in centenary year (Reuters). [thanks William]
Bah, humbug! Next thing you know, they'll say that Guinness isn't good for you and Special Edition Lucky Charms aren't part of this nutritious breakfast.
2-14-04: what the heck, Happy Valentine's Day
The Comic Pimp Loves Librarians. Librarians Love the Comic Pimp. Everybody Loves Comics. Oh, there is just so much love in the latest Comic Pimp--enough for everybody, I think.
Koko Love. Michael Love. More Koko Love.
Year of the Monkey. While we're celebrating stuff, we should note that it is Year of the Monkey. retroCRUSH celebrates with The Fifty Coolest Apes of All Time! Monkeys. [via Geisha asobi blog]
2-13-04: Special Friday the 13th/St. Valentine's Day Eve Link Spectacular
Library Career Romances, featuring such titles as Miss Library Lady. [via LISNews.com]
WAN2 SND A TXT MSG THIS VLNTINES DAY? Um, no, not really. But thx 4 asking. [via The Shifted Librarian]
txt a poem, poems to be sent anonymously to your sweetheart's cellie, from the Scottish Poetry Library. Better than HAK or LDL, but I'm still not doing it. My baby doesn't have a cell phone. [via LISNews.com]
Be My Anti-Valentine. You'll Do.
Comic Valentines. Even Victorian England had anti-Valentines. [via Librarians' Index to the Internet]
Community called on to show love for library (The Baxter (Ark.) Bulletin). Library lovers encouraged to send a Valentine gift to the library.
Library gives out Self Love Kits: "So Alexis and I went to the library a few minutes ago and their handing out special Valentines packs in the lobby. They gave us Self Love Kits. Yes, that's exactly what it sounds like in the kinkest way. There's chocolate candy and a lollipop (yay) and also a tube of strawberry lube (*giggle*) as well as a sticker that say I Love Me, Masturbation Rules!" Not to be a prude, but WTF are they doing up there in New Hampshire? They must have worse cabin fever than I do.
How Do I Love Thee? Did you ever wonder where the handwritten manuscript of Elizabeth Barrett Browning's poem to her husband Robert Browning was? Me neither, but it's at Baylor University's library.
Today in History: February 14, from the Library of Congress' American Memory project. The pink backgrounds really hurt my eyes.
St. Valentine's Day Massacre. Now that's a different way to celebrate the holiday.
If, on the other hand, you're looking for very cute, uncynical crafts and recipes, go visit monkey's valentine's day fun.
Favorite Romance Comics from Sequential Tart.
With all this V-Day hoopla, the fact that today is Friday the 13th is being overlooked. What a perfect weekend for a double feature with My Bloody Valentine.
2-12-04: what is wrong with me?
Normally I am the kind of person who gets all grumpy about the annual roses and chocolates day. I don't wear red and pink, I wear black. I don't DO romance. But no, not this year. This year I even considered buying some heart-shaped candy. I bought a red sweater. I started wearing lipstick. I made a mix CD featuring the voice of love. Where has my cynicism gone? My guess is that as the snow piles up in front of my house, blocking my view of the street, any bit of color and cheer, no matter how hopelessly commercial, is welcome. Oh, world, you better watch out on March 17!
2-9-04: The Comic Pimp does it again
The Comic Pimp has another library-centric column up at Comic Book Resources, this time focusing on young adult library book awards and book reviews.
2-5-04: coolest. library. promotion. ever.
This has got to be the coolest way to promote library services: two reference librarians at Springfield College in Massachusetts have a weekly radio show, Schoolhouse Rock. The playlists are wonderfully eclectic. Really, what goes better with Interlibrary Loan than Stevie Wonder? Now if only they had an RSS feed for the playlists and streaming audio... [via Open Stacks]
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