catalog.group.cam.ac.uk

This article Readers Digest online, came to my attention through my Linked in feed, posted by Donald I. Crews. He annotated his list.

I think two items are especially noteworthy - numbers 5 and 6 ...

5. As author Neil Gaiman said, “Google can bring you back 100,000 answers. A librarian can bring you back the right one.” A big part of a librarian’s job used to be finding information—now much of 
it is sifting the reliable information from the slanted.

6. I’m really, really tired of people asking, “Are libraries obsolete?” There are more public libraries in 
the United States than McDonald’s restaurants—16,536, including branches—and 58 percent of American adults have library cards. Those numbers don’t even include school, government, or university libraries.

Connected libguides.bcu.ac.uk

FROM: Reader's Digest Magazine October 2015Sources: Librarians Jenny Arch in Arlington, Massachusetts; Brita Zitin in suburban Chicago, Illinois; Laura Lintz in Rochester, New York; Rita Meade in New York, New York; Nanci Milone Hill in Dracut, Massachusetts; a librarian in Florida; Pew Research Center; reddit.com

Link to Neil Gaiman

I know this is an unusual post for a site run by two people who help librarians plan the best library they can possibly design. 

But...my oldest sister gave me a Barbie when she was a brand new idea. I had a Skipper and Ken and Midge (no one remembers Midge!). 

My mother made the Barbie's clothes ‎that augmented some 'bought ' outfits (the blue velvet pants with the blue mohair cardigan was my favourite).

I played with Barbie and I became an Architect. I thought I had to 'think like a man to do the work it took to get my degree and 'make it' in a 'man's world'; but I didn't. I don't. I am a woman whose life experience is mixed up in many influences from Barbie to Bahaus.

I still have Barbie, in her original box and all the outfits my Mum made. And, I really like this list. Especially #9!‎ And #10 is sort of timely too.

‎Here's the link, it will open in another window.

Alex Weiss writes a funny and serious article (in a flipped way!) in bustle.com.

It ends with this succinct message. Quote Ms. Weiss - she's right! Humour is often a great way to get your point across to your community about how important librarians and libraries are!

"There may never actually be a zombie outbreak, but if there is, hopefully it'll be short lived. Libraries will have the necessary information on how to start society back up after it's crashed and burned. After all, humans have history of picking themselves back up after epidemics, and it's all recorded in the books. If certain professions are needed, such as engineering or medical help, libraries can offer the immediate resources and ideas to local communities.

Basically, if I haven't made it clear by now, your best bet to survive the zombie apocalypse is to run to your nearest academic library and make a shelter out of books. Stick with the librarians and just say no to zombies."

Images: AMC; Steven Guzzardi/flickr; giphy (9)

This survey was done in July this year.

The graphics are usable and clear. Nice for showing your Board or questioning patrons!

http://blogs.overdrive.com/general/2015/09/30/overdrive-patron-survey/

Craig Mod in Aeon online magazine asks "What comes next? ... Digital books stagnate in closed, dull systems, while printed books are shareable, lovely and enduring."

Read the full article here. Mr. Mod suggests that there are various reasons to read e-books on devices like Kindle and there are just as many to go back to or stay with the old and varied format of the printed book.

We're book readers but we get it. Many people love to read on their devices. Did I mention we love our printed books?

This article by Dianna Dilworth has "linked to free samples of all the books on the American Library Association (ALA)’s annual list of the most frequently challenged library books–follow the links below to read these controversial books yourself."

Free Samples of the 10 Most Frequently Challenged Library Books of 2015

1. The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie (Little, Brown Books for Young Readers)
2. Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi (Pantheon Books/Knopf Doubleday)
3. The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison (Holt, Rinehart, and Winston)
4. The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini (Bloomsbury Publishing)
5. The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky (MTV Books/Simon & Schuster)
6. Drama by Raina Telgemeier (Graphix/Scholastic)
7. Chinese Handcuffs by Chris Crutcher (Greenwillow Books/HarperCollins)
8. The Giver by Lois Lowry (HMH Books for Young Readers)
9. The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros (Vintage/Knopf Doubleday)
10. Looking for Alaska by John Green (Dutton Books/Penguin Random House)

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