As ALA Elections roll out today, and with dismal participation from the profession, I thought I would toss out who I am supporting. On a side note, if libraries are dedicated to the democratic process enough to ensure creating informed citizens, then I think we have an obligation to vote. I am, after all, a citizen of the library profession.
ALA President: Marueen Sullivan
ALA Councilor-at-Large:
I would provide additional endorsements, but I cannot find a full list of candidates anywhere.
Filed under advocacy
Yes, I have been selected as one of Library Journal’s Mover & Shaker for 2011. This is both truly honoring and humbling. As I look at the list of this years, and past years, librarians I realize that I am so not qualified. However, the honor has spurred me back to my roots. The areas mention in the profile are areas that I have allowed myself to slip on.
I am renewing my commitment to blog more frequently here and over at LibrariesandTransliteracy. I am also refocusing attention on the Chicago Deskset.
I do want to give two shout-outs to this years list. I greatly admire and respect both Bobbi Newman and Eli Neiburger. They both use technology to improve the lives of patrons. This is an area we all could learn a few lessons on.
Filed under cool stuff
I have been reading more and more colleagues call for a solution to the current publishing problem in our country. Some have mentioned the organization of Kickstarter as a possibility to raise capital to address the issue.
I guess that I’m feeling like something big is happening. The more and more I think about how important information is, information policy issues, economics of information and control and restriction of information, I am coming to a singular conclusion.
I believe that the free flow of information is so important that we need to rise up to protect and foster that flow. Moreover, I believe the virtual end to a public domain or knowledge commons is a threat to democracy. I believe that the free flow of information is important enough to the very fabric of our society that it needs to be protected from capitalistic control. To that end, I propose a non-profit digital publishing organization that will protect the interests of the citizen while rewarding the country’s creative output.
My children will enter a world in which nothing from the current century will be in the public domain. The flow of information to them will be so bogged down by restrictions and DRM garbage that they may as well not have access to that information at all.
I am truly heartbroken that, in terms of access to unrestricted, vetted materials, my children will be worse off than I. Even worse, this happened on my watch.
Filed under eBooks
The Information Activist Librarian 