Banned Books Week Grows Nigh

The annual time for the banning of the book and the not liking thereof approaches.  Batten down the hatches, it's going to be a bumpy September/Octoberish time of year.

Banned Books Week Highlights Censorship in Reading - Patch.com:

Bellevue Reporter (blog)

Banned Books Week Highlights Censorship in Reading Patch.com The importance of the First Amendment and the concept of "intellectual freedom" might not always be readily apparent to most kids, but Banned Books Week is an opportunity to make those lessons come alive for children—and adults. Banned Books Week ... Students, faculty embrace banned booksMiami Student Banned Book Week to celebrate literary freedomMonett Times Hispanic Heritage Month and Banned Books WeekBellevue Reporter (blog) Livingston Daily -BlueRidgeNow.com -The State Journal-Register all 19 news articles »

Banned Library Turns Two

Two years ago today, I published my first real post to this blog, How to Deal With an Unruly Patron.  You can read it, but I would not recommend it.  It's mostly the product of an unruly mind expressing itself and trying to make somebody, anybody laugh.

Not that I have gotten any better, but at least there is a little more focus these days.

Anyway, I'll keep this short.  Thank you everyone who has read this blog.  Thank you for sticking with it when I stopped updating for a time.  Thank you for sticking with it, even through my rants and raves.  Thank you for reading.  You can never know how much it means to me that you do.

If you have any questions, suggestions or comments, let me know below, on Twitter, on Facebook, on Tumblr, on Google+ or by emailing me.  Carrier pigeons or owl also accepted, if you can find me.

Also, this is not today's only post.  Dave's wedding will be up later tonight.  And if I may say so... I'm not saying anything.

And yes, Mom, I will try to keep the swears to a minimum.  

No Pulitzer for You, Fiction World

The Pulitzer Prize Board of Guys Who Matter have announced that they will not be giving out a prize this year for fiction.  This is the first time since 1977 that the prize has not been given out.  Publishers and others from around the world of wanting to make money from the literary equivalent of Oprah's book club have gotten all their panties in a twist at the assertion that no good books have been released this year.

You know who's probably pissed about this the most: the cast of the Jersey Shore.  From Snooki's A Shore Thing to The Rules According to JWOWW, these people have been waiting up for days for the news.  But, dude, you say, those are not fiction.  The very fact that we are supposed to believe that these people sat down to write a book is all the fiction the Pulitzer Board should need.

Quick, somebody tell me what last years book was without looking it up.  You probably ordered it, looked at it, held it in your hand, maybe made a display.  Hell, some of you probably even read it.  Off the top of your head, right now, can you name it? 

Pulitzer Fiction Snub Has Book Publishers Fuming - New York Times (blog)

Webster Dictionary Mournes Britannica, Vows Revenge

The copy of the Webster's Dictionary in the Banned Library is in mourning after the announcement that the Encyclopaedia Britannica will have no more updated print editions released.  Librarians and the current Britannica edition attempted to appeal to the book's sense of honor in upholding information relevancy, but the dictionary would not have it.

"You sons of bitches don't understand," Webster's Dictionary was quoted as saying, "This is not the first nor the last time I have seen this happen.  When they came for the Farmer's Almanac, I said nothing.  When they came for Americana, I said nothing.  But now they got Britannica?!  That mother was old, dude!  Before long the only resources on the reference shelf will be me, Chase's Calendar of Events and Guinness Book of World Records, and have you tried holding a conversation with a date freak and a drunk?  'Today's the annual Rutabaga Festival in I Don't Care, Arkansas.  Didja know the oldest lady is hiccup Irish crap...'  Well, you know what?  I'm not going down without a fight.  I'm coming after you, Wikipedia.  Do you have a word for Dictionary Death, Urban Dictionary?  You're about to."

Information Security experts have been put on alert after Mr. Dictionary escaped confinement at the Banned Library and disappeared.  Librarians at the Banned Library said not to worry that the edition could not get far as it does not include any maps but are worried as it is a paperback edition and will not be able to endure the spring rains.

Encyclopaedia Britannica Closes Book On Hard Copies - NPR

Brooklyn Public Library Will Publish Your Book

The Brooklyn Public Library has a new machine called the Espresso Book Machine that will allow patrons to publish their own ebooks as actual print books.  The process takes about four to five minutes and costs something or nothing, but I'm not sure because I did not get that far in the article and that's why I link at the bottom.

Road trip!  Finally, Banned Library and the Literary Robotic Ninja Pirate War will see the light of day!  Look for it at your local place people lay things down at hoping other people will pick them up this winter or when ever I can find the time to drive 2,000 miles.  Here's a blurb from the cover of my 4,235 page opus:

In a world where lawlessness and disorder are seen as a bad things, the Banned Library stands tall.  Enter Yumi Longbeard, recent graduate of the Banned County Polytechnic and Library School.  She will serve as the children's librarian to clean up these mean stacks while working to unite the pirate and ninja clans that infest the streets.  Oh, yeah, did we mention she's the love child of a pirate and a ninja? Hell yeah, she is.


"Best book I have ever read" - William Shakespeare
"If I had read this, Pride and Prejudice would have been totally different" - Jane Austen


Print your own books at the Brooklyn Public Library - New York Daily News

Ebook News: Apple May Get Sued and Price Wars: The New Hope

A Random Newspaper (link below) reports that the Wall Street Journal reports that the US Justice Department may sue Apple and five major book publishers for conspiring to raise the prices of ebooks.

Google Play (Google's new media outlet) and Amazon are involved in a price war on ebooks that are creating great deals on titles.  

In an effort to stay balanced and fair, this librarian has decided to present the following argument:

These two stories have been included to show that commerce is good and Apple is an evil, Borg-like organization that feeds on making you not think like a fat man feeds on super duper triple chunk mocha fudge brownie Rockie Road Ice Cream.  

My iPhone's battery went to crap so I got an Android.  Who loses? Me, I'm still on AT&T.

US Justice Dept may sue Apple, publishers on e-book pricing -WSJ

Google Play And Amazon Involved In Price War Leading To Amazing Deals On EBooks

Google Combines Digital Libraries into Google Play

Google yesterday combined their Books, Music and Movie stores into one big market for Android called "Google Play."  This consolidation of services hopes to rival such entities as Amazon and iTunes.

Well, poopie, there goes my productivity.  I felt so productive every day, checking for deals at each section but now all that is lost.  Just one website?  Man, I won't know what to do with myself.  It's like they moved a Wal-mart right in the middle of my library.  This just breaks my soul at how unbusy I feel right now.

Okay, this article sucks, but they all can't be winners.  I'm watching a spider crawl on my coworker right now.  She is oblivious.

Where Google Is Going With 'Google Play,' New Online Store And Library - TPM