Monday, October 8, 2012

Doctor Who Noir Available as Ebook

For any of you folks out there who watched the last episode of Doctor Who, "The Angels Take Manhattan," and wanted to know just what else you were missing in the novel that sat passenger seat to the episode, rejoice!  The Melody Malone mystery short story has been printed as an ebook from the BBC available at Random House or wherever you get that kind of thing.  Sadly, the last page seems to be torn out.

How do you feel about add-ons, mixed media, if you will?  Me, I'm cool with it.  I like that you can enhance an universe with extra content.  I am just waiting on my full copy of the Hitchhiker's Guide.

The detective novel from last week's Doctor Who is now available as an ebook - io9

Friday, October 5, 2012

Library Does Not Understand Why Someone Would Steal Television

After their 42-inch television was stolen, Madison County Library employees cannot fathom why anyone would want to take the relic. 

Seriously, why would anyone bother to take such a bygone item of technology?  What's next, a rash of iPhone 4 thefts?  That television must date back to the middle of Obama's administration it is so old.  That television is so old (how old was it?) they could have watched the last episode of House on it.  Just wow, why would that happen?

Library 'baffled' by theft of 42-inch TV - Richmond Register

Wednesday, October 3, 2012

Friends Make Cookbook to Raise Funds, Library Recipe Puns

The Friends of the Kingston Public library are gathering recipes for a cookbook aimed to raise funds for the library.  That's most of the story.  I'm just telling you so I can come up with a bunch of library recipe names. 

MARC - Machine Readable Cheesecake
ILL - Interlibrary Lo Mein
Cata-cheese-log
Milk Shhhakes
Over Fondue
Biografree Range Chicken
Check Out Chicken with Roasted Dates
Hold List Halibut

Feel free to submit your own!

Friends of the Kingston Public Library prepares fundraising cookbook - Wicked Local

Tuesday, October 2, 2012

Porno Set In the Cornell Library

When Cornell students this weekend were doing some self-surfing, they noticed a particular video had a setting that seemed fairly familiar.  It seems over the summer break, a lovely blond young lady used the library to... um... have a little fun.  Know what I'm saying, wink, wink, nudge, nudge and all that. Or she was paid for the act, as several Internet dwellers feel they have located the woman in video as a model from a local town.  Anyway, the video was recently posted on the Cornell message board EzraHub and still appears to be working.  So I have heard.

On the subject of sex in public in general... Well, you are only young once, am I right?  Do stupid shit and learn.  And, apparently in this lady's case, get paid.  Just be careful and do not do anything in a way that will harm or hurt yourself or others.  That being said, I cannot condone this.  Academic library or not, this is a public space and if I were running the library, I would have to turn you in for indecent exposure.  So keep that in mind, the librarian is not on your side when it comes to hanky panky in the stacks, but we were all young once and did dumb shit.  The library forgives but the library does not forget.  And clean that shit up.

Colleges Still Good For Something: Cornell Library Serves as Setting for Porn ... - Gawker

Council Cuts Library Funding Despite Public Protest and Mayoral Veto

The Middletown Public Library has had its funding cut leaving the future of the library in question.   In a 7-1 vote to override the veto by the mayor, the city council voted to cut the library's $250,000 annual budget.  The library is expected to continue as a nonprofit entity.  Here's a random quote from the article:

"After a period of public comment, McNamara provided a rebuttal, saying the borough could not afford its previous $250,000 annual funding for the library because of a 2012 budget deficit.
“We’re not against the library, folks, but decisions have to be made and we don’t have time,” he said.
“We are here for the town and if we have to cut the budget and cut money so we don’t have another Harrisburg, we have to do it, and we were advised by professionals where we should do the cutting,” said Councilor Barbara Arnold, referencing recommendations by borough financial consultant Mark Morgan. “So we are doing what professionals told us to do.”

So basically, "we fucked up and you are going to have to pay with your children's and communities education."  One has to wonder what happened to this community that they need $250,000 right now rather than take cuts from other departments as a whole and, you know, act like a community that is in this together rather than acting like panicked twenty-year-olds deciding not to pay the Internet bill because they have a connection on their phone.  I hope the library can continue in this diminished capasity, but this may just be the death nail for this library.  Our thoughts are with the library and the community.

Council overrides mayor's veto, cuts library funding - Middletown Press and Journal

Monday, October 1, 2012

7 Things You Can Look At In A Public Library Besides Kiddie Porn


A Louisville man was arrested for allegedly looking at child pornography in a public library.  After responding to a complaint from a patron, police confronted the man and found child pornography on a flash drive the man had on him.  He was arrested.

Pardon my language, but f%&$ing really!?  Look, pedophiles, you have to know there is something wrong with you (besides the obvious) when you have to go out in pulic to get your illegal jollies.  I have never understood how you can not see how sick that really is, but then again I am no psychologist of the really sick mind beyond those I deal with on a day to day basis. 

Anyway perverts, here's a couple other things you can look at in a public library (some you can check out) that are better than Internet kiddie porn, in no particular order:

1)  Fashion magazines.  Yep, air brushed to hell and back women mostly standing around in revealing clothing.  Hell, some have sexy quizzes to add to the mystique.
2)  The fashion ad filler in the newspaper.  The hand me down of the old Sears catalog, you can find one or two of these in the local inserts that include an underwear section.  Go nuts.  You can propably just take them, too.
3)  Medical texts.  While this may lead to other fetishes that are too disturbing to mention (this is the Internet, people, don't get squimish on me now), there's all kind of naked people that 13 year old boys have been looking at for decades.
4)  Erotic novels.  All there in the title.
5)  Graphic novel section.  It's sexist, but a common trope that the most common superhero power is gravity defying breasts.  Sexy people running around in skimpy costumes occasionaly getting naughty.  There's probably some in the adult section with more bang for you checking out.
6)  The DVD section.  Some libraries have R-rated movies, but all have travel videos with people in bathing suits or some medical stuff that is an extention to the texts above, but with full motion.  It may take some time to find the good ones, but there you go.
7)  306.7.  That is all.

So there you go.  If you have to get your jollies in the library, just check out one of these and go home.  Leave the library as a bastion of information and keep your weird ass at home.

I would also like to tell the 13 year old kids that read this
A)  If you see someone doing something anywhere, especially a library, that makes you feel bad, tell somebody.  Anybody, even the mean librarian that won't let you check out that book because you forgot your library card.  We care about you.
B)  You are welcome for me pointing out just a few of the naughy things that can be found in the public library.  Happy Banned Books Week.

POLICE: Louisville man used library computer to view child porn - WDRB

Sunday, September 30, 2012

Banned Books Week Begins and Here's Where Its Happening!

Banned Books Week is here again.  Banned Books Week was created to highlight the censorship and "celebrate the freedom to read."  Materials across the country are challenged for containing sex, language and themes some may find offensive.  As librarians and responsible people, we serve the public and our communities with materials that reflect their values and beliefs, but there must be room for other ideas under every roof.  Stocking these materials, these "banned books," should not be seen as going counter to your public.  Stocking these materials should be seen as showing your public that there is a place that all humanity can exist, even in their town, that there is room for other ideas that may run contrary to their own.

Plus, it is really awesome to watch a little old lady with purple hair and a punk rock chick with a pink mohawk bond over the same copy of the Wuthering Heights.

Here's a bunch of links from across the country about BBW (I just noticed the initials and laughed out loud.) as well as some starter links with those not familiar.  If you have a link for an event or a comment about Banned Books week, comment below or submit here.

ALA
Banned Books Week website
ALA Article
Frequently Challenged Books

Events and Articles:
University of North Carolina Wilmington
King's English Book Shop
Louisiana State University
Republic, MO
Bellingham, WA
Huffington Post + Challenged Books Infographic
Washington Depot, CT
Danville, CA
Bar Harbor and Southwest Harbor, MA
Davenport, IA
Eastern Iowa
Alameda, CA
San Francisco, CA (and City Lights)
Tuscon, AZ
Anderson, SC
Ocean County Library, NJ
South Bend, IN
Victoria College, Houston, TX
Alamogordo, NM
Montpelier, VT

Good Illinois Article from PJStar