At the BCCLS System Council yesterday representatives from the 75 libraries that form our cooperative voted to suspend the borrowing privileges of Northvale citizens. The reason: Northvale citizens have voted not to fund their small library and probably soon will close it entirely. Perhaps you have been following the story in the Record.
And then my cousin forwarded me the link to this NPR article on "A Country Without Libraries."
Closing Libraries - is it the right thing to do? I understand taxpayers want to avoid increases in taxes, but at what cost?
Check our blog frequently for news about library happenings, interesting books, and sources of information you can use!
Friday, May 20, 2011
Tuesday, April 19, 2011
Nat Geo Music
This one is for fun, and some cross-cultural exposure as well. The theme of the library's summer reading program is "One World, Many Stories." And music is one way to tell a story, so click on over to Nat Geo Music, and listen to music from around the world. We don't guarantee you'll like all of it, but we think you'll enjoy the adventure!
Monday, April 18, 2011
5 Myths About the 'Information Age"
From The Chronicle Review
Confusion about the nature of the so-called information age has led to a state of collective false consciousness. It's no one's fault but everyone's problem, because in trying to get our bearings in cyberspace, we often get things wrong, and the misconceptions spread so rapidly that they go unchallenged. Taken together, they constitute a font of proverbial nonwisdom. Five stand out: read more
Tuesday, April 12, 2011
The Library Card As A Pop-Culture Fiend's Ticket To Geek Paradise
NPR blogger Linda Holmes discovers her local library....and we can't figure out why she wasn't a library user all along!
After discussing the many things she found in the library she concludes:
Is that it? It's ... not remotely. They had magazines, they did have encyclopedias and research materials, obviously, and basically, if you have a small child, they will do everything short of holding your kid by his feet and dipping him in fonts of wisdom. There's story time, there are tutoring rooms (which were in use when I was there), there's a book club (they're reading As I Lay Dying at the moment), and OH RIGHT, it's staffed with people who clearly would really like it if you came up and asked them questions about books or anything else.
The point I'm trying to make is that as a pop-culture-adjacent person, you may think that public libraries are not particularly relevant to you. But I felt like since we've talked about movie pricing, e-book pricing, and a lot of other business models, it was only fair to bring to your attention my experience with this bizarre business model that's so crazy it just might work.
You'll enjoy reading the entire post so click to read.
After discussing the many things she found in the library she concludes:
Is that it? It's ... not remotely. They had magazines, they did have encyclopedias and research materials, obviously, and basically, if you have a small child, they will do everything short of holding your kid by his feet and dipping him in fonts of wisdom. There's story time, there are tutoring rooms (which were in use when I was there), there's a book club (they're reading As I Lay Dying at the moment), and OH RIGHT, it's staffed with people who clearly would really like it if you came up and asked them questions about books or anything else.
The point I'm trying to make is that as a pop-culture-adjacent person, you may think that public libraries are not particularly relevant to you. But I felt like since we've talked about movie pricing, e-book pricing, and a lot of other business models, it was only fair to bring to your attention my experience with this bizarre business model that's so crazy it just might work.
You'll enjoy reading the entire post so click to read.
Thursday, April 7, 2011
Saturday, April 2, 2011
Libraries Break Out: line item shows small cost for big service
A March 31, 2011 editorial in the Bergen Record comments that "PROPERTY TAX bills will have a new line item, and, in this case, it’s a good thing. Towns will now break out the amount paid toward their municipal or joint public libraries in the same way other towns provide a separate line for their contributions to county libraries. The law was signed by Governor Christie last week.
Library funding is a very small part of a municipal tax bill. Residents will see this clearly with the new layout. But local libraries’ diminutive cost relative to schools, police and the rest, belies their outsized contribution to their communities. They are community center, coffee klatch, job center, classroom and newsstand rolled into one. They provide a safe place for children after school, and a space for adults to relax during the day. Some host free tax preparers for older adults. Others host English classes for their newest residents. A public library is a concrete expression of civic values. And separating its cost from the general tax levy will drive home its bang for the buck."
Read the entire editorial
Library funding is a very small part of a municipal tax bill. Residents will see this clearly with the new layout. But local libraries’ diminutive cost relative to schools, police and the rest, belies their outsized contribution to their communities. They are community center, coffee klatch, job center, classroom and newsstand rolled into one. They provide a safe place for children after school, and a space for adults to relax during the day. Some host free tax preparers for older adults. Others host English classes for their newest residents. A public library is a concrete expression of civic values. And separating its cost from the general tax levy will drive home its bang for the buck."
Read the entire editorial
Wednesday, March 23, 2011
Current Event Resources
The Newark Public Library has put together two pages of links to information on:
1) Tragedy in Japan
2) Crisis in Libya
These should be useful for assignments and also for the informed and interested citizen. Keep up the good work, Newark PL!
1) Tragedy in Japan
2) Crisis in Libya
These should be useful for assignments and also for the informed and interested citizen. Keep up the good work, Newark PL!
Friday, March 18, 2011
Library Card Catalog Cabinets Used for eReader Storage - eBookNewser
Library Card Catalog Cabinets Used for eReader Storage - eBookNewser
If you’re old enough, you might recall how libraries used to have card catalogs. This was back before you could look stuff up on the computer...
If you’re old enough, you might recall how libraries used to have card catalogs. This was back before you could look stuff up on the computer...
Saturday, March 12, 2011
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
Confessions of a Book Slob
Confessions of a Book Slob
Can you be a devoted reader and not care much about books as objects?
Lifehacker recently pointed to a post at Apartment Therapy from last year that offers five tips on caring for books, an earnest list of advice that runs from the patently sensible (“Don’t store books too close to a heater, in direct sunlight or in damp places where they could become mildewed”) to the fastidious (“To condition the spine…”). If you own valuable books, or simply prize your collection of paperbacks, the list is worth a look. I write if, because I realize that sometime in the past few years, I’ve gone from someone who cared for his shelves—organizing books by author and theme (if never alphabetically) and standing back from the clean rows with arms crossed in satisfaction—to an inattentive owner, as likely to re-shelve a book where it belongs, or even to find it a shelf, as I am to attend to other optional matters of household hygiene
.
Read more http://www.newyorker.com/online/blogs/books/2011/03/confessions-of-a-book-slob.html#ixzz1G9eszNS4
Can you be a devoted reader and not care much about books as objects?
Lifehacker recently pointed to a post at Apartment Therapy from last year that offers five tips on caring for books, an earnest list of advice that runs from the patently sensible (“Don’t store books too close to a heater, in direct sunlight or in damp places where they could become mildewed”) to the fastidious (“To condition the spine…”). If you own valuable books, or simply prize your collection of paperbacks, the list is worth a look. I write if, because I realize that sometime in the past few years, I’ve gone from someone who cared for his shelves—organizing books by author and theme (if never alphabetically) and standing back from the clean rows with arms crossed in satisfaction—to an inattentive owner, as likely to re-shelve a book where it belongs, or even to find it a shelf, as I am to attend to other optional matters of household hygiene
.
Read more http://www.newyorker.com/online/blogs/books/2011/03/confessions-of-a-book-slob.html#ixzz1G9eszNS4
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
Sunday, March 6, 2011
7 books to help you understand Libya
7 books to help you understand Libya
What to read for background on Libya? The shelves of English-language libraries and bookstores are not exactly crammed with options. However, there are a handful of works – from histories to fiction to travel literature – which offer a good general grounding in the country's background and culture. Here, at least for starters, are some interesting suggestions.
Saturday, February 26, 2011
HarperCollins Puts 26 Loan Cap on Ebook Circulations
HarperCollins Puts 26 Loan Cap on Ebook Circulations
For BCCLS patrons who use ListenNJNW to download ebooks onto the new readers they received for Christmas, HaperCollins has limited the license to 26 checkouts. After that, the license expires and that title will no longer be available to patrons. Bad news for libraries and ebook users.
For BCCLS patrons who use ListenNJNW to download ebooks onto the new readers they received for Christmas, HaperCollins has limited the license to 26 checkouts. After that, the license expires and that title will no longer be available to patrons. Bad news for libraries and ebook users.
Friday, February 25, 2011
Authors are Helping to Spread the Word on the Importance of Libraries
“Sharing education, sharing a book…that’s what changes the world.”
NY Times bestselling author Brad Meltzer.