A Great Story from A Great Bookstore

Do eBooks isolate us?  Read this and see what you think:

From Ken Sanders Rare Books

One of our customers shared a great story with us about a book he purchased from us online. We had listed the book as inscribed, but we did not include a description of what the inscription said. It turns out that our customer's grandfather was the author of the book, and this particular copy was inscribed by the author to his mother when the book was published! The book is now back in family hands, and everyone is happy. A heartwarming ending, and one that serves as a good reminder about the physicality of books--have you tried inscribing an ebook recently?

Libraries Have Survived the Economic Depression, But Budget Cuts Threaten Access

A new study out (supported by the ALA) affirms that libraries have "weather[ed] the storm of the economic depression, but funding cuts now threaten to undermine public access to public libraries. Find the Final 2011-2012 report here: Libraries Connect Communities: Public Library Funding & Technology Access Study 2011-2012.  I will also place a link on the Articles Page.

Sadly, though libraries are being used more and more, those who fund libraries continue to think that they are a luxury, not a necessity.  Hopefully, this study will help to change public perception.

Updates to the LIS Articles Page

I have added two very interesting pieces to the LIS Articles Page:

Toward an Index of All Stories: Previewing Small Demons Jason B. Jones of the Chronicle of Higher Education speaks well of the possibilities for this new service that allows readers to discover how stories might intertwine, influence and reflect on each other.

and

Tovin Lapan (Las Vegas Sun) reports on How Libraries Reinvent Themselves for the Digital Age.

I've also added sections to the page, to try and make it more navigable.  Sadly, I still can't get internal links to actually link.  I will solve this problem soon!  The sections are:

·  Perceptions: What Librarians Do

·  Literature and Language

·  Career Insights

·  New Technology, New Skills, Innovation and Adaptation

Book Review: Revenge of the Rose by Nicole Galland

I was delighted with Nicole Galland's take on Jean Renart's thirteenth-century poem.  She blended the story into an engaging novel with well-developed characters and a plot-line that made it hard for me to put the book down.  For those of us who are familiar with the original, the charmingly sarcastic Lienor is still there, and so is the gorgeous Willliam of Dole.  Jouglet is there too; only this time, the author lets him stay through the entire story.  In fact, it is through the court minstrel's eyes that the reader is introduced to almost all of the characters.  Galland did not just rewrite the original story in modern language.  She added a few plot twists of her own.  Those whom Renart dismissed with a snap of his fingers or wave of his hand, Galland turns into very sympathetic characters. Even those students or enthusiasts who spent a lot of time with the original will be surprised and delighted by the turn of events, as well as pleased by this picture of medieval life.  You will love the story and it will haunt you for days after you have read the last page (with a smile on your face)!  I look forward to reading Galland's other novels.  She has won herself a dedicated fan--and that is a compliment coming from someone who is a purist when it comes to medieval literature!