Bookstore owners and librarians have a particular interest in Attorney General John Ashcroft's U.S.A. Patriot Act intended to protect us from terrorism. It gives the FBI the power to order bookstores and libraries to turn over the names of books borrowed or bought by anyone suspected of "involvement in internal terrorism or clandestine intelligence activities." [ thanks bill ]

The Patriot Act is not antiterrorism legislation; it’s antispeech legislation, and is no more a direct response to the September 11 attacks than the Children’s Internet Protection Act is a direct result of sincere concern by members of Congress about the safety of minors. [ thanks walt ]

"The commencement speaker should speak to us based on achievements in the field," she said. "(Bush) has no merit." Watford then read a quote in which Bush allegedly admitted to becoming a librarian to expand her dating circle. [ thanks eileen ]

From 1997 to 2001, I helped to guide and develop the ontology of of three Scandinavian-language Web site directories. I'm particularly interested in multicultural and multilingual ontology [ newbreed ]

The thing that kept coming up again and again was that there was no home for the work of British writers and illustrators of children's books," says Elizabeth Hammill, the centre's project director. "No one was collecting this material, not even the British Library [ thanks owen & eoin ]

...the librarian, as watcher, stands for a paradoxical mode of activity, of enactment as a self-effacement from the field of action. The librarian is a decentred center, the subject organizing information flows, who provides a mechanism for the dissemination of Buffy’s strength, her moral will, but who is nonetheless removed from will or agency: a catalyst. Giles gives Buffy a context, a body of knowledge and a form within which to operate. The librarian is an unremarked figure of control. As the one who grants access to what was previously unknown, to the true nature of things, he governs the unfolding of events with clarity and ruthless accuracy. But access is never his to attain; he can only act as an enabler for others: a gatekeeper rather than hero. He reads, he watches, he articulates, he maps, he diagrams: he arranges the field through which the other characters move, act, do. [ thanks sarah ]

The freedom to read is not protected by the First Amendment? Well, the semanticists at the Department of Justice have interpreted that phrase to mean that you "a United States person"are still protected by the First Amendment if you stand on a corner and make a speech. But if the FBI has a suspicion that you may be connected to international terrorism or clandestine intelligence activities, they can find out what you're reading. [ thanks michael ]

Farrington happily waived the late fees, which, if calculated for 100 years at 10 cents a day, six days a week, would exceed $3,000 in fines. She said the book will be placed in a locked bookcase with other rare historic books in the library collection. [ thanks lis ]

I ask that EVERY new MLS grad apply for at least one ridiculously low-paying position, and then, during the interview, ask the highest ranking person you meet why the salary is so low. Think of this as a way to "make your bones" in your new profession....I will send a crisp, new FIFTY DOLLAR BILL to the librarian who identifies the LOWEST paid position currently advertised for a FT professional librarian's position in the US. [ newbreed ]

"Working in the library opened up a new world for me. The immense scale of literary critical activity struck me. I found books about all my favourite writers, and, reading them, discovered that critics often violently disagree with each other over the meaning of texts. This was an immensely liberating discovery as it meant I too could have a voice, a personal opinion about books that was valid. I had always assumed that only teachers and critics knew the true meaning of a book or poem. But if there were such a variety of responses -- then I could have one, too." [ thanks carol ]

"Be it further resolved that libraries will remain centers of free inquiry and debate, in which dissent to government policy is not a suspicious activity and where free access to information is assured ... under conditions of legally protected confidentiality " [ juice ]