ALA unveiled the new shorter URLs today. You know what? They really are shorter. They’re not short, but they are shorter and that’s a really big step in the right direction. See what you think, send feedback at feedback@ala.org. They will not know it’s broken if you don’t tell them, the website is too big for daily brokenness-checking.
why a correct website is important
Embarassingly, I was 30 minutes late to a Council meeting at the conference, missing two votes, because I had paid attention to one of the many schedules on the website, and it was wrong. I wrote a pointed letter, got a sincere apology, and I guess I get to cross my fingers for next time.
books versus movies
How book people are different from movie people, one person’s view, including some follow-up.
In the world of books, trash and art still don’t ride in the same section of the bus; the books mindset — at least the respectable-publishing mindset — is still segregationist. If the movie-world view is all about the vital connections between art and trash, and about how each is the lifeblood of the other, the book person’s imagination is taken up with the neverending struggle of art, talent and brains to triumph over the forces of money, hustle and fame. [thanks steve]
not quite solitary but not so far from it either
“Phantom teachers” unable to be fired because they’re tenured, silently haunt New York’s libraries. While I can’t quite see working in a library as being in exile, it is a far cry from being a schoolteacher. [thakns brandon]
woo woo go carol!!
The Constant Reader is back with a small piece on bestsellers of yesteryear.