"Deaccession" a Fightin' Word in Little Falls, New York

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Link to December 28 New York Times article, "Small Town, Big Word, Major Issue".

Excerpt: Deaccessioning is the kind of word that makes eyes glaze over and can seem to be the preserve of dusty intellectuals and large museums. But it’s just a fancy name for the sale or giving away of art and artifacts by museums and other cultural organizations, and the dust-up here in this city of about 5,000 demonstrates that such debates occur in all kinds of places, big and small, where people feel protective about materials in their care.

With her personal gesture of protest in late September, Ms. Phillips stepped into a growing public controversy surrounding institutions that have sold or considered selling parts of their collections, which have been entrusted to them for the public’s benefit. Some say such sales can compromise collections, and others argue that museums, libraries and historical societies have to cull their collections periodically, particularly if there is pressure to pay their bills.

In Little Falls, library officials said they were selling things to raise money, not to cover operating costs, which institutions try to avoid, but to preserve other artifacts.

"Board decision leads to resignation".  Herkimer (NY) Telegram, 9/27/2010.

Rethinking the Book

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Link to December 29 Los Angeles Times article, "Bob Stein wants to change how people think about the book".

Excerpt: Now that the revolution is here, Stein says publishers should embrace what he sees as the inevitable result: the evolution of reading from a solitary pursuit into a communal, electronically networked activity — something he calls social reading and writing.

The advantages of digital technology "are so weighted toward collaboration that people will tear down the existing structures and build something new," Stein said while sitting among the jammed but now rarely touched bookshelves in his Brooklyn home.

Head of the ambitiously named Institute for the Future of the Book, Stein is one of a collection of programmers, philosophers and other deep thinkers who debate where things are heading in online venues such as a conference titled Books in Browsers and an online discussion group called Read 2.0.

"Bob's ambition is really to change how people think about the book," said Brian O'Leary, a founder of consulting firm Magellan Media.

[snip]

In the world imagined by Stein, readers and authors will be in such constant communication that the line between them will begin to disappear.


At this point, I can only ask the question on the tip of every 3 year old's tongue:  "Why?"

In an atmosphere of "such constant communication", when would authors find the time to do any serious writing?  Seems as though Stein is asking us not only to rethink the book but entire process of writing.

"Books in Browsers" 2010 announcement.  (Agenda)

"The Teachings of Bob Stein".  From the Wired archives.

Media Mash-Up @ the Wilmette Public Library

Link to December 23 Wilmette Life article by Janet Piehl, Youth Services Librarian at the Wilmette Public Library, "Check it out! Wilmette Public Library mashes media for success".

Excerpt:   Kids at the Wilmette Public Library also have the opportunity to create computer games. In fact, over the past several years, dozens of local kids have learned Scratch, a digital media design program, at the library. We can't promise they'll become Internet moguls, but we can help them begin to develop the creative mindset that Zuckerberg and other successful innovators possess. Making games and other projects with Scratch can help build the 21st century learning skills that are key to future achievement.

At the Wilmette Public Library, librarians, with the help of teen and tween volunteers, teach Scratch to youth between the ages of 10 and 14. At workshops, new users learn Scratch as a group, while experienced Scratchers often work on independent projects. Projects have included a digital Magic 8 Ball, a Space Shooter game and a Turkey Hunt game.