Free Republic

Philadelphia's public libraries can no longer open without a guard present, according to an internal Free Library e-mail obtained by The Inquirer. The Free Library says it's to ensure staff and patron safety but unions and library advocates believe it's an effort to find new ways to close libraries. For years, Philadelphia libraries have opened without guards present, library union officials said. The new rule, like the library's recently instituted requirement to have four workers present to open a branch instead of the customary three, is seen by some in the contentious fight over libraries as another attempt by the...

The library board of trustees meeting was moved to a larger room to accommodate all those wanting to speak. The proposal, which came from a library patron, was to restrict the access by children to four books, Sex for Busy People, The Lesbian Kama Sutra, The Joy of Sex and The Joy of Gay Sex. "This is clearly an effort to suppress books about gay people. Only four books were targeted out of the thousands that might have been targeted, say, about tawdry romance novels or books about how to make a bomb or maybe a book about how to...

The library on DePaul University's Lincoln Park campus was evacuated this morning following a bomb threat, university officials said. It's unclear how the university learned of the threat, but said it only affected the John T. Richardson Library, 2350 N. Kenmore Ave., and did not interfere with operations in other campus buildings, said Denise Mattson, a DePaul spokeswoman.

Librarians have been advised to move the Bible to the top shelves to appease religious concerns in the Islamic community. Muslims have complained that the Koran is often displayed on the lower shelves, which is deemed offensive as many believe the holy book should be placed above "commonplace things". Now library officials in one city have been told to keep all holy books, including the Bible, on the top shelves in the interests of equality. It has caused concern from Christian charities that this will put the Bible out of the reach and sight of many people.

One picture is a man during a real crisis caught in the middle of a planned event for months at an elementary school. A man who was ridiculed in dozens of films and thousands of articles and millions of internet posts. The next picture is of a man who makes an un-scheduled appearance at a charter school and is applauded for taking time out to visit with local kids during a self-described "crisis" of the economy, jobs, and tax evading liberals not passing the test. Because he was "tired of being in the White House", I give you Day 15....

Berkeley -- Berkeley's city council voted early today to let the public library override the Nuclear Free Berkeley Act in order to get its checkout machines serviced.After a heated debate, the council voted 6-2, with one abstention, to grant a waiver for the library to contract with 3M, a multinational technology company, even though the firm refused to sign a form promising it does not engage in nuclear research or development.The library asked permission to sign a 5-year, $63,000 contract with 3M to maintain five self-checkout scanning machines at the main library and four branches. The Peace and Justice Commission...

The old White Hose website is now available online. Daily dosers like me rejoice! (clik on source link)

School Libraries May Soon Be Historyby Paul C. Clark Staff Writer January 22, 2009 Some local educators are imagining a future in which schools have no libraries. Quick, thoroughly unscientific visual surveys of the libraries – called "media centers" in eduspeak – of Guilford County high schools of late give the impression that they're hardly beehives of activity, at least as far as books are concerned. The percentage of space dedicated to books instead of computers seems to have shrunk over the years, and a scan of the shelves turns up relatively few newly acquired books. The use of the...

Sabeeh Radyi, Rashid District Council Education Committee chairman, treats Iraqi school children from the Doura community in the Rashid district to story time as part of the commemoration of the reopening of the Doura Public Library, Jan. 21, 2009. BAGHDAD — Iraqi and Multi-National Division – Baghdad Soldiers joined local civic leaders Jan. 21 to commemorate the opening of the Doura Public Library in the Rashid district, christening a cultural and educational landmark for the Iraqi citizens of southern Baghdad. The public library, capable of housing approximately 10,000 books and a score of personal computers for use by Iraqi citizens...

RALEIGH, N.C. — A North Carolina man is now $35,000 richer thanks to President Bush’s sheepish advisers who let his library’s Web site address expire. The News & Observer of Raleigh reports today that Web developer George Hunger was searching through a list of expiring domain names two years ago when he noticed a treasure. The Web address www.GeorgeWBushLibrary.com was about to expire. bought the rights for $5. Hunger says he recently sold them for $35,000 to Florida-based Yuma Solutions, which the Bush Library Foundation said is in charge of Web site care. Company owner Mark Mills didn’t return the...

A wealthy Iranian businessman was jailed for two years on Friday (local time) for stealing pages from rare books in Britain's top libraries to improve his own collection. Farhad Hakimzadeh, 60, admitted he used a scalpel to remove selected pages from priceless volumes in reading rooms at the British Library in London and the world-famous Bodleian Libary in Oxford, south-east England. "As an author, you cannot have been unaware of the damage you were causing," said judge Peter Ader, passing sentence at Wood Green Crown Court in London. "You have a deep love of books, perhaps so deep that it...

When BHO prepares to leave office in four years (or sooner) and starts thinking of his "legacy", I was wondering what he would have in mind regarding his presidential library. Some questions that came to mind 1. Where will it be located ? 2. Who would fund it ? 3. What will it contain ? 4. Will the public be allowed inside ? ... etc, etc..

Donors to President George W. Bush's presidential library probably will remain a mystery, said the foundation overseeing fundraising. Mark Langdale, who heads the George W. Bush Presidential Library Foundation, said that's the way some donors want it. "It's our decision not to disclose who the donors are," he said. The foundation will oversee construction of the library, museum and public policy institute at the Southern Methodist University campus in Dallas. The group had raised less than $3 million when the latest tax reports were filed in August. That's far short of its $300 million goal, but foundation officials said fundraising...

DES MOINES, Iowa – Vicki Myron intended to wait a year or two before getting another cat. Her best-selling book, "Dewey, The Small-Town Library Cat Who Touched the World," was keeping her on the road most of the time and she didn't have time for a pet. An orange and white kitten found on a snow-covered road changed her mind. "I fell in love instantly," Myron says. The little tabby was found Dec. 16 by Sue Selzer, who works for the school district in Myron's northwest Iowa hometown of Spencer. "I was out and about and met a truck that...

While driving into the office this morning I heard the "expert" guest on Coast to Coast tell everyone not once but several times it was the terrible Christians that burned down the Library at Alexandria. Sadly, facts do not matter or go challenged on that political show any longer. The fact is: Amr bin Aas at the behest of the Second Caliph, Umar burned the Library in Alexandria. Umar the Great or Omar the Great was a Muslim convert from the Banu Adi clan of the Quraysh tribe,[1] and a sahaba (righteous companion) of Muhammad. He became the second Caliph...

Wash Post Misses Clinton’s Biggest Donor Again- Canadian Uranium Tsar Once again the Washington Post seems to have missed the “vette” while reporting on vetting the Clintons.  The Post’s coverage today on vetting donors to Clinton’s Library Foundation is not unlike the Post Sunday Magazine 8,000 word cover story, in October, 2005, “House of Cards” by April Witt which un-reported on the Galagate scandal surrounding Peter Paul’s illegally solicited and unreported $1.2 million plus contribution to Hillary’s Senate campaign is now matched by its story today vetting Bill Clinton’s Foundation donors.In both stories the Post managed to miss reporting...

Clinton for sale By posting this am I saying that Bill Clinton is different from any other powerful politician, in taking money from foreign donors who obviously hope to influence the political process? No, in this Bill Clinton is not singular. But look at this list: $10 million to $25 million from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Between $1 million and $5 million each from Saudi businessman Nasser Al-Rashid, Friends of Saudi Arabia, the Dubai Foundation, and the governments of Kuwait, Qatar, Brunei and Oman. And the New York Post here is worried about money from India keeping Hillary from...

“A mother complained to our local library about a book her 7-year old daughter brought home from the children's section and which she discovered was a veiled propaganda piece advocating same-sex relationships.”

NOV 22 UPDATE: a clown named Aurelio Munoz, masquerading as a real superior court judge, delayed an important hearing in Los Angeles Superior Court in the Paul v Clinton case. (Yes, the case is still going.) Munoz came into the courtroom and said that he wasn't prepared. He knows very well that Hillary's nomination for Sec of State is expected to be announced right after Thanksgiving. What do the Clintons have on Munoz? ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ FR EXCLUSIVE: Did a $1 Million Clinton Library Donation Come from a Scam Against a Chicago Bank? YouTube/interview with a witness ^ | 4-2-08 | dfu...

The one-room clapboard building, a beloved small-town gathering place since 1923, had no restrooms. When nature called, patrons young and old either had to hold it, do their business next door at the Roxbury Union Congregational Church or go home. "I used to say 'We're the Wi-Fi library without a pot to p-- in,'" said library director Susan D'Amico.