Phone Booth Libraries

At first, the concept of  shelves of books as teeny libraries in New York City phone booths seemed laughable. I mean, we’re talking about NYC, where men relieve themselves openly on buildings, trashcans, and phone booths. Certainly dogs habitually find the steel like protrudents  irresistible. Then there’s the vandalism and theft found in major metropolitan … Read more

Biblios–Rare Manuscripts and Letters

I didn’t realize that biblios had such a broad range. While researching, I found rare manuscripts and letters, and even scraps of writing on paper were considered part of the genre. A few titles fit very neatly. Here’s one–The Vivero Letter, Bagley, Desmond, 1968– A letter dating from 1539 and the conquest of Mexico by Cortes … Read more

Is Canada A Better Protector Of Intellectual Freedom?

I ran across an article about challenges the Canadian libraries and school libraries faced for the year 2010. Despite lagging a year behind in their statistics, the outcome was quite pleasing to me, as someone who has written so much on banning books from school and public libraries in the US.  Report of the Annual … Read more

Hurricane Damaged Libraries Need Help For Their Childrens Section

On one of my weird road trips I had the privilege of visiting the little town of Wells in the NY Adirondack mountains. So it’s disturbing to find out how much damage has been done to their library and the entire picture book collection for children. They are asking for monetary donations to replace the … Read more