Created at the height of Victorian prudishness, the Bodleian Library’s Phi collection was designed to protect young minds from ‘immoral’ books. More than a century later, they’re going on display for the first timeLibraries today take a dim view of censorship. They are places where knowledge is preserved and shared freely, and where ideas that may seem challenging to some, are nevertheless part of what libraries see as their role in society to make ideas accessible to all.But this was not always the case. My own institution, the Bodleian Libraries in Oxford, created a restricted class, a special category for books that were deemed to be too sexually explicit. These books were given the shelfmark Φ – the Greek letter phi – and students had to submit a college tutor’s letter of support in order to access the racy materials that were contained there. The Bodleian was certainly not alone in this approach to risqué books: one of my first jobs as a curator was in the National Library of Scotland, and the equivalent shelfmark there was frequently the target of break-ins which must have been perpetrated by library staff. (It is a closed-stack institution and only the librarians knew where such good stuff was kept.) Related: The trial of Lady Chatterley's Lover Continue reading... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'
[ The Guardian | 2018-11-08 00:00:00 UTC ]
Sarajevo, 1992. My mother’s uncle, Dobrivoje Beljkašić, or Dobri for short, was 68 when the siege of his hometown began. He was a landscape painter renowned for painting Bosnia and Herzegovina’s Ottoman bridges. His magnificent studio was above the National Library in the old City Hall in... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2024-08-20 08:56:15 UTC ]
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Ahead of this year's American Librarian Association conference, librarians are joining forces to seek out “the good stuff” to celebrate and sharing strategic practices to counter challenges leveraged increasingly at comics and graphic novels. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2024-06-07 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Libraries across Europe appear to be facing attacks from cybercriminals. At Britain’s national library, an “incident” is sending scholars back to an analog age. Continue reading at The New York Times
[ The New York Times | 2023-11-03 17:15:37 UTC ]
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Streaming services are getting more expensive, and it doesn’t help that it seems like all the good stuff is spreading out a lot more. If you’re feeling the cable-style pinch of increasing prices and ever-expanding subscriptions, you should check out this deal on Hulu. You can get access to the... Continue reading at PC World
[ PC World | 2022-11-23 11:00:00 UTC ]
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The former "Reading Rainbow" host said banned books are "where the good stuff is." Continue reading at The Huffington Post
[ The Huffington Post | 2022-06-12 14:45:21 UTC ]
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A chance encounter in the National Library of Australia’s digital archive holds clues about an 1843 cookbook published in Parramatta. Continue reading at The Conversation
[ The Conversation | 2022-04-26 19:56:33 UTC ]
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PW spoke with Danielle Borasky, v-p of NoveList, about the vision behind Learn with NoveList and why it’s the essential platform for today’s library staff. (Sponsored) Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2022-03-16 04:00:00 UTC ]
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In a "Daily Show" skit, the "Reading Rainbow" icon urges youngsters to seek out several controversial titles even as he's blocked from doing so himself. Continue reading at The Huffington Post
[ The Huffington Post | 2022-02-16 23:30:04 UTC ]
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Libraries Connected held its first ever awards this week, to recognise and celebrate the achievements of library staff over the past year. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2021-10-20 05:39:05 UTC ]
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The Welsh government has announced a £2.25m rescue package for the National Library of Wales after proposed cuts at the institution sparked uproar. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2021-02-05 03:34:48 UTC ]
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CILIP, the Chartered Institute of Library & Information Professionals, has called for planned cuts to the National Library of Wales to be abandoned, ahead of a debate in the Senedd today (3rd February). Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2021-02-03 06:32:21 UTC ]
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As the national library of the United Kingdom, the British Library’s mission is to make our intellectual heritage accessible to everyone, for research, inspiration and enjoyment. This means making our own buildings and online offers engaging for everyone, as well as working in partnership... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2020-09-24 13:05:14 UTC ]
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In considering whether staff are being protected as libraries reopen during the pandemic, we take a look at some Arizona libraries. Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2020-08-18 10:35:00 UTC ]
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We're talking to library staff about how libraries are working to plan for summer reading programs despite the limitations caused by a global pandemic. Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2020-06-08 10:33:48 UTC ]
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Libraries Connected is calling on the government to issue "clear" guidance about closing libraries in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak, highlighting "it is equally important that library staff are safeguarded during this period". Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2020-03-18 08:33:36 UTC ]
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Long before funny cat content flooded every single corner of the internet, John Steinbeck, legendary dog person, was writing it for Le Figaro, proving once again that France gets all the good stuff before we do. Steinbeck wrote “The Amiable Fleas,” or “Les puces sympathiques,” in 1954 for Le... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2019-07-31 15:44:48 UTC ]
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Ian Rankin has donated his literary archive, including correspondence with authors like J K Rowling, Iain Banks and Ruth Rendell, to the National Library of Scotland. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2019-05-23 15:07:11 UTC ]
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Pedr ap Llwyd, chief executive and librarian of the National Library of Wales, shares his thoughts on the Welsh book trade and the library's future plans. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2019-05-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Created at the height of Victorian prudishness, the Bodleian Library’s Phi collection was designed to protect young minds from ‘immoral’ books. More than a century later, they’re going on display for the first timeLibraries today take a dim view of censorship. They are places where knowledge is... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2018-11-08 00:00:00 UTC ]
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From Gulf News: Aimed at cross-promotion of each other's cultural initiatives, the new Serbia-Sharjah agreement will come into play at book fairs. The post Serbia’s National Library in Cultural Partnership With Sharjah Book Authority appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2017-05-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
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