ALA in DC

Well, enough time has passed to allow me to come down from my "high" of attending this years American Library Association Annual Conference in Washington, D.C. It's always amazing to see the latest innovations in all things library. Sort of made my mouth water! 

                                       

It was also nice to meet many of my vendors so I could put faces with some of the people I speak with quite often and have some discussions about their products. 

I heard John Cho being interviewed about his new book, "Troublemaker." It was amusing when the interviewer had a coughing spell and John Cho said with a couple hundred librarians in the room someone has to have a Ricola--of course quite a few made their way to the stage. 

And, of course, the best part of the trip was meeting Dr. Carla Hayden, the Librarian of Congress. She was a professor at Pitt's library school when I attended but her classes were the most difficult to get into. 

So all in all it was reminiscent of looking through the Sears Christmas Catalog of my youth. Well see what Santa brings me this year!

New copyright small-claims "court"

 Recent legislation has instituted a new "small claims" board, or semi-official court, for copyright infringement issues. The Copyright Claims Board falls under the umbrella of the Copyright Office rather than in the judiciary branch of the federal government. 

The Electronic Frontier Foundation presents an overview of what this new body is and why, for many defendants, declining to have the case managed by the CCB in favor of the traditional route through the federal courts may be a smart move. Read more here: https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2022/06/copyright-small-claims-quasi-court-opens-heres-why-many-defendants-will-opt-out 

Friday Reads: The Second Amendment; A Biography

Happy summer Friday (and aren't summer Fridays the very best kind?)! This week, Adam tells us about a recent read from his ongoing Dewey Decimal Reading Challenge -- The Second Amendment: A Biography by Michael Waldman.

The Second Amendment has been the subject of much debate in recent years. This book, rather than being about guns or gun control, is a constitutional and legal history of the controversial and often misunderstood amendment. Waldman devotes the first part of the book to the historical context of the American Revolution and the drafting of the Constitution and Bill of Rights, revealing much of what we know (and don't know) about the Framers' thoughts and intentions around this provision, most of which were focused on the need to maintain armed militias. Waldman also shows how judicial decisions and political advocacy have, over the past two hundred years, transformed a relatively obscure and minor constitutional amendment into one of the most fiercely-debated legal topics of the current moment. The book offers an eye-opening history that reveals how much our country has changed since its founding, and how our views on individual rights and civic duty have evolved over the decades.

Catherine Cole Celli Children's Room

Many thanks to the Seton Hill students who used the children's library as their canvas to display their talents.

Friday Reads: The Godfather

We'll be doing Friday Reads periodically throughout the summer. On this last Friday of the Spring 2022 semester, Adam has selected a nice, feel-good novel to kick off beach-read season -- The Godfather by Mario Puzo. 

This year marks the 50th anniversary of the release of the movie The Godfather, a hugely popular and influential film that is also arguably the best American film ever made. Given the film's vaunted place in our cultural imagination, it's easy to forget what a cultural phenomenon the source novel by Mario Puzo was after its publication in 1969. The novel sold millions of copies, and remained on the New York Times bestseller list for well over a year. Reading the novel now, decades after its original publication, it's easy to see why it was so popular. Puzo's novel is a salacious, violent story, and a peek behind the curtain of the Mafia, a subject that has long fascinated Americans.

The novel tells the story of the Corleones, a Mafia family in New York, in the decade after the end of World War II. Patriarch Vito Corleone is feared and respected by many, but after a botched assassination attempt leaves him hospitalized, his sons Sonny and Michael, with the help of consigliere Tom Hagen, must try and keep the family in power amid a mob war. It's a story about the corrupting influence of power, and like many classic works of twentieth century American fiction, the American Dream looms large in the background.

It's a book I've been meaning to read for years and years, but I kept putting it off. I guess the opportunity to read it now, during the movie's 50th anniversary, was an offer I just couldn't refuse.

Greater Pittsburgh Festival of Books

 

The Greater Pittsburgh Festival of Books is quickly approaching! This inaugural event promises to be a vibrant celebration of reading and literary culture in Southwestern PA.

The Details:

Saturday, May 14, 2022

10:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. 

East Liberty

Learn about the full slate of programs for kids, teens, and adults and register for specific events at pittsburghbookfestival.org

Friday Reads: A Tale of Two Cities

 Happy Friday! This week, Kelly finally gets around to reading a classic: Charles Dickens' A Tale of Two Cities. 

A few paragraphs past the famous opening line ("It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness..."), I looked up from this book and told my husband "I forgot how much I hate Dickens." 

It helped a lot that A Tale of Two Cities is one of Dickens' more plot-driven novels. All of the peril and gore helped to distract me from everything about his writing style that never clicked for me.

Eventually I also began to care about the characters; despite myself, I felt protective of that Victorian golden-haired angel of the house, Lucie Manette. Then I began hoping for a grim death for anyone who threatened the well-being of good old Mr. Lorry. I wished futilely that there were such a thing as 18th-century AA for Sidney Carton. My growing acquaintance with Madame Defarge became a growing horror. 

I knew the ending before I began the book, but spoilers didn't stop me from turning the pages. A grim end feels as inevitable as the next drop of La Guillotine's blade, but in the literal shadow of death, hope and goodness still peek defiantly. A Tale of Two Cities shows us both the best and worst of human nature and reminds us that, while we can't always choose our fate, we can choose how we will meet it.