Tag Archives: Literature

Communication, General

2016 – 2017 CALA Best Book Award Call for Nomination

http://www.cala-web.org/

We just passed the Chinese New Year, so Chinese literature may be fresh in your mind! (Happy year of the Rooster, everyone!) Have you read an interesting book about China? The Chinese American Library Association (CALA) would like to hear about it!

From CALA:

The annual CALA Best Book Award recognizes outstanding books, published in English or Chinese, which exhibit excellence in addressing topics about China and written by Chinese authors (or Chinese descent). The Award is to raise awareness of these topics and authors in North America.

The Committee will select nominated books in the following categories: Fiction, Nonfiction, Juvenile/Young adult (age 12-18), and Children (under age 12). Each award author(s) will receive an award certificate and be presented at CALA Annual Award Banquet in June 2017. The winners will be announced before early bird registration deadline for 2017 ALA Annual conference. Continue reading 2016 – 2017 CALA Best Book Award Call for Nomination →

Communication, General, Public, Resources, School Media Specialist

What Could Have Entered the Public Domain on January 1, 2017?

If you are interested in copyright – or if you think copyright laws don’t really apply to you – you might want to look through this article from the Duke Law School Center for the Study of the Public Domain.

Take a moment to mourn  the material we can not access, that we can not freely share with our patrons, and that may never be accessible to us!! (How many of our patrons would have enjoyed having a free copy of Green Eggs and Ham?)

Current copyright law is too often a tragedy for libraries, and for the communities we serve. Look at this list, published every year by this organization, and consider some ways you might work within copyright laws to help your patrons. And then be a voice of advocacy in your community to loosen these too-tight federal laws!!

Continue reading What Could Have Entered the Public Domain on January 1, 2017? →

Academic, General, Public, School Media Specialist, Special

12 literary places to visit

alley to the oceanPlanning a trip this summer? If you like books, this article will share with you several unique literary spots not to be missed, including libraries, bookstores, and architecture!

These 12 spots were found on Google Maps so you can get both the address and an idea of the neighborhood they are in, to ensure you can locate them easily should you ever be in the area.

Check out the book benches in Istanbul, which are spread throughout the city and include the works of 18 famous Turkish writers. Or, shop for books in a castle! Hay Castle in the U.K. features an open-air bookshop.

Have you traveled somewhere with a literary influence? We want to hear about it! Let us know in the comments below.

Image credit: http://unsplash.com/(Bertrand Zuchuat) licensed under CC0 1.0

 

 

 

Academic, Check this out:, General, Public, School Media Specialist, Special

100 Sites for Free E-Books

Image by melentia2012. Retrieved from FlickR. Used under Creative Commons' licensing.
Image by melentia2012. Retrieved from FlickR. Used under Creative Commons’ licensing.

Ready, set, go….everyone loves a free download!

I must admit I post this one with a little trepidation.  I certainly cannot be sure each of these sites is indeed legal, although the title of the site says so,  but I certainly recognize many of them that are.  But then I remembered my reading audience….staff in Central MN libraries, people who care about detail, about copyright, and the rights of authors! Organized into fourteen categories (not arranged alphabetically) but including everything from the classics to plays to rare books to textbooks. Certainly a treasure trove for book hounds….share your favorite finds (or concerns) in the comments field please! Oh, the link…..go to http://tinyurl.com/qzkws3l