The Revolution is Coming

Amy Buckland

The Talk I Meant to Give

"The Talk I Meant to Give." In Forming Thoughts / Amy Buckland.
Montreal: In Forming Thoughts, June 26th 2011.

"...but when i think of librarians as thought leaders, i think of…revolutionaries.

believing in access to information as a human right means fighting for our communities. fighting to make sure the digital divide continues to shrink. fighting for privacy for our users. fighting against the entire concept of censorship. and lately, fighting for libraries.

so this is my call to arms. librarians are revolutionaries, and society needs us. and no i don’t mean killing all the things with fire.

true thought leaders, true revolutionaries, are willing to overthrow the system, or join it, if that’s what works best for their community."

The Society for Librarians Who Say Mother******

"The Society for Librarians Who Say Mother******." The Hour Community / Anne Lagacé Dowson.
Montreal: Hour.ca, May 19th 2011.

"Last week I was invited to address a congress of librarians. I discovered all over again why they are some of my favourite people.

There is something subversive about librarians and libraries. The library remains a place where information isn’t bought and sold. Even if you think of them as being fussy and discreet, what librarians do radically empowers ordinary people, enabling them to use information outside the control of elites. ...

In an age of information glut, no algorithm can replace intelligence and analysis. ...

In Norway, Sweden, Portugal, Italy and Finland, there are big national programs to improve school libraries, not close them, as we are doing."

Reading in Canada Still Strong

"Canadians Purchased or Borrowed More Than 2.7 Million Books Last Week". TD National Reading Summit / National Reading Campaign.
Montreal: National Reading Campaign, January 19th 2011.

"2,714, 946 books in seven days means that in a typical week in January, Canadians bought or borrowed as many books as they purchased tickets to the top box office film. In fact, it is likely that more people picked a book than watched a game on Hockey Night in Canada. We do so much to promote film and to encourage youth to play hockey. Do we do as much to advance reading? The NRC believes our nation can do much more."

See Also:
National Book Count Tallies Canadians' Love of Reading / Natalie Samson

"Though the National Book Count is meant to reflect a typical week in Canadians’ reading habits, it’s worth noting that the figure is likely a conservative one. The count, which organizers say captures roughly 80 per cent of the Canadian book retail market, comes less than a month after the busiest time of year for retailers, during a comparatively fallow period on most publishers’ lists. Moreover, the circulation figures account for 22 major public libraries across Canada, but not rural and academic library systems.

Still, it’s a compelling snapshot of the voracious reading habits of Canadians. Extrapolated over a year-long period, Canadians purchase or check out more than 140 million books.

In addition, [Jamie] Broadhurst says the National Book Count highlights the potential for growth in Canadian readership. “Reading levels in Canada are actually high … but we are worried about the long-term future of reading, and of whether this passion for reading reaches across all regions of the country,” he says."

It Will Be Hard To Find A Public Library 15 Years From Now

"It Will Be Hard To Find A Public Library 15 Years From Now." Idea Logical Company / Mike Shatzkin.
New York: Idea Logical Company, April 8th 2011.

"The core purpose — the founding purpose — of a library, around which other things have grown, is to deliver access to printed words. Even the smallest local library almost certainly had more content housed within it than any individual had in their home and, in most cases, far more content than would be available at any local store. It was the books in the library that initially defined the library and attracted a core of patrons to it. When all of us have access to more books on our screens than are in the library, what’s the point to the library?

At least, that’s what I was thinking. ...

Gary [Price] observes that many people use the library for more than books, specifically citing their mission in providing technology education and to provide Internet access, and making the point that not everybody has access to the computer and the Internet at home. In my opinion, all these objections will be almost entirely mooted in the next 10 or 15 years.

(A parenthetical point. In the US, at least, the poor will almost certainly always be with us. People will be left behind by change; our country routinely permits that. I’m a liberal Democrat; that’s not an aspect of America that makes me happy. Libraries will vanish faster than the need for them does. I predict what I believe will happen, not what I want to happen.)"

See Also;
Michael Shatzkin in Montreal: Libraries Don't Make Sense Anymore

Somedays, I Really Miss Montréal

McGill University Library Circulation Desk

Read & Recommended

Nikolski / Nicolas Dickner.

Quebec: Editions Alto, 2005.

Translated by Lazer Lederhendler for Knopf Canada 2008.

See Also:

Montreal Review of Books

Nicolas Dickner

Canada Reads 2010

Nikolski, Alaska

Library Use #3: Inspired Contemplation

Grande Bibliothèque Writes the Book on Success

"Grande Bibliothèque Writes the Book on Success: 5 Year Old Library has Surpassed Expectations." The Gazette / Jeff Heinrich.
Montreal: Montreal Gazette Online, April 29th 2010.