LISNews Librarian And Information Science News

They're just wild about Harry...the Harry Potter Lexicon that is.

Publisher Roger Rapoport, of RDR Books, is waiting to set the presses a-printing on the book by author and former Grand Rapids school librarian Steven VanderArk. The decision -- possibly to be made today -- is whether RDR Books can publish a 400-page lexicon/reference book about Harry Potter; J. K. Rowling is suing to stop the work from being published.

"It's very rare to stop the press. I honestly don't know what's going to happen," Rapoport says. "My goal is to publish the (lexicon) the best way possible."

But "no matter what else happens," Rapoport has reached beyond the boundaries of his own case to help other writers, publishers, documentary producers, Internet users "and so on" who might be faced with the same kind of litigation. Rapoport says he still has accumulated a "six-figure" legal bill despite receiving aid from Stanford University Law School's Fair Use Project. Report from Michigan Live.

State prison officials have decided to allow a publisher of legal self-help books to distribute its materials in Massachusetts prisons.
The decision comes after mail-order publisher Prison Legal News sued Department of Correction Commissioner Harold Clarke. The Seattle-based publisher claimed Clarke was banning its publications in state prisons by refusing to add it to a list of approved vendors who can send books to prisoners.

A children's story about a family of penguins with two fathers once again tops the list of library books the public objects to the most.

"And Tango Makes Three," released in 2005 and co-written by Justin Richardson and Peter Parnell, was the most "challenged" book in public schools and libraries for the second straight year, according to the American Library Association. AP reports.

For public school librarians, it's a no-brainer to toss a book that's full of outdated, often politically incorrect information. But replacing those books can be difficult when publishing costs keep going up and budgets keep getting smaller.

Donielle Leppek, a sophomore, said some of the older books she's seen in the school library have some inappropriate words that ''older people might use, but never anyone my age,'' she said. ''I'd see it and go, 'Wow, no one would say that nowadays.'''

Bloomberg.com Takes A Look At Robert Miller and his vowed to revolutionary idea to target the practice that allows booksellers to send unsold copies back to publishers for credit. ``In this age of global warming it's insane to be shipping books back and forth across the country for no good reason,'' said Margo Baldwin, president of Chelsea Green Publishing Co. of White River Junction, Vermont. ``It's just a waste of energy and, not only that, it still encourages the overproduction of books -- many of which end up in landfills.''

Poof! Harry Potter has performed a new vanishing act.

For the first time in nearly a decade, the New York Times bestseller lists will be without a title featuring J.K. Rowling's hugely popular young wizard. And the character is finally disappearing from the Canadian rankings as well.

Another day, Another Offended Mom, only this time it's not us being offensive, it's a store, Urban Outfitters. Mommy was surprised to find sexually charged books that she believes have no place in a clothing store for teens and young adults.

On one end of the spectrum was "Porn for Women" a photo book showing men doing housework. On the other was "Pornogami: A Guide to the Ancient Art of Paper-Folding for Adults" a guide for making anatomically correct artwork."When I saw it, I was shocked," mama said.

When it comes to the gathering, coalescing, and analysis of data, most places can't compete with the United States CIA. I think a lot of library types would like to know some of their secrets, at least when it comes to data and information processing.

Well, now you can.

The CIA recently released a book titled Psychology of Intelligence Analysis. Obviously, the book is aimed more towards people working for or with the CIA, but there's some interesting bits in their for the information science nerd too. The book is available online in its full text glory if you've got the interest.

via Mind Hacks.

The textbook dilemma...apart from the escalating costs of these extraordinarily heavy and hefty tools for college students, Chegg, a company that rents textbooks out also claims that "Textbooks largely contribute to the 40% of paper products found in landfills which convert into hazardous methane as they degrade." They are working with Ecolibris and Plant a Tree USA to help the environment.

Cory Doctorow Has come up with a solution that balances out my publishers' interests, his interests, the generosity of his readers, and the needs of educators and libraries.

Here's how it works: if you're a librarian, teacher (or similar -- someone who works in a halfway house, social center, or comparable institution), you can send in a request for a free copy of Little Brother. he'll post these, along with your institution's address, on a public web-page (he's also vetting these to make sure that they really come from educators and affiliated trades, and not just cheap people who want someone else to buy them a copy of the book). If you're someone who loved the ebook and wants to "tip" him, you can pay him back by checking out the list of teachers and suchlike in search of donated copies, and buy a copy directly for someone on the list, using Amazon, BN.com, Powell's, or your favorite mail-order house. Send in the email receipt (delete anything private first), and the teacher's entry will be marked as fulfilled.