Expanding Literacy

I've always been somewhat aware of literacy on the periphery of books, being that I was a voracious reader of novels in my childhood (so much so that it inspired me to want to become a librarian), but my interest in books flagged. I've since mended my ways and returned in some respects to reading books, but that does not stop me from finding reading material on the internet and reading it, as well.

Several authors whose work I enjoy can only be found online, and while they for the most part are not necessarily intellectually stimulating they're reading material that I read daily. I read several dozen webcomics (of varying intellectual value), blogs, at least three articles, world news, video-game specific news (Kotaku.com)--technically speaking, I might read several dozen pages every day, even when the things I read aren't printed on the disfigured corpses of trees.

I even read short stories and novels that are published on the Internet, such as Rob Balder's novel/webcomic hybrid "Erfworld" and Jerry Holkin's "On the Rain Slick Precipice of Darkness: Part 3". I mention Jerry in particular because I'm fond of his works and the Internet's self-publishing freedom allows works that would be editorialized into nothingness see the light of day sundered directly from their creator's smoking brainstem.

Sometimes even older works exist online; I found an unabridged copy of The Wizard of Oz available on a website and out of curiosity labored to read it cover to virtual cover. Technically speaking, I didn't read a book, in that the "book" as an artifact was never involved, although I did read a book in the sense that the thing being read is typically described as a book, even when read on media that aren't necessarily books.

Catherine Ross's In the Company of Readers examines a behavior of terror from educators/authors/shrill literati who talk about the death of reading as though reading only counts when the words are written on paper. It's vexatious. Of course, all of this really just relates to what a librarian should be doing for their patrons--since free internet access is just one of the many valuable services offered by many libraries.

Libraries in the Great Lakes State

Like everywhere else, the stress of the recent economic downturn has affected libraries in Michigan. The first article I came upon was an article from a local newspaper detailing the closure of four libraries in Isabella County, Michigan. They weren't part of a nearby library district, and lacked the funds to stay opened. Funds are a problem, because apparently Michigander librarians take most of their funding from local sources. An estimate by a branch librarian, Janet Silverthorn, put the funding estimate at 70-80%. On the bright side, however, local voters in the Coe township passed a ballot measure to pay an additional $1.75 million in property taxes to support their local libraries.

http://www.themorningsun.com/articles/2010/09/23/news/doc4c9a5e78376c9096361406.txt

The next article also appears to double as an attempt to publicize the numerous services libraries offer. In addition to the standard fare of free-to-rent books, many libraries (everywhere, obviously, but for the sake of this article Howell County District Library) offer DVDs, audiobooks, CDs, even free internet access, fax machines, and scanners. It highlights a big problem: librarians might not be sure how to market the services they offer outside of books. Valuable services that could bring in many new patrons are virtually unknown to the public (this is a problem in most communities, I find).

http://www.livingstondaily.com/article/20100916/NEWS01/100916003

Another article offers news on the University of Michigan Library, which also serves as the state's historical library and archive, and discusses briefly its history.

http://www.annarbor.com/news/bentley-historical-library-celebrates-75-years-as-archive-of-state-university-of-michigan/

So libraries in Michigan are suffering from the same crisis of identity seen everywhere, I suspect, and adapting their business model in order to best serve their clientele. While books are still part and parcel with libraries (and the reason I decided to become a librarian), they're not the whole deal as they once were--libraries in Michigan seek to serve the community by providing a huge variety of services, even as budgeting problems force individual libraries to close their doors.

Manipulating Your Words

The context within which something exists is important; context shapes perception. What confuses me, however, is how the archivist separates the context of the object from themselves. I've never been to an archive, although I have been to museums. Even there, the description of the object fails to make me appreciate it--and after reading the article I guess I become suspicious even there. Is it a stone ax, or is it an ancient golf club? How could one decide if it's either? The question of "what" is the first obstacle between contextless truth and just the truth.

What am I looking at? Apparently some would posit I was looking at children being hurled overboard (with a why provided without evidence). This question of what is troubling.

Here it is.

Fifteenth in line of the blogs I've created. Although lately it's been vogue for me to complain that I've been sick and thus denied access to the deeper reaches of my vocabulary, seeing what my tongxuemen have written has inspired me to try and put a little pepper on this.