For cryin' out loud, KEEP THE LIBRARY!!! 

Preserving our Heritage: The Case to Keep the Washington State Library by Secretary of State Pam Reed

Since 1853, we've honored and preserved our state history under one roof at the Washington State Library. Virtually any background a researcher has needed on history, state government and public policy issues has been available in one place, free-of-charge.

Now, picture Washington State in 100 years. It is the only state in America without a state library. A researcher is looking for facts on a particular issue that transcends generations. Maybe it's the environment or healthcare. Maybe it's our state economy. Maybe it's transportation. What happens to the research? What happens to pending legislation of the 22nd Century that demands a historical perspective? In 100 years, who exactly will have had the money and/or interest in preserving Washington State history in its entirety? To our knowledge, there's not a single organization in the state that could afford to shoulder the costs even with the collections moved to separate locations. Will our heritage then sit on shelves in the collections historians thought would prove most vital to their predecessors? How could they possibly have known?

Should a proposal to close the state library solidify, researchers, legislators, historians, and the state of Washington will go without the help, history, and perspective they need to improve the quality of life in the Northwest. [read more]

Price point 

High book prices force students to photocopy by Lai Ting-ming

... As long as Taiwan remains marginalized and dependent on Western countries, the big bucks we have to pay for foreign-language books will only increase, not decrease. As the schools pursue internationalization, the demand for foreign-language textbooks will only rise, as will the cost of book purchases -- commensurately.

Few people photocopy books from China and Taiwan except when they are out-of-print editions, because books from China are cheap and Taiwan's book prices are in keeping with our standard of living. Foreign publishers should ask themselves whether it is reasonable to sell books to students in developing nations at prices set according to their own living standards.

The piracy situation will never be eliminated if this problem is not resolved. If foreign publishers take into account the living standards of developing countries and adopt more reasonable price-setting policies, then I believe the piracy problem will abate. [read more]

Freelance librarian 

Jessamyn West: Freelance Librarian The Ultimate Antistereotype

If Jessamyn West was what people thought of when they thought of the word "librarian," our profession would be unbelievably cool. Visit West's web site (librarian.net) and you will find quickie reviews of the books she read in the past four years; her journal, "Abada abada"; her research projects (including surveying the literacy programs in America's public libraries); and an actual formal rÈsumÈ where she recounts her many jobs as researcher, reference librarian, writer, newsletter editor (Social Responsibilities Round Table of the American Library Association), ThinkQuest judge, and now coeditor for Revolting Librarians Redux. [read more]

More interesting stories about great librarians in the Library Journal special feature, Movers & Shakers.