Changes to Library Hours and Services

I love my local library system. They just posted a sad letter on their website. It says, in part:

"The Library has made a number of significant cuts over the last six months, and we anticipate further cuts in 2010. Unfortunately, due to the difficult financial times, the library administration has been forced to make some drastic decisions that impact library hours, services, and programs. We have already implemented a hiring freeze and have now reached the tipping point where we can no longer provide full service with our reduced staff.

Regretfully, our customers will be impacted by these changes. Branches will be open fewer days and hours, and when they are open, they will be operating with reduced staff. There will be less programming, fewer titles from which to choose, and materials will not be shelved or placed on hold as quickly as customers expect."

Closed all day Sunday and Monday. No security. Less programming. Less materials. The Reading Festival has been canceled. Hard times, people. Just when public library use has been going up. Sigh.

Steve Jenkins Books at Kohls

This is cool. For a limited time you can get some Steve Jenkins and/or plush toys for $5 at Kohls and some of the money goes to charity. These are some of my favorite picture books, so they would be perfect gifts for kids, teachers, parents, librarians or bloggers you know!

After a Car Wreck and Some Dental Work, the Day Can Only Get Better, Right?

Lady ran a red light and messed up my new (to me, anyways) red Honda Element. I'm mostly OK except for the burns on my right wrist and hand from the air bag deploying.

This kind of thing usually pisses people off, but it just makes me appreciate everyone so much more. Everyone I dealt with today was great (except the lady who drove right through the red light and into my car, of course). A guy stopped and helped me out of my car and left me his business card. The EMT/Fire/Police were all awesome.

I got hit by a couple of tons of metal going quite fast and I'm fine. Who do I have to thank for that? People. The car designers and engineers, for one. And I'm thankful for the emergency and insurance services we've created. I'm thankful for cell phones and 911. I'm thankful to the helpful guy I mentioned (need to send him something).

People can suck every once in a while and they make a lot of mistakes, but generally I think they are good and helpful.

So thanks, People. I'm a little shaken, but I'm OK.

(image cc flickr)

Linkage

Roger Ebert's Journal: I'm a Proud Braniac

"What I believe is that all clear-minded people should remain two things throughout their lifetimes: Curious and teachable."

AC Grayling: This Much I Know (via Norm)

"I have enough faith in statistics to know there must be conscious life on other planets.

Initials can be useful to hide behind. I once heard Jonathan Ross on the radio asking Kirsty Young who she had coming up on Desert Island Discs. When she mentioned "AC Grayling" Ross replied: "Oh, I know her."

Science is the outcome of being prepared to live without certainty and therefore a mark of maturity. It embraces doubt and loose ends."

Book Aunt: Ten Books at a Time (via Diane)

"One thing I hear a lot from well-to-do suburban parents is that they have plenty of books at home. I remember doing a school visit at a private school a few years back and getting a sense of what was going on. After I made a big pitch for going to the library, some of the students' comments made me realize that their wealthy parents didn't ever take them to the library. Instead, they were proud of their supposedly extensive home libraries.

Sorry, but those libraries are just not good enough. "

...and finally, C.B. James: Dakota Eats Hunger Games - Book Giveaway because I'd like to read the ironically chewed on book. Dakota, as you may or may not know, has excellent taste.

Pay for Performance Backfires

I know: you're thinking "No, Duh." But you can't say it too many times.

"We find that financial incentives may indeed reduce intrinsic motivation and diminish ethical or other reasons for complying with workplace social norms such as fairness. As a consequence, the provision of incentives can result in a negative impact on overall performance," said Dr Bernd Irlenbusch of the London School of Economics.

Full report here.


(via http://twitter.com/alfiekohn)
(photo via flickr)

Paul Muldoon: Cuz I'm A Big Fat Lit. Nerd

The Colbert Report	Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c
Paul Muldoon
www.colbertnation.com
Colbert Report Full Episodes Political Humor Jeff Goldblum

Go Colbert! (via Norm)

Oh, and buy it here to make it the number one poem in America.

Awesome SOUR Video

Wow. How did they DO that? Cool cool stuff. (via PodBlack Cat)

14 Cows for America

Oh, sure, this cover looks innocuous enough, but this book will slowly and gently pull out your heart and make you weep like, well, me after I read it.

This isn't out yet but will be out in August. I saw a copy at the conference I just attended and man did it get to me.

It's the true story of a man from a Masai tribe in Africa returning from being in New York after the events of 11 September 2001. I won't say much more except that it's awesome. It's one of those books like Pink & Say that'll make me cry in front of my students no matter how many times I read it but it makes you proud to be a human being. Which is saying something.

Amazon link.
Carmen Deedy's site.

Glasses For All!

How awesome is this? A physicist has invented glasses that are self-adjustable and has created an organization trying to get these out to anyone who needs them. They have lenses that are adjustable, so there would be no need to fill a bazillion prescriptions for everyone in the world who can't afford a visit to an eye doctor. My poor kids who can't get glasses would have an instant fix! They're ugly-ish right now, but I'm sure it won't be long until they can get it a bit more fashionable. Of course, maybe fashion is catching up with these glasses! I first read about these in my new National Geographic, but here's an article SciAm did back in February. It's an amazing idea that could actually help millions of people. Here's how you can help if you wish.

Yay, science!

Yay, people!

Real Change for Math Education

I couldn't agree more. How do we do this?