BANNED BOOKS WEEK

This year the American Library Association-sponsored Banned Books Week runs from September 24 through October 1, emphasizing the "Freedom to Read". Lists of banned and challenged books--and what the objections to them are--can be found on several sites besides the ALA site itself. They include:

Banned Books Online--essay with links to books mentioned, hosted by the University of Pennsylvania

List of Banned Books--Wikipedia's extensive list with links

Banned Books--list of books banned at some time or other in U.S., sponsored by Adler & Robins Books

Banned Books and Censorship--links to articles and lists, sponsored by Books AtoZ

Banned Books Related Websites--Loyola University of Chicago's list of links to sites concerning censorship

Banned-Books--annotated list of
banned books with links to recent articles documenting censorship

Forbidden Library--annotated lists arranged by author as well as title; also has links to other similar sites

Banned Books--annotated list of several banned books sponsored by Alibris

2005 Banned Books Top Ten--annotated list from American Booksellers Association

The Stories Behind Some of This Year's Book Bans and Challenges--annotated list from ABBFE

The Elk Grove Public Library has a display for Banned Books Week near the Circulation Desk, along with a list of recently banned books. Stop by and check out a "Banned Book".

BLACK DAGGER PRESS

It always seems a bit strange to find formerly-out-of-print books in the "New" Fiction section. They aren't really new anymore, but they might be classics of their kind, brought out in a new edition for new readers to discover. One of the publishers that does this regularly is Black Dagger Press, a subsidiary of Chivers' Publishing, mostly printing mysteries and suspense novels from British and American writers. Several prominent mystery writers (i.e., Marian Babson and Peter Lovesey) are on the selection committee and only a few books are re-printed each year. Some of authors include Josephine Bell, John Creasy, Elizabeth Ferrars, Catherine Aird, Georgette Heyer, Mignon Eberhart, Margaret Yorke, Dorothy Eden, Anthea Fraser, Joan Aiken, Ross MacDonald, Andrew Garve, and, of course, Babson and Lovesey as well. Among the newest ones we've received here at Elk Grove are:

Shadows in their Blood by Marian Babson--Trixie and Evangeline, former film stars, find murder while making a vampire movie

Reel Murder by Marian Babson--Trixie and Evangeline help investigate the murders of several roomers in their London residence

The Knocker on Death's Door by Ellis Peters--Inspector Felse investigates a mysterious death just outside a newly restored "cursed" church door

Enter Second Murderer by Alanna Knight--in Victorian Edinburgh, Inspector Faro re-opens an investigation into the murders purported to have been done by a recently executed man

Mischief by Charlotte Armstrong--psycho babysitter nearly kills pre-teen charge; basis for Marilyn Monroe film Don't Bother to Knock

Death of an Old Goat by Robert Barnard--a "doddering" professor is murdered while on a lecture tour in Australia

Evidence of the Accused by Roderic Jeffries--when a woman dies after a fall through a bannister, her husband becomes the main suspect

Lady with a Cool Eye by Gwen Moffat--the apparent accidental death of an unfaithful wife in a car crash is soon discovered to be murder

The Late Bill Smith by Andrew Garve--innocent bystander witnesses a crime, then must flee for his life

The Nine Bright Shiners by Anthea Fraser--recently separated, Jan Coverdale takes her children to visit her half brother just before he and his wife leave for Peru; then a body is discovered with his identification on it

2005 ADULT SUMMER READING PROGRAM

The Adult Summer Reading Program for 2005, Egvpl at the Movies, ended just after Labor Day. A record number of readers signed up, 320. 197 finished by reading or seeing 5 selections chosen from 10 different categories, thereby earning the black t-shirt with the logo in red and gold. 267 participants reported at least 1 selection. There were 34 winners of the various raffle drawings; the top 3 readers won additional prizes. There was one reader who read 105 books and one who reported reading 91. The next highest number of books read were 75 and 55 (but they had won in the last two years and were not eligible). The next highest reader, with 48 books, got the 3rd place prize. Four more particpants read 40 or more books, seven read between 30 and 36 books, sixteen read between 20 and 29 books, fifty-six read between 10 and 19 books, and 78 read between 6 and 9 books. Fifty-three did not report anything at all after signing up. 2815 books, audio tapes, and films were reported on in all.

[More statistics later.]

MORE 'KATRINA" UPDATES

General information about New Orleans at this time can be found at the Times-Picayune's Everything New Orleans. For Mississippi information look at the Sun-Herald site.

Information on various archives can be found at The Society of Southwest Archivists.

Information on some individual colleges and universities can be found on their websites, including:
Louisiana State
UNO
Tulane
Xavier
Loyola
Southern University
Dillard
Grantham
Delgado Community College
Our Lady of Holy Cross

Jazz radio station WWOZ 90.7 FMhas information on the safety of numerous N.O. jazz musicians and on help for affected musicians, including a list of fund raising concerts. Donations for aiding musicians are also being accepted at "Preservation Hall Hurricane Relief" [via Jazzitude].

WWOZ also has a page devoted to animal rescue. Interested volunteers and contributors can also check out the LSU College of Veterinary Medicine, the Humane Society, and the ASPCA.

DONATING BOOKS--STATUS OF LIBRARIES & MUSEUMS

Another form of donation for the victims of Hurricane Katrina can be made in the form of books (or money for books) through a couple of agencys:

The Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators are collecting materials for "Comfort Kits" for the displaced children. These kits will have books, toiletries, and a toy. Although aimed at the membership of the SCBWI, non-members may also contribute.

The First Book organization has paired up with Amazon.com to contribute 1 book for every $5 donation, to be sent to children in the devastated areas--families, shelters, schools, etc.

Information on the status of libraries in the hurricane ravaged areas is available on ALA Katrina News.

Information on the status of museums and zoos can be found at The Association of American Museums "First Reports". Contributions can be made through several organizations as described on their "How to Contribute" page.

The Association of Science and Technology Centers has reports on their affected members.

The Association of Children's Museums has status reports as well as news about what other children's museums across the country are doing to help.

Information specifically on zoos can be found at the American Zoo and Aquarium Association Hurricane Update. Also, the Lincoln Park Zoo here in Chicago is providing an opportunity for interested sympathizers to donate to a special Audubon Relief Fund aimed at the Audubon zoos and research facilities in Louisiana.

THIS DAY IN HISTORY--9/11/01

We will not forget:

Library of Congress--Memories

Those Were the Days [click on "Archive" and choose September 11]

The History Channel

September 11 Victims

September 11 News

Poems by past Poet Laureates Billy Collins and Robert Pinsky

More poems--links at Yahoo

The ART Project

United in Memory Memorial Quilt

Research Resources--many links

Some EGVPL 9/11 related materials:

Running Toward Danger: Stories Behind the Breaking News of 9/11 by the Newseum; with Cathy Trost and Alicia C. Shepard (973.931 TRO)

September 11: An Oral History by Dean E. Murphy (973.931 SEP)

What We Saw CBS News; with an introduction by Dan Rather
(973.931 CBS)

The American Spirit: Meeting the Challenge of September 11 (973.931 AME)

MORE ON 'KATRINA" DONATIONS

The September 4th Ask Dow Jones column by Tom Herman (from the Wall Street Journal via the Daily Herald) answers some questions about checking the validity of charitable organizations before you donate--Give.Org is one source--, as well as IRS rules on charitable giving and info for victims of the disaster.

Most religious organizations are also collecting donations. This coming weekend might be a good time to go to the church/synagogue/temple of your choice--even if you usually only go once a year--for an "easy" way to donate. Or, you could just contact the administrative office and drop off a donation; they will be sure to get the donations to where they are needed most.

DONATING TO HELP "KATRINA" VICTIMS

There are many ways to help the victims of Hurricane Katrina, most of them through established charitable institutions. Network for Good has a very comprehensive list (including websites and phone numbers), including religious affiliates and ones for helping animals. So does National Voluntary Organizations Active in Disasters, and The Washington Post Online Resources.

Additional local organizations, possibly with "matching" opportunities, include the McCormick Tribune Foundation, World Vision of Chicago, Chicago Helps Fund, and Chris Duhan's Chicago Bulls Stand Tall Foundation.

Before writing a check, though, take a look at Tips for Contributing to Charities and Charity Navigator Guidlines; these may help avoid wasting money on scams.

For crafters interested in donating quilts, check out The American Quilter's Society and Quilters Comfort America. Jill Kuraitis has set up a challenge for quilters regarding this project. Guidelines for types of quilts that would be acceptable can be found at Quilt Relief.

LABOR DAY

Ever wonder about the origins of Labor Day? Wikipedia has a brief explanation, as does How Stuff Works, Holiday Spot, and PBS.org. Surfing the Net with Kids has links to several articles related to labor and American workers. This University of Pittsburgh Press page has a bibliography of related books as well as links to appropriate online sites. Paul Sadowski's Labor Day Page has a lot of links, including many to labor union sites. Some interesting Labor Day related Census Bureau number facts are available on InfoPlease.

Unions have played a big part in the history of labor in the US. Social Studies Help has a page on the History of American Labor Unions. Today in History, August 20, on the Library of Congress American Memories site, has links to union and strike related materials in their collection. The Culture and History page from the AFLCIO site has some unique links to film, art, and music clips related to labor. AFSCME has a comprehensive page of links devoted to Women's Labor History.

Lyrics (and sometimes music and/or sound bites) for numerous Union Songs can be found on Mark Gregory's site, including such standards as Joe Hill and Union Train.

[For Labor Day related materials available at the Elk Grove Village Public Library, take a look at EGVPL Weblog.]

BOOKS ABOUT GULF COAST/NOLA

In Dr. Heidi Cullen's, Weather Channel Blog recently, she mentioned

"... some great books out there on the history of the Gulf Coast. One is called "Rising Tide : The Great Mississippi Flood of 1927 and How It Changed America" by John Barry. Another is about the loss of wetlands and is called "Bayou Farewell: The Rich Life and Tragic Death of Louisiana's Cajun Coast" by Mike Tidwell."

Unfortunately, neither of these books is available at EGVPL (but can be found at both Schaumburg and Arlington Heights libraries--a patron could use Inter-Library Loan to get them). However, there are some other books--not many--that the Elk Grove Village Public Library has that cover some of the history of the region, floods, and hurricanes; some are pictorials that may be the only record now of what may be now lost:

Cemeteries of New Orleans: A Journey Through the Cities of the Dead (2005) text by Jan Arrigo; photography by Laura McElroy (New 917.6335 ARR)

New Orleans: A Pictorial History (1991) by Leonard V. Huber (976.335 HUB)

New Orleans, a Picture Book to Remember Her By (1978) designed by David Gibbon (917.6335 SMA)

Mississippi 24/7: 24 Hours, 7 Days, Extraordinary Images of One Week in Mississippi (2004) created by Rick Smolan and David Elliot Cohen (976.2 MIS)

Delta Time: a Journey through Mississippi (1990) by Tony Dunbar; photographs by Patty Still (330.977 DUN)

Mighty Mississippi: Biography of a River (1982) by Marquis W. Childs (977 CHI)

The Mississippi and the Making of a Nation: From the Louisiana purchase to Today (2002) by Stephen E. Ambrose and Douglas G. Brinkley; photography by Sam Abell (977 AMB)

Floods (1997) by Michael Allaby (551.489 ALL)

Hurricanes by Michael Allaby (551.552 ALL)

Hurricane Watch: Forecasting the Deadliest Storms on Earth by Bob Sheets and Jack Williams (551.6452 SHE)