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Activism See other Activism Articles Title: Does your taxpayer supported public library own these 3 book titles? Source: [None] URL Source: [None] Published: May 13, 2008 Author: scrapper2 Post Date: 2008-05-13 21:29:22 by scrapper2 Keywords: educating the public, US constitution, Nabka Views: 320 Comments: 25 Imo the two most important political issues facing Americans are: a. how far off course our federal politicians are taking our nation from its constitutional foundations b. how our federal government's knee jerk pro-Israel bias causes our nation considerable ill-will on the world's stage I think it's incumbent on us, educated politically versed 4um members, to help our fellow Americans to become better informed on the subjects of constitution responsibilities of government and also about the travails of the Palestinians when Israel was founded and the unseemly influence of the Israel Lobby on our nation's foreign policy so these same Americans can have their eyes opened. Knowledge empowers people. To that end, I'd recommend that all of us check with our local public libraries if the following 3 books are owned and if not you should request that these titles be ordered posthaste. As taxpayers you have the right to insist that the library spends your tax dollars on books that provide diverse points of view. The titles are: 1."The Revolution: A Manifesto" (Hardcover) By Dr. Ron Paul c. 2008 Currently #10 on Amazon's bestseller list. Dr. Paul is a respected Congressman and physician and Presidential candidate. If your library owns Obama's book and Hillary's book, then it should also own Dr. Paul's book for "balance." 2. "The Ethnic Cleansing of Palestine" ( Trade Paperback) By Dr. Ilan Pappe c. 2007 The author is a prominent Israeli historian and was a senior lecturer in Political Science at Haifa University and Academic Director of the Research Insitute for Peace at Givat Haviva and Chair of the Emil Touma Institute for Palestinian Studies, Haifa. Dr. Pape is now at Professor at the University of Exeter in the UK. This book received a starred review in Publisher's Weekly and was also favorably reviewed in the Times Literary Supplement. 3. "The Israel Lobby" ( Hardcover) By Dr. John Mearsheimer (U of Chicago) and Dr. Stephen Walt ( Harvard U) c. 2007 It received a starred review in Publisher's Weekly and was widely discussed in mainstream media circles like NPR, NYT, WSJ, etc. Post Comment   Private Reply   Ignore Thread   Top • Page Up • Full Thread • Page Down • Bottom/Latest Begin Trace Mode for Comment # 12. #2. To: scrapper2 (#0) do americans use public libraries anymore? ;) christine  posted on  2008-05-13   21:37:00 ET  Reply   Untrace   Trace   Private Reply   #12. To: christine (#2) When I googled public library use, what popped up first was a 2007 fact sheet released by the American Library Association. The statistics were pretty impressive - the legacy of Andrew Carnegie, is still an important institution for self-education in today's modern internet society: www.ala.or g/ala/pressrele...007/april2007/salpr07.cfm "New data on U.S. libraries shows almost two billion served: Predicted demise due to Internet fails to materialize" 04/16/08 (CHICAGO) Ten years after some experts predicted the demise of the nation's system of libraries as a result of the Internet explosion, the most current national data on library use shows that the exact opposite has happened. Data released today by the American Library Association (ALA) indicates that the number of visits to public libraries in the United States increased 61 percent between 1994 and 2004. According to the 2007 State of America's Libraries report, 1.8 billion visitors checked out more than 2 billion items from U.S. libraries in fiscal year 2004. The study was released today by the ALA as the nation begins its observance of National Library Week, April 15-21. In the case of academic libraries, the number of visits exceeded more than one billion for the first time in 2004, up more than 14 percent in just the previous two years. "Far from hurting American libraries, the Internet has actually helped to spur more people to use their local libraries because it has increased our hunger for knowledge and information," said Loriene Roy, president-elect of the American Library Association. According the ALA report, virtually every library in the United States - 99 percent - provides free public computer access to the Internet, a four-fold increase in the percentage of libraries providing such free access over the last decade. By comparison, Roy pointed to another study released in March showing that only 69 percent of U.S. households have Internet access. But unlike the Internet, particularly when accessed at home, Roy said libraries still serve a unique function in providing those who seek knowledge and information with guidance from trained and educated professionals. Even as libraries continue to evolve their services in response to changing needs and technologies, the report shows that people continue to go to their public library to read or check out a book in record numbers. Overall circulation at public libraries in the U.S. rose by 28 percent during the decade, partly driven by significant growth in circulation of children's materials, which grew by 44 percent. Attendance in library programs for children was also up 42 percent for this same period. The 2007 State of America's Libraries reports that while use of libraries continues to increase and while the general public supports strong funding for libraries, many school library media centers are experiencing budget cuts resulting in staffing reductions, shortened hours, and even closures. The new federal requirements of the No Child Left Behind Act are cited most frequently as the reasons for these funding cuts. "Our libraries are investments in our communities and in our future, with an incredibly high return on each dollar spent," said the ALA's Roy. Roy pointed to the report's findings from studies in Florida and Ohio that provide a compelling case for the return on public investment in libraries. Every dollar of public support spent on Florida's public libraries produced an increase of $9.08 in gross regional product and an increase of $12.66 in total state wages. A similar study of nine public library systems in southwestern Ohio reported an annual economic impact nearly four times the amount invested in their operations. Other data in the report describes how public libraries build a community's capacity for economic activity and resiliency. The report also highlights the library community's continued work in defense of the First Amendment against intrusive legislation, including the USA Patriot Act, and to refute challenges that would restrict the free flow of information and ideas to all adults and children. The 2007 State of America's Libraries also follows up on last year's report, which described the library community's response to Hurricane Katrina. Since its creation, the ALA's Hurricane Katrina Library Relief Fund has raised more than $500,000 in donations, which has been distributed to libraries by ALA chapters in Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas. By August 2006, 62 percent of the libraries in metropolitan New Orleans that were open before Katrina had reopened their doors. scrapper2  posted on  2008-05-13   22:09:16 ET  Reply   Untrace   Trace   Private Reply   Replies to Comment # 12.         There are no replies to Comment # 12. End Trace Mode for Comment # 12. Top • Page Up • Full Thread • Page Down • Bottom/Latest

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