Social media, archives, and libraries
Also, there are selections from my friend's new fan fiction about a "magical library"
Hello all! In the above image are some excerpts from my friend’s new story about a magical, fictional library, in my friend’s story, “The Library of the Whispering Woods,” a crossover fiction combining elements from various show. The image, of course, falls under the fair use exception to copyright law because it is used for the purpose of comment, and even criticism. Anyway, since librarians change lives, and hopefully this story, helps make the roles of librarians clearer, as some in the field have hoped for. It’s not much, but, like other posts and stories, including those by my friend, my friend clearly put a good deal of thought into this one.
As always, if there is anyone you think would be interested in this newsletter, feel free to share this with them. Apart from that, I have ten articles you all might enjoy:
Rachael Woody, an archivist and consultant, writes about the precarity of records on social media platforms, her efforts to archive what had put on MySpace in the past, along with suggestions for how to preserve your digital content
Beth Daley asks if people misheard Neil Armstrong’s first words on the moon and then discussing the power of language, listening, and understanding. A very interesting article!
Maarja Krusten writes about her experience as an archivist for NARA, the civil rights movement, racism, the FCC’s fairness doctrine, difficult conversations about history, and Galleries, Libraries, Archives, and Museums (GLAMs) effectively handling history in a way is challenging but necessary.
David McCartney writes about the college town of the State University of Iowa coming to life thanks to the digitization of past records, including maps, newsletters, photographs, and audio recordings!
Alyssa McKey talks about how libraries should be prepared, rather than scared, for natural disasters, saying we should be mindful of such disasters, especially when they would affect our own lives, meaning we need our own emergency preparedness plans in place.
In an article, Lauren notes how she is going back to school for an MLIS degree part-time, while working full-time, even if takes her a while. Much of the article is about juggling different responsibilities and how to work and go to school at the same time, engaging in what is called distance learning.
Julie Bosman writes, in the New York Times, about Ebony Magazine’s archive, said to be “the most significant collection of photographs depicting African-American life in the 20th century,” which is being auctioned off, with historians alarmed by the sale, some worrying about the future of this archive and think a private collector may buy the archive, then stash it away, where no one can see it!
In the Washington Post, Michael E. Ruane writes about the flood control barriers around the National Archives building in Washington, D.C. and the disaster preparedness of the building, learning from what has happened in the past.
Historian James Mann, relying on records in the Nixon Presidential Library, notes that there was a speech written for President Nixon to give in the event that the mission to the moon was a disaster.
Claire Trageser notes how the Lambda Archives holds records of the LBGTQ community in San Diego, explaining some of the records they hold, noting that this archives “has an extensive library of books by and about members of the LGBTQ community, plus thousands of photos.”
- Burkely