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DoIS news, Issue: October, 17 2004
by Concha Soler
In this issue there are news in English Italian French Spanish English  Italian French Spanish English 5/10/2004 Hollywood Reporter (go top)
Treasures from American Film Archives
Bottom line: Fascinating scraps of otherwise lost films such as "The Flute of Krishna" are featured in this eye-opening DVD release. For a long time, people tended to look upon the silent film era as the source of a few comedic movies, the works of D.W. Griffith and a couple other features. It was assumed in a self-defeating sort of way that since the other movies made during those times were not now widely disseminated, they can't have much to offer. Fortunately, the utility and popularity of the DVD medium is helping to change that impression, and one series that has been particularly eye-opening comes from the National Film Preservation Foundation and Image Entertainment, the four-platter "Treasures from American Film Archives" and the three-platter "More Treasures from the American Film Archives 1894-1931." The collections are gathered from many different museums and film repositories. Each platter comes in a separate jacket and is loaded with long films, short films and even fascinating scraps of otherwise lost films. All have musical accompaniment of some sort (there are a few sound films, too), usually in a relaxed and mildly dimensional stereo. The presentations are all windowboxed. The transfers are meticulous and usually appear somewhat aged but presentable. With a couple exceptions, there is no need to identify which programs have been tinted or provide further details on the quality of each image transfer. The menu designs are excellent, giving the viewer a 'Play All' option, or presenting each film with detailed background notes and a profile of the institution where it is preserved. On "More Treasures," many of the films have commentary tracks, and while some are rudimentary descriptions of the action on the screen, others are highly insightful. Each boxed set also comes with what is basically a paperback book ("Treasures" runs 137 pages, "More Treasures" runs 185 pages) by Scott Simmon and Martin Marks, containing still more comprehensive background information about each film and its musical accompaniment. The centerpiece of the first platter, or Program 1 as it is called in the series, is a mesmerizing William S. Hart western from 1916, "Hell's Hinges," which runs 64 minutes. Hart's performance is startlingly good. He commands the camera in every shot while seeming totally integrated with his environment. His confidence is clearly heroic, and yet the emotional and moral arcs of his character are realistically nuanced and natural. He's a vivid movie star, whose very presence in the film is exciting. There is also the sense in the film, as there is in many westerns from the silent era, that the spare, rugged sets depicting the "western" town are contemporary in design; that, in essence, the movie was truly shot in the Old West, thanks to the first-hand knowledge and experience of its designers. The story is about an eastern preacher who journeys west and tries to start a church in an untamed town. Hart's character ends up helping him fend off bullies, who burn down the church and kill a number of people. The action scenes are fully integrated with the narrative. The plot may be similar to innumerable sappy Hollywood productions that would follow over the years, but the film itself has a grownup attitude, an uneasy "happy" ending and an indelible sense of accomplishment, as if the movies needed to advance no further than they had by 1916 to succeed. The other movie on Program 1 that is stunning in its artistic achievement is a 14-minute silent documentary from 1939 entitled "Cologne: From the Diary of Ray and Esther." The cinematic equivalent of folk art, the film intercuts images of a woman writing in a journal with what are apparently home movies from Cologne, Minnesota, depicting the social and business activities within the farming community. The journal entries work as intertitles for the program. There may be no better film ever created that captures the essence of an idealized America the way this one does, particularly since its documentary tone makes the utopia seem fully graspable. Like "Hell's Hinges," there is a feeling to the 15-minute 1912 film, "The Confederate Ironclad," that while it may not have been created in the era that it depicts, it drew its design and atmosphere from artists who had first or at the least, secondhand knowledge of its particulars. An enjoyable fictional story about female spies gives the narrative its context, but the film's depiction of the Monitor and its battles are quite spectacular. A 17-minute excerpt is presented from a 1939 film shot in Yiddish, Tevye, which most viewers will recognize--particularly since the sets, costumes, performances and even camera angles are so similar--as the source of "Fiddler on the Roof." While it is a shame that the entire film cannot be replicated on the DVD, the segments that are presented are fascinating. The program is supported by permanent English subtitles. Not to be confused with the 1928 French production of the same Edgar Allan Poe story, "The Fall of the House of Usher," also from 1928, running 13 minutes and directed by James Sibley Watson (e.e. cummings helped on the script), is a surreal depiction of the tale, evoking German Expressionism and particularly "The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari" in its design -- or one might even say ripping off Caligari. In any case, it appears that the filmmakers are more interested in toying with design than they are in clarifying a narrative. Also included is a delightful eight-minute animated short (using mostly silhouette cutouts) from 1928, "The Original Movie," which purports to present a history of moviemaking; three minutes of clips shot by the Edison Company in 1893 (blacksmiths), 1903 (a lascivious shoe salesman) and 1906 (tinting experiments); an amazing 1909 special effects fantasy entitled "Princess Nicotine" or "The Smoke Fairy," running five minutes, about a fairy hiding in a man's pipe; two minutes of home movies by Groucho Marx from 1933, showing him, sans mustache, cavorting with his wife and children; a two-minute sound film from 1938 promoting a bond vote for San Francisco Junior College; a Private Sanfu cartoon episode, "Spies," running four minutes, from 1943, the only program in the collection that has appeared previously on home video; and a 1968 experimental film by Scott Bartlett, "OffOn," running nine minutes, utilizing what would now appear to be primitive digital video effects to distort images of eyes, dancers, birds, trees, faces and then just abstract designs. The colors on it look a little aged. John Huston's "The Battle of San Pietro," a 1945 U.S. Army film that was suppressed at the time of its creation for not pulling its punches, appears on Program 2. The 33-minute black-and-white documentary, narrated by Huston, details the efforts of American forces to take a well-defended Italian town from the Germans. They succeed, but only after a long, hard fight, and Huston reports on the battle pragmatically, making note of the setbacks and the costs accompanying the successes. It is an overwhelmingly positive portrait of the toughness and the resolve of the American soldier, but it is also an admission that war is substantially more serious than a sporting event, and not every soldier comes home again. A full-length two-tone color film from 1922, "The Toll of the Sea," appears inspired by "Madame Butterfly," as it is about an Asian woman who marries an American, only to have him called back to the States and then return later with a new wife. The 54-minute program kind of cops out in the last act -- you don't get to see the guy realize that he has a child. But it is a basic, viable drama, and the colors, though limited in range, are intriguing. D.W. Griffith's "The Lonedale Operator," from 1911, runs 17 minutes and is about a female railroad clerk, threatened by robbers, who telegraphs for help while holding off the villains. Blanche Sweet stars. "Her Crowning Glory," a 14-minute short from 1911, is about a little girl who terrorizes the adults in charge of her, eventually cutting off her nanny's hair. Also included is a seven-minute collection of clips from 1901, 1903 and 1904, showing a time-lapse record of a building being torn down, a street vendor, and a gag film pretending to show a machine that makes dogs; a 1928 Western Union training film running five minutes that shows how a typographical error can lead to financial disaster; home movies taken in West Virginia in 1929 and 1935 that depict various sights around the state; home movies from 1936 and 1937 running four minutes with synchronized sound, the best segment being a tea party two little girls have with their pet dog; a nine-minute piece from 1946 in which a Globetrotters-style Black baseball team demonstrates their talents; and two artistic clips, a four-minute piece from 1940 entitled Composition 1 ("Themis"), which depicts geometric figures moving about, and a 1985 film running nine-minutes that manipulates images from Battery Park in New York City. A 1924 drama running 86 minutes and shot in Alaska, "The Chechacos," on Program 3, appears to be the inspiration for Charles Chaplin's "The Gold Rush," as there are many shots and settings in the latter that imitate the former. The story follows several characters, but is essentially about a mother and daughter who are separated during the boat ride up, and their lives with the men they attach themselves to until they reunite a number of years later. There are a few action scenes and some compelling scenic shots, but on the whole, it is a fairly standard concoction. A 13-minute collection of footage features shots taken in 1928 of a large passenger plane called the "Keystone Patrician" and home movies taken in 1936 during an Atlantic crossing of The Hindenberg. A 15-minute short from 1937, "We Work Again," promotes the success of WPA projects and concludes with a lengthy clip from the finale of Orson Welles' 'voodoo' stage production of "Macbeth." Also featured is a very clever 1908 film entitled "The Hand," running five minutes, in which a prosthetic arm appears to have a life of its own; a 1910 short running 11 minutes, entitled "White Fawn's Devotion," in which an Indian tribe mistakenly believes that a white settler has murdered his Indian wife; seven minutes of home movies taken between 1927 and 1932 of Japanese Americans, much of it shot in Tacoma, Washington; a spellbinding six-minute documentation from 1951 of George Ballanchine's sublime choreography for Maurice Ravel's La Valse featuring Tanaquil Le Clercq and Nicholas Magallanes; a 10-minute documentary from 1962 about Berlin, entitled "The Wall," that takes on an interesting perspective now that the Wall has come down; and a 1965 exploration of the junk collected by a homeless squatter running eight minutes and entitled "George Dumpson's Place," directed by Ed Emshwiller. A full-length 1916 feature tells the story of Snow White in 63 minutes on Program 4. The film gets a bit confused in spots -- there are two villains -- and the romance seems rushed, but it chugs its way through the familiar plot points and has some nice moments of fantasy. You definitely have to read the booklet essay to understand what is going on with "Rose Hobart," a 1936 film by a truly Surrealist filmmaker, Joseph Cornell. Running 19 minutes, Cornell took footage from a 1931 feature called "East of Borneo" and spliced it together in his own fashion, mixing in footage from other sources as well. Taken out of context, the movie looks like a fragment from a romantic jungle film, but if you watch it after obtaining the basic knowledge of what Cornell was doing, it becomes far more transfixing. Additionally, there is a minute-long collection of footage from 1894 depicting a circus contortionist and a "slack wire" acrobat; a fascinating trip up an East Side subway line in New York from 1905, running five minutes, which apparently had plenty of light; a three-minute line drawing cartoon from 1916 entitled "I'm Insured," about a guy who can't get himself hurt for the life of him, until the day his insurance expires; a good 15-minute travelog from 1918, looking at Japan; a 12-minute film from 1930 that depicts farmers in Maine clearing a field without the assistance of motorized technology; a 10-minute newsreel summarizing the important world events from 1934, including several assassinations we'd never heard about before; a cool 10-minute War Office film from 1943 that depicts "The Autobiography of a Jeep"; and a 1939 clip running eight minutes of a concert given by Marian Anderson on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial. The most rousing piece on Program 1 in "More Treasures" is a 14-minute film from 1925 entitled "The Hazards of Helen: Episode 26." Ostensibly part of a 119-episode serial, the equivalent of which would be a weekly television series today, the program is relatively self-contained, as the heroine races upon many different modes of transportation to prevent a train collision. The commentary, by Jennifer M. Bean, is also superb, looking at the parallel rise of technology and the action star, and analyzing the economics of filmmaking. Dorothy Gish stars in a 1916 feature running 58 minutes, "Gretchen the Greenhorn," playing a Dutch immigrant who moves to America and tries to cope with underclass urban life. There are several subplots involving various neighborhood characters and a crime story, about counterfeiters, to give the drama some zing. There is nothing exceptional about the film, but it is competently made, as the commentators, Robert Gitt and Randy Haberkamp concur: "It's certainly not definable as a lost classic, by any stretch of the imagination, but is a charming representation of kind of the average picture, and yet obviously a very entertaining and very well produced one, with a very likable and very endearing star." The commentary also includes an excellent discussion about tinting, and how replicated tinting is not the same as what was done originally. A fairly sympathetic portrait of indigenous Americans and the miscegenation that is part of the American heritage, "The Invaders," from 1912, runs 41 minutes and is about an Indian tribe getting pushed off their land because a railroad needs the right of way. A surveyor meets the chief's daughter and the two fall in love, but they are split apart when the Indians and the whites begin an escalation of skirmishes. The daughter ends up warning a cavalry commander of an impending attack, before dying in the arms of the commander's daughter. The action scenes are good and the drama displays a moral ambiguity that would evaporate for many years as westerns grew in popularity. Rennard Strickland supplies a commentary track, talking mostly about Anglo-Indian relations and the film's conceits. "Not to be sarcastic, but there were more daughters on the screen in the West than ever served with their fathers in their military command in the entire history of the Indian wars." A minute of film from 1894 includes shots of the real Annie Oakley shooting things. The earliest known strip of film to be synchronized with a sound recording -- of a man playing a violin while two other men dance cheek-to-cheek -- comes from 1894, too, and runs 15 seconds. It is presented in a repeating loop for a commentary track. A marvelous 10-minute collection of early commercials, accompanied by a commentary, includes an 1897 plug for a cigarette brand ("Admiral"), a 1920 bit for a cleaner with sophisticated split screen effects, a 1928 plug for a refrigerator, and, taking up the bulk of the segment, a 1910 depiction of an Edison phonograph being used as a dictaphone. Also included is one of umpteen adaptations of "The Wonderful World of Oz," from 1910, telling a reasonably complete version of the tale in 13 minutes; a 1909 D.W. Griffith short, "The Country Doctor," about a rich girl and a poor girl who both get sick (with commentary); a six-minute line-animated short from 1919 entitled "The Breath of a Nation," about drinking liquor (with commentary); a 12-minute corporate documentary from 1920 that shows how light bulbs are made (with commentary); an imitation of the European 'city poem' films, "Skyscraper Symphony" from 1929, running nine minutes; and a five minute talking clip from 1928 in which George Bernard Shaw addresses the viewer (with commentary). The highpoint of Program 2 is another western, "Clash of the Wolves," a 1925 Warner production running 74 minutes and starring none other than Rin Tin Tin. Tin portrays a wolf, 'Lobo,' who befriends a rancher and helps him when the rancher runs into trouble with villains after trying to stake a mineral claim. Tin not only has nearly the same moral or emotional span as William S. Hart, but he's almost as sexy, and the film is tightly scripted with plenty of great action scenes. It's an ideal crowd pleaser. From a seemingly earlier era, the eight-minute action film entitled "From Leadville to Aspen: A Hold-Up in the Rockies" was made in 1906. For much of the film, the camera gets placed on the engine of the train, so that you get an uninterrupted view of the Leadville to Aspen run. After the robbery, the bad guys get away in a carriage that runs parallel to the train, enabling that same engine-point-of-view shot to cover their getaway and the railroad crew's progress catching up to them at the same time. It has the feel of a theme park ride. The piece includes a commentary. Running 13 minutes, "The 'Teddy' Bears," from 1907, starts out as a depiction of the Goldilocks tale, but after establishing the bears as being relatively sympathetic, they chase Goldilocks and get shot by a Teddy Roosevelt-type hunter, who spares the life of the baby bear. The obvious but surprising political message and other aspects of the production are thoroughly discussed in Tom Gunning's commentary. A collection of early color film experiments running 12 minutes includes a two-tone 1916 clip entitled "Concerning $1,000," showing a woman talking to a man at a work table and then strolling in a garden; a two-tone potpourri from 1929 that includes animation segments and documentary footage (including New York City as seen from the East River) and ads; and a 1926 clip of a dance choreographed by Martha Graham, "The Flute of Krishna." The commentary on all three pieces, by Paolo Cherchi Usai, discusses the different methods of color production on film and gives as much background on the shorts as is known. A complete silent Hearst newsreel from 1926 runs 13 minutes and includes footage of the third Macy's Christmas parade, a couple of sporting events, Mussolini, a bad flood in Wales, a bicycle cart race in Paris, a dog that had nineteen puppies and a look at Britain's new tanks. There is a commentary track. Also included is a five-minute collection, with commentary, of documentary footage shot on the streets of New York City in 1901 and 1903; a 13-minute film from 1912 entitled "Children Who Labor," about a rich kid who falls off a train and ends up working in a factory before her factory owner parents can find her (with commentary); the only surviving footage from a 1921 feature, "Lotus Blossom," the 12-minute reel coming from a major and immediately involving turning point in the dramatic tale about a Tartar invasion of China, accompanied by a commentary from Stephen Gong, who identifies it as the first feature film to be directed by an Asian-American; a very amusing minute-long sound vaudeville clip from 1925 with the self-explanatory title, Gus Visser and His Singing Duck, which will give your friends a good giggle (the commentator, Donald Crafton, compares it to the AFLAC commercials); a silent Max Fleischer cartoon from 1927 entitled "Now You're Talking," which runs nine minutes and is about using the telephone (with commentary); a terrific 19-minute Charlie Bowers silent comedy from 1928 with elaborate special effects, "There It Is," in which Bowers is a Scottish detective called to investigate a haunted mansion; and a striking Jay Leyda 'city poem' piece, "A Bronx Morning," from 1931, running 11 minutes (with commentary). The centerpiece of Program 3 is a more commonly disseminated film, but one that represents the penultimate of cinematic artistry, Ernst Lubitsch's outstanding adaptation of Oscar Wilde's "Lady Windermere's Fan." Running 89 minutes, the 1925 feature eliminates what was assumed to be one of its strongest assets -- virtually all of Wilde's memorable dialog (Lubitsch also improves the punchline to the final act) -- while sustaining a taut, compelling narrative and exposing the story's rich emotional vitality. Ronald Coleman is among the stars in the tale about the young wife of a wealthy man who discovers that her husband has been writing checks to another woman, but does not know that the woman is actually her mother. The complications that arrive place several innocent people in compromising positions, and it takes a sacrificial act of social heroism to rescue them. The film has enough dramatic power to bring a viewer to tears, but it also sustains Lubitsch's delightful visual wit in virtually every scene, and features rich performances that bring a full humanity to the upper class characters. There doesn't seem to be anything too special about the picture transfer. It is reasonably sharp, but there are plenty of scratches and speckles. A very sparse commentary track is also included. A segment entitled "Trailers for Lost Films" runs 10 minutes and covers about a half dozen movies that were made between 1923 and 1928, some of which look so tantalizingly enjoyable that it is heartbreaking to realize that this is all that remains of them. For Paramount's "Beau Sabeur," a follow up to "Beau Geste," for example, an army appears along the top of a sand dune stretching from one side of the screen to the other, and then there are explosions in the sand in front of them, so great that they disappear in clouds of dust. There is also a trailer for a silent production of "The Great Gatsby," which looks possibly like the sharpest and liveliest of all the adaptations. A fascinating trailer for Lubitsch's "The Patriot" is included, too. As fun as these trailers are, the segment is also enriched by the group commentary track from Bean, Crafton and Gunning. They talk about the lost films (only 20% of American movies from the 1920s survive, and only 10% from the previous decade) and also get into the art of the movie trailer. "Even in the 1960s, there was still a lot of text on the screen, whereas today, trailers and previews I think have almost none. It's almost all voiceover, which they had as soon as sound came in, but they also still used, as almost one of the main survivals of the intertitle on the screen, a lot of text, and that's something that really I think, in the last 15, 20 years, has disappeared." "The trailer's status is interesting because it's almost like it's giving you a free sample, and for that you really want the images, and the text is sort of the come on, the spiel. The images are a free sampler, literally a preview of coming attractions." Zora Neale Hurston, whose literary reputation has been on a constant upswing for the past decade, is best known for having recorded folktales in the Deep South, but as is revealed in a seven-minute clip from 1928, she also took a camera along on her field expeditions, preserving a visual heritage to accompany the oral heritage she was documenting. There are three segments in the clip, one looking at loggers in the Florida swamps, one depicting children playing games and one capturing an open water baptism. The segment is aided significantly by Carla Kaplan's commentary, which uses the time to present a solid profile of Hurston and what she was up to. More examples of films with sound, which began well before Al Jolson proclaimed, "You ain't heard nuthin' yet," are collected in an 11-minute segment. There is a 1923 clip of Jolson's greatest rival, Eddie Cantor, delivering a very politically incorrect joke-and-song act for the camera, followed by a sleep-inducing Calvin Coolidge speech about taxes. A commentary is included. The 1912 silent one-reeler, "Falling Leaves," running 12 minutes, is about a little girl who is told by a doctor that her sister, who is ill, will probably die by the time the leaves fall off the trees outside her window. She then goes outside to tie them onto the branches so they won't fall off. Another doctor, his curiosity aroused by her actions, asks what she is doing and ends up curing the sister. It seems like a typical, early film, but it turns out to have been made by a female director, Alice Guy Bleche, who also founded her own film studio. Bean supplies a commentary that is deceptive in quality. At first it seems like some of the other commentaries, a bland retelling of what is obvious on the screen, but as she begins to point out the consistencies within the image compositions from one shot to the next, you realize that a lot more is going on, subliminally, and that both the movie and the commentary have a lot to offer. Also featured is a four-minute adaptation of "Rip Van Winkle" from 1896 (it's mainly about him falling asleep and then waking up); a 30-second clip of Thomas Edison in what is said to be his laboratory, from 1897; a 1903 film running six minutes entitled "Life of an American Fireman" that shows a fire brigade going out on a call --shot in New Jersey, the original film does not make use of intercutting and shows the people being rescued from inside the house before it shows the firemen going in to rescue them (a commentary is included); a six-minute overhead tracking shot of an enormous, bustling Westinghouse factory from 1904, with commentary; a 14-minute collection of what is listed as "Hollywood Promotional Films," including uncovered newsreel footage from the shooting of the desert sequence in "Greed" from 1923, a 1926 promotion for a daily theater contest, and what in essence is a 1918 promotional documentary for a Ruth Roland serial entitled "Hands Up" (all accompanied by commentaries); a six-minute animated Fleischer short from 1925 identified as "Inklings, Issue 12," which depicts metamorphosis in pen drawings -- baby faces growing into old men, objects deconstructing into other objects, and similarly impressive art tricks; a pretty cool three-minute clip of double exposure and split frame tricks entitled "Cockeyed," from 1925, perhaps the most memorable effect being a shot of the East River that shows its edge as a waterfall (with commentary); an 18-minute opening 'prolog' to a 1926 feature entitled "The Passaic Textile Strike" that shows workers (played by workers) trying to maintain their livelihoods with diminishing salaries and unhealthy working conditions (with commentary); and a Fleischer sing-along from 1926, "Tramp, Tramp, Tramp," running four minutes (with commentary). The complete database of Doug Pratt's DVD-video reviews is available at http://dvdlaser.com. A sample copy of the DVD-Laser Disc Newsletter can be obtained by calling (516) 594-9304. 5/10/2004 Guardian Unlimited (go top)
Schools, Libraries Internet Aid Delayed
WASHINGTON (AP) - A cash-flow problem in a federal program is hindering the ability of many schools and libraries to pay for Internet service. The Federal Communications Commission has ordered tighter spending rules for E-Rate, a $2.25 billion-a-year program that subsidizes Internet service and connection equipment. Under the new rules, the program must have enough cash on hand before it makes any new commitments to schools and libraries, even if bills won't come due for many months. That means the program must accumulate monthly fees from phone companies before committing to any more spending. The program is far from broke, though the problem is expected to delay the flow of over $1 billion in federal aid to schools and libraries. The issue has also held up the application process for schools. ``This puts school districts and their planning cycles into a tailspin,'' said Anne Bryant, executive director of the National School Boards Association and member of the USAC board. The E-Rate subsidies have become a budget fixture for schools, which use the savings to hire teachers or cover other critical costs, Bryant said. Financed through charges paid by phone companies that are typically passed along to customers, E-Rate is widely credited with getting schools and libraries wired. But it also faces scrutiny in Congress after highly publicized cases of wasted money. The impact of delayed commitments will vary by school district and depend on how phone companies respond to the temporary halting of funds. The moratorium began in August and is expected to last until perhaps December, said USAC spokesman Mel Blackwell. ``Some schools may end up having to pay for their (Internet) service before they get paid from us, which may put them in a bind,'' Blackwell said. The FCC ordered the higher accounting standards for the program a year ago, but the delay began only recently after federal officials completed a closer look at the program's finances. Any project already approved will receive its money. Schools and libraries will eventually get money for other projects, too, but may not be able to do them as quickly, said Mark Wigfield, spokesman for the FCC bureau that oversees E-Rate. ``The agency is strongly supportive of this program,'' he said. ``This is simply an unfortunate consequence of implementing these new accounting standards.'' Wigfield said the changes were driven in part by high-profile cases of misused E-Rate money and reflect an overarching effort by the FCC to strengthen the program's oversight. Bryant said the FCC compounded the problem by capping the amount of money phone companies must contribute, reducing the available funds by $550 million. 5/10/2004 Reuters (go top)
Beatles Photographs Stolen Near Clinton Library
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (Reuters) - A collection of early photographs of the Beatles intended for the Clinton Presidential Library has been stolen from the car of George Harrison's sister in a smash-and-grab robbery, police said. The photographs and some Beatles lyrics were in a briefcase stolen on Sunday when the thief smashed the window of Lou Harrison's locked car, which was parked in downtown Little Rock several blocks from the Clinton library. "There's no indication the thief or thieves had any idea what was in the case," said Sgt. Terry Hastings of the Little Rock Police Department. "They may already have thrown it away, not recognizing what the material was or what it could be worth." Lou Harrison drove to Little Rock from her home in Illinois to donate the material to the archive of former President Bill Clinton, who considers the Beatles second only to Elvis Presley among his greatest musical influences. "It is precious to me obviously because I don't have my brother in person," Harrison told Little Rock television station KTHV. George Harrison, the Beatles' legendary lead guitarist whose compositions with the group included "Taxman," "Here Comes the Sun" and "Something," died of cancer in Los Angeles in December 2001. His sister said she felt the stolen items should be in the Clinton library, which opens next month, because of the former president's fondness for the legendary British musicians. "I feel that, really, Clinton is the Beatle president," Harrison said. "I thought maybe if I could house them at the Clinton library, they could be on display, that all the Beatle people could enjoy seeing them." With Harrison's death, there are now two surviving Beatles, Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr. John Lennon was shot dead by a deranged fan in 1980. Skip Rutherford, president of the Clinton Presidential Foundation, which is overseeing construction of the Library, said Harrison was able to donate several other pieces of memorabilia. These including a record album signed by all four of the Beatles in 1964, when the group was in the U.S. for a storied appearance on the Ed Sullivan television program. "We've expressed personal regrets for the theft, but it was a random act," Rutherford said. "That doesn't help much, but it could have happened anywhere at any time." Rutherford said Harrison would be an honored guest when the Clinton Library formally opens on Nov. 18. 6/10/2004 This is London (go top)
Staff at British Library plan mass walk-out
The British Library faces a staff revolt as librarians and workers prepare for strike action and speak out about "major management problems". Insiders say morale at the £511million St Pancras building is at an all-time low and claim management, under chief executive Lynne Brindley, sits on the library's £90million government funding and then rushes to spend it before the financial year ends. "The lunatics have taken over the asylum," said one employee. "I see waste every day." It is believed a recent update to the cataloguing system discovered 10,000 items were missing from the shelves. Security guards have been asked to man the cloakrooms; workers have been asked to take on colleagues' duties to reduce overtime; reading room assistants are asked to do photocopying; and previously agreed overtime rights for staff are being reviewed. There are also complaints that directors enjoy first-class rail travel while staff do not. One employee said: "The science, business and technology reading rooms are empty a lot of the time. They reopened them as Services To Business - and they now have fewer users than before. "They have also started charging for services, which is alienating users even more. One once-regular user says it is now cheaper to fly to Holland and use the Dutch Royal Library for his researches." The library has now launched what one employee describes as a "major witch-hunt" to track down the staff members who presented a catalogue of complaints to the Evening Standard. Interim finance director Robert Kirton is also understood to be planning a major review, which will include redundancies. Meanwhile, PCS trade union negotiating officer Janet Keene said staff could walk out in droves in the civil service mass action planned in November. "The staff are annoyed, to put it mildly," she said. "I don't think it will take them much to come out on 5 November. They are aware of the cuts, although they are happening piecemeal." Ms Brindley said in a statement: "The British Library has undertaken a programme of reform and modernisation to ensure it is relevant for 21st-century users. Like the rest of the public sector, the British Library has been required to cut costs and make efficiency savings while providing ever more relevant services." 16/10/2004 Mercury News (go top)
USA: National award for libraries
For the fourth year in a row, the Santa Clara County Library system garnered a national honor as the best library serving 250,000 to 500,000 patrons. The Hennen's American Public Library Ratings, published this month, ranks the nation's 9,027 library systems for effectiveness by comparing such factors as per capita visits and circulation, and staffing and periodical ratios to number of residents. The Santa Clara County library system is the only one in California to be ranked among the 100 best overall for high quality and cost-effective service, according to a county library news release. The county system's nine branch libraries and the Bookmobile attract 3 million visits annually, and patrons check out 10 million items per year, according to the news release. 7/10/2004 BBC News (go top)
Hepburn papers donated to library
Hepburn's career spanned 70 years. Truckloads of papers, movie scripts and photos from the personal collection of actress Katharine Hepburn are to go on show to the public. The memorabilia was left to the library of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences by the actress on her death at the age of 96 last year. They include personal letters from movie star friends including Cary Grant and lover Spencer Tracy. "She seemed to have saved everything," said library director Linda Mehr. She went on to describe it as "an extraordinary treasure". The four-time Oscar winner stipulated in her will that her papers be available to the public and the executors of her estate decided on the Academy's library. She thought that what she had saved was the truth of her own experience Cynthia McCormick Hepburn's friend The Academy expects its curators to take some months going through the vast amount of correspondence. "This is a record collection... and the most comprehensive," said Mehr. "She was such an articulate person and one with whom people loved to correspond." In one letter from Hepburn to Laurence Olivier, the actress tries to change his mind about turning down a television movie she would also be in. She succeeded. In a handwritten letter to Hepburn from Jane Fonda, the younger actress thanks her for a note after the Oscars her father Henry and Hepburn won for On Golden Pond. "Your notes to him have lifted his spirit and moved him deeply at a time when spirit is about all he's got going." Henry Fonda was ill at the time and died soon after. Cynthia McCormick, a 30-year friend of the actress and co-executor of the estate, said she had talked to the actress "many times" about what should happen to her collection. "She thought that what she had saved was the truth of her own experience, and it was okay after she was gone to let people know the truth. Nothing has been tampered with." 7/10/2004 Managing Information (go top)
Free Seminar For Library Staff Explores Service Delivery
The next phase of the hugely popular People's Network project is a suite of online services providing a national web presence for England's public libraries. The first of these, the People's Network Online Enquiry Service, will be launched to the public in 2005. Using chat and email technology it will deliver a real-time information service by providing 'live' access to library and information professionals across the internet. Already, 22 library services, from Plymouth to Gateshead, have signed up to the service. Library staff wanting to find out more about this online initiative and to learn about new approaches to information service delivery are encouraged to attend a free seminar The Mortal in the Portal: Online Reference Service Delivery for the People's Network. The seminar will be held on 28 October 2004 in The Barbican Room, The Bailey Rooms, Castle Court complex, Cambridge from 9:30-4:30. The lottery-funded People's Network Online Enquiry Service is being managed by the Museums, Libraries and Archives Council, and developed by the East of England partnership, Co-East and OCLC Pica. Its delivery will be on a collaborative basis by participating English library authorities with funding by MLA and the Big Lottery Fund. 12/10/2004 Managing Information (go top)
New Conference Covers Future Technology For Libraries
A new conference has been launched to help library and information professionals drive and guide technology and service developments within their organisations. Talis Insight 2004 is the brainchild of Talis, a software and services partner for academic and public libraries. The two-day event takes place between 9-10 November 2004 at the NEC in Birmingham. It will include keynote speeches from high profile UK and overseas industry figures such as Mary Jackson of the Association of Research Libraries (ARL), Rachel van Riel of Opening the Book and Paul Miller, Common Information Environment director for JISC. Dave Errington, CEO at Talis and formerly chief technology officer for the £560m t/o Sage Group, says, "Innovation in library services is increasingly seen as a key element for success in the academic, local government and corporate sectors, whether for helping to deliver e-government services or providing users with up-to-date, quality information from the vast mass of unchecked data that is now available. Talis Insight 2004 is a fantastic opportunity for delegates to gain a heads-up on future technologies and to discuss their implications with peers - including key information and strategies to streamline processes, improve user services and understand technology futures. We will also be sharing Talis' vision for the future of library technology and showcasing a number of our research projects and new products." Three interest streams cover technology, management challenges and user experiences, offering a mix of customer case studies, workshops and software and hardware demonstrations. Open to Talis customers, Talis Insight 2004 provides opportunities to network with leading technology suppliers, Talis staff, and peers in academic and public during the day or at the evening awards dinner on 9th November. For more information visit www.talis.com/insight2004 11/10/2004 Managing Information (go top)
CABI Publishing Launch Global Health Archive
Access to almost 100 years of scientific research in public and international health is now available electronically for the first time with the launch of Global Health Archive from CABI Publishing. Global Health Archive is a modern, searchable, bibliographic database containing literature from 1908 to 1983 that is still relevant to today’s public health researcher. Up to now unlocking this literature has been problematic; much of it has been ‘lost’ in unused and forgotten print volumes that have not been available to the wider academic community. Information that may have had a direct impact on current research has been unavailable. Now CABI Publishing has, for the first time, made available their print archive of bibliographic records in a modern electronic format that is fully searchable alongside existing resources. Shaun Hobbs, Content Director, CABI Publishing comments “Many of the public health problems that we face in the 21st century are not new, but the challenge for the researcher comes in accessing this past research. We are delighted to have launched Global Health Archive as it will help researchers today not repeat the research, or mistakes, of yesterday”. Shaun goes on to emphasis that topics covered including bioterrorism, anti-microbial substances in the pre-antibiotic era, disease control, food security and the effects of economic development on health are still relevant today. Global Health and Global Health Archive are available through CABI Publishing’s own platform CAB Direct, which has recently been upgraded to a new, more advanced version. They are also available through other leading database vendors. For more information, please visit: www.cabi-publishing.org/globalhealth 5/10/2004 Seattle Post Intelligencer (go top)
Washington state opens digital archives
CHENEY, Wash. -- Washington has opened what is believed to be the nation's first digital archives for state government, holding everything from birth records to the first election results in Washington Territory in 1854. Housed in a new building on the Eastern Washington University campus, the $14.5 million Washington State Digital Archives makes certain records and electronic documents available without fear of damage. "This type of information is made to be used; you won't hurt it over the Internet," Chelan County Auditor Evelyn Arnold said. "Any time we can help our public in getting the information that is truly theirs, that is a great step forward." Volunteers have transcribed nearly 1 million scanned images of historic files over the past two years, State Archivist Jerry Handfield said. The census records, for example, contain county demographic information from 1847-1892. Also included are naturalization records ranging from 1854-1988, depending on the county, and marriage records dating back to 1900. Certified copies of documents can be purchased through a secure channel, eliminating the need to travel to Olympia or county courthouses where the paperwork is filed, digital archivist Adam Jansen said. E-mails and other electronic documents from state agencies also will be preserved in the future, Handfield said. The archive is a pet project of Secretary of State Sam Reed, who called it "the first state-of-the-art facility like this in the nation." Vermont Secretary of State Deborah L. Markowitz plans to make a similar pitch to her state's Legislature. The archive's digital storage system, which could eventually grow to 800 terabytes - the equivalent of 200 billion pages of text - was developed by Microsoft and EDS. Unlike paper records that can be changed, damaged or lost, electronic records will be protected by a digital "lock," redundant copies and offsite backups, Reed said. "Authentic records build trust in government," Reed said. "Our mission is to preserve our day-to-day successes and failures for people who will live in this state 100 years from now and beyond." On the Net:
Digital Archives: www.digitalarchives.wa.gov 12/10/2004 Technicianonline (go top)
NCSU Libraries, Library of Congress to save at-risk data
At-risk data, such as digital maps, will be safeguarded due to the cooperative efforts of the NCSU Libraries and the Library of Congress. The agreement between the two will set aside $1.044 million, slightly over half of will be contributed by the N.C. State libraries. The project, conducted through the National Digital Information Infrastructure and Preservation Program, was announced on Sept. 30. The project will involve a partnership with the North Carolina Center for Geographic Information and Analysis. Together, the partners will attempt to collect and preserve at-risk digital geospatial data resources from state and local government agencies. NCSU Libraries and the Library of Congress are concerned about securing the digital rights to these documents and also providing access to the documents and at-risk data. The at-risk data includes digitized maps, geographic information systems data sets, and digital aerial photography, all of which have varied uses. "A wide range of state and local agencies create these forms of data for use in tax assessment, transportation planning, hazard analysis, health planning, political redistricting, homeland security and utilities management," said Steven Morris, head of Digital Library Initiatives, NCSU Libraries received this project due to its experience working with local governments in acquiring GIS data and also due to the GIS activity on campus. NCSU Libraries began compiling this data in the mid-90s. In 2003, NCSU Libraries received an International Special Achievement in GIS award. Several other universities competed for similar opportunities. Universities receiving grants include the University of California-Santa Barbara and Stanford University. They are also working on geospatial projects. Students, faculty and staff will all be able to use this information for research projects. Some prime examples will be evident in "student research projects and exercises for class in fields such as natural resources, soil science, agriculture, civil engineering and education," according to Morris. The initiative will also create student jobs. According to Morris, the NCSU Libraries will be hiring qualified students with backgrounds in GIS or computer science. The jobs they will complete are varied. "These tasks will include transferring data, ingesting data into the repository and creating and assigning metadata for the data," Morris said. The NCSU Libraries worked very closely with colleges within the university to jump-start this program. "The Center for Earth Observation within the College of Natural Resources was instrumental in helping to get the Libraries' GIS program going," Morris said. 10/10/2004 BBC News (go top)
National library of Wales at Aberystwyth defends status
The National Library of Wales at Aberystwyth is resisting any attempt to change its status and make it part of the Welsh assembly government. Library chiefs have warned Culture Minister Alun Pugh any attempts to bring it under governmental control would threaten its effectiveness. They also warned that the library's charitable status could be eroded or destroyed by any change. The concerns were made in a submission sent to Mr Pugh and seen by BBC Wales. The warning adds that any change would be costly, time consuming, and could affect the professionalism of its staff. It also says any move would probably need parliamentary legislation. The library, set up by Royal Charter in 1907, has the right to receive a free copy of every book published in the United Kingdom. It has thousands of manuscripts and archives, pictures and photographs, maps, sound recordings and moving images, available for consultation. There was nobody from the Assembly Government or the National Library to make a comment. A number of cultural bodies are worried about the situation. "The library is a statutory body, an organisation with a good record of looking after our literary and archival treasures," said the chair of the Welsh Academy, author Harri Pritchard Jones. "The assembly does not have a track record. "But more importantly, I am against totalitarianism where the government takes care of things they know nothing about. 13/10/2004 Managing Information (go top)
National Library of Wales Opens New Reading Room
As part of its strategy to increase the number of users and readers, The National Library of Wales will open its newly redesigned and refurbished South Reading Room on Thursday 7 October. The Reading Room will be officially opened by Alun Pugh, Minister for Culture, Welsh Language and Sport. Located in what was previously the Pictures and Maps Reading Room, the new-look South Reading Room now extends through the entire length of the south wing of the main Library building. The new facility was designed by Aberystwyth architects, Gareth Lewis and Partners, working in close co-operation with Library staff, and the main contractors were Aberystwyth-based MEM Construction Ltd. Richard E. Huws, Head of Reader Services, commented: ‘Working with Messrs Gareth Lewis and Gareth Thomas (Architects), Mr Mark Moseley of MEM and his staff, and with a host of sub-contractors to create this new facility has been a very rewarding experience, and I am grateful to them all for their close co-operation at all times. I think we are all very happy with the finished product.’ The Reading Room has been equipped with the latest technology which will enhance the experience of readers using the Library’s collections and it has been designed with access and facilities for disabled users in mind. The new room is divided into two parts. One will serve researchers primarily interested in family history which is an important and growing part of the Library’s work. There are enhanced services offered in the form of additional electronic and network connections and increased self-service options and open-access reference material. The western end of the Reading Room will be restricted to readers of manuscripts, archives, original maps and rare books. The Room will accommodate more than 100 readers – a very substantial increase on the space previously available. A welcome addition to the design will be an area for readers to discuss their research without disturbing other users. The opportunity has also been taken to display on the Reading Room walls some items from the Library’s art collection. ‘I believe we’ve succeeded in creating a stylish new Reading Room which will greatly enhance our service to users while respecting the original architecture of this beautiful building,’ added Andrew Green, Librarian, The National Library of Wales, Aberystwyth. Minister for Welsh Language, Culture and Sport Alun Pugh said: "Thanks to £200,000 from the Welsh Assembly Government, the new reading room will offer an important research facility for people to look into their family history. This will be an excellent addition to the extensive facilities already at The National Library of Wales." 12/10/2004 Menafn (go top)
Number of people going to public libraries in Bahrain on the rise
Gulf Daily News reported that increasing numbers of people are reportedly using the public libraries in Bahrain. More than 352,400 people visited the Education Ministry's eight public libraries in Hidd, Arad, Muharraq, Manama, Jidhafs, Isa Town, Sitra and East Riffa last year. The number of visitors to the library from the beginning of this year to September reached 44,157, while the number of borrowers 46,374. 14/10/2004 Publictechnology.net (go top)
Tender: Museums, Libraries and Archives Council offers online project
The Museums, Libraries and Archives Council (MLA) is calling for proposals to develop and operate an online reading group service for adults as a core component of the People’s Network Service in England. The total budget available for this is in the region of £75,000. This funding is to enable a service to be developed & operated for a minimum of 2 years from September 2005. (All proposals should include a sustainability plan for continuous service beyond this funding period.) The service is expected to be in operation September 2005, for a minimum of 2 years. A sustainability plan for continuous service beyond this funding period should be included with all proposals. The full operational online reading group service for adults will be capable of being integrated with other People’s Network services and be branded accordingly as a part of the ‘People’s Network’. It will provide the following: - An online environment for adults to stimulate a passion for reading in line with Public Library strategies in England
- an effective service management and policy framework that governs the service and its operating parameters, including ‘acceptable use’
- online assistance for use of the service
- a text-searchable and subject-indexed online archive of reading group discussions regular service use reporting
- A sustainability plan for service operation beyond the initial 2 year period The service will comply with relevant accessibility, usability & interoperability standards and all relevant legislation, including: W3C WAI AAA; eGIF; eGMS; Data Protection; Freedom of Information; Child Protection Further details about the Service including instructions for submitting a proposal can be downloaded from the MLA website at: http://www.mla.gov.uk/information/tenders/tenderlist.asp
Deadline for responses: 22 October 2004.
Museums, Libraries and Archives Council
T: 020 7273 1459
Italian 6/10/2004 Adnkronos (go top)
Rimini: biblioteche storiche aperte ai cittadini
La biblioteca come spazio di idee, dove confrontarsi e coltivare il pensiero critico. E' il senso dell'iniziativa ''L'altra domenica - open day delle biblioteche di Romagna'' promossa per domenica 10 ottobre dall'Assessorato alla Cultura della Provincia di Rimini insieme con le Province di Ravenna e Forli'-Cesena. ''E' la festa di tutte le biblioteche - spiega l'assessore alla Cultura della Provincia di Rimini Marcella Bondoni - all'invito hanno risposto le biblioteche dei Comuni della provincia e il centro di documentazione Ca' Brigida di Verucchio, gestito dal Wwf di Rimini." I responsabili delle biblioteche offriranno la possibilita' a numerosi cittadini di sperimentare i diversi volti e conoscere gli angoli segreti di biblioteche storiche come la Malatestiana di Cesena, la Saffi di Forli', la Classense di Ravenna, la Gambalunghiana di Rimini. 16/10/2004 Adnkronos (go top)
Firenze: Esce da Biblioteca Medicea libro d'ore di Lorenzo de Medici
Il gioiello della miniatura fiorentina esce dai caveaux della Biblioteca Medicea Laurenziana per offrirsi all'apprezzamento di studiosi, bibliofili e appassionati. E' stata presentata oggi nel Salone dei Cinquecento di Palazzo Vecchio a Firenze l'edizione in facsimile del prezioso ''Libro d'Ore'' di Lorenzo de' Medici, voluta dall'editore Franco Cosimo Panini. Alla presentazione hanno partecipato l'assessore comunale alla valorizzazione delle tradizioni popolari fiorentine Eugenio Giani, il soprintendente per il Polo Museale Fiorentino Antonio Paolucci, la direttrice della Biblioteca Medicea Laurenziana Franca Arduini. 16/10/2004 Bellaciao (go top)
La seconda biblioteca delle fanzine nel mondo
La città di Sao Vicente (70 chilometri da Sao Paulo, Brasile) sta attivando la seconda biblioteca delle fanzine nel mondo. La città già ha una ’gibiteca’ (biblioteca dei fumetti) ed è considerata una delle città dove lo sviluppo dei comics in Brasile é maggiore. L’11 novembre si inaugura la prima attività della futura ’fanzinoteca’: 205 fanzine - in teche illuminate da luce indiretta - serano esposte nella Galeria de Artes del CCBEU. Un catalogo - particolarmente utile agli studiosi - sarà edito e conterrà la descrizione delle opere. Tra le opere in mostra va sottolineato la grande partecipazione dei manga (70%). Per gli stranieri, la notizia piu importante é che fanzine di tutto il mondo saranno accettate, dopo la prima mostra. Le fanzine dovranno essere inviate alla Secretaria da Cultura de São Vicente, Rua João Ramalho, 988, Centro, São Vicente (SP). Brasile CEP: 11.310-050. NB: [La prima biblioteca delle fanzine è quella di Poiters, Francia]. Potete leggere un testo in portoghese : http://www.neorama.com.br/fanzinoteca.htm 12/10/2004 Adnkronos (go top)
Recanati, convenzione per l'uso della Biblioteca Benedettucci
Il comune di Recanati e l'Ente chiesa rettoriale San Filippo Neri hanno stipulato una nuova convenzione per l'uso della biblioteca ''Benedettucci'' e degli annessi manoscritti. Il nuovo documento integra e arricchisce i due protocolli gia' stipulati e avra' una durata di quindici anni. L'approvazione dello schema di convenzione e'avvenuta il 4 ottobre scorso in Giunta comunale e nei prossimi giorni ci sara' la firma del documento da parte del sindaco e di un rappresentante dell'ente chiesa rettoriale. L'accordo e' di particolare rilevanza perche' consentira' alla cittadinanza e agli studiosi di utilizzare il prezioso patrimonio di studio e di conoscenza conservato nel fondo librario, di cui fanno parte anche i manoscritti chiamati ''Carte Recanatesi''. Secondo quanto stabilisce la convenzione, il materiale bibliografico rimarra' negli attuali locali di Palazzo Benedettucci, come espresso nelle volonta' testamentarie di padre Clemente Benedettucci. Per facilitare la fruizione e la consultazione del materiale il Comune si impegna a mettere in comunicazione i locali della biblioteca comunale con quelli della Benedettucci, con un passaggio a suo tempo predisposto, in modo che gli utenti, cittadini e studiosi, possano usufruire contemporaneamente di entrambi i complessi librari. A tale scopo si provvedera' anche alla sistemazione delle sale dell'attuale Biblioteca Benedettucci non utilizzate. L'amministrazione si impegna, oltre che alla conservazione del patrimonio librario, a garantire la continuazione della catalogazione. French 5/10/2004 All Africa (go top)
Dakar: La bibliothèque Mariama Ba inaugurée à Milan : un outil pour l'épanouissement des enfants des immigrés
- Les enfants des immigrés sénégalais de la région lombarde ont désormais leur bibliothèque dénommée Mariama Ba. Elle a étè inaugurée lors d'une cérémonie très chaleureuse qui a eu lieu, dimanche, dans les locaux de la Bibliothèque communale de la petite ville de Cingonia, dans la provnce de Bergamo. Cette localité est, avec Brescia et Milan, l'une des zones où se concentrent la plupart des Sénégalas vivant en Italie. Dans la salle où se déroulait la cérémonie, régnait une ambiance bon enfant avec des tout-petits qui couraient dans tous les sens, s'exprimant aussi bien en wolof qu'en italien. "A la maison, je parle wolof avec mes parents, mais je m'exprime en italien quand je suis à l'école", nous glisse une fillette qui gambade dans le jardin en compagnie de ses camarades de jeux. Ici, les Sénégalais semblent bien intégrés mais comme tous les immigrés, ils sont confrontés à un terrible dilemme cornélien : comment éduquer son enfant, l'imprégner de sa culture d'origine tout en lui donnant la chance de s'intégrer dans le pays d'accueil ? C'est pour résoudre cette équation que le Centre d'orientation pour les études africaines (Centro orientamento studi africani - Cosa), dirigé par Alioune Baye Ndiaye de l'Université IULM de Milan, a décidé de mettre sur pied cette Bibliothèque Mariama Ba destinée à tous les enfants d'origine sénégalaise vivant dans la région lombarde. L'action est menée avec l'Association des Sénégalais de Bergamo, avec le soutien institutionnel de Western Union, dont la représentante, Béatrice Elongo, était venue de Paris pour la circonstance. Des dizaines de livres sont déjà acquis par la Bibliothèque Mariama Ba, dont le principal objectif est de permettre aux enfants sénégalais d'avoir des ouvrages écrits par des auteurs africains qui leur donneront l'opportunité (assez rare en Italie) de découvrir les richesses culturelles de leur continent et de leur pays. "Nous nous félicitons de cette initiative de Cosa et sommes très fiers d'avoir été associés à l'inauguration de la bibliothèque dont les principaux bénéficiaires sont nos enfants", s'est réjoui Alioune Guèye, président de l'Association des Sénégalais de Bergamo. Selon le consul général du Sénégal à Milan, Abdou Lahat Sourang, la création de la Bibliothèque Mariama Bâ est en adéquation avec la proposition faite par le président sénégalais Abdoulaye Wade lors de sa visite à Rome, qui avait émis l'idée de mettre sur pied une école sénégalaise en Italie. Une telle école est nécessaire car la commuauté sénégalaise en Italie s'élargit d'année en année. Les statistiques le prouvent : rien que pour la région de la Lombardie, il y a eu 79 naissances en 2001 ; 441 naissances en 2002 ; 569 naissances en 2003 et 649 naissances pour les neuf premiers mois de 2004. "Et cela ne concerne que les naissances officiellement déclarées dans les trois provinces que sont Milan, Brescia et Bergamo", explique le consul général que nous avons interrogé à la fin de la cérémonie. "Il est donc devenu urgent de créer une école sénégalaise où les enfants des immigrés pouront apprendre le français et où les mères garderont les touts petits dans la crèche, ce qui leur permettra de pouvoir travailler et apporter des revenus supplémentaires dans le foyer. Si la plupart des femmes travaillaient, il y aurait moins de problèmes au sein des familles". Dans des pays comme la Gambie et l'Arabie Saoudite, il existe des écoles sénégalaises, alors que la commuanuté des immigrès y est moins importante qu'en Italie. Officiellement, il y a 24.000 Sénégalais régulièrement immatriculés en Italie, mais ils sont certainement deux fois plus nombreux, estime le diplomate, explique le Consul général du Sénégal à Milan. La représentante du maire de la commune de Verdelino a insisté sur l'importance de l'éducaton et de la culture pour les enfants issus de l'immigration. "Cette bibliothèque Mariama Ba va certainement favoriser une compréhension réciproque entre Italiens et Sénégalais", a-t-elle indiqué. Pour la directrice de la Bibliothèque communale, ce genre d'inititives comme celle de Cosa permet aussi bien aux immigrants qu'aux Italiens de découvir d'autres cultures. Selon Béatrice Elongo, représentante de Western Union (qui a financé une bonne partie de l'opération), l'éducation est bien qu'une cause, "c'est un devoir pour tous" envers les enfants. Le président du Cosa, Alioune Baye Ndiaye, a estimé que l'intégration des immigrés représente la grande plaie du siècle. "Ce phénomène ne pourra etre compris qu'à travers l'étude des relations entre le monde des immigrès et le nouvel univers où ils se sont intallés", poursuit-il. C'est ce qu'il a essayé de décortiquer dans sa thèse de doctorat soutenue il y a quelques années et dont le théme portait justement sur ce phénomène de l'immigration sénégalaise en Italie qui est assez récente. Cela explique certainement le fait qu'aucune démarche politique n'est encore menée afin de résoudre l'équation de l'intégration des enfants dans les écoles italiennes. "Généralement, on s'attend à ce que ces enfants se conforment aux attitudes des Italiens, meme si dans leur contexte familial (langue, culture, niveau d'nstruction) ils se forgent une identité différente", analyse Alioune Baye Ndiaye. Selon lui, les enseignants italiens ne sont pas encore habitués à travailler dans un climat multiculturel au sein des classes, et ne disposent pas de matériaux, ni de services pouvant les aider à mieux comprendre les enfants issus de l'immigration. Ces anomalies entraînent ainsi des situations ubuesques, car il arrive souvent que des enseignants ne fassent pas l'effort d'apprendre les noms et prénoms des enfants d'immigrès, préférant les appeler simplement par des termes comme Jamaicains ou Sénégalais. "On peut imaginer les difficultés qui en découlent, aussi bien du point de vue psychologique que sur le plan des performances scolaires de l'enfant", indique encore Baye Ndiaye. Face à cette situation parfois traumatisante, des parents préfèrent envoyer leurs enfants finir leurs études au Sénégal et se construire une solide identité, tandis que d'autres se battent pour les soutenir à l'école et à la maison. En effet, des spécialistes comme le professeur italien Crevatin ont démontré que la langue et la culture d'origine permettent à l'individu de mieux se structurer sur les plans mental et psychologique. C'est pourquoi la création de la Bibliothèque Mariama Ba a étè saluée par tous ceux qui étaient présents dimanche dernier à son inauguration. La mémoire de l'illustre écrivain sénégalais qui en est le parrain a également été évoquée au cours de la cérémonie. Dans la soirée, les Sènégalais de Bergamo se sont regroupès autour de D. J. Prince de la RTS qui a animé en direct son émission dominicale sur les immigrés éparpillés un peu partout dans le monde. Durant l'èmission, ont été évoqués tous les problèmes auxquels sont confrontès nos compatriotes vivant en Italie. 7/10/2004 Le Front (go top)
Centre culturel américain de Côte d’Ivoire: Le centre de documentation a fêté ses 40 ans
Le Centre culturel américain a organisé hier, mercredi, , une journée portes ouvertes. C’était à l’occasion du quarantième anniversaire de son centre de documentation et d’information. Mme Ergibe A.Boyd, directrice du Centre culturel américain, dans son mot de bienvenue, a remercié tous les invités et les personnalités présents. Elle a émis le vœu que cette journée soit une occasion pour renforcer davantage les liens d’amitié et de fraternité entre la Côte d’Ivoire et les Etats-Unis. Mme Angoran Marie-Laure, directrice du Centre de documentation et d’information du centre culturel américain, a pour sa part, rendu un hommage à tous ses collègues qui, chaque jour, oeuvrent pour la bonne marche du service. Elle a indiqué que la collection du centre de documentation et d’information contient plus de 4400 livres dont 52% en anglais et 48% en français. Ces livres couvrent plusieurs aspects des Etats-Unis d’Amérique : la politique étrangère, les médias, l’économie, le management et le marketing, la littérature, l’art, l’histoire et la géographie. Il centre dispose d’environ 875 ouvrages de référence que sont les dictionnaires, les encyclopédies et les annuaires. Et offre à ses abonnés, une consultation gratuite de sept bases de données très utiles et pertinentes pour la recherche de l’information. La collection ‘’Nouveaux horizons’’ occupe une place de choix au centre de documentation et d’information. Nouveaux Horizons publie, en coédition avec les éditeurs français et belges, une sélection des meilleurs ouvrages classiques et contemporains, traduits de l’américain, dans les domaines de l’économie, du management, des sciences politiques et des sciences sociales. Les professionnels et les étudiants du second cycle universitaire peuvent s’abonner. Cet abonnement est gratuit mais pour obtenir la carte de membre, tout demandeur doit fournir une pièce d’identité valide, deux photos d’identité et une enveloppe timbrée portant son adresse personnelle. 7/10/2004 Gazeta Beskid (go top)
Bibliothèque polonaise à Paris
Aleksander Kwasniewski, le président de la Pologne, s’est rendu à Paris lundi dernier (voir nos précédentes éditions). A l’occasion de cette courte visite, il a inauguré, après les travaux de rénovation, la nouvelle Bibliothèque Polonaise de Paris La Bibliothèque a été créée en 1838, dans un palais du XVIIème siècle, situé l’Ile Saint Louis. Cet établissement est le plus ancien du genre en dehors des frontières de l’état polonais. Le Président polonais y a inauguré lundi une nouvelle salle de lecture et a visité le musée Adam Mickiewicz. La Bibliothèque Polonaise de Paris abrite plus de 200.000 livres, 5.000 manuscrits, 4.000 cartes et atlas, 600 médailles, mais aussi de nombreuses œuvres d’art et quelques œuvres rares, comme par exemple les trois premières éditions de « De revolutionibus… » de Nicolas Copernic, des manuscrits de Chopin, Mickiewicz et Norwid. 8/10/2004 All Africa (go top)
Luanda (Angola): Poursuite d'un projet de bibliothèques mobiles
Les 103ème et 104ème éditions du projet de bibliothèques mobiles, organisé par le Noyau National de Collecte et Recherche de la Littérature Orale "NNARP", débutés jeudi dernier, à Luanda, poursuitent ce vendredi, dans l'école de l'I niveau 408, localisée dans la municipalité de Sambizanga, a appris l'ANGOP de source officielle. Les Bibliothèques mobiles, qui ont l'appui de l'ONG britannique Open Society, réunissent 500 livres de littérature infanto-juvenile d'écrivains angolais et étrangers en vue de permettre un plus grand contact avec la littérature et chercher un plus grand intérêt par la lecture. L'activité fait partie d'un projet intititulé "Ler é Crescer", de la responsabilité de l'écrivain angolais José Luís Mendonça, soutenu par l'Institut Camões de l'Ambassade Portugaise et coordonnée par le Noyau National de Collecte et Recherche de la Littérature Orale. Pour poursuivre leurs objectifs, notamment la divulgation de la culture angolaise, le noyau de littérature orale organise, entre autres activités, la foire du livre, des expositions, des concours de déclamation de poésie, des histoires et langues nationales, conférences sur les sujets culturels, ainsi que des campagnes de sensibilisation sur l'importance du livre et de la littérature. 10/10/2004 L' Express Dimanche (go top)
Maurice: Le numérique à la rescousse de nos archives audiovisuelles
Maurice est le premier pays qui bénéficie de l’apport du projet d’archivage Archivage Intelligent Multimédia Economique (AIME), placé sous l’égide du CIRTEFF. Celui-ci est un logiciel de gestion d’archives audiovisuel numérique. Olivier Picot, directeur technique et Marie-Pierre Dura-Swiderski, responsable des utilisateurs pour le projet AIME, ont formé des documentalistes et des réalisateurs de la MBC pendant une semaine. Toutes les archives de la MBC sont en bande que ce soit pour la radio ou pour la télévision. Des registres manuels permettent d’avoir des informations sur le contenu de ces bandes. Ce système a certes fonctionné jusqu’à présent. Mais à l’heure où le monde se numérise, il était temps de changer les choses d’où la présence des formateurs. Ces derniers ont installé le logiciel nécessaire. « C’est un logiciel particulier auquel nous avons formé les documentalistes et les réalisateurs. Nous les avons conseillés sur l’organisation et la sauvegarde des archives », explique Marie-Pierre Dura-Swiderski. La plate-forme installée pour la formation restera en place. Dès demain, le logiciel commencera à être utilisé. L’archivage numérique permettra de faciliter le travail du documentaliste. Celui-ci pourra se retrouver plus facilement. Pour les archives audio, des CDs seront utilisés. En ce qui concerne les archives pour la télévision, des DVDs seront utilisés. Numériser plus de trente ans d’archives ne sera pas chose évidente. C’est la raison pour laquelle, dès demain, les programmes quotidiens seront numérisés. Peu à peu, le passé sera aussi sauvé. En ce qui concerne les bandes en 16 millimètres, elles doivent être visionnées et expertisées afin de déterminer quels sont les films qui sont lisibles ou pas. Il faudra après les passer sur bande vidéo puis en DVD. Le travail sera long et complexe mais c’est la mémoire du pays qui sera sauvée. Le problème est que les bandes se dégradent beaucoup plus vite dans des pays chauds et humides comme Maurice qu’ailleurs. D’où l’importance de cette démarche. « C’est un problème que l’on retrouve dans plusieurs pays dont ceux d’Afrique. Les bandes Beta ne sont pas très vieilles mais ont été conservées pendant longtemps sans système de climatisation. Cela les a dégradées. Il y a aussi des films en format BVU mais malheureusement, le fabricant à l’époque n’en produit plus et il n’y a pas de lecteurs non plus. Fort heureusement, les gens sont très conscients de la nécessité d’avoir des archives », souligne la responsable des utilisateurs pour le projet AIME. Elle ajoute qu’à la MBC, il y a eu un très bon travail de catalogage. Les registres ont aussi été tenus de manière très efficace. AIME existe depuis trois ans. C’est un projet qui est supporté par le CIRTEF. A plusieurs reprises, il a été présenté dans des séminaires d’archivages. Les fonctionnalités du logiciel ont été testées au Mali. La première implémentation se fait à Maurice en raison de notre bon niveau de l’informatique. Si tout se passe bien, AIME sera étendu à neuf autres pays africains avant de l’être dans tous les pays francophones. 14/10/2004 Infoceane (go top)
La bibliothèque universitaire du Havre échappe au gel des crédits d’Etat
Le chantier de construction de la bibliothèque universitaire du Havre un temps menacé par le gel des crédits d’Etat a été présenté en grande pompe, mardi 12 octobre. Les coupures de crédit annoncées par le gouvernement en mai dernier avaient suspendu et menacé ce chantier de 16 millions d’euros (40 % Etat, 40 % Région, 20 % Département), tout comme celui du restaurant universitaire. La pression exercée par des élus de la majorité inquiet de l’effet désastreux de ce contre-temps, a relancé le projet auquel « Il aura fallu huit ans pour le mener à bien. C’est le fruit de volontés politiques fortes » a rappelé le président de l’université du Havre, Pierre-Bruno Ruffini devant le sous-préfet, la Rectrice, le maire du Havre, les présidents de la Région, du Conseil général. « Une bibliothèque, c’est plus que de la brique et du béton, ajoutera, lyrique, Pierre-Bruno Ruffini. C’est la mémoire de l’humanité toute entière, une cathédrale dédiée au savoir », destinée à « transmettre et produire de la connaissance ». D’autant que cet « emblème ouvert dans la ville s’inscrit dans un contexte plus vaste d’amélioration du niveau des formations et d’aménagement du territoire ». Cette cathédrale sera en briques, « matériau traditionnel de l’université et de la Normandie », et en façades transparentes, « pour faire rentrer l’université dans la ville » : les architectes Dottelonde, père et fille (également signataires de la future CCI du Havre) l’ont voulue « sobre et solennelle comme un bâtiment public et inscrite dans un quartier en plein restructuration ». La poétique naîtra de l’atrium central, tout en jeux de lumière, dont l’escalier monumental reliera les quatre niveaux. Entre facs et école de musique, la bibliothèque se veut « un point de repère dans la ville ». Près de 8 000 m2 destinés aux étudiants, chercheurs, enseignants, animés par 33 personnels et équipés des dernières technologies (fichiers numériques, réseau intranet entre les bibliothèques…) offriront salle d’actualité, photo-cathothèque, plateaux disciplinaires, salles de formation, salles de travail en groupe, 1000 places assises, 200 postes informatiques. Objectif : atteindre 130 000 volumes dans les collections (contre 91 000 en 2002). Pour Pierrette Portron, conservateur général, « c’est une exigence permanente pour les bibliothèques d’offrir un accès égal pour tous à l’information ». 13/10/2004 Le Matin (go top)
Bibliothèque Quaraouiyne de Fès (Maroc) : 3000 manuscrits d’une valeur inestimable
Des personnalités et journalistes représentant des médias nationaux ont effectué mardi une visite de la prestigieuse Bibliothèque Quaraouiyne inaugurée le 17 septembre dernier par Sa Majesté le Roi Mohammed VI. Cette visite organisée par le ministère de la culture a été une occasion pour les personnalités présentes dont notamment MM. Abdelwahab Benmansour, historiographe du Royaume, Mohammed Bencharifa, membre de l'académie du Royaume du Maroc et anciens conservateurs des bibliothèques Quaraouiyne de Fès et nationale de Rabat, de prendre connaissance des travaux d'aménagement et de restauration de l'édifice construit en 1940 sur la place Seffarine suite aux instructions données à l'époque par feu S.M. Mohammed V et de découvrir le prestigieux fonds documentaire. La délégation des journalistes visitant les différents locaux restaurés, telle la grande salle alaouite de lecture , la coupole saâdienne, a pris acte des aménagements modernes réalisés au niveau de la bâtisse et du système magnétique installée dans une des salles pour la protection des manuscrits. Les journalistes ont également suivi les explications fournies par le conservateur de la bibliothèque, M. Ali Laghzioui quant à la restauration des manuscrits anciens par une équipe d'experts marocains et étrangers qui se sont chargés de les restaurer, les répertorier et les micro-filmer pour qu'ils soient à la disposition des chercheurs. Ces manuscrits évalués à quelques 3000 titres qui ont une valeur inestimable, ont fait la renommée nationale et internationale de la bibliothèque Quaraouiyne qui a toujours bénéficié de la sollicitude des sultans des dynasties qui se sont succédé au Maroc. Cette prestigieuse institution qui retrouve ses lettres de noblesse, redevient comme par le passé un lieu de savoir ouvert à tous grâce à l'achèvement des travaux de restauration effectués par le ministère de la culture pour un montant de l'ordre de 5 millions de DH. Cette bibliothèque, fondée au sein même de la mosquée en 750 de l'Hégire sous le règne du sultan Abou Inane Al Marini pour avoir fait don en bien de main morte de l'ensemble de ses ouvrages, fut agrandie par la suite en 1549 par Ahmad Al Mansour Adahbi qui y laissa un ensemble de livres tracés ou paraphés de sa main en Tahbis. 13/10/2004 Mairie de Paris (go top)
Le catalogue des bibliothèques de prêt en ligne dès aujourd'hui sur www.bibliotheques.paris.fr
Dans le cadre de la politique de développement de la lecture publique à Paris, Bertrand Delanoë et Christophe Girard annoncent la mise en ligne du catalogue des bibliothèques de prêt de la Ville de Paris en libre accès sur internet : Spanish 5/10/2004 elsigloweb.com (go top)
La OPS prepara una biblioteca virtual de la salud
Coordinadores y capacitadores de la Organización Panamericana de la Salud (OPS) están en la provincia desarrollando una biblioteca virtual de salud, un proyecto que se realiza a nivel nacional y para toda Latino América y el Caribe. La iniciativa tiene como protagonista en Tucumán a la Facultad de Medicina de la UNT, que se sumará a esta red con más de 4.000 ejemplares. "Se trata de un emprendimiento de tres escalones: local, nacional y regional. La idea es dar y recibir, por eso se ayuda a cada biblioteca a evaluar sus contenidos e infraestructura, se capacitan los recursos humanos y se hacen recomendaciones. Brindamos cooperación técnica y aporte bibliográfico", indicó Susana Catalina Iannello, coordinadora para la OPS del Programa de Información y Comunicación en Salud. Hasta el momento, la red de salud del país está integrada por 75 bibliotecas de facultades, fundaciones y centros de investigación públicos y privados. A nivel de América Latina y Caribe, la cifra se multiplica hasta llegar a las 1.500 instituciones. Actualmente, Medicina de la UNT se encuentra cargando las bases de datos con sus ejemplares, cuya calidad será evaluada por la OPS. "Los contenidos científicos se renuevan periódicamente y en muchos casos los avances son tan rápidos y sorprendentes que se habla de una permanencia de cinco años en promedio", indicó Cristina Giacomo, a cargo de la biblioteca local. 5/10/2004 Managing Information (go top)
Access to Archives Consulted 10 Million Times
Access to Archives (A2A) is part of the growing on-line archives network in the UK. The A2A database enables people to search for archives across England covering an amazing breadth and diversity of subjects, people and places. A2A is a partnership lead by The National Archives, including the MLA, The British Library, the National Council on Archives and the Society of Archivists. The A2A Central Team announced that last Saturday, 25 September, the 10,000,000th catalogue download took place on the A2A website at http://www.a2a.org.uk http://www.a2a.org.uk The catalogue downloaded described miscellaneous deeds and documents relating to places and people in Bristol and elsewhere (Bristol Record Office, ref 37890). This means that catalogues on A2A - the English strand of the UK archives network - have been consulted 10 million times since launch. Louise Craven, A2A Programme Manager, said: "The millions of catalogue downloads from the A2A site demonstrate what a valuable resource it is for our users, both expert researchers and those accessing archives for the first time." 4/10/2004 El Nuevo Herald (go top)
Se paraliza ayuda del gobierno de EEUU a escuelas y bibliotecas
WASHINGTON - Más de 1.000 millones de dólares en fondos federales para ayudar a escuelas y bibliotecas a conectarse con la internet están demorados por un cambio en el sistema de contabilidad. En un esfuerzo por agilizar el programa denominado E-Rate, atascado hasta ahora por casos embarazosos de fraude y abuso, la Comisión Federal de Comunicaciones lo ha sometido a reglas de contabilidad más estrictas. Una consecuencia ha sido la paralización temporal de los gastos. Financiado mediante cargos a las compañías telefónicas que éstas suelen pasar a su vez a los usuarios, el programa de 2.250 millones de dólares anuales suministra acceso a la internet con descuento y sistemas de conexiones internas como cables y adaptadores. Según las nuevas reglas, el programa debe tener suficientes fondos en efectivo a mano antes de formular compromisos a escuelas y bibliotecas, aunque las facturas no sean pagaderas por varios meses. El grupo que administra el programa sin fines de lucro, Universal Service Administrative Co. (USAC), tiene activos líquidos por más de 3.000 millones de dólares en bienes, pero no los cuenta como efectivo debido a que el dinero está destinado a futuros proyectos. Eso significa que el programa debe acumular las cuotas mensuales de las compañías telefónicas antes de comprometerse a otros desembolsos. "Esto desbarajusta a los distritos escolares y sus ciclos de planificación", dijo Anne Bryant, directora ejecutiva de la Asociación Nacional de Juntas Escolares y miembro de la junta de la USAC. El subsidio tecnológico del gobierno federal ha sido aprovechado por las escuelas para contratar maestros o cubrir otros costos críticos, dijo Bryant. El impacto sobre las escuelas variará según el distrito y dependerá de cómo las empresas telefónicas responderán a la paralización temporal de fondos. La demora comenzó en agosto y se cree que se prolongará presumiblemente hasta diciembre afectando más de 1.000 millones de dólares, dijo Mel Blackwell, vocero de USAC. 5/10/2004 Diario de Avisos (go top)
Los llanos de Aridane (Tenerife): María Victoria Hernández cede al Cabildo documentación destinada al Archivo General
La investigadora y cronista oficial de Los Llanos de Aridane, María Victoria Hernández, ha donado al Cabildo una colección documental para que la institución la salvaguarde en su Archivo Insular. El consejero de Patrimonio Histórico, Primitivo Jerónimo, ha señalado que se trata de una cesión desinteresada que pasará a engrosar los fondos y colecciones del Archivo General de La Palma y de la Biblioteca José Pérez Vidal con la denominación específica María Victoria Hernández. La documentación aglutina de una parte, un nutrido número de impresos vinculados a La Palma, pero también cuenta con algunos curiosos títulos pertenecientes a la Biblioteca Popular Circulante, fechados en el primer cuarto del siglo XX, que en su día, fueron editados gracias al mecenazgo de varios palmeros. Además, compila diversas monografías, folletos y otros escritos de temática etnográfica. Respecto a los registros manuscritos, la colección incluye como piezas más destacadas los libros de contabilidad de los empresarios José Amaro Duque Ramos y de su hijo José Duque Guadalupe, con actividad comercial en el Valle de Aridane entre finales del siglo XIX y principios del XX. Asimismo, otro documento de especial relevancia es el título de masón del educador e historiador Pedro J. de las Casas (1856-1927), como miembro de la Logia Abora número 91. 5/10/2004 Diario de Avisos (go top)
Exhiben por primera vez los archivos de la Inquisición con 2.300 procesos en las islas Canarias
La Casa de Colón de la capital Gran Canaria exhibe por primera vez los fondos del archivo sobre la Inquisición en Canarias, perteneciente al Museo Canario, y que reúne, entre otros documentos, los relativos a las más de 2.300 personas que fueron procesadas en las islas. Alberto Anaya Hernández, uno de los coordinadores del seminario sobre La Inquisición en Canarias, que se celebra en el marco del XVI Coloquio de Historia Canario-Americana, destacó que el archivo canario y el que existe en Cuenca son los dos únicos de España que se conservan "in situ", pues el resto están en Madrid. Anaya señaló que el archivo que se conserva en las islas es el más completo porque reúne documentación anterior a la creación del Tribunal del Santo Oficio de la Inquisición, gracias al interés que ha tenido el Museo Canario por conservar estos fondos. Una parte de ellos, prosiguió, fue comprada fraudulentamente por el marqués de Biute y se los llevó primero a Estados Unidos y después a Inglaterra, donde en 1957 los subastó la casa Southesby, aunque el Museo Canario se enteró de su venta y, con ayuda de una familia canaria, logró recuperarlos. La documentación que se muestra recoge desde sentencias contra condenados, a delitos que perseguía la inquisición, pasando por certificaciones de limpieza de sangre para demostrar que no se tenía sangre judía o mora para poder viajar a América, ir a la universidad o entrar en la iglesia, así como los libros prohibidos, entre los que figuran autores como Diderot o Voltaire. Las actas de las visitas a los navíos que llegaban a las islas y edictos de fe, entre ellos uno de 1524, en el que se llamaba a la población a delatar a las personas con pensamientos contrarios a los ordenados o que protestaban contra el Santo Oficio, son otros de los documentos que se podrán ver, explicó Anaya. El coordinador del seminario manifestó que la inquisición canaria no fue muy severa en relación con otros puntos de España y que prueba de ello es que en sus 300 años de historia sólo fueron quemadas diez personas, siete supuestos judaizantes y tres protestantes. Así mismo, subrayó la importancia de la muestra por el hecho de ser la primera vez que se expone en público. 5/10/2004 Diario de Córdoba (go top)
Calvo cifra su apuesta por el Archivo y la Biblioteca de Córdoba en 14 millones de euros
La ministra de Cultura, Carmen Calvo, reafirmó ayer en Córdoba su compromiso de impulsar los nuevos Archivo Histórico y Biblioteca Provincial con casi 14 millones de euros en los cuatro próximos años de mandato socialista. Para el próximo año el Gobierno central destinará 1.472.000 euros a las obras de ampliación del Museo Arqueológico y a la renovación del de Bellas Artes, casi dos millones. Calvo precisó que Córdoba, con un total de 9 millones de euros para el 2005, es la provincia andaluza que mejor parada sale en los nuevos Presupuestos Generales del Estado, así como Andalucía, la tercera autonomía más favorecida. Con "unos presupuestos transparentes", pretende terminar los proyectos en estos cuatro años. "No anuncio 700 cosas, sino las mismas todo el rato, las que Córdoba necesita y sólo las que estoy en condiciones de cumplir", reconoció. Para la ministra, el proyecto de ejecución del Archivo y la Biblioteca estará listo el año que viene, una vez resueltas las expectativas del suelo. Ambos centros quedarán unidos en un "gran edificio" (en el sentido arquitectónico y en la amplitud). Así, se cubrirán las necesidades básicas de la capital en equipamientos culturales. Es una novedosa fórmula, la de unir espacialmente archivos y bibliotecas, que va a aplicar su Ministerio en otros doce proyectos en toda España. En el año 2005, anunció la egabrense, también está sobre la mesa meditar dónde se ubicará la nueva sede del Museo de Bellas Artes, al que le llegaría el turno en la próxima legislatura, pues primero será saber el lugar en el que se sitúa el Centro de Arte Contemporáneo. La conjunción de ambas instalaciones, previo diálogo de las tres administraciones implicadas, es vital para Calvo. La máxima responsable estatal de Cultura aseguró que no estaría mal que el futuro Caico se emplazara en un lugar emblemático como la actual Cruz Roja, si bien es una decisión que no le corresponde. La ministra, aun en Madrid, no olvida Medina Azahara, una razón por la que en el 2005 dedicará más de 60.000 euros a la restauración de las pinturas murales. El Festival de Piano de Lucena, el de la Guitarra de Córdoba y el centenario de Juan Valera figuran, entre otros muchos, en la nómina de eventos con subvención estatal. Calvo aprovechó su paso por Córdoba con motivo del IX Premio de Creación Poética Homenaje Ibn Zaydun para desglosar las partidas de su área en la provincia. En el acto desarrollado en la Subdelegación del Gobierno estuvo acompañada por Juan José López Garzón, delegado del Gobierno en Andalucía, y por Jesús María Ruiz, el subdelegado del Gobierno en Córdoba. 6/10/2004 Agencia EUROPA PRESS (go top)
Los ministerios de Cultura, Educación, Trabajo, Interior e Industria participarán en el Plan de Fomento de la Lectura
Los Ministerios de Cultura, Educación y Ciencia, Trabajo y Asuntos Sociales, Interior e Industria participarán en el nuevo Plan de Fomento de la Lectura durante el curso 2004-2005, con la colaboración también de la Federación Española de Municipios y Provincias (FEMP), ONGs, agentes sociales y entidades privadas. El anuncio fue realizado hoy por la ministra de Cultura, Carmen Calvo, durante un acto celebrado en la Biblioteca Nacional, con la presencia de altos representantes del mundo del Libro, Casa de América, Fundación Coca Cola y otras entidades privadas. El presupuesto es de 40 millones de euros. Entre las novedades del plan, con respecto a anteriores ediciones, están fomentar la lectura en las cárceles, los ancianos y los inmigrantes que existen en España en un gran número. La ministra anunció que el próximo año se introducirán algunas novedades en la nueva convocatoria. Carmen Calvo dijo que las prioridades del Plan de Fomento de la Lectura serán hacer más y mejores bibliotecas y realizar adquisiciones de libros con criterios adecuados, de tal modo que las bibliotecas se conviertan en unos centros atractivos para todos los ciudadanos. Otra de las prioridades será fomentar la literatura infantil y juvenil, realizando una gran feria en España en 2005 sobre esta especialidad, coincidiendo con el hecho de que los países iberoamericanos lo han declarado año internacional de la lectura. También se destacará la celebración del Iv Centenario de la primera edición del Quijote. Coincidiendo con este acto fueron entregados los premios a los mejores proyectos de animación a la lectura en municipios de menos de 50.000 habitantes. Recibieron los tres primeros galardones los alcaldes de Azuaga (Badajoz), Julio Domínguez Merino; Langreo (Asturias), María Esther Díez, y Esplús (Huesca), Eduardo Lalama. 6/10/2004 ABC (go top)
La Comunidad de Madrid pone en marcha un proyecto de fomento de la lectura con el objetivo de abordar el núcleo familiar desde una perspectiva diferente a su concepción tradicional
MADRID. Bajo el lema «Con otras familias», la Comunidad de Madrid pone en marcha la cuarta edición del proyecto de fomento de la lectura «Bibliotecas por la convivencia». En esta edición se abordará la familia multicultural, monoparental, desestructurada, separada, con padres homosexuales o con hijos adoptados. El director general de Archivos, Museos y Bibliotecas de la Comunidad, Alvaro Ballarín, presentó ayer este proyecto, en el que participan las Bibliotecas municipales y públicas de la región y de los distritos de Madrid. Para ello, las bibliotecas preparan una completa oferta de actividades para todos los públicos, que abarcan desde exposiciones, cuentacuentos, talleres de animación a la lectura y conferencias. Como material de apoyo a la campaña se han editado cuatro guías: una de recursos para profesionales y tres publicaciones bibliográficas destinadas al público infantil, juvenil y adulto, así como material de promoción. En esta campaña participan bibliotecas de más de 40 municipios, las bibliotecas públicas de distrito de la Comunidad, la biblioteca regional Joaquín Leguina, así como personal de Unidades del Servicio Regional. Además, este año se han incorporado las bibliotecas del Ayuntamiento de Madrid, lo que, según la Comunidad, demuestra el afianzamiento del proyecto en ésta su cuarta edición. El proyecto «Bibliotecas por la convivencia» surgió en 2001 por iniciativa de diferentes bibliotecas municipales de la región con el objetivo de promover estos centros como espacios de intercambio cultural y de información, capaces de adaptarse a los cambios experimentados por la sociedad y de fomentar la convivencia de personas procedentes de distintas culturas. Desde entonces el proyecto ha incrementado el grado de participación y ha ampliado el material de apoyo y las actividades celebradas en torno al tema elegido cada año: «Integración», en 2001; «Otras culturas», en 2002, y «Hacia la paz», en 2003. 6/10/2004 Prensa latina (go top)
Roban fotografías de Los Beatles destinadas a Biblioteca Clinton
Nueva York, 6 oct (PL) Los míticos Beatles vuelven a ser noticia ahora que una colección de sus fotos destinada a la Biblioteca Clinton de Arkansas fue robada del coche de la hermana de George Harrison, según revelaron fuentes policiales. El pasado domingo, un ladrón destrozó la ventanilla del automóvil de Lou Harrison, hermana del autor de Taxman, y sustrajo fotografías y algunos textos de canciones de los Beatles que se encontraban en un maletín. El coche de Harrison estaba estacionado en el centro de Little Rock, Arkansas, al sur de la Unión, y a varias cuadras de la biblioteca Clinton. Terry Hastings, un fornido sargento del departamento de policía de Little Rock, afirmó que "no hay ninguna indicación de que el ladrón, o ladrones, tuviesen idea de lo que había en el maletín". El agente del orden estimó que los plagiarios o el plagiario pudieron tirar los objetos sin reconocer qué material era o lo que podría valer. Lou Harrison había viajado en automóvil desde su casa en Illinois para donar el material al archivo del ex presidente Bill Clinton, quien sabe tocar el saxofón, tiene un hermano cantante de rock y considera a los Beatles entre sus máximas influencias musicales, sólo después de Elvis Presley. "Son muy preciadas para mí porque no tengo a mi hermano en persona", dijo Harrison a la cadena de televisión de Little Rock KTHV. George Harrison, quien recibió en vida el mote de "El Beatle tranquilo" fue el guitarrista solista del grupo Los Beatles y admirador del músico estadounidense Eddie Cochran, a quien siguió en 1959 en todas sus giras inglesas. Harrison, cultor del budismo, escribió importantes canciones del repertorio Beatle como Taxman, Here comes the sun y Something. El guitarrista murió de cáncer en Los Angeles en diciembre del 2001. Después de la muerte de Harrison, sólo quedan dos Beatles vivos: el bajista Paul McCartney y el baterista Ringo Starr, quienes integraban la sección ritmica de los fabulosos cuatro. John Lennon fue asesinado de siete disparos el 8 de diciembre de 1980 por Mark David Chapman, un ex policía estadounidense que según declaró en 1992 lo ultimó para compartir parte de su fama. 7/10/2004 Diario Vasco (go top)
Guipúzcoa: La biblioteca de Elgoibar se incorpora al Sistema Nacional de Bibliotecas de Euskadi. Sus socios podrán acceder a través de internet a los fondos de 200 bibliotecas
La inclusión de la Biblioteca Municipal de Elgoibar en la segunda fase del proyecto SNBE (Sistema Nacional de Bibliotecas de Euskadi) ha abierto a los socios de esta entidad las puertas a un fondo bibliográfico que incluye cientos de miles de libros. La iniciativa, auspiciada por el departamento de Cultura del Gobierno de Vasco, englobará a doscientas bibliotecas municipales de Gipuzkoa, Bizkaia y Araba una vez que la red esté totalmente finalizada y ofrecerá a los usuarios de cada uno de estos servicios la posibilidad de acceder a los fondos de todas ellas. «La clave de este proceso es la catalogación en línea de los fondos de las bibliotecas», manifestó María Eugenia González. «Esta catalogación posibilitará que los lectores puedan consultar desde la propia biblioteca o bien través de internet los materiales existentes tanto en la biblioteca de Elgoibar como en las otras que forman parte de la red SNBE». Todos los fondos de la red de bibliotecas estarán incluidos en una única dirección de internet que se actualizará continuamente ( www .euskadi.net/katalogobateratua ). A través de ella, los lectores podrán solicitar prestamos, realizar reservas de libros de su propia biblioteca, consultar los fondos existentes en el resto de las bibliotecas de la red, ver en qué fecha se devolverán los libros prestados, realizar sugerencias, así como propuestas de compra de nuevos ejemplares con el fin de ampliar los fondos. Por otro lado, para disfrutar del préstamo de libros entre bibliotecas, un servicio que viene funcionando desde hace tiempo, será necesario acudir personalmente a la biblioteca en la que el socio está inscrito y realizar desde allí las gestiones necesarias para encontrar el libro que busca. La ventaja que el nuevo servicio en red aporta con respecto al sistema de préstamo interbibliotecario existente hasta la fecha es que, en este caso, el usuario ha podido constatar la existencia del ejemplar que busca entrando en la web del Sistema Nacional de Bibliotecas de Euskadi. Con el fin de poner en marcha este servicio, la biblioteca está procediendo a eliminar los carnets de socio antiguos y a sustituirlos por uno nuevo que presenta como principal característica su validez en todas las bibliotecas que forman parte de la red. Según manifestó Lourdes Arocena, empleada de la biblioteca elgoibarresa, «el nuevo carnet les abrirá las puertas de todas las bibliotecas de la red a los poseedores de este documento. Gracias a él podrán coger el libro que buscan sin mayores trámites, siempre que esté disponible». En total se van a renovar los carnets de los 2.700 socios de la biblioteca elgoibarresa, una ardua tarea que se está llevando a cabo estos días. Para renovarlos, los socios deberán de personarse en la biblioteca portando el carnet antiguo, una foto o una fotocopia en color, así como el DNI, ya que se va a intentar que el número de socio se corresponda con el del documento nacional de identidad. Asimismo, los que vayan a inscribirse por primera vez deberán acudir con dos fotos o fotocopias en color y el DNI. La renovación de los carnets se complementa con el nuevo etiquetado de los libros incluidos en la red de bibliotecas. En el caso de Elgoibar, las trabajadoras de este centro están en pleno proceso de reetiquetado de los 21.000 volúmenes que acogen sus baldas. Esta labor se prolongará por espacio de una semana, por lo que la biblioteca municipal ruega a sus usuarios que perdonen las molestias que se les puedan ocasionar durante la puesta en marcha del nuevo servicio. 17/10/2004 Noticias.com (go top)
Google desktop search, herramienta para búsqueda de archivos en local
Google nos sorprende con un nuevo servicio de búsqueda, integrable con el tradicional web search. A continuación se resumen sus características más relevantes. Hace ya tiempo que los gigantes informáticos se dieron cuenta de que los humanos somos cada vez más intensivos en información digital, y que cada vez nos cuesta más almacenarla, clasificarla eficientemente y encontrarla rápidamente, incluso dentro del disco duro de nuestro PC de sobremesa o portatil. Microsoft anunció a bombo y platillo su nueva herramienta de búsqueda en local, que se incluiría en su nueva versión de sistema operativo. Al final problemas técnicos van a impedir incluir esta herramienta en el nuevo capítulo de Windows pero de nuevo ha sido Google el que, lanzando un órdago al mercado, ha desarrollado una herramienta para realizar este tipo de búsquedas. Google desktop search, en su versión Beta, sin ser una novedad a nivel mundial (véase el software Blinx, comentado en su día a través de esta publicación u otros como dtSearch Desktop o X1) aporta el característico sentido de búsqueda de Google a cualquier búsqueda privada. El programa trabaja en pasivo, indexando todo documento que encuentre, buscando también en el interior de los archivos. Otra característica peculiar del servicio es la posibilidad de integración de desktop con Google web search, de manera que al buscar algo en la web también se mostrarán los resultados de desktop. Google asegura que esta integración no implica ninguna problemática en cuanto a la privacidad del usuario. En esta versión Beta no se incluyen todavía enlaces patrocinados (los ya famosos AdWords) tras realizar búsquedas, pero no sería de extrañar que se incluyesen en versiones posteriores, ampliando así más aún su ya extensa de por sí red publicitaria. Se echa de menos un selector específico de búsqueda de documentos en formato PDF, aunque marcando la opción “text and other” nos dará resultados PDF. Archivos de e-mail de otros programas o plataformas diferentes a Outlook o Outlook Express no son indexados. La herramienta puede llegar a ser muy útil si se tiene una cantidad ingente de información a indexar. 12/10/2004 Agencia EUROPA PRESS (go top)
La Biblioteca Cervantesvirtual reforzará sus fondos sobre el autor con vistas al IV centenario del Quijote
La Biblioteca Cervantesvirtual, iniciativa del Grupo Santander, la Universidad de Alicante y la fundación Marcelino Botín, centrará su trabajo durante los próximos meses en reforzar sus fondos sobre el escritor alcalaíno, en vísperas del cuarto centenario de la publicación del Quijote. Según recuerda la Fundación Biblioteca Virtual, este portal dispone ya del fondo 'on line' más importante relacionado con Cervantes, que ha reforzado, con vistas al centenario, con el lanzamiento de una página específica ( www.cervantesvirtual.com/IVCentenario' ), "que aspira a convertirse en el punto de encuentro y difusión de iniciativas conmemorativas". En la sección 'Contenidos', este nuevo portal sobre el centenario ofrece un álbum de cubiertas de las primeras ediciones del Quijote, realizadas por Juan de la Cuesta Roger Velpius, Bautista Sorita y Sebastián Matevat. Otros documentos nuevos que podrá consultar el internauta son, por ejemplo, las distintas ediciones facsímiles de traducciones del Quijote a otros idiomas, entre ellas las realizadas por Cesar Oudin al francés de 1614 o la de Tobias George al inglés fechada en 1782. Entre los fondos documentales recién añadidos destacan los pertenecientes a la colección de Luis Gasca, una selección de imágenes cervantinas de distinta procedencia, como viñetas satíricas, carteles de teatro, ilustraciones, imágenes de Cervantes, o incluso cromos y cómics. Los apartados dedicados a 'Actualidad' y 'Actividades' ofrecen además información sobre convocatorias, cursos, concursos, congresos y demás actividades relacionadas con las celebraciones del IV Centenario. Otro de los proyectos de la Biblioteca es el lanzamiento del Portal Nacional de México, desarrollado en colaboración con la Biblioteca Nacional de este país, con el objetivo de reforzar "la proyección americana" del portal. Cervantesvirtual.com nació en 1999 con el objetivo de difundir la cultura hispanoamericana en el mundo, y con 130 millones de páginas servidas se ha convertido en "el portal de referencia de las letras hispanas"; sólo durante los pasados julio y agosto registró 7,8 millones de visitas, 2,5 millones más que en verano de 2003. Uno de sus últimos añadidos es el nuevo portal temático de la sección de Historia, dedicado a la Historia Antigua. En colaboración con la Real Academia de Historia, ofrece "miles de documentos", entre textos de especialistas, clasificaciones temporales y geográficas, monográficos o guías virtuales a excavaciones. 12/10/2004 Cubarte (go top)
Celebran aniversario 45 de biblioteca Casa de las Américas de La Habana
La Habana - De corazón de Casa de las Américas calificó Roberto Fernández Retamar, presidente de esa institución, a su biblioteca José Antonio Echevarría, que celebra el aniversario 45 de su creación. Retamar destacó la importancia de ese fondo bibliográfico, el más importante de su tipo en Latinoamérica, que además de libros y publicaciones posee colecciones tan importantes como el Archivo de la palabra, de música, audiovisuales y carteles. Célida Álvarez, directora de la biblioteca, expuso el nuevo proyecto, tanto arquitectónico como técnico, que pondrá a ese patrimonio próximamente a dar un servicio de primer nivel, comparable a los más importantes del mundo. También fue presentado el sitio web de la biblioteca, cuya dirección electrónica es www.bibliocasadelasamericas.org y ofrecerá a los usuarios un catálogo de los fondos, servicios de referencias, enlaces con otras bibliotecas y otras opciones. El editor Esteban Llorach y la investigadora Araceli García disertaron sobre la importancia de la papelería de personalidades literarias para la cultura y los vínculos entre bibliotecarios, estudiosos, autores y otros especialistas. Durante la jornada se abrió una exposición con las novedades bibliográficas recién adquiridas y el Grupo Vocal Leo, que dirige Corina Campos, ofreció un recital en la Sala Che Guevara. 12/10/2004 Noticias.com (go top)
La Biblioteca Nacional Argentina en falta
La República Argentina es pionera en la creación de su Biblioteca Nacional, fué fundada por Mariano Moreno, en el año 1810, junto con la Biblioteca Nacional de Brasil. Actualmente la Biblioteca Nacional Argentina está entre los países de Sudamérica "que menos volúmenes albergan" en sus colecciones nacionales. Esto es el resultado de una investigación exhaustiva y que comunicó en fecha 8 de octubre de 2004, el Centro de Estudios Nueva Mayoría. Con únicamente 617.000 libros, el volumen argentino que posee la Biblioteca Nacional representa sólamente el "3 %" atesorado en la región. Muy por el contrario, Brasil es el país que mejor posicionado se encuentra en la región por contar con 8.000.000 de volúmenes, logrando entonces el 42 % de participación en el universo del tesoro bibliográfico sudamericano. Le siguen en ese orden participativo: República de Chile (18 %), Perú (17 %), Venezuela (10 %), Uruguay (5 %), Colombia (3,6 %), Argentina (3 %), Ecuador (0,7 %), Bolivia (0,5 %), cerrando Paraguay, que es el país sudamericano que menos libros posee: 10.000, y representa en porcentuales (0,2 %). En totales, las Bibliotecas Nacionales de los 10 países que integran a América del Sur reúnen la cantidad de 20.000.000 de libros. El Centro de Estudios Nueva Mayoría, informa además, que en un análisis paralelo entre esas instituciones americanas y europeas sólo la Biblioteca Nacional de Inglaterra alberga 16.000.000 de libros porcentuando el 80 % del total de diez instituciones similares de esta región, Francia posee 13.000.000 de libros y España conforma aproximadamente 10.000.000 de libros. Si bien tanto la Biblioteca Nacional de Argentina, que otrora se llamaba de las Provincias Unidas del Río de la Plata y la B. N. de Brasil fueron las primeras en fundarse con esos nombres en el continente, pero, hay antecedentes que merecen prestarles toda nuestra atención. Y son las Bibliotecas Nacionales de Colombia y de Ecuador: La Biblioteca de Colombia abrió ya, en el año 1777, durante el mandato del Virrey don Manuel de Guirior, pero recién fue declarada Biblioteca Nacional en el año 1823, cuando la reabrió el general Francisco de Paula Santander. Y en la Biblioteca de Ecuador, ya existía en 1792 bajo el nombre de Biblioteca Pública. Con las cifras informadas por el Centro de Estudios Nueva Mayoría, una entidad que realiza sus investigaciones con total seriedad y por el 3 % de participación de la Biblioteca Nacional Argentina, en el universo del tesoro bibliográfico sudamericano, este humilde redactor, que se nutre de información constantemente en nuestra querida Bibnal y que encontrara la biliografía del genial Og Mandino para publicar mis artículos de investigación: "De pobre y desocupado a multimillonario" y de la que estoy asombrado por las cifras d |
