E-borrowing exceeds print at Vancouver libraries — can it keep up with the cost? | CBC News For the first time in its history, loans of digital materials, such as e-books, e-magazines and music, have exceeded those of physical copies at the library, although online facsimiles cost three to f...

Look like it's time to change that slide that says it is getting close to equal.

Board game board depicting a grave yard with little wooden coffins on it.

Picked up a random board game at the dollar store. Decided tonight was the night to try it out. Bring Out Yer Dead was surprisingly good considering where we got it.

The intersection of books being banned by people outside the library and those engaged in quiet censorship within the library is the outright banning of Banned Books Week.

An article for next semester's class. This explains some of the continuing fallout pretty well.

Why Did These Authors Have Their School Visit Canceled? They Were Talking About Their Book About Book Bans. Country Club Elementary School in California's Bay Area canceled an author visit moments before it began. Why? It covered book bans.

If you and your children are not ready for a particular book, that is okay. It is not okay to limit the access to books, stories, and experiences for other families. Every book is not for everyone, but every book is for someone.

bookriot.com/the-day-the-books-disappeared-school-visit-cancelation/

Sometimes it is easy to forget how recent some of the knowledge we take for granted really is. I remember learning this in university and wondering how I missed it in high school geography.

Another example to look into for my acquisitions class. Students are always shocked by the digital prices.

Cute purple inflatable triceratops decoration with a jack-o'-lantern. You can see the legs of other dinosaurs around him.

The neighbors have started decorating. This little guy is my favorite every year. Although he has more friends than previously.

Number two has made a huge difference in my classes. Knowing they have to take part to get the grade does encourage some people to put in more effort.

Children’s Authors on the Real-World Cost of Book Banning Authors discuss how having their work targeted by censors has directly affected their livelihood and their well-being.

Just a reminder that Banned Books Week isn’t about selling more copies of 1984. It’s about keeping authors and teachers and librarians safe and making sure all of us have the freedom to read widely. www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/...

You found your hat. I was oddly worried about it.

Multiple bright purple flowers with orange centers block out most of the greenery behind them.

Every October I take another photo of the asters on the quay. They are the last big show of color for the year.

Here is this year's.

When snails ruled the earth.......

BL Add MS 49622, f.162v

Dear Alex, We are writing to share an important update coming to Ebook Central that will help improve ebook discoverability. At the end of October 2025, Ebook Central Express MARC records will include AI-generated metadata when publisher metadata fields are not available. Why are we introducing AI-generated metadata to Ebook Central records? Most publishers include subject information in their metadata, but there are times when this information is not included, leading to limited search availability in discovery systems. For this reason, we are providing AI-generated Library of Congress subject headings only when not available from the publisher to improve the completeness of our metadata and discoverability of Ebook Central titles.  

Which AI-generated fields are included in Express MARC?  The AI-generated fields will include Library of Congress Subject Heading (LCSH) (6XX); Library of Congress Classification (050); Dewey Decimal (082); Description (520); and Source of Description (588). To learn more, please visit our FAQ page.

What the shit, Clarivate! Anyone using Ebook Central MARC records, be warned. They're jamming those records with AI generated metadata. Auto-enabled but you can disable it.

On this day where librarians consider the closing of Baker & Taylor, I would like to remind you that Sandy Berman still walks this earth and today is his birthday.

www.sanfordberman.org

Print with three geometric fish against a blue background.

Collage made with vintage ads, mushrooms, fish and other random images.

Had fun making some random things while exploring the New Westminster Culture Crawl today.

A small frog-shaped amulet carved from dark reddish-brown porphyry, patterned with irregular white spots, shown in a crouching position against a plain light background.

A marvellous #Egyptian #frog amulet, made of porphyry (height 1.2 cm).
Because of their numerous offspring, #frogs were considered a symbol of fertility.

Dating ca. 1295–1185 BC, New Kingdom.

📷Metropolitan Museum

🏺 AncientEgyptBluesky

I actually use that photo and a couple of the ones in the replies in one of my lectures each year.

Collection of different colored flowers and some bright leaves.

It's October but we still have the last of the fall flowers to brighten our days.

Dreaming about having insomnia all night leads to feeling very confused in the morning.

Pink Rose with three buds around it.

Had to go to the dentist today, but there were roses to see on the walk home which made it better.

TransLink officially opens first public washroom at a SkyTrain station | Urbanized One of Metro Vancouver's busiest SkyTrain stations is officially home to the first public washroom in the rapid-transit system.

As a person with IBS, this brings me such joy. We need more good public washrooms.

Giving my lecture on Zoom since this cold has hit me hard. Hopefully I don't lose my voice and can hit the mute button fast enough the students don't have to hear the worst of my coughing.

Wish me luck.

Canadian Publishing Industry Calls for Repeal of Alberta’s Discriminatory Book Ban - Association of Canadian Publishers

The Canadian publishing industry calls for the repeal of @youralberta.bsky.social's discriminatory book ban. The revised directive continues to restrict access to literature, stigmatize marginalized communities, and undermine the expertise of educators & librarians. publishers.ca/repeal-alber...

Pink lilies with double petals.

Emperor dove sits atop a tree with the ceiling of the conservatory in the background.

Group of pitcher plants. The red and green pitchers are full of fluid to trap bugs.

Two red macaws pose on a branch.

Gray and damp day so we went to the Bloedel Conservatory to see some birds and flowers.

The photo shows an Acheulean biface handaxe knapped from dark grey flint with a creamy-white cortical layer, shown against a black background. The handaxe is roughly tear-drop shaped with a pointed tip and rounded bottom. There is a fossil shell centrally displayed on one face, identified as the Cretaceous bivalve mollusc Spondylus spinosus. Above the shell to the right is a small rectangular museum label. The toolmaker has knapped the flint in such a way as to retain the shell in a central position. Measurements 79mm x 35mm x 132mm Weight 0.375kg. Collections of the Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology, University of Cambridge.

Something beautiful for the weekend!

An extraordinary Acheulean handaxe knapped around a fossil shell c. 500,000-300,000 years ago!

The shell’s central display has been described as an example of aesthetic intention by the toolmaker.

West Tofts, Norfolk. 📷 MAA Cambridge University

#Archaeology

Comics are under attack in Canada. We cannot stay silent.

Read and share TCAF’s statement on censorship in Alberta’s public schools, then join us in taking action! www.torontocomics.com/post/comics-...

A mix of poor air quality from fires and heat is making the first week back teaching a slog. Getting nice feedback from students but nearly lost my voice mid lecture yesterday.

Public libraries aren't just a place to borrow books — and B.C.'s are at a 'breaking point' Fumano: Without provincial funding keeping pace with local government funding, library directors say they're struggling

Public libraries aren't just a place to borrow books — and B.C.'s are at a 'breaking point' vancouversun.com/opinion/colu...

Without provincial funding keeping pace with local government funding, library directors say they're struggling

Guest Post — Beyond Classification: The Human Cost of Library and Information Labor Under Digital Capitalism - The Scholarly Kitchen In an era of information abundance and epistemic chaos, libraries serve as crucial sites for democratic knowledge practices -- protecting them is critical to preserving the infrastructure of informed ...

Guest Post — Beyond Classification: The Human Cost of Library and Information Labor Under Digital Capitalism scholarlykitchen.sspnet.org/2025/08/26/g...