Newsletter 2671 Issue 26712009112131546

News

ALA Attendance on Track for Healthy Midwinter Meeting
Despite John Berry’s trepidations (below) about attendance in Denver, ALA claims that registration numbers already have outpaced last year’s affair in Philadelphia. » » »

TFOEMP Raises Questions on Midwinter Cost/Environmental Impact
While librarians are packing their bags for Denver, a draft final report by ALA’s Task Force on Electronic Member Participation (TFOEMP) is raising questions over the cost and the green factors of attending Midwinter, with one member bluntly asserting that “having two live meetings a year is ridiculous.” » » »

ALA Midwinter Preview 2009: ALA Midwinter in Hard Times
John Berry gives his take on the upcoming doings in Denver. » » »

Denver Dining—and More: An Inside Good Food and Sights To See
A native’s restaurant guide for great, affordable eats, and tips on getting around town. » » »

Library Elf Adds Subscription Fees
After five years of being free, the Library Elf email notification service is adding fees for certain of its features. » » »

Blogs

Review

Child Care Today: Getting It Right for Everyone.
Leach, Penelope.

 Knopf. Jan. 2009. c.352p. index. ISBN 978-1-4000-4256-2. $24.95. CHILD REARING

Internationally acclaimed author Leach (Your Baby and Child) presents a dense and exhaustive summary of the current state of child care in major English speaking countries, lamenting that we are still looking over our shoulders for sole mother care as the gold standard. Relying on two major child care studies (NICHD-America; FCCC-British), she scientifically defines what type of care is available, who is using which type and why, and what the strengths and weaknesses are of each at various stages of childhood. She explains what the research can and cannot tell us (e.g., there are no census statistics on stay-at-home moms because they aren’t relevant to the labor force); and policy comparisons with overseas countries and their implications are outlined. The United States is pathetically behind other countries in most aspects of child care (mainly because it is structured more by parental work than service to children), but the raising of standards is prohibitively difficult owing to minimal regulation and limited public funding. Leach argues that asking whether child care is bad for children is asking the wrong question altogether and that we are guilty of assuming that the answer to bad child care is no child care. She movingly argues that it is “because we haven’t abandoned the attitudes of 1959 that we are finding it so difficult to move forward in 2009.” Unparalleled in its comprehensiveness, this is highly recommended for academic libraries and should be required reading for those involved in policymaking regarding children and families.—Julianne J. Smith, Ypsilanti Dist. Lib., MI

Highlights

ALA Into the Stacks: Coupons 2009
Hey, if you’re heading to the American Library Association Midwinter Meeting in Denver at the end of the month, be sure to investigate Into the Stacks, LJ’s coupon guide, developed in conjunction with ALA. Exhibitors of every ilk are giving away freebies aplenty, so get a head start by viewing our full list of vendors and the prizes and deals they’re offering. You can click through to the exhibitor’s coupon page and fill out your entry early. » » »

BookSmack 2009
BookSmack, our new book-oriented newsletter, rings in the new year with Books for Dudes, Best Audiobooks of 2008, RA Crossroads: First Ladies, games, graphic novels, and more. If you don't subscribe to BookSmack, sign up here. » » »

LJ Alerts

Best Sellers

Job of the Week