Fusenews: Dear Mr. LaRue

I’m sort of running like a chicken with my head cut off this week. Good thing I strive to emulate those brave members of the poultry family that, beheaded or not, keep going the distance, noggin or no. Still, if you run into me and there’s a strange frenzied gleam in my eye, fear not. It’s just the accumulated panic of a fevered brain. I will be mentally back in a week or so.

• It’s enough to strike fear in the little blogger’s heart.  According to Galleycat (and they would know): "Today the Federal Trade Commission revised their ‘Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials’ (click here to download), urging bloggers who review products, from a book to a video game system, to disclose if they received the product for free when giving an endorsement. According to the Washington Post, breaking these new guidelines could generate up to $11,000 in fines."  I see.  And if you immediately turn that item over to your workplace?  How does that fit in?  Because the bulk of the books I receive go either to NYPL or I give them to Project Cicero to give to public schools here in New York.  According to the Galleycat piece, some feel it’s okay not to disclose the books, "provided there wasn’t a linked advertisement to buy the book and that the blogger did not keep the book after he had finished reviewing it."  I love that like extra added jab of a "he" there.  The Twitter boards have now lit up with discussions about whether or not this applies to podcasters as well.  BuzzMachine has more.  Thanks to @RonHogan for the link.

• I know that a lot of librarians have to question the difference between YA and middle grade fiction when determining where a book belongs in their collection.  You can’t read everything, but at the same time can you always trust a publishers’ age designation?  MiG Writers has a piece up discussing what the difference between the two kinds of books might be.  Could be useful.  Thanks to @gregpincus for the link.

• Banned Books Week is over but the challenges never seem to end.  The myliblog recently reprinted a letter that its Jamie LaRue wrote after a patron challenged old Uncle Bobby’s Wedding.  MLIS programs should make this required reading when dealing with patrons.  The man is sane, staid, and he has clearly put a lot of work into his response.  Thanks to Neil Gaiman for the link.

• Ew!  Ew ew ew ew ew ew!  Denver, baby, why are letting your patrons take home rare books?  Suddenly NYPL’s dislike of after hours drop-off boxes doesn’t seem quite as insane to me.

• Speaking of other library systems, I’ve had an inordinate amount of interest in the inner workings of the Los Angeles systems recently.  A keen interest, you might say.  Almost an unhealthy one.  So this recent article about the L.A. County Library system and their centralized ordering caught my eye.  Thanks to Jill Corcoran for the link.

• This one’s dedicated to all the editors out there.  Slush Reading, Seuss style.  Thanks to @gregpincus for the link.

• James Preller gives Lewis Buzbee the Michael Douglas Show treatment.  Which is to say, he’s interviewing the man periodically throughout the week.  Now I don’t know if you’ve ever read a Preller interview before, but the man’s got a talent for it.  Backing and forthing, riffing and jibing, these little one-on-ones have it all.  And Buzbee gives as good as he gets.  Methinks I’ll be coming back for more throughout the week.

• Daily Image:

What is a friend?  What’s the very definition of friendship even?  Well, I would have to say it may come down to someone passing along to you an image they think will make an inspired link for your Daily Images.  Cheryl Klein is one such friend.  Halloween is in the air and so too is the new Where the Wild Things Are movie.  What better time, then, to watch as sexy models put on a ridiculous "fashionable" clothing line as inspired by the Wild Things?

Sendak, were he dead, would be rolling in his grave.  As it stands he’ll just have roll in the most convenient place available.  Naturally The Onion has the best lines about these items. Thanks to Cheryl Klein for the links.

Filed under: Fusenews