Comments on: Communists thrive @ your library

By: I Like Books

I Like Books — Fri, 30 Apr 2010 17:59:00 +0000

“Unless they’re tenured professors, communists usually don’t have much money”

That made me wonder how commie some of those professors would be if it got them the median wage, which I believe is somewhere around $45,000 per year.

By: here

here — Fri, 30 Apr 2010 14:02:54 +0000

I just read AL for the comments.

By: jayfraser16@hotmail.com

jayfraser16@hotmail.com — Sun, 18 Apr 2010 11:48:21 +0000

I, for one, am glad there is a Library Week, a Library Journal, and someone who voices an opinion (whether well-written or not). LJ is an extremely critical resource for library acquisitions and as a publisher, appreciate all the LJ reviews my books have received. However, LJ is now put to the second acid test from my firm. The first was a book on The War on Terror (The Singleton, Affiliated Writers of America, 2004) which they passed on. The next test is in their hands as I write this, and I hope they have the guts to review it. “The American Publisher” is a non-fiction, May book portraying the cheating of libraries and publishers by Baker & Taylor through short discounting. Libraries lost millions and the cost to me was very high as well. Jim Milliot of Publishers Weekly first put me on to Baker & Taylor and their ownership in the 1990s by Carlyle Partners LP and the question of content came up as a reason for my book on Russia to be short discounted. The story builds from there. Every librarian needs to know the story of the dark decade in the book and library industry in America, and how books on the wars are being censored.

Jay Fraser
Publisher, Affiliated Writers of America
Adjunct Professor of English, Central Arizona College

By: will manley

will manley — Sat, 17 Apr 2010 14:30:52 +0000

LJ: how about a little transparency…just confirm or deny that there is a new AL. Thanks!

By: GruntiedLibrarian

GruntiedLibrarian — Sat, 17 Apr 2010 10:17:56 +0000

And good gravy, I used to like AL, but saying Communists thrive @your library is the silliest, nuttiest and unoriginal potshot at the real theme for National Library Week is just, well, not funny or even thought provoking. It doesn’t make me think “Ha ha, the AL has a point.” More like, “What the- did the AL even bother reading the full text of the theme and stop after a couple of letters?”

I used to think that the AL served a valuable function at Library Journal, which was the rabble rousing voice that didn’t go along with everyone else. Every well rounded institution needs at least one, but this particular entry was pretty weak tea.

By: ConfusedByItAll

ConfusedByItAll — Fri, 16 Apr 2010 13:29:36 +0000

So like the AL, this reader is retiring. Now this blog can have the same poor response as all the others, which seems to be the trend since April 1.
Bye, Library Journal blogs, it was a fun ride while it lasted, and thank you AL, for letting me have a place to see my complaints aired and where I could voice my opinions without the risk of being fired (The people at the library where I work cannot stand when you disagree with them – how DARE you say that 2.0 isn’t the be-all, end-all? that Collection Development censors the collection of orthodox, conservative ideaology? that illegal aliens are just people breaking the law? and that the concept of diversity is a sham and ends up doing more harm than good?). Well, at least I got it out of my system when I could.

Thanks, AL!!! Bye-bye, LJ!!!

By: Groucho Marx

Groucho Marx — Fri, 16 Apr 2010 09:27:17 +0000

The Library Journal is a capitalistic organ.

It runs on money.

The more readers the more ad revenue.

By: Junkie

Junkie — Fri, 16 Apr 2010 09:25:43 +0000

Yeah, but that would mean that John Berry was in on it from the start. Is he part of the conspiracy? I wouldn’t doubt it.

By: AL=RK? (or your initials here )

AL=RK? (or your initials here ) — Fri, 16 Apr 2010 08:11:53 +0000

From the Central New York Library Resources Council job board:

“Editor: Reference, ebook, and Digital Products – Library Journal
Posted on 04/15/10

The leading publication in the library field, with twice-
monthly print and daily and weekly web products, seeks
editor for broad-based position covering the continuing
shift from print to electronic in reference and trade
publishing.
. . . ”

So, I guess that the person who held this position is gone/going and probably was the AL.

The Library Journal is palming the job off on other editors until the position is filled with someone with enough snark appeal.

The LJ probably planted the AL out in the blogosphere from the beginning with the plan to bring AL into the LJ blogoherd if the AL took off.

Well, the AL did and brought more eyes to the LJ on-line eyes.

You want to be the AL? You can apply now.

Don’t eff with librarians because we know how to look stuff up and how to put together two disparate pieces of information.

Have a nice day.

By: Junkie

Junkie — Fri, 16 Apr 2010 06:48:06 +0000

@Rebecca, you should also look back at the AL’s writing when she was still independent and publishing on Blogger. It’s all still there. Then you will definitely know that this is not the AL writing but a sham. The wit in this post is about as sharp as a vat of Crisco.

It would be cool to find out one day who the real AL was.