Kinetic Typography
This is amazing:
In other news:
1. As Maureen Johnson fans may already know, the Georgia Commission on Family Violence may be shuttered thanks to governmental budget cuts. If you think (as I do) that abused women and children need resources now more than ever, join this group to protest the decision.
2. Speaking of government cutbacks, I'm very sad to see that many public libraries are seeing funding slashed. Public libraries are basically my favorite thing about America. I'm wondering if any librarians have any ideas about what kind of support from authors might be helpful?
3. I am very pleased to announce that Paper Towns is a finalist for an Audie Award, the Academy Awards of audiobooks. Of course, this has nothing to do with me and everything to do with the brilliant Dan John Miller, but I am still pleased.
posted by John Green @ Tuesday, February 10, 2009
15 Comments
15 Comments:
Check out http://ilovelibraries.org/takeaction and encourage your readers to contact their legislators! It's especially helpful whenever there is specific legislation about libraries on the table.
Thank you so much for your support of public libraries! As a teen librarian in a rural area I wonder every day what will happen to my wonderful teens if we cannot provide for them! The link that librarygirl gave is a great way to help plus expressing concern with legislators. If I learn of a more powerful way I will post again!
I feel like in library school, we're all sort of covering our ears and hoping it gets better before we graduate.
What you're already doing is wonderful, of course- acknowledging the issue and opening up discourse. Contacting government officials is always helpful, but it's also important to just use your local library. Higher usage statistics help us when appealing to a board for funding.
Fortunately most situations aren't as bad as say, Philadelphia, but it's still horrible.
From what I've seen and the blogs like "The YA YA YAs", as awful as it is that the funding is slashed for the terrific libraries in the States, there is an enthusiasm about literature that makes me think that the public library won't go quietly, if at all.
Nevertheless, here where libraries are now dusty and rejected and dull (except for the Bodleian or British Libraries which are heaven on Earth), author events by even authors no one's heard of can call quite a big crowd because London loves a story. My local library was refurbished and supported by a "LoveLibraries" scheme.
In other words, even when governments and ministers and pompous people in curly wigs fail us, libraries improve. I imagine even more so in the States where simply reading about the work that the wonderful librarians do who have already commented is inspiring and also essential. I sound as though I am on a soap box. I hope the funding is tripled.
John, thank you for using your blog and your influence to raise awareness about domestic violence. It's so important that we talk about this and recognize how these cuts are seriously going to increase world suck.
That kinetic typography video is awesome. Speaking of kinetic typography, I think you might enjoy this.
I just got done watching your live show, and you mentioned the band blink-182 several times. That video is a kinetic typography video of one of their songs. Pretty cool! Who says textual communication has to be boring?!
School library budgets are getting cut, too, and at a time when teens are loving reading and ya books are reaching out to all types of teens. it is sad.
That was amazing! I'm so happy about Paper Towns! I'm more than 1/2 way through and I love it all! That video is awesome! :)
i always imagine kristina horner as the main female character in your books. ALWAYS.
Question: why "now more than ever"? Aside from the fact that we can do stuff about now now, but we can't really effect all the "ever" that's gone before. Unless that is what you meant, which is perfectly reasonable.
Also: I recently read this article on the additional barriers often faced by queer folks in trying to leave abusive relationships. I was aware that it was an issue, but the severity of the problem as discussed in that article was still kind of surprising to me. I mean, not one domestic violence shelter in the city of Toronto accepts men? That's terrifying. I understand to some extent the need for women's-only space in times of crisis, but men can be abused by their partners (of any gender) too. Where are the safe spaces for them? And speaking of "any gender", what about transfolk? That article included them as the standard T at the end of LGB, but I wish it had provided some information on the reception of trans people at domestic abuse shelters. This is one area where it seems that those responsible for women's-only space often fail to be adequately compassionate. (See Michigan Womyn's Festival...*eyeroll*.)
I guess that was a bit of a tangent, but it's something that has been on my mind since reading that article. This isn't meant at all to detract from what you are saying about the GCFV (I have joined the group, and I hope gazillions of others do as well, and that it makes a difference), but it does seem like the current model of care for domestic abuse victims needs some tinkering in order to be more nerdfighterly and decrease greater quantities of worldsuck. I'm wondering what can be done (by me and you and others who care but aren't experts in the field) to help that tinkering along. Any bright ideas?
I'm not sure what authors can do to help the library situation (though I love that you want to!). It's a real mess. Library budget cuts result in libraries forced into cutting staff and hours, which makes it difficult for people out of work who need the library to find a job to do so. AGH! It's a horrible cycle! Hopefully with authors like you who mention the wonder that is the public library on your blog, more people will use our libraries and more money will be allocated our way.
I wonder if there is a way we could try to rally some more authors and talk them into stopping at a couple libraries on book tours for a reduced fee. Because I think that would be HUGE. I have no idea what sort of problems or legal issues this would create for our wonderful authors, but maybe we should look into it. Or maybe it's a terrible idea that wouldn't work at all, because authors need to make money too! Or because the temptation might be to stop at libraries in large urban centers, rather than in smaller towns and rural areas where they really need the help.
Agh, I wish I knew.
(My word verification below is "Panst." Comment verification in my panst?)
I think that the best thing you and other authors can do for libraries is what I've already seen authors doing. Bringing attention to the problem is the biggest part of the battle, really. Also, it couldn't hurt to encourage people to volunteer at their local library. More volunteers means we can serve more users and still stay within our budget. Also, your lovely teen readers may need volunteer hours for scholarship applications, so it's mutually beneficial.
I had a really good interview at a library for a job in which I would be teaching classes, mostly to lower income folks, about how to write resumes and use basic computer programs like word. Funding got cut...
What library girl said.
Also encourage people to volunteer and to donate, especially new or almost new books that can actually be added to the collection.
When the economy goes down, library use goes up, but library budgets go down as well. Not only is staffing often cut, but the first thing most libraries do is freeze their book budgets. Donating your copy of that recent bestseller you liked may mean that you no longer have one to read whenever you like, but it also may mean that a library that couldn't afford a copy will now have one for everyone to read.
If you aren't sure what your library needs and want to make sure your donation does more than just go to the friends bookstore (which is still vg too, btw!), ask them.
I, too, hate that the library funding is being cut. It's so sad, because if the libraries can't buy new books, how will I ever read your new ones when they come out? :) I don't have enough money to buy them! Or else I definitely would. :(
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