Libraries

SMU's Deal with Bush Library Threatens University's Academic Independence

You know what's wrong with the Bush Presidential Center at SMU? It's not a terrible thing or place in and of itself, yet. But what's wrong already is that it represents such a lay-down by the leadership of the university. The way the thing is set up is a betrayal of academic excellence, which depend ... More >>

Clearly, Mary Suhm's In No Rush To Find a Library Chief, as She Names Another Interim

Kris Sweckard​Received a note earlier in the day that on Tuesday, Mayor Mike, Comerica CEO Ralph Babb, Serita Ann Jakes (Mrs. T.D. to you) and a host of city council members are meeting at the North Oak Cliff Library Branch for "a major announcement" that will involve the "unveiling of [an] e-book ... More >>

American Library Association Prez Calls on Dallas to Stop Cutting From Library Budget

​The American Library Association, in town since Friday, begins its wind-down at the Dallas Convention Center this afternoon, when Lisa Loeb does her thing. But this morning, a Friend of Unfair Park notes: The state of the Dallas Public Library system is very much on the mind of ALA President Moll ... More >>

One More List of Things to Do In Dallas Reminds: There Are Much Better Things to Do

​The librarians have landed, as today's the first day of the estimable American Library Association Midwinter Meeting at the Dallas Convention Center, so you know what that means. Good timing, then, for Reuters' freshly minted "48 hours in Dallas/Fort Worth" itinerary, which is a little better tha ... More >>

Where The DCVB's Sending All Those Librarians Due to Descend Upon Downtown Next Week

​The American Library Association Midwinter Meeting's set for January 20-24 at the Dallas Convention Center, so you know what that means: Thousands of librarians, publishers and authors will be checking out the city for a few days. Perhaps the city can find someone amongst the bunch to lead the Da ... More >>

The Hard Sell: Read Why These Three Finalists Believe They Should Lead the Dallas Library

​Yesterday we met the three finalists for the Dallas Public Library System director's position, one of whom's the current interim, Corinne Hill. The other two candidates presented to city officials by a DeSoto-based search firm (??) are out-of-towners: Juliet Machie, who actually remains the deput ... More >>

Author's Charts Show Where Dallas Ranks Among Nation's Libraries. (Spoiler: Low.)

Courtesy Friends of the Dallas Public Library​Karen Blumenthal was once a Wall Street Journal bureau chief and continues to write about the money business for the newspaper; and that's her name on the books Mr. Sam: How Sam Walton Built Walmart and Became America's Richest Man and Bootleg: Murder, ... More >>

Plum Good Reading

Whatever Happened to Dallas' Restaurant Menus?

Researching this week's feature story on the Dallas dining scene gave me the chance to visit the archives of the Dallas Public Library, where I spent hours immersed in dozens of old community cookbooks uncovered by Texas/Dallas History Department manager Carol Roark - who would qualify for a dedicat ... More >>

The Cowboys Should Shelve Marion the Librarian

​I'm with ya. Tired of seeing Marion Barber. Watching him hop up and strut 10 yards down field to celebrate a four-yard run. Watching him dive into a pile for a 1/2-yard loss on 3rd-and-1. Watching him bounce inside runs to the outside. The Barbarian long ago deteriorated into the Librarian. ... More >>

Dallas Libraries Forced to Find a New Working Model Amidst Staff Layoffs, Budget Cutbacks

​By now you've no doubt read all 624 pages of City Manager Mary Suhm's proposed FY2010-11 budget. Or at least heard: Library branches are losing staffers, which means those who stay will have to do more with less; the downtown outpost's specialty floors will stay dark all but 26 hours a week; and ... More >>

A Week Before Mary Suhm Debuts Budget, an Announcement to "Save Our Dallas Libraries"

​In recent weeks we've taken sneak peeks at how pending budget cuts will more than likely gut the library system. But till Monday rolls 'round and Dallas City Manager Mary Suhm debuts her proposed FY2010-11 budget, we won't know for sure how deep those wounds will run. Nevertheless, Friends of the ... More >>

Book 'Em

Suhm Doesn't Know What's Gotta Go Yet. She Only Knows This Budget Process Is "Painful."

Sam MertenCity Manager Mary Suhm​"Painful. Painful, painful, painful, painful."That's what City Manager Mary Suhm said when I asked her earlier today how it's going as she works to gut the budget before council's return next month."Painful."As I noted below, I wanted to talk to Suhm about some e-m ... More >>

Is Bookmarks at NorthPark Center the Future of Libraries Nationwide?

​A couple of weeks back we took at look at City Manager Mary Suhm's proposed cuts for the Dallas Public Library system -- fewer workers at the branches, shorter hours downtown and more, meaning, of course, less. But libraries are in trouble nationwide, besieged by budget cuts and encroaching techn ... More >>

Dallas Public Libraries Finally Getting Into the Digital Download Bidness This Month

​So says a memo from Assistant City Manager Forest Tucker to the city council sent last night: On May 11, the Dallas Public Library will go into OverDrive, the Cleveland, Ohio-based company that builds Web sites for libraries and allows users 24/7 download access to, so far, about 100,000 audioboo ... More >>

The Weavers

Take A Look, It's In A Book

This Week's Local History Lesson: Quentin Corley, Dallas Judge and Prosthetics Pioneer

Library of Congress via FlickrThe late Dallas County Judge Quentin Corley, pictured here in 1916​It's been too long since we've published a photo from The Wayback Machine, so much thanks to the Friend of Unfair Park who was messing around on Flickr and found this gem amongst the treasures kept by ... More >>

Library Loveline

"BUSHWHACKED"

Library Board Created Politically Appointed Foundation, Only to "Table it For a Year"

We finally spoke with Municipal Library Board chair Suzanne Charriere concerning the Dallas Public Library Foundation, which was voted into existence earlier this week. Turns out, it won't do much of anything until a year from now. If then."Rather than try to do something right now with the economy ... More >>

Chua On This

Henry Waxman's Starting to Smell Something Rotten at Bush Library

Yet Again, a Last-Ditch Effort to Keep Bush Think Tank Off SMU Campus

Waytago, Lew Calver! Yours is the Best Fake Bush Library in the World!

Vote for Bush's "Hole in the Ground"

Welcome to George Bush's ... Fun Ranch?

Orson's Opus

Mid-Century Song

The Karl Rove Presidential Library?

All That Jazz

Tour music history at the library

Mystery Thyme

You Can't Blame the Youths

SMU Wanna Bush Library? SMU're in Luck.

Artistic Algebra

Audio Adrenaline

Hear the magic of sci-fi with TRTC

Hoochies on Hoods

Hear the tale of a low ridin' queen

Bush's Books

How the library could affect the ledger

Texas Crude | Indigo Girl

Get the Funk Out

Don't get funky if you want to go to Houston's library

Yu Goh, Kid

It’s a duel of trading-card whizzes in Fort Worth

Savage Breasts

Do the homeless hate classical music?

Best Used Bookstore

Book Ends at the Dallas Public Library

Hello, Goodbye

John Graves said farewell to the Brazos and howdy to a career

Best Place to Learn About Black Dallas History

African American Museum

Moore to Love and Hate

Michael Moore introduces a few Stupid White Men

For the Masses

Dallas shows its Percent for Art

Out on a Limb

Pierre Bradshaw, bird rehabilitator with On the Wing Again

Events for the week