Shakespeare Theatre stranded

The Shakespeare Theatre has had to move it's summer productions from their theater in Lower City Park due to the flooding. The Theatre is the building that looks like the Globe Theatre in the upper portion of the picture

Over the dam

It looks like the next few weeks (at least) are going to be fun. As it happens, I live up pretty high and not near any rivers and streams. Unlike many river towns, Iowa City's city center is built up above the river. In fact, most river property is university buildings (dumb, dumb, dumb--they are evacuating the Theater and Arts buildings as we speak), private property and commercial buildings. But most of Iowa City is above the river by quite a bit.

Well, last night at 8:30 the first water came over the spillway of the Coralville Dam. Here is today's Press Citizen: http://www.press-citizen.com/apps/pbcs.dll/frontpage

And here is a commentary from a colleague of mine in the cataloging department from the same paper:

New Flood Site

The University of Iowa has set up a blog to keep track of UI flood information.

http://uiflood.blogspot.com/

OOPS

The local paper today:

I have been a bad blogger-over a month! I need to put up an account of my trip (my 14th, I think) to MediaWest Con at the end of may, but right now Iowa City and Coralville are in imminent danger of flooding.

In 1993 we had our "100 year flood" and it looks like this may be worse. the pictures above are of the Coralville Dam--built by the Core of Engineers to "control" water flow down the Iowa River. It is expected that the water will go over the spillway (picture on the right) sometime today.

Cautionary tale on adding a pug (or any pet) to your home!

The website Urban Pug (see below or list of links) has had several recent posts on considerations that should be taken into consideration when looking to add a pug to your home. Today was an excellent post on the pitfalls of looking for a "free" pet--pugs or any other. Anyone who follows the animal cop shows on Animal Planet knows of the horrors of puppy mills and animal horders. If you want an adjusted and healthy pet, you should inform yourself and be prepared for the cost of adding to your family. In the areas of behavior and health, it is wise to consider your pet in the same category as your children. IMO, unless you are prepared to provide basically the same nurture to your pets as to your human children--consider a stuffed animal instead.

Libraries and Independent Publishing

On 3/20/08 at Melville House in New York there was a panel discussion held on The Future of Independent Publishing

The panel was shown on C-SPAN during BookTV this weekend (it will be shown again on Sunday at 11:15 AM).

During the Program Andre Schiffrin of Melville Books, talks to Jacob Stevens of Verso Books and Anthony Arnove of Haymarket Books about publishing contemporary political books and the future of independent publishing in general. The talk was hosted by Melville House in Brooklyn, NY.

Andre Schiffrin in particular commented on the failure of libraries (particularly academic libraries) to support the alternative/diverse/etc. publishing of books. This is happening at the same time that libraries are patting ourselves on the back that we are better serving the public (at any kind of library) by rapidly eliminating individual selection by subject specialists (part of the Library of Congress's recent plan of action for the future); buying materials in lots electronically and then blocking print purchase of the same items; etc.

Are these conflicting patterns really the way for libraries to fulfill our responsibility to not only preserve the past; serve the present and prepare for the future? What are we going to preserve if we ignore the present?

An auspicious day for pugs

It appears that 6 and 7 years ago, the 27th of March was an auspicious day for pugs. Three of my favorite sites (Urban Pug; Goodboy Norman Featherstone and Owned by Pugs--see links) are each celebrating a birthday in their midst. It may be gloomy and rainy where you are--it certainly is here!--but a happy birthday is always good for the spirits.