Recently, I started working two days a week in our Collections Services department as a cataloguer. It's an interesting and rewarding challenge, and although I can find my way around a MARC record, I still have a lot to learn.
One of the interesting benefits of this job is that a lot of books come across my desk--ones which often don't make it into Kirkus or any of the other major publications we use for selection. Actually, having too many books that I want to read seems to be a bit of an occupational hazard. I often get late fines because of this.
Anyway, there have been two books that have come across my desk lately that I find particularly interesting, not that I want to read them, but they raise interesting issues.
The first book is Show it in public : everything you need to know to show a film in public / Graham Peat and Angela Pressburger. The cover tells us (all you cataloguers should make a "500" note) that this is "The companion guide to showamovie.ca." I find it a bit disconcerting that it takes a 222 page book to help some poor teacher show a movie to her class. Frankly, I know a lot of teachers--I'm married to one--and I doubt that many of them go through the process to obtain legal right to show a film to their class. In situations where individuals are profiting from showing someone else's film, by all means, do the paper work and collect royalties, but why threaten schools and libraries with legal action when they're spreading the work about your product. Nobody wants do do less with their media, and convoluted and expensive copyright regulations and DRM only serve to alienate consumers and generate ill will.
The other book that came across my desk is Yes you can! : home repairs made easy / [Amy Wynn Pastor] ... Amy Wynn is one of the carpenters from Trading Spaces, the home renovation show on TLC. The interesting thing is that while her name is all over the cover in such a way as to make one believe that she is the author ("by Amy Wynn Pastor"), she's not; in fact, there is a small note in the T.P. verso listing someone else as the "writer." While Amy Wynn's name might be on the cover and her pictures throughout, I doubt she did little more than pose for the photo shoots. Now, I'm sure this happens all the time... Amy Wynn's name is a brand, and even though she, as a person, may not be able to write a book, she is passed off as the author. I, for one, feel that this is more than a little dishonest. Really, I should be used to being lied to my marketers, but I suppose that I always felt like the author / book connection was somewhat unsullied. In this world where we are increasingly alienated from the production of the goods we buy, it was always grounding to feel as if you know who your reading material came from. You might have no idea where the chicken on your dinner table were raised, or have any idea about the provenance of your iPod, but it seems to me that you could always be reasonable sure about the maker--the author--of the book you were currently reading. I'm sure this sort of thing goes on all the time, but it makes me sad.
One of the interesting benefits of this job is that a lot of books come across my desk--ones which often don't make it into Kirkus or any of the other major publications we use for selection. Actually, having too many books that I want to read seems to be a bit of an occupational hazard. I often get late fines because of this.
Anyway, there have been two books that have come across my desk lately that I find particularly interesting, not that I want to read them, but they raise interesting issues.
The first book is Show it in public : everything you need to know to show a film in public / Graham Peat and Angela Pressburger. The cover tells us (all you cataloguers should make a "500" note) that this is "The companion guide to showamovie.ca." I find it a bit disconcerting that it takes a 222 page book to help some poor teacher show a movie to her class. Frankly, I know a lot of teachers--I'm married to one--and I doubt that many of them go through the process to obtain legal right to show a film to their class. In situations where individuals are profiting from showing someone else's film, by all means, do the paper work and collect royalties, but why threaten schools and libraries with legal action when they're spreading the work about your product. Nobody wants do do less with their media, and convoluted and expensive copyright regulations and DRM only serve to alienate consumers and generate ill will.
The other book that came across my desk is Yes you can! : home repairs made easy / [Amy Wynn Pastor] ... Amy Wynn is one of the carpenters from Trading Spaces, the home renovation show on TLC. The interesting thing is that while her name is all over the cover in such a way as to make one believe that she is the author ("by Amy Wynn Pastor"), she's not; in fact, there is a small note in the T.P. verso listing someone else as the "writer." While Amy Wynn's name might be on the cover and her pictures throughout, I doubt she did little more than pose for the photo shoots. Now, I'm sure this happens all the time... Amy Wynn's name is a brand, and even though she, as a person, may not be able to write a book, she is passed off as the author. I, for one, feel that this is more than a little dishonest. Really, I should be used to being lied to my marketers, but I suppose that I always felt like the author / book connection was somewhat unsullied. In this world where we are increasingly alienated from the production of the goods we buy, it was always grounding to feel as if you know who your reading material came from. You might have no idea where the chicken on your dinner table were raised, or have any idea about the provenance of your iPod, but it seems to me that you could always be reasonable sure about the maker--the author--of the book you were currently reading. I'm sure this sort of thing goes on all the time, but it makes me sad.
posted by Samurai Librarian at 2:54 PM
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