March 15, 2011: A Japanese search and rescue team searches the rubble near a high-rise building in Wakuya, Japan.

Today, Jacket Copy, the Los Angeles Times Book Blog, highlighted the March 28 issue of The New Yorker which will mainly focus on the devastating earthquake in Japan on March 11, the resulting deadly tsunami, and the current troubles at the Fukushima nuclear power plants. Articles in the issue will discuss the economic impact these brutal acts of nature will have on Japan’s future, and illustrate what the country will look like post-disaster. Nobel Prize-winning author Kenzaburo Oe also contributes a short essay on earthquakes and nuclear power in Japan. In a supplemental post on the The New Yorker website, Macy Halford comments on the deluge of images showing battered library stacks posted on the popular Japanese social network site Togetter.com. “Why libraries?, I wondered, as I scrolled through the images. I think it has to do with what is not shown in the pictures more than with what is. Books shaken to the floor provide a good visual measurement of the power of the quake…” she writes. Read more…

The American Library Association (ALA) celebrates the first annual National Bookmobile Day today, as part of its National Library Week 2010 (April 11-17) festivities. For over a century, bookmobiles have provided outreach services to communities in rural, tribal and urban areas. As an integral part of library services throughout the county, bookmobiles have helped bring reading and educational materials to people of all classes and ages. Even today, these mobile units offer many of the same services as a traditional library branch, allowing people to check out books and DVDs, take classes, and access the internet. The ALA hopes this celebration will underscore the importance of bookmobiles and help expand their scope.
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Last week, Best-selling author James Patterson made a special appearance at the ALA’s American Association of School Librarians national conference, held in Charlotte, North Carolina. In his speech, he called for all librarians to fight hard to get more kids hooked on reading. “It’s time for librarians to start making a lot more noise,” Patterson urged. “School libraries are not a luxury, they are a necessity. … When you turn kids on to reading, it is the most satisfying thing that you can do on the planet.” The writer’s passion for literacy has inspired him to create a new website, ReadKiddoRead.com, that assists librarians, educators and parents in finding quality books for children. The site, aimed at kids of all ages, reading and interest levels, features book recommendations, reviews and Patterson’s interviews with prominent authors.

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The American Library Association (ALA) and Safeway Inc. have teamed up to bring information about libraries to households nationwide. The partners have planned a campaign of five Safeway-brand cereal boxes with back panels detailing interesting facts about libraries and librarians. The first two boxes were released in October, and the remaining boxes will be released in a staggered schedule over the next few months. Honey Nut Toasted Oats and Toasted Oats boxes featuring the library panels are in stores now, and are available in Safeway’s 1,500 locations nationwide. This partnership provides a great platform for the ALA to emphasize the relevancy and importance of libraries, even in today’s digital age. “The cereal boxes will bring information about some of the exciting ways to enjoy libraries – and about the value of libraries – straight into people’s homes,” said ALA Executive Director Keith Michael Fiels.

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