The state of America’s prison system, and its ability to rehabilitate inmates, are hotly debated political and social topics. Even educational elements, like prison libraries, which are widely viewed as having a positive impact on inmate’s lives, can come under fire when issues of budget and censorship arise. In the recent blog post 15 Amazing Effects of Prison Libraries, BestCollegesOnline.com presents the far reaching benefits of allowing prisoners access literary resources. Read more…

The Sistine Hall in the Vatican Library.

After three yeas of extensive remodeling, the Vatican Library will finally re-open its doors to researchers and scholars on September 20, 2010. According to the Rome Reports website, the majority of the remodel was focused on upgrading library security, and now all books will be tracked electronically using RFID tags. “Each book is identified by a computer code, a tag with an electronic chip. Then, according to the user, there may be places accessible or forbidden depending on the volume and the person who takes the book,” explains Msgr. Cesare Pasini, Director of the Vatican Library. Now the location of every book will be known at all times, and any unauthorized removal of a book from a restricted area, or even the library premises, can be prevented. RFid Gazette has identified the electronic tags used in the library as Texas Instruments’ Tag-it™ models. Additionally, cameras and security arches have also been installed in each room.
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Fledgling wine label takes a design cue from traditional library cards.

Twitter has entered the wine business with its Fledgling label and proceeds from the sales will benefit Room to Read, a non-profit organization committed to bringing education and literacy to children in need throughout the world. “The Fledgling Initiative embodies two things that are at the core of Twitter’s mission: providing access to information and highlighting the power of open communication to bring about positive change,” announced Twitter co-founders Biz Stone and Evan Williams on the initiative’s website. The label will soon offer limited vintages of 2009 Fledgling Chardonnay and 2009 Fledgling Pinot Noir, created by the winemakers at Crushpad, using grapes from California’s premier vineyards. The wine can be pre-ordered, and the bottles will sell for $20, with $5 going directly to Room to Read. Bottling will begin August 25th.
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David Sedaris at WBUR studios in June 2008.

June is National Audiobook Month, and according to writer David Sedaris, also National Cornbread Stuffing Month. In honor of audiobooks and carbs, the author of Naked and When You Are Engulfed in Flames worked with the Get Caught Listening campaign to record a couple of promos to support National Audiobook Month. Entertainment Weekly has the audio files posted exclusively on their site. In his characteristic absurd and humorous style, Sedaris extols the virtues of Sam Lipsyte’s writing in The Ask, the voice work of narrator Dylan Baker, and the ability to eat cornbread stuffing while listening to an audiobook. All for a good cause.
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Earlier this month, online magazine Miller-McCune.com posted a very interesting article discussing the findings of a recent study on the correlation between home libraries and children’s educational success. A team of researchers analyzed data from the World Inequality Study, which surveyed more than 70,000 people in 27 countries. Their analysis determined that “growing up in a home with 500 books would propel a child 3.2 years further in education, on average, than would growing up in a similar home with few or no books.” This advantage is independent of a nation’s economic stability, political climate, and even the educational level of a child’s parents.
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By Greg Mortenson
Viking Adult | 448pgs
Release Date: December 1, 2009

Stones into Schools: Promoting Peace with Books, Not Bombs, in Afghanistan and Pakistan is Greg Mortenson’s touching follow-up to the bestselling Three Cups of Tea, and details his dogged efforts to fulfill his promise to build a school in the Wakhan Corridor. The Corridor, situated in a desolate part of northeastern Afghanistan, is home to the Kirghiz, and receives little government support for health or education. Mortenson and the international staff of his Central Asia Institute (CAI), affectionately called the “Dirty Dozen”, choose the village of Bozai Gumbaz as the site for the school, and work with local leaders to obtain building materials and labor for construction. The CAI must overcome threats of Taliban violence, an earthquake, ingrained opposition to educating girls, and even Mortenson’s own 8-day abduction, in order to finish the school and give the village children an opportunity for a better life.

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