DLINE

as a major computing portal focuses on research and development in computing sciences and technology. It has three major services. 1. Journals in Computer and Information Sciences, 2. Conferences in Computer and Information Sciences, and 3. Research in Computer and Information Sciences.




The DLINE will strive hard to accelerate high quality research in computing paradigms. The underlying purpose of the portal is to induce researchers to work and submit research on the experimental, architectural and theoretical focus in various computing systems.



The Journals in this portal will introduce the state-of-the art research in computing systems from different perspectives; and to design the computing systems to optimize the existing and to develop innovative computing and communications paradigms
Please log in to join this scholarly portal to access journals, research services, alerts, register for meetings and renew your membership. You can update your profile and change your preferences.




The dline package offers the full text content for the following journals




Journal of Digital Information Management

International Journal of Web Applications

International Journal of Computational Linguistics Research

International Journal of Information Studies

Journal of E-Technology

Journal of Networking Technology

Journal of Information Technology Review

Journal of Information Security Research

Journal of Intelligent Computing

Journal of Multimedia Processing and Technologies

http://www.dline.info/index.php

The DeweyBrowser

The DeweyBrowser, beta version 2.0, has a new interface and updated database. You can search for a topic or drill down through the summaries by clicking on a caption in the Dewey clouds. New features include the ability to filter search results by format, language of resource, and OCLC Audience Level. You can also search within a results set.


The interface provides the option of displaying the captions in one of several languages. Available languages are English, French, German, Norwegian, Spanish, and Swedish.

The prototype provides access to approximately 2.5 million records from the OCLC Worldcat database. The records are indexed and searched using Apache Solr. The prototype runs on a Linux platform, using the Apache HTTP and Tomcat servers

INFLIBNET released SOUL 2.0

Software for University Libraries (SOUL) is an state-of-the-art integrated library management software designed and developed by the INFLIBNET Centre based on requirements of college and university libraries. It is a user-friendly software developed to work under client-server environment. The software is compliant to international standards for bibliographic formats, networking and circulation protocols. After a comprehensive study, discussions and deliberations with the senior professionals of the country, the software was designed to automate all house keeping operations in library. The software is suitable not only for the academic libraries, but also for all types and sizes of libraries, even school libraries. The first version of software i.e. SOUL 1.0 was released during CALIBER 2000. The database of the SOUL 1.0 is designed on MS-SQL and is compatible with MS SQL Server 7.0 or higher. The latest version of the software i.e. SOUL 2.0 will be released by the end of the year 2008. The database for new version of SOUL is designed for latest versions of MS-SQL and MySQL (or any other popular RDBMS). SOUL 2.0 is compliant to international standards such as MARC 21 bibliographic format, Unicode based Universal Character Sets for multilingual bibliographic records and NCIP 2.0 based protocols for electronic surveillance and control.
for more detail visit-http://www.inflibnet.ac.in/soul/about.htm

Trying Out Bhuvan, India’s Satellite Mapping Tool

Trying Out Bhuvan, India’s Satellite Mapping Tool
Bhuvan, a satellite mapping tool similar to Google Earth, was launched last week by the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO). It’s launch is ironic, given that the both the central and state governments in India have raised concerns about the amount of detail available.

Will Maharshtra’s Home Ministry also ask for Bhuvan to be censored? Political concerns aside, we really didn’t want to write about Bhuvan without trying it out first (remember the $10 laptop?). Our short, politically-correct verdict is that “it’s a start”, and it’s definitely not a myth.
Bhuvan details: Registration Plugin Download (11.3MB, EXE)
The non-politically correct verdict is a lot harsher, particularly given how difficult it was to review this product:
Installation & Registration Issues

Trying Out Bhuvan, India’s Satellite Mapping Tool

Trying Out Bhuvan, India’s Satellite Mapping Tool
Bhuvan, a satellite mapping tool similar to Google Earth, was launched last week by the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO). It’s launch is ironic, given that the both the central and state governments in India have raised concerns about the amount of detail available.

Will Maharshtra’s Home Ministry also ask for Bhuvan to be censored? Political concerns aside, we really didn’t want to write about Bhuvan without trying it out first (remember the $10 laptop?). Our short, politically-correct verdict is that “it’s a start”, and it’s definitely not a myth.
Bhuvan details: Registration | Plugin Download (11.3MB, EXE)
The non-politically correct verdict is a lot harsher, particularly given how difficult it was to review this product:
Installation & Registration Issues

Skype – Make free calls and great value calls on the internet:-is now in news

Intelligence agencies have asked the government to consider blocking Skype as operators of the popular global VoIP (Voice over Internet

Protocol) engine are refusing to share the encryption code that prevents Indian investigators from intercepting conversations of suspected terrorists. The Cabinet Committee on Security has accepted the recommendation in principle but has not set a date for initiating action. The urgency to track Skype calls stems from the fact that terrorists -- as the 26/11 attacks in Mumbai showed -- are increasingly using VoIP services. The shift to VoIP has been prompted by the growing ability of intelligence agencies to intercept mobile and other calls. Like the BlackBerry service, VoIP operators send their signals under a specific code which makes it difficult for others to decipher. Sources said Skype has shared its encryption code with the US, China and other governments but is refusing to accept similar Indian requests. Since Skype is not registered here, Indian authorities have been forced to mull the drastic option of blocking its gateways here. This, however, may not be entirely effective as Skype can route traffic through other service providers. The agencies feel blocking the gateways will at least serve as a signal to local service providers against carrying traffic from Skype or any other similar service provider which does not share the encryption code with the government. Sections 4 and 5 of the Telegraph Act gives government the right to grant licence for any kind of telephony and also the right to intercept. Last year, government amended Section 69 of the Information Technology Act to empower itself to take over servers of Net and telecom service providers and demand the encryption code. This may still be no remedy against recalcitrant overseas service providers who usually have their servers abroad. Last year, the government had a similar run-in with Canada's Research in Motion, BlackBerry makers and service providers, and the UAE-based satphone operator Thuraya. Indian agencies are also keeping their fingers crossed, not sure whether the department of telecom -- with a stake in sectoral growth -- would like to lean on VoIP service providers on the issue of sharing encryption code. Besides, there's also a feeling that the government would be wary of people's response to the snapping of Skype. The free service is used by a vast majority of urban middle class Indians for communicating with families and friends spread across the world. Last year, TRAI had sent a recommendation (with data from 2007), that Skype and Goggle should be asked to pay a licence fee, after being brought within the licence regime. However, government turned it down saying they were not based in India.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Spooks-want-govt-to-block-Skype/articleshow/5082066.cms

National Commission on libraries to be set up

For KVS LIBRARIAN....

RECOMMENDATIONS
1. In view of the past work done in respect of School libraries the NCERT should work as a Nodal Agency for monitoring the development of School Libraries in the country. 2. The school library sector comprises of those of Primary, Secondary and Higher Secondary Schools. The organization and services of these libraries should be spelt out while framing guidelines and norms or best practices. 3. The post of a professionally trained Librarian may be included in the skeleton staff of the secondary schools not withstanding the strength of students. 4. The school library budget should be of at least 5% of the school’s educational budget. 5. National census of school libraries in India is strongly recommended 6. Guidelines regarding Collection development strategies may be framed keeping in mind the need of the students. 7. Standards for libraries and services should be developed by the apex bodies in the form of handbooks/manuals. 8. NCERT to conduct in service or professional development programs for school librarians from time to time on regular basis. 9. Integration of Information literacy across the curriculum. 10. LIS expert to be in the accreditation team for recognizing the schools. 11. LIS courses to add school librarianship modules in universities and vocational streams. 12. Representation at National Forum to advocate for school libraries.
13. Compulsory Performa to be circulated to the students to know “What they want”. 14. IT incorporation in the libraries. 15. Provision for State/ Central awards for school librarians by NCERT/Govt. bodies

The Digital Divide Inside the Library

The Digital Divide Inside the Library

Technology and reference are intertwining strands of public service. The task of keeping up with Librarians (and their jobs) is getting techier. As our systems get more sophisticated and our desire to overhaul and remake those systems gets more intense, libraries need librarians who are tech savvy and back office staff who are pure tech. It's not uncommon to hear librarians declare that "Technology is Reference", but is that a one-way street? There's no doubt that reference librarians need a strong technology skill set, but do our techies need to have public service experience or skills?
I often tell people that I have a Sesame Street job. That is, "librarian" is a job that just about everyone has heard of and everyone has some idea of how it works. Of course, as we all know, most people believe that we read books all day and are incredulous that graduate school is required for wielding a date stamp (I once told a doctor that we had a "whole semester on using that stamp"). But I suspect that doctors, police officers, firefighters, teachers and everyone else with a Sesame Street job has the same problem with outsiders' perceptions of their work. I can't tell you how disappointed I was when I learned that astronomers had to be really, really good at math.
As with any job that we've watched a muppet perform, it can be surprising to folks outside of libraryland that getting a first library job is often a challenge. Like many professions, we subject ourselves and our pools of applicants to a newbie paradox: you need experience to get a job, but how do you get a experience without a job?
"Experience" in this case, usually means something fairly specific: public service. Like many other librarians, I leveraged retail experience in an interview for my first job at a reference desk. Librarians are frequently mid-life career changers, so we are often open to letting people learn on the job when it comes to many aspects of library work. Despite that, we never want to gamble when it comes to face-time with our patrons.
In large part, this is due to the unteachable aspects of working with people. It's much easier to teach someone to use an ILS than it is to teach a new hire to be personable. Technology can be learned in a way that service skills can't. Sort of.
Technology and reference are intertwining strands of public service. The task of keeping up with Librarians (and their jobs) is getting techier. As our systems get more sophisticated and our desire to overhaul and remake those systems gets more intense, libraries need librarians who are tech savvy and back office staff who are pure tech. It's not uncommon to hear librarians declare that "Technology is Reference", but is that a one-way street? There's no doubt that reference librarians need a strong technology skill set, but do our techies need to have public service experience or skills?
The answer may just be a personal one. I have been a back-office techie and found that I was somewhat unmoored by the experience. I felt that I was a walking bundle of solutions looking for problems. But I did have time to explore technology I wasn't as familiar with and I learned a lot. Keeping up with technology isn't something easily done from a public service desk.
The highs and lows are different, too. Every technology worker knows the doldrums of a seemingly unfixable problem and the ecstatic thrill of technojoy when a solution is finally found. Working with the public can provide similar ups and downs, but it more frequently offers a fuzzy middle. It's easy to see librarians as overly cautious, but that caution is often the result of the endless shades of gray that public service offers. Even the smallest decisions invite feedback, both good and bad. Librarians are secretly brilliant actors, maintaining a poker face and neutral body language no matter what the question or comment.
That seemingly effortless neutrality does have a price, though. Human nature makes it easier for front line staff to remember (and try to avoid) complaints. Public service also puts staff in constant contact with the library's least tech-savvy patrons. Dedicated librarians see themselves as advocates for their patrons, which, when combined with sufficient time on a public desk can result in a more tempered enthusiasm. There's a reason our tech folk often start sentences with "wouldn't it be cool if..." while librarians are seen as pushing back with "how is that going to work?" It's not that public service makes us negative, just that it inspires a let's-think-about-this-a-minute outlook that can come as a cold splash of water.
Each area of librarianship offers a valuable perspective, but I see a lot of snark online that's veering towards a dismissive attitude toward public service librarians who seem hesitant about techie insights and ideas. Like any good bipartisan, I think it's important to remember that we're all driven by the same goals--we want to provide the very best to our patrons. Often, that librarian with the "negative" perspective is thinking of patron complaints she has handled in the past. Chances are, those angry patrons have been mollified and assuaged by the very person who seems to be raining on everyone's parade. That's not always the case, of course, but if we think it's important to listen to our crankiest of patrons, shouldn't we also pay attention to our coworkers who help them?
I've been advocating for kindness as a guiding principle for working with patrons, but it's an equally important value for working with each other. We can celebrate each other's "wouldn't it be cool" moments and projects with fervor and still appreciate the learned caution of the public service staff. Rather than rolling our eyes about unions or veteran librarians who haven't mastered the new CMS, kindness encourages us to ask those front liners about their concerns and get to the root of their caution. Online, librarians are focused on pushing forward those who are resistant to change. We vent on twitter and blogs about the luddite librarians who don't understand why they can't change the text in an image on their library's website or who panic at the prospect of migrating to an open source ILS.
Libraries need change and we need to get better and quicker at adapting--there isn't room for actual luddites in the library. But when it comes to working with our colleagues, I think we're headed toward a double standard. We need our front line staff to understand tech, to be sure, and even in the short time that I've been a librarian, I've seen huge leaps forward in that area. Tech savvy is increasingly like public service experience--it's something organizations are unwilling to take a chance on. We expect librarians to keep up with tech and be willing to learn more about it, but we're less skilled at differentiating between problematic resistance to change and thoughtfulness.
In any organization, the IT staff has a lot of power. They know things the rest of us don't. Passwords, how to get the printer to work, why the screen on that public machine is upside down...but I think we're doing them a disservice if we don't give them access to our end-users. Our patrons are at the heart of our libraries and time spent with them shapes and informs staff perspectives. It's easy to huff at experienced librarians who seem slow to learn new technologies and dismiss their concerns, but it's also lazy and immature. We owe it to our users and our colleagues to take the time to look for insight from all corners of our organization.

Let's Play with KOHA

Check out this SlideShare Presentation:

Let's Play with KOHA

View more presentations from Ashoksatapathy. (tags: ashok of)

VOIP - New challenge to cyber crime

Terrorists relying on newer technologies like proxy internet servers and Voice over Internet Protocol (VOIP) as indicated by Pakistan's probe into the recent Mumbai attacks pose a new challenge to police investigations, feel cyber experts."There is so much data communication on the internet at all times that it is very difficult to detect VOIP that is malicious in nature. Even if it is detected, decoding the communication, tracing the locations of the terrorists, monitoring them, etc, is very difficult," says Ankit Fadia, a cyber security expert.VOIP software usually encrypts or encodes the communication, hence making it very difficult for police to decode intercepted calls."Most VOIP software companies like Skype or Google Talk are based outside India. This is a further hindrance to investigation, since it takes a long time to get response from these companies abroad," says Fadia, winner of Indo-American young achiever award.Cyberlaw experts say there are many loopholes that makes it difficult to keep track of terror transactions."At the time when different countries have come up with distinct legislation they have an impact of Cyber Terrorism, having a single provision on Cyber Terrorism, is not likely to help India in the long run," says Pavan Duggal, a cyber law expert.While adding there is a need for specialised cyber terror courts to be established, Duggal says, "Indian government needs to be complimented for coming up with the detailed provision on Cyber Terrorism which makes it as a penal offence punishable with life imprisonment and fine, he says.Fadia says that Indian police is not very equipped to handle cyber crime investigations."Although India is the IT capital of the world, in computer security it is far lagging behind. At a recent conference in Delhi, one police official asked me, "yeh internet ki building kidhar hain" (Where is this internet building?).Pakistan in its findings had said that their national Javed Iqbal had acquired VoIP phones from Spain for Mumbai attackers. And it was the also revealed by the Mumbai police that terrorists used VoIP calling platforms to communicate with their masters on 26/11."With use of proxy servers and other anonymous softwares and devices, it is possible for any person to use the VOIP for the purposes of transmitting his terrorist designs and activities, says Duggal.As per the Indian Cyberlaw, Section 69 of the Information Technology Act 2000 provides for interception of any electronic communication transmitted through any electronic resource within India.But the interception can only be ordered on the orders of the Controller of Certifying Authorities (CCA), which is a statutory authority under the IT Act."The Central Government could apply to the CCA and if it is satisfied that the same is necessary in interest of sovereignty of the country, friendly relations with other nations, or for preventing any incitement to the commission of any offence or contravention of public order, the CCA may direct any interception of any electronic communication passed into any computer resource," Duggal says.Information Technology Amendment Act 2008 has brought in certain amendments under which both the Central and State government could direct interception blocking or monitoring depending on the peculiar facts and circumstances of each case However the same have not yet been notified.http://newsx.mywebdunia.com/2009/02/19/1235030460000.html

MORDENISATION OF SCHOOL LIBRARY A BOON FOR QUALITY EDUCATION

MORDENISATION OF SCHOOL LIBRARY A BOON FOR QUALITY EDUCATION(Accepted for NCERT, NEW DELHI)

Mr.Shiba Bhue Librarian, K.V
North lakhimpur
Guwahati R.O (Assam)

ABSTRACT

Libraries are store house of knowledge, as an integral part of education system helps a lot in achieving the sprit of the human values, creativity, scientific temper attitudes and sense of innovative ness above all enriched intellectual excellence among children. This article discusses how the recent development in information technology and library information science enhanced the qualitative and sustainable learning in school environment and what role to be played by school library in the wake of global knowledge society and current digital and electronic environment.

KEY WORD-

Library Automation, Information Literacy, Knowledge Management, Information Management, Social Network. Blog, Wiki, You Tube.

INTRODUCTION
An educational system can not be complete with out well equipped library that is why Dr. S. Radhakrishnan has told library as the heart of educational institution
Above all Gandhi Ji way of complete education which seeks development of body, mind and sprit could not be fulfilled without proper library system. Over the years libraries are in the way of transformation from so called library to modern library and information center .In the recent wake automated digital library system library hold its prime importance and its role in participation in the process of quality education is second to none. The school library of Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangatahan, Navodaya Vidayalaya Samiti and other school of the country should also modernize their school library in order to promote quality and sustainable education.
WHAT IS A SCHOOL LIBARARY
A school library or a school library media center is libraries within a school where students, staff, and often, parents of a public, state or private fee paying school have access to a variety of resources. The goal of the school library media center is to ensure that all members of the school community have equitable access "to books and reading, to information, and to information technology.
A school library media center uses all types of media are automated, and utilize the Internet as well as books for information gathering. School libraries are distinct from public libraries because they serve as learner-oriented laboratories which support, extend, and individualize the school's curriculum.A school library serves as the center and coordinating agency for all material used in the school.
PURPOSE OF SCHOOL LIBRARY
The school library exists to provide a range of learning opportunities for both large and small groups as well as individuals with a focus on intellectual content, information literacy, and the learner. In addition to classroom visits with collaborating teachers, the school library also serves as a place for students to do independent work, use computers, equipment and research materials; to host special events such as author visits and book clubs; and for tutoring and testing.
The school library media center program is a collaborative venture in which school library media specialists, teachers, and administrators work together to provide opportunities for the social, cultural, and educational growth of students. Activities that are parts of the school library media program can take place in the school library media center, the laboratory classroom, through the school, and via the school library's online resources.
HOW IT CANBE MOREDENISED
Library modernization is nothing but using all recent tools and technology developed in the wake of advancement in information technology and library information science. The libraries in the school are no longer need to be neglected, its should be became hub of knowledge and information and participate in the process of quality and sustainable education.
FOSTREING REDING HABIT
Now a days reading skill among student diminishing to some extent owing to the present trends in the sphere of science and technology, reading serve a transport which leads student to the realm of fantasy, beauty politics, history sport, games travel, entertainment and education. It provide them relaxation and recreation and make them aware life around us .It will enhanced their and out look sense of judgment and Student life became productive and meaning full.
Reading habit can be stimulated by
1- Updated and strong library collection suits to the need of children.
2- Organizing extramural lecture, observing importance day and celebrating Gandhi, Vivekananda and other great personality birth day in library premises.
3- Setting up separate section in library like career guidance and counseling current affairs etc.
4- By providing other services like newspaper clipping, print out of online .information.
5- Providing other web based service and information literacy technique.
LIBRARY AUTOMATION
Library automation is nothing but mechanization of traditional library activities like classification cataloging circulation serial, reference and administration. The whole process of library can automation will be possible with little investment by school and technical knowledge by librarians. Open source free library automation software like EVERGREEN, KOHA, PMB, and NEW GENLIB. Library automation not only save the time of user but also meet the growing demands of children with little span of time.
ONLINE PUBLIC ACESS CATALOG (OPAC)
As information specialists, school librarians develop a resource base for the school by using the curriculum and student interests to identify and obtain library materials, organize and maintain the library collection in order to promote independent reading and lifelong learning. Materials in the library collection can be located using an Online Public Access Catalog (OPAC) is an online database of materials held by a library or group of libraries. Users typically search a library catalog to locate books, videos, and audio recordings owned or licensed by a library.
INFORMATION LITERACY
This conception, used primarily in the library and information studies field, and rooted in the concepts of library instruction and bibliographic instruction, is the ability "to recognize when information is needed and have the ability to locate, evaluate and use effectively the needed information” In this view, information literacy is the basis for life-long learning, and an information literate person is one who:
Recognizes that accurate and complete information is the basis for intelligent decision making.
Recognizes the need for information.
Knows how to locate needed information.
Formulates questions based on information needs.
Identifies potential sources of information.
Develops successful search strategies.
Accesses sources of information including computer-based and other technologies.
Evaluates information no matter what the source.
Organizes information for practical application.
Integrates new information into an existing body of knowledge.
Uses information in critical thinking and problem solving.
Uses information ethically and legally.
Since information may be presented in a number of formats, the term information" applies to more than just the printed word. Other literacy Such as visual, media, computer, network, and basic literacy are implicit in information literacy. Modern library information system will be helpful in providing information literacy to the school children and teacher.
ONLINE ACESS TO EDUCATIONAL WESITES
There are number of e resources for school children some are also freely available that are to be teach to the student by school librarian. The school library also teach the student regarding other educational websites, search engine, educational games and other education related tools in library through the internet.
INFORMATION MANAGEMENT
Information management entails organizing, retrieving, acquiring and maintaining information. The students by using library online resources learn how to store, organized Retrieve information in different media like CDROM Floppy disk, Pen drives, so in this process they learn the information management technique.
KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT (KM)
Comprises a range of practices used in an organization to identify, create, represent, distribute and enable adoption of insights and experiences. Such insights and experiences comprise knowledge, either embodied in individuals or embedded in organizational processes or practice. Library became part in the process of knowledge management in school by creating distribute identifying required knowledge among the student, teachers. Above all for the institution.
TEHONOLOGY ENABLED LIBRARY SYSTEM
BLOGS
Blogs is fundamentally 2.0, and their global proliferation has enormous implications for libraries. Blogs may indeed be an even greater milestone in the history of publishing than web-pages. They enable the rapid production and consumption of Web-based publications. In some ways, the copying of printed material is to web-pages as the printing press is to blogs. Blogs are HTML for the masses. The most obvious implication of blogs is that it is easy to E-Publishing and a school librarian can provide blog service integrated to the school library website about information which helpful for school children.
SOCIAL NETWORK
Social network are perhaps the most promising and embracing technology wich can be integrated in library service. They enable messaging, blogging, streaming media, and tagging. MySpace, Face Book, Delicious, Frappr, and Flickr are networks that have enjoyed massive popularity. While MySpace and FaceBook enable users to share themselves with one another (detailed profiles of users' lives and personalities), Del.icio.us enables users to share Web resources and Flickr enables the sharing of pictures. Frappr is a bit of a blended network, using maps, chat rooms, and pictures to connect individuals. If knowledge of this entire social network can be imparted by librarian the knowledge level of student will be enhance and online community will be developed which will be paid good dividend to the student in the higher classes.
YOU TUBE
You Tube is a video sharing website where users can upload, view and share video clips. You Tube was created in mid-February 2005 by three former PayPal employees. The San Bruno-based service uses Adobe Flash technology to display a wide variety of user-generated video content, including movie clips, TV clips and music videos, as well as entertainment content such as video logging and short original videos. Now a days IITs are also started to give their course through the you tube. You toube will be very useful particularly for the primary classes’ student.
CONCLUSION.
School library which is the library in the foundation of education, unless and until the foundation strong the building may collapse so modernization of school library never be underestimated. In order to cope up with increasing demand of quality and sustainable education school library need to be modernized with the recent development in library tools and technique and library information science.
REFERENCES
1- http://www.eric.ed.gov/ERICWebPortal/Home.portal Retrieved on 5/1/09
2- http://eric.ed.gov/ERICWebPortal/custom/portlets/recordDetails/detailmini.jsp?_nfpb=true&_&ERICExtSearch. Retrieved on 5/1/09
3- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/School_library
4- http://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/mcb/120/1995/00000003/00000003/art00002 Retrieved on 7/1/09
5- Sangam July 2007.KVS New Delhi.
6- Vidyalaya Patrika2003-04 Noonmati K.VS.

A Reading List for Barack —and the Rest of Us

A Reading List for Barack —and the Rest of Us
This year’s best reads for help us better understand ourselves
By Barbara Genco -- School Library Journal, 1/1/2009
Also in this article:Payback: Debt and the Shadow Side of Wealth.The Numerati.The Gift of Years: Growing Older Gracefully.This Republic of Suffering: Death and the American Civil War.Kluge: The Haphazard Construction of the Human Mind.The Great Swim.Physics for Future Presidents: The Science Behind the Headlines.Old Masters, New World: America’s Raid on Europe’s Great Pictures.Lost on Planet China: The Strange and True Story of One Man’s Attempt to Understand the World’s Most Mystifying Nation, or How He Became Comfortable Eating Live Squid.Obscene in the Extreme: The Burning and Banning of John Steinbeck’s The Grapes of Wrath.
Illustration by Victor Juhasz.With the greatest economic crisis since the Great Depression, and the most troops overseas since Richard Nixon’s presidency, President-elect Obama will certainly have his work cut out for him. But at least Obama is a reader (and a writer), and, as we all know, there is no better antidote to the stress of the present than an hour or so lost in a good book. This year’s selection of great reads—for President Obama as well as the rest of us—was created to help us better understand our past, our present, our brave new future.
Payback: Debt and the Shadow Side of Wealth.Atwood, Margaret. House of Anansi. 280 p.
Trust Margaret Atwood, the Canadian Booker Prize–winner and best-selling author of dystopian novels like The Handmaid’s Tale, to penetrate the economic heart of darkness: debt. These five essays were taken from Atwood’s 2008 Massey Lectures, which were broadcast on CBC’s Radio One. (To hear them, visit www.cbc.ca/ideas/massey.html.) Self-revelatory and anecdotally rich, the essays are mind-expanding and often downright funny. For Atwood, “payback is not about debt management, or sleep debt, or the national debt.” Instead, she views debt as human and imaginative, something that “magnifies both voracious human desire and ferocious human fear.” She limns the literary, cultural, and historical aspects of debt—concluding that it has much more to do with human nature than economics—and ransacks history, literature, pop culture, and even theology, drawing on personalities both real and imagined (like Dickens’s Ebenezer Scrooge and Disney’s Uncle Scrooge McDuck). Clever and timely, Atwood’s essays are a lot more engaging than anything you’re likely to find in The Economist.
The Numerati.Baker, Stephen. Houghton. 256 p.
Baker, a writer for BusinessWeek and coauthor of blogspotting.net—a blog that examines how “cutting-edge technologies are changing business and society”—introduces readers to the men and women of the “new math intelligentsia” and explores the changes in technology and data crunching that underlie most of today’s sophisticated marketing and business plans. Baker shows us how these new data profilers are using a ginormous amount of online data to predict trends and anticipate the actions of all sorts of groups—from consumers and voters to gamblers and potential terrorists. At the core of this work are algorithms, which come into play whenever we visit an online merchant like Amazon.com, where, for example, a sophisticated set of programming commands present us with shopping options based on our past purchases. Happily, the work of these “numerati” isn’t all profit driven. Google’s recent announcement that as a result of a spike in the number of searches for “flu and flu-like symptoms” it was able to predict the onset of influenza a full two weeks before the Centers for Disease Control is an example of how this data can become a force for good. (To learn more about Google’s prediction, go to www.google.org/flutrends.) In fact, one of the numerati that Baker interviewed predicted that the world’s next Jonas Salk will probably be a mathematician—not a physician. Now what are the odds of that?

The Gift of Years: Growing Older Gracefully.Chittister, Joan. BlueBridge. 240 p.
By 2020, 18 percent of our nation will be more than 65 years old. If you’re already in the 65-plus column or will enter it in the next 12 years or have grandparents or parents in that age bracket, this book is for you. Chittister, who’s a spry 72, is a Roman Catholic Benedictine nun and cochair of the United Nations Global Peace Initiative for Women. In a series of interconnected meditative essays, she explores “the many dimensions of the aging process, its purpose and its challenges, its struggles and its surprises, its problems and its potential, its pain and joys.” Although a few of her chapters read like a Gray Panthers manifesto, most reveal the author’s breathtakingly frank and clear-eyed awareness that old age is all about “facing that time of life for which there is no career plan.” While aging may have been the catalyst for these meditations, don’t put off reading them until you’re officially an old codger. We can all draw strength from Chittister’s essays on regret (“the sand trap of the soul”), nostalgia (“the temptation to take refuge in what is no more”), and forgiveness (which allows us to “forgive ourselves for being less than we always wanted to be”). She reminds readers of all generations that aging doesn’t have to be a depressing series of losses culminating in a decline toward death. Instead, she says, getting older has allowed her “to come alive in ways I have never been alive before.”
This Republic of Suffering: Death and the American Civil War.Faust, Drew Gilpin. Knopf. 346 p.
What makes a “good death”? In mid-19th-century America, it meant taking time to carefully scrutinize one’s life, select a final resting place, and remember others who had previously died. Families wanted to know that their dying loved ones were well prepared to meet God within the bosom of their family. (The affecting death scene Louisa May Alcott crafted for Beth in Little Women is a prototype of a good death.) Unfortunately, a good death was unavailable to many of the 620,000 Confederate and Union soldiers who died in the Civil War. Faust, the president of Harvard University, demonstrates how the “work of death” uniquely characterized the war and its aftermath. Parents were often not informed of the fate of their deceased sons—there was no plan in place. There were also no dog tags. As soldiers prepared for battle, they pinned pieces of paper on their uniforms with information for their next of kin. Combatants often carried a small Bible or a pocket diary—partly for themselves and partly to assure their families that they had been well disposed at the hour of their death. Soldiers also prized family photos. In fact, many fallen soldiers were found with photos in hand. There were few marked graves, and many soldiers were buried in open, mass graves to avoid contagion. One enduring benefit of the otherwise disastrous Civil War was the creation of organized care for the living and the dying: the American Red Cross and the founding of our national cemeteries. Brilliant and inclusive, this is moving social history.
Kluge: The Haphazard Construction of the Human Mind.Marcus, Gary. Houghton. 224 p.
Marcus, a cognitive neuroscientist and psychology professor, launches some spirited salvos against the intelligent design movement. He carefully marshals research on the brain and cognitive development to counter the belief that we and, most especially, our brains are perfect as originally created. For Marcus, the human mind is definitely imperfect and far from being made “in God’s image.” Furthermore, the human brain is a “kluge—an engineering term for a clumsy or inelegant, yet surprisingly effective, solution to a problem.” Stymied? Think about your brain as a crafty solution cooked up by TV secret agent Angus MacGyver. Why else would the human brain have such a superb capacity for reasoning paired with a seriously flawed memory system and a tendency to neglect the facts when making choices? Along the way, Marcus also reflects on why happiness is nearly always elusive, why human language is essentially ambiguous and communication so complicated, and why we develop false memories. He also reminds us that there’s a neurological reason why teens are innately susceptible to suggestion and impetuous to boot (as if we didn’t already know that). After all, the teenage brain is wired for pleasure, not for analysis. When all is said and done, the human brain is prima facie a product of evolution, a “series of little fixes.” So the next time you find yourself disoriented while trying to multitask or distracted by some shiny object, remember that our brains are a work in progress—and cut yourself some slack.
The Great Swim.Mortimer, Gavin. Walker. 336 p.
Before super-swimmers Michael Phelps and Mark Spitz captured Olympic gold, there was Gertrude Ederle. The daughter of a German-born butcher from New York City, Ederle was already an Olympic gold medalist when, in 1925, she swam 21 miles from the Battery in Lower Manhattan to Sandy Hook, NJ, in 7 hours and 11 minutes (a record that remained unbroken until 2006). The next summer Ederle, along with five other women, attempted to swim the English Channel. A precursor to today’s reality TV shows, the swimmers were sponsored by tabloid newspapers and readers aligned themselves with their favorites, turning a friendly competition into a media circus. Mortimer includes wonderful details about Ederle’s training, her scandalous two-piece bathing suit emblazoned with an American flag, a diet that would shock today’s sports nutritionists, and the required “greasing up” (layering on olive oil, lanolin, and Vaseline) to protect her skin from the cold waters. The swim across the Channel was grueling. When Ederle emerged on the shores of Kent, England, after 14 hours and 39 minutes (breaking the male record by a full two hours), the media attention was overwhelming. On her return to the United States, Ederle was honored by a ticker-tape parade and hounded by enormous crowds. Sadly, fame was fleeting. Nine months later, aviator Charles Lindbergh’s transatlantic solo flight eclipsed all other achievements, and Ederle was kicked to the curb. Nevertheless, her record for swimming the Channel stood until 1950.
Physics for Future Presidents: The Science Behind the Headlines.Muller, Richard A. Norton. 354 p.
Muller, a physics professor and winner of a MacArthur “genius” Fellowship, prepared this accessible briefing based on his renowned course for nonscience students. While every president has a bevy of science advisors, Muller’s book can serve as a primer for the rest of us; it provides a clear understanding of the major scientific trends and challenges that will affect our lives during the next four to eight years. Broad essays on topical matters, such as terrorism, energy, nukes, space, and global warming, are divided into comprehensible subsections. And for those of us who are time-challenged, each section’s final “Presidential Summary” serves up just the facts. Some of Muller’s analyses buck conventional wisdom. For example, writing about terrorism, he cautions that low-tech attacks may be harder to defend against than their high-tech counterparts (witness the recent spate of terrorist raids in Mumbai) and a natural gas explosion may be a greater threat to urban dwellers than the aftermath of a so-called “dirty bomb.” Understandable and genuinely fascinating, this is the best sort of required reading.
Old Masters, New World: America’s Raid on Europe’s Great Pictures.Saltzman, Cynthia. Viking. 352 p.
Next time you’re viewing a painting by a European Old Master in an American museum take a careful look at the label. Did you know that the core collections of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Art Institute of Chicago, the Boston Museum of Fine Art, Washington’s National Gallery, and many other smaller museums are the products of a very public largesse? In the 19th century, our newly minted museums were desperately seeking cultural credibility. Increasingly, it became the fashion for wealthy entrepreneurs to go abroad and greedily gobble up vast amounts of European painting, sculpture, and architectural fragments. These exported treasures boosted their new owners’ social standings even as they provided our museums with the “right” sort of art that demonstrated that Americans could possess refined cultural sensibilities every bit as elevated as the ancien régimes. Saltzman, a skilled art historian, is no slouch when it comes to explaining the social history of the Gilded Age, and she introduces readers to such compelling and single-minded personalities as the Boston aesthete Isabella Stewart Gardner, Henry Clay Frick (a Carnegie protégé and a steel tycoon in his own right), and the renowned financier J. P. Morgan. Begun for private pleasure, the Frick, Gardner, and Morgan collections, still housed in their original opulent mansions, have since morphed into unique public treasures. Meticulously researched and wonderfully detailed, Old Masters is a real eye-opener.
Lost on Planet China: The Strange and True Story of One Man’s Attempt to Understand the World’s Most Mystifying Nation, or How He Became Comfortable Eating Live Squid.Troost, J. Maarten. Broadway. 304 p.
With the world becoming smaller and more homogenized by the second, Troost thinks the next (and perhaps final) great journey for Westerners will be to China—an enormous country (3.7 million square miles) with a huge population (over 1.3 billion people) and the world’s largest economic engine. Though most Westerners now depend on China’s consumer products, relatively few of us have traveled beyond its well-worn tourist routes, and even fewer have begun to grasp its vast human, economic, linguistic, and geographic diversity. Troost is a wacky, 21st-century Marco Polo who successfully integrates history, economics, politics, and Chinese high and low culture into a fast-paced narrative that’s self-deprecating, refreshingly ironic, and often laugh-out-loud funny. He muses on China’s often startling juxtaposition of the ancient and modern and the relentless pressures on the former communal society to adjust to capitalism’s triumph over communism. While Troost chronicles such unappealing Chinese ticks as spitting, crowding, and a penchant for jumping lines, he also reveals a culture of unrelenting hard work, love of children, and an ever-present sense of history. As the subtitle suggests, the author shares enough tales about extreme cuisine to rival the exploits of star chef Anthony Bourdain. If you read only one book about China this year, be sure it’s this one. And while you’re at it, consider enrolling the kids in a Mandarin class. According to Troost, they’re going to need it. Soon.
Obscene in the Extreme: The Burning and Banning of John Steinbeck’s The Grapes of Wrath.Wartzman, Rick. Public Affairs. 320 p.
In April 1939, John Steinbeck’s The Grapes of Wrath shot to the top of our nation’s best-seller lists. Meanwhile, throughout California’s San Joaquin Valley (the destination of the fictional Joads and other “Oakies” who fled the Dust Bowl), the publication of this masterpiece brought long-standing social and political unrest to a head. Steinbeck, a native of Salinas, CA, was vilified as a radical, rabble-rousing writer of the shocking and obscene. And that same month, Grapes was publicly banned by the Kern County Board of Supervisors, who asserted that the novel “offended our citizenry by falsely implying that many of our fine people are a low, ignorant, profane, and blasphemous type living in a vicious and filthy manner.” Plus, it “is filled with profanity, lewd, foul, and obscene language unfit for use in American homes.” Kern County Librarian Gretchen Kneif was particularly eloquent in her letter to the library board: “If a book is banned today, what will be banned tomorrow? …It’s such a vicious and dangerous thing to begin and may… lead to… the same thing we see in Europe today.” Two years later, the ban was lifted, though Steinbeck’s works continued to be under siege. This is compelling social history and an incisive case study of censorship in action.

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