The following class is meeting in the Coe Library Electronic Classroom today:

9:35 – 10:50 a.m. AIST 4460 (Holland)

Beginning this week, changes to the Digital Millennium Copyright Act will allow professors, librarians, archivists and researchers who use digital technology to circumvent access control in certain cases.

What does this mean for you?

Film and media professors may now compile collections of film clips from DVDs to show in class, rather than manually fast-forwarding to the desired scenes.

Tech researchers looking at security flaws may bypass protection on musical discs ( bringing to mind Sony’s hidden software security debacle last fall).

Cell phone users can legally unlock their phone’s firmware in order to switch carriers.

Libraries may break access control in order to archive obsolete software.

The full text of all six exceptions and an explanation from the Librarian of Congress are available online.

The New York Times released its annual list of 100 Notable Books this week. Some that struck a chord with me from this year’s list:

Claire Messud’s The Emperor’s Children follows a group of friends in their 30s as they negotiate friendships, love affairs, and family ties. This novel received near-universal acclaim, but I found these privileged whiners alternately a bit too annoying to love and a bit too close to home. Perhaps that’s why the New York Times called the book’s tone “satirically chiding”.
Intuition is the newest book from one of my favorite authors, Allegra Goodman. In it she offers a fictional account of the tempting ethical pitfalls of a scientific lab. The pages turn themselves thanks to the startling intensity of the characters’ poor decisions and Goodman’s detailed description of the pressure to produce ground-breaking results.
Fans of fast-paced action, kitchen narratives, or Mario Batali will enjoy Heat: An Amateur’s Adventures as Kitchen Slave, Line Cook, Pasta-Maker, and Apprentice to a Dante-Quoting Butcher in Tuscany. After convincing Batali to let him apprentice in the Babbo kitchen, author Buford is immediately humiliated by his slowness and lack of kitchen finesse. His effort to ramp up to mediocrity results in an immense knowledge of Italian cuisine and the world of restaurant business. This book left me hungry and in the mood to spend a night on the town with Mario Batali, the mega-chef who comes off as a mega-ego at times but mostly sounds like a lot of fun.
Which books made your best and worst lists this year?

The world of film and books lost two luminaries this week.

Author and journalist Bebe Moore Campbell died November 27th at age 56. Her writing explored interpersonal relationships as well as racial and social tension. Her voice, whether entertaining us with best-selling fiction or informing us through her thoughtful journalism, will be missed.

Film director and auteur Robert Altman died November 20th at age 81. His influential early films changed the way Americans viewed cinema in the 1970s, and his later work continued to play with cinematic conventions. Many of his movies are available to check out on dvd from the UW Libraries.

Students at the UW Lab School are creating a paper chain with one link for every book they read. Stop by the Learning Resource Center on the 2nd floor of the Education Building to see the loooooong chain. They are prolific readers!

All UW students, faculty and staff are welcome to check out children’s books from the Learning Resource Center.

The following class will meet in the Coe Library Electronic Classroom on Monday:

2:00 – 4:00 p.m. AIST 4990 (Antell)

The UW Libraries blog asked our Coe-workers what they are thankful for this Thanksgiving:

David Kruger, Science Reference: “Wide open spaces. And Prospector.”

Cheryl Goldenstein, Coe Reference: “My family.”

Danny Person, Shelving: “Vacation!”

Amye Trefethen, Technical Services: “My beautiful daughter Olivia”

Andrew Flores, Technical Services: “That there are no zombies at UW”

Kaijsa Calkins, Coe Reference: “My first nephew will be born in the new year.”

Kat Stout, Coe Circulation: “Good health”

Cass Kvenild, Coe Reference: “Moonlight and poetry and Prospector“

Tuesday, Nov. 21:
Coe 7:30 a.m.-8:00 p.m., all others 8:00 a.m.- 5:00 p.m.
Wednesday, Nov. 22:
Coe 7:30 a.m.-5:30 p.m., all others 8:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m.
Thursday & Friday, Nov. 23-24:
All closed
Saturday, Nov. 25:
Coe and Geology 12:00-4:00 p.m., LRC closed
Sunday, Nov. 26:
Resume regular hours