After the Senate voted on Wednesday to extend the Patriot Act six
months, the House countered with a five-week extension. Last night the
Senate approved the shorter extension, which President Bush has said he
will sign.
As matters stand now, the Patriot Act will run in its current form until February 3. Expect more furious Congressional debate in January over whether or not to make changes in the Act to protect civil liberties.
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William C. Rodgers, who had been arrested earlier this month in a federal ecoterrorism case involving the Earth Liberation Front (Shelf Awareness, December 12), has committed suicide in jail. Owner of the Catalyst InfoShop bookstore in Prescott, Ariz., Rodgers was charged with being part of several arson cases in Vail, Colo., that caused $12 million of damage.
A statement issued yesterday by "the Friends of Catalyst" reads:
"We mourn the passing of our dear friend and community member, Bill Rodgers, who worked tirelessly for the causes of social justice and environmental sustainability. We ask that he be remembered as the gentle, kind, and compassionate person we all knew and loved here in Prescott. We remain committed to continuing the work of community building and ecological awareness, through the Catalyst Infoshop, as part of the legacy Bill helped to create. We wish our friend the peace and serenity that he strived so hard to create in this world. This is a great loss for our community. We love you, Bill."
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The Tattered Cover, Denver, Colo., has joined the podcast people, launching a free, weekly podcast called Authors on Tour--Live, according to Bookselling This Week. The podcasts feature author events at the three Tattered Cover stores and run 30-45 minutes.
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Brenda Marsh has been named v-p of author relations, a new position, at Barnes & Noble, and will be responsible for "creating new author programs and initiatives" and "representing" the company to authors.
A sales and marketing veteran of HarperCollins, Viking Penguin and St. Martin's, Marsh has worked at B&N.com since 1998, first as v-p of merchandising and then as v-p of content and merchandising. Among other things, she launched the "Meet the Writers" feature that profiles more than 600 authors; the online reading group program; and "What America's Reading," which provides updates on bestselling books.
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Today's Wall Street Journal profiles Stuart Montaldo, who has developed the award-winning, science-oriented Cogno series of board games. This year he's sold some 6,000 games in about 600 stores, mainly "small independent stores specializing in educational toys and classroom supplies." Borders has also gotten into the game this season, "stocking them in about 60 of its top toy-selling stores."
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A new children's audio tour guide developed by the Carlsbad Caverns Guadalupe Mountains Association for Carlsbad Caverns National Park in New Mexico also seems to guide people to the Park Service bookstore, according to the Carlsbad Current-Argus.
"When visitors use the audio guide, we find that many stop by the bookstore afterwards and ask for books on specific topics," T.K. Kajiki, executive director of the association, told the paper. "I think the audio guides really stimulate their interest and they want to find out more about the park."
---
The San Diego Tribune celebrates the new 8,000-sq.-ft. Bonita-Sunnyside branch of the San Diego County Library system, which has a gas fireplace, wi-fi and three self-checkout stations. The library is in a 14,400-sq.-ft. complex that includes a Friends of the Library bookstore, office space for the Bonita Business and Professional Association, a community meeting space, the Bonita Historical Museum and the Bonita Public Safety Center.
---
Some 260 booksellers from 170 stores have registered for the ABA's first Winter Institute, to be held in Long Beach, Calif., January 26-27. The two days of programming feature 22 education sessions similar to what the association puts on at BEA as well as an author reception, a "what are you reading" breakfast and a luncheon discussion of what independent retailers in other industries are doing to stay competitive. For more information, see Bookselling This Week.
---
The 31 Collins Booksellers franchisees who banded together and bought Collins's franchise agreements, brand names, IT and other assets when the Australian bookseller went under earlier this year (they did not buy Collins's 23 company-owned stores) are faring well, according to the Age of Melbourne. There are now 33 franchise stores, with another set to open in January. The company aims to have 50 by the end of 2008.
The "new" Collins has a much smaller headquarters and is seeking sites in suburban strip centers and "great location in regional centres" rather than shopping center spots. Noting that Collins stores can't compete with mass merchandisers on price, Diana Johnston, a franchisee and in charge of Collins's book buying committee, told the paper: "Our market is more literary, with an emphasis on books for children and young adults, which make up 30% of our sales."
As matters stand now, the Patriot Act will run in its current form until February 3. Expect more furious Congressional debate in January over whether or not to make changes in the Act to protect civil liberties.
---
William C. Rodgers, who had been arrested earlier this month in a federal ecoterrorism case involving the Earth Liberation Front (Shelf Awareness, December 12), has committed suicide in jail. Owner of the Catalyst InfoShop bookstore in Prescott, Ariz., Rodgers was charged with being part of several arson cases in Vail, Colo., that caused $12 million of damage.
A statement issued yesterday by "the Friends of Catalyst" reads:
"We mourn the passing of our dear friend and community member, Bill Rodgers, who worked tirelessly for the causes of social justice and environmental sustainability. We ask that he be remembered as the gentle, kind, and compassionate person we all knew and loved here in Prescott. We remain committed to continuing the work of community building and ecological awareness, through the Catalyst Infoshop, as part of the legacy Bill helped to create. We wish our friend the peace and serenity that he strived so hard to create in this world. This is a great loss for our community. We love you, Bill."
---
The Tattered Cover, Denver, Colo., has joined the podcast people, launching a free, weekly podcast called Authors on Tour--Live, according to Bookselling This Week. The podcasts feature author events at the three Tattered Cover stores and run 30-45 minutes.
---
Brenda Marsh has been named v-p of author relations, a new position, at Barnes & Noble, and will be responsible for "creating new author programs and initiatives" and "representing" the company to authors.
A sales and marketing veteran of HarperCollins, Viking Penguin and St. Martin's, Marsh has worked at B&N.com since 1998, first as v-p of merchandising and then as v-p of content and merchandising. Among other things, she launched the "Meet the Writers" feature that profiles more than 600 authors; the online reading group program; and "What America's Reading," which provides updates on bestselling books.
---
Today's Wall Street Journal profiles Stuart Montaldo, who has developed the award-winning, science-oriented Cogno series of board games. This year he's sold some 6,000 games in about 600 stores, mainly "small independent stores specializing in educational toys and classroom supplies." Borders has also gotten into the game this season, "stocking them in about 60 of its top toy-selling stores."
---
A new children's audio tour guide developed by the Carlsbad Caverns Guadalupe Mountains Association for Carlsbad Caverns National Park in New Mexico also seems to guide people to the Park Service bookstore, according to the Carlsbad Current-Argus.
"When visitors use the audio guide, we find that many stop by the bookstore afterwards and ask for books on specific topics," T.K. Kajiki, executive director of the association, told the paper. "I think the audio guides really stimulate their interest and they want to find out more about the park."
---
The San Diego Tribune celebrates the new 8,000-sq.-ft. Bonita-Sunnyside branch of the San Diego County Library system, which has a gas fireplace, wi-fi and three self-checkout stations. The library is in a 14,400-sq.-ft. complex that includes a Friends of the Library bookstore, office space for the Bonita Business and Professional Association, a community meeting space, the Bonita Historical Museum and the Bonita Public Safety Center.
---
Some 260 booksellers from 170 stores have registered for the ABA's first Winter Institute, to be held in Long Beach, Calif., January 26-27. The two days of programming feature 22 education sessions similar to what the association puts on at BEA as well as an author reception, a "what are you reading" breakfast and a luncheon discussion of what independent retailers in other industries are doing to stay competitive. For more information, see Bookselling This Week.
---
The 31 Collins Booksellers franchisees who banded together and bought Collins's franchise agreements, brand names, IT and other assets when the Australian bookseller went under earlier this year (they did not buy Collins's 23 company-owned stores) are faring well, according to the Age of Melbourne. There are now 33 franchise stores, with another set to open in January. The company aims to have 50 by the end of 2008.
The "new" Collins has a much smaller headquarters and is seeking sites in suburban strip centers and "great location in regional centres" rather than shopping center spots. Noting that Collins stores can't compete with mass merchandisers on price, Diana Johnston, a franchisee and in charge of Collins's book buying committee, told the paper: "Our market is more literary, with an emphasis on books for children and young adults, which make up 30% of our sales."