Latest news with #Library
The Herald Scotland
a day ago
- Business
- The Herald Scotland
National Library celebrates 100 Years and key job opportunity
From ancient manuscripts to new digital publications, these are freely accessible to all. Events are being rolled out all across Scotland. Acclaimed authors Val McDermid and Damian Barr have been named as Centenary Champions, lending their voices to this nationwide celebration of books, reading and public knowledge. A major exhibition, Dear Library, offers an exploration of what libraries mean to individuals and communities. Mary Queen of Scots' last letter will be loaned from the Library's archives and displayed at the new Perth Museum in its first public appearance in a generation. Further exhibits from the collections will travel to Aberdeen and Shetland, ensuring the centenary is marked far beyond Edinburgh. 'We are in the middle of a truly transformative year for the National Library,' says Jackie Cromarty, the Library's Director of Engagement. 'We're celebrating our 100th birthday with a host of amazing events and activities around the country. 'We've just unveiled a brand-new website and we're looking forward to launching our new strategy later this year. 'This will see us further connecting our collections and the people of Scotland, engaging with a host of new community and research partners and developing our collections in ways that are sustainable, accessible and relevant to a changing society.' As part of this momentum, the Library is seeking a permanent, full-time Head of Human Resources to lead its HR and Organisational Development. Reporting directly to the Leadership Team and Library Board, the new Head of HR will play a strategic role in shaping internal culture, supporting employees and driving best practice across the entire organisation. With the current postholder retiring and leaving behind strong HR foundations and a capable team, the incoming Head has the opportunity to build on this valuable work and bring their own vision to one of Scotland's most respected public institutions. 'It's an exciting time to consider joining the Library,' adds Jackie Cromarty. 'You will find it an endlessly fascinating and inspiring place to work, where your role as Head of Human Resources can make a real impact on the organisation and its people as we step into our second century.' The position comes with generous annual leave, pension contributions, flexible working where possible and ongoing professional development: an ideal opportunity for an experienced HR professional seeking to contribute to an organisation at the heart of Scotland's cultural life. For those inspired by heritage, learning and public service, the National Library of Scotland could be their next exciting chapter. More information is available on s1jobs and review the National Library of Scotland profile for extra insights!
New York Post
2 days ago
- Politics
- New York Post
Part of Constitution vanishes from government website due to ‘error'
The virtual Constitution got an unexpected amendment Wednesday. Portions of Article I, Section 8 and all of Section 9 and 10 vanished from the government's official Constitution Annotated website, a snafu the Library of Congress — which maintains the site — blamed on a 'coding error.' Those provisions of the founding document notably pertain to habeas corpus, protection against detention without due process; and the emoluments clause, which restricts government officials from receiving unsanctioned foreign gifts. The missing sections were back online as of 2 p.m. ET, the Library of Congress confirmed. 'Upkeep of Constitution Annotated and other digital resources is a critical part of the Library's mission, and we appreciate the feedback that alerted us to the error and allowed us to fix it,' a rep said in a statement. 3 The Constitution Annotated had key sections of the Constitution missing before the Library of Congress fixed the issue Wednesday. 3 The sections that vanished dealt with gifts from foreign countries and habeas corpus. jaflippo – It was not immediately clear what caused the 'coding error,' which appeared to have happened sometime after July 17, according to screen captures on Wayback Machine. Tech whizzes briefly tacked on a banner on the website that said, 'The Constitution Annotated website is currently experiencing data issues. We are working to resolve this issue and regret the inconvenience.' Liberal critics of President Trump have long highlighted Sections 8, 9 and 10 while attacking his policies of shipping migrants off to El Salvador's notorious Terrorism Confinement Center (CECOT) prison complex and benefiting from gifts such as a jumbo jet from Qatar. The website features an annotations tool that lets users explore the historical meaning and legal implications of a given section. 3 Other government websites with the Constitution did not appear to be affected. Photography by Jack – Article I, Section 8 lays out Congress' authority to collect taxes, raise an army and navy, regulate commerce and establish a national currency. Section 9, which was wholly erased, dealt with habeas corpus and emoluments, while Section 10 imposes limits on states — such as preventing them from entering treaties with foreign nations and establishing their own currencies. Other federal websites hosting digital copies of the founding documents, such as the one run by the National Archives and Records Administration, appear to have been untouched. The National Archives Building in Washington, DC, houses the original copy of the Constitution as well as a copy of the Declaration of Independence and other venerated documents.
Qatar Tribune
4 days ago
- Qatar Tribune
QNL expands global access with immersive Virtual Tour
Tribune News Network Doha Qatar National Library (QNL) is expanding access to its spaces with the launch of a new Virtual Tour, providing a fully immersive digital experience to audiences worldwide. Accessible directly through any browser, the tour features high-resolution 360 panoramic views, enabling users to experience the Library's various sections, including the Main Library, Heritage Library, Children's and Young Adults sections, exhibition halls, and study areas in vivid detail. Interactive hotspots, represented by clickable icons, enhance the experience by offering descriptions, multimedia content, and key service information throughout the tour in both Arabic and English. A smart search function allows users to quickly locate specific areas within the Library by typing specific keywords such as 'Heritage Library,' facilitating seamless navigation. Digital inclusion lies at the heart of the initiative, reflecting the QNL's strong commitment to accessibility. The tour follows best practices in digital inclusivity, ensuring it is easy to navigate and understand for users with different needs. For those with visual impairments, the platform supports screen readers, provides high-contrast viewing options, and allows content magnification and zoom. Users with motor disabilities can navigate the entire tour using a keyboard alone, thanks to a simplified interface that minimizes complex interactions. The tour's layout is clear and consistent, with intuitive icons and descriptive labels that promote cognitive accessibility. All essential information is also presented in text format to assist users with hearing challenges. The tour is compatible with assistive technologies across desktops, tablets, and mobile devices. Mohammed Saif, communications director at Qatar National Library, said the initiative strengthens the Library's position as a digitally accessible gateway to a world of culture and heritage. 'As an institution committed to inclusivity and innovation, we are proud to offer a tour that invites the world into Qatar National Library,' said Saif. 'This experience ensures that everyone, regardless of their location, can explore our spaces and cultural heritage.' Begin your journey through Qatar National Library today by visiting this link to access our Virtual Tour.
Los Angeles Times
5 days ago
- General
- Los Angeles Times
Come for a book, leave with bongos — a Library of Things lets cardholders try, learn and create
Men and women looking to learn the craft of sewing this week congregated at Costa Mesa's Donald Dungan Library, where a 90-minute lesson could be extended by weeks for students interested in checking the machines out with their library cards. From power tools and sewing machines to lawn games and musical instruments, a vast catalog of items for temporary use is just one checkout away at the Orange County Public Libraries' Library of Things. Dungan is one of 29 branches in the network that lets cardholders get their hands on items that might expose them to new crafts and hobbies or fulfill a temporary need. OC Public Libraries' librarian Ericka Reeb said another goal of the collection is to reduce some of the waste and overconsumption that can occur in the retail market. 'When you purchase something, there's a whole chain — sometimes there's packaging, or maybe you use it, then it sits there taking up space in your home,' said Reeb, who also serves as branch manager for the University Park Library in Irvine. 'With the Library of Things, we buy one item and share it with the entire community.' When OC Public Libraries launched the endeavor last spring, the catalog included about 45 items, primarily outdoor games and musical instruments, available for checkout at three branches, including the Costa Mesa library. Today, with help from a $75,000 Sustainable California Libraries grant from the California State Library that last year allowed for expansion of the catalog and branch participation, the system offers more than 1,200 items in libraries countywide. Reeb, who oversees the catalog and purchases items for it, said one benefit of the program is that it allows cardholders to check out something they're interested in trying but not sure about buying. For example, a homeowner might be considering switching from a gas-powered range to an electric one, so could check out an induction cooktop kit to see how it cooks. Another library patron could get a star-gazing set with a telescope to watch a meteor shower, or a pickleball set to try the sport without paying for equipment. Other times, people may have grandkids visiting or a birthday party or meeting that requires a particular set, game or item not needed beyond the one-time use. Still others may have a weekend project that requires a tool, like a drill with an augur attachment for turning soil or a digital film scanner, that they'd otherwise have to buy and then keep indefinitely. 'We've looked for those items that were large — how often do you break out that cornhole set?' Reeb said Wednesday. 'This way you can just check it out. You don't have to store it, and you don't have to pay for it. It's free, just like a book.' While the Library of Things mirrors the traditional book-lending model, there are a few key differences. Firstly, it's only for cardholders 18 and older and requires users to sign a waiver. Library patrons are limited to two items at a time, and while an object can be checked out for 21 days, it cannot be renewed, due to a limited supply and high demand. A cardholder also cannot place a hold on an item and, in many cases, may have to pick it up and drop it off to its location of origin. In addition to growing the catalog significantly, last year's State Library grant also allowed OC Public Libraries to develop programming around the collection, including the sewing class at the Donald Dungan Library and talks and demonstrations on zero-waste or plant-based cooking, upcycling and living a plastic-free lifestyle. Wednesday's sewing machine tutorial — led by Jenny Nason and Wendy Hershman of the Orange Quilt Bee fabric store — saw Costa Mesa resident Vickie Do trying out a Brother 60-stitch computerized sewing machine to create a drawstring produce bag. 'I have never used a machine before. [But] now, with all the upcycling going on I want to empower my kids — I want to learn so I can show them,' said the 37-year-old mother of two, who regularly enrolls her kids in library classes and saw the adult sewing class. 'There's also a mom and teen class. So, if 'Mommy' can learn, maybe I can come here and they can learn with me,' she said. As use of the catalog deepens and expands, librarians are learning from patrons, through surveys and by word of mouth, the many different ways the Library of Things is improving and enriching lives. Some people simply want to play a cassette tape or CD, or digitize their old music into a modern format. Others may want to try their hand at playing the bongos. Reeb said she once ordered a lifelike robotic cat, intended as a companion for people with dementia, but heard of a family that used it to acclimate their young daughter to having a real cat in the house. It's all part of ensuring libraries meet constituents wherever they're at, according to Reeb. 'We're constantly trying to meet the needs of our community,' she said. 'And we love things like this, because people may say, 'I already buy my books, but I always wanted to try a metal detector.' And we have one for you.' For more, visit
Al-Ahram Weekly
31-07-2025
- General
- Al-Ahram Weekly
Translating logic and hunting poems - Culture - Al-Ahram Weekly
The Library of Arabic Literature published by New York University Press in Abu Dhabi celebrated its tenth anniversary two years ago with events designed to reflect on the past successes and future directions of this remarkable series of translations from mostly classical Arabic literature into modern English. Speaking to the Al-Ahram Weekly in a 2018 interview, the editors said that 'the series is aimed at the general reader who may not know anything at all about Arabic literature or Arab-Islamic civilisation… [and is] intended to reach out directly to this readership, requiring of readers as little effort and occasioning them as little cultural and intellectual anxiety as possible in order to enjoy our books.' It has produced dozens of works of classical Arabic literature in hardback editions featuring newly edited Arabic texts and facing English translations. Many of these have been republished in English-only paperback versions aimed at readers not requiring the original Arabic texts and the scholarly annotations, the intention being eventually to produce English-only paperbacks of all the books. 'Our editions of the Arabic texts are aimed to reach out to readers of Arabic. These editions are authoritative, but they are not burdened with excessive annotation. All our translations will in due course appear in English-only paperback versions. We also produce PDF files of our Arabic texts and make them available on the Library's Arabic Website,' the editors told the Weekly, adding that the series aims to meet the requirements of multiple constituencies, from scholars to classroom use to interested general readers. It has established itself as including go-to English versions of sometimes hard-to-find classical Arabic texts in the same way that the well-known Loeb series has done for classical Greek and Latin texts with their facing English translations. Many readers of the Weekly will have followed the Library of Arabic Literature since its inception a dozen or so years ago. Even more will have been grateful for the opportunities it has provided to read intriguing works of early modern Egyptian literature in English translation. Roger Allen's translation of What Isa ibn Hisham Told Us by the early 20th-century Egyptian journalist Muhammad al-Muwaylihi appeared in the series in 2018, for example, allowing contemporary readers access to this satirical account of Cairo. Humphrey Davies's translation of the 17th-century writer Yusuf al-Shirbini's Brains Confounded by the Ode of Abu Shaduf Expounded appeared in the series in 2019, with this satirical work pitting Egypt's rural population against its urban residents and including a scholarly commentary on a poem supposedly written by a peasant named Abu Shaduf. The Library has since returned to the mediaeval period, including by publishing new translations of works like the 13th-century scholar Najm al-Din al-Katibi's The Rules of Logic, a textbook for use in schools, and the 'hunting poems,' published as A Demon Spirit, of the 8th-century Abbasid poet Abu Nuwas. Both books contain introductions setting the works in the context of their time and containing useful hints about how modern English-speaking readers might approach them. While the poems of Abu Nuwas make significant demands on the reader – and of course also the translator – owing to their employment of elaborate and highly metaphorical language, curiously the demands of al-Katibi's textbook are in some ways more straightforward. His discussion of what is essentially post-Aristotleian logic will be intelligible to anyone familiar with the basics of the traditional subject, even if for modern readers his formulations are challenging. Hunting poems: The 8th-century Abbasid poet Abu Nuwas ('the one with the curly hair') has quite a reputation in Arabic letters, and James Montgomery, Professor of Arabic Literature at Cambridge University in the UK and the translator of the 'hunting poems' (tardiyyat), begins by reviewing it for contemporary readers. Abu Nuwas, he says, 'heretic, countercultural icon, brigand, court jester… ritual clown [and] justified sinner,' was 'arguably the greatest poet of the Arabic language' and at the very least was a virtuoso in the Abbasid poetic genres of 'panegyrics (madih), reunciant poems (zuhdiyyat), lampoons (hija), hunting poems, wine poems (khamriyyat), love poems (ghazaliyyat), and transgressive verse (mujun).' Produced for the entertainment of the Abbasid elite – Abu Nuwas was a kind of court companion of the Caliphs Haroun al-Rashid and Al-Amin – his poetry 'never fails to delight, surprise, and excite,' Montgomery says, adding that 'what is most striking is its apparent effortlessness and the naturalness of its Arabic, despite the deployment of the full panoply of the new rhetorical style known as badi,' meaning 'modern' or even 'modernist.' Abu Nuwas's poetry is occasional, he adds, in the sense that it must be imagined as having been written for specific occasions to entertain the poet's aristocratic audience. Perhaps for those coming to the poetry from an Anglophone background, a comparison might be made to the work of the early 17th-century English poet John Donne, also a master of transgression and a writer of self-consciously 'modern' poems for a coterie audience. Montgomery has translated some 120 of Abu Nuwas's hunting poems including some of uncertain attribution. Most of them are short, perhaps a couple of stanzas long, and they are written in a highly charged poetic language. For those opening the book for the first time and wondering what makes a 'hunting' poem, Montgomery provides a useful explanation. The hunting poems are not descriptions of the act of hunting itself but instead are occasioned by it. Hunting of various kinds, always with animals such as dogs or hawks, was a favourite activity of the Abbasid elite for whom Abu Nuwas wrote his poems. He specialised in elaborate verbal pictures of the animals employed in the hunt, and one can imagine some of his poems being dedicated to prize specimens. Hunting was an occasion for ritualised display, Montgomery says, and at least for its human participants it does not seem to have involved much physical effort. For those whose idea of hunting, particularly hunting with dogs, is drawn from English foxhunting, Abbasid hunting seems to have been a rather sedentary affair, though not for the hunted animals. It mostly took place in the grounds of monasteries, where the human hunters would walk or ride about until prey broke ground, after which they would unleash hawks, dogs, or even cheetahs to bring it down. Abu Nuwas's hunting dogs are described as straining at the leash, their bodies tensed with expectation and nerves and muscles working together to leap upon their prey. 'The eye exults in his beauty,' Abu Nuwas writes of one hunting dog. 'The bright blaze / on his head, his white forelegs, fire-stick / thin, his long cheek, his scissor bite.' Of another, he writes of it 'pulling on the leash / like a lunatic terrified of needles / bolting from a doctor.' There is a rather jokey poem about a spider, also engaged in a form of hunting – 'this thing, this mean and despicable trifle / the colour of dark, muddy water, with its tiny back and chest … faster than a wink / or waking with a jolt, this thing scurries about / like a heady wine sprouting from an amphora / when broached.' Rules of logic: Najm al-Din al-Katibi's The Rules of Logic (Al-Risala Al-Shamsiyya), translated by Cambridge Arabist Tony Street, takes readers out of the entertainments of the Abbasid court and into the more earnest environment of the madrassas, the mediaeval Arab schools whose curriculum of philosophy and religion was in some ways similar to their equivalents in Europe. Aristotle was the philosopher most studied in the mediaeval European schools, and he was also the basis for the philosophical parts of the mediaeval madrassa curriculum in the Arab world, though as Street suggests this was Aristotle filtered through the work of the Islamic commentators. If one man can be described as having invented logic, broadly speaking the study of argument, it was Aristotle, and Aristotle's description of the field, inspiring the mediaeval logicians in both the Islamic and the European world, survived more or less unchanged until the last century when logic was developed for modern needs and almost completely rewritten by 20th-century logicians. Al-Katibi's Rules of Logic refers to the logic established by Aristotle, modified, in the Islamic case, by Ibn Sina (Avicenna), and he begins with subjects and predicates of various types that provide the traditional groundwork for logical analysis. From there, following Aristotle, he moves onto the syllogism, attempting some classification of its different types with a view to establishing valid and invalid arguments. The treatise is divided into three parts, the first on terms and expressions, the second on propositions or sentence types, and the third on syllogisms and the rules of argument. Only if the premises are true can the conclusion of a syllogism be true, and al-Katibi sets out six forms of true proposition including those true by definition and those true by experience. He adds propositions true by 'intuition' and by 'widespread agreement,' while noting that experience, intuition, and consensus cannot yield certain knowledge. Only a syllogism taking propositions of these types as its premises can come close to yielding a true conclusion, he says, adding a list of uncertain propositions that people may nevertheless use in argument. These include 'endoxic' propositions –statements taken as true because it is convenient to do so – received propositions – arguments from authority – and suppositional propositions –jumping to conclusions. A syllogism 'built on these kinds of premises is called rhetoric,' he says, whose aim is to 'exhort the hearer' and does not have truth as its goal. As for propositions whose truth value is indeterminate – he gives the example of 'wine is liquid ruby' – their only value is in poetry. Propositions that claim to be true neither by definition nor by experience – his example is 'beyond the world is a limitless void' – are either false or meaningless. An argument built on such premises 'is called sophistry, and its goal is to silence or deceive an opponent.' Street says that while it can never be known why logic became a core subject of the mediaeval madrassas, 'there can be no doubt that [its] utility for analysing and justifying legal reasoning was a major consideration.' Even if some religious scholars 'regarded the broader logical tradition with suspicion,' owing to its non-religious origin, 'they were prepared to include the Rules among texts unobjectionable to pious concerns.' 'Few of the Rules's readers went on to formulate knowledge-claims in the propositional forms listed in the Rules,' he says, 'and still fewer went on to deduce new knowledge-claims using the inference-schemata' provided by al-Katibi. 'But all would have come away… with an appreciation of the many pitfalls of building an argument in natural language.' Abu Nuwas, A Demon Spirit: Arabic Hunting Poems, trans. James Montgomery, pp 432, Najim al-Din al-Katibi, The Rules of Logic, trans. Tony Street, pp179, both New York: New York University Press, 2024 * A version of this article appears in print in the 6 August, 2025 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly Follow us on: Facebook Instagram Whatsapp Short link:
