Jose Luis Orozco

This morning I attended a presentation at OLA/WLA by the children's bilingual (Spanish-English) author and musician Jose Luis-Orozco. He is simply incredible. He displayed how to teach language and concepts like self-esteem and tolerance via fingerplays, songs and dancing. His presentation was rich and full of languages and respect for diversity. We learned how to count to ten in Polish, Spanish, Russian, German, French, English, and Dutch by the end of his presentation.
This was no passive presentation Jose-Luis had the crowd up in front dancing and getting to know one another. I cried, I laughed, and I learned--he is a master storyteller/performer. I cannot tell you how happy I am that his books are available to this generation of kids. I didn't really have this kind of cultural appreciation child teaching. It is wonderful that our libraries, schools, and parents can take advantage his work to teach kids how to have fun and to love each other and themselves.

Big props go out to WLA/OLA and REFORMA for bringing Jose-Luis to Vancouver, WA this year! If you can book Jose-Luis--do it!

Libraries and zines...

My Homeboy over at Foulweather Press just wrote up a post on Libraries:

Foulweather


He was stoked that Multnomah Co. carried his zine (in which I have an interview with Immortal Technique and an essay on colonialism in the US). I recently received a comment from someone who works at Seattle public--saying they had received foulweather and noticed my work.

Libraries just plain rule!

We provide you with the information you need.

Tell us what you want and need!



Read Foulweather and support Libraries!

Muxtape is incredible!

My friends recently turned me onto Muxtape. This is a sweet site that lets you upload 12 mp3's to make a mixtape. You can then share it with friends by sharing the URL. It is such a beautifully simple idea. For each song there is a link to Amazon where one can purchase the track/s.


One can easily appreciate what a good sales/marketing model this is immediately. I've already been exposed to at least 10 bands I had heard of, but had never heard. Now I'm probably going to buy some of their music, whereas if I had not heard them--I would not buy their music. Sure you can sample tunes in many manners--its just that Muxtape has that social networking recommendation thing going on. Perhaps this is something the slow moving publishing industry will notice and take a cue from.



I'm fantasizing about having a library muxtape with selections taken from the library collection and then having links to the records so they can be placed on hold easily.

Simple is beautiful.



Good work Muxtape!

"Against the Cultural Imperialism Of the United States!"

The former head of the Venezuelan library systems has been given the task of fighting cultural imperialism in Venezuela.

Article


We need someone to do that here in American Libraries. I have yet to read a good article on the colonial viewpoint that is in almost ALL information produced and disseminated in the US, and in the West.


Has anyone here read any good analytical essays/articles on this issue?

The Lowrider Librarian says hola!

Hi,

my name is Max Macias. I'm a library science graduate student about a year into my studies. I've worked in libraries for over 20 years. A scholarship has made my studies possible. My interests include outreach to minority populations, Mexican-American (for lack of a better term) studies, Hip-hop culture, information transfer process, and politics.


I will be commenting on library, social sciences, politics, white supremacy, immigration, and the the american genocides among other issues and events.

Please comment, email me, or befriend me on Facebook: max macias.
.