National Collegiate Book Collecting Contest

Entries are now being accepted for the 2013 National Collegiate Book Collecting Contest. Begun in 2005 by the Fine Books & Collections magazine for bibliophiles, the competition is now jointly sponsored by the Antiquarian Booksellers' Association of America, the Fellowship of American Bibliophilic Societies, as well as the Center for the Book and the Rare Books and Special Collections Division of the Library of Congress.

A number of contests are currently held at colleges and universities around the U.S., with Swarthmore College's competition being the first in the 1920s. College-level students from all educational institutions, however, are encouraged to participate. Entries for the 2013 competition are due by May 31, 2013. Contest rules and further information are available at the Antiquarian Booksellers' Association of America website. The Library of Congress will be the site of this year's awards ceremony on October 18, 2013.

4.20 Is Record Store Day 2013

Ambassador White says "Gimme the combo platter." Find a participating shop near you at the Record Store Day website.

Books over Bloomberg

On April 9, 2013, the Occupy movement scored a victory when a settlement was reached in the case of Occupy Wall Street (OWS), "an unincorporated association," against the City of New York, Mayor Michael Bloomberg, and other city officials and individuals. The suit was filed because of the seizure and destruction of books, library furnishings, and equipment of the People's Library at Zucotti Park in New York City on November 15, 2011. Among other things, the settlement provides for the payment of $47,000 to the OWS Library Working Group and $185,000 in attorneys' fees for the plaintiffs. The full text of the settlement can be read online. Further information about the People's Library and its history can be found at its blog.

Moon Hoax Not

Moon Hoax Not by S.G. Collins is a quick-paced video describing the technical implausibilities and impossibilities that would have been involved in any attempt to fabricate the visual documentation of NASA's moon shot in 1969. The Common Curator also has these earlier offerings for All Fools' Day, including its putative origin and other notorious hoaxes.