Teaching Life as a Great Story
A Transformative Tool in Sustainability Education
"A coherent story of our origins — a powerful and true myth — can act as an effective intellectual vehicle ... in the building of a whole new legacy."
— Eric Chaisson
The dominant EuroAmerican narrative has told humans that they are separate from Nature, that Nature is corrupt and something to be controlled, a belief compounded by the post-industrial mechanistic way of understanding life processes (Bowers, 1997; Merchant, 1982). This "story" influences curriculum (and the hidden curriculum).
In contrast, the Great Story (Universe Story or Evolutionary Epic) is what Maria Montessori calls "a spectacular vision of the universe." The science of cosmogenesis and evolution connects humans to the universe, Earth and all life.
The Great Story provides humanity a common creation story, a narrative that "embraces yet transcends all scientific, religious, and cultural stories" (Dowd, 2002). "For the first time in human existence we have a cosmic story that is not tied to one cultural tradition ... but instead gathers every human group into its meanings" (Swimme, 1998).
In order to make an apple pie from scratch, you must first create the universe.
— Carl Sagan
The Great Story serves as a superior way for students to make sense of the world, and offers a powerful integrating theme in education. Montessori presented "the whole of the universe as a framework for all the children's later knowledge" (Lillard, 1996, p. 55), and based her education on five "Great Lessons," starting with stories of the universe and the coming of life. Her method has been validated by research (Lillard, 2005).
Theologic historian Thomas Berry (1988) taught the Universe Story as the context for all human understanding. "Both education and religion need to ground themselves within the story of the universe.... Within this functional cosmology we can overcome our alienation and begin the renewal of life on a sustainable basis" (http://thegreatstory.org/).
Bowers, C. A. (1997). The culture of denial: Why the environmental movement needs a strategy for reforming universities and public schools. SUNY Press, Albany, NY
Berry, T. (1988). Dream of the Earth. Sierra Club Books, San Francisco, Quote accessed at http://www.thegreatstory.org/what_is.html
Dowd, M. (2002). What Is the Great Story? Accessed at http://www.thegreatstory.org/what_is.html
Lillard, A. (2005). Montessori: The Science Behind the Genius. Oxford University Press, New York
Lillard, P. (1996). Montessori Today: A Comprehensive Approach to Education from Birth to Adulthood. Schocken Books, New York
Merchant, C. (1982). The Death of Nature: Women, Ecology and the Scientific Revolution. Harper Collins, New York
Swimme, B. (1998). In Barlow, C. Part II: Classic Quotes. Epic of Evolution Quarterly. Spring: 2. Accessed at
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Issues Volume 17 Number 04
Edith Stein, the first Jew to be declared a saint by the Catholic Church, was born in Breslau, Germany, on Yom Kippur, 1891. Her father died when she was two and her mother, a devout Jew, raised her and her six siblings. Stein earned a doctorate in philosophy at the University of G÷ttingen. In 1921 she read the autobiography of Teresa of Avila, which drew her into a personal relationship with Jesus.
- Written by Joshua Turnil
Jean-Marie Lustiger walked nervously up to the dais to preside over his first mass. The church was packed and the silence palpable. Just as the young priest was about to speak, someone from the crowd yelled, “Get the Jews out!” Lustiger’s reply broke the stunned silence, “All right, if the Jews must leave, that means the guy on the cross and his mother behind me will have to go as well!”


This post is an overview of the bibliography of author David Mitchell. It includes links to interviews, reviews, and essays, as well as information about his forthcoming books.
Last updated July 2017.
Table of Contents
I. Collected Works
II. Book Review Compilations
III. Select Critical Analysis
IV. Select Essays, Interviews and Lists
VI. The Future and Forthcoming Books
In its starred review of David Mitchell’s The Bone Clocks, Publisher’s Weekly posed the following question: “Is [this] the most ambitious novel ever written, or just the most Mitchell-esque?”
High praise, indeed, and appropriately prescient; The Bone Clocks was ultimately longlisted for several end-of-year literary awards. But Mitchell’s readers have long known that such critical praise is both justified and deserved. David Mitchell, author of six novels and over a dozen short stories and librettos, is one of the most ambitious (and enjoyable) writers of the twenty-first century.
What makes Mitchell’s body of work so unique? In brief, his use of lush language, kinetic storytelling, and an expansive vision of how his fiction fits together. Mitchell is pioneering what might be deemed a “meta-novel,” in which all of his books and short stories are part of a larger universal narrative. Thanks to his emotionally resonant characters and the thematic depth of his fiction, this has yielded an unparalleled micro- and macro-storytelling project unlike anything else in modern literature.
The varied structures and styles of Mitchell’s individual novels reflect this overarching scope. They range from standard first-person Bildungsroman (Black Swan Green) to multi-narrator historical fiction (The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet) to symphonies of interconnected narrative strains. Cloud Atlas, perhaps his most well-known work, features six linked stories-within-stories that span hundreds of years, authored in the styles of epistolary correspondence, judicial inquisition, 1970s political thriller, and more. Ghostwritten, his debut novel, features nine independent stories that connect over the course of the book. Mitchell’s first manuscript, which was roundly rejected by publishers, somehow puts its successors to shame in scope: it included 365 different chapters, multiple subplots, and dozens of characters.
In many ways, Mitchell’s penchant for unique, interlocking narrative structures makes him a perfect author for contemporary fandom, in which the close-reading of small plot points and finishing touches is rewarded with new layers of thematic depth. The interconnectedness of his books and stories yields a dizzying number of crossover character appearances and cameos from title to title, which in turn affect how the reader understands the drama and stakes of a given scene or plot. Dr. Marinus, the wise, gruff botanist from The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet, appears in a different capacity in The Bone Clocks, despite the two books taking place nearly 200 years apart. Knowing Marinus’ role in the latter book completely re-shapes how the reader could interpret the full narrative arc of the former.
Of course, such interplay between books only works when characters and plots are compelling, and Mitchell does not disappoint. Tracking Jason Taylor’s maturation in Black Swan Green, Jacob de Zoet’s hopes and fears in Thousand Autumns, and Zachry’s attempts to make sense of post-apocalyptic society in Cloud Atlas are case studies in the pathos that Mitchell can draw from his protagonists. A recurring theme in his work is the dynamic of power structures and how benevolence can exist amid aggressive malevolence. Seeing his characters navigate their surroundings and these power structures is a joy, thanks to Mitchell’s ability to weave together action, humor, and quiet moments of reflection.
To help fans appreciate the scope of Mitchell’s expansive literary universe, we’ve compiled a host of links and resources that comprise a significant portion of his bibliography. We hope this will serve both newcomers to his work and seasoned fans looking for hard-to-find stories and interviews. Enjoy!
I. Collected Works
Every major piece of fiction and nonfiction in Mitchell’s bibliography. Book links lead to Amazon pages; short story links lead to online copies if available; libretto links lead to synopses and interviews. Short story publishers and publication dates represent the earlier publication date between U.K. and American editions.
Credit to this site for compiling many of the short stories listed, and special thanks to Mr. Robert Borski for his kind help in adding additional stories and recommended links.
- Ghostwritten (1999)
- number9dream (2001)
- Cloud Atlas (2004)
- Black Swan Green (2006)
- The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet (2010)
- The Bone Clocks (2014)
- Slade House (2015)
Unpublished Book Manuscripts
- The Old Moon
- From Me Flows What You Call Time (Future Library Novel)
Book Translations (Nonfiction)
- The Reason I Jump (2013. By Naoki Higashida; translation with K.A. Yoshida.)
- Fall Down Seven Times, Get Up Eight (2017. By Naoki Higashida; translation with K.A. Yoshida.)
Short Stories and Fiction
- The January Man (2003. Printed in Granta 81. Early version of a chapter from Black Swan Green.)
- What You Do Not Know You Want (2004. Included in McSweeney’s Enchanted Chamber of Astonishing Stories edited by Michael Chabon, published by Vintage.)
- Acknowledgments (2005. Printed in Prospect.)
- Hangman (2005. Included in New Writing 13, edited by Ali Smith and Toby Litt; published by Picador. Early version of a chapter from Black Swan Green.)
- All Souls Day (Pre-2006, 2016. First discussed in Sarah Dillon’s Critical Essays prior to the publication of Black Swan Green. Published in Jealous Saboteurs by artist Francis Uprichard in 2016. Early version of a chapter from Black Swan Green.
- Preface (2006. Printed in the Daily Telegraph.)
- Dénouement (2007. Printed in The Guardian.)
- Judith Castle (2008. Reprinted in the New York Times; included in The Book of Other People edited by Zadie Smith, published by Penguin.)
- The Massive Rat (2009. Printed in The Guardian.)
- An Inside Job (2009. Included in Fighting Words, edited by Roddy Doyle, published by Stoney Road Press.)
- Character Development (2009. Reprinted in The Guardian; included in Freedom: Short Stories Celebrating the Universal Declaration of Human Rights by Amnesty International, published by Amnesty International.)
- Muggins Here (2010. Printed in The Guardian.)
- Earth Calling Taylor (2010. Printed in the Financial Times.)
- The Gardener (2011. Reprinted in The Guardian; originally created for Kai & Sunny’s “The Flower Show” art exhibition.)
- The Siphoners (2011. Included in I’m With the Bears: Short Stories from a Damaged Planet edited by Mark Martin, published by Verso Books.)
- In the Bike Sheds (2012. Printed in We Love This Book.)
- Lots of Bits of Star (2013. Originally created for Kai & Sunny’s “Caught by the Nest” art exhibition.)
- Variations on a Theme by Mister Donut (2014. Printed in Granta Magazine 127.)
- The Right Sort (2014. Published via Twitter. Early version of a chapter from Slade House.)
- My Eye On You (2016. Originally created for Kai & Sunny’s “Whirlwind of Time” art exhibition.)
- A Forgettable Story (2017. Printed in Silkroad Magazine.)
- Unknown short story presented at Royal Festival Hall in October 2017.
Short Story Translations
- The Earthgod and the Fox (2012. By Kenji Miyazawa; translation printed in McSweeney’s Issue 42.)
- Co-wrote one dialogue and two monologues for Kate Bush’s Before the Dawn tour (2014)
- Twitter account for The Bone Clocks character Crispin Hersey (2015)
- Twitter account for Slade House character I_Bombadil (2015)
- Writer and consultant for Sense8 season 2 on Netflix, plus a cameo in episode 4 (2017)
- Published essay in Light the Dark: Writers on Creativity, Inspiration, and the Artistic Process (2017)
II. Book Review Compilations
Collected links for reviews of three Mitchell titles.
- Ghostwritten Reviews
- number9dream Reviews
- Cloud Atlas Reviews (Page 2) (Page 3)
- Black Swan Green Reviews (Page 2)
- The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet Reviews (Page 2)
- The Bone Clocks Reviews
III. Select Critical Analysis
- James Wood – The New Yorker (one piece circa Thousand Autumns, another circa The Bone Clocks)
- Brian Finney – L.A. Review of Books
- David Mitchell: Critical Essays edited by Sarah Dillon (collected papers presented at an academic conference devoted to all things Mitchell)
- Substance 44:1: David Mitchell in the Labyrinth of Time (journal edition)
- A Temporary Future: The Fiction of David Mitchell by Patrick O’Donnell
- David Mitchell: Contemporary Critical Perspectives edited by Wendy Knepper
- The David Mitchell Conference 2017, a day-long celebration featuring critical readings and an appearance by David himself.
IV. Select Author Essays, Print Interviews, and Reading Lists
Japan and My Writing – “This lack of belonging encourages me to write: I lack a sense of citizenship in the real world, and in some ways, commitment to it. To compensate, I stake out a life in the country called writing. I don’t mean the publishing world: I mean a mental state (mental is the word!), where characters and plots in the head achieve the solidity of people and lives outside the head.”
Two essays for BookBrowse – “Writers’ motives are as varied as criminals’, but I suspect that the historical novelist’s genetic code contains the geeky genes of the model-maker – there is pleasure to be had in the painstaking reconstruction of a lost world.”
Lost for Words (published in Prospect) – “Stammerers are furnaces of willpower, burning more of the stuff in making a single phonecall than our non-stammering accusers get through in a week. My first ever public event as a writer was in 1999, at the generous invitation of AS Byatt and Tibor Fischer. Tibor picked up on my nervousness and, meaning to reassure me, said: ‘This will be the scariest reading you’ll ever do.’ I’ve never told him how right he was.”
An essay for The Atlantic – “We have a hard time remaining in the present: Our monkey minds are continually jumping through the jungles of the past and the forests of the future. But Wright’s poem says: Stop! Just stop. Calm down, be quiet, and look around. It’s an homage to, and an exhortation of, the act of seeing.”
Imaginary City (published in GEIST) – “Closer up, my imaginary Vancouver is scoured by the cold Pacific (as much an oxymoron as ‘hot Atlantic,’ where I’m from) and in need of a fresh lick of paint, like any working port. Ferries lit like Christmas trees plow the harbour, and snow-carved mountains encircle a stained-glass-at-night sky.”
A Possibly True Ghost Story (published in Freeman’s) – “Being young, I felt that I owned an unlimited bank account of hours and days, so I’d often zone out and gaze at the river, its herons, and the steep flank of wooded mountain rising from its far bank. No great leap of the imagination was required to picture the irradiated human beings of all ages arriving 50 years earlier—right there, at the very same spot where I aired my futon, hung my laundry, and ate my granola.”
- The Paris Review
- The Millions
- Magical Realism
- The Spectator
- The New York Times
- The New York Times Magazine
- Reddit’s AMA
Blurbs and Recommendations
V. Select Videos
(The first in a series of 10, linked from that video.)
VI. The Future and Forthcoming Books
Mitchell signed a three-book deal with Random House in 2014, which covers the publication of two new novels and another translation of Naoki Higashida’s work (the author of The Reason I Jump). It appears that one of these novels is his most recent book, Slade House, which was published in October 2015. His translation of Naoki Higashida’s Fall Down Seven Times, Get Up Eight was released in July 2017, which would suggest there is currently one book remaining on the Random House deal.
As part of the publicity tour for Slade House, Mitchell noted that he’ll be working on side-projects in advance of his next novel, which will take place in the 1960s:
I’m doing a couple of non-novel side-projects to ‘omnivorize’ myself a little, but I’ve promised not to discuss these for the time being. My next novel will be set in Soho London, Greenwich Village and Laurel Canyon in the late 1960s and will contain not a whiff of the supernatural. Probably.
Mitchell had discussed the themes of this next novel in a May 2015 interview:
Though most of Mitchell’s works can seem dark, they are ultimately also imbued with an inescapable sense of optimism. He believes in a future for humanity, and in the resilience of the human spirit, and it shines through.
Those ideals also colour the novel that Mitchell is currently working on, the book that may come after the novella in October. I won’t divulge too much, except to say that it’s set primarily in London in the 1960s and 1970s, and explores youth and creativity.
“What is idealism? What use is it? How ridiculous is it? But does anything change for the better without it?”
He also described the basic plot of the book in a 2014 interview with The Yale Herald:
It’s going to be set in 1967, ‘68, ‘69. It’ll be a British act in the folk rock revival starting in Soho—which is like our Greenwich Village, London’s Greenwich Village—and then they’re agent will try to “break America,” so they’ll be performing in the Gas- light Bar, and in places like that. But there are drugs around, so you can then bend the laws of reality with that justification but stay within realism. There will be weird shit happening in the book.
In an August 2015 interview with The Guardian, Mitchell acknowledged how all of his work shares a common universe, and he briefly referenced the next book he’ll be working on after the Slade House follow-up is finished:
He added: “Everything I will do will be in this universe. Even if it’s the book after the next one I do, which will be set around the turn of the first millennium.”
Additional Forthcoming Books
Kathryn Schulz wrote about Mitchell’s next five novels in her Vulture piece on The Bone Clocks:
Over lunch at a café in Kinsale, Mitchell astounded me by describing, in extensive detail, his next five books. These include further adventures with soul-eating villains, a trio of linked novellas set in New York in the late ’60s and early ’70s, a return to historical fiction (different hemisphere this time), and a fictionalized biography of an 18th-century person you’ve probably heard of. The final installment of the Marinus trilogy will follow all that. Mitchell is also toying with an idea for what will by then be his 12th novel. It is set 250 million years in the future.
In his 2014 interview with The Millions, Mitchell described the Marinus title in greater detail, along with information about another book:
I’m going to do a book mostly about Marinus in the future, about what happens once she gets to Iceland, and to link that to Meronym, who’s a character at the center of Cloud Atlas. They call themselves the Prescients. That’s how she introduces herself when she arrives in a fusion-powered ship to the post-apocalyptic times and the think tank the surviving Horologists have set-up in Iceland. I’m going to do Hershey’s father as well, the filmmaker. I’m doing something short now, but my next major book, I’ll start that next year.
Mitchell seems to have referenced the Marinus title in an interview from 2015:
…he’s been recently very interested in Iceland and so something with Vikings, or Greenland, or the Sagas, is probably in the queue. Particularly, he’s interested in writing something set 30 years after the end of The Bone Clocks and set in Iceland.
In that same interview, he also appears to have dropped a hint about the protagonist of his book set in the 18th century:
He also admitted to being fascinated by the 18th century harpsichordist Domenico Scarlatti who was decidedly average until the final years of his life when he wrote 550 sonatas of brilliance. The inversion of the more familiar child-prodigy figure appeals to him and he wondered what might have triggered that sudden awakening of genius.
At Book Expo America 2014, Mitchell mentioned that he would like to write a novel about soccer but provided no additional details by way of plot or style.
Future Library Title
In May 2015, the Future Library project announced that David Mitchell would be its second participating author. Future Library is a literary time capsule that will be collecting new, never-before-published work from 100 authors over the next 100 years, and it will lock those manuscripts away from public consumption until 2114.
In May 2016, Mitchell submitted his contribution, From Me Flows What You Call Time, at a ceremony held in Oslo. Few details have been revealed about the manuscript, save that it’s a 90-page novella and that it shares its name with an orchestral composition by Toru Takemitsu.
Not at the moment, but if you have any recommendations for additions to the list, send them our way- we’ll update this post as new features are published or uncovered. This is not a exhaustive accounting of every interview, review, and conversation that David has been a part of, but we hope it’s a good introduction to his body of work.


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Table of Contents
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Are you comfortable with the word research papers? Do you understand their goal? In the introductory portion of this report, I discussed that which study papers are. Now let us proceed to another pieces. We’ll take a look into some of free grammar and spell check the most common types of research papers. After reading this article you should be able to make the decision on which type of research papers that you would like to compose.
Among the most common sorts of research papers is an essay that’s written for research purposes. These are usually required in higher courses like Business or Technology Studies. There are also some university research papers that may be needed as a prerequisite for graduation. However, these aren’t the only type. Other research papers include qualitative research studies, which analyze real world cases instead of hypothetical data.
Another type of research paper is the paper. This sort of study papers assesses research papers and compares free spell checker them with regard to style, format, topic, etc., along with their strategy, results, or relevance to this reader. Reviews are usually written by people involved in study; it is meant to be objective and helps the readers understand the issues better.
Meta-research is a sub category of research papers. A meta-research newspaper is an evaluation of published research papers. It consists of a comparison of one research paper with another. It’s objective is to assess the relative strengths and weaknesses of the two research papers. The newspaper in review will need to follow generally accepted standards as put forth by researchers and scholars. The chief goal of a meta-research is to draw more focus on study newspapers by making them more visible to your viewers.
Among the most fascinating research papers is your personal study research paper. This study paper is principally performed by scholars who are interested to find the life stories of real people, particularly those that have somehow contributed to the evolution of the field area. The newspaper will be printed after the research paper has been critiqued. The chief goal of the research paper is to explain how the research was conducted, what results were gained, and what study method was utilized.
Reviewing research papers have become a necessary and a part of the research process. Therefore, more scholars are thinking up critical reviews of research papers for the aims of enhancing the standard of study. Sometimes these testimonials are posted on sites, and they are read and discussed by people who are interested in the subject. Moreover, in certain research papers, the important review can be published in important publication libraries and periodicals.


So, I’m applying for this reading development summer program, and it asked me to describe myself as a reader and how I became one, and I didn’t realize how hard it was going to be for me to stop writing once I started. My love for reading and expressing it through writing runs so deep I didn’t even notice it, until I started writing. All of the excitement just rushed to my stomach, my fingers felt enchanted, and I just imagined myself with this huge grin on my face (because it was) explaining to someone what I love about reading or my favorite book/author. Reading is my first love and it hasn’t forsaken me yet. This is me trying to place all that excitement in a “concise” answer:
Reading has always been my escape. It was and continues to be my imagination manifested. When I open a book and begin reading I immerse myself into each character and into the world that is created by the author to the point where it feels like I am a part of that world. That is my favorite part about reading: the ability that a novel or short story has to take you away from your reality and bring you elsewhere. In my opinion, a book is not all that different than a movie, which is why many books are translated into films. As soon as the book enters my hands and I begin reading that is when the movie starts, and from there the movie plays out in my head. At times, much like when I was younger, if I am reading a particularly exciting or interesting novel, I have to force myself to not read ahead just to see what happens next, much like a person restrains himself from telling another person how the movie ends or from asking another person what happens next in the film. The major difference, however, between reading a book and seeing a movie is the fact that when I read a book the “movie” that is playing out in my head is my personal interpretation of the literature and no one else’s. When I go out and see a movie I am seeing the director’s interpretation of a script and the actor’s interpretation of the character they are portraying, but when the story goes from my eyes directly to my head I am able to project myself into the story. Each person has their own unique experiences and personality and all of that effects how a person is going to read a book. It determines who is their favorite character, what scene in the novel or story effects them the most, and why they dislike or love the ending, which is what makes reading so great and what has inspired me to continue reading into adulthood. Reading gives me the opportunity to put my own thoughts and experiences and life into a story that someone else decided to tell, and because it is human nature to change as one grows older, I can read a book at one point in my life one way and a few years later have a completely different interpretation of the same novel. Reading is always dynamic even though it may be the same story. I love the classic novels because of this very reason. Most people read the same novels in high school throughout generations, but what I find most interesting is the way these novels are able to be relevant regardless of the time period. A good book is immortal and can be read time after time and still remain just as good if not better over time. When I began public school in third grade there was a program called AR (Accelerated Reading), and students would get incentives for reading based off of how many AR points they received. Of course larger novels received more points, so many students would race towards the Harry Potter series (including myself), but that only sparked my interest in reading. All of the enjoyment that I receive from opening my imagination and world to the worlds inside each novel I’ve read is what keeps me reading and subsequently keeps me learning and expanding my mind.
A particularly impactful book that I read a couple years ago really challenged the idea of seeing life from different perspectives. The novel, Nineteen Minutes by Jodi Piccoult, was a novel that told the story of a school shooting from multiple characters’ perspectives: the shooter, the mother of the shooter, a friend of the shooter, and her mother. The title comes from the amount of time the school shooting occurred. School shootings are a touchy, tragic subject, however, when you are not involved in the shooting and you just hear about it on the news, all the information you get is numbers: how many people were killed, how many injured, and how many shooters. What you don’t think about or realize is the perspective of the parents of the student shooter: how they must feel, how blindsided and just as horrified and shocked as everyone else, or the perspective of the shooter and what was actually going through their mind. The novel did not belittle the severity of the subject or attempt to evoke empathy for someone who is undoubtedly a murderer; however, it brilliantly opened my mind to all of the possibilities of what could be happening on a mental level from those involved amidst the news coverage and hearsay. No other novel I had read up until that point really drove home the saying that you really do not know what people are going through and how they are coping with their lives unless you are in their shoes, and that is exactly what Piccoult does: places the reader into each character’s mind and allows the reader to see the world from their perspective. In making the novel first person-omniscient for multiple characters, it truly effected and changed how I thought about real life situations that are similar to the novel. It showed me just how little I actually know about what goes on around me and others. Although I may think I know the whole story about something, in actuality I probably know very little, and therefore I should not be so quick to make judgments or conclusions. I would highly recommend Nineteen Minutes to anyone who is willing to feel uncomfortable and have their knowledge challenged and humbled.
I began reading at a young age because it was something I was told I should be doing and because I had outside incentive to do so. Who wouldn’t want a pizza party in your classroom in elementary school? However, despite my reasons for beginning to read, what kept me reading was the feeling I get after finishing a great book: a feeling of never wanting that book to end, but since it did, I need to find another one to read so I can feel like that all over again. Reading for me is exciting and exhilarating and is a true source of freedom. Reading takes my mind where my body cannot go, and it makes what’s impossible in this world possible without bounds.


Clayton's autobiography, "A Life Wasted" is NOW AVAILABLE in Paperback & Kindle Edition.
With national focus on Islamic terrorism, few noticed when "Domestic Terrorist" Clayton Waagner was added to the FBI's Ten Most Wanted List on September 21, 2001. How did a software developer become the 467th person added to the FBI's Ten Most Wanted List? Why did the FBI make Waagner a priority ten days after the worst terrorist attack in American history? How did he become the only person ever listed on the nation's top three Most Wanted List: FBI, U.S. Marshals, and ATF?
Clay Waagner led an interesting life. He pranked a Soviet ship and caused a Cold War incident inside the Arctic Circle. He is a licensed pilot, an artist, a husband of 40 years and the father of nine. He worked for the Christian Broadcasting Network and skippered a commercial fishing boat out of Kodiak, Alaska. He has escaped from custody five times. Criminal Science major's and convicts know his name, but few in the public do.
This is his story.
"Autobiography is only to be trusted when it reveals something disgraceful. A man who gives a good account of himself is probably lying."
By Orwell's standard this is an honest memoir.
Clay Waagner 2016
Clayton's latest book, Boston Bandits, is a short story based on actual events.
Boston Bandits is the untold story of how the FBI sent four innocent men to prison to hide crimes they
committed while covering for their top informant, James 'Whitey' Bulger.
For decades Whitey Bulger's control of South Boston's organized crime was supported by the FBI because he was
one of their top informants. During this time Bulger's power among Boston area criminal gangs was contested only
by the wild and independent square mile know as "The Town." Bulger accepted that he couldn't control the criminals
in Charlestown, so in an unspoken truce he and the Townies left each other alone. That was threatened when Bulger
extorted Joe Murray, an IRA weapons smuggler and marijuana importer. Answering a call for help from America's top
IRA commander, Townie Steve Burke did what none in Boston had dared: He stood up to White Bulger.
Two real life players in this untold true story later succeeded in their own right. Before Brian Goodman moved to
Hollywood to become a successful actor he was a close friend to Steve Burke and part of this story. Before she
became a United States Senator, Kelly Ayotte was the young lawyer who represented Steve Burke at the 1994
Hudson, New Hampshire armored car robbery and double murder trial. A robbery and murder that was actually
committed by a Southey crew controlled by White Bulger. It was a case in which the FBI fabricated evidence to
convict Burke and his Town crew to cover their own involvement. The FBI's cover up sent future United States
Senator Kelly Ayotte on a wild goose chase after fabricated evidence that the FBI hid by sending out of the country
via a shell game involving several U.S. corporations.
Much has been written about James 'Whitey' Bulger. "Black Mass" by Dick Lehr & Gerald O'Neill did a thorough job, as did "Whitey Bulger" by Kevin Cullen & Shelly Murphy. "The Brothers Bulger" by Howie Carr is an early primer. "Most Wanted: Pursuing the Murderous Mob Chief the FBI Secretly Protected" by Thomas J. Foley & John Sedgwick is about the hunt for Bulger as an FBI 10 Most Wanted fugitive. Boston Globe articles by Dick Lehr, Gerald O'Neill, Kevin Cullen, Shelly Murphy, Patricia Nealon, Mitchell Zuckoff, Stephen Kurkjian and Sally Jacobs covered FBI corruption related to White Bulger, as did Boston herald articles by Howie Carr, Ralph Randlli and David Weber. These books and articles tell a great deal of the Whitey Bulger story, but none expose Bulger's connection to the Hudson robbery and murder, nor do they cover the FBI's corruption related to the investigation and trial.
Boston Bandits is the beginning of the untold story of how Whitey Bulger murdered men and women, ruined lives and put innocent men in prison. It's an important story as four innocent men are still in prison.e.


African American Museum and Library at Oakland
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An Overview of the African American Museum and Library at Oakland
The African American Museum and Library at Oakland (AAMLO) is a renowned institution dedicated to preserving and sharing the historical and cultural experiences of African Americans in California and the West. Situated at 659 14th Street in Oakland, California, the museum and library serve as a valuable resource for researchers, history enthusiasts, and the general public.
The AAMLO holds a vast collection of artifacts, documents, and records that highlight the contributions, struggles, and achievements of African Americans throughout history. Established in 1946 as a private collection, it later evolved into the East Bay Negro Historical Society and eventually became part of the city of Oakland in 1994.
The museum and library are housed in the Charles S. Greene building, a historic structure that was formerly the Carnegie Library. Recognized as a U.S. National Register of Historic Places and an Oakland Designated Landmark, the building itself adds to the significance of the AAMLO.
Key Amenities at the African American Museum and Library at Oakland
- Reference Library: The AAMLO features a reference library with over 12,000 volumes that support its archives and museum. Researchers and visitors can access a wide range of materials, including books, manuscripts, diaries, periodicals, and photographs, all focused on African American history and culture
- Archival Collections: The museum houses over 160 archival collections, documenting the lives and stories of African American pioneers, prominent families, social and political organizations, churches, and more. These collections provide valuable insights into the experiences and contributions of African Americans in California and the West.
- Rotating Exhibitions: AAMLO offers rotating exhibits that showcase various aspects of African American art, history, and culture. Visitors have the opportunity to explore a diverse range of artifacts and artwork, allowing for a deeper understanding and appreciation of the African American experience.
- Eternal Voices Collection: The museum houses the extensive Eternal Voices collection, consisting of videos that preserve and present close to a century of East Bay African American history. These videos offer a unique opportunity to witness firsthand accounts, oral histories, and personal narratives that provide a rich tapestry of the community's experiences.
- Accessibility: AAMLO provides accessible facilities, including parking, entrance ramps, power-assisted doors, and accessible bathrooms and water fountains. The museum strives to create an inclusive environment where visitors of all abilities can comfortably explore and engage with the exhibits.
What You Will See When You Visit the African American Museum and Library at Oakland
- Historical Artifacts: When you visit AAMLO, you will have the opportunity to view a wide array of historical artifacts that offer a tangible connection to the past. From photographs and documents to clothing and personal belongings, these artifacts bring history to life and help tell the stories of African American individuals and communities.
- Art Exhibitions: The museum's galleries feature rotating art exhibitions that showcase the work of African American artists. These exhibitions encompass various mediums, including paintings, sculptures, photography, and mixed media, providing a platform for artistic expression and promoting dialogue around African American culture and identity.
- Interactive Displays: AAMLO incorporates interactive displays that engage visitors and encourage active learning. These displays may include touch screens, audio recordings, and multimedia presentations, allowing visitors to delve deeper into specific topics or explore different aspects of African American history at their own pace
Why You Should Visit the African American Museum and Library at Oakland
- Cultural Enrichment: AAMLO provides a platform for the exploration and celebration of African American heritage and contributions. You can obtain a better understanding of African Americans' different experiences, difficulties, and successes throughout history by visiting the museum and library. This firsthand exposure to cultural artifacts and narratives can broaden your perspective and foster a greater appreciation for the richness of African American culture.
- Educational Opportunities: AAMLO offers valuable educational opportunities for visitors of all ages. Whether you're a student, a teacher, or a lifelong learner, the museum and library provide access to multiple resources that can enhance your knowledge of African American history. From historical documents and artifacts to interactive exhibits and research materials, AAMLO offers a wealth of information that can inspire further exploration and learning.
Frequently Asked Questions About the AAMLO
Is photography allowed in the museum?
Photography is generally permitted in the museum's public areas. However, it is always best to check with museum staff to ensure compliance with any specific guidelines or restrictions in place during your visit.
How long does a typical visit to AAMLO take?
The duration of a visit to AAMLO can vary depending on individual interests and the level of engagement with the exhibits. On average, visitors spend approximately two hours exploring the museum and library, but some may choose to spend more or less time based on their preferences.
The African American Museum and Library in Oakland is an important organization dedicated to preserving and disseminating African Americans' historical and cultural experiences in California and the West. With its extensive archival collections, rotating exhibits, and diverse programming, the museum and library provide a valuable resource for researchers, history enthusiasts, and the general public.
Visiting the African American Museum and Library at Oakland offers a unique opportunity to engage with the rich history and culture of African Americans, gaining a deeper understanding of their contributions and experiences. Whether you're interested in exploring historical artifacts, viewing art exhibitions, conducting research, or attending community events, AAMLO provides a welcoming and educational environment.
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Address: 659 14th St, Oakland, CA 94612, United States
Brett S. Sachs graduated from Michigan State University College of Law with Cum Laude Honors. While attending Michigan State, Brett was awarded for his service in the Michigan State University College of Law Civil Rights Clinic, where he represented prisoners of the Michigan Department of Corrections from injustices brought upon them. Learn more.
When You’ve Been Injured
Personal Injury Law


Tuesday 8 April 2014
Professor Thomas, Or How I Learned To Stop Worrying And Love The Cocktail
Now that we’ve clarified that Prohibition did considerably more harm than good, we can trace the evolution of mixed drinks and bartending techniques back even further.
Drink-makers from the late 1700’s until the 1830’s had to work with fairly archaic tools, serving punches, nogs, slings, and the like using hot pokers, toddy sticks, and tumblers or mugs. Ice was not only scarce but difficult to work with, so hot water was a more common mixer. Fruits were common in cities and rare in the country, and conversely the country had readily available dairy and clean water. Single-serving Punch became all the rage by the turn of the 19th century, as did the Julep and the Cock-Tail, though the quality of your drink was very dependent on where in the country you were ordering it.
In the 1830’s, ice became a much more regular commodity, changing drinking habits forever. Cold drinks became expected, straws became popular, and bartenders had to learn ice-handling skills and tools. This included the invention of the barspoon, with which to stir the ice, and the shaker to shake it. By the 1880’s, the drinks themselves had become as fancy as the bartender’s tools, including fruit, bitters, liqueurs and cordials, wines, and more readily available spirits. Presentation become paramount to the craft.
“Professor” Jerry Thomas is not confirmed to be the ‘best’ bartender at the time, but he was well-known and mixed drinks in many cities across the U.S. for thirty years, at one point supposedly having a higher income than the President (at the time ~$100 per week). Why he is important is mostly because he wrote what is considered the first comprehensive book on bartending and mixing drinks, aptly titled “How To Mix Drinks, or the Bon Vivant’s Companion” in 1862. It contained information on tools of the trade, techniques, and a wealth of recipes. With the turn of the 20th century being the summit of cocktail culture’s popularity, and arguably no better book on bartending being published until the 1930’s, this makes Jerry Thomas the most important bartender of all time.
As bartenders today, we have to understand how drinks were made when they were made best. This is not just geeking-out on history; the more drinks you make the more you realize how important the details are. The quality of ice, the proper tools, the right balance in taste, and the best products possible are the keys to making the best drinks, just as they were 150 years ago. Bartenders need to understand why these things are important before trying to push the envelope, reinvent the wheel, or some other suitable cliche.
For those of us most interested in classic cocktails, the story stops in that time period. We believe bartenders had it right before Prohibition. We are most interested in the drinks from that period and have no desire for the aforementioned cliches. We also believe that the greatest challenge is to make a perfectly balanced but incredibly simple drink.
Lastly, enjoying and making a classic cocktail is the excitement of tapping into the history of that time. Personally, this is why I find bartending so rewarding. Well… that and alcohol is awesome.


Abstract. For a long time the New Zealand version of English language was under the influence of British colonists who affected every aspect of the language, like phonology, lexis and grammar. On account of this, British English started to dominate suppressing minority languages, like the indigenous Te Reo Maori. Due to the colonist’s perception of Great Britain as the motherland that should always be followed, for a long time New Zealanders used the British English Standard. Slowly but steadily it began to change. Time has left an obvious imprint on the New Zealand version of English. Sharing a lot of features with British Standard, it has managed to gain and retain its own originality. Vowel shifts, longer pronunciation and vowel transformation are the characteristic linguistic features of English in New Zealand. The purpose of this survey is to make the comparative analysis of the two versions of English – the British Standard and the New Zealand variant- confirming the presence of existing differences between these options with the opinion poll data based on the online RUDN university survey of bachelors and magistrates. This article presents the main influence streams on the New Zealand variant of English. The major one is considered to be the indigenous Maori language. Apart from that, an impact of Pasifika
and Australian English can’t be ignored. Also two interesting linguistic phenomena as archaic words and distinctive word forms are covered in the text as well as the grammatic distinctions. The survey has revealed differentiating peculiarities in phonology, lexis and grammar being performed as structured tables.
Keywords: New Zealand version of English (NZE), British standard of English (BrE), Te Reo Maori, vowel shifts, diphthongization
Irina Kazakova1, Alena Gyrdymova2, Anastasia Podobina3
1٫ 2٫ 3Peoples’ Friendship University of Russia
1 e-mail: firstname.lastname@example.org
ORCID id: 0000-0001-7838-994X
2 e-mail: email@example.com
3 e-mail: firstname.lastname@example.org
Bauer, L. 2007. Some Grammatical Features of New Zealand English. New Zealand English Journal 21: 25 pp. Bell, A., Kuiper, K. 1999. New Zealand and New Zealand English. In: A. Bell and K. Kuiper (Eds.), New Zealand English, Benjamins, Amsterdam, Netherlands, pp. 11–22. Gordon, E., Maclagan, M. A. 2004. Regional and social differences in New Zealand: phonology. In: B. Kortman and E. W. Schneider (Eds.), A Handbook of Varieties of English, Mouton de Gruyter, Berlin, Germany, pp. 603-613. Hay, J., Maclagan, M., Gordon, E. 2008. New Zealand English. Edinburgh University Press, Scotland, 164 pp. Jackson, H., Zé Amvela, E. 2000. Words, Meaning and Vocabulary: An Introduction to Modern English Lexicology, 2nd ed. Cassel, London, UK, 216 pp. Māori Dictionary. 2003. URL: www.maoridictionary.co.nz [Accessed March 01, 2020]. McArthur, T. B., McArthur T., McArthur, R. 2005. Concise Oxford Companion to the English Language, 2nd ed. Oxford University Press, England, UK, 692 pp. Orange, C., 2004. An illustrated history of the Treaty of Waitangi. Bridget Williams Books, Wellington, New Zealand, 345 pp. Pickens, K. A. 1977. The Origins of the Population of the Nineteenth Century Canterbury. New Zealand Geographer 33: 56-70. Turner, G.W. 1966. The English Language in Australia and New Zealand. Longmans, London, UK, 236 pp.


Published; December 2012
Being the only human in a world of merfolk… isn’t easy. Florence Waverley chose to stay in Niemela, but things have gone awry. Secrets have risen and the prince she cares about has pulled away. All the while, dark dreams warn her of a tragedy that only she can stop. But in order to save the merman she loves, Florence will have to enter the Life Path tournament: a brutal test of fear and madness.
The tournament is a rite of passage–a maze where young mermaids and mermen battle to find their purpose. It is also a place where Florence will face grave danger: mermaids with evil magic, tunnels filled with sea fire, and guardians who wish to use her as a pawn in their secret plans. But will Florence be strong enough to survive the tournament… or will she perish inside it?
Everything hangs in the balance: her life, her world, and her love.
(“Luminaire” is the second book in the Florence Waverley series.)
While I really liked Florence (the first book in this series) I have to say that Luminaire surpassed it. This is my favorite YA Mermaid series and one I think anyone, no matter their age, will enjoy.
Florence has chosen to remain with the mers in their underwater world of Niemela. Yet for some reason the new mer king, Rolan, starts to pull away from her. Hurt and confused Florence starts having some disturbing dark dreams. Yolee though still treats her like a sister and need her support to get through the Life Path Tournament. Since she can talk to some of the animals, Florence decides to enter the Tournament as well, even though Rolan doesn’t want her to.
This underwater world that Mr. Cho has created is so unique and sounds so beautiful. It is an easy place to get lost in. While the ending was wonderful I am very hopeful that this won’t be the end of Florence’s journey.


Folk Singer Mark Lovewell Live Music Availability
Performing at the Tabernacle in the summer of 2010. Mark Alan Lovewell told stories and sang songs, sharing in the Martha’s Vineyard Campmeeting Association’s 175th anniversary. (Photo Credit: Wayne Smith)
With Dionis Coffin Riggs
Dionis Coffin Riggs was a celebrated local poet. For years, Mark and the West Tisbury resident put on programs for nonprofit organizations. Dionis would read her poetry and recall stories of her whaling family. Mark would sing and share his family heritage.
Mark Alan Lovewell is Available for:
- private parties
- classroom programs
- special events
- clam bakes
- bachelor parties
- birthday parties
- wedding rehearsals
- wedding receptions
- children’s events & venues
- public library events
- elementary schools events
- holiday observances
- council events
- nursing homes
- at-sea events
In March and April of 2004, Mark went to Hawaii and Alaska and returned to Massachusetts. Over six weeks, he shared his stories and songs at museums, elementary schools, high schools, and colleges; under a federally funded education grant.
He represented the New Bedford Whaling Museum in an amazing collaborative effort by museums in three states. He with other storytellers and singers performed for hundreds of youngsters.
The federal grant that underwrote the effort is called The Education through Cultural and Historical Organizations (known informally as ECHO). It was a magical journey, an opportunity to share the whaling stories of New England with those who have a cultural link to the whalemen of years ago.
The trip centered around the Native American stories that we should all share. Mark brought history to music and got everyone singing.
Book Mark Alan Lovewell Today!
A one-hour program with a short intermission is $300. To explore your options, write the singer and make a proposal. If you write by email, answers usually are given within a day.


I’m trying to think of how technologies can teach communication in ways that are MORE effective than traditional classroom instruction. In other words, rather than trying to simply REPLICATE in-class instruction with SUPPLEMENTAL tools, how might we RECREATE instruction techniques entirely?
Creating a tutorial similar to one of these could free up class time for writing and revision–and it could be reviewed by students multiple times, if needed.
I’d like to experiment with transitioning some of my current teaching materials into materials that could be used effectively online. I searched for “how to write an annotated bibliography” on YouTube, and these were some of the more popular hits.
UMUC Library: How to Write an Annotated Bibliography Tutorial (5,235 Views)
How to Write an Annotated Bibliography (13,401 Views)
Make an Annotated Bibliography (1,440 Views)
Creating an Annotated Bibliography (4,048 Views)


giitaayan is an archive of Hindi lyrics, primarily from Hindi/Urdu/Bollywood movies but also from many non-film genres including Ghazal, Bhajan, Geet, and IndiPop. This collection is result of a collaborative, non-commercial and open Internet effort called iTrans Song Book (ISB) that is over 20 years and 11000 songs old now. giitaayan presents all song lyrics in Hindi (Devanagari) script, in addition to iTrans.
2002-2015. vinay p jain. giitaayan at gmail dot com. Disclaimer. ISB Copyright Notice.


National Policy on Public Libraries in India
This paper investigates the policies of the central government in India, especially regarding the financial outlay in the Five Year Plans, important developments, and their impact on establishment of the public library system, since independence was achieved in 1947.
India is a multilingual federal country with 25 states and seven union territories (UT). Redistricting has resulted in an increase in the number of states/UT since independence. Each state and UT is divided into districts and subdistricts called talukas, tehsils, or blocks. Constitutionally, the subject libraries is the responsibility of the individual states in India. The central government has jurisdiction only over those libraries which it has established, and those institutions which it has declared nationally important.
PreFive Year Plan Period
The programs executed by provincial and central governments since 1910 for the social and adult education of the populace have paved the way for the enactment of library laws and rules for grantsinaid in the country. Hence, public library finance is part of the education budget. The level of literacy in 1941 being as low as 16 percent, universalization of elementary education and eradication of illiteracy in the nation were the aims of the education policy of the government. To fulfil this goal, a variety of programs were undertaken such as extension services, continuing education, social education, parttime education, refresher courses, nonformal education, and adult education. In order to accelerate the pace of socioeconomic development, the government considered public libraries to be an integral part of development projects. In 1948, the first public library bill was passed in the state of Madras (now Tamil Nadu), mainly due to the efforts of the eminent librarian S.R. Ranganathan. One of the earliest Advisory Committees the Sinha Committee, appointed in 1957 recommended that public libraries be developed on the basis of a hierarchical network. The hierarchy should have the national central library at the apex, followed by state central libraries, district libraries, block (subdistrict) libraries and panchayat (village) libraries. This is the foundation upon which the public library system has been built.
First Five Year Plan, 19511956
The first plan provision was Rs. (rupees) 140 million (US$29.5 million at that time)  for social education, physical education, and youth welfare, out of the total budget for education of Rs. 1.33 billion (US$280 million). Libraries were considered to be part of social education. Rs. 5 million (US$1.05 million) was set aside for establishment of the national central library, but this sum was not used.
Improvement of library services was mentioned in this plan for educational development. The essence of the scheme was to establish district libraries in each state, which were to be supplemented by a state central library. The government of India also initiated a scheme, Integrated Library Service, with the support of the state government. The scheme targeted units in every area selected by the governments for intensive educational development. The experimental project was meant to monitor the impact of a number of educational institutions in areas covering 100 villages. Each area was to have five model community centers, plus a main library with branches to distribute books to 20 villages. This pilot project was implemented in 29 areas in the country. Nine states made plans to open state central libraries, and some others were in the process of setting up district libraries in about 100 districts. This cost approximately Rs. 10 million (US$2.1 million), of which nearly twothirds was contributed by the government of India. Thus, libraries were considered to be an essential part of the Community Development Program that was launched during the first plan period [Naidu, 1990].
Other important developments included establishment of the Delhi Public Library in 1951. The Central Reference Library in Calcutta was established in 1955. Connemara Public Library, in Madras (established 1896), became the State Central Library in 1950 under the provisions of the Madras Public Libraries Act of 1948; in 1955, it became one of the three depository libraries. At the end of March 1954, the country had 32,000 libraries with a book stock of about 7.1 million volumes; an amount of Rs. 9 million (US$1.89 million) was spent on library services. By 1951, the level of literacy had risen to 18.33 percent.
In 1954, the Delivery of Books Act was passed (it was amended in 1956) to include newspapers. The act obligated every publisher in India to deposit a copy of its publication with the National Library in Calcutta; the Asiatic Society (Central) Library, Bombay; Connemara Public Library, Madras; and the Delhi Public Library. On the basis of books received under this act, India has a national bibliography which is published by the Central Reference Library, Calcutta. The bibliography, however, does not include textbooks, musical scores, maps, and atlases [Venkatachari, 1981].
Second Five Year Plan, 19561961
Of the Rs. 2.040 billion (US$426.8 million) budgeted for education, Rs. 100 million (US$20.9 million) was proposed for social education, physical education, and youth welfare: [Panda, 1993]. This plan contained the same provisions as the first plan, plus additional provisions for establishing integrated library service. There were three objectives. First, state and district libraries were to be set up in each state. Second, the library services were to be organized on the basis of legislation. Finally, district libraries were to form the link between the state central library and village libraries. As a result, nine states in India established state central libraries and 254 district libraries. But the national central library was still not established. In 1960, the state of Andhra Pradesh enacted library legislation.
During this plan period, a total of Rs. 2.040 billion (US$426.8 million) was spent on educational development, of which Rs. 9 million (US$1.88 million) was spent on library development. Even though Rs. 18.6 million (US$3.89 million) was provided, the states only used 48.6 percent of this amount. Thus, the number of libraries nearly doubled in 1964 as compared to 1951, and the expenditure on public libraries in this period increased threefold. (This improvement is offset by the fact that the value of the rupee was reduced by half during this period.) According to a UNESCO report published on the occasion of the Public Library Seminar held at Delhi in 1955, India had 24,086 public library service points at the time. The level of literacy in 1961 increased to 28.31 percent.
The Advisory Committee for Libraries was appointed in 1957 by the Government of India, with K.P. Sinha as the chairman. The committee drafted a Model Library Bill and drew up a 25year plan. In 1959, the committee submitted a report with recommendations, some of which follow:
- Enact library legislation, in all constituent states, to establish public libraries;
- Build nationwide library service with detailed suggestions for financing through the state and central governments;
- Extend public library service to the blocks, panchayats, and villages; and,
- Create an independent Department of Social Education and Libraries.
Third Five Year Plan, 19621967
The amount of Rs. 5.6 billion (US$1.178 billion) was budgeted for education in this plan period, but the amount to be spent on libraries was not clearly indicated in the plan. Of this amount, Rs. 620 million (US$130.53 million) was expected to be available for social education. During this plan period, the system of central government assistance to the states was changed, and funding for libraries was kept to a bare minimum. Thus, it was up to the individual states to take the initiative and develop their public libraries. With the beginning of this plan period, the scheme to assist state governments in establishing state central libraries, district central libraries, and block development libraries was abandoned. The central government decided to let the states decide on the development; the decision was a major setback that hindered the development of public libraries.
During this plan period, four national libraries were to be established at Delhi, Calcutta, Bombay, and Madras. Districtlevel libraries were to be established in all the states. A sum of Rs. 32.3 million (US$6.8 million) was made available to the states for this purpose.
In 1962 the central government sent a model Public Libraries Bill to those state governments which had not adopted any library legislation, hoping to persuade these states to show an interest in passing the legislation. A Working Group on Libraries was appointed by the Planning Commission in 1964. Group recommendations included:
- By the end of the Fifth Five Year Plan, set up libraries at block headquarters and in every village having a population of 5,000;
- Encourage the Program of Adult Education to use the services of the public libraries to eradicate illiteracy.
As of January 1, 1965, according to the information received from the states by the Working Group:
- Twelve of 18 states/UT had state central libraries;
- 205 of 327 districts had district central libraries;
- 1,394 blocks of 5,223 had block (subdistrict) development libraries;
- 28,317 villages out of 566,878 had village libraries.
Library legislation was passed in two states during this period: Karnataka in 1965, and Maharashtra in 1967.
Fourth Five Year Plan, 19691974;
The education budget was estimated at Rs. 7.120 billion (US$949.3 million), of which the social education component was Rs. 100 million (US$13.3 million). Thus, the tempo that had built for the development of library services slowed. However, Rs. 130 million (US$17.3 million) was provided in this plan period for provision of information services, which included information centers, radio transmitters, film production, mobile cine vans, and other media. The literacy level rose to 34.45 percent in 1971.
In 1972, the Working Group on Development of Public Libraries was constituted by the Government of India Planning Commission to make recommendations for library development. These reccomendations were to be included in the Fifth Five Year Plan. The group submitted detailed proposals for:
- Allotment of Rs. 310 million (US$41.3 million) for the development of public libraries; but the amount actually provided was a meager Rs. 20 million (US$2.66 million);
- A network of libraries to cover the whole country, and other recommendations similar to those made earlier by the Advisory Committee.
Figures provided in 1973 [Kalia 1974] concerned the number of public libraries, and read as follows:
- Fifteen of 21 states/UT had state central libraries;
- 235 of 376 districts had district central libraries;
- 1,500 of 3,100 sub–districts had sub–district central libraries;
- 50,000 villages of 566,878 had village libraries;
- 1,800 of 2,641 towns had town libraries.
In 1972, during this plan period, the central government established the Raja Rammohun Roy Library Foundation. The foundation was created as an autonomous body under the Department of Culture, controlled by the Ministry of Education, for the development of public libraries in India. This foundation matches the funds of the states for purchasing furniture and books, organizing conferences and seminars, and providing mobile library service to the rural areas. It also advises the central government on all matters relating to library development in the country [Sharma, 1985].
Fifth Five Year Plan, 19741979
An adult education program was the emphasis of this plan. The program was to be supported by a network of libraries at the village and block levels, and various community centers. Thus, steps were taken to strengthen not only the village and block libraries, but also the central and state libraries, and the district libraries. The states were assisted by the Raja Rammohun Roy Library Foundation, which was established in 1972. During this plan period, the amount of Rs. 15.620 billion (US$1.927 billion) was allocated for general education, and Rs. 350 million (US$43.2 million) was budgeted for social education.
The only state that enacted a public library law during this plan period was West Bengal, in 1979. In 1978, the government adopted the National Adult Education Program, but it did not recognize the public library as an agency that could be assigned a role in solving the literacy problem. Rather, the public library was relegated to the role of postliteracy work. This view was also promulgated by the Draft National Policy on Education (NPE), 1979. However, the need for the rural public library system to play a role in continuing education in the villages and rural areas was recognized [Draft NPE, 1979].
In 1979, the Ministry of Education in the Department of Culture established a library section under the charge of an under secretary. The goal: to promote development of public libraries in India. Since then, libraries have not been part of the social education budget. Instead, they have been included in the art and culture component of the budget.
SubSixth Five Year Plan, 19801985
This plan emphasized minimum essential education of all adults, to be achieved by intersectoral cooperation and inter&150;agency coordination. These efforts were to be supported by postliteracy, continuing education through a network of rural libraries as well as instructional programs conducted through mass communication media. The amount allocated for general education was Rs. 21.622 billion (US$2.749 billion). The art and culture component was Rs. 839 million (US$106.7 million).
During this period (1982 figures):
- Twentysix states/UT out of 31 existing in 1982 had established/designated state central libraries;
- Out of 401 districts, 291 had district central libraries;
- Out of 5,027 blocks, 1,798 development blocks had block libraries;
- Out of 575,936 villages, 41,828 had village libraries;
- Out of 2,643 towns, 1,280 had town libraries.
Of the 29 metropolitan cities with a population of 400,000 and above, only four Madras, Hyderabad, Bangalore, and Delhi have city public library systems with central libraries, branches, and deposit stations. Thus, it is estimated that approximately 20 percent of the literate population has access to public library service [Agrawal, 1985].
A Working Group on Modernization of Library Services and Informatics in the Seventh Plan was appointed by the Planning Commission in 1983. In its 1984 report, the group recommended formulation of a National Policy on Library Services and Informatics in support of similar recommendations made earlier by other committees.
From its establishment in 1972, to 1982, the Raja Rammohun Roy Foundation provided funds of Rs. 250 million (US$31.79 million) to assist 15,000 rural libraries. In 1982, the Delhi Public Library became a copyright library. The level of literacy increased to 43.56 percent in 1981.
Seventh Five year Plan, 19851990
During this plan period, the Planning Commissions objective was to address the needs of 90 million people, ages 1535, in the Adult Education Program. The network of libraries was to play a role in the development of literature for neoliterates. Library systems were to be strengthened with specific attention given to improvement of facilities at the nationallevel institutions. The general education budget was Rs. 47,753 million (US$3.860 million); Rs. 4.821 billion (US$389.8 million) constituted the art and culture component [Seventh Five Year Plan].
An important development during this period was the 1986 adoption of the National Literacy Mission, which emphasized the education of women and also the establishment of rural libraries.
In 1989, there were 7,180 main libraries and 18,000 service points (branches, mobile stops, etc.) [Mangla, 1993]. The collections of the National Library of Calcutta were increased significantly. The Central Secretariat Library started creating a database on the epic Mahabharata. The Raja Rammohun Roy Foundation set up an Integrated Research CellcumComputer Unit for promoting research in librarianship, and also started a database of public libraries in the country. A Committee on National Policy on Library and Information System was appointed in 1985 by the Government of India, Department of Culture. The resulting final report (based on two drafts previously submitted by the Raja Rammohun Roy Library Foundation and the Indian Library Association) was submitted in 1986 [Barua, 1992].
This policy stressed the need to establish strong links between a villages community library and primary school. If the school lacked a library, the community library was to provide the children with adequate resources. Furthermore, a childrens section was to be organized in every public library [Biswas, 1988].
The National Policy on Education1986 barely mentions libraries. It states that a nationwide movement for improvement of existing libraries and the establishment of new ones will be taken up, provision will be made in all educational institutions for library facilities, and the status of librarians improved. The school library program, Operation Blackboard, was initiated with the provision of essential teaching and learning materials. The National Book Policy1986 also had an impact on libraries, as it recommended:
- Provision of reading material for children by all the agencies involved;
- That 10 percent of the annual education budget of the governments be used to purchase books for libraries.
During this plan period, these states passed library acts: Manipur in 1988, Assam in 1989, Haryana in 1989, and Kerala in 1989.
Eighth Five Year Plan, 19921997
The money allocated for this period for general education is Rs. 168.133 billion (US$6.487 billion); for art and culture, Rs. 7.276 billion (US$280.8 million) has been allocated. Universalization of elementary education, eradication of illiteracy in the 1535year age group, and strengthening of vocational education in relation to emerging needs in urban and rural settings are the major thrusts of the plan. These goals are to be achieved by using formal, nonformal, and open channels of learning. The plan states that in those states with an advanced library system, rural libraries should become the focal points for postliteracy and continuing education programs.
Book promotion is also emphasized in this plan, to be promoted by the organization of a National Center for Childrens Literature, which should produce 3,000 titles annually. Important books are to be translated into the various Indian languages, and books for neoliterates published. Publishers and voluntary agencies will be given assistance, and the school library program, undertaken as part of the Operation Blackboard scheme of the National Policy on Education 1986, will continue.
Public libraries of national importance are to be provided funds for improvements/innovations such as the following:
- The Khuda Baksh Public Library proposed establishment of an Institute of Oriental Studies and open regional units for research on IndoIslamic and comparative religion;
- The Rampur Raza Library would acquire sophisticated equipment for preservation of its collections;
- The Asiatic Society, Calcutta, is to open an art gallery, introduce a desktop publishing system, and construct a new building;
- The National Library proposed making microfilms available, producing a national union catalogue, and providing book production statistics;
- The Central Reference Library is to be reorganized into a National Bibliographical and Documentation Center with a computer center; and,
- The Delhi Public Library is to open two new libraries within its service area.
The Raja Rammohun Roy Foundation proposes assisting state central libraries in their quest to obtain reprographic equipment. The Foundation also hopes to assist certain libraries in the processing of rare books, and to provide assistance to rural libraries, and to those public libraries that have completed 100 years of service [Eighth Plan].
The Model Public Libraries Act is based on the national seminar on this subject, which was held February 14, 1990, in New Delhi. The seminar was organized by the Indian Library Association in collaboration with the Raja Rammohun Roy Library Foundation. This excellent document encompasses all aspects of legislation important to the establishment of public libraries [Venkatappaiah, 1990].
The National Cultural Policy 1993 is the new policy designed by the Government of India. It was created by merging the National Policy of Library and Information Science, the National Book Policy, and other related policies dealt with by the Department of Culture of the Ministry of Human Resource Development.
The latest estimate of the number of public libraries in India is 44,205 [Ramaiah, 1993]. Literacy level has steadily increased, as can be seen in Appendix IFigure 1: from 18.83 percent in 1951 to 52.21 percent in 1991 [India 1993]. The financial outlays in each plan have increased, too, as illustrated by the graphic table presented in Appendix IFigure 2.
The pattern of organization and development has not been uniform all over India. Most of the states and union territories, except Sikkim and Lakshadweep, have set up state central libraries. Most of the district headquarters have established district libraries, but the ways in which they are funded vary. Beyond this level, the organization varies even further. For example, in the southern states, branch libraries have been established. In the west there are taluka libraries. Tehsil libraries exist in the north, and in the east there are subdivisional libraries. Other types of libraries are classified as town, city, panchayat, urban, municipal, regional, rural, village, block, and divisional.
At present, the states that have enacted library legislation are Tamil Nadu (1948), Andhra Pradesh (1960), Karnataka (1965), Maharashtra (1967), West Bengal (1979), Manipur (1988), Kerala (1989), Assam (1989), and Haryana (1989). Not all of these acts conform to a standard hence legislation should be implemented at the national level to provide even development and funding for all states. The remaining states and territories maintain regional state libraries, district libraries, and their branches either directly through a government department, or through a system of grantsinaid to private libraries, which are designated as district libraries.
It is clear that since independence, the important relationship between library services and implementation of educational programs has been recognized. In spite of constraints shortage of funds, nonimplementation of policies, low literacy rate, and lack of recognition regarding the value of reading and information India has made considerable progress in the establishment of public library service, as shown graphically in Appendix II. The present governments emphasis is on use of modern technology to serve the public. Because of this, the future of libraries is bright. Libraries as institutions which serve the public should benefit and help bring India into the 21st century, while also helping to preserve the countrys rich cultural heritage.
1948 Madras Public Library Bill passed
1950 Connemara Public Library designated state central library
1951 Delhi Public Library established
1951 First Five Year Plan
1954 Delivery of Books Act enacted
1955 Central Reference Library established
1956 Second Five Year Plan
1957 Advisory Committee for Libraries appointed
1960 Andhra Pradesh Public Library Bill passed
1962 Model Public Library Bill sent to states
1962 Third Five Year Plan
1964 Working Group on Libraries appointed
1965 Karnataka Public Library Bill passed
1967 Maharashtra Public Library Bill passed
1969 Fourth Five Year Plan
1972 Raja Rammohun Roy Library Foundation established
1972 Working Group on Development of Public Libraries appointed
1974 Fifth Five Year Plan
1978 National Adult Education program adopted
1979 Library Section established in Department of Culture of Central Government
1979 West Bengal Public Library Bill passed
1980 Sixth Five Year Plan
1983 Working Group on Modernization of Library Services and Informatics appointed
1985 Committee on National Policy on Library and Information Systems appointed
1985 Seventh Five Year Plan
1986 National Book Policy adopted
1986 National Literacy Mission established
1986 National Policy on Education adopted
1988 Manipur Public Library Bill passed
1989 Assam Public Library Bill passed
1989 Haryana Public Library Bill passed
1989 Kerala Public Library Bill passed
1990 Model Public Libraries Act published
1992 Eighth Five Year Plan
1993 National Cultural Policy (not yet adopted)
1. All figures are presented in the American style, using billion in place of thousand million.
1. Agrawal, S.P., Meena Walia, and Manohar Lal. National and Public Libraries in India: Review and Projections. International Library Review 17 (1985): 293312.
2. Barua, B.P. National Policy on Library and Information Systems. Bombay: Popular Prakashan, 1992.
3. Biswas, S. C. Seminar on Public Library Services and Information Networks. Madras: Madras Library Association, 1988.
4 Draft Fifth Five Year Plan, 197479. Prepared by Planning Commission, Government of India. New Delhi, 1974.
5 Draft National Policy on Education, 1979. Prepared by Ministry of Education and Culture, Government of India. New Delhi, 1979.
6 Eighth Five Year Plan, 199297. Prepared by Planning Commission, Government of India. New Delhi, 1992.
7. India, A Reference Annual, 1993. Compiled and edited by Research and Reference Division. Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Government of India. New Delhi, 1992.
8 International Financial Statistics Yearbook. Vol. 47. Washington: International Monetary Fund, 1994.
9. Kalia, D. R. A Review of Public Library Development in India. International Library Review 6 (1974): 2933.
10. Mangla, P. B. India. In: World Encyclopedia of Library and Information Services. Edited by Robert Wedgeworth. 3rd ed. Chicago: American Library Association, 1993. Pp. 361364.
11. Naidu, G. N. Public Library Finances. New Delhi: Ess Ess Publications, 1990.
12 National Adult Education Programme: the First Year. Prepared by Ministry of Education and Culture, Government of India. New Delhi, 1979.
13. Panda, B. D. Handbook of Public Library System. New Delhi: Anmol Publications, 1993.
14 Public Libraries for Asia: The Delhi Seminar. Paris: UNESCO, 1956.
15. Ramaiah, L. S. Public Libraries and Public Finances in India: A Critical Perspective. Herald of Library Science 323/4 (JulyOct 1993): 171177.
16 Report. Prepared by Working Group on Libraries, Planning Commission, Government of India. New Delhi, 1966.
17 Report. Prepared by Working Group on Modernization of Library Services and Informatics, Planning Commission, Government of India. New Delhi, 1984.
18. Seventh Five Year Plan, 198590. Prepared by Planning Commission, Government of India. New Delhi, 1985.
19. Sharma, S. K. Public Libraries in India. New Delhi: Ess Ess Publications, 1985.
20 Sixth Five Year Plan, 198085. Prepared by the Planning Commission, Government of India. New Delhi, 1980.
21. Venkatachari, P. N. Indian Librarianship: Perspectives and Prospects. Edited by R. N. Sharma. New Delhi: Kalyani Publishers, 1981.
22. Venkatappaiah, V. National Seminar on Model Public Libraries Act. Delhi: Cambridge Press, 1990.
About the Author
Neeta Jambhekar is a reference librarian at the College of DuPage, Glen Ellyn, Illinois. She is a graduate of Karnatak University, Dharwad, India; and of the library school at Rosary College. She has recently visited libraries in several Indian cities, gathering research data.
©1995 Neeta Jambhekar.
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D.K. Greene writes twisted stories that bring the crime family together.
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The team at the Museum can help you with your research whether it is family history, identifying photos of buildings, events or documents that are in our collection. We charge £10 for the initial search of our collection and that of the South West Heritage Centre. Your initial payment also has the benefit of giving you all the benefits of being a Member of Chard Museum. After the initial research and if you want more in-depth research we charge £20 per hour.
When we have received your enquiry we will tell you how we can help. There are two ways to Contact Us and get started. These are:
Give us as much information as you can. We like a challenge!
Here are some examples of research our team has undertaken.
One family history inquiry revealed that a past Matron of Chard Hospital, Elizabeth Wilkins, had been arrested with Edith Cavill, during World War 1. Sister Wilkins, inexplicably, was released whereas Edith Cavill was executed. Elizabeth was awarded the O.B.E. in 1920 for her work in Belgium during the war.
Mr Hussey from Florida came to the Museum looking for information on his family roots. We tracked their tree back to 1725 in Thorncombe. This was just before some of the family emigrated to the United States and Canada. We even found the travel documents (with photo) of one of his ancestors when he visited England at the end of the 1800s.
An author requested some help for his novel set during the Civil War. We prepared a list of contemporary buildings, shops and inhabitants. We also identified sites where the soldiers would have been billeted and where their horses would have been kept. Books in the Local Studies library in Taunton turned up portraits of 17th century Chard citizens.


Welcome to Sex and Chocolate
my newest book featuring a practical easy comprehensive wellness plan for ultra vitality, ultra longevity, self love and joy. It’s a guide to an ultra vitality lifestyle, hedonistic healthy life plan exploring food, fitness, and frequency(vibration).
The book is based upon a wellness plan I developed for my partner to lose weight, lose stress, and bring him to a greater sense of self love. In 10 weeks he lost 25 pounds on the Sex and Chocolate program, became much calmer and centered, and felt a much greater sense of happiness. He learned the simple practical life plan I developed and became empowered to sustain a much healthier life full of vitality and joy.
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Sex and Chocolate contains an easy comprehensive food plan based upon healthy, ultra-light, easily digestible foods, giving you the energy and stamina you need for amazing vitality. Whether you are a raw foodist, vegan, vegetarian, or eat animal protein, the principles of Sex and Bacon can benefit your life greatly.
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This military book is the biography of Australian Major General Rupert Major Downes CMG, KStJ, VD, FRACS (10 February 1885 – 5 March 1945).
The son of an Army officer, Downes joined the Army as a trumpeter while he was still at school. He was commissioned as a Captain in the Australian Army Medical Corps in 1908, and joined the First Australian Imperial Force (AIF) in 1914 as its youngest Lieutenant Colonel.
He landed at ANZAC with the 3rd Light Horse Field Ambulance Unit serving throughout the Gallipoli campaign.
Downes had a low respect for the 3rd Light Horse Brigade CO Colonel G.F. Hughes and its Brigade Major Lieut. Colonel J.M.Antill. Both men are largely blamed for the disaster of the Charge at The NEK. Downes wrote to his Father,"About Colonel Hughes it is a most glaring crime and mistake to put him in command of even a Corporal's picquet; he would hopelessly muddle that."
After the evacuation in 1916, he was appointed Assistant Director of Medical Services (ADMS) of the newly formed Anzac Mounted / Light Horse Division
In 1917, he became Deputy Director of Medical Services (DDMS) of the Desert Mounted Corps. After the war, he wrote articles on medical aspects of the Sinai and Palestine Campaign, and the section on the campaign for the official history.
During WWII he was appointed the Official medical Historian on the 5th March 1945 he had travelled to Cairns with the Army Medical corps when the plane crashed into the sea. There were no survivours Downes died age 60 years.
This History would be interesting for anyone researching the Light Horse Field Ambulance / Medical Units or to read more about the life, times and conditions surrounding the Anzac Girls.


Welcome to the ESL blog by the owner of www.esl-lab.com. Share ideas about learning English as a second or foreign language. Study abroad, ESL programs, accent reduction, ESL study Tips . . . Anything related to learning English and cultural understading!
Thursday, May 7, 2009
Favorite ESL Resouces: Books and Electronics
Teachers and students often ask me the books and other electronics that can be used for language learning and teaching. As a result, I've created a page to provides some of my recommendations. This list is by no means exclusive; there are hundreds and hundreds of great resources out there that might help you, depending on your needs: