It should come as no surprise that a large share of this year's business books focus squarely on the 2008-09 financial crisis and security-backed mortgage implosion. Investing books followed the trend as either alarmist titles advocating selling stocks, or books urging readers to take advantage of this time to buy undervalued investments. An…

Magazine publishers weathered the difficult recession year of 2009 with admirable resilience. Although several magazines failed and many saw reductions in advertising revenue, a number of new publications have been launched as industry professionals continue to demonstrate their ability to adapt to new technologies and difficult business…

The current economic crisis has naturally reached into one's pocket and made many people anxious about their own finances. As consumers ride out these treacherous times, where can they go to find advice on managing and paying down their debt, protecting their investments, incomes, and retirement plans, and applying for mortgages in a tight credit…

Discusses the state of Iranian libraries since the revolution: the printing industry flourishes because of obsolete copyright laws, and the government is attempting to dewesternize media and education. Also considered are budget cuts, the revolution's cost to libraries, and its effect on individual librarians. (SW)

The American Library Association (ALA) 1987 Midwinter Conference was characterized by process, particularly the new planning process which threatens to drain ALA's money and leadership energy away from the substantive issues that need attention, such as the next Librarian of Congress's qualifications and services to minorities and the poor. (EM)

Description of VALNet (Valley Library Consortium), a consortium of public, academic, and school libraries in Idaho, highlights proposed online public access union catalog which would include nonbibliographic and referral files and circulation and serials control modules. The political climate, marketing, needs assessment, support and consultation,…