[ha-Safran]: Correction: NEW BOOK: Divrei Ya 'akov:
This book is published by Devora Publishing. This was not mentioned in first email. DIVREI YA ' AKOV IS A COLLECTION of the teachings and insights on the Book of Exodus by Rabbi Jack Tauber, author of the Chazon Ya akov commentary on Maimonide ' s Laws on Talmud Torah. While Rabbi Tauber ' s teachings in his prior work regarding the Book of Genesis, Yalkut Ya ' akov, focused primarily on the individual ' s relationship to God and to his fellow man in modern times, those on the Book of Exodus continue to examine a Jew ' s individual responsibilities. It emphasizes the issues relating to the people of Israel as a collective: the individual ' s relationship with his or her community, with the people of Israel as a whole, and with the Land of Israel. At the same time, Rabbi Tauber grapples with how the Jew of today should relate to the Holocaust, Zionism and the establishment of Israel, and the rise of Islamic fundamentalism. A brilliant scholar with a questing mind that sought to find the deepest meanings of the Torah, the issues confronted in Divrei Ya ' akov are ones Rabbi Tauber dealt with throughout his entire life. Divrei Ya ' akov is not merely a collection of his sermons and teachings on the weekly Torah portion. As Yalkut Ya ' akov, his insightful work on the Book of Genesis, set forward a philosophy of Judaism to guide the individual through interpersonal relations, Rabbi Tauber ' s teachings on the Book of Exodus set forth a comprehensive guide for the Jewish people in its confrontation and interactions with the nations of the world. ABOUT THE AUTHOR Rabbi Jack Tauber (1916 - 1991) was the spiritual leader of the Avenue Z Jewish Center, Brooklyn, NY, for 43 years. As a youth he was active in the Betar Zionist Youth movement where he served as personal secretary to Zev Jabotinsky, leader of the Zionist-Revisionist movement. During the Holocaust he was active in the Vaad Hatzolah assisting in the rescue of Jews from Europe. After the war he joined the Irgun Tzvai Leumi, thereafter remaining active in the Zionist-Revisionist movement. Divrei Ya ' akov Insights, Reflections and Divrei Torah from the Book of Exodus Hard Cover $24.95 ISBN: 978-1-934440-00-1 Pages: 408 Size: 6" x 9" Publication Date: January 2008 This book is available through Ingram, Baker & Taylor or via the publisher. directly: FAX: 1 866 205 3966 Schools and libraries are eligible for discounts. Please call 1-212-444-1657 to order. Stuart Schnee Public Relations, Marketing & Sales US Tel: 973-796-2753 Israel Tel: +972-54-790-9120 Fax: +972-2-561-0943 Messages and opinions expressed on Hasafran are those of the individual author and are not necessarily endorsed by the Association of Jewish Libraries (AJL) === Submissions for Ha-Safran, send to: Hasafran @ lists.acs.ohio-state.edu SUBscribing, SIGNOFF commands send to: Listproc @ lists.acs.ohio-state.edu Questions, problems, complaints, compliments;-) send to: galron.1 @ osu.edu Ha-Safran Archives: Current: http://www.mail-archive.com/hasafran%40lists.acs.ohio-state.edu/maillist.html History: http://www.mail-archive.com/hasafran%40lists.acs.ohio-state.edu/history.html AJL HomePage http://www.JewishLibraries.org
[ha-Safran]: Summary of Classification System.
I had posted last week about choosing a classification system. The bottom line is that everyone seems basically happy with the system they are using, even if the system is not perfect. The only other thing that I'm not fully clear about is which systems allow for number building. I will be happy to compile and repost any further comments or replies to this topic. Thanks for all the responses and here is a compilation of comments I received. Ahuva Ginsberg Dewey The expanded Judaic section satisfies some users while others feel it is still not sufficient. If you use Dewey and your library is primarily Judaica, you'll end up with most of your library having a 296.xxx number. Several people commented that a big drawback to Dewey is the Holocaust section. Dewey assigns 940.531 to the Holocaust and further subdivisions end up being a very long number. And even then, a lot of users aren't satisfied with the quantity and quality of Holocaust subcategories. Most people do not recommend Dewey for a library that consists of only Judaica. Weine The Weine system is based on Dewey in that it uses the same structure but is designed for Judaic libraries. e.g. Dewey assigns 000-099 for reference, so does Weine. However, Weine reassigns certain numbers to better fit a Judaic library. For example, Dewey assigns the 200s to religion and specifically 296 to Judaism. Weine uses the entire 200s for Judaism and reassigns the specific numbers between 200 and 299 for better use in a Judaic library. Elazar Like Dewey and Weine, Elazar classification system uses a numeric base of three digits, decimal point, additional digits followed by numeric (or alphanumeric) cutter. However, Elazar assigns their numbers with an effort to " classify and arrange these collections according to Jewish concepts based upon Jewish thought and terminology". So Tanach and Biblical studies are assigned numbers 001-099, Halachah and Midrash are assigned to numbers 100-199, Jewish Observance and Practice is 200-299, and so on. Many users are very happy using Elazar and it is a more detailed system than Weine. The general rule that many people follow is to use Weine for collections of under 5,000 items and to use Elazar for collections of over 5,000. Other people recommended Elazar over Weine for more scholarly collections but liked Weine for basic synagogue or school library use. Library of Congress Not recommended for small or midsize Judaic libraries. The benefit of LC is its wide subject matter but you lose that benefit when your library is primarily Judaica because most Judaica is put into only two categories. LC is recommended for very scholarly or large libraries. Some people feel that using LC call numbers is not user-friendly for the users who are more familiar with a Dewey system. Other issues that people have pointed out. If you are copying records from other online systems, you can download Dewey or LC numbers. If you are using Weine or Elazar, you will have to assign you own numbers. If you have secular books in your library, it might not be easy finding a place for them in the Weine or Elazar systems. You really have to look at your collection before making a decision. Your users are also a factor in choosing a system. Choosing a system may depend on their familiarity with Judaica as opposed to Dewey. (e.g. One of the benefits of Weine is that it corresponds somewhat to Dewey. If your users aren't familiar with Dewey, that benefit is not really significant. Something that a lot of people like about Elazar is that your library starts with Tanach.) As a cataloger, you may be much more comfortable with Dewey or Weine. And for new or inexperienced catalogers, Weine has about 18 pages of numbers assigned to subjects; Elazar has over 100. Number building. Dewey has a good number building system. Weine does not have any, as far as I can tell. One person told me Elazar has a good number building system but from what I can tell, you can only build numbers by adding a location. More information: Comparison chart from AJL web site. http://www.jewishlibraries.org/ajlweb/resources/faq/classification_chart.doc A description of Elazar http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Acropolis/6527/class.html For links to the Weine system http://www.jewishlibraries.org/ajlweb/resources/weine.htm Please see: Convention Proceedings, La Jolla, Dr. David B. Levy "Ancient to Modern Jewish Classification Systems" (2nd half of article after historical overview deals with practicalities of strengths and weaknesses of various systems including: Elazar, Weine, Leikind, Dewey, LC , Freidus, S Messages and opinions expressed on Hasafran are those of the individual author and are not necessarily endorsed by the Association of Jewish Libraries (AJL) === Submissions for Ha-Safran, send to: Hasafran @ lists.acs.ohio-s
[ha-Safran]: New Edition of the Encyclopaedia Judaica - article
Safranim shalom: Interesting article - free download http://www.jcpa.org/JCPA/Templates/ShowPage.asp?DBID=1&LNGID=1&TMID=111&FID=254&PID=0&IID=1950 David Elazar Rishon LeZion, Israel [EMAIL PROTECTED] www.geocities.com/d_elazar (home page) eVoicemail (413) 581-4711(USA) eFax (801) 672-2976(USA) No. 27, 16 December 2007 / 7 Tevet 5768 The Transformation of Jewish Knowledge over the Decades: The New Edition of the Encyclopaedia Judaica Interview with Michael Berenbaum The new edition of the Encyclopaedia Judaica gives many insights into how Jewish life and Jewish knowledge have been transformed since the first edition came out in 1972. Jews contribute in every sphere of human knowledge and endeavor including arts, music, architecture, science, medicine, and so forth. Jews nowadays feel more able, freer, and more empowered to create-as Jews. They no longer fear that doing so confines them to a cultural or intellectual ghetto. Comparing the two encyclopedias reveals how much communities and attitudes have changed over the past thirty-five years. So has the perception of where power resides. This is in part reflected by the rise of the Internet at the expense of printed material. Some fields have developed dramatically since the 1970s. These include Holocaust studies, Hebrew law, and women's studies. A conscious decision was made to give the latter much more attention in the new edition. Difficult decisions had to be made about addressing controversial issues such as whom to include as a Jew, the Israeli settlement movement, and homosexuality. The economics of the encyclopedia have changed dramatically. Far-superior productivity has greatly reduced the number of people involved on the technical side. Important decisions remain to be made as to how to update the encyclopedia and what its future byproducts will be. Messages and opinions expressed on Hasafran are those of the individual author and are not necessarily endorsed by the Association of Jewish Libraries (AJL) === Submissions for Ha-Safran, send to: Hasafran @ lists.acs.ohio-state.edu SUBscribing, SIGNOFF commands send to: Listproc @ lists.acs.ohio-state.edu Questions, problems, complaints, compliments;-) send to: galron.1 @ osu.edu Ha-Safran Archives: Current: http://www.mail-archive.com/hasafran%40lists.acs.ohio-state.edu/maillist.html History: http://www.mail-archive.com/hasafran%40lists.acs.ohio-state.edu/history.html AJL HomePage http://www.JewishLibraries.org
[ha-Safran]: HAVA BEN-ZVI-STORY IN LOS ANGELES TIMES
To all my friends and colleagues: On January 13th, 2008 the section ""KID'S READING ROOM" OF Los Angeles Times will feature a traditional Jewish story as retold by Hava Ben-Zvi. The story is: "THE PRINCE AND THE EGG." It is about King Solomon. Messages and opinions expressed on Hasafran are those of the individual author and are not necessarily endorsed by the Association of Jewish Libraries (AJL) === Submissions for Ha-Safran, send to: Hasafran @ lists.acs.ohio-state.edu SUBscribing, SIGNOFF commands send to: Listproc @ lists.acs.ohio-state.edu Questions, problems, complaints, compliments;-) send to: galron.1 @ osu.edu Ha-Safran Archives: Current: http://www.mail-archive.com/hasafran%40lists.acs.ohio-state.edu/maillist.html History: http://www.mail-archive.com/hasafran%40lists.acs.ohio-state.edu/history.html AJL HomePage http://www.JewishLibraries.org
[ha-Safran]: Position vacant: Chief Librarian of the JNUL
The Jewish National and University Library (National Library of Israel) is seeking a Chief Librarian for details see: http://www.jnul.huji.ac.il/eng/jobs1.html Elhanan Adler Deputy Director for Information Technology Jewish National and University Library P.O.B. 39105, Jerusalem 91390, Israel Email: [EMAIL PROTECTED], [EMAIL PROTECTED] Tel.: 972-2-6585005, FAX: 972-2-6511771, Home tel.: 972-2-6515977 Mobile tel.: 972-54-6829657 Messages and opinions expressed on Hasafran are those of the individual author and are not necessarily endorsed by the Association of Jewish Libraries (AJL) === Submissions for Ha-Safran, send to: Hasafran @ lists.acs.ohio-state.edu SUBscribing, SIGNOFF commands send to: Listproc @ lists.acs.ohio-state.edu Questions, problems, complaints, compliments;-) send to: galron.1 @ osu.edu Ha-Safran Archives: Current: http://www.mail-archive.com/hasafran%40lists.acs.ohio-state.edu/maillist.html History: http://www.mail-archive.com/hasafran%40lists.acs.ohio-state.edu/history.html AJL HomePage http://www.JewishLibraries.org