TODAY’S FEATURED ITEM: Allan Holtz at The Stripper’s Guide has been recounting his recent comics research trip to the Library of Congress, and has many tips for wading through the bureaucratic nightmare of getting what you want out of the LOC. Part I here, Part II here.

Here is a choice quote from Mr. Holtz:

“I really can’t stress enough how important it is to stay on the good side of these people. If you annoy them, and they are VERY easy to annoy, and they can make the rest of your time there a living hell. There are a practically infinite number of rules that they can choose to enforce if they so decide, and you will run afoul of them pretty much no matter what you do. In fairness I think I understand the reasoning behind it all. If you’ve spent a lot of time in research libraries you will have noticed that they tend to attract a certain percentage of weirdos and nuts. The LoC is no exception, and once it becomes obvious to the staff that they have one of these on their hands, they use their deadliest weapons — that laundry list of vague rules, some of which they come up with on the spur of the moment, to gradually convince these fruit loops to take their craziness elsewhere. I’ve seen the strategy put into action and it is remarkably effective.”

• Oct. 16, 2008: No goodwill in the markets
  from Journalista – the news weblog of The Comics Journal
• CIA Tactics Endorsed In Secret Memos | CommonDreams.org
  from commondreams.org
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  from The Comics Journal Message Board
• Kochalka Interview
  from youthradio.org
• FCC to vote on opening up “white spaces”
  from Google Public Policy Blog
• Researching at the Library of Congress (Part II)
  from Stripper’s Guide
• “I Take Up Comics”
  from Blog Flume
• A brief history of Skateboard Graphics
  from Drawn! The Illustration and Cartooning Blog
• Physical security maxims from Argonne National Laboratory
  from Boing Boing
• I Vote for Frog
  from Introspective Comics
• Ouch?
  from My[confined]Space
• McCain/Palin seeks “special rules”?
  from Lessig Blog
• Johnny Nash – Then You Tell Me Goodbye
  from Funky Junk Trunk
• Harptones – My Love Comes
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• Wonder Stories
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• Halloween Candy
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• Daniel Kurtzman: McCain and Palin In Their Own Words: 25 Laughable Quotes
  from The Full Feed from HuffingtonPost.com
• Donate Your Old Hardware to Those Who Can Use It
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