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*   [Poetry Available through ibiblio](https://www.ibiblio.org/archive/2024/03/poetry-available-through-ibiblio/)

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    Spring is soon approaching, a season that may ignite the artistic side in many of us. Poetry is a great compliment to this wonderful time of the year: the Greek ‘poiesis’ (ποίησις), from ποιέω ‘to make’, reflects the rejuvenation many of us feel during springtime. See below for a couple of ways to access poetry through ibiblio!

    There are a couple of notable ways to access poetry via ibiblio – [Project Gutenberg](https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/bookshelf/60) and the [Internet Poetry Archive](http://www.ibiblio.org/ipa/index.php). Project Gutenberg may already be familiar to some users. The project is overseen by the [PGLAF](https://www.gutenberg.org/about/pglaf.html) and acts as an online library of freely downloadable eBooks. Via Project Gutenberg, readers can connect with an expansive library of literature both new and old. To view poetry available through Project Gutenberg, navigate to ‘Bookshelves’ via ‘Search and Browse’. From there, you can select the ‘Poetry’ category and sort by title, author, release date, or popularity.

    [The Internet Poetry Archive](http://www.ibiblio.org/ipa/index.php), created by ibiblio founder Paul Jones, aims to “make poetry accessible to new audiences \[providing\] teachers and students of poetry new ways of presenting and studying \[contemporary\] poets and their texts.” Follow the link to explore the writings of poets like [Seamus Heaney](http://ibiblio.org/ipa/heaney.php), [Margaret Walker](http://ibiblio.org/ipa/walker.php), and [Yusef Komunyakaa](http://ibiblio.org/ipa/komunyakaa.php). Also, see [Paul Jones’ webpage](https://www.ibiblio.org/pjones/blog/poetry-publications-may-2020-present/) for a selection of his recently published poetry.

    Please enjoy this springtime poem by [Gerard Manley Hopkins](https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/22403). Happy reading!

    _Spring_

    NOTHING is so beautiful as spring—  

    When weeds, in wheels, shoot long and lovely and lush;  

    Thrush’s eggs look little low heavens, and thrush  

    Through the echoing timber does so rinse and wring  

    The ear, it strikes like lightnings to hear him sing;  

    The glassy peartree leaves and blooms, they brush  

    The descending blue; that blue is all in a rush  

    With richness; the racing lambs too have fair their fling.

    What is all this juice and all this joy?  

    A strain of the earth’s sweet being in the beginning  

    In Eden garden. Have, get, before it cloy,  

    Before it cloud, Christ, lord, and sour with sinning,  

    Innocent mind and Mayday in girl and boy,  

    Most, O maid’s child, thy choice and worthy the  

    winning.

    [4 March 2024](https://www.ibiblio.org/archive/2024/03/poetry-available-through-ibiblio/)

*   [SoundExchange and Digital Audio Streaming](https://www.ibiblio.org/archive/2024/01/soundexchange-and-digital-audio-streaming/)

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    ibiblio hosts several digital audio streams, all of which broadcast copyrighted material regularly. You may have wondered, “How are intellectual property owners paid when their recordings are broadcast online?” In the USA, royalties are owed to intellectual property owners each time a sound recording is played. An organization that centralizes management of these these rights for public radio stations that stream online is SoundExchange. Additionally, SoundExchange provides payments to artists and intellectual property owners when their music is broadcast online. To ensure an equitable distribution of royalties, data associated with the sound recording is processed, and a payment is collected from the statutory licensee. Then, shares are allocated, processed, and distributed to the intellectual property owners. You can follow [this link](https://www.soundexchange.com/) to visit SoundExchange’s official website. Additionally, you can learn more about SoundExchange’s history and purpose via the associated [Wikipedia page](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SoundExchange).

    SoundExchange compliance helps to ensure that royalties from broadcast sound recordings are distributed properly. Each audio stream we host must send SoundExchange reports to ensure royalties are properly distributed. One of the most important things this report includes is the total number of times a recording is received by a unique listener. This is known as the actual total performances, or more colloquially as “per play, per listener.” Our audio streams produce logs which we can then compile into a report for SoundExchange. Actual total performances is used to calculate the amount owed by a radio station to the intellectual property owners.

    Equitable distribution of royalties helps keep the digital audio streams we host sustainable. You can visit some of these radio stations and access their online streams for your music listening pleasure. Here are a few of the radio stations we host:

    *   *   [Concierto](https://audio-mp3.ibiblio.org/concierto) – Spanish/English classical music produced by WDAV

        *   [WCPE, The Classical Station](https://audio-mp3.ibiblio.org/wcpe.mp3)

        *   [WXYC](https://audio-mp3.ibiblio.org/wxyc.mp3) – UNC-Chapel Hill’s student radio station

    [24 January 2024](https://www.ibiblio.org/archive/2024/01/soundexchange-and-digital-audio-streaming/)

*   [Winter Reads with Project Gutenberg](https://www.ibiblio.org/archive/2023/12/winter-reads-with-project-gutenberg/)

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    This collection of books and short stories contains recommendations perfect for cold weather and the holiday season. They are accessible through Project Gutenberg, a library of over 60,000 free eBooks in the public domain. You can read more about Project Gutenberg [here](https://www.gutenberg.org/help/faq.html#what-is-project-gutenberg), and browse their [bookshelves](https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/bookshelf/) to find more great titles! See below to explore titles to enjoy while trying to stay warm this winter!

    [The Gift of the Magi](https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/7256)

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    This short story, published in 1905, tells of a couple who need to buy gifts for each other but must make sacrifices to find the perfect gift. _The Gift of the Magi_ teaches a great lesson about gift-giving and is a valuable story to read or reread during the holiday season.

    [Winter Sports in Switzerland](https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/60153)

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    This illustrated book from 1913 has chapters on tobogganing, skiing, skating, hockey, and more. It describes Swedish traditions and culture and provides insight into sports and life in 20th-century Switzerland.

    [King Winter](https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/17764)

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    In this story, King Winter, the embodiment of the Christmas Spirit, leaves his palace of snow to bring winter to the land and reward obedient children with holiday sweets ([Library of Congress](https://blogs.loc.gov/loc/2015/12/rare-book-of-the-month-king-winter-a-book-to-bring-in-the-season/)). _King Winter_ is a rare German children’s story from the 19th century inspired by a character from Germanic and Norse traditions.

    [Little Women](https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/514)

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    Louisa May Alcott’s _Little Women_ follows four sisters throughout their lives. Pivotal scenes occur during Christmastime, and the descriptions of winter in New England make this a festive read for snow days.

    [A Christmas Carol](https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/30368)

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    _A Christmas Carol_ by Charles Dickens is a well-known holiday classic about a businessman who changes his attitude about Christmas after being visited by a host of spirits. Dickens’ story has been adapted many times for the stage and film, but it is worth reading the original material to know where the text came from!

    [1 December 2023](https://www.ibiblio.org/archive/2023/12/winter-reads-with-project-gutenberg/)