In the Know

Professional Collection in Transition

2011-04-23T15:33:00.002-04:00

Over the course of the next several weeks the books, kits, and DVDs of the Professional Collection will be transferred to Library Processing @ the East County Regional Library. The archived journals will soon follow. New materials will be received into the Professional Collection directly at Library Processing.

This blog has been a terrific way to share information and ideas with you. With the change in the Professional Collection, In the Know will now cease publication.

Thank you for your readership.

New Book

2011-04-07T09:19:00.002-04:00

Civic Engagement in an Older America edited by Greg O'Neill and Sarah F. Wilson (a publication of the Gerontological Society of America)

FYI: This book is not a tidy ALA how-to manual about recruiting senior volunteers or conducting multigenerational programming. This is 5 chapters of research studies reproduced to demonstrate the vitality of older adults and the effect civic involvement has on their well being to measurable standards. Very academic. The direct applicability this book has to life at LCLS may be limited. Given the population we serve, the likelihood that we would turn away vibrant, eager, capable, and eligible volunteers based upon advanced age is slim. Similarly, we would and do embrace programming for and by the older population.

Here are the chapter titles:

Identifying the Boundaries and Horizons of the Concept of Civic Engagement for the Field of Aging

Conceptual Foundations and Challenges: Civic Engagement in Later Life

A Profile of Older Adults' Civic Engagement: Research Gaps

Outcomes of Civic Engagement for Older Adults

Seniors and Civic Engagement: Challenges and Critical Perspectives

New Book

2011-04-04T11:38:00.002-04:00

Designing Brand Identity by Alina Wheeler

FYI: "In a densely crowded marketplace, corporations, organizations, and even individuals look for ways to differentiate themselves. That is the job of branding. Whether your goal is to express a new brand or to revitalize an existing one, here is a proven, universal five-phase process for creating and implementing effective brand strategy, design development through application design, and identity standards through launch and governance, Design Brand Identity is an essential reference for the entire process." - from the back cover

Macgyver Tip

2011-03-26T09:20:00.004-04:00

From lifehacker.com
March 15, 2011

Whitson Gordon — We've shared a few ways to boost your cell phone signal before, but technology weblog The Next Web shows us another way: just stick it in a glass.

We've used this trick to boost our smartphone's volume before, but TNW claims it actually works for signal as well:

So a few years ago one of the waitresses there discovered (how?) that if you put a phone in an empty glass it dramatically improves the reception. The Pasta e Basta restaurant is basically stuck in a concrete basement so reception has always been awful. But since they found out about this trick they at least have had enough reception to make and receive calls.

The waiter gave me glass, I put my iPhone in, reluctantly, and lo and behold: I got 3 bars and no 3G but some GPRS. Not perfect but a huge improvement from the ‘No signal' message I got earlier.

Of course, you probably can't make a call with your phone stuck in a glass, but you could probably manage to send a text message or two, or receive voicemails and jump outside if they're important. This is the first we've heard of this method, and a few people have noted that this does work, but we haven't tested it ourselves.

New Materials

2011-03-26T08:48:00.002-04:00

Customer Service at the Library: Making the Experience Meaningful & Memorable

FYI: DVD contents include ABC's of Service, The Value of Customers, Why People Stop Coming Back, Customer Needs and Wants, Cultivating Loyal Customers, Healthy and Deadly Attitudes, The Power of a Smile, Words to Use and Words to Lose, The Value of Thank You, Customer MAGIC, Telephone MAGIC, Email Etiquette - from Program Contents

Microblogging and Lifestreaming in Libraries by Robin M. Hastings

FYI: "Microblogging and Lifestreaming in Libraries is a start-to-finish passport to using such services as Twitter, Friendfeed, and Tumblr to engage, and communicate with library patrons. Veteran microblogger Robin Hastings leads reads readers through how to use these cutting-edge social media applications to keep patrons updated, market the library, and build community. This comprehensive field guide covers everything from how to feed blog posts into Twitter, feed tweets into a Web site, and utilize Twitter for library events, to ways to incorporate these tools into your organization's marketing strategy." - from the Foreword

New Book

2011-03-18T10:24:00.002-04:00

Integrated Advisory Service: Breaking Through the Book Boundary to Better Serve Library Users edited by Jessica E. Moyer

FYI: "Library collections today have grown beyond books and periodicals with numerous diverse formats, ranging from audiobooks and graphic novels to film, television show recordings, and even games; but until now, little has been done to maximize the connections between these media. Integrated Advisory Service: Breaking Through the Book Boundary to Better Serve Library Users is designed to assist librarians in making connections between all the different media in library collections and advising patrons." - from the back cover

Golden Books Gown

2011-03-10T14:11:00.003-05:00

Ryan Novelline fabricated a gown entirely out of Golden Books. The "fabric" is 22,00 square inches of illustrated pages sewn together with golden thread.

For a more detailed look at the construction process, take a look at Ryan's online portfolio page.

Free Books

2011-03-10T10:38:00.005-05:00

Give Away some Ebooks
by David Lee King on March 7, 2011

A couple weeks ago, I saw a pretty cool idea at the Denver International Airport, and thought it could be adapted to libraries.

1st Bank had some large advertisements up in the airport, giving away free ebooks (see the pic in this post – this was one of two signs I saw). All you needed was a smartphone with a QR Code reader – aim and read the code, and you were directed to download a free ebook (there was also a button to open a new banking account).

Pretty ingenious, if you ask me. Just guessing here, but I’m pretty sure the only books I saw were “free” out-of-print classics. For most people – people who are stuck at the airport with nothing much to do – what a cool idea! Give em a book (even if it’s freely available online), and brand it as your business.

How can this work for a library?

Why not copy this idea? Use a QR Code, put up a sign at the mall or the grocery store, and offer a “free” ebook (maybe something legally free from Project Gutenberg). Send the user to a mobile webpage, branded as your library – with a link to the ebook, and some info about your other cool services.

In essence, it looks like the library is giving away a free ebook – that works with multiple ereaders! Even those pesky Amazon Kindles that don’t play well with libraries.

New Books

2011-03-05T08:41:00.002-05:00

Coaching in the Library: A Management Strategy for Achieving Excellence edited by Ruth F. Metz
Reference Reborn: Breathing New Life into Public Services Librarianship edited by Diane Zabel

FYI: "The roles of reference librarians are constantly changing. Today it's not unusual for librarians to also serve as trend trackers, data analysts, project managers, IT troubleshooters, marketers, and staffing specialists. Academic and public libraries across the country are experimenting with new service models to accommodate new technology, budget constraints, and a clientele with new needs and expectations. Not surprisingly, librarians are assuming revised roles as a result." - from the back cover

New Books

2011-02-22T09:01:00.002-05:00

The Frugal Librarian Thriving in Tough Economic Times edited by Carol Smallwood

FYI: "The Thirty-four chapters of The Frugal Librarian present insightful-and often personal-responses and recommendations on how to not only survive but also thrive in tough economic times." -from the Foreword

Winning Library Grants: A Game Plan by Herbert B. Landau

FYI: "Tightening budgets and ever-shrinking sources for funding have made winning grants more important than ever before. But where should a library grant novice begin? Right, here of course. Herbert B. Landau, the author of The Small Public Library Survival Guide and an experienced marketeer and manager, offers a practical and comprehensive manual that guides you through grant fundamentals." - from the back cover

New Book

2011-02-16T10:45:00.001-05:00

Everyone Plays at the Library: Creating Great Gaming Experiences for All Ages by Scott Nicholson

Librarian Origin Stories

2011-02-11T14:47:00.002-05:00

Librarian origin stories
Bruce Jensen is engaged in a large-scale study of the vocational backgrounds of librarians worldwide. In his “Librarian Origin Stories” survey, he wants to know what led you to choose a library career. If you have questions about the survey, send him an email....
Bruce Jensen

"Whether you're a first-year circ clerk or a retired library administrator, Librarian Origin Stories wonders how you joined our merry guild. It's a worldwide exploration of the experiences and backgrounds of all who work to keep these wonderful places humming.
You can be as private as you want; the online survey offers several flavors of anonymity. And if you like, you can request results when you finish the short questionnaire." - from Bruce Jensen's Web site

[Click the Librarian Origin Stories hyperlink above to tell your story.]

Approachable You

2011-02-11T14:30:00.003-05:00

Published on American Libraries Magazine (http://americanlibrariesmagazine.org)
Tue, 02/08/2011 - 16:49

By Will Manley

Aren’t you looking at me?

I am not a behavioral psychologist but it seems to me the most basic element of establishing a connection with someone is making eye contact. Take my granddaughter, Sophia. She’s 3 years old and is always the most popular person wherever she goes because she loves to go right up to people, look them in the eye, and with unbridled enthusiasm blurt out, “Hi, my name is Sophie!”

Unfortunately in today’s world, even our most extroverted librarians are not making eye contact with the people in their libraries. Walk into any library at any time and you will see the same sorry syndrome. Librarians at public services desks are not looking at the public, but at their computer screens. Nothing makes me angrier. And everybody wonders how best to frame library advocacy in a time of dwindling resources and Tea Party politics. How’s this for advocacy? Look like you give a darn! Keep your eyes on the prize—the patrons!

You librarians, what are you doing? A patron has to wonder. You’re not laughing while you’re looking at your screens so you’re probably not watching YouTube clips of great moments in comedy. You don’t look terribly absorbed so you’re probably not reading a Stephen King novel. You don’t look particularly serious so you’re probably not doing anything very important for your actual job. You also don’t look half asleep so you’re not reading library literature.

To be precise, you have that bored, listless look about you, as though you are engaging in that great America at Work time waster: surfing the internet. At least that’s what it looks like to me and everyone else trying to get your attention. What a great way to reinforce one of the library profession’s most odious stereotypes: “Oh, you’re a librarian? You must get to do a lot of reading on the job.”

This is not fair. Back in the Dark Ages, when I worked the reference desk (and yes there were no “snow days” then so you walked three miles through a blizzard to get to work) we were not allowed to read at the reference desk because of that very stereotype; it made us look unapproachable. So why is it okay now to move your eyes over a computer screen? How is that different from a book or a magazine?

I suppose the theory today is that if you are staring at a computer, you are doing something serious, like research. Serious research, my foot! We all know where internet surfing takes you: into the most inane sites imaginable. I mean this really bugs me.

So, today I’m shopping out of town and pass a library I’d never been in before. Like any nosy librarian, to the great frustration of the family members I am with, I just have to go in for a look/see. What do I see? I see a reference librarian staring at a computer screen. This makes me really flippin’ mad.

Since no one knows me at this library, I decide to sneak up behind the reference desk and see what inane, inconsequential, and idiotic site this librarian is staring at. It’s my daily blog Will Unwound [2]. I’m not kidding.

Did I say I have a problem with reference librarians looking at computer screens? You must have misunderstood me. I actually think it’s very important for librarians to keep up with their library blogs, especially those that tell them to keep their eyes on the customers.

New Books

2011-02-08T13:53:00.002-05:00

Be a Great Boss: One Year to Success by Catherine Hakala-Ausperk

FYI: "To help library managers improve their skills and acumen, renowned speaker and trainer Catherine Hakala-Ausperk presents a handy self-study guide to the dynamic role of being a boss. Organized in 52 modules, designed to cover a year of weekly sessions but easily adaptable for any pace...Suitable for all levels of management, from first-line supervisors to library directors, this book lays out a clear path to learning the essentials of being a great boss." - from the back cover

Managing Library Volunteers (2nd ed) by Preston Driggers and Eileen Dumas

FYI: "Authors Preston Driggers and Eileen Dumas have completely overhauled their classic work and present a top-to-bottom toolkit for recruiting, interviewing, training, supervising, and evaluating volunteers..." - from the back cover

Productivity

2011-02-03T10:45:00.004-05:00

Micro-productivity: Accomplishing Major Goals With Minor Effort

-from www.lifehack.org

When I’m not writing for Stepcase Lifehack, I spend my time crafting microfiction. I am the author of a 365-part fiction serial running at MargeryJones.com, and I have a piece of microfiction being featured in an upcoming HarperCollins fiction anthology on sale this June.

So I know a little something about getting a lot accomplished in a short amount of time. For example, sitting down and creating a novel is intimidating. But by focusing my efforts into writing a daily serial, I’ll have a novella complete by the end of the year with very little time invested per month. Some of the precepts of writing microfiction can easily be applied to any situation to help you reach a major goal or milestone.

I’m not the first person to write about this kind of “micro-productivity”. The Friendly Anarchist wrote a blog post about making the most of those 5-minute windows of time we all have in our day. He suggests that when you have a spare couple of minutes with nothing to do, you should use it to do something worthwhile, something productive: “Create cool stuff: Edit some photos, skribble some sketches, jot down an outline for your next essay, write a haiku.”

He argues that we sometimes psyche ourselves up when reaching for major goals or blocking out time for creative pursuits. By working in small chunks of time, “your old buddy procrastination has no chance to hit, if all you got are five minutes. And who knows, maybe…you’ll get an effortless 20 minutes of action, without even having to struggle.”

So, if you’re interested in accomplishing big projects with just a little bit of effort, here’s the basic process to follow.

1. Set a major goal

This is the time to dream big. Maybe you want to write a novel, get in shape, or earn some extra income with a side business. Decide what major life goal you have been putting off for years, and make a commitment to make a dent in the work required to make that goal a reality.

2. Break down that goal into micro-tasks

Say your major goal is to get rock hard abs by the end of the year. You might decide that the way for you to accomplish that goal is to do 100 crunches a day. If you’re committed to writing a novel, break down the work of writing into a set number of pages, chapters, or words.

The important thing isn’t how you break down the work leading towards successful completion of your goal, but rather that you break down the work into small, manageable micro-projects. Think about what you can conceivably get done in a 5 or 10 minute period of time, or what you can do over several such blocks of time without major fits and starts.

3. Set a schedule

For example, say you’re still planning on working on your abs, and want to do 100 crunches a day. You break down those 100 crunches into 4 groups of 25, making your goal easy to achieve during the commercial breaks of an hour long TV show.

Or maybe you’re dead-set on finishing a novel, so you dedicate three of your coffee breaks at work each week to scribbling a few passages into a notebook.

4. Get ahead of schedule

How do you do that? Simple. Just make an effort to use any 5-10 minute chunks of free time that you would otherwise “waste” to work on your project. I mentioned working your goals into TV commercial breaks above. Other great places to sneak in a little productive time include your morning commute (assuming you are a carpool passenger or subway rider), or while you’re making dinner (while waiting for water to boil or the microwave to ding).

And when you’re ahead of schedule (which is easy to do when it only takes 5 minutes to make progress), you’ll find that your this boosts your confidence. And when you feel good about your project and your goals, you’ll be more motivated and more productive.

Conclusion

Obviously you shouldn’t use every spare 5-minute chunk of your day towards your goals. Everybody needs a little down time to veg out and recharge their batteries. But by making a conscious effort to spend a few minutes per day working towards a major life goal, you will make slow, measured progress that might not be possible otherwise.

And even if you don’t have a major goal you’re working towards, using several 5-10 minute blocks of time towards a productive goal each day can really do wonders for both your personal and professional life. In an older post here at Lifehack.org, Leo Babauta wrote a great list of ways to make productive use of these small chunks of time. Those tips included balancing your checkbook, networking with your professional contacts, or even earning extra money by freelancing on the side.

Big goals are scary. You can easily get derailed working on major projects if you get frustrated or anxious about working on them. Working on a project for 5-10 minutes at a time can keep you from becoming your own worst enemy. And when you aren’t getting in your own way, you’ll be amazed at what you can accomplish.

Author: Tucker is a writer and social media professional living in New England. When she's not staring into a tiny electric box, she engages in pointless acts of stupidity at BadBoozeReview.com and posts daily at MargeryJones.com

2011-01-27T14:41:00.002-05:00

From the Learning Round Table of the American Library Association
by Marianne Lenox

A Collaborative Learning Experiment: Top Ten Customer Service Skills for Library Staff

Recently I was asked to give a 15 minute talk on customer service skills to the Huntsville – Madison County Public Library Public Service staff at their regular monthly meeting. Though I started the discussion with ten points outlined below, I knew that our front line staff could contribute even more and wanted to capture the exchange. We live-blogged it on our Drupal-based staff Intranet, adding notes during the discussion and encouraging comments afterward. Here are the results of that conversation:

1. Greet every customer
Every single patron deserves your eye contact: A smile and a hello are even better. Jackie Matthews (Youth Services) spoke of introducing herself, letting the patron know that she is willing to help if there are problems or questions. “Be alert for customers that come in the library angry or upset, a greeting validates the patron and let’s them know they are valuable to us. Sometimes a patron just doesn’t know where to go and will hover around a public service desk or in the stacks, often not asking for help.” Cerene Prince, of the Computer Training Center, spoke of engaging the patron in conversation to create a friendly, accessible atmosphere in the library.

2. Be aware of non-verbal clues
Occasionally a customer will approach a desk or a staff member with a set jaw and a fierce look. Typically this type of body language might alert us to an impending conflict and allow the staff member to create the proper tone for the conversation. Kill them with kindness and anticipate the solution, reminding yourself where supervisors are at the moment. Also consider the non-verbal clues you might be projecting: slumped posture or arms folded indicate an unwillingness to help.

3. Listen
Sometimes to be heard is all a patron really wants. Listening skills allow you to get past “Can I help you?”

4. Restate the problem or question
Not only will you make sure you’ve heard the issue correctly, but restating the customer’s issue will validate the situation. Give the patron a chance to ask questions after your restatement. David Lilly, head of reference and adult services reminded us to, “ask open-ended questions to help narrow down the issue if it seems vague.”

5. Be Empathetic
Find common ground, and have compassion for the issues at hand. Even if you don’t agree, apologize for the situation. You really can be sincere when you say, “I am so sorry this is causing a problem.”

6. Provide alternatives to “No”
If you can’t find a solution, find someone who will. Trying to find something else to say when your first impulse is a negative reply proves that you have been listening and truly want to help. Susanna Leberman, of Heritage and Archives, often uses “Let me confer with my colleagues” as a customer service catch-all to a quandary. In the session, she noted a recent episode in which a pair of genealogy patrons needed a particular book from the archives. As it sometimes happens, the book was not on the shelf where it was supposed to be. After a five-minute search, she returned to the pair and explained that the book was missing and asked how long they planned on visiting the library that day, indicating that other staff were willing to help. Susanna rallied the department and reported that, “Though it was a bumpy road getting the researchers what they wanted, with team effort and a little time, the problem was solved.”

7. Reserve judgment
Always be a professional representative of our mission: This is the public’s library. It doesn’t matter how a patron is dressed or what they are checking out, it’s important that we never are seen to be critical of the customer or the materials he or she checks out.

8. Get (back) to them as soon as possible
Whether on the phone, email or in-person, treat the patron with respect by following though. A real, live customer comes first over those on the phone. Often a patron’s phone call may be transferred from one department to another in search of resolution. Computer training center coordinator Stormy Dovers noted that she learns as much about the other departments as possible so that when patrons call with questions she can answer… instead of sending them to someone else.

9. Follow your gut instinct
If you get feeling that something is wrong, it probably is. I noted that staff should immediately contact security or a supervisor, but call 911 if you see a crime being committed in the library.

10. Thank them for using the library
Your parting words to the patron may very well be what is remembered most about a visit to the library. Are there upcoming programs or new resources to discover? Let them know we’re glad they came and offer them a reason to come back!

That afternoon, Development Director Stephenie Walker added to the talk’s blog post on our staff Intranet: “In a time when funding is at an all-time low it can be easy to be discouraged and feel helpless, but no matter what, we always have control over how we interact with patrons. In the end, they are why we do what we do – from placing a book on hold, to fundraising, to advocating with a commissioner, we do it for them.”

We do it for the patron. I just love that. Thanks, Stephenie, and all our staff who helped with this project. We learned a lot.

Like any set of skills, evaluation and practice go along way towards mastery. Customer service is no exception. In this case, the conversations around each issue during the talk allowed us to explore beyond the bullet points. As the discussion continued online, staff added even more examples of excellent customer service: I am considering this experiment in collaborative learning a success.

Can you think of other learning methods that can be used to combine content and real-life experiences? Please share!

2011-01-20T15:14:00.003-05:00

From guardian.co.uk
By Maev Kennedy
Friday 14 January 2011 17.47 GMT

Library Clears its Shelves in Protest at Closure Threat

Users Urged to Take Out Full Allowance of Library Books in Campaign to Keep Stony Stratford Branch Open

Stony Stratford library is one of two branches being considered for closure by Milton Keynes council. Photograph: Christopher Thomond for the Guardian The library at Stony Stratford, on the outskirts of Milton Keynes, looks like the aftermath of a crime, its shell-shocked staff presiding over an expanse of emptied shelves. Only a few days ago they held 16,000 volumes.

Now, after a campaign on Facebook, there are none. Every library user was urged to pick their full entitlement of 15 books, take them away and keep them for a week. The idea was to empty the shelves by closing time on Saturday: in fact with 24 hours to go, the last sad bundle of self-help and practical mechanics books was stamped out. Robert Gifford, chair of Stony Stratford town council, planned to collect his books when he got home from work in London, but left it too late.

The empty shelves, as the library users want to demonstrate, represent the gaping void in their community if Milton Keynes council gets its way. Stony Stratford, an ancient Buckinghamshire market town famous only for its claim that the two pubs, the Cock and the Bull, are the origin of the phrase "a cock and bull story", was one of the communities incorporated in the new town in 1967. The Liberal Democrat council, made a unitary authority in 1997, now faces budget cuts of £25m and is consulting on closing at least two of 10 outlying branch libraries.

Stony Stratford council got wind in December and wrote to all 6,000 residents – not entirely disinterestedly, as the council meets in the library, like many other groups in the town. "In theory the closure is only out for consultation," Gifford said, "but if we sit back it will be too late. One man stopped me in the street and said, 'The library is the one place where you find five-year-olds and 90-year-olds together, and it's where young people learn to be proper citizens'. It's crazy even to consider closing it."

– they should be finding ways to expand its services and bring even more people in."

Emily Malleson, of the Friends of Stony Stratford Library, said: "I was lucky, I got in early, so I got some nice children's books – and my children came along and took out all their books too. I had to bring the car to get them all home.The late-comers just had to take whatever was left."

guardian.co.uk © Guardian News and Media Limited 2011

New Book

2011-01-06T10:16:00.002-05:00

Reading Group Choices (Selections for Lively Book Discussions) 2011 edited by Reading Group Choices

FYI: Selections include Her Mother's Hope by Francine Rivers, The Lacuna by Barbara Kingsolver, The Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follet, The Red Thread by Ann Hood, and Zeitoun by Dave Eggers.

New Books

2011-01-05T10:42:00.002-05:00

Writing Reviews for Readers' Advisory by Brad Hooper

FYI: "Reviews are an important resource for readers' advisory and collection development. They are also a helpful promotional tool, introducing patrons to what is new on the shelf. This resource includes

- Tips for writing strong, relevant review

- Different ways reviews can be used to promote your library

-A chapter by Joyce Saricks covering the how-tos of reviewing audiobooks

Whether the ultimate goal is writing for a library website, book club, or monthly handout, or freelancing for a newspaper, magazine, or professional journal, readers will find plenty of ideas here." - from the back cover

Fang-tastic Fiction: Twenty-first Century Paranormal Reads by Patricia O'Brien Mathews
Doing Social Media So It Matters: A Librarian's Guide by Laura Solomon

Evolution of English

2010-12-28T16:00:00.007-05:00

British Library Maps Evolution of English,

Contribute Your Accent by Reading Mr. Tickle Aloud

From ReadWriteWeb
By Audrey Watters / December 19, 2010 1:45 PM

For those that have been busily searching Google's new Ngram Viewer to assess how language has changed over time, here's another project that might pique your interest, one that involves another great literary work, Roger Hargreaves's children's book Mr. Tickle.

The British Library wants to map different words and accents and chart the changing pronunciation of the English language. As part of its exhibit Evolving English, the British Library is adding to its already sizable collection of 20th century recordings of the English voice, and it's asking any English speaker worldwide to record their voice reading Mr. Tickle aloud.

Comparing Accents

In order to compare accents, the British Library is examining words in lexical sets, those that share certain pronunciation patterns. According to phoneticians, reading long lists of words aloud is not ideal as it tends not to be "authentic" or conversational, so reading prose aloud is preferable. And since you're likely to read it casually and with confidence, no matter your age or native language, a children's book is apparently even better.

The British Library says it chose one of the beloved Mr. Men series as the book contained all the lexical sets. (Personally, I preferred Mr. Chatterbox and always found the ending of Mr. Tickle to be quite annoying.) For its part, Mr. Tickle contains words like "mischievous," "postman," and "extraordinary." Do you say "miss-cheevy-us" or "miss-chiv-us"?

To add your voice, you can either use the British Library website or an Audioboo mobile app. Copies of Mr. Tickle are available on the library website, as well instructions on how to tag your upload so it appears as part of the collection.

Oh, The Places You'll Go

2010-12-18T11:06:00.002-05:00

The rage is eBooks and everyone loves free titles. This year's best Free Reference Websites (Twelfth Annual List) compiled by RUSA (MARS Section) included a free eBooks site.

from Reference and User Services Quarterly, Fall 2010
ebooks @ Adelaide, http://ebooks.adelaide.edu.au
The University of Adelaide provides full-text ebooks of classic works of literature, philosophy, and history from a variety of countries, most available free online to anyone because the copyright has expired. Users can browse by subject, title, author or search by keywords. The formatting is attractive and very readable, with fonts and page layout that approximate to what the eye is used to seeing in a print book. Titles can be downloaded to eReader devices supporting the ePub standard (such as Sony, BeBook, Bookeen, B&N nook, or the iPhone). Brief author biographies and links to other resources are provided for each work, as are MARC records. Ebooks @ Adelaide is useful for any library seeking an additional source of electronic books.
Author/Publisher: University of Adelaide
Free/Fee-based: Free
Date Reviewed: 2/11/10

Web Site Design

2010-12-14T13:44:00.002-05:00

From David Lee King's Blog

Answer these Questions for your Website
by David Lee King

posted on November 2, 2010

We’re in the midst of a website redesign for our library. As we start looking at content, links, buttons, headings, etc – stuff like that – you know what we’re thinking?
We’re thinking this: does this link/content/heading/etc answer these questions for our customers?

What can I do here?
What can I do next?
Why should I care?

Answering these are really hard! Think about it for a sec – take a pretty normal link, like the library web designer’s favorite – “Library Databases.” Answering that “what can I do here” question certainly gets into how you label that section of your website (’cause we all know that “Library Databases” means nothing). Perhaps something like “Find articles” or “do some research” might work better?

Or think about a blog post – answering the “what can I do next” question can be as easy as linking to a set of related articles, topics, or even related books at the end of the post. I do this on my blog – when you’re reading it on the actual website, when you finish reading the article, you’ll see a list of related blog posts I wrote. What’s this get you? Website visitors staying on your site for longer amounts of time. More clicks. Hopefully, more conversions – more people clicking “attend this event” or checking out a book, etc.

“Why should I care” is a favorite one of our library director, and it’s probably the hardest of the three questions to answer. One way to do this is in the content itself. So your first couple of questions get the customer to your content … and then your content itself will need to answer that “why should I care” thing.

The answer could be any number of things, ranging from “because you can borrow it for free” to “because you’re a small business owner, and these resources will help you be profitable.” See where I’m going with this? Another way to say “why should I care” is to ask “what’s in it for me” or “why is this interesting?” Give them that reason.

Give your customers a reason to stay on your site by having great content AND by actually telling them why they might want to stay. Do that, and my guess is that … they actually WILL stay on your site – your digital branch – longer, doing more things.

Could be a good thing!

Old Friends

2010-12-10T08:51:00.002-05:00

The flipping of the calendar to December signals a very important thing to me, the availability of the new World Almanac and Book of Facts. I have received this book every year for Christmas since I was little and it continues to be my favorite source for many things at work and home. With sections for history, geography, politics, entertainment, and sports, this book can answer most ready reference questions in an instant. The tables for perpetual calendar, wedding anniversary gifts, and weights and measures are particularly useful. I am always amazed by the wealth of information included in each year's edition. If I were stuck on an island and could could only bring 5 reference sources (isn't that always the case?), this is my #1 choice.

Deck the Halls...

2010-12-09T09:58:00.007-05:00

From mlive.com

Delta College Librarian Constructs Christmas Tree Out of Books
Published: Friday, December 03, 2010, 1:20 PM Updated: Saturday, December 04, 2010, 8:21 AM
Brandon Howell The Bay City Times

FRANKENLUST TWP. — From a distance, it looks like a Christmas tree is adorning the main window inside the entrance to the Delta College Library.
Upon further inspection, though, one will find that it's not a blue spruce or a Douglas fir, but rather a meticulous amalgam of books.

Librarian Jennean Kabat spent six hours with a couple of coworkers carefully assembling the decoration the day before Thanksgiving. It was an idea she gleaned from the Internet.

"I was looking for inspiration — because I do all the displays — and came across this library in Connecticut who had done something similar," Kabat said. "So I said to my coworkers, 'Let's try building one of those!'"

The literary structure — which is buttressed from within by a wastebasket — is comprised of over 100 books. At the bottom, red books were used to simulate a tree skirt. Green books fill out the body of the tree while gold ones round out the top, mimicking a star.
The tree is constituted predominantly by copies of publications such as Congressional Quarterly Almanac and The Reader's Guide to Periodical Literature.
Those books were chosen for a reason.

"We went into the collection and took a few of the books that aren't used quite as often as others," Kabat said. That hasn't stopped some students from giving the library staff a little good-natured grief.

"We've had some people come by and ask, 'What if I need to use that book in the middle there?' and we've said, 'Too bad, you'll have to wait until January,'" Kabat said, adding that her project reminds her of the nerve-racking game Jenga.

Aside from her ambition to continually impress library-goers with her displays, Kabat said the Christmas tree represents a broader approach by the library this holiday season.
"We always have a concern because we have a diverse population here at Delta and everybody isn't all about Christmas," she said. "We wanted to get away a little bit from the traditional Christmas tree, but yet still celebrate the holidays."

Students and faculty have both made time to stop and appreciate the Christmas tree, Kabat said. "Students have been stopping by just taking shots with their phone," she said. "We've heard things like, 'That's so awesome! I love it! How appropriate for a library to do something like that.'"

Delta College Library Director Jack Wood also approves of the decoration — although Kabat surreptitiously constructed it during one of his vacation days.
"I love it. It looks pretty cool," Wood said. "We've been getting nothing but compliments."
For Kabat, the decoration presents a problem in the future.
"I'm constantly trying to outdo myself," she said. "I'll have to come up with something really great next year."

© 2010 MLive.com. All rights reserved.

It's Great to be Needed

2010-12-04T15:51:00.005-05:00

From the University of Texas Libraries comes this report...

"Surviving the Crunch"

"The days get shorter in more ways than you can imagine this time of the year, especially around the university campus as the final push of the semester evinces itself in the form of projects, papers and tests.

The Libraries does its part to help minimize the stress with a program meant to promote those resources and services that make the tasks at hand a tad less imposing.

This year’s Crunch Time outreach initiative highlighted library services and resources for students at The University of Texas at Austin between the hours of 11am-3pm on November 9, 10 &11. The program purpose is to promote the availability of in-person, drop-by assistance, subject librarian consultations, and the UT Libraries Ask a Librarian IM and email services.

During Crunch Time students are provided with Ask a Librarian contact cards attached to mini-Nestle Crunch bars, a series of time saving handouts and increased staffing at service points. A brief survey to determine awareness of service options is made available from UT Libraries computer workstations across the campus, and students who participate are entered in a prize drawing.

First introduced by the Reference and Information Services department at UT’s Perry-Castaneda Library in 2008, Crunch Time has become an annual event and three additional UT Libraries locations participated this year, increasing its reach.

Statistics indicate that students took advantage of the program and more of them were connected with the information they wanted, at point of need, as a result. Of the three locations reporting, there were 536 queries, with a large number of those (199) occurring on Wednesday, November 10, at the Perry-Castañeda (105) and Fine Arts (94) Libraries. There were also 193 participants in the services web survey. "

Jenifer Flaxbart is Head of Reference & Information Services for the University of Texas Libraries.

See more images from Crunch Time programs here.

2010-12-04T15:39:00.003-05:00

Choosing the 100 Notable Books of 2010

From Paper Cuts
A Blog about Books
(a blog by The New York Times)

By THE EDITORS
Illustration by Joe Ciardiello

November 24, 2010, 3:49 pm

"Today, we published our 100 Notable Books of the Year online (they will appear in print on Dec. 5). The task of choosing them — or rather of excluding other superb books — grows harder each time. Consider it in terms of arithmetic: If we limited ourselves to a single work of fiction and nonfiction chosen from each of the issues published since Dec. 6, 2009, when the previous Notables list appeared, we would exceed our self-imposed limit.

Not that our decisions are determined arithmetically. On the contrary, we are guided by judgment, instinct and feel. The final result, for all its variety, implies a kind of logic, if not in our method, then in “the culture.” Not long ago the short story was presumed to be in extremis; our list includes nine short-story collections. When the Vietnam debacle ended 35 years ago, America entered a period of willed amnesia. But three novels on the list reimagine that war.

Patterns emerge from our nonfiction list too. It includes three biographies of baseball gods, contemporaries and rivals who together reinvented the game in the 1950s and ’60s. And we chose summings-up by songwriting prodigies who each redefined the term “popular music,” though in utterly dissimilar ways.

Readers will detect other patterns — and also errors of omission. We apologize for them, and stand ready to be scolded and corrected in the comments..."

Fun Factoid

2010-12-03T10:34:00.000-05:00

This is the kind of trivia that crowds your head, keeping out valuable information like anniversaries or appointments, but it's so interesting (in a librarianish way).

...from the Librarian History Buff Blog

Friday, December 3, 2010

Otis Hall Robinson (1835-1912), Rochester University Librarian

Happy birthday to the man who put the hole in library catalog cards. Today marks the 175th anniversary of the birth of Otis Hall Robinson who served as Librarian of the University of Rochester Library from 1868 to 1889. Robinson is noted more for his advocacy for library instruction than for his idea for dealing with the annoying tendency of library users to remove catalog cards and put them back in the wrong order (or to keep them for later reference).

But lets not underestimate the importance of that idea. How often has a single idea or practice been adopted by every library in America. Robinson's plan called for punching a hole in the lower left corner of each catalog card and running a rod through all the holes to prevent the removal of the cards. Later with the development of standard catalog cabinet drawers the hole was moved to the center of the catalog card. Although French librarian M. Pincon had similar thoughts, Robinson's holes (which were larger than the rod) were more effective. The catalog card above (a Harvard sized catalog card) started out with the hole to the left but was moved to the center later.

Robinson is listed in the Dictionary of American Library Biography Libraries Unlimited, 1978) where there is an excellent article about him by Edward G. Holley. There is also actually some information on the University of Rochester Library website about Robinson (although it is easier to find through Google than their website). Both sources provide a good picture of the challenges and limitations of academic librarianship in the 19th century. Robinson was exceptional in his views on serving the library and information needs of students. Even so, the library was only open a few hours each day.

Posted by Larry T. Nix at 8:44 AM

WorldCat.org Advanced Citations

2010-11-16T14:16:00.002-05:00

American Libraries Direct (10/13/10) provides us with an article from NextSpace (Aug. 2010) about using WorldCat for citation functions.

25 Flavors of Exported Citation Lists
By Andy Havens

If you use WorldCat.org regularly, you probably already know that you can easily cite materials using the “Cite/Export” button on the detailed record page for any item. Clicking on that button brings up a box (Figure 1), allowing you to select from five popular citation formats: APA, Chicago, Harvard, MLA and Turabian. You can then either click on one of the “+” buttons to see the citation text in that format (great for copying/pasting directly into another application), or export the citation to RefWorks, EndNote or EasyBib.

But did you know that you can use WorldCat Lists to perform advanced citation functions? Many people use WorldCat Lists for bibliographies and project materials, and citations are a perfect way to store and share that information.

Here’s how it works.
1. Create and/or view a list of WorldCat.org items.
2. While viewing the list, click on the “Citations View” tab.
3. If you want to select everything in the list, click on the “Select All” button, or manually choose the items you want to cite.
4. Select one of the five citation styles you want to use from the drop-down box.
5. Select how you want to export the list from the “Export selected references” drop-down menu.
6. Click on the “Export” button and specify the file/location.

That’s all there is to it.

You can export your citations as:

An HTML file. Perfect for creating a hyper-bibliography. Copy the HTML file into a blog or Web page and the embedded hyperlinks pointing to detailed WorldCat.org records for each item provide viewers with a way to get to the resources you've identified.

Rich Text format. Good for moving a long bibliography into a word processing document, complete with italic formatting where appropriate.
Export into RIS, EndNote or RefWorks. If you’re already working in one of these popular systems, your file will be available for use with minimal extra effort.
No matter which citation style you use and which export function, the ability to create a variety of citation files from WorldCat Lists is a powerful way to share resources with peers, students and other information seekers.

New Book

2010-10-28T11:57:00.001-04:00

Senior High Core Collection 2010 Supplement to the Seventeenth Edition edited by Raymond W. Barber and Patricia Bartell

FYI: "This 2010 Supplement is to be used with the Seventeenth Edition, and comes to you as part of that service." (cover note)

Oh, The Places You'll Go

2010-10-07T17:19:00.002-04:00

Have an appliance, gadget, or device that needs fixing? The Web site http://www.ifixit.com/ is a user-driven information site containing free repair Q&A.
According to the About Us section...

"We are a community of people helping each other fix stuff. Come hang out with us- you'll find a friendly, helpful bunch of people who care about our things and want to make them last longer."

Their mission:
"Free Repair Manuals
We make it easy for you to fix things yourself with our online step-by-step repair guides, troubleshooting tips, and thriving community of repair technicians who want to help. Or, check out our teardowns — sneak-peeks inside the latest new gadgets.

Fix the Planet
Repair is recycling! The best way to keep electronics out of landfills is to keep them working longer. Toxic electronic waste is a global problem that we are working to solve. Self repair saves you money and helps the environment!

Help us teach repair
What if everyone had access to a free repair manual for everything they owned? That's our mission. Share your knowledge and help us fix the world.

We sell parts
We fund our mission of helping people fix things by selling useful service parts and tools."

Netflix in Libraries

2010-10-06T12:36:00.003-04:00

American Libraries Direct has recently posted articles about libraries using subscriptions to Netflix as a means of supplementing their their holdings and providing additional service to their patrons. Here are some follow-ups...

From the Blog:

Information Wants to Be Free

Netflix in Libraries and Hypocrisy

By Meredith Farkas September 18, 2010

"This afternoon, I read a post at the Wired Campus blog about libraries loaning out Netflix discs to students and faculty. They point to a guest post from a librarian on Tame the Web who discusses how she is doing this at her library. She touts it as a great way to offer more DVDs to patrons than her library could possibly afford to purchase. Then I see that there was a 2010 article in Library Trends, a scholarly publication, describing using Netflix to expand the library’s DVD offerings as well (I can’t read it because our databases have a 1 year pay wall for LT). At this point I am gobsmacked, not because this is a brilliant idea, but because I can’t believe librarians would actually publish and brag about how they are willfully violating a company’s terms of service.
According to Netflix, “The use of the Netflix service, including DVDs rented to you by us and the Netflix instant streaming discs is solely for your personal and non-commercial use.” They are not saying that you can give this to others. They are not saying that you can use this in the classroom. They are saying that this is for your personal use and you can’t make any money off it. Netflix does not have institutional subscriptions. Therefore, what the library is doing is in violation of Netflix’s terms of services and opens them up to legal repercussions. And it’s not just one or two libraries doing this. I found a number of other libraries offering Netflix discs to their patrons. This library states that the use of Netflix discs is “designed for instructional purposes only; it is not intended for recreational or home use” (which is the opposite of Netflix’s actual Terms). Does the library think that somehow that makes it better? This library makes money when someone returns a Netflix disc late, which could also test the boundaries of non-commercial use (I’m not a lawyer… just conjecture). This one charges a $50 lost fee when a Netflix disc is lost (is that how much DVDs cost these days?). This library also only loans out discs to instructors, as if that somehow makes it ok to willfully disregard the Terms of Use.

"So what’s the justification for this? In addition to the “this has saved us an enormous amount of money” justification Rebecca Fitzgerald at Concordia College, author of the Tame the Web post, makes 3 arguments in response: 1) “there have been no legal repurcussions involving our Netflix accounts”, 2) “No one from Netflix has questioned this”, and 3) “our library is not the first to use this program.” Well, clearly that makes it ok, right? This sounds like the same arguments people who violate copyright make. Well, you know, everyone is doing it. We need to do it because we couldn’t afford to provide all these things otherwise. No one has told me not to. Actually, they have. They told you not to in the Terms of Service, which you tacitly accepted when you signed up for the service.

"It’s annoying enough when average people do things like this, but librarians should be smarter than that. We are supposed to be the ones helping faculty stay on the straight-and-narrow regarding copyright. What kind of an example are we setting when we show such flagrant disregard for a company’s Terms of Service? And this not only opens a library up to being sued by Netflix; it also opens the library up to being sued by the studios that own the movies libraries are saving money on by not purchasing and getting through Netflix. There are a number of video on demand services that are designed for use by educational institutions, so it’s not like Netflix is the only option for making a huge wealth of video material available for instructional use. What it is is the cheaper option. Are librarians really this clueless and/or irresponsible?

"Now, let’s imagine that there’s a grad student who is really impressed with his library’s collection and thinks it sucks that average folks in his community do not have access to the same wealth of books and DVDs. So, because he’s a grad student, he gets a longer loan time and he decides that he is going to check out books and DVDs for people in the community who are not affiliated with his university. He creates his own policies and loan times and even charges late fees to “borrowers” which nets him a little income too. Now, essentially, the library is loaning books out to people who are not members of the university community without their knowledge and in violation of their policies. Now let’s say that this guy is so brazen that he actually sets up a website touting this service he offers and a librarian happens to see this website. What do you think will be the reaction of the library? This guy would be in a whole heck of a lot of trouble. At a minimum he’d lose his borrowing privileges, but I bet it would go further than that. And how is this any different from what libraries are doing to Netflix?

"I have to say that I am still in a state of shock that so many libraries, including some major Universities, are doing this. I keep thinking that there is something I’m missing that somehow makes this ok. But I really can’t see it. Could someone enlighten me?"

From:

LibraryLaw Blog

Using Netflix in a Library

by Peter Hirtle September 18, 2010

"One of the things that Napster taught us is that just because it is easy to do something, it is not always legal.

There is a recent post that has been getting some buzz. In “Using Netflix at an Academic Library,” Rebecca Fitzgerald describes how Concordia College uses a Netflix subscription to supply movies to students. She reports that using Netflix subscriptions has been a great success, saving the library over $3,000 so far by substituting film purchases and licensing with Netflix rentals and instant play.

"The program appears to be popular with the students and saves the college money. It is easy - but is it legal? I don’t see how.

"Here is the problem: As one of the commentators on her post notes, when you sign up with Netflix you enter into a binding contract with them. The terms of that contract specify that “our DVD rental service and the content on the Netflix website, including content viewed through our instant watching functionality, are for your personal and non-commercial use only and we grant you a limited license to access the Netflix website for that purpose” (emphasis mine). As far as the instant play service of Netflix, its end user license stipulates that Netflix grants the licensee “a non-exclusive, limited, personal and nontransferable license, subject to and conditioned on your compliance with the restrictions set forth in this License Agreement, to install and use the Software.” To whom does this apply? Netflix stipulates that the licensee includes “members of your immediate household for whom you will be responsible hereunder and users of the personal computer or Netflix ready device with which you are accessing the Netflix Service and for whom you will be responsible.

"I don't see how a library subscription to Netflix could be considered to be “personal” – not when the purpose of the subscription is to lend the movies to others, rather than watch them yourself (as if a library could even watch a movie.) Nor can authorized users of a library be considered to be “members of your immediate household,” nor could library workstations be considered to be “personal computers.” I am not even sure that we could consider Concordia’s use to be non-commercial, since its purpose is to avoid paying purchase, rental, and licensing fees – and avoiding purchasing an item has at times been considered to be “commercial."

"It looks to this non-lawyer like Concordia may not be complying with the terms of the license. As a general rule, I think libraries should respect the terms of the contracts they enter into. If you don’t like a license, regardless of whether it is the license that accompanies an e-book reader or a Netflix subscription, try to change it. (At least one recent article suggests that we should be trying to negotiate different terms so that Netflix subscriptions can be used in higher education.)

"Of course, one can also ask how much risk does Concordia College face because of the library’s actions. In reality, the answer is probably "not much." Fitzgerald reports that to date “There have been no legal repurcussions (sic) involving our Netflix accounts.” If Netflix found out about Concordia’s program and objected, it is most likely that it would simply cancel the library’s membership rather than also bring legal action. I am a little more worried, though, about the possible response of copyright owners. Movies that have been secured via Netflix in violation of the license agreement between Netflix and the end user (or that are used in ways that Netflix has not licensed) are no more legal than pulling the movie off of BitTorrent. A copyright owner could theoretically sue Concordia College for willful copyright infringement (distribution, in this case), which carries with it a $150,000 fine per infringed movie. Until recently, however, suing schools and libraries was considered poor form, and so the risk of a lawsuit is likely still small.

"Given the potential high risks that a Netflix lending program entails, though, I would only enter into such a program with the full support of my institution’s legal department. I hope that Fitzgerald considers posting Concordia’s counsel’s legal assessment of the risks and benefits of the program. (And let me credit Fitzgerald’s piece for at least raising the issue, something that a Library Trends article that she cites in her post fails to do.)

"Is there any way a library can utilize Netflix in its collection development? Certainly negotiating with Netflix for different terms would be a start (though it would not surprise me if Netflix’s agreement with the film distributors might actually prohibit anything but personal, non-commercial use). A library could also consider buying individual memberships in Netflix for all of the students. But until I see a legal justification for a Netflix borrowing program, I think this has to go into the “easy – but not legal” category.

"UPDATE: An article on the topic in the Chronicle of Higher Education indicates that Netflix agrees with me that library use of a Netflix subscription is outside of the terms of use. It does not discuss whether such a use would, in addition to being a contractual problem, also be a copyright infringement."

New Books

2010-10-06T12:07:00.002-04:00

Story Times Good Enough to Eat!: Thematic Programs with Edible Story Crafts by Melissa Rosetti Folini
ABC Read to Me!: Teaching Letter of the Week in the Library & Classroom by Toni Buzzeo

New Book

2010-10-04T15:07:00.002-04:00

Reference Renaissance: Current and Future Trends edited by Marie L. Radford and R. David Lankes

FYI: "The rumors of the 'death of reference' have been greatly exaggerated. The theme of a 'Reference Renaissance,' was taken from the title of an editorial by Diane Zabel...This renaissance can be seen in the return to core values of service excellence in libraries and to the rising surge of innovative reference initiatives via virtual venues such as instant messaging, text messaging, and other emerging modes." - from the Introduction

New Books

2010-10-04T15:01:00.002-04:00

What They Don't Teach You in Library School by Elisabeth Doucett
Conducting the Reference Interview (2nd ed) by Catherine Sheldrick Ross, Kirsti Nilsen and Marie L. Radford

New Books

2010-10-04T14:32:00.002-04:00

The Tech Set - Volumes 5, 6, 7, & 10

# 5 Wikis for Libraries by Lauren Pressley

"Wikis for Libraries is a comprehensive guide to harnessing the power of the wiki as a collaboration tool, content management solution, and reference resource. Readers will learn how to leverage the potential of wikis to create internal knowledge bases and intranets within their organizations, facilitate collaboration among diverse team members, design library instruction tools, support special events, and create valuable online resources." - from the Foreword

#6 Technology Training in Libraries by Sarah Houghton-Jan

"Emerging technologies enable libraries to create innovative new services which leverage the technology that patrons are currently using. But in order for libraries to remain relevant in this information age, librarians must be knowledgeable about these cutting-edge tools and trends. Technology Training in Libraries is an essential resource that outlines the steps to creating effective training programs from simple lunchtime brown bags to formal 23 Things courses, technology petting zoos, and peer trainer programs." - from the Foreword

#7 A Social Networking Primer for Librarians by Cliff Landis

"The coffeehouses and student centers of generations past have been replaced by today's online social networks. A Social Networking Primer for Librarians explains how to use today's most popular social networking Web sites to reach out to library patrons, promote your library, and build community." - from the Foreword

#10 Effective Blogging for Libraries by Connie Crosby

"Nowadays it seems as if everyone has a blog-but not all of them are successful. Effective Blogging for Libraries is a complete how-to handbook that provides practical tips and best practices for creating a winning library blog and informs readers about everything from blog posting techniques, to strategies for encouraging comments and dealing with negative feedback, to effective tagging. The book tackles approaches to blog marketing, managing staff bloggers, usability guidelines, and a variety of assessment methods." - from the Foreword

Virtual Shelving Practice

2010-09-17T14:32:00.002-04:00

From the Stephens's Lighthouse Blog

Training Library Shelvers, Pages, and Clerks

Are you orienting a whole new team of pages for the new school year? Do you train shelving staff who are from the gaming generation?

I found this through LISNews who found it in a tweet via RT@shannonmmiller (Shannon Miller of the Van Meter, IA Library:

Check out Order in the Library…an online game using the Dewey Decimal system.

“There are three games you can play; the sorting game, the shelving game and the reordering game. There’s even a Spanish version. Go to it!”

I tried it and, sadly, failed and had to try again. Two slaps with a wet noodle for me. My library club shelving books days are over.

Stephen
Posted on: September 7, 2010, 7:11 am

VHS to DVD

2010-09-03T09:36:00.003-04:00

As more of our collections become exclusively digital, the subject of this Ask the ALA Librarian article caught my eye.

VHS to DVD?
By Karen Muller
Created 08/26/2010 - 09:57

Q. With the increased use of DVD systems it has been suggested that we convert our VHS library of educational videos in VHS format to DVD. Is it a copyright violation to convert to DVD and discontinue use of the VHS tapes?

A. In most cases, yes, it would be a copyright violation. Reproducing a VHS to DVD without the prior permission of the rights-holder is an infringement of copyright. This kind of reproduction is not exempt because it is not “fair use” [2] as defined in Section 107 of the Copyright Code and it does not qualify as a lawful reproduction under Section 108 [3] of the Copyright Code.
However, in a situation where the VHS tape is lost, stolen or deteriorating or is in an obsolete format (a 3/4” tape is obsolete because the equipment is no longer being sold, but a VHS tape is not obsolete) and is not available in the DVD format in the market for a reasonable cost, the library can make a reproduction. But if the reproduction is in a digital format (DVD is digital), then that copy cannot leave the library premises.

Source URL: http://americanlibrariesmagazine.org/ask-ala-librarian/vhs-dvd

Music

2010-09-02T12:39:00.003-04:00

While I am waiting for participants to arrive for my workshops I like to take advantage of the availability of streaming music and the speakers on my computer to set a mood. Usually I log into my Pandora account and pick one of my stations, but while reading a recent American Libraries Direct, I found a new source of streaming music.

Here's the snippet from the August 11 American Libraries Direct article about Grooveshark.

Listen to free music online with Grooveshark Steven Campbell writes: “Could Grooveshark be the best service for streaming music? A lot of people have taken to online music. It’s a great way to listen to your favorite tunes on demand and save your playlists or stations. There are many services that allow you to stream music, including Pandora and Last.fm, but my personal favorite is Grooveshark.”
...MakeUseOf, Aug. 10

New Book

2010-08-19T09:50:00.003-04:00

Public Libraries Going Green by Kathryn Miller

New Books

2010-08-07T08:48:00.000-04:00

The Complete Library Trustee Handbook by Sally Gardner Reed and Jillian Kalonick for the Association of Library Trustees, Advocates, Friends and Foundations
Assessing Service Quality: Satisfying the Expectations of Library Customers by Peter Hernon & Ellen Altman

Survey by OverDrive

2010-08-03T09:32:00.003-04:00

Survey Results Give Insights About Your Patrons

July 29, 2010 08:50 by Shannon Lichty

Over the last few years, our library partners have experienced significant growth in download audiobook and eBook circulation. OverDrive is actively developing new features to enhance your download service user experience, and figured the best way to do find out what users want, is to ask them - so that's exactly what we did!

In June, we concluded a survey, linked on 10 of our highest traffic websites, with more than 5,000 responses from patrons around urban and rural America. The survey included questions regarding demographics, computer/device usage, borrowing habits, general feedback on user experience, and suggestions for collection development.

If you're like me, who loathed statistics class in school, the phrase "interesting data" may not have you jumping up and down. But trust me, these statistics are genuinely interesting:

• 74% of users are female, between the ages of 30-59.

• Nearly 70% have a college and/or postgraduate degree.

• 60% learned about the download service from the library's website (if our past blog posts and training sessions weren't enough to get you to promote on your website, hopefully this is!)

• 87% listen to audiobooks on an MP3 player, 44% of which are iPod users.

• 33% of users own an eBook reader (e.g., Sony Reader, Barnes & Noble nook)
For those who don't own an eBook reader, 90% stated that compatibility of eBooks from the library is an important factor.

-from OverDrive's Digital Library Blog

New Book

2010-07-26T14:19:00.000-04:00

Boomers and Beyond: Reconsidering the Role of Libraries edited by Pauline Rothstein and Diantha Dow Schull

FYI: "A roadmap to the trends and perspectives of the library's role in meeting the needs of our aging population, this book offers

-Proactive ideas that serve the increasing longevity of your patrons

-Different perspectives on longevity from a variety of scholars and experts

-A section on librarians' responses to the issues

Supporting this growing population is a concern of many. Boomers and Beyond will help you find ways to be creative and take the initiative to build a better service model for these customers." - from the back cover

New Book

2010-07-21T14:23:00.003-04:00

The Readers' Advisory Handbook Edited by Jessica E. Moyer and Kaite Mediatore Stover

FYI: "Readers' advisory long ago sprinted past merely suggesting books to patrons; it now encompasses many different formats and means of communication, working with patrons of all types and ages, in and outside the library building. To help librarians handle increased demand, experts Jessica Moyer and Kaite Stover have assembled a group of specialists who have created a one-stop resource for all kinds of readers' advisory issues." -from the back cover

New Book

2010-07-08T16:09:00.002-04:00

Mobile Technology and Libraries by Jason Griffey

FYI: "Mobile Technology and Libraries is part of THE TECH SET, a series of ten practical, concise guides to implementing today's best technologies in your library to enhance the library-user connection." - from the back cover

Old Friends

2010-07-03T10:06:00.003-04:00

Magill's Medical Guide

From the Salem Press Web site:

"The Guide is a perfect mix of accessibility and depth, providing general readers with an authoritative reference source that helps bridge the gap between medical encyclopedias for professionals and popular self-help guides. It is an up-to-date and easy-to-use compendium of medical information suitable for student research as well as use by general readers, including patients and caregivers. The Guide covers diseases, disorders, treatments, procedures, specialties, anatomy, biology, and issues in an A-Z format, with sidebars addressing recent developments in medicine and concise information boxes for all diseases and disorders."

Magill's Medical Guide is an often overlooked resource filled with a broad range of medical topics. The articles are written by subject specialists and include diagrams and illustrations.

New Book

2010-07-03T09:23:00.000-04:00

Guide to Developing a Music Collection by R. Michael Fling

Marilyn Johnson - Interview

2010-06-19T11:34:00.003-04:00

Longshots #237 A Love Letter to Librarians
From LibraryBeat.org
May 17, 2010

Sarah talks with Marilyn Johnson, author of The Book is Overdue: How Librarians and Cybrarians Can Save Us All. Johnson describes what motivated her to write this tribute to the new librarians that have guided her into the digital age. The book features librarians that are taking the profession out into the virtual and real communities they serve, including the Connecticut librarians that challenged the Patriot Act, the librarian that created Radical Reference, and the creators of Second Life.

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C-Span

2010-06-19T09:44:00.005-04:00

C-Span Puts Full Archives on the Web

By Brian Stelter
Published: March 15, 2010

WASHINGTON — Researchers, political satirists and partisan mudslingers, take note: C-Span has uploaded virtually every minute of its video archives to the Internet.

The archives, at C-SpanVideo.org, cover 23 years of history and five presidential administrations and are sure to provide new fodder for pundits and politicians alike. The network will formally announce the completion of the C-Span Video Library on Wednesday.

Having free online access to the more than 160,000 hours of C-Span footage is “like being able to Google political history using the ‘I Feel Lucky’ button every time,” said Rachel Maddow, the liberal MSNBC host.

Ed Morrissey, a senior correspondent for the conservative blog Hot Air (hotair.com), said, “The geek in me wants to find an excuse to start digging.”

No other cable network is likely to give away its precious archives on the Internet. (Even “Book TV” is available.) But C-Span is one of a kind, a creation of the cable industry that records every Congressional session, every White House press briefing and other acts of official Washington.

The online archives reinforce what some would call the Web’s single best quality: its ability to recall seemingly every statement and smear. And it is even more powerful when the viewer can rewind the video.

The C-Span founder, Brian Lamb, said in an interview here last week that the archives were an extension of the network’s public service commitment.

“That’s where the history will be,” Mr. Lamb said.
C-Span has been uploading its history for several years, working its way to 1987, when its archives were established at Purdue University, Mr. Lamb’s alma mater.

The archive staff now operates from an office park in West Lafayette, Ind., where two machines that can turn 16 hours of tapes into digital files each hour have been working around the clock to move C-Span’s programs online. They are now finishing the 1987 catalog.

“This is the archive’s coming of age, in a way, because it’s now so accessible,” said Robert Browning, director of the archives.

Historically, the $1 million-a-year operation has paid for itself partly by selling videotapes and DVDs to journalists, campaign strategists and others.

Mr. Browning acknowledges that video sales have waned as more people have viewed clips online. “On the other hand, there are a lot of things people now watch that they never would have bought,” he said.

The archives’ fans include Ms. Maddow, who called it gold. “It’s raw footage of political actors in their native habitat, without media personalities mediating viewers’ access,” she wrote in an e-mail message.

Similarly, Mr. Morrissey said the archives made “for a really intriguing reference set.” He pointed out, however, that the volume of videos “is so vast that finding valuable references may be a bit like looking for a needle in a haystack.”

C-Span executives said they hoped that its search filters would be up to the task. Mr. Lamb said, “You can see if politicians are saying one thing today, and 15 years ago were saying another thing.”

He added, “Journalists can feast on it.”

One of the Web site’s features, the Congressional Chronicle, shows which members of Congress have spoken on the House and Senate floors the most, and the least. Each senator and representative has a profile page. Using the data already available, some newspapers have written about particularly loquacious local lawmakers.

C-Span was established in 1979, but there are few recordings of its earliest years. Those “sort of went down the drain,” Mr. Browning said. But he does have about 10,000 hours of tapes from before 1987, and he will begin reformatting them for the Web soon. Those tapes include Ronald Reagan’s presidential campaign speeches and the Iran-Contra hearings.

In a tour of the site last week, Mr. Browning said the various uses of the archives were hard to predict. He found that a newly uploaded 1990 United Nations address by the Romanian president Ion Iliescu was quickly discovered and published by several Romanian bloggers.

While C-Span does not receive Nielsen ratings, a recent poll by Fairleigh Dickinson University found that 52 percent of voters said they watched it at least once in a while. The poll did not distinguish among C-Span’s three channels. The original one, C-Span, shows every House of Representatives session; C-Span2 does the same for the Senate; and C-Span3 shows committee hearings, briefings, conferences and other events.

The archives of all three channels have been mostly uploaded, but they can only be streamed. Mr. Browning said video downloads were on his agenda. Users can embed the videos on other Web sites and clip small sound bites for repeat viewing.

The clips can help citizens gain access to important information, of course, but they can also be entertaining.

Last month one of the top clips on the C-Span site was from President Obama’s health care summit meeting, but it wasn’t of a comment about proposed legislation, it was of Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. caught on a microphone saying, “It’s easy being vice president.” A spokesman for the vice president told reporters that Mr. Biden was “obviously joking.”

Regardless, the archives are a reminder that the cameras are always recording. For politicians or anyone else captured by C-Span, Mr. Browning said, “there’s no more deniability.”

A version of this article appeared in print on March 16, 2010, on page C1 of the New York edition.

New Book

2010-06-14T11:06:00.000-04:00

Virginia Hamilton: Speeches, Essay, & Conversations edited by Arnold Adoff & Kacy Cook

New Books

2010-06-08T11:50:00.002-04:00

Level Three Leadership: Getting Below the Surface by James G. Clawson
Global Perspectives in Children's Literature by Evelyn Freeman and Barbara Lehman
Public Services for the Poor: Doing All We Can by Leslie Edmonds Holt and Glen E. Holt
Crash Course in Storytelling by Kendall Haven and MaryGay Ducey

New Book

2010-05-29T15:23:00.000-04:00

Library Blogging by Karen A. Coombs and Jason Griffey

New Book

2010-05-21T16:09:00.003-04:00

Go Get That Grant!: A Practical Guide for Libraries and Nonprofit Organizations by Gail M. Staines

FYI: "In these tough economic times, funding opportunities have decreased, while competition for money has increased. Thus, this how-to guide is a a must for anyone interested in writing, procuring, and implementing grants. Designed for libraries and nonprofit organizations, Go Get That Grant! includes information about the types of grants available through government agencies and foundations, as well as how to locate funding opportunities." - from the back cover

New Book

2010-05-05T10:05:00.002-04:00

Bite-Sized Marketing: Realistic Solutions for the Overworked Librarian by Nancy Dowd, Mary Evangeliste, & Jonathan Silberman

FYI: "Written and designed to reflect the way people read today, this book is structured to quickly impart simple and cost-effective ideas for marketing your library. Filled with contemporary marketing ideas..." -from the back cover

New Books

2010-05-04T11:10:00.002-04:00

Succession Planning in the Library: Developing Leaders, Managing Change by Paula M. Singer with Gail Griffith
Countdown to a New Library: Managing the Building Project by Jeannette Woodward
gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender and Questioning Teen Literature: A Guide to Reading Interests by Carlisle K. Webber

New Book

2010-04-24T15:21:00.002-04:00

The PLA Reader for Public Library Directors and Managers edited by Kathleen M. Hughes for the Public Library Association

FYI: "Welcome to the The Public Library Association (PLA) Reader for Public Library Directors and Managers, the first in a new series that is designed specifically for busy public library professionals. PLA staff and PLA committee members worked together to choose key articles, culled from the pages of Public Libraries and from chapters of bestselling PLA books." - from the Introduction

New Books

2010-04-19T13:45:00.002-04:00

American Reference Books Annual (vol. 41)
Urban Teens in the Library: Research and Practice edited by Denise E. Agosto and Sandra Hughes-Hassell
Librarians as Community Partners: An Outreach Handbook edited by Carol Smallwood

New Books

2010-04-13T16:13:00.002-04:00

Game On! Gaming at the Library by Beth Gallaway
This Book is Overdue! How Librarians and Cybrarians Can Save Us All by Marilyn Johnson
Teaching Generation M: A Handbook for Librarians and Educators edited by Vibiana Bowman Cvetkovic and Robert J. Lackie

New Book

2010-03-31T10:24:00.000-04:00

The Accidental Library Marketer by Kathy Dempsey

New Book

2010-03-29T15:53:00.001-04:00

The Library PR Handbook: High-Impact Communications edited by Mark R. Gould

New Book

2010-03-25T12:08:00.002-04:00

Libraries and the Mega-Internet Sites: A Survey of How Libraries Use and Relate to Google, Yahoo, Wikipedia, Ebay, Amazon, Facebook, YouTube, & Other Mega Internet Sites by Primary Research Group, Inc.

New Book

2010-03-17T14:09:00.001-04:00

Radical Reads: Working With The Newest Edgy Titles for Teens by Joni Richards Brodart

New Books

2010-03-12T13:47:00.002-05:00

Library Mashups: Exploring New Ways to Deliver Library Data edited by Nicole C. Engard (foreword by Jenny Levine)

FYI: "The goal of this guide is to teach you the basics of what mashups are and how they have been used in libraries worldwide. It is my hope that after reading this book, you will be inspired to make at least one change to your library site. This can be as simple as copying and pasting a bit of code into your site or adding a collection of ever-changing links. Take what you learn from these authors and add a dash of your own imagination; you'll be surprised what can evolve." -from the Introduction

Crisis in Employment: A Librarian's Guide to Helping Job Seekers by Jane Jerrard

FYI: "In difficult economic times people turn to their local library for help seeking new work. Crisis in Employment will give you the tools you need to support this growing group of patrons. based on interviews with librarians across the country, as well as research from ALA's Office for Research and Statistics, this ALA Editions Special Report offers advice and methods for providing appropriate training and education to job seekers with - tips for maximizing your library's physical resources, - a list of key reference resources useful to job seekers, - advice on building partnerships with key community organizations." -from the back cover

New Book

2010-03-03T10:15:00.002-05:00

On the Road with Outreach: Mobile Library Services edited by Jeannie Dilger-Hill and Erica MacCreaigh

FYI: " The first book of its kind in more than two decades, On the Road with Outreach: Mobile Library Services provides step-by-step guidance for those wishing to initiate or improve outreach services in their communities. The essays collected here come from some the the best-known movers and shakers in the mobile outreach field-all of them subject experts and active outreach practitioners. Focusing on the practicalities of establishing and maintaining service to various populations, the book covers everything from design, purchase, maintenance, and automation of bookmobiles to planning and promotion and serving specific populations. Anecdotes, as well as sample service agreements, contracts, applications, staff schedules, and other working documents enhance the text. This is a must-purchase for anyone who has, is planning, or is even considering an outreach program." -from the back cover

Of Note : Part IV Books-by-Mail is by Lee County Library System's Kathy Mayo

The Passage of Time

2010-03-03T10:02:00.002-05:00

In the very first post I made to this blog almost 3 years ago (3/27/07) I stated,

"The main subject posts of this blog, I expect, will be announcements of new books and materials received in the Professional Collection. I also hope occasionally to share with you articles I come across that may be of interest to you, patrons of the Professional Collection. Perhaps through the Comments you will share with me/us a book or article that you have read that has been beneficial to you in your work. This blog could be a very interesting experiment and will, undoubtedly, evolve. Let's see what happens."

Well, three years later the Professional Collection blog still strives to bring you updates about the new arrivals as well as interesting articles, videos, or snippets from other blogs. Recently, the blog has been targeted by comment vandals whose aim seems to be hijacking readers to to their porn sites. As a result of this trend, you may have noticed that I have made the comment process increasingly more cumbersome in an attempt to thwart such behavior. If you have a legitimate contribution to make, please do not allow the additional steps to hinder you.

Handy Information

2010-02-22T09:26:00.003-05:00

In American Libraries Direct (2/17/10) I read an article originating in WebWorkerDaily, Feb. 16 about finding mailboxes for outgoing mail.

"I do a lot of my correspondence electronically, but sometimes I still need to mail a letter. I know where the blue US Postal Service mailboxes are in my neighborhood, but it’s getting harder to find pickup locations when I’m on the road, since USPS has removed over half of its boxes in the past 20 years.

So I’m pleased that I’ve discovered MailboxMap. It’s a simple web site built around a Google Maps mashup. Just enter an address or zip code, and it will display a map showing the locations of mailboxes in the neighborhood. Click on a mailbox icon, and it will display pickup times.
MailboxMap also shows post offices and UPS locations, complete with hours. And there’s a mobile version, which has the advantage of displaying search results in a list, making it easier to skim for late pickups. It would be nice, though, if one could search for, say, pickups after 3:00 pm, or for Saturday pickups.

It’s not a perfect service; for example, it locates Seattle’s downtown post office on the wrong side of the street. Google Maps itself locates the same address correctly, so it’s unclear what the problem is. Nevertheless, MailboxMap is a useful service.

The site has been around for a couple of years, but it seems to be up to date, as it shows a recent pickup time change for my local box. It’s probably too much to hope that USPS will buy this site and add it to usps.com."

New Item

2010-02-17T14:58:00.002-05:00

The Early Literacy Kit: A Handbook and Tip Cards by Betsy Diamant-Cohen and Saroj Nadkarni Ghoting

FYI: "This innovative and practical kit, put together by two well-know specialists in the field of early literacy, contains everything storytime presenters for children from birth to age five need to spread the word about school readiness skills to adult caregivers." -from the back cover

New Book

2010-02-17T14:27:00.002-05:00

Moving Your Library: Getting the Collection from Here to There by Steven Care Fortriede

FYI: "Everything you need for the move is included - even specifications for boxes, moving carts, sorting trays, and a worksheet to calculate shelving layouts and growth rates. Moving Your Library is the complete kit for any librarian facing the daunting prospect of moving a library collection." - from the back cover

New Book

2010-02-13T08:20:00.000-05:00

Fundamentals of Library Supervision (2nd ed.) by Joan Giesecke and Beth McNeil

FYI: "Guiding supervisors through the intricate process of managing others, this comprehensive handbook addresses the fundamental issues facing new managers. It also serves as a welcome refresher and reference for experienced managers confronting new challenges in this complex and changing environment." - from the back cover

New Book

2010-02-01T15:44:00.001-05:00

User-Centered Library Websites: Usability Evaluation Methods by Carole A. George

Best Reference Selections - 2010

2010-01-21T10:47:00.004-05:00

RUSA’s Best in Reference Selections for 2010 Presented at Midwinter Meeting

BOSTON—The Reference and User Services Association (RUSA) has announced its list of Outstanding Reference Sources for 2010.

The list is compiled by a committee of RUSA members who are readers’ advisory and reference experts. They review publications and online reference resources released in the previous calendar year and present their selections at the RUSA Book and Media Awards Reception at the ALA Midwinter Meeting.

The 2010 selections for the Outstanding Reference Sources List are:

Archaeology in America: An Encyclopedia (Greenwood Press), Francis P. McManamon
Encyclopedia of African American History: 1896 to the Present (Oxford University Press), Paul Finkelman
Encyclopedia of Modern China (Charles Scribner's Sons), David Pong
The Encyclopedia of the Spanish-American and Philippine-American Wars (ABC-CLIO), Spencer Tucker
Encyclopedia of Environmental Ethics and Philosophy (Gale Cengage), J. Baird Callicott and Robert Frodeman
Encyclopedia of Human Rights (Oxford), David Forsythe
Social Explorer, an online reference resource located at http://www.socialexplorer.com/
Broadway Plays and Musicals: Descriptions and Essential Facts (McFarland & Company Publishers), Thomas S. Hischak
American Countercultures (Sharp), Gina Misiroglu
Encyclopedia of Gender and Society (Sage), Jodi O’Brien
Encyclopedia of Marine Science (Facts on File), Nichols C. Reid and Robert G. Williams

The winner was selected by the Outstanding Reference Sources Award Committee, whose members include Estella M. Terrazas (chair), Cynthia Crosser, Anne-Marie Davis, Denise Goetting, Patricia L. Gregory, Danise Hoover, Deborah Fay Katz, Peggy A. Keeran and Patrick J. Wall.

The Reference and User Services Association, a division of the American Library Association, represents librarians and library staff in the fields of reference, specialized reference, collection development, readers advisory and resource sharing. RUSA is the foremost organization of reference and information professionals who make the connections between people and the information sources, services, and collection materials they need. Learn more at www.ala.org/rusa.

Tell Us Something We Don't Know!

2010-01-21T10:38:00.001-05:00

Now published:
A Perfect Storm Brewing: Budget Cuts Threaten Library Services at Time of Increased Demand

About the Study

Today’s public libraries are vital community technology hubs that millions of Americans rely on for their first and often only choice for Internet access. Despite increased demand for library computers, however, libraries typically have not seen a corresponding increase in budgets and many are challenged to provide enough computers or fast-enough connection speeds to meet demand.

The Public Library Funding and Technology Access Study is a multi-year project that builds on the longest-running and largest study of Internet connectivity in public libraries. The study assesses public access to computers, the Internet and Internet-related services in U.S. public libraries, as well as the impact of library funding changes on connectivity, technology deployment and sustainability in FY2007-2009.

Built on the longest-running and largest study of Internet connectivity in public libraries, begun in 1994 by John Carlo Bertot and Charles R. McClure, this study provides information that can help library directors and library IT staff benchmark and advocate for technology resources in communities across the nation. The data are also of importance for policymakers at local, state, and federal levels, manufacturers of information and communication technologies, and the communities served.

The project is made possible by a generous donation from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the American Library Association.
For more information on the Public Library Funding and Technology Access study, please contact the Office for Research & Statistics.

New Book

2010-01-19T10:40:00.003-05:00

Building a Buzz: Libraries & Word-of-Mouth Marketing by Peggy Barber and Linda Wallace

FYI: "Want to get the word out about your library in the most cost-effective way possible? You can achieve this with the effective word-of-mouth marketing (WOMM) strategies laid out in this book." - from the back cover

New Book

2010-01-13T09:36:00.002-05:00

Managing the Twenty-First Century Reference Department: Challenges and Prospects edited by Kwasi Sarkodie-Mensah

FYI: "Managing the Twenty-First Century Reference Department: Challenges and Prospects has been co published simultaneously as The Reference Librarian, Number 81 2003." - from the title page

Sometimes when journals are published, we skim the articles and years later we wish to revisit the concepts presented when they become relevant to us. Having topic-dedicated issues repackaged in book form somehow seems more readable. While many of the articles focus on academic libraries, as academics generally publish more, the core concepts translate to public librarianship.

Comments

2010-01-09T23:16:00.003-05:00

Recently this blog along with two others I write have been plagued by Anonymous comments that are irrelevant to the associated posts. To combat these spam-like contributions, I have changed the settings on the blog to require registration for anyone wishing to comment. I apologize for any inconvenience this requirement may cause.

New Books

2009-12-29T12:20:00.002-05:00

Hiring, Training, and Supervising Library Shelvers by Patricia Tunstall

FYI: "How do you find good library shelvers and keep them for more than a few months? Tunstall gives practical advice to help you do just that with this thorough overview of how to hire, test, train, and retain shelvers." - from the back cover

Writing and Publishing: The Librarian's Handbook edited by Carol Smallwood

FYI: "Have you ever considered writing or reviewing for the library community? Are you interested in publishing a book on your favorite author or hobby? Do you need to write and publish for tenure? If so, Writing and Publishing is for you. Practical how-to guidance covering fiction, poetry, children's books/magazines, self-publishing, literary agents, personal blogging, and other topics will help you..." - from the back cover

Old Friends

2009-12-23T10:31:00.002-05:00

Old Friends

(Books from the Reference Reference Collection)

Magill's Medical Guide: Comprehensive guide (4 volumes) to medical information written for the general reader for broad informational and educational purposes. The articles are written by subject experts.

"The 960 entries in this encyclopedia describe major diseases and disorders of the human body, the basics of human anatomy and physiology, specializations in medical practice, and common surgical and nonsurgical procedures...Hundreds of photographs and medical drawings provide invaluable visual context for entries about diseases, research, surgery, and human anatomy." -from the Publisher's Note

Oh the Places, You'll Go

2009-12-21T17:13:00.002-05:00

(Web Sites You Might Like)

Taken from RUSA's Reference & User Services Quarterly (Summer, 2009)
The following are Web sites with annotations about Global Warming:

Massachusetts Institute of Technology. "MIT Center for Global Change Science." http://web.mit.edu/cgcs The MIT Center for Global Change Science is an interdisciplinary academic research center associated with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Technical Reports on various aspects of climate change are available.

Pew Center on Global Climate Change. "Pew Center on Global Climate Change." http://www.pewclimate.org/ The Pew Center on Global Climate Change is a nonprofit, independent organization devoted to providing the public with information and policy solutions for global climate change. The website offers news briefs, fact sheets, summaries, of climate change actions by government and business, and even a kids' page.

RealClimate. "Real Climate: Climate Science from Climate Scientists." http://www.realclimate.org/ This is a good place to find out what the latest controversy in climate science is and what scientists are saying about it. This site received the 2005 Science and Technology Web Award from Scientific American.

Book Recommendations From NPR

2009-12-11T09:50:00.011-05:00

Complete Holiday Book Recommendations 2009

(November 22, 2009)

"Season's Readings: Top Picks From Indie Booksellers"

Recommended by Daniel Goldin

The Hour Between, by Sebastian Stuart, paperback, 260 pages, Alyson Books, list price: $14.95
Await Your Reply, by Dan Chaon, Hardcover, 324 pages, Ballantine Books, list price: $25
Little Bee, by Chris Cleave, Hardcover, 288 pages, Simon & Schuster, list price: $24
Blame, by Michelle Huneven, Hardcover, 304 pages, Farrar, Straus and Giroux, list price: $25
Raymond Carver: A Writer's Life, by Carol Sklenicka, Hardcover, 592 pages, Scribner, list price: $35

"Season's Readings: Top Picks From Indie Booksellers"

Recommended by Rona Brinlee

Bad Things Happen, by Harry Dolan, Hardcover, 352 pages, Amy Einhorn Books/Putnam, list price: $24.95
Going Away Shoes, by Jill McCorkle, Hardcover, 272 pages, Algonquin Books, list price: $19.95
Logicomix: An Epic Search For Truth, by Apostolos Doxiadis and Christos H. Papadimitriou, Art by Alecos Papadatos and Annie DiDonna, Hardcover, 352 pages, Boolmsbury USA, list price: $22.95
This Is Where I Leave You, by Jonathan Tropper, Hardcover, 352 pages, Dutton Adult, list price: $25.95
The Tree That Time Built, selected by Mary Ann Hoberman and Linda Winston, illustrated by Barbara Fortin, Hardcover, 224 pages, Sourcebooks Jabberwocky, list price: $19.99

"Season's Readings: Top Picks From Indie Booksellers"

Recommended by Lucia Silva

The Paris Review Interviews edited by Philip Gourevitch, Paperback, 1982 pages, Picador, list price: $65
Vanity Fair's Proust Questionnaire, edited by Graydon Carter, illustrated by Risko, Hardcover, 224 pages, Rodale Books, list price: $23.99
The Pattern In The Carpet: A Personal History With Jigsaws, by Margaret Drabble, Hardcover, 368 pages, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, list price: $25
The Contact Sheet, edited by Steve Crist, Hardcover, 192 pages, AMMO Books, list price: $39.95
Wallace Stevens: Selected Poems, by Wallace Stevens, edited by John N. Serio, Hardcover, 352, Knopf, list price: $30

"The Five Best Books To Share With Your Friends"

Recommended by Glen Weldon

Conquest of the Useless by Werner Herzog, Hardcover, 306 pages, Ecco Books/Harper Collins Press, list price: $24.99
Asterios Polyp,edited by David Mazzucchelli, Hardcover, 344 pages, Pantheon, list price: $24.99
The Collected Stories of Lydia Davis, by Lydia Davis, Hardcover, 733 pages, Farrar, Straus and Giroux, list price: $30
The Supergirls, by Mike Madrid, Paperback, Exterminating Angel Press, list price: $16.95
Everything Matters!, by Ron Currie Jr., Hardcover, 302 pages, Viking/Penguin, list price: $25.95

"Big And Beautiful: Best Gift Books of 2009"

Recommended by John McAlley

Norman Rockwell: Behind The Camera, by Ron Schick, Hardcover, 224 pages, Little, Brown, and Co., list price: $40
The TOON Treasury of Classic Children's Comics, edited by Art Spiegelman and Francoise Mouly, Hardcover, 352 pages, Abrams ComicArts, list price: $40
A New Literary History of America edited by Greil Marcus and Werner Sollors, Hardcover, 1128 pages, Harvard University Press, list price: $49.95
Painting Today, edited by Tony Godfrey, Hardcover, 448 pages, Phaidon Press, list price: $75
The Sartorialist by Scott Schuman, Paperback, 512 pages, Penguin, list price: $25
Charley Harper: An Illustrated Life, by Charley Harper and Todd Oldham, Hardcover, 424 pages, AMMO Books, list price: $49.95
The TOON Treasury of Classic Children's Comics, edited by Art Spiegelman and Francoise Mouly, Hardcover, 352 pages, Abrams ComicArts, list price: $40
Science: The Definitive Visual Guide, by Adam Hart-Davis, Hardcover, 512 pages, DK Adult, list price: $50
Photo-wisdom: Master Photographers And Their Art, by Lewis Blackwell, Hardcover, 216 pages, Chronicle Books, list price: $50
Q&A's from Vanity Fair's Proust Questionnaire by Graydon Carter, Illustrated by Risko, Hardcover, 224 pages, Rodale Books, list price: $23.99
Looking In: Robert Frank's The Americans edited by Sarah Greenough, Hardcover, 528 pages, Steidl, list price: $75

"The 10 Best Cookbooks of 2009"

Recommended by T. Susan Chang

The Pleasures of Cooking for One by Judith Jones, Hardcover, 288 pages, Knopf, list price: $27.95
Asian Dumplings: Mastering Gyoza, Spring Rolls, Samosas, and More, by Andrea Nguyen, Hardcover, 240 pages, Ten Speed Press, list price: $30
Clean Food: A Seasonal Guide to Eating Close to the Source with More Than 200 Recipes for a Healthy and Sustainable You by Terry Walters, Hardcover, 304 pages, Sterling Epicure, list price: $30
Gourmet Today: More Than 1000 All-New Recipes for the Contemporary Kitchen, by Ruth Reichl, Hardcover, 1024 pages, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, list price: $40
Stir: Mixing It Up In The Italian Tradition by Barbara Lynch, Hardcover, 352 pages, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, list price: $35
Mastering the Art of Chinese Cooking, by Eileen Yin-Fei Lo, Hardcover, 384 pages, Chronicle Books, list price: $50
Savory Baking by Mary Cech, Paperback, 168 pages, Chronicle Books, list price: $24.95
Peter Reinhart's Artisan Breads Every Day, by Peter Reinhart, Hardcover, 224 pages, Ten Speed Press, list price: $30
The Craft of Baking by Karen DeMasco and Mindy Fox, Hardcover, 256 pages, Clarkson Potter, list price: $35
Rose's Heavenly Cakes, by Rose Levy Beranbaum, Hardcover, 512 pages, Wiley, list price: $39.95

"Picks To Warm A Winter's Night"

Recommended by Alan Cheuse

American Fantastic Tales edited by Peter Straub, Hardcover, 1500 pages, Library of America, list price: $70
Becoming Americans: Four Centuries of Immigrant Writing, edited by Ilan Stavans, Hardcover, 850 pages, Library of America, list price: $40
The Complete Stories of J.G. Ballard by J.G. Ballard, Hardcover, 1216 pages, W.W. Norton & Co., list price: $35
Manhood for Amateurs: The Pleasures and Regrets of a Husband, Father, and Son, by Michael Chabon, Hardcover, 320 pages, Harper, list price: $25.99
City Boy: My Life in New York During the 1960s and '70s by Edmund White, Hardcover, 304 pages, Bloomsbury USA, list price: $26
Treasure Island, by Robert Louis Stevenson, Illustrated by John Lawrence, Hardcover, 272 pages, Candlewick, list price: $24.99

"A World Of Novels: Picks For Best Foreign Fiction"

Recommended by Jess Crispin

Season of Ash: A Novel In Three Acts, by Jorge Volpi (Translated from Spanish by Alfred Mac Adam), Paperback, 464 pages, Open Letter, list price: $15.95
There Once Lived A Woman Who Tried To Kill Her
Neighbor's Baby, by Ludmilla Petrushevskaya (Translated from Russian by Keith Gessen and Anna Summers), Paperback, 224 pages, Penguin, list price: $15
The Armies, by Evelio Rosero (Translated from Spanish by Anne McLean), Paperback, 208 pages, New Directions, list price: $14.95
The Confessions of Noa Weber, by Gail Hareven (Translated from Hebrew by Dalya Bilu), Paperback, 330 pages, Melville House, list price: $16.95
The Twin, by Gerbrand Bakker (Translated from Dutch by David Colmer), Hardcover, 250 pages, Archipelago, list price: $25

"Best Young Adult Fiction 2009"

Recommended by Jonathan Hunt

Charles And Em ma: The Darwin's Leap Of Faith, by Deborah Heiligman, Hardcover, 272 pages, Henry Holt and Co., list price: $18.95
Lips Touch: Three Times, by Laini Taylor, Illustrated by Jim Di Bartolo, Hardcover, 272 pages, Scholastic Press, list price: $17.99
The Lost Conspiracy, by Francis Hardinge, 576 pages, HarperCollins Children's Books, list price: $16.99
Marcelo In The Real World, by Francisco X, Stork, Hardcover, 320 pages, Scholastic Press, list price: $17.99
When You Reach Me, by Rebecca Stead, Hardcover, 208 pages, Random House, list price: $15.99

"Under-The-Radar Gift Books"

Recommended by Librarian Nancy Pearl

Spooner, by Peter Dexter, Hardcover, 480 pages, Grand Central Publishing, list price: $26.99
When Wanders Cease To Roam: A Traveler's Journal Of Staying put, by Vivian Swift, Hardcover, 208 pages, Bloomsbury USA, list price: $20
The Good Soldiers, by David Finkel, Hardcover, 304 pages, Farrar, Straus and Giroux, list price: $26
Liar, by Justine Larbalestier, Hardcover, 384 pages, Bloomsbury USA, list price: $16.99
Going Bovine, by Libba Bray, Hardcover, 496 pages, Delacorte, list price: $17.99
In The Town All Year 'Round,by Rotraut Susanne Berner, Hardcover, 72 pages, Chronicle Books, list price: $16.99
Bubble Trouble, by Margaret Mahy, Hardcover, 32 pages, Clarion Books, list price: $16
Travels In A Thin Country: A Journey Through Chile, by Sara Wheeler, Paperback, 336 pages, Modern Library, list price: $13.95

New Book

2009-12-07T11:49:00.000-05:00

The Librarian's Book of Quotations compiled by Tatyana Eckstrand

Oh, the Places You'll Go

2009-12-05T09:59:00.013-05:00

(Web Sites You Might Like)

This time of year many people experience seasonal stress. Additionally, the economy and other internal and external forces may conspire to bring about feelings of sadness or depression. The following lists of Web sites from Searcher: The Magazine for Database Professionals
include psychological tests and stress relief:

Authentic Happiness Questionnaire Center (http://www.authentichappiness.sas.upenn.edu/questionnaires.aspx) "Martin Seligman, the founder of the Positive Psychology movement, offers 19 surveys on this site in return for free registration. Measure today's happiness and your characteristic level of satisfaction. Do you find meaning in your life? Do you have grit and perseverance? The results can serve as clues for your next life moves. This site is also available in Spanish and Chinese, traditional and simplified."

Happier.com (http://happier.com/) "In return for free registration, take clinically validated tests and learn techniques for being happier, including gratitude, letting go of grudges, and recalling good things that happen each day. Personalized help is available for a subscription fee."

Why Are We Happy? Why Aren't We Happy? (http://ted.com/index.php/talks/dan_gilbert_asks_why_are_we_happy.html) "In this video from TED, Harvard psychologist Dan Gilbert explains how our prefrontal cortex predicts (mostly incorrectly) what will make us happy." [this video was previously published on this blog]

Portable Guide to Stress Relief (https://www.health.harvard.edu/PDFs/Stress_Relief_Guide.pdf) "Follow these few suggestions from Harvard Medical School to help alleviate stress. Ideas include reaching out to others, correcting negative assumptions, and physical relaxation techniques that you can practice on the go."

The Happiness Project (http://www.happiness-project.com/) "Gretchen Rubin, former lawyer, spent a year looking for happiness by 'test-driving every principal, tip, theory, and scientific study I could find, whether from Aristotle or St. Therese or Martin Seligman or Oprah.' She writes about her findings on her blog."

Old Friends (you may not have met yet)

2009-12-01T09:12:00.003-05:00

This month I am introducing a new regular feature to this blog in which I will highlight interesting and/or useful books from the Reference stacks. These books will not be new books, but may be new to you.

How to Be a Perfect Stranger: The Essential Religious Etiquette Handbook edited by Stuart M. Matlins and Arthur J. Magida (3rd ed.) 2003

"We North Americans live in a remarkably diverse society, and it's increasingly common to be invited to a wedding, funeral, or other religious service of a friend, relative, or coworker whose faith is different from our own. These can be awkward situations...What will happen? What should I do? What do I wear? What do I say? What should I avoid doing, wearing, saying? Is it okay to use a video camera? How long will it last? What are the basic beliefs? Will there be there be a reception? Will there be food? Should I bring a gift? When is it okay to leave?" - from the back cover

New Books

2009-11-20T09:42:00.002-05:00

Training Paraprofessionals for Reference Service by Pamela L. Morgan

FYI: "This second edition of Training Paraprofessionals for Reference Service has been revised to incorporate the changes in reference librarianship since publication of the first edition in 1993, many of which have been brought on with the advent of the Internet: virtual reference, increasing use of electronic resources, the move to single-service points, an increase of self-services for patrons, the decrease in ready reference questions, and the general appearance of new technologies." - from the Preface

Searching 2.0 by Michael P. Sauers
Staff Development Strategies that Work: Stories and Strategies from New Librarians edited by Georgie L. Donovan and Miguel A. Figueroa

New Book

2009-11-19T10:35:00.000-05:00

The Accidental Librarian by Pamela H. MacKellar

New Books

2009-10-14T16:29:00.002-04:00

The Portable MLIS: Insights from the Experts edited by Ken Haycock and Brooke E. Sheldon
More than MySpace: Teens, Librarians, and Social Networking edited by Robyn M. Lupa
Virtual Worlds Real Libraries: Librarians and Educators in Second Life and Other Multi-User Virtual Environments edited by Lori Bell and Rhonda B. Trueman

New Feature

2009-10-13T16:35:00.002-04:00

This month I am introducing a new regular feature to this blog in which I will highlight interesting and/or useful Web sites from professional journals. The mini articles will be transcribed directly from their sources.

Oh, the Places You'll Go

JustGive
http://www.justgive.org/

“Many nonprofit organizations suffer a double whammy during hard economic times – donations decrease but the need for charitable services increases. So when making a donation, you’ll want to be sure the money is well-spent. JustGive can help you identify charitable organizations that work in areas that interest you. The database of charitable organizations is grouped into 19 categories such as Arts & Culture, Children & Youth, and Human Rights. Or you can search by key word or by the name of the organization. The reports vary in the amount of detail. But for large charities such as Habitat for Humanity or the American Red Cross, you’ll get fairly complete financial details. If you find the raw financials daunting, though, you may want to try Charity Navigator (http://www.charitynavigator.org/), which gives easy-to-understand ratings on nonprofits.” –Suzanne Cole

From: The CyberSkeptic’s Guide to Internet Research

New Book

2009-10-13T13:58:00.002-04:00

A Field Guide to the Information Commons edited by Charles Forrest and Martin Halbert

FYI: "Libraries have responded to their rapidly changing environment by selecting, acquiring, and making accessible a host of new information resources, developing innovative services, and building different types of spaces to support changing user behaviors and patterns of learning. A Field Guide to the Information Commons describes an emerging library service model that embodies all three spheres of response: new information resources, collaborative service programs, and redesigned staff and user spaces." -from the back cover

New Books

2009-10-05T14:28:00.002-04:00

Easy Information Sources for ESL, Adult Learners, & New Readers by Rosemarie Riechel
Information Technology in Librarianship: New Critical Approaches edited by Gloria J. Leckie and John E. Buschman
Even More Great Ideas for Libraries and Friends by Sally Gardner Reed and Beth Nawalinski of Friends of Libraries U.S.A.
Introduction to Library Public Services (7th ed.) by G. Edward Evans and Thomas L. Carter

New Books

2009-09-19T14:55:00.001-04:00

What's the Alternative?: Career Options for Librarians and Info Pros by Rachel Singer Gordon
Intranets for Info Pros edited by Mary Lee Kennedy and Jane Dysart

New Books

2009-08-31T14:18:00.001-04:00

Library Partnerships: Making Connections Between School and Public Libraries by Tasha Squires

FYI: "Squires's advice is designed to help librarians appreciate, communicate, and build on the benefits of school/public library relationships in order to make the most of tight budgets, create resource rich environments, and promote the development of lifelong learners. This book is a must-read for school and public librarians who want to successfully connect and collaborate with other youth-focused professionals." -from the back cover

New Book

2009-08-18T11:22:00.002-04:00

Sequels: An Annotated Guide to Novels in Series (4th ed) by Janet G. Husband and Jonathan F. Husband

FYI: "The fourth edition of Sequels differs from the first three editions in that it was composed online as a database (http://esequels.com). All the authors and series in the first three editions have been retained in revised and updated entries, and many new series created since 1977 have been added. This edition, like previous one, is a joint effort by Janet and Jonathan Husband." - from the Preface

New Material

2009-08-03T16:35:00.001-04:00

Rethinking Collection Development in a Digital Age - delivered 12/05/03 (Urban Libraries Council)

FYI: Each audio conference unit contains a cassette of the conference plus printed materials.

New Books

2009-08-03T16:26:00.002-04:00

Reading Group Choices (2009): Selections for Lively Book Discussions
The Back Page by Bill Ott
The Children's Catalog (2009 Supplement to the 19th ed.)

Book Cart Drill Team - 2009

2009-08-03T16:23:00.001-04:00

Here's the winner...DEMCO Sponsored 2009 ALA Fifth Annual Book Cart Drill Team World Championship
OPPL Warrior Librarians 1st Place Winners

New Books

2009-07-08T10:42:00.002-04:00

American Library Directory, 2009-2010 (62nd ed.) - 2 vol. set

FYI: Includes organization and personnel indices. You can request photocopies of listings and they will be sent to you through interoffice mail.

Managing Children's Services in the Public Library by Adele M. Fasick and Leslie E. Holt

FYI: "Everything children's librarians need to know about running a department in the public library." -from the back cover

New Book

2009-06-27T11:00:00.002-04:00

Answering Consumer Health Questions: The Medical Library Association Guide for Reference Librarians by Michele Spatz

FYI: "Answering Consumer Health Questions: The Medical Library Association Guide for Reference Librarians is designed to help librarians provide health and medical information to their users. It is geared especially toward librarians who do not provide this type of information on a day-to-day basis, although even new and experienced medical librarians will find much here to use in their practice." - from the Preface

New Book - The Third in an Exciting Series of Posts (made you look, I hope)

2009-06-15T14:51:00.005-04:00

Research-Based Readers' Advisory by Jessica Moyer

FYI: "Written in straightforward terms, this one-stop guidebook provides an easily accessible resource for both research and its implications for everyday interactions with readers. Chapters include real-world examples of RA changes based on the results of research, as well suggestions for future study. Moyer offers extensive coverage on a wide range of topics, from book groups to audiovisual readers' advisory to collection development and management." -from back cover

New Books - The Second in an Exciting Series of Posts

2009-06-15T14:41:00.002-04:00

The New Inquisition: Understanding and Managing Intellectual Freedom Challenges by James LaRue
Service Learning: Linking Library Education and Practice by Loriene Roy, Kelly Jensen, and Alex Hershey Meyers
Managing Electronic Government Information in Libraries: Issues and Practices edited by Andrea M. Morrison for the Government Documents Round Table

New Books - The First in an Exciting Series of Posts

2009-06-15T14:32:00.002-04:00

ALA-APA Salary Survey: Librarian-Public and Academic, 2008 by Jenifer Grady and Denise M. Davis, Project Directors
Implementing for Results: Your Strategic Plan in Action by Sandra Nelson for the Public Library Association
Developing a Compensation Plan for Your Library (2nd ed.) by Paula M. Singer and Laura L. Francisco
Transforming Library Service through Information Commons: Case Studies for the Digital Age by D. Russell Bailey and Barbara Gunter Tierney

Customer Service/Hospitality

2009-06-08T10:13:00.002-04:00

Our libraries are busier and we are asked to do more with less, but if our service standards continue to rise, we will feel better about ourselves. Poor service does not lessen our burden or make our jobs easier, it makes our jobs harder and our workplace unpleasant. High quality service with good customer service benefits everyone. ALA TechSource posted a very interested article about service called "Plugging in With Kindness." Within the article are two videos that are worth watching.

Danny Meyer at Gel 2007 from Gel Conference on Vimeo.

New Books

2009-06-08T09:35:00.002-04:00

Inside, Outside, and Online: Building Your Library Community by Chrystie Hill

FYI: "Inside, Outside, and Online: Building Your Library Community provides practical advice and inspiration for building community with your library. Based on a scan of the community and technology environments within which libraries operate, related literature, and the practical experiences of hundreds of library staff actively building communities through their work, the book provides much needed insights into the essential elements of community building through
-Identifying user needs and designing services to meet those needs
-Engaging communities with service selection, creation, and iteration
-Utilizing practical new technologies..." - from the back cover

The Readers' Advisory Guide to Genre Fiction (2nd ed.) by Joyce Saricks

FYI: "This revised edition provides a way of understanding the vast universe of genre fiction in an easy-to-use format. Expert readers' advisor Joyce Saricks offers groundbreaking reconsideration of the connections among genres, providing
-Key authors and themes within fifteen genres
-The elements of fiction most likely to entice readers
-An explanation of how the different genres overlap

Provocative and spirited, The Readers' Advisory Guide to Genre Fiction, second edition, offers hands-on strategies for librarians who want to become experts at figuring out what their readers are seeking and how to match books with those interests." - from the back cover