LibWorm.com provides a librarian RSS filtering service. Over 1500 RSS librarian sources are combined and output via different filters. This feed contains the latest headlines from journals and sites in the Cataloging interest group. http://www.libworm.com/rss/librarianqueries.php Thu, 20 Nov 2008 02:07:17 +0100 FeedCreator 1.7.2 http://freegovinfo.info/node/2157 What interests me most about the current and future roles of libraries (and what draws the distinction between Jim and myself) are the possible ways libraries can transform within a dynamic information world driven more by decentralized creation, distribution and a heavy focus on users. Fair point, Stehle did not directly refer to a digital world library in so many words, but I would argue the article's descriptions of successful public-interest organizations in the article can only exist if there is such a beast. My tendency to push this point is not as a zero sum proposition (though the rhetoric can be a bit thick at times) -- libraries can only thrive at the expense of the digital world (or vice versa) -- is simply not true. Jim and I are agreement that libraries and their social purpose are a righteous thing, and deserve a place of honor in the private and public markets. I agree with Jim, as well, a blended library of both paper and digital sources -- as a transitional organization -- will survive best in the near future as the digital/paper scales recalibrate constantly. The forces driving this balancing act are energized through the competing commercial and public interests for the right to digitize the paper universe and organize the evolving digital one into something more along the lines of that other digital holy grail, the semantic web. The roles libraries played in the late 19th century with private publishing empires of mass circulation books and periodicals (first set of standardized cataloging rules, periodical indexes, etc.) or the federal and state governments (creation of the modern Government Printing Office in mid-1890s)were as full partners in the best cases, useful allies in others. Those days are long over. Our roles with the information industry today (if I can use that retro designation) is much more as a customer or competitor. ... Thu, 20 Nov 2008 03:12:24 +0100 674631 http://www.madisonpubliclibrary.org/new/index.php/2008/11/19/the-sequoya-branch-library-opens-thursday/ The much-anticipated new Sequoya Branch of Madison Public Library will officially open to the public at 9 a.m. tomorrow. “We appreciate the enthusiasm of the many library customers who are excited for us to open, as well as the generosity and efforts of the many donors and staff who helped make this Sequoya Branch Library renaissance possible,” said Jane Roughen, Community Services Manager for Branch Libraries. “It’s a significantly larger library, zoned and equipped to support quiet individual pursuits and livelier group activities.” The library, expanded to 20,000 square feet from 12,000 square feet, features a special children’s area with sections devoted to early literacy and family reading, an area especially for teens, and a hearth room for quiet reading. There is a large community room for neighborhood meetings and programs, and smaller conference rooms for study groups, small meetings and tutoring. The new Sequoya will offer expanded Internet access computer stations with centralized printing, as well as full WI-FI availability for laptop users, the option of self-service checkout and nearly 120,000 assorted books and media as well as access to valuable subscription-based informational and educational databases through the LINK system. Sequoya is the busiest Madison Public Library branch, with 279,000 visits and 690,000 items checked out this year. The new library is a departure from the decor of more recently remodeled Madison libraries in that it has a more structural feel, with some exposed elements and bright accent colors. Sequoya construction incorporated many “green” elements such as natural/renewable materials and finishes, and kind-to-the-environment features like a greywater system that collects rainwater from the roof for toilet flushing. ... Wed, 19 Nov 2008 22:39:58 +0100 674462 http://www.grpl.org/yourlibrary/blog/2008/11/post_20.html “The unthankful heart... discovers no mercies; but let the thankful heart sweep through the day and, as the magnet finds the iron, so it will find, in every hour, some heavenly blessings!” ~Henry Ward Beecher Thanksgiving is a holiday that celebrates our connections to immediate and extended friends and family, and all other earthly associations. One is not expected to shop much (thank goodness!) and the worst competition might be about whose pie or stuffing was the best. There are many interesting books, videos and websites on the history and philosophy of the Thanksgiving Thanksgiving. Its true origins are not quite like the one I had imagined back in grade school; the happy Pilgrim and Indian plays of my childhood left out many tragic details. Also, the date of the "4th Thursday of November” was not permanently established until 1941, when President Roosevelt signed it into law. The combination of an older harvest holiday with religious ethic and secular consumer frenzy is an interesting one, and it's still my favorite holiday. For more info on Thanksgiving's origins check out Wikipedia's article here. Our new Evergreen catalog has a nice feature called "browse." Once you performed a search and chosen to look at one particular item, you can see the materials that are shelved near the one that you have chosen. It's as if you were standing right in the aisle looking at the books. Just click on the “browse” link at the individual item record page (to the right of the Call #). Some items will also have a “reviews” tab, but not all will have this feature. So if you want to see what other holiday cookery books are available at the library, click “browse” from a holiday cookbook record and page through as many cookbooks as you want. Ah perfect -- maybe this has one of those Tofu Turkey recipes -- Happy Holidays! (Source: The Atrium) Wed, 19 Nov 2008 18:03:49 +0100 674554 http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/teleread/KHnj/~3/458460597/ "The entire Samhain romantic fiction catalog of ebooks" will be readable via the DRMfree Stanza e-book reader for the iPhone and Touch, thanks to new agreements with Books on Board. BooksOnBoard is thus the first or one of the first commercial bookstores to link up with Stanza, which I’m guessing will also run on some other handheld devices in the near future. Toward a major DRMless ecosystem for booksellers I don’t know how seamless the buying process will be—as easy as the Kindle’s?—but this is definite progress, especially for those of us who dislike DRM. So far, Stanza lacks "protection." I’d love to see a DRMfree ecosystem of bookselling for the iPhone, Touch and other devices such as Android-OS phones! And same for dedicated readers. I’m delighted that Sony will set up its wireless system to include indie stores, and I hope it will likewise experiment with a DRMless approach. Related: Stanza tips for bookstores and writers: How to SELL ePub books for the iPhone and iPod Touch, which mentions All Romance eBooks’ support of Stanza. Meanwhile a slightly trimmed version of the press release follows. Technorati Tags: Stanza,Lexcycle,BooksOnBoard,Samhain BooksOnboard First to Offer New eBook Titles for the iPhone in Partnership with Stanza Austin, TX - November 18, 2008 - BooksOnBoard, the premier ebook retailer, has entered into definitive agreements with Samhain Publishing Ltd. and Lexcycle, Inc. to make the entire Samhain romantic fiction catalog of ebooks available on Lexcycle’s Stanza. Stanza is the highest rated and most popular ebook reader for the iPhone and iPod Touch. ... Wed, 19 Nov 2008 14:51:00 +0100 674524 http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/blogspot/iRcS/~3/458246263/sloane-printed-books-catalogue-british.html The Sloane Printed Books Catalogue, a joint initiative by the British Library and the Wellcome Trust Centre for the History of Medicine at UCL, is now available on the British Library website. The catalogue aims to 'virtually' reunite the printed book collections formerly owned by the renowned physician, scientist and collector Sir Hans Sloane (1660-1753). His collection, comprising around 40,000 printed books, was one of the largest libraries in Europe of its time and is particularly significant for its holdings of medical and scientific material (Source: Peter Scott's Library Blog) Wed, 19 Nov 2008 10:26:41 +0100 674494 http://liszen.com/trends/story.php?title=Acid_Song_by_Bernard_Beckett_%AB_Dunedin_Public_Libraries_News_--- Dunedin Public Libraries News & Reviews Blog · Blog · About · Centenary · Acid Song by Bernard Beckett ... Our Sites. Library Catalogue · Library Web (Source: pligg - all) Wed, 19 Nov 2008 08:00:24 +0100 674298 http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/teleread/KHnj/~3/458046823/ Many thanks to Lancelot Kirby, a writer in Portmouth, Ohio, for the essay below. I wonder what Trithemius would have thought of E Ink. - D.R. At the start of the Renaissance, the abbot and occultist Johannes Trithemius wrote a book entitled In Praise of Scribes. In it he attacked the recent invention of printing and celebrates the superior qualities of the pen. How did he get the word out? In print, of course. Even Trithemius could see the writing, uh, printing, on the wall. Trithemius also wrote another book, this one about the use of spirits to communicate over long distances. He would have been amazed by the magic of the Internet. Like Gutenberg preceding it, the Internet threatens the previous technology just as startlingly as the press did the scribe, and just like the press it came seemingly out of the air to change everything that came before. This very abruptness has caught so many off guard it is no wonder the e-book is under a hail of derision. The book as an ongoing project To the unconverted let me remind you, the book is an ongoing project, a largely technology driven enterprise. If the medium in which it has evolved has remained relatively static for the past five centuries, it is not for lack of trying. Gutenberg had applied the available equipment of his age so well there would be no real advancements in printing until the Industrial Revolution and the power of the steam engine. Unlike Antony, I come not to bury the e-book, but to praise it, and I say this with all the passion of a true book lover. Confirmed bibliophiles will raise their hand’s in unison when asked what part of the book stands out the most—the smell. The olfactory experience of a library is like that of incense in a sacred space. Beyond its tactile properties the scent of a favorite title can instantly launch one into the time and place it was first read. Of lazy summer days by the pool, or quiet winter evenings in an armchair. ... Wed, 19 Nov 2008 06:18:55 +0100 674219 http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Superpatron/~3/7z15oyDY04s/mobile-library-links-moved-into-github.html In the "it's better to share" department, and the "it's better to have backups" department;I'm moving my collection of web sites for libraries and bookstores and other book finding systems into a project on github, helpfully named "mobile".  It also happens to have a bunch of information about other non-library web sites that are similarly tuned and designed for the small screen.   I published what I readily had and will backfill with the stuff that got hidden that should be surfaced.My particular zeal here is for the Blackberry, since I happen to have one.  I will also pick up iPhone sites along the way, but don't plan to specifically gather iPhone-only stuff.  Bookstores are fair game, in large part because they often do better than library catalogs at helping you find and remember books.There's some hint in the README file that this is part of a bigger project to make this set of data more interestingly reusable; the motivation going back in time is to the early 1990s work that Billy Barron did to catalog online library sites.  In particular, a lot of this information is most useful tied to a particular place, and I'd love to have enough extra data about location to make it easy or easier to pull out a subset appropriate so that you can have a short handy mobile guide to the libraries of Washington or New York or Ann Arbor without having to maintain completely separate lists. (Source: Superpatron - Friends of the Library, for the net) Wed, 19 Nov 2008 05:00:00 +0100 674586 http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Digitization101/~3/458515582/more-on-what-google-book-search.html Since my posts on the Google settlement (here and here), more people have weighed in on what it means. I appreciate everyone who has waded through the proposed settlement and figured out why we should be concerned. One of those people is Jill O'Neill, from NFAIS, who wrote in an email to me (quoted with permission):Clearly all parties involved in this settlement believe that a searchable repository of book material that has been evaluated and selected by research-oriented librarians represents an information resource of value to knowledge workers, researchers, students and scholars. Despite PR window dressing, very little attention was paid to the general public's interest in and need for access to a fully functional repository. Google Book Search and Google Scholar are aimed at elite populations, just as are the services from NFAIS member organizations. The question becomes whether Google Book Search is a glorified card catalog or if it matches the value and quality of licensed content offerings on platforms from Ebsco, Proquest and Dialog.O'Neill's email sent my mind in motion and you might not like how my thoughts flowed. (What follows is totally my opinion.)EBSCO, ProQuest, and others spend a lot time selecting their information sources. Their reputations are built upon those selections as well as their ability to update their sources quickly and to provide flexible search options. Having worked for a company that was negotiating content for building a search engine, I can tell you that the negotiations go slowly and that much work goes into ensure that the data from those sources is loaded correctly. Quality is extremely important. Missing pages, blurred pages, etc., due operator error are not tolerated.Also important is depth and completeness of the content. "Holes" in the content -- however they might manifest themselves -- are bad. Sometimes they cannot be avoided (often due to specific licensing agreements). ... Wed, 19 Nov 2008 05:00:00 +0100 674498 http://yourlibrarycsu.blogspot.com/2008/11/good-reads-new-history-books-in-your.html The Cold War: a new history by John Lewis Gaddis Library catalogue holdings detailsAnzac Day: the undying debt by J.G. Pavils. Library catalogue holdings details Japanese military strategy in the Pacific War: was defeat inevitable? by James B. Wood Library catalogue holdings details Italy: the rise of fascism 1915-45 by Mark Robson Library catalogue holdings details The Cuban Missile Crisis: a concise history by Don Munton Library catalogue holdings details Remembering war: the Great War between memory and history in the twentieth century by Jay Winter Library catalogue holdings details Fighting the Great War: a global history by Michael S. Neiberg Library catalogue holdings detailsConflicts in the Middle East since 1945 by Beverley Milton-Edwards and Peter Hinchcliffe Library catalogue holdings details The unfinished journey: America since World War II by William H. Chafe Library catalogue holdings details Australia's empire edited by Deryck M. Schreuder and Stuart Ward Library catalogue holdings details Worlds at war: the 2,500-year struggle between East and West by Anthony Pagden Library catalogue holdings details Barbarians to angels: the Dark Ages reconsidered by Peter S. Wells. Library catalogue holdings details Enduring the Great War: combat, morale and collapse in the German and British armies, 1914-1918 by Alexander Watson Library catalogue holdings details Beijing: a concise history by Stephen G. Haw. ... Wed, 19 Nov 2008 05:00:00 +0100 674433 http://hurstassociates.blogspot.com/2008/11/more-on-what-google-book-search.html Since my posts on the Google settlement (here and here), more people have weighed in on what it means. I appreciate everyone who has waded through the proposed settlement and figured out why we should be concerned. One of those people is Jill O'Neill, from NFAIS, who wrote in an email to me (quoted with permission):Clearly all parties involved in this settlement believe that a searchable repository of book material that has been evaluated and selected by research-oriented librarians represents an information resource of value to knowledge workers, researchers, students and scholars. Despite PR window dressing, very little attention was paid to the general public's interest in and need for access to a fully functional repository. Google Book Search and Google Scholar are aimed at elite populations, just as are the services from NFAIS member organizations. The question becomes whether Google Book Search is a glorified card catalog or if it matches the value and quality of licensed content offerings on platforms from Ebsco, Proquest and Dialog.O'Neill's email sent my mind in motion and you might not like how my thoughts flowed. (What follows is totally my opinion.)EBSCO, ProQuest, and others spend a lot time selecting their information sources. Their reputations are built upon those selections as well as their ability to update their sources quickly and to provide flexible search options. Having worked for a company that was negotiating content for building a search engine, I can tell you that the negotiations go slowly and that much work goes into ensure that the data from those sources is loaded correctly. Quality is extremely important. Missing pages, blurred pages, etc., due operator error are not tolerated.Also important is depth and completeness of the content. "Holes" in the content -- however they might manifest themselves -- are bad. Sometimes they cannot be avoided (often due to specific licensing agreements). ... Wed, 19 Nov 2008 05:00:00 +0100 674372 http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/teleread/KHnj/~3/457654922/ Mac owners at last can enjoy audiobooks from libraries via the OverDrive Media Console. A slightly condensed news release follows. - D.R. OverDrive Media Console for Mac, the free software for playing and organizing digital audiobooks from public libraries, is now available for download. With this free software, Mac users can download audiobooks in the MP3 format from an OverDrive partner library’s download website and transfer titles to Apple® devices including iPod® Classic, iPod Touch, iPod Nano and iPhone™. OverDrive Media Console for Mac also provides the same superior listening features of the popular Windows version, which is installed on millions of computers worldwide. A national directory lists libraries offering iPod-compatible audiobook downloads. Mac users can also purchase MP3 audiobook downloads from online stores such as Borders.com  and WHSmith Online. “Millions of audiobook listeners around the globe are taking advantage of the great selection and ease of use provided through OverDrive’s audiobook download services,” said David Burleigh, Director of Marketing for OverDrive. “We’re proud to be the leading library download service that supports both PC and Mac users, and will continue to expand features and services for our partners and their customers.” “Denver Public Library has had great success offering digital audiobooks, eBooks, and other media thanks to our partnership with OverDrive, and now our Mac customers can enjoy the many benefits of using our service,” said Michelle Jeske, Manager of Web Information Services and Community Technology Center at Denver Public Library. “Customers with Macs have requested access to our growing digital catalog since we launched the service, and now they too have anytime, anywhere access to audiobook downloads. ... Tue, 18 Nov 2008 21:34:46 +0100 674095 http://joblist.ala.org/modules/jobseeker/controller.cfm?rssjobid=12260 Cataloging Librarian (Loyola Marymount University, California) (Source: Latest ALA Job Listings) Tue, 18 Nov 2008 19:43:01 +0100 673957 http://www.libology.com/blog/2008/11/18/cataloging-flash-mob.html In Beverly, Massachusetts a mob of 20 LibraryThing enthusiasts cataloged the entire collection of St. John’s church library, as well as the rector’s book collection, consisting of over 2,000 books (averaging 100 books per person). Akin to an Amish barn-raising, the idea was to get a group together and get the job done in one day. found via the LibraryThing blog * disclaimer:  I find this interesting on its own, but as I am in a middle of a months-long group project to move my church’s catalog to a different ILS (as well as getting them an OPAC) I can only feel jealous about the speed at which this was accomplished. (Source: LibrarySupportStaff.Org) Tue, 18 Nov 2008 18:17:23 +0100 674313 http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/teleread/KHnj/~3/457395688/ Stanza is one of the hottest e-book apps for the iPhone and iPod Touch, with more than 500,000 downloads. New York Times columnist J.D. Biersdorfer recently recommended Stanza in Tip of the Week: Turn your iPhone into an e-book. Wouldn’t it be great if you could sell your e-books to Stanza’s growing number of iPhone-toting fans? By now, more than a few of these readers might want to extend their horizons beyond free public domain books. Just the other day, All Romance eBooks said it was offering Stanza-readable books for direct download (athough that’s a bit misleading—see Jane Litte’s comment, posted this afternoon). Want to do the same? Or are you a reader eager to have your favorite bookseller accommodate your iPhone or Touch? Check out the Stanza Bookseller page. Within the Stanza FAQ, here are some handy links: How can I link to a book on my web page so that it launches Stanza on the iPhone/iPod Touch? How can I integrate with Lexcycle’s Online Catalog? How can I create ePub files from my books? I am a bookseller. How can I make my books readable on Stanza iPhone/iPod? The e-commerce angle: Generic specifics can be found elsewhere. But, yes, it is possible to use Stanza with many existing systems. Tip: Stanza will work with oodles of formats, but ePub is the flagship one—the choice that displays best and offers goodies like italics. The DRM issue: While Stanza does not support DRM, I myself am hoping that it can work with booksellers to establish a DRMless ecosystem built around ePub. Owners of the ePub-capable Sony PRS-505 and PRS-700 would also benefit. Share your successes and knowledge: Booksellers and writers can share other pointers/tips here and brag of Stanza success stories to encourage others. Same for similar DRMless reading systems that allow direct downloads. ... Tue, 18 Nov 2008 17:18:02 +0100 674097 http://www.selco.info/blogs/selco-librarian/archive/2008/11/18/music-library-association-midwest-chapter-meeting-oct-23-25-2008 Abbey Thompson, LSTA Project Cataloging LibrarianOn October 23rd, I drove down to Kansas City, Missouri for the Midwest chapter meeting of the Music Library Association. While we all know that the library world is a little too full of organizations with the acronym of “MLA” (the Modern Languages Association, Medical Library Association, Minnesota Library Association, just to name a few), this particular MLA is near and dear to my own heart. I’ve been attending various MLA functions since starting library school, and every conference has been nothing less than stellar. This meeting was no different, full of useful information and learning opportunities blended with copious prospects for networking and social interaction with fellow music librarians. The session on providing access to sheet music collections was particularly enlightening, considering my work with the Chatfield Brass Band collection. Though new to this particular chapter (previously I attended chapter meetings in the Southeast region), I felt immediately welcomed and encouraged by my new peers.I have now been working with SELCO for just over three months, on the Chatfield Brass Band Music Lending Library project. My excitement for the project has only grown in this time, and I particularly wanted to take the opportunity at this conference to spread awareness of this amazing collection and the work that SELCO is doing to make it more accessible. By the end of the weekend, the question that I had answered the most was, without a doubt, “What is SELCO?” The majority of music librarians work in academic library settings, so to be confronted with a name-badge bearing our unfamiliar acronym, rather than a university or college, was initially baffling to some. Once explanations were made, however, I received nothing but praise and excitement about the project. ... Tue, 18 Nov 2008 14:16:16 +0100 674228 http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/web2learning/YOVk/~3/457198639/2343 I have to be honest- I’m terrified to even open this link …. The full draft of RDA is not available for review. Why am I scared? Nothing that takes this long to finalize cojures up an image of an infinite switch (or if/else) block. For non-coders - I’m imagining a document that says if you see this do this - except if you see this … and so on. Why else? Well, I’m pretty darn busy right now, so the idea of having something else to read just makes me sad. Anyway, I’ve done my duty and shared the link with you all so you can choose whether to click it or not. Technorati Tags: rda (Source: What I Learned Today...) Tue, 18 Nov 2008 13:56:08 +0100 674361 http://liszen.com/trends/story.php?title=DLIS_Career_List_Assistant_Head_of_Technical_Services_and_Head_of_--- Required: ALA-accredited MLS and a minimum of three years of experience with cataloging special collections in an academic or research library settin (Source: pligg - all) Tue, 18 Nov 2008 08:00:25 +0100 673800 http://blog.uwinnipeg.ca/infoshare/archives/003653.html After a number of delays, the RSS feeds for new books are now available. The records are extracted from the Innopac Oracle database using a script initially developed by Grant Gelinas-Brown during his time at the U. of W. Library.... (Source: InfoShare) Tue, 18 Nov 2008 05:00:00 +0100 674435 http://marincountyfreelibrary.blogspot.com/2008_11_01_marincountyfreelibrary_archive.html#5808760737286747955 The library has books on CD to help you cope with that Thanksgiving road trip. Check out the library catalog for ideas-- you can browse the collection of books on CD online. (Source: Marin County Free Library Blog) Tue, 18 Nov 2008 05:00:00 +0100 674272 http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Superpatron/~3/KuS9MGR77qQ/aadl-planning-sopac-2-beta-for-in-building-use.html If you are inside an Ann Arbor District Library building, you have access to an early beta of the new catalog.By "early" I really mean "early" - there's no pretenses that it's finished, but it is up and running with catalog data, though the skin on it is completely bog-standard unvarnished Drupal that makes you want to sing the Drupal song.One thing I notice right away is that there's a faceted search, so that you can sift through query results by date, language, or materials type.  I'm sure there will be more to discover as time goes on. (Source: Superpatron - Friends of the Library, for the net) Tue, 18 Nov 2008 05:00:00 +0100 674107 http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/earlham/dGCQ/~3/457671935/oclc-fighting-oa-to-bibliographic-data.html There's been a dust-up lately over a policy change announced by the Online Computer Library Center for the terms of use for WorldCat, the union catalog of bibliographic records contributed by OCLC member libraries. It's disputed whether OCLC provides OA to the full WorldCat data: Open Library's Aaron Swartz says it doesn't; OCLC's Karen Calhoun says it does. The new Policy for Use and Transfer of WorldCat Records supercedes the earlier Guidelines for the Use and Transfer of OCLC-Derived Records, last revised in the pre-Web era. (Karen Coyle points out that the Guidelines were themselves a response to an earlier attempt by OCLC to claim copyright in WorldCat records. The new policy avoids the term copyright, but does make an oblique reference to "the intellectual property rights [in WorldCat or WorldCat Records]".) The new policy is slated to go into effect in February 2009. Aside from the name change (from "guidelines" to "policy", implying enforceability), key points of the new policy include prohibitions on commercial or "unreasonable" use. (An earlier version of the policy also required attribution to OCLC in each record re-used; in the latest version, the attribution requirement has been weakened to a recommendation.) The "reasonableness" standard is summarized as: Use must not discourage the contribution of bibliographic and holdings data to WorldCat or substantially replicate the function, purpose, and/or size of WorldCat. The restriction has drawn the ire of Open Library, which is building an OA bibliographic catalog. (In a blog post, Open Library's Aaron Swartz also claims that OCLC has "been trying to kill [Open Library] from the beginning -- threatening its funders with lawsuits, insulting it in the press, and putting pressure on member libraries not to cooperate. ... Tue, 18 Nov 2008 05:00:00 +0100 674060 http://yourlibrarycsu.blogspot.com/2008/11/new-fiction-in-your-csu-library.html The people on Privilege Hill and other stories by Jane Gardam (wonderful short stories) Library catalogue holdings detailsThe careful use of compliments by Alexander McCall Smith Library catalogue holdings details The behaviour of moths by Poppy Adams (psychological puzzle) Library catalogue holdings details Until it's over by Nicci French (thriller) Library catalogue holdings details The pages by Murray Bail (Australian) Library catalogue holdings details Vox by Nicholson Baker (erotic classic) Library catalogue holdings details The secret scripture: a novel by Sebastian Barry (shortlisted for the Booker Prize) Library catalogue holdings details The comfort of Saturdays by Alexander McCall Smith Library catalogue holdings details The gone-away world by Nick Harkaway (science fiction) Library catalogue holdings details The white tiger: a novel by Aravind Adiga Library catalogue holdings details Alfred and Emily by Doris Lessing Library catalogue holdings details Bright air by Barry Maitland (crime novel) Library catalogue holdings details The invention of everyday life by Nicolette Stasko (Australian) Library catalogue holdings details Hadji Murat: a tale of the Caucasus by Leo Tolstoy (classic) Library catalogue holdings details The song of Kahunsha by Anosh Irani Library catalogue holdings details The private lives of Pippa Lee by Rebecca Miller. ... Tue, 18 Nov 2008 05:00:00 +0100 673774 http://ericschnell.blogspot.com/2008/11/personal-health-records-need-marcaacr.html I attended an IT Innovation in Healthcare conference in town today. Practically the entire morning was spent talking about the personal health record (PHR) and related electronic medical record (EMR). While the EMR is information about your health compiled by your health care providers, the PHR is maintained by you.  The ideal PHR would  gather data from many sources and making this information accessible online to anyone who has the necessary electronic credentials to view it.The discussion centered around the fact that it is very difficult to move information between systems. The challenge is the lack of standards. The various PHR and EMR systems don't talk to one another. This got me thinking. The health care industry needs to take some lessons from the library community and establish some data standards.  Libraries got over the hump from a paper-based to an electronic catalog in part since we had two tools to work from; AACR and MARC. AACR covers the description of, and the provision of access points for, all library materials. MARC provides the protocol by which computers exchange, use, and interpret bibliographic information and is responsible for the foundation of the online catalogs we have today. Add on top of this Z39.50 like functionality and we have a basis for a PHR system which could do what it is envisioned to do; harvest and syndicate content between other records systems. There is, however, a bigger challenge. As I bounced this concept off of a CIO of a major academic medical center, they said those standards are in place. They have SNOMED. The librarians out there will immediately see the problem with the response.  For the CIOs out there, well, please have your librarian explain it to you.  (Source: The Medium is the Message) Tue, 18 Nov 2008 02:32:00 +0100 674129 http://blog.case.edu/orgs/ksl/news/2008/11/17/you_can_be_a_winner_in_this_photo Take the Knovel&#174 University Challenge & win a Nintendo Wii&#8482 or an iPod&#174, or other prizes. Case is guaranteed a prize if we get 100 entries in the contest, and we're in the top 5. With just about 20 more entries, Case could be the #1 university! Log on to the contest site and answer 3 questions, and you could be a winner, too! Work with a group to help each other enter the contest, looking around the Knovel web page for clues on the questions & answers. Remember, Case gets a top prize just for having 100 entries— you could win one of them. Science, medicine, biology, applied sciences—step up and enter the challenge. How to Play: - Enter the Contest site Knovel University Challenge (http://info.knovel.com/challenge) - Use the Knovel widget—when it loads & displays like the image below, click on "PLAY" - Answer 3 questions using Knovel! - Case students only, please. One entry per student. Entries due by midnight December 1st Questions about Knovel®? Our Engineering librarian is happy to help you! Knovel® database is licensed for the Case faculty, students, and staff on networked computers or remote access via an activated VPN connection. Find Knovel for your searching on our Research Database list, from the KSL homepage or from the Case Catalog page. (Source: KSL News Blog) Tue, 18 Nov 2008 00:36:10 +0100 673662 http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2008/nov/18/biography-law-constance-briscoe-ugly The high court is rarely the best place to settle a family feud - especially when one party is a barrister and part-time judge. But Constance Briscoe, whose autobiography of a traumatic childhood has sold nearly 600,000 copies, yesterday gained a few more readers as members of a jury began studying her memoir, which accuses her mother of violence and neglect.Carmen Briscoe-Mitchell, 73, is suing for libel and claiming damages from her daughter and publisher Hodder & Stoughton, which brought out Ugly: the True Story of a Loveless Childhood, in January 2006. She accuses her daughter of writing a "piece of fiction".The jurors' verdict on the book's veracity will help determine the legal as well as authorial reputation of a woman who apparently defied the odds of a painful childhood and adolescence in south London to become one of Britain's few black judges.Both Briscoe, 50, and Hodder & Stoughton deny libel and plead justification. As the case opened, Briscoe-Mitchell's lawyer, Milton Panton, said she was not alleging that Briscoe had exaggerated incidents alleged in the book, but that they did not happen at all. Briscoe and her publishers would have to satisfy the court that her claims were true. "These are serious allegations of criminal acts - assault, abuse, neglect. You will expect cogent evidence from the defendants in establishing the truth of these matters."He referred to alleged incidents when Briscoe was punched by her stepfather and when he stubbed a cigarette out on her hand, as well as a claim of needing surgery on her breasts because of trauma caused by her mother's assaults.Panton asked jurors to consider whether they could trust Briscoe's memory. "When I read that book, I kept looking back and saying, how old was the author when this happened? In 1962 she was five, in 1963 she was six and so on. ... Tue, 18 Nov 2008 00:08:32 +0100 673590 http://joblist.ala.org/modules/jobseeker/controller.cfm?rssjobid=12253 Cataloging / Serials Librarian (Ohio Northern University) (Source: Latest ALA Job Listings) Mon, 17 Nov 2008 22:47:01 +0100 673533 http://freegovinfo.info/node/2150 I had to explain to a student patron and their Professor today what is meant by "born digital" and how digital government documents are wonderful resources for a paper if we do not have the print version or when the print version doesn't exist (or is horribly out of date). Have any of you had to explain this a lot? It all started when the student patron told me she could only have three web sources for her Nursing research paper after I had shown her the wonderful world of digital documents online. She had found an eleven year old version of a government print source in our catalog but I cringed...born digital documents online via NIH or the U.S. Dept. of Health had more up to date medical information on her topic! I told her to use both the print and online sources. She would be able to see if there were any noticeable differences from the 1997 print version and the 2007/2008 online information on her topic. I contacted the Professor and explained this too. All is well and she will allow for the use of online government information. She was just hoping to avoid the use of too many general (i.e. crappy) websites. I understand that but I wanted to make sure that the student would not be punished for using several good government online documents and websites for her paper. I didn't get into the nitty gritty digital authentication of government documents, but with some Professors who require legislative research, I tell them about the digitally authenticated documents that currently exist from GPO. I have a feeling we government document librarians are going to have to explain this concept of "born digital" gov docs and digital authentication more often...especially now that more and more gov docs are being born digitally. (Source: Free Government Information (FGI) blogs) Mon, 17 Nov 2008 20:30:10 +0100 673550 http://www.libology.com/blog/2008/11/17/rational-and-well-thought-out-oclc-response.html Over the past few days, I have been gathering my thoughts together in order to post an essay-style overview of the issues surrounding the OCLC records policy changes.  As of now, I am going to put those thoughts aside, as Stefano Mazzocchi has posted an excellently rational and well thought-out essay on the topic. I feel glad that I have injected some of the points he mentions into my own posts.  OCLC is a tiger (my own reference) defending its territory; this means they feel threatened.  Stefano described how OCLC can become the lady, opening up their process and becoming a hero to librarians, bibliophiles, and geeks worldwide. Can they take a cue from the Open Source movement and adjust their business model to better fit their actual position in the biblioverse?  Stefano is hesitant about their chances; I have a lot of respect for many of the people and projects at OCLC, and feel that they can achieve nearly anything the set their collective minds towards (except to maintain a monopoly on the course they seem to have chosen). found via Librarian.net (Source: LibrarySupportStaff.Org) Mon, 17 Nov 2008 18:37:01 +0100 674314 http://bibliotheque20.wordpress.com/2008/11/17/opacmetamoteur-en-open-source/ Vu chez pintini XC Catalog est un projet Open Source visant à proposer une interface unique permettant d’interroger simultanément diverses bases de données. Il est conçu par et pour les bibliothèques. Il est censé s’interfacer à tout type de standard bibliothéconomique : MARC, OAI, FRBR, DC… La deuxième phase vient d’être lancée. Sortie prévue : mi2009… Si certains se sentent les reins assez solides pour rejoindre l’équipe…        (Source: Des Bibliothèques 2.0) Mon, 17 Nov 2008 16:57:53 +0100 674237 http://cimlibrary.wordpress.com/2008/11/17/in-common/ What do the following have in common? Analekta Call it anything Kuckuck Schallplatten Opera Rara Saphir Trustkill They are all recording labels that are a part of the digital collection of music on Naxos Music Library.   Naxos provides access to a diverse collection of music. Click on the label above to see it’s catalog on Naxos Music Library. Take advantage of this exciting resource during your tenure at the Cleveland Institute of Music        (Source: CIM Library) Mon, 17 Nov 2008 16:52:40 +0100 673491 http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/TameTheWeb/~3/456154476/ Via Jessamyn and a slew of emails this weekend from TTW Readers: http://wiki.code4lib.org/index.php/OCLC_Policy_Change I need to catch up on all of these posts. Jessamyn suggested this one as  http://www.betaversion.org/~stefano/linotype/news/220/ So, OCLC decides to update its data licensing policy after 21 years because, quote: “The Guidelineshave also been frequently faulted for their ambiguity about WorldCat data sharing rights and conditions.” Having had to deal with such ambiguity myself when discussing about releasing the Barton Library data from the MIT Libraries, I have to say that I very much welcomed any sort of update in clarification and a more modern and up-to-date licensing agreement between OCLC and its members libraries, if only to focus more precisely what is wrong with it. Some people believe that OCLC is a thing of the past, created in an era where data interchange and inter-librarian communication was hard, more expensive and much harder to coordinate and destined to succumb to some cheaper and higher quality grass-root approach that will emerge spontaneously on the internet. I personally don’t subscribe to that vision: I’ve witnessed with my own eyes the Apache Group turning into the Apache Software Foundation and growing from a few tens of people to thousands, from a relatively unknown bunch of geeks to a pillar of the web ecosystem, a business-school subject and a poster child for modern bottom-up self-organization. My point being that any grass-root approach that will get big enough to take on OCLC on the metadata collection and redistribution service that libraries need will have to incorporate under the pressure of its users (if only for legal liability protection) and will have to find an answer to the same set of problems (policy, governance, financial sustainability) that OCLC has. ... Mon, 17 Nov 2008 16:37:39 +0100 673634 http://www.lisnews.org/hot_press "On the Media" on NPR had this story: In 1951, Grove Press was a tiny, almost-defunct publisher with just three titles in its catalogue. But then Barney Rosset took over and, with a few choice books, helped push America past its Puritanical roots and into the sexual revolution. Rosset, who will be honored by the National Book Foundation on November 19th, spoke with us at his home in Greenwich Village. Listen to full story here. (Source: LISNews - Librarian And Information Science News) Mon, 17 Nov 2008 15:57:42 +0100 673882 http://lisnews.org/hot_press "On the Media" on NPR had this story: In 1951, Grove Press was a tiny, almost-defunct publisher with just three titles in its catalogue. But then Barney Rosset took over and, with a few choice books, helped push America past its Puritanical roots and into the sexual revolution. Rosset, who will be honored by the National Book Foundation on November 19th, spoke with us at his home in Greenwich Village. Listen to full story here. (Source: LISNews.org) Mon, 17 Nov 2008 15:57:42 +0100 673472 http://catalogablog.blogspot.com/2008/11/indexing-tool.html Library catalogs these days are mostly ralational databases and related indexes. LuSql is a tool to create an index from a relational databse.LuSql is a simple but powerful tool for building Lucene indexes from relational databases. It is a command-line Java application for the construction of a Lucene index from an arbitrary SQL query of a JDBC-accessible SQL database. It allows a user to control a number of parameters, including the SQL query to use, individual indexing/storage/term-vector nature of fields, analyzer, stop word list, and other tuning parameters. In its default mode it uses threading to take advantage of multiple cores.LuSql can handle complex queries, allows for additional per record sub-queries, and has a plug-in architecture for arbitrary Lucene document manipulation. Its only dependencies are three Apache Commons libraries, the Lucene core itself, and a JDBC driver.LuSql has been extensively tested, including a large 6+ million full-text & article metadata document collection, producing an 86GB Lucene index.Lots of the Code4Lib folks are working with Lucene indexes. (Source: Catalogablog) Mon, 17 Nov 2008 15:30:00 +0100 673466 http://jobs.nasig.org/?p=571 The Electronic Resources Cataloging Unit is one of three units within the newly created Electronic Resources Development Section of the Technical Services Division at the University of Michigan Library. This unit provides and maintains access via records in the local integrated library system (Aleph) and the SFX knowledge base to electronic journals and monographs, online databases, Web sites, and non-Web based remote electronic resources. Access is provided for titles in subscription packages, individually subscribed titles, and open access titles identified for addition to the collection by selectors. In collaboration with the Data Loads and Development Unit, the Electronic Resources Cataloging Unit works with vendors to acquire and load MARC record sets for electronic books and journals in online collections. As needed, the unit’s staff members assist in resolving access and coverage problems associated with the Aleph and SFX records created for electronic resources. Under the direction of the Head of the Electronic Resources Cataloging Unit, the duties and responsibilities of this position are to: Independently catalog electronic resources in all subjects and in all Western European languages; Create or edit bibliographic records for all types of electronic resources according to nationally and locally established procedures; Assist in the maintenance required to ensure ongoing access to the library’s cataloged electronic resources; Participate in batch loading records for collections of online journals and electronic books; Assist in training staff to catalog and maintain access to electronic resources; Contribute to reviewing, developing, and writing local procedures and documentation; Investigate and resolve problems referred to the unit; Participate in unit, division, and library-wide committees, task forces, projects, and other collaborative initiatives. ... Mon, 17 Nov 2008 13:48:19 +0100 673847 http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/NetbibWeblog/~3/455816936/ Stop the OCLC powergrab nennt sich eine Initative, die mit der neuen Policy von OCLC nicht einverstanden ist. Dokumtiert wird die Einführung der neuen Policy auf der OCLC Policy Change Wiki Seite, dort sind auch die Reaktionen der, nicht nur bibliothekarischen, “Gemeinde” zu finden. Worum es überhaupt geht, ist dem Weblogeintrag Stealing Your Library: The OCLC Powergrab von Aaron Swartz zu entnehmen: But recently, it’s gone one step way too far. Not satisfied with controlling the world’s largest source of book information, it wants to take over all the smaller ones as well. It’s now demanding that every library that uses WorldCat give control over all its catalog records to OCLC. Den WorldCat finde ich ja eigentlich ziemlich gelungen, abgesehen natürlich davon, dass man als Bibliothek Gebühren für die Anzeige der eigenen Titel zahlen muss… Anfang November gab es zu dem Thema schon etwas Gemurmel in Tim Spaldings Weblog, weil die neue Geschäftspolitik auch Auswirkungen auf Dienste wie LibaryThing, Open Library u.a. haben wird. In einem Talis-Podcast nehmen Vice President WorldCat and Metadata Services, Karen Calhoun and Senior Programme Officer, Roy Tennant zu dem Thema Stellung. Wer keine Lust oder Zeit hat, sich die Diskussion anzuhören, kann eine Zusammenfassung auf blog.ecorrado.us nachlesen. Offensichtlich bestehen noch diverse Unklarheiten. Danke an Stefan für den Hinweis! (Source: netbib weblog) Mon, 17 Nov 2008 09:37:34 +0100 673399 http://cogscilibrarian.blogspot.com/2008/11/pre-1923-psychology-books-online.html You may remember that I recently wrote about UConn's project to digitize books published prior to 1923 ... focusing on 200 or so psychology published before 1923.  I've heard from lots of UConn faculty voting for various titles (thanks!) and I'm keeping an annotated list of print candidates for digitization in Google Docs; browsing the list, you can see which titles are popular.I was also excited to find that many of these titles have already been digitized!  Since they already exist online, we will add them to Homer, our online catalog so that they'll be available to all.  In the meantime, if you want to take a peek inside some psychology classics, take a look below:Principles of psychology / by Herbert Spencer., c1896General introduction to psychoanalysis, by Prof. Sigmund Freud, LL. D. Authorized translation, with a preface by G. Stanley Hall ..., c1922 Introduction to psychology, by Wilhelm Wundt...Tr. from the 2d German ed. by Rudolf Pintner..., c1924Elements of psychology / by Edward L. Thorndike., 1907Mental and moral heredity in royalty; a statistical study in history and psychology, by Frederick Adams Woods ... with one hundred and four portraits., 1906Stanford revision and extension of the Binet-Simon scale for measuring intelligence, by Lewis M. Terman, Grace Lyman, George Ordahl ... [and others], 1917Library of mesmerism and psychology., 1871Narratives of the witchcraft cases, 1648-1706, ed. by George Lincoln Burr., 1914Analysis of mind, by Bertrand Russell, F.R.S., 1921Emotions, by Carl Georg Lange (1834-1900) and William James (1842-1910), 1922Habit, by William James., 1914Inquiries into human faculty and its development / by Francis Galton., 1907Outlines of phrenology; by G. Spurzheim., 1834Psychology of suggestion; a research into the subconscious nature of man and society, by Boris Sidis with an introduction by William James., 1898Psychopathology of everyday life, by Sigmund Freud., 1914Psychology, by William James. ... Mon, 17 Nov 2008 05:00:00 +0100 673964 http://yourlibrarycsu.blogspot.com/2008/11/highlights-of-new-titles-10-november-16.html Each week CSU Library adds hundreds of new resources to our catalogue, including books, DVDs, CDs, and electronic resources. The following selection highlights some of the new books added to the collection last week. Click on a book's title to read more information about the book, or click on 'Check Availability' to find the book in the Library Catalogue. Click here to view the complete list of new titles.Beer, Babes, and Balls: Masculinity and Sports Talk Radio by David Nylund. Check AvailabilityWhy Are Our Babies Dying?: Pregnancy, Birth, and Death in America by Sandra D. Lane. Check AvailabilityMy Life As A Traitor by Zarah Ghahramani. Check AvailabilityAll Dogs Have ADHD by Kathy Hoopmann. Check AvailabilityWhy Is It So Difficult To Die? by Brian Nyatanga. Check AvailabilityWhy [Smart Companies] Do Dumb Things: Lessons Learned From Innovation Blunders: Avoiding Eight Common Mistakes in New Product Development by Calvin L Hodock. Check AvailabilityDraw Like Da Vinci by Susan Dorothea White. Check Availability100 Careers in the Music Business by Tanja L. Crouch. Check AvailabilityThe Bedside, Bathtub, and Armchair Companion to Dracula by Mark Dawidziak. Check AvailabilityParramatta Girls by Alana Valentine. Check AvailabilityMy Darwin Adventure by Patricia Nelson. Check AvailabilitySales and Service for the Wine Professional by Brian K. Julyan. Check AvailabilityManaging Feral Animals and Their Impacts by Andrew Norris and Tim Low. Check AvailabilityBody Language: What You Need To Know by David Cohen. Check AvailabilityThe Medieval Prison: A Social History by Guy Geltner. Check AvailabilityOntario New TitlesWhen My Worries Get Too Big!: A Relaxation Book For Children Who Live With Anxiety by Kari Dunn Buron. Check AvailabilityThrough Mala's Eyes: Life in an Inuit Community: A Learning Resource by Indian and Northern Affairs Canada. Check AvailabilityReading and Learning To Read by Jo Anne L. Vacca et al. ... Mon, 17 Nov 2008 05:00:00 +0100 673776 http://yourlibrarycsu.blogspot.com/2008/11/new-dvds_17.html Each week CSU Library adds hundreds of new resources to our catalogue, including books, DVDs, CDs, and electronic resources. The following selection highlights some of the new books added to the collection last week. Click on a book's title to read more information about the book, or click on 'Check Availability' to find the book in the Library Catalogue. Click here to view the complete list of new titles.Casino Royale - Casino Royale introduces James Bond before he holds his license to kill. But Bond is no less dangerous, and with two professional assassinations in quick succession, he is elevated to "00" status. "M" (Judi Dench), head of the British Secret Service, sends the newly promoted 007 on his first mission that takes him to Madagascar, the Bahamas and eventually leads him to Montenegro to face Le Chiffre, a ruthless financier under threat from his terrorist clientele, who is attempting to restore his funds in a high stakes poker game at the Casino Royale. "M" places Bond under the watchful eye of the Treasury offical Vesper Lynd. At first skeptical of what value Vesper can provide, Bond’s interest in her deepens as they brave danger together. Le Chiffre’s cunning and cruelty come to bear on them both in a way Bond could never imagine, and he learns his most important lesson: Trust no one. . Check AvailabilityCasanova - For the first time in his life, the legendary Casanova (Heath Ledger) is about to meet his match with an alluring Venetian beauty, Francesca (Sienna Miller), who does the one thing he never thought possible: refuse him. Through a series of clever disguises and scheming ruses, he manages to get ever closer to Francesca. But he is playing the most dangerous game he has ever encountered - one that will risk not only his life and reputation, but also his only chance at true passion. . ... Mon, 17 Nov 2008 05:00:00 +0100 673775 http://www.homerlibrary.org/2008/11/library-events-nov-17th-nov-29th.asp Quick links to:Adults & Seniors | Teens | Kids | More InfoADULTS & SENIORSGet Organized to Reduce Stress -- Monday, November 17th at 7pmBeth Randall, from Joe Organizer, LLC, will discuss the benefits of getting organized to reduce the stress in your life. You'll learn the organizational tools to make you feel better about yourself and your environment.Knitting Club -- Tuesday, November 18th at 7pmBring your yarns and needles and join the library's monthly knitting club! Meet other knitters and view each other's projects. The group meets on the third Tuesday of every month.Chick Lit Book Discussion Group -- Wednesday, November 19th at 7pmJoin us as we discuss Love the One You're With by Emily Giffin. New members are welcome!Serious Chili to Warm the Soul -- Tuesday, November 25th at 7pmChef Michael Niksic will demonstrate how to make Roast Turkey & Red Bean Andouille Sausage Chili wih tortillas. Space is limited and registration is required. To register, call the library at (708) 301-7908.TEENSTeen Manga Group -- Thursday, November 20th at 7pmWe'll be planning December's cosplay party and discussing any manga we've read! Open to teens in 6th grade and up.KIDSCulture Club: Turkey -- Saturday, November 22nd from 10 - 11:30 amCalling all kids in grades 2-5! Travel to faraway lands and explore foods and customs from other countries around the world. Next stop: Turkey! Space is limited and registration is required.MORE INFOLibrary ClosedIn observance of Thanksgiving, the library will be close at 5pm on Wednesday, November 26th (bookmobile service will also be suspended on Wednesday). The library will also be closed on Thursday, November 27th. We will reopen Thursday morning at 8:30 am.When the library is closed, you can still:+ chat online with a librarian through our ASKAWAY service+ use our library databases+ search our catalog. ... Mon, 17 Nov 2008 05:00:00 +0100 673773 http://information-literacy.blogspot.com/2008/11/te-punga.html Thanks to Hazel Edmunds of http://www.adsetsinformationweblog.blogspot.com/She pointed me to Kathryn Greenhill's blog, who in turn was highlighting the work of people at the University of Aukland. Kathryn made a video of Liz Wilkinson talking about a tutorial on how to use the Voyager catalogue, Te Punga. Liz Wilkinson talks about the way in which it was designed (with help of learning and web designers) and the reason why they take the approach of incorporating elements which are graphic-novel-like. Kathryn calls her video Information Literacy: Seven ways to think outside the box and identifies the main headings as: Literacy beyond text; Student centred, not library centred; Outside experts; Involve students; Use students' environments; Learning by doing; Make students feel at home.The Youtube video is at http://au.youtube.com/watch?v=pMvAfVV41tQ , Kathryn's blog is at http://librariansmatter.com/blog/ and Te Punga is at http://www.library.auckland.ac.nz/instruct/tutorials/voyager/toc.htmlThe photo is of Christine Bruce and Li Wang, during Christine's visit to Aukland University earlier this year (not connected except as regards information literacy and Aukland University. I am not sure who took the photo.) (Source: Information Literacy Weblog) Mon, 17 Nov 2008 05:00:00 +0100 673676 http://hangingtogether.org/?p=555 I didn’t come to Austin to get an archival jolt from a digital artists’ book. I’ve been at the Ransom Center this weekend attending a conference on literary archives and writers’ papers, “Creating a Usable Past.” I have never seen William Gibson’s 1992 artists’ book, one evidently well-known on the Internet. The cataloging notes say Agrippa has some photosensitive engravings and a disk holding the poem, “which may be displayed on a computer screen only once, and then is irretrievably encrypted.” Matt Kirschenbaum, professor at MITH, hacked the code of Agrippa and played it for us on a Mac emulator. Matt tells us his work will be up on the web in six weeks or so. I was having something akin to Ted Bishop’s experience with the symptoms of archive fever. Ted is a Virginia Woolf scholar. In Riding with Rilke he describes the “jolt” of reading Woolf’s suicide letter. Yesterday morning the audience at the august Ransom Center was reading Agrippa on the big screen. The Mac emulator made it feel a bit like I was reading it in 1992. Back in 1992 I don’t think I knew what an artists’ book was. Three of UT’s undergraduates have been blogging the conference at flairforarchives. (Source: hangingtogether.org) Mon, 17 Nov 2008 02:55:20 +0100 673405 http://freegovinfo.info/node/2149 I want to pick up a theme I explored a bit in an earlier posting, especially in light of Jim’s references to Vince Stehle’s article about what kind of hybrid institution would be demanded by the Web’s infrastructure to sustain and “…promote a vibrant and diverse exchange of educational information, cultural expression, and political discourse over the Internet?” Though Stehle doesn’t say it, Jim does – a library. But, Jim offers the answer never assumed by Stehle’s question. In fact what Sthele describes are three web institutions that are nothing like libraries – but more like socially enhanced search engines – helping elevate and sort the vast amount amount of Web data in some kind of structured way and then allowing for some kind of interactivity between the creator and searcher. By my estimate, Stehle is talking about evolved tools that are comparable to the library’s traditional catalogs and indexes. But they are not akin to a library's purpose. From Stehle’s argument there is a clear assumption that the Web -- and all its content -- is the “new” library – “free” to use by profit and non-profit forces. To him, as well as others who argue from the perspective, the library/web morphing together into some kind of global resource is a done deal. The struggle now revolves around on how the tools of access and knowledge integration are spread through society. Stehle clearly argues for what Benjamin Barber calls a strong democracy approach, best captured by Thomas Jefferson’s statement long embraced by government information librarians, but not in its rich contextual meaning – “I know of no safe depository of the ultimate power of the society but the people themselves, and if we think them not enlightened enough to exercise their control with a wholesome discretion, the remedy is not to take it from them, but to inform their discretion. ... Mon, 17 Nov 2008 00:50:07 +0100 673275 http://www.uab.edu/lister/news/index.php?newsID=1&ID=619 Lister Hill Library is performing some maintenance on the online catalog, so it will not be accurate for looking up electronic journals. Use the E-Journal list instead! It is usually a good practice to check both the E-Journal list AND the catalog. The catalog is the most comprehensive place to look for our journals since it has both those we have electronically and those in print. But for the next few days please be sure to check the E-Journal list. E-journal list is the 5th link under Quicklinks. Contact our Ask a Librarian service if you have questions. (Source: Lister Hill Library of the Health Sciences News) Sun, 16 Nov 2008 18:52:46 +0100 673256 http://pintini.blogspirit.com/archive/2008/11/16/extensible-catalog-project-phase-2.html Des nouvelles du projet eXtensible Catalog:"The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation–funded eXtensible Catalog (XC) project from the University of Rochester, NY, a new metadata manager and interface tool for bibliographic information, has received a major upgrade to its web presence in an outward sign of a larger behind-the-scenes effort. In transitioning from a WordPress blog to a Drupal site featuring significantly more background and framework info, the project's second phase of coding and software design has ramped up, helping XC make the move from a planning architecture to a workable and distributable set of open source (OS) software components.The XC, geared toward academic libraries and scheduled to be released in summer 2009, will serve as a means for managing many different kinds of library metadata, including MARC, Dublin Core, and FRBRized records. On the new site, project managers add that they hope to initiate “a next phase of development to integrate the benefits of the RDA metadata standard once it is released.” In addition, XC “will enable library content to be revealed through other services that libraries may already be using, such as content management systems and learning management systems.” [...]"Via Library Journal (Source: pintiniblog) Sun, 16 Nov 2008 11:04:22 +0100 673175 http://liszen.com/trends/story.php?title=Assistant_Head_of_Technical_Services_and_Head_of_Cataloging Required: ALA-accredited MLS and a minimum of three years of experience with cataloging special collections in an academic or research library settin (Source: pligg - all) Sun, 16 Nov 2008 08:00:26 +0100 673122 http://www.lisnews.org/oclc_claims_ownership_data_opacs OCLC may be trying to pull something sneaky with its new policy of claiming contractual rights over the subsequent use of data created by OCLC. In other words, the data in library catalogues couldn't be used to make anything which competes with OCLC in any way. Needless to say, this would have a hash chilling effect on the creation of open databases of library content. As you might expect, the library blogosphere is on fire with the news. The podcast presenter at LISNews gave a commentary in the matter during LISTen #47. Story from Slashdot. (Source: LISNews - Librarian And Information Science News) Sun, 16 Nov 2008 02:59:28 +0100 673146 http://lisnews.org/oclc_claims_ownership_data_opacs OCLC may be trying to pull something sneaky with its new policy of claiming contractual rights over the subsequent use of data created by OCLC. In other words, the data in library catalogues couldn't be used to make anything which competes with OCLC in any way. Needless to say, this would have a hash chilling effect on the creation of open databases of library content. As you might expect, the library blogosphere is on fire with the news. The podcast presenter at LISNews gave a commentary in the matter during LISTen #47. Story from Slashdot. (Source: LISNews.org) Sun, 16 Nov 2008 02:59:28 +0100 673107 http://www.resourceshelf.com/2008/11/15/maelstrom-over-metadata/ Maelstrom Over Metadata A debate is carrying on in the undercurrents of the academic Web, pitting those who defend libraries’ core mission of open access against the membership organization that collects and operates a massive online catalog on which many of them rely. … In an attempt to protect WorldCat and the resources needed to keep it running, while making it sufficiently accessible to its members, OCLC announced a policy change that would have placed a notice in each record to the effect that it is governed by the WorldCat terms contained in an accompanying Web address — terms that could presumably change over time. Libraries would also be encouraged to add the text to a specific field within each of their own records that originated from WorldCat. Some bloggers interpreted the change as a power grab, an attempt to block libraries from using records for purposes that could conflict with OCLC’s goals. For example, some libraries are considering using their records to generate revenue to support their own growing operations, and that could fall into OCLC’s “commercial use” prohibition. Print-on-demand services, which make use of WorldCat records, could be affected; so could planned “discovery” interfaces that span dozens of libraries. Source: Inside Higher Ed (Source: ResourceShelf) Sat, 15 Nov 2008 21:26:48 +0100 672972 http://freegovinfo.info/node/2141 As promised, starting this week, Guide of the Week is supporting the "__ Days to Government Information Liberation" initiative by highlighting guides from the ALA GODORT Handout Exchange Wiki that shed light on important Presidential transition issues as defined by the Government Accountability Office's urgent issues page at http://www.gao.gov/transition_2009/urgent/. This page highlights the following 13 "urgent issues": oversight of financial institutions and markets, U.S. efforts in Iraq and Afghanistan, protecting the homeland, undisciplined defense spending, improving the U.S. image abroad, finalizing plans for the 2010 Census, caring for service members, preparing for public health emergencies, revamping oversight of food safety, restructuring the approach to surface transportation, retirement of the Space Shuttle, ensuring an effective transition to digital TV, and rebuilding military readiness. Today, we focus on oversight of financial institutions and markets. The Handout Exchange Wiki offers several items that look helpful: Banking, Banks and Credit Unions (University of Colorado at Boulder Government Publications Library, 2008) Government Documents on Banking (Bert Chapman, Purdue University, 1999) Last updated 3/10/2008 Housing (Bert Chapman, Purdue University, 2001) Last updated 3/10/2008 I've actually covered Bert Chapman's guide to housing in a prior edition of Guide of the Week, so I won't cover that guide in detail again. His banking guide provides the usual intro and helpful catalog terms. Then it highlights a number of resources helpful to monitoring oversight efforts, including: Annual Report Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. ... Sat, 15 Nov 2008 13:14:17 +0100 672898 http://www.slis.indiana.edu/careers/view_job_specific.php?job_id=4804 State: Florida http://www.library.miami.edu/about/employment/faculty_metadata.html The University of Miami Libraries seek a creative, enthusiastic professional for the position of Metadata Librarian. Reporting to the Head of Cataloging & Metadata Services, the Metadata Librarian provides leadership and guidance in the planning, development, creation, and implementation of metadata standards for the Libraries, and actively participates as a resource and liaison to the University community in regards to metadata practices. *THE UNIVERSITY: *The University of Miami is one of the nation's leading research universities in a community of extraordinary diversity and international vitality. The University is privately supported, non-sectarian institution, located in Coral Gables, Florida, on a 260-acre subtropical campus. The University comprises 11 degree granting schools and colleges, including Architecture, Arts and Sciences, Business Administration, Communication, Education, Engineering, Law, Medicine, Music, Nursing, and Marine and Atmospheric Science (www.miami.edu). ** *THE LIBRARY:* The University of Miami Libraries (www.library.miami.edu) ranks among the top 50 research libraries in North America with a combined collection of approximately 3 million volumes, 45,000 current serials, and over 29,000 E-journal titles. The University of Miami Libraries include, the Otto G. Richter Library which lies in the heart of the Gables campus, the Paul Buisson Architecture Library, the Judi Prokop Newman Business Information Resource Center, and the Marta & Austin Weeks Music Library, and the Marine and Atmospheric Science Library located at the Virginia Key campus. The campus also has an independent Medical and Law library. The Libraries provide support and services for approx. 10,100 undergraduates, 5,100 graduate students, and 10,000 full and part time faculty and staff. ... Sat, 15 Nov 2008 10:12:01 +0100 672836 http://liszen.com/trends/story.php?title=Careers_Metadata_Librarian_University_of_Miami_Libraries practice; One year of experience in a medium to large research library or similar organization; Cataloging experience in an academic library; Reading (Source: pligg - all) Sat, 15 Nov 2008 08:00:20 +0100 672817 http://micheladrien.blogspot.com/2008/11/courthouse-libraries-bc-new-cool.html Courthouse Libraries BC, which used to be known as the British Columbia Courthouse Library Society, has released a new version of its online catalogue using a visual display interface from Aquabrowser.As the promoters explain, the new catalogue offers:A Google-like simple search that accommodates variations in spelling and pluralizationRelevancy-ranked search resultsWord cloud displaying associated terms to help you find what you needOne-click options to refine your search by date of publication, subject and so onShaunna Mireau, the Library Manager at Field Law LLP in Edmonton, Alberta, has tested it and offers her comments at the collaborative Canadian law blog Slaw.ca. (Source: Library Boy) Sat, 15 Nov 2008 05:00:00 +0100 673045 http://www.libology.com/blog/2008/11/14/more-oclc-comments.html The debate about OCLC’s revision of their Policy for Use and Transfer of WorldCat Records is heating up.  The core issue appears to be the licensing of WorldCat records and the limitations imposed, namely that “data extracted from a WorldCat Record” cannot be used in anything that “substantially replicates the function, purpose, and/or size of WorldCat”. Aaron Swartz, with the Open Library project, has posted a really interesting overview of OCLC, although his intro suggests that he feels that the 800 pound gorilla comparison is closer to the mark.  He followed up with quotes from and comments about Karen Calhoun’s post to OCLC members.  He did not have a link to Karen’s post, and I wasn’t able to locate it via a search. There is a podcast on Panlibus of Karen Calhoun and Roy Tennant discussing the policy.  I haven’t had a chance to listen yet. Karen did post comments on November 4th on OCLC’s Metalogue blog.  Read the comments, especially Jonathan Rochkind’s (Nov 5, 1:41 p.m.); then check out his own blog posts on the topic (I would link to individual posts, but there are quite a few, and they are all worth reading — scroll back to November 3rd and read forward). I am still fairly certain that OCLC is taking on the tiger’s role:  territorial and instinctive.  The more thought I give to it, however, the stronger the argument for opening the records and information becomes:  the data doesn’t belong to anyone (and if it did, it would belong to the libraries that created it in the first place) and OCLC is playing a losing game if it insists on full ownership and control. (Source: LibrarySupportStaff.Org) Sat, 15 Nov 2008 03:26:29 +0100 672774 http://www.balladinplaine.com/new-bc-courthouse-library-catalogue/ One of the things I miss most about working in BC is the fantastic BC Courthouse Library system. This week’s news is just one more reason for that. They’ve now got a new name (Courthouse Libraries BC), URL (http://www.courthouselibrary.ca), look, and logo, and along with that, a fresh new interface for their library catalogue. Just check it out - it’s amazing! See more commentary at Slaw, VALL, and Vancouver Law Librarian Blog. I’ve always been a huge fan of the system’s approach to library service — so much so that I’ve ordered documents from them since I’ve been in MB, just because I knew it could easily be the fastest route to go! Courthouse Libraries BC serves a substantially larger user base than the Law Society library in Manitoba does. Understandably, because of that, it has a greater capability to offer outstanding resources. So while I really shouldn’t compare the two, it sure reminds me of how fortunate the BC law library community is. Congratulations to Virtual Library manager Mandy Ostick and everyone who helped get this project get to where it is. Way to go! (Source: Ballad in Plain E) Fri, 14 Nov 2008 21:29:26 +0100 673185 http://www.slaw.ca/2008/11/14/new-catalogue-at-courthouse-libraries-bc/ I spoke with Mandy Ostick, Manager, Virtual Library, Courthouse Libraries BC about their new beta web library catalogue built with Aquabrowser. Mandy shared that Courthouse Libraries BC chose Aquabrowser because it is a web interface for data from their existing Integrated Library System (Horizon). The implementation process for Aquabrowser took about a year. Aquabrowser is a rapidly growing company which presented some time frame challenges. Mandy finds there is great potential for adding more information pieces like Federated Search and having all those tools play nicely for a one stop shop that would include the wide range of knowledge pieces that Courthouse Libraries BC can share. I tested some of the features of the beta service from http://abl.courthouselibrary.ca/. The features Mandy highlighted are excellent: A Google-like simple search that accommodates variations in spelling and pluralization Relevancy-ranked search results Word cloud displaying associated terms to help you find what you need One-click options to refine your search by date of publication, subject and other options. My test search was “anton pillar”. The word cloud captured a few extraneous bits, but also gathered order, mareva, relief, injunction, precedent and stay. Double clicking on injunction brings us a great cloud example as well as the list of materials in the catalogue and some very relevant tools for narrowing the result. Courthouse Libraries BC catalogue cloud As you can see from the image above, applying word cloud functions to their library catalogue offering, along with the other excellent features from Aquabrowser gives Courthouse Libraries BC a very functional and visually appealing search site. Along with the new library catalogue, they have introduced a new brand identity: Courthouse Libraries BC. Great stuff all around! (Source: Slaw) Fri, 14 Nov 2008 20:06:08 +0100 672695 http://www.resourceshelf.com/2008/11/14/library-of-congress-library-merges-acquisition-and-cataloging-functions/ From the news release: The world’s largest library has redesigned the ways it receives and catalogs incoming materials in order to improve processing time dramatically and enhance the physical security of the collections. As result of the latest reorganization at the Library of Congress, a book acquired as a copyright deposit, purchase, gift or an exchange will go to one division instead of several for centralized processing—the ordering, cataloging, shelflisting, barcoding and other activities that enable users to find one particular book among more than 23.3 million unique titles in printed formats (plus another 8.9 million that are duplicate copies) held at the Library. See Also: New Chiefs Named in Library Reorganization Source: LC (Source: ResourceShelf) Fri, 14 Nov 2008 17:54:56 +0100 672501 http://www.selco.info/blogs/selco-librarian/archive/2008/11/14/want-your-locally-licensed-databases-in-the-new-selco-catalog Donovan Lambright, Automation Librarian <!-- /* Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-parent:""; margin:0in; margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";} a:link, span.MsoHyperlink {color:blue; text-decoration:underline; text-underline:single;} a:visited, span.MsoHyperlinkFollowed {color:purple; text-decoration:underline; text-underline:single;} span.EmailStyle16 {mso-style-type:personal; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-ansi-font-size:10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt; font-family:Arial; mso-ascii-font-family:Arial; mso-hansi-font-family:Arial; mso-bidi-font-family:Arial; color:windowtext;} @page Section1 {size:8.5in 11.0in; margin:1.0in 1.25in 1.0in 1.25in; mso-header-margin:.5in; mso-footer-margin:.5in; mso-paper-source:0;} div.Section1 {page:Section1;} --> As part of our planning for the upcoming AquaBrowser catalog implementation, SELCO is gathering information on research databases purchased locally by Online Libraries.  Along with the databases provided by the state and by SELCO, these databases will be searchable in the new catalog.  Please return, via email to me, the names of any databases your library has purchased that you would like in the new catalog by Friday, November 21.  I realize that MLA is coming up but we need a quick turnaround on this question in order to get contract negotiations moving.  In case you are wondering, locally licensed databases will be searchable only by patrons who are entitled to access.  There are several means of achieving this and we are still working out the method that will work best for us.  You can rest assured however, that including your databases in the catalog will not automatically make them accessible to the entire region and thus violate your license agreement with the database vendor. ... Fri, 14 Nov 2008 15:23:34 +0100 672528 http://libraryjuicepress.com/blog/?p=792 I have not been following this, but apparently OCLC has issued proposed new policy guidelines that would allow it to claim ownership of its catalog records, with serious consequences for libraries and other organizations that use information about books. Aaron Swartz (of Open Library) puts it in context on his blog in a post from yesterday. I have a feeling many people reading this know more about it than I do. Please comment and link to bring me and readers up to speed. This seems like an important development. (Source: Library Juice) Fri, 14 Nov 2008 14:06:56 +0100 673042 http://librarywriting.blogspot.com/2008/11/cfp-nrmig-ala-annual-09-program-on.html CFP: NRMIG ALA Annual 09 Program on Workflow Tools for Automating Metadata Creation and MaintenanceALCTS NRMIG (Networked Resources and Metadata Interest Group) invites your proposal to participate in a program on workflow tools for digital libraries, to take place at the ALA Annual Conference in Chicago, July 9-15, 2009.With the increasing volume of digital content that libraries are creating and maintaining, long-term data curation is emerging as a key consideration for the profession. In order to support data preservation and re-use on a local level, as well as facilitate resource sharing, library professionals need practical tools to help them efficiently manage large volumes of data over time. What types of tools and techniques do you utilize to automate the creation and maintenance of metadata?Presentations should focus on current practices and new technologies, and include concrete demonstrations and/or examples of automated workflow tools and techniques employed at a local level or in collaborative endeavors. Specific implementations may cover a wide range of topics, including but not limited to:-Digital preservation of assets and collections-Data production, or validation of metadata, to comply with a particular schema or protocol-Data migration / interoperability across systems or applications-Interoperability, data harvesting, e.g., for resource sharing-Data production in distributed environments-Open source or proprietary software tools-Tips or techniques for working with particular standards and protocolsThe program forum will be a panel, in which each participant has from 20-30 minutes to present, followed by a Q & A period at the end of the program. To submit a proposal for presentation, please email a brief description of your proposed topic to Joanna Burgess at burgessj@reed.edu by November 21, 2008. ... Fri, 14 Nov 2008 14:02:00 +0100 672473 http://www.wislisjobs.com/public.htm The Waukesha Public Library is accepting applications for a part-time Librarian I in adult/information services. The Library is seeking a flexible, public service-oriented individual who is interested in adult reference, readers advisory services, and collection development. Responsibilities include: - Assisting customers in the use of the online catalog, reference sources, websites, databases, and various microcomputer software programs - Answering reference questions, including those of a difficult or involved nature - Explaining library services and policies - Providing readers advisory services to teens and adults - Selecting print and non-print materials in assigned subject areas - Creating and implementing programs targeted for specific population groups - Maintaining files of specialized collections such as government documents or pamphlets - Serving on various committees within the library and county library system Regular schedule includes weekdays, evenings, and Saturdays. Schedule will also include Sundays, per the union contract. Schedule flexibility essential. Graduation from an accredited four-year college or university, supplemented by an ALA accredited Masters Degree in library sciences, or an equivalent combination of training and experience which provides the necessary knowledge, abilities, and skills. Bilingual applicants are encouraged to apply. Salary range: $21.44 - $23.98 per hour. Pro-rated benefits include sick leave, funeral leave, holidays, vacation, and life insurance. Apply by 5:00 p.m. on Monday, December 1, 2008 with resume and letter of interest to: Jane Ameel, Library Director Waukesha Public Library 321 Wisconsin Avenue Waukesha, WI 53186 Application form is available at www.waukesha.lib.wi.us Applications for this 20-hr. per week position will be accepted until December 1, 2008, at 5:00 p.m. (Source: Wislisjobs Public Library Jobs) Fri, 14 Nov 2008 12:32:32 +0100 672848 http://www.wislisjobs.com The Waukesha Public Library is accepting applications for a part-time Librarian I in adult/information services. The Library is seeking a flexible, public service-oriented individual who is interested in adult reference, readers advisory services, and collection development. Responsibilities include: - Assisting customers in the use of the online catalog, reference sources, websites, databases, and various microcomputer software programs - Answering reference questions, including those of a difficult or involved nature - Explaining library services and policies - Providing readers advisory services to teens and adults - Selecting print and non-print materials in assigned subject areas - Creating and implementing programs targeted for specific population groups - Maintaining files of specialized collections such as government documents or pamphlets - Serving on various committees within the library and county library system Regular schedule includes weekdays, evenings, and Saturdays. Schedule will also include Sundays, per the union contract. Schedule flexibility essential. Graduation from an accredited four-year college or university, supplemented by an ALA accredited Masters Degree in library sciences, or an equivalent combination of training and experience which provides the necessary knowledge, abilities, and skills. Bilingual applicants are encouraged to apply. Salary range: $21.44 - $23.98 per hour. Pro-rated benefits include sick leave, funeral leave, holidays, vacation, and life insurance. Apply by 5:00 p.m. on Monday, December 1, 2008 with resume and letter of interest to: Jane Ameel, Library Director Waukesha Public Library 321 Wisconsin Avenue Waukesha, WI 53186 Application form is available at www.waukesha.lib.wi.us Applications for this 20-hr. per week position will be accepted until December 1, 2008, at 5:00 p.m. (Source: Wislisjobs) Fri, 14 Nov 2008 12:31:30 +0100 673145 http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/teleread/KHnj/~3/452844089/ The British Booksellers Association weighed in against the Google settlement. Now the European Booksellers Federation speaks out as well. Here is its statement: The European Booksellers Federation, on behalf of its membership, makes the following comments in response to the announcement in the US by the Authors Guild, the Association of American Publishers (AAP) and Google on 28th October 2008 of a settlement that would expand online access to millions of in-copyright books and other written materials in the US from the collections of a number of major U.S. libraries participating in Google Book Search. Google is an undisputed global leader in content provision and has revolutionised accessibility of content across our planet and for this, and other ground breaking digital development, it must be applauded. In respect of its latest announcement, and other announcements that have been in support of it, the EBF does wish to express some clear concerns: As such a dominant player in the online world, Google will occupy a unique gateway position that, if abused, will inevitably create a de facto monopoly. A situation where competition is removed from the market place by such a dominant player cannot, ultimately, be good for the consumer and would be highly damaging for cultural diversity in the European Union, if Google was planning to extend its policy in the US to Europe. As pointed out by one of EBF’s Members, the agreement is like a Trojan horse on which Google advances to take over the worldwide dissemination of knowledge and culture “…this amounts to an expropriation of authors through the backdoor. The issue is not to acquire the inalienable rights of authors through a “golden hand shake“”. The only way in which an author can guard his or her rights under the proposed settlement is to register the works of which he or she is the originator in a catalogue of book rights. ... Fri, 14 Nov 2008 11:35:02 +0100 672565 http://www.lisjobs.com/jobs/item.asp?ID=40091 Assistant Head of Technical Services and Head of Cataloging (Source: Combined Library Job Postings - Lisjobs.com and Library Job Postings on the Internet) Fri, 14 Nov 2008 06:01:00 +0100 672918 http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/DrwebsDomain/~3/453105425/slashdot-non-profit-org-claims-rights-in-library-catalog-data.html Slashdot | Non-Profit Org Claims Rights In Library Catalog Data. Non-Profit Org Claims Rights In Library Catalog DataPosted by timothy on Thursday November 13, @02:48PM from the paging-dr-gracenote dept. Books The Almighty Buck lamona writes"The main source of the bibliographic records that are carried in library databases is a non-profit organization called OCLC. Over the weekend OCLC 'leaked' its new policy that claims contractual rights in the subsequent uses of the data, uses such as downloading book information into Zotero or other bibliographic software. The policy explicitly forbids any use that would compete with OCLC. This would essentially rule out the creation of free and open databases of library content, such as the Open Library and LibraryThing. The library blogosphere is up in arms . But can our right to say: "Twain, Mark. The adventures of Tom Sawyer" be saved?" (Source: DrWeb's Domain) Fri, 14 Nov 2008 05:00:00 +0100 673261 http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/DrwebsDomain/~3/453117767/stealing-your-library-the-oclc-powergrab-aaron-swartzs-raw-thought.html Stealing Your Library: The OCLC Powergrab (Aaron Swartz's Raw Thought). Raw Thought: Stealing Your Library: The OCLC Powergrab This is the story of a monster, a sorcerer's apprentice, a nice little thing that's grown and grown until it's gotten out of hand and turned on its creators. It's the story of a little-known organization called OCLC (the Online Computer Library Center) that is -- no joke -- trying to steal your library, all of our libraries, for itself. OCLC was founded in 1967 by Fred Kilgour, a pioneering Ohio librarian, with a simple idea: Instead of having every library in the country separately catalog a book -- laboriously entering its title, author, and subjects in just the right format -- why not have one person enter the cataloging information, upload it to a central computer, and then let everyone else download a copy from there? It was called WorldCat, for World Catalog, and it's been a resounding success. Today it has around 50 million book records. But OCLC, the group that owns and operates it, has been a different story. It started small -- a little office in Ohio, a set of membership dues to share the cost of running the servers. But OCLC's control passed from librarians and academics to business people (its senior executive comes from consulting firm Deloitte & Touche). They realized they had a monopoly on their hands and as costs for running servers have gone down, their prices have gone up. They charge you once to get your records added to WorldCat and charge you again to get them back out and charge you a third time for a whole series of additional fees and services. And these prices are high. ... Fri, 14 Nov 2008 05:00:00 +0100 673260 http://vancouverlawlib.blogspot.com/2008/11/courthouse-libraries-bc-launches.html Big changes of late at the library formerly known as the "BC Courthouse Library". Yes, they've changed their name, their logo, and most excitingly, launched a beta version of their new online catalogue!Courthouse Libraries BC, as they will now be known, also have a fresh new look. You can read about their new brand identity over at the What's New blog.And... how about that new catalogue?The new beta catalogue runs on the Aquabrowser platform, and might just be the first installation for a law library! It works as a skin to the traditional catalogue interface, and offers an uncluttered and aesthetically pleasing look. Most immediately noticeable is the word cloud, which forms after every initial search. Thus suggesting alternative spellings, stemming of your terms, and controlled vocabulary associations between terms.You can also type in a broad term such as "family law" and you'll be presented with a word cloud that offers suggestions for narrowing by jurisdiction and sub-topic. You can refine your search immediate by publication date (for instance, in the last 3, 10, or 50 years), by subject heading, by author, location, or media type.The search syntax defaults to a boolean AND between terms. There's also an advanced search screen for users wanting more control.Finally, you can read more about the Courthouse Libraries BC and their new Aquabrowser catalogue over at Slaw, where Shaunna Mireau has just posted about it. But seeing is believing - go check it out! (Source: Vancouver Law Librarian Blog) Fri, 14 Nov 2008 05:00:00 +0100 672853 http://www.stcharleslibrary.org/blog/jobs/2008/11/acquisitions_assistant.html ACQUISITIONS ASSISTANT: (Part time 33 hours per week) Schedule: Daytime - Monday through Friday, 6-7 hours per day. Will work with a team of 10 professionals and para-professionals. Duties: Place orders and check-in materials. Qualifications: High School Diploma required. Must have good typing skills. Computer and Internet experience required. Experience and knowledge of SIRSI Cataloging system preferred. Starting Salary: From $12.45 to 15.55/hour depending on experience. Resumes and applications will be accepted until November 26, 2008. (Source: Positions Available) Fri, 14 Nov 2008 05:00:00 +0100 672844 http://www.stcharleslibrary.org/blog/jobs/2008/11/cataloging_librarian_2.html CATALOGING LIBRARIAN: (Part time) Schedule: 16-18 hours per week, daytime Mon-Fri hours. Will work with a team of 10 professionals and para-professionals. Duties include cataloging juvenile and adult books and AV items, adding new bibliographic records into the on-line catalog, maintaining catalog records, and utilizing OCLC in editing and creating records. Qualifications: ALA accredited MLS or MLIS degree required. Knowledge of DDC, SCM, LCRI, LCSH, and MARC formats required. Experience with OCLC and Integrated Library System preferred. Starting Salary: Starting at $19.78 (Level I) or $20.52 (Level II) depending on experience. Resumes and applications will be accepted until position filled. (Source: Positions Available) Fri, 14 Nov 2008 05:00:00 +0100 672840 http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ConversationalReading/~3/kTuWbpikKQU/weekend-conte-1.html The Jewish Quarterly, "Irène Némirovsky and the Death of the Critic" by Tadzio Koelb. The rebirth of the author becomes the death of the critic:The publishers of Suite Française take little credit for its market success, but some details of the marketing campaign suggest this is false modesty. It would be an understatement to suggest that Suite Française enjoyed a much larger marketing budget than most foreign work; it was, in fact, Chatto & Windus’s second largest budget for that year; posters were displayed in the London tube, a series of major trade promotions were pursued with large booksellers, including Waterstone’s, Borders, Books Etc. and Amazon, and advertisements were placed in all the catalogues to target independent booksellers. Much of this expensive marketing focused on Némirovsky’s own fate; the press release that accompanied review copies, for example, devotes around one hundred words to the two novels, their content and themes, and over 340 words to what it calls ‘The story behind the book’. Most journalists seemingly took their cue from this, and certainly the great majority of reviews and other articles which appeared soon after publication embraced the ‘lost book by a dead author’ angle: ‘The novel in the suitcase’ (The Guardian); ‘History in a suitcase’ (The Herald); ‘War epic trapped in a suitcase’ (Sunday Express); ‘Hidden Treasure’ (Financial Times); ‘Lost and found’ (New Statesman); and so on. Some used the darker aspects of the author’s life to raise the stakes when looking for headlines: ‘Doomed to brilliance’, said The Scotsman. A week later, the Daily Mail offered its review under the title ‘She died in Auschwitz but her legend lives’. The Mail on Sunday topped this with ‘Genius with a tragic ending’. The content of these articles tended to match their headlines for focus. ... Fri, 14 Nov 2008 05:00:00 +0100 672716 http://www.libraryjournal.com/article/CA6614559.html?rssid=191 Enables library to speed processing, respond to changes in bibliographic control. (Source: Library Journal News) Fri, 14 Nov 2008 01:47:49 +0100 672208 http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/infoisland/~3/452364878/ From Victoria Peterson We are proud to announce the formation of a new Colorado Association of Libraries (CAL) Interest Group, the Second Life Interest Group (SLIG). SLIG was formed by unanimous vote at the November CAL Board meeting. The purpose of the group is to: Explore new ways of doing digital outreach, networking and public relations in order to promote Colorado and its libraries (including but not limited to academic, public, special, and school) on the virtual world of Second Life Build a Colorado Association of Libraries presence on Second Life through a new virtual library that will represent the combined efforts of the aforementioned Colorado libraries and their library staff. This new library, “the Sustainable Living Library” on the sim Emerald City, will represent best practices for living an ecologically conscious life. Through virtual workshops, conferences, and links to “green websites”, the community of Second Life as well as real life patrons will learn more about their environment and how to save it. The “Sustainable Living Library” will make available to the community of Second Life the online public access catalogs of Colorado libraries associated with this new library and any programs or activities that promote Colorado, its libraries, or CAL. The Mission Statement of the Sustainable Living Library: The Sustainable Living Library of Second Life is committed to creating better and healthier lives for ourselves and our children through sustainable living practices. By developing workshops, exhibits and other resources, we strive to educate our visitors about green practices and other ways to sustain healthy lives and a healthy planet. SLIG will be meeting soon in the virtual world of Second Life. Interest group members and all others are encouraged to attend this virtual meeting. ... Fri, 14 Nov 2008 00:17:37 +0100 672805 http://freegovinfo.info/node/2137 So, where are we at? Yesterday and today were one of those Rubicon moments -- reminding me once again how librarians repeatedly throw themselves across the chasm that lies between the digital and paper shores; a kind of human bridge to bear the burden of our user's information needs. Digital tools are great, and add greatly to the strength or span of our bibliographic structures -- but in the end, it more often than not comes down to just how much the librarian in the breach knows about both worlds that makes the journey across either a success or abject failure. Let me be specific. Yesterday morning I finally met a person who was only an exchange of emails to me. He was searching for a digital copy of the Treaty of Vienna. I couldn't find it, so we agreed to walk into the paper world together and we met at the old fashioned reference desk. Reflecting on the insights of Thomas Mann's two articles about the essential connections between reference and cataloging -- it took me about 15 minutes to find a set of reference books that contained the original text of the treaty. It was really a matter of "generalizing" the LC subject headings and finding the one that referred to a collection of the treaty texts in five easy volumes. I know for us librarians this is a cake walk; but I am surprised how much the use and influence of the web and ubiquitous key word searching has wiped this once common research practice from our user community's collective experience. The other public service moment remains virtual as well and involved the grand jury report on the shooting of Fred Hampton. Using the web, he found a link to the report on the National Criminal Justice Reference Service, but he wasn't sure how to get a copy of the report through this mechanism. ... Thu, 13 Nov 2008 22:05:48 +0100 672174 http://pintini.blogspirit.com/archive/2008/11/13/la-lc-fusionne-ses-services-d-acquisitions-et-de-catalograph.html LC Merges Acquisition and Cataloging(source: Library Journal)- Effort will speed processing time- Will help LC respond to changes in bibliographic control- New division chiefs namedThe Library of Congress (LC) announced today it has merged its Acquisition and Cataloging departments in order both to speed processing time and enhance the physical security of the collections. Now books will go to one division instead of several for centralized processing. "The new organizational structure--the Acquisitions and Bibliographic Access Directorate (ABA),” said ABA Director Beacher Wiggins in a news release, “fully merges acquisitions and cataloging functions, streamlines workflows and deploys staff to take advantage of their unique language and subject skills." Now digital materials will be processed along with those in other formats. (Source: pintiniblog) Thu, 13 Nov 2008 21:36:16 +0100 672736 http://www.swissarmylibrarian.net/2008/11/13/what-is-necessary-what-is-possible A little while ago, I got the idea to visually represent the official relationships that exist around a public library. Turns out, it was more involved than I thought, and the resulting figure wasn’t what I initially conceived. This came about during a conference I attended. I was thinking about library services, and why some good ideas get implemented while others don’t, and why libraries offer some things that seem to be of no use to anyone. This started me down the path of getting to the root of “why” and “how,” which I came to refer to as “What is Necessary” and “What is Possible.” The figure shown here is what I came up with (and evidence of my mad graphic design skills). The center triangle are the relationships between the public library (in blue, in the middle), the people we serve (on the top) and the people who serve us (on the bottom). The two big arrows on either side are the flow of needs and reality - somewhere in the middle the public library is trying to reconcile the two. What is Necessary Reading from the top down, the needs of our patrons are basically what drives everything that goes on in a library. Be it helping kids with homework, finding recipes, or preserving historical information for future generations, the needs of our patrons are What is Necessary for the library to provide. To meet these needs, we can fall back on various groups that are in place to support the library (bottom of the triangle): if we need funding, we can request it from the various funding sources (state, local, Friends, etc. ... Thu, 13 Nov 2008 20:44:08 +0100 672125 http://lisstlouis.wordpress.com/2008/11/13/ll-chat-cassandra-stokes/ Recently, I sat down to talk with Cassandra Stokes, the Digital Projects Librarian at Washington University in St. Louis, to learn what digital projects the office is currently working on and what she does in a days’ time. What is a typical day like for you? Urban Books website created by Digital Library Services at Washington University My days are really varied and my focus shifts every couple of months from one area to another. There are always emails to answer, library related events to attend, and committee and collection work. Other than developing digital projects I serve on a number of library committees, mostly related to usability and increased access to electronic resources. One I’m currently working on is the Next Generation Catalog Overlay Committee in which we have been reviewing products such as Aquabrowser, Primo, and Endeca. We will be implementing one of these products shortly. In my position I also have the opportunity to attend many non-library related conferences, such as Digital Humanities, TEI Members’ Meeting, and the Chicago Colloquium on Digital Humanities and Computer Science. I found the Digital Humanities conference to be especially good because it brings together librarians, faculty, and students involved in Humanities Computing projects. What digital projects are you working on? We have many projects under development, but one that I’ve been spending a lot of time on lately is the Urban Books project. We partnered with a faculty member at the Sam Fox School of Design & Visual Arts who teaches a course on Urban Books. They had previously received a grant to develop an artists’ books collection and we’ve been helping them create a digital version of the original books along with artist supplied tags or keywords. The digital collection includes graphic novels for the students to use in their study as well as student created books that are a final project of the course. ... Thu, 13 Nov 2008 20:41:16 +0100 672652 http://www.librarystuff.net/2008/11/13/non-profit-org-claims-rights-in-library-catalog-data/ Read more on Slashdot (Source: Library Stuff) Thu, 13 Nov 2008 20:22:02 +0100 672116 http://lisstlouis.wordpress.com/2008/11/13/stl-lis-job-roundup-academic-3/ Please find the list below! I’ve included new and ongoing searches. Library Coordinator of Technical Services Harris-Stowe State University Catalog and Metadata Librarian SIUE Circulation Assistant St. Louis College of Pharmacy Circulation Manager Stephens College Head, Undergraduate Library University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign Government Documents Librarian University of Missouri, Columbia Library Information Assistant University of Missouri, Columbia Clinical Librarian Washington University in St. Louis Interlibrary Loan Supervisor Washington University in St. Louis More Opportunities        (Source: lisstlouis) Thu, 13 Nov 2008 17:13:30 +0100 672653 http://catalogablog.blogspot.com/2008/11/opensearch-and-unapi-enrichs-cataloges.html SeeAlso: A Simple Linkserver Protocol by Jakob Voss appears in Ariadne no. 57 (October 2008)In recent years the principle of Service-oriented Architecture (SOA) has grown increasingly important in digital library systems. More and more core functionalities are becoming available in the form of Web-based, standardised services which can be combined dynamically to operate across a broader environment [1]. Standard APIs for searching (SRU [2] [3], OpenSearch [4]), harvesting and syndication (OAI-OMH [5], ATOM [6]), copying (unAPI [7] [8]), publishing, editing (AtomPub [9], Jangle [10], SRU Update [11]), and more basic library operations, either already exist or are being developed.The creation of the SeeAlso linkserver protocol was occasioned by the need to enrich title views in library catalogues of the German Common Library Network (GBV) with links to additional information. However, instead of integrating those links into title records and tailoring the presentation to our specific OPAC software, we decided to create a general linkserver Web service. (Source: Catalogablog) Thu, 13 Nov 2008 16:23:00 +0100 672051 http://joblist.ala.org/modules/jobseeker/controller.cfm?rssjobid=12233 Cataloging Librarian I (Morehead State University, Kentucky) (Source: Latest ALA Job Listings) Thu, 13 Nov 2008 16:21:01 +0100 672002 http://www.bccls.bc.ca/cms/index.cfm?group_id=87461 We are delighted to offer a new version of our library catalogue for our users to try. The new catalogue offers: A Google-like simple search that accommodates variations in spelling and pluralization Relevancy-ranked search results Word cloud displaying associated terms to help you find what you need One-click options to refine your search by date of publication, subject and so on Please try the new catalogue and let us know what you think! (Source: BC Courthouse Library Society News) Thu, 13 Nov 2008 16:00:00 +0100 672047 http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/TameTheWeb/~3/451893090/ Kathryn Greenhill reports on Liz Wilkinson, University of