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 Personnel/HR/Jobs interest group. http://www.libworm.com/rss/librarianqueries.php Fri, 05 Aug 2011 02:52:38 +0100 FeedCreator 1.7.2 http://catalogablog.blogspot.com/2011/03/interview-with-janet-swan-hill.html "Everything about our discipline is about meta data." Interview with Janet Swan Hill.This is Arro Smith. I am here with Janet Swan Hill. We are in Washington D.C. at the 2010 American Library Annual Conference. She has agreed to be interviewed. This interview will be part of the Capturing Our Stories Oral History Program of Retired or Retiring Librarians. It is one of Loriene Roy’s American Library Association Presidential Initiatives. This recording will be the property of ALA and may be published and used for scholarly research. Today is June 26 th, 2010. (Source: Catalogablog) Wed, 23 Mar 2011 04:00:00 +0100 895902 http://www.emeraldinsight.com/10.1108/01435121111112880 Abstract: Purpose – This paper intends to throw light on major challenges and opportunities the twenty-first century has brought to librarianship due to the emerging academic culture, and growing use of information and communication technologies (ICTs) in Pakistan. Design/methodology/approach – The content is based on the literature, personal communication with national and foreign peers, the writer's 25 years' experience, observation and research in the field of librarianship. Findings – Libraries in developing countries are being significantly affected by the ongoing ICT developments from basic infrastructure to collections to services to needed human resources. All quarters of the community need vision and preparedness to turn challenges into opportunities, and instead of being chaotic make change that is productive for society and themselves. It appeared that the overall growth in librarianship is much better since the dawn of the twenty-first century. Originality/value – The new aspects discussed in the context of Pakistan may provide guidelines for future planning, and growth of professional and libraries. It is assumed that the situation is similar to other developing countries. So, the work will be useful in creating awareness among professionals of other countries. (Source: Library Management : Table of Contents) Mon, 21 Feb 2011 02:05:05 +0100 895882 http://meadvillelibrary.org/news-events/new-years-holiday.html The library will be closed for the New Year’s holiday on Friday, December 31st and Saturday, January 1st. Normal hours will resume on Monday, January 3rd. (Source: Meadville Public Library) Fri, 31 Dec 2010 09:10:04 +0100 895772 http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2010/dec/31/top-books-hits-of-2010 No surprise on such a literate site that everybody wanted to read some of the best living authors' advice on writing and worrying about literature in the age of Twitter. Elsewhere readers were compelled by children's books, accidental cookbook racism and allegedly unsuitable dictionariesThe wind howls, the snow swirls, the seagulls are picking their way across the frozen canal outside and it's time once more to look back at the stories you've actually been reading in the year of Freedom, aka the second coming of Franzen. Pausing only to mumble the usual invocations to the gods of number-crunching, in the traditional spirit of honesty and openness, let's wrap up warmly against the chill and investigate the dizzy heights of the year in books.Except, darn it, I've gone and wrecked it all, right there. If only I'd paid a little more attention to our top story of 2010, Ten rules for writing fiction. Take a look at line one. "Never open a book with weather," declares Elmore Leonard, and given the stern nature of his other nine rules ("Never use a verb other than 'said' to carry dialogue", "Never use the words 'suddenly' or 'all hell broke loose', "Try to leave out the part that readers tend to skip"), I feel sure that the great man would be equally unforgiving of meteorological openings in journalism.With contributions from luminaries such as Anne Enright, Margaret Atwood, Neil Gaiman and, um, Jonthan Franzen, which run the gamut from wise to witty, spanning the territory from heartfelt to jaundiced along the way, it's not hard to see why these pithy recommendations have proved so popular. Not only do they contain more good sense than my family cookbook, but they also cast a fascinating light on the way the authors approach the task themselves. Consider Diana Athill, whose "only by having no inessential words can every essential word be made to count" seems only a whisker away from being a motto for life. ... Fri, 31 Dec 2010 09:00:01 +0100 895784 http://joblist.ala.org/modules/jobseeker/controller.cfm?rssjobid=16356 Library Support Technician / Librarian I (University of Maine, Maine) Library Support Technician: Maine InfoNet and The University of Maine System Libraries invite applications from service-oriented individuals for the position of Library Support Technician / Librarian I.  The Library Support Technician provides technical and customer support for online library services made available through Maine InfoNet, the University of Maine System, and the Maine State Library.  This position provides first level support for various online library services managed through Maine InfoNet, such as the URSUS catalog and University, system and statewide research tools, and the Maine InfoNet Download Library. ... Fri, 31 Dec 2010 05:20:02 +0100 895749 http://www.teleread.com/paul-biba/people-will-pay-for-digital-content-says-pew-internet-american-life-project/ From the press release: Nearly two-thirds of internet users — 65% — have paid to download or access some kind of online content from the internet, ranging from movies to games to news articles.  Music, software, and apps are the most popular content that internet users have paid to access or download, although the range of paid online content is quite varied and widespread. In a survey of 755 internet users between 28 October and 1 November 2010, we asked the following question: “Please tell me if you have ever paid to access or to download any of the following types of online content?” And we found:·        33% of internet users have paid for digital music online·        33% have paid for software·        21% have paid for apps for their cell phones or tablet computers·        19% have paid for digital games·        18% have paid for digital newspaper, magazine, or journal articles or reports·        16% have paid for videos, movies, or TV shows·        15% have paid for ringtones·        12% have paid for digital photos·        11% have paid for members-only premium content from a website that has other free material on it·        10% have paid for e-books·        7% have paid for podcasts·        5% have paid for tools or materials to use in video or computer games·        5% have paid for “cheats or codes” to help them in video games·        5% have paid to access particular websites such as online dating sites or services·        2% have paid for adult content And 6% of internet users said they had paid for another kind of content that had not been mentioned in the list of 15 we queried. ... Thu, 30 Dec 2010 17:06:09 +0100 895704 http://joblist.ala.org/modules/jobseeker/controller.cfm?rssjobid=16353 Program Manager - Maine Shared Collections Strategy Grant (University of Maine, Maine) Fogler Library, University of Maine, Orono seeks a creative and dynamic librarian for a contingent on funding position, with grant funding for three years. ... Thu, 30 Dec 2010 16:20:02 +0100 895653 http://joblist.ala.org/modules/jobseeker/controller.cfm?rssjobid=16337 Dewey Decimal Classification Intern (OCLC Online Computer Library Center, Inc., District of Columbia) OCLC Online Computer Library Center, Inc. is a nonprofit, membership, computer library service and research organization dedicated to the public purposes of furthering access to the world's information and reducing information costs. Tens of thousands of libraries around the world use OCLC services to locate, acquire, catalog, lend and preserve library materials. We are currently seeking candidates for a Dewey Decimal Classification Intern position. The work location for the assignment will be the Dewey Editorial Office, Library of Congress, in Washington D.C. ... Thu, 30 Dec 2010 03:20:02 +0100 895577 http://www.teleread.com/paul-biba/the-online-future-of-australian-journalism-as-seen-by-the-industry-itself/ I’m a journalist, and a member of the journalists union, the Media Entertainment and Arts Alliance (of which the Australian Journalists Association, the AJA, forms part). All members receive a monthly magazine with news and in-depth articles about the industry, but this year is special – it’s 100 years since a wily bunch of Aussie scribblers formed the AJA. So, a century into Australian journalism proper, the union has published a report of the state of the industry, and where it expects the future to lay. (SPOILER: online). The report is called Life in the Clickstream II (a similar report came out two years ago), and I thought I’d share some of it (less than 10% of course, to keep my copyright nose clean!) with you. Keep in mind that this is the industry talking (through the report) about where they are and where they are going, not me. The state of play It’s ugly out there right now. In the federal secretary’s foreword, he talks about the “carnage” that had been forecast for the industry, and how it has been mitigated slightly by the appearance of news apps for phones and tablet computers like the iPad. But the operative word is “slightly”. All the graphs are sliding downwards. In Australia, the industry is on better shape than in the US or UK, but that’s no great prize. Hundreds of journalists no longer have full-time jobs, but here they are finding themselves in part-time or casual positions. I guess it’s better than being laid off. In the US the drop in print newspaper circulations are roughly 30%, in the UK about 20% overall. In AU, the decline is about 3% – the second-best result behind Austria in the Western world. New Zealand fared worse, dropping 13%. So it could be worse. But all but two major metro newspapers lost circulation here, and corresponding sales falls mean that the industry knows it needs to phase in a Plan B. It’s already doing so. ... Wed, 29 Dec 2010 14:21:15 +0100 895516 http://www.teleread.com/chris-meadows/interview-pete-abrams-sluggy-freelance-cartoonist-part-three-of-three/ In this third portion of the interview, I asked about the plotting process, plans for the future, and whether Pete had been inspired by particular sources. Previously: Part One, Part Two Me: You talked in the past about how the huge plot that you’ve woven together in Sluggy over the years has drawn toward a close. You said you didn’t want to start any new plot arcs until that was finished. What happens when it’s finished? Do you start another decade-long story arc? Pete: That’s the thing, I have the freedom to make the choice at that point. That’s why, every time I’m asked the question I’ve never said definitively I’m going to stop the strip. I basically have to see where I am when I get there, because there’s definitely more stories I could be telling. But at this point there’s so many things that are unanswered, I almost want to answer everything, wrap everything up exactly the way I want to, and then see from that point where it will continue. And if it will continue. But as I’ve also said, at the rate I’m going, it’ll probably take ten more years for me to get there. So it’s not going away anytime soon. Me: Something about Sluggy Freelance seems to be very polarizing in some ways. It seems a lot of people either love serious stuff and hate the broad parodies, or vice versa—so no matter what kind of story arc you’re doing, some significant fraction of your fandom is annoyed at any given time. Why do you think that is? Does it ever influence your decisions in writing scripts? Pete: Well, I can answer the second part of that easier. No, it doesn’t influence me at all. I have a good gut instinct for what I want to do and how I want to do things. And I’ve been doing that for ten years, and there’s never been any time I could point to where fan influences caused me to adjust them. ... Wed, 29 Dec 2010 13:15:00 +0100 895518 http://hurstassociates.blogspot.com/2010/12/wayback-wednesday-digitization-101-2010.html As I do at the end of each year, I want to spent time looking back at the last 12 months with a few lists and more.I see four trends as I scan the horizon:Digitization is no longer an exceptional activity. While digitization is not a normal activity still for many organizations, it is much more mainstream that is was several years ago.  Look around...can you find a workshop on digitization or on scanning?  Yes, they still exist, but they are definitely not as prevalent as they were before.  Those that haven't jumped on the "digitization train" yet are finding themselves left behind.  (I should note that universities are offering courses on digitization, digital libraries, etc., which go into more depth and which are attracting a high number of students. These courses prepare the students for the growing number of digital library positions that are being advertised.) In the same vein, one thing to notice is that digitization is no longer in the news as it has been. It is no longer that shiny object that captures the media's attention.  For a while, Google Book Search kept digitization in the news, but even that story is no longer capturing headlines as the sides work toward an agreement. Digital preservation is where most of the action is in terms of conversations, conference sessions, research, etc.  This is true because we are a digital society and if we cannot ensure long term access to our digital content, we're doomed.  Losing digital content could mean losing the data and information that we need to run our governments, businesses, academic institutions, etc.  It could also mean losing our history.If you are not thinking about how to ensure long-term access to your digital content, please begin thinking about it now. You might even make it a New Year's resolution. (Yes, do jump on the digital preservation bandwagon. ... Wed, 29 Dec 2010 05:00:00 +0100 895638 http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Digitization101/~3/ZBLCRLdWjMs/wayback-wednesday-digitization-101-2010.html As I do at the end of each year, I want to spent time looking back at the last 12 months with a few lists and more.I see four trends as I scan the horizon:Digitization is no longer an exceptional activity. While digitization is not a normal activity still for many organizations, it is much more mainstream that is was several years ago.  Look around...can you find a workshop on digitization or on scanning?  Yes, they still exist, but they are definitely not as prevalent as they were before.  Those that haven't jumped on the "digitization train" yet are finding themselves left behind.  (I should note that universities are offering courses on digitization, digital libraries, etc., which go into more depth and which are attracting a high number of students. These courses prepare the students for the growing number of digital library positions that are being advertised.) In the same vein, one thing to notice is that digitization is no longer in the news as it has been. It is no longer that shiny object that captures the media's attention.  For a while, Google Book Search kept digitization in the news, but even that story is no longer capturing headlines as the sides work toward an agreement. Digital preservation is where most of the action is in terms of conversations, conference sessions, research, etc.  This is true because we are a digital society and if we cannot ensure long term access to our digital content, we're doomed.  Losing digital content could mean losing the data and information that we need to run our governments, businesses, academic institutions, etc.  It could also mean losing our history.If you are not thinking about how to ensure long-term access to your digital content, please begin thinking about it now. You might even make it a New Year's resolution. (Yes, do jump on the digital preservation bandwagon. ... Wed, 29 Dec 2010 05:00:00 +0100 895589 http://information-literacy.blogspot.com/2010/12/arsenic-bacteria-example-of-case-for.html Since early December there has been a lot of controversy about an article published in Science about bacteria using arsenic in their DNA. A number of people pointed out that this was a useful case to use for an information literacy article. For example, Bonnie Swoger, a Science and Technology Librarian, did a post on 10 December about using the arsenic bacteria story as a teaching moment for undergraduates. As well as the original article there is much online commentary and other pieces of evidence, for example an interview with the first author of the paper, published later in the month, also in Science.Pennisis, E. (2010) "Exclusive Interview: Discoverer of Arsenic Bacteria, in the Eye of the Storm." Sciencenow, 20 December. http://news.sciencemag.org/sciencenow/2010/12/arsenic-researcher-asks-for-time.htmlPhoto by Sheila Webber: roses at Christmas. (Source: Information Literacy Weblog) Wed, 29 Dec 2010 05:00:00 +0100 895538 http://litablog.org/2010/12/the-world-and-jason-griffey-interviews-vernor-vinge/ On Saturday, January 8 at 1:30pm in Room 29 A-D of the San Diego Convention Center, I have the opportunity to interview an incredible author and thinker, Dr. Vernor Vinge. Dr. Vinge is most well known for being a multiple Hugo Award winning author, but he is also a Professor and technologist, famous for being a proponent of the idea of The Singularity. If you have time to pick up one of his works before ALA MidWinter 2011, I’d recommend Rainbows End…it has some of the most interesting discussions of libraries, digitization, augmented reality, and information immersion of any book in the last 50 years. He even name-checks the ALA in it. I am taking questions both now and live during the interview. We will be streaming the Interview here on LITABlog, as well as at the LITA UStream channel, taking questions via Facebook and Twitter, but if you have questions you’d like to ensure that I ask, please let me know at the form below. Dr. Vinge will be speaking for the first 1/2 hour or so of the program, and then we’ll settle in to the questions. Come join us for what will surely be a great conversation. Loading… (Source: LITA Blog) Wed, 29 Dec 2010 04:49:45 +0100 895736 http://joblist.ala.org/modules/jobseeker/controller.cfm?rssjobid=16329 University Librarian (Director of Rebecca Crown Library) (Dominican University, Illinois) Dominican University invites applications for the position of University Librarian for the Rebecca Crown Library. Housing approximately 250,000 volumes, more than 150 electronic databases and additional access to 30,000 plus periodicals, Crown Library is a partial depository for U.S. government publications and maintains special collections, archives and a media center. The University Librarian is expected to bring innovative, entrepreneurial and seasoned leadership to Crown Library. Reporting to the Associate Provost, the University Librarian serves the Provost’s Cabinet and University Planning Committee. ... Wed, 29 Dec 2010 01:20:02 +0100 895387 http://joblist.ala.org/modules/jobseeker/controller.cfm?rssjobid=16327 Access Services Librarian - Kemp Library #2010000318 (East Stroudsburg University -- ESU, Pennsylvania) University seeks an experienced Access Services Librarian to supervise and coordinate the areas of Circulation, ILL, Stacks Maintenance, Reserves, and Document Delivery in the Kemp Library. This is a full-time, nine month, continuing tenure track faculty position within Kemp Library and reports directly to the Library Dean. As part of Pennsylvania’s State System of Higher Education (PASSHE), we offer competitive salaries and a comprehensive benefits package. Kemp Library has a staff of 9 Full-time library faculty and 13 staff. The general collection consists of over 564,000 books, serial back-files and government documents in print, and more than 1. ... Wed, 29 Dec 2010 01:20:02 +0100 895386 http://www.teleread.com/paul-biba/smashwords-2011-predictions-for-book-publishing/ It’s annual prognostication time when folks like me stick out their necks and try to predict the future. I invite you to join in the fun. Brush up your crystal ball and share your publishing predictions for 2011 in the comments field below. Earlier today, Jeff Rivera over at MediaBistro interviewed me for my ten book publishing predictions for 2011. I’ll list five below, and then I encourage you to click over to Mediabistro for the full ten in his interview, Publishing Predictions for 2011 from Smashwords. If 2010 was the year ebooks went mainstream in the U.S., 2011 will be the year indie ebook authors go mainstream. We’ve already seen this start to happen with some tremendous indie ebook author breakouts in 2010. I wrote about Smashwords author Brian S. Pratt a few weeks ago. So here are five predictions for 2011: 1. Ebook sales rise, unit consumption surprises – Ebooks sales will approach 20% of trade book revenues on a monthly basis by the end of 2011 in the US, yet the bigger surprise is that ebooks will account for one third or more of unit consumption. Why? Ebooks cost less and early ebook adopters read more. 2. Agents write the next chapter of the ebook revolution – Agents, serving the economic best interests of the best-selling authors, will bring new credibility to self publishing by encouraging authors to proactively bypass publishers and work directly with ebook distribution platforms. Agents will use these publishing platforms for negotiating leverage against large publishers. The conversation will go something like this: “You’re offering my author only 15-20% list on ebooks when I can get them 60-70% list working direct with an ebook distributor likeSmashwords or a retailer like Amazon?” 3. More big authors reluctant to part with digital rights – Indie ebook publishing offers compelling advantages to the author. ... Tue, 28 Dec 2010 21:38:01 +0100 895404 http://www.teleread.com/paul-biba/for-new-and-old-kindlers-wanting-to-do-more-with-their-kindles/ CREATIVE USES OF THE KINDLE Well, pleasurable reading is good enough for most, but there is a lot more that can be done with the Kindle, as shown in the short list just below. (I recommend bookmarking this for quick access later.) 1. an old, continuing favorite forum thread about the more unique uses of the Kindle’s capabilitiesthought up by members of the Amazon Kindle Community, and I saw another idea added today. 2. a newer forum thread of favorite tips for new Kindle owners from Kindle oldtimers. NOTE: If your web browser (especially Firefox) drops you onto the Amazon forum list of topics instead of bringing you to the forum thread, click onRefresh or Reload to get the message thread itself — or click on the link again.  I don’t know why a ‘retry’ is often needed, but it is. 3. The Kindle Chronicles This is a very informative, fun resource for Kindlers at http://thekindlechronicles.com, a weekly podcast hosted by Len Edgerly who, each Friday night, brings us a roundup of the latest news (with links), excellent tech tips, an interview with someone from the Kindle world at large and some from just outside it who are of course in the Kindle net then  Len also presents video reviews as well.  At the site are summaries of what is included in the latest podcast report.  Links are given there for items mentioned in the podcast. 4. the new Kindle book by Stephen Windwalker, who has been explaining what can be done on Kindles since the Kindle 1, and this just-released book that includes info for the Latest Generation Kindles is only $0.99, which is more than a bargain. ... Tue, 28 Dec 2010 14:45:17 +0100 895349 http://www.slis.indiana.edu/careers/view_job_specific.php?job_id=8998 State: Indiana Participate in all aspects of non-MARC descriptive metadata for digital projects within Cataloging Division: project development and planning, implementation, document preparation, training, creation of metadata using standard schemas; serve as non-MARC metadata resource person for Technical Services; provide full-level cataloging for monographs and CD-ROMs, including e-books, in English and West European languages, creating original cataloging records and enhancing cataloging copy. For complete list of responsibilities see: http://www.libraries.iub.edu/index.php?pageId=1410. Qualifications: Required: M.L.S. from an ALA-accredited library school; minimum of one year relevant non-MARC metadata experience in an academic or research library system; minimum of one year original monograph cataloging experience in an academic or research library system; evidence of effective planning, implementation, document writing, and training of non-MARC metadata for digital projects; demonstrated working knowledge of cataloging rules, standards, and tools such as AACR2rev, LCRI, DACS, LC classification, and subject headings; demonstrated working knowledge of MARC (books format) and at least one other standard metadata scheme (e.g. TEI, MODS, Dublin Core, EAD). For complete list of qualification see: http://www.libraries.iub.edu/index.php?pageId=1410. To apply: Review of applications begins February 1, 2011. Position remains open until filled. Send letter of application, professional vita, names/addresses/telephone numbers of six references to: Jennifer Chaffin, Director of Human Resources, Libraries Human Resources, Herman B Wells Library 201B, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN 47405. Phone: 812-855-8196. Fax: 812-855-2576. E-mail: libpers@indiana.edu. For more information about Indiana University Bloomington go to: http://www.iub.edu. Indiana University is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer. ... Tue, 28 Dec 2010 14:10:02 +0100 895332 http://www.teleread.com/ebooks/interview-pete-abrams-sluggy-freelance-cartoonist-part-two-of-three/ In this second portion of the interview, I asked about the ways Pete earns money from the comic, including Amazon and other referrals and his premium subscriber program, “Defenders of the Nifty.” I also asked about his feelings about or experience with e-books. Previously: Part One Me: How did you decide to start the Defenders of the Nifty program? Pete: There again, that’s been going on so long I can’t remember exactly how it started. I guess it just came from the idea of, instead of just offering donations, kind of giving a little bit back to people who donate because, with the way I do business, it’s very hard to have merchandise bring in that much money because, well, for one thing, I’ve been ages behind on books; I’m trying to fix that. And the shirt design, maybe it sells, maybe it doesn’t. If it doesn’t sell then I have two good designs to make up for the one that didn’t work out so well. It’s kind of tricky in that way. But with the Defenders of the Nifty membership, all the money goes straight to cover my expenses and pay me for the comic. The money doesn’t go to pay for the shirt materials, the merchandise, to put the stuff in the box and ship it—it all goes directly to the strip. So in that sense, it’s the single best way to support the strip and it’s been the biggest support. I think it’s like anything else in Sluggy, it just happened kind of organically. Just a concept that went through and worked really well. Me: So does Defenders account for most of your revenue now? Pete: Currently it’s most of my revenue. Of course, as I said I’m about seven years behind on books. Once I get some of those books out, maybe that would come into the running. Advertising has never really been a significant chunk of the money. ... Tue, 28 Dec 2010 13:15:00 +0100 895351 http://joblist.ala.org/modules/jobseeker/controller.cfm?rssjobid=16272 Emerging Technology/Engineering Librarian (New York State College of Ceramics at Alfred University, Scholes Library, New York) Scholes Library, New York State College of Ceramics at Alfred University, seeks candidates for an Emerging Technology/Engineering Librarian. This 10-month, tenure-track position reports to the Director of Scholes Library/Associate Dean of Libraries. The College of Ceramics is a statutory college of the State University of New York and home to the School of Art & Design and the Inamori School of Engineering. Scholes Library is a research-oriented, service focused organization that works in strategic partnerships with Alfred University's Herrick Library and the State University SUNYConnect Consortium. ... Tue, 28 Dec 2010 12:20:02 +0100 895321 http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/netbib/DFxV/~3/mPyk-acVndg/ Die ekz baut ihre digitalen Dienstleistungen für Bibliotheken aus, möchte man bei der Lektüre der Pressemitteilung meinen, welcher dieser Passus entnommen ist: Die ekz.bibliotheksservice GmbH erweitert ihr Portfolio im Bereich der digitalen Medien und erwirbt über ihre Tochterfirma “4Readers GmbH & Co. KG” die Soforthoeren-, Sofortsehen- und Sofortlesenportale der Firma Diderot Media KG im schwäbischen Rottenburg/Neckar zu Beginn des Jahres 2011. Ziel der Akquisition ist die Erweiterung des ekz-Know-hows für Bibliotheken im Bereich digitaler und mobiler Technologien. Bei der Lektüre des Interviews von buchreport.de mit dem ekz-Geschäftsführer jedoch klingt das ganz anders! Hier scheint es so, als ob die ekz mit dieser Erwerbung ins Endkundengeschäft einsteigen und Synergieeffekte vom bisherigen Bibliotheksgeschäft erzielen möchte. Vom bisherigen “business to business”-Dienstleister (B2B) zum Endkundenlieferanten (B2C)? Wer weiß? Das Interview endet ja gewiß ganz tröstlich für die Bibliotheken, wer weiß aber, ob sie nicht ebenso verschwinden werden wie Videotheken? Der Aufmacher eines Wirtschaftswoche-Artikels, der Videotheken behandelt, könnte da kritisch stimmen … (Source: netbib weblog) Tue, 28 Dec 2010 10:03:54 +0100 895546 http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/NetbibWeblog/~3/mPyk-acVndg/ Die ekz baut ihre digitalen Dienstleistungen für Bibliotheken aus, möchte man bei der Lektüre der Pressemitteilung meinen, welcher dieser Passus entnommen ist: Die ekz.bibliotheksservice GmbH erweitert ihr Portfolio im Bereich der digitalen Medien und erwirbt über ihre Tochterfirma “4Readers GmbH & Co. KG” die Soforthoeren-, Sofortsehen- und Sofortlesenportale der Firma Diderot Media KG im schwäbischen Rottenburg/Neckar zu Beginn des Jahres 2011. Ziel der Akquisition ist die Erweiterung des ekz-Know-hows für Bibliotheken im Bereich digitaler und mobiler Technologien. Bei der Lektüre des Interviews von buchreport.de mit dem ekz-Geschäftsführer jedoch klingt das ganz anders! Hier scheint es so, als ob die ekz mit dieser Erwerbung ins Endkundengeschäft einsteigen und Synergieeffekte vom bisherigen Bibliotheksgeschäft erzielen möchte. Vom bisherigen “business to business”-Dienstleister (B2B) zum Endkundenlieferanten (B2C)? Wer weiß? Das Interview endet ja gewiß ganz tröstlich für die Bibliotheken, wer weiß aber, ob sie nicht ebenso verschwinden werden wie Videotheken? Der Aufmacher eines Wirtschaftswoche-Artikels, der Videotheken behandelt, könnte da kritisch stimmen … (Source: netbib weblog) Tue, 28 Dec 2010 10:03:54 +0100 895330 http://joblist.ala.org/modules/jobseeker/controller.cfm?rssjobid=16309 University Archivist (Associate University Librarian) (University of Florida/George A. Smathers Libraries, Florida) POSITION VACANCY ANNOUNCEMENT   University Archivist   Associate University Librarian   The George A. Smathers Libraries at the University of Florida is recruiting for the position of University Archivist, a tenure-track library faculty position, which provides vision and leadership in the newly created Office of Archives and Records Management in the Department of Special and Area Studies Collections. Reporting to the Head of Archives and Manuscripts, the University Archivist supervises 3 full-time employees and is responsible for developing and implementing a plan to create an integrated archives and records management program for the University of Florida. ... Mon, 27 Dec 2010 23:20:01 +0100 895232 http://joblist.ala.org/modules/jobseeker/controller.cfm?rssjobid=16311 Professor and Director of the Harrington School of Communication and Media (University of Rhode Island, Rhode Island) The University of Rhode Island (www.uri.edu) is the state’s largest university, with an enrollment of about 13,000 undergraduates and 3,000 graduate students on four campuses.  With nationally and internationally renowned faculty engaged in a broad range of research, teaching and outreach activities, URI is a land grant, sea grant and urban grant institution.  The University’s 1,200 acre main campus is located in Kingston, about 30 miles south of Providence and six miles from the coast. ... Mon, 27 Dec 2010 23:20:01 +0100 895231 http://joblist.ala.org/modules/jobseeker/controller.cfm?rssjobid=16314 Library Director (SUNY College at Oneonta, New York) (Director of Libraries) The SUNY College at Oneonta invites applications for the Director of Milne Library. The College seeks a dynamic and creative individual to provide strategic leadership for vibrant and visible student-centered library services. This full-time, 12-month, management/confidential position reports to the Vice President for Academic Affairs. SUNY Oneonta is one of 13 colleges of arts and sciences within the SUNY system. The College has a student body of approximately 5,800 and is noted for the academic achievement and commitment to community service of its students, an outstanding faculty, excellent facilities in technology, and a first-class library. ... Mon, 27 Dec 2010 23:20:01 +0100 895229 http://www.guardian.co.uk/stage/2010/dec/27/matthew-warchus-matilda Matthew Warchus spent two years turning Matilda into a musical. So was it hard work? Not compared to Lord of the Rings, the director tells Maddy CostaFor many theatre directors, transforming Roald Dahl's 1988 novel Matilda into a musical might feel daunting. But Matthew Warchus appears to be taking it in his stride. There's no arrogance in his composure: it's simply the unexpected benefit of having spent four years heaving the behemoth that was the Lord of the Rings musical on to the stage. "It's made everything else feel straightforward – in a good way." Now that confidence has been justified with huge ticket sales and rave reviews. The production looks likely to transfer from Stratford to the West End next autumn.Warchus doesn't play down the challenges Matilda posed: how to convey the child's magic powers, for instance. He spent a large chunk of the show's two-year development period searching for a composer who could be "clever, scurrilous, a bit anarchic, funny, and make you cry" before settling on comedian Tim Minchin, and another chunk working with playwright Dennis Kelly to smooth Dahl's episodic story – portioned for bedtime reading – so that it doesn't end up "like a cabaret". But, compared with the "extreme" problems of The Lord of the Rings, Matilda was "quite manageable".The Lord of the Rings was no hit, despite a handful of positive reviews from critics who admired its "jaw-dropping theatrical brio". Audience numbers were so low that the Toronto and London productions closed before recouping their multimillion pound costs. Looking back, Warchus has no regrets. "It's a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity as a director to work on that scale with those resources. ... Mon, 27 Dec 2010 22:00:00 +0100 895220 http://freegovinfo.info/node/3146 University College London has a treasure trove in the papers of the Enlightenment philosopher Jeremy Bentham. In the last 50 years, it has published 27 volumes of his writings — less than half of the 70 or so volumes ultimately expected. In an attempt to spur this project along, they're crowd-sourcing the transcription of the historical documents according to the NY Times. The story also mentions another interesting crowd-sourcing project at George Mason University to reconstitute the papers of the early War Department (1784-1800) which had been destroyed by a fire on November 8, 1800. Sharon Leon, a historian at George Mason University and Director of Public Projects at the Center for History and New Media -- developers of one of my favorite Web tools, Zotero! -- recently received a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities to design a free plug-in that any archive or library could use to open transcription to the public. Obviously crowd-sourcing is becoming an invaluable tool for expanding the reach of scholarship. Last week, I mentioned the Old Weather project which is crowd-sourcing old weather observations made by UK Royal Navy ships around the time of World War I in order to assist with climate model projections and improve a database of weather extremes. Old Weather is part of the Zooniverse of crowd-sourcing projects to help scientific projects. Some, like Daniel Stowell, the director and editor of the Papers of Abraham Lincoln in Springfield, IL, point out that hiring of nonacademic transcribers is not a panacea and in fact could produce so many errors as to make crowd-sourcing expensive and even more time consuming in correcting errors. But, as Ms Leon points out, “We’re not looking for perfect. We’re looking for progressive improvement, which is a completely different goal from someone who is creating a letter-press edition. ... Mon, 27 Dec 2010 19:52:51 +0100 895243 http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/pandia/vfbc/~3/3qpfEe2LYmc/3358-7-sites-for-information-on-busnisses-and-organisations.html Whether you are a business owner looking for information on your competition, a consumer wanting to make informed purchases or an information professional or journalist doing research, the call for transparency that has resulted from social media has led to a number of web sites where businesses share their info for free or where customers share their opinions. Here are 10 places to go to find info on all kinds of businesses and organisations. LinkedIn LinkedIn used to be a place to display your business card on-line with the option to add information about your education and past and present jobs. Today, LinkedIn hosts profiles for both businesses and people in addition to groups for discussing all kinds of professional themes. The profiles might also contain information from blogs, presentations from Slideshare and more. Examples: Search Engine Land business profile SEO SEM group Facebook Facebook started out as a web site for freshmen at Harvard to get to know each other. It soon opened to students at other schools and is now open for anyone to join. It is no longer just a place where teenagers share photos from parties. Here in Norway, 50 % of the population has a Facebook profile. This makes the site a great place for businesses to market themselves and for consumers to pool their knowledge. Examples: WikiLeaks’ page Google’s page Wikipedia On LinkedIn and Facebook, the companies themselves write their profiles and can, to a certain extent, control the content. Wikipedia has guidelines that prevent people with close ties to a business from editing the article about that particular company. Examples: British Petroleum Nestlé Youtube Every minute 24 hours of video content is uploaded to YouTube. ... Mon, 27 Dec 2010 15:36:51 +0100 895392 http://www.teleread.com/ebooks/internet-writing-site-shifti-org-down-seeks-donations-for-new-hd/ Shifti.org, the on-line transformation story writing site I’ve written about and whose sysadmin I have interviewed, is currently down with a hard drive failure. As it is run largely as a personal project of its sysadmin, Daniel Hazelton, he depends on donations to keep the site running, and he had already been running a donation drive to pay the Internet bill. He’s going to need more money to fund a new hard drive, and there is currently a PayPal donation button on the site itself. I realize not many of TeleRead’s readers are necessarily fans or even readers of Shifti, but I figured it was worth a mention here just in case anyone wanted to kick in a few dollars. Until Hazelton can get a new hard drive, none of the stories on Shifti will be accessible to anyone. (Source: TeleRead: Bring the E-Books Home) Mon, 27 Dec 2010 14:15:00 +0100 895268 http://www.teleread.com/chris-meadows/interview-pete-abrams-sluggy-freelance-cartoonist-part-one-of-three/ It has taken me a while to get around to transcribing this, but better late than never. On May 28th, I sat down with Pete Abrams at the ConQuesT SF convention in Kansas City for an interview about his webcomic, Sluggy Freelance. Sluggy is a rarity in that it is one of relatively few webcomics that provides its artist’s entire living, and it has also been in operation for over 14 years (13 as of the interview). Abrams has been interviewed in a number of places already, and I tried to avoid covering the same territory as the others. Further, I wanted to get into how he was able to earn a living from giving his comic away free on the Internet when so few others have been able to do that. I will be running this interview in three parts, starting today. Me: So, for the first part of this interview: There’s this whole thing going on right now about paywalls in the electronic newspaper industry. Everyone’s complaining about how giving content away for free is killing the newspaper industry and so forth. You’ve made a living giving content away for free for over ten years. When did you first think that it might be possible for you to do Sluggy Freelance as a full-time, paying job? Pete: Well, when I started Sluggy Freelance, webcomics wasn’t anything like it is right now. I mean, there were very few strips in existance. So there wasn’t anyone else’s strip to compare myself to and ask myself if I could make a living doing it or how long it would take. When I started, I knew that most businesses took two to three years to become profitable—I heard that at some point. And when I started the strip, I made it daily and I treated it like it was my profession before it was paying me full-time. And sure enough, what happened was in about the third year I suddenly started making a profit and was able to support myself at that point, and it’s been growing in profitability every year since then. ... Mon, 27 Dec 2010 13:15:00 +0100 895269 http://marincountyfreelibrary.blogspot.com/2010_12_01_archive.html#6349524133780461591 Join local author Katherine Ellison for an insightful evening as she reads from her new book, a hilarious and heartrending account of a mother's journey to understand and reconnect with her high-spirited preteen son, nicknamed Buzz. Both Ellison and her 12-year-old son have been diagnosed with Attention-deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder. Pulitzer Prize winning Ellison dives into ADHD as both an engaged parent and a seasoned investigator. Interviewed on NPR and PBS, Ellison is garnering stellar reviews for Buzz. When: Thursday, January 6 from 7-8 pm Where: Fairfax Library.For more information about this free program, call the Fairfax Library at 457-5629. (Source: Marin County Free Library Blog) Mon, 27 Dec 2010 05:00:00 +0100 895309 http://information-literacy.blogspot.com/2010/11/upgrade.html Upgrade is a tutorial site from City University Library "working with the Careers Service, Learning Success and the Student Centre". It covers a number of information literacy and study skills areas, for example: information searching, critical thinking, exam techniques, "Using your personal information safely", interview preparation. The site includes exercises and videos: http://www.city.ac.uk/upgrade/index.htmlPhoto by Sheila Webber: Christmas bauble, 2010. (Source: Information Literacy Weblog) Mon, 27 Dec 2010 05:00:00 +0100 895294 http://santafelibrary.blogspot.com/2010/12/new-years-holiday-closings.html All branches of the Santa Fe Public Library will be closed from Friday, December 31 through Sunday, January 2 for the New Year's Holiday.All branches will resume normal hours at 10:00 am on Monday, January 3.May everyone have a healthy and happy holiday!Photo by AA @Main (Source: ICARUS... the Santa Fe Public Library Blog) Mon, 27 Dec 2010 05:00:00 +0100 895174 http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2010/dec/26/julian-assange-book-deals WikiLeaks founder says he had to sell rights to autobiography to cover legal costs and keep website afloatThe founder of the WikiLeaks website, Julian Assange, has said he expects to earn more than £1m from book deals.Assange, who achieved global notoriety after his whistleblower website began releasing more than a quarter of a million diplomatic cables, said he would use the money for legal costs.The 39-year-old is fighting extradition to Sweden, where two women have accused him of sexual misconduct. He denies the allegations.Since being released on bail earlier this month pending extradition proceedings, Assange has been living under virtual house arrest at Ellingham Hall, a Norfolk country mansion, from where he regularly gives media interviews.He told the Sunday Times that he was forced to sign a deal worth more than £1m for his autobiography due to financial difficulties. "I don't want to write this book, but I have to," he said. "I have already spent £200,000 for legal costs and I need to defend myself and to keep WikiLeaks afloat."He will reportedly receive $800,000 dollars from Alfred A Knopf, his American publisher, while a British deal with Canongate is said to be worth £325,000. An estimated £1.1m will be generated from the deal, including serialisation, he said.Previously Assange told the Guardian that WikiLeaks does not have enough money to pay its legal bills, even though "a lot of generous lawyers have donated their time to us".Legal costs for WikiLeaks and his own defence were approaching £500,000, he said. The decisions by Visa, MasterCard and PayPal to stop processing donations have cost the organisation £425,000, enough to fund WikiLeaks' publishing operations for six months. At its peak the organisation was receiving £85,000 a day, he said. ... Sun, 26 Dec 2010 18:17:49 +0100 895076 http://www.mjcpl.org/events/christmas-eve-closed The libraries will be CLOSED on Friday, December 24 through Saturday, December 25 for our employees to celebrate the Christmas holiday. Normal business hours will resume on Sunday, December 26 at 1 p.m. (Source: Madison-Jefferson County Public Library - Events) Sun, 26 Dec 2010 15:54:27 +0100 895341 http://www.guardian.co.uk/tv-and-radio/2010/dec/26/oprah-winfrey-plans-to-leave-talkshow-tv-network-us After 24 years, Oprah is planning to quit the sofa to set up her own TV network but the adulation is likely to follow herFor 24 years and nearly 5,000 shows it has been a gigantic part of America's TV landscape. Watching The Oprah Winfrey Show has been a ritual for millions of Americans akin to going to church, involving many of the same ideas of paying homage and taking instruction on how to lead their lives.It has established Winfrey as one of America's most prominent cultural figures. "She is possibly the most powerful woman in the world," said Alicia Quarles, AP's global entertainment editor, who has interviewed Winfrey several times.But in the new year that era will begin to come to an end. On 1 January, Winfrey launches her own TV channel, the Oprah Winfrey Network, and prepares to end the show that for almost a quarter of a century has kept her at the top of America's cutthroat showbusiness hierarchy.It is a huge gamble. When the Oprah Winfrey Show's last episode airs next summer, Oprah will be on her own. She has confessed in an interview with her own magazine that the risk is keeping her up at night. No doubt the prospect is giving many among her legions of fans sleepless nights too. Why the fuss? After all, it is just a TV show. Right?Not quite. There is little about Winfrey that does not invite extreme hyperbole. "Oprah Winfrey is a god. She is a force of nature," said Richard Laermer, a TV critic at the Huffington Post and author of the book 2011: Trendspotting.With Winfrey, such statements do not seem a stretch of the imagination. After all this is a woman whose endorsement of Barack Obama in 2007 was considered vital to his run for the presidency. His subsequent appearance on her show as president was also seen as more important to him than her. "When Obama was on her show, I thought: 'How great that she had an opening'," Laermer said.Oprah is far more than a TV star. ... Sun, 26 Dec 2010 11:08:01 +0100 895078 http://www.bespacific.com/mt/archives/026080.html Follow up to previous postings on the Deepwater oil spill via the NYT: Deepwater Horizon's Final Hours: "Interviews, sworn testimony... (Source: beSpacific) Sun, 26 Dec 2010 05:00:00 +0100 895088 http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/dec/26/20-things-we-learned-in-2010 Observer writers and experts chart the concepts, trends and buzz words that defined the past year and are likely to shape the next one1 The new politics is, in fact, the old politicsNick Clegg will regret many things about 2010. One will be his decision to produce a Lib Dem election poster warning that the Tories would raise VAT. A few weeks later Clegg, installed as deputy prime minister, was backing coalition plans to – yes – raise VAT.Then there was the pre-election pledge to vote against any rise in tuition fees. Six months later Clegg was pushing a policy to triple them.These shifts were damaging not just because they were old-fashioned U-turns but because they fatally undermined the party's raison d'etre – its commitment to deliver a new, honest politics. A vote for the Lib Dems, Clegg had said, would be "a vote that counts".It was all part of his broader attempt to promote the merits of voting reform – the Lib Dems' core policy. Fair votes through proportional representation would mean that everyone's vote would matter and everyone's voice would be heard.Floating the idea of "new politics" and calling for an end to the duopoly of the "old parties" made Clegg more popular than Churchill for a while. But it is dangerous to take the moral high ground in politics.A mid-December poll for the News of the World found 61% of respondents saying that they didn't trust Clegg, compared to 24% in April. In a few months, he had gone from being one of the most trusted politicians to one of the least trusted.To many, the "new politics" had begun to feel very much like old politics – if not rather worse, as angry protests hit the streets and chants rang out about promises broken. Toby Helm2 Kanye West is pop's top innovatorIn 2009, Kanye West had the distinction of being called a "jackass" by the US president, after rudely interrupting an acceptance speech by his fellow performer Taylor Swift at an awards show. ... Sun, 26 Dec 2010 00:07:13 +0100 894991 http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/dec/26/20-things-we-learned-2010 It was a year in which game-changing developments in social media competed with a new political turf wars over the 'squeezed middle'. Here a team of Observer writers and experts chart the concepts, trends and buzzwords that defined the last year and are likely to shape the next one1 The new politics is, in fact, the old politicsNick Clegg will regret many things about 2010. One will be his decision to produce a Lib Dem election poster warning that the Tories would raise VAT. A few weeks later Clegg, installed as deputy prime minister, was backing coalition plans to – yes – raise VAT.Then there was the pre-election pledge to vote against any rise in tuition fees. Six months later Clegg was pushing a policy to triple them.These shifts were damaging not just because they were old-fashioned U-turns but because they fatally undermined the party's raison d'etre – its commitment to deliver a new, honest politics. A vote for the Lib Dems, Clegg had said, would be "a vote that counts".It was all part of his broader attempt to promote the merits of voting reform – the Lib Dems' core policy. Fair votes through proportional representation would mean that everyone's vote would matter and everyone's voice would be heard.Floating the idea of "new politics" and calling for an end to the duopoly of the "old parties" made Clegg more popular than Churchill for a while. But it is dangerous to take the moral high ground in politics.A mid-December poll for the News of the World found 61% of respondents saying that they didn't trust Clegg, compared to 24% in April. In a few months, he had gone from being one of the most trusted politicians to one of the least trusted.To many, the "new politics" had begun to feel very much like old politics – if not rather worse, as angry protests hit the streets and chants rang out about promises broken. ... Sun, 26 Dec 2010 00:05:53 +0100 894994 http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2010/dec/26/diana-athill-rebel-at-93 The writer and publisher Diana Athill will be a guest editor of the Today programme tomorrow and intends to get across the way she thinks about the unknowable things in lifeIt is the Feast of Stephen, or Boxing Day, as most of us know it, and many parts of Britain are still lying deep and crisp and even. But for Diana Athill it is not a day for Christian contemplation. Instead the bestselling writer and former doyenne of the publishing industry, who was 93 last week, is preparing for her debut broadcast as an editor of the Today programme tomorrow morning.During her special edition of the Radio 4 flagship news programme, she will be discussing infidelity and challenging the notion of religious faith in a prerecorded interview with none other than the archbishop of Canterbury. "I was nervous to begin with, but you quickly realise that Rowan Williams is quite used to talking to every kind of person and that, if I was going to bungle it, then he was going to unbungle it for me and make sure it didn't matter. So I relaxed," Athill recalls."I was supposed to be asking him difficult questions, but in fact we mostly just talked. I did want, though, to get across the way I think about the unknowable things in life."Athill, a fearless champion of the right to live outside accepted moral codes, rejects the idea that we need a belief system as a guide or as an emotional crutch. "I do find it odd that people mind not knowing about God. I suppose I am agnostic. I see that there is a very strong human instinct to want to know everything that we don't already know. This seems odd when we live with unknown things all the time; after all, we don't even know whether what we remember about our own lives is what really happened."When, in the last decade, Athill published a series of provocative memoirs, she became a phenomenon in the book industry by tackling questions of age, morality, faith and sex at such a late stage in her career. ... Sun, 26 Dec 2010 00:05:35 +0100 894996 http://www.teleread.com/ebooks/mike-shatzkin-how-book-marketing-could-change/ In his latest blog post, publishing consultant Mike Shatzkin talks about an interesting discovery he made in the wake of interviewing publishers for a presentation on current trends in book publishing contracts—all the publishers seem to agree on the importance of working out new ways of marketing books in a post-e-book world. The decline of shelf space also means a decline in marketing opportunities. Up ‘til now, books themselves have been critically important in marketing the books—seeing a title on display at a bookstore is its own form of advertising, and will place an awareness of the book in the mind of the shopper even if he later goes on to buy it from somewhere else. (And in that vein, books have also long been used to advertise other things; the whole point of a tie-in novelization has historically been to serve as a mini-movie poster—the studios could care less about whether the book takes a loss, or is even worth reading, as long as it drives awareness of the movie by being faced out in a bookstore.) Shatzkin draws a distinction between “expensed marketing”—advertising a single-title in ways that serve to promote that title only, and “investment marketing”—building a brand to promote many titles over time. He notes that “expensed marketing” is what publishers and bookstores have always done, but believes the way forward is “investment marketing” instead. It doesn’t make sense to go to the trouble of digital promotion for only one book. He suggests a way of doing this through attacking the problem of search and discovery, how difficult it is to find an e-book you want without having a physical store to browse through and examine titles. He would like an e-book app that would offer him a catalog of books tailored to his interests, and alerts when new such books are published. ... Fri, 24 Dec 2010 12:15:00 +0100 894828 http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/audio/2010/dec/09/callow-jacobson-self-armitage-mieville As we come to the end of the first full year of the Guardian books podcast we take a look back at some of the highlights.We talk comic writing with Booker winner Howard Jacobson, put the novelist and essayist Will Self on the psychiatrist's couch, and hear from the poet Simon Armitage, who tells us what what the elf said to Kevin in his latest collection.As part of an occasional series, The Books that Made Me, we also find out about the surrealist artist who made an indelible impression on the teenage China Miéville, now one of the UK's leading science fiction writers. We also delve into theatre anecdote with Simon Callow, and venture out to South London to find out what the potter Edmund de Waal has to say about his "hidden inheritance" of Japanese netsuke.Reading listThe Hare with Amber Eyes: A Hidden Inheritance, by Edmund de Waal (Chatto & Windus)The Finkler Question, by Howard Jacobson (Bloomsbury)My Life in Pieces, by Simon Callow (Nick Hern)Walking to Hollywood, by Will Self (Bloomsbury)Seeing Stars, by Simon Armitage (Faber)China MiévilleClaire ArmitsteadSarah CrownTim Maby (Source: Guardian Unlimited Books) Fri, 24 Dec 2010 11:00:42 +0100 894796 http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/LawLibrarianBlog/~3/Df9EGlOa5co/wikileaks-founder-assanges-first-cable-news-intervice-since-being-released-fro-jail.html Details with MSNBC interview video here. [JH] (Source: Law Librarian Blog) Fri, 24 Dec 2010 05:00:00 +0100 894850 http://information-literacy.blogspot.com/2010/12/goblin-game.html A plagiarism game from Lycoming College, USA, Goblin Threat, involves finding goblins and defeating them by answering plagiarism-related questions correctly. This is a nice idea that has been implemented well, so worth checking out. If you clear the goblins from all the rooms you get a certificate. My only little quibble would be that (as with most plagiarism quizzes) I think with a few of the questions the answer is not as black-and-white as is implied (it could also be to do with differences in national and institutional practices). http://www.lycoming.edu/library/instruction/plagiarismgame.htmlI discovered this game because it was a Primo site of the month: http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/acrl/about/sections/is/projpubs/primo/site/2010october.cfm. In this interview the game's creator explains how the game arose, how it was tested, and how it is used now, so it is also worth readng.Photo by Sheila Webber: Winter branches, December 2010, photoshopped (neon glow) (Source: Information Literacy Weblog) Fri, 24 Dec 2010 05:00:00 +0100 894841 http://library.pnca.edu/justadded/334/happy-holidays The library will be closed from Friday, December 24 – Sunday, January 2. We’ll resume our Winter Break hours on Monday, January 3. They are Monday – Friday, 9 a.m. – 5:30 p.m. Thanks for a great semester and we’ll see you next year! Vader en kind met kerstboom, from Nationaal Archief on Flickr Commons (Source: PNCA Library) Thu, 23 Dec 2010 23:37:13 +0100 895290 http://nnlm.gov/gmr/blog/2010/12/23/happy-holidays-to-all-our-members-and-friends/ The holiday preparations look especially bright and appealing this year, perhaps in contrast to the blanketing of snow that we have enjoyed so far this winter. Economic reports for retail are improving, with expenditures five percent above what they were at this time last year. The positive trend for holiday shopping is good news for consumers and the businesses that cater to their wants and needs. Unfortunately, such a positive view cannot be transferred to the current economic state of affairs affecting health sciences and hospital libraries in the GMR, especially in our publicly funded institutions.  Revenue shortfalls at the state and local level are having a significant impact on staffing and accessibility of information resources at our member organizations. In addition to position elimination, ongoing hiring freezes, and non–renewal of licenses and subscriptions, institutions are showing the strain by reorganizing and combining libraries and their constituent units and by repurposing space for non-library, revenue-producing functions.  Such strategies reduce the accessibility of information resources.  For example, when the ILL unit is combined with its general university counterpart, the importance of using DOCLINE for transacting ILL and of keeping SERHOLD records up-to-date to facilitate DOCLINE may diminish.  When library stacks are repurposed for patient or student functions, legacy print collections may be the first to go to free up space for these new functions. The GMR is attempting to take a proactive stance to soften the long-term impact of reduced budgets on our membership. The E-licensing Working Group of the Regional Advisory Council (RAC), in collaboration with the Midwest Collaborative for Library Services serving as agent for consortial licensing by hospital and smaller academic libraries, identified two candidates for selection in 2010. ... Thu, 23 Dec 2010 21:13:24 +0100 894952 http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/2010/dec/23/john-jones-obituary Painter, film-maker and teacher who inspired his studentsJohn Jones, who has died aged 84, was a painter, film-maker, teacher, Joyce scholar and magic-lantern expert. Unusually for a senior lecturer who could have talked for Britain, he was never one to trumpet the true scope of his knowledge and interests. The fine art department at Leeds University, where he spent most of his teaching career, was a peculiar hybrid – part art history and part practical art, disdained by some, but loved by many – that John in his own practice and by his own example almost came to embody. He was in overall charge of studio instruction, but was closely involved in most aspects of the department, where he created and ran a course in the history of film and taught film-making.John was born in Bristol. His studies at the city's West of England College of Art were interrupted by call-up in 1945, and he served for three years in the Royal Engineers. He completed his studies in 1952, then spent two years under the tutelage of William Coldstream at the Slade school of art in London, where he won the history of art prize. He also met the Argentinian niece of the art historian Rudolf Witkower, Gabriela, later accompanying her to Buenos Aires in 1956, where they married and where John spent three years painting, teaching and lecturing. Returning to the UK, he was appointed lecturer at James Graham College, Leeds, and in 1962 was appointed lecturer at the Leeds University fine art department by Quentin Bell.Life drawing was central to John's work. He thought deeply, not only about the way we draw, but about why we draw. Talking about art was as vital as art itself, so life classes under him tended to be very conversational as well as observational affairs. He was a highly accomplished draughtsman, always ready to share his skills, and had an unusual willingness to listen to his students. John never imposed his opinions. ... Thu, 23 Dec 2010 18:05:04 +0100 894728 http://granite.medlib.iupui.edu/rlmlnews/?p=838 December 18, 2009 - January 2, 2010 Saturday - 8:30 am to 5 pm Sunday - 12 Noon to 5 pm Monday-Thursday - 7 am to 5 pm Friday - Christmas Eve - Closed Saturday - Christmas Day - Closed Sunday - 12 Noon to 5 pm Monday - Thursday - 7 am to 5 pm Friday - New Year’s Eve - Closed Saturday - New Year’s Day - Closed Sunday - 12 Noon to 5 pm Monday - Resume Regular Hours (Source: IU Medical Library News) Thu, 23 Dec 2010 17:50:44 +0100 894772 http://mblc.state.ma.us/jobs/find_jobs/rss.php?job_id=6525 Plans and supervises the opeation of the library including, but not limited to the following: Services; Personnel; Collection Development; Technology and equipment; Building issues; Finances and budget; Public Relations. (Source: MBLC Job Listings) Thu, 23 Dec 2010 15:15:04 +0100 894642 http://joblist.ala.org/modules/jobseeker/controller.cfm?rssjobid=16296 Web Services & Emerging Technologies Librarian (Albion College, Michigan) Web Services & Emerging Technologies Librarian at Albion College.  User-friendly, highly skilled professional to provide leadership and share responsibility for planning, implementing, and maintaining the Library website and other digital systems and services for information retrieval.  Overall responsibility for the installation, maintenance, and enhancement of the library’s integrated library system which functions as a shared system with the Albion District Library. ... Thu, 23 Dec 2010 15:10:02 +0100 894617 http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/blog/2010/dec/23/gordon-brown-anthony-seldon-book Brown at 10 is chock-full of revelationsAnthony Seldon's instant history factory is a national treasure. He has written a political biography of John Major, two about Tony Blair and recently he published one about Gordon Brown. It's got about the worst title of any political book published this year – Brown at 10, which makes Brown sound like a news bulletin, rather than a prime minister – but it's a must-read for anyone who wants to know what really happened in the final three years of the Labour government. Seldon, who wrote this book with Guy Lodge, has probably managed to interview more primary sources (particularly civil servants) than anyone else writing about Brown and what makes the book remarkable is not the analysis (which is intelligent and judicious, but not particularly surprising), but the rich array of behind-the-scenes detail.There has already been quite a lot about the book in the papers already. The Daily Mail published extracts covering the 2010 ministerial plot against Brown, (Source: Guardian Unlimited Books) Thu, 23 Dec 2010 12:38:02 +0100 894612 http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/netbib/DFxV/~3/Z5w_32D5ZAc/ Karin Schmollgruber hat die Webseiten und Twitter-Konten der Flughäfen von Frankfurt, Heathrow, Brüssel und Paris daraufhin untersucht, wie diese Flughäfen Twitter nutzen um Kundenanfragen zu beantworten und Hilfen im Schneechaos zu geben. Das sind sehr interessante Ergebnisse, die wieder zeigen, dass man Twitter auch für “sinnvolle” Aufgaben nutzen kann… Ähnlich positiv sind die Erfahrungen von Wibke Ladwig, die in einem Interview bechreibt, wie Verlage durch Twitter direktes, unverfälschtes Feedback erhalten können. (Source: netbib weblog) Thu, 23 Dec 2010 09:11:38 +0100 895550 http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/NetbibWeblog/~3/Z5w_32D5ZAc/ Karin Schmollgruber hat die Webseiten und Twitter-Konten der Flughäfen von Frankfurt, Heathrow, Brüssel und Paris daraufhin untersucht, wie diese Flughäfen Twitter nutzen um Kundenanfragen zu beantworten und Hilfen im Schneechaos zu geben. Das sind sehr interessante Ergebnisse, die wieder zeigen, dass man Twitter auch für “sinnvolle” Aufgaben nutzen kann… Ähnlich positiv sind die Erfahrungen von Wibke Ladwig, die in einem Interview bechreibt, wie Verlage durch Twitter direktes, unverfälschtes Feedback erhalten können. (Source: netbib weblog) Thu, 23 Dec 2010 09:11:38 +0100 894651 http://rabid-librarian.blogspot.com/2010/12/making-difference-repaying-debt-life.html WWII pilot who forever repaid rescuers dies at 94: Islanders healed Fred Hargesheimer who returned to Ea Ea to build schools Fred Hargesheimer got a second chance at life after being rescued by villagers of New Britain in Papua New Guinea. He'd been shot down by a Japanese fighter in World War II and was nursed back to health and hidden by the villagers until his returning to the US. The story could have ended there, a story of adventure to tell the grandkids. But Hargeshiemer did something far better--he returned to the village and spent decades building schools, libraries, helping create jobs, and even teaching the children there. He involved his family throughout that time, and tried to give back to the community as much as he could. On his last visit, in 2006, Hargesheimer was helicoptered into the jungle and carried in a chair by Nakanai men to view the newly found wreckage of his World War II plane. Six years earlier, on another visit, he was proclaimed "Suara Auru," "Chief Warrior" of the Nakanai. "The people were very happy. They'll always remember what Mr. Fred Hargesheimer has done for our people," said Ismael Saua, 69, a former teacher at the Nantabu school. "These people were responsible for saving my life," Hargesheimer told The Associated Press in a 2008 interview. "How could I ever repay it?" (Source: The Rabid Librarian's Ravings in the Wind) Thu, 23 Dec 2010 05:00:00 +0100 895456 http://keptup.typepad.com/academic/2010/12/muslim-students-at-catholic-colleges-creates-some-cultural-conflict.html In the past few years, enrollment of Muslim students such as Shabnan has spiked at Catholic campuses across the country. Last year, Catholic colleges had an even higher percentage of Muslim students than the average four-year institution in the United States, according to the Higher Education Research Institute. The influx has astonished and sometimes befuddled administrators. Some Catholic campuses are creating prayer rooms for new Muslim students and hiring Islamic chaplains to minister to them. Others are unsure how to adapt. Muslim students say they enroll at Catholic schools for many of the same reasons as their classmates: attractive campuses, appealing professors and academic programs that fit their interests. But there is also a spiritual attraction to the values that overlap the two faiths. Read more at: (Source: The Kept-Up Academic Librarian) Thu, 23 Dec 2010 05:00:00 +0100 894654 http://mblc.state.ma.us/jobs/find_jobs/rss.php?job_id=6523 In charge of scheduling all public service personnel in the Main Library. Assumes duties of the Director in his/her absence. Supervises designated library department heads and other employees. Assists the Director by analyzing policies, procedures and services; facilitates communication between the library administration, staff and patrons. Prepares or directs the preparation of complex reports and program studies and recommends improvements. Provides assistance to supervisory staff in resolving daily problems, interpreting policies and procedures, and meeting goals and objectives; provides leadership and promotes staff development; encourages innovative thinking and creativity. (Source: MBLC Job Listings) Thu, 23 Dec 2010 02:15:04 +0100 894479 http://joblist.ala.org/modules/jobseeker/controller.cfm?rssjobid=16302 Head, Knowledge Access Design and Development (New York University, New York) New York University Libraries The head of this newly conceived department will lead a service-focused team in designing, implementing, and assessing an array of metadata-reliant processes and other strategies for enabling intellectual access to the research resources in all formats of the NYU Division of Libraries. ... Thu, 23 Dec 2010 02:10:01 +0100 894476 http://joblist.ala.org/modules/jobseeker/controller.cfm?rssjobid=16297 Director of Library Services (Lenoir-Rhyne University, North Carolina) The Carl A. Rudisill  Library of Lenoir-Rhyne  University seeks applications for its Director of Library Services. The successful candidate must be able to begin appointment on or around June 1, 2011. The appointment is continuing, subject to annual review. The position reports directly to the University Provost and carries faculty status, including privileges associated with Faculty Assembly.  Additional information on the library may be viewed at:  http://library.lr. ... Thu, 23 Dec 2010 02:10:01 +0100 894475 http://joblist.ala.org/modules/jobseeker/controller.cfm?rssjobid=16298 Digital Archivist (University of Virginia, Virginia) The University of Virginia Library seeks a talented and dynamic individual to serve as Digital Archivist. This is a permanent full time position that will work with born digital archives and materials as well as participate in an exciting initiative entitled: Born Digital Collections: An Inter-Institutional Model for Stewardship (AIMS). Reporting to the Director of Digital Curation Services, this position will carry out the goals and objectives of AIMS as well as the application and integration of archival practices to an ever-growing corpus of materials used by scholars, authors, and other notables: namely, born digital content. ... Thu, 23 Dec 2010 02:10:01 +0100 894474 http://joblist.ala.org/modules/jobseeker/controller.cfm?rssjobid=16300 Assistant Director of Residential Life (University of Illinois, Illinois) Focus: Academic Programs Undergraduate Residence Halls, Department of Residential Life, University Housing Our staff makes our halls a home. We, the staff of the Department of Residential Life, have a vision for our work, "Learning, Growing, Mattering: for every person, on every floor, in every community." The Assistant Director for Academic Programs directly supervises the staff of our eight (8) Living Learning Communities as well as our Residence Hall Library System. ... Thu, 23 Dec 2010 02:10:01 +0100 894473 http://nnlm.gov/mcr/news_blog/2010/12/thinking-like-an-mba-register-now-for-online-class-beginning-jan-17-2011/ The roles of library personnel are changing everyday – business practices are becoming the norm. Are you ready? Are you thinking as your administration may be thinking? Are you running projects using project management processes? And what of those methodologies can be applied to operating your library? This free online asynchronous class addresses the three basic components of Project Management – Time, Money and Resources (people). These can be used to demonstrate value, analyze and evaluate personnel and expenditures, and addresss Change Management. Register at:  http://tinyurl.com/mcrclasses . Class is limited to 20 people. Class starts Jan. 17, 2011 and ends, Feb. 11, 2011. Upon completion of class, participants will receive 4 MLA CE credits. Instructor: Marty Magee (mm) (Source: Midcontinental Region News) Wed, 22 Dec 2010 20:13:40 +0100 894480 http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/BabyBoomerLibrarian/~3/8icxW2oo4XY/tully-ny-free-library-director-search.html Library Director - Tully Free LibraryOnondaga County Public Library SystemTully, New YorkThe Board of Trustees of Tully Free Library is looking for an innovative and dynamic individual with a passion for library service to fill the position of Library Director.  The Library Director reports to a nine-member Board of Trustees, manages a staff of 3 part-time people and an annual budget over $125,000.  Tully Free Library is chartered to serve over 6000 people in an area that covers approximately 82 square miles, located in the southern hills of Onondaga County. Minimum education requirements are a bachelor’s degree and one-year experience in an administrative capacity in library service or MLS/MLIS degree.Responsibilities include but are not limited to:       Supervise library staff and volunteers       Manage the budgetCommunicate effectively with staff, volunteers, Board members, school liaisons and community members        Oversee facilities including computer use and upkeep Direct and facilitate library program developmentPrepare written reports, payroll schedules and evaluationsSalary offered starting at $30,000; salary is negotiable depending upon qualifications and previous experience. The position is full-time, 35 hours/week in the library.Send cover letter, resume, and at least 2 references by mail to: Director Search, c/o Carol GleasonTully Free LibraryPO Box 250Tully NY 13159-0250Or by email to crgleason@verizon.netThe posting will remain active and applications will be accepted until the position is filled.KyungJin ParkPersonnel AdministratorOnondaga County Public Library Posted via email from Bill Drew - BabyBoomer Librarian (Source: Baby Boomer Librarian) Wed, 22 Dec 2010 17:50:00 +0100 894501 http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Elsua/~3/OtNmEbiaJYI/ As we come to wrap up another another one of those unforgettable years (2010, that is…), specially, for the Enterprise 2.0 movement and, as we come to prepare things already for 2011 and beyond, one cannot keep but continue reflecting about the real impact of Social Computing within the enterprise and how it is changing the way we think (and behave!) towards the traditional concept of work. Today, in this blog post I would want to reflect a little bit further more on what the future of the workplace is, and, more specifically, how the use of all of these social software tools is changing the way knowledge workers get their jobs done. Much smarter, but not necessarily harder. The challenge though for all of us to answer is whether that really is the future of the workplace. Or not… Welcome to Social Business! Back in November, Imran Ali put together a rather insightful blog post over at GigaOm under the heading “The Future of Work: How Jobs Change in the Next Decade“, where he referenced a recent piece by Gartner on the changing nature of the workplace itself, specially within the next 10 years over at “Gartner Says the World of Work Will Witness 10 Changes During the Next 10 Years“. Both articles are really worth while to set the right context on how the workplace of today will definitely transform itself into the workplace of tomorrow thanks to the enormous influence of social computing within the enterprise and beyond. ... Wed, 22 Dec 2010 15:56:17 +0100 894537 http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/BabyBoomerLibrarian/~3/wlMwfZeH2VA/posting-for-visiting-assistant.html INDIANA UNIVERSITY LIBRARIES-BLOOMINGTON Metadata/Cataloging Librarian Visiting Assistant Librarian (Two Year, Non-Tenure Track Appointment) The IU Bloomington Libraries are seeking an innovative and service oriented individual for the position of Metadata/Cataloging Librarian at the Indiana University Bloomington Libraries. This is a two-year, full-time, non-tenure track appointment in the Libraries' Technical Services Department. Founded in 1820, Indiana University-Bloomington has grown from a small state seminary into the flagship campus of a great public university with over 42,000 students and almost 3,000 faculty. Innovation, creativity, and academic freedom are hallmarks of IU Bloomington and its world-class contributions in research and the arts. The Indiana University Bloomington Libraries (http://www.libraries.iub.edu) are among the leading academic research library systems in North America, having recently been named the top university library by the Association of College and Research Libraries. The IUB Libraries provide strong collections, quality service and instructional programs, and leadership in the application of information technologies. The collections support every academic discipline on campus and include more than 6.6 million books, journals, maps, films, and audio/visual materials in over 900 languages. Users can access more than 400 databases, 43,000 electronic journals, and 224,000 electronic books, as well as locally developed digital content. The IUB Libraries are active members of regional and national associations and consortia including the Committee on Institutional Cooperation (CIC), the Association of Research Libraries (ARL), the Digital Library Federation (DLF), and is a founding member of HathiTrust, a shared digital repository. IU is the principal investigator for Kuali Open Library Environment (OLÉ) and is working with academic library partners to develop a next generation open source library management system. ... Wed, 22 Dec 2010 15:10:00 +0100 894502 http://www.teleread.com/paul-biba/exclusive-google-ebookstore-rep-hints-at-timetable-for-australia/ Just got off the phone with Mark Tanner, who is Google’s ebooks rep in Australia. He’s ensconced down in Sydney in the Googleplex (Aust version) in Pyrmont. Interesting guy. He’s the man charged with getting the Google Ebookstore successfully launched here and publishers and retail partners signed up. He emailed me the other day and was nice enough to do a quick interview. Even though I’ve had a play with the GE site (see how here), chances are that the question foremost on my mind was the same as the one on yours: “When?” Unfortunately Mark has to follow the company line. “We’ve been very excited by the US launch of the Google Ebookstore – it went extremely well,” he said. “Within 24 hours we were the number one app in the Apple App Store. Not just in books though – overall. We are really happy with the response and there haven’t been any real glitches at our end. What Google does well is launch a Version 1.0 product and then iterate, and I think the public know that.” Google has had it’s share of major glitches when launching products, however – remember the Google Buzz privacy headache? But clearly things have been as good as gold with the US Ebookstore launch, which you would probably expect, given that Google Books’ ebooks product has been mooted (and clearly worked on) for, well, years. So when does Australia get it? Again, the official line from overall product manager Scott Dougall, here in the WSJ, is that the GE will launch internationally in the first quarter of 2011. But Tanner is optimistic that we’ll be near the start of the international queue. “I’m hoping we’ll be in the top group – that means early next year,” he said. So it sounds like the GE will roll out across the world in waves (ulp – don’t mention that word in Australia) and that if retailer and publisher interest remains very strong, we could be in the first group to get the nod. ... Wed, 22 Dec 2010 14:11:44 +0100 894414 http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/BabyBoomerLibrarian/~3/dyBYawTF2qs/position-opening-jobs-librariantrainer.html MID YORK LIBRARY SYSTEM LOCATED IN UTICA, NEW YORK IS SEEKING CANDIDATES FOR THE FOLLOWING POSITION:Job Title:         Public Computing Center (PCC)/Mobile Public Computing Center (mPCC) Outreach and Digital Literacy Librarian/Trainer. For information about the Broadband Technology Opportunity Program (BTOP) through which this position is funded see: http://www.nysl.nysed.gov/libdev/nybbexpress/index.html  Classification:  Full Time, ExemptReports To:  DirectorPrincipal Purpose:  To support the mission and vision of the Mid York Library System. This position champions communications, customer service, and responsiveness in daily interactions between and among staff, the public, and member libraries.  General Description of Expectations: The person in this position independently and efficiently creates and implements training programs for the Mid York Library System’s Public Computing Center (PCC) and for the mobile library-based Public Computer Center (mPCC) targeted vulnerable populations. Areas of instruction will include, but not be limited to:  Basic computer use; innovative online technologies; effective use of the Internet to perform critical online functions such as e-mail, online job applications, e-government services; use of online and print training and employment resources; online library services, English as a second language, etc.The successful candidate will have the ability to think critically regarding the needs of the targeted audiences and develop instructional materials and information accordingly. ... Wed, 22 Dec 2010 13:27:00 +0100 894503 http://futura.edublogs.org/2010/12/22/why-teachers-should-be-person-of-the-year/ Time Magazine recently announced that Mark Zuckerberg was selected as their “Person of the Year.”    It seems a rather peculiar choice, since not only is Facebook “old hat”  but also because Facebook has not been the best player in regards to user privacy. So I have my own end of the year suggestion for Time Magazine–how about making teachers the “Person of the Year”? Yes, teachers.   After 29 years in education, both as a teacher and librarian, I”ve known a great number of educators.  And what I’ve seen demonstrated again and again by so many of my colleagues is how much, despite all the recent hype to the contrary, they care about children. So instead of this being the year of software mega-giant or of the likes of Michelle Rhee or Davis Guggenheim,  or the year of union busting in education–perhaps this should be the year we begin simply to honor and celebrate teachers. Teaching is a complex job.  There’s the subject matter, which is complex in and of itself;  there are the students, who are complex in all the ways every human being is, and there’s the place in between where you figure out how to bring the two together for real understanding and growth.  And again, despite claims to the contrary about experienced teachers, you could spend a lifetime as an educator honing your skills and still not master any one of these areas, no matter how dedicated you are. Being a teacher means reinventing yourself daily and annually to meet the needs of the students in front of you, whether it’s figuring out a way to reach a particular student or learning the latest ways to connect your students to a global learning environment. ... Wed, 22 Dec 2010 13:22:18 +0100 895046 http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/kraftylibrarian/OLay/~3/6oTeCOgHMJg/ In case any of the librarians in your library want to get into the holiday spirit and are looking for something beyond holiday window clings, take a look at Texas Medical Center Library’s Bookmas Tree. They even have a “How To” guide available should you want to try it in your own library next year. Enjoy the holidays with family and friends, I will resume posting after the new year. Tweet This Post (Source: The Krafty Librarian) Wed, 22 Dec 2010 11:25:51 +0100 894451 http://web.resourceshelf.com/go/resourceblog/62800 Wireless Substitution: Early Release of Estimates From the National Health Interview Survey, January - June 2010 Preliminary results from the January-June 2010 National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) indicate that the number of American homes with only wireless telephones continues to grow. More than one of every four American homes (26.6%) had only [...] (Source: ResourceShelf) Wed, 22 Dec 2010 07:26:00 +0100 894427 http://michaelgolrick.blogspot.com/2010/12/what-every-library-school-student.html Back in November, a series of posts caught my eye...it was about what Library School students need to know.Jill Hurst-Wahl's post is from the viewpoint of a faculty member. In addition to being up beat, she has a few key words of advice which I am excerpting here:Your coursework won't teach you everything you need to know.Every information professional you meet during your graduate program is a person who can connect you to a job. Your reputation, CV/resume and portfolio matter.She then followed up (in a different forum) with some comments and links to the other posts on which I will comment below.Bobbi Newman gathered together a number of posts which address the topic under the title "Is She Crazy to Want to Work in Libraries?"Her post was succeeded on Will Manley's blog with two posts:“Any Advice for an Aspiring Librarian?”“Do Grade Point Averages Make a Difference in the Hiring Process?”I suggest that you read both, and the comments...Finally, Roy Tenant added to Jill's post by noting several points that I am highlighting by pasting below:No matter how close to graduation you are, your education has only just begun.Although it might sound like work, constant learning is fun.and in practical advice:Find someone in the profession you admire, and offer to take them to lunch or drinks or dinner at a conference you are both attending. (Source: Thoughts from a Library Administrator) Wed, 22 Dec 2010 05:00:00 +0100 894979 http://rabid-librarian.blogspot.com/2010/12/funny-take-on-christmas-story.html An Interview With the Nativity Innkeeper Because how unsanitary is that? Do you know what a manger is? As far as I know, it’s the place you put infant messiahs. It’s a food trough for animals. Oh. Interesting. “Oh, interesting” is right. Let me ask you. So your baby is born, and the first thing you do is put him in an open container filled with grain and covered in oxen drool? Does this seem reasonable to you? You did have them out with the animals. Their options were limited. I rented cribs. I asked Joseph, do you want a crib. And he said, no, we’re fine, and then sets the kid in the food box. And I say to him, you’re new at this, aren’t you. (Source: The Rabid Librarian's Ravings in the Wind) Wed, 22 Dec 2010 05:00:00 +0100 894554 http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/blogspot/MKuf/~3/JLawNT_KMas/investing-in-new-york.html Google New York started in a Starbucks on 86th Street with one person in 2000—a scrappy, highly-caffeinated sales “team.” After moving to a larger office in Times Square, in 2006 we relocated to our current home in Chelsea, at 111 Eighth Avenue—a former Port Authority building. In June of 2008, we took additional space in the Chelsea Market building at 75 Ninth Avenue. Now we have more than 2,000 Googlers working on a variety of projects in both sales and engineering—and we’re hiring across the board. Today, we’re pleased to announce that we’ve closed a deal with the partnership of Taconic Investment Partners, Jamestown Properties and the New York State Common Retirement Fund to purchase 111 Eighth Avenue (also known as 76 Ninth Avenue). As part of the deal, we’ve retained Taconic Management Company to continue the leasing oversight services and management of the building on our behalf, providing the same level of customer service the building’s tenants have come to expect. We believe that this is a great real estate investment in a thriving neighborhood and a fantastic city. Like the city, our New York office is a melting pot of cultures and ideas—it’s home to Googlers from more than 35 countries who speak more than 40 languages. They live in the five boroughs and spread across the tri-state area. We’re excited to continue to build our presence there. Posted by David Radcliffe, VP Real Estate and Workplace Services (Source: Official Google Blog) Wed, 22 Dec 2010 05:00:00 +0100 894541 http://outofthejungle.blogspot.com/2010/12/west-publishing-stung-with-5m-damages.html The Philadelphia Inquirer reported on Dec. 21 that a jury in U.S. District Court awarded David Rudovsky and Leonard N. Sosnov each $2.5 million as punitive damages in a suit claiming that West defamed them. West listed the professors as authors of the 2008 supplement to the treatise on Pennsylvania criminal procedure after both had refused to be associated with the update because it contained virtually no new material! The Inquirer identifies Rudovsky as a "senior fellow" at Penn and a prominent civil liberties and civil rights attorney. Professor Sosnov teaches at Widener. From the Inquirer: In 1991, West published their Pennsylvania Criminal Procedure: Law, Commentary and Forms. A second edition was published in 2001, and the men provided annual updates tracking changes in criminal court procedures.But in 2008, West wanted to pay them only $2,500 each, so the two men ceased work on the addendum. Nevertheless, West published an update bearing Rudovsky and Sosnov's names on the title page.The professors sued, contending that an inferior product - only three new cases were cited - damaged their professional reputations.West quickly pulled the update, but not fast enough, it turned out.In an interview Monday, Rudovsky and Sosnov's attorney, Richard L. Bazelon of Bazelon Less & Feldman, said testimony showed "what West had published . . . really was a sham," and done deliberately.Bazelon said he expected West to appeal both the punitive award and the verdict. Along with the punitive damages, the jury Thursday awarded each man $90,000 in actual damages. I wonder how much of the brou-ha-ha began with the paltry payment offered in 2008? But I certainly wish more West authors would stand up to them when they believed there were not enough changes to warrant a supplement! We librarians certainly know we are being fed new editions and supplements that are mostly puff. ... Wed, 22 Dec 2010 05:00:00 +0100 894540 http://micheladrien.blogspot.com/2010/12/interview-with-legal-reference_22.html In Custodia Legis, the blog of the Law Library of Congress in Washington, has started an interview series featuring members of the library staff.Today, the eighth interview in the series appeared. It is with Debora Keysor, Legal Reference Specialist:"What is the most interesting fact you’ve learned about the Law Library of Congress?: The sheer volume of government documents that are received and maintained in the Law Library, including, but not limited to, more than 5,000 U.S. Supreme Court Records and Briefs each term and, more than 10,000 congressional bills and resolutions each year. In addition, the Law Library of Congress has worked on a hearings pilot project to digitize congressional committee hearings from the Library of Congress collection, which includes over 75,000 volumes of printed hearings. The project’s ultimate goal is to provide free permanent public access to this valuable collection of federal legislative documents. To this end, I was intensely involved in the hearings pilot project to compile three collections: census, privacy, and immigration." (Source: Library Boy) Wed, 22 Dec 2010 05:00:00 +0100 894520 http://joblist.ala.org/modules/jobseeker/controller.cfm?rssjobid=16280 Library Director (InfoCurrent on behalf of client, New York) InfoCurrent seeks Librarian for DIRECTOR for our client: a small, rapidly growing, highly diverse Long Island community Public Library (collection: <100,000, staff: 18). Required: MLS plus 3 years public library experience, 2-5 years management. Send resume with cover letter: kate.pollara@infocurrent.com Equal Opportunity Employer.  Minorities encouraged to apply. (Source: Latest ALA Job Listings) Wed, 22 Dec 2010 00:05:02 +0100 894264 http://joblist.ala.org/modules/jobseeker/controller.cfm?rssjobid=16284 Librarian, Adult and Teen Services (Oak Park Public Library, Illinois) The Oak Park Public Library seeks a dynamic, service-oriented librarian to join our busy Adult and Teen Services (ATS) department.  All ATS librarians perform collection development, reference, readers/viewers/listeners advisory, programming and outreach.  Due to retirement, we are seeking a self-starter with nonfiction/reference expertise.  Visit http://www.oppl.org/about/jobs.htm for complete posting. Full-time position including weekends and evenings. Salary begins at $40,622 with excellent benefits. Requirements: ALA-accredited MLS.  Excellent communication, team work, and technology skills.  Knowledge of nonfiction literature and reference sources.  Strong customer service, reference and collection development skills. ... Wed, 22 Dec 2010 00:05:02 +0100 894261 http://joblist.ala.org/modules/jobseeker/controller.cfm?rssjobid=16281 Librarian - Reference (North Orange County Community College District, California) Job #FCF711 Tenure-track position, 100% contract. STARTING DATE August 10, 2011   MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS Master’s degree in library science or library and information science; OR Valid California teaching credential authorizing service in a community college in the appropriate subject matter area; OR The equivalent.  Equivalent qualifications may include related education, training, employment and professional experience that would be equal to the required degree(s) and experience in the field as determined by the District Equivalency Committee. All degrees and course work used to satisfy the required minimum qualifications must be from accredited postsecondary institutions (see www.nocccd. ... Wed, 22 Dec 2010 00:05:02 +0100 894260 http://joblist.ala.org/modules/jobseeker/controller.cfm?rssjobid=16292 Head of Circulation (Hedberg Public Library, Wisconsin) The Hedberg Public Library is seeking an energetic, progressive and experienced professional to lead and inspire staff as the new head of our Circulation Department. Using our Mission and Core Values as a guide, this person will be responsible for the daily operations of the department, including training of staff, developing and implementing best practices, and ensuring superior customer service to the public. The person in this position will be responsible for the following: Serve as a leader to the department and the library by modeling superior customer service, addressing patron questions and resolving patron concerns. ... Wed, 22 Dec 2010 00:05:02 +0100 894258 http://joblist.ala.org/modules/jobseeker/controller.cfm?rssjobid=16282 Archivist for Digital Development and University Records (Ball State University, Indiana)   Professional position available immediately.  Major responsibility:  engage in acquisition, processing, preservation, digitization, promotion, and use of the unit’s collections, programs, and services; contribute to the formulation, development, management, and promotion of the University Libraries’ digital projects and repositories in the ongoing transition from print to a predominately digital environment. ... Wed, 22 Dec 2010 00:05:02 +0100 894257 http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TameTheWeb/~3/-9Wsb8wf7eM/ I contributed my final post as a regular author this week at ALA TechSource. I must say it makes me a bit emotional but it’s time to move on to focus on other things. I thought I take this chance to point back to some of my favorite posts from the last 5 years of writing at TechSource. One of my favorite things to do was a “back and forth” interview/discussion style post. Here are some of the best of the best: John Blyberg: On the L2 Train | Information Experience Michael Casey: Where Do We Begin? | Better Library Services for More People Robert Doyle (Illinois Library Association) Michael Edson (Smithsonian Institution) Michael Golrick | Stacey Greenwell | Christopher Harris | Cliff Landis And some of my FAVORITE solo posts: November 2005: Do Libraries Matter: On Library & Librarian 2.0 The library encourages the heart. As we reach out to users, we must remember all of the folks we serve. To me, Library 2.0 will be a meeting place, online or in the physical world, where my emotional needs will be fulfilled through entertainment, information, and the ability to create my own stuff to contribute to the ocean of content out there – the Long Tail if you will. Librarian 2.0, then, will be available to guide me and teach me to use the systems provided by the library to do just that. As Abram said, librarians will provide clarification: Librarians need to position themselves and the library to help with finding the answers to: how? and why?” February 2006: Are You Dreaming? That’s where dreaming comes in. Have you had the chance to dream at your library job? Have you had the chance to stop for a minute in the buzz buzz of your routine and think about the future? Are you encouraged to innovate? If not, then I urge you to do so. And I urge library administrators to encourage dreaming on the job. ... Tue, 21 Dec 2010 22:57:37 +0100 894289 http://www.guardian.co.uk/law/2010/dec/21/1 What we enjoyed readingJoshua Rozenberg, columnistThe Life of Hersch Lauterpacht by Sir Elihu Lauterpacht (Cambridge University Press, £85)This 500-page biography, with copious source material, charts the Jewish immigrant who arrived in London in 1923 with little more than his towering intellect and who, just over 30 years later, was elected by the United Nations to be Britain's representative at the most important international tribunal in the world. Eli Lauterpacht, himself a distinguished international lawyer, reveals how his father was supported by the Foreign Office for appointment to the International Court of Justice, even though a junior minister, Selwyn Lloyd, thought that "owing to his origins", Lauterpacht "would not perhaps be what we should regard as entirely sound from our point of view on matters of human rights" – and even though the Attorney General, Sir Lionel Heald, thought it was desirable that "our representative at The Hague both be, and be seen to be, thoroughly British; whereas Lauterpacht cannot help the fact that he does not qualify in this way either by birth, by name or by education".Editor's note: Hersch Lauterpacht is Philippe Sands' legal hero.Gill Phillips, director of Guardian Editorial Legal ServicesReputation in a Networked World: Revisiting the Social Foundations of Defamation Law (pdf) by David S Ardia A thought-provoking article about what is reputation, whether a party has been defamed and if so to what degree, and who should be the judge of that - the complainer, or their relevant community. It also offers a fascinating analysis of the possible harms that defamatory speech can cause. ... Tue, 21 Dec 2010 17:16:38 +0100 894247 http://www.teleread.com/paul-biba/interview-with-mark-waid-on-digital-and-the-future-of-comics/ I’m not familiar with Mark Waid, who is the former chief creative officer of Boom! Studios, but a recent tweet by Richard Nash says: And don’t pretend it’s just comix … If you’re in publishing, you should listen to what @markwaid has to say …. You can find the interview at Comics Alliance. There’s a lot of interesting stuff there, but one of the things that really shocked me was this: CA: In our interview with Chip, he also talked about the barriers of the comic book format itself for new readers, including how and when comics are distributed, and even how to read them. He thought this could be a major impediment to breaking in new readers. How serious of an issue do you think that is? MW: I think it’s a huge impediment on a couple of counts. First off, all of us who have read comics since were kids, we all lose sight of the fact that smart adults can’t figure out how to read comics, which is mind-blowing. Just a couple weeks ago, I was in Indiana guest-lecturing at an anthropology class about comics, and I passed out some pages of comics to make some points. And some of the kids who didn’t read comics came down afterwards – these are bright kids who have light behind their eyes – and they were saying, “I’m not exactly sure how to read this. Do I read the balloons first? Do I read right to left or up and down?” For you and me, it’s like asking us how we breathe; we just know this stuff. But comics is like any other foreign language; you learn it easiest and best as a kid, and if you have to learn it as an adult it’s much harder to pick up on. Just the reading of comics, the mechanism is an impediment. Second, there’s a reason that newspapers don’t still publish serial fiction like [Charles] Dickens. Nobody wants to read it that way anymore. ... Tue, 21 Dec 2010 15:16:57 +0100 894293 http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/blogspot/iRcS/~3/S7X0hYDMCbU/fair-use-challenges-in-academic-and.html The Association of Research Libraries has announced the release of Fair Use Challenges in Academic and Research Libraries, a report that summarizes research into the current application of fair use and other copyright exemptions to meet the missions of U.S. academic and research libraries. The research was conducted in partnership with the Center for Social Media and the Program on Information Justice and Intellectual Property at American University. In dozens of interviews with veteran research and academic librarians, the researchers learned how copyright law comes into play as interviewees performed core library functions (Source: Peter Scott's Library Blog) Tue, 21 Dec 2010 13:11:56 +0100 894276 http://www.slis.indiana.edu/careers/view_job_specific.php?job_id=8979 State: Indiana Indiana University-Purdue University Fort Wayne (IPFW) Helmke Library (http://lib.ipfw.edu) seeks an experienced, innovative, and energetic leader to work closely with librarians, library staff, faculty, students, administrators, and the community to continue to develop the library's initiatives to integrate information literacy programs across the curriculum, provide expert information and research services, expand digital initiatives, build physical and electronic collections, and conceptualize the future of academic library public services within a rapidly changing information landscape. Interviews will be conducted for a 12-month, tenure-track position to begin July 1, 2011. Responsibilities Reporting to the Dean of Helmke Library, the Head of Public Services provides leadership in managing library services and programs to support teaching, learning and research at IPFW. Specific responsibilities include: • Coordinating and supervising the Information and Instruction Services unit within a team environment • Coordinating between other public access service units such as the Service Desk and Document Delivery Services • Promoting collaboration and effective working relationships with IPFW Learning Commons partners in developing, implementing and assessing an integrated approach to student academic success at IPFW • Expanding partnerships with faculty to integrate and assess information literacy competencies across the curriculum • Empowering staff, encouraging innovation, and embracing new technologies that enhance instruction, learning, and research • Engaging the university community with digital scholarship and scholarly communication issues • Developing strategic directions for the library’s Information and Instruction Services unit Qualifications: An A.L.A.-accredited master's degree in library or information science is required. An additional graduate degree is preferred. ... Tue, 21 Dec 2010 12:30:02 +0100 894156 http://www.slis.indiana.edu/careers/view_job_specific.php?job_id=8980 State: Indiana Indiana University-Purdue University Fort Wayne (IPFW) Walter E. Helmke Library (http://www.lib.ipfw.edu) seeks an energetic, knowledgeable, and collaborative individual to work independently and in a team environment to provide high-quality, innovative, and effective information and instructional services and programs to a diverse university community. Librarian will provide liaison services to the Richard T. Doermer School of Business, Public and Environmental Affairs, and Labor Studies. Interviews will be conducted for a 12-month, tenure-track position to begin July 1, 2011. Responsibilities: Successful candidate will contribute substantially to the library's initiatives to integrate information literacy programs across the curriculum, provide expert information and research services, expand digital initiatives, build physical and electronic collections, and conceptualize the future of academic library public services within a rapidly changing information landscape. As part of the IPFW Learning Commons team, will promote collaboration and effective working relationships with IPFW Learning Commons’ partners in developing, implementing, and assessing an integrated approach to student academic success at IPFW. Within liaison-area assignments, is responsible for providing research-consulting services; developing innovative information services and programs; teaching and assessing information literacy competencies in partnership with faculty; developing outreach activities for students and faculty; evaluating, selecting, and using printed and electronic resources; and contributing to IPFW's digital initiatives. Other duties may be assigned. Qualifications: An A.L.A.-accredited master's degree in library or information science is required. Preference given to candidates with experience in academic library settings, especially liaison-area assignments. ... Tue, 21 Dec 2010 12:30:02 +0100 894155 http://joblist.ala.org/modules/jobseeker/controller.cfm?rssjobid=16279 Director of Library and Museum Services (City of Arcadia, California) Appointed by the Library Board of Trustees, per the City Charter, and under the supervision of the City Manager, the Director of Library and Museum Services plans, directs, manages, and oversees the activities and operations of the Library and the Ruth and Charles Gilb Arcadia Historical Museum.  This position serves as secretary and staff advisor to the Library Board of Trustees, an administrative board, and the Historical Museum Commission, an advisory commission to the City Council, collaborates with Library and Museum volunteer support organizations, and coordinates assigned activities with other City departments and outside agencies. ... Tue, 21 Dec 2010 11:05:02 +0100 894144 http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/blogspot/dTJJL/~3/S7X0hYDMCbU/fair-use-challenges-in-academic-and.html The Association of Research Libraries has announced the release of Fair Use Challenges in Academic and Research Libraries, a report that summarizes research into the current application of fair use and other copyright exemptions to meet the missions of U.S. academic and research libraries. The research was conducted in partnership with the Center for Social Media and the Program on Information Justice and Intellectual Property at American University. In dozens of interviews with veteran research and academic librarians, the researchers learned how copyright law comes into play as interviewees performed core library functions (Source: Peter Scott's Library Blog) Tue, 21 Dec 2010 05:00:00 +0100 894625 http://www.cla-net.org/weblog/2010/12/rural_oc_librar.php by Kathleen M. Wade, Regional Services Manager, North Region OC Public Libraries, Santa Ana, CA kathleen.wade@occr.ocgov.com Library Journal (LJ) writer Norman Oder called the Silverado branch library "the smallest and most isolated branch" of the OC Public Libraries system in his May 30, 2008 LJ article: "When a Fire Hit, a Rural OC Library Was There to Help" [http://www.libraryjournal.com/lj/communitypublicservices/861293-276/story.csp]. He said that the Silverado Library was the "key community center" in the aftermath of the 2007 Santiago fire. It was recently the focus again, having to do with the 2007 Santiago fire, but this time as the recipient of the documents and oral histories of residents who were impacted by the Fall 2007 conflagrations. The personal narratives and media were part of a California Council of Humanities sponsored project at the Center for Oral and Public History at California State University, Fullerton campus (CSUF). "Gone Through Fire: Modjeska and Silverado Canyons and the 2007 Santiago Fire" was the oral history project done in collaboration with the Tucker Wildlife Sanctuary. The resource collection was given to Branch Manager Lucille Cruz at a recognition ceremony Saturday, June 12, 2010 at the Tucker Wildlife Sanctuary. To see pictures from the event and all who participated, please visit http://calstate.fullerton.edu/news/inside/2010/santiago-fire-oral-history.html. 10 bound reference volumes of narrative transcripts, 16 interview videodiscs, and 19 audio recordings of residents and their families were a gift to the Silverado Library. All these materials are available for the public to view, listen and read (and for some, relive) the more powerful moments of the fires that swept through the Santiago, Modjeska and Silverado canyons of Orange County, California in October 2007. The print volumes are reference materials, but the audio editions are able to be checked out. ... Tue, 21 Dec 2010 01:05:11 +0100 894328 http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/literaturwelt/~3/G191iaBwN1g/ Zweimal südwärts mit sechzig Jahren Abstand Vielleicht liest sich der originelle und erheiternde Roman des jungen Schweizers Andri Perl gerade im tiefen Winter besonders genüsslich. Mir jedenfalls hat er so viel Vergnügen gemacht, dass ich ihm gern zu einer Besprechung in SWR 2 “Forum Buch” verholfen habe. Dort heißt es: “Seine Poesie ist heutig wie seine Erfahrungen als Rapper. Schon in den ersten Sätzen spielt er mit Rhythmen, Schleifen und Wiederholungen, er erzeugt durch Bildwechsel und Rückblenden ein veritables Kino im Kopf. Andri Perl erfreut den Leser mit Sinn für Sprache, Beobachtungsgabe und Lust am Spiel mit Worten. Und wenn sich ‘romantischer Aufbruch nach Italien infolge unglücklicher Liebe’ wie eine prima Vorlage für Süßliches anhört, so vermeidet Perl mit Humor und für seine Jugend erstaunlicher Stilsicherheit jeglichen Kitsch – gerade bei der leidvollen Romanze.” Andri Perl ist als Rapper mit seiner Band “Breitbild” in der Schweiz bekannt, er studiert Germanistik, zählt Gottfried Keller zu seinen literarischen Vorbildern, weil er ihn für einen subtilen Erotiker hält. Darin folgt ihm Andri Perl auf erfreuliche Art. “Die fünfte, letzte und wichtigste Reiseregel Roman in zwölf Kapiteln, dazu ein Ende” ist im Salis Verlag erschienen und kostet 19,90 €. (Source: Literaturwelt. Das Blog.) Mon, 20 Dec 2010 22:51:00 +0100 895211 http://www.teleread.com/ebooks/want-to-work-in-ebooks-go-to-vietnam/ Robert Martinengo sent this to me. Here’s his email: Hi Paul – thought this might be an interesting teleread post – note the location! http://www.bookjobs.com/viewjob.php?prmJobID=1599197 Title: E-BOOK PROJECT MANAGER Description: – Launch an e-book web platform for Parkstone International: 1. Study the e-book market. 2. Make a well-detailed plan and give suggestions (software, design, web platform) adapted to our company. 3. Once it is approved, apply this project according to a determined schedule. 4. Work in close relation with the Editorial, Design and Marketing departments. Requirements: We are recruiting English-speaking recent graduates with marketing and/or computer science degrees and thorough knowledge and/or experience in working on e-books. You must know about the different e-book formats (epub, pdf, mobi) and have an understanding of how Amazon Kindle, Apple iBooks and Digital Edition work. We would especially appreciate someone with a familiarity with web server administration, who could write PHP, HTML, CSS and JS. You should have experience developing with Drupal or Joomla. You would participate in a twelve month contract renewable in our Ho Chi Minh City office. Fluency in English is required; proficiency in other languages (French, German, Spanish) is preferred, but not required. Applicants should be motivated and organised, have initiative and be eager to develop new projects. Location: Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. How To Apply For This Job: Please send your resume and a cover letter to editor@parkstone-internatonal.com. Write “E-book Project Manager Application” in the email subject line. Otherwise your application won’t be considered. (Source: TeleRead: Bring the E-Books Home) Mon, 20 Dec 2010 20:59:34 +0100 894063 http://wlaweb.blogspot.com/2010/12/demco-aquires-highsmith.html MADISON, Wis. (December 20, 2010) - DEMCO, Inc., a leading library supplier, has acquired the assets of Highsmith, an award-winning educational products and library supplier, from W.W. Grainger Inc. (NYSE: GWW), the leading broad-line supplier of maintenance, repair and operating products serving business and institutions.The acquisition of Highsmith®, which includes the Upstart® and Edupress® brands, broadens the DEMCO® product line, creating a richer offering of products and services to better serve the needs of librarians and K-12 educators nationwide.DEMCO President Mike Grasee said, “DEMCO and Highsmith have a shared commitment to serving the library community: school, public, and academic. For more than 100 years, DEMCO has provided quality solutions for libraries. Together, we will continue that tradition into the future.”In the library supplies market, Highsmith has deep roots in primary and secondary schools. The addition of Highsmith helps DEMCO grow its products and services to become an indispensable resource for libraries and schools across the country.Grasee said, “In addition to the library products business, we are also excited about the addition of the Edupress and Upstart brands. They complement the DEMCO offering with unique products that include games, books and learning materials that support literacy and make learning fun. Combining all of these highly-respected brands under one roof gives DEMCO a greater reach into the school market.”The Highsmith business will operate from the DEMCO facilities in Madison and Deforest, Wis. DEMCO currently employs 245 coworkers and anticipates hiring an additional 60-75 people to support the acquisition of the Highsmith business; the vast majority of whom will come from Highsmith. (Source: The WLA Blog) Mon, 20 Dec 2010 19:17:00 +0100 894712 http://www.babsonlibrary.org/?p=1430 MS ClipArt Happy Holidays and  Happy New Year! from the Staff of Babson Library     The Library will be Closed from December 24, 2010 – January 2, 2011.  Beginning on January 3, 2011 until the start of the Spring 2011 semester, the Library’s Hours will be as follows: January 3 – 20, 2011  Monday – Friday……….. 7:30 am — 6:00 pm Saturday & Sunday….. 9:00 am — 6:00 pm  January 17, 2011 (ML King Day)…..10:00 am – 5:00 pm January 19 & 20, 2011….. 7:30 am — 10:00 pm Regular semester hours resume on Friday, January 21, 2010.   (Source: Babson Library News) Mon, 20 Dec 2010 14:37:36 +0100 894707 http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2010/dec/20/andy-mulligan-trash-blue-peter The children's author Andy Mulligan talks about his thriller, Trash, and how Blue Peter ducked a chance to take their viewers beyond the 'cotton-wool world' when they removed it from their book prize shortlistAndy Mulligan doesn't look like the kind of author you'd expect to find at the heart of a controversy around the "suitability" of his work for children. A mild-mannered, scholarly-looking English teacher in his mid-40s, Mulligan's first novel was a comic tale for 10-year-olds about an absurd school, Ribblestrop. But it's his second, Trash, which has sparked a debate over children's reading. A thriller about streetkids living on a dumpsite in the developing world, it was shortlisted for the Blue Peter award by the prize's judges, only to be dropped when they were overruled by one of the programme's editors. Not that there's any of the heroin abuse or underage sex which usually gets adult readers of children's books hot under the collar. The book was allegedly removed from the shortlist over a scene of violence, and one use of the word "shit".Mulligan describes himself as "disappointed" by a decision that came a week after he had been told he was a contender in the Favourite Stories category of the prize. The award is aimed at the TV programme's audience of, roughly, six to 12-year-olds – does he think his book should have been nominated for that age group?"There are some books that are unsuitable for children. I'd be surprised to see Burroughs' Naked Lunch on the equivalent shortlist," he says. "But a good book will upset someone, because the moment you engage with someone's imagination, you take them into both light and dark. Ask Philip Pullman. Ask Michael Morpurgo. Ask even Beatrix Potter, whose cosy animals were hunted, shot at and traumatised. What's 'suitable' is the journey we ask our readers to make. ... Mon, 20 Dec 2010 14:00:00 +0100 894011 http://news-libraries.mit.edu/blog/worldcat-requesting/4401/ Requesting items from MIT’s WorldCat for delivery to an MIT Library will be unavailable from Sunday, December 19th through Monday, January 3rd due to the MIT Libraries’ furlough closure. Materials requested on or before the 19th should be available for pickup before the Libraries close between 5-6 PM (depending on the Library) on Wednesday, December 22nd. Likewise, requesting materials through Barton’s Your Account will be unavailable after the morning of December 21st. Your Account requesting services will resume on Monday, January 3rd. (Source: MIT Libraries News) Mon, 20 Dec 2010 13:47:03 +0100 894126 http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/netbib/DFxV/~3/saH1Nxbnq7M/ nachrichten.at interviewt den “Lese-Experten” Gerhard Falschlehner zu Lesen allgemein, Lesekultur, -schwächen und eben Fördermaßnahmen, wie z.B. … Schulbibliotheken: Moderner Unterricht geht sowohl vom Können als auch vom Interesse her auf die Kinder ein. Es wird eher die Regel sein, dass jedes Kind etwas anderes liest und auch anders mit den Texten arbeitet. Das ist nicht nur Schuld der Lehrer, sondern teilweise auch eine Frage der Ressourcen: Dort, wo es eine gute Schulbibliothek mit ausreichend Büchern und Platz gibt, tut sich der Lehrer leichter. (Source: netbib weblog) Mon, 20 Dec 2010 11:30:13 +0100 894445 http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/NetbibWeblog/~3/saH1Nxbnq7M/ nachrichten.at interviewt den “Lese-Experten” Gerhard Falschlehner zu Lesen allgemein, Lesekultur, -schwächen und eben Fördermaßnahmen, wie z.B. … Schulbibliotheken: Moderner Unterricht geht sowohl vom Können als auch vom Interesse her auf die Kinder ein. Es wird eher die Regel sein, dass jedes Kind etwas anderes liest und auch anders mit den Texten arbeitet. Das ist nicht nur Schuld der Lehrer, sondern teilweise auch eine Frage der Ressourcen: Dort, wo es eine gute Schulbibliothek mit ausreichend Büchern und Platz gibt, tut sich der Lehrer leichter. (Source: netbib weblog) Mon, 20 Dec 2010 11:30:13 +0100 894042 http://web.docuticker.com/go/docubase/62747 Victims of Identity Theft, 2008 Source:  Bureau of Justice Statistics Presents findings from the 2008 Identity Theft Supplement (ITS) to the National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS). The NCVS/ITS used interviews from a nationally representative sample of about 56,500 U.S. household residents to collect the first BJS data on individual victims of [...] (Source: Docuticker) Mon, 20 Dec 2010 08:45:00 +0100 893938 http://freegovinfo.info/node/3141 It's been a busy couple of weeks here. I've got a bunch of tabs open that I've been meaning to read/watch. And the end of the year is about lists anyway, so here's a list of randomly interesting things to read and watch. And by all means, read and comment on the recently released draft documents at FDLPmodeling!! Wikileaks related links: Wikiriver WikiLeaks-related news feeds put together by Dave Winer at ScriptingNews Cablegate the game. Makes a game of sorting through the huge mass of #cablegate leaks. "The Revolution Will Be Categorized!" (thanks /.) Cable Search: CABLESEARCH is an attempt for an user friendly search engine of already published documents from Wikileaks. Wiki Rebels the documentary (YouTube) "Espionage Act makes felons of us all" by Darlene Storm. Dear Americans: If you are not "authorized" personnel, but you have read, written about, commented upon, tweeted, spread links by "liking" on Facebook, shared by email, or otherwise discussed "classified" information disclosed from WikiLeaks, you could be implicated for crimes under the U.S. Espionage Act -- or so warns a legal expert who said the U.S. Espionage Act could make "felons of us all." Why the Library of Congress Is Blocking Wikileaks. I think I already linked to this in earlier wikileaks comments, but be sure to read the (currently) 164 comments Other links of interest: Old Weather: This is a cool project to crowd source old weather observations made by UK Royal Navy ships around the time of World War I in order to assist with climate model projections and improve a database of weather extremes. The human eye is still far better than any OCR software so please help! Part of the zooniverse of crowd-sourcing projects to help scientific projects. Cooperative Association for Internet Data Analysis (CAIDA) FDLPmodeling has a couple of draft documents ready to pick through and comment on. Please do so early and often. ... Mon, 20 Dec 2010 05:03:17 +0100 893923 http://newpagesblog.blogspot.com/2010/12/listen-to-banned.html Read Guernica's interview with Norwegian musician Deeyah, who worked with Freemuse and Grappa Records to create the compilation CD, Listen to the Banned, featuring banned or persecuted artists from around the world. Guernica includes full-song samples of Banned, which features fourteen songs by musicians from China, Pakistan, Iran, Western Sahara/Morocco, Cameroon, The Ivory Coast, Israel/ (Source: NewPages Blog) Mon, 20 Dec 2010 05:00:00 +0100 895062