Bronwyn's Library Blog

This blog has moved

2006-08-06T18:16:00.000+10:00

I have enjoyed your company on Blogger, but I'm moving this blog to wordpress (inspired by the ease of contributing to libraries interact). Please come and visit me there.

library

“Tomorrow never knows"1: the end of cataloguing?

2006-08-06T15:48:00.000+10:00

Alan Danskin Manager Data

Abstract

This paper reviews the perceived threats to the future of cataloguing posed by the increasing volume of publications in media, coupled with a resource base which is declining in real terms. It argues that cataloguing is more rather than less important in such an environment and considers some of the in which cataloguing will have to change in order to survive. Read the whole paper

cataloguing, library

The future: What's out there?

2006-08-05T09:20:00.000+10:00

4th Australian Library & Information Association Top End Symposium

13-14 October 2006

Charles Darwin UniversityPalmerston Campus, NT

Participants will have the opportunity:-

* to expand their knowledge about current activities

* explore new ideas

* gain insight into future options

contact Peter Walton: p.d.walton at bigpond dot com

library

The social life of books

2006-08-03T09:40:00.000+10:00

An interview with Ben Vershbow at the Library journal blog

You write about the "social life" of books, and I know you don't mean where books go to hang out and cross-reference. What do you mean?

Well, to a certain extent, I do mean that books will be able to go hang out and cross-reference. I think digital libraries will be in constant communication with each other, sharing patterns of use, exchanging user-created metadata, building maps of meaning out of the recorded behaviors and interests of readers. Parts of books will reference parts of other books. Books will be woven together out of components in remote databases and servers.

So, in some ways books will have a life of their own. But you're right, what I'm getting at primarily is the social life of readers and authors that will exist around and inside of books.

Read the whole post

books, library

Schools ban dictionary of slang

2006-08-01T10:57:00.000+10:00

The author of what has been described as the definitive dictionary of slang is gobsmacked, gutted, throwing up bunches, honked, hipped, and jacked like a cock-maggot in a sink-hole. A North Carolina school district has banned the dictionary under pressure from one of a growing number of conservative Christian groups using the internet to encourage school book bans across the US.
Read on ...

MSN Search offers free full text access to Encarta Encyclopedia

2006-07-30T09:49:00.000+10:00

via resourceshelf

Researchers might be interested to learn that MSN Search is offering a free access to the full text (not just blurbs) of Microsoft's

This page offers details about how to get a free pass. No, registration is required.

Read on ...

search, msn, ENCARTA, library

Growing Wikipedia revises it 'anyone can edit" policy

2006-07-29T16:35:00.000+10:00

While these measures may appear to undermine the site's democratic principles, Jimmy Wales, Wikipedia's founder, notes that protection is usually temporary and affects a tiny fraction of the 1.2 million entries on the English-language site.

"Protection is a tool for quality control, but it hardly defines Wikipedia," Mr. Wales said. "What does define Wikipedia is the volunteer community and the open participation." Read the whole article

Tags: wikipedia, library

Storytime online

2006-07-28T06:34:00.000+10:00

"Storyline Online is an innovative website featuring well-known actors reading quality children's picture books aloud.

Offered free of charge, these imaginatively produced videos fully capture the intricate illustrations, colors and textures of each book.

Storyline Online also includes a supplemental activities section developed by an Early Literacy curriculum specialist.

The videos and related activities strengthen comprehension, verbal and written skills of English language learners worldwide."

visit Storyline online

library

New Publications

2006-07-25T06:54:00.000+10:00

Ross McMullin has revised his 1984 publication on the life of artist, cartoonist, war correspondent and poet, Will Dyson.

The new book, Will Dyson : Australia's Radical Genius, features reproductions of Dyson's drawings and cartoons, many providing an insight into trench conditions during World War I.

(Dyson's own book, Australia at War : A Winter Record, covers this theme more fully.)

From AustLit

library

U.S. Ends a Yearlong Effort to Obtain Library Records Amid Secrecy in Connecticut

2006-07-23T11:47:00.000+10:00

After fighting for nearly a year to keep details of a counterterrorism investigation secret, the federal government has abandoned efforts to obtain library records in Connecticut, concluding that the implied threat had no merit.

The decision was hailed yesterday as a victory by the four Connecticut librarians who mounted one of the few known challenges to the nation's strengthened antiterrorism law when they filed a lawsuit last summer objecting to the government's request for patron records and its insistence on absolute secrecy. Read on ...

library

Information Literacy Assessment

2006-07-22T09:18:00.000+10:00

TRAILS is a self-guided, self-administered assessment tool designed for use by library media specialists and teachers to determine the information literacy competencies of their high school students.

Librarians and teachers at other grade levels may find it of use as well. Once an assessment is selected, the library media specialist or teacher can choose how to use it to serve local needs.

These tips may provide helpful information to create an assessment experience most conducive to obtaining useful results.

Visit TRAILS

information literacy, library

Find in a library

2006-07-20T12:53:00.000+10:00

Always there browser tools that let you search libraries

Books, videos, downloadable audio books, if it's in a library near you, you'll find it with Find in a Library. Install one of the browser tools below to search liraries no matter where you are on the web.

Learn more about Find in a Library

library, worldcat

Click 06 - ALIA's Biennial conference

2006-07-18T07:20:00.000+10:00

Perth Convention Exhibition Centre

Perth, Western Australia

19 - 22 September 2006

Registration Brochure & Preliminary Program now available on the website

Click on the link to download or print off the full RegistrationBrochure

http://conferences.alia.org.au/alia2006/Documents/Registration_brochure.pdf

and RegistrationForm

http://conferences.alia.org.au/alia2006/Documents/Reg_form.pdf .

Available now on the Conference website.

You can also click here

http://conferences.alia.org.au/alia2006/ for Conference details including the preliminary program

http://conferences.alia.org.au/alia2006/programme_programme.html ,

list of invited speakers, exciting social events, accommodation optionsand attractions in Perth.

ALIA, library

Reference Librarians use Electronic Sources Six Times More than Print Sources to Answer Patrons’ Questions

2006-07-16T08:28:00.000+10:00

from
Evidence Based Library and Information Practice 2006

A review of:Bradford, Jane T., Barbara Costello, and Robert Lenholt. “Reference Service in the Digital Age: An Analysis of Sources Used to Answer Reference Questions.” The Journal of Academic Librarianship 31.3 (May 2005): 263‐72.

Abstract

Objective – To test the hypothesis that electronic sources are used by librarians more often than print sources to answer questions at the reference desk.

Read the report

library

National archives prepares to go digital

2006-07-15T21:09:00.000+10:00

(From my archives!! November, 2005) With the unenviable responsibility for housing potentially petabytes of government information that's both public and 'private', the National Archives of Australia (NAA) in Canberra is set to launch its digital archiving service on new infrastructure. Read on ...

archives, library

Evidence based librarianship and open access

2006-07-13T10:03:00.000+10:00

Morrison, Heather (2006) .

Evidence based practice, whether in librarianship or any other profession, depends on access to the evidence, and access to opportunities to share one’s own evidence. Open access (OA) is the perfect complement to evidence based librarianship. OA provides the optimum access to the evidence for librarians everwhere, and the optimum means of dissemination. This article compares examines access to the LIS literature in the print and electronic media, and the impact of open access. Read on ...

library, open access, evidence based librarianship

Mashing Up The Library

2006-07-13T09:42:00.000+10:00

Mashing Up The Library competition announced

(Via Phil Bradley)

Talis is pleased to announce the first competition intended to encourage innovation in the display, use, and reuse of data from and about libraries. The competition is open to all, and includes a first prize of £1,000 for the best entry. Read on for more information, and the respected panel of judges looks forward to reviewing a wide range of innovative entries. Read more ...

library 2.0, library

The story continues ...

2006-07-11T18:23:00.000+10:00

From AustLit

AustLit's April/May Newsletter reported on a perceived takeover in the writing and transmission of Australian history. ('Move Over History Wars – the Novelists are on Their Way')

Led by historian and writer Mark McKenna, the argument ran that, in part because of recent disputes between Australian historians, 'writers of fiction are now more commonly seen as the most trustworthy purveyors of the past.'

McKenna's fears will not be allayed, therefore, by Allen & Unwin's announcement that it plans to publish a three-volume 'People's History of Australia' to be written by Thomas Keneally.

Keneally says that he 'will aim to cast a new lens over Australia and its people, so that you can see it in unexpected lights.' He hopes his work will surprise his readers and that they will be 'hearing from people they have never heard from before.'According to Allen & Unwin Chairman, Patrick Gallagher, '[n]o writer can better capture the essence of the Australian people than Tom Keneally ... we're all looking forward to publishing a series that will be of lasting importance to all Australians.' The first volume in the set is due for release in late 2008. (Allen & Unwin media release, April 2006)

library

Are You Game?

2006-07-09T08:00:00.000+10:00

By Aaron Schmidt

Thanks to the Librarian in Black

Thanks to electronic games, attracting teens has never been easier Current Issue

You’ve heard the buzz about how hosting gaming events will have young patrons beating a path to your library.

Marianne Kruppa, a Web developer librarian at St. Joseph County (IN) Public Library (SJCPL) has seen it happen firsthand. “Game nights grow exponentially,” she says. “When one kid has a great time, she brings one or two friends to the next event. Then those kids bring their friends!” Read on ...

library

States' help needed to ban books: Ruddock

2006-07-08T22:52:00.000+10:00

The Federal Government has announced new steps to crack down on books or films that encourage acts of terrorism.

The Attorney-General Philip Ruddock says he has written to state and territory Censorship Ministers, asking them to work with the Commonwealth to consider ways to ban the sale of books or films that support violent jihad or glorify suicide bombings.

Mr Ruddock has also asked the Classification Review Board to take another look at its decision which found that eight books and one film did not incite or promote violence.

Read on ...

library

Are you ready for Web 2.0?

2006-07-06T09:25:00.000+10:00

“…Web 2.0, according to conference sponsor Tim O'Reilly, is an "architecture of participation" -- a constellation made up of links between web applications that rival desktop applications, the blog publishing revolution and self-service advertising.

This architecture is based on social software where users generate content, rather than simply consume it, and on open programming interfaces that let developers add to a web service or get at data. It is an arena where the web rather than the desktop is the dominant platform, and organization appears spontaneously through the actions of the group, for example, in the creation of folksonomies created through tagging..”

Read on …

web 2.0, library

The social life of books

2006-07-04T07:53:00.000+10:00

An interview with Ben Vershbow at the Library journal blog

You write about the "social life" of books, and I know you don't mean where books go to hang out and cross-reference. What do you mean?Well, to a certain extent, I do mean that books will be able to go hang out and cross-reference. I think digital libraries will be in constant communication with each other, sharing patterns of use, exchanging user-created metadata, building maps of meaning out of the recorded behaviors and interests of readers. Parts of books will reference parts of other books. Books will be woven together out of components in remote databases and servers. So, in some ways books will have a life of their own. But you're right, what I'm getting at primarily is the social life of readers and authors that will exist around and inside of books. Read the whole post

books, library

Library stars: Best of the best

2006-07-02T10:26:00.000+10:00

Tuesday 19 September 2006, 9.30 am -4.30 pm, Perth Convention Exhibition Centre

--------------------------------------------------Registrations for the forum are now open.

The forum will showcase libraries, projects and successes to recognise outstanding achievements in the public library sector and to inspire public library practitioners.

The program features:Keynote address by Rolf Hapel, Library Director, Aarhus Public Libraries, Denmark. Aarhus Public Libraries won the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation 'Access to Learning' Award in 2004.

Presentations on seven outstanding public library services and programs from around Australia including: three diverse reading and literacy programs, an indigenous local knowledge collection, an extensive local history project, innovative use of digital technology to provide library materials to people with sight impairment, and a staff development program for library staff in remote Northern Territory communities.

The forum will include panel discussions and Q and A sessions. Forum delegates will vote for the Delegates Choice Award for the best project presented on the day.

RegistrationALIA members*: $100.00 (GST incl.)Non-members: $135.00 (GST incl.)* Members of PLA, LIANZA, ASLA and ASA are eligible for the ALIA memberrate.

For details of the program and to register please go tohttp://alia.org.au/governance/committees/public.libraries/stars.html

Library stars: best of the best is presented by the ALIA Public Libraries Reference Group and is sponsored by Peter Pal Library Supplier and SirsiDynix. It is a satellite event for the 2006 ALIA BiennialConference, CLICK06, Perth, 19-22 September 2006.
For more information please contact Susan Magnay,susan.magnay@alia.org.au.nospam, ph 02 6215 8225.

library

The architecture of our systems

2006-07-01T06:57:00.000+10:00

Details of Maisson Brisson presentation

"I argue that libraries are rich with the stuff people would like to link to, but the architecture of our systems often fails us on the other aspects."...

The future of books

2006-06-29T13:01:00.000+10:00

From Rob Hyndman

"...will books continue to be a place where immersive thought and extended time are required, or are they morphing into another channel in the always-on, million-channel universe, full of clicks and links and chats and tunes and videos; full of flashing lights and tinkling bells, an easy rest-stop for those who prefer to skim lightly over the surface of the world’s ideas? And of course, who decides?"

Read on

books, library

RFID: making inroads into Australian libraries

2006-06-28T09:58:00.000+10:00

NOTICE OF MEETING

RFID: making inroads into Australian libraries

Speakers:

Suzanne Gately, Manager, Libraries, Hobsons Bay
Libraries Implementation of RFID at Altona-Meadows Library and Learning Centre.

Eoin Geaney, Product Manager, Security Systems Division, 3M Australia Pty Ltd 3M
RFID in the public, special and academic library environments.

Alan Butters, Principal Consultant, Sybis
What do you do first? Where do you begin? When do you approach the market?

These talks will follow the (brief) business of the Annual General Meeting of the Association.

Not a VALA member? Visitors welcome at VALA meetings- just come!

Venue Tutorial Room, Ground Floor, Baillieu Library, University of Melbourne
(On-site parking available - have gold coins available for the parking fee.
Public transport via tram.)

Date Wednesday 28 June 2006 5.30 p.m.

Drinks and nibbles 6.00 p.m. Meeting

Alyson Kosina
Email: vala@vala.org.au-- VALA Secretariat valasec@fastmail.fm

library

2006-06-28T09:50:00.000+10:00

Librarianship is moving away from rules and regulations to a more flexible response to the user. Marketing has taken hold of our outlook and we need to respond to that user and meet his/her needs rather than standing in place relying on outdated systems that once read like a gospel.

It's the message in two disparate blogs recently.

Meredith in the Information Wants to be free blog gave a wonderful post about the possibilities of libraries using Myplace and similar social networking tools.

Building Presence in MySpace and Facebook

A lot of libraries have started building presence in MySpace and Facebook by creating profiles. And I honestly think this is a really good idea though unfortunately most libraries are doing it really badly.

When you decide to put up a library profile on MySpace or Facebook, what is your goal?

If it’s to look cool or to make students more aware of the library, don’t bother.

A profile that offers nothing but a picture of the library, a blog post or two and a cutesy thing about how we won’t shush you just looks cheesy. I think there is a big difference between “being where our patrons are” and “being USEFUL to our patrons where they are.”

I think some of the libraries in MySpace and Facebook have put a profile up, but they have not tried to make it useful to their patrons at all. Just putting up a profile does not make the library seem cool, nor does it make the library more visible.

And there's the outstanding post from the free Ranging Librarian. You will want to read the whole post, but here are excerpts.

You are not a format. You are a service.

The OPAC is not the sun. The OPAC is at best a distant planet, every year moving farther from the orbit of its solar system.The user is the sun.The user is the magic element that transforms librarianship from a gatekeeping trade to a services profession.

The user is not broken.Your system is broken until proven otherwise.

Most of your most passionate users will never meet you face to face.

Most of your most alienated users will never meet you face to face.

It is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than to find a library website that is usable and friendly and provides services rather than talking about them in weird library jargon.

Information flows down the path of least resistance. If you block a tool the users want, users will go elsewhere to find it.

You cannot change the user, but you can transform the user experience to meet the user.

Meet people where they are--not where you want them to be.

The user is not "remote." You, the librarian, are remote, and it is your job to close that gap.

The average library decision about implementing new technologies takes longer than the average life cycle for new technologies.

If you are reading about it in Time and Newsweek and your library isn't adapted for it or offering it, you're behind.

If we continue fetishizing the format and ignoring the user, we will be tomorrow's cobblers.

Your ignorance will not protect you.

What a wake-up call!!

library

Managing E-Resources

2006-06-27T09:19:00.000+10:00

ALIA ARCoM and Libraries Australia are pleased to announce a seminar on Managing E-Resources.

Date - 27th July 2006
Time - 10.00am - 1.00pm
Venue - State Library Lecture Theatre
Cost - $30, Concession $15.
Morning tea included

The program will include presentations from

* vendors about electronic resource publishing and electronic resource management tools

* South Australian libraries and Libraries Australia about currentpractice in managing e-resources.

The seminar is a general information session exploring the management of e-resources , and is aimed at anyone who deals with electronic resources. A program will be circulated when finalised.

In the meantime, for more information contact Tom Snook, ARCoM Convenor and Metadata and Acquisitions Services Librarian Flinders University

Ph: +61(8) 8201 2083Fax: +61(8) 8201 2508
Email: tom dot snook at flinders dot edu dot au

library

Web 2.0 and Library Boot Camp have been sung

2006-06-27T09:18:00.000+10:00

A song for my friends in Library Boot Camp (in one take) Turn up those speakers!

library

Genealogy Roots Blog

2006-06-26T09:35:00.000+10:00

(via the Librarian in Black)

The Genealogy Roots Blog is for finding online genealogy databases, records and resources.

The focus is on vital records (birth, marriage, divorce & death records), census records, naturalization records, military records and ship passenger lists.

The Genealogy Roots Blog is based in the USA, but online European, Canadian, and other records sources are sometimes included.

Mixed in with all this you will occasionally find a fun post or genealogy news.

Visit the Genealogy blog

genealogy, library

Long Overdue: A Fresh Look at Public Attitudes About Libraries in the 21st Century

2006-06-26T09:33:00.000+10:00

Via Resourceshelf

Source: Public Agenda

“In this survey of the public, we find Americans prize public library service and see libraries as potential solutions to many communities’ most pressing problems, from universal access to computers to the need for better options for keeping teens safe and productive.

But few Americans are aware of the increasingly tenuous financial picture faced by many libraries. Forty-five percent give an ‘A’ to their local community for maintaining well-run libraries, far ahead of any other community institutions, including schools, parks, and police.

Those who think public libraries are primarily used by folks who can’t afford bookstores are clearly mistaken — higher-income families are even more likely to use public libraries than low-income families.

Prepared with support from the Americans for Libraries Council and funding from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.”

Read the report

library

SLA Annual Conference blogged

2006-06-25T07:30:00.000+10:00

Via Resourceshelf

ITI blogcos SLA “coverage of the Special Libraries Association annual conference in Baltimore”

Read the posts

library,special_libraries

Tagging meets Subject Headings

2006-06-25T07:26:00.000+10:00

From the Thing-ology Blog and Library thing

Tim has just announced a new LibraryThing feature - the addition of subjects. Now you can look at a book and see both the user-created tags as well as the librarian-assigned subject headings. This puts us in the middle of the age old debate: tags or subject headings? Folksonomies or taxonomies?

Ok, maybe the question isn’t quite that old, but it’s certainly debated. Subject analysis is a fuzzy discipline - decisions on "aboutness" are hard. But is it necessarily a question of one over the other? Can they work together at all?

Read on ...

library

Reading - the great escape

2006-06-24T14:35:00.000+10:00

Sara Nelson in her book So many books, so little time

"A friend of mine tells me that he likes to listen to tapes of Trollope novels while negotiating New York City traffic because he likes the clash of his inner and outer worlds: 'The lovely British voice on the tape is saying, "And the vicar went into the parish," just as I'm yelling in my best New Yorkese, "Hey Buddy, up yours!" to the cabdriver on my right.' Reading's ability to beam you up to a different world is a good part of the reason people like me do it in the first place -- because dollar for dollar, hour per hour, it's the most expedient way to get from our proscribed little 'here' to an imagined, intriguing 'there.' Part time machine, part Concorde, part ejector seat, books are our salvation."

books, reading, library

Fun Kids' Music Website

2006-06-23T21:08:00.000+10:00

From Maureen McGee, Nantahala Regional Library, mmcgee at nantahalalibrary dot org

Recently I discovered a fantastic website for a rockin' radio showbthat's all music for kids.

The show is "Spare the Rock, Spoil the Child"from Valley Free Radio in Northampton, Mass.

The website is www.sparetherock.com . You can download podcasts of the shows there, as well as read about new music, etc.

I like to listen atmy desk. Check it out - you may even get some ideas for collectiondevelopment. Enjoy!

children's music, library

Making “E” Visible

2006-06-23T19:43:00.000+10:00

" ...Why are smart, well-educated, otherwise well-informed people so glaringly ignorant of what their libraries offer in the way of online research? And what are we doing about it?"

Read the whole article

National Simultaneous Storytime 2006

2006-06-23T19:37:00.000+10:00

Friday 1 September 2006 at 11:00am AEST.
http://www.alia.org.au/advocacy/storytime/2006/

Good Night, MeWritten by Andrew Daddo, Illustrated by Emma Quay
Published by Hachette Children's Books ISBN: 0733621120

Things to look out for:

REGISTRATION AND ORDERING WILL BE AVAILABLE ON THE ALIA WEBSITE SHORTLY.......................Book and activity pack- a paperback copy of "Good night me"- a colour poster- blackline masters for a dream activity sheet and an orangutan craft - balloons and door hangers EXTRA balloons and door hangers will also be available separately.

An extra activity sheet on Emma Quay's website:http://www.emmaquay.com/funstuff.html#goodnight

A promotional flyer that can be downloaded:
http://www.alia.org.au/advocacy/storytime/2006/nss2006.flyer.pdf

library, National simultaneous story time

2006-06-23T17:41:00.000+10:00

Video: Katrina-hit libraries get big gift

Are You Game?

2006-06-22T18:10:00.000+10:00

By Aaron Schmidt -- 6/1/2006

Thanks to electronic games, attracting teens has never been easier
Current Issue "

Via Stephen Abram who comments: Loads of food for thought.
It's practical and is a good place to start thinking and debating about how your library might jump on this trend. It's not a fad. There's a reason why these games outsell book, magazines and newspapers. There's a reason why they comprise a big part of military training. They do belong in learning and community spaces.

You’ve heard the buzz about how hosting gaming events will have young patrons beating a path to your library.

Marianne Kruppa, a Web developer librarian at St. Joseph County (IN) Public Library (SJCPL) has seen it happen firsthand. “Game nights grow exponentially,” she says. “When one kid has a great time, she brings one or two friends to the next event. Then those kids bring their friends!”

Kruppa, one of SJCPL’s resident techies and a major Nintendo fan herself, helps organize game events at the library, an eight-branch institution that serves a suburban, middle-class community of 250,000 in South Bend. Launched as a single exhibition event in December 2005, SJCPL’s gaming program now boasts regular gatherings around popular video and computer games like Mario Kart DS, Double Dash, Metroid Prime, and Animal Crossing.

Back in December 2005, the debut drew a ragtag bunch of about a dozen observers, but since then, SJCPL’s game events have attracted more than 30 enthusiastic and extremely focused youngsters every couple of weeks.

You’re probably wondering how you can make this happen at your own institution. Like many librarians, you may be a little intimidated by the hardware. But only a few things are needed to stage a gaming event, and they don’t cost a king’s ransom. So let’s get the geeky stuff out of the way... Read on ...

gaming in libraries, >library

Libraries committed to equitable online access

2006-06-22T12:36:00.000+10:00

http://alia.org.au/media.room/2006.06.21.html

The Australian Library and Information Association would like to work with the Federal Minister for Communications, Information Technology and the Arts and her Department on the implications for Australia's public libraries and their users of the Protecting Families Online program, announced today.

The Australian Library and Information Association supports the provision of free internet filters to Australian families and the increased support for community education on safe internet use included in the Protecting Families Online package.

The Association's Executive Director, Sue Hutley, said that the increased funding for NetAlert, the government's internet education and advisory body is welcomed as it will allow NetAlert to expand its community education activities.

Australia's public libraries play a significant role in addressing the need for equitable community access to online information. TheAssociation is concerned that requirements for the National Library ofAustralia and other State, Territory and Local Government libraries to provide filtering on public access terminals may restrict access for adult library users to legitimate online information, while not guaranteeing that children are protected from offensive or illegalcontent.

'While we agree with the government's move to provide parents withfree, accredited filters for their home computers to allow parents to set access limits based on their own family values and needs, it is difficult to see how public libraries could meet the widely varying information needs of all their users if they are required to use filters on all public access internet terminals' Ms Hutley said.

'Public libraries provide information access to all members of thecommunity, including children, and they take their duty of care veryseriously' she said.

A recent survey by the Australian Library and Information Association of public library internet services found that the majority of libraries have policies and guidelines for the use of the internet. Many libraries meet the special needs of children by providing separate internet terminals and websites for children and young adults that link to resources specially tailored for them.

Qualified professionals in libraries provide training and advice on internet use as an integralpart of library services.

For further information: http://alia.org.au/advocacy/internet.access/

library

Auslib Conference 2007 Call for Papers

2006-06-22T07:13:00.000+10:00

Following the success of its March 2006 library buildings conference, Auslib Conferences is planning its second Adelaide conference for 9-10 March 2007.

'Learning futures: public libraries for the newgenerations in Australia and New Zealand' will profile the achievements and potential of public libraries from both sides of the Tasman for babies, children and young adults 0-18.

A call for papers is being mailed to all public libraries, and is also available online.For further information, email the conference convener Dr Alan Bundy, alan.bundy at auslib dot com.au.nospam,http://www.auslib.com.au

library

Intereted in Communication?

2006-06-20T06:49:00.000+10:00

Books and writing, reading, communication, speaking, conversation, meetings and much more at the Pivotal Communication Blog ...

communication library

Australians Feature at French Book Festival

2006-06-18T08:30:00.000+10:00

From AustLit

Australia was the featured country at the 2006 Comédie du Livre in Montpellier, France. The festival, which ran from 19-21 May, debated Australian Indigenous culture, Australian literature and the influence of Australian culture on the global stage. Guest writers included Robert Dessaix, Nikki Gemmell, Janette Turner Hospital, Michelle de Kretser and the French writer (now resident in Perth), Catherine Rey. The guest of honour was Thomas Keneally.In the lead up to the festival France's main daily newspaper, La Monde, sponsored a literary contest. Questions included 'Which film of Stephen Spielberg is drawn from a novel written by an Australian author?' and 'Which detective novel of Douglas Kennedy has a framework in Australia?' (The answers are: Schindler's List and The Dead Heart.)The festival is now in its 21st year and attracts up to 300 writers and audiences of 100,000. Australia's participation was supported by the Australia Council and the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. Australia will continue to build its international profile when it is the featured country at next year's Kolkata Book Fair.

australian literature, library">library

ABC to launch new book club programme

2006-06-17T08:34:00.000+10:00

Via AustLit

ABC Television will soon launch the First Tuesday Book Club hosted by journalist and publisher Jennifer Byrne.

A panel of book lovers and book clubbers will join Byrne to 'consider titles from all genres including fiction, non-fiction, biography, thriller, romance and history.'

ABC Television's Head of Arts and Entertainment, Courtney Gibson, said, '[t]his will be a book-obsessed beast of a show where viewers can get involved by reading the book beforehand and participating in on-line discussion forums.'

Jennifer Byrne, who hosted the ABC's one-off special My Favourite Book in December 2004, says, '[f]or a book addict like myself, this is like rolling in clover ... Our book club will hunt out the best and liveliest of the new [and] the most memorable of the old.'

First Tuesday Book Club is currently in production and will be screened for the first time on 1 August 2006. It will continue to air, as its name suggests, on the first Tuesday of each month.

book clubs, library

Pre Book Week Extravaganza

2006-06-15T20:45:00.000+10:00

ALIA Children's and Youth Services (NSW) Group

PRESENTS

...Pre Book Week Extravaganza 2006

Themed 'Book Now' this year's extravaganza is sure to be bigger and betterthan ever!

Find out what other libraries suggest for displays, competitions, readers'theatre, storytime and class visits.

Be inspired and take away lots ofgreat ideas.

Date: Thursday 22 June4:00pm - 8:00pm (for a 4:30pm start)

Light refreshments available on arrival

Fee: ALIA Members $15 (one per institutional membership), Non Members $18

RSVP: Judy Drayton

e-mail:Judy_Drayton at auburn.nsw.gov.au

library, ALIA, Children's Book Week

What is the ubiquitous librarian?

2006-06-15T07:26:00.000+10:00

The Ubiquitous Librarian is everywhere!

The Ubiquitous Librarian constantly seeks new ways to interact with users.

The Ubiquitous Librarian is all about participation. It’s about stepping outside of the library and interacting with patrons wherever they may be: online, in the classroom, in the hallway, at football games, in the cafeteria, off campus.

Instead of trying to force them into the library, into our world, the ubiquitous librarian is embedded into their world.

It’s about not pushing the library agenda, but rather about participating in the larger community we serve.

Put simply: Instead of trying to make your library seem cool, be a librarian and do cool things.

Beyond the library walls- estabishing an information literacy program for a dispersed user group

2006-06-14T06:44:00.000+10:00

By Paul Verlander

The Information Services of the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), the UK government agency responsible for health and safety at work, has always endeavoured to educate its users.

The HSE employs some 4,100 staff dispersed across a network of 32 offices from a broad range of scientific and technical disciplines, as well as inspectors, policy makers and administrators. With such a large and diverse usergroup it is little surprise that most efforts at user education have been demand-led.

Staff of the service regularly provided support to users on sourcing appropriate information and using our online resources. Similarly, library induction sessions have always been available for staff.

However, such an approach tended only to cater for active users of the service and, given that efforts were based largely within the library, catered only for those staff based within our main headquarters. Read on ...

library

School Library 2.0

2006-06-13T10:25:00.000+10:00

(School Library Journal Via Thomson Dialog NewsEdge)

A group of students from Lakeview High School in Battle Creek, MI, is sitting down to a discussion of Elie Wiesels Night (Hill & Wang, 1960). Its a fairly typical exercise the Nobel Laureates haunting memoir of the Holocaust has been widely read in high schools (long before being tapped for Oprahs book club earlier this year).

Not so typical is the discussion itself. It will take place entirely online, in the form of a blog. Read on …

educational blogs, education, education and technology, library

2006-06-11T08:25:00.000+10:00

Presentations from the 2006 Information Highways Conference Now Online

library

U.S. Book Production Plummets 18K in 2005

2006-06-10T10:29:00.000+10:00

U.S. Book Production Plummets 18K in 2005; Smaller Publishers Show the Largest Drop in New Titles

UK Now Leader in English Language Publishing

Bowker, the world’s leading provider of bibliographic information, today released statistics on U.S. book publishing compiled from its Books In Print® database. Based on preliminary figures from U.S. publishers, Bowker is projecting that U.S. title output in 2005 decreased by more than 18,000 to 172,000 new titles and editions.

This is the first decline in U.S. title output since 1999, and only the 10th downturn recorded in the last 50 years. It follows the record increase of more than 19,000 new books in 2004. Great Britain, long the world’s per capita leader in the publication of new books in any language, now replaces the United States as the publisher of most new books in English. 206,000 new books were published in the U.K. in 2005, representing an increase of some 45,000 (28%) over 2004. Read on ...

books, publishing, library

NCLIS Announces Grand Prize Winner

2006-06-08T11:03:00.000+10:00

South Carolina Program Reduces Health Disparities

By Improving Access to High-Quality Information about Diabetes

What are the best library programs in the country addressing health and wellness issues?

From 50 state winners, a grand prize winner has been chosen by a Federal panel, receiving $20,000 for its innovative work to reduce the risk of diabetes.

An all-day forum featuring the ten finalist libraries took place at the National Library of Medicine on May 3rd. The grand prize winner was announced at a reception that evening. NLM is pleased to have provided some support to six of the finalist winners through the National Network of Libraries of Medicine.

And the winner is:The "REACH 2010" Charleston and Georgetown (South Carolina) Diabetes Coalition's Library Partnership.

Read on ...

library

Mass Digitization:Implications for Information Policy

2006-06-07T07:07:00.000+10:00

Report from"Scholarship and Libraries in Transition:A Dialogue about the Impacts of Mass Digitization Projects

"Symposium held on March 10-11, 2006University of Michigan, Ann Arbor MIU.S.

National Commission on Libraries and Information Science (NCLIS)May 9, 2006

The project announced in December 2004 for a partnership between Google, Inc. and five major research libraries (the "G5") to digitize over 10 million unique titles launched a new era of large-scale digitization heretofore not imagined feasible or affordable.

In the year or so since that announcement, many stakeholders have raised issues about the legal, social, economic, and other impacts of this and similar projects that will inevitably follow Google’s lead.

The project and the reactions to it inspired the idea of a public forum at the University of Michigan to allow scholars, librarians, publishers, government leaders, and others an opportunity to come together and discuss their concerns and issues.

The symposium was held March 10-11, 2006.

The Webcast of the entire symposium may be found on the symposium Web page: http://www.lib.umich.edu/mdp/symposium/.

library

Growing your Organisation

2006-06-06T11:06:00.000+10:00

If you are interested in ways to grow your organisation - leadership, public relations, communication and organisational management, visit the Pivotal Organisation Management Web Pages.

Tags:leadership, organisations, communication

LibX - the firefox extension for libraries

2006-06-05T06:44:00.000+10:00

"LibX is a Firefox extension that provides direct access to your library's resources.

LibX is open source.

LibX is a framework from which editions for specific libraries can easily be created.

Tag:library

To mentor or to monitior _ Copyright

2006-06-04T09:54:00.000+10:00

About the Presentation:

This presentation will review legislative and judicial (limited) developments in the area of copyright law as well as industry initiatives that are shaping the role of information intermediaries such as libraries and schools from one of "mentor" to one of "monitor."

Recent legislation such as the DMCA (Digital Millennium Copyright Act) and TEACH (Technology, Education and Copyright Harmonization) Act at the forefront of this change is analyzed (facial content analysis), including the respective documentary (legislative) history.

The presentation highlights the increased burden placed upon the intermediary library or educational entity and should be of interest to those individuals concerned with the increasing legal leverage of the copyright owner, as well as those institutional stakeholders that face responsibility for compliance with the new requirements.

Presentation slides (powerpoint)

Thanks to the Librarian in Black and Mary Minow's Library Law Blog

library, copyright

Connecting the digital dots: Literacy for the twenty-first century

2006-06-03T11:31:00.000+10:00

"Literacy today depends on understanding the multiple media that make up our high-tech reality and developing the skills to use them effectivelyBy Barbara R. Jones-Kavalier and Suzanne L. FlanniganPrior to the 21st century, literate defined a person’s ability to read and write, separating the educated from the uneducated. With the advent of a new millennium and the rapidity with which technology has changed society, the concept of literacy has assumed new meanings."

Read on …

literacy,library

Common errors in English

2006-06-02T06:49:00.000+10:00

The aim of this site is to help you avoid low grades, lost employment opportunities, lost business, and titters of amusement at the way you write or speak. Check it out …

Wellington city Libraries and Web 2.0

2006-06-01T10:18:00.000+10:00

From the Valis blog ... by Simon Chamberlain

Wellington City Libraries already had an RSS feed from their front page, now they have a dedicated blog.

library, Library 2.0

web 2.0 - a new generation of service

2006-05-31T07:12:00.000+10:00

From Phil Bradley

There are many Web 2.0 applications, they’re becoming more popular and more are being added all the time.

There are many ways in which these applications can help library or information services perform more effectively, and indeed add entirely new services for users.

Read the whole post

library

the Librarian - your technology partner

2006-05-30T12:28:00.000+10:00

From Doug Johnson…

”Having a partner in any enterprise that seems risky lessens the fear factor and improves one's chance for success. When implementing a new project that uses technology, I whole-heartedly recommend asking your librarian to be your "technology partner." You will find that today's best librarians -- or library media specialists (LMSs) -- have…”Read on to find the eight qualities …

library

Interested in self-improvement?

2006-05-29T06:35:00.000+10:00

I have a new blog devoted to personal improvement.

You're welcome to visit and catch up .. it's at Pivotal Personal Best.

Tag:

self improvement

success

library

The Terrible twos - Web 2.0, Library 2.0 and more

2006-05-27T08:07:00.000+10:00

By Greg R. Notess

Parents often describe the trials and tribulations of raising 2-year-olds as “the terrible twos.” Movie sequels, although not called the terrible twos, rarely equal and even less frequently exceed version 1.0. So what is a searcher to make of the recent spate of sequels and twos on the Net?

We have Web 2.0 and its offspring, and relatives such as News 2.0, Library 2.0, School Library 2.0, and 2.0 Culture. Do the sequels live up to their hype?-->http://www.infotoday.com/online/may06/OnTheNet.shtml

library

The legend of the library sinking under the weight of its books

2006-05-26T06:32:00.000+10:00

Legend: A famed college library is sinking into the ground because its architect failed to take the weight of the books into account

Origins: A widespread belief at any number of colleges is that the school's library is slowly sinking into the ground because the architect failed to allow for the weight of the books which would be housed there after the building's completion.

Alternatively, college libraries with a significant number of unfilled shelves are rumored to be kept that way to stave off disaster — according to lore, if those shelves were loaded, the buildings would surely sink.

Such beliefs have been part of campus lore at least since the late 1970s, and current students may not realize their professors were hearing the very same tales when they themselves were undergraduates.

Some tales involve a misdesigned athletic facility for which the weight of the water in the swimming pool wasn't factored in; others deal with a residence hall which is sinking because its builder forgot to allow for the weight of the inhabitants and their possessions.

By far the most common form the legend takes, however, is that of the sinking library. Though a few libraries have experienced settling problems, none of them was the result of an addle-brained architect who left out the key calculation regarding the weight of the library's holdings

. Read on .

library

Winner of the 2006 Libraries Change Lives Award

2006-05-25T19:50:00.000+10:00

Library-based scheme working to decrease antisocial behaviour amongst young people in Sighthill area of Edinburgh has won the 2006 CILIP / LiS Libraries Change Lives Award. Winner of the 2006 CILIP/LiS Libraries Change Lives Award announced Read on …

library

Developing a Digitisation Framework for your organisation

2006-05-24T06:30:00.000+10:00

The Electronic Library 22(6):pp. 518-522.

Abstract

This paper describes how a Digitisation Framework was set up at the University of Auckland Library from 2001 - 2004. The elements of the framework are discussed, how it was developed and implemented and what was learnt from this. The purpose of the paper is to help organisations of any size and type to set up their own digitisation framework in the near future. Read on …

library

digitization

Social bookmarking - for teaching and learning

2006-05-23T12:09:00.000+10:00

Social Bookmarking: What are the Implications for Teaching and Learning (poster presentation)

library

tagging>

Engaged patrons

2006-05-22T05:52:00.000+10:00

“ … provide website services connecting public libraries and their patrons. We handle the programming; you reap the benefits of being able to offer your users a more engaging and interactive web presence.” Visit Engaged patrons.org

Tags: library, marketing

2006-05-19T04:48:00.000+10:00

The Orange Prize for Fiction

Shortlist 2006

The History of Love by Nicole Krauss Find out more

Beyond Black by Hilary Mantel Find out more

The Accidental by Ali Smith Find out more

On Beauty by Zadie Smith Find out more

Everyman's Rules for Scientific Living by Carrie Tiffany Find out more

The Night Watch by Sarah WatersFind out more

Tag: library

books

Grow your organisation

2006-05-18T07:05:00.000+10:00

Grow your organisation with information on organisation management, publicity and recruitment, leadership and meetings.

Visit my organisation web pages.

tag:organisation.

Kids unplug for library books

2006-05-17T06:33:00.000+10:00

A Massachusetts library is offering children tote bags full of books in exchange for a vow to swear off TVs and PCs during vacation.

Read on ...

Tag: library

Pulitzer prize winner/poet laureat, Stanley Kunitz dies

2006-05-16T06:34:00.000+10:00

NEW YORK - Stanley Kunitz, a former U.S. poet laureate and Pulitzer Prize winner whose expressive verse, social commitment and generosity to young writers spanned three-quarters of a century, has died.

He was 100....

He served a single one-year term as U.S. poet laureate and was also the Consultant in Poetry to the Library of Congress, the precursor to poet laureate, from 1974 to 1976.

His poems included tributes to nature and wildlife, such as "The Snakes of September," the traumatic memories of "The Portrait," in which he recalled his father's suicide, and the spiritual journey of "The Long Boat," with his wish "To be rocked by the Infinite!/as if it didn't matter which way was home."

His early work was more formal, more dependent on rhyme and meter, but he anticipated his own evolution with the poem "Change," with its promise of "Becoming, never being."

Over time, his verse simplified, crystalized, with Kunitz once observing that he had learned to "strip the water out of my poems."

Annual Library and Information Week Trivia Night

2006-05-15T06:29:00.000+10:00

It's on again!

Put it in your diary now!

ALIA Quorum would like to invite you to the Annual Library andInformation Week Trivia Night.

Date: Monday 22nd MayTime: 6:00 pmVenue: The Irish Club, 171 Elizabeth Street, Brisbane

Start organising your team now - registration will be one per team.Entry fee is the same as last year - $15 for non-members- $10 for students and members

the Academic Search engine from Microsoft

2006-05-14T09:31:00.000+10:00

Windows Live Academic

A new, Microsoft-based, online search engine focused on academic subjects is now live.

Called Windows Live Academic, it currently indexes content related to computer science, physics, electrical engineering, and related topics (with more than 6 million records from approximately 4300 journals and 2000 conferences) providing direct access to peer reviewed journal articles contained in academic and scientific online portals.

More subjects will be added in the near future

. Read more ….

Tags:education, library, communication

Grow your organisation

2006-05-13T09:26:00.000+10:00

Visit the Organisations Pages for tips and articles on leadership, public relations, communication and organisational management.

Tags:leadership, organisations, communication

the death of Muriel Spark - the role of fate?

2006-05-11T09:38:00.000+10:00

DAME MURIEL SPARK, acknowledged as one of Britain’s greatest novelists, has died aged 88 near the Italian village where she had lived for 27 years. She was the author of 22 novels, including The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie, which was made into an Oscar-winning film starring Maggie Smith. Read more …

Novelist who found her prime away from Miss Jean Brodie The role of fate in life fascinated Catholic convert who became exile in Italy

Read the article

tags:

authors
writing
library

sexual discrimination is what it is despite the occupation of the perpetrator

2006-05-09T10:32:00.000+10:00

So you'd like me to comment on you letter, Mr Phelps.

Christopher Phelps
Department of History
The Ohio State University at Mansfield
Mansfield, Ohio 44906
(419) 755 4380
historypolitics@aol.com

Did you choose me because I was a librarian? And if a lecturer in history at the University or Queensland in my home town were accused of sexual discrimination, would you expect me to think you would be interested because you are a lecturer?

Surely as a member of the human race, we would all hope that any sexually discriminatory behaviour would be curtailed, no matter whether it was a person of our own occupation or someone else's.

I suspect it was just so you could have an inbound link. Well, for what it's worth here is your link.

2006-05-08T06:32:00.000+10:00

"Forward this to your colleagues. Keep building strong communities of library people who care about each other. It's what we humans do best."

Read on …

Tags:library

Google steps up its search technology

2006-05-07T18:02:00.000+10:00

Google steps up its search technology

Google has acquired the rights to a new search technology that offers instant answers to queries without the need to go to another website.

The leading search engine is reported to have won against rival bids from Yahoo and Microsoft for the technology, developed at the University of New South Wales in Australia

Tags:library, Google

Better grades? Thank a librarian

2006-05-06T17:31:00.000+10:00

The following article appeared in the Toronto Sun, Friday, April 7th,2006.

Libraries tied to student achievement

Study makes case for training, funding

"...first Canadian study linking school libraries to student achievement indicates that better libraries improve student testscores and add to kids' reading enjoyment. The Ontario School Library Association says the research, released yesterday, is the evidence it needs to make a case for more trained school librarians and better-stocked shelves.

"There's such a clear link between libraries and student achievement. I don't know how the minister (of education) can ignore it," said association president Michael Rosettis.

The study by Queen's University professor Don Klinger was based on provincial test scores and attitudinal information collected by the province's Education Quality and Accountability Office. That information was married with data on the state of elementary school libraries gathered by the provincial parent group, People for Education. Klinger's study of 800 elementary schools and about 50,000 students showed that schools without trained teacher-librarians were more likely to score lower on grades 3 and 6 reading tests. Schools with teacher-librarians had proportionally more students who scored the highest levels on Grade 6 tests. The study found the biggest difference teacher-librarians made appeared to be in how much students enjoyed reading, said Klinger.

The research showed that the presence of a teacher-librarian accounted for a small shift in students' attitude to reading. It was a tiny variable, but given that researchers haven't been able to identify most of the factors affecting student achievement, it is significant, he said.

"If all school libraries were adequately staffed and sufficiently funded, just imagine the impact on student achievement," said Rosettis, a teacher-librarian at St. Augustine Catholic High School in Markham. Teacher-librarians are qualified teachers who've taken more courses to become librarians. They focus on integrating information technology with the curriculum, and work with teachers to design research units.

The $40,000 study was funded by the Ontario School Library Association, but conducted independently, Rosettis said.

U.S. studies have shown a link between student achievement and well-staffed, well-stocked school libraries. The librarians and People for Education say the Ontario government has made small steps to stem a 20-year decline in school libraries with a $17 million book grant last year and another $15 million last month. Rosettis said he hopes new education minister Sandra Pupatello will find the study compelling enough to consider designating dedicated funds to teacher-librarians and books. School boards get one librarian for every 769 students, but many schools don't have that many students and even when they do get a library allocation, some principals spend the money on other staffing and specialty teachers in physical education or music.

People for Education research shows that only 54 per cent of Ontario elementary schools had a full- or part-time teacher-librarian last year, compared with 80 per cent in 1997-'98. At Church Street Public School, full-time teacher-librarian Nancy Woodruff said she works with other teachers, looking for alternative curriculum materials to suit student needs, including those who haven't yet learned English and others with learning disabilities. "These children will have to know how libraries function to the end of their school days," she said, but every year she wonders if the school will be able to keep her in the library position. Principal Judy Gillis said she gets between $6,000 to $7,000 a year to stock the library but it's a struggle with so many competing priorities. Pupatello was not available for comment yesterday.

Tags: library
education

Poetry visibility

2006-05-05T16:55:00.000+10:00

Low cost suggestions to develop greater visibility for poetry during April and throughout the year.

Poets.org

Tags:library

poetry

Google Librarian newsletter

2006-05-04T21:09:00.000+10:00

Google Librarian Newsletter
http://www.google.com/librariancenter/newsletter/0604.html
The third issue is available.

2006-05-04T10:32:00.000+10:00

Really enjoying The Library Garden – conversational, pithy and looking at our issues through our eyes.

“In Robert Spector's book "Lessons from the Nordstrom Way" he devotes a whole chapter to "dumping the rules". Spector suggests, rightly so methinks, that every rule -- EVERY rule -- is a barrier between the library and the customer. If you feel resistance to this idea and start thinking about all of the reasons you need the rules, I ask you to ponder: Do the rules make things easier/better for your customer?”

Read the whole post

Tags:

library

2006-05-03T06:59:00.000+10:00

I also have a blog where I can share some of the interesting, crazy, thought-provoking things I find when I'm prowling the net for research. You're welcome to visit.

2006-05-02T13:12:00.000+10:00

I also have a blog where I can share some of the interesting, crazy, thought-provoking things I find when I'm prowling the net for research. You're welcome to visit.

Managing Electronic Records

2006-05-01T14:16:00.000+10:00

One of the biggest challenges faced by any organization today is that of manageing electronic records. Bringing together for the first time, the views, exerpience and expertise of international experts in the RM field in the public and the private sectors, this book covers the theory and practice of managing electronic records as business and information assets.

It focuses on the strategies, systems and procedures necessary to ensure that electronic records are appropriately created, captured, organised and retained over time to meet business and legal requirements. In addition to chapters covering principles and research and developments, there are case studies relating to practice and lessons learned.

2005 . 216pp . hardback . 1-85604-550-1

Available from Amazon for $89.95

tag:

library

Tech essence

2006-05-01T12:04:00.000+10:00

Roy Tennant started TechEssence to address the need for simple, easy to understand information about information technology. He is lucky to be joined by a stellar cast of individuals who contribute their unique perspectives on technology and its appropriate place in library service

: Visit the blog

tags:

library
information technology

Why Librarians are better than Google

2006-04-30T07:51:00.000+10:00

Just to make you feel appreciated ...

It is from YALSA, but if the YA doesn’t apply to you, then just mentally delete the letters and read “Librarians”.

Five Reasons Why (YA) Librarians are Better than Google:

5. Google locates only web sites, while YA librarians find all typesof resources in any format.

4. Google requires you to design your own searches, but YA librarianshelp you plan an effective search strategy.

3. Google leaves it up to you to sort through the mountain of results,while YA librarians assist you in selecting information to meet yourspecific needs.

2. Google provides no quality control, but YA librarians always have aPlan B if your search yields no results.

1. Google is an inanimate web site with no ability to offer moralsupport, but YA librarians are real people who can dispense thingslike encouragement, high fives and even hugs.

Beth Yoke Executive Director Young Adult Library Services Association, fastest growing division of the American Library Associationwww.ala.org/yalsa

tags:

library

New Information Literacy website

2006-04-29T14:47:00.000+10:00

This website has been designed and developed by information professionals from key UK organisations actively involved in the field of information literacy. The site will support practitioners by providing news, case studies, examples of best practice and freely available toolkits. Our aim is to provide a practical resource that information professionals regularly visit to discover the latest developments in information literacy.

tags:

information literacy

library

Help for your public speaking

2006-04-28T19:27:00.000+10:00

For articles, tips and links to useful sites, visit the Pivotal Public Speaking blog

tags:

public speaking

communication

A Beginner's Guide to Podcasting: Part 1 - A Consumer's Guide

2006-04-27T11:33:00.000+10:00

May 17, 2006 01:00:00

This two-part session SirsiDynix Institute will seek to remove some of the mystery surrounding podcasting and demonstrate the importance of this new media distribution model to libraries and librarians in meeting the information needs of your patrons.

Click here for details

Tags:

library
podcasting

Collections of the month - April 2006 - Perchance to dream

2006-04-27T10:14:00.000+10:00

Archives Hub - access to the archives of UK universities and colleges

"This month we look at collections relating to beliefs and traditions surrounding our slumbers, and some of the practicalities involved, and have also selected some web links."

Tag:

library

New information literacy website

2006-04-26T17:39:00.000+10:00

tags:

information literacy

Web .0, Libraries 2.0, Librarian 2.0: preparing for the 2.0 world

2006-04-25T10:53:00.000+10:00

From Stephen Abrahms

"...Anyway, I thought it might be useful to devote this month’s column to a little information on Web 2.0 and its newborn babies, Library 2.0 and Librarian 2.0. And why should you read this column? You’ve heard it all before, but in a few years these Web. 2.0 conversations have the power to drive huge transformations in our media landscape and, therefore, our life, work, and play environments."

Read on ...

Tags:

libary
library 2.0

Google scholar become direct link to British library

2006-04-24T17:44:00.000+10:00

British Library gains Google Scholar direct link status in second major deal with a GYM member

The British Library (BL) became a directly linked resource for scientific and academic information on the Google Scholar search engine following a deal between the two parties today. Search results in Google Scholar will now feature – if the article is in the national collection – a BL Direct tag alongside the cache and citation links

Read on

tags:

library

Boy wizard beats chef to win award

2006-04-23T09:38:00.000+10:00

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, the latest installment in JK Rowling's record-breaking series on the adventures of the boy wizard, was last night named book of the year at the 17th annual British Book Awards. Read on …

Tags:
Harry Potter
books
library

E-metrics for Library and Information Professionals. How to use data for managing and evaluating electronic resource collections.

2006-04-22T09:35:00.000+10:00

Is your library getting every dollar’s worth out of that expensive database? Should you re-subscribe to that pricey e-journal? Are your indexes serving your users? Collection development and acquisitions librarians are facing tough new questions. Unfortunately for many, these were unanswerable questions until now.

White and Kamal show how to use e-metrics to measure library performance and value in the digital age. With this book, you can learn how to use effectively the electronic data captured from various network activities to manage library collections, budgets, and services. Using e-metrics, the authors identify expensive and underused digital resources, visualise virtual search behaviour patterns and construct new collection development strategies.

Authors: Andrew White and Eric Djiva Kamal

2005. 268p. paperback. 1-85604-555-2

Available at Amazon from $10.00

Tags:
books
library

Information literacy for all

2006-04-21T19:21:00.000+10:00

The final report of the High-Level Colloquium on Information Literacy and Lifelong Learning, held at the Bibliotheca Alexandrina, Alexandria, Egypt, 6-9 November 2005, sponsored by the United Nations Education, Scientific, and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO), the National Forum on Information Literacy (NFIL) and the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA), was released on 1st March 2006.

Building on an earlier international meeting of experts which was held in Prague, the Czech Republic, in September 2003, the report challenges international, regional and national organizations to move beyond an exclusive focus and concern for "Information for All" to "Information Literacy for All."

The report argues that the existence of information holds little to no value to people who do not even know what information they need, much less whether it exists or not, or how to locate, evaluate and effectively use it.

Read the release

Tags:

information literacy
library

Win a Maisy Party at your library

2006-04-20T10:28:00.000+10:00

To celebrate Library and Information Week and the paperback release of Maisy goes to the Library, Walker Books has donated two Maisy MouseParty prizes.

One Australian Public Library and one Australian SchoolLibrary will win a party at their library.

Complete the online entryform on the ALIA Website at http://alia.org.au/advocacy/liw/maisy/ and answer the question The best thing about having a mouse in the libraryis ...

Entries must be received by 5pm Monday the 8th May 2006. Thewinning libraries will be announced during Library and Information Week.

Check out this year's LIW merchandise including wristbands and balloonsat the LIW website at http://alia.org.au/liw/

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The latest chapter of the e-book

2006-04-19T17:24:00.000+10:00

By Spencer Kelly

While music, games and videos have all enjoyed the move to electronic hand-held devices, maybe it is a bit surprising to think that our favourite way to enjoy the written word is still on paper.

Read on …

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Pulitzer prize winner announced. Are we missing something?

2006-04-18T09:00:00.000+10:00

As is so often the case, there are the questions about why literary prizes are awarded. Are we missing something? Are we not literary enough to appreciate this book? What were they thinking? And it seems to happen all over the world and across all genres.

Today it applies to the latest prize-winner – of the Pulitzer prize.

Here is the announcement of the winner:

From Yahoo news … NEW YORK - "March," Geraldine Brooks' novel that imagines the life of the fictional father in Louisa May Alcott's "Little Women," was awarded the 2006 Pulitzer Prize for fiction on Monday. For the first time since 1997, the Pulitzer board declined to award a prize for drama. Brooks depicted the life of John March, the father absent for most of Alcott's famed novel of four sisters growing up in Massachusetts during the Civil War.

And here is the review also in the news this morning.

“ …It is difficult to pinpoint where and when “March” loses its appeal. Although Brooks is a creative writer, she is missing an essential ingredient that makes readers want to continue reading and find out what happens next. Novels based on previously published materials, especially those like “Little Women,” which have found a special place in many readers’ hearts, have a lot to live up to…”

Read the whole post

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