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I still need to post about CiL - I promise, it’s coming. Until then, help save the environment, line your walls with books! Yes, an excuse to go by books (like you needed one) - lining your walls with books will help keeping hearing costs down. So, don’t wait, start buying!Save
Another new site has popped up around here. We now have a site for our popular reading collection - a collection that’s been a huge hit so far! The site let’s you browse by cover, write reviews, share comments and recommend new purchases. Very cool - I’m busy spreading the word to students. Check this site out for more info.
The city of Windsor is trying to force the library board to cut $800 000, 10% of its budget, without closing branches or reducing hours. The library board is refusing to make the cuts themselves. More information on this fight can be found here.
Just heard about this huge project, which is undertaking to document all species of life on Earth. Pretty cool idea. The first release of about 30 000 entries was just released. You can check it out here or read more about it here. It officially launches tomorrow and hopes to document all 1.8 million species of life, with it’s ultimate goal being to help in conservation efforts.
A fine idea (sorry for the pun)! Instead of paying for your fines, students are given the option to bring in canned goods. Every canned good brought in removes $2 from their fines to a maximum of $20. The canned goods go to the student food bank centre, where students in need can go and get help when they need it most. The only thing I might do would be to increase the frequency of this project and extend it out to local food banks too (1 time campus, next time local, etc). More info on this program here. Wonder if we could get this started here?
Yet another bookstore is closing down. The Book Room in Halifax survived 2 World Wars but has succumb to big box bookstores. More info here.
Well, I’m easing back into things after a busy holiday break. I hope all had a wonderful holiday. Now that the new year has started and I’ve made more resolutions than I should (and am dutifully breaking them already), I thought I’d post again. I read The Ubiquitous Librarian’s post on being like Emeril, and while I do not agree with all of his opinions (I’m not sure I’m impressed by a society that praises celebrities with undue reserve and where almost everyone gets their 5 minutes of fame [which I am still waiting for]), I do agree with one of his last statements. He writes that we should think of experiences rather than transactions.
I heartily agree - libraries should be about people and while we seem to be thinking more like businesses, I think we need to remember that it’s the people that we’re here for and the people who keep us going. One of the best things libraries can offer that Amazon and Google can’t is provide that personal touch. This is especially true in smaller rural libraries but it can happen in the big cities too. People come back because librarians remember who they are, what their interests are and in some cases what’s happening in their lives. It is the experience and the connection that we provide for our patrons that keeps them coming back.
It’s not just the personal experience - there are lots of experiences that libraries can offer using both technology and traditional methods. Let’s make it a new year’s resolution to create experiences in all we do rather than transactions!
It’s a busy time of year. Exams may have started, but it means lots of catching up. I presented Second Life sessions at the annual Learning and Study Skills Association (LASSA) conference with a colleague from our Centre for Student Development. It was nice to speak somewhere other than a library conference, so thanks to all those involved in the conference. I also spoke at the Learning Technology Symposium on campus with our Immersive Learning/Gaming Librarian- again, it’s nice to speak to faculty and grad students and we had lots of interest and questions. Throw in a move across town and Christmas prep and I’ve got about as much as I can handle!
Merriam-Webster had a contest and the word of the year, as voted by you, was w00t. While it’s not in their official dictionary, it is in their open dictionary online and have suggested that by winning, it may have a better chance of entering their main dictionary.
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, I’m not sure about some of the terms that are entering our dictionaries. In recent years, we’ve seen a lot of slang entry regular dictionaries. While there use has certainly increased, I’m not sold that it’s enough for a proper dictionary - definitely a slang dictionary.
Wish I had a bus like this one! Moncton is offering wireless on their buses! While the bus may be one of the few places where you can escape work, there are advantages to having wireless on a long ride. It will be interesting to see how long it takes before others follow suit.
Radiohead decided to release their album online - without a price. They gave fans the option to pay what they wanted! My guess is that many will still give something to have the album. Wouldn’t it be nice if database providers would do the same? Again, I’d be willing to pay something, just not the crazy prices many are asking for.
Here’s a neat story. Libraries in Nova Scotia have teamed up with phone companies to provide children’s stories. I think this is a great idea, especially since many children don’t live close to a public library. Children call a toll-free number to hear pre-recorded stories. The project’s aim is to help install a love of literacy, and I think story telling, to children.
Apparently Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty is going to provide millions in funding to school libraries, allowing them to purchase more books and hire more librarians. It wold be great if it’s true. Read more here. Did I mention that we’re about to have an election?
I recently saw a playstation commercial that had gaming in a library. It’s quite funny and I’ll post a link as soon as I find it on youtube. They may be joking about a gaming room in a library but this may well be what we see frequently in libraries in the near future.
Well, the campus is thriving again, the student centre is chaos, and there is noise again in the library. Yes, it is the first day of classes. Yesterday was our annual Clubsfest and we handed out 1125 waterbottles (pic to come) in an hour and a half! The bottles promoted both our campus libraries and the local public library. Students were asking for them all day! Guess we’ll have to order more next year, although I hope to do more with our welcome week, something more akin to the Ubiquitous Librarians‘ events.
It’s a busy fall ahead, with my distance course to teach, instruction to do, new responsibilities as a liaison and presentations to prepare for.
We’ve been busy at the library. We’ve relaxed our food policy, started an online group study room booking system, are constantly updating our website to function better and are working have a new popular fiction collection. And, I’m going to buy I bought a Second Life Island today! We have 5 new librarians with 2 more on the way and 4 interns to help shake things up too. It’s going to be a busy and interesting fall!
update: I forgot to mention that we added Amazon links to our catalogue and have gotten our first self-check-out machine! - there’s just so much happening!
It’s not like I needed another reason to want an iPhone, but I’ve recently come across a news piece that states HarperCollins will be providing new book excerpts on iPhone. I wonder what else will be showing up on iPhones.
Well, I’ve found a bunch of interesting tidbits. So here they are:
- There was a tremor near-ish my hometown in Nova Scotia. I have relatives in the area of the tremor too. Most unusual for this area. Not big but strange to hear about!
- They’ve found a golden mask for a Thracian king! Most exciting - they’re quite a rare find.
- Work is being done on Open Library. Here’s the site description: “Imagine a library that collected all the world’s information about all the world’s books and made it available for everyone to view and update. We’re building that library.” Kudos! Something we should have been working on for some time now. This is a site to watch!
- Meredith Farkas has a great post on risk-taking. It’s something I think I need to try to do a little more. I’ve done more than I thought I might have but there’s still room for improvement. It’s good to get out of our comfort zone and grow as individuals.
Finally! For far too long Canadians have been paying for books at a high price. The strength of the loonie is finally going to change that and we can expect to see book prices lower. I’m not sure if CLA has been advocating for this change but it seems the Canadian Booksellers Association has been pushing to reduce book prices. More can be found in this news piece.
Merriam-Webster is adding new words to their dictionary, including ginormous, sudoku and speed dating. It always amazes me what gets added to a dictionary and sometimes feel that many should be in a slang dictionary instead. That aside, I was pleased to find “gray literature” - defined, at least by the news article, as hard-to-get written material was being added in. Perhaps we’ll be able to help students find it now that it’s officially recognized. The only thing I might change is that gray literature should also include online material as well. Here’s an article on the topic.
You may notice that from time to time I include news from the ancient world. Perhaps you’re wondering why (or perhaps not). I did an MA in Classics before I did my MLIS and still have a passion for it. If you’re wondering why there’s been a resurgence in my interest (which never really left), it’s partly on account of our move to liaisons. Part of my portfolio now includes liaisoning with the Classics department (yay! Bonus - it’s actually the department I did my MA in, so it’s kind of like coming home). So, library stuff will continue to be the main focus of my blog, but you’ll also be entertained by some ancient world news too.
More from the world of Classics. According to Zahi Hawass, Queen Hatshepsut has been found! She acted as pharoah, the most powerful female pharoah they claim, in 15th century Egypt. This is an absolutely amazing find! There’s lots of media coverage on, but here’s one news piece on it.
I got a Wii!!!! More to come once I finish playing…
A 3d simulation of ancient Rome has been constructed after 10 years of work. The neat thing is that the simulation can show the different time spans of Rome - from late Bronze Age to its fall in the 6th century. Apparently students and tourists will be able to use the simulation, although its primary function is for scientific and architectural study. I’ve seen the ruins and I’d love to see how they’ve constructed the simulation. I wish I could take a look at it!
Another reason Halifax is one of my favorite places: free wi-fi in the airport!
Here’s an interesting blog that combines my two passions - libraries and classics. Alexandrine Librarian is a fictional story, blogged by Larry Greenwood, which follows a librarian after he discovers the library at Alexandria destroyed. Below is the official release. Check it out!
What if you showed up for work at your library one day and the
doors were locked, or worse, the building has been completely
destroyed and the collection burned.
That is what happened to Yarrl of Alexandria in 415 AD. You can
follow the story of Yarrl at:
http://alexandrinelibrarian.blogspot.com.
Larry Greenwood, a retired academic librarian, has begun a story
about the life and times of a librarian working at the Great
Library of Alexandria in early 5th century. It is an interesting
look at religious fundamentalism and its influence on ancient
libraries and librarians. The story is serialized in blog format.
Anyone else catch this sad state of affairs? On Jeopardy, they had a question (no surprise there) - what does the loc stand for in www.loc.gov. Sounds easy right? Not a single contestant was able to answer the question! Certainly something that needs to be remedied!
I saw a sign coming home the other day and I keep meaning to take another look at it. It was a text messaging service. All you had to do was text a question, anything they stress, to Just Ask (this is of course if I am remembering the sign correctly). Answering questions - isn’t this our business? Have we been beaten again (see my post on the Find Engine)?
I realize that there are a few libraries offering services via text messaging but I believe it is still relatively low. We can easily offer updates of new content, let patrons know when books are in, and yes, even reference service through text messaging. This is certainly the way many university students communicate and we’ve all heard that email is the way old people communicate! I’d love to know if this service is getting a lot of questions. I’d also love to know who’s answering these questions (which is another reason to take a look at that sign).
As an aside, I’ll be quiet the next few days as I’m off to Phoenix for the Coalition for Networked Information (CNI) Task Force Meeting (inconveniently timed to coincide with Computers in Libraries, which I really must go to sometime). I’m sure I’ll have lots to blog about during/after the conference.
A little bit of classical archaeology for your Easter long weekend. It seems that a Roman-era tomb has been found filled with riches, missed by grave-robbers. A much better treat to find then hidden Easter eggs!
Ok, I’m not hiding something but it feels like I might have been hiding. It’s been a while, but I have been very busy. Not a lot to share today. I’m gearing up to do a virtual reference pilot in Second Life. It should be interesting. As much potential as there may be in SL, until our students our there, we are only helping the SL community (which isn’t a bad thing, but if you’re under staffed, one needs to consider priorities). I recently gave a lecture on learning (my first time guest lecturing - lots of fun) to a first year multimedia class, some of the students seemed interested. It would be interesting to know if any come visit our space on account of that class.
Have you checked out Scribd? It looks interesting. All the web 2.0 social software for your documents. I’m not sure I want people tagging and commenting on my work just yet. I’ve been using Google Docs for collaboration recently and I think I’ll stick with that for now.
And in case you haven’t heard already, the title of this post is courtesy of Stephen Colbert.
As a classicist, I am required to say Happy Ides of March! May you not be required to look over your shoulder. Sentio aliquos in togatos contra mei conspirare (apologies for typos, my latin is rusty to say the least).
For any who might not know, March 15th, the Ides of March, is the day Caesar was assassinated. Et tu, blog reader?
Again, this has probably already made the rounds but it is another good video, called Shift Happens. Check it out. It compliments the Web 2.0 video I mentioned earlier.
Yes, I have survived 3 straight days of statistics! I think I deserve a badge of honour. The Winter Institute on Statistical Literacy for Librarians was actually quite good. The small size allowed for lots of conversation and connections. As I’ve often said, the informal discussion is often some of the most enlightening parts of any conference. I like to find out what others are up to and how they’re approaching similar problems. As it turns out, I knew more than I thought about statistics. Sometimes you just need to be reassured that you are indeed on the right track.
Now it’s time to start my first 2 week research leave. I’m quite excited about the chance to concentrate on research again - it’s been a while. Perhaps unsurprisingly, this leave will be devoted to some work on Second Life. I’ll let you know if anything comes out of it!
I recently found out that on Book Television (Canadian version, if there is such a thing) has deemed January Naughty Librarian month, with films, documentaries, etc. I haven’t witnessed this for myself as I unfortunately do not subscribe to this channel. I’ve never quite understood the fascination with the naughty librarian, but it seems that it’s worthy of a special month of programming.
A couple of interesting articles from the news involving ancient relics. The first is in regards to a technological find while the other shares news of a newly discovered Roman coffin.
Update: And news from the archaeology world keeps coming in. Here’s one about a one-of-a-kind find from Rome’s Palatine Hill.
Well, the birthday of this blog has quietly come and gone. I’ve survived my first blog year, although my first steps were perhaps spastic and slow, much like my posts. This year has been one of excitement and change for me. Thanks for joining me on the ride so far. It is now time for the dreaded list of things I will accomplish this year, so I have something to look back upon and say, gee, I had great intentions:
- I hope to blog more frequently (as everyone always says but life decides otherwise)
- I hope to be more insightful in my future blog posts
- I promise to have fun with my blog!
Hope to see you on my second birthday!
I can’t help it, I love Classics (yes, I enjoy classical music, but I love the study of Ancient Greece and Rome and intend to do more as soon as I find time…). Anyway, just thought I’d share some news from the archaeological world. It seems they have found a ship, in rather good condition, off the coast of Spain. It seems they were carrying garum, the sauce that Romans loved and I can’t fathom eating. Maybe there will be some left to try…
Well, actually, not really. Most of us knew the paperless office was a fallacy. Statistics Canada now reports what we knew was true: paper consumption has increased over the last 20 years.
Looking for library blogs? Of course there are things such as Technorati to help you find what you’re look for. Check out the new LISZen library blog search! LibraryZen has created a Google custom search for searching 500+ library blogs.
Here are some interesting tid bits to pass along.
It looks like open access journals and open peer review have made it onto CTV’s radar. Perhaps the wave of academia’s future?
The Library and Archives of Canada has released their Report on Plans and Priorities 2006-2007.
Update: This just in: an article from the Halifax Chronicle Herald in Nova Scotia suggests that the Community Access Program (CAP) is cut. Terrible news for the many rural areas (possibly even my small hometown) which rely on the program.
I admit it, I hate the stereotypes of librarians and don’t feel I fit the traditional view of the librarian and fight against it (although I do have glasses and occasionally pull my hair back). The days of the old librarian are gone. Here’s a little piece about librarians revolting from the staid image, staging a mock protest during filming for a movie which features a librarian. More power to the protesters!
Here’s a piece lamenting the fact that fewer people seem to be able to read, comprehend and retain larger works of writing. Are future generations of readers doomed? I certainly hope not, although I must admit, I do find myself reading too many small chunks thanks to emails and rss feeds. I finally sat down with a peice of fiction the other day and it felt good to read more than a page. In an effort to stave off the dark days ahead, I vow to read more than my emails and rss feeds. Gee darn…
The new update of the Oxford English Dictionary (OED) is out and has added more terms to its prestigious pages. Some of the words included:
- Bada-bing
- Disneyfication
- wi-fi
- wonky
Maybe it’s just me, but I think some of these words belong in a slang dictionary rather than the OED, or maybe I just don’t hang around the right people (ie. those who use the words all the time).
Yes, the conference wrap-ups are coming soon, the manual should be done soon. Just a thought I came across at The “M” Word that I quite liked to tide you over:
It isn’t about how the library can change your life but how you can change your life at the library.
I've returned from the annual CLA Conference that was held in Ottawa. While I couldn't attend the whole conference, I did manage to attend the Access to Government Information Interest Group (AGIIG) track, the first AGIIG track at a CLA conference. I was official notetaker, so I couldn't blog directly from the conference, but I will be posting highlights of the sessions I attended. Unfortunately, these postings may be a little late, as I try to get everything done before dashing off to the ALA Conference in New Orleans at the end of this week. Top on the list of things to do, is updating the course manual and exercises for a course I'll be teaching in the fall. Starting in September, I will be teaching (through Distance Education) Information Work 420, the second part of a reference course (dealing with directories, handbooks, statistics, government information, GIS and the reference process) for Mohawk College's Library and Information Technician's Diploma program. So, until that's done, the conference postings will be on the back burner (sorry). But, once done, there will be conference postings galore, as I will have all the details on ALA too! Stay tuned!
Here's something I found at The Ubiquitous Librarian. I think it's a good simple thing to keep in mind:
"Instead of trying to make your library seem cool, be a librarian and do cool things."
Balance is important in life. We must work and play. Sometimes I wonder if we forget about balance. It's easy to get caught up in the excitement, flash, and potential of new technology. Yes, we must look ahead to our young and future users. We must accommodate them and many of the library2.0 possibilities will be appreciated by them. Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying the L2 is a bad thing. I'm looking forward to seeing how we can best incorporate L2 services into our libraries. But we must not forget our longtime users who may not be as comfortable on computers. In our rush to look ahead, sometimes we forget those we currently serve. Now, I'm not saying that we aren't currently serving either group, current and future users, incorrectly or poorly. What I am stressing is that balance is important in all we do, so let's keep it in mind.
Tomorrow is the first World Information Society Day with a theme of Promoting Global Cybersecurity. The day was formerly know as World Telecommunication Day and has been aptly renamed. The Secretary-General of the United Nations states that everyone should work "to connect the unconnected and build a free and safe information society that will spur development for all the world’s people." Here here to that!
Here are a couple of things that have caught my eye in the world of librarianship.
A decision will soon be made regarding the opening of a Nazi archive. Previously, the archive was only open to survivors of the Holocaust, to allow them to track survivors. A panel of 11 international legal experts will be deciding whether or not the archive should be open to the general public. A wealth of information could be opened to historians and other researchers of the Holocaust.
The library marketing blog The "M" Word has a post about personal branding. More companies are pushing the "my" aspect (my card, my Coke). Libraries have often used the copyrighted phrase "@ your library". Perhaps in the age of library 2.0 we should be using the "my library" approach. Some libraries already allow customizable features. Many services that our patrons use now offer such features. Yahoo has joined the bandwagon and is allowing users to customize their page. Customization and self-centeredness are becoming the norm.
An idea I really like is the "my librarian" idea. This sounds very close to the notions of a liaison librarian found in academic libraries. The liaison librarian is associated with a department and the faculty often think of the librarian as "my librarian". Why not promote this notion? It helps promote an idea of personal service. Students of that department or faculty will know who to turn to for assistance. In some universities, librarians are assigned to a particular year of students (ie. all first years). By promoting the My Librarian idea that The "M" Word suggests, we may create a more intimate atmosphere and who knows, we may reach patrons who previously felt intimidated by the library and librarians. Definitely an idea I'd like to pursue.
I'm helping spread the word. Info*Nation is in pre-launch at the moment (to be released around the time of the CLA Conference in Ottawa June 14-16) and so is aimed at gaining support from those in the profession. Once it launches however, it will be aimed at those thinking about becoming a library or information professional. I think there's some great potential here and will be interested to see how youth use the site. Take a look at it for yourself.
Finally, a Canadian study showing the link between academic achievement and libraries and librarians. The Ontario School Library Association is certainly glad to hear this news, news they've known all along. Now, if only the funding would reflect the importance of these libraries.
Questions are being raised about the possibility of a mysterious, unknown library in Iona. We have lost so much knowledge over the ages, that the possibility of finding even a scrap of it intrigues me. This can also be accounted for my other passion, Classics, including ancient libraries and archaeology. It would be simply amazing to get funding to begin an archaeological search for the lost library in Iona. I hope someone does it. Check out the Iona story here http://heritage.scotsman.com/myths.cfm?id=313532006
Yet another study saying chocolate may be good for you! As a self-professed chocoholic, it’s music to my ears!
I’m thinking of changing the name of my blog. While I am wee, as my nickname suggests, I am not the only wee librarian in the blogosphere. It seems there is another blog called Wee Librarian. To avoid confusion, I am trying to think of a new, exciting, perhaps daring name for my blog, but have yet to hear the muses. I’m always open to suggestions though. Keep a look out for the change!
