LibrarianInBlack

California RFID Bill Tabled

California Senate Bill 682, the Identity Information Protection Act, has bene tabled until next year.  Commentary at Library Law Blog and RFID in Libraries.

IM reference stats--how you keeping 'em?

Sherri Vokey at UNLV is keeping IM Reference stats in a nice MySQL database.  She has a tutorial showing how it works.  And she'd like to hear from other libraries about how you are keeping IM Reference stats.

Us?  Post-it, pen, and hash-marks.  I've always found limited value in knowledge bases, and this simple method seems to be working well for us.  I have a hard time seeing myself asking our already-overworked staff to spend a minute or two after each IM question entering data about the transaction into a database.

Free Opera Browser--Today Only

Today only, Opera is offering a free download of their browser in honor of their tenth anniversary.  It's only valid today, though, so hurry!

Thanks to Rich Allen from the Winthrop Public Library for the heads up!

Gates vs. Jobs (in the library)

A mainstream story about the Apple vs. Microsoft issue with libraries' downloadable audiobooks.  Hopefully with some more large press coverage of this sort, the audiobook vendors and Apple can iron out their differences.  For libraries receiving complaints about the lack of Mac-compatibility with these resources, you may want to consider pointing users to this article to show that it's not just your library, but all libraries dealing with the issue.  In my standard reply to patrons on the issue, I also include contact information for both Apple & Overdrive (our e-audiobook vendor) so they can write letters.  I really feel that until a massive uprising takes place, nothing is going to change.

D&D @ the Library

Wizards of the Coast (ahh, fond memories there) is offering an Afternoon Adventure Kit, providing everything a librarian would need to host a Dungeons & Dragons game in the library.

This free program will include a Dungeons & Dragons Basic Game (a $24.99 value), instructions for starting a D&D group in the library, a guide to using D&D as an introduction to library use, recommended reading lists, and other practical resources.

Rock on!  I hope that libraries take advantage of this.  You don't have to be a D&D freak (like me) to be able to host one of these at your library.  If you have a sense of adventure, enjoy fantasy, and can deal with the nerdier*-kid-patrons, you're all set.

*"nerd" is not a dirty word.  I am a nerd, and I am proud.

PATRIOT ACT lawsuit

A Connecticut library, along with the ACLU, are suing the Attorney General, claiming that the PATRIOT ACT's National Security Letter expansions allow federal officials to get library computer data (website history, e-mails sent, etc.) without enough legal safeguards to protect the privacy of the public.

UIUC GSLIS RSS (acronym overload)

My alma mater University of Illinois GSLIS (Graduate School of Library & Information Science) has launched a redesign of its website, complete with RSS feeds.  Their site did need a redesign...glad to see it turned out to be a good one!

The Internet's a Drunk Librarian

Check out this Cat and Girl comic about television and the web.  I kind of like the comparison between the internet and a drunk mouthy librarian...

Design for Webmasters w/o Design Backgrounds

I feel very fortunate that I have a modicum of graphic design experience, which helps me every day in my duties as webmistress.  But many (if not most) library webmasters do not have a graphic design background.  You get the techie background usually, but the graphic background is much harder to come by.  If you'd like to brush up on your graphic design principles, check out these two articles from Digital Web Magazine:

1. The Principles of Design
2. The Elements of Design

links via A Passion for 'Puters

Library Websites and Usability

Laura Solomon (webmaster for the Cleveland Heights-University Heights Public Library) conducted a usability survey of Ohio public library websites, using Jakob Nielsen's usability criteria.  Her study, "Sinking or Swimming: The State of Web Sites in Ohio's Public Libraries," shows that many libraries haven't focused enough attention on putting the information their patrons want up on their websites. 

Particular problem areas include a lack of information about patron privacy, contact information, using too many abbreviations, not having a site search, and having really poor page titles.  For any public library webmaster, this is essential reading.  Make sure your library website is doing all of the things you should be doing for your remote users...who are numerous and just as important as those users coming in your front doors.

Naming Mr. Puss

Do you have a new kitty?  Do you need a name for said kitty?  Check out the Cat Name Database.  There are oodles of these things for lowly people, but this is the only one I've seen for our feline superiors.  It's a random name generator, for animal rescue volunteers having a hard time to name the many refugees entering their sanctuaries.

link via J-Walk Blog

Klingon fairy tales

A title list of fairy tales read by Klingons, such as:

"Little Red Riding Hood Strays Into the Neutral Zone and Is Never Heard From Again, Although There Are Rumors ... Awful, Awful Rumors"

What could be better than that?  Howabouts some MP3s of people from the Klingon Language Institute actually reading the darn things in Klingon? :)

Flash Drive Figures

Looking for a new flash drive?  Consider these snazzy little guys from Mimoco.  At $70 for 256K all the way up to $140 for 1GB, they're a bit pricy, but oh so cute :)

Podcasts from California's State Librarian

California's State Librarian, Susan Hildreth, does periodic webcasts of updates on what she and the State Library are up to.  They've been very informative, allow librarians in the state to ask Susan questions through the chat, and serve as a reminder that the State Library is behind new technology in libraries.  And they're at it again!  Now these webcasts are being offered up as podcasts as well, through Infopeople, California's training organization for library staff.  Excellent!

Dead Head Librarian

The LibraryLaw Blog has an interview with David Dodd: author of the upcoming book The Complete Annotated Grateful Dead Lyrics, chair of the California Library Association's Intellectual Freedom Committee, my ex-boss, and director of the San Rafael Public Library (5 blocks from my house).  He also runs a blog: Librarian in Tie-Dye.  The interview explores the upcoming book and intellectual freedom issues as they pertain to The Dead.

Red Dwarf on mobile phones

BBC Worldwide and Rok player are beginning to offer full length Red Dwarf episodes for folks to play on their mobile phones.  I'm all for the spread of Red Dwarf fandom, but a 1" tall Rimmer just seems like a waste.

Google enters the IM fray

Speaking of Google (and I seem to do that a lot just like everyone else), Google has an IM client now: Google Talk.  It doesn't work with all other IM clients, and some are asking if we really need another IM client in the world.  My answer to that is "yes, if it's open source, works with other clients, and has encryption and privacy options."  Sadly, Google Talk does not fit that description. But, for those of us with IM Reference services, we may want to consider adding a Google Talk screen name for our patrons who choose to use this service.

Got SMS? Get Gmail.

Sixteen months after the soft and very exclusive Gmail beta launch, Google has opened Gmail to the general public--with some stipulations, of course.  You have to use a US mobile phone, give Google your phone #, and they'll text you with an invitation.  I agree wtih Ken at ArsTechnica--this is Google's way of advertising its SMS alert service.  Oh well, at least now a few more people can get Gmail.

Napoleon Dynamite swag

Napoleon Dynamite fans...place your orders now!

RSS feeds from your subscription databases

This is going on my already long "gotta explore this for my library" list.  David Walker (Web Development Librarian at Cal State San Marcos) has created an RSS Creator for libraries.  The prototype uses Open URL to create RSS feeds for any journal or newspaper indexed in a library's subscription databases.  You can get more information on Walker's Web4Lib post as well.  I think he's on to something here...big time.

link via The Shifted Librarian

Geek Gifts

If you have a computer geek-boy or geek-girl in your life (or if you are one, and would like some retail therapy), check out fractal spin: dozens of jewelery and accessory items for the loyal computer geek.  The site's categories aren't fully developed yet, but the Cat5 bracelet and necklace combo is enough to make me smile.  Rock on with your geek self.

Britannica feeds

The venerable Encyclopaedia Britannica now has RSS feeds (found on the RSS Compendium blog).  As Steven points out, it could make an interesting addition to a library's website--perhaps on a reference services page?

Usability & Online Forms resources

Check out this resource about web usability and online forms.  There are many other resources on this page: frames, pop-ups, security, etc.  I wish I had known about it a few months ago when I was toiling with some online forms and trying to get the text boxes ADA-compliant.  Bookmark this one, ye webmasters!

link from Darlene Fichter

Papercraft Fun

Check out the papercraft horse races...printable, foldable, workable jockeys and horses for both kids and adults (the kid versions look a bit like Lego-people).  And just in time for Halloween, a papercraft bat with a tombstone--he moves and everything.  The latter could be fun to put on a Children's Reference desk for October...

both links via Boing Boing

More free eBooks

Courtesy of Phil Bradley's Blog, yet another source for free eBooks: Blackmask Online, a searchable and browseable collection of 10,000+ eBooks in both fiction and nonfiction.  Sweet!

I'll have The Odyssey and some Doritos please

Book vending machines in Paris, Sao Paulo, and Rio de Janeiro make me happy.  The classics and dictionaries in the Paris machines cost a mere $2.45.  I think we need to place a few of these outside libraries for after-hours visits from desperate high schoolers who need to get their hands on a copy of Huckleberry Finn for tomorrow's class :)

What's the real deal with Google & privacy?

CIO Today's three part series on Google and privacy, Google Has Your Data: Should You Be Afraid?, is well worth the time you'll invest reading it.  Part 1 focuses on fair disclosure rules and Google's privacy policy.  Part 2 goes into who owns all this data and whether or not it's at risk.  Part 3 talks about implicit user trust and the possibility of new privacy laws.

My Book Your Book

The "Online Librarian is Overwhelmed" headline is a bit misleading (as far as I can tell, there's no librarian involved here), but this online book exchanging system sounds interesting.  I still don't see how it is better than the public library, though.  Perhaps it would be most useful in remote locations where there aren't libraries, or areas that can't afford a public library.  Any thoughts from the my readers on this one?

Librarian Superhero

In the "it's about darn time" category, a new graphic novel series, Rex Libris, will be published by Slave Labor Graphics (there has to be some appreciate for the name, people). 

Just as a tide of ignorance swells up and threatens to engulf the world, out of the ashes of the Great Library of Alexandria arises a hero, an educated fellow with fists of steel and a mind as sharp as a tack: public librarian Rex Libris.

You can preview a brief section of Volume 1, Issue 1 at SLG's website.  I am tickled pink!

Biblioblogosphere Survey

Meredith is conducting a survey of the biblioblogosphere to supplement the data Walt collected for his own analysis.  If you have a library themed weblog, respond to her survey and as she says, "represent!"

Blogging from Word

Blogger now allows you to blog from Word (yay spell checker!)  This could prove very useful if your library runs its blog through Blogger, and you want to encourage more staff to post.  It adds a simple toolbar to Word allowing you to create, edit, and publish posts as well as save drafts of posts.  Nice! 

Thinking about being a techie librarian?

Eric Lease Morgan provides some practical advice on the LITA Blog about what you need to know to be a techie librarian in today's world.  If you're a library school student reading this blog, and want to focus on tech, this would be a good starting point for choosing which classes you want to take.

Google strategy

When I was taking online reference in library school, the single most important thing the instructor taught me was the following.  When you can't find the answer to a question, think A) who would care about the answer (& go look for them) or B) if you had the answer how would you phrase it (& go look for that phrase).  Google Blog provides us with a good tip for using Strategy B: fill in the blanks. 

[I]nstead of asking [who invented the parachute?], you can enter the query [the parachute was invented by *]. (The blank, or wildcard, search is marked by * - an asterisk.)

I use this strategy a lot when looking for obscure factual information, usually for questions I get through instant messaging reference.  Works like a charm.

Certification for library managers

ALA's Allied Professional Association will be launching in 2006 a "certification program for public librarians."  When I first read this I, like Library Bitch, got very huffy and thought "isn't that what the MLIS is for?" 

But upon further reading, it became clear that it is not intended as a replacement for the MLIS, but as a post-MLIS certification--a way for library managers to get management skills.  As they state: "The goal is to further the development of librarians in management as well as those who aspire to hold administrative positions."  I think that if it does what it says it will do, the program will be a success.  Library management classes are offered in library school, but how many of us took them?  My own thinking was, I'm 24...like I'm going to be a manager any time soon.  So I took more practical classes--digitization, cataloging, information architecture.  I think that many library managers get there over a long period of time, and sometimes by accident.  Having an organized certification program like this could definitely help improve the state and quality of library management.

Love Your Librarian

If you have a favorite librarian, please nominate him or her for the New York Times Librarian Awards.  Deadline is September 2nd. 

libraries left out...again

Gary Price posted to a few listservs I'm on to alert us to this Associated Press article entitled "Experts offer homework help online."  Plenty of for-pay sites are listed, but alas, libraries are left out.  Many libraries do offer Homework Help online, through companies like Tutor.com, at no cost to their patrons.  As Gary guessed, the author probably had no idea that libraries offer services like this as well.  I hope someone (or many someones) right some letters to the editor right-quick.

Deluxe Nancy Pearl figure

Mmmm, deluxe librarian action figure. 

I kind of wish they'd done a whole new figure--perhaps male (w/o a bowtie, please), or perhaps a female dressed in a nice low-cut blouse, skirt, and heels...lots of options.  Changing her clothing from blue to red does not make it a "stylish burgundy outfit" as Archie McPhee Toys claims.  And adding a computer helps, but adding a book cart too just cancels that out.  I want my figure to have a PDA and an MP3 player (for those digital audiobooks).  But then again, I'm a dreamer.

Ministry of Reshelving

The Ministry of Reshelving is moving copies of Orwell's 1984 from the Fiction section to what they consider to be more appropriate sections: current events, true crime, politics, etc.  It is an interesting way to make a political statement, indeed.  And the revolution has pictures! 

I wonder, though, if the Ministry will expand into libraries.  I know it would be an irritation to shelvers, but political statements and libraries go together hand in hand, so why not?

September C&I--library biblioblogosphere

September's Cites & Insights is up for your perusal.  He has an amazing piece on the library biblioblogosphere, one which I believe is the single most comprehensive look at the library blogosphere to date.  I also think it could serve as a wonderful introduction for library staff who are eager to read library-themed blogs, but don't know where to start.  His descriptions are helpful, and I think he really hits the top blogs (I'd like to think I'm not swayed by the fact that I'm included in the list).  Simply put, you rock Walt.

Google halts Google Print

The Google Print project is on hold for at least six months in response to publisher concerns about copyright.  I'm gonna take a chance and guess that this temporary furlough will actually turn into a permanent massive change to the project's scope and purpose.  Who's with me?

tee hee

From Jessamyn, two amusing Flickr sites: Unfortunate Children's Books and Library Humor Comics.

Felines on the Web

Why are there so many cat-themed sites online?  Sarah Boxer tells us why, and points to some very amusing cat and dog websites in the process, including the Infinite Cat Project.  My kitty was an early adopter of this particular site--Torin is #37, and they're over 1,000 now.

Google News Feeds

In the "it's durn time" category, Google News is offering feeds for its news categories.  Feed your need for feeds in categories like Top News, Business, Entertainment, Sports, and other tjings that are generally sections of a physical newspaper :)

Old-Time Music Stream

Looking for a music stream to distract you while you work?  Check out Sugar in the Gourd, streaming "old-time music," like "The Story That The Crow Told Me" by John Cohen and "Cindy in the Meadows" by The Stairwell Sisters.

link via Boing Boing

Barbie Librarian

I'm way behind on blogging due to several days of no-computer time, so forgive me while I catch up.  Kids want a new Barbie doll to be either a policewoman or a librarian, while parents overwhelmingly want her to be an architecht.  Odd, that.   Let's hope the kids win.  I need another library action figure-esque thing on my desk.

Free Wireless Hotspots in San Francisco

Way back in October, San Francisco's mayor, Gavin Newsom, announced that San Francisco would be expanding the number of free wireless hotspots in the city.  It's happened.  There are now five locations with free wireless, and the residents and visitors are thrilled.

Offering Downloadable Audio Books? Offer Players Too...

Shifted Librarian Jenny Levine is recommending that any library offering downloadable audio books also offer players for checkout.  Why?  We are unwittingly broadening the digital divide by providing materials that only some of our patrons can access.  I agree in principle.  She writes:

If you are an OverDrive or Recorded Books subscriber, then you need to understand that you are not providing access to those titles to a segment of your population, even though it’s not your fault.

Any libraries that join the ListenIllinois contract for audio eBooks from Audible, Overdrive, or Recorded Books have to purchase at least one MP3 player to circulate to patrons.  Jenny acknowledges that this will result in a long wait list for that one player and hassle for staff, but posits that it's worth it.

Jenny also says that the circulating MP3 player addresses two things: 1) patrons who can't afford a computer or MP3 player of their own and 2) patrons with Macs/iPods that are incompatible with the library's downloadable audio books.  While I applaud Jenny's efforts, I have a few questions of my own.

1) Can patrons, then, download the books onto your public computers and then transfer them to the "checked out" device?   If not, then how can the player help them?  If they fall into group 1 above, they don't have home computers.  If they fall into group 2 above, you can't even download the audio files onto a Mac to begin with, in order to transfer the book to the compatible player.

2) Do you likewise check out CD players for your CD materials...or DVD and VHS players for your movies?  If so, great!  If not, there's a bit of a double standard at work.

While I admit that more people will own a CD player or DVD player than will own a home computer or portable device, I still think that it's a big step to start lending out hardware so that anyone can access every single type of your materials.  With enough money in your budget, and enough staff support to support the devices, why not?  It's a great idea.  For many of us, however, we have limited materials budgets as it is.  Can we rationalize to our patrons the purchase of expensive devices over the purchase of books, movies, or music?  Maybe we can.  I don't know.

As a technology librarian myself, I often have to remind myself of the digital divide--and try very hard to narrow it, not widen it.  In this case, though, I'm honestly not sure where I stand.

RLG is blogging

hangingtogether, the new blog from the RLG, includes posts by 3 different bloggers, including the RLG President, Jim Michalko.  Lookin' good!

found via It's all good

How many English degrees does it take...

...before you notice Microsoft Passport's grammar errors? 

Apparently more than two, because I never noticed this before.

Yeah.  The linked text "Forgot your password?" is grammatically incorrect and one man is crusading against it, contacting Microsoft, and getting nowhere.  As he says:

"Forgot" is the wrong form of the verb "to forget". What they are thinking is "Have you forgot your password?" which any English teacher would most definitely mark incorrect.

The link should read [Have you] "Forgotten your password?" or maybe [Did you] "Forget your password?" or perhaps "I forgot my password".

link via J-Walk

DeweyBrowser

No, it's not the next rival to IE (thought it is way cooler, imho).  Check out the DeweyBrowser, a visual interface that lets you browse for resources based on subject headings and DDC numbers.

You can start with a search and then get a color-coded display of which of the ten main DDC classes have results for your search (and how many in each).  You can also start with a straight browse, choosing one of the ten main classes.  You then get to drill down two more levels, everything color-coded for relevance, and quickly see where the relevant records will be.

Too much fun for a librarian.

link via The Dewey Blog

RFID double standard

It interests me that many people shudder at the thought of putting RFID tags on books and other library materials...but putting them on people, namely on trackable cards for visitors to the U.S.?  No big whoop.

Right?

If you saw a bad movie, you can get $5

Following a class action suit regarding quotes from their fake critic, David Manning, Sony Pictures, as part of a class action suit settlement, is refunding $5 to anyone who saw the following (really bad) movies:

• Hollow Man
• Vertical Limit
• A Knight's Tale
• The Animal
• The Patriot

The LiB fortunately did not shell out big bucks for these pictures at the cinema, but did see a few on cable while at home sick, thus her qualifications to rate them as "really bad."

story via Boing Boing

Blind Gamer Kicks Tushie

This guy rocks.

How popular am I?

If you blog or even a non-blog website, try Talk Digger. It searches various  services--Ice Rocket, Technorati, Pub Sub, etc. for who is talking about you or linking to you.  Nice way to gauge your exposure on various services...the coverage for LiB differed quite a bit on each one.

via Phil Bradley's Blog

Web Stuff that Annoys People

Via Phil Bradley's Blog, 16 Things that Really Annoy Most Web Users.  Pop-ups are at the top of the list (this is why I love AdsGone).  I was surprised to see that confusing navigation only received 4.1% of the votes.  To me, that is by far the most annoying thing about any website.

IMLS Digital Collections Registry

Shirl Kennedy's Resource of the Week over at ResourceShelf is the IMLS Digital Collections Registry.  The collection is made up of:

digital collections created or developed as part of one or more National Leadership Grant projects. These collections include both traditional digital library collections of digitized content and "born-digital" resources and non-traditional collections such as learning modules designed for online use. 

You can search by subject, object, place, or collection title.  You can also browse various categories.  There are some real jewels here...like Feeding America: The Historical American Cookbook Project and Folkstreams.net.

State of the Blogosphere

Technorati has posted its State of the Blogosphere Report on Blog Growth.  Among the interesting tidbits:

• The blogosphere continues to double about every 5.5 months
• About 55% of all blogs are active, and that has remained a consistent statistic for at least a year
• About 13% of all blogs are updated at least weekly

Disagreement as to RSS usage unnecessary

A Technographics survey says 2% of Americans use RSS.

A Jupiter survey says 12% of online consumers use RSS.

Pew says 9% of Americans have a good idea what RSS is.

I'm willing to bet that they're all just about right, and that all this hoo-hah in the blogosphere about the supposedly contradictory data is really unnecessary.  Among Americans, I think it's totally reasonable to think that 9% know what it is, but only 2% use it, and among the narrower grouping of online consumers, that 2% jumps to 12%.  Makes sense to me.

Librarians Rule the World

New librarian song: "Librarians Rule the World"  37 seconds of catchy silliness :)

Found in a post by Blake on LIS News, who got it from Ender, who found the song on Songs to Wear Pants To, which is a site where the author will create a song based on instructions given by the blog's readers (for free or for money).

RSS 2 PDF

RSS 2 PDF generates a PDF of your posts from RSS feeds.  Just paste in the RSS, Atom, or OPML URL and you have a nice PDF with the last 10 or so posts on the weblog.  Very nice!  This might be a good workaround on blogs that you have a hard time printing from--you'll at least get regular text without all the funny excessive formatting, though you will get more posts than just the one you wanted to print...

All the penguins, all at once

Amazon.com is offering the complete Penguin Classics Library in one package (for $7,989.99).  That's 700 pounds of freely-shipped goodness!  My first thought was that this could be great for a small library trying to get a start-up collection in place, but then I remembered the shoddy paperback nature of the Penguin titles I used in literature grad school...so maybe not so much.

via Boing Boing

how many bouncy balls?

Very neat image (and one you'd only see in San Francisco), but doesn't this somehow count as littering?  Though, the second photo does show a barrier or some sort on the street, presumably to catch all of the little wayward buggers.

link via BoingBoing

Libraries Have Much to Offer

In the August 15th Forbes you'll find the article "Google Isn't Everything." (requires log-in--don't have one, try BugMeNot).  It's a nice reminder of all the awesome online resources and services that public libraries offer to their patrons--free of charge.

link via beSpacific

Cards from Books

Rosemary Mans creates greeting cards from damaged books that have been donated to the San Francisco Public Library Friends. 

Mans makes 125 to 150 cards a month for the nonprofit group, which sells them in its used book stores at the Main Library and Fort Mason.

What a wonderful use for books that would otherwise just end up in a dumpster somewhere...

story via bookslut

Money for Library Degrees

A House Bill would give "up to $5,000 in loan forgiveness to qualified librarians, teachers, and child-welfare workers in low-income communities."  This would be a wonderful program, especially for those libraries trying to "grow your own" librarians from existing staff. I would be curious to see how they define a low-income community, and whether or not the student would be working in that community, living in that community, or both.