London Free Press: News Section - Libraries eyed as services provider

Would this work in Oklahoma? London Free Press: News Section - Libraries eyed as services provider: "The Ontario government is looking into whether it can use public libraries across the province as a way to provide people with better access to government services and information. Finance Minister Greg Sorbara said the idea was brought forward by a library association during the recent budget discussions.
'We could use our public library system and libraries in colleges, universities and schools as a mechanism for delivering public services,' Sorbara said yesterday before a caucus meeting, recounting the suggestion from the library association."

Wired News: Net Hoaxes Snare Fools All Year

Wired News: Net Hoaxes Snare Fools All Year: "Whether it be dehydrated water, infinite power supplies or corporate-sponsored tattoos, many a ridiculous item offered online as a practical joke has attracted a stable of true believers. This week, as news sites, blogs and Net merchants gear up for April Fools' Day tricks, hoax watchers warn susceptible readers to be on the lookout for more online trickery."

Judge nixes part of Amazon, Borders suit | CNET News.com

Judge nixes part of Amazon, Borders suit | CNET News.com: "A federal judge in San Francisco has thrown out part of a class-action suit that claims that Amazon.com and Borders set artificially high prices for books ordered over the Internet.
However, U.S. District Judge Marilyn Hall Patel said in a ruling last week that the lawsuit could proceed, because she was worried about the possible anticompetitive impact of an April 2001 agreement, in which Amazon would run Borders' Web site and fulfill orders customers placed through it."

Open WorldCat pilot [OCLC]

The April Advanced Technology Libraries reports that, "some 489,000 OCLC WorldCat records available on Google at ... press time". Wow, that's a lot -- but has it had any impact what so ever on library services or the use of libraries by traditional non-library users? Considering Google reports they have "more than 200 million" searches daily...well -- how many of these Woogle (Worldcat/Google) records have been accessed and will it help or hinder libraries? What do you think? Visit Open WorldCat pilot [OCLC] to find out more.

Debra Engle speaks to OU GSS

A great form of academic patron outreach: The Oklahoma Daily - GSS passes scholarship Web site: "Debra Engle, director of public services of OU library system, made a presentation to the senate to introduce the new and expanded electronic databases and services."

XML.com: Hacking the Library [Mar. 15, 2004]

XML.com: Hacking the Library [Mar. 15, 2004]
With lines like:
" What is a library? The first social thing to say about lending libraries in the United States is that they are thriving socialist institutions in the midst of capitalist fervor." from The Library of Congress Comes Home
and
"In other words, we're geeks; we're not library or information scientists. But these -- computer and library science -- are kissing cousin fields, parasitic and dependent on one another in important, deep ways. Geeks can learn information and library science easily enough, but especially if they have a real, hackable motivation for doing so. I'm suggesting in this column what I intend to prove in future columns, namely, that the dijalog lifestyle, which is the one most of us are actually living, is uniquely suited to the confluence of geek hackery and certains parts of library science." from Geeks and the Dijalog Lifestyle
This is a VERY promising series.

Collection of National Copyright Laws Now Online: UNESCO-CI (3.01b)

Collection of National Copyright Laws Now Online: UNESCO-CI (3.01b): "Full texts of national copyright and related rights legislation of UNESCO Member States can now be accessed on the website of UNESCO's Culture Sector. The collection currently comprises about 100 laws and is constantly being updated and completed. "

Think like a librarian

The Times Plus, Monroe Times, Monroe, Wisconsin, USA: Here's a little ditty by a Public Library Director--it tells how everyone can have more success on the internet, if only they think like a librarian.

The Seattle Times: Personal Technology: Countless levels of data on libraries' Web sites

HEY! This is true in Oklahoma too!
The Seattle Times: Personal Technology: Countless levels of data on libraries' Web sites: "Google, the No. 1 search engine, can't offer all the information we might want from the Internet. In fact, we can't get to some extremely useful information that's on the Net simply by asking Google.
I'm talking about those information-rich databases that are generally expensive and require membership for access.
Public libraries, for example, subscribe to several of these databases and make them freely available to patrons. The databases include full-text newspaper and magazine articles, congressional documents, 'Books in Print,' genealogy records and other resources. Some are accessible only from library computers, but most are searchable by library-card holders from wherever they have Net access."

Check out this librarian's tale

I always thought Penny Marshall would play me in a story of my life--I would prefer Drew Barrymore--but come on, I'm realistic--- We'll here's who's playing in NPR Librarian Kee Malesky's life story: Boston.com / News / Boston Globe / Living / Arts / Check out this librarian's tale: "'Breaking the Mold: The Kee Malesky Story,' shot in Lowell, is a coming-of-age comedy about the real-life Kee Malesky, staff librarian at National Public Radio. The film stars Improv Boston's Zabeth Russell (who is also featured in 'Mystic River'), Danielle Perry as Malesky, Dicky Barrett of the Mighty Mighty Bosstones, and Scott Simon of NPR as the narrator."

Storytelling @ Youth Library @ Hardesty!

Storytelling presented by puppeteer, Peggy Kaney on Tuesday May 25, 2004 @ 7:30PM.
Hardesty Library 8316 E 93rd Tulsa..for more info. call the Youth Library at Hardesty 918-250-7307

Crazy Library Punishments

I have run across a news story and a website that show -- er...different -- forms of librarian and vigilante punishments in libraries/computer labs and thought I would share them. And if you are in doubt, neither myself nor OLA supports or endorses these methods of patron control.

TheKCRAChannel.com - News - Librarian Accused Of Taping Students' Mouths

Book to the head! (Have the sound on for this one)

If you know of any others stories of strange library related punishments be sure to post them via comments.

Fulbright Scholar Programs: Library Science

Oklahoman's have it in them to do amazing things -- that being the case check out these Fulbright opportunities in the field of Library Science

Welcome to NewsOK.com

Group to honor contributions to state history: "The Talbot Library and Museum in Colcord will receive the $5,000 Harold C. and Joan S. Stuart and Robert and Roxana Lorton Indian Territory Award for Organizations. "

Banned Music

Found this via Boingboing.net -- an interesting concept that could be applied to library challenges as well. Perhaps Oklahoma could do something like this for material challenges in state. What do you think?

Banned Music: "Bannedmusic.org is a peer-to-peer collaboration that makes it impossible for the major record labels to ban or censor musical works. When record labels send legal threats to musicians, record stores, or websites, we will post the music here for download and publicize the censorship attempt. There is a clear fair use right to distribute this music, and for the public to decide whether current copyright law is serving musicians and the public, they need to be able to hear what's being suppressed."

Sony e-book to be written in electronic ink | CNET News.com

Sony e-book to be written in electronic ink | CNET News.com: "Consumer electronics giant Sony is using electronic ink in its new e-book, marking one of the first consumer applications of the next-generation display technology.
Royal Philips Electronics, Sony and display start-up E Ink announced on Wednesday that Sony would release an e-book in Japan in late April that uses a display based on electronic-ink technology. E Ink and partner Toppan Printing will supply the electronic-ink material to be used in the display, created by Philips, an investor in E Ink. An e-book is essentially a screen that displays a digitized version of a book. "

NLW idea # 2: From the Chillicothe, OH Gazette

Local libraries plan activities to mark National Library Week - chillicothegazette.com: The first National Library Week was celebrated in 1958. There are several types of libraries that participate including school libraries, public libraries, academic libraries and special libraries. Some of the programs planned in the Chillicothe area are:

Fitness programs
Antique appraisals
Craft workshops
Cooking demostrations

Gee--I guess there's something for everyone @ their libraries!

Will you be in Tulsa April 14-16?!

The Annual Conference of the Okahoma Library Association is soon but you still have time to register! Visit the OLA Conference Website at http://www.oklibs.org/OLA2004/index.html to find out how to register and all the wonderful speakers and presenters that are going to be there.

Check out yours truly presenting a poster on Blogging. Or if blogging is bogging you down and you want to get out in the sun sign up for the Ruth Brown Memorial Golf Tournament, you don't have to know anything about Dewey or his Decimals to hold a 9 iron! But wait maybe you want to do something a little different? Then why don't you attend the Poetry Reading with Oklahoma Poet Laureate, Francine Ringold.

You don't have to be an OLA Member to register to attend--all you need is a love for libraries! I can't wait to see you there!

Library Acquires Alan Lomax Collection

Library Acquires Alan Lomax Collection: "The American Folklife Center in the Library of Congress has acquired the Alan Lomax Collection, which comprises the unparalleled ethnographic documentation collected by the legendary folklorist over a period of 70 years... Included in the collection are sound recordings of traditional singers, instrumentalists and storytellers made by Lomax during numerous field trips to the American South, the Caribbean, Britain, Scotland, Ireland, Spain and Italy; original video footage, shot in the southern and southwestern United States, Washington, D.C., and New York City, that was used as the basis of Lomax's "Patchwork" television series."

NLW Idea #1: Stump The Librarian

This is a great idea to promote National Library Week! Should we try a Stump LibraryStories?
Stump The Librarian: "The Deer Park Public Library is presenting a unique challenge to its patrons. Throughout National Library Week, April 18-24, Deer Park Reference Librarians will challenge the community to 'Stump the Librarian,' by defying library-goers to present a question they don't think they could answer!"

The battle over triple 'x' | Perspectives | CNET News.com

Will this idea put filters out of business? The battle over triple 'x' | Perspectives | CNET News.com: "By the end of this year, Internet users could have an extraordinarily convenient place to find pornography: a new .xxx top-level domain... .xxx domain names would be sold for $70 to $75 each. Child pornography would be verboten, but pretty much anything else would be permissible. "

For more information on TLD's visit ICANN.

Copyfight

Check out this blog! Copyfight
From the About this weblog: "Here we'll explore the nexus of legal rulings, Capitol Hill Policy-making, technical standards development and technological innovation that creates--and will recreate--the networked world as we know it. Among the topics we'll touch on: intellectual property conflicts, technical architecture and innovation, the evoluation of copyright, private vs public interests in Net policy-making, lobbying and the law, and more."

Do you know about Common Content

Common Content: "Common Content is a catalog of works licensed in the Creative Commons, available to anyone for copying or creative re-use. The catalog includes 1396 records (like images, fiction, non-fiction, movies, websites, etc.) many of which are collections which include hundreds or thousands of other works. If you'd like to learn more check out the About page or How It Works."

Google Local Product

Have you tried the new Google local? I've been testing it out--it's not too bad but I think it has a little ways to go before it can be really useful. If it allowed a broader search, like entire state, I think it would be a lot handier. What do ya'll think?

Google Search: library near 73096

Race divided Fulton libraries

Diversity recruitment in librarianship should be seen as paramount--just incase you need another reason besides bettering the profession--here's a story from Georgia --Race divided Fulton libraries: " The trustees of Fulton County's public libraries felt they had a problem: Too many management slots at the system's flagship facility were filled by white women. So as 2000 dawned, the board asked for a race-based head count at the Central Library in Atlanta. Then, over the objections of the county attorney, the library system's executive reassigned a number of white librarians to lesser posts.
That began a legal battle that has cost taxpayers more than $18 million -- enough to build two new libraries or operate the entire 32-branch system for seven months."

ChannelOklahoma.com - Technology - Where Do People Go To Get Online?

ChannelOklahoma.com - Technology - Where Do People Go To Get Online?: "Nearly one-quarter of online Americans use the Internet at places besides home or work, and many use multiple locations to go online.
That's close to 30 million people who aren't tied to a specific computer, the Pew Internet and American Life Project found.
In that group, 27 percent have used the Internet at school, 26 percent have used it at friends' or neighbors' homes, and 26 percent have used it at libraries. "

Libraries hope to entice readers with e-mailed chapters

AccessNorthGa.com - Your Online Local Newspaper: "Patrons of the Dougherty County Library get an e-mail each day featuring one or more chapters from a selected book.
These 'five-minute reads' may persuade the readers to check the book out from the library or go to a bookstore and buy it. If nothing else, they can share their thoughts on the book with other readers on the library's Web site.
The library in this south Georgia town is one of thousands tapping into the Internet to serve not only its committed bookworms, but also those who just can't seem to find enough time to read. It recently joined 3,000 libraries around the country that offer online book clubs and send out book teasers via e-mail."

Social Grid's Library Guide: Find Libraries in Your City

Social Grid's Library Guide: Find Libraries in Your City Ok, so this site is just weird! On the "About us" page it reads: SocialGrid was founded to provide the world with free search system to promote social networking and enable people to find their soulmate in a way that is cost-effective and universally appealing.

It looks like it will eventually have listings for libraries across the nation (including Oklahoma), where they anticipate people using this service can "hook up" with other singles. ?!?! Should we be worried--or maybe we can start charging matchmakers' fees.

Oklahoma Library Jobs for Information Professionals and Librarians

Oklahoma Library Jobs for Information Professionals and Librarians. Looking for a job? Try this resource from LISjobs.com

Read Y'all!

In 2003, the Metrpolitan Library System, the Oklahoma Department of Libraries, the Oklahoma Library Association and many others joined together to help raise awareness of our state's low literacy problems and the programs designed to help them.

Read Y'all is a marketing campaign designed to make Oklahomans aware of the need for literacy trainers and volunteers, to make sure people understand our state's literacy programs, and to promote reading throughout Oklahoma. Visit the Read Y'all website to find out more about literacy programs in your area and what all Oklahoman's can do to help remedy this situation in our great state.

And if you aren't convinced low literacy is a problem then visit this page to get a better picture.

MSNBC - A Philly guy through and through

Even a big tough guy like Phil Martelli respects the power of a librarian.

MSNBC - A Philly guy through and through: "Both shows turned out to be prophetic. Martelli resuscitated the Hawks' struggling program, but lately he's learned that staying on top is every bit as tough as getting there. In late January, en route to a 114-63 demolition of St. Bonaventure, a Bonnies fan yelled at Martelli for clamping on full-court pressure when Saint Joe's was already ahead by 25 points. He wheeled toward the stands and yelled back, ''Shut up, you nitwit!''
That was before learning the woman he screamed at was a school librarian. Martelli had the good sense to follow that up with a handwritten letter of apology soon after."

News-Star Online'Honk and Holler Opening Soon' next for book discussion 03/17/04

News-Star Online'Honk and Holler Opening Soon' next for book discussion 03/17/04: "Shawnee Public Library Book Discussion group will join thousands of people all over Oklahoma who are reading the same book and then gathering to discuss issues and ideas stimulated by the book. The group has chosen 'The Honk and Holler Opening Soon' by Billie Letts as their April reading selection. The group will meet at 7 p.m. April 1 for discussion."

Help the St. Joseph County Library follow copyright law!

The Shifted Librarian: "'Bob and I went out to CIL to present in the Learning Track on motivating and celebrating staff with technology. We wanted to show off the work we did on RAY OF LIGHT, the SJCPL staff day video. I blogged about it here. ROL is a fast motion day in the life of our library system which illustrates how EVERYONE plays a role in the library's mission!

The presentation was a success and the audience seemed to really like the video! There were some whoops and hollars! Then we did questions and of course the discussion turned to copyright. Yes, we used ROL by Madonna with no clearance but it was as much fair use as it could be: not sold, distributed, or copied.

I told them we tried last year to reach out to Madonna's people and never got anywhere. I think this is a great idea for libraries to internally and externally market themselves -- hey Madonna... can you give me a minute of your time to chat about it?' [Tame the Web]"

The Amigos Nominating Committee announces the slate of candidates for May 5

Two Oklahoman Candidates!
The Amigos Nominating Committee announces the slate of candidates for May 5 elections to the Amigos Board of Trustees and the Amigos Delegation to the OCLC Members Council. Amigos member voting representatives will receive candidate information and proxy voting ballots as part of the "Call to Meeting" in late March.

Candidates for Board of Trustees (Librarian)– three to be elected for a three-year term
-Bonnie McNeely, Executive Director, University of Central Oklahoma Library, Edmond
-Donald Gilstrap, Director of Libraries, Southwestern Oklahoma State University Library

Questions should be directed to Trisha Mooney at Amigos, 1-800-843-8482 (972-851-8000 in the Dallas area), ext. 2840, or mailto:mooney@amigos.org.

Local officials nearly fall for H2O hoax

At SWOSU we use the website DHMO.org in library instruction, to show our patrons the importance of evaluating internet resources. I guess these folks in California should come to one of our instruction session. ;-)
MSNBC - Local officials nearly fall for H2O hoax: "City officials were so concerned about the potentially dangerous properties of dihydrogen monoxide that they considered banning foam cups after they learned the chemical was used in their production.Then they learned, to their chagrin, that dihydrogen monoxide -- H2O for short -- is the scientific term for water."

Library locks itself out of own Web site

This story is a little old--but a hoot none the less! AP Wire | 11/22/2002 | Library locks itself out of own Web site: "When Director James Oda tried to access the library's new Web site - www.fleshpublic.lib.oh.us - to show it off for the library staff, the library computer denied him access."

Reading over your shoulder

The opposition spans left and right. The American Civil Liberties Union has challenged the law in federal court, while some conservative groups are also against it. Opponents include the American Conservative Union, Americans for Tax Reform, Gun Owners of America, Phyllis Schlafly's Eagle Forum, and Paul M. Weyrich's Free Congress Foundation.

Former Republican congressman Bob Barr -- a board member of the National Rifle Association -- has been active in the fight against the Patriot Act. In a telephone interview from his Georgia office, Barr said Section 215 "stands for the proposition that we don't have to abide by the old Fourth Amendment standards that require the government to show that before we gather evidence on someone there be a good reason to suspect the person has done something wrong. The government now takes the position that it can gather evidence on anyone it wants simply because it is fighting terrorism. It poses a danger to the rights of free speech, political expression, and assembly."

Visit Infoshop to read more!

Quiltin' li-Bee-rary

Library offers quilt appraisal, program
Donna Skvarla, a certified appraiser with the American Quilter's Society, will present a program on quilt history and evaluation at the Shawnee Public Library 7 p.m. March 25.

Following the free program, Skvarla will conduct individual quilt appraisals for $25 each. Each appraisal is private and takes about 20 to 30 minutes. Proceeds from the appraisals will go to the Friends of the Shawnee Public Library.

Skvarla, the former director of Library Development for the Oklahoma Department of Libraries, is a member of the American Quilter's Society, Central Oklahoma Quilter's Guild, Quilt Preservation Society, American Quilt Study Group, National Quilt Association, and Oklahoma Quilters State Organization.

Registration is encouraged for Skvarla's program and required for private quilt appraisals. To schedule an appraisal time or to get more information about the program, contact the library at 275-6353.

Claremore Progressive Reports:

The Rogers County Literacy Council will hold tutor training from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. March 20 at the Will Rogers Library. The cost is $15 to cover the cost of supplies. Tutors work for one hour twice a week. Tutors meet with their students at the library, at one of their homes or other mutually convenient locations. To reserve a space in training, call 341-2340 or 342-1745.

Noreascon�Four Hugo Awards

Noreascon�Four Hugo Awards: "The Hugo Awards are awards for excellence in the field of science fiction and fantasy. A list of the current award categories is available here. Hugos are awarded each year by the World Science Fiction Society, at the World Science Fiction Convention (Worldcon). For 2004, Noreascon Four's Hugo Awards Ceremony will be held on Saturday, September 4, 2004."

Libraries Stuck in the Middle

Libraries Stuck in the Middle: "Libraries and the scholarly community share a dream of creating a world where scholarly articles are easily available on the Internet to everyone who wants them, without any fees, restrictions or barriers of any kind. What is preventing us from fulfilling such a noble and worthy goal? This paper examines selected case studies that show how libraries and scholars are coping with the science journal crisis. By highlighting responses that are innovative and proactive, this paper hopes to contribute to a general awareness of responses that have the potential for transforming the current scholarly communication process into an open, unimpeded, author-controlled electronic-journal based scholarly communication process."

McAlester News Capital & Democrat

McAlester News Capital & Democrat: "Their membership ranges from Austin, Texas, to Wichita, Kan., and many points in between and soon they'll be doing a program in McAlester.

Territory Tellers, Oklahoma's only statewide organization of story tellers, will host a free program at McAlester Public Library beginning at 2 p.m. Saturday. Before that, however, the organization will hold its monthly board meeting in one of the library's rooms.

'They do this to create interest in story telling,' said Anita Ross, children's librarian. 'They hold their board meetings at different libraries in the state and then give a program afterward.'

The library's children's department and the Friends of McAlester Public Library are sponsoring the Saturday event. 'The Friends are going to take the board members out to lunch before the program,' Ross said. 'After that, we'll be ready to go.' "

Liblog

The Christian Science Monitor has a blog, called Liblog, that is maintained by its staff librarians and it offers informative and interesting websites. Visit and see what some of our special library colleagues find of use.

Teaching and the Butterfly Effect

The Chronicle: Career Network: 03/10/2004: "There are days when success means getting up in the morning and getting through all my classes. There are other days when success means not giving up on students who seem convinced that although buying the books is compulsory, reading them is optional. It is absolutely success if students leave my class at the end of the term at least as interested in the subject matter as they were when they registered for the course -- and even that doesn't always happen. "

Oklahoma Higher Education's Campus E-Clips Newsletter - March 2004

Oklahoma Higher Education's Campus E-Clips Newsletter - March 2004: "The Oklahoma City Community College Board of Regents will name and dedicate the Keith Leftwich Memorial Library on Thursday, March 25, at 1:30 p.m. Senator Leftwich advocated legislation that provided $6.2 million of initial funding for the construction of the Oklahoma City Community College Library. He also sponsored legislation that enabled the College to establish student revenue bonds to complete the construction of the Library. Senator Leftwich passed away last September."

Internet Resources on Aging: Home Page

Internet Resources on Aging: Home Page: "Browse or search AARP's database on Internet resources below, and link to more than 500 of the best sites for people age 50 ."

EFF: FCC Faces Suit on Regulation of Digital Broadcast Television

EFF: FCC Faces Suit on Regulation of Digital Broadcast Television: "Washington, D.C. - The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) joined five library associations, Public Knowledge, the Consumer Federation of America, and the Consumers Union in suing the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) last week to block overbroad regulation of next-generation televisions and related devices.

'The FCC's digital broadcast television mandate is a step in the wrong direction because it would make digital television cost more and do less, undermining innovation, fair use, and competition,' said EFF Senior Intellectual Property Attorney Fred von Lohmann, 'The FCC overstepped its bounds, unduly restricting consumers and manufacturers when it issued its broadcast flag ruling.'

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) ruled on November 4, 2003, that consumer devices capable of receiving broadcast digital television (DTV) signals must implement content control technologies demanded by the entertainment industry to restrict consumer uses of digital television. Left unchallenged, the 'broadcast flag' mandate would go into effect by July 1, 2005.

The lawsuit, called ALA v. FCC, was filed in the Court of Appeals in Washington, D.C., and charges that the FCC exceeded its jurisdiction, acted in an arbitrary and capricious manner, and failed to point to substantial evidence in adopting a broadcast flag mandate.

The FCC has asked the court to put the lawsuit on hold, pending the FCC's decision on petitions to reconsider the broadcast flag mandate, although all of the petitions address unrelated matters. The coalition of organizations opposed in court the FCC's attempt to postpone the lawsuit."

Salon.com Technology | In search of the deep Web

Salon.com Technology | In search of the deep Web: "The next generation of Web search engines will do more than give you a longer list of search results. They will disrupt the information economy." Article talks about access to Government Information as well
--to read the entire article you'll need to watch a brief commercial--As Mr. Shaw always said TINSTAAFL (there is no such thing as a free lunch)

BABEL

BABEL: or as I like to say the infinate Dewey of it all. You need Shockwave installed to view this page but once that is done--well it's like that scene from Party Girl where Parker Posey is tripping in the library...
Anywho, click on any Dewey number that appears on the screen and you go to that site. A wonderful tool to use in library instruction or also fun just to marvel at the technology. Let me know what you think of it!

Local News: salpulpaherlad.com

Local News: salpulpaherlad.com: "Now, inspired by advances in literacy training, the Literacy Resource Office of the Oklahoma Department of Libraries, in cooperation with local programs, had developed a new tutor training model that is designed to help learners reach their individual goals."

Newkirk Herald Journal Community News

Newkirk Herald Journal Community News: "WALMART DONATES TO NEW LIBRARY Friends of the Library Board member Harley Keller receives a check of $5,000.00 from Andy Martin, center right, manager of the Arkansas City Walmart and Robert Boone accepts a check from Ron Webb, co-manager of the Ponca City Walmart, for the construction of a new library for Newkirk. "

A Cry for Baby Librarians

Baby Librarians, Your help is needed...heed the cry and join in the cause!!!!

Attention all new librarians & information professionals!

I (Amanda Roberts, ALA NMRT Footnotes Assistant Editor) am writing an article for the upcoming ALA NMRT Footnotes that will incorporate some of the responses to my article "Combating Ageism: Lessons Learned by 'Baby' Librarians" published in both Footnotes and LISCareer.com: http://liscareer.com/roberts_ageism.htm.

A common thread in these responses is that people are concerned about compromising their identity (i.e., dressing a certain way) to fit a mold. This is seen by many as contributing to our dreaded librarian stereotype.

If you agree with that statement, I am interested in hearing from you. Are there specific things that you do to combat our librarian stereotype? This, of course, may not be limited to dress... Please email me your responses by March 15 ( palmanda1 @ yahoo.com ). Please include your name/position and/or library and whether I may publish your response.

And a question for all: Is changing the librarian stereotype important to you? Is there anything librarians/information professionals or ALA or other librarian/IS associations need to be doing to change our image in the public's eye? Please email me your responses by March 15. Please include your name/position and/or library and whether I may publish your response.

Thank you to all for taking the time to think about these things. I look forward to reading & reporting your responses in the conference issue of ALA NMRT Footnotes!

Cafepress.com: Library Search

Cafepress.com is an online resource used by internet entrepreneurs who have a logo, saying, or anything else that they would like to try to sale. Some of the "Librarian" related products include: a T-shirt that says "Librarians Kill", a "Warrior Librarian" coffee mug, Lipstick Librarian underwear, Librarianism flying disc, etc....If you have a spare minute visit some of these shops.
I haven't been to all the linked products so I'm not endorsing any of them--although I am partial to the Shh! t-shirts...
:-) Have a happy week!

Informa and Taylor & Francis announce merger

PPA - UK magazine publishing: News: "Informa Group and Taylor & Francis Group have announced a proposed merger, worth approximately [pound sign]1.1bn, to create T&F Informa, an international company specialising in the provision of specialist information through its combined publishing and events businesses.
Informa Group is an international high value business information and content provider, while Taylor and Francis Group is an international publisher of specialist academic, scientific and professional books and journals. "

US universities threaten to cancel subscriptions to Elsevier journals

"Several of the United State's most prestigious universities are threatening to cancel their subscriptions to scientific journals published by Elsevier, in protest at what they call exorbitant pricing. Stanford University's Faculty Senate, the latest to take action on the issue, also called on academic staff to consider placing their research in 'open access' journals.
Other universities to pass similar resolutions in recent months include Harvard, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Duke, Cornell, the University of Connecticut, the University of California, and North Carolina State University. University librarians say that journal price hikes combined with a weak dollar and falling budgets leave them no choice but to cancel subscriptions." Go to bmj.com to read more.

SHUSH: A conservative librarian's blog

I know librarians in Oklahoma are all over the field politically and philosophically so here's a blog for the conservative librarians out there. Even if you don't think of yourself as a conservative SHUSH has some really good discussion points that should interest everyone. And if you like SHUSH you may want to also check out Conservatorblog

From the SHUSH About page:
About SHUSH: "SHUSH (S*) is a fairly recent creation although the concept has been percolating for some time. What exactly S* is will be determined by time, energy, and resources. Right now it is one person, myself.
The goal of S* is the following:
'To provide a conservative home for librarians as well as critical thinking on library issues of the day and to begin serious discussion on the nature of The Library and Its future.'
For now S* is a blog but S* the organization is there waiting if interests take hold.
Current stands that S* has taken include Pro-Patriot Act, Pro-CIPA, Anti-MLS/Pro-BS, and anti-privacy-of-minors. There are many changes going on in libraries and many issues to discuss. As S* exists now it would be impossible to respond to even a fraction of them but as interest grows I do hope to provide at least a forum for discussion on many of them."

Calvin and Hobbes at Martijn's - Calvin and Hobbes Extensive Strip Search

"Find the strip you've been looking for all this time! Calvin and Hobbes at Martijn's is proud to present the Calvin and Hobbes Extensive Strip Search: C.H.E.S.S.! The database contains all 3150 Calvin and Hobbes strips published with complete references to the books and pages they're published on."

UPDATE: 3/18/04 I just received an email saying that this wonderful site was taken down. :-( Dang a little thing called copyright. But if you want to see what it did look like visit the Internet Archives

Library Anxiety (Scarecrow Press, Inc.)

Found this link through Librarystuff: "Although the phenomenon of library anxiety and its debilitating effects on library use have been observed for years, it has only recently been studied in a systematic and scientific manner.

Onwuegbuzie, Jiao, and Bostick provide us with the first in depth look at the origins and subsequent evolution of this fascinating field of study. Beginning with a discussion of the Library Anxiety Scale, the most widely used measure of library anxiety among college and university students, it investigates a number of theoretical models, provides an extensive framework for conducting research at the institutional level, and offers both research-based and proposed strategies for prevention and intervention.

If there are more nonusers than users in your community--or if you suspect your users could benefit more from the experience--let Library Anxiety ease your troubled hearts and smooth the way ahead."

The Harry A. Blackmun Papers at the Library of Congress (Manuscript Reading Room)

The Harry A. Blackmun Papers at the Library of Congress (Manuscript Reading Room): "March 4, 2004: The Harry A. Blackmun Papers are now open to public access at the Library of Congress...In anticipation of high research demand, selected materials from the collection have been digitized and made available at appointed computer workstations within the Library only."

Wired News: Hands Off! That Fact Is Mine

"The Database and Collections of Information Misappropriation Act (HR3261) makes it a crime for anyone to copy and redistribute a substantial portion of data collected by commercial database companies and list publishers. But critics say the bill would give the companies ownership of facts -- stock quotes, historical health data, sports scores and voter lists. The bill would restrict the kinds of free exchange and shared resources that are essential to an informed citizenry, opponents say."

Rare 1866 silver dollar found by Maine librarian

Rare 1866 silver dollar found by Maine librarian: "PORTLAND, Maine (AP) - America's rarest silver dollar - and possibly its most famous stolen coin - was discovered in a box filled with miscellaneous coins by a Maine librarian who wasn't even a collector."

26th Institute on Federal Library Resources

"This year's program is the 26th in a series of institutes helping information professionals and graduate students know and understand federal libraries, resources, and career opportunities. It builds on the success of the 1974 - 1999 institutes founded and directed by Kurt Cylke, Director of the National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped in cooperation with the Federal Library and Information Center Committee. Catholic University's School of Library and Information Science is pleased to announce the restoration of this valuable Institute to be held in Washington, D.C., May 10 - 15, 2004." Visit their website for more information!

Legal Affairs | How I lost the big one

How I lost the big one, by Lawrence Lessig is a wonderful piece concerning his role in the famous US Supreme Court Case of Eldred vs. Ashcroft. Lawerence Lessigs bottom line "When Eric Eldred's crusade to save the public domain reached the Supreme Court, it needed the help of a lawyer, not a scholar."

If you aren't familiar with the Eldred vs. Ashcroft case here's the brief background from the article:

"In 1998, Robert Frost's poetry collection New Hampshire was slated to pass into the public domain. Eldred wanted to post that collection in his free public library. But Congress got in the way. For the 11th time in four decades, Congress extended the terms of existing copyrights, this time by 20 years. Eldred would not be free to add any works published since 1923 to his collection until 2019. Under the new law, no copyrighted work would pass into the public domain until that year (and not even then, if Congress extended the term again). By contrast, in the same period, more than one million patents will pass into the public domain.

This was the Sonny Bono Copyright Term Extension Act, or CTEA, enacted in memory of the congressman and former musician. According to his widow, Mary Bono, Sonny Bono believed that 'copyrights should be forever.'

Eldred decided to fight this law. He first resolved to fight it through civil disobedience. In a series of interviews, Eldred announced that he would publish as planned, the CTEA notwithstanding. But because of a second law passed in 1998, the No Electronic Theft Act, his act of publishing would make Eldred a felon--whether or not anyone complained. This was a dangerous strategy for a retired programmer to undertake. " Visit Legal Affairs to read the rest of the story.

Commentary: Google's soft spot | CNET News.com

"There are limits to Google's ambition for ubiquitous search--and ways for portals and technology companies to gain an advantage. Over the next few years, search will be fought on three battlegrounds--structured search, portal integration and advertiser sign-ups. "

So how many of these "battlegrounds" also apply to libraries and integrated library systems?

Dark Humor: Reading....bad

(Warning some strong language) A funny little article calling for a "War on Literacy", from Smooth Operator. Read some of the following heart breaking testimony concerning the dangers of literacy.

"'My mom used to go to the library every day. She dearly loved to read. Now, she is no longer with us,' spoke one heartbroken teen. 'She left with some dude she met at the library. I will never forgive books for taking my mother away.'
...
'I was trying to read this book once. It was a pretty good one, and that's the problem. It was addicting, like crack/cocaine or America's Funniest Carjackings. I couldn't put it down for the life of me... and that's almost what it took. I lost control of my vehicle and rolled over six times before coming to a stop on top of some cub scouts. That day, reading ended six lives and almost took my life as well. I haven't read since, I've been clean for nearly four days.' "

Library Cartoons : an annotated bibliography / by Denise

Did you know that Dilbert had a date with a librarian?
Or maybe you remember when Garfield posed in horn-rimmed glasses with a book in paw and said "Dusting those books must take a lot of training"?
Or wait what about when Dolly (from Family Circus) was sitting in front of a computer at the library and told her mom "I'm browsing for pictures of farm animals to print out for homework."

Librarians & Libraries have had starring roles in cartoons for a long time now and this website has a good sized list of them. And when you are done reading this list be sure to visit overduemedia and read the latest Unshelved by Bill Barnes and Gene Ambaum

Turning Patron into Partners When Choosing an Integrated Library System

Learn about the experience of choosing the Toas ILS and how UCLA got patrons to be active participants..."We knew, though, that it would be challenging to involve library patrons in system selection in any substantive way. Including a representative user or two on the evaluation team requires a level of commitment that few faculty members or students can afford. Also, their needs vary so much by discipline, research interest, and level that the views of one or two cannot represent the user community as a whole. But to us, involving faculty and students in the process was crucial. In this article, I want to share the techniques that we found most effective in turning patrons into partners."

Broken Arrow Librarian Highlighted on KOTV

"He's a mild mannered librarian during the day, the creator of Victorian murder mysteries at night.
News on 6 reporter Rick Wells shows us how the public library can be the perfect place to find the detail for your first novel. Will Thomas is checking in materials from library patrons at the Broken Arrow Library, one day very soon he may be checking in his own novel. 'I'm right down there were the rubber meets the road. I got people right there in front of me going I like this book, I hate this book.'"
Be sure to check out the full story here.

Serial Failure

Charleston Advisor Op-Ed: "Try this simple test in your library: take four random students, sit them one at a time at a computer with your library's Web site on the screen, and then ask each student to find a newspaper article on affirmative action. There is no substitute for actually watching the 'serial failure' that ensues, it is vivid, humbling, and sometimes breathtaking in scope. Of course, the failure in question does not fall to the students themselves: serial failure is rather the failure of academic libraries to facilitate students' access to articles, and it is without a doubt the most important access-related problem in academic librarianship. The sheer cost of journal scholarship is reason enough to merit concerted action to address serial failure. But in a world that offers students powerful internet searching at every turn, we consider serial failure to be a survival issue for academic libraries, one vitally important to maintaining and developing the relevance of the library to the academic lives of students. " This is a very good article--a must read!

Open Source Threat = Better Pricing?

C|net has an article from last week Friday entitled, UK reveals Microsoft bargaining tactics. It tells how the threat of open source Linux forced Microsoft to look more critically at the licensing prices it was offering the UK Office of Government Commerce. However, the article warns, "organizations looking to lower their licensing costs should not automatically issue the threat of moving to open source. "Don't lead a negotiation with a threat you have no intention of carrying out," Buckley (from UK Microsoft) said.

Boorstin, America's historian, librarian dies at 89

America's historian, librarian dies at 89: Daniel J. Boorstin, a Pulitzer Prize-winning author and social historian who was the librarian of Congress for 12 years, died Saturday in Washington. He was 89.