Virtual Pumpkin Carving

Halloween Pumpkin Carver

Enjoy and have a Spooktacular Halloween!

Help the Altus Public Library get free stuff

Help the Altus Public Library get free stuff by saving proofs from any of the Campbell brands of foods. Campbell's only requires the UPC Code instead of the whole label. More than 150 of your favorite foods are eligible. For a current list, stop by the library at 421 N. Hudson and pick one up.

LibraryStories FYI

Hello Readers!

You may have noticed the stories haven't been as frequent the past couple of weeks. It's not that the stories haven't been happening -- but rather I'm busy making a job change.

As many of you know not only do you have to prep yourself for starting a new job but it's always best to make sure things can operate smoothly until a replacement can be found at your "old" job. So that's what I've been doing. (So keep your eyes open for my job at SWOSU to open up -- I highly recommend working here!)

/hugs to old workplace

This week I will be making the jump from academic librarianship to public librarianship. My work in libraries has never really been traditional and this change looks to be a wonderful challenge (in a good way) and experience -- and I'm very excited.

//wave at new workplace

So please be patient while you wait for library stories to happen -- if you would like to contribute a story to the blog please email me at adri.ej@gmail.com and I'll post it -- or you can become a contributor to LibraryStories, by emailing me at the same address, and post the story yourself!

See you around!

Few check sources on Web health information

C|Net : Few check sources on Web health information

I know this -- you know this -- but still it's good others realize this as well.

Only one-fourth of Americans who search the Internet for health advice regularly check the source and date of the information they find to assess its quality, according to a survey released on Sunday by the Pew Internet Project.

About 10 million American adults--or 7 percent of U.S. Internet users--searched for information on a health topic or medical problem on a typical day in August, the nonprofit think-tank said. That ranks health searches at about the same level of popularity as paying bills online, reading blogs or using the Internet to find a phone number or address.

Common health topics searched on the Web include specific diseases or medical treatments, exercise, nutrition, prescription drugs and alternative medicines, Pew said.

Just 15 percent of those surveyed said they always checked the source and date of the health information found online, while another 10 percent said they did so most of the time. Three-quarters of those surveyed said they checked the source and date sometimes, hardly ever or never, Pew said....

Scary library story...

Stumbled upon this Halloween story starring a fictional Oklahoma Librarian named Rita Caspain.

When you are young and you live in the south there are alot of things that you expect, Ice cold sweet tea, fried bologna sandwiches, being forced to stay outside and play while the grown-ups talk about stuff.

I was outside playing hide and seek right under the kitchen window when I heard my aunt joy telling my mom about some of the scary stories, the haunted places around our little town. I have always been a strange child and I carry around a notebook, so I wrote them down. I know you won't belive them, but my aunt joy swore to my mom that it was true.

The first one that she told her about was our librarian. Her name is Rita Caspain...

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Now that's a building design...

Found this via boingboing

ASHGABAT, Turkmenistan -- Turkmen President Saparmurat Niyazov has inaugurated a massive, book-shaped building dedicated to the media in the heavily censored and tightly controlled Central Asian nation.

...opened as part of lavish celebrations of Turkmenistan's 15th anniversary of independence.

Niyazov unveiled the $17 million "House of Free Creativity" last Tuesday. The building will accommodate offices of the Turkmen government-controlled press.

Niyazov personally approves the content of all newspapers, and the country's only Internet service provider blocks web sites critical of Niyazov's policies...

Candidate: Use Textbooks As Shields From School Shooters

I have a few choice internet acronyms I would like to add with this story...but I'll just stick with OMG!

I found this story via iTeau's Dirt -- who found it via a couple of other places. The text from KOCO 5 explains it fairly well

Bill Crozier, a Union City Republican going against incumbent Democrat Sandy Garrett, said he believes old textbooks could be used to stop bullets shot from weapons wielded by school intruders.

If elected, he said he would put thick used textbooks under every desk for students to use in self-defense.
...
"We are doing this as an experiment because at Fort Gibson, many young people were shot in the back," Crozier said in the videotape, referencing a December 1999 middle school shooting in eastern Oklahoma, in which a student wounded four students with a 9 mm semiautomatic handgun.
...
"We need to look at protection of young people that sometimes people may think you are a little smarter than everybody else or a higher IQ or whatever. They need to look at what the end result would be," Crozier said.
...
"This would be to protect the children in an immediate situation. This is something that any student, any classroom in the country could do immediately," he said.

In case you are wondering -- yes most libraries will charge you for a damaged material if you turn it in after using it for target practice.

A place to read

Inside HigherEd | A place to read

...We read everywhere — in every room in the house, under trees in our yards, in our offices, over in the library. Waiting for the dentist, we read. Taking a train or a plane, we have a magazine or a book in hand. (Or perhaps an audio book on our ears while driving.) I used to know a widely published critic who wrote while watching pro football on TV. His wife would joke about the spectacle of seeing him sitting before the set, books spread out all round him on a desk.

Lately, however, it’s seemed to me that the place of reading has become harder to establish. The ubiquitous video screens — in our dentist’s offices and our airplanes as well as our homes — represent the problem. Why read when you can look? To read a book has always been a choice. Just literally reading anywhere, it has always been possible to look up from the page. The video screens, however, substitute another source of visual attention that makes it unusually difficult to look down at the page.

Of course it remains possible to integrate the act of reading into just about any activity. Best, though, to enjoy the act quietly, undistracted, and alone. Where is this place to be found? For academics, the answer has been easy: lots of places, including the library, student union, or even at special groves or grottos — not to mention your office. The whole of a college or university campus, in fact (except perhaps the parking lots) can be defined as a location designed to enable reading. It’s not just reader-friendly. It’s reader-constitutive...

Shakespeare as your second life?

C|Net : A midsummer night's virtual world

On Thursday, the MacArthur Foundation is announcing a $240,000 grant to Edward Castronova for his online game, "Arden: The World of Shakespeare."

The idea behind the project is to produce a virtual world steeped in the rich lore and characters of the playwright's work....

Be sure to read the entire story to find out why...

Q: What is "Arden"?
Castronova: It's a persistent environment that allows students and professors to learn about virtual-world technology. We'd like to teach our players something valuable, so that's why Shakespeare is our main source of lore. You'll find a lot of things in Shakespeare that are really fun, like ghosts and witches and battles and a lot of the same kind of things that you find in these contemporary video games.

Edmond library is hot hot hot

EdmondSun.com | Edmond Library a town hot spot.

If you have ever been at the Edmond Library just before it opens at 9 a.m. on weekdays, people are lined up as if they are waiting to get into the hippest hot spot.

“We joke that they think we’re giving money away,” said Karen Bays, manager of library operations for the Edmond Library. “It’s gratifying to be this wanted.”

In fact, the Edmond Library is a hot spot. Bays said hers is the highest circulation library in Oklahoma County. For the fiscal year that ended in June, more than 1.2 million items moved through the Edmond branch. That was up nearly 4 percent above the year before. “We’re proud of that,” she said. “We produce about 20 percent of the traffic in the library system.

“I really don’t know if it’s anything about the library,” she continued. “It’s the citizens of Edmond. They value their library and they use it fully.” She added the Edmond location has more than 142,000 books, videos and audio tapes in its collection.

Bays has worked for the Metropolitan Library System for nearly 14 years, 13 of which have been at the Edmond location. In her position, she is responsible for scheduling, budgeting and making hiring recommendations, among a host of other duties. “Some days I get so busy, I think what did I do today?” she said.

She also is responsible for setting the branch’s focus for the fiscal year. “For the current fiscal year, we’re trying to make the library more inviting to seniors,” Bays said.

During the winter months, the Metropolitan Library System sponsors Winter Read Fest. This, she said, is winter’s answer to the summer reading program. People 55 and older are encouraged to sign up for Winter Read Fest and they can enter drawings for prizes upon completing reading goals. She noted the program was especially successful in Edmond last year.

The library also has Coffee Break at 10 a.m. on Wednesdays. During this event, Bays said, seniors are invited to the library for coffee, light refreshments and some interesting conversation. “Some seniors don’t get the opportunity to socialize with people their own age,” she said. She noted political discussions are often a favorite topic...

Libraries thrive in KS & AR

LJWorld.com | Even in Internet age, libraries thrive

This is the Internet age. Books are obsolete. Right? Borders is doomed. Right? Cities and counties that build new libraries are wasting public dollars because nobody will use them. Right?

Wrong!

Library critics would have us believe that library use has decreased as Internet use has increased. If so, how can one account for the 53 percent increase in use of the Lawrence Public Library since 2000? In 2005, 933,023 items where checked out of our library compared with 609,940 in 2000. Today, there are 78,000 people who have a Lawrence library card!

Fayetteville, Ark., (pop. 65,000) opened a new library building in 2005. Circulation increased 27 percent; library cardholders increased 60 percent; public programs increased 50 percent; program attendance increased 38 percent; computer use increased 100 percent; and reference queries increased 20 percent.

Residents use libraries more than ever. And there are no statistics from cities with newly built libraries to indicate otherwise. If helping to build and sustain community life is a goal, investing in a new library is a wise strategy...

Thrashing Shawnee Library

Seems that Kilwag over at Skate and Annoy doesn't approve of the library doing much out reach targeted for thrashers in Shawnee.

Hmmm. Ok It makes sense now. The proprietors of the local pay-to-play skatepark, Fusion Affect are putting the whole thing on. Business must not be so good in Shawnee Oklahoma if they have to troll the libraries to create clientele.

Just wait until Kilwag discovers Tony Hawk sold out and did a READ poster for ALA. Tony's street-cred is so going to be ... uh ... nevermind looks as if there's a strange relationship there anyways...

But I'm sure skaters in Shawnee visit the library -- after all they need to check their email and read Kilwag's blog in between 180s right?

Meet Lisa Campbell Ernst

Books to Treasure, Tulsa City County Library's celebration for National Children's Book Week, sponsored by the Zarrow foundation is in full swing. Youth Librarians and Children's Associates are meeting with second graders in every school in Tulsa county starting this month! The students are receiving a free book, illustrated and written by Ernst, as part of the celebration. Meet Children's author and illustrator on Friday Nov. 17 in a special presentation at Hardesty Library at 7 PM. A book signing will follow the presentation.
Ernst, born in Oklahoma, is coming to celebrate on the kick-off day of the OKlahoma state centennial celebration in Tulsa, OK!

The other challenged books...

Everyone knows about the Oklahoma controversy concerning "the book that shall not be named". But what about all the other books that are challenged but don't get the Noon and 10:00pm news coverage? The Oklahoma Library Association's Intellectual Freedom Committee has an online form librarians, teachers, and interested persons can fill out to help them keep track of book challenges in the state.

These reports (with identifying information removed) are listed online back to 2002.

So far for 2006 the titles challenged are (insert drumroll):


Miriam's Well by Alice Bach. | Reason for challenge: Anti-Ethnic, Insensitivity, Sexism, Sex Education, Sexually Explicit, Unsuited to Age Group, Anti-Family and Offensive Language | Resolution: Retained in middle school.

Tom by Tomie DePaola | Reason for challenge: Insensitivity and Unsuited to Age Group. Content about killing animals (butcher shop) disturbing. | Resolution: Book remained on shelf in Elementary School.

What a Truly Cool World by Julius Lester | Reason for challenge: Religious Viewpoint | Resolution: Book reviewed by committee. Book remains in elementary library collection

The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank | Reason for challenge: Religious viewpoint | Resolution: Superintendent and Principal met with English teacher to request book not be taught in the next school year after complaints by a parent concerning promoting Jewish religion.

All I Want is Everything by Cecily von Ziegerar | Reason for challenge: Sexually Explicit and Unsuited to Age Group. | Resolution: Book retained in YA collection of public library.

Gossip Girls by Cecily von Ziegerar | Reason for challenge: Sexually Explicit, Offensive Language and Drugs | Resolution: Voted 3 to 2 to keep the book on the shelf, but removed the AR quiz.

Who needs a second life?

I was asked by a colleague, "What exactly is this Second Life thing and can my library use it?" Perhaps I was asked this because I have my first life so together she assumed I must have a spectacular second one as well. Seriously though -- I think I was asked because, as I've mentioned before, I'm a gamer.

However, I am not a SLer -- but I did download it last night and gave it a whirl and am going to offer my insights to those of you who might want to try this in their libraries. Why are folks thinking about incorporating this into their libraries? Because SL has an entire Info Island with several libraries and librarians functioning on it and it's growing everyday.

The steps: I first had to create a free account -- there is an upgrade account available but it costs money and I didn't want to do that. I then had to download the client from the SL website and install it. I have DSL at home and it didn't take anytime at all. Just be sure you read the required system specs before you decide to install it on your machine. Here is my toon (aka avatar or character). I designed her body appearance, hair style, clothes and was able to give her a specific first name and selected a second name from a long list of preset options (Ms. Graf). The preset names are a nice feature so kids and the naïve don't immediately give away all their vital statistics to everyone they meet in the game.

The movement commands in the game are fairly standard (as far as computer games go) -- your primary movement keys are WASD with variations available and the option to reassign key functions if you want. Here's a video of what the movement looks like. This particular footage was taken on Info Island on the giant chess board in front of the Michigan Libraries building... (please note the youtube video may still be uploading on their site -- it's been slow lately please come back and try it later if it doesn't work right now)



So what do the actual libraries in SL look like? Here's a few snapshots of one of them -- and you can click on them to make them larger:
This first picture is of the Government Documents department -- but I couldn't find Oklahoma's favorite Docs Librarian Steve B...he must have been spelunking or something when I dropped in for my visit.

This next picture is at one of the computer work station areas in the library. This particular one was for finding literature resources. As I clicked on the computers the options became available in the blue box for me to visit external websites for more information on a particular subject.




These next two pictures are of the Michigan Library currently in development. If you notice the sign points up-up-up and so I flew up (yes, you can fly in SL) to see what was...well, up.

In the sky I met a very nice librarian from Michigan who told me she got drafted to do the Second Life thing since she was "under 30". But they were hoping to do some training and out reach through Second Life. In fact when I stopped back by today they had a training area built below them and were giving classes on how to manipulate the SL world to make all sorts of things.


So to the big question now -- Is Second Life for your library? It depends on who you want to reach and what you hope to accomplish. Second Life touts on their webpage that they have 963,206 total residents -- and the past two days I've been on in the evenings I've seen a max of approximately 13,000 of these residents actually logged in. So -- if you are hoping to tap into some of your real life patron base that doesn't visit the traditional library via Second Life think again -- the numbers just don't support it -- in fact you would probably be better off going and creating a library in The Sims or WoW (more people play those games).

But if you are hoping to advance information literacy beyond your traditional patron base and want to take advantage of and experiment with a program that could potentially influence future trends in online social networking then give SL a try. Just don't hire a librarian to do SL exclusively -- it would be a waste of money.

And Yes -- that's what SL is -- it's a social networking tool that allows people to create a life beyond their everyday one. Where other online games let you battle mythical beasts -- SL (like The Sims) allows you to socialize, build, and create in a way much more similar to "playing dolls" than "playing war".

U of Tulsa announces next step in Dean of Libraries search

I was surprised to see this story pop up on my news feed. But find it wonderfully interesting that a student paper ran such a story concerning the top-dog position at the library.
The Collegian 10/17/06
Library dean candidates announced

The University of Tulsa administration recently announced the three final candidates for the position of R.M. and Ida McFarlin Dean of the Library in an e-mail press release to the campus community.

Forums have already been held with Sean Latham and Kurt Heinzelman, the first two candidates.

According to the press release, the final forum will be held at 12:30 p.m. on Oct. 17 in the McFarlin Library Faculty Study for candidate Adrian Alexander.

For those who have missed the forums, more information on each of the candidates including their curriculum vitas, letter of applications and vision statements can be found on Vista WebCT by clicking on “Vista Courses.”

Job Posting | Oklahoma City University

The Reference Librarian provides legal reference services to law students, law faculty and other patrons of the Law Library. This includes answering legal research and general reference questions, assisting law students, law faculty, and other patrons with print and electronic resources. The Reference Librarian provides in-depth services to law faculty members through the faculty liaison program. The position produces research guides, pathfinders and library aids, makes presentations on research materials and strategies and team teaches Advanced Legal Research classes with other librarians. The position actively participates in Law Library committees and works to improve the collection.

Masters degree in Library Science from ALA accredited institution required and J.D. from ABA accredited institution. Candidates with a J.D. degree and relevant experience who lack a Masters of Library Science degree will be considered.

More information is available in the complete job description at: https://jobs.okcu.edu/applicants/jsp/shared/frameset/Frameset.jsp?time=1160753306460

Information about the University and benefits are available at: http://www.okcu.edu/hr/jobs.asp

Job Posting | ITT Educational Services

ITT Educational Services, Inc. is a leading provider of technology-oriented postsecondary degree programs of study. We operate approximately 84 ITT Technical Institutes in 32 states which predominately provide career-focused degree programs to approximately 43,000 students. We were named to the Business Week list of "HOT" Growth Companies - the 100 Best Small Companies in both 2002 and 2003 and to Forbes 200 Best Small Companies in 2005.


Description

Looking for an opportunity to play a key role in shaping the future direction and growth of a public company in one of the fastest growing industries? Have a passion for helping people change their lives through education?

The Library Resource Assistant is responsible for assisting students and faculty in the use of our Learning Resource Center resources and equipment.

Key Responsibilities

-Catalog and code library books and equipment
-Train others in use of AV and computer equipment.
-Check materials in and out and maintain records.
-Help students and faculty in using all materials in the LRC.


Required Skills

-Minimum of 2 years post secondary education from an accredited institution recognized by the US Department of Education required, Bachelors degree preferred.
-1-2 years experience in a customer oriented environment required.
-Excellent oral communication skills.
-Excellent customer service skills required.
-Experience with information retrieval, including electronic media knowledge required.
-Prior knowledge of cataloging procedures preferred.
-Ability to work with all levels of faculty and all types of students.

La madre de los libros librarios

Ok -- so this doesn't have anything to do with Oklahoma libraries -- but it does have a fabulous phrase:

"La madre de los libros librarios" = Mother of the Library Books

Isn't that a wonderful mental image? I wonder if we could put it on a t-shirt?

Oklahoma library legends

The Oklahoma Library Legends is an OLA centennial project to recognize the 100 individuals and groups who have made the most significant contributions to the growth, development and excellence of Oklahoma’s libraries during the state’s first 100 years.

See the entire list as well as biographical information on each legend here...

Free Resource | NationMaster

Found this via Multimedia & Internet@Schools Magazine.

A handy little reference tool for your patrons needing comparative data on countries, NationMaster. From the about page

So I decided to put together a website that allowed users to generate graphs based on numerical data extracted from the Factbook. The next (rather obvious) realisation was that there's no reason I couldn't take in data from other sources. Why shouldn't the net have a central location that allows you to compare countries on any statistic you like?

But why did I do it? To promote education and understanding about the world. To make it easy to engage with the indicators that shape global commerce, health, politics and ecology. To make the facts easily accessible and meaningful. To bring the works of academics, public agencies and private researchers to a wider audience.

How is this useful -- well for my next vacation I now know which countries to visit that have the highest library books per capita -- (it does rate it out to #81)

Rank	Countries	Amount (top to bottom)
#1	Georgia	16,335.3 per 1,000 people
#2	Monaco	9,781.23 per 1,000 people
#3	Liechtenstein	4,968.06 per 1,000 people
#4	San Marino	3,704.99 per 1,000 people
#5	Iceland	2,831.3 per 1,000 people
#6	Armenia	2,295.34 per 1,000 people
#7	Estonia	1,714.01 per 1,000 people
#8	Luxembourg	1,707.32 per 1,000 people
#9	Lithuania	1,601.61 per 1,000 people
#10	Macedonia, The Former Yugoslav Republic of	1,458.68 per 1,000 people

University of Tulsa Lecture Series in the Library

Got a flier at home about Beth Mobley, Assoicate Director of the Gould Law Library at the Touro College Jacob D. Fuchsberg Law Center, speaking October 20 at the University of Tulsa Jewish Law Lecture Series.

The website reads

Beth Mobley is the Associate Director of the Gould Law Library at the Touro College Jacob D. Fuchsberg Law Center Library, Touro Law Center (Central Islip, NY). Ms. Mobley will provide an introduction to Jewish law from a bibliographic perspective. The title of her talk is “Sharing Jewish Legal Traditions: The Touro Law Center Library’s Lillie Goldstein Judaica Collection.” In conjunction with Ms. Mobley’s visit, TU will host a visiting collection of important Jewish Law texts, the Lillie Goldstein Judaica Collection, for the entire academic year.

Public reception immediately following in the Mabee Legal Information Center, lower level.

Did I mention these are free and open to the public?

Tulsa library pioneer dies at 97

TulsaWorld | Tulsa library pioneer dies at 97

Services Wednesday for 'first lady of Oklahoma libraries' Lillian Norberg, a Tulsa community activist who led the campaign that created the Tulsa City-County Library System, died Saturday. She was 97.

A funeral service will be held at 1 p.m. Wednesday at Southminster Presbyterian Church under the direction of Stanleys Funeral Service.

Norberg was born Oct. 24, 1908, in Seminole, where her father, Henry A. Born, owned a hardware store.

She and her five brothers and sisters were taught that education was the most important possession a person could have.

"Books and reading were paramount in my family," she told The Tulsa Tribune in 1985. "They were our passion, our love, the content of our conversation."...

When Lillian Norberg moved to Tulsa, she was astounded by the poor condition of the public library at Third Street and Cheyenne Avenue, and in 1957 she formed an organization called the Friends of the Tulsa Public Library to work for improvements.

She was the first president of the group, which led the campaign in the early 1960s for Tulsa's present Central Library and countywide branch library system...

Remember the 1st Amendment...?

If so then this library story from Bill Y. might be of interest to you!

The Eight Annual First Amendment Congress is just around the corner -- November 16 and 17, 2006. This year's event will be held at the Student Union on the Oklahoma State University campus in Stillwater.

Once again, the Oklahoma Library Association and the Oklahoma Department of Libraries are joining with FOI Oklahoma and other partners to sponsor this important event.

The theme for 2006 is "Freedom: What is it good for?" Sessions will explore the clash between First Amendment freedoms and other societal values, as well as the clash between different First Amendment freedoms (such as between religion and speech). Session topics include:

-- Freedom of the (High School) Press: What's it Good For?
-- Violent Video Games: Cause and Effect?
-- My Freedom or Yours: The Collision of First Amendment Freedoms
-- Church and State: Is There Really a Separation?
-- Kids in the Stacks (yes, we're talking about "library" stacks)
-- The Freedom to Assemble (a session that will explore the new state statute that prevents a Topeka, Kansas church congregation from protesting at the funerals of Oklahoma soldiers)

Take a look at the full agenda, meet the presenters, and download the registration form at:

http://www.odl.state.ok.us/fyi/foi

We hope to see you at the congress!

Dollar General, CAAL Launch Independent Adult Literacy Commission

Dollar General, CAAL Launch Independent Adult Literacy Commission

GOODLETTSVILLE, Tenn. & NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dollar General Corporation and the Council for Advancement of Adult Literacy (CAAL) today announced the formation of an independent commission, the National Commission on Adult Literacy. The commission will study the role of adult education and adult literacy in civic engagement, quality of life and the country’s economic vitality and competitiveness.

The commission, comprised of Fortune 500® CEOs, policy makers, former cabinet and congressional members, educators, literacy experts and community leaders, will be chaired by David Perdue, Dollar General chairman and CEO. Among the 24 commissioners are Paul Harrington, president and CEO, Reebok International, Ltd.; Ray Marshall, former U.S. Secretary of Labor; George M. Staples, director general of the U.S. Foreign Service and assistant secretary for human resources at the U.S. State Department; and, in an honorary role, best-selling author David Baldacci and former South Carolina governor and U.S. Secretary of Education Richard Riley. A complete list of the commissioners is attached.

“We’re proud to lend our name and support to this commission. Its work will help millions of undereducated adults improve their life prospects and find good jobs, strengthening the American workforce,” said David Perdue. “We’ve assembled a distinguished group of leaders from business, government, education and literacy, research, and public policy. They bring enthusiasm and a high sense of purpose to this undertaking.”

The commission will examine all components of the adult education and literacy enterprise in America and recommend a future course for service. One key goal is to bring about needed legislative change in federal and state policy. Another is to build better awareness and involvement by the business and philanthropic communities. Creating stronger public support is also an expected outcome. The commission’s underlying vision is to improve American economic vitality and competitiveness, civic engagement, and quality of life – reinforcing the U.S. as a world leader. Its ultimate goal is to bring adult education out of the shadows into the educational mainstream....

Job Posting | Chickasaw

Youth Services Librarian, Chickasaw Regional (Public) Library System, Ardmore, OK

Youth Services position requiring good management, reference, computer and people skills. Master’s Degree in Library and Information Sciences or School Library Media Certification preferred. Bachelor’s Degree with relevant experience considered. Applicant should be well organized and an energetic self-starter with the ability to multi-task. Duties will be in the public service areas of Ardmore Headquarters with some work at branch libraries as needed. Leadership skills and a commitment to work as a team player are essential. Some evening and weekend work required.

To apply: Send resume to:
Director, Chickasaw Regional (Public) Library System
601 Railway Express
Ardmore, OK 73401
No phone calls, please.

Job Posting | Sapulpa

LIBRARY DIRECTOR: The City of Sapulpa

The City of Sapulpa (pop. 19,166) is seeking candidates for the position of Library Director. This position will provide the general management and supervision of the library staff, programs and facilities.

Qualifications: Successful candidates must have State Certification, a Masters Degree in Library Science and sufficient hands on library experience to perform all required job duties. Salary is commensurate with experience. Competitive benefit package. Resumes accepted until 10/31/06.

To apply send resumes to:
Personnel Director, City of Sapulpa
425 E. Dewey
Sapulpa, OK 74066.
The City of Sapulpa is an Equal Opportunity Employer.
p10/04/06-k10/31/06

The State of Campus Computing

Inside Higher Ed | The State of Campus Computing

Wireless is ascendant, security breaches are (despite the headlines) on the decline, and support for open source technologies remains strong — stronger, at this point, than actual deployment.

Those are among the findings of the 2006 version of the annual survey by the Campus Computing Project, which will be released today at the annual Educause meeting in Dallas. Campus Computing, 2006, the 17th edition of the survey by Kenneth C. Green, the project’s executive director.

The survey, which includes responses gathered from information technology officials at 540 colleges and universities in September and October, finds that network and data security remains at the top of tech administrators’ worry lists for the third straight year. Nearly 30 percent of respondents said security was their “single most important IT issue,” followed by instructional integration of information technology (17.3 percent) and upgrading and replacing campus administrative information systems (16.3 percent). Security was the top issue at every type of institution in the survey, but the runnerup varied depending on institution type. Public and private universities listed upgrading their administrative systems as their second most significant issue, while community colleges and four-year private colleges cited instructional integration...

Opening Up Online Learning

Inside Higher Ed | Opening Up Online Learning

This has not exactly been a season of peace, love and harmony on the higher education technology landscape. A patent fight has broken out among major developers of course management systems. Academic publishers and university officials are warring over open access to federally sponsored research. And textbook makers are taking a pounding for — among other things — the ways in which digital enhancements are running up the prices of their products.

In that context, many may be heartened by the announcement later today at the Educause meeting in Dallas that three dozen academic publishers, providers of learning management software, and others have agreed on a common, open standard that will make it possible to move digital content into and out of widely divergent online education systems without expensive and time consuming reengineering. The agreement by the diverse group of publishers and software companies, who compete intensely with one another, is being heralded as an important breakthrough that could expand the array of digital content available to professors and students and make it easier for colleges to switch among makers of learning systems.

Of course, that’s only if the new standard, known as the “Common Cartridge,” becomes widely adopted, which is always the question with developments deemed to be potential technological advances.

Many observers believe this one has promise, especially because so many of the key players have been involved in it. Working through the IMS Global Learning Consortium, leading publishers like Pearson Education and McGraw-Hill Education and course-management system makers such as Blackboard, ANGEL Learning and open-source Sakai have worked to develop the technical specifications for the common cartridge, and all of them have vowed to begin incorporating the new standard into their products by next spring — except Blackboard, which says it will do so eventually, but has not set a timeline for when....

Library Halloween Costumes

Do you have your Trick-or-Treat outfit picked out yet? Librarian.net pointed me to this little number -- Naughty Librarian for $59.99

Of course Zoogster has this version of a sexy librarian instead.

Then of course buycostumes has an "old lady wig" for you to go with the above two.

Of course I'm still partial to this librarian.

AP picks up on Read Y'all

Looks like the Association Press has finally picked up on the Read Y'all sensation.

Oct 2, 2:28 PM EDT
'American Idol' Carrie Underwood Joins Literacy Campaign in Oklahoma, Appearing on Posters

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) -- "American Idol" Carrie Underwood is the latest celebrity to appear on a poster for the Oklahoma Library Association's "Read Y'all" literacy campaign.

Posters featuring the country singer from Checotah will be distributed free to every academic, public, school and special library in the state, said Buffy Edwards, poster coordinator for the campaign.

Other Oklahomans to appear on the posters include country star Toby Keith, actress and singer Kristin Chenoweth, actor James Garner, author Dana Dunbar and New Orleans Hornets star Desmond Mason.

Gov. Brad Henry and first lady Kim Henry were featured on the first poster in 2003.

"I think Carrie Underwood just represents Oklahoma in such a positive manner," Edwards said. "She's grounded in her upbringing. She's proud of her state. She appeals to a very wide age range.

"I think America fell in love with Carrie Underwood on 'American Idol,' and we're very lucky she's from our state."

Looks like OKCTalk is talking about it as well.

Google's place as a personal librarian

Bloggingstocks | Google's place as a personal librarian

...What is the search giant doing with all that information? Probably trying to figure out how to make all of it useful for its customers as well as its advertising partners. After all, Google's advertising model works -- to the tune of billions of dollars in revenue per quarter. Although there are many book publishers and publishing houses that see a threat from Google making the contents of hard work available for free online, the new age of open information access for all has the name of Google -- not the local library. If you can check out most books for free from a local library, what makes Google different -- is it not taking the place of a "virtual librarian?"

Should there be gaming in libraries?

Kotaku | Should libraries offer gaming?

An interesting discussion about libraries & gaming. If the search logs for LibraryStories is any indication -- it's a hot topic and folks are investigating it...but can the two mix? Some argue that "gaming" has no literary value -- but from my experience Gamers are avid readers and have a passion for a good story line and strong archetypes. But perhaps I'm wrong...

...An interesting question. Obviously, games have almost no literacy value... but neither do knitting clubs that meet in a library, or DVD rentals, or any of the many other activities that happen in libraries.

The question actually seems to be "In the days of Amazon, how do we get people to come INTO libraries?" Jenny points out that everything is measured by door count, which sounds a lot like the business of blogs. Things are ultimately justified not really by how literate they are, but how many people it brings in the door.

The larger question seems to be, "Can libraries afford gaming?" Rooms in your local library filled with consoles and games would, perhaps, be rather cheap to upkeep, but PC gaming would have to keep up with a constant upgrade cycle...

Spotlight on an Okie Law Librarian

Spotlight on Law Librarians: Lou Lindsey

...Lou's early career was as an elementary school teacher in Colorado & Nebraska, followed by an enviable elementary school librarian position in Virginia where her library had a fireplace with her mom's braided wool rug for a cozy story time!

After 9 years of higher education leading to law librarianship (BA at Earlham; MLS at UWA; JD at UND; & SLIS at IU), she decided it was time to work. As a law librarian, she has worked in academia non-stop, beginning at University of Arkansas in Fayetteville for a dozen years, then University of Connecticut for a couple years, and back to MAALL/SWALL territory at the University of Tulsa where she has served as Associate Director for 10 years now, a mere half of the time Rick Ducey is celebrating in October as Director. Lou also directed North Dakota's Central Legal Research for a few years as a freshly admitted North Dakota/Minnesota attorney. This program, which still exists, provides research by law students for court-appointed defense counsel, judges and prosecutors from the state. She was thrilled to visit CLR when MAALL was in Grand Forks last October, and have a reunion with the same administrative assistant she had hired, and former student workers from her time there (1977-80)!...

Texas family celebrates BBW by requesting book be banned...

The Courier | Parent criticizes book 'Fahrenheit 451'

A Caney Creek High School dad is fired up because the Conroe Independent School District uses the book "Fahrenheit 451" as classroom reading material.

Alton Verm, of Conroe, objects to the language and content in the book. His 15-year-old daughter Diana, a CCHS sophomore, came to him Sept. 21 with her reservations about reading the book because of its language.

"The book had a bunch of very bad language in it," Diana Verm said. "It shouldn't be in there because it's offending people. ... If they can't find a book that uses clean words, they shouldn't have a book at all."

Alton Verm filed a "Request for Reconsideration of Instructional Materials" Thursday with the district regarding "Fahrenheit 451," written by Ray Bradbury and published in 1953. He wants the district to remove the book from the curriculum.

"It's just all kinds of filth," said Alton Verm, adding that he had not read "Fahrenheit 451." "The words don't need to be brought out in class. I want to get the book taken out of the class."

He looked through the book and found the following things wrong with the book: discussion of being drunk, smoking cigarettes, violence, "dirty talk," references to the Bible and using God's name in vain. He said the book's material goes against their religions beliefs. The Verms go to Grand Parkway Church in Porter.

"We went them to go after God," said Glen Jalowy Jr., Grand Parkway Church youth minister. "We encourage them that what you put in your mind and heart is what comes out."

Alton Verm said he doesn't understand how the district can punish students for using bad language, yet require them to read a book with bad language as part of a class.

Diana Verm and another classmate decided to read an alternative book. They leave the classroom when the class reads or discusses "Fahrenheit 451," she said. The two students were given "Ella Minnow Pea" by Mark Dunn because it shares common themes with "Fahrenheit 451," said Chris Hines, CISD assistant superintendent for secondary education.

"Fahrenheit 451" is a science fiction piece that poses a warning to society about the preservation and passing on of knowledge as well as asks the question about whether the government should do the thinking for the people, Hines stated in an e-mail to The Courier. Other themes include conformity vs. individuality, freedom of speech and the consequences of losing it, the importance of remembering and understanding history and technology as help to humans and as hindrances to humans...

Time to vote!

Just a reminder that the voting booth is open through October 31 to select the Oklahoma Reads Oklahoma book for 2007.

Novel to be translated into Cherokee

The News & Observer | Novel to be translated into Cherokee

A section of Charles Frazier's new book is being translated into Cherokee, with the intention of publishing it separately as the first novel ever in that language.

Frazier hopes the project, for which he'll write a foreword, will pave the way for children's books and other literature that could be used to help keep the language alive. Any profits from sales of the book would go into further translations, he said.

Immersion programs are teaching the language to children, but there is little written in Cherokee. Fears are it could disappear in 20 to 30 years. A few hundred adults are fluent in Cherokee County, N.C., and a few thousand on the Oklahoma reservation, Frazier said.
...
Myrtle Driver, clerk to the Eastern Band of the Cherokee's tribal council, began translating the text this summer. Barbara Duncan, education director of the Museum of the Cherokee Indian, also is working on the project.
...
"He captured a little piece of how the Cherokee people look at the world and their relationship with each other," Duncan said. "It's hard to write that down in an anthropology text book. A novel can capture those things. In that sense, he got it very much right."...