I love this suggestion about a National Signing Day for professors and librarians! http://denver.yourhub.com/Parker/Blogs/Life/Work-Career/Blog~180384.aspx . It goes right along with my dreams while in my masters library program to develop pro teams of librarians in each town, and have them as revered and sought after as sports figures have been. A librarian team could include: health science librarian, law librarian, museum librarian, music librarian, etc., with each having their strengths and stats posted on the back of their very own sports card... Each year, cities would bid to see who would pay the highest amount for a librarian to join their team. Hey, a person can dream, can't they?!

Check out the Rapid Responses to Dean Giustini's editorial "How Web 2.0 is changing medicine" in BMJ. The first response is from a library staffer, who describes their use of Web 2.0 tools to keep up on new publications and to distribute information to their patrons. Other responses describe how wiki technology can be used to keep health professionals informed.

Native American Library Grant Applications Now Being Accepted: The IMLS has announced their 2 year Native American Library Services Enhancement Grants here: http://www.imls.gov/applicants/grants/nativeEnhance.shtm

You Can Enter Information Today's 2007 InfoTubey Awards!

Hi Everyone,
My company is starting a new contest this year to award interesting library
promotional work. We're calling it the InfoTubey Awards! ;-)

We’re looking for videos that librarians have created and posted to YouTube.
Each production must demonstrate creativity, humor, and sincerity in
marketing a library, promoting library services, or enhancing a library's
value. Videos cannot be more than 5 minutes long.

The deadline is Feb. 14. All submissions will be judged by a panel of
distinguished information professionals, who will contact winners in March.

Five InfoTubey Award winners will each receive one free 3-day
conference pass to the Computers in Libraries 2007 conference (a $449
value). Awards will be presented at a gala event during the CIL conference
on April 17 near Washington, D.C.

The entry form is at https://secure.infotoday.com/InfoTubies/Submit.asp.

You can direct your questions to InfoTubies@infotoday.com.
C'mon, show us what you've done! And feel free to pass this on to your
colleagues (unless you're afraid they'll beat you!).
~Kathy


Kathy Dempsey
editor in chief, Computers in Libraries magazine
editor, Marketing Library Services newsletter

Information Today, Inc.
143 Old Marlton Pike, Medford, NJ 08055 USA
609/ 654-6266, www.infotoday.com

Blog article on IT-Director.com: We The Librarian http://www.it-director.com/blogs/MWD/2007/1/we_the_librarian.html . As blogs impacted media, social software services are predicted to impact knowledge management, making 'everyman' a librarian.

Have you created a wonderful education newsletter, brochure, video, or other form of communication? Then enter it in this year's APEX Awards http://www.apexawards.com/apex2007awardscategories.htm! Deadline for entries is: March 15, 2007.

Join the Live Discussion at The Chronicle of Higher Education on Feb 1, noon (Eastern Time): The Changing Role of Academic Libraries in the Information Age http://chronicle.com/live/2007/02/gorman/ . Michael Gorman, Dean of library services at California State University, Fresno, will speak on the future of libraries, and take questions. A transcript of the session will be posted to the address above following the discussion.

Advocating for libraries these days? You might be interested in reading this blog entry and the links included that take you to other stories covering the EPA's work to reduce their library:
EPA librarians told: Shush! http://blog.seattlepi.nwsource.com/environment/archives/110714.asp .

Noted in the LA Times article that is linked to the blog entry:
"An EPA study in 2004 concluded that the libraries saved millions of dollars a year by performing time-consuming research for agency staff members. "

From the Washington Post: A Librarian's Lament: Books are a hard sell http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/19/AR2007011901361.html?sub=AR .

Google has just announced in their Librarian Newsletter that they have created a Librarian Central blog: http://librariancentral.blogspot.com/ . They have added a link to their teaching tools that might come in handy during your next user education session: http://www.google.com/librariancenter/librarian_tools.html .

17 Grantseeking tips in this article:
Habits of Fearless Grant Seekers http://grantseeking.net/?p=8 .

An event you don't want to miss, if you are anywhere close to NYC on Jan. 18th:

Un-Bound: Advanced Book Publishing in a Digital World
http://www.google.com/intl/en/events/unbound/index.html .

From the invitation: "Please join us for a day examining how the book business has changed and how it will continue to evolve. Hear from thought leaders and industry veterans who are taking advantage of our increasingly digital world - from blogs and social networks to print-on-demand and online access."

Free Hacker Scan for Universities, Nonprofits (Story found in NetworkWorld):
http://www.networkworld.com/news/2007/011007-acunetix-free-scan.html?nlhtsec=0108securityalert4&company=SonicWall . The company Acunetix is offering a free web site security scan and reporting service. Use this link to apply: http://www.acunetix.com/site-audit/us-universities.htm.

Harvesting RF [Radio Frequency] Energy - story on CNET: http://reviews.cnet.com/8301-12760_7-9673092-5.html?tag=cnetfd.mtThis could be a benefit for patrons that visit the library in person - they could charge their cell phones for free while browsing the library resources.

New search engine expected in 2007: Powerset
The Powerset CEO was on CNBC this morning, talking about the new search engine they expect to launch late 2007. The Digital Markets blog at ZDNet posted a message on this topic: http://blogs.zdnet.com/micro-markets/?p=825 . Powerset claims that they are developing a search engine that 'breaks the confines of keyword search'. It is not apparent at this time if they can do better than a good librarian.

Medical librarian site mentioned in AMA's e-newsletter:

Medical librarian is featured health profession

Now featured on the Health Professions Network's Web site
is the medical librarian profession:
http://enews.ama-assn.org/UM/T.asp?A40.576.4015.10.194066

If you or someone you know uses the OpenOffice suite, there has been a patch issued for a security flaw. More in this story from Network World: http://www.networkworld.com/news/2007/010407-openoffice-patch.html?nlhtsec=0101securityalert4&company=Finjan.

Washington Post has an article on weeding in public libraries that you might find interesting:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/01/AR2007010100729.html

You may soon be able to purchase a mobile Wi-Fi unit for your car, or rent Wi-Fi from Avis when you rent your next car: http://www.playfuls.com/
news_05676_Drivers_Can_Now_Go_Surfing_With_New_Internet_Service.html. Since more than one user can access the Wi-Fi within a 30 meter area, your next outreach training class could take place under the trees and sky, instead of a computer training room.

Interesting discussion found on the ALA TechSource: "The Hyperlinked Organization: Radical Transparency, Crummy Meetings, & Micromanagement"
http://www.techsource.ala.org/blog/2006/11/
the-hyperlinked-organization-radical-transparency-crummy-meetings-micromanagement.html
. The book that brought about this discussion is The Cluetrain Manifesto, whose online text can be found here: http://www.cluetrain.com/book/index.html.

Free anti-spam software for non-profits and libraries on Dec. 6th from TechSoup. Here is a portion of their press release:

Fourth Annual “Stop Spam Today!” Campaign Distributes Free Software to Nonprofits and Libraries
Register now for giveaway on December 6, 2006

SAN FRANCISCO, CA -November 21, 2006 —TechSoup and Mailshell today announced the fourth annual “Stop Spam Today!” campaign (www.stopspamtoday.org), a nationwide effort to help nonprofits and public libraries fight spam by providing free information, resources, and tools. The campaign culminates on December 6 in a one-day giveaway, during which nonprofits and libraries can visit www.stopspamtoday.org to order free copies of Mailshell’s Anti-Spam Desktop software. More than 275,000 copies of free anti-spam software were distributed during the previous “Stop Spam Today!” events, a testimonial to the ever-increasing need of nonprofits to protect themselves from unwanted software and its associated threats.

If you do anything with Microsoft Excel at work, this resource may be of help to you: Examples of Commonly Used Formulas http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/excel/HP052001271033.aspx.

OCLC has announced that they are developing a new library marketing campaign, thanks to a $1.2 million dollar Gates grant: http://www.oclc.org/news/releases/200643.htm .

My Hometown Helper Grant Program. Hamburger Helper announces funds to lend a "helping hand" to neighborhoods across the U.S. Funds will support to organizations to provide one or more of the following: lights or bleachers for baseball, soccer, or football fields; repairs to a band shell; computers for schools or libraries; playground equipment; holiday decorations; money for choir, band, or science trips; new uniforms for Little League teams; clean-up projects; and training for volunteer firefighters. Eligible applicants include independent school districts, nonprofits, and community-based organizations. The deadline for applications is May 1, 2007. Awards ranging from $500-$15,000 are available. For further information, go to: http://www.myhometownhelper.com/


(With thanks from Siobhan Champ-Blackwell)

Library use Value Calculator - this calculator is at the Maine State Library site: http://www.maine.gov/msl/services/calculator.htm. Useful for determining patron's perception of value, it may also serve as a model for your organization's valuable services.

Non-classified documents pertaining to Connecticut librarians who were involved in an FBI case were ordered unsealed by Justice Ginsburg at the US Supreme Court:

Do you know of a deserving librarian that should be recognized for their great work? The New York Times Librarian Awards are now open to both public and academic librarians, according to this Library Journal article: http://www.libraryjournal.com/article/CA6354830.html . Deadline for nominating public librarians is September 15. Academic library nominations will be accepted later this fall.

Here is a story about librarians using headsets in order to give better customer service: http://ebs.gmnews.com/news/2006/0810/Front_Page/023.html . I would like to know if any academic libraries are trying this out!

Many apologies for the long delay in postings to this blog. If you wish to catch up on what I have been up to, you can check out http://cheekylibrarian.blogspot.com . Be sure to treasure each day, folks.

Are librarians in the US involved in digital rights management discussions? Here is a story about the chief executive of the British Library's comments about how DRM is impacting traditional copyright law exceptions for libraries: http://www.pcpro.co.uk/news/88316/uks-top-librarian-calls-for-digital-protection.html

I read the perfect response about Wikipedia vs. Britannica in a discussion post from Cory Doctorow on a story published in the Edge titled: Digial Maoism: The hazards of the new online collectivism, by Jaron Lanier. Mr. Doctorow's post:
"Wikipedia isn't great because it's like the Britannica. The Britannica is great at being authoritative, edited, expensive, and monolithic. Wikipedia is great at being free, brawling, universal, and instantaneous.
— Cory Doctorow"
You can read the full story here: http://edge.org/3rd_culture/lanier06/lanier06_index.html
I saw the story thanks to an entry in BoingBoing http://www.boingboing.net/2006/06/10/responses_to_jaron_l.html

EDUCAUSE article on academic libraries: Changing a cultural icon: The academic library as a virtual destination
http://www.educause.edu/ir/library/pdf/erm0610.pdf

A bookstore holding a fundraiser for a library? You betcha! Here is the story from Framingham, MA, as seen on today's Google News: http://www.metrowestdailynews.com/artsCulture/view.bg?articleid=131861 .

Libraries can circulate just about anything. During our recent travels around Nebraska to visit public libraries, we saw many of them that circulate Wilton cake pans (even interlibrary loaning them!). Here is a story on how libraries in Finland are 'circulating' free broadband:
http://news.scotsman.com/latest.cfm?id=696482006 . A wonderful idea!!

But is there a librarian? I saw this story about the new Iraqi Virtual Science Library that has been created at the National Academy of Sciences : http://www.allheadlinenews.com/articles/7003412210 . Here is a link to the "library" itself: https://ivsl.org/ . If anyone knows of a partner that includes the librarians as part of the deal in this project, please let me know.
I was once asked by an administrator to create a library at a hospital that did not include a librarian due to high personnel cost, but would just have a passcode lock on the door and a self-sign check-out procedure for circulation of materials. The doctors (my user audience) argued that without an information professional in place, this would not be a library. I agreed with the doctors, and added that the hospital could save money by having a do-it-yourself x-ray machine, too. (The librarian-less library idea was dropped.) By looking at the IVSL page, I think we are closer to what the administrator wanted.

Check out the list of online instructional resources at PRIMO: Peer-Reviewed Instructional Materials Online Site of the Month [ http://www.ala.org/ala/acrlbucket/is/iscommittees/webpages/emergingtech/site/index.htm ]. It was just mentioned in a post today on the ILI-L discussion list [http://www.ala.org/ala/acrlbucket/is/ilil.htm ]

Working without an office during the last 3 weeks meant I needed useful online applications: Thinkfree [http://www.thinkfree.com ] calls itself the 'best online office on earth". You can create Microsoft compatible documents and store them in a free 1gb online file storage area. A review of the applications can be read at Extremetech http://www.extremetech.com/article2/0,1697,1952434,00.asp (located through Slashdot article http://slashdot.org/articles/06/04/25/056204.shtml ).

Tools useful for conducting outreach: cheap compass, and Google maps to show the way. We just visited nearly 200 public libraries in Nebraska as part of our Consumer Health Information Resource Service (CHIRS) network, and found both of those resources to be invaluable!! To make a map easier to carry, each map was turned into a pdf, and the relevant section was cut and pasted into a Word document, fitting about 4 to a page. The compass was a low-cost find from Oriental Trading Company ( http://www.orientaltrading.com ), and worked to get us out on the right road after each visit.

GLOBAL HEALTHCARE INFORMATION NETWORK (GHI-net) http://www.ghi-net.org/ : a new organisation dedicated to a future where everyone has access to an informed healthcare provider.
GHI-net will focus on the practical healthcare information needs of healthcare providers at household, primary and district levels indeveloping countries.

In October 2006, in partnership with other stakeholders, we will launchthe first phase of a major campaign, ‘Healthcare Information for All by2015’. The aim of the campaign is to ensure that healthcare providers worldwide will have the information they need to deliver safe, effective healthcare. Lack of access to essential healthcare information will no longer be a significant barrier to the delivery of care in developing countries.
We shall engage with the full range of stakeholder groups - healthcare providers, librarians, publishers, researchers, technologists, developmentworkers, policymakers, the general public, and others.

Yes, Virginia, public library services can be outsourced. Can academic libraries be far behind?? And would that be a bad thing? Here is an article about public library outsourcing in the Jackson Sun: http://www.jacksonsun.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060404/NEWS01/604040306/1002 . Companies mentioned that offer library management services are: Library Systems & Services, LLC http://www.lssi.com/ ; and Information International Associates http://www.iiaweb.com/ .

I just learned about a digital media service that works through your library: Digital Library Reserve, by Overdrive: http://www.dlrinc.com/ . Check their library partners page to see if your local library offers this service: http://www.dlrinc.com/Lib-Partners.asp .

See any sliderules lately? This story in Boingboing caught my eye: the missing link of slide rules to calculators http://www.boingboing.net/2006/03/20/sliderulecalculator_.html . A line from the source story made me wonder if there is a message in it for libraries: "The sobering lesson is that it is not enough to see the future; one must also have the resources to respond. It is one thing to wish to fly; it is quite another to actually sprout wings and take to the air. The slide rule companies knew what they had to do; they simply couldn’t get from here to there."

The Digital Divide is the topic of the March 2006 issue of Technology & Learning:
http://www.techlearning.com/content/about/tl_current.html .

New open access journal: Evidence Based Library and Information Practice http://ejournals.library.ualberta.ca/index.php/EBLIP . If you register on the site, there are additional interactive features available.

Announcing a free children's health movie, translated in English, Spanish, and Sudanese-Nuer.

"Following the clues: a visit to the doctor and the library"

Funded by the University of Nebraska Medical Center, the 12 minute film follows Alana Williams as she and her grandmother make a doctor's appointment, see the doctor, and find health information at the library.

Narrated in English, Spanish, and Sudanese-Nuer, the movie is designed for young children and adults unfamilar with the US healthcare system. The film is now available at no cost to librarians, community health providers, immigrant support agencies, and elementary school professionals in DVD and VHS format.

Principal actors in the film: Emma H. Bradley, Steve Bridges, Rina Evelyn, Marty Magee, Alana Myles, Veronica E. Rivera, Cindy Schmidt

The movie was produced and written by McGoogan Library of Medicine Diversity Project Committee, Alison Bobal, Heather L. Brown, Teresa Hartman, Marty Magee, Cindy Schmidt ; directed by Paul Kawacz, Mike Moehring ; edited by Paul Kawacz, Jeff Stevens ; graphics Katheryn Warzak, Bill Wassom ; narrated by Margaret Bumann, Nicolas J. Mirman, Bern Yuot; Spanish translation by Sergio Diaz, Nicolas J. Mirman ; Nuer translation by Cyracom International, Inc.
For information on ordering copies of the film, and to view the movie on the Internet, go to http://www.unmc.edu/library/clues .

If you or your patrons are keeping up with the weather, either locally, before your next trip, or for keeping track of what is happening where loved ones live, here is a link to WXNation, a resource that links to live radar images from Accuweather, Intellicast, and other weather radar sources: http://www.wxnation.com .

Do you want real life proof that knowing the evidence can change
practice? Visit Medical Myths, a website that tracks common practices,
and provides evidence to support change.
http://www.montana.edu/wwwebm/myths.htm
This page provides numerous examples that can be incorporated into classes. (Thanks to Lynne Fox of UCHSC Denison Memorial Library for this tip.-th)

A good copyright newsletter: Copyright, New Media Law & E-commerce News, written and distributed by Lesley Ellen Harris, a lawyer and copyright consultant. You can sign up for the newsletter at the author's site: http://copyrightlaws.com/index2.html. The newsletter is also archived here: http://epe.lac-bac.gc.ca/100/201/300/copyright/ . Ms. Harris also produces a Copyright & New Media Law Newsletter for fee subscription, intended for libraries, archives, and museums. Subscription information and editorials from back issues can be found on the author's link listed above.

10 [Library related] Blogs to Read in 2006: http://features.lisnews.org/article.pl?sid=06/02/21/1328204 , and the Wiki page that accompanies the article: http://www.liswiki.com/wiki/2006_Best_Blogs . Recognize the great blog work being done by and for librarians.

Australia has created a national union catalog: http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5744,18226743%255E12332,00.html . Link to portal, which offers subscription rates for individuals, libraries, and organizations: http://librariesaustralia.nla.gov.au/apps/kss

This story (found on BoingBoing) about magazines on pop bottles makes me wonder: what items could we attach library consumer health information so that users would have ready access to it?: http://www.boingboing.net/2006/02/20/little_magazines_tha.html .

A story in the Washington Post about Homeland Security officers trying to "police porn at a public library" is listed in BoingBoing: http://www.boingboing.net/2006/02/17/county_homeland_secu.html . I hope they have the librarian available for speaking engagements, so we can hear the whole story!

Unipage http://unipage.org/ might be what you reach for when you send that next web resource to a patron. One difference between a pdf and a unipage: the unipage keeps functionality intact. As seen in a Slashdot article: http://slashdot.org/articles/06/02/20/1449226.shtml

State of the Future 2005, by Jerome C. Glenn and Theodore J. Gordon
American Council for the United Nations University, 2005
The Millennium Project
Summary available at: http://www.acunu.org/millennium/sof2005-exec_summ.pdf
Website: http://www.acunu.org/millennium/sof2005.html
I want to read this chapter first: "Very long range scenarios - 1000 years"

Here is a lesson that I need to re-learn: Productivity means working smarter, not longer http://hbswk.hbs.edu/item.jhtml?id=5190&t=srobbins , an article by Stever Robbins in the Harvard Business School Working Knowledge newsletter.

Want to become a one-person library? Maybe the research being done at Berkeley labs will enable a single person to someday run an entire academic library: http://www.coe.berkeley.edu/labnotes/0106/radlab.html .

Could this lead to perpetual employment opportunities for freelance librarians? From today's Wall Street Journal: "Publishers say fact-checking is too costly" http://online.wsj.com/public/article/SB113858811205659673.html?mod=todays_free_feature . (If I can locate a less-time sensitive url that refers to this, I will edit it in.-th)

Update on Library FBI story in Massachusetts: FBI won't seize library records http://www.townonline.com/newton/localRegional/view.bg?articleid=416848&format=text .

Librarian vs. FBI success story: City demands warrant in FBI investigation http://www2.townonline.com/newton/localRegional/view.bg?articleid=414573&format=text . (the site takes forever to appear, but worth the wait)
Thanks to a member of the Solo List for posting this link.

"The Bad Guys Win" - what a DRM-heavy world may be like: http://tarmle.livejournal.com/80182.html . Yep, libraries are mentioned, and it isn't pretty. (Seen mentioned on BoingBoing http://www.boingboing.net/2006/01/24/universal_drm_dystop.html )

OCLC's new newsletter: NextSpace http://www.oclc.org/nextspace/default.htm . This edition discusses 'rebranding'.

CNN article: Students prefer online courses
http://www.cnn.com/2006/EDUCATION/01/13/oncampus.online.ap/index.html
(thanks to Dorothy Knee for pointing this article my way)

The New York Academy of Medicine / National Library of Medicine Resource Guide for Public Health Preparedness provides access to more than 1500 electronic publications related to public health preparedness.

The Current Awareness Update listing newly added resources to the database for the period of November and December is now available at: http://www.phpreparedness.info/update.php

For full database records, including annotations or to search this content by subject area, please visit: http://www.phpreparedness.info

Check out the Data Points section of iHealthBeat http://www.ihealthbeat.org/index.cfm?action=dspclass&classcd=CL311 . Three press releases might be of big interest to you and/or your administration: Survey Looks At Barriers to PHR Adoption, by HIMSS; Doc's Attitudes About Technology Related to Internet Use, by Forrester; Survey: Small, Medium Employers More Likely to Offer Benefits Portals, by Forrester. There is also a link to the Data Points archive.

The Pew Internet Project has recently released a new report on how men
and women use the Internet. You can find the full report at:
http://www.pewinternet.org/PPF/r/171/report_display.asp

Article in New England Journal of Medicine: Searching for the Right Search - Reaching the Medical Literature, NEJM, 5 Jan 2006 http://content.nejm.org/cgi/content/full/354/1/4
Check comparison of PubMed via Google and via PubMed.gov .

HIT Dashboard ( http://www.hitdashboard.com/ ) is a portal that tracks the interoperability health IT projects in the United States. The public side of the portal just shows where the projects are on a map. There is another level available to members of Health Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS), and a third level available to subscribers. With the growth of these projects (the portal will update data each quarter), libraries should recommend the site to administration so they can have access to all available data on each project. Question: would the data show any activity towards interoperability between electronic health records and library resources? [This information was found in Health-IT World, December 20, 2005 ( http://tmlr.net/jump/?c=17194&a=296&m=3491&p=1705874&t=164 ).]

BMJ editorial: "How Google is changing medicine" http://bmj.bmjjournals.com/cgi/content/full/331/7531/1487 . The librarian author, Dean Giustini, is a biomedical branch librarian of the University of British Columbia. The author's last words in the editorial: "Build Google Medicine. The benefits to human health would be immeasurable."

"Secret Life of Librarian Bloggers" article in the Plains to Peaks Post newsletter of the NNLM/MCR: http://nnlm.gov/mcr/news/newsletter/index.php?article=191 . Writing the article was one of my most enjoyable partnerships of the year.

Creating an emergency preparedness plan? Visit http://www.ready.gov , and locate checklists, templates, and other resources that may be useful to you in your planning.

A laptop worth considering if you are on the road: DualCor Technologies combined cell phone and laptop. Here is the link to the CNET story: http://news.com.com/2100-1041_3-5997426.html .

Join the Bibliocasting list!
Introducing the Bibliocasting listserv.The bibliocasting listserv (bibliocasting@listserv.syr.edu) isdedicated to a discussion of streaming media in the libraryenvironment. This list grows out of the increasing popularity of"Podcasting," or the use of RSS and the Internet to download audioprograms (like audio blogs) to computers and MP3 players. A recentReuters story states:"Twenty-nine percent of U.S. adults who own MP3 players like AppleComputer Inc.'s iPod say they have downloaded podcast programs from theInternet, the Pew Internet and American Life Project found...That means more than 6 million people are listening to a form of communicationthat emerged only last year, according to the nonprofit group."[ http://www.pewinternet.org/PPF/r/154/report_display.asp ]So what to post on the list? Examples of how libraries can build on the growing excitement of Podcasting; Questions on how libraries can use themselves and provide better service; Questions on how to podcast and other technical questions on streaming media including QuickTimeStreaming, RealProducer, and others. In addition, the list willinclude postings of key articles, reports, and news about podcasting andother streaming media in general and in the the library context. Bottom Line: We are looking to build a community of individuals interested in the application of multimedia in the library environment. SUBSCRIBING TO THE LIST To subscribe to the list send an e-mail to listserv@listserv.syr.edu withthe entire message (no subject line): subscribe bibliocasting FirstName LastName

Marketing information, funding guides, and best practice examples now available at the new Ebsco Customer Success Center: http://www.epnet.com/thisTopic.php?marketID=20&topicID=204 .

"Physicians find librarians vital" article citation posted at the Krafty Librarian blog: http://kraftylibrarian.blogspot.com/2005/12/physicians-find-librarians-vital.html . Great article, and great blog!

Camel Mobile Library Service in Kenya: http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/editorials/archives/2005/12/12/2003284113 . I wonder if camels can be hooked up to deliver wireless Internet, too?

Libraries "unbundled"? After reading this Dec. 11th NY Times article "Unbundles of Joy" by Daniel Akst (free registration may be required: http://www.nytimes.com/2005/12/11/business/yourmoney/11cont.html ), I started wondering what an 'unbundled' library might look like. Are we all ready heading in that direction?

OCLC has released report on "Perceptions of Libraries and Information Resources" - recommended reading for any of us wondering what folks are thinking. http://www.oclc.org/reports/2005perceptions.htm .

The Future of HTML http://www-128.ibm.com/developerworks/library/x-futhtml1/?ca=dgr-lnxw01FutureHTML , an article at the IBM site.
(originally viewed in a slashdot posting http://developers.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=05/12/09/0045244 ).

NLM is recruiting for a new Associate Director for Library Operations - see job NLM-05-03SES on this page: http://www.nlm.nih.gov/about/jobs/jobs.html . This is your chance to use your librarian powers for the good of all!

Now there is a way to reformat your video collection for use on mobile devices, as pointed out in this BoingBoing posting: http://www.boingboing.net/2005/12/01/gadget_turns_all_you.html . Made by Neuros, this device will record onto digital memory cards from any video source.

Opportunities for sharing your research and presenting at conferences are listed in this blog: A Library Writer's Blog http://librarywriting.blogspot.com/ , thanks to Corey Seeman, University of Toledo.

An annotated bibliography on web logs and blogging, created and maintained by Susan Herzog: http://blog-bib.blogspot.com/ . She is the information literacy librarian at Eastern Connecticut State University. Don't miss this bib!

The Pew Internet & American Life Project has released a memo on rise of search engine use. From their email announcement:

The Pew Internet & American Life Project has released a data memo on the
recent rise in search engine use. This data memo is now available on our
website: http://www.pewinternet.org/PPF/r/167/report_display.asp.

Article on measuring your site's content pages at User Interface Engineering: 5-second tests http://www.uie.com/articles/five_second_test/ .

Story in Campus Technology on $100 laptops: http://www.campus-technology.com/news_article.asp?id=17517&typeid=153 .
These little laptops may hold the power to transform learning all over the world. It is in our best interest to make sure that those distant users have high quality access to library collections!

Evidence Based Library and Information Practice Journal call for submissions

EBL_Postcard
Originally uploaded by Bibliotek.

New journal: Evidence Based Library and Information Practice. The deadline for submitting papers to the first issue is December 1, 2005. Visit the journal website: http://ejournals.library.ualberta.ca/index.php/EBLIP

Digital patient health records are a step closer, according to a NYT article: http://www.nytimes.com/2005/11/11/business/11health.html?adxnnl=1&adxnnlx=1131732502-rsJ66BvA+s2NJulLceMxWQ . Now, where do/can libraries and information access fit within the to-be-designed health networks?

eBooks take the ivory tower: Library Journal's URLearning Series free webcast on November 15, 2005.
Webcast will cover:
trends in publishing and pricing models and agreement terms;
enhancements to ebooks that improve and expand usability;
acceptance and use by different disciplines and demographic groups;
managing ebook collections and the electronic/print book relationship;
and impact of mass digitization projects, such as Google Library and the Open Content Alliance. A link to the registration is on this page:
http://www.libraryjournal.com/article/CA6271543.html&

Announcing a new NN/LM course: Geeks Bearing Gifts: unwrapping new
technology trends, available at http://nnlm.gov/train/geekgifts/ .

The DC Principles is a group of non-profit publishers working to connect citizens to research via free access. Their site is here: http://www.dcprinciples.org/ They issued a press release on October 25 here: http://www.dcprinciples.org/linkingrelease.pdf . T. Scott Plutchak has excellent comments on the linking proposal and issues that librarians should consider here: http://tscott.typepad.com/tsp/2005/10/linking_proposa.html . I thought this was his most important comment: "My biggest frustration with the whole open access debate is that it has put librarians and the society publishers in opposition. Instead of working together to transform scholarly publishing, we waste time and energy arguing. This proposal is an opportunity to get us all on the same side of the fence -- where we ought to be. "

A main player in the open source support world, in my opinion, is Google (and I am not just saying that because thanks to them I have blogspace!). Here is a link to Chris DiBona's posting on their support of projects in Oregon: http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2005/10/supporting-open-source.html . We need to get projects in the Heartland, folks!

Check out this story in BoingBoing.Net about the Open Content Alliance and a link to the Open Library: www.boingboing.net/2005/10/26/library_of_public_do.html . Consider this type of project as a possible Community Collaboration Grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services: http://www.imls.gov/grants/index.htm .

Individual Biomedical Informatics Fellowship, sponsored by the National Library of Medicine - next deadline for application is December 5, 2005: http://www.nlm.nih.gov/ep/GrantTrainIndividualF37.html Yes, it is open to librarians!!

Analysis of HON survey of health and medical internet users: http://www.hon.ch/Survey/Survey2005/res.html . Good news for consumer health librarians can be found in this quote from the Executive Summary: "Most patient-respondents (88.2%) agreed that seeking health information on the Internet improves the quality of consultation with their physician."

Another aggregator for your RSS feeds - Google Reader (beta) can be found here: http://www.google.com/reader/things/intro .

ACRL has a new blog for academic librarians. I took a look at it, and it is definitely one that will be added to my Waggr (http://www.waggr.com/). From the press release:
"The new blog can be found at http://www.acrlblog.org . Unlike many
blogs, ACRLog invites contributions from those interested in academic
and research librarianship. Guest commentaries, contributed conference
reports, perspectives from ACRL chapters, and opinions about the latest
trends and issues can all be shared within this blogspace.
ACRLog was created as a response to an article by Scott McLemee,
"Silence in the Stacks," published last June in Inside HigherEd. McLemee
wondered why there was no single blog geared to the interests of
academic librarians that explored what he called "the issues of the
day." The ACRL Board decided to fill the void, and ACRLog was born."

Interested in offering tutorials to users that have video playback capability on their computers, cell phones, and/or iPods? You can set up a videoblog for free at: http://freevlog.org/ .

"People need information as much as water, food, medicine or shelter. Information can save lives, livelihoods and resources." Quotes from the World Disasters Report 2005, released by the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies http://www.ifrc.org/publicat/wdr2005/index.asp . Check out this report and note where a librarian's role would fit, or where a librarian could have helped. Send it to your library association lobbyist. Share it with your administrator. Give it to your local disaster preparedness council, along with your card.

Interesting article in Businessweek: Help for Info Age Have-Nots http://www.businessweek.com/technology/content/oct2005/tc2005104_6877_tc024.htm
Article discusses what some companies are doing to bridge the Digital Divide.

I found this through the Microsoft Work Essentials website:
"Presenting with PowerPoint: 10 dos and don'ts" http://www.microsoft.com/smallbusiness/resources/technology/business_software/presenting_with_powerpoint_10_dos_and_donts.mspx