Chart-topping music titles to be available for download from libraries http://www.marketwire.com/2.0/release.do?id=743730&sourceType=1

The company that is behind this - Overdrive. You can check to see if there is a library offering this service in your area here: http://search.overdrive.com/

You just have to love the title of this article (plus, the article is a good read): Management lessons from The Sopranos
http://www.cio.com/article/119503?source=nlt_cioinsider

The first International m-libraries conference is scheduled for November 13-14, 2007 in Milton Keynes, UK: http://library.open.ac.uk/mLibraries/index.html . From the conference page: "This conference, hosted by The Open University in partnership with Athabasca University, aims to explore and share work carried out in libraries around the world to deliver services and resources to users 'on the move,' via a growing plethora of mobile and hand-held devices. The conference will bring together researchers, technical developers, managers and library practitioners to exchange experience and expertise and generate ideas for future developments."

More libraries using RFID, says expert: http://www.tuvps.co.uk/news/articles/more-libraries-using-rfid-says-expert-18179242.asp

Looking at the NXP Semiconductors website, I found these articles on the same subject:

no date - Complete inventory management for libraries http://www.nxp.com/news/identification/articles/articles/a13/index.html

from 2002 - Smart libraries, the smarter way to learn http://www.nxp.com/news/identification/articles/success/s47/index.html

from 2005 - ICODE sees steady growth in library market http://www.nxp.com/news/identification/articles/otm71/library/index.html

from 2006 - The silent revolution: RFID in libraries http://www.nxp.com/news/identification/articles/otm81/library/index.html

from 2006 - Libraries around the world are becoming smarter with Phillips RFID chips http://www.nxp.com/news/content/file_1248.html

China has established more than 66,000 libraries since 2003 - story in China View http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2007-06/14/content_6242911.htm .

No word on if the libraries have professional librarians on duty. They also do not specify the libraries' size. It would be cool if they saved space and used the technology that Mexico is using to create their network of books-on-demand libraries: The world's first network of books on demand libraries http://www.prweb.com/releases/2007/6/prweb532438.htm .

June 8th speech by Sri Lanka Minister of Higher Education - Role of the professional librarian in the intellectual life of universities: http://www.dailynews.lk/2007/06/11/fea01.asp

I wonder if U.S. leaders in higher education share these views?

Google has partnered with the Big 10 Schools' libraries to expand the book digitizing program. Here is a link to all of the stories on Google News:
http://news.google.com/news?hl=en&ned=us&ie=UTF-8&ncl=1117020148

iPods and how they are being used in medicine. Story in American Medical News:
http://www.ama-assn.org/amednews/2007/06/04/bisa0604.htm

Grant for summer '08 research, as seen in May 30th edition of eSchool News:
Awards of $6,000 for summer research Grant Title: NEH Summer Stipend Organization: National Endowment for the Humanities Eligibility: Educators Value: 80 awards of up to $6,000 each Deadline: October 2, 2007
Summer stipends support individuals pursuing advanced research that contributes to scholarly knowledge or to the public's understanding of the humanities. Recipients usually produce scholarly articles, monographs on specialized subjects, books on broad topics, archaeological site reports, translations, editions, or other scholarly tools. Summer stipends support full-time work on a humanities project for a period of two months. Applicants may be faculty or staff members of colleges, universities, or primary or secondary schools, or they may be independent scholars or writers. This program is intended for the period of summer 2008.
Contact: http://www.neh.gov/grants/guidelines/stipends.html

Lockers may be installed for Lincoln Library homeless: http://www.sj-r.com/sections/news/stories/115592.asp.

If you are interested in keeping up with current news about libraries, librarians, library education, try searching Google News for those terms.

New Gilbert library due to be first in nation to drop Dewey Decimal: http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/local/articles/0530nodewey0530.html .
Quote from adult service coordinator: "Nowadays, people are used to going to a bookstore to browse, so we're trying to create the same atmosphere.... I know Dewey fans are out there. But we haven't changed a lot in so long, and I think we're in a fight for our own survival."

Another blog comment about a library futurist speaker, Joan Frye Williams, at the Mid-Atlantic Library Futures Conference, this time from "2 Cents Worth": http://davidwarlick.com/2cents/2006/11/04/saturday-morning-keynote-by-joan-frye-williams/
One of the great suggestions: make an entry for your library in Wikipedia. Users often don't start at the library itself, so put out sign posts where they are looking.

Videos about librarians talking about where they think the profession is going, created by The Speculist: http://www.blog.speculist.com/archives/001305.html . Videos were shot at the Mid-Atlantic Library Futures Conference .

Screencasts - tutorials and movies made while navigating your computer screen, and includes a narration component. Links to sites and software for screencasting:

O'Reilly
http://www.oreillynet.com/pub/a/oreilly/digitalmedia/2005/11/16/what-is-screencasting.html

Screencast Central
http://www.screencastcentral.com/

Screencast entry at Wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Screencast

Replay Screencast (software)
http://applian.com/replay-screencast/index.php

The Four Habits of Highly Effective Librarians - by Todd Gilman, as seen in The Chronicle of Higher Education. http://chronicle.com/jobs/news/2007/05/2007052301c/careers.html
Thanks to Dorothy Knee, McGoogan Library, for sending this link.

None of us hope to experience a disaster such as flood or fire in our library, yet we should be planning for such an event. Here is a story about how the Zimmerman Library at the University of New Mexico handled the aftermath of the fire that struck a year ago: http://www.unm.edu/~market/cgi-bin/archives/001936.html.

InsideHigherEd.com article on library research and discourse: "Good at reviewing books but not each other" http://www.insidehighered.com/views/2007/04/27/bell . The good news - there are great comments to be read at the end of the article.

Download videos? You bet - through your library!: Video Downloading Extends Libraries' Reach, Improves Service http://www.prnewswire.com/mnr/overdrive/27751/ . I am going to check it out to see if this service will work on my video iPod...

Story in the EU Observer on April 19th: Copyright Deal Clears Way for European Digital Library
http://euobserver.com/9/23894. From the story: "An EU expert group on digital libraries has agreed to a basic model for handling copyrights for digitalised cultural publications in libraries." Libraries would be responsible for collecting payments for copyright holders, estimated to be 1 Euro per item used (similar to the iTunes payment model).

Another story covering this topic: Report addresses copyright issues linked to digital preservation http://cordis.europa.eu/fetch?CALLER=EN_NEWS&ACTION=D&SESSION=&RCN=27530.

Good news - there are still free online storage facilities for computer users to connect with. One that I heard about today: Gspace http://www.getgspace.com/. This would be useful for anyone conducting outreach, traveling between computers, or that would appreciate always having access to a file through any computer.
After using sites such as this successfully before the dot-com bust, I thought most of the sites had gone to a membership business model (such as .Mac, and others). Glad to see that free online storage still thrives.

In honor of National Library Week (April 15-21):

Thomson Gale has announced a new online community for libraries:
http://www.gale.com/librareo

Thomson Gale has also announced a $10,000 contest for "I Love My Library" videos - for rules, go to: http://www.gale.com/librareo.

And Thomson Gale has an open house for all of its databases this week:
http://www.accessmylibrary.com/libraryweek

Evidence-based medicine resource, from the Institute of Medicine, has a chapter on training health professionals: http://books.nap.edu/openbook.php?record_id=11903&page=211. Title of resource - The Learning Healthcare System: Workshop Summary - Roundtable on Evidence-Based Medicine.

The National Agriculture Library is adding federating searching, and creating a National Digital Library for Agriculture: http://www.prnewswire.com/cgi-bin/stories.pl?ACCT=104&STORY=/www/story/04-12-2007/0004564139&EDATE=. The mock-up of their new page: http://www.nal.usda.gov/ndla/. And the sources that will be searchable through the new gateway: http://ndla.nal.usda.gov/sources.shtml.
Reading the comments in the press release, such as "DWT provides powerful federated search solutions that help users save time and improve results by intelligently
and securely accessing internal, subscription and web databases and sources
through one search page.", makes one wonder - in the future, will our users only have a gateway and digital access with no librarians? What are the long-term prospects of digital libraries as well as those with human searchers/aggregators?
If there are any library/information science students writing about the future of libraries, please get in touch with me and I will share your thoughts on this blog!

Other examples of digital gateways:
Iraqi Virtual Science Library https://www.ivsl.org/
National Science Digital Library http://nsdl.org/browse/index.php?GEM_cat=2&verb=Search&q=Health&s=0&n=10
Some that didn't make it:
Virtual Naval Hospital http://www.vnh.org/
Virtual Hospital/Virtual Children's Hospital http://www.vh.org/ (but may be mirrored here? http://lib.cpums.edu.cn/jiepou/tupu/atlas/www.vh.org/)
EPA Digital Library of Environmental Quality http://www.epa.gov/ceisweb1/ceishome/digitallib/
BiodefenseEducation.org http://www.biodefenseeducation.org/

Librarian of Congress Testifies On Library's Digital Evolution

News story: http://www.managinginformation.com/news/content_show_full.php?id=5616

Testimony: http://www.loc.gov/about/welcome/speeches/digital/digitalage.html

Join the fun and education in Omaha, Nebraska this October 12-16, when the MCMLA and Midwest Chapter of the Medical Library Association conduct their joint meeting: License to Learn/License to Lead. Take a look at the website for more information: http://www.mcmla.org/2007/

The UK National Health Service has announced on March 28 that they will be doing consumer health information service: Tailor Made Information Will Help Patients Take Control of Their Treatment http://media-newswire.com/release_1046575.html

Inside Higher Ed article: Libraries At the Cutting Edge, by Pamela Snelson
http://www.insidehighered.com/views/2007/03/29/snelson

Xerox has some free brochure templates for small business use: http://www.office.xerox.com/small-business/resources/brochure-templates/index.html.

If you serve K-12 science educators in your audience, or if your campus works with them through community outreach programs, please send this link to them: NIH Curriculum Supplement Series http://science.education.nih.gov/supplements/. The supplements are now alligned to state standards.

For those in your audience that don't have access to a RefWorks account or haven't bought their own EndNote software to collect, manage, and cite their research sources, Zotera might come to their aid. This is a free Firefox extension: http://www.zotero.org/.

xps vs. pdf? How does the new Microsoft XML Paper Specification (XPS) stack up against the established Adobe PDF? Some links on the topics follow. You may wish to check with vendors to see how they are supporting both formats. This topic may be of interest to someone in your team that is working on digitizing projects.

XPS Overview (Microsoft) http://www.microsoft.com/whdc/xps/default.mspx


Adobe-Why PDF? http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/adobepdf.html


XML Paper Specification (Wikipedia) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/XML_Paper_Specification

Adobe PDF vs. Microsoft XPS (Digital Inspiration blog) http://labnol.blogspot.com/2006/01/adobe-pdf-vs-microsoft-xps-xml-paper.html

Michigan Library Consortium uses Second Life as training location
I saw this story in the Lansing State Journal online edition: Second Life brings virtual, real life together. http://www.lsj.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070308/NEWS03/703080351/1004/news03.
They also had a virtual party to celebrate their new eLibrary gateway: http://www.mlcnet.org/cms/sitem.cfm/news__announcements/mel_remix/.

TechWatch, according to its web site, identifies and tracks developments and standards in communication and information technology that are critical to higher education. It is a function of JISC in Great Britain.
They released a report in February 2007 on Web 2.0 and Education. You can read the most recent TechWatch reports online.
JISC also sponsors a conference that might be of interest to anyone involved with information and communication technologies in their institution.

A great explanation of the anatomy of Second Life and how businesses (insert 'library' here) can use it for collaboration, research and marketing:

The Anatomy of Second Life
http://www.baselinemag.com/article2/0,1540,2098917,00.asp

Please take this professional association survey! (Posted with permission of the authors-TH)

Many professional library associations have generated surveys to figure out what their members want from a professional organization. The purpose of our survey is to query librarians directly, regardless of what association they might belong to, in an effort to determine how library associations in general are meeting the needs and expectations of their members.

The survey is confidential and takes only 10 minutes to complete. The results will be reported during a poster session at the upcoming Medical Library Association conference in Philadelphia.

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.asp?u=676253314746

If you are interested in receiving a copy of the results, please contact us directly. Thank you!

Megan von Isenburg, MSLS
megan.vonisenburg@duke.edu

Rebecca Pernell, MSLS
rebecca.pernell@jefferson.edu

Dan Kipnis, MSI
dan.kipnis@jefferson.edu

Who needs a library when you can purchase your own archives? (Of course, that is a rhetorical question, folks!) As seen on BoingBoing, here is a link to the entire archive of the New Yorker Magazine on a hard drive, offered by Levenger: link .

Research journals could do the same thing.

Did you know that you can now send Google Maps to cell phone users? In addition to the regular "Get Directions: To here - From here - Search nearby, there is now - Send to Phone.
Do your library resources have such a function yet? Are you exploring the possiblities? I would love to learn from any library investigating this level of service!

MySpace for Healthcare? Much Closer Than You Think: http://www.health-itworld.com/newsitems/2007/february/02-06-07-dhp-social-networking-in-healthcare .

Your library or organization should consider maximizing Web 2.0 technology to reach the social-networking users.

Library using podcasting for education purposes. University of Tennessee Health Science Library has a podcast page: http://library.utmem.edu/media/podcasting/Podcast/Podcast.html .

Health search engine just purchased by Microsoft. I saw this in today's iHealthBeat newsletter: Microsoft has purchased Medstory http://www.medstory.com/Home.html .

M.J. Tooey has a great article on Open Access issues on her library newsletter: Why Open Access Won't Go Away http://www.hshsl.umaryland.edu/information/newsletter/ .

Article describing The New Library Professional at The Chronicle of Higher Education Careers section: http://chronicle.com/jobs/news/2007/02/2007022001c/careers.html. The author suggests that the successful library embraces the new professionals while remaining true to our profession's "timeless values".

Thanks to Dorothy Knee for the link!

Do you remember the Y2K threat to computers? Well, ZD Net has a page titled: Wake Up to the 'Daylight-Saving' bug. http://news.zdnet.com/2100-9589_22-6159840.html.
Since the US Gov't changed the dates of Daylight-Savings this year, computers could be affected.

Microsoft has some templates for sales and customer relationship:

http://www.microsoft.com/smallbusiness/markets/connect/sales-process-imp
lementation.mspx

There is a value-added analysis calculator on the page that could work for many types of services, including library service - here is a
direct link to the template
http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/templates/TC011038971033.aspx

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 .