I seem to have this reputation for enjoying coffee.  I don’t know how I got this reputation, besides that cup that starts me off every morning, then the next, and the next, etc.

For those who understand that books and coffee go together well (as does computers and coffee), there is the documentary This is Coffee.  Made in 1961, it happens to feature a narrator who should be as instantly recognizable today, as he was anonymous then.

Brought to you by Free Movies Fallen Out of Copyright.

Again, this is a site that I have known about (and even participated in) before starting this blog. However, it is worth a mention if only to encourage people to visit and participate.

Library Success: A Best Practices Wiki is a site with an incredible amount of potential. If they didn’t exist, I would be planning to place a wiki on LibrarySupportStaff.org. Check them out… and contribute. The more participation they have, the better the site will become.

To get a sense of the breadth of their site, here are their main categories:

* 3.1 Community
* 3.2 Management and Leadership
* 3.3 Materials Selection and Collection Maintenance
* 3.4 Professional
* 3.5 Programming
* 3.6 Readers’ Advisory
* 3.7 Reference Services and Information Literacy
* 3.8 Selling Your Library
* 3.9 Services to Specific Groups
* 3.10 Staff Training
* 3.11 Technology
o 3.11.1 Access
o 3.11.2 Implementing Tech in the Library
o 3.11.3 Information Sharing and Education
* 3.12 Working Together

Worldcat.org is arriving, starting next month, and OCLC is letting bits and pieces of info out about it.  If they make the interface open enough for people and/or organizations to make adaptations, this could be a big deal in the library world.

Imagine having a Google-like search box that will locate any item available in a library throughout the world, as long as at least one OCLC member library has cataloged it. Now imagine (and I hope this can/will be done) connecting the power of your local library (item check-outs, interlibrary loan, etc.) to this vast catalog.

This already exists, but not in an easily accessible way.  To use Worldcat, you either have to log into OCLC FirstSearch (ask your public or community college library for their login/password), or use Google or Yahoo’s “Find in a Library” method known as Open WorldCat (which contains a limited set of WorldCat records).  Neither are well-known, and neither are straightforward enough for the instant recognition needed for widespread adoption.

This will be different, if it is as open as it seems.  Sites (including LibrarySupportStaff.org, assuming that OCLC’s info matches my interpretation of it) can install the search box and initiate searches.  The results will go to the “Find in a Library” page that will let one determine which local area libraries have that item.

If it is as easy as that, then this will be a big deal.  If it is set up in such a way as to let the sites modify the search in creative ways, then this will be bigger than anything in recent library memory.  If it is locked down or limited too much, the risk is loss of usefulness, and it may go nowhere fast.

August will be an interesting month…

The Power of Personal Persuasion Toolkit is, on the surface, a guide to “advancing the academic library agenda”.  However, it is also a guide for examining and understanding your organization’s strengths, and conveying them to others.  The value of this booklet is not limited to academic libraries, or even libraries in general: there is much of value in this 32 page pdf for anyone who needs to state a case or promote their organization.

from ResourceShelf

This isn’t new for me, but I recommended this site to someone on the Web4lib list today, and thought it was worth posting.

For libraries with a desire to implement a strong web-based presence, but without the funds, knowledge, or people to build that presence in-house, EngagedPatrons has the tools and the resources to make it work.  The best part is that it is free to libraries with less than $1 million per year in total income.

The University of Wisconsin – Madison School of Library and Information Studies is hosting a conference titled “Back in Circulation Again (Again)” on September 8-9, 2006.

from Jean

Alaskan bears now have a webcam, complements of National Geographic.  It is very compelling to watch… sort of like the Discovery channel, but with the awareness that it is streaming live.

from ResourceShelf

Planet Quest is a 3-Dimensional interactive viewer for the Milky Way galaxy.  It works on any modern browser without downloading additional software, a definite plus!

from SpaceRef

Xcavator is a search engine for images that uses a small section of a picture in the same way that regular search engines use keywords.  Try the demo on for size.

from ResourceShelf

LivRe! is an open access journal portal.  Need journal articles?  LivRe! will help you locate the journals (they currently list 2,525 journals) for the topics you need.

from ResourceShelf

Want to create your own social networking site?  PeopleAggregator could be the software for you!

This could be a way for any type of group to form their own networking.  Imagine a town with all of their residents on a social networking site… it could replace the phone book for contact and communication, and people could offer services, sell items, and provide information through tagging.  Interesting possibilities…

from Monkey Bites

Yet another reason to create web pages that are accessible (although we shouldn’t need anything further than making sure that as many people as possible can use them):

Google now has a search page for the visually impaired. They rank the results based on how well the html degrades.

Google Accessible Search

from Monkey Bites

Movie Licensing USA is a licensing agent for many of the largest studios in the U.S., and describes themselves as being an easy step towards showing movies in your library without risking copyright issues.

from Librarian.net

Tracks is a nifty piece of software that is a multi-user To-Do list organizer.  Multiple users, with different levels of access, can organize a project and set up timelines and track progress.

This may be a possibility for RFS…

From OSDir

Last week I posted a bit of info about some new functionality coming to OCLC’s Worldcat. More info has been made available. It will be an interesting 6 – 9 months!

http://www.infotoday.com/newsbreaks/nb060717-1.shtml

I fully expect to place the search tool on LibrarySupportStaff.Org, and will see how far I can stretch its functionality.

Thanks to B.Eversberg, via NGC4Lib

You don’t need to be searching for toxic substances (I tried a search for Aloe and got some interesting results) when using the National Library of Medicine’s Toxnet, but if you need to find info and articles on chemicals and such, this would be a good place to search.
from ResourceShelf

Semacode is an open system for generating url encoded barcodes (not the standard striped variety, but the square crossword puzzle-ish variety) for any url you want.  Mobile phones would then be able to use these to connect with resources.

This would be interesting as a way to connect library items and handouts with related websites.  The possibilities are limited at the moment since it requires someone to have a web-enabled mobile phone with the software installed, but there is a definite potential to this.

It reminds me a bit of the CueCat, without the commercial lock-in and resulting controversy.

from Catalogablog

This site isn’t a substitute for a good, comprehensive review, but if someone is planning to take one of the many tests we encounter (ACT, SAT, GRE, or even the PTCB – my personal favorite), this site contains sample questions for dozens of tests, and could give someone a good idea of what level of knowledge is expected.

http://www.testprepreview.com/

Courtesy of the Daily Mail.

It looks as though OCLC is brewing up some interesting additions to their WorldCat features.

http://www.worldcat.org/ (coming in August)

OCLC’s information page (with screenshot).