Today, 12 June 2009, would have been Anne Frank’s 80th birthday.  I think that’s worth a moment of reflection, don’t you?

found via LISNews

Shane Fitzgerald, a Sociology student at University College in Dublin, Ireland (not Ohio), performed an experiment in March in which he placed several fake quotes about death in the Wikipedia entry for Maurice Jarre, who had just died, including this one:

“When I die there will be a final waltz playing in my head and that only I can hear.”

His intention was to see how the fake, but seemingly relevant, information would be used on the internet.  He expected it to be picked up by blogs and social networks, and wanted to see how far it would go.

To his surprise, the quotes were picked up by the major media, and appeared in many publications considered far more authoritative than Wikipedia.  Fitzgerald notified many of the media outlets of the experiment, and many have issued corrections, including the Guardian.  To his additional surprise, however, many have not issued corrections.

For most library people, there is a healthy respect for Wikipedia.  It is a powerful tool, one that can save time and effort in research, and can answer many questions for which we do not require a high level of authority.  One does need to understand how far the information is to be trusted.  We see quite a few people who scorn any reliance on Wikipedia, some even in the library world (who should know better).  One would expect that journalists would have at least the same level of skepticism.

Today I present a modified version of a (hopefully properly remembered) Japanese saying.  The original, which refers to Fugu, a delicacy made from a toxin-containing pufferfish, is, to my memory:

Those who eat fugu are stupid.  But those who don’t eat fugo are also stupid.

My version of this quote is:

Those who rely on Wikipedia are foolish.  But those who don’t rely on Wikipedia are also foolish.

found through ResourceShelf

TechCrunch is a blog.  A blog about technology startups.  It is run by Michael Arrington, who is someone I consider to be a straight shooter.  When evaluating a new technology, company, or service, he states what he feels about it, and does it in a fair, straightforward manner.  He is not always right in his reviews (who could be?), but he is insightful and correct most of the time, from what I have read.

In today’s post, Some Things Need to Change, he spells out what his life has become over the past few years.  Because he calls things as he sees them, he has had to deal with a great number of indignities, including physical abuse, being spat upon by strangers, and worst of all, death threats upon him and his family last summer from what turned out to be a credible threat.

I have written posts based on items I have seen on TechCrunch at least 18 times over the past couple of years.  If you look them over, you can see the range of ideas and resources that he covers.  That he is needing to take time off and decide whether to continue is understandable; the actions by others that have forced this is not.

Mike, I hope you have a restful break, and that you are able to come to a clear decision that will be best for you, your family, and the world as a whole.

Footnote is an interesting social network:  it contains entries and social linking for dead people.

The concept seems morbid at first thought; however, it does provide a structured place to remember the dead, as well as provide links to others they were connected with.

Areas of the site worth noting are the Pearl Harbor Muster Rolls and the Vietnam Veterans Memorial.  There are also a variety of Revolutionary and Civil War lists.

To gain an appreciation of the social aspect of this site, check out the Recent Connections page.

Keep this site in mind for the potential geneological information.

found via TechCrunch

The Great Pandemic : The United States in 1918-1919 is a single resource on a specific topic, but it presents it very well.  Created by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), it focuses on personal stories from influenza survivors, telling the story of the outbreak from its origins in Haskell County, Kansas through its worldwide spread.

If you are not familiar with this event, this is a great place to start.  If you are familiar, this is a great review and a way to introduce this important historical event to others.

found via ResourceShelf

This is one of those resources which you hope will not have to be used, but when it helps someone find the information they need, it can be invaluable:

The Unidentified Decedent Reporting System (Warning:  site is definitely not for the squeamish) is the National Association of Medical Examiners online tool for posting information about unidentified bodies across the U.S.  It is a distinctly depressing web site, with hints of sadness and loss in dozens of lives, and the realization that for many of these people there are families and friends without answers.

Along with the Doe Network, this site can help to bring closure to tragedy.

from ResourceShelf

In February, I wrote about the shootings at Northern Illinois University, which happened about 100 yards away from a former co-worker (and current friend). I stressed that until something like this happens in your community, it seems remote and somehow not fully real. However, we must strive to remember that these things happen in real communities, to real people, and that individuals, organizations and institutions (such as libraries) can do much to be better prepared for tragedy.

Jessamyn at Librarian.net writes about a horrific murder which indirectly involved the local public library, and how they have reacted. As you read her post, and the news articles she links to, ask yourself what your library or organization can do now to be prepared for not only this type of event, or a shooting, or a book challenge, but what you can do to simply be prepared.

Once you have thought about it, discuss it with your co-workers and community members. Solicit ideas. Take the best ideas and put them into action. You may never need this, but if the unthinkable happens you will be in far better shape than if the only response is “we never imagined it could happen here!”

Do it this time, starting today… because you cannot predict where, or in what form, the next horrific event will occur. At worst, you will be prepared for something that may not happen; at best you may save lives.

Len Lindquist, Manager of Technology Services for the Prairie Area Library System, died last Thursday.  This is a sad loss for everyone connected with the system, because not only was he great at his job, he was an excellent person to work with.

He helped me a few years back, and by extension Reaching Forward South, when we brought the first generation of our website online.  We later switched to a hosted web service, but his efforts helped to give us the step up to a very effective web presence.

I last saw him about 1½ years ago, when I had lunch with him and a good mutual friend.  We talked about libraries and technology and other such stuff, and had a great time.  I would have truly enjoyed working with him more, but my move to Ohio cut that short.

He will be missed.