I enjoy building things, especially if there is a “let’s see what we can find to make this work” factor involved.

With that in mind, it should be obvious why Building a High Speed Scanner from Trash and Cheap Cameras has me salivating.  I think I shall have to examine the materials and time needed for this…

found via Librarian.net

Understanding the Bar Code Structure is a description of the structure of the standardized bar code used by many libraries for both their patrons and their materials.  It resides on the website of JerseyCat, New Jersey’s nicely named “statewide virtual catalog and interlibrary loan system.”

Of added interest is the inclusion of the formula for calculating the check digit.

Even if you never need this type of information for your job, it is good to know the basic philosophy behind the bar code structure.

MathTV is a collection of video tutorials, ranging from basic mathematical concepts to complex calculus applications, meant to assist students by providing a demonstration of how to work a type of problem.

This is a great resource for anyone needing a refresher on a particular mathematical concept.

A video from the main page of the site:

found via MetaFilter

Think of Middlespot as a Zotero-like organization tool for web searches.  Perform a search, and you have several ways to explore the search results, as well as saving collections of results in what they call a “Workpad”.

The fastest way to learn what this can do is to view their slideshow tutorial.  If you think it has potential, then don’t forget to check out their tools (including a way to incorporate Google search results into your workpad).

from MetaFilter

100 Free Open Courseware Classes About Open Source Everything is a post on the BSchool.com Blog.  Their list is quite comprehensive, with something for just about anyone.

In addition, the blog has a thing for “100 Free…” lists, from resource for doing business in China, to Ivy League business courses.  They just started up last month, but I think this might be one of those resources that will provide answers for questions beyond the obvious business school related information.

found via an e-mail from Kelly Sonora (affiliated with BSchool.com blog)

A Simple Book Repair Manual is a web-based guide created and hosted by the Dartmouth College Library.  It covers what a library needs to set up a toolkit and make straightforward repairs.

Conservation Book Repair : A training manual by Artemis BonaDea is a pdf formatted book from 1995 (200 pages – complete 12MB pdf here) written by a Conservation Technician (who is now Curator of the Alaska Heritage Museum).

Bookbinding and the Conservation of books : A Dictionary of Descriptive Terminology, hosted on the Stanford University web site, is exactly as described, a dictionary of terminology.

Add these to your collection of useful links!

found via MetaFilter (warning : as addictive a blog as exists anywhere)

10 Ways to Make Your Library Great in 2008—via Web 2.0 is a webinar being held next week that promises to be very informative.  The focus is on social networking and how libraries and library staff can approach new technologies for improving services.  They will be archiving the presentation, so those of us who aren’t available to view it live can have a chance to see it.

I will stress that Web 2.0 (and Library 2.0) is best approached piecemeal.  Pick and choose those elements that will work for you and your situation.  Do not be afraid to try something new, to experiment with that which is in place, and to abandon that which isn’t working for you.  In the end you will have learned quite a bit about your library, your patrons, and technology – and everyone will be better off for it!

However, some library people just don’t like the word Webinar….

from a post by Ed Rossman (the webinar presenter) on Web4Lib

WebWISER is an online access point for WISER, which stands for Wireless Information Sytem for Emergency Responders.  This database of information on hazardous materials is maintained by the National Library of Medicine, and can be used to both find information on known materials, as well as to assist in identifying unknown materials.

WISER is designed to provide Emergency Responders, such as Police, Fire, and Medical personnel, quick information about a wide range of chemicals and their dangers.  Mobile phones, pdas, computers, and the internet can all be used to access the database.

Not only is WISER in its various flavors a great site for reference questions, it should be a part of any organization’s disaster plan, and people should be prepared so they can access it whenever the need arises.  A tutorial is also available.

found via ResourceShelf

Interested in quick and straightforward tutorials for making dynamic websites and such?  Check out Google Code for Educators to get a few ideas and examples that you can use to enhance your projects.

found on the Official Google Blog

The ASL Video Dictionary is exactly that:  a dictionary of sign language that covers words, common phrases, and even religious signs.

found on MetaFilter

Advice to a slightly less experienced geek librarian is written by Daniel Chudnov at One Big Library, and is an excellent essay with good advice for anyone exploring new ways to do things in libraries.  I can vouch for a few points that he makes, and will try to be prepared to follow the rest!

from One Big Library

Copyright Resources on the Web is an excellent and very comprehensive collection of links to, whaddayaknow, copyright resources on the web.

from ResourceShelf

It is British, it is online, and it is free.  It is Intute: Virtual Training Suite.

What Intute is is a collection of web tutorials on a wide, wide range of subjects.  Their aim is to give you an overview of web-based resources available by topic.

Check out their main site as well… they have a collection of over 114,000 searchable records on an even wider range of topics as their tutorials.

Is it me, or is Britain way ahead of the U.S. in their online educational offerings?  This resource, combined with The Open University, makes me wonder….

from ResourceShelf

There is a relatively new site for online learning called Open Of Course, which offers a variety of tutorials and such for no cost (except your time and effort).  Included among their offerings are tutorials on administering and using Linux (including Ubuntu), OpenOffice, Firefox, and Thunderbird.

Additionally, they have offerings on Web Design from Scratch and PHP, both of which could be beneficial for those tasked with designing websites.

from Open Access News

The Library of Congress Preservation Directorate has a site detailing methods for preserving items, and includes a section on dealing with water and mold damage.  Recommended reading for anyone dealing with archival materials.

from ResourceShelf

This is likely much, much more information than most of us will ever need, but What is Inside a JPEG? has an excellent tutorial on how the JPEG format stores image information.

The rest of their tutorials are here.

from ResourceShelf

Thoughts during a vacation:

What do you know?

If you were on a certain NPR program, the proper response would be “Not much, you?”. However, we aren’t (at least I’m not), and my thoughts have gone in this direction:

The most dynamic, adaptive groups, whether they be workplaces, organizations, groups of friends, or families, strive to maximize their potential. When a member of a group has a certain knowledge or talent, allowing that to be expressed adds value to the overall group.

This knowledge/talent need not be in the “knows xhtml”/”graphic design”/”organized” variety (although these definitely do qualify). Think about how much you value the people in your workplace/families/organizations that provide positive attitudes to situations. How valuable is it to have someone who is described by the theme song from the Mary Tyler Moore show in your group? It can make a sick workplace tolerable, and a good workplace fun (and more productive).

The group as a whole must be open to changing how they do things, and the members of that group must recognize that personal ego can get into the way of success. This is not recommending “ego-less” existence, or that having an ego or pride in one’s accomplishments will doom the groups endeavor, but that when it impedes another group member’s exploration into their talents, or prevents a member from exploring new avenues (by keeping them locked into one area in which they have shown success), it becomes a handicap.

Ask yourself: What do you know? How can you channel this in new and creative ways to make your groups (family, organizations, workplace, etc.) better, stronger, faster?

In addition: What do the other members of your groups know? How can you find this out? What can you do to encourage the application of this knowledge to its best advantage?

Lastly: What would you like to know? What steps can you take to begin travelling down that path? How can you encourage others to take their first steps?

Recognize that all this begins with asking yourself the question: “What do you know?”. Then you simply expand on the theme.

Just a few thoughts I have had this week….

The Ubuntu Linux distribution has started a wiki aimed at new users, called the New Users Network (NUN).

I have been playing with Edubuntu, in order to see if it will be helpful for someone I know who is considering it for their middle-school classroom, and this site may be a good resource for them (and me, too).

Want to play with Drupal or Postnuke to see how they work?

Need to decide which Blogging software you most like to work with?

Which wiki will do?

OpenSourceCMS lets you try out dozens of programs to compare and contrast features, design, and usability.  Every two hours each program is re-installed to enable anyone to learn how to customize and use the programs as they see fit.

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/