Tag Archives: Library

Support Your Local Library

Statestats, a recently founded non-profit focusing on education and technology, has created an infographic in support of libraries (thanks to Dan for contacting me with this!):   FIND A LIBRARY NEAR YOU FIND YOUR LOCAL LIBRARY INFORMATION INTEGRATED WITH GOOGLE … Continue reading

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Library Staff Using Online Tools

WebJunction has posted the survey results for online tool usage by library staff, and a few of the results might surprise: The online tool that has had at least some use by the highest percentage of staff is Online Courses, … Continue reading

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One Possible OCLC Solution

I am going to be very presumptuous and put forth a possible solution to the OCLC situation. Ready? Divide OCLC in two. One entity, which we will call OCLC.org (just to keep from having to make up some name for … Continue reading

Posted in Cataloging, Ethics, ILS, Libraries, Licensing, News, OCLC, Online Databases, Online Services, OPAC, Open Access, Open Source, Search, Software | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

SkyRiver sues OCLC

SkyRiver, the new bibliographic records company created by Innovative Interfaces, Inc. (III) owner Jerry Kline, has filed suit against OCLC, alleging that they are “unlawfully monopolizing the markets for cataloging services, interlibrary lending, and bibliographic data.” SkyRiver has been joined … Continue reading

Posted in Cataloging, Ethics, ILL, ILS, Libraries, News, OCLC, Online Databases, Online Services | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Searching A Card Catalog

The Obsolete Skills wiki has an entry on Searching A Card Catalog, which includes: “Use of the retaining rods for swordplay, while a way to break up the tedium of searching, was not appreciated by library staff.” I beg to … Continue reading

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How to Respond to Bad Press, continued

In a post a few days ago I referred to a letter written by Mary A. Dempsey, Commissioner for the Chicago Public Library, as a response to a Fox Chicago News story that asked Are Libraries Necessary, or a Waste … Continue reading

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Open Source ILS Glossary

Earlier this month, Equinox Software‘s Bob Molyneux posted an Open Source ILS Glossary in Pdf format.  It is a great overview of the concepts and environment of the current open source library software environment. Today Bob posted an updated version … Continue reading

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Libraries as Business Incubators

Public Libraries as Business Incubators is an article in PC World suggesting that libraries could provide a service to their communities by serving as a connection to resources that small businesses might need and/or provide to other small businesses.  This … Continue reading

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I will gladly pay you Tuesday for a library today…

Another method of dealing with fiscal woes is beginning to impact library organizations. My former state of residence, Illinois, has always for years run several months behind in payments to state-funded organizations.  I know this from keeping an eye on … Continue reading

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Academic Library Bubble

An interesting column in Library Journal by Stephen Bell: The Bursting of the Academic Library Bubble That is bubble as in housing bubble or stock market bubble. It is not the academic library that is possibly in a bubble, but … Continue reading

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Practical Open Source Software Website

Nicole Engard’s forthcoming book, Practical Open Source Software for Libraries, has a page on the accompanying website consisting of links mentioned in the book.  Not only is this a tantalizing glimpse of the book, but it is a source of … Continue reading

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Mash-Up is not a new term

From the Oxford English Dictionary, via Ron Murray at the Library of Congress, through the Disruptive Library Technology Jester, comes the news that the term “Mash-Up”, with roughly the same meaning as today, is over 150 years old! The modern … Continue reading

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ILS Turnover

Library Technology Guides has a couple of interesting data sets that, in a limited way, shows some of the dynamic patterns in the Integrated Library System (ILS) market: Integrated Library System turnover in 2009 (listed by the ILS migrated to) … Continue reading

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The Passion Paradox

This is a couple of months old, but it is worth highlighting: Unlocking the Passion Paradox Kenneth Eikenberry illustrates the benefits of being passionate about your work, and how one can encourage and develop those passions. From the post: When … Continue reading

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Top Ten Customer Service Skills for Library Staff

ALA Learning’s Top Ten Customer Service Skills for Library Staff is not only a great review of those habits that can make us more effective when we interact with the public, but are also good reminders of what we can … Continue reading

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Baker & Taylor E-Book Technology

Baker & Taylor has the next big thing in ebooks. Really! As with all of  the “next big things” we see in digital technology, we get to “wait and see”. However, reading the post makes me marvel at the possibilities … Continue reading

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How College Students Seek Information in the Digital Age

How College Students Seek Information in the Digital Age (pdf) is a report from Project Information Literacy, maintained by the Information School at the University of Washington that contains a few surprises for libraries: Course readings were the first place … Continue reading

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Sponsor a Magazine

The Lepper Library in Lisbon, Ohio has initiated a new program to deal with severe budget cuts:  they are asking their users to help out by sponsoring magazine subscriptions. This is a creative and interesting way to help maintain and … Continue reading

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Perfect Storm

The Perfect Storm is a brief essay in the current issue of the Council on Library and Information Resources (CLIR) newsletter.  G. Sayeed Choudhury, the author of the essay, states that “Universities have authentication and authorization systems to identify who … Continue reading

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