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Good To Know
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
  Factual: Parting The Curtains Of The Invisible Web
Factual: Parting The Curtains Of The Invisible Web From Gary Price's Resource Shelf comes this heads up about a new player in the Search Game. "Factual seeks to create order from chaos by allowing anyone to share and mash open data on any subject, structuring information in database-like tables." RS points out that Google struggles to find/locate the “deep” or “invisible” web content, largely because it's inside databases which Google can't easily crawl. I don't know about you, but I'm all for making order out of chaos. I'm going to scope out Factual--are you? Also get - Much More via Factual Blog
  10/14/2009 0 comments links to this post
Friday, August 21, 2009
  11 Free Adobe Photoshop Alternatives
Yes, we should all have Microsoft Picture Manager enabled on our PC...but do you sometimes need a bit more functionality to edit a photo? Check out this blogger who says "If you are not going into advanced image editing, you should know that there’s always free software out there capable to perform what Photoshop can. "
Gimp, Paint.net and Pixia were just the top 3 picks.
There’s also free web services that allows you to perform basic image editing online. Here’s few examples: About.com also has some recommentions: Here, PhotoScape, Gimp and Paint.net scored high marks.
  8/21/2009 0 comments links to this post
Wednesday, July 01, 2009
  CIA Gives World Factbook a Makeover
One of the new features of the Factbook is that many of the data fields now contain world rankings. So looking at Iceland’s life expectancy at birth, I can see that it’s 80.67 years for the total population, but I can also see it ranks 14th in the world. If I click on the 14 I can get the full ranking of all countries for this statistic (Macau ranks #1 in case you wondered.)

If you just want to get a list of a single data point for all countries, look for the “Field Listing” icon to the right of each data heading. This’ll give you all countries in alphabetical order. This is handy when you want to get an overview for unrankable information like natural resources or international disputes.

The CIA World Factbook updates every two weeks, which I keep having to remind myself is NOT slow in the age of Wikipedia. see complete article From Research Buzz at CIA Gives World Factbook a Makeover
  7/01/2009 0 comments links to this post
Friday, June 19, 2009
  Google PowerMeter
Google PowerMeter "If you cannot measure it, you cannot improve it." — Lord Kelvin "How much does it cost to leave your TV on all day? What about turning your air conditioning 1 degree cooler? Which uses more power every month — your dishwasher or your washing machine? Is your household more or less energy efficient than similar homes in your neighborhood?" Not live yet, but get the background about this tool that "shows consumers their electricity consumption in a secure Google gadget." As of summer 2009, Google is "testing the product with utility partners in the US, India and Canada" and has plans for expansion. Find videos, links to articles and reports, policy statements and testimony, a FAQ, listing of partners, and energy saving tips.
  6/19/2009 0 comments links to this post
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
  Data.gov
Great article by Laura Gordon-Murnane, Posted On June 4, 2009 http://newsbreaks.infotoday.com/NewsBreaks/Datagov-Opening-the-Doors-to-Government-Data-54337.asp "So what can you find at Data.gov? Data.gov features two searchable catalogs: a "raw" data catalog and a tools catalog. The raw data catalog consists of downloadable files in multiple formats-XML, Text/CSV, KML/KMZ, Feeds, XLS, or ESRI Shapefile. The tools catalog offers widgets, data mining and extraction tools, applications, and other services. The extraction tools enable users to create maps, tables, or charts of subsets of data (www.data.gov/faq). Each data set includes a link to a metadata page that offers a summary of the data set, user ratings, data set information, data set coverage, information from the contributing agency, a data set description, and additional technical documentation. Both catalogs are searchable by category, agency, keyword, and or data format. Every data set can be rated, Digg-style, for its value and usefulness.A handy tutorial (www.data.gov/howtouse) has been created to help walk you through the site."
  6/17/2009 0 comments links to this post
  What you need to know about car dealership closures: Consumer Reports Money & Shopping Blog
What you need to know about car dealership closures: Consumer Reports Money & Shopping Blog
  6/17/2009 0 comments links to this post
Monday, March 23, 2009
  Making Home Affordable - Home
Making Home Affordable - Home "First announced by President Barack Obama in February, Making Home Affordable will offer assistance to as many as 7 to 9 million homeowners making a good-faith effort to make their mortgage payments, while attempting to prevent the destructive impact of the housing crisis on families and communities. "
  3/23/2009 0 comments links to this post
Saturday, March 14, 2009
  Looking for Free PDF Generator - TechSoup
Looking for Free PDF Generator - TechSoup Yes, sometimes we just need a PDF--but guess what--you don't need PhotoShop or Adobe Writer! Do YOU know how to create one?

Answer: Well there is a lot of free software available. BUT--Be careful when you scope out these Tech Soup posts which discuss freeware. Most of these require a download to your PC, which LANRU wants us to avoid on Staff PCs. However, there is one site suggested by Jeff in LANRU: http://www.doc2pdf.net/ It can convert a Word doc to a PDF withtin your browser. NO download of software to your staff PC. Just scroll down past the ads to the blue box labeled "Convert this document" and use the Browse button to navigate to the location of the Word doc you want to convert. Click the convert button and zip zap, it opens in a new window as a PDF. Then just use the Save a Copy Button on the PDF toolbar. Bonus Question: How many of you realize that the Save a Copy button is an icon for a floppy disk? Old techologies die hard, I guess!

  3/14/2009 0 comments links to this post
Thursday, March 05, 2009
  More help researching the Financial Crisis

The Financial Crisis Timeline By Shirl Kennedy, Senior Editor, ResourceShelf.

"As is painfully obvious by now, the current financial crisis is complex and multifaceted, affecting virtually every sector of the economy. The Financial Crisis Timeline, from the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, is a valiant attempt to help us make sense of it all.... You’ll find relevant articles and papers; an FAQ that tackles such issues as causes of the current crisis and how it compares to the Great Depression; a large collection of data, including financial data, national and international economic trends, and yields on various treasury securities; links to other government agencies offering relevant information and reports; and a glossary of financial terms." see ResourceShelf complete post

>>>>>2/26/09, 3:09 PM

A Searcher’s Journey Through a Morass: Researching the Financial Crisis It may be more than you ever wanted to know about the current ecocomic crisis....but this article from Searcher is a great research tool, for students. See the finished Library Guide aimed at college students: “Financial Crisis” (Fogler Library) http://library.umaine.edu/social/crisisreports.htm --plus an extensive list of Financial Crisis Resources listed at the end of the article.

San Diego Public Library has a nice guide called: “Hot Topic: Crisis on Wall Street” http://www.sandiego.gov/public-library/services/hottopic17.shtml which is a good starting place for the more casual observers. Check ACORN to see if we own the book titles suggested.

  3/05/2009 0 comments links to this post
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
  U.S. Financial Crisis: American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009
Find a brief summary about the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act--with a general explanation of how your tax dollars are being spent as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, a plan to address the U.S. financial crisis.

Most importantly, it also links to the new site Recovery.gov " which is the website that lets the taxpayer figure out where the money from the Act is going. Within days after the signing of the legislation, federal agencies will start distributing funds, and you will be able to see which states, congressional districts, and federal contractors are receiving them."

Feel the need to read the complete full-text of the law? It's here (but not searchable.) The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, signed into law by President Barack Obama

For those who are keeping track...there is still TARP - The Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP)which was the Bush / Paulsen effort. TARP allows the United States Department of the Treasury to purchase or insure up to $700 billion of "troubled" assets.

Update: Feb 24, 2009 Want to know what to expect for *your* share of the stimulus tax breaks? CNN has a good chart. (thanks Jeff!)

Then, courtesy of the Resource Shelf, take a look at StimulusWatch.org - who says that "StimulusWatch.org was built to to help the new administration keep its pledge and to hold public officials to account. We do this by allowing you, citizens around the country with local knowledge about the proposed projects in your city, to find, discuss and rate those projects."

then there is the chance to make your ideas heard in Virginia! Govenor Kaine wants to hear from us! Stimulus.Virginia.gov - "The Commonwealth has developed a website for citizens, groups, localities, and others to use to share project proposals for funding from the federal stimulus package." It is a place where you, the citizen, can submit your suggestions.

The deadline for submission of the proposals is Friday, March 6, 2009. (If you're not part of the solution....)

Update: Feb 26, 2009: ALERT: For low-income and others such as retirees, disabled veterans and low-wage workers who don't usually file a federal tax return--they must file a return this year in order to receive a stimulus payment. Get details from the IRS site for Economic Stimulus Payment Information Center

  2/18/2009 0 comments links to this post
Thursday, January 15, 2009
  Pew Internet: Future of the Internet
Pew Internet: Future of the Internet by Lee Rainie A survey of Internet leaders, activists and analysts shows they expect major tech advances as the phone becomes a primary device for online access, voice-recognition improves, artificial and virtual reality become more embedded in everyday life, and the architecture of the internet itself improves. Here are the key findings on the survey of experts by the Pew Internet & American Life Project that asked respondents to assess predictions about technology and its roles in the year 2020:
  • The mobile device will be the primary connection tool to the internet for most people in the world in 2020.
  • The transparency of people and organizations will increase, but that will not necessarily yield more personal integrity, social tolerance, or forgiveness.
  • Voice recognition and touch user-interfaces with the internet will be more prevalent and accepted by 2020.
  • Those working to enforce intellectual property law and copyright protection will remain in a continuing arms race, with the crackers who will find ways to copy and share content without payment.
  • The divisions between personal time and work time and between physical and virtual reality will be further erased for everyone who is connected, and the results will be mixed in their impact on basic social relations.
  • Next-generation engineering of the network to improve the current internet architecture is more likely than an effort to rebuild the architecture from scratch.
    • see the Pew site for the full report.
      1/15/2009 0 comments links to this post
    Tuesday, January 13, 2009
      Uptick in Fiction reading

    This blog is always interesting and NOT only about eBooks, but books and publishing too! This latest post about the NEA survey includes great related content.

    Good news for e-books AND p-books: Uptick in fiction reading, says National Endowment for the Arts

    Could fiction reading finally be increasing again in the U.S.—after years of declining interest in it?

    Yes, says the National Endowment for the Arts. It credits Oprah (photo), hits like Harry Potter and Big Read-type programs.

      1/13/2009 0 comments links to this post
    Monday, December 08, 2008
      ResourceShelf � Blog Archive � The Top 10 Everything of 2008
    ResourceShelf � Blog Archive � The Top 10 Everything of 2008 This is a link to Time magazines Top Ten lists --from Albums to Worst Biz Deals
      12/08/2008 0 comments links to this post
    Thursday, December 04, 2008
      Essay - The Well-Tended Bookshelf - NYTimes.com
    Essay - The Well-Tended Bookshelf - NYTimes.com Hmm...a personal weeding policy!
      12/04/2008 0 comments links to this post
    Saturday, October 11, 2008
      Evolution to Revolution to Chaos? Reference in Transition by Stephen Abram
    Searcher magazine article:
    http://www.infotoday.com/searcher/sep08/Abram.shtml
    Well, to me, the ultimate point is this:
    "Aligning technology with user behavior no longer suffices to ensure success. We need to understand, and understand deeply, the role of the library in our end-users’ lives, work, research, and play. This is critical to our long-term success, and failure is not an option."
    fyi, Abrams works for Sirsi Dynix now. >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
    Ron,
    I think you were right on in your thoughts below. Abrams says "we have to put ourselves in all of the spaces inhabited by our users." If we did that, we would understand and work to overcome the frustrations that we present for them in accessing our resources.
    MB
    >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
    Sally - I haven't looked at the article yet, but did spend some time thinking about your "ultimate point" quotation - "..understand, and understand deeply, the role of the library.." At first, I thought along the lines of survey - we need to do one. But then I thought, what are my subjective impressions of what our users want/need. And I came up with the following, which I decided to put down and then read the article. Some of this I've probably heard at CIL or other conferences and its just now bubbling to the top...
    Users want one entrance point to all that the library has to offer. We need to work with all of our vendors to come up with the ability that users sign in/log on once and only once and from that point on, can access all of the many services and resources available on our site: library account; all subscription databases; NetLibrary ebooks and eaudiobooks; Overdrive titles; the proposed video downloads, etc. Having to access each one individually is frustrating, both for users and staff that spend a large amount of time walking users through the different steps to use our resources. Yahoo, Google, Microsoft are set-up that one sign-in gives their users access to all of their resources, many of them customized to their site. This is what our users expect and we should be pushing to make it possible. Again, as per the quote you pulled, "This is critical to our long term success.."
    Now to read the article!
    ron
    >>>>>>>>>>>>>
      10/11/2008 0 comments links to this post
    Friday, July 11, 2008
      Starbucks junkie :)
    In thinking of our services and where to focus our attention, I found this to be a good read. Plus I am a Starbucks junkie :) An email from SEA
      7/11/2008 0 comments links to this post
    Friday, May 09, 2008
      Truth: Can You Handle It? Better Yet: Do You Know It When You See It?
    Very interesting article in Washington Post (Sunday, April 27) about information and truth by consensus. If enough people believe something is true, it is accepted as fact. Also comments on need by many in today's world to want information immediately irregardless of accuracy and veracity.

    Labels: , ,

      5/09/2008 0 comments links to this post
    Wednesday, April 30, 2008
      Sciencehack.com - Seeing is believing
    ScienceHack is a unique video search engine for science videos. Every video is screened and approved based on accuracy and quality by their scientists. They are currently focusing on the following fields of science: Physics, Chemistry, and Space. Coming soon: Geology, Psychology, Robotics and Computer. Though their database is relatively small, their scientists are working very hard to index every science video on the internet. ScienceHack does not host videos; ScienceHack only indexes videos from other sites like YouTube and MetaCafe.

    Labels: , , ,

      4/30/2008 0 comments links to this post
    Wednesday, December 05, 2007
      Hands-on Review: Amazon Kindle : Christopher Null : Yahoo! Tech
    To Kindle or Not to Kindle...is THAT the next big question for libraries? This review may help us decide..that is...once the price is lowered to less than the currently astonishing $399. Still, Amazon is currently sold out at that price. But will they EVER reach a bigger manufacturing capacity? I'm a bit worried about that, when I read this downer review at TeleRead. They HAVE been keeping up with the whole eBook issue :) But that would be if we chose to circ the devices preloaded...like a Playaway. OR, what if we just buy the Kindle titles? Is that fair? Is it serving the more affluent patron? But wouldn't it be cool for patrons to put a Hold on a Kindle title we own (because there are DRM and licensing issues--as with our eAudiobooks), and when it came available--it's beamed via wifi to that patron's device? To me, it sounds more like Amazon has invented the cheapest pocket PC going...what with web browsing at Wikipedia available. And sending your OWN documents--by email...at 10 cents a pop...probably to pay for the wireless cost to transfer it. You can already connect it to your own PC and exchange stuff. I suspect that the next generation of Kindle will act more like a big fat blackberry, except for the phone part. What do YOU think? Email Sally!
      12/05/2007 0 comments links to this post
    Saturday, November 17, 2007
      Webbifying Dewey | Everything is Miscellaneous
    Check out this blog post "The estimable Lorcan Dempsey of the OCLC points to a presentation by Michael Panzer (also of the OCLC) about how to “webbify” the Dewey Decimal System...As Duncan says, “This is part of an ongoing investigation of what it means to release more of the value of ‘classic large-scale vocabularies’ in a web environment.” There’s lots of info packed into Dewey’s system. How can we best liberate that info?" It's from a very interesting blog by the author of the book by the same name: Everything is Miscellaneous by David Weinberger, Check it Out! http://www.everythingismiscellaneous.com/
      11/17/2007 0 comments links to this post
    Monday, October 29, 2007
      Book Review Podcast - New York Times
    Too busy to even READ the NYT Book Review every week? Then this podcasts is for you: Book Review Podcast - New York Times. Just visit this site from time to time, or sign up to subscribe to the weekly podcast from iTunes or MyYahoo.
      10/29/2007 0 comments links to this post
    Monday, June 18, 2007
      Interview with Slideshare founder Jon Boutelle
    Another Web 2.0 tool--It's like Flickr, but for PowerPoint slides. Sounds like a great way to collaborate with tutorials, etc. I think I would just be sure your .ppt slide presentation is really REALLY finished before you upload them!
      6/18/2007 0 comments links to this post
    Thursday, June 07, 2007
      Librarian Central - Tools
    Looking for tools to help teach your patrons how to use Google more effectively? Google has created a raft of handouts! Feel free to download and distribute these materials as widely as you'd like.
      6/07/2007 0 comments links to this post
    Tuesday, May 29, 2007
      Why is the U.S. Flag at Half-Staff?
    If you see a flag at a federal building that is flying at half-staff (I thought it was called half-MAST, but....) it's usually due to a presidential proclamation. These are found at the WhiteHouse.gov though nothing indicates "flag flying status." So browse the index of proclamations for any which mention a death, such as Rosa Parks or William H. Rehnquist. Within the text of the proclamation is the order for flags. If it is not a federal proclamation, it's local: "In the event of the death a present or former official of the government of any State, territory, or possession of the United States, the Governor of that state, territory, or possession may proclaim that the National flag shall be flown at half-staff." Try searching FirstGov.gov for the keywords: flag half-staff and see if you find orders from state governments, or search the states' website directly. Virginia has its own Flag Information page. ---Thanks to Sandy for pursuing this answer! 11/3/05 Updated 5/29507
      5/29/2007 links to this post
      The Top 60 Web 2.0 Applications in Australia
    The Top 60 Web 2.0 Applications in Australia Libraries down under have spoken: Here are the Top 60 below. The sites are ranked in approximate order of how prominent they are (or should be), based on four criteria: Compare or Contrast, anyone?
      5/29/2007 0 comments links to this post
      Early Reviewers | LibraryThing
    Early Reviewers | LibraryThing Have you always had a secret desire to be a book reviewer? Now's your chance--sign up with LibraryThing to be part of their "Early Reviewers" group. You get free books, and share your opinions with a wide audience. LibraryThing makes everyone happy and keeps everything free and fair. (Check out the rules.)
      5/29/2007 0 comments links to this post
    Wednesday, May 16, 2007
      Thingology (LibraryThing's ideas blog): Danbury, CT kicks off LibraryThing for Libraries!
    Thingology (LibraryThing's ideas blog): Danbury, CT kicks off LibraryThing for Libraries! this is pretty goundbreaking, if you ask me! A tag cloud in a bib record--what's the library world coming to? Will have to see how this plays out--but for us--we expect the next release of AquaBrowser to offer a "Commments in the Catalog" feature. Stay tuned
      5/16/2007 0 comments links to this post
    Monday, April 30, 2007
      What the heck is Twitter?
    Seems like there's a lot of people all a twitter over Twitter - and then there's a bunch of us that don't know the first thing about it. If you fall into the latter group (hey, I'm in there with you), then check out Fred Stutzman's "The 12-Minute Definitive Guide to Twitter." Might tell you somehting you don't already know...
      4/30/2007 0 comments links to this post
    Thursday, April 19, 2007
      From Computers in Libraries '07
    Sally's Three Things That are Good To Know: I think this will be a great resource, with about 10.000 images in the public domain—meaning copyright free! Trick: use Firefox to access the site, as most of the images are in a .svg file format. Lib Worm: http://www.libworm.com/ Get news for librarians, with RSS. Browse through the feeds, or search by keyword. http://www.libworm.com/rss/librarianqueries.php Steven also is in love with the RSS reader from Google, and it seems that Bloglines is on the way out. So set up Google Reader: www.reader.google.com NationMaster http://www.nationmaster.com/index.php This sites filters stats from various souces into a visual display. Stats cover countries around the world. Also see "Stats in the News" like: New Afghanistan Data.
      4/19/2007 0 comments links to this post
    Saturday, December 09, 2006
      Google 101 - not 105 or even 101.5
    "Ten Tips for Smarter Google Searches" - an article from Que magazine...
      12/09/2006 0 comments links to this post
    Thursday, November 16, 2006
      Word Tips
    We all know that word can be incredibly frustrating at times. Check out Allen Wyatt's Word Tips site - he purports 1,600 tips and tricks that should make you master of the universe (or at least the known "word").
      11/16/2006 0 comments links to this post
    Monday, September 11, 2006
      Gethuman tips
    gethuman (or how to get past a telephone tree) Formerly called the IVR Cheatsheet. This is a database of tips and shortcuts for ways to talk to an actual human person--for many U.S. based companies. Don't forget: "To find the toll-free phone number for any US-based company, try calling 1-800-555-1212 or search Google for company name plus "phone numbers". Or maybe even searching for the company name and "president office" or "investor relations."

    Also, try using 1-800-FREE-411.

      9/11/2006 0 comments links to this post
    Friday, August 25, 2006
      TIME Magazine's 50 Coolest Websites
    TIME posted its annual "50 Coolest Websites List." Also, be sure to check out "The 25 Sites We Can't Live Without."
      8/25/2006 0 comments links to this post
    Sunday, August 20, 2006
      Google Librarian Tips of the Trade
    It's Good to Know that Google can help find answers to all sorts of reference questions!
      8/20/2006 0 comments links to this post
    Friday, July 07, 2006
      "Making 'E' visible"
    The June 15 issue of Library Journal has an informative (and intriguing) article on getting patrons to utilize the electronic resources offered by libraries. Leslie Williams postulates that "To draw patrons past the Googles of the world, we need to revolutionize how electronic resources are promoted." APL is doing some of the steps she outlines - but there are additional ones that we could undertake in an effort to make sure our eSources reach as vast an audience as possible.
      7/07/2006 0 comments links to this post
    Thursday, June 29, 2006
      Noodle Tools
    Even with the unlikely name of "Noodle Tools" this is a site you will want to remember and yes, bookmark. We know that all Search Engines are not created equal...and we know we should always try more than one. But this is NOT a Search Engine--it just aims to help you choose the best one. Did you kow there is a S.E. focused on just social issues--which is great for homework ideas? That the Google Directory is better that plain Google, for finding or understanding a topic? Or that if your fave S.E. has returned just too much, try Clusty or Ask, where you can refine it quickly. Go ahead, try the same search terms on a few of these S.E. and then compare your results. (Personal note: I remember when this was a website first back in the 90's called "Choose the Best Search for Your Information Need," so they've been at this for a while!)
      6/29/2006 0 comments links to this post
    Friday, April 21, 2006
      Useful Nuggets From CIL

    This information was from a session with Chris Sherman from Search Engine Watch http://searchenginewatch.com/

    Ask.com - A First rate search engine now that he believes will continue to improve (they hired Gary Price as a consultant).
    Features:
    o Ready reference – can search an encyclopedia o Natural language searching works better than before
    o Binoculars next to results lets you preview a page w/o clicking into the website o Suggestions for narrowing and broadening the search
    o Mapping feature is great! Actually draws a line to illustrate the route and gives you an animated tour. Does walking and driving directions. Enables you to click on a location in the map w/o actually typing in an address. Has satellite pictures like Google Earth.

    Google- Sherman sees it more as an advertising site than a search engine.
    New Stuff:
    o You can create a personalized desktop o New Blog Search
    o Google Base – Like eBay
    o Google Mars and Google Moon
    o Google Books Partner Program- online book marketing program. Google has formed contractual agreements with publishers to scan their books. They either scan all of the book or parts depending on copyright restrictions. There is a link to buy the book.
    o Google Print Library Project- Includes collections of a few libraries. Full text of books that are in the public domain. They are talking about putting an OCLC link at the bottom so people can find the book in their library.

    MSN- They are putting a lot of money into their search engine.
    New Stuff:
    o Advertising will be targeted toward demographic information and search behavior.
    o MSN local – gives you a satellite view as well as a bird's eye view. You can choose to be a racecar driver, person, etc. and navigate through the streets.
    o Acquired Onfolio – described as Bookmarks on steroids. (Not on their msn.com site yet.)
    o Search clustering? (I couldn't find this, not quite sure what it does, but it sounds cool.)

    Interesting Snippet- In China their results displays on Google are almost entirely advertisements and that is the way they prefer it.
      4/21/2006 0 comments links to this post
    Saturday, April 15, 2006
      Computers in Libraries 2006: Presentation Links
    Computers in Libraries 2006: Presentation Links
    They're HEEEERE. Link on over to presentations from CIL. Even if you couldn't make it to the Conference, there is much to be gleaned from the speakers' remarks. And while Content is always King at CIL, this year you heard more from the dais ABOUT Content, then about tech trends like wi-fi or handhelds...at least in the tracks I attended!
    My faves: I think my current " #1 Good Thing" was the Searching the New Digital Formats Christina Pikas. and Greg Schwartz
     Steven M. Cohen is always encouraging, as a self-avowed non-techie.
    Instant Messaging: Aaron Schmidt and Michael Stephens for discussions about IM
    --I didn't attend her session, but I had a chance to chat with Amanda Etches-Johnson, whose Blog Without a Library is well known. I think her presentation on IM at her university library shows IM reference is most successful with the built-in user populations like college students.
      4/15/2006 0 comments links to this post
    Wednesday, February 22, 2006
      Internet Archive
    You may be familiar with the Internet archive known as the Wayback Machine, but it has really grown into a massive compendium. Now the Internet Archive includes texts, audio, moving images, and software as well as archived web pages. Audiofiles inlcude live concerts too ! The etext collection includes Project Gutenberg files, plus the Million Book Project (not to be confused with the Google Books effort.) Plus, find special collections such as: the general election of 2000, pioneers of the Internet, Hurricane Katrina, and the United States government.
      2/22/2006 0 comments
    Friday, January 20, 2006
      Google Librarian newsletter
    It IS nice to see that Google is interested in Librarians, and what we think! Take a look.
      1/20/2006 0 comments links to this post
    Friday, January 13, 2006
      Internet Resources for Children's Librarians

    Some highlights from the Dan Ream workshop:

    For all the sites Dan recommended take a look at this page: http://www.people.vcu.edu/~dream/arlingtonchild05.htm He said he would keep it available for a year, so it might be worth printing out!

      1/13/2006 0 comments links to this post
    Thursday, December 01, 2005
      Library Best Practices Wiki
    Good compendium of various sites and links, to quote: "Welcome to Library Success: A Best Practices Wiki. This wiki was created to be a one-stop-shop for great ideas and information for all types of librarians. All over the world, librarians are developing successful programs and doing innovative things with technology that no one outside of their library knows about. There are lots of great blogs out there sharing information about the profession, but there is no one place where all of this information is collected and organized."
      12/01/2005 0 comments links to this post
    Thursday, November 10, 2005
      Google Print for Libraries -- Now called Google Library Project
    As you may have heard, "Google Print makes offline information searchable... What is the goal of Google Print for Libraries? This project's aim is simple: make it easier to find relevant books. We hope to guide more users to books – specifically books they might not be able to find any other way – all while carefully respecting authors' and publishers' copyrights. Our ultimate goal is to work with publishers and libraries to create a comprehensive, searchable, virtual card catalog of all books in all languages that helps users discover new books and publishers find new readers. " Not everyone has been so enthusiastic...read the legal scholar's take and also check out the NPR story plus an author's view. And here's another well rounded discussion: http://www.aaupnet.org/aboutup/issues/gprint.html Thanks to Jason for pointing out the lastest news here. Gary Price says: "If you're interested in learning about the print book collections of the five libraries Google plans to scan/digitize (assuming all goes as planned), a new article in Digital Libraries: Anatomy of Aggregate Collections, uses data from OCLC's WorldCat (the largest bibliographic database in the world) to provide breakdowns and comparisons."
      11/10/2005
    Sunday, October 23, 2005
      Google Librarian Center
    Is Google aiming to be the Librarians New Best Friend? hard to say. But here you can sign up for a quarterly email newsletter just for librarians. As Sun Tzu (and Michael Coreleone!) are oft quoted: "Keep your friends close, but your enemies closer."
      10/23/2005 links to this post
    Monday, October 17, 2005
      WebCam Central : WebCams by Category : Category Listing
    Webcams are everywhere now, but it's been hard to tell exactly WHERE they are. This site is a step up from just searching for cams on Google, since you ARE able to search by category or custom keywords.
      10/17/2005 links to this post
    Tuesday, October 04, 2005
      Check out these news feeds via RSS!
    These are great sites & worth visiting frequently! And RSS is the best way to keep up with them. LIS News and Research Buzz If you've forgotten what RSS is, or how to subscribe...see earlier post here http://gtn.blogspot.com/2005/03/rss-compendium-welcome-to-rss.html If you have already setup a My Yahoo or Bloglines account to get RSS feeds, Add This to your RSS http://lisnews.org/index.rss Add This to your RSS account http://www.researchbuzz.com/researchbuzz.rss
      10/04/2005 links to this post
    Thursday, September 29, 2005
      News site podcasts - CyberJournalist.net
    CyberJournalist.net posted a list of pubcasters with podcasts...and here's a list of even more than a dozen other news sites with podcasts (links go to podcast feeds): If you like istening to the news instead of reading or watching it...this one's for you!
      9/29/2005 0 comments links to this post
    Friday, September 16, 2005
      Google now searches blogs
    The September 15 Washington Post business section details Google's new blog search capabilities (click on the title link above to read the article). Sally had previously posted about using the Clusty search engine to find information in blogs and the pertinent reasons for looking to do so. To utilize this new feature, go to Google and click on "more" in the top menu and then on the "Blog Search" link under "Services "
      9/16/2005 0 comments links to this post
    Tuesday, September 13, 2005
      Hurricane Katrina - various info
    See the county's storm and hurricane portal for any local updates and the latest on Hurricane Katrina Relief.
    Web Junction has a discussion/forum which already has useful posts. The Librarians Index to the Internet has organized a large collection of Katrina sites. The official source for info on hurricanes is the National Hurricane Center. The Washington Post offers several types of info & graphics, including: Recovery and How You Can Help plus Who's Blogging Another blogger: Eye of the Storm Find full coverage at Yahoo News FEMA has sites for Louisana and Mississippi. A well organized Wiki is pulling together current and background info. Created 8/31/05 (updated 9/13/05)(removed some entires 9/13/05)
      9/13/2005 links to this post
    Thursday, September 01, 2005
      Clusty the Clustering Engine - and Blogs Too!
    Clusty the Clustering Engine Are you looking for Blogs in all the wrong places? Not to worry, try the Clusty search engines custom search of the blogosphere. Why search blogs? Just one more "pocket" of the WWW that can offer discussion or info...especially on a single topic or focus. Think Clusty sounds like a joke? Trust the folks at Search Engine Watch
      9/01/2005 0 comments links to this post
    Monday, August 01, 2005
      Chang is here!
    We welcome Chang as the newest poster for Good To Know.
      8/01/2005 0 comments links to this post
    Sunday, July 31, 2005
      Shelf Life
    (appeared in the Washington Post magazine, 7/31/05.) Here's the view from DC Public, with a sidebar on Loudoun's new branch in Ashburn.

    "It's a strange time for public libraries in the United States. Cities from Seattle to Salt Lake City to Fayetteville, Ark., have recently built beautiful modern libraries in their downtowns. Smaller versions have also opened in growing suburban areas. And the circulation numbers nationwide are at an all-time high. At the same time, the city of Salinas, Calif., birthplace of author John Steinbeck, nearly shut down its library system recently because of budget shortages, a plan that was halted only after a public outcry. Other systems have also suffered financially in the last few years as local budgets have tightened.

    Washington has underfunded its library system for decades. The results are predictable. A recent independent ranking of library systems nationwide placed Washington 61st out of 77 in quality and resources among cities with populations over 500,000.

    Drive past the lake with the fountain in the middle, and you come to Loudoun County's Ashburn Library."
      7/31/2005 0 comments links to this post
    Saturday, July 30, 2005
      A Simpler Interface
    Do you prefer the uncluttered look of Google over the more crowded look of Yahoo? Most people don't realize it, but these two search engines can give different results. So, it is important to search both, and not to neglect one over the other because of an aesthetic gripe. What you can do to make Yahoo look more like Google is simply click on the "Yahoo Search" button and you will find the interface surprisingly familiar:
      7/30/2005 0 comments links to this post
      Use Google like AskJeeves
    If you have a basic question such as "How many inches are in a foot?" or What is the capital of Florida?" Google will display the answer at the top of the page much like AskJeeves. So type in your query using natural language and give it a try!
      7/30/2005 0 comments links to this post
    Tuesday, June 28, 2005
     
    A Search Engine for Acronyms From Research Buzz: Esus has announced the release of Acronyma, a search engine with an index of over 450,000 acronyms and abbreviations. It's available at http://www.acronyma.com/ You may search in several different languages, and you may search by word or by acronym. I searched for the acronym Yahoo and got one result (Yet Another Hierarchical Officious Oracle). I searched for Perl and got four results, then searched for Pine and got three results (including the expected "Pine is Not Elm".) Results are listed by relevance/importance or alphabetically as you prefer.
      6/28/2005 0 comments links to this post
    Wednesday, May 25, 2005
      Truth in Advertising?
    Yesterday's Washington Post "The Magazine Reader" column had a short synopsis of a Scientific American article on how drug and chemical corporations use "product defense" to whitewash the dangers of their products. The full article is only available via the hardcopy of the magazine since the SciAm site calls for a paid subscription and InfoTrac OneFile only provides an abstract. The Post article is copied as follows:

    Manufacturing Doubt By Peter Carlson Washington Post Staff Writer Tuesday, May 24, 2005; Page C04 _____

    Back in 1969, an executive at the tobacco company Brown & Williamson wrote a line that summed up Big Tobacco's attempt to confuse the public about the health effects of smoking: "Doubt is our product since it is the best means of competing with the 'body of fact' that exists in the mind of the general public."

    "In recent years, many other industries have eagerly adopted this strategy," David Michaels writes in an important article in the June Scientific American. The article is called "Doubt Is Their Product," and it exposes how drug and chemical corporations hire "product-defense" companies to create "scientific" studies that whitewash the dangers of their merchandise.

    Michaels, a professor of environmental and occupational health at George Washington University, knows his subject. He watched these companies in action in the 1990s, when he was assistant secretary for environmental safety and health at the Energy Department and was trying to regulate the highly toxic element beryllium.

    "If a pharmaceutical firm faces questions about the safety of one of its drugs," he writes, "its executives trumpet company-sponsored trials that show no significant health risks while ignoring or hiding other studies that are much less reassuring. The vilification of threatening research as 'junk science' and the corresponding sanctification of industry-commissioned research as 'sound science' has become nothing less than standard operating procedure."

    To illustrate his point, Michaels recounts the tales of how drug companies used dubious studies to defend the pain-reliever Vioxx, which was shown to cause heart attacks, and the appetite suppressant PPA, which caused hemorrhagic strokes in young women. Both drugs have now been withdrawn from the market.

    The Bush administration and its allies in Congress have aided these corporations, Michaels says, by passing a bill in 2001 that made it easier for companies to challenge government-funded research.

    "I believe it is fair to say that never in our history have corporate interests been as successful as they are today in shaping science policies to their desires," Michaels writes. "We need a better balance between health and money."
      5/25/2005 0 comments links to this post
    Tuesday, May 10, 2005
      Search Engines -- Taking over the world???
    The Seattle Times: Business & Technology: How "search" is redefining the Web — and our lives This intriguing articletalks not just about cool things seach engines are adding to attract us, but how this ramps up concerns over privancy and security ..." In developing its own search engine, Microsoft found that people search an average of 11 minutes before they find what they are looking for. See how long it takes to find the top five university marine-biology programs, or the store with the cheapest tires in Seattle. You searched for java, but did you mean coffee, the island or the programming language? If we increasingly live in an "always on" world, and if our every task starts with a question, then every task could start with search, said Mark Anderson, a Friday Harbor technology forecaster. Search moves to the front of how we think and work, he said, and its impact becomes staggering. "Huge," he said. "That's where the big money is. The number of eyeballs goes up hugely, and all the money comes from eyeballs." So where does search go from here? Some experts say the technology will jump digital boundaries from the browser to other platforms. Its next stop is the cellphone [and mobile devices] in the future, television."
      5/10/2005 0 comments links to this post
    Sunday, May 08, 2005
      Based on the Book - MCPL
    Ceated by a library system in Missouri, this handy list can be sorted by Movie or Book title, Year or Author name. Nothing fancy, but exactly what I needed to remember the name of the movie based on The Orchid Thief.
      5/08/2005 0 comments links to this post
    Thursday, May 05, 2005
      Going Under Cover with Book Search Tools
    The Text Is Out There..er, I mean IN there. You can actually search within the source now --if you follow these tips and tricks from Gary Price. You can zoom in on fulltext from the Google Library Print program, as well as Amazon's 'Search Inside the Book" feature.
      5/05/2005 0 comments links to this post
    Wednesday, May 04, 2005
      To IM or not to IM
    Virtual reference or reference chat is receiving a lot of attention. Library Journal, in their April 1 issue, had an article of interest. Be sure to check out their "Best Practices" sidebar at the end of the article. IM Me
      5/04/2005 0 comments links to this post
      Library blogs - they're everywhere!
    Blogs address almost everything and this is true in the world of Libraries. Check out this listing of over 300 blogs that touch on librarianism is some manner or another. 300+ library blogs
      5/04/2005 0 comments links to this post
    Thursday, April 21, 2005
      Financial Education
    Resource Shelf by Shirl Kennedy, Deputy Editor "Financial literacy is an important subset of information literacy. Our Resource of the Week is a content-rich site from the Federal Reserve Board." This is a GREAT site for just about anyone who needs to improve their financial IQ. Good for personal use, for teachers, or for students.
      4/21/2005 0 comments links to this post
    Monday, April 18, 2005
      The future of information?
    Courtesy of Leah Noonan's LCCcTeach blog: "Take a moment -- no, take 8 minutes -- to view this thought-provoking piece. Audio is essential. It is a view of the Internet and the news as seen from the year 2014 -- which seems very far away, until you do the math -- it's less than 9 years away. The material up to the year 2005 is accurate -- after that, it's speculation, but entirely possible."
    Note: you might have to download and install the most up-to-date version of Flash
      4/18/2005 0 comments links to this post
    Sunday, April 17, 2005
      iPod fans & downloadable audiobooks
    The Post's "Fairfax Weekly" had this item on the Pairfax County Libraries experiences with offering digital audiobooks through NetLibrary. Take Note: Arlington will begin offering these audiobooks later this summer. They can be downloaded to various MP3 players, EXCEPT the Apple iPod, which Apple will not license. For Libraries, a New Chapter in Computer Woes (washingtonpost.com)
      4/17/2005 0 comments links to this post
    Tuesday, April 12, 2005
      Kids Search Engines
    A timely entry in the ongoing discussion about children's use of the web and filtering, brought to you by the knowledgeable author of the SearchEngine Watch website. "The services below are designed primarily to serve the needs of children, either in focus, or by filtering out sites that some parents and teachers might find inappropriate for kids. These usually include sites that deal with explicit sexual matters, porn sites, violence, hate speech, gambling and drug use." Scroll down on this site, for listings or jump directly to: Major Children's Guides - Filtering Options Other Children's Search Engines - Filtering and Blocking Software Related Articles Major Children's Guides & Directorie
      4/12/2005 0 comments links to this post
    Monday, April 11, 2005
      Library blogs & tips on following blogs
    Karen Schneider, in her blog "Free Range Librarian," lists a number of useful library-oriented blogs plus gives some tips on how best to follow the happenings on blogs you might be tracking...
      4/11/2005 0 comments links to this post
    Thursday, April 07, 2005
     
    Exalead? What's that? This is the new search engine (still in Beta) from France that is getting noticed by the heavy hitters in the industry (think Greg Notess!). Its barebones look is pretty Google-esque but the results can be customized and it gives a small snapshot of what the site looks like. Worth checking out!
      4/07/2005 0 comments links to this post
     
    What can Google do for you? Take some time to explore all the services Google has to offer by clicking on the “More” button on the main page. Of note: Alerts- Sign up for customized RSS notices, Check out Keyhole (need to subscribe but you can get a free 7 day trial) – a really amazing satellite mapping site, available directly at http://maps.google.com/ Plus, explore Google Labs to see what is coming down the pike.
      4/07/2005 0 comments links to this post
     
    5th Annual Search Engine Watch Awards The votes are in...and some of the winners may surprise you...it's not always Google. Another reason why savvy searchers say "Always try at least TWO search engines."
      4/07/2005 0 comments links to this post
     
    IM @ Your Library ? Who among us is a fan of Instant Messaging? So, is it better than email? .Is it going to replace email? Check this link and see how some public libraries are alredy offering it to their users.
      4/07/2005 0 comments links to this post
    Thursday, March 31, 2005
     
    Is Yahoo your new best friend?
      3/31/2005 0 comments links to this post
     
    Do You Still Yahoo? Guardian Unlimited | Online | Ben Hammersley: Second Sight "Yahoo is the new Google. Google is the new Yahoo. Up is down, and black is white... Last month's launch of Google Maps was impressive, but not as cool as Yahoo's placing of live traffic conditions on its map this month....Yahoo has a rich site summary (RSS) aggregator, Google does not. Yahoo has a search engine for online movies, Google does not. " So maybe Yahoo is your new best friend. Sounds to me like Google searches MORE but Yahoo searches BETTER.
      3/31/2005 0 comments links to this post
    Wednesday, March 30, 2005
     
    Estate Planning for Everyone From Nolo Press, this site is simple and clear about this difficult topic. For more than you ever wanted to know about Death and Dying, see the Yahoo Directory. Topics include Advance Directives, Cemetaries, Funerals, Memorials, Death of a Pet, and more. U.S. Living Will Registry "The U.S. Living Will Registry is a privately held organization that electronically stores advance directives, organ donor information and emergency contact information, and makes them available to health care providers across the country 24 hours a day through an automated system." This site is for consumers too, and while there are many sites to help in developing a Living Will, what is unusual here is the fact that it actually stores it for you." And if you think this may not apply to you, consider this 3/29/05 New York Times article, "The Best Way to Keep Control: Leave Instructions." With thanks to Jim Robinson, for suggesting some of these sites.
      3/30/2005 0 comments links to this post
    Tuesday, March 29, 2005
     
    Tip! You can save any ProQuest article as a bookmark or favorite. Just right-click on it from your search result.
      3/29/2005 0 comments links to this post
    Thursday, March 24, 2005
     
    From ResourceShelf Personal Computers-- Statistics Source: Computer Industry Almanac PCs In-Use Surpassed 820M in 2004; PCs In-Use Will Top 1B in 2005 "The worldwide number of PCs in-use surpassed 820 million in 2004 and is projected to top 1 billion in 2007. PCs in-use growth is slowing as the industrialized world is approaching the top of the S-curve. Strong PC growth will continue in the developing countries for another decade. The U.S. has a large lead with over 220M PCs in-use--over 3X the number in Japan. The U.S. accounts for over 27% of all PCs in-use compared to 4.6% of worldwide population. PC usage is growing rapidly in China, which is expected to surpass Japan in 2007. PC usage is also growing strongly in many populous countries such as Brazil, India and Russia." While you're at it, check out the current population stats on the Census Population Clock
      3/24/2005 0 comments links to this post
     
    Mary Ellen Bates - Tip of the Month Is This For Real? Search Pro Mary Ellen reminds us "...how easy it is for people to rely on web sites that look authoritative but aren't necessarily accurate or up to date. (For an example of a site that, at first glance, looks reliable, see the web page for the RYT Hospital) Following are some of the techniques I use to figure out whether a site can be relied upon. .." Take a minute to review her tips, for yourself, your patrons or the sites you "own" on the library website.
      3/24/2005 0 comments links to this post
    Tuesday, March 15, 2005
     
    ICARUS... the Santa Fe Public Library Blog Check out this new effort in blogging which blends news with chatty postings from everything to the latest drought to the books read this week in Storytimes. Since they also have a link to their library catlog, it's almost like this is a library website "lite."
      3/15/2005 0 comments links to this post
    Tuesday, March 08, 2005
     
    "Since October 11, 2004, Mount St. Helens has been in a constant eruptive state." ... HOW eruptive, you ask? You need to see the VolcanoCam Mount St. Helens VolcanoCam - Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument Also see the section for VolcanoCam Movies...with the VolcanoCam Images Archive and the Hall of Fame Images--impressive!
      3/08/2005 0 comments links to this post
     
    News: 'Half-Blood Prince' book jackets revealed Something for HP fans to drool over until the book is released....Countdown to Book 6: at this moment, it's 129 days, 9 hours, 37 minutes, and ....however many Seconds But did YOU know there is an entire news aggregator for Harry Potter? The Harry Potter Automatic News Aggregator (HPANA) was created to monitor several of the top news sources on the Web and provide near-instant alerts when new information is published. It's lots more than The Leaky Cauldron and what's pretty cool is how many students participate. Check it out!
      3/08/2005 0 comments links to this post
    Monday, March 07, 2005
     
    Yahoo! Netrospective: 10 years, 100 moments of the Web Hard to believe, isn't it? Yahoo is TEN years old yes, but some folks may not realize that in 1995, Yahoo was one of the FEW directory/search engines around. The Netrospective is also fun to look at, and just click around...sort of a fancy photo album!
      3/07/2005 0 comments links to this post
    Sunday, March 06, 2005
     
    Books2Films Imagine that -- movies sometimes inspire viewers to read the book. Unfortunately, this blog won't help very much! Missing are most classics (Gone with the Wind) and as for alphabetical order...well, here it's really more of a guideline. Free advice: If you just want to browse a list of film titles which started out as a book, you are probably better off just using the power searches at IMDb.com So, bookmark this Power Search at IMDb, to locate books made into films. Also worth saving is link to the list of Keywords which INCLUDE "based on" where you'll find based on adapdation, based children's book, etc. (scroll down to this part of the index.)
      3/06/2005 0 comments links to this post
     
    RSS Compendium: "Welcome to the RSS Compendium, designed to link you to information about RSS readers, resources, tools, etc... This resource was originally a sub-set of files in my Weblogs Compendium resource, but it has grown so much that it now demands its own index." Wow! Peter Scott has created this clearinghouse for RSS, where you can learn more about the notion of RSS (see RSS History) or just find more feeds.
      3/06/2005 0 comments links to this post
     
    Amazon.com: Help / Amazon.com Services / Recommendations /How to Suppress If you shop or use Amazon.com to fiind product information, you may be frustrated at irrelevant reccomendations that pop up all the time. Here's the word straight from Amazon: How do I turn off recommendations? Simply click the link on our home page that says "If you're not (your name), click here." Then, leave the e-mail and password spaces blank and click the "Welcome" tab. This will remove our recommendations for you during your visit. If instead you want to stop your name from appearing on the site, and shop without our recommendations features present, you can accomplish this by logging out of our web site. On the Amazon.com home page, click the link that says "If you’re not ___, click here." Then, leave the e-mail and password spaces blank and click the "Welcome" tab at the top of the page. Doing so will remove your name and recommendations from all Amazon pages. The next time you identify yourself on the site by placing an order or entering your e-mail address and password, your personalized features will return. You can simply repeat the steps above to clear your name. So, this means you WILL have to sign in to your account, in order to view a Wisih List, or any saved addressed. The other thing I do is mark everything I purchase as a gift....which should keep it from prompting recommendations
      3/06/2005 0 comments links to this post
    Thursday, March 03, 2005
     
    Wired 13.03: The Book Stops Here: "In 2005, the nonprofit venture is the largest encyclopedia on the planet. Wikipedia offers 500,000 articles in English - compared with Britannica's 80,000 and Encarta's 4,500 - fashioned by more than 16,000 contributors. Tack on the editions in 75 other languages, including Esperanto and Kurdish, and the total Wikipedia article count tops 1.3 million." What's a wiki...not to mention a wikipedia? A wiki uses software which allows anybody with Web access to go to a site and edit, delete, or add to what's there. the wikipediai would be created not by paid experts and editors, but by whoever wanted to contribute. A revolutionary model for cooperative web efforts! Give it a look at the Wikipedia at http://www.wikipedia.org/ and choose a langugae.
      3/03/2005 0 comments links to this post
    Wednesday, March 02, 2005
     
    The Video Game Librarian Special @ Gaming Target Wow - should we be adding video games? Food for thought!
      3/02/2005 0 comments links to this post
    Saturday, February 26, 2005
     
    Sure, bestseller lists abound, but look over the one from Amazon.com...if they aren't tapped into what people are reading, then who is? Then click over to Libary Journal's Most Borrowed Books lists Fiction and Non-Fiction For a refreshing change from what's HOT, see Amazon's Recommended Reading for 2005 and their spin on what's new and noteworthy.
      2/26/2005 0 comments links to this post
    Saturday, February 12, 2005
     
    On beyond blog feeds Blogger Mary Hodder now relies more on feeds constructed via search queries than on feeds from individual weblogs. Napsterization after a while, I started reading all the search feeds first, and a few blogger’s feeds, but the rest of the single blog feeds have become less important.
      2/12/2005 0 comments links to this post
    Friday, February 11, 2005
     
    The Johnson County Sun Librarian fired for 'good deed' that violated confidentiality. Do YOU remember what to do if you get a request for library customer information? Read through the policy on SQ for Privacy of Customer Records
      2/11/2005 0 comments links to this post
    Friday, February 04, 2005
     
    Library Journal - Virginia Won't Ban Guns from Libraries A Virginia House committee has rejected a bill that would have allowed public libraries to ban guns, with members saying there were not problems cited regarding guns in libraries and that the measure would complicate state laws. According to the Daily Press, bill proponent Del. Mamye BaCote of Newport News argued that kids often go to libraries to do homework. "Libraries are an extension of public schools," she said, "and they should be protected.
      2/04/2005 0 comments links to this post
    Wednesday, February 02, 2005
     
    Yahoo! News - Crichton best-seller stokes fire over global warming This seems ironic to me, since I could barely get *through* this book,I found it SO hard to read. :) Still isn't it good to get people talking?!
      2/02/2005 0 comments links to this post
     
    Yahoo! News - Rowling Warns Potter Fans - Watch Out for Scams
      2/02/2005 0 comments links to this post
    Tuesday, February 01, 2005
     
    Yup, Google Launches Video Search Google has quietly added a video search to their labs. The labs are at http://labs.google.com , the video search is at http://video.google.com/ . And as always, the interface is simple; a query box and that's about it.
      2/01/2005 0 comments links to this post
    Monday, January 31, 2005
     
    Pew Internet & American Life Project: Internet adoption Has it really been ten years? "A decade of adoption: How the internet has woven itself into American life"
      1/31/2005 0 comments links to this post
     
    Quick Reference / Research Not many ready ref questions that couldn't be answered from a link on refdesk.com Just look past the ads and focus on the content.
      1/31/2005 0 comments links to this post
     
    The Bulwer-Lytton Fiction Contest Calling all authors on the library staff - how does YOUR writing match up to the infamous "It was a dark and stormy night....?"
      1/31/2005 0 comments links to this post
     
    Oh my aching back! See this ergonomic Checklist and remember: be good to your back, it's the only one you've got. Watch out for items on this checklist, as well as the rest of the site.
      1/31/2005 0 comments links to this post
    Tuesday, January 04, 2005
     
    Ten Rules For Search Engines If you think you already know all about using Search Engines - think again.
      1/04/2005 0 comments links to this post
    Friday, December 31, 2004
     
    Librarians in the Movies -- An Annotated Filmography I'm ready for my close-up, Mr. DeMille....and so is Goldie Hawn and many more.
      12/31/2004 0 comments links to this post
    Monday, November 22, 2004
     
    The Tranformation of the Public Library: Intro So - are we there yet? Check it out!
      11/22/2004 0 comments links to this post
    Wednesday, May 26, 2004
     
    WebJunction Web Junction is a nifty site, with lots to offer Public Libraries. Use it as a shared community of ideas: "borrow" some to adapt or consider. Sign up for free registration too!
      5/26/2004 0 comments links to this post
    Sally's weblog of Links, Notes, and Info - which may be of interest to Library staff. (NOTE: Click entry titles for links to topic source.)