Archives for posts with tag: library
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Licence Culture Wars – Librarians Set to Battle HarperCollins

February 28, 2011 //

From LISNews: Librarian News:

Library users, librarians, and libraries have begun to boycott publisher HarperCollins over changes to the terms of service that would limit the ability of library users to borrow ebooks from libraries. A new website, BoycottHarperCollins.com, is helping to organize their efforts to get HarperCollins to return to the previous terms of service.

On February 24, Steve Potash, the Chief Executive Officer of OverDrive, sent an email to the company’s customers — primarily US libraries — announcing that some of the ebooks they get from OverDrive would be disabled after they had circulated 26 times. Soon after, librarians learned that it was HarperCollins, a subsidiary of News Corporation (NWSA), that intended to impose these limits.
Immediately, library users, librarians, and libraries began voicing their opposition to the plan by HarperCollins, with several library users and librarians urging a boycott.[full article]

26 times? I think the days of touting the freedom and ease of access of eBooks via libraries are coming to a middle. The recent excitement over rising eBook usage glosses over the implications of events like Kindle’s Orwellian muck-up a year or so ago.

A face-off with a vendor has been brewing for a while, and more are sure to follow.

EBook providers are going to switch to increasingly intransigent and limiting terms because they sense threats to their profits from other directions, such as piracy. Frustratingly, HarperCollins’ policy and others like it will slowly throttle a library’s ability to supply eBooks conveniently (for the user and the library) and affordably (for the library).

If eReaders continue to boom, and they likely will, people could choose to absorb the cost of eBooks themselves for the sake of quick access. This is unfortunately probable, since people who can afford an eReader of any sort can likely afford the cost of compatible books (related demographic info).

The outcome could be rough. Libraries will eventually loose any iniative  they’ve gained on this front and could be pushed out as an eBook access point. And, as new technology eventually surpasses print, public libraries could end up standing on a fairly bleak precipice.

Enough, doom saying. The collective weight of librarians, library users, and other supporters could roll this trend back. Visit www.boycottharpercollins.com and get involved.

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Categories Book News, Library News, Public Libraries, Technology, User experience

Trying to be a Social Media Moderate? I Propose a Rule of Three

February 23, 2011 //

Rule of Thirds

My weekly update came from LinkedIn today. Nowhere on the internet is a profile I more readily let languish. I’m not the only one.

Most of us are begrudgingly committed to LinkedIn because of the ongoing buzz as a job seach tool. Following the advice of the Internet, I need to spend that 45 minutes and update my LinkedIn profile. Afterall, not much looks worse these days than an out of date profile.

And, then what?

I find it hard to invest time in a social media tool that makes me feel like I need a tie and my interview face to use it. Not to mention, where do I find the time for it amongst my professional and personal responsibilities.

I’m not a full-time social media guru, after all. Like a lot of information professional, social media is important, but only one part of my professional reality. So, I’ve been thinking about a social media strategy that could work for me (and maybe you, too). Read the rest of this entry »

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Categories Employment, Technology, User experience, web tools

Library SoundTrack Fridays! Smith Westerns wsg/ Cut Copy and Beach Boys

February 18, 2011 //

The music world is abuzz with Radiohead talk today… I’m going to pass until I’ve heard the whole album.

But, I did make a couple good addition to my playlists this week.

The Smith Westerns remind me of the Islands in a blender with Blitzen Trapper.

And then… new music from Cut Copy!
These guys are my reigning kings of up-beat retro pop. Sing along, dance along, or just bop your head – you cannot prevent these outcome. Great album art, too.

I don’t know why I haven’t listened to Pet Sounds in so long.

“Wouldn’t It Be Nice” is attached to a handful of good and sort of painful memories, but it is a testament to its enduring amazingness that I’m still singing it (in a bad falsetto) in the shower.

Have a great weekend, everyone.

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Categories Library Soundtrack

Libraries Under Siege! Some Fiscal Light in the Budget Tunnel

February 16, 2011 //

A reason as good as any

I’ve written about Floridian public libraries and the looming threat to their funding before. Recently, they’ve had cause to breathe a little easier.

From Jasksonville’s Florida Times-Union:

While Gov. Rick Scott axed state funding for a host of programs when penning his budget, nearly $22 million set aside for Florida libraries remained untouched.

It is still early in the process, but the budgetary tea leaves now read better for library officials than many others who rely on state funding.

“I would have to think that it is good news that the governor chose not to cut the funding,” said Barbara Gubbin, director of the Jacksonville Public Libraries. [full article]

Ummm… you think? What a quote. Another conspicuous quote is missing, though.

One reason Scott may have held library funding steady is because a decrease would have affected $9 million in federal matching dollars…

It’s unclear why Scott did not cut library funding, or what role the federal match dollars played in his decision. Scott’s office did not return calls or e-mails seeking comment.

It would have been nice if the good governor had gone out on a limb and supported the libraries he was saving . Insted, he had his office cloak it in some baroque funding shell game. I guess libraries shouldn’t hold out for uneqivocal support from politicians.  

Gubbin says at the end of the article, “We have faced cuts before, and kept it in there. We know how to work the system.” Right on! Gubbin’s attitude is great. Touchy-feely appeals to the inherent value libraries are not enough.

Help is out there, too, at SaveLibraries.org. They’re blogging, collecting resources, and otherwise tweeting the 2011 world of Libraries Under Siege.

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Categories Library News, Public Libraries

Library SoundTrack Fridays! Old Favs! Pulp w/ Sun Kil Moon

February 11, 2011 //

Some old favourites have been key to my successful work-week’s soundtrack.

Let’s start off with Pulp‘s “This is Hardcore”.

I didn’t like this one when I heard it for the first time, back in like 1999. It’s melodramatic, languid drag grew on me. Now “This is Hardcore” has to be my favourite Pulp song. You have to love the intro dialogue: “Hey, I went to college once. And, all they found were rats in my head.”

And, Sun Kil Moon.

Thoughful, a little mournful and haunting, but sort of expansive – this song is perfect for day-dreaming about solitary road trips down wintry backroads. I’ve enjoyed this band for years, precisely because his songs are so simply and honestly written. Mark Kozelek’s album of Modest Mouse covers is pretty stellar, too.

Have a great Friday afternoon!

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Categories Library Soundtrack

Side-Project Sidelined? A Confession from an Entrepreurial Librarian

February 9, 2011 //

Pins I make!There are two things I can speak on with a certain amount of moderate professional authority: library stuff and making t-shirts.

Besides a budding LIS-worker, I am the owner and operator of Winged Beast Outfitters. What is Winged Beast Outfitters? It’s a graphic-fashion-design side project I started back when I was teaching. I sort of love it. Besides being a creative outlet, it’s sort of like playing Civilisation (except the game’s hooked up to my wallet).

The 2011 season starts this weekend (in Montreal for those who are interested in coming by).  It’s set to be a great show in a new venue for me. I’ll have some new products, and the return of old favourites is inevitable.

It’s not all bliss. Reconciling my lovely small business and my library career can be a challenge. I’m not just talking about time management and work-day focus (there’s lots of stock, reasonable tips on that). It can be hard, but I have a good handle on that.

I’m talking job search.

In interviews, I’ve often left my business out because it complicates the message I want to give potential employers. Or when it does come up, I get so excited it can railroad my answers.

Not to mention that Winged Beast Outfitters, or any small business, does not always fit easily onto a resume. In my case, it’s not LIS work. Because it now overlaps a lot of my previous  professional experience, the time-line looks funky on the page. It seems to muddle the flow of my resume and draw away from my LIS experience.

I really do believe there is tons of crossover relevance. All the project management, financial planning, event organizing, customer service and research skills are there and in full force, not to mention social media, marketing and web-design! And there’s record analysis(sales reports and trends) user needs analysis (seriously, you have to know your audience to an almost intuitive degree). And frankly, you have got to be self-motivated and creative to even stay half-way afloat. Read the rest of this entry »

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Categories About Me, Employment

Library SoundTrack Fridays! – Entire Cities w/ The Mountains & The Trees

February 4, 2011 //

I was torn, so I’m posting two picks from my weekly data-fixing soundtrack.

Toronto’s Entire Cities!


Some people compare the singer’s voice to the Hold Steady. There’s the same prediliction of blues rock, but filtered through Canadian indie-folk congeniality.

I also strongly suggest their song “Gimme a Ride“.

And… The Mountains & the Trees, hailing from Corner Brook, NFLD (home of the McDonald’s my family would drive to when I was little. Seriously, we had to drive 45 minutes to get a cheese burger. Thanks mom and dad.),

What can I say…  just sort of nice.

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Categories Library Soundtrack

Do You See What You Need?

February 4, 2011 //

A great little info-graphic from Information is Beautiful (my favourite info-design site):

But, this is not necessarily a new concept (from the I.is B. post).

This structure has been around for a while. (In fact does anyone knows who first came up with it?). The only new thing is relating it to visuals. And giving it a nice font.

One interesting thing. If you visualise information without designing it, you often end up with a mush or a meaningless thicket.

A lot of times, as part of the reference process, “information” and “data” are considered enough to meet user needs, leaving the higher levels of the triangle to the user’s discretion.

As librarians increasingly become moderators or brokers of information, staking a claim on those higher tiers may be worthwhile. Information design can do a lot to achieve this.

Libraries are in the information sharing business, so considering how we present information visually is pretty important. I’m a big fan on the role design can play in representing complex ideas. The ability to take raw information and make it informative is something that makes good information design invaluable.

It may seem like a superficial concern, but information design is going to be more and more relevant.

The list is the simplest and most ubiquitous tool for returning information to users (be it via search engine, OPAC, or written lists of suggested titles).  Even tag clouds are essential elaborate lists, but they are moves in the right direction.

The drive towards the semantic web (one day, maybe?) will lead to increased  expectations from users.  Search tools and providers will  have to consider more complex and subtle contextual inputs. Because the results themselves will be increasingly nuanced, the dynamics of how this information is presented will be crucial.

I’ve really no idea about how this will turn out. But, since search engine results are essentially laid out the same now as in the 90s, I’d be open to any sort of evolution.

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Categories Library Bric-a-brac, Services, Technology, User experience, web tools

Bibliotheca Alexandria Safe-ish

February 3, 2011 //

Egyptian Muesum Protected by Army Egypt’s been in the streets for a week now (and it’s clearly getting crazier). With the Egyptian Museum threatened and under the army’s protection, what about another valuable (albeit, less famous) cultural and knowledge centre: the reduxed Library of Alexandia.
Good news:

The library is safe thanks to Egypt’s youth, whether they be the staff of the Library or the representatives of the demonstrators, who are joining us in guarding the building from potential vandals and looters. I am there daily within the bounds of the curfew hours. However, the Library will be closed to the public for the next few days until the curfew is lifted and events unfold towards an end to the lawlessness and a move towards the resolution of the political issues that triggered the demonstrations.[from the BA’s site]

They’ve posted a photo gallery of citizens and librarians banding together to protect the building.

History shows that times of upheaval are not particularly kind to libraries and museums.

I have my fingers crossed that the outcome will be different this time. Here’s to speedy, safe(r), and democratic peace in Egypt.

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Categories Library News, Security

Boston PL’s Flickr Stream

February 3, 2011 //

Palestine Line

The Boston Public Library has been developing a pretty amazing and eclectic photo gallery up on flickr, all stuff scanned from their archives and special collections.

I’m partial to the Travel Poster collection. There’s also impressive Match Cover and Stereograph sets.

SterographIt’s a pretty extensive (almost 17 000 items)  example of a library using popular social media software to push out parts of collections normally inaccessible to the average library visitor.

Also, it’s just plain neat.

Houdini scrapbook

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Categories Library Bric-a-brac, Public Libraries, Technology, web tools
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