07.24.05
Posted in General at 11:55 pm by Paloma Cruz
Something from PLA, found on the ALA site:
PLA provides funding for “Grow Your Own @ Your Library®” institutional scholarships for public libraries
The Public Library Association (PLA), a division of the American Library Association (ALA), will award five public libraries with grants of $8,000 each to be distributed to staff for work toward obtaining a master’s degree in library and information studies. The application deadline for this pilot program is December 1, 2005.
The scholarship terms require that $6,500 be used directly for payment of tuition at the undergraduate level, or at an ALA-accredited library school graduate level, for as many staff as the recipient library chooses, and $1,500 is to be used to support attendance for one or more of the selected scholarship recipients to attend PLA-sponsored continuing education.
“PLA recognizes that the institution is strategically positioned to best identify those employees with a commitment to librarianship, public libraries and the community,” said Clara Bohrer, PLA past-president and chair of the PLA Institutional Scholarship Task Force. “And, we know there is tremendous need for staff with the MLS. We are very pleased to provide libraries with resources to help them increase the number of public librarians by growing their own.”
Scholarships will be made on a competitive basis. Applications will be reviewed by the PLA Institutional Scholarship Jury. Applicants will be notified of their status by February 1, 2006. Bachelor or master level courses taken between February 2006 and March 2008 are eligible for tuition reimbursement under this program. For criteria and application information, please visit PLA’s website at: http://www.pla.org/ala/pla/scholarshipapp.pdf.
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Posted in General at 1:53 pm by Paloma Cruz
I found this on Encarta and thought I should share:
Could You Be the Next J. K. Rowling?
Excerpt:
So the fantasy of being the next J. K. Rowling is probably just that. What she accomplished is every bit as magical and mysterious as her books.
What accounts for the huge success of the Harry Potter series? And what would it take to reproduce that success?
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07.23.05
Posted in General at 9:45 am by Paloma Cruz
Posts will be scarce for the next few days, because of a back pain.
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07.20.05
Posted in General at 8:39 pm by Paloma Cruz
Michigan State University has this wonderful site where you can view political campaign ads from 1952 to 2004, among other things.
EASE History is a rich learning environment that supports the learning of US history. Over 600 videos and photographs are currently available in EASE History.
EASE History has three entry points: Historical Events, Campaign Ads, and Core Values. Learn about US History through the prism of US presidential campaign ads, better understand the complexities of campaign issues and their historical context by looking at historical events, and explore the meanings of core values by examining how these values have been applied in both historical events and campaign ads. Three learning modes, single and multiple theme searches, and resources support the comparing and contrasting of historical cases. EASE History’s goal is to support experience acceleration- to help learners think more like historians.
This is definitely worth visiting and keeping bookmarked. (Found the site via Blogspotting, another site worth keeping bookmarked.)
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07.19.05
Posted in General at 10:02 pm by Paloma Cruz
One of the (many) emails I receive every day is from Library Link of the Day. I’ve found a lot of useful and just plain interesting items through this free email service. Of course, most of the time you actually have to follow the link to figure out what’s being highlighted on any given day, but it’s usually worth it.
The Library Link of the Day provides you a daily link for keeping up to date with the library profession. Destinations include the latest library news, good reads on the web, and other valuable resources that a library knowledge worker should know about. The link is presented without commentary. Links always lead to free content, but sometimes require registration (also free).
Here are a few things that have been spotlighted recently:
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07.18.05
Posted in General at 7:43 pm by Paloma Cruz
Why is Harry Potter important?
I haven’t read even one of the books. Yes, I’ve seen the movies and will probably continue to watch the new releases (as they’re released), but I don’t anticipate that I’m going to go out and buy the book. It’s not the type of reading I’m into right now.
So, having stated that I’m not a fan of the Harry Potter books, I have to say that I’m a big fan of Harry Potter books.
Have I confused you yet?
It would probably be a more accurate statement if I said that I’m a big fan of what Harry Potter books have achieved. The demand and security surrounding Saturday’s release of the new book can only be compared to concert tickets or a blockbuster movie.
Imagine a book that sells @ 6 million copies in a 24-hour period, bringing in @ $100 million in sales. It’s mind-boggling.
Anyway, here are links to other people’s words, posts and news about Harry Potter:
- Harry Potter and reading from Baby Boomer Librarian. “One of the best gifts any new parent can give to their child is a love for reading. It is a gift that never gets old.“
- Harry Potter Setting New Sales Records - Many Bookstores Opened Doors At Minute Past Midnight, reported by Click2Houston.com. “J.K. Rowling continues her book-selling wizardry. Her latest Harry Potter book is flying off the shelves — selling 6.9 million copies in the first 24 hours. [snip] Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince” is selling at a rate of about 250,000 per hour in the United States — that’s more than the vast majority of books sell in a lifetime.”
- Harry Potter makes book sales history - again, reported by the Houston Chronicle. “The new Harry Potter book sold an astonishing 6.9 million copies in its first 24 hours, smashing the record held by the previous Potter release. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince averaged better than 250,000 sales per hour, more than the vast majority of books sell in a lifetime.”
Want more? Do a Technorati search to find out what’s being posted in the blogosphere about Harry Potter.
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07.17.05
Posted in General at 7:26 pm by Paloma Cruz
Tutorials
Virtual Training
Another link found via Library Supporter.
Learn how to get the best from the Web with these free online tutorials
Each tutorial offers a step-by-step guide to using the Internet to help with a particular topic. Ideal if you’re quite new to the Web, or just interested in these subjects!
You can work in your own time at your own pace - no one is monitoring you. There are quizzes and interactive exercises to lighten the learning. Each tutorial will take an hour or two to complete, but you could just dip in and out. It’s an easy way to learn more about the Internet.
Capitvate Tutorials
::schwagbag:: has posted IM & Email Reference Staff Training with Captivate Tutorials.
Paul had asked a while back if I could share the Captivate tutorials that I put together for staff training, so here they are. They served to get staff up-to-speed on some of the basic and initial setup procedures before we met for some f2f training. Basically, it saved me a whole lot of time running from office to office setting up email proxies and Trillian : ) The staff were quite receptive to using the tutorials to get themselves set up on their own.
These tutorials are highly specific to our setup here at UNLV (i.e. Lotus Notes for email, etc). However if you’re interested in what’s involved for creating a home-grown IM/email reference setup at your library, these humble little tutorials may provide some insight.
The tutorials may seem a bit choppy because I created them back in May when we first got Captivate, and these are my first and not especially glamorous attempt (I had previously been using ViewletBuilder). At the time I had also used real reference email transcripts and provided all of our passwords for the IM accounts, so I had to record some new slides and consequently the cursor movements are a little disjointed.
There are 4 tutorials posted, so visit the post to acccess them. (Thanks to LibrarianInBlack for pointing these out.)
RSS
What is RSS and Why Should I Care? is the subject of an online “workshop” presented by Marianne Lenox, Staff Training and Development Coordinator of the Huntsville Madison County Public Library. (Found via Library Supporter.)
Tools
Graphing
The National Center for Education Statistics has this neat little Kids Graphing Page that will help you create a graph. (Found via LibrarianInBlack.)
Here you will find five different graphs and charts for you to consider. Maybe it will help explain what you are trying to show. Use homework problems, things you have a special interest in, or use some of the numbers you find elsewhere on this site. Have fun!
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07.16.05
Posted in General at 10:31 pm by Paloma Cruz
How many libraries have blogs? More and more every day. How many have blogs written by the director? This is the first one I’ve found:
The AADL Director Josie Parker is posting directly onto their redesigned Web site. At least I think that’s the case… it might be a ghost writer, how would I know the difference?
Found this via The Shifted Librarian, who found it via Librarian in Black. That’s blogging at its best.
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Posted in General at 9:37 pm by Paloma Cruz
Shameless promotion of headlines in my other blogs:
Bilingual Life
Houston Life
Ordinary Life
- I’m in a mood - welcome to retail therapy. “These posts will be things I want to buy, but can’t. It’ll be a virtual shopping bag, just shy of actually taking things to the checkout counter to pay for them.“
Pasadena Life
- watching Emily. “In case you haven’t been paying attention, Hurricane Emily is headed to Texas.“
- senior health workshop. “If you’d like help in understanding the new Medicare Prescription Drug Program taking effect in 2006, the Madison Jobe Senior Center is teaming up with the Pasadena District Social Security Office to host a free workshop, Tuesday, July 19th, 2 - 3 p.m., to explain the details to you.“
- great Pasadena photo. “Houston Photobloggers has a fabulous photo of Capitan Theatre, in Pasadena. As far as I can tell, it’s the only photo of Pasadena in their collection, but certainly worth a look.“
- the city of Pasadena has a budget… sort of. “At first glance, Pasadena’s 2006-10 budget forecast may look bleak. However, the document is intended to give the city a starting off point to plan for the future.“
Public Relations life
- work for Gizmodo. “Gawker Media is expanding its technology coverage, and is seeking to fill the following positions. All these roles are full-time, and paid accordingly, though we take a relaxed attitude towards external freelance.“
- do I own this brand? “The redesign of the Diva Marketing Blog has prompted a discussion centered on the question who owns a brand?“
- are bloggers journalists? “This is a question that comes up frequently in my life, from both ends of the issue. If I’m covering a topic in one of my blogs and request information from a company or organization, should they treat me the same as they would a Houston Chronicle reporter? At the same time, if a photoblogger calls my office wanting to set up a shoot of one of my clients’ buildings, would I give him or her the same consideration as… say, a photographer from 002+ Magazine?“
- the wonderful world of media relations. “John Wagner’s comments in Now It’s The Corporate PR Folks’ Turn To Be Slammed about his experience with the media has had me thinking about the adversarial quality of my daily dealings with the members of the press. And I’ve been thinking about the many things I do, every day, to make those dealings better.“
- PR blogging isn’t ego polishing…”…or so says John Wagner in his post PR Bloggers Not All In It For Self-Promotion. In it he responds to some recent criticism and attacks that public relations professionals have received, in particular PR bloggers.“
teaching life
- Operation Backpack. “It’s the city’s largest ever school supply drive.“
- more seniors are raising their grandchildren. “I come from a family of teachers, so I’ve pretty much heard every teaching story you can think of. I know, my sisters know, and all teachers know that more children are being raised by their grandparents these days than ever before.“
- back to school at Pasadena ISD. “The Pasadena ISD Web site has a Back to School Guide up to help parents get ready for the August return date. Here you will find everything from enrollment processes to meal prices and school holidays. Worth a visit.“
- a blog to save Fort Bend ISD. “A good example of how a community blog can generate conversation and interest in a grassroots initiative.“
Web Junkie life
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Posted in News at 8:49 pm by Paloma Cruz
Texas Universities Join to Create a Digital Library for Scholars and the Public, reported by The Chronicle of Higher Education.
Four Texas university systems and Rice University will collaborate on a digital repository whose goal is to offer online resources, such as teaching aids, dissertations, and practical information, although not books.
The repository will be called the Texas Digital Library, but it will not resemble the California Digital Library — not initially, at least. While the California Digital Library — which provides books, journals, and databases to California libraries — provides an inspiration, says Fred Heath, vice provost of the University of Texas Libraries, “this would be closer to the DSpace collaborative at MIT.”
[snip]
Intended to benefit both educators and the public, the new digital repository will be supported by the Texas A&M University System, the Texas Tech University System, the University of Houston System, and the University of Texas System. Rice, a private institution, is also part of the consortium.
[snip]
Digitization and creating content for the site will be the most expensive part of the project, Mr. Greenstein said, but collaboration could allow the universities to save money elsewhere by pooling resources and negotiating for group deals on software and database licenses.
(Info found via The Chronicle: Wired Campus Blog.)
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