10.22.07
Posted in News at 9:08 am by Paloma Cruz
Libraries Shun Deals to Place Books on Web
– New York Times
Several major research libraries have rebuffed offers from Google and Microsoft to scan their books into computer databases, saying they are put off by restrictions these companies want to place on the new digital collections.
The research libraries, including a large consortium in the Boston area, are instead signing on with the Open Content Alliance, a nonprofit effort aimed at making their materials broadly available.
Libraries that agree to work with Google must agree to a set of terms, which include making the material unavailable to other commercial search services. Microsoft places a similar restriction on the books it converts to electronic form. The Open Content Alliance, by contrast, is making the material available to any search service.
It costs the Open Content Alliance as much as $30 to scan each book, a
cost shared by the group’s members and benefactors, so there are
obvious financial benefits to libraries of Google’s wide-ranging offer,
started in 2004.
[snip]
I can see why libraries would decline to participate. What do you think?
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10.21.07
Posted in General at 1:00 pm by Paloma Cruz
Houston social media innovator Ed Schipul responds to Shel Israel’s request for feedback on the following question: “What should I tell the librarians?” Shel is presenting at the California Association of Librarians conference about how social media can help libraries.
Ed has a very good response that goes way beyond social media.
What do you think Shel should tell librarians?
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10.20.07
Posted in Resources at 5:10 pm by Paloma Cruz
Found this on Lifehacker:
Use WorldCat to Search Libraries
The next time you need to find something at your local library, try searching through WorldCat, a ginormous network of libraries, library content, and library services. You can use WorldCat to search for everything you would search for at your local library, find free content (downloadable audiobooks, for example), articles and citations, historical documents, and many more kinds of information from libraries all over the world. You can also use WorldCat to check out items directly from libraries you have an active membership with (this can vary by library).
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09.18.07
Posted in General at 4:47 pm by Paloma Cruz
I just got this from the Houston Public Library:
ScreamWorld Offers Free Entry To Houston Public Library Power Card Holders
–Opening weekend offer takes the fear out of library card registration drive–
HOUSTON (September 18, 2007) … ScreamWorld Halloween Scream Park and the Houston Public Library (HPL) have partnered for the “Don’t Be Afraid of the Library” program which provides free admission to HPL Power Card holders opening weekend, Friday through Sunday, September 21st through 23rd at ScreamWorld Halloween Scream Park. Customers who present their HPL Power Card at ScreamWorld receive one free entry (good Sept. 21, 22, and 23 only) to ScreamWorld valued at $22. ScreamWorld is located at 2225 N. Sam Houston Parkway (Beltway 8), between Ella and T.C. Jester, 1.5 miles west of I-45.
The promotion is part of HPL’s Library Card Sign-Up Month, a campaign held by libraries across the country each September to encourage library card sign-up for children and teens just after the new school year begins. HPL expects to sign up an estimated 15,000 new cardholders in September as part of the month-long campaign.
To assist in ongoing HPL Power Card sign-up efforts, ScreamWorld will continue to distribute library card applications to its patrons through the Halloween season. To learn more about becoming a Power Card holder and FREE HPL services, visit us online at www.houstonlibrary.org or call 832.393.1313.
[snip]
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09.12.07
Posted in News at 8:23 am by Paloma Cruz
Local author headlines book reviews at Helen Hall Library
– reported by the Houston Chronicle
Helen Hall Library in League City will host local author, Patty Mayeaux and area photographer, Linda Lapointe, as they kick off the fall book review series beginning Sept. 13 at the library.
[snip]
Helen Hall Library hosts book reviews on the second Thursday of each month beginning at 10:30 a.m. Other book reviews will take place on Oct. 11, Nov. 8 and Dec. 13.
Call Susie Moncla at 281-554-1101 for more information.
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07.29.07
Posted in Resources at 8:50 pm by Paloma Cruz
The Alternative Teen Services blog posts their guidelines for commenting:
- Please use appropriate language.
- For your safety, comments containing or requesting personal information, including phone numbers, will be deleted.
- Feel free to speak your mind, but please be respectful to others; offensive and inappropriate comments will be deleted.
- Comments are moderated; CADL is not responsible for the content of posted comments.
- CADL reserves the right to delete comments at any time for any reason; comments not directly related to the discussion will be deleted.
Resources:
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07.25.07
Posted in Resources at 9:31 pm by Paloma Cruz
Found via Library Technology in Texas:
Accessible Digitization Projects Resolution
WHEREAS, ALA Policy 54.3.2 states that “library materials must be accessible to all patrons including people with disabilities”; and
WHEREAS, Technology has given libraries the mechanism to make materials available electronically; and
WHEREAS, The Federal Government had created regulations based on Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act that ensures that its technology is accessible to its employees and the public; and
WHEREAS, ALA Council adopted a Resolution on Accessible Voting in 2004, which resolves that all electronic and information technology procurement (e.g. internet resources, telephony, captioned and audio described videos) shall follow the standards established by Section 508, now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the American Library Association strongly encourages all libraries engaging in digitization projects to adopt Section 508 regulations to ensure that they are creating versions of materials that are accessible to persons using screen-reader or other assistive technologies; and, be it further
RESOLVED, That ALA forwards this resolution to other agencies and organizations that help libraries digitize their materials and design access software, such as the Institute of Museum and Library Services and state library agencies, and to companies that work with libraries and other entities doing digitization projects.
Adopted by the Council of the American Library Association
Wednesday, June 27, 2007
In Washington, D.C.
Resources:
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07.15.07
Posted in Resources at 4:43 pm by Paloma Cruz
For those of you who want your very own book club, I found some helpful resources and links. Book-Clubs-Resource.com has a list of articles to help you start and run a book club. These include:
Getting Finances Done has a great post on running a “happy, healthy, successful book club.” The shortlist of things you need to take into account (read GFD for full details):
- Leadership.
- Membership.
- Identity and Purpose.
- Democracy.
- Time and Location.
- Money.
If you do decide to create a book club, let me know.
Resources:
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Posted in General at 4:37 pm by Paloma Cruz
Have you heard about the new Hollywood Librarian movie? There’s been a lot of discussion online, and in the press. Local library director Rhea Brown Lawson has a cameo in the movie.
Has anyone out there actually seen the movie?
Resources:
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07.08.07
Posted in News at 1:45 am by Paloma Cruz
I’m reserving opinion on this, but am sharing this so you can form your own.
A story from the Houston Press on moving their Houston Public Library’s Frank Neighborhood Library from the current “traditional” library to an HPL Express location.
[snip]
The library system was planning a renovation of the Frank branch, which has foundation problems. They discovered, unfortunately, that new studies now place the building squarely within the 100-year flood plain.
[snip]
There wasn’t enough money to build a completely new similarly sized branch, so the neighborhood is getting what the Houston Public Library System is calling “an exciting concept” known as “HPL Express.”
What’s an HPL Express? It’s a rented storefront that holds about half the 90,000 items that the Frank branch currently has.
[snip]
Future HPL Expresses — including one in the similarly troubled Gulftonneighborhood — might offer only a “very small collection” of books.
Future sites might be entirely book-free. But those sites will be in addition to existing libraries, not replacing full facilities like the Frank branch.
Ah, what the hell — it’s not like kids today are reading anyway. Maybe HPL should just set up a Facebook page and be done with it.
The concept has sparked a debate amongst librarians on what they’re calling a “mclibrary” and “library lite.” A comment posted at a librarian blog argues:
This is something to be concerned about. We might call this HPL Express a Library Lite or a Fast Food Library. It appears it will function in a similar way that fast food functions to real food. I don’t need to remind people on this list that customers love fast food, unfortunately it is not good for their health. And a library without intelligent books is not good for democracy.
This is a good illustration of a library getting out of the knowledge and education venue and moving to solely focus on entertaining (pacifying?) their “customers” with only popular works (known in some circles as crap or fluff). In theory, this HPL Express will feed the mind but it is really only full of empty calories. It will look like a library, but will most likely have none of those awkward resources that might actual assist a person in becoming an engaged citizen. I am betting that they will be sure to order a copy of Paris Hilton’s autobiography as soon as it is published.
And:
There was money enough in HPL’s budget to utterly renovate the downtown main Branch library (still ongoing as of this writing)…but the Main Branch library is in the heart of the downtown Business district, and has a not inconsiderable business clientelle, with a considerable ECON/BUSINESS section taking up most of the entire 2nd floor. So there are race and class issues that intersect here as well. The “either/or” choice posited is utterly false & misleading.
I suppose it would be also impertinent to ask if there is any Gates Foundation seed money propping up McLibrary projects like HPL Express storefronts, etc, since they will have “plenty of computers”. Inquiring minds want to know.
Of course, this I can respond to from previous Houston Chronicle stories, the renovation of the Central Library was funded with Bond money passed back in 2001. Back in 2001, and they just got to do it in 2006.
I’m not a librarian, so I can’t comment on the academics of librarianship. I can speak as a PR person, and I know that change is difficult. Not always bad, not always good, but always difficult.
Resources:
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