Archive for May, 2006

Library Notices via Text Messaging

Tuesday, May 30th, 2006

It has been mentioned in many library forums and Cuyahoga County Public Library (CCPL) put it to work. CCPL patrons are offered the option of receiving library notices via text messaging. Note that the cost is paid for by the library. A patron’s cell phone account will not be charged for these text […]

Libraries in Social Networking Software

Friday, May 26th, 2006

Meredith Farkas at Information Wants to Be Free has posted a thought-provoking piece on social networking software and libraries. In the piece she addresses issues such as whether MySpace and Facebook are really bad, but more importantly touches on how libraries can use these tools to be useful to their patrons. Simply having […]

Google Librarian Center

Friday, May 26th, 2006

It’s been around since December, but this just crossed my desktop: the Google Librarian Center. The main feature of this site is the newsletter, which includes articles mainly from Google staff but also from librarians, such as LII’s Karen Schneider. If you want tips for maximizing your own and patrons’ use of […]

OLIS News Feed

Friday, May 19th, 2006

The Office of Library and Information Services (OLIS, RI’s state library agency) now has its own RSS feed for library news and information updates for RI libraries. Just go to the OLIS home page, click on the orange RSS button in the center column and add the feed to your news aggregator. Make […]

Active Older Adults and Libraries

Tuesday, May 16th, 2006

The Americans for Libraries Council and the IMLS have published a report, Designs for Change: Libraries and Productive Aging, that offers guidelines to public libraries serving aging baby boomers. The report offers support for the development of lifelong learning in libraries.

Mass Digitization, Implications for Information Policy

Friday, May 12th, 2006

The report from the symposium Scholarship and Libraries in Transition: A Dialogue about the Impacts of Mass Digitization Projects is available online.  The symposium was held at the University of Michigan on March 10-11, 2006. The idea for the symposium was inspired by the announcement in December 2004 for a partnership between Google, Inc. and […]

Books for Boys

Friday, May 12th, 2006

This past Monday, as part of OLIS’ Continuing Education Series, Michael Sullivan addressed a packed room on the subject of Connecting Boys and Books. For those of you who missed it, check out Michael’s website, Books for Boys, for his list of over 300 titles for boys of all ages.
Michael Sullivan is Director of the […]

MySpace in schools and libraries targeted by Congress

Friday, May 12th, 2006

For another angle on use of MySpace see the following article in LJ Tech Blog and the CNet article and proposal cited there: a group of congressmen, including the Speaker of the House, wants to force libraries and schools to block MySpace and any “commercial social network sites and chat rooms”. The proposal defines a […]

EngagedPatrons.org

Wednesday, May 10th, 2006

Web administrator for the Hennepin County Library (Minn.), Glenn Peterson, has developed a EngagedPatrons.org, to provide website services connecting public libraries and their patrons at no charge. The site introduction reads “We handle the programming; you reap the benefits of being able to offer your users a more engaging and interactive web presence.”

Internet Explorer 7 in beta

Tuesday, May 2nd, 2006

New York Times technology writer David Pogue provides an overview of the the new IE browser in New Tricks of a Browser Look Familiar. Internet Explorer 7 has a new look, with tabbed browsing, search features, improved printing, RSS feeds, better support for web design standards, and better security. And there’s lots […]