There has been a lot of free information lately. ArchiveGrid has been discussed in a number of library blogs. This site allows free access to historical documetns from around the world.
Statistics Canada has announced that they will make all electronic publications found on their website (http://www.statcan.ca) free as of April 24th.
Exciting news from my library. We’ve hired Jeffery Trzeciak as our new UL. His presentation was Library 2.0 oriented. Can’t wait to see what we do!
Questions are being raised about the possibility of a mysterious, unknown library in Iona. We have lost so much knowledge over the ages, that the possibility of finding even a scrap of it intrigues me. This can also be accounted for my other passion, Classics, including ancient libraries and archaeology. It would be simply amazing to get funding to begin an archaeological search for the lost library in Iona. I hope someone does it. Check out the Iona story here http://heritage.scotsman.com/myths.cfm?id=313532006
A few stores in England have started using “Pay and Touch”, a system that means you don’t have to carry cards or cash around. It goes by fingerprint. Apparently, this system is in use in the States as well. Is this the future of circulation? No more library cards to weigh down your wallets? Personally, I find it all a little too big brother for me, but some like the convenience of it. Read more about it here: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/oxfordshire/4784744.stm
Well, it’s been recent period of milestones. Wikipedia English just entered its millionth entry. iTunes has had 1 billion songs downloaded.
What do these milestones mean for libraries? Obviously, these are technologies that libraries should be thinking about. Our patrons use them, so what can we do with them? This is where the whole library 2.0 debate or discussion comes into play. There are some great blogs out there discussing the 2.0 issues. Be sure to check out Stephen Abram’s Stephen’s Lighthouse and Micheal Stephen’s Tame the Web among the numerous great blogs out there (links on sidebar). More on Library 2.0 to come.
The New York Times (may require registration) reports that the American government is apparently reclassifying documents which were previously offered to the public. One wonders how this can be done, since researchers already have copies of many of the documents. This news comes after a recent article that stated that the US government was releasing the largest amount of documents by the end of the year.
Government documents have been taking a beating in the past few years. Electronic versions of documents provided nightmares for gov docs librarians. The issues in preservation and access are astounding and yet more and more gov pubs end up as online versions only. The Bush administration is the most secretive administration yet. Gov pubs librarians are trying their best to address the problems but it seems an uphill battle. I could rant on about the problems facing gov pubs in the next while, but sufficit to say, I’m looking forward to my upcoming conferences (CLA, ALA), both of which have gov pubs tracks. It will be nice to talk about these issues with others who have the same concerns. I’ll keep you posted of any solutions on the horizon.
I’m thinking of changing the name of my blog. While I am wee, as my nickname suggests, I am not the only wee librarian in the blogosphere. It seems there is another blog called Wee Librarian. To avoid confusion, I am trying to think of a new, exciting, perhaps daring name for my blog, but have yet to hear the muses. I’m always open to suggestions though. Keep a look out for the change!
Stephen Abram of Stephen’s Lighthouse has suggested a definition for an Internet Voyeur:
“Definition: An Internet Voyeur is someone who is aware of the tools, sites and concepts of the new ways of web ecology but hasn’t really experienced them personally. They’ve read about blogs, maybe visited a few; they’ve heard about, for example, MySpace and The Facebook, or del.icio.us and Flickr but only understand what they look like from afar and on an intellectual level.”
I must confess that I may fall in this category. Yes, I have a blog (which I don’t keep up to date very well, but I’m trying) but I have yet to really play with things like del.icio.us, Flickr and My Space. I think this will be a mini-project of mine over the next while: to start using the technologies that so many are heralding as things for libraries to consider. It will help me get a better feel for what the students use and whether it’s worth all the hype.
Yes, I have been delinquent. I was previously preparing for my first professional conference presentation. I survived! I presented “How Do I Teach That? Connecting Government Documents and Information Literacy in Academic Libraries” at the OLA Super Conference in Toronto.
Conferences are a great way to rejuvinate passion for my work. There’s nothing better than being able to talk to others who understand and love what you do too. It is heading up to conference season and perhaps I’ll see a few of you at CLA or ALA. There are some great programs lined up. Now, to find the time and the money…
Internet Archive has introduced a new subscription service that allows you to create your own archive called Archive-it. This has some wonderful applications for government information, which is increasingly finding its way online and can move off of it just as easily. It is aimed at libraries and institutions and allows you to archive up to 100 pages. This may be an easy way to see if your institution wants to step into the world of web archiving in a fuller manner. Check it out at: http://www.archive-it.org/learn-more.html
by