Computers in Libraries

Depression Ethic

With all due respect to those who survived the Great Depression of 1929-1939 (including my parents), I must first observe that the economic trials we have endured in the past 2 years are nothing in comparison to the era when a popular song lyric was, "Buddy, can you spare a dime?" But in these last few years, I have come to appreciate the primary lesson that my parents were constantly trying to teach me without much success:

Harnessing the Power of Sharepoint for Library Applications

According to Microsoft's website: SharePoint would integrate nicely with other Microsoft products including the Office suite; it would allow for a single sign-on for whatever we decided to use it, with no need for the virtual private network client or running a mapping script; and it would cost the library nothing but time because the university already had all the appropriate licenses. [...] the dev site directory is a testing environment for sites and site features added to either intrane...

We Started to a Digital Collection for Next to Nothing and You Can Too

[...] began my road to becoming a digital collections librarian. Since I had no real previous experience with digitization other than scanning a few personal photos and burning a CD now and then, I had to start almost from square one.

Goggle Voice: Connecting Your Telephone to the 21st Century

[...] lately it seems that people are less interested in connecting with information than they are with connecting to one another, which begs the question, "Is Facebook the new Google?" Anecdotal evidence of a shift in user behavior has been mounting for years, but now it has been substantiated by internet traffic analysis data, which suggests for the first time that the social networking site Facebook receives more internet traffic in the U.S. than any other destination on the web, including...

New Title Tweets

Based on these parameters, I developed a workflow that would take a new title report from the ILS, edit it in a spreadsheet program, and post the records on Twitter, a free microblogging service that generates an RSS feed for its users. Setup and Considerations Physical setup: Because of the ubiquity of Microsoft Office and the fact that Twitter and most of its supporting services are hosted online, there is no need to have a dedicated machine for this project.

Organizational Diagnostics for Lean Times

[...] for information professionals, it's never hard to draw parallels between the coping skills that were born of privation in the past and what we face today, with razor-thin budgetary realities. Just as families struggled to preserve their dignity, often with great courage and charity, we also find that we must struggle to keep our service mission relevant, to secure funding for essential new services, and to keep service desks staffed. Colleagues I know and admire who manage their profe...

A Time of Opportunity for the Library Programmer

[...] if your responsibilities include involvement with the library's technical infrastructure, or if you manage technology and you are thinking about the skills needed as your organization moves forward, you might think about where computer programming falls into the mix of skill sets to cultivate. Advanced programmers, or software development engineers, often work in teams that might also include software architects, interface designers, analysts, quality assurance specialists, and technic...

Connecting Applications Together the Web Way

[...] when I'm reaching for a complicated solution for connecting applications together, Fm probably not the first person to think of it and there are probably already one or more obvious, drastically simpler solutions in place already. [...] when there's a choice of simpler solutions, the bigger, more established standard usually wins.

Online Treasures

Jason the Content Librarian 'On Imitation and Stealing in Library Innovation' This post by Jason Eiseman, librarian for emerging technologies at the Yale Law School Library and author of a blog titled, Jason the Content Librarian, discusses innovation in libraries.

Noted & Quoted

The Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) announced that Mary Estelle Kennelly is the new grants management officer. Since 1996, Kennelly has served at IMLS; for 3 years before that, she was with its predecessor, the Institute of Museum Services.

Awards

According to the announcement, Lourie won for her extensive work as a trainer and consultant to New England technical services librarians, her dedication to planning programs and contributing to the professional development of the library community, and her encouragement of libraries to "work smarter" and more cost-effectively in service to their users.

Money, Government, and You

The Plain Dealer of Cleveland wrote a recent article on the IRS's shift to e-filing, explaining both the pros and cons of the plan and the sticky issues of making online tax preparation a genuine option for Americans. The IRS has studied this and lumped people into three categories: * People with no access to a computer or ability to use a computer * People who don't want to spend the money to file online * People who don't want to put their personal information in cyberspace The IRS is tryi...

Charlotte Mecklenburg Library Faces Eight-Figure Budget Cut

Elsevier, Liber Announce Award Winners

German Universities Get Cochrane Library Access

Sirsidynix Releases Enterprise 3.1

Dlf Names New Program Director

Gale, Ex Libris Offer Primo Partnership

Lyrasis Welcomes New Board Members

Brevard County Libraries Implement Ls2 Pac

Ask a Librarian

While these solutions do not require major investments in license and maintenance fees, they still require human resources. [...] libraries also need to shift their investments away from licenses and into human resources.

The Future of Libraries

In order for the library and information science profession to remain relevant in modern society, librarians need to confront the challenges of their changing environment - and this book, a collection of writings from library and information science authors from around the world, aims to give them the tools to do so.

Building a Better Library

Navigating Information Pathways