Archive for April, 2009
Obama Aide Looks to Open Source Government
April 30th, 2009InternetNews – “The dream of an effective and open e-government, a great hope of the Obama administration, rides on the ability of government officials to emulate the Web 2.0 model in the private sector, where some of the biggest success stories have been built through a decentralized, crowd-sourced model, a White House official said today.”
W.W. Norton Offers Build-Your-Own Online Texbooks
April 30th, 2009GalleyCat – “Publisher W.W. Norton has launched Chapter Select e-Books program for schools, allowing teachers and students to choose which school book chapters they want to buy–building a customized online textbook for the classroom.”
Congress revives bill that may force disclosure of Bush library donor names
April 30th, 2009Guardian – “If bill becomes law, library foundation would have to disclose four times a year all donors of $200 or more.”
Addictomatic
April 30th, 2009Addictomatic searches the best live sites on the web for the latest news, blog posts, videos and images. It’s the perfect tool to keep up with the hottest topics, perform ego searches and feed your addiction for what’s up”
I love this. Wow!
College recruiters are Twittering, too
April 30th, 2009USATODAYCollege admissions officials, keenly aware that their target audience grows more tech-savvy with every passing year, appear to be getting the hang of social media such as Twitter and Facebook. (via)
Twitter in Real Life
April 29th, 2009Watch Real Life Twitter and more funny videos on CollegeHumor
(via)
Someone Likes Their Job
April 29th, 2009#njlaconf09
Originally uploaded by amy_kearns
Free Speech Groups Criticize Dismissal of WI Library Board Members
April 29th, 2009LISNews – Four members of a library board in West Bend, WI were dismissed last week for refusing to remove controversial books from the library’s young adult section—and yesterday, the ABFFE, the National Coalition Against Censorship, the Association of American Publishers and PEN American Center criticized the firings.”
Compostable Library Cards?
April 29th, 2009oing Green @your library – “The San Francisco Public Library will soon be handing out compostable corn EcoCards (they still offer plastic as an option). Its not that landfills are not overflowing with plastic library cards, but models environmentally responsibility.”
Next Generation Librarian – Spam Blog?
April 29th, 2009 I think Next Generation Librarian used to be a library blog. Now, it looks like a spam blog.
I wonder what happened?
Book numbers can be staggering at UI libraries
April 29th, 2009The Daily Iowan – At the Main Library, checkout-desk employees said they’ve seen people come in with bags, suitcases, and boxes stuffed with books to renew. “I’ve had people bring in, literally, more than 100 at once to renew,†said UI senior Jessi Phillips, who works at the circulation desk. But for some, 100 books [...]
Transsexual wins $500,000 lawsuit
April 29th, 2009The Associated Press – A federal judge has awarded a former Army Special Forces commander nearly $500,000 because she was rejected from a job at the Library of Congress while transitioning from a man to a woman. Diane Schroer of Alexandria, Va., applied for the terrorism analyst job while she was still a man named [...]
Wikis: Whither Wikis? The State of Collaborative Web Publishing
April 29th, 2009Technology News – “Sure, Wikipedia still has a page for everything from Charlemagne to Chewbacca, but it seems more attention now is focused on kick-back-and-have-fun social networks, not hit-the-books-and-contribute-some-research wikis. Has the wiki well run dry?”
Stipey Being Silly
April 29th, 2009Facebook or Facadebook?
April 29th, 2009ACRL LogFor the past three years or so, there has been on and off discussion of social networks on ili-l@ala.org. The thrust of these discussions has usually had to do with how academic libraries can exploit Facebook/MySpace/Whatever to connect with college students. It used to be that corporate entities couldn’t have presence on Facebook. You [...]
Woman sent to jail for texting in court
April 29th, 2009Sentencing Law and Policy – “This local story from Utah, which carried the headline that is the title of this post, ought to get technology fans and First Amendment gurus all worked up”
Apple sued by wiki publisher for “baseless” legal threat
April 29th, 2009Guardian – “Apple sued by an online publisher that claims it tried to stifle free speech by demanding removal of a wiki on how to bypass iTunes software and its DRM.
U.S. Opens Inquiry Into Google Books Deal
April 28th, 2009NYTimes.com – “The Justice Department has begun an inquiry into the antitrust implications of Google’s settlement with authors and publishers over its Google Book Search service, two people briefed on the matter said Tuesday.”
I hope this is true. Google tried to get away with murder with that settlement. Go justice!
New Look for Bradbury’s ‘Fahrenheit 451′
April 28th, 2009Publishers Weekly – “Hailed for its bracing portrait of a future media-addled society victimized by the systematic burning of all books, Ray Bradbury's classic science fiction novel Fahrenheit 451 is the perfect work to highlight issues of censorship and the freedom to read. And in August, Farrar, Straus & Giroux’s Hill and Wang imprint will [...]
Adding search power to public data
April 28th, 2009Google Blog – “The data we’re including in this first launch represents just a small fraction of all the interesting public data available on the web. There are statistics for prices of cookies, CO2 emissions, asthma frequency, high school graduation rates, bakers' salaries, number of wildfires, and the list goes on. Reliable information about these [...]
The Wasilla Public Library Before Sarah Palin
April 28th, 2009Book Patrol – “Remember the storm surrounding Sarah Palin and her book banning crusade at the Wasilla Public Library. It turned out to be one of the bigger issues of her campaign.
20 years before Palin thrust the Wasilla Public Library into the national spotlight Edith Olson wrote a book The Library and I. A History [...]
‘Harry Potter’ among those missing from e-library
April 28th, 2009Associated Press – The latest J.R.R. Tolkien project lasted six years, more than half as long as the author needed to complete his “Lord of the Rings” trilogy. Getting permission to release a book in electronic form can be as hard – or harder – than writing it.”
Tracking Swine Flu on Google, Twitter
April 28th, 2009AllThingsD – In the wake of the outbreak of swine flu, a debate is emerging as to whether social networking sites and technology are just creating panic rather than helping the populace stay informed. On Twitter, the terms “swine flu,†“#swineflu,†“CDC†and “Mexico†were among the top phrases used on the social messaging service [...]
Questions Linger after “Flash Mob” at UT Chattanooga Library Dispersed with Mace
April 28th, 2009Classic children’s stories top list as JK Rowling fails to work her magic
April 28th, 2009Scotsman – “FROM Charles Dickens, OIiver Twist to the 2008 paperback Mr Gum and the Dancing Bear, a huge comic hit with reviewers last year, top British children's writers named their all-time favourites yesterday. The 35 top titles named by the five “children's laureates” in a comprehensive list ran from Robert Louis Stevenson to Enid [...]
Facebook seeks to export its network across the Web
April 28th, 2009Reuters – “Facebook regularly attracts more than 200 million people to its website, but the company is now looking for ways to permeate the lives of its users without the need to check-in to the Facebook site. The Palo Alto, California company unveiled tools on Monday that allow third-party Web developers to harness the wealth [...]
Amazon.com Acquires Lexcycle E-Book Reading Software
April 28th, 2009Bloomberg – “Amazon.com Inc., the world’s largest Internet retailer, bought a company that makes an electronic-book reading application for the iPhone and iPod Touch media player. The company, called Lexcycle Inc., announced the deal today on its blog. Amazon.com spokeswoman Cinthia Portugal confirmed the acquisition, without giving terms.”
Is a Book Still a Book on Kindle?
April 26th, 2009NYTimes – “The publishing world is all caught up in weighty questions about the Kindle and other such devices: Will they help or hurt book sales and authors’ advances? Cannibalize the industry? Galvanize it? Please, they’re overlooking the really important concern: How will the Kindle affect literary snobbism?”
Standing Up to the Madness
April 26th, 2009Corporate Blogs and ‘Tweets’ Must Keep SEC in Mind
April 26th, 2009WSJ – “Social Media Offer Immediacy and Spontaneity to Communications but Risk Running Afoul of Regulations.”
