[LISNews] The LISNews For February 9th 2009
The LISNews Librarian News By Email
lisnews at lishost.net
Mon Feb 9 12:58:09 CST 2009
Happy Monday! It's the LISNews for February 9th, 2009...
On Monday we start with the most popular headlines from the weekend:
-[1] - Google and Amazon to Put More Books on Cellphones
http://lisnews.org/node/32689/
-[2] - Kindle 2 - Hi res images
http://lisnews.org/node/32705/
-[3] - Libraries can keep books with lead-containing ink
http://lisnews.org/node/32694/
-[4] - A Glimpse At First Amendement Issues in School Libraries
http://lisnews.org/node/32690/
-[5] - Six trends are conspiring to drive electronic books into the mainstream
http://lisnews.org/node/32693/
And here's the latest from LISNews:
--No Kids Allowed.
- http://lisnews.org/node/32728/
-Blog Entry by effinglibrarian Posted Monday February 9th at 12:26 PM
-Read 15 times - 0 Comments
So it looks like Maryland is about to waste $160,000 trying to get teens to visit the library. Sure, the library will spend
the money on video games and manga and give away iPods as rewards for kids reading books, but when the money runs out, the
teens will leave because libraries aren't cool. You know what's cool for teens? Trouble. If you want kids to do something,
tell them they can't do it. And if you think that doesn't work, ask Tom Sawyer. Tom said to himself that it was not such a
hollow world, after all. He had discovered a great law of human action, without knowing it--namely, that in order to make a
man or a boy covet a thing, it is only necessary to make the thing difficult to attain. [ -courtesy Project
Gutenberg.]Maryland, If you want kids to use your library, spend some of your $160K to put up a six-foot chain-link fence
around the teen area. And secure the only gate with a heavy chain and lock. And hang a rusty sign that says, "Keep away. No
Teens allowed." And the next time you look, the fenced-off area will be filled with with kids who've scaled the fence to
violate the rule. Trouble. "With a capital T that rhymes with B that stands for Books." (So if this is such a great idea,
how come I never get invited to discuss them at library meetings?)
--Stephen King wrote story called UR for the Kindle
- http://lisnews.org/node/32727/
-Front Page Story by Bibliofuture Posted Monday February 9th at 10:53 AM
-Read 98 times - 0 Comments
Stephen King wrote a story called UR that is available only on the Kindle. King said that he was initially said no to
writing a story but then he thought it was a way he could write a specific scene. Paraphrase of what King said about story:
My wife likes to say that lobster is an excuse to eat butter. For me, sometimes, writing a story is an excuse to write a
certain scene. Wanted to write a scene about the phenomenon of reading off a computer and the crisis point that at least the
press has made between print media...and the evil Kindle. UR by Stephen King
--Kindle 2 on Amazon
- http://lisnews.org/node/32726/
-Front Page Story by Bibliofuture Posted Monday February 9th at 10:36 AM
-Read 101 times - 1 Comments
The Kindle 2 is now on the Amazon website. There is a video at Amazon that discusses the Kindle 2. Kindle 2: Amazon's New
Wireless Reading Device (Latest Generation) One of the new features is text to speech for all books on the Kindle.
--In Love With The Bookbinder's Craft
- http://lisnews.org/node/32725/
-Front Page Story by birdie Posted Monday February 9th at 9:23 AM
-Read 102 times - 0 Comments
At her bench, Tamara Hennessy works with tools crafted from cow bones, glue brushes, a knife-like device and, not least, a
sharp sense of mission. Hennessy is a bookbinder. She restores the physical being of treasured volumes and, consequently,
the ideas, adventures and illustrations within their pages. Hennessy, whose business is Monterey Book Works, has her
workshop in her Corral de Tierra home. A former librarian, she's been bookbinding 20 years, the last eight full-time. She
learned the basics at workshops. She describes some of the treasures she has seen and worked on in this article in The
Californian.
--LISTen: An LISNews.org Podcast -- Episode #59
- http://lisnews.org/node/32721/
-Blog Entry by StephenK Posted Sunday February 8th at 11:52 PM
-Read 245 times - 10 Comments
Let's try out a different approach to show posts this week. Timings are approximate. Related links are interleaved. Due
to length this is broken so as to not take up the entire main page which requires one to click "read more". Readers and
listeners seeing this via RSS or a FeedBurner e-mail subscription are encouraged to visit LISNews itself to get the show
break-down as well as the related links. 00:00 LISNews Netcast Network tag 00:20 Introduction, Zeitgeist, Congratulations
to Amber MacArthur Retweet of news by Leo Laporte from Amber MacArthur News from Amber MacArthur 02:19 Public Service
Announcement from the IRS 02:49 Linux Round Up Reference remark relative to the economy Story from The Register on Windows
7 types going to market Fedora 11 Alpha release announcement Release announcement for PapugLinux 09.1 Home page for MilaX
Announcement on DistroWatch about KNOPPIX 6.0 CD Announcement of TinyMe 2009 Alpha 1 "Acorn" Home page for Gwibber 07:43
Public Service Announcement from the National Diabetes Education Program in the United States 08:43 Politics Round Up
Direct link to Excel spreadsheet outlining compromise National Review Online's attempt to enumerate cuts made in the
compromise New York Times story on the compromise that also tentatively identifies the dissident Republicans An example blog
post relative to the patriotism issue Story in the Las Vegas Review-Journal about the possible disqualification of Nevada
from stimulus funds for education 14:31 Replay of President Barack Obama's Weekly Address Released on February 7th 18:26
Public Service Announcement from FirstGov.gov 18:41 Show close As to the addressing mentioned in the show close, picture
postcards should be sent bearing addresses in this form: STEPHEN MICHAEL KELLAT GENERAL DELIVERY HENDERSON, NV 89015-9999
Due to the peculiarities of the General Delivery service known elsewhere as poste restante, accuracy in addressing is
hyper-critical. In due time we'll be able to afford a P.O. Box and this won't be as complicated. Until then, mail cannot
be addressed to the show but to its presenter as a result of postal rules.
--What a difference 8 years can make
- http://lisnews.org/node/32720/
-Blog Entry by mdoneil Posted Sunday February 8th at 11:45 PM
-Read 73 times - 4 Comments
A fine priest has posted at his blog some interesting tidbits about what a difference eight years can make.
--Digital Archivists, Now in Demand
- http://lisnews.org/node/32719/
-Front Page Story by Bibliofuture Posted Sunday February 8th at 9:01 PM
-Read 188 times - 0 Comments
WHEN the world entered the digital age, a great majority of human historical records did not immediately make the trip.
Literature, film, scientific journals, newspapers, court records, corporate documents and other material, accumulated over
centuries, needed to be adapted for computer databases. Once there, it had to be arranged — along with newer, born-digital
material — in a way that would let people find what they needed and keep finding it well into the future. The people
entrusted to find a place for this wealth of information are known as digital asset managers, or sometimes as digital
archivists and digital preservation officers. Whatever they are called, demand for them is expanding. Full story in the New
York Times
--Cites & Insights 9:3 (February 2009) available
- http://lisnews.org/node/32717/
-Blog Entry by Walt Posted Sunday February 8th at 4:44 PM
-Read 83 times - 3 Comments
Cites & Insights 9:3, February 2009, is now available for downloading. The 30-page issue is PDF, as usual. Three of
the essays are available as HTML separates (using the links below). The first, which is also the longest, is available as a
PDF separate--the inclusion of embedded Excel graphs within the document made HTML creation more cumbersome than I was
willing to deal with. This issue features the article versions of my two presentations for the OLA (Ontario Library
Association) SuperConference, held just over a week ago in Toronto, Ontario. The first article is a longer version of my
session "Shiny Toys or Useful Tools?"; the second article includes "My own take" as the first set of Tech Trends, and that
was my initial commentary during the "Top Tech Trends" session. Issue contents: Making it Work: Shiny Toys or Useful Tools?
(pages 1-9) Blogs and wikis aren't shiny new toys for libraries and librarians any more. They've moved from toys to tools.
This article includes the only defensible definitions of blogs and wikis that I know of, some comments about planning
library blogs, and sections on the state of liblogs and library blogs in December 2008. Included--for the first time in
C&I--graphs, eight of them. (As noted, the link is to a 9-page PDF.) Perspective: Tech Trends, Trends and Forecasts
(pages 9-18) It's that time of year again--time for lots of trendy commentaries. For a change, I begin with my own set: The
trends I see "as vital for thinking about libraries, technology and life."That's followed by tech trends and commentaries
from nine different sources, six of them library-specific; two sets of general trends, one of them just full of trendy
neologisms; and three sets of forecasts (short-term predictions), one of them coupled with a scorecard for 2008. Interesting
& Peculiar Products (pages 18-23) One long commentary on "budget" high-end audio systems and "the rule of 10," plus
comments on seven products (or groups of products) and seven editors' choices and group reviews. Trends & Quick Takes
(pages 23-29) Four longer commentaries and six quicker takes. My Back Pages (pages 29-30) Four brief commentaries.
--Amazon Kindle: A Road Warrior's Best Friend
- http://lisnews.org/node/32715/
-Blog Entry by Bibliofuture Posted Sunday February 8th at 3:22 PM
-Read 48 times - 0 Comments
In the vein of Every Executive Should Have a Kindle comes this PC World article: Amazon Kindle: A Road Warrior's Best
Friend
--Oy Vey...Yiddish Library OnLine
- http://lisnews.org/node/32707/
-Front Page Story by birdie Posted Sunday February 8th at 11:43 AM
-Read 223 times - 1 Comments
>From the NYTimes: More than 10,000 works in Yiddish are now accessible online as part of a joint project between the
National Yiddish Book Center, based in Amherst, Mass., and the Internet Archive in San Francisco, the two institutions
announced on Friday. The scanning began more than 10 years ago as part of a $5 million effort to create the Steven Spielberg
Digital Library, said Aaron Lansky, founder and president of the book center. The books will be available for downloading in
a variety of formats at National Yiddish Book Center.
--Author Takes Action after a bad Amazon review
- http://lisnews.org/node/32706/
-Blog Entry by mdoneil Posted Sunday February 8th at 1:17 PM
-Read 399 times - 5 Comments
Michel Cuhaci of Ottawa had received a misprinted copy of A Student's Guide to Maxwell's Equation and he left a bad review
on amazon.com. The author saw the review and decided to make things right. More on this fantastic story at the Dayton
Daily News
--Kindle 2 - Hi res images
- http://lisnews.org/node/32705/
-Front Page Story by Bibliofuture Posted Saturday February 7th at 11:20 PM
-Read 381 times - 1 Comments
Kindle 2 hi res pictures here.
--Hollowed Out Book Returned by Good Samaritans
- http://lisnews.org/node/32704/
-Front Page Story by birdie Posted Saturday February 7th at 4:12 PM
-Read 272 times - 1 Comments
Who says there's no money in books these days? When Paul Schnitman moved last summer, he donated several books to the
Friends of the Library Bookstore, Rockville, MD. Among them was a faux book with a hollowed-out center, in which his late
brother had stored "more than $1,000," according to the Gazette. "So I realized probably six weeks later that the book was
missing and I went to the bookstore and magically someone had found it and turned it in," said Schnitman. Ari Z. Brooks,
executive director of the Friends of the Library, said clerks at the store were "stunned" when a customer walked up to the
counter in mid-November and said, "I don't think you want this book on the shelf." The customer opened the book to reveal a
wad of cash bound together by a money clip and two credit cards that had expired in 1991, she said. The two clerks, who
Brooks said did not wish to comment or be named, tried to track down the owner of the credit cards, but to no avail. They
turned the items over to Jim Ludlum, business manager for the FOL, who put the money in a separate banking account for
safekeeping. To make sure he was the rightful owner of the book, Schnitman said he was asked to write a letter of
explanation and provide a copy of his brother's death certificate. Schnitman said he plans to give the Friends of the
Library a donation for its efforts and honesty. He would not say how much money he would donate.
--Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Exhibition at LOC
- http://lisnews.org/node/32703/
-Front Page Story by birdie Posted Saturday February 7th at 3:47 PM
-Read 246 times - 0 Comments
The Library of Congress' Presents an Online Exhibit "Malice Towards None". The exhibit commemorates the two hundredth
anniversary of the birth of the nation’s revered sixteenth president Abraham Lincoln. More than a chronological account of
his life, the exhibition reveals Lincoln the man, whose thoughts, words, and actions were deeply affected by personal
experiences and pivotal historic events. The exhibit will be up through May 9.
--Library patrons ‘clamoring’ for ParkPasses
- http://lisnews.org/node/32699/
-Front Page Story by Bibliofuture Posted Saturday February 7th at 12:01 PM
-Read 218 times - 0 Comments
Before you pack up for a trip to a state park or historic site, you may want to stop by your local library first. For the
second year in a row, Georgia libraries are implementing the ParkPass program in partnership with the Georgia Department of
Natural Resources. "It works just like a book. Library (patrons) can check the passes out for one week," said Alan Harkness,
director of the Piedmont Regional Library System, which includes Jackson, Banks and Barrow counties. With the passes,
library card holders can get free parking or admission to more than 60 Georgia state parks and historic sites. Full
article here.
--Library to host wedding expo
- http://lisnews.org/node/32698/
-Blog Entry by Bibliofuture Posted Saturday February 7th at 11:57 AM
-Read 78 times - 0 Comments
In an effort to change with the times, public libraries have become places where you can sip a latte, search for a job or
see an art exhibit. Next week, Corona's library will be transformed into a marketplace for the marriage-minded. The
library's first-ever wedding expo Thursday will unite 40 vendors of wedding cakes, catering, clothes and coiffures, with
potential customers and the curious public.
http://www.pe.com/localnews/corona/stories/PE_News_Local_W_wwedding07.49968b1.html
--Grant may propel Library borrowing
- http://lisnews.org/node/32697/
-Blog Entry by Bibliofuture Posted Saturday February 7th at 11:53 AM
-Read 61 times - 0 Comments
In the next few years, library patrons may be able to walk right past the check-out desk with their borrowed materials,
with books and CDs checking themselves out as the patron walks through an electronic gate. That’s the vision for a new
radio frequency identification program underway at the Buffalo & Erie County Public Library System, which received a vote of
approval from the Erie County Fiscal Stability Authority Feb. 4 in the form of a $1.7 million efficiency grant. Story in
the Buffalo BusinessFirst http://www.bizjournals.com/buffalo/stories/2009/02/02/daily57.html
--Did Rap, Crack or TV Kill Reading?
- http://lisnews.org/node/32696/
-Blog Entry by Bibliofuture Posted Saturday February 7th at 11:48 AM
-Read 67 times - 0 Comments
Opinion piece in the Washington Post Book mentioned in opinion piece: Steady Gains and Stalled Progress: Inequality and
the Black-White Test Score Gap
--E-books and the cuddle myth
- http://lisnews.org/node/32695/
-Blog Entry by Bibliofuture Posted Saturday February 7th at 11:39 AM
-Read 107 times - 1 Comments
Story at Teleread The Teleread story is a link to a LISNEWS story but the comments at Teleread I find interesting.
--Libraries can keep books with lead-containing ink
- http://lisnews.org/node/32694/
-Front Page Story by Bibliofuture Posted Saturday February 7th at 11:09 AM
-Read 380 times - 3 Comments
Librarians won't have to throw away their children's books after all on Tuesday, when a sweeping new product safety law
takes effect. Story in USA Today.
--Six trends are conspiring to drive electronic books into the mainstream
- http://lisnews.org/node/32693/
-Front Page Story by Bibliofuture Posted Saturday February 7th at 11:05 AM
-Read 341 times - 1 Comments
Why people will read e-books Just because e-books are available on better (the new Kindle) and more (all cell phones)
devices doesn't mean people will read them. But mark my words, read them they will. Six trends will conspire over the next
year to drive e-book reading to levels that will surprise just about everybody. Full article here.
--Dear Leader on the stimulus bill
- http://lisnews.org/node/32692/
-Blog Entry by mdoneil Posted Friday February 6th at 10:34 PM
-Read 119 times - 3 Comments
Here is a sound bite from Dear Leader discussing the stimulus bill. Not for polite company.
--Anybody want a TV. I can't hack 3 hours of this
- http://lisnews.org/node/32691/
-Blog Entry by mdoneil Posted Friday February 6th at 9:19 PM
-Read 146 times - 3 Comments
The chosen one wants three hours of prime time TV to prattle on about the stimulus package. I thought a stimulus
package was supposed to stimulate the economy. How is raising the amount you take out of my pay envelope stimulating the
economy? Proposed are tax breaks for people who buy new cars, and now people who buy new houses (didn't we just have a
problem with credit in the house market?) . So they take money from us to give back to us when we buy something? Why
don't they just let me keep my money to begin with? I am perplexed. Why do I need government to give me back my money if
I buy a car?
--A Glimpse At First Amendement Issues in School Libraries
- http://lisnews.org/node/32690/
-Front Page Story by StephenK Posted Friday February 6th at 4:40 PM
-Read 353 times - 4 Comments
UCLA law professor and freedom of speech scholar Eugene Volokh recently posted at his legal group blog, the Volokh
Conspiracy, a post about a school libraries matter. The post, What May a School Board Do When It Concludes an Elementary
School Library Book Omits Important Information?, takes a look at a recent case in the United States Court of Appeals for
the Eleventh Circuit. An opinion has been released in the matter.
--Google and Amazon to Put More Books on Cellphones
- http://lisnews.org/node/32689/
-Front Page Story by Bibliofuture Posted Friday February 6th at 2:34 PM
-Read 569 times - 9 Comments
More electronic books are coming to mobile phones. In a move that could bolster the growing popularity of e-books, Google
said Thursday that the 1.5 million public domain books it had scanned and made available free on PCs were now accessible on
mobile devices like the iPhone and the T-Mobile G1. Also Thursday, Amazon said that it was working on making the titles for
its popular e-book reader, the Kindle, available on a variety of mobile phones. The company, which is expected to unveil a
new version of the Kindle next week, did not say when Kindle titles would be available on mobile phones. Full story in the
NYT
--New job listing
- http://lisnews.org/node/32688/
-Blog Entry by nbruce Posted Friday February 6th at 2:12 PM
-Read 82 times - 0 Comments
Big one coming up at Ohio State. Dust off those resumes and PhDs.
--I've now paid my library fines
- http://lisnews.org/node/32687/
-Blog Entry by nbruce Posted Friday February 6th at 2:10 PM
-Read 106 times - 2 Comments
I just feel so light and clean. No more fines. I'm paid up.
http://collectingmythoughts.blogspot.com/2009/02/dear-president-obama-when-i-found-out.html What's that show where you
scream, "I'm debt free!" into the phone?
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