[LISNews] The LISNews For February 23rd 2009
The LISNews Librarian News By Email
lisnews at lishost.net
Mon Feb 23 10:58:36 CST 2009
Happy Monday! It's the LISNews for February 23rd, 2009...
On Monday we start with the most popular headlines from the weekend:
-[1] - Librarian quarantines books
http://lisnews.org/node/32846/
-[2] - Pico Projectors
http://lisnews.org/node/32849/
-[3] - The Skunk Has Left the Library
http://lisnews.org/node/32845/
-[4] - Librarian Opposes Google's Library Fees
http://lisnews.org/node/32857/
-[5] - 250 DVDs in a Quarter-Sized Device -- Coming Soon?
http://lisnews.org/node/32850/
And here's the latest from LISNews:
--Very expensive Kindle title
- http://lisnews.org/node/32865/
-Front Page Story by Bibliofuture Posted Monday February 23rd at 10:42 AM
-Read 90 times - 2 Comments
Before you click the link to see the book take a guess at the cost. See how close you are. Very expensive Kindle ebook
title: Practical Variable Speed Drives and Power Electronics (Practical Professional Books) The sales rank for the book is
32,000. I wonder if Amazon really sold a copy or if certain Amazon employees have free downloads and they got the book just
to say they had a title this expensive or just to see what a book that cost this much looks like.
--The Law Formerly Known as 'No Child Left Behind'?
- http://lisnews.org/node/32864/
-Front Page Story by birdie Posted Monday February 23rd at 10:20 AM
-Read 68 times - 0 Comments
Report from the NYTimes: Two years ago, an effort to fix No Child Left Behind, the main federal law on public schools
provoked a grueling slugfest in Congress, leading Representative George Miller, Democrat of California, to say the law had
become “the most negative brand in America.” Education Secretary Arne Duncan agrees. “Let’s rebrand it,” he said in an
interview. “Give it a new name.” And before Mr. Duncan has had time to float a single name, scores of educators, policy
wonks and assorted rabble-rousers have rushed in with an outpouring of proposals. A blog contest to rename the No Child
Left Behind law has received entries like the Rearranging the Deck Chairs Act and the Teach to the Test Act. Here's the
website sponsoring the contest. So far, 216 suggestions have been made.
--Paper Cut: Missouri College Embraces E-Textbooks
- http://lisnews.org/node/32863/
-Front Page Story by Bibliofuture Posted Monday February 23rd at 10:19 AM
-Read 60 times - 0 Comments
The college textbook is on track to becoming a relic of the paper-and-ink era. On campuses around the country, professors
and students are selecting digital versions of books that can be read off of a computer screen. Most college students are
used to going online for music, videos and news — so why not textbooks? One college in rural Missouri is the first trying
to go entirely book-free. Full story at NPR
--LISTen: An LISNews.org Podcast -- Episode #61
- http://lisnews.org/node/32861/
-Blog Entry by StephenK Posted Sunday February 22nd at 11:49 PM
-Read 136 times - 0 Comments
Sometimes brakes are not hit when people are sick. Listener discretion is advised. Bits:Commentary relative to the
Topeka-SpokaneShawnee County Library situation Recently introduced legislation in the United States Congress Brief run-down
on what the LISNews Netcast Network is, answering some recent questions raised Related Links: Piece by Declan McCullagh
referenced First piece available for station licensing Second piece available for station licensing Flu medication from
Amazon's grocery section
--Exploring a ‘Deep Web’ That Google Can’t Grasp
- http://lisnews.org/node/32860/
-Front Page Story by Bibliofuture Posted Sunday February 22nd at 10:53 PM
-Read 262 times - 2 Comments
One day last summer, Google’s search engine trundled quietly past a milestone. It added the one trillionth address to the
list of Web pages it knows about. But as impossibly big as that number may seem, it represents only a fraction of the entire
Web. Beyond those trillion pages lies an even vaster Web of hidden data: financial information, shopping catalogs, flight
schedules, medical research and all kinds of other material stored in databases that remain largely invisible to search
engines. The challenges that the major search engines face in penetrating this so-called Deep Web go a long way toward
explaining why they still can’t provide satisfying answers to questions like “What’s the best fare from New York to London
next Thursday?” or “When will the Yankees play the Red Sox this year?” The answers are readily available — if only the
search engines knew how to find them. Full article in the NYT
--Retired LOC Spokeswoman Helen Dalrymple Dead at 68
- http://lisnews.org/node/32859/
-Front Page Story by birdie Posted Sunday February 22nd at 7:40 PM
-Read 130 times - 0 Comments
The Washington Post reports on the recent death of Helen W. Dalrymple, a Library of Congress researcher and spokeswoman.
She was the co-author of several books about the library and was a leading authority on its holdings, history and mission
She died Feb. 13 in Arlington VA of brain cancer. "She was quite simply one of the nicest and noblest public servants I
have had the privilege of working with," Librarian of Congress James Billington said. "I learned about the Library of
Congress from her books before I was librarian." Throughout the 1970s, Mrs. Dalrymple worked closely with Charles A.
Goodrum, who was assistant director of the Congressional Research Service and later became director of planning and
development for the library as a whole. When Goodrum was asked by the Harry N. Abrams publishing company to write a history
of the library, Mrs. Dalrymple became his chief assistant. "Without her," Goodrum said yesterday, "the book couldn't have
been written."
--Quote
- http://lisnews.org/node/32858/
-Blog Entry by Bibliofuture Posted Sunday February 22nd at 5:54 PM
-Read 61 times - 0 Comments
A friend of mine who is a librarian has the following line in the signature to her email. I really like the quote. I do
not believe in the collective wisdom of individual ignorance. -- Thomas Carlyle Wikipedia entry about Carlyle.
--Librarian Opposes Google's Library Fees
- http://lisnews.org/node/32857/
-Front Page Story by Bibliofuture Posted Sunday February 22nd at 5:28 PM
-Read 333 times - 3 Comments
Story on NPR: Google wants to give you access to its huge database of scanned, out-of-print books, but the company is
going to charge for it. Robert Darnton, head librarian at Harvard University, says the deal violates a basic American
principle — that knowledge should be free and accessible to all. Full story here. The basis behind this story has been
mentioned on LISNEWS before. In the New York Review of Books, Robert Darnton, wrote a piece called Google & the Future of
Books that is dated February 12, 2009. Walt Crawford has commentary on the Google Book Settlement in the current Cites and
Insights. Link to PDF.
--Library Value Calculator
- http://lisnews.org/node/32855/
-Front Page Story by Bibliofuture Posted Sunday February 22nd at 1:18 PM
-Read 250 times - 0 Comments
The Denver Public library has a Library Value Calculator on their website. It was mentioned in this story about a person
who decided not to buy any books for one year. (Article indicates they are a librarian) Excerpt: There are several reasons
I stopped buying books in 2008. With a young child at home, a car payment and student loans, saving money was becoming more
important to me than owning "Zazie in the Metro" or "Tamerlane: Sword of Islam." As a librarian I also saw a limit on book
buying as an opportunity to enrich my professional life by experiencing the library more fully as a patron. Finally, part of
me just wanted to see if I could do it. In the comments to the article there is this comment: Thank you Denver Post, for
printing an article that damages further an already damaged industry, the local book shop. While libraries have their
places, we desperately need the few surviving bookshops. How about an article boosting the buying of books?
--250 DVDs in a Quarter-Sized Device -- Coming Soon?
- http://lisnews.org/node/32850/
-Front Page Story by Bibliofuture Posted Sunday February 22nd at 12:40 AM
-Read 275 times - 1 Comments
A new technique developed by scientists at UC Berkeley and University of Massachusetts Amherst may drastically increase the
ability of devices to store things. Cal officials called the technique "innovative and easily implemented," on Thursday. The
method lets microscopic nanoscale elements precisely assemble themselves over large surfaces. Scientists said the technique
could soon open doors to dramatic improvements in the data storage capacity of electronic media. Full story here.
--Pico Projectors
- http://lisnews.org/node/32849/
-Front Page Story by Bibliofuture Posted Saturday February 21st at 9:31 PM
-Read 426 times - 6 Comments
Optoma EP-PK-101 PICO Pocket Projector- 4 oz. is a projector about the size of an iPod. Mention of pico projectors on
Marketplace. Any libraries trying these out yet? Any ideas of unique library functions that could be done with these?
(Graphic: Pico projector connected to a Wii)
--Change... now I know
- http://lisnews.org/node/32848/
-Blog Entry by mdoneil Posted Saturday February 21st at 3:46 PM
-Read 117 times - 4 Comments
Now I know what the whole Change, Change, Change thing was about. It is the coin they flip to see who to appoint to
what. Today's coin flip gives us a completely unqualified legal hack with absolutely no diplomatic experience as the
United States Ambassador to the UK. Apparently the State Department is devoid of any competent career diplomats. I
could understand naming his fundraising pal to some obscure post, Belieze or Vanuatu, but the UK holy geez they are just
making it up as they go along. They rolled back the withholding rate as well, so now you get more money in your paycheck.
That is great... except they have not lowered the tax rate so now you just have to send a bigger check at the end of the
year. It is like the popular kids that were elected to student government at Public High School 116 have just beein given
the keys to the White House. Susman does not even have a Wikipedia entry to which to link. I'd make it but I would rather
have a margarita.
--Cuts Announced at CISTI
- http://lisnews.org/node/32847/
-Blog Entry by Anonymous Patron Posted Sunday February 22nd at 2:46 AM
-Read 228 times - 0 Comments
The Ottawa Citizen is reporting that "the National Research Council plans to eliminate three research groups, downsize
another and affect up to 300 employees." "[T]he Canada Institute for Scientific and Technical Information (CISTI), the
country’s national science library and leading publisher of scientific information would be streamlined into a smaller unit.
The Research Press, the publishing arm of CISTI could be turned into a private company." CISTI is also is one of the
world's major sources for information in all areas of science, technology, engineering and medicine.
--Librarian quarantines books
- http://lisnews.org/node/32846/
-Front Page Story by Bibliofuture Posted Saturday February 21st at 10:37 AM
-Read 570 times - 3 Comments
Over 1,000 books with 1985 or older on the copyright page have already been quarantined behind an orange curtain.
Library Director Barbara Hegr said librarians will try to determine if the edition is a printing after the copyright date,
so the book may be preserved. Full story here.
--The Skunk Has Left the Library
- http://lisnews.org/node/32845/
-Front Page Story by birdie Posted Friday February 20th at 10:03 PM
-Read 347 times - 0 Comments
The Allensville branch of the Mifflin County library has been closed since Feb. 10 because of the putrid smell. Library
employees can't find the skunk or get rid of the odor. They say everything they've tried has failed. The library located in
an old schoolhouse is in a rural area that serves many Amish and Mennonite families. A township official suspects the skunk
was never in the building, but may have walked past a ventilation unit outside the library. A professional trapper is on
the job.
--Obama administration names pardoned classified document thief to spy satellite post.
- http://lisnews.org/node/32844/
-Blog Entry by mdoneil Posted Friday February 20th at 10:03 PM
-Read 165 times - 4 Comments
John Deutch the former CIA chief who made Berger look like a Boy Scout has been appointed by DNI to a post in the Obama
administration. Deutch mishandled classified documents, as this clown actually put Top Secret documents on his home
computer. Clinton pardoned Deutch in his flurry of hundreds of last minute pardons. They have to be kidding, a guy who is
in charge of the CIA is fiddling around with Top Secret documents on his home computer, gets his hand slapped and several
years later they are asking his advice on sensitive national security matters. Why don't they just offshore the whole
think to North Korea?
--Cites & Insights 9:4 (March 2009) available
- http://lisnews.org/node/32843/
-Blog Entry by Walt Posted Friday February 20th at 8:22 PM
-Read 77 times - 0 Comments
Cites & Insights 9:4 (March 2009) is now available. The 30-page issue (PDF as usual, but there's an HTML version of
the essay) consists of one essay: Perspective: The Google Books Search Settlement As an author with nine out of print books
(to which I hold the rights): Great! I might see a couple hundred dollars...eventually. As one who cares about fair use:
Boo! Google backed away from a case I thought they could win--and did so in a way that will make it harder for others in a
similar situation. As a reader: Great--Google Books Search will continue to grow, and we'll see more than snippess from
(some? most?) of five million out-of-print/in-copyright books. (As for "buying" such books, or rather, "permanent" online
access to indifferently-scanned pages that can't be downloaded as PDFs and don't appear to have first-sale rights: Eh.) As a
library supporter and user: Unclear--extremely unclear. We won't have final answers for a long time. Meanwhile, this issue
reviews some of the summaries and commentaries, throwing in a fair amount of my own commentary. Barring truly unusual
events, the April issue will have more than one essay, and almost certainly more than two. One note: While there is an HTML
version of the essay, please don't print out that version. It will require 38 pages (or more), and it's almost certainly not
as readable as the 30-page PDF. I'm providing it for online viewing, downloading, cut & paste, whatever...but printing
it would just be wasting paper.
--Final (?) David Foster Wallace Book to be Published in April
- http://lisnews.org/node/32842/
-Blog Entry by Anonymous Patron Posted Sunday February 22nd at 2:45 AM
-Read 192 times - 0 Comments
Little Brown will publish what could be the final work by David Foster Wallace this April. It is the lecture he gave at
Kenyon College. http://speakquietly.blogspot.com/2009/02/last-work-of-dfw.html
--Bookcase Cave
- http://lisnews.org/node/32841/
-Blog Entry by Anonymous Patron Posted Friday February 20th at 1:16 PM
-Read 401 times - 0 Comments
It came from Sweden...
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