Came across an post with the name Hot Library Smut and just had to click. It’s about a photography book of libraries around the world. The post includes some pictures from the book and it does look great. Definitely worth a look. Amazon Page - has title and author wrong OpenWorldCat - which also seems to have an iffy title
Alan has a nice post on his library’s hopes of changing how reference is provided. They hope to move away from the reference desk and move more towards a “pod” approach which I understand to be more open and allow patrons to sit right next to the reference librarian for help. No more barriers between the librarian and the patron. It will be interesting to see how the design turns out and what tweaks they make.
A few things that are worthwhile pointing to outside of del.icio.us but not worth thier own post. First, the submissions to Talis' Mashup contest are in. Art has been working on a Google Desktop mashup and he has a nice writeup about it now. Planning for a free web-conference called Five Weeks to a Social Library is underway. They are requesting proposals for presentations currently. Led by a great group of people and likely to turn out just as great.
Seed Magazine has a coming issue on the 25th anniversery of HIV/AIDS and of the XVI International AIDS Conference. I’m still trying to get my library to subscribe (great science magazine) but they have a lot of coverage online. There’s some nice infographics in a recent post and some other great posts as well. Round-up of online posts at seedmagazine.com Coverage of the conference at ScienceBlogs.com There quite a few posts on the scienceblogs referring to the anniversery.
Image was created using the Web2.0 Logo Creatr. A sort of informal book club it taking shape. From the code4lib post: So a bunch of us in #code4lib are thinking of starting up a book club to read tech books together, learn from each other in the process, and hopefully use a bit of peer pressure to propel ourselves into actually finishing a book. The first book we’re proposing we read is Practical Common Lisp which is available in print and also online.
Probably one of the most amazing uses of YouTube that’s I’ve seen. A 78-year-old man tells his story. Probably something that would fall under DOPA. Check out his YouTube profile for more of his content and to see how quickly he’s adapted to the technology. Are any libraries helping document local stories? via Waxy links
Library Stuff has another post on worldcat and borrowing policies. I still believe that a policy rethink is in order, but I think WorldCat could provide some warning similar to “Library policies differ and you may not be able to checkout this item directly. Contact the library to find out more…”, but more thought out. I don’t think this is just a WorldCat problem though. As more and more OPAC’s become searchable and findable online, it’s likely worthwhile to put some sort of policy statement right on the OPAC or the record display to prevent confusion.
Dchud has a nice post about using OCLC’s resolver API to integrate other institutions' resolvers with your application. The end result being that any user that comes across your site would be able to find it locally if they have an institution IP. One step closer to what I think Dan’s OneBigLibrary idea might be. Ross has also played with the idea in his metasearch/resolver and the idea opens some possibilities for users.
An article on search methods and tools that may be of interest to reference and other librarians. This article examines alternative engines with unique features that might improve search quality. I also advocate the use of search engines that graphically illustrate what searchers miss when they use only one engine. Finally, the article explores the possibilities for using social bookmarking communities as the ultimate search engine alternative. Developing good search skills requires study, experimentation, exploration, and a routine for keeping up with the latest developments in search engine technology.
I’ve seen a few posts about it but LiB goes over the use of the MeeboMe widget in libraries pretty well. One of the big benefits of such a widget is that you can include it at problem points. An OPAC search bring up zero results? Display the widget in the sidebar. It’s also anonymous and doesn’t require anyone to add you to their buddy list, providing an easy virtual reference for those who don’t use IM.