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Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.Libology Blog
Established July 2006
ISSN: 1946-1852
by Rick Mason
Author Archives: Rick Mason
The Lemony Snicket Prize for Noble Librarians Faced With Adversity
The ALA Council has approved a new award, The Lemony Snicket Prize for Noble Librarians Faced With Adversity, to be awarded annually to a librarian who “has faced adversity with integrity and dignity intact.” It will be interesting to see … Continue reading
healthcare.gov likes Opera
Even though I am not currently working in the library field (and am not following library-related news as closely), I have been following the implementation and rollout of the Affordable Care Act somewhat closely. I think libraries have an important … Continue reading
Posted in Government, Libraries, Medical, News, Online Services, Software, Web Design
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BandMusic PDF Library
If the BandMusic PDF Library, offering free access to public domain band music, seems familiar, you might be thinking of the IMSLP/Petrucci Music Library, which does the same for classical scores. Each of these should be on every library’s list … Continue reading
Posted in History, Libraries, Online Databases, Online Services, Uncategorized
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Long Copyrights Kill Books
This. The Hole in our Collective Memory : How Copyright made Mid-Century Books Vanish These are frightening numbers, and they should force us to consider the negative effects of longer copyright terms. The publication of knowledge and creativity blossomed during … Continue reading
Posted in Books, Copyright, Ethics, Government, OCLC, Publishing
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Libraries and the Affordable Care Act
Some interesting news will be announced at the American Library Association (ALA) conference in Chicago: the ALA will be coordinating an effort to have libraries nationwide assist people who will be signing up for insurance beginning October 1st under the … Continue reading
Posted in Conferences, Government, Libraries, News, Online Services, Training
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Weeding… or Mowing?
The Urbana Free Library in Urbana, Illinois, just conducted a major weeding project. Those of us who work in libraries understand that proper weeding is critical. A collection that isn’t weeded well becomes clogged up with irrelevant and unnecessary volumes, … Continue reading
Posted in Books, Classification, Ethics, Libraries
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Mapping Libraries (and Museums)
Justin Grimes, of the Institute of Museum and Library Services, has created a couple of interactive maps that detail the saturation of libraries and museums across the United States: Peruse the Map of Public Libraries for a few minutes, and … Continue reading
Posted in Google, Government, Groups, Libraries, Maps
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A New Era of Scientific Publishing
This. Why is Science Behind a Paywall? We are in the middle of the most dramatic and significant change in publishing since the proliferation of the printing press. One area that has been resistant to change has been peer-reviewed scientific … Continue reading
Posted in Blogs, History, Libraries, Open Access, Periodicals, Publishing, Science
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Dyslexia Typeface
I stumbled upon this typeface nearly eight months ago, and thought that I had written about it, but after recommending it for the 3rd or 4th time, I realized that I had failed to actually create the post. OpenDyslexic is … Continue reading
Posted in Copyright, Education, Licensing, Open Source
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A World Without Database Vendors?
BeerBrarian has a post which explores the result of a hypothetical 100% open access world: As a thought experiment, let’s say we “win.” Professional and academic associations go open access, as much of physics has. The Directory of Open Access … Continue reading
Posted in Uncategorized
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III and SkyRiver Join and Drop OCLC Lawsuit
Two related bits of news in the world of libraries: Innovative Interfaces (III) and SkyRiver, companies that had close ties, and who had joined together to sue OCLC in 2010, have merged. Their first combined action? They dropped their lawsuit … Continue reading
Posted in Uncategorized
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Are Library Books on Borrowed Time?
Are Library Books on Borrowed Time? is a short article in Financial Times that covers what many in libraries have recognized for some time: we are in the midst of a transition between paper books and some combination of e-books … Continue reading
Posted in Books, Libraries, News, Online Services
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Inventor of the Bar Code Dies
The media coverage, rightly so, emphasizes the tremendous impact that N. Joseph Woodland’s creation had on retail sales and inventory. Library folk should take a moment and reflect on how much this one technological achievement as affected our work.
OCLC supports Open Data license
OCLC has endorsed the use of the Open Data Commons Attribution License (ODC-BY) for library catalog records. This is a great step forward, as it allows a clear path for use and re-use of library records without fear of a … Continue reading
Posted in Uncategorized
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More Master’s Degree News
Guess which field made Forbes #1 Worst Master’s Degree in terms of mid-career pay and job availability…
The Matter of the Master’s
I’ve had some differences of opinion with Will Manley over the years, most specifically his seeming distain for Movers & Shakers, but his current column regarding the reduced impact of the Masters of Library Science degree hits fairly close to … Continue reading
Posted in Education, Libraries
Tagged librarian, Library and information science, Movers & Shakers;
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