Author Archives: Rick Mason

Upgrade

Libology has upgraded to WordPress 3.0, which is a significant jump ahead in standards and features.  One of the most interesting, for me, will be support for HTML 5. I have also switched to the Twenty-Ten theme, as it is … Continue reading

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Tragic Death

It has been a long time since I worked there, and I highly doubt that I would recognize or be recognized by anyone currently on staff, but the news of the tragic death of a librarian from the Brookfield Public … Continue reading

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Catch-22 Terms of Service

Apple pulled a newsreader called Pulse from their App Store yesterday after the New York Times sent a letter saying that the application violated their terms of service. The issue seems to revolve around the fact that Pulse is a … Continue reading

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Library of the Year

The Columbus Metropolitan Library System was named 2010 Library of the Year by Library Journal. Hoo-Rah! (And given budget realities, I bet directors were nervous to be called into a surprise meeting this morning!)

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I will gladly pay you Tuesday for a library today…

Another method of dealing with fiscal woes is beginning to impact library organizations. My former state of residence, Illinois, has always for years run several months behind in payments to state-funded organizations.  I know this from keeping an eye on … Continue reading

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Academic Library Bubble

An interesting column in Library Journal by Stephen Bell: The Bursting of the Academic Library Bubble That is bubble as in housing bubble or stock market bubble. It is not the academic library that is possibly in a bubble, but … Continue reading

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Anne Frank’s Annex: 3-D Tour

Each year, about one million people visit the site where Anne Frank’s family hid from the Nazis during World War II, which was described vividly in her diary.  Now the Anne Frank House has opened a virtual annex site, including … Continue reading

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Practical Open Source Software Website

Nicole Engard’s forthcoming book, Practical Open Source Software for Libraries, has a page on the accompanying website consisting of links mentioned in the book.  Not only is this a tantalizing glimpse of the book, but it is a source of … Continue reading

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The Importance of Taking Breaks

Most people are viewing this with an eye towards the Dewey Decimal System, but what I see is the importance of taking regular breaks: found on The Cataloguing Librarian

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We are but warriors for the working-day…

Bullet Point : “We live in Shakespearean Times” is an older post on Virtual Dave… Real Blog aimed squarely at librarians, but I think it may apply even more to support staff, as we are in even less of a … Continue reading

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Personality Spectrum

There is an interesting “personality type” post on Dougal Campbell’s Geek Ramblings titled Open Source Personality Spectrum. In and of itself, it is interesting and basically true.  Giving it some thought, I suspect that this range of personality traits can … Continue reading

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DIY Book Scanner for less than $20

If you have reading material that you would like to digitize, but not enough budget to make it happen, this might be your recipe for a Saturday afternoon do-it-yourself (DIY) project: New & Improved Portable, Paperless, Digital Copy Machine The … Continue reading

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iPad Peek

A good service for web designers who want to see how their website will work on the iPad: iPad Peek found via WeblogToolsCollection

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OCLC and Data

The OCLC Record Use Policy Council today posted a draft of the WorldCat Rights and Responsibilities for the OCLC Cooperative. This is the second go-around for updating the 1987 Guidelines for the Use and Transfer of OCLC-derived Records, which is … Continue reading

Posted in Cataloging, Copyright, History, Libraries, Library 2.0, Licensing, News, OCLC, Online Databases, OPAC | Tagged , | 2 Comments

Zombie Attack Preparedness

I am a huge supporter of organizational disaster plans.  Not only does this allow for greater safety for staff and users, but a well-made disaster plan can mean that your library can be more functional in a shorter time when … Continue reading

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Taking Library Photographs

Taking Pictures and Telling Stories at our Libraries is a post on the ALA TechSource blog by Cindi Trainor.  It is a good overview for how someone can take decent photographs in a library setting. The only suggestion I would … Continue reading

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MARCTHULU

This would be really tough to describe to someone who isn’t familiar with MARC (and with various flavors of Integrated Library Systems), but for those of us with some exposure to each, this is a real treat: Original can be … Continue reading

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OpenDNS Hits 1%

DNS, aka Domain Name System,  is one of those things that is easily taken for granted.  However, the DNS service we use can determine our overall internet experience. I first encountered OpenDNS at a tech conference, and was intrigued enough … Continue reading

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Mash-Up the OPAC

ILS user groups can be one of the greatest sources of tips, tricks and inspiration for tech-oriented library staff. There was a recent discussion on the Innovative User’s Group that has led to an interesting way to embed various media … Continue reading

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PictureIt Rare Book Reader

The University of Michigan has unveiled the PictureIt Rare Book Reader, an on-screen reader that is similar to others that I have seen, but faster, smoother, and simply beautiful to see and use. The first book available online is volume … Continue reading

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