Category Archives: Libraries

gOOGLE Barcode

Posted on 7 October 2009 by Rick Mason

Google is celebrating the 57th anniversary of the first barcode patent by (surprise!) replacing their logo: Having played around with barcodes over the years, I got curious.  I printed out the page, plugged in my declawed CueCat, and scanned the … Continue reading →

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Inspirational Library-related StoryCorps

Posted on 2 October 2009 by Rick Mason

This morning I heard one of the most inspirational library-related stories I have encountered.  It was a StoryCorps segment on NPR’s Morning Edition radio program, and I feel that everyone who works in libraries should listen to it, if only … Continue reading →

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Cookery is Toast

Posted on 1 October 2009 by Rick Mason

My favorite example of “proper” library terminology that doesn’t relate to the language in use by the general public (or most library employees for that matter) is Cookery. The Library of Congress is in the process of retiring the subject … Continue reading →

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Drinking from the Firehose of Metadata

Posted on 22 September 2009 by Rick Mason

Lorcan Demsey discusses a previous post about Metadata that he wrote a couple of years ago, and the implications for how we approach the creation and selection of information about information.  His four categories: Professional. Produced by staff in support … Continue reading →

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Professionalism

Posted on 6 September 2009 by Rick Mason

Circulating Zen posts about dealing with a staffing issue on a holiday weekend. She is faced with a student worker scheduled to cover several shifts (allowing other students to travel home for the holiday weekend) who has come down with … Continue reading →

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Future of Libraries, With or Without Books

Posted on 4 September 2009 by Rick Mason

The Future of Libraries, With or Without Books is a rarity : a mass-media (CNN) news article about the ongoing evolution of libraries that doesn’t dwell in stereotypes, cliches or “gee-whiz” style examples.  What the reader gets is a well-written … Continue reading →

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HealthBase, continued

Posted on 3 September 2009 by Rick Mason

A follow-up to yesteday’s post on HealthBase: It wasn’t what I was thinking of when I provided a caveat regarding Wikipedia being used as a source, but apparently some search results have offbeat listings, occasionally with negative associations. My caveat … Continue reading →

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HealthBase

Posted on 2 September 2009 by Rick Mason

HealthBase is a health information search tool created by Netbase that should be on your short list of resources. Search results are drawn from a diverse range of resources, including WebMD, PubMed, Medline Plus, and the Mayo Clinic.  NetBase uses … Continue reading →

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Google Library?

Posted on 27 August 2009 by Rick Mason

As the Google Books settlement works its way to becoming reality, it is becoming apparent that Google Books will be transformed into something very much resembling a library. Think of how this might change our roles in society. found via … Continue reading →

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Ohio on iTunes U

Posted on 27 August 2009 by Rick Mason

The State of Ohio has launched an iTunes site that is designed “to share educational resources, professional development materials, and student videos which have been produced by members of higher education, the K-12 community, and community partners free of charge … Continue reading →

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Definition of Cloud Computing

Posted on 26 August 2009 by Rick Mason

Cloud Computing is rapidly becoming the “in” buzz phrase.  Does this mean that it is all talk/no action?  Definitely not.  For many businesses or organizations, cloud computing can be a cost-effective way to have a great deal of control over … Continue reading →

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Sponsor a Magazine

Posted on 23 August 2009 by Rick Mason

The Lepper Library in Lisbon, Ohio has initiated a new program to deal with severe budget cuts:  they are asking their users to help out by sponsoring magazine subscriptions. This is a creative and interesting way to help maintain and … Continue reading →

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Dream your worst nightmare and invest in it

Posted on 23 August 2009 by Rick Mason

Change is the one constant of the universe – unless you need it for the bus.  Seriously, though, thoughts of change can be very stressful for those in a workplace.  Libraries are no different.  In fact, we have avoided changing … Continue reading →

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Social Your Site

Posted on 23 August 2009 by Rick Mason

Jenny Levine makes a great case on The Shifted Librarian for adding a feature to your sites that allows users to easily share your content via social networks.  Not only will this offer a way for your users to help … Continue reading →

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BookChaser

Posted on 23 August 2009 by Rick Mason

I wrote a post about the BookChaser Editions service last year, but encountered a reference to another service they offer, and this led me to others: BookChaser Covers : compares cover images available from Amazon, Google Books, LibraryThing, and Open … Continue reading →

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PLOS Currents : Influenza

Posted on 20 August 2009 by Rick Mason

For those who have been following  H1N1 influenza virus news (and those who might expect to get questions about it), the Public Library of Science (PLOS) and Google have launched a new mashup service: PLOS Currents : Influenza is built … Continue reading →

Posted in Google, Government, Libraries, Library 2.0, Medical, News, Online Databases, Online Services, Open Access, Publishing, Search | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Open Data – Interoperability not Property

Posted on 20 August 2009 by Rick Mason

Open Data : It’s About Interoperability, not Property is a post on Common Knowledge that does a great job at not only explaining why Open Data is such a powerful idea, but also why it is so complex, as well: … Continue reading →

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Center for History and New Media

Posted on 17 August 2009 by Rick Mason

I have been aware of the Center for History and New Media for quite some time (even posted a link here), but only recently did I take a look at their site beyond the work they do with Zotero.  I … Continue reading →

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Perfect Storm

Posted on 16 August 2009 by Rick Mason

The Perfect Storm is a brief essay in the current issue of the Council on Library and Information Resources (CLIR) newsletter.  G. Sayeed Choudhury, the author of the essay, states that “Universities have authentication and authorization systems to identify who … Continue reading →

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Books : A Plan To Scan

Posted on 13 August 2009 by Rick Mason

A very straightforward and readable overview of the issues surrounding Google’s book scanning project appeared in yesterdays Financial Times :  Books : A plan to scan. A prime focus of the analysis is the Orphan Works issue, books that fall … Continue reading →

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