Tag Archives: Technology/Internet

OpenDNS Hits 1%

Posted on 24 March 2010 by Rick Mason

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

Posted on 16 March 2010 by Rick Mason

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 →

Posted in Cataloging, ILS, Libraries, Library 2.0, Online Services, Software, Tutorials, Video, Web Design, XML | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

PictureIt Rare Book Reader

Posted on 11 March 2010 by Rick Mason

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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Open Source Integrated Library Systems

Posted on 2 March 2010 by Rick Mason

Found a fantastic slideshow covering the basics of Open Source ILS software via the Proverbial Lone Wolf Librarian: Open Source Integrated Library Systems View more presentations from stellacomans. Direct link to the slides on SlideShare

Posted in ILS, Libraries, Licensing, Open Source, Software | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

ILS Turnover

Posted on 6 February 2010 by Rick Mason

Library Technology Guides has a couple of interesting data sets that, in a limited way, shows some of the dynamic patterns in the Integrated Library System (ILS) market: Integrated Library System turnover in 2009 (listed by the ILS migrated to) … Continue reading →

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Convergence

Posted on 15 January 2010 by Rick Mason

2010 : The Only Year of the E-Reader is a post on Kit Eaton’s blog at Fast Company.  He argues that the days (well, years) of the e-reader are nearly through, because the multi-function tablet seems to be coming into … Continue reading →

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Unusual Articles

Posted on 3 January 2010 by Rick Mason

If you spend any amount of time perusing Wikipedia, you will encounter articles on topics that are either exceedingly trivial, offbeat, or hard to classify.  For those who seek these articles, they have a page for it: Wikipedia: Unusual Articles … Continue reading →

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Granularity and Relational

Posted on 1 January 2010 by Rick Mason

While clearing out old lists of post inspirations, I ran across a post on Commonplace.net that still gets my brain going: At my place of work, my desk is in close proximity to our two catalogers.  The conversations that ensue … Continue reading →

Posted in Cataloging, ILS, Libraries, Software | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Baker & Taylor E-Book Technology

Posted on 9 December 2009 by Rick Mason

Baker & Taylor has the next big thing in ebooks. Really! As with all of  the “next big things” we see in digital technology, we get to “wait and see”. However, reading the post makes me marvel at the possibilities … Continue reading →

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Business Models and Comments

Posted on 1 December 2009 by Rick Mason

A link to a thought-provoking article on Open Source business models was posted by Stephen Abram on his blog, Stephen’s Lighthouse.  If you follow that last link, you may note that not only does he post the link “without comment”, … Continue reading →

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Koha LiveCD

Posted on 12 November 2009 by Rick Mason

Most of us who have used and installed any of the many variants of Linux started off with a live CD.  These allow you to boot your computer up using the CD, and try out the operating system without having … Continue reading →

Posted in ILS, Libraries, Open Source, Software | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Springo

Posted on 10 November 2009 by Rick Mason

I have always been a fan of the idea of creating a mediated search engine – one in which the results have been reviewed in order to ensure a lean, relevant results list. The reality of the idea is, shall … Continue reading →

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Library 101

Posted on 28 October 2009 by Rick Mason

The Library 101 video debuted today at the Internet Librarian conference.  Created by Michael Porter (a.k.a. Libraryman) and David Lee King, the video is a foot-tapping, library-rocking tour-de-force.  Clear the next eight minutes in your schedule, put on some headphones, … Continue reading →

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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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punypng

Posted on 24 September 2009 by Rick Mason

punypng is a great service for those who work with the .png image format.  If you work on web sites, presentations, or other projects that involve image files, this is really worth adding to your toolkit. What it does is … 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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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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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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