Aaron

NY Library Facing Possible Close

Jen sent in this New York Times [reg req]article detailing hard time for the New Rochelle Public Library.

“I don’t see a way that the city can maintain all public safety and public works services and continue to fund the library,” Mr. Strome said, noting that the city’s collection of fall leaves was completed only last month because of a shortage of maintenance workers.

Opponents of the library vote, a group formed by members of the Republican, Independence and Conservative Parties, call themselves The New Rochelle Public Library Coalition. They are sending information to residents by direct mail, e-mail and telephone…

Read the full story.

May 6, 2003 by Aaron Librarians Libraries

USA P.A.T.R.I.O.T. Act Concerns Booksellers Too.

The Pacific Northwest Booksellers Association has produced a document for their members to sign. The way it reads, they must\’ve been cheating off of some ALA documents.

…WHEREAS, bookstores are vital institutions for promoting unfettered access to information and ideas for individuals and communities;

WHEREAS, the PNBA holds that suppression of ideas undermines a democratic society and that surveillance and intimidation are agents for censorship; and

WHEREAS, privacy is essential to the exercise of free speech, free thought, and free association; and, in a bookstore, the subject of customers\’ interests should not be examined or scrutinized by others…

Read the entire resolution.

Unshelved Makes Librarian Cry

(AP – Chicago, IL)
     While reading comic Unshelved the other day, reference librarian Aaron Schmidt burst into tears. Library patrons may have been confused by his outpour, but his coworkers were undaunted. “As librarians, we’re accustomed to seeing the misery of our own,” responded Circulation clerk Brent Lipinski.
      When asked about his reaction to the comic, Schmidt squeaked, “There are a variety of reasons the comic elicited such emotion. I was at first overwhelmed by the fact that there were two people [Barnes and Ambaum, the strip’s creators] that understood my situation. Then I got confused and started crying more, because I was scared that they were spying on me to get material. I then realized that there are librarians across the planet dealing with surly patrons and other malcontents. The frustration of all librarians in the world came out of me.”
      Schmidt was given the day off after the incident. He chose to spend it in the library, reading Oscar Wilde and listening to the Smiths on his iPod.

April 12, 2003 by Aaron Librarians Libraries

Googlewashed?

The Register has an interesting if not inflammatory article about Google’s effect on memes and language.

They claim that the meaning of the term “second superpower” was altered becasue of Google’s Page Rank feature. Before an allegedly influential article was written by James F. Moore, the term was used by the grassroots anti-war movement to describe itself. His essay, though, changed the meaning, claims The Register, lightening the message. It calls users of the Internet the “second superpower.” Since the article was linked heavily, it was listed as the top results for the search “second superpower”. This once published, this change took 42 days.
Here is the full article.[via MeFi w/ some interesting comments>]

April 4, 2003 by Aaron Google Internet Legal Issues

1991 Iraq Conflict : Cable :: 2003 Iraq Conflict : Internet

I knew that it was totally mainstream when my mom started getting news online.

This article from the Australian Broadcasting Corporation claims that online news is the new cable news. They posit the notion that the popularity of online news has risen with the proliferation of broadband connections. As evidence, I was surprised (and delighted) to see library patrons gathered around a librarian\’s computer watching a live speech by Mr. Bush the other night.

What\’s really neat about this war being documented online is the variety of sources one can read. Reading \”Why the Gulf War II is an Internet War\” from the Indian Sify Times is much easier than getting an Indian news channel!

Be sure to see Tracking the War Online from The Shifted Librarian.

I\’m probably preaching to the converted here, but it is good to see that other people are noticing too.

March 25, 2003 by Aaron Internet Libraries

DRM Primer

\”You start up a DVD movie and before the film starts, you encounter an annoying advertisement. But when you try to fast-forward past the commercial, your player doesn\’t respond.\”

\”You can play your new audio CD on your stereo system, but when you insert it into the CD drive on your Macintosh computer [or PC for that matter], the CD doesn\’t work.\”

DRM. Have so few letters ever inspired such fear in the hearts of librarians?

On the desk, I was flipping though the April 8, 2003 PC Magazine that was patiently waiting to be processed. Inside I found a good little article on DRM. If you don\’t know about DRM you might want to learn about it. For starters it is an acronym for Digital Rights Management. But I don\’t need to sit here insulting your intelligence. Read the article, which happens to have a nice DRM webliography.

March 19, 2003 by Aaron Libraries

Let’s Hurry Up with the WiFi, Borders Is!

Alleged menace to public (and academic?) libraries, Borders Group, has teamed with Intel to provide \”high-speed wireless Internet access to customers at more than 400 Borders Books & Music® locations nationwide.\”

Nowhere in full article does it state if this access will be available to the public for free of for a cost.

Borders has hooked up with Intel® for this venture. Intel® is promoting their Intel® Centrino(TM) mobile technology not only in these outlets, but also Hilton hotels and resorts. [link goes to article and list of hotels] and McDonald\’s.

If libraries can\’t be on the cutting edge of this technology, we at least need to be ready and implement it before it gets totally mainstream. While I wish libraries could introduce this technology to everyone, it isn\’t happening that way. The news about Intel® promoting their product is heartening, though, becasue I\’m ready to be connected all of the time.

See Wireless Librarian for articles and a list of libraries implementing wireless technology.

March 11, 2003 by Aaron Google Internet Libraries Music Yahoo

World’s Highest Internet Cafe!

Come March, next time you\’re on Everest you\’ll be able to check LISNews. Thanks to Tsering Gyalzen, grandson of a sherpa who assisted with the first ascent of Everest in 1953, climbers will have internet access at base camp.

A friend of mine was concerend about the equipment taking away from the beauty of the mountain, but he didn\’t know the situation up there. All of the sieges on Eversest have left the standard South Col route littered with expired oxygen bottles, tents, and corpses.

Profits from the Internet Cafe will benefit clean up of the mountain.

Read the full story

February 20, 2003 by Aaron Internet

Top pick to head Lincoln library declines post

As if the Lincoln Library in my state\’s capital (Illinois and Springfield) hasn\’t had enough problems! Harold Holzer, a famous Lincoln scholar and the top choice of a search committee has removed his name for consideration. Some administrative functions were removed from the position and given to the director of the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency, which oversees the library and museum.

Here\’s the full story from the Chicago Sun-Times [sorry bout the pop-up! grr]

Also: The Lincoln Library Cam

February 7, 2003 by Aaron Librarians Libraries

Beware Dynix Users

At the local megacorporatebookretailer I flipped passively though an issue of 2600, something that I rarely do. I was glad I did becasue I came across an article titled \”Breaking Down the Dynix Door.\” Written in a non-malicious tone, the article detailed how to get into library Circ systems. The suggested use of this info was erasing fines from overdue (or stolen, I suppose) DVDs. The author was pro libraries in his own way, asking people to get into Dynix systems and then warn the sysadmin. The author claimed that many Circ systems aren\’t password protected. I\’m not so sure I believe this.

January 28, 2003 by Aaron EBooks Libraries