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The Psychomachia: An Early Medieval Comic Book

What do Captain America, Wonder Woman and a 10th-century Anglo-Saxon manuscript have in common? The answer may be more surprising than you think. The Psychomachia, or ‘War of the Soul’, was composed by the Late Antique poet Prudentius in the 5th century and depicts an action-packed battle between the Virtues and Vices for possession of the human soul. This allegory of good versus evil was hugely popular in the medieval period with about 300 surviving copies of the work, 20 of which were illuminated. Two illuminated Anglo-Saxon copies are held at the British Library (now Additional MS 24199 and Cotton MS Cleopatra C VIII) and their illustrations can be compared to our comic books today.

From The Psychomachia: An Early Medieval Comic Book – Medieval manuscripts blog

January 27, 2017 by Books Libraries

Texas Aggieland Bookstore no longer selling books

A longtime College Station business is making a big change.
The Texas Aggieland Bookstore is no longer selling books.

Buying textbooks for college classes isn’t how it used to be.

“I find it easier just to get on my tablet and have my books on there,” said Texas A&M student Zachary Williams.

He wasn’t surprised that the Texas Aggieland Bookstore is pulling textbooks from shelves.

From Texas Aggieland Bookstore no longer selling books

January 25, 2017 by Books

You Can Watch Porn At Chicago Libraries, But That Doesn’t Mean You Should

The man wasn’t wearing headphones or using a privacy screen filter — he was recording the porn with his phone. Hansen found a security guard standing 15 feet away from her computer, but didn’t find much help when she told him about her neighbor.

“He said ‘Yeah, I know, but there’s nothing we can do about it,'” Hansen said.

From You Can Watch Porn At Chicago Libraries, But That Doesn’t Mean You Should – Downtown – DNAinfo Chicago

January 25, 2017 by Libraries Privacy

US Museums, Libraries Collect Signs From Women’s Protests

Homemade signs that protesters waved when marching against President Donald Trump across U.S. cities last weekend were being collected for posterity Tuesday by museums and libraries,
officials said.

The National Museum of American History in Washington and smaller institutions said they were collecting and sorting through protest signs they now considered records of nationwide protests of historic proportions.

From US Museums, Libraries Collect Signs From Women’s Protests

January 25, 2017 by Libraries Museums

Equipping librarians to code: ALA, Google launch ready to code university pilot program

“Libraries play a vital role in our communities, and Google is proud to build on our partnership with ALA,” noted Hai Hong, who leads US outreach on Google’s K-12 Education team. “We’re excited to double down on the findings of Ready to Code 1 by equipping librarians with the knowledge and skills to cultivate computational thinking and coding skills in our youth. Given the ubiquity of technology and the half-a-million unfilled tech jobs in the country, we need to ensure that all youth understand the world around them and have the opportunity to develop the essential skills that employers – and our nation’s economy – require.”

From Equipping librarians to code: ALA, Google launch ready to code university pilot program | News and Press Center

January 25, 2017 by Academic Libraries American Library Association Google Librarians Libraries Technology

The Internet Is a Lot Bigger Than Wikipedia

The Internet Is a Lot Bigger Than Wikipedia

“But we need Wikipedia for an overview of the topic!” the students yell from the back of the room.

I mean, sure. I’m a student too and I get it. Wikipedia is a great way to get a very brief overview of the topic and introduce key terms and topics.

You may find, however, that specific Wikis with different content guidelines provide better coverage of your specific topic. For example, individuals interested in sustainability studies may find Appropedia a better resource than Wikipedia. Try searching your general area of study + “wiki” to see if there is a similar online encyclopedia for your topic.

From Ugh, Still Using Wikipedia? These Alternatives Are More Reliable

January 25, 2017 by Internet

Librarian’s list of ‘predatory’ journals reportedly removed due to ‘threats and politics’

“Jeffrey Beall, associate professor and librarian at the University of Colorado Denver, has decided to no longer maintain or publish his research or blog on open-access journals and ‘predatory publishers,’” the spokesperson said. “CU Denver supports and recognizes the important work Professor Beall has contributed to the field and to scholars worldwide. CU Denver also understands and respects his decision to take down his website scholarlyoa.com at this time. Professor Beall remains on the faculty at the university and will be pursuing new areas of research.”

From Librarian’s list of ‘predatory’ journals reportedly removed due to ‘threats and politics’

January 24, 2017 by Librarians Libraries

A really obscure forgotten audio format: “Talking rubber”

There are several things going on here: first, what is the “talking rubber” technology? After talking to several historians of science and technology, I’m pretty sure it’s not a term that ever caught on. But it turns out that’s because this actual technology never caught on; although on first glance, this ad seems to describe magnetic tape—the technology behind cassette and VHS tapes—“talking rubber” describes actual rubber, not tape! In 1952, The Bell System Technical Journal chronicled “a magnetic recording medium composed of rubber impregnated with magnetic oxide and lubricant,” that was “particularly suited to applications requiring the continuous repetition of short transcribed messages.”

From A really obscure forgotten audio format: “Talking rubber” | Ars Technica

January 21, 2017 by Uncategorized

STL Public Library hit by ransomware attack

Jen Hatton, PR manager for the library system, says a hacker organization has blocked their server and is demanding tens of thousands of dollars to release their computers back to them.

The attack has affected all 700 computers at 16 library branches.

No library visitors can currently use the computers until the problem is solved. The library’s technology staff is working with the FBI.

From STL Public Library hit by ransomware attack | KSDK.com

January 20, 2017 by Librarians Libraries Public Libraries

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