Jaclyn_McKewan

Over at the Freakonomics Blog, Stephen J. Dubner comments on whether or not book blurbs have any real value in helping potential customers decide whether or not to buy it. He writes about a letter he received from the editor of a book asking for a blurb:

“If you find [redacted] and [redacted]’s ideas as compelling and inspiring as we do, a quote from you that we could print on the jacket would make a world of difference. I would be happy to help craft a quote if you prefer. My contact info is below.”

TechCrunch reports that Google is experimenting with Digg style voting features on search results that allow users to vote up or bury search results they see.

John Dupuis writes: Richard Akerman, Technology Architect at CISTI and author of Science Library Pad is interviewed at Confessions of a Science Librarian about the future of libraries and scholarly publishing:

I think there was a big, big intermediation role that libraries just have to let go of. It isn’t coming back. And there’s also a big, big technology investment, in catalogues and ILS systems that worked in ways that librarians understoood, that were basically library operations, turned into computer programs and databases. As the library operations radically transform, there is a huge challenge in transforming the supporting technology systems.

JET writes “The consumerist reports that according to the Wall Street Journal, Borders rewards program is too popular and too rewarding, so they are cutting back the benefits.”

The Los Angeles Times reports on how Wikipedia’s focus has been shifting from adding articles to pruning them back, and the arguments among the Deletionists and Inclusionists that have resulted.

birdie writes “BBC features a story on a planned addition to the Bodleian Library. Conservationists claim it will ruin the view.”

Canada.com reports that Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty says he is making “the most significant” investment in school libraries in a generation.

teaperson writes “The myth is that Boston’s cockamamie streets were laid out by cows. That story can be put to the lie at the Boston Public Library’s Leventhal Map Collection, which just received a $10 million endowment from the eponymous Norman Leventhal, a 90-year-old Boston real estate developer, as well as 178 rare maps of Boston and the rest of the world. Some of his favorites are shown on Boston.com.”

Martin writes “In a long, thoughtful and partially autobiographical essay, a former editor of the Los Angeles Times Book Review reflects on the current decline in and dismal outlook for literary book reviews in American newspapers.

Here is link. http://www.cjr.org/cover_story/goodbye_to_all_that _1.php?page=all (BYW, the reference to Kryptonite comes in the final paragraph of the article.)”

Joe Hodnicki writes “Online Education Database has published a ranking study: Top 25 Librarian Bloggers.”