Beyond the Reference Desk

Cloud Computing in Plain English

noreply@blogger.com (Bridget) — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 14:53:00 +0000

The folks over at CommonCraft have released a new video this week. CommonCraft's description about the newest video, Cloud Computing in Plain English:

What it Teaches

Using a simple story of a growing florist business, this video explains the basics of cloud computing: how it works and why it makes sense for businesses
and individuals.

* The difference between on-site computing and cloud computing
* The financial benefits of cloud computing
* What makes cloud computing secure and efficient
* How cloud computing impacts consumers

I wasn't able to embed the video, but you can view it over at the CommonCraft site here.

"Screw Anything Published Before 1960"

noreply@blogger.com (Bridget) — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 13:33:00 +0000

One of my favorite bloggers, Isis the Scientist, wrote a post last week about how she chose to not use an article for her research because she didn't want to go to the library. (The article wasn't available in print.)

Her original post was short and sweet. I've copied it below. The conversation in the comments though was very interesting. I read through an RSS feed, but after seeing her frustration in not having an electronic version, I was going to leave her a comment about contacting her librarian about conversion to a PDF and then emailing it to her. (We have a service that we offer here that does just that.) Anyways, someone beat me to the comment, but still -- if you have a chance, take a peak at what others had to say about their librarians, the need for e-journal access, etc. It totally wanted me to start a conversation about open access, BUT... I didn't really have time to go there.

From On Becoming a Domestic and Laboratory Goddess (October 21, 2009):

It is pouring rain today and I am saying, "Screw it." If I find an old paper not electronically available, and I would have to walk out in the rain to get it, then I just don't need it bad enough to put it in this manuscript.

October, what a month you are!

noreply@blogger.com (Bridget) — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 19:20:00 +0000

October is slowly coming to an end. As an academic librarian, this is one of the craziest months of the year. I usually go MIA from friends and family because by the time I get home from work, I'm too tired to go anywhere, call anyone, or do anything. This year in particular it was EXTREMELY busy.

So, what have I been up to?

Teaching and presenting were out of control this month. In addition, I threw myself a couple of learning curves that I had to get through. It was rough, but I got through it and as a present to myself, I'm taking a four day weekend this week. (My cousin's wedding also has something to do with it, but still, I NEEDED A BREAK. Plus, it's my birthday. Those are two good reasons to spend four days sipping champagne and eating cake!)

I eased into October by teaching six (6!!) library instruction sessions the very first week of the month. I don't think I've ever taught so much in one week. It was a marathon, but I survived. And I collapsed. That Friday night I went to the drive-in and was sound asleep no more than 20 minutes into the first movie. (Drive-ins are awesome, you get two, sometimes three movies for a cheaper price than you pay at the movie theatre. Plus, you can wear PJs, cuddle, and bring your own snacks. It's great.)

The second week of October I continued the craziness with a presentation on a topic I had been teaching myself about over the past few months: federated searching. Last spring I became interested in federated searching after obtaining feedback on our product, Serials Solutions 360 Search, from my students. I started a literature review on the usefulness of this technology, began following some blogs that discuss the topic, and kept my eyes and ears open for comments and viewpoints from other librarians. I learned a lot and will most likely be turning this all into an upcoming publication. (This is my winter break project). However, if you're curious as to what I have to say about our implementation of it, and feedback from librarians and students, you can check out the slides from the presentation I gave at the 2009 NYLA Annual Conference last week.

The teaching and conference preparations have kept me busy, but in between all of that, I also have been working on other projects and giving workshops on various topics. Last week I had the opportunity to teach faculty on campus about the blog and wiki tools available for implementation within our content management system (CMS), Blackboard. I conducted this workshop along with one of our very tech-savvy students who works in our Teaching and Learning Center. We introduced the tools, provided examples and demonstrations, and held in-class activities. We also discussed ways to incorporate blogs and wikis into the curriculum. Overall, I think the workshop went very well. I can't show you the awesome course that we built to teach the class with, but if I could I totally would. It rocked. Plus, the attendees have a nice little site that they can refer to as needed (and we can build upon for future workshops).

I could go on and on about the other projects that I'm working on (an assessment survey, usability testing, etc.), but I'll hold off on those for now. Overall though, things are going well. I do, however, need to learn to say no. Although October has been GREAT for my CV, I know that it's been a bit too much (I'm pretty sure there were more than a couple of days where my stress levels were skyrocketing.)

Alright, back to the grind....

[PS: the image used has absolutely nothing to do with this post. I was looking for a pumpkin photo and came across a pumpkin burger and thought it was too funny not to share! Image thanks to Creative Commons licensing and Flickr user, jelene. Most excellent burger EVER.]

Did You Know 4.0

noreply@blogger.com (Bridget) — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 17:25:00 +0000

From the video description:

"This is another official update to the original "Shift Happens" video. This completely new Fall 2009 version includes facts and stats focusing on the changing media landscape, including convergence and technology, and was developed in partnership with The Economist. For more information, or to join the conversation, please visit http://mediaconvergence.economist.com/ and http://shifthappens.wikispaces.com/."

First Day of School!

noreply@blogger.com (Bridget) — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 19:43:00 +0000

Today is my favorite day of the entire academic year. It's the first day of the fall semester. New students have been moving in during the past few weeks, undergraduates just this past weekend. The campus is full of new and old faces, but many with the great anticipation of a fresh start and new beginnings. It's pretty much the best day ever. (Plus, the cool, crisp fall air added into the mix is an extra special bonus!)

Some of my other favorite things about the start of school:

back to school wardrobes (whether I'm wearing my own or admiring someone else's - the campus is like a fashion show)

football season (although I don't converse well in football related conversations, watching everyone come together to support our team is a great thing to see - and hear!)

hot chocolate (need I say more?)

knowing that autumn is just around the corner (wearing sweaters, picking pumpkins, watching the leaves turn, my birthday - what could be better?)

What is your favorite time of year and why?

Image Source: Still shot from National Lampoon's Animal House(1978), featuring John Belushi.

The Digital Divide Inside the Library

noreply@blogger.com (Bridget) — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 17:28:00 +0000

Here's a snippet from Kate Sheehan's article, The Digital Divide Inside the Library (via ALA TechSource):

Technology and reference are intertwining strands of public service. The task of keeping up with Librarians (and their jobs) is getting techier. As our systems get more sophisticated and our desire to overhaul and remake those systems gets more intense, libraries need librarians who are tech savvy and back office staff who are pure tech. It's not uncommon to hear librarians declare that "Technology is Reference", but is that a one-way street? There's no doubt that reference librarians need a strong technology skill set, but do our techies need to have public service experience or skills?

A great read and I highly recommend it to all of you. No matter which department you service your library from (public services, IT, technical services, etc.) this article is a must read.

Random Reads this Week

noreply@blogger.com (Bridget) — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 16:14:00 +0000

11 Things: Librarians Not to Mess With
A list of "librarians" who are a bit more than your average stereotype: you know, shushing and hair in a bun. I will say though, they forgot Miss Bunny Watson from Desk Set. She's one of my favorites!

Librarians in the Movies
An annotated filmography maintained by Martin Raish of Brigham Young University - Idaho. (This was a nice find thanks to the comment section of the aforementioned 11 Things article.)

How to Publish in Scholarly Journals
Great article for those new to academia and the publishing requirements that go along with the tenure process.

Mindset List for the Class of 2013

noreply@blogger.com (Bridget) — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 13:05:00 +0000

From the Beloit Class of 2013 Web page:

Each August since 1998, Beloit College has released the Beloit College Mindset List. It provides a look at the cultural touchstones that shape the lives of students entering college. It is the creation of Beloit’s Keefer Professor of the Humanities Tom McBride and Emeritus Public Affairs Director Ron Nief. It is used around the world as the school year begins, as a reminder of the rapidly changing frame of reference for this new generation.

A few from this year's list:

They have never used a card catalog to find a book.

Text has always been hyper.

They have never had to “shake down” an oral thermometer.

They have always been able to read books on an electronic screen.

Women have always outnumbered men in college.

Read the list in its entirety here. You might be surprised by a thing or two about this upcoming generation of students!

According to Google, libraries are...

noreply@blogger.com (Bridget) — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 20:24:00 +0000

Mashable was having a little fun with Google suggestions today, so I thought I would too. We'll just ignore the negative suggestions in the search list. Google obviously made an error, but we'll forgive 'em. ;)

Roommates: what it's like to live with Google

noreply@blogger.com (Bridget) — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 13:09:00 +0000

From the thebighonkin on YouTube:

Tom and Harry needed a roommate. But when they took their "search" too literally, the "results" turned out to be more than they bargained for.

Roommates, Episode 1:

Roommates, Episode 2:

Roommates, Episode 3:

Thanks to Geeks are Sexy for pointing me to this fantastic little video series :)

Library Tutorials, Camtasia, Learning Curves - Oh, my!

noreply@blogger.com (Bridget) — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 15:40:00 +0000

My summer and fall are filled with learning curves that I need to hover over. This week I tackled one on Camtasia screen capture software. (Many thanks to my colleague, Dean, for his assistance in learning this tool!)

When asked to create these videos, I was very excited about learning, but also time crunched for dealing with learning curves (due to other projects on my plate). I must say, one (full 8.5 hour!) day of frustration with the software and I'm now whipping through these like a champ. I do have to admit though, I'm still fuzzy on the editing with Camtasia. I've primarily been doing a lot of pausing during my recordings rather than editing within the software. [Side note: I started learning Flash last fall and was very frustrated with that software and the entire process of editing frames. Camtasia brought back my stress and frustration and I really haven't been in the mood to go there again quite yet!] However, if you are looking to create screen capture videos, this really is a great tool and quite easy to learn for the real quick and dirty videos. (Of course you can create more fancy advanced videos, too. I'm just not there yet!) As for editing, I'm sure eventually I'll get the hang of it. I just need a bit more time to play with the software.

Below is my very first video. It's not a final version (yet), but it's a work in progress. I'm quite proud of my accomplishment and looking forward to making more of these. Actually, I know I will be - I'm addicted. Over a year ago I tried teaching myself screen capture software quickly so that I could send a student a video tutorial on software she was having trouble using. I had no idea how to convert the file properly though, so she ended up getting a lengthy email with step by step instructions from me. I'll tell you what, now that I can handle Camtasia pretty well, this is putting an end to *THOSE* types of emails. I'll simply just start hitting record and create real examples using video. I'm pretty pumped!

Here's my first video, Interlibrary Loan: Obtaining Materials that the UB Libraries Do Not Own. Enjoy!

PS: If you're interested in screen capture software, check out this comparison chart created by Dr. Stephen Ransom. There are suggestions from the freely available to the OH-MY-GOODNESS-I-NEED-A-RAISE. Good luck!

Fun Library Stories in the News this Week

noreply@blogger.com (Bridget) — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 13:45:00 +0000

I've come across a couple of fun stories in my daily readings this week and thought I'd share them here. Enjoy!

Library fan nears 25,000th book
A 91 year old woman in Scotland has been borrowing library books since 1946. Taking out six per week since then, she is close to breaking a record for most-borrowed materials. [BBC]

Tasty De-Lit
Facebook fans want Ben & Jerry's to create a library-themed flavor. Read the entire article to discover what suggestions have been made thus far. Some of my favorites: Chocolate Chip Bookie-Dough and Chexy Librarian. Love it! [The New Yorker]

Wrapping up the ALA 2009 Series

noreply@blogger.com (Bridget) — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 14:43:00 +0000

[This is the final post in my ALA 2009 Series]

In addition to being able to attend programs and discussions, I kept myself busy shuffling about the exhibit hall. A few months back I had read a call for volunteers at the NMRT booth during the Annual Conference. I really wanted a way to get my foot in the door and meet new people, so I signed up. I staffed the New Members Round Table (NMRT) booth in the exhibit hall on Sunday morning. I ended up really enjoying the experience! I made sure that I was up-to-date with facts about NMRT beforehand and while at the booth talked to numerous visitors (I had about 10 in one hour!). I chatted people up about all NMRT has to offer for their annual membership rate of $10. I discussed grant opportunities, professional development opportunities (membership is a great way to get on a committee!), conference programs and sessions for new librarians, and more. (I love meeting new people so this was the perfect "job" for me!) I was also able to chat with staffers at other booths nearby, and I met a lot of very nice librarians (new and seasoned). It was a great experience and I'm eager to volunteer my time at this (or other) booths next year! if you're looking for a way to slowly get your foot in the door, volunteer for the booth next year.

To conclude my series, I'd like to say thank you to the University at Buffalo Libraries for their support in my professional development, and also to those who took the time to present about their research, interests, and new ideas at the conference. Many thanks to all!

Illuminating New Instruction Research: Applying Research to Practice

noreply@blogger.com (Bridget) — Sun, 26 Jul 2009 20:46:00 +0000

[This post is part four of my ALA 2009 Series]

Illuminating New Instruction Research: Applying Research to Practice
Speakers: Randy Hensley, Heidi Julien, and Michelle Morton

I was able to briefly pop in to this session. My colleague, Chris Hollister, and former colleague, Stew Brower, were recognized during the awards ceremony for their open source journal, Communications in Information Literacy. It was a pleasure to be able to say that I work with such innovative librarians!

The session itself consisted of a panel of speakers whom discussed three articles, which each related to the topics of students, information literacy, and early research skills. The speakers had previously read the articles, and I wish that the attendees could have had the same opportunity. (I think it would have helped with the discussion from the audience.) From the first half of the discussion that I was able to attend, I was interested in hearing how few academic libraries conduct assessment of incoming freshman (straight out of high school). Down the road I do hope to see a change and possibly integration of the libraries with school orientation sessions. Why not assess their information literacy skills during orientation week?

Something interesting about this session was the use of Twitter hashtags. Before the session started, the moderator mentioned that a tag had already been created: #ala09_is. This was a nice way to keep the comments about the conversation controlled on Twitter. They even accepted questions via Twitter with the use of the hashtag. Very cool!

New Selectors and Selecting in New Subjects: Meeting the Challenges

noreply@blogger.com (Bridget) — Sat, 25 Jul 2009 20:25:00 +0000

[This post is part three of my ALA 2009 Series]

New Selectors and Selecting in New Subjects: Meeting the Challenges
Speakers: Linda Phillips, Arro Smith, Jeff Kosokoff, and Harriet Lightman

Due to a shuttle bus incident, I missed the first half of this session. Still, my attendance for half of the program was definitely worth it.

[Note: my personal commentary is italicized in parenthesis next to each speaker's idea.]

Jeff:

Use OCLC to learn about what you don't have, but other libraries do.

OCLC can provide you with a report of what is not being purchased by libraries (I'm not sure what this is, but I'll have to look into it eventually.)

"Don't think about owning it; think about whether you have access to it."

Move to access/services instead of ownership/taking possession.

Suggested Web site: ALCTS Professional Resources

Harriet:

Be trained in old methods AND embrace the new methods (not just one or the other).

Design and adopt training materials and programs that address immediate needs of selectors to meet the needs of their users.

Educate yourself in new modes of scholarly communication.

Think of your collection as one without borders.

Life After 2.0

noreply@blogger.com (Bridget) — Fri, 24 Jul 2009 20:28:00 +0000

[This post is part two of my ALA 2009 Series]

Life After 2.0
Speakers: Lori Bell, Helene Blowers, Meredith Farkas, Michelle Springer
Moderator: Jed Moffitt

This panel discussed what libraries have learned after implementing 2.0 tools into their libraries. Here are some key ideas that I thought were note-worthy to those just starting out with 2.0 projects:

[Note: my personal commentary is italicized in parenthesis next to each speaker's idea.]

Meredith:

Give staff the time for 2.0 projects.

Be sure that projects are inline with the library's mission and goals.

Assessment for 2.0 tools is important. Use web stats, surveys, focus groups, to obtain data.

Helen:

"If you build it, they will come." We're living by this catch phrase when we put it all (library content) on the Web.

Book suggestions: The Age of Conversation by Gavin Heaton and Drew McLellan and Here Comes Everybody by Clay Shirky

Michelle:
[Speaking on behalf of LOC social media projects]

Offer tools on your library web site (where the content is) AND elsewhere for those who don't go to your site.

Assess both qualitative and quantitative data from your social media tool usage. For qualitative: retweets (on Twitter), word of mouth, press that may be following you or taking note of what you are doing, other articles appearing because of what you posted, etc. For quantitative: site views, site visits, downloads, referrer traffic, Fans (on Facebook), subscriptions (via RSS feeds), etc.

LOC only adds content to their 2.0 sites that can already be found on their regular Web site. Content/information is not different in either location.

Lori:
[Speaks about her experience in SecondLife]

Fact: there are real librarian positions (full time!) available in SecondLife.

Environment allows you to host outdoor events (Why can't we do this more in our non-virtual libraries?)

If you do work with SecondLife, be sure that you will be able to continue doing so down the road. Some libraries have built an audience and then had to close up shop due to budget issues.

The Publication Process: Getting Published in LIS Journals

noreply@blogger.com (Bridget) — Fri, 24 Jul 2009 20:25:00 +0000

[This post is part one of my ALA 2009 Series]

The Publication Process: Getting Published in LIS Journals
[ACRL New Member Discussion Group]
Speakers: Emily Drabinski, Lisa Carlucci Thomas, and Linda Hofschire
Convener: Merinda Hensley

The NMRT discussion groups are some of my favorite events to attend. This is the second one that I've attended (I also joined the discussion at Midwinter 2008). The attendance can range from 30-100 in the crowd, but the conversations are always good and it's a comfortable environment to join in the conversation and be a real part of the discussion. It was nice to share ideas with one another and know that other new librarians have the same questions and concerns that I have.

The discussion this year was done a bit differently. Instead of the usual topic and moderator, three speakers were ready to present on their thoughts regarding the publication process and how to get started with it as a new librarian. Each speaker was given 10 minutes and there was no use of technology (not even a mic!). Emily, Lisa, and Linda each did a wonderful job! Here are some key thoughts they each shared with us:

[Note: my personal commentary is italicized in parenthesis next to each speaker's idea.]

Emily:

Give yourself a reason to sit down and write. This could be a deadline on the calendar or even setting yourself up with an assignment.

If you have an interesting poster session, turn that idea into a publication.

Generate ideas - lots of them! (I do this by keeping a Google Doc and whenever I think of something I just add it to the list.)

Leverage collaborative tools. (She's right on. I've used Google Docs to collaboratively write a paper, share ideas for projects and committee work, etc. They are very useful!)

Lisa:

"Fail early." Don't be afraid. You learn from your experiences! If your article is rejected, move on. You might have submitted to a journal that wasn't right for you.

Read the news and keep abreast of what is going on in librarianship. Ideas will spark as you read!

Don't talk to everyone. You might just give your idea away. (Just be careful how much you divulge about your idea.)

Practical is just as good as innovative. (You don't always have to write about something new!)

Linda:

Market your skillset to your faculty.

Acquire training in research methods.

Qualitative and quantitative research. Many faculty are interested in the quantitative data. Could you add something to their paper? Maybe ask to co-author a piece with you providing the qualitative data?

Understand what a human subjects review board is. (If you don't know what it is, and you plan to do research and publish - look it up.)

Upcoming Posts: ALA Annual 2009

noreply@blogger.com (Bridget) — Fri, 24 Jul 2009 19:42:00 +0000

A few weeks ago I had the opportunity to attend ALA Annual 2009. I walked into this conference ambitious to come away with new ideas in the areas of collection development, research, and of course - Web 2.0 and teaching. Over the next few days (it might stretch to a week), I will be posting about some of the programs, discussion groups, and things that I did while at the conference.

Here's a list of what's to come:

The Publication Process: Getting Published in LIS Journals

Life After 2.0

New Selectors and Selecting in New Subjects: Meeting the Challenges

Illuminating New Instruction Research: Applying Research to Practice

...and there will be a wrap-up post with a few other things I was able to do while at the conference. Enjoy!

100 Most Influential Women in Media

noreply@blogger.com (Bridget) — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 15:35:00 +0000

Forbes list of "The Most Influential Women in Media" used Facebook fans and Twitter follower count numbers to help determine who made the cut this year. The methodology of compiling the list is described on Forbes.com as:

The Most Influential Women in Media is based on money, fame, audience and power. Money is determined by an estimation of earnings from approximately July 2008 to July 2009. Audience is determined by average Nielsen Media Research numbers for television ratings and net traffic for the past 12 months. Fame and influence is determined by overall mentions on Factiva and by social media outreach, or the amount of followers on Twitter and friends on Facebook.

The top five are listed as Oprah Winfrey, Diane Sawyer, Barbara Walters, Ellen DeGeneres and Tyra Banks. Number 26? Mommy blogger Heather B. Armstrong. Heather's blog, Dooce, is one of the first blogs I ever read. In 2005 during my first reference class in grad school I was given the assignment to find a blog of interest and follow it for a semester. I searched the Internet for blogs based on my interests and ended up using Dooce. I've been reading ever since. (I still have it bookmarked on my laptop - those were the days before I knew about RSS and social bookmarking. Too funny to think of how much I've learned in the past 4 years about social media!)

Congrats to Heather and all of the others on the list!

Library Web Site Pet Peeves

noreply@blogger.com (Bridget) — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 18:06:00 +0000

Colleen Robledo, Systems Librarian at Cal State Fullerton, posted a few library Web site pet peeves on her Twitter page today. So far today I've seen (and thoroughly enjoyed) the five which I've copied below. She may keep going, and if you want to find out, follow her at Twitter.com/ColleenRobledo. Great comments to consider when library staff are designing their Web sites!

From ColleenRobledo on Twitter:

Library websites pet peeve #1: You address and main ph number should be visible on EVERY page in your footer. Not just a Contact Us link.

Library websites pet peeve #2: Your library name should appear in the browser title bar for EVERY page, not just the home page.

Library websites pet peeve #3: Assign pretty URLs to your subdomains (ex: http://catalog.xyzlibrary.org), NOT your internal server names.

Library websites pet peeve #4: Redirect pub system auto-generated ugly URLS to your pretty URLs. Users should only ever see the pretty URL.

Library websites pet peeve #5: Don't simply link to PDF versions of your newsletters & pathfinders. Convert to HTML if not using a CMS.

--
Image Credit:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/laruth/ / CC BY 2.0

Libraries & Facebook Pages [new journal article]

noreply@blogger.com (Bridget) — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 19:53:00 +0000

My colleague Ligaya Ganster and I recently published an article on the use of Facebook Pages in an academic library setting. The article discusses the planning and implementation process, in addition to pros and cons of using this social networking tool. Marketing strategies are also provided.

Expanding Beyond our Library Walls: Building an Active Online Community through Facebook has been published in volume 3, issue 2 of the Journal of Web Librarianship. An abstract is available here.

Note: this article is not freely accessible on the Web. For access, your library must subscribe to the journal; or, speak with your librarian about inter-library loan possibilities. The article can also be purchased on the JWL web site. Sorry, friends :(

What Your Favorite Social Network Says About You

noreply@blogger.com (Bridget) — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 20:39:00 +0000

The Advertising Age article, What Your Favorite Social Network Says About You, discusses how a recent "Anderson Analytics Survey Reveals Consumers' Likely Interests, Buying Habits, Media Consumption." From the article:

Today 110 million Americans, or 60% of the online population use social networks, and that number is fairly conservative, because instead of counting unique users or everyone who has an account, as many estimates do, the Anderson study counted only people who have used a social network at least once in the past month.

The article goes on to discuss how users feel about brands being on social networking sites; whether individuals really do friend or fan brands; and more.

It's an interesting read! Check out the entire article here.

Student Soldiers and the Library

noreply@blogger.com (Bridget) — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 19:32:00 +0000

The Rochester City Newspaper recently published an article about student veterans. The article, Student Solidiers, appeared in the June 24-30, 2009 edition of the paper. It's also available online.

From an academic librarian perspective, we should be making an effort to provide outreach to these types of students. In many cases, these are students whom do not have research skills, but are determined to study hard and get good grades. Many of these veteran soldiers are also unfamiliar with the technologies in libraries today. In the article, SUNY Brockport* student Krista Englert mentions:

When I went to college, there wasn't an Internet. Everything was done using books. I talk about going to the library and using the card catalog, and everybody looks at me like, 'What the hell is that?'

If you have a chance, I encourage you to read the article and think about the veteran population at your own college or University.

*SUNY Brockport is now known as The College at Brockport

Photo attribution:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/soldiersmediacenter/ / CC BY 2.0

Itinerary for ALA Annual 2009 (Chicago)

noreply@blogger.com (Bridget) — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 19:04:00 +0000

My ALA itinerary is set (I think). Due to new responsibilities in my job, I've chosen to focus on the following program tracks: collection development, digital information & technologies, and research. I'm especially excited about the two programs that I'll be attending in the CD track. I would really love to learn some things from CD veterans :)

Here's the game plan...

Friday, July 10:
11:07am Arrive in Chicago

4:00-5:30 LITA Open House

Saturday, July 11:
10:30-12:00 Designing Effective Research Surveys
(or) The Publication Process: Getting Published in LIS Journals (NMRT discussion group)

1:30-3:00 Librarian/Scholar: From Research Questions to Results

3:30-5:30 Open Access Digital Initiatives in the Humanities: Creation, Dissemination, Preservation

6:00 Dinner

Sunday, July 12:
9:00-10:00 Staff NMRT Booth

10:30-12:00 Collection Development: Decision Making with Data

12:00-1:00 Lunch

1:30-3:00 New Selectors and Selecting in New Subjects

3:30-5:00 Collecting for Digital Repositories
(or) ACRL IS Program, Illuminating New Instruction Research

6:00 Dinner

Monday, July 13:
10:30-12:00 Social Software Showcase 2009

2:15 Depart Chicago

Of course this is completely subject to change AND I need to find a way to fit in some exhibit time. For those of you going, see you in Chicago!

Seriously, Elsevier? You just realized that was a bad idea?

noreply@blogger.com (Bridget) — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 12:49:00 +0000

"Elsevier officials said Monday that it was a mistake for the publishing giant's marketing division to offer $25 Amazon gift cards to anyone who would give a new textbook five stars in a review posted on Amazon or Barnes & Noble."

Read the entire article from Inside Higher Ed here.