I have seen two examples recently of libraries reaching out to their users to gather their comments.
Concordia University Libraries, in Montréal, Qué is using a web form (?) to gather comments and publishes responses via a blog. Questions/comments and answers are coming at a good clip. The Libraries administration actually uses the comments to improve [...]
The American Institute of Architects selected eight recipients for the 2009 AIA/ALA Library Building Awards. For each winning library, I tried to link to the website and to project details, via the architects’ sites and/or via the Architectural Record, if available.
Arabian Library, Scottsdale Public Library, Scottsdale, Arizona
richard+bauer architecture, LLC
about the project
C.V. Starr East Asian [...]
A little late, but interesting reading, ARL published mid-February a statement to publishers regarding research libraries and the global economic crisis. The document lists a few of the effects the economic crisis has on research libraries:
current and future -possibly permanent -budget cuts
cancellation of ongoing commitments
bigger preference of electronic over print
shortening of “long tail” collection development
changes [...]
McGraw-Hill announced a major revision of its Digital Engineering Library. The new site will be called AccessEngineering and the URL (http://accessengineeringlibrary.com) will be activated March 9th 2009.
The new site will offer new features and enhancements, including:
New graphical user interface: state-of-the art functionality streamlines access to content and reader
New taxonomy book view: the website is [...]
Brian Scott Mathews over at The Ubiquitous Librarian made some very interesting looking into the underground market for academic materials via illegal file sharing sites like bit torrent. Apparently, his fictional research brought up big time reference titles like the CRC handbooks, the entire Referex engineering e-book collection, Harvard Business Cases, textbooks and tutti quanti. [...]
Harvard University Provost Steven E. Hyman created a committee charged with improving the efficiency of the university’s library system. Since Harvard’s creation in 1638, no less than 75 different units have been instituted and have evolved “organically”. Some branches are autonomous, other services are centralized. The desired outcome would be “recommendations to improve the strength [...]
Library Journal just published its list of best 2008 sci-tech books. Something for everyone.
(Thanks John Dupuis for the heads-up)
As a collateral to my February 25th post, Peter Bromberg at the Library Garden blog, posts about Twitter etiquette at conference business meetings. The good and the (very) ugly. Although, sometimes I think new Twitter users don’t always realize the permanent nature of their tweets. And how very public they are.
Very interesting post about the use of Twitter during presentations, by both attendees and presenter, over at Pistachio. Which brings a host of issues and interrogations: is it rude to look at a laptop instead of the presenter? why are the attendees twittering? Are they interested or bored? (enerving for the presenter) Should the presenter [...]
The USPTO launched the Peer to Patent Project in June 2007. The Project permits the public to actually take part in the patenting process by submitting prior art and commentary relevant to the claims of pending patent applications in certain classes. These classes are Technology Center 2100 (“Computer Architecture, Software, and Information Security”) or Technology [...]
Found via – where else – Twitter, a list of libraries that tweet (thanks @CanuckLibrarian for the heads up and Lindy Brown for the actual list.)
WorldWideScience.org now searches 52 databases and portals from 56 countries. The three latest resources are Sri Lanka Journals Online (SLJOL), Indonesia Journals Online (IJO), and the European Organization for Nuclear Research CERN Document Server.
WorldWideScience.org “is a global science gateway connecting you to national and international scientific databases and portals”.
More content is always good news [...]
Just that, US Department of Transportation materials have been added to Science.gov. It comprises 14 government agencies, including the DOT National Transportation Library (NTL) Integrated Search and more than 30 DOT websites. Major subject areas of highway and transportation engineering, statistics, planning, policies, and research.
More content is always good news.
Springer Science+Business Media launched a new website called AuthorMapper.com. This free website is an “analytical online tool for discerning trends, patterns and subject experts within scientific research.”
Currently, AuthorMapper.com searches over three million journal articles to deliver a variety of useful information. The current searchable content is from all Springer journals, and metadata from [...]
Interesting article in the February School Library Journal on how school and children’s librarians self-censor themselves when it comes to buy potentially controversial titles for their collection.
Working in a public university, I don’t have such qualms although I sometimes do wonder if some titles will elicit a reaction (so far, none). I’m more concerned about [...]
As the first USF librarian at the Lakeland campus (now Polytechnic), I opened the USF Polytechnic Library in January 2007 and have developed its various services.
I've held positions as information broker, Internet consultant and academic librarian in Canada, the US and Europe.
A blogger since 2001, I've created and maintained several sites in, and outside, of the biblioblogosphere.
I'm active in SLA, and currently serve as Chair of the Information Technology Division.
