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AP Wire -- When Finished, Turn Off Your Computer
We get this question all the time at the library and it is nice to have a nice concrete answer that I can use with patrons. So the answer is, turn your computer off when not in use. There is no reason to leave it on 24/7 the way some of us were told years ago.
Right Wing News (Conservative News and Views)
Republican blog with daily news, recommended links, and an RSS feed.
Official site for Seagal with sections on Aikido, spirituality, movies, music, and news. The site also offers both a message board and a chat room.
WorldChanging: Another World Is Here
This blog is dedicated to "Models, Tools and Ideas for Building a Bright Green Future." In other words it links to technology and ideas that lead to positive change in the world. RSS Feeds available.
NBC will be broadcasting the Olympics for more hours than any other network in history. They are using many of the stations in their broadcasting family, including Bravo, MSNBC, and CNBC to provide 24 hour coverage. To find out what events will be broadcast when, click on the TV Listings section.
This site offers a collection of research papers on weblogs or blogs from a variety of fields and perspectives. It is definitely a link that will be useful for people who give talks on blogs, since some of the recent papers cover subjects like virtual communities, teaching weblogs, and the clash with journalism. All of these are subjects that I touch on when speaking about blogging.
C-Span offers a great service, video and audio of politics in action. This week, they have offered videos of all of the featured speakers at the Democratic Convention. Next month, they will do the same for the Republicans. This is definitely the site to come to for first-hand politics. They also maintain a video library sorted by subject and have a search engine.
There will be no constitutional amendment up for general election in 2006, because the senate republicans could not get enough votes to get TABOR on the ballot.
TABOR amendment fate remains uncertain today
TABOR returns in a last-minute effort to get the legislation passed this session. The GOP is pushing the Tax Payer's Bill of Rights which would place limits on local government spending, hindering growth of public services like libraries.
This final effort has been done in secrecy, and during the Democratic National Convention.
News and discussion about anime, manga and comic books.
National Public Radio now offers feeds, including top stories, U.S. news, world news, businesss news, and health/science news. It also offers a handful of feeds from local member stations.
WORDCOUNT / Tracking the Way We Use Language /
This artistic take on language offers a list of the most frequently used English words. The words are listed from most used to least. You can browse, search by number or enter a word to see where it ranks.
An amazing program that plays twenty questions with you. It got mine in 15 questions, probably because it disagreed with some of my responses. Very cool.
Free information on the footpaths that cross Britain with photos, maps, and gear.
Online news about competitive cycling with race coverage, news, diaries from riders, tech, training, and photos.
The Wisconsin Library Association selected Orchard by Larry Watson as the winner of the Banta Award, an award that honors state authors. It also selected ten other books for Outstanding Achievement.
The Commission's final report is available online in pdf format and for purchase in print.
A digital look at some of the treasures of Canadian museums with virtual exhibits, and digitized versions of art and artifacts.
Updated every hour, you can keep track of what MP3s are being recommended or talked about on blogs. Very cool.
The Democratic National Convention is allowing some bloggers to cover the event using press credentials. This blog has been created as a spot for/about those bloggers that will follow them throughout the convention.
librarian.net : a library weblog: hey Jonathan, why do you sing such pretty songs about the library?
Not many songs are about librarians, but goodness, Jonathan Rundman captures it somehow. Thanks to librarian.net for the link!
BBC NEWS | Robots get bookish in libraries
BBC article that says that there are two companies in the world working to provide robots to libraries, since libraries are "a semi-structured environment." (Sometimes we are a lot more semi than structured around here.)
One company is working on robots that would shelve or fetch books. The only way I can see that happening is using RFID chips, so I don't see that happening in many libraries very soon.
The other company is taking a completely different approach, using robots to send images of books online, alleviating the need to digitize materials. Very interesting, but again, I am sure that RFID chips would be used to find the books on the shelves.
This gaming site is more than just a list of the top console games, gaming news, and reviews. It is also a community of gamers where gamers have homepages, you can find people with similar interests, and some of the homepages even have RSS feeds.
Very cool blog that offers statistics on technology. From broadband to gaming to email, if you are interested in technology, you will be interested in some of the information they provide. RSS feed is included.
TIME.com: If You Read Only 10 Trashy Novels This Summer -- Jul. 19, 2004
A great list of beach reads to fill those summer days. It includes new books by big names like Hiassen, Grafton, and Evanovich, but also has books by less-known authors that are just as readable and fun.
LibraryLaw Blog has this posting warning public libraries of the danger of filtering violent websites along with those that fall under CIPA. You are just asking to be sued, if you do it.
Access to death notices across the country, plus links to Associated Press Obituaries and prominent obits.
MercuryNews.com -- A new social scene
It seems that I have once again missed the hot new thing in my teen patrons' lives. Xanga.com is a blogging site primarily used by teens. I like to be aware of what sites people are likely to be using, to make sure that our computers and software are up to making their access easier.
Milwaukee Neighborhoods: Photos and Maps 1885 -1992
University of Wisconsin Milwaukee Libraries present this online collection of maps and photographs of Milwaukee from 1885 to 1992.
Findory News: Personalized News
Personalize your news simply by clicking on and reading the news items that most interest you. Very sweet. Plus it also offers two RSS feeds, one that is not personalized and one that is.
Wired News: Cool Ways to Give IE the Boot
Very nice group of four alternatives to IE besides Firefox, which happens to be my browser of choice. In fact, I think Firefox is nice enough that I will add it to my public Internet terminals this fall, after the summer rush is over. We will keep IE, but some patrons like to have a choice, especially one with a pop-up killer.
The National Center for Education Statistics offers this site that creates reports comparing one library to other libraries. All sorts of types of data can be compared, and just in time for justifying next year's budget!
Via LISNews.
Library Journal - Some Alaska PLs to Charge Out-of-Towners for PC Use
Interesting. The library I work at is in a vacation area too with lots of out-of-towners in the summer months. Rather than charging our visitors extra, we try very hard to be convenient for them and treat them the same way as locals.
Why?
Because in our case, the visitors are often willing to make donations in thanks for our helping make their vacations even nicer. I think that libraries that make it difficult for people to use them end up hurting themselves rather than helping their local people. Yes, we have lines waiting to use the computers in the summer. But we also have happy, friendly people waiting in those lines.
Information for those with cancer that offers cancer news, personal stories, support groups, online resources, and information on treatment options.
ETonline.com Newslink: Newslinks
Yahoo Entertainment and ET have combined forces to make this entertainment news site. The items are short and sweet, making reading it much faster and more interesting.
The UW Law Library offers this blog on legal research and Internet news with a focus on Wisconsin.
Author Ben Bova wrote this article in memory of his friend, library director John Jones. It contains some wonderful insights into libraries, writers, and books.
"Free public libraries are important to writers, as well as readers. They are much more than collections of books. They are repositories where a person can go to find specific information, with friendly and helpful librarians on hand to help in the search. They are havens where a person can spend a few quiet hours either browsing through the stacks or reading in undisturbed solitude.
Best of all, if books are packages that contain adventures, knowledge, and characters who become your enduring friends and acquaintances, then libraries are ports that allow travelers to seek out those old friends and find new ones. Libraries allow a reader to roam the world of imagination, the history of humankind, the universe of knowledge. The only thrill better than finding a book you enjoyed many years ago is finding a book that is new to you, but quickly becomes part of your mental landscape."
This article offers information on the growing Christian video game industry. It is something for libraries to keep an eye on, especially if they offer PC games to the public.
Everything about the Maltese Islands - Malta, Gozo and Comino
Tourism site for Malta with information on what to see and do, where to stay, and how to get there.
Here are links for the two upcoming political conventions.
The American Presidency: A Glorious Burden
The Smithsonian National Museum of American History offers this multimedia site about the presidency with section for teachers with lesson plans, resources, and a timeline.
The New York Times > Fewer Noses Stuck in Books in America, Survey Finds
"The survey, called "Reading at Risk," is based on data from "The Survey of Public Participation in the Arts," conducted by the Census Bureau in 2002. Among its findings are that fewer than half of Americans over 18 now read novels, short stories, plays or poetry; that the consumer pool for books of all kinds has diminished; and that the pace at which the nation is losing readers, especially young readers, is quickening. In addition it finds that the downward trend holds in virtually all demographic areas."
There is also a correlation between being a reader and civic involvement. Interesting.
Here at our library, our circulation continues to climb. And though part of that is DVDs and videos, our book circulation continues to rise as well.
PCWorld.com - Is E-Mail Doomed?
Is everyone going to flee from email because of spam and viruses? Well, as someone who has a really good spam and virus filter, I think that we are just going to see more apps that help people avoid those issues. As a blog user, I subscribe to fewer email lists now, but email is definitely still a necessity for me. If nothing else, I need it as a direct communication device where the other person does not need to be present.
LibrarianInBlack had a great reference to NationMaster, a site that offers graphs that compare statistics from nations across the world. The user generates the exact maps and graphs that they are interested in. They can range from agriculture to crime to health care.
Blog dedicated to this year's Tour de France bike race. It does offer feeds so that you can subscribe to it.
Rick Steves Europe Tours, Rail Passes, Travel Books, Luggage and Accessories
Steves' website has a great feature that I haven't seen many other places. They offer not just email updates on travel information, but they also have free newsletters in print that they will provide free of charge! Very cool for anyone planning a trip to Europe.
Another of those listing services for RSS Feeds that I just have to stop visiting. I have too many feeds to read already, but I just can't pass up a list of them.
PCWorld.com - The Best Free Software
94 tools and sites that are all available free of charge! There are items here to tweak your desktop, check your CDs for damage, online sites for drivers, and free antivirus apps. There is definitely something here that your patrons are going to ask about. I know that a couple of weeks ago I could have used the free anti-virus checker for a patron.
Information on the Great Lakes and their health and conservation.
Vocational Training Schools and Colleges
Listings by online programs, campus programs, and locations with opportunities to request information directly online.
Community-College.org: Community College Directory
State by state listing of community colleges.
Librarian Blogs and Sites Internet Directory
This is a blog of library blogs and websites that offers an extensive list of blogs written by librarians. Hmmm. Neither of my blogs are listed...
"The First Circuit Court of Appeals dealt a grave blow to the privacy of Internet communications with its decision today in the case of U.S. v. Councilman. The court held that it was not a violation of criminal wiretap laws for the provider of an email service to monitor the content of users' incoming messages without their consent. The defendant in the case is a seller of rare and used books who offered email service to customers. The defendant had configured the mail processing software so that all incoming email sent from Amazon.com, the defendant's competitor, was copied and sent to the defendant's mailbox as well as to the intended recipient's. As the court itself admitted, "it may well be that the protections of the Wiretap Act have been eviscerated as technology advances.""
Yikes! So what does this do to federal wiretap issues online? Just give them the green light to do it with no hoops to jump through?