The above photo is a tool called the Bookeye Book Scanner and the one pictured here is installed in the library of the University of Alaska at Anchorage for the students to scan documents and books as PDF, JPG, TIFF or PNG and then choose whether to save it to a USB drive, burn into a CD, ftp them, save them on a network drive or email it to themselves. And of course, you can just print it out. It’s interesting to note that the library at the University of Alaska only provided usage stats on how the scanner is been used. Hmmm … maybe this is the next step in the provision of reprographic services to the public. The only worry, I guess, would be how are we going to enforce the Copyright Act.
- Book-Beer Pairings:Part I and Part II Authors share what beers would go best with their books. I’ve heard of wine pairings with food, but definitely the first time I’m hearing beer pairings with books. Unfortunately, most of the beers mentioned are not easily available in Singapore. And I’m sure I know a couple of my colleagues who would be really interested in these pairings! Guess it’s time for a beer now. (via LISNews)
- WebTools4u2use A wiki was created by 2 school library media specialists from the University of Central Florida to provide information on some of the Web 2.0 tools and how they can be used by librarians, students and teachers. What’s really interesting is that anyone with a Wikispaces account, or register for one, can add to the wiki to expand the resource. Interesting use of social networking tools! (via LibrarianInBlack)
- Libraries Unleashed The Guardian, in association with the Joint Information Systems Committee (JISC), has published a special supplement that features 18 articles on libraries and technology. Do have a look to find out what libraries in the UK are doing with new technologies. (via iLibrarian)
- Quotations Book An online resource on quotations. Currently, there are more than 40,000 quotations available on the site.
- Web 2.0 Search Engine Need help looking for Web 2.0 tools? Well, look no further as the Web 2.0 Search Engine allows you to search for any Web 2.0 tool that you can think of. Recently, they released a list of the Top 1,000 Web 2.0 Applications. Go have a look at the huge listing of Web 2.0 tools that you can use. (via iLibrarian)
- Online Behavior of US Teens and Tweens Seems like more and more teens and tweens are going online to connect with each other through social networking sites such as MySpace and Facebook. A huge amount of them also do their homework online as up to 96% of school districts in the US have some form of e-learning. I know schools in Singapore are increasingly making use of e-learning tools to conduct their lessons as I’ve helped quite a number of students submit their homework online through the library’s multimedia stations. (via iLibrarian)
All this while, whenever I wanted to look for books and movies, I’ll go to Amazon.com directly or through BookJetty if I also wanted to see its availability at the National Library Board.
I must say all the 5 alternative ways of browsing Amazon are really interesting and visually simulating though it can be a little overwhelming for some of the sites. I particularly like LivePlasma and Tuneglue mainly because of the graphical linkages that they provide on-screen. However, both these two services only either provide access for music and movies (LivePlasma) or just music (Tuneglue). They look a little like mind maps to me.
But I must put in a special mention for Coverpop. According to the website, the site is more an experiment in art than an e-commerce project. When you click on a particularly category, it generates a collage of the covers of products within that category. Clicking on the one you’re are interested in brings you to the product page on Amazon. They also have non-Amazon collages such as the ones from YouTube and Flickr, which you can explore.
Kathryn from Librarians Matter has written a wonderful post on reasons why librarians need to learn about emerging technologies. I totally agree with the points (20 to be exact) that she has listed down.
Since we are in the information business, I, too, feel that we should be the ones getting into the hang of emerging technologies so that we can help our readers if they have any questions. I know some of my colleagues are a little apprehensive, or even scared, about all the emerging technologies that we have employed or have coming on-stream. I guess it’s all a question of adapting and learning new things.
I particularly like the last question in Kathryn’s little manifesto.
Will we continue to be funded and still have jobs if we don’t adapt? No
This article on Innovate Online is very suitable for children, teens or school librarians. It is entitled “Schools, Children, and Digital Technology: Building Better Relationships for a Better Tomorrow,” by Mark van ‘t Hooft.
In order to read the full article instead of just the synopsis, you’ll need to sign up for an account on the sidebar of the left of the screen. Registration is free.
Now you can take an online course on Second Life, a 3D virtual world. The course will teach you about avatars, Linden dollars (Second Life currency), and librarianship and how they relate to each other.
The online course will begin on 25 May and it is offered by the partnership of the Graduate School of Library and Information Science at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and the Alliance Library System of Illinois. The cost will set you back US$200. You can read more about it on the official website as well as this blog post.
The course outline are as follows:
Week One: Introduction to Libraries in Virtual Worlds
Week Two: Second Life 101
Week Three: Collections, Resources, and Exhibits in Virtual Environment
Week Four: Reference and Information Services in Virtual Worlds
Week Five: Managing and Working in a Virtual Library or Department
Week Six: Skills Needed by 21st Century Librarians in Virtual Worlds
