By Daniel A. Freeman | Please join us this Friday for the ALA 2013 Midwinter Tech Wrapup--a look back at the 2013 ALA Midwinter meeting from a library technology perspective. Our panel of experts will analyze and discuss what they learned and what trends stood out at the conference. Whether or not you were at Midwinter, join us for this webinar that will offer an excellent summary and enlightening discussion of the featured technology and trends. Don't miss this free 60-minute event with:
ALA TechSource Blog
By Kate Sheehan | Every teacher I know dreads being asked “When are we going to use this in real life?” The question is frustrating because the answer is often “Well, you might not, but I have no way of knowing, and yes, this will be on the test, and spelling most certainly counts.” We may never use algebra proper after high school (unless you count those Facebook memes that assume we’ve forgotten PEMDAS), but I think an argument can be made that we use algebraic thinking regularly.
By Patrick Hogan | On Thursday, February 7, 2013, Beth Tumbleson and John Burke will present the ALA TechSource workshop Embedding Librarianship in Learning Management Systems. Their book on the topic is schedule for publication in May. The prospect of rolling out a new program dependent on faculty buy-in might seem daunting. Like many new projects, running a pilot makes sense. To get started, you only need one or two faculty with whom you have a good working relationship. Below is a how-to excerpt from the forthcoming book. Read it, share it, and join us on Thursday for the workshop.
By Mary Minow | Mary Minow is a lawyer and librarian. She will present the workshop Copyright, Licensing, and the Law of E-Books on February 6, 2013. A controversial e-book bill in Connecticut proposes that publishers of electronic books be required to offer such books for sale to public and academic libraries at the same rates as offered to the general public. I give a hearty congratulations to the visionaries in Connecticut to take this issue head on, whether or not a legislative solution is feasible. The bill shines a badly needed light on the problem that librarians know about, but that the public, by and large, does not: e-book publishers are not making their wares available to library users on fair terms, if at all. Yet the irony here is in the bill’s use of the words “for sale” rather than “for license” to libraries.
By Patrick Hogan | Earlier this month, a good old fashioned blogosphere discussion broke out, complete with active comment logs and trackbacks.
By Daniel A. Freeman | We just wrapped up the final part of our new webinar series Makerspaces: A New Wave of Library Service. Today, we heard from Corey Wittig, LeeAnn Anna and Emily Fear from the Carnegie Public Library in Pittsburgh, who gave us a fantastic presentation. If you didn't have a chance to attend in person, the archive is at: https://alapublishing.webex.com/alapublishing/lsr.php?AT=pb&SP=EC&rID=6222412&rKey=0950be42f1d57e55 .
By Caitlin A. Bagley | As I do preliminary research for my book on library makerspaces, I’m inspired by the spaces, programming, and collaboration that I’m seeing. I sense many more projects are out there and others in the works. If your library has a makerspace or is planning for one, I’d love to talk to you about it, and perhaps even include you in my book, Makers in the Library: Fostering Creativity and Invention (working title), to be published by the American Library Association in collaboration with the Library and Information Technology Association.
By Patrick Hogan | On December 31, Douglas County Libraries (DCL) acquired 10,000 e-book titles from the world’s largest distributor of self-published works, Smashwords, bringing the total number of e-book files that DCL owns to 21,000. All of the content purchased from Smashwords, including books in popular genres such as fiction, romance, mystery, and science fiction, is available for borrowing by library patrons.
By Sarah Ludwig | “Stop being so click-happy!” a teacher at my school sometimes tells her students. She is referring to their habit of clicking the mouse, rapid-fire, while waiting for a page to load or a program to open. It’s a good habit to break, that’s for sure. But I’m “click happy” in a different way: with bookmarklets and extensions. For me, it all started with Diigo, which I’ll admit I was reluctant to try as a devoted Delicious user. But the bookmarklet sold me. Clicking a button on the toolbar is so much easier than copying and pasting a link somewhere. (Delicious has since developed a bookmarklet.) Lately, I’ve been adding these buttons like a mad woman. Each one serves a separate but equally great purpose. Note: I use Google Chrome exclusively on a MacBook. Your mileage may vary slightly depending on the browser and operating system you use.
By Caitlin A. Bagley | Editor's Note: This is the first in a series of posts by Caitlin A. Bagley. Learn about the makerspace at Carnegie Public Library (Pittsburgh) in our free webinar Monday, January 7, 2013 at 2:00 p.m. Eastern. Register.