MY READ POSTERS

I couldn't resist adding one of my cat, Harry Potter. (His sister is Hermione, of course.) In case you can't read the writing at the bottom of his poster, it says "or else..."

DO YOU HAVE JUST A FEW MINUTES TO READ?

Try a selection from Classic Short Stories. There are many selections here, all in the public domain, from authors like Poe, Twain, O. Henry, de Maupassant, Chekhov, etc. There are indexes by title and author (with word count), a dictionary of archaic or little-known words from the stories, and links to other short story sites. Now you’ll have no excuse not to have something to read.

URL: http://www.classicshorts.com

WHAT I’VE BEEN READING RECENTLY

While I was out of town, my to-read pile grew. I’ve just finished reading all of it. Here are some of the most interesting reads.

Vital Pathways for Hospital Librarians, Myths and Truths About Library Services, developed by the Colorado Council of Medical Librarians Advocacy Committee and the Medical Library Association, http://www.mlanet.org/resources/vital/index.html—great ideas for justifying your existence to your boss, even if you don’t work in a hospital.

What is Web 2.0? Design Patterns and Business Models for the Next Generation of Software, by Tim O’Reilly, http://www.oreillynet.com/go/web2—O’Reilly coined the term “Web 2.0” and explains it well here.

These next two were papers presented at the 2006 annual conference of the Library and Information Association of New Zealand Aotearoa:

The Nimble Information Adventurer, by Robert McEntyre, http://www.lianza.org.nz/library/files/store_014/NimbleInformation
Adventurer_RMcEntyre.pdf—a look into the information future in Australia and New Zealand.

Next generation libraries need next generation librarians: library training, library education, and continuing professional development, by Alison Fields and Amanda Cossham, http://www.lianza.org.nz/library/files/store_013/NextGenerationLibraries_AFields.pdf
not only what librarians want, but what they need to learn.

Show Your Librarian Some Love, by Todd Gilman, The Chronicle of Higher Education, http://chronicle.com/jobs/news/2006/10/2006100301c/careers.html—why faculty don’t appreciate
us and how to improve things.

What’s the Secret? by John R. Di Julius III, http://www.enewsbuilder.net/chartenews/e_article000561514.cfm?x=b11,0,w
what prevents most companies (and libraries) from delivering excellent customer service.

Visions 2020.2: Student Views on Transforming Education and Training Through Advanced Technologies, from the US Departments of Commerce and Education and NetDay, http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/os/technology/plan/2004/site/documents/visions_20202.pdf—includes the important section, “How Students Want to Learn Using Technology.” Remember, we have to adapt to them, not vice versa.

The Library as Place: The changing nature and appeal of library buildings and spaces, UI (University of Illinois) Current LIS Clips, September 2006, http://clips.lis.uiuc.edu/2006_09.htm—annotated bibliography on this important topic.

Ensuring the Net Generation is Net Savvy, by George Lorenzo and Charles Dziuban, Educause Learning Initiative Paper 2, September 2006, https://www.educause.edu/ir/library/pdf/ELI3006.pdf—another article on how we need to work with the next generation of students/customers.

Wiking in your library: a practical overview, by Eugene Barsky, a presentation to the Vancouver Association of Law Libraries, October 2006, http://weblogs.elearning.ubc.ca/physio/barsky-wiki-vall.pdf
just what it says, a practical view of the wiki and the library.