Group items tagged

The National Library of South Africa is the leading national library and information centre of excellence in Africa and the world.

"The World Digital Library hosts more than 10,000 primary documents and images from collections around the world. Sponsored by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, the mission of the World Digital Library is to promote the study and understanding of cultures. The WDL can be searched by date, era, country, continent, topic, and type of resource. In my search of the WDL I noticed that roughly half of the resources are historical maps and images. The WDL aims to be accessible to as many people as possible by providing search tools and content descriptions in seven languages. The WDL can also be searched by clicking through the map on the homepage."

If librarians truly wish to be where the user is and to be user-centric, they need to be present in those spaces that users are. Embedded librarianship is a major focus for the future for the profession. The physical library will continue to provide  a place for research, for study, and for group work. But, with the dramatic increase in electronic resources and technological capabilities, bringing the library and the librarian to the user, wherever they are-office, laboratory, home, or even on their mobile device-is at the forefront of what it means to be embedded. 

"These aren't podcasts done by local libraries, for their local customers. Instead, these podcasts are all focused on us librarians. And I'm using "podcast" loosely in my list - it includes audio-only podcasts, call-in live shows (that then turn into downloadable audio podcasts after the fact), and video shows."

Local library blog

A cute little video of a 3 year old explaining her library needs

Keeping traditional school libraries up to date is costly, with the constant need to acquire new books and to find space to store them. Yet for all that trouble, students roam the stacks less and less because they find it so much more efficient to work online.

"The BookServer is a growing open architecture for vending and lending digital books over the Internet. Built on open catalog and open book formats, the BookServer model allows a wide network of publishers, booksellers, libraries, and even authors to make their catalogs of books available directly to readers through their laptops, phones, netbooks, or dedicated reading devices. BookServer facilitates pay transactions, borrowing books from libraries, and downloading free, publicly accessible books."

"Nearly ten years' worth of research conducted by The Pew Internet & American Life Project examines the growing role of technology in our lives, our changing expectations about how to find and use information, and the impact these changes will have on libraries and other institutions in the future."

One of the most useful, if often-overlooked, features of Google Book Search is the ability to enter your own books and create a personal library which you can then search if Google has scanned those books. (And chances are it probably has). If you are trying to find a passage or a factoid you once read but can't remember the book no matter how hard you wrack your brain, the ability to search your personal library can come in handy. Except who wants to enter each book one at a time?

As a modern day library student, you're probably excited about discovering and experimenting with the new tools and systems that have changed the way we find, receive and catalog information. But with all of the new technology out there, it can be hard to keep track of everything beyond your own niche field of study. This collection of library and information technology blogs have changed that, and now you'll be able to learn about all of the trends, developments, tools and resources available to librarians in every niche.

Library 2.0: Extending reach through blogging and Twitter

a good powerpoint summarising the main point of 2st century learning and libraries role in accommodating it

The Learning 2.0 program was originally created by Helene Blowers at the Public Library of Charlotte & Mecklenberg County (PLCMC). Whether you are a library manager or not, we encourage you to view the archive of Helene's Infopeople webcast, Web 2.0: What

"It's time for school librarians to step out and enlighten their communities about all the ways their libraries impact students' education. "

Andrew: "Hey guys-hope you are all doing well! I am just catching up with some mail and came across this awesome collection of "best practice" ideas from many school librarians on everything from growing readers to adapting the library to web 2.0 strategies and thinking."

Lots of great library and kid safe resources here