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This is an awesome tool I saw at the Evergreen conference. I used it on the Merlin git repo which was cool to see but since everything is in a flat directory structure and it's mostly Jessica (and a little bit me) committing it's not nearly as cool as some of the videos from other projects.

A CBS video about how items from the National Archives are being targeted by thieves--in this case by a noted historian who used his access to steal material.

If you haven't read or seen The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore, by William Joyce go and do it right now! But this short little video shows the companion app to go with the book. I love AR and wish I could find more ways to use it in my every day life. Maybe we can create an AR app. so that Jennifer can finally have her backup dancers.

A video that explains some concepts about open access; some concepts are a little too idealized, some research involving material that is patented or financed by commercial interests may not be free. However, some other points, such as the extreme cost of journals, or that patrons may not know if materials are suitable until they've already paid for them is spot on.

Really neat ideas from Harvard Libraries!

Another article about what may be the short term existence of dedicated e-readers compared to tablets. Realistically an e-reader only offers a lightweight dedicated platform and for some models an e-Ink display that isn't practical for most tablets that do video and color.

A video about the EDUCE project to scan and read the scrolls from the Villa of the Papyri at Herculaneum. Herculaneum was the second and lesser known city that was destroyed by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in A.D. 79. The scrolls were in what is probably the only library from antiquity to survive "intact," but the volcanic ash carbonized the scrolls so they are essentially charcoal. Some have been "read" by unwrapping the scroll in segments and scanning in ultraviolet light detect the ink, this is the first time the scanning has been done non-invasively to read the scroll without destroying it.

An interesting article that mentions slightly over half of Americans 16 or over have visited a library in the past year, and that the proportions of patrons who felt collections should be moved to make way for tech centers and cultural events was less than those who wanted to keep books. Some interesting ideas libraries have started to use include Redbox style lending machines and Rokus with accounts for Internet streaming video services already on them.

A brief video from the ALA about eBooks, mainly useful for information resources the ALA provides about eBooks.

An interesting promotional approach considering the popularity of zombie movies and TV shows like "The Walking Dead." I also found it humorous they got in the mood by watching the Michael Jackson "Thriller" video.

A video from French publisher Editis, with an inspiring vision of what ebooks and tablets might be able to do.

It's not work related, but since we're all friends here and most of us have kids I wanted to share it here. You all know where I'm at when it comes to food and health but after watching this I'm compelled to go talk to the principal at Grant, share this video, and see if there's anything I can do to help.

Also, there's quite a few other really great TED talks about food, and food as it related to kids.

Like this one: http://www.ted.com/talks/ann_cooper_talks_school_lunches.html

Not necessarily a library video, but an interesting idea.  By encouraging the audience to approach information the way they approach food (i.e. by emphasizing quality over quantity, as it's impossible to eat all the food), the focus of our information world goes from "information overload" to "information consumption." 

We have to get these! We can create our own little MOBIUSbots!

http://littlebits.cc/ Ayah Bdeir is from the MIT Media Lab. I love the Media Lab - it produces the coolest of cool ideas. I'm not sold on using these to make a bot, but I'm definitely going to get some for Freya.

Wow, I cannot wait until Henry is old enough to play with these!

"Everyone's buzzing about Pinterest, a new social media tool that connects people through the things they like-but for a growing number of users in classrooms and media centers, it's fast becoming a powerful resource where teachers and students share images, store lesson plans, read about current events, watch video clips, and collect their favorite apps."

For those of you that enjoy TED videos...

So awesome. I'm not sure I'll pay $3 for many of these, but it's cool just the same. I'm actually kinda surprised they are directly monetizing their old content.

Time for everyone to feel really old.....

Beloit college releases an annual "mindset" list showing how incoming college freshmen see the world and the type of technology and cultural paradigms they consider normal. This year I found it interesting that almost a quarter have suffered some hearing loss, I presume from overuse of iPods and MP3 players. They also haven't seen a need for a bound set of encyclopedias, were born into the world of the Internet, and aren't familiar with camera film or video tape.

What? *she says both because she doesn't feel old and because she has lost hearing due to iPod over use*

This headline caught my attention: "NYU Library Imprisons Students in a Video Game to Stop Them from Killing Themselves." The atrium of the school's main library has been enclosed with perforated aluminum screens, in an effort to curb suicides.

I think I have a Tumblr account (?) but obviously I don't use it. Anyone have one? Tumblr got me a job. Being intimidated by the prospect of a "full-size" blog, I joined Tumblr in February 2011. Since then I've shamelessly promoted my "name" and stalked down as many libraries/librarians on the site as I could find. I've connected with libraries, librarians, library students, publishers, writers, readers, Doctor Who fanatics, and cat lovers.

A bit too much of a fan piece but a general description of how librarians can use Tumblr as networking. The basic function is similar to Twitter--namely microblogging, but post aren't limited to 140 characters of text and can include image, videos, and audio clips.

The Internet Archice is now offering over one million items as peer to peer BitTorrent downloads. While in one sense it is only a different download method for materials that are copyright and royalty free, it is Torrents have been controversial as they are often used to download pirated movies and software. However, the Internet Archive does have a point in that it improves access for users with limited bandwidth. Downloads include 1.2 million books and 9,000 videos and movies.