MOBIUS Libraries

A somewhat hopeful article pointing out that the interest in e-book readers is leveling off while print continues, and that if anything things such as online self-publishing have helped as it reduces the risk for commercial publishers in recruiting new authors.

This is a really great speech. Read it only if you want to feel inspired about being a librarian. I would like to see MOBIUS take the lead on redefining success and redefining libraries. Who's with me!?! 

What to expected and what some tech writers would like to see in "Windows Blue," the next release of Windows scheduled for this Summer of Fall. Notable it Microsoft is trying to move to yearly updates of Windows and is enhancing the touchscreen and tiled "Metro" interface. It's not clear if "Blue: will be a point update such as Windows 8.1 or if it will be considered a new version altogether.

An article that makes some good points about copyright, namely that the information we need to access, repair, or modify equipment we own is often copyrighted in itself. Which means by virtue of copyright we are unable to access the service manuals, error codes, or diagnostic tools we need to do anything with a technological device. The author makes a point that while works of art may be restricted by we own a performance right to it, physical objects we own outright.

An opinion piece about the erosion of privacy in social media and the lives public figures. While it offers a summary of the status quo, I'm not too sure if the idea we're moving to "Global Village" is correct.

Based on the titles, I think I'm a Hufflepuff.

Features Full accounting (general ledger, accounts payable and receivable, bank reconciliation) Fully integrated CRM (incidents, to-do list, address book, opportunities, projects, vendors) Superior inventory control for manufacturers, distributors, professional services Rich API built with PostgreSQL database views, encapsulates all business logic and data integrity Fully integrated OpenRPT report writer to customize reports, Qt Designer to customize screens

Neat!

Trinity College Library in Dublin, Ireland, now offers for free the influential Book of Kells, to be viewed online. There's even an iPad app for this!

The 2.8 petabytes of storage space was donated to the Vatican by EMC, as part of its Information Heritage Initiative.

An article that covers some open access and peer reviewed projects such as the Public Library of Science (www.plos.org) and ultimately makes the conclusion that research should be free because no part of the process should cost very much, and some of the hold up is academia not considering open access journals "prestigious" enough to merit tenure. I would agree in principle, especially if commercial publishers are removed from the equation. However, a lot of applied science and research relies on funding that may involve copyrighted or trademarked material, so some research will always be restricted.

Warning: Has some bad language.

More seriously, I've moved my feeds to collected.info. I have liked it so far; I'll even admit that it's easier on the eye than Google Reader.

An interesting blog about various approaches to visualizing archival data sets and large cultural collections.

A blog post that examines why some currently in fashion technologies such as 3D printers may not be suitable for libraries--namely because they look at creating a physical product rather information.

Nice article for when to give positive feedback vs. negative feedback in order to motivate people. Especially good for folks in management or in training situations.

A related concept to T-Pen, but focused more on collecting together references, summary, bibliography, and related information from manuscripts in the Parker Library at Corpus Christi Cambridge. It allows material that ordinarily would have to be handled with care or viewed from a microfilm or facsimile copy to be used with no fear of damage and considerably enhanced by the additional reference material.

An interesting online tool that allows transcription of scanned images of manuscripts, working entirely online and copying line by line from the image. The software is open source but the primary instance is maintained by the Center for Digital Theology at SLU.

Okay, this is pretty darn cool. Thanks, NASA!

"Here are 10 that should be at the top of anyone's list who is striving to become a great library leader."

"What is social justice? John Vincent cites a definition of social justice as 'every one of us having the chances and opportunities to make the most of our lives and use our talents to the full.'"