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June 30, 2009
Web Side Story--Bernstein And Sondheim Would Approve
I admit that I occasionally visit the collegehumor.com site. I figure that since I work at a college, oops—university, I might as well see what there is to laugh at. And anyway, if you go to libraryhumor.com it’s a lot more work since it pretty much just contains links to other sites. Anyway, I came across this posting that I thought was really quite clever especially for fans of West Side Story and/or those who love all of the technology that is available today to communicate with and meet other people.
Posted by DavidStanley at 1:21 PM | Comments (0)
The internets says it; it must be true!
It's been a rough couple of weeks to be a celebrity, but some overeager hoaxers have been trying to bump the death toll up a couple more notches. Harrison Ford and Jeff Goldblum were prematurely reported to have passed away in spectacular fashion. Britney Spears' Twitter feed was hacked and a message claiming her demise was posted, much to the consternation of her followers.
This is actually a good reminder to take the information you find on the Web (or anywhere else, for that matter) with a grain of salt. If you can't make like Kevin Spacey and call Jeff Goldblum's manager, however, you can at least check the story against a somewhat reputable source like the MSNBC web site, Google News, or the Yahoo portal news page. These sites aren't fail-proof, of course, but the Associated Press does tend to check their sources a little bit before they disseminate rumors.
As I say in information literacy classes, triangulate your sources; try to find three separate sources that agree for the most part. It's also a good idea to make sure that two of those sources don't look like they've been lifted almost directly from the third. :)
Posted by KellyAddleman at 8:46 AM | Comments (0)
June 22, 2009
Library in the park
I just returned from my summer vacation, a few days of which I got to spend in New York City. While resting my poor, tired feet in Bryant Park, I caught sight of the "Reading Room":
I didn't go over for a closer look (my feet hurt too much from wandering all over midtown Manhattan), but I did resolve to learn a little bit more about this unusual park feature when I got home.
According to the Bryant Park website, the Reading Room was begun during the Great Depression to provide reading materials to those without, perhaps, library cards or home addresses. It's been revived in recent years. What a cool place to find a library!
Posted by KellyAddleman at 4:11 PM | Comments (0)
June 12, 2009
Would you go for e-textbooks?
The Chronicle of Higher Education has an interesting article up-- "6 Lessons One Campus Learned About E-Textbooks". In an effort to reduce student textbook costs (yay) and backpack loads (yay), Northwest Missouri State University ran a pilot study on electronic books and how they really work out for students.
If you're not up on the e-book trends, the two big players in the game right now are the Sony Reader and the Amazon Kindle (we have a first-gen Kindle at the library-- ask for it at the desk if you want to check it out). The latest Kindle model is lighter, thinner, and hopes to win over college students with its larger and improved display screen.
One of the major advantages that proponents of e-books point out is reduced cost, but there are some factors to consider before proclaiming a price victory. A paperback copy of the DSM-IV-TR Handbook of Differential Diagnosis costs $60.30; the Kindle copy costs $44.00. So you save $16.30 by purchasing the Kindle copy, but you also shelled out $359.00 or $489.00 for the Kindle, in the first place. And you can't sell back your Kindle edition at the end of the semester.
What do you think? My college roommate would have been spared a lot of back pain if she'd been able to take one e-reader to all of her classes instead of hauling around four massive business textbooks at a time. I was an English major, and I always wanted the page numbers I was looking at to match the ones in the book my professor was holding, so we could always "be on the same page" (haha) in class discussions.
Do you think the learning curve for the device would be worth it? Is it weird to think about needing a power cord for your books, or is that just part of life (we charge everything else)? Which environmental impact seems worse to you-- killing a lot of trees (which are a renewable resource), or saving some forests but ending up with yet another toxic battery that you're not sure how to dispose of 5 years from now? Would you go for an e-textbook reader?
Posted by KellyAddleman at 9:38 AM | Comments (0)
June 11, 2009
Today Show looks at libraries
NBC's Today Show did a great segment on public libraries this morning. Libraries are buzzing these days, serving laid-off workers looking for jobs, lending free entertainment materials, and providing training workshops and fun programming. Take a look!
Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy
Posted by KellyAddleman at 9:15 AM | Comments (0)
June 10, 2009
And The Winner Is Web 2.0
The English language got its one millionth word early today.
English gets millionth word on Wednesday
Posted by DavidStanley at 1:54 PM | Comments (0)
June 2, 2009
Lo. Lee. Ta.--Summer Reading Fun
I've always enjoyed reading Nabokov's works. Although Pale Fire has always been a favorite, after coming across this article I think I will read Lolita yet again to see what I can find.
Posted by DavidStanley at 12:08 PM | Comments (0)