Hi. At long last the “Ask A Librarian” issue of The Reference Librarian that I edited has been published and is getting some okay reviews. Since the issue was put to bed in the middle of last year, it’s not really discussing cutting edge technologies, but since these things catch on in fits and starts perhaps it will teach people a thing or two.
Month: August 2004
Digital Bookmobiles [kitaabwala]
We all know about Brewster Kahle and the Internet Bookmobile [I hope]. Here’s how the project is working out in India.
the guys who run Google “get” librarians
An excerpt from that controversial Playboy interview with Sergei Brin. You’ll notice he never mentions Google Answers.
PLAYBOY: Librarians must hate Google. Will you put them out of business?
BRIN: Actually, more and more librarians love Google. They use it. They do an excellent job helping people find answers on the Internet in addition to using their book collections. Finding information still requires skill. It’s just that you can go much further now. Google is a tool for librarians just as it’s a tool for anyone who wants to use it.
OPAC PAC
You all know how much I love political activism, but is it strictly kosher for an OPAC vendor to be making partisan political statements with the links they add to content-included catalogs? Check the Hot Links section on the Lackawanna County System, for example.
“I know this is boring but it could save you a lawsuit”
Please read what the LibraryLaw Blog has to say about being in compliance with some arcane copyright law requirements. Does your library have someone designated to receive copyright complaints?