After the Bar

Unshelved - Sept. 26, 2009

2009-10-09T11:56:00.004-04:00

Unshelved is a webcomic about life in a Public library. My favorites are usually the Sunday Book Clubs, but I thought this one was worth sharing too. [Note: it's drawn a little differently than normal, because it was done by a guest artist.]

A library without the books - The Boston Globe

2009-10-07T15:55:00.003-04:00

This private high school in Massachusetts has decided to embrace the digital age, and upgrade their library to a multi-media Learning Center, with huge flatscreen monitors, computer stations, laptop ready study carrels, e-readers, downloadable texts, and a $12,000 espresso machine.

Sounds awesome, right?

Then you get to the part where, to make room for all this - administrators decided to THROW AWAY ALL THE BOOKS. ARGH!

A library without the books - The Boston Globe

Posted using ShareThis

Flick Chart

2009-07-24T14:05:00.007-04:00

I don't remember where I first read about Flick Chart - (possibly Cinematical) but I've been playing with it for about a week. The site presents you with 2 movies, and you click on whichever one you liked better. Each click generates and modifies a list of movies ranked by your taste. On the left side, it keeps an updated list of your top Twenty movies, and on the right, it provides stats about the movie you just chose.

So far my top 3 are The Prestige, Casablanca and Moulin Rouge. But as soon as The Princess Bride comes up for comparison against them, its all over.

(Update: the site is still in testing, so its invite only, but you can bypass the invite and sign up directly using this link.)

OCLC Policy Changes

2009-01-14T14:31:00.002-05:00

Last semester I wrote an Independent Study Paper about the potential copyrightability of metadata - particularly in the form of Library Catalog Records. One of the topics I discussed was OCLC's WorldCat, and the unrestricted availability of records to OCLC members. For a variety of reasons, I questioned whether they could assert ownership over the records, if they ever wanted to do so. Just 2 weeks before I had to turn in my paper, OCLC suddenly changed its policy, not to claim ownership of the records per se, but to restrict the way users could use the records. This policy change has caused not a small amount of outrage in the cataloging community, and since the first changes, 2 further revisions have come out. For more information, check out the wiki maintained by Coders for Libraries.

Censorship by the State

2008-10-23T14:20:00.002-04:00

I am really upset right now, because I just heard that a fellow library student has been required to take down his blog by his employer at the NY State Library. I do not know exactly the details, but I am pretty sure that they were unjustified in their request. His blog represented over a year's worth of work, and was a good mix of library and personal news. Apparently, his supervisor told him that it was unprofessional, and without argument, he complied with her request to delete the entire blog. Although I might not always have agreed with what he had to say, I am fairly certain that there was nothing on there that was any kind of bad reflection on the State Library.

I understand that he respects his supervisor, and chose to delete the blog rather than argue with her, but I wish he had argued. I think they were wrong to ask him to take it down, and I am interested to know exactly why they think they can tell him to stop.

More Dr. Horrible!

2008-09-01T13:44:00.003-04:00

In case you missed it this summer - check out this Joss Whedon and friends project, Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog. The three 15-minute episodes tell the story of a wanna-be super villain played by Neil Patrick Harris, his nemesis, Captain Hammer, Corporate Tool, played by Nathan Fillion of Firefly, and Penny, the do-gooder woman Dr. Horrible loves, played by Felicia Day. I have watched it too many times to count, and have been unable to get the songs out of my head for weeks.

Luckily, now, I don't have to play the songs in my head if I want to hear them - because tomorrow, yes, TOMORROW, the Soundtrack for Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog will be available on I-Tunes! So don't forget to check it out!

Books, Part 3

2008-08-29T21:22:00.006-04:00

I have been reading like crazy this summer. I think I may have read the most books this summer compared to any other summer. Except the first summer I commuted to NYC - that 2 hour train ride (one way) allowed ALOT of reading.

This summer, I read the entire Twilight Saga (we'll come back to that), Fluke by Christopher Moore (we'll come back to that, too), The Eight by Katherine Neville (ok, I'm going to come back to all of them), Four To Score by Janet Evanovich, Final Theory by Mark Alpert, Coraline by Neil Gaiman, Fables (Books 1 and 2) by Bill Willingham, Magyk by Angie Sage, and The Ruby in the Smoke by Philip Pullman.

Let's go backwards. The Ruby in the Smoke, a YA novel was good. The first in a trilogy of books about Sally Lockheart, set in Victorian England, this little mystery was a quick and fun read. The language and imagery was vivid and intelligent.

Magyk is the first book in the Septimus Heap Series. Another YA novel, this time a fantasy about a family of wizards who must protect their adopted Princess sister from an evil wizard who has to kill the Princess in order to rule the kingdom. Another entertaining story in an elaborately described world with magical spells and fantastic creatures. The only shortcoming to this story is the reader's inability to avoid Harry Potter comparisons. (Note to self - that might be an interesting future blog topic).

Fables is a series of graphic novels in which charaters and creatures from any and all fairy tales have been kicked out of their homelands and forced to live among the mortal humans of NYC. These are really fun, and I will definitely be reading more of them.

Coraline was actually pretty disappointing. I have read and heard such great things about Neil Gaiman, but I just couldn't get into this story. It was creative, and not badly written, but just did nothing for me. The girl in the story, Coraline, reminded me of Roald Dahl's Matilda, except without any of the sweet qualtities that make you love her. Coraline was just a flat character, as boring as she was bored.

Final Theory was a suspense novel that can only be described as the DaVinci Code a la Einstein. The story kicks off with the villain torturing an old man to almost to death in an attempt to discover a secret that Einstein had hidden long ago - the Holy Grail of Physics, the Theory of Everything. The old man dies, but only after he passes the key to the secret thory to a former student of his own. The villain AND the FBI want to find this student, and will stop at nothing to find him and Einstein's Theory. They set off on a nationwide manhunt, while the student tries to piece together Einstein's Theory of Everything, in the hope that it will save him, his family, and the world.

Four to Score is another book in the Stephanie Plum series, and a particularly satisfying installment. This series definitely warrants its own blog post, and I'll come back to it eventually.

The Eight is a long complicated mystery/thriller. This was actually my second time reading this book, which is rare for me. A few friends thought we should try a bookclub this summer, and I was first to choose the book. I wanted to pick one I had already read, so I knew it was good - and I picked The Eight. The story revolves around a legendary chess set and an elaborate chess game in which the players moving around the board from France to NYC to Algeria and England.

Fluke, Or I Know Why the Winged Whale Sings, was a weird story. I kind of like Christopher Moore, and he could be the subject of his own post, probably after I read Lust Lizards of Melancholy Cove, which is coming up soon in the queue. I'll save more in depth discussion of this book for then. For now, let's just say Moore has a great imagination and a gift for character development.

The Twilight Saga. Ahhh... the Twilight Saga. This could definitely be an independent post, and I might still do that. The series was so much fun. I couldn't read the books fast enough. Then I realized that if I kept reading so fast, they would be over too soon, so I forced myself to slow down and savor them. Like many readers, I thought the last book in the series, Breaking Dawn, was way out there, but I still enjoyed it. Sure the characters (or author) made some choices that I wouldn't have, but it was still fun. Actually, I think its kind of funny - some fans were so enamored by the fantastic story of a love triangle among a teenage girl, a vampire, and a werewolf, but then were so outraged over the unrealistic turn the story took in the final book? Because the story was so grounded in realism right from the start? I really enjoyed these books - Edward Cullen was definitely the most swoon-worthy character I have read about in a long time, maybe ever. I'm a little embarassed to admit it, but I kind of can't wait for the movie to come out. I hope its good.

My apologies.

2008-08-29T21:13:00.002-04:00

Wow! It has been far too long since the last post on this blog, and I promise I'll do better from now on. Things got pretty busy at the end of last semester, and then even busier when the semester ended. I'm hoping that this fall semester will be a little less busy. Although, we'll see about that, since I'm attempting to finish my Master's by December.

Should librarians respect the privacy of child porn users?

2008-03-14T09:51:00.004-04:00

This California librarian lost her job because she didn't; instead she reported to the police a patron who was using the library internet to look at child pornography. In this case, there was clear illegal action going on, and it doesn't sound like there was any policy requiring her to protect the patron's privacy. It seems she was fired because her supervisor had told her only to make a note on the patron's account and ask him to stop; calling the police was beyond her job description.

In one of my classes we recently had a discussion about a similar case where a woman was fired from her insurance company job after reporting an unusually high number of accident claims for a child to a child abuse hotline.

The insurance company case spurs some great discussion - because you have to balance the potential danger to a child with protecting private information. Insurance companies have access to a ton of information about you, and what if they were to allow their employees to ignore the security policies and start calling the police everytime they suspect something fishy? But how can you fault a woman who is just trying to protect a child? This is why entities that deal with people and information must have strict policies regarding treatment of private information.

But what about that librarian in CA... she wasn't the steward of any private information - she was just reporting what she saw in a public place. Should it matter that she worked there? Are there other factors that I am missing? Something just seems wrong.

UPDATE: Apperently I was missing something, like there is always more to the story!

Hudson River Valley Heritage

2008-01-18T20:53:00.000-05:00

For my job lately, I have been doing alot of searching for online digital collections by New York Libraries. One of the best sites was developed by the Southeastern Library Resources Council and is Hudson River Valley Heritage. Its a great example of digital searchable archives, and there's lots of neat things. My favorites are the old postcards and maps. I looked for an old map of the area where I grew up, amd my town isn't even on it! Some of the surrounding towns are, and even some of the really old streets are labeled. It's kind of neat to imagine what the town might have looked so long ago, maybe just a couple of dirt roads some farms? Or more likely just woods...

Books, Part 2

2008-01-03T12:47:00.000-05:00

When I came across The Gunseller, by Hugh Laurie, I decided to give it a try, since I like Hugh Laurie. House, M.D. is one of my favorite shows, and I have laughed at some Jeeves and Wooster. I did not expect too much, and was pleasantly surprised with the first half of the novel - it was readable, witty and interesting. Unfortunately, the plot took a few twists and then lept forward with little explanation, and I was left behind not understanding what happened. I kept reading, hoping this was a style choice and the explanation would come, but it didn't. The motivation behind the choices the main character made is left for the reader to determine, but I don't think we know enough about the character to make those determinations. It's almost like the 2 halves of the book are 2 diiferent stories, both enjoyable on their own, but only loosely tied together.

The New Terminator Movies

2007-12-09T21:40:00.000-05:00

I've never seen the Terminator movies. Recently, there's been hype about a new trilogy being in the works, and I still had no desire to check them out. Then I came across this article. Suddenly, I can't wait for the new movies to come out! Christian Bale is slated to play John Connor... I know nothing about the story, but if Bale is involved, its gotta be good, right?

What movies have you watched solely for the actors, and were they worth it?

American FactFinder

2007-11-19T20:09:00.001-05:00

Here is a really neat website I found today while doing some research for school. Its called American FactFinder, and its set up by the U.S. Census Bureau. All kinds of interesting data is there waiting to be explored! You can even enter your own zip code and find data specific to your home area. Here's mine.

Paris says "Save the Drunk Elephants"

2007-11-13T15:25:00.000-05:00

I never expected to post a story about Paris Hilton, but then, I also never expected to hear about elephants getting drunk.

Hilton is getting praise from Animal conservationists, following her recent comments about saving drunk elephants. As if elephants getting drunk on farmers' homemade rice-beer wasn't bizarre enough!

Here's a link to the story on MSN: http://tv.msn.com/tv/article.aspx?news=284021&GT1=7703

The CIA's World FactBook

2007-11-12T20:23:00.000-05:00

Today while doing some research for school, I came across this reference website. It's from the CIA - yes, the Central Intelligence Agency. It's got a ton of information about every country. Its pretty cool, and worth exploring if you're interested.

126-years overdue books returned

2007-11-11T18:09:00.000-05:00

I came across a link this week to an article in the UK newspaper "The Guardian" that I thought was worth sharing.

After capturing the Peruvian capital, Lima, during the 1879-1883 War of the Pacific, Chilean soldiers pillaged the library. They took at least 3,778 volumes, written in Greek, Latin, French and Spanish, some with full-page colonial-era maps, dated from the 16th to 19th centuries.

This week, 126 years later, Chile returned the books. Most were in excellent condition, and will be returned to Lima's national library.

Books!! Part One

2007-11-11T17:18:00.000-05:00

This morning I finished reading "The Yiddish Policeman's Union" by Michael Chabon. I have read several of his other novels, including The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay, for which Chabon won the Pulitzer Prize. "Union" was about a Jewish Settlement in Alaska and the policemen who are trying to solve the murder of the latest Messiah. It is a long novel, over 400 pages, and there are many themes and stories interwoven throughout. I generally liked the story, and the main characters were very well-developed and likable. I do have one complaint about the book though that prevented me from really enjoying the book. Chabon used LOTS of yiddish words, and having no familiarity with the language, I found it occassionally difficult to understnad what he was saying. By replacing a key word or descriptor, some concepts were lost on me. I would only recommend this book to Chabon fans... or fans of his character-driven style.

By the way, this week, Nov. 14-16 there is an Online Bookfair at www.loveofreading.com. I've never seen this but looks like it could be interesting - there are raffles for free books, blogs and interviews and podcasts with guests writers and authors.

"When the Sun Stood Still" Lecture, 11/15

2007-11-08T20:15:00.000-05:00

Dudley Observatory & Union College are sponsoring the following program, which is free and open to the public.

Dava Sobel, author of Galileo’s Daughter, Longitude, and The Planets will speak on “When the Sun Stood Still” ,” how Copernicus and Galileo ushered in a new cosmic order--and how the world responded.

Thursday, Nov. 15th
7:30pm
Nott Memorial, Union College

The lecture will be followed by a reception and book signing.

In addition works of Copernicus and Galileo from the Dudley Observatory rare book collection will be on display.

For more information call 382-7583 or 388-6616.

National Geographic Map Machine

2007-11-06T21:45:00.000-05:00

This is a really cool website I learned about in a class yesterday. I haven't spent too much time exploring it - but for just looking at Satellite images of areas I know, I like this better than Google Maps' satellite view. The picture seems clearer to me... anyone else think so? Anyone think Google is better? Why or Why not?

Mythbusters

2007-11-05T11:52:00.000-05:00

I love Mythbusters. It's such a fun show - they investigate some really cool myths, and it always looks like they are having fun. I don't know that I would go so far as to say its an educational show, but I usually learn at least something interesting, if not useful. In a recent New York Times Op-Ed piece, Adam Savage and Jamie Hyneman answered reader submitted questions. Some of the stuff they talked about I knew from watching their "Mythbusters Revealed" episode - but I'm such a fan, I'll watch/read just about anything they do. My favorite part of the show is when they bust a myth, and then try to figure out what conditions would have made the myth true. (This usually ends with some kind of explosion!) Anyone else have any favorite parts of the show, crew members, or episodes to share?

Wash your hands!

2007-10-30T18:34:00.000-04:00

MRSA Staff infections have become a big problem lately, since they are resistant to many antibiotics, its important that we all do as much as we can to prevent its spread.

MRSA infections are usually manifested as skin infections and can occur in otherwise healthy people. Skin infections caused by MRSA are very similar to infections caused by other bacteria and can be red, swollen, or painful. Even though a MRSA bacterial infection is resistant to certain antibiotics, it is treatable and preventable. MRSA is most typically spread by direct skin contact and infection occurs when this bacteria enters through a break in the skin.

In what settings do MRSA skin infections occur?
* Some settings have factors that make it easier for MRSA to be transmitted.* These factors, referred to as the 5 C's, are as follows: Crowding, frequent skin-to-skin Contact, Compromised skin (i.e., cuts or abrasions), Contaminated items and surfaces, and lack of Cleanliness.* Locations where the 5 C's are common include schools, dormitories, military barracks, households, correctional facilities, and daycare centers.
How do I protect myself from getting MRSA?
* You can protect yourself by:* practicing good hygiene (e.g., keeping your hands clean by washing with soap and water or using an alcohol-based hand sanitizer and showering immediately after participating in exercise);* covering skin trauma such as abrasions or cuts with a clean dry bandage until healed;* avoiding sharing personal items (e.g., towels, razors) that come into contact with your bare skin; and using a barrier (e.g., clothing or a towel) between your skin and shared equipment such as weight-training benches;* maintaining a clean environment by establishing cleaning procedures for frequently touched surfaces and surfaces that come into direct contact with people's skin.
If you want to get further information go to www.cdc.gov.

No more paper records!!

2007-10-30T18:02:00.000-04:00

I came across this article today on Techdirt and thought it was worth sharing. Apparently, the Family Records Center in London is no longer allowing the public to access the paper geneology records. They are starting a process to digitize all the records, that will not be complete until 2009 (or later). In the meantime, the microfiche records will still be available, but it has been reported that the fiche is frequently illegible. Researchers are pretty upset.

Its a Romantic Comedy with Zombies!

2007-10-28T12:27:00.000-04:00

Tis the season of horror movies, and one of my favorite movie review sites, Cinematical, has posted a Retro Review of Shaun of the Dead. It's one of my favorite movies! What's not to love about romance, comedy and zombies!!

Haunted Museum

2007-10-27T11:30:00.000-04:00

This weekend at the New York State Museum there are some fun Halloween activities. Word on the street is that the Haunted Museum is actually pretty intense, and it is not recommended for kids under 10. I have good authority that it is scary for everyone - even adults. It sounds fun to me! Check out the online ad!

Phenomenon

2007-10-24T20:32:00.000-04:00

The title of this post comes from the Television show I am watching right now. I had a tough decision to make tonight - there were 5 shows I wanted to watch during the 8 to 9 hour. I decided to skip Mythbusters, since it is on often, and I eventually see all of them. I really enjoy Pushing Daisies, so I'm recording that and I can watch it later without distraction. I'm left with Wired Science, Phenomenon, and the World Series. Since I have DVR, I can watch or record only 2, and I'm already recording Pushing Daisies, so I have only one tuner left for 3 shows. I am going to skip Wired Science on PBS, which even though its a pretty cool show, it is the one I am least interested in tonight. I have decided to flip between the World Series and Phenomenon so I can watch both.

I wasn't sure what to expect from these "mentalists" and it turns out to be really cool! The judges are telling this guy that his act was boring and predictable - but it wasn't to me! I mean, maybe I could predict the outcome - but that doesn't change how amazing it was! The set up was 7 people holding envelopes. then he asked one person to throw 3 frisbees into the audience. the first frisbee catcher picked a number 1-4, to determine which phone book to use. the second picked a number 1-400ish to find a page in the phone book, and the third frisbee catcher picked a column 1-4 to pick a column from the page. Then the mentalist ran his finger down the column and a volunteer told him when to stop. Then the volunteer called out the phone number and someone wrote it down. Then each person opened their envelope and it was the phone number - in the right order! I thought it was pretty impressive. The show overall wasn't great, but I really like mind games and tricks, so I expect I'll watch it again.

How ironic!

2007-10-22T20:13:00.000-04:00

Today in class we had a guest speaker, and he was discussing social software. This was the kind of talk that I typically would think is really lame and could never do any of the things he talked about. Unfortunately, I'm kinda into some of the things he talked about, like blogging and del.icio.us. I'm just glad I started this blog yesterday, so at least it doesn't look like I started a blog because of his talk.

Trying stuff out...

2007-10-21T20:12:00.000-04:00

So now that I've started a blog, I can't wait to start adding my favorite things... mostly because this is kind of like a new toy, and I want to play with it. Also because I have some homework to do and I don't feel like doing it.

So here is a link to a website that has a comic set in a public library. It's called Unshelved and although I'm pretty new to this library thing, and don't have much experience, I can still appreciate it. Sometimes its pretty funny. Its also the only other internet window I have open right now, so in my effort to play with links, this is what you get.

Finally!

2007-10-21T19:53:00.000-04:00

This is something I have wanted to do for a long time. About 6 months ago, I was finishing law school and preparing for the Bar Exam. Exam prep was truly consuming all my time, and I frequently found myself saying "...after the bar..."
I began to keep a list of all the things I wanted to do "after the bar." One of those things was to start a blog, and I'm kind of excited to get started.
I plan to develop a mission statement for this blog, to create a clear plan of what I hope to do with this blog. One thing it will not be: a daily diary or journal of my activities. Instead, I hope to collect things I find out on the web that I find interesting, so I can share them with anyone who finds this blog.
As of now, I have no criteria for what I find interesting, but I know there is an awful lot of it!