Ocean State Librarian

How YouTube Thinks About Copyright

2010-06-30T11:29:00.002-04:00

Margaret Stewart discusses:

How YouTube thinks about Copyright

This blog has moved

2010-04-28T09:48:00.001-04:00

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Virtual Reference

2010-02-04T23:52:00.003-05:00

Virtual Reference : Legal Research Study Aids

Companion video to Virtual Reference on Best of Web4Lib

ALA Midwinter Exhibit Hall Review

2010-01-21T11:17:00.003-05:00

Companion Video to: Best of PubLib ALA Midwinter Exhibit Hall Review

This Week in Best of PubLib

2009-12-09T19:38:00.003-05:00

This Week in Best of PubLib companion video for 12.07.2009:

This Week in Best of PubLib

2009-12-03T20:13:00.003-05:00

Best of PubLib video for 12.01.09

Companion video to Best of PubLib 11.30.09

Best of PubLib current topics

2009-11-23T17:05:00.002-05:00

This week in Best of Publib November 8th through November 22nd.

Point of View Hero

2009-11-18T09:43:00.002-05:00

This remarkable footage from Norway shows how to use point of view to create an immersive HD experience:

http://oceanstatelibrarian.com/#research

The proliferation of broadband along with HIGH DEFINITION televisions make truly immersive on-line experiences possible. Imagine the possibilities and applications for job following and providing directions. Is there confusion about the method to check out library materials, parking configuration, or directions to your library drive-through? Imagine how this can create a new reality in conjunction with interactive gaming and how you can enrich the on-line experience for your patrons.

This Week in Best of PubLib

2009-11-08T21:40:00.001-05:00

This week in Best of Publib covers the week of November 2nd through November 8th. This week includes questions about collection management, discussions about language learning systems , library crime, and the do’s and don’ts of library work.

Best of Publib for November 1, 2009

2009-11-01T23:01:00.001-05:00

This Week in Best of PubLib

This Week in Best of Publib

2009-10-26T10:02:00.004-04:00

Library News from the PubLib Listserve:

More news at: http://bestofpublib.wordpress.com/

How Twitter Can Make History

2009-06-19T21:10:00.001-04:00

Clay Shirky author of Here Comes Everybody discusses how social media has changed the political landscape:

http://oceanstatelibrarian.com/#research

This timely presentation looks a how to effectively use social media - Facebook, Twitter and other tools to convene and convey a message with a pattern of 'many to many'. The message of this brilliant lecture is the tradition of one-way authoritative delivery of information is becoming extinct.

Friends

2009-06-13T07:23:00.003-04:00

This last week, two of my favorite people died. One in Rhode Island and the other in North Carolina. My good friend Frank Pasquale who worked with me at the Middletown Public Library as custodian is gone. A veteran of WWII, he had carried a bazooka in the European theater and saw many of his friends killed. When 911 happened, he said he would sign up again if they let him so that young people would not have to go. What a fine and honorable person he was. What a wonderful spirit.

I received a phone call letting me know that Frank had died at the same moment I received an e-mail that my friend Robert Reed had died in North Carolina. Robert was a mentor and a creative, artistic, musically talented, witty, joyous person. He lost his life to a stroke. He was only 53 and left his wife and two wonderful daughters behind. Each week, I try to learn something new and share it here for a collective benefit. It is fine people such as Frank Pasquale and Robert Reed who inspire me and motivate me to continue to explore and grow. My friends will be missed. I am thankful and humbled that I got to know them while they were here.

Show me the money! Using GIMP as an alternative to photoshop.

2009-05-15T11:30:00.003-04:00

Graphic Design on a Budget:

Adobe Photoshop is an excellent graphics tool and its integration with Dreamweaver is superb.
However, many libraries may not need all of the bells and whistles that come with that program.
GIMP provides a great alternative:

With a single user license for Photoshop Elements running at $139.99 and the full version of Photoshop at $699 the GIMP open source alternative may be just what you need to facilitate your graphics. If you have experience with Photoshop, the learning curve should be relatively low.

Robert Balliot
http://oceanstatelibrarian.com

Eat Pray Love

2009-05-06T13:53:00.002-04:00

Eat, Pray, Love : Reinforcing Genius and Creativity with Elizabeth Gilbert

Eat Pray Love author Elizabeth Gilbert presents this engaging, inspirational talk at TED.

Librarians are stewards of the collective genius of civilizations. Give yourself the time to view this presentation to help understand the process of genius and creativity. Learn from her and give yourself the time to help you understand the puzzle of your life!

Closing Libraries

2009-05-06T10:31:00.004-04:00

Rhode Island shows a $100 m drop in revenue so far this year. Public employment and services face a great deal of uncertainty - closing schools and libraries to 'save' money.

During the 70s and 80s New England and Rust Belt manufacturing made a massive exodus to the South for cheaper labor and less regulation. In the 90s and 00s companies moved offshore, taking advantage of no government regulation and extremely cheap labor. The big box stores proliferated and undermined small local businesses. In order to sell to the big box stores, you had to have the lowest prices
so they favored offshore manufacturers - managers who favored local manufacturers were fired for not inviting bids from offshore manufacturing.

The consumers were happy since they got things a bit cheaper than they did before. But, manufacturing was no longer helping to sustain a middle class and small businesses that reinvested their profits locally were gone. Brand after product brand was either copied offshore or pushed offshore to compete. Intellectual property became almost meaningless with patents copied, manufactured in bulk
and dumped on the local markets.

As everyone saved a little bit and bought more and more - the money left the country. It went to China to help build their roads and bridges and military. It went offshore to tax havens for the big business owners - no longer investing in the local economy. As business proliferated in China, demand for materials and energy went up - driving up oil prices. So, we used our credit cards to sustain our quality of life - borrowing from China and the middle east investors
who had bought the banks - to pay double in energy costs - plus interest at usury rates.

But we all 'saved' a little bit and got things a little cheaper at the expense of our neighbors, communities and finally ourselves. And, it turned out not to be a savings at all. Now we are closing schools and libraries to 'save' money.

Buy locally, support your local business owners and manufacturers and reinvest in your local economy. Create real sustainable stimulus. As consumers, we created the problem - as consumers we can solve it.

R. Balliot
http://oceanstatelibrarian.com
http://yeswecan-ri.com

Shelf Life

2009-05-05T09:33:00.000-04:00

Great little Indy movie:

http://us.imdb.com/title/tt0468546/

Captures a certain essence of director,
assistant director, politician, library user and shelver
quite nicely. Spontaneous children's services
were delightful!

I wonder how non-librarians and non-public library
users would relate?

R. Balliot
http://oceanstatelibrarian.com/contact.htm

Destruction of a Library System

2009-05-04T08:13:00.002-04:00

According to the Providence Business News, most of the employees of the Providence Public Library in Rhode Island (PPL) are getting layoff notices. The branch libraries of the PPL are being turned over to the City of Providence from the non-profit the runs the PPL. And, a new bureaucracy has been formed to run the branches. The main branch, which will not be turned over also receives major funding to serve as the state-wide reference resource center.

http://www.pbn.com/detail/41951.html

The question to Providence is how to continue to keep the branches open with insufficient funding. The new bureaucracy is not generating any new revenue, but says it can do a better job and run the branches more efficiently - allowing them to remain open.

All of the public libraries currently belong to the same network - Ocean State Libraries and share the same catalog, bylaws, and funding sources. The network is funded by the State and the local towns and municipalities. Along with that layer of bureaucracy, the State Office of Library and Information Services receives millions to fund salaries to administer library programs.

So, millions in funding go towards the notion of managing library services while branches are closed and actual library employees are laid off due to lack of funding. And, the answer is to create yet another another managerial bureaucracy.

R. Balliot
http://oceanstatelibrarian.com

Content is King!

2009-04-27T10:07:00.002-04:00

On the web, content is king. With increasingly sophisticated expectations for Library websites, site management becomes increasingly expensive and inefficient. By utilizing these
open source tools - Drupal for Unix based servers or DotNetNuke for Windows based servers, you extend the social networking capabilities of your libraries, create an exceptional user experience and save money by utilizing open source, rather than expensive - multi- workstation design tool licenses.

Both content management tools offer e-commerce capabilities (sell your bookbags!), blog and wiki functionality, and many user contributed modules with calenders, scheduling, sophisticated user access controls, graphics, forums, and surveys.

There are few feature-rich Open Source content managers outside of DotNetNuke for Windows servers and the documentation for DotNetNuke is somewhat unweildy compared to Drupal. However, there are several multi-featured and module rich Open Source content managers in addition to Drupal available for Unix based servers worthy of review including:

Geeklog ~ Joomla ~ Mambo ~ Owl ~ PostNuke ~ Typo3 ~ Xoops ~ B2evolution - (blog software) ~ Wordpress - (blog software)

Market your library website!

The Thing : Social Networking at its best!

2009-04-20T12:44:00.003-04:00

LibraryThing.com : Social Networking at its best!

Tim Spalding's LibraryThing is a brilliant evolution of social networking. From the most basic cataloging component to intuitive recommendations and organization building, this network is a reader's paradise. Drawing from Library of Congress and Amazon.com records building your own library and sharing it with others is simple, straightforward, and enjoyable. Librarians can join regional groups and leverage the social network to facilitate book clubs and discussion groups.

A great marketing tool for your library!

The Sixth Sense

2009-04-20T12:06:00.001-04:00

The MIT Media Labs : Finger Painting with Pixels and the Sixth Sense

Remember finger painting? It was a simple, fluid artistic medium that was fun, messy and dynamic. What if you had a new, colorful, dynamic process that melds the childlike simplicity of drawing with your hand to extract information from the digital world? MIT Media Lab's Fluid Interfaces Group with Pattie Maes and Pranav Mistry show how the next step of digital interaction steps back into intuitive hand movements and into the future accessing everything the digital space has to offer.

Hair Branding and the Periodic Table

2009-02-10T22:19:00.001-05:00

Princess Leia and her cinnamon bun hair-do helped launch Star Wars.
Elvis became the King of Rock and his side-burns helped launch Rock-a-billy.
In Great Britain, the Chemist of Nottingham - Martyn Poliakoff
is doing the same thing for the Periodic Table:

http://oceanstatelibrarian.com/#research

This clever method of presentation via YouTube demonstrates how
effective the on-line video can be for short presentations of technical
information. Band-width is essentially irrelevant since multiple
resolutions are available and the videos are remotely hosted and
indexed. Great resource!

Comics and the Infinite Canvas

2009-02-02T20:13:00.003-05:00

Scott McCloud, author of Understanding Comics explains how comic books work and how to preserve spatial relationships by creating an unbroken reading line with an infinite canvas here:

http://oceanstatelibrarian.com/#research

The Infinite Canvas is an excellent tool for originating a story board to design blogs, websites, and tutorials.

Library Tardis Metaphor

2009-01-27T22:42:00.003-05:00

Library v Tardis - Using 2.0 technology to facilitate research

TARDIS:
'A product of Time Lord technology, a properly maintained and piloted TARDIS can transport its occupants to any point in time and space.' (Wikipedia)

LIBRARY:
'A product of MLS technology, a properly maintained and directed Library can transport its occupants to any point in time and space.' (Revised)

The speed, scope and accuracy of transport is facilitated by Library 2.0 technology and everything before and after - papyrus to Pentium. Librarians create navigation points in time and space via indexing and abstracting, cataloging, and organization.

Here is a tool that will let your indexing and abstracting ability shine in 2.0 and beyond:

SourceForge.net provides free download of the Open Source directory tool - Yet Another Link Directory (YALD). The PHP based program works with Windows or Linux and MySQL. You can build a directory on the scale of the Yellow Pages or the Librarians Index to the Internet. By allowing librarian evaluated submissions to build on-line resources, you can create extraordinary authoritative local information resources.

http://www.yaldirectory.com/download.php

YALD is easy to install and requires minimal maintenance. All you need to do is follow the simple instructions, set it up on your website host, modify the CSS style and create an on-line directory. YALD or more advanced content management solutions such as JOOMLA, allow librarians to use their indexing and abstracting skills to create locally accessible collections based on accuracy, authority, currency, and content.

Obama and the Checkerboard Buddha

2009-01-18T10:20:00.001-05:00

On January 20, 2009 CNN IReporters will collaborate at the inaguration of Barack Hussein Obama to create a first of its kind immersive experience. They will use the new software from Microsofts Live Labs - Photosynth - to create a 3D panorama at the moment Barack Obama is sworn in to become our 44th President. Photosynth shows great promise in creating an unique user experience.

Checkerboard Buddha on the Rocks was Photosynthed with 103 images from a Canon ELPH. Use the expand view to go to full-screen. Immerse yourself in the Buddha by pressing the character p on your keyboard and finding your inner doughnut:

http://oceanstatelibrarian.com/#research

Neave : Interactive Game Design

2009-01-18T08:10:00.007-05:00

The designs of interactive game creator and Flash expert - Paul Neave at neave.com - show how we might imagine a new user interface.This is UI design potential at its best.

Do you know what is inside an orange in a pile of oranges twenty yards away? What we need are better OPACs.
Can we rethink the OPAC? What about having a voice activated or even a breath activated interface?

Dewey or Don't We or Books and Oranges

2009-01-11T22:32:00.001-05:00

Comparing a library scheme with a grocery store is comparing books with oranges. Books are not the product, they are the product containers. Do you know what is inside a book in a pile of books twenty yards away without a catalog? Do you know what is inside an orange in a pile of oranges twenty yards away? What we need are better OPACs.

Can we rethink the OPAC? What about having a voice activated or even a breath activated interface?

Here is a great site to help you start imagining the possibilities - I got a huge kick out of it:
http://oceanstatelibrarian.com/#research

Learn more about Adobe Flash by downloading the trial version.

Library Marketing

2009-01-04T21:26:00.002-05:00

Part 1 of The Library Marketing Toolkit:

The Library Marketing Toolkit is designed for use by Library Managers, Directors, Library Trustees, Library Employees and Friends of libraries who want to enhance their patrons' experience. As a long time library advocate, fundraiser, grant writer and former Director - I hope you find this toolkit helpful and will use it to help increase awareness of your vital services. Part 1 features products that will increase awareness of library services and opportunities in the physical environment. Subsequent editions will include print, broadcast media, political and on-line marketing.

The competition for the necessary resources required to fund libraries has become extraordinarily keen. The benefit of libraries to the public and academic research is clearly much greater than the intrinsic value of resources expended. However, without effectively marketing Library services so that relative value is common knowledge - branches are closed for lack of funding, library acquisitions are cut back, library hours are diminished and critical services to patrons are curtailed.

Read more

Creativity Strangled?

2007-11-29T12:12:00.001-05:00

Greetings,

Stanford Professor of Law Larry Lessig presents

‘How creativity is being strangled by the law’ here:

http://oceanstatelibrarian.com/libraries/government_law.htm

The video in Flash – click on ‘Click to Play’ to start.

Professor Lessig provides great insight into the
current friction between intellectual property law
and those who would create. The current impact of
technology has changed the landscape of IP law and
librarians need to be cognizant of those changes.

******************************************
Robert L. Balliot
Bristol, Rhode Island
http://oceanstatelibrarian.com/contact.htm
******************************************

Interdisciplinary Connections

2007-11-29T12:09:00.001-05:00

Many of the bibliographic web tools currently being developed create the
potential for making interdisciplinary connections.
Alan Russell, Professor of Surgery and Chemical Engineering
gave a highly engaging talk at TED on regenerative engineering
that addresses the benefit and need to share information between
disciplines.

You can view the flash presentation of his talk -
Why can't we grow new body parts? here:

http://oceanstatelibrarian.com/libraries/health_sciences.htm

(please note that some of the content is very graphic)

I think he presents a very strong case for why we
need to develop new tools and a wonderful perspective
of the challenges of modern medicine.

******************************************
Robert L. Balliot
Bristol, Rhode Island
http://oceanstatelibrarian.com/contact.htm
******************************************

New Rhode Island Library Tools

2007-11-29T12:02:00.000-05:00

I have been experimenting with maps and created
one for the RI public libraries and athenaeums. It
can be resized and embedded in any page. Because
of its flexibility and content, I think that it works much
better than the one created by the State and could
be helpful in your ILL and interlibrary communications:

http://tinyurl.com/27r4ch

Please feel free to use it and let me know if you find
any errors. Also, I would like to embed photos of
each facility with the info. If you have a photo you
would like to share, please send it to me and I will
include it!

******************************************
Robert L. Balliot
Bristol, Rhode Island
http://oceanstatelibrarian.com/contact.htm
******************************************

Remaining Optimistic

2007-11-29T11:55:00.000-05:00

A common theme uniting libraries has been our tendency to work toward the goal of benefiting everyone with our services - including the most vulnerable. The commitment of equal service to all and sharing our wealth is an important legacy of American public libraries.

It seems to be more and more difficult to find another private or public entity that does not equate quality of service with ability to pay or social status.

When we read about people trying to fund Sunday hours, library services being cut back, and the ongoing struggle to provide equal service to all when those who have the least lose the most, it can be hard to remain optimistic.

Here is a great presentation by Larry Brilliant of http://google.org on why we should be:

http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/view/id/177

******************************************
Robert L. Balliot
Bristol, Rhode Island
http://oceanstatelibrarian.com/contact.htm
******************************************

New Search Tools

2007-04-27T16:42:00.001-04:00

New Search tools have been added for Rhode Island resources:

Search ☼ Rhode Island News Stories
Search ☼ Rhode Island Health & Medical Resources
Search ☼ Rhode Island municipal and state government affiliated web pages
Search ☼ Rhode Island library, museum, historical society and archive web pages

These search engines are being tweaked, augmented, and modified.

Enjoy the journey!

******************************************
Robert L. Balliot
Bristol, Rhode Island
http://oceanstatelibrarian.com/contact.htm
******************************************

Ocean State Librarian Blog

2007-04-07T12:14:00.001-04:00

Thank you for visiting Ocean State Librarian. This website is a work in progress devoted to exploring the methods and processes of providing effective and efficient access to quality information.

As this webste develops, please let me know what you think.

Sincerely,

Robert L. Balliot