Libraries/Info Sci

Thoughts and selected news updates on the Library Science/Information Science field(s)

There are 262 posts filed in Libraries/Info Sci (this is page 14 of 27).

Can I Check Out the Car?

Found on BoingBoing this morning:

Someone in Portland has a homemade fake car registration sticker. I guess they needed a barcode to make it look even somewhat legit. So, they stole it from a library item! Here’s the original post with picture:

http://totebagsandfannypacks.blogspot.com/2006/03/parking-in-portland-maine.html

The bar code is: 3 1220 00777 6211

The public library I used to work at started patron numbers with a 2 and item numbers with a 3. Anybody from Portland know how their system works?

ALA anyone?

I’m curious – who is (or isn’t) going to ALA in New Orleans this summer?

I’ve found some deals that put attending for a few days into the realm of possibility for me, and am curious to hear other perspectives.

I need to decide by March 3rd to get the discounted registration rate, and knowing I’d have acquaintances to meet up with would be a big plus.

Interactive Subject Guides

I recently used this ProductWiki guide to turn an Xbox into a full-fledged media center (more on that in an upcoming post). As with anything this technical, there are bound to be ambiguities in the text – not everything went quite as it was outlined in the document for me.

Here’s the great part – the author of the guide stuck around! There is a 127 post (and growing) discussion of the guide here. The original article has been updated along the way as new points come up and clarification emerges. All in just over three days!

Imagine if a library subject guide worked this way! Students or patrons could discuss a guide amongst themselves, with a librarian popping in to assist and update the guide on the fly. I’ve heard some buzz recently about certain libraries trying out wiki-based guides, and can’t wait to see where they end up.

Retrievr

Via TechCrunch, I stumbled across Retrievr yesterday.

Sketch something in the white box, and Retrievr will do its best to find Flickr pictures of what you drew. My results were a bit mixed, as you can see in the screenshot to the left (click for a larger version). With my amazing art skills, I drew a picture-perfect (ha) rendition of a tree. The site did its thing – lo and behold, the first result is a picture of a tree! Unfortunately, nowhere near all of the results are trees. But there are a couple, and some of the rest are sort of vaguely tree-looking. I got similarly apt results when attempting to draw a santa hat.

Obviously, the service has a while to go yet. But I’m excited! I experimented with examples of similar retrieval methods in grad school, but none were as effective as I’ve found Retrievr to be. Sometimes finding images with keywords just doesn’t cut it – this sort of graphical search has a lot of potential.

One year down, many to go

I am a sucker for year-end wrapup entries. I won’t go all out as much as I have in the past, but felt like putting a few thoughts down.

What was my life about this year? In a word: change. A second related word would be travel. And I’ll throw in community as a third.

I started 2005 one third through grad school. I had just started blogging in the last week of December ’04, and had no idea how it would steer my life in ’05. I’m a bit proud of myself for sticking to it all year. And, I have no plans to give it up any time soon.

So I went to class, I worked, I saw friends, and I blogged. Then, on Jan 27th (aren’t giant e-mail repositories fun to search through?) I sent an E-mail to Michael of TameTheWeb, introducing myself. I wish I could remember how I found his site, but it was the first library-related blog I read. Through him and links on a few other librarian blogs, I slowly stepped into the blogosphere. I read alot about the Computers in Libraries conference, and somewhere along the way I learned about the possibility of student discounts. So I found out details, signed up, and flew off to DC. There I met great people and made connections. For the first time I realized how much of an asset my background in computers could be to a library. I returned to Pittsburgh and went back to class, my head spinning.

Sometime later in the spring, I was asked to bring a student perspective to a panel of librarian bloggers at the ALA annual conference in Chicago in June. Again taking advantage of student prices, I attended. While there, I thought why not check out the job placement center? I talked to half a dozen employers that I never would have otherwise. That led to two job offers, one of which I gladly accepted.

Thus began the great cross-country (well, North to South anyway) driving expeditions. My Dad met me in Pittsburgh, and we drove to Huntsville. Spent most of a week picking out an apartment. Things looked bleak for a while, but I ended up with a beauty! We returned northward. A few weeks later, I drove back South on my own with a Subaru packed full of my worldly belongings.

I settled in, but not for long. The Last Call Poker ARG picked up pretty soon after my arrival, and I ended up flying to DC and driving to Atlanta for related live events. God bless Independence Air and their amazing sales! Unfortunately they’re due to go out of business next week, but I still highly recommend the airline.

Earlier this month I returned to Chicago for the Gaming in Libraries conference. There I reunited with people I’d met all year, at conferences and in games and online.

At the beginning of 2005, I told myself that I had to make sure to go to one new place this year. I did a bit better than that:
-DC (outside of the standard touristy stuff)
-Chicago (x2)
-Everywhere between Rochester, NY and Huntsville, AL
-Huntsville (outside of Space Camp)
-Atlanta

Not too bad for someone just starting out, if I do say so myself.

But the most amazing part is that none of it would have happened without blogging and communities from online games. I had zero awareness of conferences I could go to before I started blogging and reading blogs. I never would have made the effort to go to CiL or ALA otherwise. But the library blogger community drew me in. Similarly, the community of Last Call Poker and Alternate Reality Games in general had me hooked. I watched for affordable travel deals that I never would have kept an eye out for on my own, and ended up knowing people when I got off the plane or stepped out of my car. A year ago, my world was New York and Pennsylvania. Throw in my dispersing college and high school associates: Now I’ve got friends and colleagues all over North America, with the financial ability to go visit them.

What’s next?

ALA and the Charging Speakers Fiasco

There’s been much said lately about the fact that ALA requires members to pay registration for a conference they are speaking at, yet does not charge non-members.

Here’s a sampling: Michael, Jenny, Steven. There’s also many more well-reasoned pieces that I’ve read.

I’m a bit late to the party, but I agree with what the majority are saying – this is ridiculous! Isn’t the whole point of holding a conference to attract attendees? How do you attract them without speakers? I always assumed that getting your speakers in for free was just standard practice and part of the overhead involved in setting up an event.

Do you think the President gets charged ticket price to throw out the first pitch? Or that the Live 8 bands had to pay admission? These are grand examples, sure. But the principle is the same.

Did you send me an article?

At 12:36pm Central Time, I received a full text e-mail copy (via Proquest) of this newspaper article:

A COOL HOUSE ; YES, BUT HAVE YOU TRIED TO USE IT AS A LIBRARY?:[FINAL Edition]
ERIC SCIGLIANO. Seattle Post – Intelligencer Seattle, Wash.:Dec 11, 2005. p. G1

It is identified as “sent by 003RF3J8QG at SEATTLE PUBLIC LIBRARY”. The e-mail’s subject line is “Critical Piece on Seattle Central Library”

Was there a reason someone wanted me to take a look at this?

First time I’ve gotten article spam 🙂

DDR Advice for Libraries

A number of fellow attendees at Gaming in Libraries were asking me questions about Dance Dance Revolution. What console to get it for, what dance pads, etc. Now I’m not nearly as well versed on the topic as someone like Eli and the other presenters. But, here’s my two cents from the player’s perspective.

For starters, get yourself a Playstation 2. It has the widest variety of DDR games available, and can also play versions designed for the Playstation 1. Each game has a different song set, and after a while you’ll probably want to move on to a new one.

However, do not buy the Playstation 2 off of Ebay or the like. The small bit of money you’ll save is outweighed by the risk of never receiving the system and being unable to verify its condition prior to purchase. If you’re looking to start out low budget, borrow one. Odds are that a library employee, one of their kids, or one of your kids’ friends has one. Explain to the owner of the system what it will be used for, and I’ll bet they’ll be more than willing to help out. Trust me: Nothing lights up an accomplished DDR player’s eyes like the prospect of group play.

If successful, invest in your own new system. They’re $150, and I wouldn’t be surprised if the price drops in the next six months.

Buying used games, though, is probably ok. And in the case of older versions of DDR it may be your only option. Check out your local Electronics Botique or Gamestop and browse their pre-played selection. I’ve never had a problem with a used game not working, and stores usually take them back if there’s a major issue (just be sure to ask before buying).

Lastly, the dance pads. If you really, really need to keep the budget low the first time out, try the $15-$20 foldable pads you’ll find in any video game store. But, I guarantee they will fall apart and/or stop registering steps correctly before long. The next step up are inch-thick foam pads such as this one. $99.99 each. I have this one personally, and like it a lot. But again, eventually they will break down under the pressure of sustained group play.

In the end, for long term use you’ll be best served by the Cobalt Flux hard metal pads that Eli uses. They’re on sale a bit at the moment, $569.99 for two. An investment yes, but it will pay off in the long run. And players will love you for it. Oh, whatever style of pad you decide on – make sure you’re buying it for the correct console.

Hope that helps.