Author Archives: infophile

Reuters | New KNFB smartphone app gives sight to the blind | KurzweilAI

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The National Federation of the Blind, the nation’s leading advocate for access to print by the blind, has applauded the release of KNFB Reader, a new app for the iPhone and other Apple iOS devices, which uses the phone’s camera and state of the art optical character recognition (OCR) technology to give the blind instant access to the contents of print materials.

Members of the National Federation of the Blind have worked with KNFB Reading Technology, which developed the app along with Sensotec, KNFB Reader is now available in the Apple iTunes app store.

READ MORE: Reuters | New KNFB smartphone app gives sight to the blind | KurzweilAI.

12 Banned Books Every Woman Should Read | HuffPo

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While it would be great if we were past the whole “banning books” thing, the fact remains that hundreds of books have their places in libraries or on school reading lists challenged each year.

According to the American Library Association, books are most commonly challenged for being “sexually explicit” or containing “offensive language.” But some of the books that are most often challenged are also literary classics, containing storylines that almost everyone can learn from.

In honor of Banned Books Week 2014, we’ve pulled together a list of controversial books that every woman should read. They cover sexual freedom and women pushing back against prescribed roles, oppression against women and people of color, and what it means to be a woman in different places and times. Above all, they are stories well told.

READ MORE: 12 Banned Books Every Woman Should Read | HuffPo

The 12 Weirdest Reasons For Banning Science Fiction and Fantasy Books | io9

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The 12 Weirdest Reasons For Banning Science Fiction and Fantasy Books | io9

Influencing Skills for Librarians | Stephen Abram

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An African Reading List | BOOK RIOT

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If you’re like me and are trying to diversify your reading, then you know that discoverability is an issue. I want to start reading more books by non-U.S. and UK authors, but where do I start? Well, if you’re interested in African authors, here’s what I’ve got.

Through extensive Googling and suggestions from fellow Rioters, I’ve compiled the following list. These are fiction books by African authors, sorted by country. Not every African country is represented here, though I did my best. All of these books are available for purchase in the U.S. If an author has written multiple books such as Achebe or Adichie, I listed just one so you’d have the author’s name. I also did not have any sort of genre/format restriction, so though most of these are adult literary fiction, not all of them are.

I can’t necessarily recommend these books one way or another because many of them I haven’t read though I have read a good number, but hopefully this list will get you started. I absolutely know I missed books on this list, so please feel free to leave your suggestions in the comments, as well as provide recommendations if you have read some of these books.

SEE THE LIST: An African Reading List | BOOK RIOT

Technology Skills and Your Resume/CV | LITA Blog

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Today, I thought I would share a few brief thoughts on how I list tech skills on my professional documents and how that connects to how I talk about them in a cover letter. Keep in mind that I am an academic librarian with a job in digital libraries, so the usefulness of my perspective beyond this specific area may be limited. And just to clarify, I recognize that everyone has different opinions on content, formatting, and length of professional documents.

READ MORE: Technology Skills and Your Resume/CV | LITA Blog.

I include a “Skillset” section at the end of my resume (on page 3), with a list similar to the list in the post, except with higher level subject headings like Applications; Database Design; Web Design, User Experience and Administration; Languages; Research and Subject Analysis, etc. 

Top 100 Tools for Learning 2014 | Jane Hart

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Feeling Unsatisfied? Get Thee To A Library And Feel Like You Got A Raise | Co.Exist

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How do you quantify a public good? Library supporters have struggled with this problem for a long time, as public libraries are often the first institutions up on a budget-slasher’s chopping block. But a recent study from the London School of Economics bolsters the value of libraries in a major way. By translating well-being gained from visits to the library into dollars, the study’s authors conclude that a year of library visits is equivalent to a little more than a $2,200 raise.

READ MORE: Feeling Unsatisfied? Get Thee To A Library And Feel Like You Got A Raise | Co.Exist | ideas + impact.

Cybersecurity Lab | NOVA Labs | PBS

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Cybersecurity | NOVA Labs | PBS

The Cybersecurity Lab is a game designed to teach people how to keep their digital lives safe, spot cyber scams, learn the basics of coding, and defend against cyber attacks. Players assume the role of the chief technology officer of a start-up social network company that is the target of increasingly sophisticated cyber attacks. In the game, players must complete challenges to strengthen their cyber defenses and thwart their attackers. The Lab also features stories of real-world cyber attacks, a glossary of cyber terms, and short animated videos that explain the need for cybersecurity, privacy versus security, cryptography (cyber codes), and what exactly hackers are. MORE: Cybersecurity | NOVA Labs | PBS.

15 Free Technologies for Libraries | Ellyssa Kroski

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