Category Archives: Librarianship
The Best of Internet Librarian 2013 | Ellyssa Kroski | OEDB.org
Every year there are two amazing conferences focusing on information technology and libraries hosted by Information Today – Computers in Libraries and Internet Librarian. They feature the field’s top innovators sharing their insights, recent project experiences, and practical tips. If you couldn’t make this year’s event, here are 10 stellar presentations that will catch you up:
Presentation topics:
- Managing Devices & Gadgets
- Open Source Solutions & Apps
- Project Management
- Tech Tools for Engaging Communities
- Usability Testing: On Board & On a Shoestring
- Using Web Analytics for Site Improvement
- Super Searcher Secrets
- The New State of Search: Google, Discovery, & Apps
- Clarifying Copyright for the Classroom Teacher
- Embedded Librarianship With Google Docs
Access them here: The Best of Internet Librarian 2013 | Ellyssa Kroski | OEDB.org.
How Braille Was Invented | Gizmodo
Braille was invented by a nineteenth century man named Louis Braille, who was completely blind.
Braille’s story starts when he was three years old. He was playing in his father’s shop in Coupvray, France, and somehow managed to injure his eye. Though he was offered the best medical attention available at the time, it wasn’t enough—an infection soon developed and spread to his other eye, rendering him blind in both eyes. While a tragedy for him, had this accident not happened, we wouldn’t have braille today.
There was a system of reading in place for the blind at the time, which consisted of tracing a finger along raised letters. However, this system meant that reading was painfully slow and it was difficult to discerning by touch the relatively complex letters of the alphabet. As a result, many people struggled to master the embossed letter system.
Read the rest of the story: How Braille Was Invented | Gizmodo
World’s most expensive printed book sells for $14.2 million | AFP
American Library Association Defends Banned Mexican American Studies Courses | Mashable
Librarians do not approve of Arizona’s battle against Mexican American Studies.
A group of 10 educational organizations, including the American Library Association, filed an amicus brief Monday in support of the lawsuit against Arizona Superintendent of Public Instruction John Huppenthal for quashing a controversial Mexican American Studies curriculum in Tucson. Some 48 teachers from across the country filed a second amicus brief defending the banned courses.
The educators argue that in passing legislation aimed at shutting down a progressive Mexican American Studies program, Arizona Republicans were guided by political goals rather than pedagogical ones.
Read: American Library Association Defends Banned Mexican American Studies Courses | Mashable.
This Video Game Could Revolutionize Publishing—and Reading | The Atlantic
When the Best Books of 2013 are listed, the most important may not make the cut. Thats because the most exciting literary innovation of the year is not a book at all, but a video game for iPad and iPhone. Device 6 is a metaphysical thriller in which the world is made almost entirely from words. Playing it is like reading a book—except, in this book, the words veer off in unexpected directions, rather than progressing in orderly fashion down the page. When Anna, the game’s protagonist, turns a corner in the narrative, the text does too, swerving off to one side at a right angle, forcing the player to rotate the screen.
More in this story about other innovative gaming apps that have a literary angle. Read: This Video Game Could Revolutionize Publishing—and Reading | Rowland Manthorpe | The Atlantic.
Can Book Clubs Thrive in the Digital Age? | Mashable
When most people think of book clubs, they picture intimate gatherings in living rooms or libraries. People rarely imagine a book club as a collection of GIFs, memes, fan fiction and cosplay, all of which are staples of how readers respond to media in the Internet era. But a new Tumblr blog, Reblog Book Club, wants to give the traditional book club a digital update.
While bloggers have previously hosted book clubs on Tumblr, Reblog Book Club is the first book club that’s founded and moderated by Tumblr itself. Rachel Fershleiser, the microblogging platform’s director of literary outreach, launched the club in September as a way to engage a passionate and diverse online community, but faced challenges in organizing a discussion group.
Read more: Can Book Clubs Thrive in the Digital Age? | Mashable
The Future of MOOCs | Ellyssa Kroski | OEDB.org
Great MOOCs resource which includes links for:
- History of MOOCs
- Major MOOC Providers
- MOOC Aggregators
- MOOCs and Libraries
- The Future of MOOCs
Staying Connected as a Distance Learner | Hack Library School
When I applied for my MLS a few years ago, the realities of the working world had me dreaming of a retreat from the outside world in the arms of academia. I pictured days spent in stimulating classes and evenings immersed in my studies, totally plugged into the world of libraries and library science at all times. I would specialize in something fantastic, meet tons of like-minded people, and not have to report to a desk job every day. Student loan debt be damned, I wanted an escape.
Shortly after hitting “send,” life intervened. Between a 500+ mile move, a new job with just enough travel to make night classes impossible, and sheer economic reality, it quickly became apparent that escaping into classes and living off student loans for two years was just not going to happen. Two years and two deferments later, I find myself almost finished with my first semester in the University of Maryland College Park’s online MLS program.
I’m happy with my decision to switch to the online program, but I do sometimes feel that I’m missing out on the intangible benefits of face-to-face learning. My day job has NOTHING to do with libraries, so I don’t get the water cooler chitchat, the special programming posters in the hallway, the classroom tangents that have nothing to do with that day’s planned discussion but are oh-so-valuable. I get online class discussion boards, and nothing more. Not quite the immersive experience I had in mind when I sent in my application, and an easy recipe for low motivation. So to keep myself from feeling totally cut off, I’ve come up with a few strategies to get my library buzz. Read more: Staying Connected as a Distance Learner | Hack Library School.
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