Ms. Pac Man at the Chattanooga Public Library « Tame The Web

Posted on June 3, 2013 by infophile

Another great idea to bring community members to the library!

Video gaming in libraries isn’t a new thing. It seems to have picked up steam in the last decade and is now something that most libraries will offer to their communities. This is a good thing: video games can be fun, rewarding, help those playing them understand stories/character/plot, and so much more.

Public libraries are places where people come together and experience something. Why not have a bit of that something be an arcade machine?

via Ms. Pac Man at the Chattanooga Public Library « Tame The Web.

Gun Violence, Videogames, and Libraries | American Libraries Magazine

Posted on June 3, 2013 by infophile

Quotables:

“ALA’s Office for Intellectual Freedom recommends that libraries cultivate videogame creation, play, and contests. Many reluctant learners are at-risk youth, and gaming helps bring them into the library.”

“Libraries are among the most trusted of institutions. It is time to use that trust to create activities and programs that help solve the problem of gun violence.”

via Gun Violence, Videogames, and Libraries | American Libraries Magazine.

Gizmodo | A Look Behind the Scenes of the Internet Archives Impossible Task

Posted on June 3, 2013 by infophile

Last fall, the Internet Archive celebrated a massive milestone, as the “online Library of Alexandria” reached 10 Petabytes of stored information. Yes, that means 10,000,000,000,000,000 bytes accessible to anyone. Wow.

Filmmaker Jonathan Minard was on hand for the celebration, and in the short doc above he speaks to the Archives founders about how it expanded from a project dedicated to cataloging everything ever published online—to a project to document every piece of information in existence. Turns out its possible—we just need the will to do it.

via Gizmodo | A Look Behind the Scenes of the Internet Archives Impossible Task.

Joss Whedon Praises Shakespeare’s Female Characters, Wants to Make a Ballet About a Library – Flavorwire

Posted on May 31, 2013 by infophile

“The ballet I’m thinking of wouldn’t actually be a film,” Whedon explained, “although I have many sort of floaty ideas, this would actually be performed by a ballet company on a stage. I’ve had this in my head for a long time. And, well, I’ve never actually told anybody anything about it. I’ll only say this much: it’s about a library.”

via Joss Whedon Praises Shakespeare’s Female Characters, Wants to Make a Ballet About a Library – Flavorwire.

Whedon is the director of the modern Much Ado About Nothing film that’s had a considerable amount of buzz (June 7 release) and the upcoming Agents of S.H.E.I.L.D. television series. Must see. I’ll certainly be watching out for more news about his library ballet concept!

Worldwide National Library Catalogs | OEDB.org

Posted on May 31, 2013 by infophile

National libraries are tasked with the centuries-long responsibility of preserving books and documents that keep a country’s history and heritage safe through war, disaster, and the passage of time. They’re also responsible for sharing these vast and valuable documents with citizens of the country, and the world.

National libraries are the absolute best resource for finding publications within any given country. This is thanks to legal deposit, legislation in many countries that requires publishers to provide the national library with a copy of each publication. In some countries, this even includes digital publications.

Through national library catalogs, you can search all of the publications within a country. Many national libraries also offer extensive digital collections, offering online researchers access to documents of historical importance, official publications, even images and video.

via Worldwide National Library Catalogs – OEDB.org.

The post provides a comprehensive list of Worldwide National Library Catalogs, including 3 from Canada.

Links to Recent Career-Related Articles

Posted on May 29, 2013 by infophile

LIS Specific Articles

She Said She Had a “Crush” on Us | Hired Librarians
An interview with Nicole Tekulve, Information Commons Librarian, and Virginia Cairns, Chair of Search Committee/Head of Reference & Instruction.

Remove Your Librarian Glasses | Information Tyrannosaur
This ability to challenge your own perspectives, examine your implicit assumptions, and inquire into the the viewpoints of others is crucial to diversity work, but also to the work we do in our organizations and the work we do as librarians.

Dear Freshmen: What iSchool Seniors Want You to Know | Information Space
As you’ll hear every senior say, and as you will one day realize yourself, your years of college will go by so fast, and you’ll have no idea where your time went.

A Conversation on The Value of the LIS Degree | Information Space
The current conversation around the value of a professional LIS degree recurs on a regular basis. We recognize that this conversation has many sides to it, so to frame a potential dialogue on the topic, Jill Hurst-Wahl (current LIS faculty) and Matthew Gunby (recent MLIS graduate) have considered possible goals of the LIS degree.

Leadership in a Digital Age | American Libraries
The increasingly digital context brings challenges and opportunities for librarians, library staff, archivists, and museum professionals. New roles and the competencies required to perform them are evolving. One overriding role for all of us is that of the leader.

Dewey-It-Yourself: How to supplement your library school education | Hack Library School
It can be very frustrating to look at job postings and think, “What does that even mean? They didn’t teach me that!” But with an optimistic and do-it-yourself attitude the gap between what you know and what you need to know can shorten.

General Articles

Will getting an advanced degree limit your career options? | LifeHacker
A graduate degree really is an investment, one that could further your knowledge in your field and possibly boost your earning potential. But, as with other types of investments, there are also risks involved.

You Have To Prove You Deserve the Job | FastCompany
The world is flooded with college graduates this month eager to start that shiny new job. Here are a few things to keep in mind if you are looking for a job:

Happiness: Expert Advice On How To Be Happy In Life | Huffington Post
The lowdown behind the newest research on how to get more happy — right now.

Musings about librarianship | Zombies and libraries – how are libraries using the zombie theme?

Posted on May 28, 2013 by infophile

Austen and Sherlock are more my cup of tea…but unique themes are ways to draw community members into the library and highlight pop culture. We have seen superheroes at the library, Harry Potter readathons and Fifty Shades of Grey book clubs. Here’s a look at zombies in the library! Go zombrarians!! 🙂

Musings about librarianship | Zombies and libraries – how are libraries using the zombie theme?