Library 'blog

Greg, of Open Stacks (see link at right) and the article on Web Junction fame, left a note commenting on my post about library 'blogs. In it he mentions What's Gnu, a blog of news, resources, and events of use to reference librarians. I'd not been aware of this before, this is going into my blogroll and on my reading list. Thanks for the tip Greg.

This is the type of 'blog I'd like to see more of. Not that I want to discourage anyone from writing and getting out there. But when considering the focus of your 'blog do consider a topic you find of interest and see if that frame suits you over the long haul.

Subject Headings

Quite some time ago the rules for free-floating subdivisions were changed for In art and Guide-books. I still see the old froms, even in my own catalog, so here are the proper forms.

In art is free-floating under places only. Moon--In art is valid and does not require a heading to be established in LCSH. When used under a topic it must be established as a phrase. Astronautics in art, for example. Submit these headings to SACO for approval.

Guide-books has been replaced by Guidebooks. [Place]--Description and travel--Guide-books has been replaced by [Place]--Guidebooks.

Blogging

An interview with Rebecca Blood, author of The Weblog Handbook, appeared on Tech TV the other night.

Librarians have taken to bloggin in a big way. Steven and Greg have started a 'blog, LIS Blogsource, just to keep up with the new ones appearing. I feel, we have enough good general library 'blogs, LIS News and Library Stuff come to mind. We also have plenty of 'blogs where daily activities and incidents are described. These "diary of a librarian sites" can be interesting, if well written, but Open Stacks the Loopy Librarian and trompe le monde are enough for me. 'Blogs by a local library can be an important method of communication to the patrons and there can not be too many of those but I'll only read the ones from the libraries I use.

What I'd like to see more of are topical 'blogs devoted to a professional topic. How about a site for information about acquisitions of medical journals or children's materials? How abut IM reference or WiFi in the library? The number of topics is only limited by the areas of professional responsibility we move in.

There are many reasons to start a 'blog, improving writing skills, keeping in touch with friends and family, or exploring the medium, for example. While all valid reasons, I'd like to see more people consider writing that could be useful to the profession. You don't have to be the best or most respected in the area. I'd not consider myself the greatest cataloger or most knowledgeable in the field. I only try to keep up with the news and pass it on. Catalogablog has found readers and received some nice compliments. You could do the same in an area of interest to you.

Linking From the OPAC

"Topos in Your OPAC: Linking to the Online Version" by Christopher C. Brown appears in WAML Information Bulletin v. 34, no. 3 (July 2003). It describes the process of deriving a URL to insert into the MARC record.

The Western Association of Map Libraries is an excellent organization. It is geared to the Western U.S. but any map librarian can benefit from membership. At only $35.00 a year it is a bargain.

Initial Articles

Initial Definite and Indefinite Articles is an established resource, but well worth a bookmark.

The list below of definite and indefinite articles and the languages in which they are used is arranged alphabetically by the article. Some diacritical marks normally found (e.g., the macron used in transliterating Greek articles) have been omitted due to limitations in Web documents.

Privacy

Let your representatives know of your support for the Library, Bookseller, and Personal Records Privacy Act.

Privacy

Because of the article on WebJunction there are several new subscribers. I've posted this before, but I'll repost it from time to time as a reminder. Those who have subscribed to receive items from this 'blog by e-mail should be aware:

Blog owners will be able to view the list of their subscribers. On the flip side, if subscribers want their email address hidden from view, they can set their account to "private" in their Profile section. In fact, this option is in place now, if you want to use it.

You can rest assured I'll not pass your addresses on to any third party or send you spam. I'm occasionally curious as to who is a subscriber, so I may take a look some time. This applies to any 'blog you have subscribed to using Bloglet.

Censorship

Here in Texas a person was convicted for selling adult material to an adult from the adult section of the store. The material was never found to be obscene. It happened to be a comic book, which as we all know are always for children. Bad precedent. Support the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund.

I'm pretty sure the comic was trash, but that does not make it illegal (well, now it does).

Links Database

Rahoo is a:

Link-Checking URL Database for schools and Libraries that want to keep collections of preselected links but are concerned about link rot and the unstructured web. The program is written in Pure PHP. Runs on Mysql and is based on PHPLinks. New Additions in the 2.0 version include a new graphical style, googling within the program and the ability to link it to your OPAC.

Open-source. He is using it at his school. Seen on oss4lib

CONSER

The new issue of CONSER Line is available. Some of the topics are:

1. CONSER Defines the "Aggregator-neutral" Record
2. Arabic Vernacular Records Being Added to CONSER
3. ISSN Standard Undergoes Five-Year Review
4. Electronic Serials Holdings Data Survey

Markup

Using XHTML/CSS for an Effective SEO Campaign by Brandon Olejniczak is the article this month on A List Apart (the other ALA). He shows that using clean code can improve the reading of a site by spiders. Unfortunately, he does not follow his own advice. His name is only in a graphic, nowhere in the text.

Advocacy

AASL members Connie Champlin and David Loertscher were published in the March 2003 issue of Principal Leadership, the magazine of the National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP). Their article, "Reinvent Your School's Library and Watch Student Academic Achievement Increase," "gently but diligently" reminds principals that "library media centers and the professionals who run them can be powerful forces in integrating technology into teaching and learning." Champlin and Loertscher outline some "first steps" for principals to ensure that the library media center "achieves its potential for improving student learning and developing 21st century skills."

A PDF reprint of the article is currently available on the Indiana Learns Web site.

Received in a couple of e-mails. Unsure of proper attribution, but it is so important I'm posting anyway.