New Books

• Building Blocks: Building a Parent-Child Literacy Program at Your Library by Sharon Snow
• Human Resources for Results: The Right Person for the Right Job (PLA Results Series) by Jeanne Goodrich and Paula M. Singer for the Public Library Association
• Virtual Reference Service: From Competencies to Assessment edited by R. David Lankes, Scott Nicholson, Marie L. Radford, Joanne Silverstein, Lynn Westbrook, and Philip Nast

This sign must make for some terrific space if it works. I would like to see the physical spaces available for each of these areas. Neat idea, though.

New Book

• Practical Research Methods for Librarians and Information Professionals by Susan E. Beck and Kate Manuel

New Books

• Information Literacy Collaborations that Work edited by Trudi E. Jacobson and Thomas P. Mackey
• Radio Frequency Identification Handbook for Librarians by Connie K. Haley, Lynne A. Jacobsen, and Shai Robkin
• Library Collection Development Policies: School Libraries and Learning Resource Centers (Good Policy, Good Practice, No. 2) by Frank W. Hoffman and Richard J. Wood

Interesting Idea

San Francisco Public Library has implemented a "Book-A-Librarian" program. Patrons are able to book appointments with librarians for up to 30 minutes for individualized bibliographic instruction, computer assistance, or research assistance. This program has proven to be very popular. Read about it here.

New Book

• The Library in the Twenty-First Century (2nd ed.) by Peter Brophy

Stumbled Upon Thoughts

Michelle McLean wrote in her blog, "If it hadn't been for library bloggers I would never have:
- started reading blogs
- started reading the library literature more widely
- started writing book reviews for the library literature
- started reading outside my profession for parallel experiences and new ideas
- started my own blog, to share my own experiences
- discovered the amazing resources and programs available out there
- participated in Learning 2.0 and become a champion for my library's staff when doing the same
- been invited to participate in a librarian group blog - Libraries Interact, with a great group of motivated librarians from around Australia
- been motivated to apply for and receive the scholarship and conduct the study tour I did in April this year
- pushed for my library to start its own blog
- started using mashups on my library's website - only just scratching the surface here though so far
- developed increased confidence in myself, my skills and the new skills and inspiration I was receiving from your posts
- asked to participate and then actually write a chapter for a book being published in the UK next year
- gathering new inspiration and ideas to play with and hopefully translate into something my library service can utilise and better serve my patrons
- had the confidence to submit proposals to library conferences in Australia
- had the inspiration to write for the library literature in Australia (still working on that one).
.... and that list is just off the top of my head, without any long consideration.
I have progressed more professionally in the last 3 years, than I had in the previous 19. Even though my job title hasn't changed much, the work that I do, my love of it and my wider knowledge of the profession has grown exponentially (and there is potential in the job situation, so that may better reflect this development soon too).

And it's all because library bloggers out there unselfishly decided to take the time to share their thoughts, experiences and more. They took a risk, put themselves out there, not knowing whether anyone would read and I again want to say thanks. I am more in love with my profession, my work and the life-long learning process that I am again engaged in, than I have ever been before. They are an inspiration to me, they give me inspiration to make the changes, small and large, to help make my library service better for our users - as a professional, I could not ask for a better gift from my profession.

So I am freshly motivated. By the posts I am reading, the motivations behind them and the people who create them. It is an honour to be numbered amongst them."

How many of us feel this way?

New Additions

• Listen Up!: Podcasting for Schools and Libraries by Linda W. Braun
• E-Learning: Train Your Staff the Newfangled Way - delivered 09/19/07 (Urban Libraries Council)

FYI: Each audio conference unit contains a CD-ROM of the conference audio plus access to event materials. The accompanying binder also contains printed materials.

New Books

• Senior High Core Collection: A Selection Guide (17th Ed.) edited by Raymond W. Barber and Patricia Bartell

FYI: The former title of this book is Senior High School Library Catalog

• The Complete RFID Handbook: A Manual and DVD for Assessing, Implementing, and Managing Radio Frequency Identification Technologies in Libraries by Diane Marie Ward

Journal Added

The Professional Collection has added the Progressive Librarian A Journal for Critical Studies & Progressive Politics in Librarianship. This is the official journal of the Progressive Librarians Guild. According to the PLG Web site,

"PLG is committed to:

• providing a forum for the open exchange of radical views on library issues.
• conducting campaigns to support progressive and democratic library activities locally, nationally and internationally.
• supporting activist librarians as they work to effect changes in their own libraries and communities.
• bridging the artificial and destructive gaps between school, public, academic and special libraries, and between public and technical services.
• encouraging debate about prevailing management strategies adopted directly from the business world, to propose democratic forms of library administration, and to foster unity between librarians and other library workers.
• critically considering the impact of technological change in the library workplace, on the provision of library services, and on the character of public discourse.
• monitoring the professional ethics of librarianship from a perspective of social responsibility.
• facilitating contacts between progressive librarians and other professional and scholarly groups dealing with communications and all the political, social, economic and cultural trends which impact upon it worldwide, in a global context. "

If you would like to have this journal routed to you, please let me know. It is only published twice per year so you will not be over burdened with reading.

New Book

• Booktalks and Beyond: Promoting Great Genre Reads to Teens by Lucy Schall

FYI: Focusing on titles published after 2000, Schall provides background information, ready-to-use (or adapt) booktalks, read-aloud selections, learning activities, related reads for approximately 100 fiction and nonfiction books with broad teen appeal. [from back cover]

New Books

• Serving Latino Communities, 2nd ed. by Camila Alire and Jacqueline Ayala
• Proven Strategies for Building an Information Literacy Program edited by Susan Carol Curzon and Lynn D. Lampert
• Libraries and Librarianship: Sixty Years if Challenge and Change, 1945-2005 by George Bobinski

Rob Coers

Five tips for implementing social software in your library

From: robcoers, 3 weeks ago

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SlideShare Link

New Addition

• Best Practices of Public Library Information Technology Directors by Primary Research Group Inc.

Del.icio.us

Here's a YouTube video that explains Del.icio.us, how it works, and how you can set up your account. The background music can be a little grating at times but the tutorial is pretty good.

Short Pencils

New Books

• The Center for Intellectual Property Handbook edited by Kimberly M. Boomer and the Staff if the Center for Intellectual Property
• Archiving Websites: A Practical Guide for Information Management Professionals by Adrian Brown
• Learning to Lead and Manage Information Literacy Instruction by Esther S. Grassian and Joan R. Kaplowitz

Digital Ethnography

Here's a video from the professor of anthropology at Kansas State who teaches a digital ethnography class and has posted several videos on YouTube. His "The Machine is Us" video was posted here a couple of months ago.

Books Added

• Evaluating the Impact of Your Library by Sharon Markless and David Streatfield
• The Public Library Manager's Forms, Policies, and Procedures Manual With CD-ROM by Rebecca Brumley
• Management Basics for Information Professionals (2nd ed.) by G. Edward Evans and Patricia Layzell Ward

All Staff Day

Here is David Lee King's presentation. Enjoy!

New Books

• Supporting E-Learning: A Guide for Library and Information Managers edited by Maxine Melling
• Success at the Enquiry Desk: Successful Enquiry Answering Every Time (5th ed.) by Tim Buckley Owen
• A Day in the Life: Career Options in Library and Information Science edited by Priscilla K. Shontz and Richard A. Murray
• Disaster Planning: A How-to-Do-It Manual for Librarians with Planning Templates on CD-ROM by Deborah D. Halsted, Richard P. Jasper, and Felicia M. Little

Tame the Web

This was on Michael Stephens' blog (Tame the Web). Helene Blowers wrote in to Michael to tell him about the LCLS program. Pretty cool!

Social Bookmarking in Plain English

Here is an excellent explanation of social bookmarking in a YouTube video by the same guy from the RSS and social networking videos.

Social Networking in Plain English

Here is really good explanation of social networking in a YouTube video by the same guy from the RSS video.

All Staff Day

David Lee King indicated that he would be providing his PowerPoint (Emerging Trends: Web 2.0 and Libraries) to us and AD will put it on the intranet. His blog does not have the presentation posted yet. I will also put a link on this blog.

New Books

• Books on Fire: The Destruction of Libraries Throughout History by Lucien X. Polastron
• Library Board Strategic Guide: Going to the Next Level by Ellen G. Miller and Patricia H. Fisher
• Organizing Information from the Shelf to the Web by G.G. Chowdhury and Sudatta Chowdhury
• Negotiating Licences for Digital Resources by Fiona Durrant
• Adult Learners Welcome Here: A Handbook for Librarians and Literacy Teachers by Marguerite Crowley Weibel

Unshelved

http://www.unshelved.com/

New Books

• The Big Book of Library Grant Money, 2007 prepared by Information Today for the American Library Association
• The Kovacs Guide to Electronic Library Collection Development: Essential Core Subject Collections, Selection Criteria, and Guidelines by Diane E. Kovacs and Kara L. Robinson

New Additions

• Library Contests: A How-To-Do-It Manual by Kathleen R.T. Imhoff and Ruthie Maslin
• Neal-Schuman Directory of Public Library Job Descriptions by Rebecca Brumley
• Breaking the Mold: Innovative Libraries and Programs [DVD] by Library Video Network

FYI: Description on DVD case reads, "Journey to libraries around the globe as this program shows you innovative techniques and ways of thinking that improve library services."

RSS In Plain English

Here is a fabulous explanation of RSS in a YouTube video.

Librarian Song

Librarians have a new tribute song called, "Addy Will Know" by a band named SNMNMNM out of Chapel Hill, NC. It's rather catchy.

Demographic Source Added

• Demographic Profile (2007 ed.) by Office of Economic Development - Lee County, FL

FYI: LCLS holdings begin with 1995-1996 edition. For earlier demographics, refer to Southwest Florida: Demographic Directory.

New Additions

• Public Library Catalog (2004, 12th ed.)
  

FYI: According to the Preface, "Public Library Catalog is a list of recommended reference and nonfiction books for adults, classified by subject."

• Public Library Catalog (2005 Supplement to the Twelfth Edition)
• Public Library Catalog (2006 Supplement to the Twelfth Edition)
• Public Library Catalog (2007 Supplement to the Twelfth Edition)

FYI: According to the Preface, "for works of adult fiction the user is referred to the "Fiction Catalog."

• Constraining Public Libraries: The World Trade Organization's General Agreement on Trade in Services by Samuel E. Trosow and Kirsti Nilsen

Audio Conference on CD-ROM

• Small Business Connections - delivered 06/08/07 (Urban Libraries Council)

FYI: Each audio conference unit contains a CD-ROM of the conference audio plus access to event materials. The accompanying binder also contains printed materials.

New Additions

• Heart of the Community: The Libraries We Love edited by Karen Christensen and David Levinson
• Using XML: A How-To-Do-It-Manual by Kwong Bor Ng
• The Content Management Handbook by Martin White
• Crash Course in Web Design for Libraries by Charles P. Rubenstein

New Additions

• Middle and Junior High School Library Catalog (2007 Supplement to the Ninth Edition)

FYI: According to the Preface, "Middle and Junior High School Library Catalog is a selective list of fiction and nonfiction books recommended for young people. It also lists review sources and other professional aids for the librarian and school media specialist."

• Going the Distance: Library Instruction for Distance Learners edited by Susan J. Clayton
• The Author Event Primer: How to Plan, Execute and Enjoy Author Events by Chapple Langemack

FYI: This book contains sample letters, legal forms, checklists, and contact information plus other valuable information to help anyone plan an author event on any scale.

Politeness Allowed @ Your Library

The Buckham Memorial Library in Faribault, MN has replaced their various “NO” signs with this one.

New Books

• Library 2.0 and Beyond: Innovative Technologies and Tomorrow's User edited by Nancy Courtney
• Staffing the Modern Library: A How-to-Do-It Manual by John M. Cohn and Ann L. Kelsey
• Using Interactive Technologies in Libraries edited by Kathlene Hanson and H. Frank Cervone

New Item Added

• Public Library Data Service Statistical Report - 2007

FYI: Includes Young Adult Services Survey

The Future of Libraries and Librarians

Some of today's most prolific writers about librarianship have contributed to the discussion of the future of libraries and librarians being presented on the Degree Tutor Web site. You can read what they have to say here. You can contribute your own voice by clicking here.

Recently Added

• The Readers' Advisory Guide to Nonfiction by Neal Wyatt
• Managing Overdues: A How-To-Do-It Manual for Librarians edited by Patty J. Hansel

ALA Video

For those of you who did not have the opportunity to attend ALA, American Libraries made a short video of 5 days in Washington which they posted on YouTube for our viewing pleasure.

New to the Collection

• Children's Catalog (2007 Supplement to the Nineteenth Edition)

FYI: According to the Preface, "Children's Catalog is a selective list of fiction and nonfiction items recommended for children from preschool through sixth grade. In addition to books it lists magazines, electronic resources, and professional aids for the librarian and school media specialist."

• The Family-Centered Library Handbook by Sandra Feinberg, Kathleen Deerr, Barbara A. Jordan, Marcellina Byrne, and Lisa G. Kropp.

Podcasts

Beginning in August the electronic journal, First Monday, will start podcasting. This is the journal that claims to "bring you the people and events behind the interesting and novel ideas related to the history, current use, and future of the Internet."

If you are interested in learning more about podcasts and would like some training, SirsiDynix offered a webinar in June that is now archived called "What's New in Podcasting?"

Business Week Article - 6/11/2007

There was a very interesting article I saw online at the Business Week Web site:

Web Strategies That Cater To Customers Blogs. Podcasts. Video-sharing sites. Social networks. Here's a word of advice for companies scrambling to become a part of these conversations. It's not enough to build a hub in Second Life or create a profile on MySpace.com (NWS ). It's time to shift your focus away from trying out every high-tech platform that comes across your in-box. Instead, home in on your customers. Almost every demographic group you can think of is engrossed in the Web these days, and users are getting smarter about their tools. It won't take long to find the consumers who care about what you're doing—and tune in to what they're doing.

The chart , with data from Forrester Research, that accompanied the article is particularly striking. Future efforts might be guided by these results. Additionally, it will be interesting to see how results changes over time.

American Library Directory

• American Library Directory, 2007-2008 (60th ed.) - 2 vol. set

FYI: Includes organization and personnel indices. You can request photocopies of listings and they will be sent to you through interoffice mail.

New Titles

• The Bowker Annual Library and Trade Almanac (52nd ed.)
• Library 2.0: A Guide to Participatory Library Services by Michael E. Casey and Laura C. Savastinuk

New Additions

• Nursery Rhymes, Songs and Fingerplays: Rhyming Words Will Lead to Teaching Children How to Read! (booklet) by the West Bloomfield Township Public Library as part of its "Grow Up Reading" early literacy initiative.
• Reference and Information Services in the 21st Century: An Introduction by Kay Ann Cassell and Uma Hiremath
• Serials in Libraries: Issues and Practices by Steve Black

Attention ALA Attendees...

If any of you ALA attendees are interested in reporting back on speeches, workshops, demonstrations, products, insights, or your experience of ALA, In the Know can be your forum. Email me your blog entry and I will post it to the main page with your byline as a guest contributor. If you can choose to be anonymous or semi-anonymous, if you prefer. Let's hear from you!

Stack of New Books

• The Blue Book on Information Age Inquiry, Instruction and Literacy by Daniel Callison and Leslie Preddy
• The Whole Digital Library Handbook by Diane Kresh (ed.)
• Out Front with Stephen Abram: A Guide for Information Leaders compiled by Judith A Siess and Jonathan Lorig
• Overcoming the Five Dysfunctions of a Team: For Leaders, Managers, and Facilitators by Patrick Lencioni
• Black Belt Librarians: Every Librarian's Real World Guide to a Safer Workplace by Warren Davis Graham, Jr.
• Public Library Internships: Advice from the Field by Cindy Mediavilla (ed.)

New Books

• LeaderFISH! Personal Guide: How to Lead More Effectively Through the Power of Your Relationships
• Teen Spaces: The Step-by-Step Library Makeover By Kimberly Bolan Taney
• Managing Your Library Construction Project: A Step-by Step Guide by Richard C. McCarthy

Audio Conferences on CD-ROM

• Youth in Busy Branches: What Works? - delivered 04/09/07 (Urban Libraries Council)
• Making Cities Stronger: Public Library Contributions to Local Economic Development - delivered 12/01/06 (Urban Libraries Council)

FYI: Each audio conference unit contains a CD-ROM of the conference audio plus access to event materials. The accompanying binder also contains printed materials.

New Books

• The Thriving Library: Successful Strategies for Challenging Times by Marylaine Block
• Becoming a Library Teacher by Cheryl LaGuardia and Christine K. Oka

New Materials

• To the Contrary: A Discussion of Issues from Diverse Perspectives (Public Libraries & Online Medical Resources) - DVD
• Developing Better Readers and Writers Using Caldecott Books by Kathryn I. Matthew
• The Storytime Sourcebook II: A Compendium of 3500+ New Ideas and Resources for Storytellers by Carolyn N. Cullum

New Book

• Field Guide to Emergency Response

FYI: Contains DVD and forms.

Pew Internet & American Life Project

Both Stephen Abram's Stephen's Lighthouse and Michael Stephens' Tame the Web have recent postings about the Pew Internet & American Life Project with a quiz (scroll down past the vast empty space) that you can take that will show where you fall in the Pew Typology of Information and Communication Technology Users. The results are very interesting and indicate that Web 2.0 is pretty far along. I would expect that many in our field would fall into the Pew category of Omnivore (more empty space) despite the median age of 28 for that group. I am an Omnivore. What are you?

New Books

• The New Downtown Library: Designing with Communities by Shannon Mattern
• Measuring Library Performance Principals and Techniques by Peter Brophy

New Book

• 101+ Great Ideas for Teen Library Web Sites by Miranda Doyle

New Book

• The Big Book of Teen Reading Lists: 100 Great, Ready-to-Use Book Lists for Educators, Librarians, Parents, and Teens by Nancy J. Keane

FYI: The lists cover many different subjects and genres, are annotated and include page count.

New Book

• Managing Facilities for Results: Optimizing Space for Services by Cheryl Bryan

A Name to Know

I was starting to prepare for serials add/drop when I noticed that one of the editors of the Progressive Librarian is Kathleen de la Peña McCook. Dr. McCook, the Distinguished University Professor, University of South Florida, Department of Library & Information Science was just awarded the 2007 Lifetime Achievement Award at FLA. She was also the Director of the USF library school while many of us earned our degrees there. Her specialties are adult services and disenfranchised populations. The March issue of American Libraries chose her blogs for inclusion in the article, "Mattering in the Blogosphere (available through WilsonWeb)." She is one of the most cited librarians and one of the most prolific. One of Dr. McCook's greatest strengths is needs assessment and community enrichment.

I studied Library Administration and Adult Services with her and in one of the classes, we discussed the evaluation of neighborhoods and how to ensure that the needs of patrons are met. She said to look at the number of check cashing, furniture rental, used appliance, and used tire stores that are in an area and that will tell you more than some of the expensive demographic studies. More of those stores have cropped up in the 12 years since she made that comment in my class. In line with her community focus, perhaps her most important book is A Place at the Table: Participating in Community Building. She details how and why libraries and librarians form the central core of a community and should help shape the community by building partnerships and alliances at all levels. She says that libraries as "information nerve centers can serve as both access points and as interpretive points." Even though this book is already 7 years old, it seems to be more and more true. We have several of Dr. McCook's books:

• Adult Services: An Enduring Focus for Public Libraries
• A Place at the Table: Participating in Community Building
• Developing Readers' Advisory Services: Concepts and Commitments
• Introduction to Community Building
• Libraries: Global Reach, Local Touch
• Library Services to Youth of Hispanic Heritage (Regional Juv. Ref.)
• On Account of Sex: An Annotated Bibliography on the Status of Women in Librarianship, 1982-1986

New Books

• Essentials of Young Adult Literature by Carl M. Tomlinson and Carol Lynch-Brown
• Librarian's Guide to Online Searching by Suzanne S. Bell

FYI: These two books were donated by a current FSU library school distance-learning student who just completed the related classes. The Professional Collection has gratefully accepted donations of gently used class texts from library school students. Before you buy your books, check the catalog to see if we can provide you with your school needs.

When in Rome, Part 2

Today I mentioned to our Director that Advanced Technology Libraries (April, 2007) has an article about SirsiDynix announcing the Rome platform. He asked whether there was an electronic version of the newsletter that could be posted. There is not an e-format available, but if you are accessing this blog from an LCLS computer, you can read a PDF version of the article from WilsonWeb by clicking this link.

FYI: The Professional Collection receives this newsletter each month.

New Book

• Classic Teenplots: A Booktalk Guide to Use with Readers Ages 12-18 by John T. Gillespie and Corinne J. Naden

SirsiDynix, Rome, and Unicorn

The April 2007 issue of Smart Libraries Newsletter details the 2005 consolidation of the Sirsi and Dynix Corporations into SirsiDynix, the largest company in the library-automation industry. This past January, Vista Equity Partners, a private-equity firm, acquired SirsiDynix. Days prior to the company's annual user conference, the president/CEO tendered his resignation. According to the ALA TechSource, 55 days after Vista took over SirsiDynix, it consolidated development efforts around a platform based on Unicorn. The code name for this product is "Rome." At Vista, all roads lead to Rome. For the complete article, click on the highlighted link above.

FYI: The Professional Collection receives this monthly newsletter.

New Book

• Literature Suppressed on Social Grounds Rev. ed. by Dawn Sova

FYI: This title has also been received by each regional for its reference collection.

FLA Conference 2007

Welcome back, conference attendees. If you have anything interesting to share, please feel free to post to this blog so that we can all benefit. I have added FLA's blog to our Blogs to Know section. I see that there are some notes from the conference as well as links to Flickr pictures and other goodies. Our tech pal, Stephen Abram, delivered the keynote speech," A Tech Forecast: Library 2.0 in the Real World," and I understand he had some technical difficulties with his presentation. His presentation is not online at FLA, but he delivered it at SLA Toronto West in January and I bet the content is the same. If you want to see it, here it is. If the content at FLA was different, please let me know.

Welcome Back

This blog is back and ready for action. The problems with Blogger are resolved and I am ready to post and receive comments.

Technical Difficulties

Due to some technical difficulties experienced with Blogger today, you may notice some minor adjustments to this blog. I hope to have everything back to normal soon.

Really Excellent Video

Last week I attended the SWFLN workshop "Weblog & RSS Bootcamp." The presenter showed us a fascinating video on YouTube.com by Kansas State University about technology and the evolution of the Web, the word, the world, and our place in all of that. Here is the video. As a bonus, here is a video that has been making the rounds. It is Medieval tech support.

Stephen Abram

Back in September, Stephen Abram began a series of essays called Waiting for Your Cat to Bark-Competing with Google and Its Ilk (part 2, part 3). These essays were published in the SirsiDynix OneSource e-newsletter. Another interesting essay is from the December issues of OneSource. Abram's Reconstructing the Reference Team: 6 Ways to Sunday is a motivational shopping list of sorts for how to grow and develop technologically as our patrons do. Although, in a way, we have a chicken and egg experience of sorts. In some locations, our patrons may be ahead of us and in others, we are are teaching them. One of the best examples of a library system ensuring that its staff is technologically proficient is the Learning 2.0 program at the Public Library of Charlotte & Mecklenburg County. If you really like the idea of Learning 2.0, PLCMC Technology Director, Helene Blowers conducted a SirsiDynix webinar called "Learning 2.0: Make "Play" Your New Year's Resolution." Grab an instrument and get on the bandwagon!

New Books

• Becoming a Library Teacher by Cheryl LaGuardia and Christine K. Oka
• Book Repair 2nd ed. by Kenneth Lavender
• Hands-On Information Literacy Activities by Jane Birks and Fiona Hunt

New Books

• Learning to Learn: A Guide to Becoming Information Literate in the 21st Century by Ann Marlow Riedling
• The Virtual Reference Handbook: Interview Delivery Techniques for the Chat and E-mail Environments by Diane K. Kovacs
• Education for Library Cataloging: International Perspectives by Haworth Information Press
• Leadership Basics for Librarians and Information Professionals by G. Edward Evans
• Rethinking Information Work: A Career Guide for Librarians and Other Information Professionals by G. Kim Dority

Subjects

The main subject posts of this blog, I expect, will be announcements of new books and materials received in the Professional Collection. I also hope occasionally to share with you articles I come across that may be of interest to you, patrons of the Professional Collection. Perhaps through the Comments you will share with me/us a book or article that you have read that has been beneficial to you in your work. This blog could be a very interesting experiment and will, undoubtedly, evolve. Let's see what happens.