Information Wants To Be Free – Page 43 – A librarian, writer and educator reflecting on the profession and the tools we use to serve our patrons

Maslow and library technology

As a former social worker/psychotherapist, Maslow's hierarchy of needs is a very familiar concept to me. People must fulfill their basic material needs before they can start thinking about things…

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My new love affair

I decided to stop agonizing over what sort of computer to buy and finally settled on the Sony A-250 I'd developed a major crush on. I couldn't deny the fact…

libraries our digital future

Why RSS rocks

From Extension 337 [via Tame the Web], comes 10 Reasons why Nonprofits Should Use RSS. The post lists some very good reasons why RSS is a much better way to…

reference search

GuruNet now offers Answers.com for free!

According to Gary Price at Resource Shelf, GuruNet has become Answsers.com and is now offering a ready reference search engine for free. Answers.com culls its information from a variety of…

job search libraries

Next-gen librarians in the news

The latest issue of Info Career Trends is out and is devoted entirely to Next Generation Librarianship. Lots of interesting articles and advice for those just entering the field and…

job search

Librarian shortage in New Jersey

I lived in New Jersey (near Princeton) until I was 12. I have very fond memories of the area, so I've been looking for jobs in public and academic libraries…

libraries library school our digital future reference

Are we mainstream or invisible?

I know blogging is getting bigger. Blogs seem to have been featured in every magazine and newspaper lately. Everyone keeps saying 2004 was the "year of the blog" yadda, yadda.…

reference

Free reference websites

RUSA has come out with its 2004 list of Best Free Reference Websites. They cover a variety of subjects and come from academia, government, industry, non-profits, the media, libraries and…

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Site redesign

I just spent much of the day redesigning my site. The first time I designed my site, I was in school and my time was at a premium. I know…

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Laptop hunt

Since I may be moving to a very tiny apartment in Chicago soon, I thought it best to trade in my old desktop for a swanky new laptop (the CPU…

libraries our digital future search

Questions about the Google Library Project

Barbara Quint has put together a list of questions and answers about the Google Library Project that have been pondered by various people in the library and search worlds. Some…

job search

MLS: Buyer beware?

Last night, when I got home from my New Year's Eve revelry (which consisted of baking cookies with a five-year-old, playing Chutes and Ladders, and drinking sparkling cider), I found…

our digital future

Didn’t know I was being antisocial

The New York Times featured another study furthering the notion that Internet use is socially isolating and takes people away from other activities. I'm perfectly willing to grant them the…

Happy New Year!

Sorry I didn't have time to post anything today (been working on cover letters ALL day) but I wanted to wish everyone a happy and safe New Year. I'm just…

intellectual freedom open source our digital future

Open Access

I guess this is the day to post intros! Peter Suber, at Open Access News, has published a very concise introduction to the concept of open access. A Very Brief…

reference

An Introduction to Feeds

From Resource Shelf, I have found An Introduction to Feeds, which does an excellent job of describing what RSS is and how to use aggregators. I will definitely send this…

job search

Dispaches from the job hunt

Today, Dorothea at Caveat Lector wrote about Them jobhuntin’ blues. Oh yes, I do feel your pain. After applying for jobs since late September, I really think I could get…

libraries our digital future search

Searching handwritten manuscripts and Google

Earlier this month, I had reported on a new way to search handwritten manuscripts that was developed by the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. Today, the New York Times has…

libraries random search

Anyways…

On a much lighter note, you have to check out this funny Fox Trot comic strip about Google's digitization announcement. [From Bibliofuture at LISNews]

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What we have…

I don't know what I could say that hasn't already been said about the disaster in southeast Asia on Sunday. It is a tragedy beyond my comprehension -- easily the…