
How to Copy a URL from a Browser to Your Phone…08.31.10

31 08 2010




Library Uses QR Codes in Scavenger Hunt…08.31.01

31 08 2010

Big Read Scavenger Hunt with QR Codes:

Excerpted from the Topeka and Shawnee County Public Library

“…What do I need to participate?

  • A smartphone (like an iPhone or Blackberry)
  • An app on your phone to decode the QR code (some apps include NeoReader and BeeTagg Pro)

When does the contest start?

  • A QR code advertising the contest and directing participants to the bigread.tscpl.org website is already appearing around the library and the community.
  • More QR code clues will appear when the contest begins October 1.

How does the contest work?

  • Beginning Friday, October 1, 2010, the library will display a QR code on the Maltese Falcon book display in the atrium.
  • Sleuths will scan this QR code to reveal the 5 mystery locations, which may include visiting local businesses or organization websites.
  • Sleuths can scan the QR code at each of the 5 locations to gather the 5 clues needed to enter the contest.
  • Once all 5 clues have been obtained, sleuths may investigate the mysteries of the Maltese Falcon and submit their final answers.

When does the contest end?

  • All submissions must be received by October 31, 2010.

What can I win?

  • The first 20 sleuths to crack the codes and submit the correct answers will win a copy of The Maltese Falcon by Dashiell Hammett.
  • Every sleuth to successfully complete the Big Read Scavenger Hunt will be entered to win in our grand-prize drawing on November 1.
  • Winners will be contacted and prizes will be available for pickup at the library Reference Desk…”






Is Print Dead – Infographic…08.31.10

31 08 2010





South Carolina State Library YouTube Channel…08.30.10

30 08 2010




Long-Term Preservation Services in a Digital Library environment…08.30.10

30 08 2010

Long-Term Preservation Services in a Digital Library environment





COSLA: eBook Feasibility Study for Public Libraries…08.30.10

30 08 2010

COSLA: eBook Feasibility Study for Public Libraries





NASA Image Collections Now on Flickr…08.30.10

30 08 2010

Mashable! reports today:

“…Three compilations of historic NASA images have been released on The Commons on Flickr, the fruit of a collaborative effort between Flickr, NASA and the Internet Archive.

Although all of the photographs in these sets have been available to the public via NASAimages.org since 2008,NASA on The Commons allows the photographs to be tagged, annotated and given keywords. It also widens the opportunities to share and embed these photographs, ultimately increasing overall awareness of the NASA archives…”





“Sharp’s e-reader ready to ‘rival the iPad’ by year’s end”…08.30.10

30 08 2010

Sharp’s e-reader ready to ‘rival the iPad’ by year’s end, may have a 3D future





Why Kindle Doesn’t Work With Library eBooks…08.30.10

30 08 2010

From eBooks, filetype, and DRM by Jason Griffey:

“…There are two different things going on when someone tries to open an eBook file on an eReader. One is filetype…how the file itself is organized internally, how the information contained within is encoded. This is analogous to the difference between a Word file saved as a .doc file, a Word file saved as a .docx file, and an Powerpoint file (.ppt). All are different filetypes…the program involved in the creation, editing, and display of those files describes the information contained inside. Right now, there are two main filetypes being used to describe eBook files: the Amazon eBook standard, or .amz file, and the ePub file (.epub) that is used by just about every other eBook vendor.

Amazon  purchased Mobipocket (an early ebook vendor/distributor) way back in 2005, and used their format as the basis for their current proprietary .amz filetype. ePub, on the other hand, is an open, XML based eBook standard, and is used by a huge number of eBook vendors…indeed, it’s easily the standard for current ebook publishing.

But filetype is only half the battle. In addition to the way the file is organized/structured internally, there is also Digital Rights Management to deal with. Think of DRM on an eBook as a lock, with your eReader having the key to open the lock and display the file. Without the lock, the eReader can’t open the file at all…can’t even see what it is. And if it has the key, but can’t read the filetype, that’s no good either…in that case, you can view the contents of the file, but will have no idea how to render it on the screen properly.

Amazon, in addition to using a proprietary filetype, also uses a proprietary DRM mechanism. This means in order to read an Amazon-purchased eBook, you have to have an eReader with the right key, as well as the right interpreter for the file. So far, that means that you have to be using a Kindle, or alternatively, using the Kindle software provided for any number of other devices (Windows, Mac, iOS devices, Android devices). This doesn’t mean that’s the way it has to be. Amazon could choose, tomorrow, to remove all DRM from their files. This would mean that you’d still need a program to interpret the .amz, but you wouldn’t need the key anymore. Conversely, Amazon could license their DRM to other eReaders, in effect handing them the key…but it would still be up to the eReader itself to be able to display the .amz file.

Vendors that use the ePub format have chosen different sorts of DRM to lock up their content. Apple and their iBook app use the ePub format, but wrap it up with their Apple-specific Fairplay DRM. This means that while the file itself would be readable by any device that can interpret an .epub file, without that particular key on their keyring, the eReader can’t do anything. Sony, Barnes & Noble, Overdrive, and other eBook vendors have chosen a shared DRM solution. They license their DRM from Adobe, and run Adobe Content servers that provide the keys to epub files that they sell. This means that if an eReader has the key to one of those stores, it has the key to all of them…think of it as a shared master key for any Adobe DRM’d file.

This illustrates why, although both Apple and B&N use epub as their filetype, you can’t buy a book from the B&N store and then move it over to your iBook app on your iPad. Conversely, you can’t buy something on the iBook store, and then move it to your Nook. Same filetype, different lock.

Overdrive, in supporting Adobe DRM’d epub files, work with Sony eReaders as well as the B&N Nook…same filetype, same DRM key to unlock them.

With all that said: any eReader that will read a given filetype will read said filetype if the file doesn’t have any DRM. So if you convert an existing document to an epub using software like CalibreSigil, or InDesign, that file will able to be read on a Nook, Sony Reader, AND the Apple iPad/iPhone/iPod Touch. If you have some text and you convert it to, say, a Mobipocket file (.mobi or .pdb) then it would be readable on the Kindle AND the Apple iBooks app…but not on the Nook. For a complete list of eReaders and their corresponding filetypes, there is no better place than Wikipedia’s Comparison of eBook Formats article.

While a DRM free eBook ecosystem would clearly be the best for the consumer (choice of device, free movement of files from device to device, etc), the second best option is an ecosystem where the DRM is ubiquitous and the patron doesn’t even realize it’s there. This was the case with Apple and the early battles for music sales on the ‘net…they had the store and the distribution network (iTunes) as well as the device used to access the content (iPod). All of the content was, originally, DRM’d, but largely no one noticed since it was completely invisible for the average user…”

MORE from the Digital Library Blog post Why isn’t the Kindle compatible?:

Why isn’t the Kindle compatible?

The short answer is that the Kindle does not currently support the Digital Rights Management (DRM) protection our publishers and suppliers require for Adobe EPUB and PDF eBooks offered through the OverDrive service…

So, let’s focus on what devices are compatible with Adobe EPUB and PDF eBooks offered through your ‘Virtual Branch’ website. For the most up-to-date list, always direct your patrons to the OverDrive Device Resource Center.

We have also heard it’s often difficult to direct a patron to the appropriate webpage when at the circulation or information desk. In addition to the continually updated Device Resource Center online, we have put together an eBook Devices Cheat Sheet (PDF) that you can print out and make available to staff inside your library. This handy reference tool will empower any library staff member to provide patrons with information on compatible eBook readers.

The Cheat Sheet outlines the Barnes & Noble nook, the Sony Reader, and the Kobo eReader.  Keep in mind, it isn’t necessary to own or use an eBook reading device to enjoy eBooks.  As we’ve listed on the Cheat Sheet, you can use your Windows PC or Mac computer or laptop with Adobe Digital Editions installed.

With the holiday shopping season quickly approaching, you will undoubtedly receive an increased number of questions about eBooks and eBook reading devices.  Feel free to use the eBook Devices Cheat Sheet as a reference tool to assist in answering eBook device related questions. As new devices are tested, we’ll update the sheet and let you know when an updated version is available.”





Online Conference on Digital Reference…08.30.10

30 08 2010

Tuesday, September 14, 2010 beginning at 11:00 a.m. Eastern Time, 10:00 Central, 9:00 Mountain, 8:00 Pacific, and 3:00 p.m. GMT:

    Trendy Topics One-Day Online Conference on Digital Reference

    Over the course of the day a group of presenters (including keynote speaker Alison Miller) will explore and discuss with participants how libraries can understand and meet user needs and expectations for digital reference services.

    Please Note: Participants are required to register for this one-day conference and pay a small registration fee. This is the seventh of nine monthly one-day Trendy Topics conferences that will be held throughout 2010.

    Conference Website (includes registration info): Trendy Topics Conference Website

    Organizer: TAP Information Services





OpenHeatMap…08.30.10

30 08 2010




Electronic Home Library 1959…08.30.10

30 08 2010

“Some unusual inventions for home entertainment and education will be yours in the future, such as the ‘television recorder’ that RCA’s David Sarnoff described recently. With this device, when a worthwhile program comes over the air while you are away from home, or even while you’re watching it, you’ll be able to preserve both the picture and sound on tape for replaying at any time. Westinghouse’s Gwilym Price expects such tapes to reproduce shows in three dimensions and color on screens as shallow as a picture.”





Twitter Searching Redux…08.29.10

29 08 2010




10 Rules for Radicals: Lessons from rogue archivist Carl Malamud…08.29.10

29 08 2010





Common as Air Revolution, Art, and Ownership…08.29.10

29 08 2010

Common as Air Revolution, Art, and Ownership





Phone Numbers Are Dead, They Just Don’t Know It Yet…08.29.10

29 08 2010

Phone Numbers Are Dead, They Just Don’t Know It Yet





A Sunday Meditation on Wisdom…08.29.10

29 08 2010

I will destroy the wisdom of the wise and discard the intelligence of the intelligent.”

So where does this leave the philosophers, the scholars, and the world’s brilliant debaters?

God has made the wisdom of this world look foolish. Since God in his wisdom saw to it that the world would never know him through human wisdom, he has used our foolish preaching to save those who believe.  It is foolish to the Jews, who ask for signs from heaven. And it is foolish to the non-Jews, who seek human wisdom. So when we preach that Christ was crucified, the Jews are offended and the Gentiles say it’s all nonsense.

But to those called by God to salvation, both Jews and Gentiles, Christ is the power of God and the wisdom of God.

This foolish plan of God is wiser than the wisest of human plans, and God’s weakness is stronger than the greatest of human strength.





“Sunday Meditation: Librarians and Religion” by Will Manley…08.29.10

29 08 2010

Interesting post “Sunday Meditation: Librarians and Religion” by Will Manley:

“I have always thought that one of the most interesting aspects of Christianity is the very last responsibility that Christ put on the shoulders of his apostles: ‘Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations.’ (Matthew 28:19).

The irony here is that many people have rejected Christianity simply because they do not enjoy being recruited into the faith per Christ’s instructions.  That is particularly true in this country where people savor their freedoms and don’t appreciate being told what to do, especially by clergymen waving the sword of hellfire and damnation.

Those who are on fire for Christ, however, feel that they have divine authority on their side to preach ‘the way, the truth, and the life’ to non-believers.  Although they are often looked at as self righteous scolds who are trying to impose their belief system on others, these proselytizers of the faith for the most part feel that they are actually showing their love for others by trying to share with them the spiritual treasures of their religion.

Librarians get pulled into the middle of this cultural tug of war when the proselytizers either ask that a book be added or removed from the collection in the name of Christ.  When you throw in the pressures of local politics (especially if your library is located in the Bible Belt) the resulting stress on the library staff can be very upsetting.  Librarians have lost their jobs fighting attempts to censor books that are ‘anti-Christian.’

As a result, there is a very uneasy relationship between religion and librarianship in this country.  In my four decades in the library profession I have picked up a very strong vibe that a good number of librarians are anti religion because they resent being dictated to or pressured in the name of God.  The temptation is great for librarians to paint all strong believers with the broad brush of intolerance.

The other side of that coin is that I have also picked up a strong vibe that librarians who are devout Christians feel very uncomfortable about bringing up the tenets of their faith within the library profession.  They are afraid of being ridiculed or worse being lumped with the censors.  A number of librarians have told me that they feel ashamed that they are afraid to claim their Christian beliefs among their professional peers. Instead of following Christ’s directive to ‘make disciples of all nations‘ they go underground with their faith.

This is one of those taboo subjects that we never talk about in librarianship, and that’s precisely why I have recently introduced ‘Sunday Meditation’ as a regular feature of this blog.   I am fascinated by the relationship between religion and librarianship and feel that this is as good a place as any to explore its many issues.

What are your thoughts on the subject?” – Will Manley

The Lone Wolf Librarian’s response:  A Rationale for Integrating Christian Faith and Librarianship





Crowdsourcing…08.28.10

28 08 2010




New Kindle 3 and the iPad Video Review…08.28.10

28 08 2010




Two-digit Navigation System Demonstrated for Interactive Realtime Walkthrough of Mawson’s Huts, Antarctica…08.28.10

28 08 2010




The Web of Things…08.28.10

28 08 2010




Social Networking Use Continues to Grow Among Older Users…08.27.10

27 08 2010





Digital Books and License Agreements from EFF…08.27.10

27 08 2010




Information/Revolution Redux…08.27.10

27 08 2010




Google Real Time Search…08.26.10

26 08 2010




Modern Yonsei University Library – South Korea and Ex Libris…08.26.10

26 08 2010




Google’s Acquisitions…08.26.10

26 08 2010





YouTube Continues to Go Global with More Languages…08.26.10

26 08 2010

YouTube Goes (More) Global, Adds Languages





New COLOR eReader from Sharper Image $159…08.26.10

26 08 2010

Literati








Follow

Get every new post delivered to your Inbox.

Join 201 other followers
http://lonewolflibrarian.wordpress.com/2010/08/
lonewolflibrarian.wordpress.com
crawl=CC-MAIN-2013-48
97975
application/http; msgtype=response
sha1:L7AQRHZG7P35ZVEJC5MJTIGWWNMQYQLX
<urn:uuid:aa6e991d-3f0d-4e2a-8e11-b7a17593ef66>
2013-12-05T20:50:49Z
192.0.81.250
sha1:I4R4OWOQR4ZSFIUMSE43STNN5T6QHH7A
<urn:uuid:729fd977-83f3-4a14-b0e7-f852bb901eb5>
http://lonewolflibrarian.wordpress.com/2010/08/
length
response
<urn:uuid:b34cfc7c-3c40-4cc3-93c6-453a95774887>
robots: classic
hostname: ip-10-33-133-15.ec2.internal
software: Nutch 1.6 (CC)/CC WarcExport 1.0
isPartOf: CC-MAIN-2013-48
operator: CommonCrawl Admin
description: Wide crawl of the web with URLs provided by Blekko for Winter 2013
publisher: CommonCrawl
format: WARC File Format 1.0
conformsTo: http://bibnum.bnf.fr/WARC/WARC_ISO_28500_version1_latestdraft.pdf