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Libraries

Bringing Science to Web Publishing: The Journal of Information Architecture Debuts

The academic discipline and professional practice of information architecture is bringing science to Web publishing, and the introduction of the The Journal of Information Architecture, an international peer-reviewed scholarly journal, is an important step because science is more than just another opinion. When a statement is published in a scientific journal, it is critically different from other kinds of statements or claims, such as those made in blogs, discussion lists, or other outlets...
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The Curse of Books

If you’re trying to quit heroin, it’s a bad idea to go to work in a poppy field; if you’re a bibliomaniac, any new professional reason to acquire still more books ought to be carefully examined. Those bitten by the print bug know just what that means, and they'll surely sympathize with Burgess Merideth's plight in the video, a particularly resonating episode of The Twilight Zone.
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The Automatically Updatable Book: The Danger of “Provisional History”

"Your library has been successfully updated. The next update is scheduled for 09:00 tomorrow. Click this message to continue reading." One of the things that happens when books and other writings start to be distributed digitally through web-connected devices like the Kindle is that their text becomes provisional. Which is okay for guidebooks, but what about for other books? Does history begin to become as provisional as the text in these books?
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The Fast-Food Information Age: We Are What We Read

Some 90% and 98% of library users today assume that they can get all of the information they need just by doing a search on Google. This means that even teachers and students---whose jobs and degrees depend on trust and accuracy---in addition to ordinary Internet users, turn to search engines (e.g., Google, Yahoo) as their first, and perhaps only, destination for information. This automatic reliance on Internet search engines occurs in spite of the likelihood that the best or most reliable information may not be freely available on the Internet, but rather behind firewalls on premium sites that have been written, researched, vetted, and compiled by scholars, researchers, and other knowledge professionals.
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Library Ghosts: International

Here with the final post in my series of haunted libraries for Halloween. Although only a few foreign haunted libraries are listed here, I suspect someone with multilingual talents and access to primary print sources could turn up many more. So pass along suggestions of libraries to include in this series in the future, as well as any corrections or updates to sites already discussed. Till next year . . . Happy Halloween!
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Library Ghosts: Western U.S.

"Please come check out a book . . . " says the ghost. Western wraiths from Washington to Wyoming are highlighted in this fourth segment of a five-part overview of library ghosts. Yesterday’s post included libraries in the Southern United States, and tomorrow’s will include haunts from outside our borders. If I’ve missed anything, or my list needs correction or updating, please send along your comments and suggestions.
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Library Ghosts: Southern U.S.

Here is a third serving of library ghosts, showcasing those that linger on the Spanish moss-draped campuses of Southern libraries from Texas to Tennessee. As with the previous and following sections, all the entries have been completely updated from last year’s “Haunted Libraries” post and embellished with relevant links. If I’ve missed anything, or my list needs correction or updating, please send along your comments and suggestions.
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Library Ghosts: Midwestern U.S.

This is the second segment of a fairly comprehensive and updated list of libraries with ghosts, or at least ones that patrons, staff, or local folklorists have associated with paranormal happenings. Yesterday’s post included libraries in the Northeastern United States; today’s includes a handful of Heartland haunts from Ohio to Oklahoma. Enjoy!
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Library Ghosts: Northeastern U.S.

It's back! Last year about this time (just in time for Halloween), I posted on this blog a list of libraries that are said to be haunted. Now the library ghosts are back, by popular demand, each entry completely updated and about a dozen new libraries added. We start with U.S. libraries in the Northeast ...
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Ghosts in the Library!
(The Haunted Library Series is Back)

Last year about this time (just in time for Halloween), George Eberhart of the American Library Association posted on this blog a list of libraries that are said to be haunted. Now the library ghosts are back, by popular demand. Each entry has been completely updated and about a dozen new libraries added. We'll highlight these libraries and their strange stories each day in the coming week, leading up to Halloween on Friday. The posts will cover each region of the United States and then libraries around the world. The paranormal has a strong hold on the imagination of many people, and for them this series should be most attractive. (Plus, who doesn't enjoy a good ghost tale?) Read on for a schedule of the posts this week.
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