Friday, October 24, 2008

Web 2.1 - Site of the Week - Animoto

Site Name:Animoto
URL: http://www.animoto.com/

This site makes videos out of your pictures. It was very easy to use. I did a video from some TechNet 2008 photos posted to our Flickr account. It downloaded my pictures and then I selected a soundtrack from some of their public domain music. All very easy. The 30 second videos are free, but you have pay $249 a year to do the more advanced material. Not bad considering how much time a staff could save on presentation videos.


Tuesday, October 21, 2008

Registration authority for lib.tx.us domain names

If your library's website or online catalog uses a domain name ending in "lib.tx.us" you should pay attention to this.

Until now, these domain names have been registered through the Texas Higher Education Network (THE.net) at the University of Texas. As of October 27, 2008, this service will be provided by NeuStar, Inc., which is the central manager for domain names ending in .US under contract with the U.S. Department of Commerce. See
http://www.the.net/forms/lib-tx-us-form.php for the announcement at THE.net.

To guarantee that your domain name will continue to be reserved for your library, you will need to file some paperwork with NeuStar, Inc. You can submit the paperwork immediately, and you must submit it within 6 months to continue using your "lib.tx.us" domain name. Registration of the domain name will continue to be free.

The required paperwork is described in item #17 of NeuStar's Frequently Asked Questions page at
http://www.neustar.us/faqs/ There are two forms, which must be accompanied by a cover letter on your library's letterhead. Contact Judy Daniluk at NTRLS (jdaniluk@ntrls.org) if you need assistance with the forms. Customer Support at NeuStar.US is also very helpful.

Monday, October 06, 2008

$250 Stipend Available from TLA Genealogy Round Table

The Genealogy Round Table (GRT) of the Texas Library Association will award a stipend of $250 annually to cover the cost of registration and conference expenses for the TLA Annual Conference for a librarian or paraprofessional who works with a genealogy collection or genealogy patrons. The purpose of the GRT Conference Stipend is to encourage TLA and GRT membership and provide a means for supporting participation in the TLA Annual Conference. Recipient will gain insight into the Genealogy Round Table by volunteering during the annual conference.

REQUIREMENTS FOR ELIGIBILITY:
--Recipient must be a member of the Texas Library Association
--Recipient must be employed as a librarian or paraprofessional in a Texas Library
--Recipient must work with a genealogy collection or genealogy patrons
--Recipient must agree to be a Genealogy Round Table volunteer during the conference
--Recipient must submit a completed application form and letter of reference on or before the stated deadline
--Recipient must submit a report evaluating the conference, stating whether it fulfilled expectations, and what was learned that can be used in the recipient’s library. Report must be written and submitted to the GRT Conference Stipend Committee Chair within 30 days of the end of the conference
--Recipient must agree to attend all GRT sponsored or co-sponsored pre-conferences, programs and/or meetings during the conference

DEADLINE: Submit application and letter of reference postmarked by January 10 for the conference in the spring of that year.

To request an application, contact:

Laurie Mahaffey, Chair, GRT Conference Stipend Committee
Central Texas Library System, Inc.
1005 West 41st Street
Austin, Texas 78756
laurie.mahaffey@ctls.net