Monday, August 31, 2009
Have You Tried Bing Yet?
I spent some time this morning using Microsoft's new search provider www.bing.com. I know many people are looking for alternatives to Google - not sure why other than the fact of using something other than Google- the king of search providers. One facet of Bing I really liked is the video search - very intuitive and provided good results.
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
Using Typos to Get the Bargain
Typo Buddy takes advantage of poor spelling, poor typing and poor proofing skills. And you can be the winner. Typo Buddy searches Ebay and Craigslist for misspelled items - and you often get good prices since others don't find the auction item.
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
Friday, August 21, 2009
How many people have to be offended before we ban a book?
As I read another headline about a banned book, I wondered just when do we accept that a book should be banned? If the material offends 1 person, 10, or over 1,000,000? Seems to me that we either believe in the freedom of information - even when we are personally offended, or we don't. The current headline was about Brooklyn's Chief Librarian banning Tin Tin Au Congo - a book that is racially offensive to some (most?). Whether anyone finds it offensive or not is irrelevant. Do we ban materials? I would guess almost every item in a library's collection would offend someone - somewhere. We can't scream against banned books - and then ban the ones we find personally offensive - that is censorship.
Tuesday, August 18, 2009
Geek the Library
A great reminder - check out the Geek the Library website.
"Whatever You Geek, The Public Library Supports It All"
Get your geek on. Support the library.
Geek the Library is a community-based public awareness campaign designed to highlight the vital role of public libraries for individuals and communities, and raise awareness about the critical funding issues they face.
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
Microsoft in violation selling Word........
Texas judge Leonard Davis has ordered Microsoft to pay 290 million dollars to the company that owns XML for patent infringement. He also ordered the company to stop selling the ever popular Microsoft Word Product.
See the complete article
See the complete article
Monday, August 10, 2009
Open Up Your Library
Jenny Levine, The Shifted Librarian, posted the DOK photo - love the idea of the top shelves removed........it sure makes the library look more open and friendly in my opinion. 
Thursday, August 06, 2009
Register Your School Library for GiggleIT project
The GiggleIT Project is a global collaborative publishing project hosted by the International Association of School Librarianship (IASL), working in partnership with theInternational Children's Digital Library (ICDL).
The GiggleIt Team recognises the potential of using the digital library to promote cultural understandings, while encouraging children's literacy skills development. Humour is a wonderful "feel good" motivator.
GiggleIT is also registered with the International Year of Reconciliation as an example of how people around the world can connect with each other.GiggleIT - Tutorial -
http://www.iasl-online.org/sla/giggleIT-tutorial/index.htm
GiggleIT - Professional Development Manual - http://www.iasl-online.org/sla/
Wednesday, August 05, 2009
NTRLS looking for writers for webpage!
Writer’s Guidelines
Thank you for your interest in contributing to ntrls.org. Our goal is to provide some guidance and direction in our daily tasks at the library. Please see below for a list of upcoming themes for our website. If you are interested in submitting an article, please read these guidelines carefully.
General Information
- Featured Articles readership consists of people from all areas of librarianship, with varying degrees of expertise. Please keep this in mind when writing articles.
- Write in the first person, and do not use passive voice.
- Please do a check of all Web addresses in your article to ensure they are accurate and current before you turn it in.
Document Submission Format
- If possible, please email documents to awright@ntrls.org as a Microsoft Word file. If you are mailing your submission, use the address below. We will not return submissions.
- Please include your name in the filename of your document. For example: JoeSmithRFID.doc
- Do not indent paragraphs; rather, leave a blank line in-between paragraphs. Single space
- Do not use endnotes, headers, or footers.
- Please use italics when you refer to book or magazine titles. Do not italicize names of software, databases, or Web sites.
- After the full text of your article, please include brief biographical information. For example: Name, title, organization and city. Then mention any related projects or special experience. Finish with your email address.
- If you are going to include any bibliographic references or suggestions for further reading, please include them after your biographical information under the title “References/Further Reading.”
Art Submission Format
- Do not embed art within your text. If you are sending accompanying pictures, charts, etc., each graphic must be sent as a separate file. We prefer .jpg or .gif files.
Length
- Articles should be between 500 and 1500 words in length.
Compensation
- At this time, authors are not compensated for articles.
Conflicts of Interest
To avoid real and perceived conflicts of interest, ntrls.org will not accept articles about subjects from writers who may have a potential financial conflict with the work. We ask that writers tell us about any such work they do in the field. The editors will evaluate on a case-by-case basis whether a conflict exists.Copyright
Ntrls.org requests one-time electronic rights to publish your material on the website. The copyright for the work remains with you. If you submit the same article to another publication, please inform that publisher that the article first appeared on ntrls.org.Mailing Address
North Texas Regional Library System, Inc.6320 Southwest Blvd., Ste. 101
Fort Worth, TX 76109
Date Subject
September 2009 - TexShareOctober 2009 - Keeping Your Bookclub Fresh
November 2009 - Patron Privacy in the 21st Century
December 2009 - To Buy or Not To Buy – Is a Review Required?
January 2010 - Doing a Job Fair in Your Library
February 2010 - Supporting Your Support Staff
March 2010 - Microsoft Office, Open Office and Google Docs – a Comparison
April 2010 - Accessibility Fairs – Lessons Learned
May 2010 - Technology Trends
June 2010 - Publishing 2.0 – How Self-Publishing is Evolving
July 2010 - Ebooks
August 2010 - Libraries of the Future
Help with Reader's Advisory
Check out FictionDB for all types of information concerning authors and books. Great information on series, what to read next and listings for all books published by a particular author.
Everything you need to know about fiction books and authors
Find complete author book lists (bibliographies)
Discover books in a series
Read descriptions of individual books
Search over 250,000 titles using multiple criteria
Keep track of what you're reading
Tuesday, August 04, 2009
Job Posting - Literacy Coordinator
North Texas Regional Library System, Inc
Applications will be accepted through August 18, 2009. Please send a resume with a cover letter to awright@ntrls.org, or send to:
Adam Wright
Executive Director
North Texas Library Partners
Home of the North Texas Regional Library System
6320 Southwest Blvd, Suite 101
Fort Worth, Tx 76109
JOB TITLE: Libraries for Literacy Coordinator Exempt
Salary: $42,000 with a comprehensive benefits package.
POSITION FUNCTION: Under the general supervision of the Executive Director, assumes responsibility of all aspects of the Libraries for Literacy program including overseeing the various programs and services offered through the program.
DUTIES:
1. Responsible for designing, developing and providing workshops on literacy.
2. Responsible for designing, developing and providing the online literacy toolkit.
3. Responsible for designing, developing and providing the monthly online brown bag luncheons on literacy.
4. Administers the online literacy tools consortium available through the Libraries for Literacy website.
5. Administers the grant program for online literacy tools consortium.
6. Responsible for the literacy section of ntrls.org and the Libraries for Literacy website.
7. Staff Liaison to the Libraries for Literacy Council
8. Keeps current in literacy instruction theory and methods
9. Assists libraries with literacy endeavors as requested.
10. Other duties as assigned.
EDUCATION and EXPERIENCE: The employee must have a Master’s degree in library science or graduation date within one year from a program accredited by the American Library Association, or equivalent experience. The employee must have some previous exposure to some literacy programs. It is preferred that the employee have direct experience in literacy instruction endeavors.
SPECIAL QUALIFICATIONS: The employee must have a valid Texas driver’s license, proof of liability insurance and have access to a motor vehicle.
COMPUTER REQUIREMENTS: The employee must understand theoretical and practical applications of computer technology and be able to communicate with others.
PHYSICAL DEMANDS: While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to sit, stand, walk, use hands to finger, handle or feel, reach with hands and arms, talk and hear. The employee is occasionally required to stoop, kneel or crouch. The employee must occasionally lift up to fifty pounds. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, color vision and the ability to adjust focus.
WORK ENVIRONMENT: While performing the duties of this job, the employee works alone in an office or with others in meeting rooms. The noise level in these environments is moderate.
Please note that NTRLS received a grant for this position. This grant will expire on 08/31/2010. Sustainability of this position will be based upon the availability of further grant funds being acquired, which will be aggressively pursued in upcoming fiscal year.
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