Google docs, now with 309 flavors

Google Docs just got exponentially more exciting with the addition of over 300 templates for spreadsheets, presentations and documents!

Even though I usually don’t use design-heavy templates for my presentations, they’re still fun to look at. Plus, these templates really help cement Google docs as a solid alternative to Microsoft Word.

(via iLibrarian)

When Databases Leave

Like many libraries, our library is part of a great statewide consortium that gives us discounted access to databases and resources we may not be able to afford on our own.  Like many states, our state recently slashed a whole boatload of programs and other expenditures in order to balance the budget.  This week we got this news from the Illinois State Library:

as a result of the budget reductions, statewide subscriptions supported by the Secretary of State’s Office for the following electronic resources must be cancelled, effective immediately: Periodical Abstracts, Wilson Select Plus

Today we got an email from the consortium to let us know that as of noon today, the plug would be pulled.  Users, thanks to CARLI, didn’t get a dead link, but the following page:

(click for the full visual experience)

Which, I have to say, gives some mixed messages:  “You don’t have access!  Welcome to the OCLC FirstSearch Service!”  And besides, we already know that students don’t read instructions or directions in databases– they look for a search box and start typing.  In this case, if you miss the red warning and try and search you get this bit of loveliness across your screen:

A student came to the reference desk today around 1pm and was so thoroughly confused by the case of the disappearing database she was in a bit of a state.  She had printed out some articles just yesterday and now couldn’t get back into Wilson Select to get more information.  Luckily she didn’t actually need to get back into the database, but what about students who didn’t think to print their articles, or didn’t get their bibliographic info, or didn’t send the whole article to themselves via email?

And how do we explain it to students?  “I know you just used this database yesterday, but see, with state budget cuts and all…”  Students probably hear “blah blah blah the library is completely unreliable blah blah and just wait til you try to find the book that says its on the shelf but isn’t!  We’re just messing with you here at the library!”

Anyway, the consortium is working to get all its members a new subscription package for these databases, so with luck this database yoink will only inconvenience us and our patrons for a short while.

LibGig’s Got a Lot Going On

Have you come across LibGig yet? Sarah Houghton-Jan describes it as a LinkedIn for libraries, but on first glance, it seems a heck of a lot busier than LinkedIn.

Check out what’s going on just on the home page: a news feed with library related posts that logged-in users can comment on; a short list of featured jobs; a blogroll titled “Other Blogs We Like” (who is the “we”?); a Q&A teaser link; a big badge that brings you to LibGig’s About Us page; a big ad, a short list of “Odd Jobs!”; new users & recent users; sponsors; and an RSS feed. All this without all going near the menu bar, where you can find 3 distinct LibGigs blogs, 2 discussion boards, 2 different Q&A pages, plus “LibGig’s Exclusive Directory of ALA Accredited Schools!” and jobs, jobs, jobs.

Whew! LibGig seems to be setting itself up to be your one-stop shopping source for library news and career information. All it needs is a wiki, a podcast, a Facebook app, and its own YouTube channel and then LibGig will be situated for library world domination and we can all unsubscribe from all those other blogs and listservs that have been taking up our time.

Not to discount what LibGig is doing, by any means. I haven’t even created an account yet, so who am I to talk. I really think LibGig would be perfect for new librarians– not only does it have the job and career resources of the tried and true LISjobs.com, but it has the built-in community aspect with the blogs, forums and news feeds. I know that it took me awhile to find my way around all the electronic resources out there and settle on some reliable ones (and drop the useless ones, like the perpetually whiny and glum NEWLIB-L). Lib-Gig has the potential to be a great entrée into the electronic librarian community, and what I like best about it is that it doesn’t just draw the user in solipsistically, but provides gateways to the larger library world as well.

(via Librarian in Black)

Please Be Quiet’s Wordle

What does yours look like?

First Monday in Facebook

Hey First Monday fans, your favorite peer-reviewed journal on the internet is now in Facebook! Go ahead and become a fan. And while you’re at it, become a fan of the First Monday Podcast, why don’t you?

More Catalogtastic Excitement

This fall, we’re going to have such a cool OPAC!  I’m looking forward to finding a way to make all of our upcoming changes exciting to our users (I mean, some other way than “OMG!  We have such a cool OPAC!” which I know works well on you and me, but I’ve heard most folk need to know more.  Like, what’s an OPAC…).  Anyway, here’s the newest thing we’re testing.

Text yourself location, call #, and title (or whatever you want, really)!  I don’t use text messaging as much as a lot of people I know (mostly because I don’t have a good mobile plan), but I would absolutely use this feature.  My Moleskine, my handbag and my bulletin board are full of scraps of paper with scrawled call numbers and titles– how nice would it be click a button within the catalog and have all that info sent to your cellphone?  (the answer is: “real nice”).   Another nice thing, Google Send to Phone (ooh, catchy) will remember you phone number so you don’t always have to type it in everytime you want to text yourself a call#.  The bad thing is that it would do this on public terminals, at least until the computer is shut down and restarted.  Hmmm.  So right now it’s in the alpha stage.  We shall see.

I Want to Be a Librarian

This song, by Haunted Love, is all the rage in my library right now. By right now, I mean this afternoon.

All because of someone’s fleeting interest in Library Book Cart Drill Teams.

Blogging about Blogging about Podcasting about Podcasts

I swear this is the last time I use a title like this, but I had to continue the theme in order to share Clark Boyd’s blog entry about First Monday Podcast and my review of The World’s Technology Podcast.

I’ve got my next five review assignments, so I’ll be spending my commutes listening to technology/information science podcasts for the next few months.  If you have a favorite, let me know.

Citation! Shout it out! *

The things I get excited about these days… This is why I only have about 6 non-librarian friends, BTW.  Anyway, here’s something we’re playing with in our catalog right now:

The “Cite This” link takes you to WorldCat.org’s awesomely comprehensive citation page.  Chicago Style and Turabian as distinct styles unto themselves!  Harvard style for cry-eye!  I love WorldCat.org.  I love citation links from the OPAC.

It almost makes being in the library on July 3 until 9:30pm okay.  Almost.

*apologies to Nicholson Baker (The Mezzanine)

Hey! Children’s Librarians! Looky Here!

Are children’s librarians embedding Lookybook picture book views on their blogs & websites? If not, they really ought to be. This is a video view of the book ABC 3-D by Marion Bataille.  So cool.

more about “Hey! Children’s Librarians! Looky H…“, posted with vodpod