libraries
cpikas | January 28, 2010I've only been a college student and grad student at one institution and I have to confess, the library treats students as second class citizens. Particularly technical services. When I mentioned in a sociology class that I am a librarian, a whole bunch of grad students piled on with complaints about interlibrary loan. One guy got only the second page of an article the first time he requested an article, then a completely illegible copy the second time, and then finally a whole copy the third time - after numerous e-mails and about 6 weeks. He kept asking because he didn't want to let them…
cpikas | December 3, 2009ASME- the American Society of Mechanical Engineers - has a series of journals that are heavily used by mechanical, aerospace, and even civil engineers. Most engineering schools have these all the way back. So in the past couple of weeks libraries all over the country have realized that, all of a sudden they don't have access to a decade of the journal 1990-1999. I have no direct experience with this but have been following the discussion and dismay on ASEE's ELD list.
What actually happened is that ASME sold a digital backfile that ended at 1989, they sold current access to the digital…
cpikas | October 21, 2009(while I'm on a much-needed vacation, I'm re-posting some things from my old blog)
This appeared January 5, 2007.
On Weeding...
Weeding, variously called "pruning", de-selection, de-accessioning, collection management, is a vital part of maintaining a healthy, vibrant, welcoming library collection. It is the careful, thoughtful removal of items from the collection. Reasons for weeding include:
No longer within the scope of the collection
Duplicate copies
Low circulation (therefore low interest)
Poor condition (replacement copies may be added)
No circulation within x time period
Information…
cpikas | September 2, 2009Sometimes so many things come up at the same time it becomes difficult if impossible to ignore. Here's just a brief list:
An oceanographer came to me and asked to see a print copy of an AGU journal article. If you've followed me here from elsewhere, then you'll know my place of work was mandated to discard all print materials (we did actually make the case for maybe 4 journals that are both not available online and are not widely held - there was a 5th but it got discarded by accident). Turns out that the entire point of the article was to show two color graphics on the second page. Well…
cpikas | August 14, 2009Here are some things academic libraries are doing to cope. The primary caveat is that I have less experience in this area (my research lab is affiliated with a university, but we're different). I have heard a lot about this from my colleagues in my professional association and online. I would be happy to be corrected by those in the know!
Academic institutions vary widely - from large state institutions and private research universities to small liberal arts colleges - and so they also vary in how things are funded. Sometimes the various portions of the university- the colleges - will each…
cpikas | August 8, 2009Public libraries are incredibly important in economic bad times. Things people just bought for themselves without thinking, they now borrow if they can. People need emergency assistance with housing or medical or childcare and they don't know how to find an appropriate agency or charity. People are looking for jobs and need assistance finding listings and to use the computer to fill out the application or complete a resume. Even people with jobs and computers might not be able to afford internet access and so come to use the free wireless or computers.
Public library funding depends on where…
cpikas | August 5, 2009Louisville was hit with a massive rainstorm that overwhelmed the sewer system and caused massive flooding everywhere. It took out the bottom floor of the library. Preliminary damage is assessed at $1M, but I would expect that to go higher (see).
I divided a session at CIL with Greg Schwartz a few years ago. He works in the system and his tweets and attached pictures show how horrible this is.
Steve Lawson has set up a way for librarians to donate. Others can also check this blog to get the address for the library foundation.
Update 8/7/2009: The library director is interviewed by Library…
grrlscientist | June 17, 2009tags: NYC Life, NYPL, public services, public education, public libraries
I just wanted to thank all of you, dear readers, who have joined with me to write letters to Mayor Bloomberg and other elected officials in NYC, asking them to see the light: a bad economy is absolutely no reason to cut funding for our public libraries, the crown jewel of New York City. I just learned this evening that Mayor Bloomberg and City Council Speaker Christine C. Quinn have promised they will preserve essential core resources for fiscal year 2010, including precious funds for libraries (fiscal year 2010…
bioephemera | April 5, 2009It's just not Google's week. A mob of angry villagers north of London formed human chains and chased off the Google Maps car (no word whether they had torches). Microsoft is all up in Google's business (to be precise, they're funding a team at New York Law School's Institute for Information Law and Policy, led by a former Microsoft programmer, which is weighing in on the pending settlement of Google's book-scanning lawsuit). And it's not just Microsoft that's taking aim at Google: the NYT has an overview of the many parties, from librarians to law professors, who have serious doubts about…
mikethemadbiologist | November 10, 2007If you're in Boston, the Boston Public Library at Copley Square is having a free exhibition of The New Yorker cartoonist William "King of Cartoons" Steig's work. It's worth seeing.
mikethemadbiologist | July 14, 2007At the Boston Public Library, there's a fascinating exhibit about Alexandre Vattemare, entertainer turned cultural ambassador. It's definitely worth seeing. While you're there, you'll also want to check out the miniature book exhibit (some of them are even kinda porny!).
mikethemadbiologist | May 30, 2007Would you pay $728 more a year to keep schools and libraries fully funded? I would, but the voters of Northbridge, MA wouldn't. According to the Boston Globe:
And yesterday, budget cuts and voter indifference in Northbridge finally caught up with the institution officially known as the Whitinsville Social Library. Its doors closed at 2 p.m. And though they will reopen again this week, people in Northbridge, population 13,100, will notice a difference.
The town cannot afford the $200,000 needed to keep the library fully running for another year. Once open 40 hours a week, it will be open…