"The future of the book" from IDEO on vimeo

I love this idea for myself, but I wouldn't know how to catalog it for the library!

San Diego City Council To Vote on New Library

San Diego City Council will make what could be an historic decision Monday -- they'll vote on whether to go ahead with a new downtown library. Civic leaders have been talking about replacing the city’s central library for 30 years.
The current building is more then 50 years old. Library director Deborah Barrow says it's too small and isn’t able to serve the needs of the diverse community that has grown around it in the past five decades.
Barrow says now more then ever, San Diego is relying on its libraries.
“In fiscal year 2009 San Diego public library reached its highest use ever in our 128 year history,” Barrows said.
The new library would cost $185 million and is a public-private venture. About $120 million would come from taxpayers, the other $60 million from private donations. So far, $30 million has been raised in the private sector.

New iPhone App Lets Kids Access School Library Databases

This article originally appeared in SLJ's Extra Helping. Sign up now!

-- School Library Journal, 5/19/2010 2:05:00 PM

Add this to the growing list of popular iPhone apps for kids—AccessMyLibrary School Edition, which makes remote searches of media center databases just a click away.

The latest app from Gale, a part of Cengage Learning, comes on the heels of last year’s launch of an iPhone application that helps users find their local libraries.

This latest K-12 version asks students to enter a password, then search for their local school library. Once in, they can pull up the vast array of Gale online resources within a 10-mile radius that were purchased by their media specialist.

Whether researching for homework or personal use, there’s a wealth of information on science, history, literature, the environment, and biographies right at kids’ fingertips—and it’s completely free. All kids need to do is select a topic, and credible information from current magazines, journals, encyclopedias, and more is available for unlimited use 24/7. A student’s one-time login provides access until the end of the current school year.

“With this new AccessMyLibrary iPhone application, the school library is available anytime remotely, helping to make library resources even more easily accessible,” says John Barnes, Gale’s executive vice president of strategic marketing and business development. “This application is making research accessible to students in the way they prefer to learn, taking advantage of the latest technology. Students are able to access their school’s Gale databases in order to finish homework, work on a project or do research.”

The AccessMyLibrary School Edition app is downloaded at the iTunes store

Cigarette Dispensers Refurbished as Book Vending Machines

Originally posted by Jason Boog on May 12, 2010 10:23 AM

Cigarettes and books have been linked together since the very first literary salon. In this healthful age, one publisher has changed cancer stick dispensers into book machines (pictured, via)--keeping the smoky charm without any of the side effects.
Here's more from Publishing Perspectives: The publisher has refurbished and repurposed old cigarette automats for the purpose of selling books, focusing on the neighborhood surrounding the University of Hamburg. The books--all original texts by Hamburg authors, ranging from graphic novels to poetry to a travel guide for professional women--will each cost four euros. As reported in the Boersenblatt, the titles will also be available for purchase online."
Earlier this year we reported how one company is wrapping print editions of classic stories in fake cigarette packs that fit easily inside your pocket or purse--the perfect books for the new machine. (Via Victoria Strauss)

This is how the New York Public Library sorts their books

http://www.neatorama.com/2010/04/24/this-is-how-the-new-york-public-library-sorts-books/

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/22/books/22library.html

Three Libraries win awards for programs with cutting edge technology

Contra Costa's program is interesting? Like Redbox for libraries. Take the self-service machines popping up in libraries and putting them in other settings like grocery stores and big box stores, etc. It reaches people who don't usually come into the library.

I thought this article was a nice read and tied into what we are doing and learning in class.

http://www.ala.org/ala/newspresscenter/news/pressreleases2010/march2010/cuttingedge_wo.cfm


The Winners

Library-a-Go-Go, Contra Costa County Library, Pleasant Hill, Calif.

The Library-a-Go-Go service uses fully automated touchscreen materials-lending machines to provide stand-alone library services in non-library environments. For more information: http://ccclib.org/locations/libraryagogo.html

Course Views [Library Tools] Project, North Carolina State University (NCSU) Libraries, Raleigh, N.C.

The NCSU Libraries implemented a cutting-edge service in response to the difficulty of creating and maintaining enough “course pages” – recommended resources for specific courses and assignments – to meet students’ needs. The Course Views system provides pages for all 6,000 courses offered by over 150 departments at NCSU. For more information: www.lib.ncsu.edu/dli/projects/courseviews.

Digital Amherst, a project of the Jones Library, Amherst, Mass.

Digital Amherst provides digital historical and cultural materials—photographs and other images, articles, lectures and multimedia presentations—to Amherst locals, scholars and tourists. For more information: www.digitalamherst.org/.

As a side note .. I found this interesting news article about an upset patron over library weeding. All the comments after the article from librarians are the best part

http://www.phillyburbs.com/news/news_details/article/92/2010/april/26/library-books-end-up-in-trash.html

iPad or Kindle?

According to the Los Angeles Times, there actually is a difference between reading on the iPad or Kindle. Reading on an iPad before bed keeps you awake because it emits its own light. Light-emitting devices help the brain to stay alert. Devices like Kindle, on the other hand, use a technology known as e-paper, which does not emit its own light and simulates the look of a printed page. This means that you can read on Kindle in the sunlight, and it doesn't put you to sleep. 

So whether you read to fall asleep or stay awake, now you know which eReader to choose. However, the paperback still has its own advantages. In case you do fall asleep, you know that it will not break upon falling out of your hand. 

The Building Process for the new Central Library downtown started

The City Council has endorsed the 'schoolibrary" concept with two floors dedicated to a charter school. We are finally getting a more accessible central library Downtown!

Find out how you can help support this project by clicking on this site

https://www.supportmylibrary.org/centrallibrary/aboutproject

More interesting library news:


Rhode Island librarian testifies before Congress

http://www.resourceshelf.com/2010/04/22/rhode-island-school-librarian-testifys-before-congress-prepared-testimony-available/

House of Reps pass resolution for National Library Week

http://www.ala.org/ala/newspresscenter/news/pressreleases2010/april2010/nlwresolution_wo.cfm

Singapore reading rate sky high
http://www.asiaone.com/News/Education/Story/A1Story20100427-212682.html

Compare that to Tunisia ...
http://www.magharebia.com/cocoon/awi/xhtml1/en_GB/features/awi/features/2010/04/27/feature-02

School Librarians Know

According to eschoolnews.com, school librarians are working at improving the standards for learning this fall. The American Association of School Librarians (AASL) has released a set of “Standards for the 21^st Century Learner.” These new standards seek to take account of the changes in the present student's learning environment.

In light of the challenges presented by budget cuts, the “Standards for the 21^st Century Learner” focus on the learning process itself. These standards, while applicable to every century, deal with tendencies that are particularly associated with the technologies of the present era.

To overcome the passive or plagiaristic tendencies of television and the Internet, the AASL is seeking to implement an inquiry-based process for learning, emphasizing creativity and encouraging critical thinking at an earlier age.

These skills are necessary for any generation, but in our Information Age, there is a real temptation to let the technology do the thinking for us. School librarians recognize the help and the harm technology presents and are seeking to educate students accordingly. 

Intelligent rants about e-books

Print is dying. Digital is surging. Everyone is confused.

Good Riddance.

As the publishing industry wobbles and Kindle sales jump, book romanticists cry themselves to sleep. But really, what are we shedding tears over?

We’re losing the throwaway paperback.
The airport paperback.
The beachside paperback.

We’re losing the dregs of the publishing world: disposable books. The book printed without consideration of form or sustainability or longevity. The book produced to be consumed once and then tossed. The book you bin when you’re moving and you need to clean out the closet.

These are the first books to go. And I say it again, good riddance.

Once we dump this weight we can prune our increasingly obsolete network of distribution. As physicality disappears, so too does the need to fly dead trees around the world.

You already know the potential gains: edgier, riskier books in digital form, born from a lower barrier-to-entry to publish. New modes of storytelling. Less environmental impact. A rise in importance of editors. And, yes — paradoxically — a marked increase in the quality of things that do get printed.

From 2003-2009 I spent six years trying to make beautiful printed books. Six years. Focused on printed books. In the 00s.

And I loved it. I loved the process. The finality of the end product. I loved the sexy-as-hell tactility of those little ink and paper bricks. But I can tell you this: the excitement I feel about the iPad as a content creator, designer and publisher — and the potential it brings — must be acknowledged. Acknowledged bluntly and with perspective.

With the iPad we finally have a platform for consuming rich-content in digital form. What does that mean? To understand just why the iPad is so exciting we need to think about how we got here.

I want to look at where printed books stand in respect to digital publishing, why we historically haven't read long-form text on screens and how the iPad is wedging itself in the middle of everything. In doing so I think we can find the line in the sand to define when content should be printed or digitized.

This is a conversation for books-makers, web-heads, content-creators, authors and designers. For people who love beautifully made things. And for the storytellers who are willing to take risks and want to consider the most appropriate shape and media for their yarns.

For the rest see: http://craigmod.com/journal/ipad_and_books/

iPads and Libraries

An iPad is a tablet computer designed and marketed by Apple. Its meant for internet browsing, media consumption, gaming, and light content creation. The stylus is your finger. It has a multi-touch screen that is LCD. It runs specific iPad applications as well as those written for the iPhone and iPod touch, including e-book readers. Some people thinkif the app wall Apple has is used with iPads instead it would be the perfect installation for libraries. The iPads could dispaly hundreds of different e-books. Because the size and weight of the iPad it could have alot of innovative uses like teaching aids in school and interactive wallpaper in clubs. This device can really open up a whole new world for libraries. There a many uses for the iPad that a library can do. Libraries can upload their website or library realted websites on a few iPads and leave these out on their displays for patrons to use inside the library. The iPad really can really be a beneficial adition to libraries all over the world. Even artists are sketching on iPads. The iPad can be useful to anyone. This device will pave the way for new technologies.

A new technology to help disabled people

A library in Waynesboro, VA is using a new technology to help disabled people use the computer. This technology is called SmartNav. Its a hands-free mouse alternative that tracks head movements by using an infared camera. You reflect the infared camera's light back to the SmartNav which send instructions to your computer to move the mouse cursor. This allows partrons with limited or no-hand mobility to use the computer. This was donated by Spirit Roller Ministries of Waynesboro county. The device uses a reflective dot placed on directly onto the user's head, hat, hand or glasses. The SmartNav can mount on top of the computer monitor, laptop, or communication device facing you. It can be placed anywhere as long as it can see the reflective accessory the user has chosen to wear. It has a 45 degree field of view and usually sits 2 feet away from your head. This device comes with an onscreen keyboard the user can use to type with. Now people with disabilities can use the computer on their own without help from anyone.

First president owes library $4,577 and two books

(CNN) -- He never told a lie, as the story goes. So maybe if he were alive today, President George Washington could tell a New York City library what he did with two books he checked out 221 years ago.

The two books -- weighty discourses on international relations and parliamentary debates -- were checked out on October 5, 1789.

They were due on November 2, 1789, but weren't brought back.

Since then, they've been steadily collecting a fine of a few cents each day, adding up to more than $4,000 by the New York Society Library's informal estimate.

"I'm sorry, math is not my thing at all," said Jane Goldstein, the assistant head librarian when asked to hazard a guess.

The fine at the time was 2 pence a day. Now, it's 15 cents -- "It's really gone up, hasn't it?" she quipped.

One of the librarians, Matthew Haugen, guessed the fine to be in the region of 3,000 British pounds, or about $4,577.

"He stuck with the pence concept," Goldstein said.

The library first learned of the missing books when it discovered a yellowed ledger in its basement

It listed all the people who had checked out books from the city's oldest library between July 1789 and April 1792.

Next to the works "Law of Nations" and the 12th volume of "Common Debates" was the name of the person who checked them out: "President."

At the time, New York was the capital of the United States, and the library was the only one in town.

Soon after, the capital was relocated to Philadelphia and then Washington D.C.

The New York library, a subscription library that was New York's first library open to the public, has known about the missing books since the 1930s. The matter came up again recently because the library is capturing the ledgers in digital form to preserve the records.

Library officials cross-checked the books mentioned in the ledger with the ones in their collection.

"Volume 12 (of "Common Debates") was still missing," as was the other book, Goldstein said.

The library is not so concerned about the fine as it is about each book.

"We don't know where it is," she said. "We have tried to find it and we can't," she said.

By Saeed Ahmed, CNN

April 19, 2010 9:01 p.m. EDT

Some cool libraries in San Diego

The Athenaeum Music & Arts Library

The Athenaeum Music & Arts Library, located in the heart of La Jolla, has an impressive collection of books, periodicals, reference material in their archives along with thousands of compact discs, cassettes, videotapes, DVDs, and sheet music.

The library holds one of the largest collections of artists' books in Southern California. Their collection contains many beautiful books on the subject of music and art written for young children. They regularly have exhibitions of their art collections and their art galleries are open to the public five days a week. Members of the non-profit can check out materials for a modest annual fee.

Their website:
http://www.ljathenaeum.org/home.html

A list of their recent acquisitions:
http://www.ljathenaeum.org/recentacquisitions.html

Their online catalog:
http://207.67.203.76/A94011Staff/OPAC/index.asp

Current Exhibitions:
http://www.ljathenaeum.org/exhibitions.html#current



Research Library of the San Diego Genealogical Society

The SDGS Library's genealogical research collection consists of more than 9,200 titles. Many are multi-volume sets. The library holds more than 1,000 periodical titles. The extensive collection of the San Diego Genealogical Society Library is one of the major genealogical resources in San Diego. Housed in approximately 2200 square feet, the SDGS Library is located at 7343 Ronson Road in Kearny Mesa.

The library is accessible to members 24 hours a day, 365 days per year, and and open to the public on Thursdays from 10 a.m. until 3 p.m. Computers with high speed internet are available for use to everyone.

Interesting fact: The library uses the Dewey system!

Their website
http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~casdgs/library.shtml

Their online catalog
http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~casdgs/librarycatalog.shtml

Your tweets are in the Library of Congress

Twitter has donated its entire public tweet archive — which numbers in the billions since 2006 — to the Library of Congress, the nation’s oldest federal cultural institution that “seeks to spark imagination and creativity and to further human understanding and wisdom by providing access to knowledge through its magnificent collections, programs and exhibitions.”

Of course, the purpose is to catalog historic tweets such as President Obama’s upon winning the election. But now, the Library will have our musings on “history” as well. After the jump, I’ve taken the liberty of pulling out a few of my tweets that might “further human understanding and wisdom.” On the important issue of healthcare:
Great. Where was I when healthcare passed? Fast-forwarding thru Hallmark’s “Healing Hands” looking for Eddie Cibrian shirtlessness. (None.) 11:46 PM Mar 21st, 2010

On the important issue of censorship:
PSA: “Girls Just Want to Have Fun” on ABC Family right now. 12:58 AM Jan 24th, 2010

So ABC Family leaves in the “Tune in Tokyo” groping but silences the “It’s the safest thing you’ll ever have between your legs” line. Huh? 1:19 AM Jan 24th, 2010

On these troubled times we live in:
Currently having an IM fight over who should play Jeannie in a fictitious reboot of I Dream of Jeannie EP’d by Joss Whedon. Suggestions? 2:57 PM Nov 20th, 2009

I just got called out by Josh Wolk for making a Jaws 3 underwater welding reference. I’m not the only one who remembers those scenes, right? 2:06 PM Jul 20th, 2009

Snowstorm = texting with various friends about the TV movies we’re watching in bed. I cannot do The Christmas Shoes on Lifetime. Sorry. 7:43 PM Dec 19th, 2009

On historic firsts:
I just guessed the final puzzle on Wheel of Fortune for the first time EVER while waiting for The Bachelorette to start! 7:58 PM Jul 27th, 2009

Watching Golden Girls marathon on Hallmark. Just found myself attracted to Leslie Nielsen. 1:48 PM May 3rd, 2009

Original article - by Mandi Bierly

Big Money in First Editions

A rare copy of Jane Austen’s “Emma,” signed by the author, has sold for almost $500,000, according to the BBC News. This three-volume first edition, below, published in 1816, was one of 12 presentation copies that the publisher, John Murray, allotted to Austen for friends and family. Austen originally gave this copy to Anne Sharp, her friend and the inspiration for the character of Mrs. Weston in the novel. In 2008 Jonkers Rare Books in Henley-on-Thames, England, bought the book for a little more than $273,000 at the Bonhams auction house in London. Last week Jonkers announced that it had sold the book to a British collector it did not identify. “The important thing is the signature of Jane Austen to her best friend,” Christiaan Jonkers, director of the booksellers, told The Henley Standard. “That’s what moves it from being a £20,000 book to a £300,000 book.”

As printed in The New York Times

Compiled by RACHEL LEE HARRIS

Published: April 4, 2010

In Web Age, Library Job Gets Update

This is an abridged version of an article originally from the New York Times
By MOTOKO RICH
Published: February 15, 2009


Ms. Rosalia, 54, is part of a growing cadre of 21st-century multimedia specialists who help guide students through the digital ocean of information that confronts them on a daily basis. These new librarians believe that literacy includes, but also exceeds, books.

“The days of just reshelving a book are over,” said Ms. Rosalia, who came to P.S. 225 nearly six years ago after graduating at the top of her class at the Queens College Graduate School of Library and Information Studies. “Now it is the information age, and that technology has brought out a whole new generation of practices.”

Some of these new librarians teach children how to develop PowerPoint presentations or create online videos. Others get students to use social networking sites to debate topics from history or comment on classmates’ creative writing. Yet as school librarians increasingly teach students crucial skills needed not only in school, but also on the job and in daily life, they are often the first casualties of school budget crunches.

Ms. Rosalia introduced herself to her new colleagues as the “information literacy teacher” and invited teachers to collaborate on lessons. The early sessions focused on finding books and databases and on fundamental research skills.

Soon Ms. Rosalia progressed to teaching students how to ask more sophisticated questions during research projects, how to decode Internet addresses and how to assess the authors and biases of a Web site’s content.

Even teachers find that they learn from Ms. Rosalia. “I was aware that not everything on the Internet is believable,” said Joanna Messina, who began taking her fifth-grade classes to the library this year. “But I wouldn’t go as far as to evaluate the whole site or look at the authors.”

Combining new literacy with the old, Ms. Rosalia invites students to write book reviews that she posts in the library’s online catalog. She helped a math teacher design a class blog. She urges students to use electronic databases linked from the library’s home page.

Still, Ms. Rosalia understands the allure of the Internet. Speaking last fall to a class of a dozen seventh graders who recently immigrated from Russia, Georgia, China and Yemen, Ms. Rosalia struggled to communicate. “We have newspapers in all of your languages,” she said. She turned to the digital white board.

When she clicked on the home page of Izvestia, the Moscow-based newspaper, the Russians in the group cheered.

She sounds like a hero to me. -Julie

my local branch libraries

I'm lucky in that I live right by three different San Diego City Public Library Branches: North Clairemont, Clairemont and Balboa. They are smaller branches of the larger system but each offers different things.

The more newer Balboa branch, nestled in a small and quaint neighborhood off a busy street and schools, has great lighting, outlets for laptops and free wi-fi. They have a bigger children's selection due to its location and often there are lots of kids, both for weekend storytime and after school hours.

They also have displays built right into the building and a newstand right out front. The book displays are always timely and attractive. Parking is usually way easier here than NC or Clairemont. The book selection in biography and children's seems to be better than NC or Clairemont.

The Clairemont and North Clairemont branches are on opposite ends of Clairemont but basically serve the same community. They both have welcoming children's areas, a must for public libraries. They offer free wi-fi but there are few outlets to use if you bring your laptop to work. There aren't as many comfy spots to settle into either.

The NC branch is colorfully painted on the outside and inside. The Clairemont branch has a lovely brick exterior that makes it stand out from nearby structures. The designs of each are a bit more awkward than the Balboa branch and the aisles more cramped but their non-fiction, mystery and new book selections are often better.

They each have a lot of activities going on - including regular storytime and homework help for kids, book clubs and even arts and crafts for adults. The librarians are always welcoming and helpful - especially the children's librarians.

Tutorials: often overlooked hidden heros

Libraries are at the forefront of technology like a surfer on a wave. You can keep up with the “wave” and be in the middle of technology and use and enjoy the benefits- but sometimes the wave goes too fast for some with different lifestyles, opportunities or interests and it’s helpful to “get up to speed”. One way a library can use technology to enhance or replace a face to face service is to have on-line tutorials in their OPAC and Library web sites. Often overlooked, taken for granted or ignored, these tools are the silent heros of the library. I don’t know about you, but sometimes I get a little impatient when a reference librarian gets off track, but I still have enough social skills to know that rude gets you nowhere. I love taking control of how fast or slow information is given and using a tutorial is a way I can concentrate and focus on the information I need. Online tutorials can help many people at once on any number of topics. For instance; identifying services the library provides, how to use the ILL, locating books on shelves, finding course reserves, using the library catalog and how to renew materials online; all these are things which have specific methods and goals. While a tutorial is great for getting procedures or training for a specific task - you want a real, live person to help with the intellectual angle of using the information from a library and a librarian is still best at “brain storming”. Things like focusing your search, finding good key words and evaluating and judging the reliability of on-line information- these are all the forte of these information experts. Think of your librarian on a solid gold surfboard on the information wave.
Now if the copy machine would only clear out its own jammed paper!

Computer Technologies in the Library

Computers can be a means to information. Since libraries are concerned with providing access to information, computers and computer applications can be a great asset to any library's work. The online catalog plays a major role in the library, but databases and computer applications are other ways in which the library can spread information efficiently. Three technologies in particular are the library catalog, websites, and the application Publisher. Each technology is used for a different purpose, but all have the ability to contribute to the library's work of providing users with access to information.

The library catalog is probably the technology that users are most familiar with. It is the library catalog that allows users to discover what information the library has to offer and where they can find it. Websites and blogs are other internet technologies that the library has available to them. Through a website, the library can provide efficient access to information about the library's hours and programs. 

Technology isn't limited to the internet. Libraries can also use computer applications in order to create information. One such application is Publisher, which allows libraries to create flyers and brochures, both about the library's programs and the library itself. While the internet is useful for accessing information at a distance, there remains a certain attraction in seeing a tangible sheet of paper as a source of information. Whether the library uses online catalogs, website, self-check-out machines, or computer programs, they all work as a means towards the organization and distribution of information. 

Creating Information

Information can be created through many different ways. Some are multimedia, computer technologies, and applications. Multimedia can use intergrated ways to create graphics, animation, audio, text, video and many more to present information. Due to the advancement in computers today there are so many new ways to information and other things. Information is created by retrieving data then delivering it through the multimedia to create information. By using multimedia information is created by using data to create different means to present information. Computer technology uses the programing of computers to create information by using the programing of computer applications to use data to create new resources for the information. You can use these things to create a webpage for a library to present your information about the library. You can use these things to create a flyer for the library to present your information about a library program or event. You can use these things to create new medias for the library. By using these things you can create new information for different sources. Information is created by using these things to create new use by gathering data and using multimedia, computer technologies, and applications to create new resources.

Ask a Librarian

Technology is sweeping into the library world and enhancing the services that librarians are able to provide to their patrons. One of these technologies is the Ask-a-Librarian feature available at most college and some public library websites. Ask-a-Librarian works as an instant messenger between the reference librarian and students or patrons who are off site. The primary goal of the Ask-A-Librarian service is to provide brief, concise answers to factual questions and/or to suggest information resources and search strategies for research needs.

Complex questions or extensive research needs would still need face to face interaction but for the most part reference librarians that are available to chat can answer any questions you have about library resources or services, finding materials via the library catalog, and selecting and searching useful databases, journals, and websites. The feature is great for students working at home that may need help accessing databases or direction to sources for citations. It can also be handy for patrons of public libraries who aren't comfortable asking for help from the desk, it could help ease some anxiety about finding what they need. Next time you need some help, check out your local public or school library website and see if they offer the chat.

Visit our Ask-a-Librarian chat here at the Palomar College Library - http://www.palomar.edu/library/

digital content is becoming increasingly more popular

...which has crossed over to other services in the library aside from collections, including reference.


Libraries have historically needed to adapt as times changed especially with the advent of computers and all the cool things you can do with them. Many people in communities use the library for a variety of purposes outside of school or research. Yet there are still some that are afraid to use the library or lack the time or ability to physically come to the library.

Emails have become popular in connecting and getting questions answered from reference librarians but one can go even further in enhancing service from library sites.

Using technology like webcams, chat rooms, IM software (AOL, MSN or yahoo for example), or other virtual simulated applications that would appeal to gamers and the like, would create abilities to do 'virtual reference', replacing face to face communication. It can be more timely, can be done from anywhere, even 'after hours' (or from different time zones), and fairly easy to use for those technologically savy. Virtual reference can be more engaging to users and thereby more fulfilling.

The cost, increase in bandwidth and time to set up may be an issue initially but the cost of items like web cams have traditionally gone down in recent years and the software available is pretty easy to use. More inexpensive alternatives may be live chat rooms or IM programs. There are still many patrons and students that are overwhelmed when entering the library or approaching the reference librarian at a giant desk. Virtual communication is a possible alternative that is less nervewracking and easier to use.

You can send off an IM or email between classes and wait to get your answer back when the librarian has a moment. Most have internet capabilities on their phones now too.

While virtual reference should not ultimately replace face to face contact, which is still important, it can be helpful for those users taking distance or online courses, or needing information from a bigger or specialized library removed from their own location.

For further information, Second Life libraries: a 3D virtual library http://infoisland.org/about/

Book for recommended reading:

BuffHirko and Mary Bucher Ross, "Virtual Reference Training: The Complete Guide to Providing Anytime. Anywhere Answers." (2004). Chicago: ALA Editions. [ISBN 0-8389-0876-4]

Articles for further reading: (all can be found in Palomar databases)

McGranahan, Jamen. "Virtual Reference." Library Mosaics 16.2 (2005): 16. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO.

Farmer, Lesley S. "Virtual Reference Service for K--12 Students." Knowledge Quest 33.3 (2005): 22-24. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO.

"Guidelines for Implementing and Maintaining Virtual Reference Services." Reference & User Services Quarterly 44.1 (2004): 9-13. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO.

University of San Diego: Copley Library

• About 380,000 books
• Over 10,000 videos (DVD & VHS) most are educational
• 6,800 children's books
• 85+ computers loaded with MS Office and free Internet access
  
• 30 wireless laptops for checkout (15 PC; 15 Probooks)
• 2 print stations 5¢ black, 50¢ color

The University of San Diego is in Linda Vista, California and overlooks the Pacific Ocean and Mission Bay. It is a private Roman Catholic University, founded in 1949. All of the architecture on campus is in the Spanish Renaissance style.

All right the lava lamp was a little over the top. It's gone to heaven now. I am now working on writing something up about the amazing Salt Lake City library which I visited in 2004. I went on a tour of the library while on my vacation and took pictures. What can I say? I'm a library nerd!

More Layout changes

I put in the lava lamp from the website "Pyzam". I realize it is not super libray-related so if you find something cooler I am aok with a change. I finally managed to insert pictures to match my Mission Valley Library story and put in some links to other libraries.
Great work on the fixes Silvi.
Julie

eBooks in San Diego Public Libraries

Although the old-fashioned book remains one of the most popular items to check out in libraries today, the San Diego Public Libraries also offer eBooks, which are electronic books that a patron can access from a computer. While the eBooks would undoubtedly be useful for research projects - where numerous trips to the library would be necessary - eBooks can usually only be checked out for one week while hard-copy books can be checked out for three weeks. While neither medium is likely to go out of date anytime soon, both have their advantages and disadvantages. eBooks don't have to be carried, but a computer is needed to access them. Books can be taken anywhere, but too many can be cumbersome. In the end, it all depends upon how much time you wish to spend on reading a book and whether you are willing to use a computer. 

Mission Valley Library Spotted Here

This is the back of the Mission Valley Library which was opened in 2002. It is mostly steel and glass from the outside and overlooks the San Diego River in Mission Valley in San Diego. It has a very convenient close access to the San Diego Trolley green line and is also close to Ikea, Costco and plenty of restaurants. On the inside of this bright library there is a large atrium with pillars in the shape of trees holding up the very high ceiling. There are books and seating upstairs also, arranged around the atrium with more views of the valley and river. The only bad thing about this library is the unfortunate placement of the large-type books on the second floor. Are they deliberately trying to make access harder for elderly/visually impaired readers?

• About 70,000 books
• a set aside area for children's books and a well lit story area
  
• Lots of DVD's and CD's
• Free WiFi & enclosed computer room
• 31 computers available for use; 4 in children's area
• 28 plugs available at tables for laptop computers
  
• 2 Self check-out stations available
  
• Conference rooms are available (for a fee)
• Lots of parking (except when there's a game at the stadium!)
• Books for sale out front

Layout changes

Just letting everyone know I changed a few things about the layout. I changed the background image's colors (hopefully you are all ok with that?) and the font colors as per the layout to better match the background.

Spotted but not yet visited

The Vista Library has some very impressive programs for children, teens, and adults. Some are reading to trained therapy dogs, Genealogy Basics, Food for Thought-Gentle Yoga, Origami, Teen video game nights, Teen book group, and many more others. It seems to be really interestingly busy with social programs and events.

Here's something very new! We will feature libraries we have "Spotted" and a little bit of information about them.

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