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A comment to my January 27 Post Introducing: A 21st Century Library Model was of such important insight, that I felt it deserved a Post of its own. It is from a Gen X capitol city library director. I think … Continue reading →

The wireless password for the week of February 7, 2011 is yield. More information about wireless access in Utah's courthouses.... Jessica Van Buren

Southern Utah has taken a severe weather beating this winter, being subjected to floods and severe storms. Governor Gary Herbert recently declared this region a state of emergency by executive order, which he has the authority to do under Utah... Joanne Gialelis

The library is a big rambling building. Lots of people like it. We understand that people come here for a variety of reasons.

We’ve seen that different sections of the library have different personalities and that sometimes those personalities change. The periodicals area is a good example. For years it was rumored that people went to the periodicals section of the library to see and be seen. If you were more interested in dating than in studying historical dates, periodicals was the place to go. Then, one day that changed. Today the periodicals area is for serious study and serious students will frown on you for being noisy. Then we heard that level 5 was becoming the social place. That isn’t sitting well with the serious students of the humanities and they want level 5 to be quiet. There are a lot of artists and authors studying on level 5 and they need to listen to their muse, not you. Consider this, if you and your friends talk on level 5 you could end up as the bad guys in someone’s short story or novel and there is nothing we can do about that.

So, here is a rundown of how you should behave in different sections of the library.

Level 5—QUIET.  If you must express yourself bring a sketchbook and draw, quietly write haikus, or meditate on all you would like to say and then release those thoughts into the great American novel. By the way, when you are famous the curators from Special Collections would like you to donate your papers. Remember we asked first.

Level 4—QUIET.  We know the Media Center is there and so a lot of creative people are going in and out. They are watching videos and making videos and the energy level is high. We understand, but let’s all make an effort. If you imagine your life would make a great movie we’re okay with that, but we need you to be quiet on the set.

Level 3—No Shhhh. This is the place for conversations. We have group study tables, comfy chairs you can pull into a circle, a snack zone for treats that aren’t too messy, and it’s staffed by people who understand you just need to be social in college. If you need to be in the library, and who doesn’t, but you think we are a little up tight then this is where you can relax.

Level 2—QUIET, with an exception. There are a lot of quiet things to do on level 2. In Periodicals you need to be quiet. In family history you need to be quiet. In the science area you need to be quiet. But in the south end of level 2 we have a place for people who are quiet, but who enjoy a little something extra while they study–it’s the Music Zone. The Lee Library is one of the few libraries we know of that has public music playing. If quiet is too quiet, but you are distracted by other people’s conversations then this spot is for you.

Level 1—REALLY QUIET! This is the floor where the librarians have lots of signs reminding you to be quiet. They probably won’t shhhh you, but they would be within their rights to do so. We do draw the line at smacking your knuckles with a ruler, but don’t think they wouldn’t if we’d let them (Note: this is a joke, the level 1 librarians are some of the nicest people you will ever meet. Please don’t send us angry comments). They aren’t mean, they just understand that some people live with five roommates and the only way they are going to pass that accounting final is if they can really concentrate. Look at our economy, we need those accountants.

So, if there is one message we have for students it’s this. We like you. We like how you use our building, but if you need to talk a lot then find a study room or go to level 3. And, if you find you are really having fun you might need to take the party outside. Remember, we can’t make you study but we can make your experience studying as pleasant as possible.

The ALA Office for Information Technology Policy (OITP) is in the process of developing a digital literacy portfolio.  During Midwinter, OITP staff began meeting with a range of ALA member groups to learn more about current efforts and to help inform the portfolio development.  One outcome of the Midwinter meetings is that OITP’s Advisory Committee is supporting an OITP task force that would delve into digital literacy issues and include representatives from interested ALA units.  A formal proposal to the Advisory Committee is forthcoming, after which time OITP will connect with other ALA units to establish task force membership.

OITP also is in communication with the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA), one of the government agencies working on digital literacy issues as an outgrowth of recommendations made in the National Broadband Plan.  The Digital Literacy Portal is one of the initiatives underway at NTIA.  NTIA has issued a request for organizations – including libraries – that are engaged in digital literacy projects to submit content to be considered for inclusion in NTIA’s Digital Literacy Portal.  A description of the Portal may be found here (pdf) and the content and comment policy is described here (pdf).

OITP will be coordinating with NTIA staff in the collection of library content for the Digital Literacy Portal.  As we are confirming the details of this collaboration, we encourage members to copy us on any submission to the portal and send any comments or other questions you may have to oitp@alawash.org.

The Digital Literacy Portal is a complex undertaking, and staff at NTIA are working diligently to make sure that content on the portal is collected from a wide range of community-based organizations – including libraries.

The 2011 National Library Legislative Day is quickly approaching and will be held on Monday, May 9, and Tuesday, May 10, at the Liaison Hotel in Washington, D.C.

Many changes in Congress now contribute to a new political climate in both the House and the Senate.  New members need to hear from their constituents. Be sure to register early – the American Library Association has reserved a block of rooms at the hotel, but they always go quickly!

The American Library Association, Chief Officers of State Library Agencies and the District of Columbia Library Association sponsor National Library Legislative Day.  We look forward to seeing you soon!

he community support has been outstanding and Saratoga Springs residents have been generous with their time, money and book donations, according to Emily Haleck, Bank of American Fork public relations manager.
“Thousands of volunteer hours have been donated by hundreds of people, including 40-hour work weeks by the all-volunteer library board, community members cataloging books and serving at fundraising events,” Haleck said.

DailyHerald

The Utah State Library has a new program manager for services to blind and disabled patrons.
Lisa Nelson was named to the post on Wednesday. Nelson succeeds Bessie Oakes who is retiring after 36 years.

CW30

Anyone visiting the Family History Library on level 2 will see the rows of microfilm readers. The library has millions of items in microfilm and microfiche formats. We understand why you might ask, “Why not just use digital resources?” It’s a fair question. There are a couple of reasons. First, not everything is available online. We know there is an amazing amount of material you can access through your computer, but there is still an amazing amount of material that no one has scanned. Time, money, and copyright issues all play a role in what is scanned.

Second, despite the overwhelming convenience of digital resources there isn’t any guarantee that those files will last very long. Electronic records have bad habit of disappearing when a site closes or a disk goes bad. File formats change, computers are replaced before their drives are copied, and sometimes entire companies quit doing business. Film on the other hand is expected to last up to 500 years if stored in favorable conditions. And, if you want to read it in 500 years you just need a light source and a magnifier (you can learn more here).  Something to think about when you come across a 5.25 floppy disk that may have someone’s journal saved on it.

By the way, microfilm comes in long strips and microfiche are usually rectangles the size of a file card. These images are from a small microfiche collection in our science library.

The Cedar City Library in the Park provides a wide variety of informational services to Iron County residents and management…

Washington County Spectrum (registration / subscription required)

Besides supplying the main ingredient for gourmet cheddar cheese, this small dairy town’s claim to fame is that it has the smallest certified library in Utah — a remarkable feat when you consider that 12 years ago you had a better chance of being beamed up by space aliens than getting your hands on the latest Stephen King.

Deseret News

Good news? Not hardly! OCLC’s Report to the Membership “Perceptions of Libraries, 2010: Context and Community” is the latest in a series of such reports on OCLC’s efforts to “learn about the attitudes and habits of the emerging ‘online information … Continue reading →

Roadfood.com
Here are a few more unique travel websites you might want to look at while you sit in your cozy warm house and the weather outside is 6 degrees. I don't know about you, but I don't even want to leave the house - it's too cold!

Roadfood.com http://www.roadfood.com/The Roadfood mission is to connect travelers to the most memorable eateries found on back roads, highways, and small towns in America. The site provides a search of eateries by location, and each eatery features reviews, photos, a list of "must eats", maps, and directions. (The photos on the site are mouth watering).

Roadside America http://www.roadsideamerica.com/Statues of ravens, living ghost town, Albert the Bull, the world's largest (fill in the blank) - a site that guides you to the oddities found on America's roads.

Schamp http://newyork.schmap.com/Schmap offers city guides dynamically integrated with maps, photos, events, and reviews. The site is available in multiple languages and offers downloadable search widgets.

SeatGuru http://www.seatguru.com/SeatGuru provides maps of more than 700 aircraft seats. Maps highlight exit rows, seats with drawbacks, seats close to the galley or lavatory, and more. The site is arranged by airline, then aircraft type.

Thanks again to Booklist, April 1, 2010 for their travel site tips.Susan

The ALA Washington Office is urging all library supporters to ask members of the Senate Judiciary Committee to pass S. 193, the USA PATRIOT Act Sunset Extension Act of 2011.

Click here for background information and talking points.

The ALA as part of the Library Copyright Alliance (LCA) has released a paper exploring the Costco v. Omega non-decision. The document, titled “The Impact of the Supreme Court’s Decision in Costco v. Omega on Libraries” prepared by Jonathan Band details legal options in the copyright law that support libraries who lend foreign-made copies in their collections.

Charles Handy wrote 20 years ago; “… the changes are different this time: they are discontinuous and not part of a pattern”. He asserted that, It is the combination of a changing technology and economics, in particular of information technology … Continue reading →

Super Bowl XLV is this Sunday, February 6. You've probably heard or seen advertisements promoting the Big Game at restaurants, sales on groceries and TV specials for Game Day, as well as sweepstakes and contests related to the Big Game.... Mari Cheney

Every school has its symbols–the mascot, the official seal or crest, and of course the team logo. There are honorary symbols: Tulane has a presidential mace and Columbia’s Law Library has the Crown of King’s College. Here in the Lee library we think we have a good symbol for BYU. We have the worn steps.

In 1961 the university opened its new library, and for fifty years students and faculty have walked up and down the stairs searching for knowledge. Young students, and then their children, and now their grandchildren all found a place to study, to learn, and to make lifelong friends thanks to those stairs.

Tomorrow we will be celebrating fifty years of the Harold B. Lee Library. We’re hosting a lecture and a reception. We have an exhibit of artifacts the library has collected and preserved. We are touting our millions of books and our wide range of electronic systems that provide scholarly content in an instant. Students now come to the library looking for wireless access and advice on research as much as they look for books. But the real value of the library can be measured by the depth of the footprints on the stairs. It can be measured by the many people whose feet wore down those stairs before they went out to live what they learned here at BYU.

We know it’s not the kind of symbol you can print on a t-shirt. But we like it.

West-side library lovers who hope a new Glendale library will function as the community’s heart may get their wish.
The Salt Lake City Council on Tuesday gave its unanimous nod to the so-called “North” property, saying the parcel in the “heart” of Glendale — just off California Avenue and Concord Street (1250 West) — is the ideal location for the long-planned branch.

Salt Lake Tribune

Egypt is in the news today and we were curious to know how far is Cairo from BYU? The Internet has resources that tell us it’s about 7044 miles, or 11,336 kms. We found it would take about 20 to 22 hours to fly there and it would cost over $1,200. All good to know. But to really see our geographic relationship we needed something better than flat images on a flat monitor.

We went to level 2 of the library where we keep our globes. It was interesting to see the variety of globes on hand. We have climate globes, political globes, and even globes for the moon and mars. There are plenty of new globes along with old one showing countries named Anglo Egyptian Sudan and Italian East Africa.

Our most popular globe is the giant rotating one that several graduating classes in the 1960′s pitched in to buy for the university. In those days the sign welcoming people to BYU declared “The World is our Campus.” Those students took the message to heart. Here in the library we still like their enthusiasm for learning without limits. We’ve set it up so you can access many of our services and materials online from anywhere on the globe with an Internet connection (lib.byu.edu).

If you are into maps we offer computers with GIS applications and we even check out GPS devices to BYU students.