4 Universities Will Help Digitize Newspapers From the Early 20th Century, from the Chronicle of Higher Ed Four universities and two public libraries are sharing $1.9-million in grants to digitize newspapers from the beginning of the 20th century so the publications can be preserved and searched online. The two-year grants were announced on Monday by the Library of Congress and the National Endowment for the Humanities as part of the.. Read More
Tour of the Stone Center Library
Raquel Von Cogell, the librarian in the Stone Center Library, gave a tour of the library today at 2. This was my first time in that library – in fact, my first time in the Stone Center building. The library is very nice, small (we estimated around 3,000 sq ft), but with very spiffy new furniture, beautiful wood shelving, and wired carrells and wireless access. Raquel said that there’s room.. Read More
Manga on the PSP
I wrote the other day, in my fit of pique, that I want my graphic novels on paper, but most of my other reading materials electronically. Well, I take it back: I’ll take my graphic novels electronically too, thank you. Manga and eBooks on Your PSP, from Gizmodo And the article from 1UP.com that Gizmodo was reporting on. Not that I have a PlayStation Portable, of course, and I really.. Read More
More like Google?
Jessamyn posts this, which seems relevant to one of my recent rants: as she puts it, the “Do we make the library more like Google, or make Google more like the library?” debate. She tracks this back to this post on It’s all good. And then, true to form, Jessamyn sums up in one sentence what it took me a very long post to not say very well: she boils.. Read More
Davis Library launches IM a Librarian
Davis has launched an IM reference service, using AIM! IM a Librarian at Davis Library Buddy name: davisrefdesk As that page points out, the UL and Math/Physics already had IM a Librarian services. As I understand it, the UL’s AIM service has been very popular, so it’s very exciting to me for Davis to be launching this service. Though actually they’re gluttons for punishment over at Davis: this is 3.. Read More
Jessamyn West
Saw Jessamyn West gave a talk today, Postcards from the Other Edge of the Digital Divide: Technological/Political Choices and the Information Poor. Actually her talk overlapped with half of my DL class, so in the spirit of democracy I let the students vote on it: their regularly scheduled program of me, or Jessamyn. I don’t know if I should be dismayed by the resounding vote in favor of Jessamyn, but.. Read More
Why electronic resources are better, Part 2
Apparently I’m famous (infamous?) now in the campus libraries on account of my little temper tantrum the other day. Nathan Williams, our Assistant-über-librarian (Rebecca Vargha is the über-librarian), because he enjoys a challenge, offered to track down the 5 books I couldn’t find in the libraries, with the comment: If you find an electronic resource that will make this offer, please let me know. Ok, he’s got me there. No.. Read More
Dewey to LC nixed in 1937
Duke is converting from Dewey to LC, a humongous, expensive, time consuming, and multi-year project. Someone recently found in Duke’s archives a 1937 letter from Duke’s then-University Librarian J.P. Breedlove to a Dr. Branscomb, who Deborah Jakubs (the current University Librarian) thinks was the head of the library council or some such committee. Breedlove basically implores the committee not to go forward with a Dewey to LC conversion at that.. Read More
Why electronic resources are better
It’s a good thing I’m a librarian or I’d be totally turned off to libraries right about now. I tend to create a list of books I want to check out, jotting call numbers on post-its, & go over to the library once a week or every other week or so. Today I went to the library for 6 books, & came away with exactly 1. Actually I went to.. Read More
Comic Books at Duke
Perkins library has an exhibit of comic books on display in their under-construction lobby. I went over to see it on Friday. It was cool. I’m a geek. Actually this was a great exhibit of early comics, there were some really classic issues represented. The first ever Superman issue (sadly, not represented online), some astoundingly jingoistic WWII issues, an early Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers, an issue that was debated in.. Read More