Perceptions of Libraries Report

Perceptions of Libraries Report

How do people perceive libraries? OCLC has commissioned a study on how libraries are perceived by various information consumers. The Perceptions report provides the findings and responses from the online survey in an effort to learn more about:
· Library use
· Awareness and use of library electronic resources
· The Internet search engine, the library and the librarian
· Free vs. for-fee information
· The "Library" brand

Report on Literacy of American Adults

Report on Literacy of American Adults
The 2003 National Assessment of Adult Literacy (NAAL) measures the English literacy of America's adults (people age 16 and older living in households and prisons).

Library Best Sellers for 2005

At the end of the year everyone starts coming out with their “best” or “most” list of the year that is coming to a close. Libraries are no different and the Library Journal has published the lists of the most checked out fiction and non-fiction books for 2005.

How many of these gadgets have you had?

How many of these gadgets have you had?

PC magazine has released an annotated list for the top 50 gadgets of the last 50 years. Interesting reading especially for those of us who remember the first Sony Walkman or the first CD player.

I Don’t Want to Hear It

Looking for creative ways to express your displeasure with intrusive cell phone conversations? Are you tired of hearing the details of private conversations as you try and study at the library and/or sit in class, or standing in line at Foodland, or at the airport, or sitting in Church, or… well the list is endless. You might try handing out some of these friendly SHHH! Cards from the Society of Handheld Hushing.
(HT Tinfoil Raccoon)

Perceptions of Libraries Report

Perceptions of Libraries Report

How do people perceive libraries? OCLC has commissioned a study on how libraries are perceived by various information consumers. The Perceptions report provides the findings and responses from the online survey in an effort to learn more about:
· Library use
· Awareness and use of library electronic resources
· The Internet search engine, the library and the librarian
· Free vs. for-fee information
· The "Library" brand

Report on Literacy of American Adults

Report on Literacy of American Adults

The 2003 National Assessment of Adult Literacy (NAAL) measures the English literacy of America's adults (people age 16 and older living in households and prisons).

Which are the most popular search engines?

Which are the most popular search engines?

According to the latest Nielsen/Net ratings over 5.1 billion searches were conducted in October. In terms of market share the top search engines are Google, Yahoo!, MSN, and America Online.

The Handhelds are Coming

Handheld devices such as PDA’s are moving into the world of education. According to a recent AP article at wired.com:

“Educational sales of personal digital assistants, laptop computers and
handheld remote controls called "clickers" are ballooning nationwide. Last year,
a survey by Quality Education Data found that 28 percent of U.S. school
districts offered handhelds for student and teacher use. One of every four
computers purchased by schools was a laptop.

One of the frontrunners was Yankton High School in South Dakota, which
adopted Palm handhelds in 2001 and found they improved students' grades.

Electronic learning has become so popular that one school in Arizona went
textbook-free this year, instead equipping its students with laptops. Seventeen
schools outside Eugene, Oregon, now use handhelds on most science field
trips.”

Are you ready for the Handhelds? (HT techmorandum)

Google Searching: Who’s on the First Results Page?

The majority of Google searchers never go past the first page of results. Search engines like Google develop searching algorithms to determine how results of a search are returned. Because placement on the results page is critical to attracting customers, many businesses are turning to the services of Search Engine Optimization (SEO) consultants. SEO’s will study the latest algorithms from the major search services and manipulate their client’s web pages so that they appear on the first page of search results. Not all SEO’s are reputable. So called black hat SEO’s resort to tricks to push their clients to the top. So when you use Google for your research it is good to be aware of what is going on behind the scenes. For a brief discussion of SEOs see this recent Newsweek article.
(HT techmorandum)

Dear Librarian

Dear Librarian,
My name is Cory Peterson and I am a 13 year old boy
who lives in Suisun City, California, about 45 minutes from the capitol
of California, Sacramento. I attend Vacaville Independent Study Program
in Vacaville, California.

Anyway, I collect library cards from around the
world. I have over 1,000 cards! If you could please send a card to me,
I would be honored. However if you do not have library cards, please
email me at calbaseballdude12@yahoo.com to let me know. If you cannot
permit me to have a library card, I would be happy to apply for one if
this is possible. Please email me to tell me the requirements to apply
for a library card. For those of you, who can send me a card, please
send it to this address:

Cory Peterson
1210 Rebecca Drive
Suisun City, CA 94585
U.S.A

Please visit my website at
http://librarycards.expage.com . There you can find out a little about
the collection. I have put up a few scans of library cards and you may
view them. Right now I am working on getting the Northern California
library cards up on the website. Keep checking back for updates! If you
have any questions or concerns, you may also email me at
libcrdcolectr9692@comcast.net .

Thank you for helping my collection grow.

Sincerely,
Cory Peterson

Copyright Myths

The area of copyright law can be confusing. The statutes are broad, especially in the area of fair use. There is no list of specific dos and don’ts. Because the statutes are vague several myths about copyright and fair use have arisen. There are some helpful websites that address some of the more common myths. A good place to start is the BYU Copyright and Licensing Office (http://www.lib.byu.edu/departs/copyright.html ). There you will find several important resources among which are links to a couple of outside sources that specifically address copyright myths. One of the sites is Copylaw.com which has an article by Lloyd Jassin called Ten Copyright Permission Myths (http://www.copylaw.com/new_articles/copy_myths.html )
In his article Jassin addresses the following ten myths:

1. The work I want to use doesn't have a copyright notice so I don't need permission.
2. If I give credit I don't need permission
3. Since I'm only using a small portion of the original work, I don't need permission
4. I don't need permission because I'm going to adapt the original work.
5. Since the work is in the public domain, I don't have to clear permissions.
6. The material I want to reproduce was posted anonymously to an online discussion or news group. That means the work is in the public domain.
7. I can always obtain permission later.
8. The material I want to quote is from an out-of-print book. That means the work is in the public domain.
9. Since I'm planning to use my work for nonprofit educational purposes, I don't need permission.
10. I don't need permission because the work I want to use was published before 1923 and is over 75 years old.

Be sure and look at this helpful copyright information

Withdrawal List

Revew list posted through 12/16/2005

The current list of materials under consideration for withdrawal is now posted. Items for your consideration are in the subject areas of general world history and British history. The complete list appears in the link that follows, as do the library's deacquisition guidelines and rationale: http://w2.byuh.edu/library/libraryinfo.htm

The review period is through Friday, December 16. Materials may be examined in the Technical Services Offices, Monday-Friday, 8:00-5:00. Please communicate any comments or concerns to Riley Moffat (x3884) or Doug Bates (x3850).