Cites & Bytes @ Bailey

a library newsletter, a compendium of interesting tidbits, a communication tool....from Bailey Library @ Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania. (Site Feed)

Wednesday, June 29, 2005

From the All Things Google Dept:

Google Earth from Lifehacker: Google has released a downloadable 3D mapping application that starts you out looking at a view of the entire planet, and lets you fly all over Earth to locations you specify, search, add bookmarks and annotations to places and get directions.
Google My Search from Lifehacker:
Personalized search results establish a search history that informs future searches.

The Google Print project comes under fire, story from the BBC.

Monday, June 27, 2005

Congratulations, Professor Silva!

Congratulations to Arts, Archives, and Digital Initiatives Librarian Judy Silva who was promoted to assistant professor recently! If you see Professor Silva around the library, please offer your felicitations.

Sunday, June 26, 2005

Bookbinding...

Here's a nice online exhibit from Princeton University about women bookbinders...Unseen Hands.

And here's a how-to on binding your own book...

Thursday, June 23, 2005

Four Books in Four Days....

It is my "duty" to stay current with various children's and young adult books--I know, poor me. For an upcoming visit from a children's literature class, I read the following delightful books. Each is poignant, brief, beautifully written, and hard to put down. A unifying theme? Loss and redemption.

Green Angel by Alice Hoffman
Lyrical, haunting allegory set in a post-apocalyptic, 9/11 world. You seldom find a book that is designed so well--the artwork, the font, the arrangement of text all complemented the story. Hoffman deftly invokes magical realism to create the story of Green, a 15-year old girl with a gift for gardening, who loses everything and fights her way back by focusing on other survivors.



The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros
Warm and beautiful portrait of an urban neighborhood, a loving family, and a young girl named Esperanza growing up in Chicago. The book is written as a series of small tales, little stories of Esperanza's neighborhood and childhood that make you know her. I love it when an author can make you remember and reflect on your own experiences. Esperanza is redeemed by her dreams and her writing.



Homeless Bird by Gloria Whelan
Narrative of a young girl in India forced into an arranged marriage and her subsequent struggle to be free. Koly is married and widowed at 13 and must live her days in servitude to a mean-spirited mother-in-law who actually abandons her to live in the streets. Koly's strong spirit helps her to find beauty in the worst of circumstances and helps her to express herself in embroidery. The descriptions of Indian traditions and customs were informative without being overly pedantic or intrusive to the narrative.



Witness by Karen Hesse
Riveting free verse account of the poisonous spread of hate in a small community, redeemed by love and compassion. The violence of the Ku Klux Klan is overcome by decent (but conflicted) citizens in a small Vermont town. Central characters include a young Jewish girl, a young black girl, a lonesome farm woman, a sheriff, a foolish young man, a misguided preacher, and an indifferent woman bootlegger. Powerful character portraits emerge in the beautifully written monologues.

Need a Good Beach Book?

The following lists offer reading suggestions for adults and children:
And if you are swimming, not reading, read this:

Blogging from ALA....

Not me, but these folks are...

Wednesday, June 22, 2005

That's How We Roll Up in Here....

The annual ALA conference in Chicago will feature a Book Cart Drill Team World Championship title contest on Sunday.... no kidding. Read more here.... 14 teams are competing from across the nation. Photos from the Marin County Free Library team, Great American Library Book Cart Drill team, Roselle Public Library Cart Wheelers, Burlington Public Library Bookends, and the Logan Library Drill Team. There seem to be many more... And of course, you can buy a book on it (or interlibrary loan it.)

Tuesday, June 21, 2005

Can't Wait Until Friday...

To share this miscellany of interesting information (from the sublime to the ridiculous...)
  • From SearchEngine Watch, the Louvre has redesigned its site, adding thousands of new artworks and intriguing ways of searching the collections... Try the Kaleidoscope feature.
  • From Lifehacker, What Does That Mean? is a new online dictionary of catchphrases. Today's word: duffiled.
  • From Real Simple, the expiration dates of things that you didn't know had a shelf life...
  • Yubnub allows you to search with command lines. For example, enter" gim slippery rock" in the Yubnub search box and perform a Google image search for pictures of Slippery Rock. Clever? Yes. Useful? Hmmm....

Excuse Me, Mr. Ashcroft...

Despite administration claims to the contrary, a recent ALA study indicates that law enforcement (federal and state) officials have made inquiries under the Patriot Act.... A New York Times article (requires free registration) discusses the implications.

Sunday, June 19, 2005

A Podcast Literary Game...

Here's something new....a podcast literary quotation game from WhoSaid (very challenging!) Don't know what a podcast is? Check it out in the Wikipedia...

Saturday, June 18, 2005

Test 1 2...

The library is experimenting with instant message reference service. "Experimenting" is the operative word, as we have not established a definite schedule for the service. However, give us a try at SRUbaileylibrary on AOL.

(When I remember to fire it up, I am available for IM education reference at melbatomeo on AOL, Yahoo, and MSN. I use the Trillian interface which allows you to operate across the various chat interfaces. I like it because it does not include ads, hijacked home pages, etc.)

Thursday, June 16, 2005

Happy Mortician's Day...

In honor of this holiday, a link to Secrets of the Dead, a PBS series where forensic crime scene investigations meet history.

Wednesday, June 15, 2005

Work Totems


Work Totems
Originally uploaded by Tomes.
As promised, photos from my office at the library have now been added to the flickr group for Librarians Desks. See more here...

Take Me Out....


Pitching
Originally uploaded by ~F&Z~.
Couple of interesting links for the national pastime...

Under the Covers...

Ever read under the covers with a flashlight when you were supposed to be sleeping? Scholastic has a new site, Flashlight Readers, combining books and technology for young readers. Available now: Because of Winn-Dixie, Esperanza Rising, and Holes.

Tuesday, June 14, 2005

Cheaters Beware...

Penn State (and other state universities) are using technology to identify student plagiarism. Get educated on what is and isn't permissible, from UC Davis.

Breaking Records...


Mary Lou All Curled UP
Originally uploaded by HDPL Readers.
Librarians in Henderson, NV are only a few hours away from setting a new Guinness World Record for reading aloud. Read about the project, read their blog, view photos on flickr.

Sunday, June 12, 2005

What I Read on My Summer Vacation, Part II:


A Personal Devil by Roberta Gellis: I am not sure where I picked this mystery up, but the main "detective" is a medieval English whoremistress named Magdalene. The story was surprisingly good and I liked the details of daily life. Good beach read and I will look for others in the series.

Eats, Shoots, and Leaves by Lynne Truss: This audio from the Reading Room is the original BBC series on punctuation and is quite entertaining and informative--here is a fun, online quiz based on the book. I'm probably the last person on earth to discover this but the title refers to a joke about a panda. The author was originally outraged and inspired by all of the misspelled signs in the world.

  • The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini: This is a wonderful and moving book. Set in Afghanistan and the United States, the story revolves around Amir, the son of a wealthy and larger-than-life father, and Hassan, his servant and best friend. The descriptions of political turmoil and daily life in Afghanistan were eye-opening and the character development was masterful. This was one of those rare reads that I had to stay awake to finish. Kite Runner is heartbreaking in several ways--the failings of human character, the horror of "collateral damage," and the triumph of love. Get on the reserve list for this one.
  • Sand in My Bra by Jennifer Leo: Short essays on travel by women. Most interesting so far were Ellen DeGeneres' account of how she copes with fear of flying and the title essay about The Burning Man festival. So-so, easy to pick up and put down.
  • Book Lust by Nancy Pearl: Nancy Pearl is the model for the famous librarian action figure and writes various readers advisory columns. This book wasn't quite what I expected, but is quite a useful tool for those seeking book suggestions. The entries are very brief, almost list-like, but that isn't necessarily a bad thing. Looking for "Great Dogs in Fiction?" "Pawns of History?" Lots of categories and lots of suggestions.
  • What have you been reading? Share by posting a comment below.

Thursday, June 09, 2005

Fun Stuff for Friday...

Time for news of the weird...
  • In the past, we brought you furniture made of books, art made of catalog cards, and today... the house of books!
  • Or a library sinking under the weight of books here... from the entertaining Urban Legends site;
  • WTHDTISF? (or What the heck do those initials stand for?) Find out now in the new acronym search engine, Acronyma;
  • Can't understand your latest text message? Try Transl8it, a text lingo to English translator. transl8it! iz simpl 2 uz

New History Database

The online index America: History and Life is now available at SRU.
America: History and LIfe contains bibliographical citations of book and media reviews and dissertations as well as journal articles on the history and culture of the United States and Canada from prehistoric times to the present. In addition to covering English-language historical journals, coverage includes selected historical journals from major countries, state and local history journals (including Pennsylvania), and a targeted selection of hundreds of journals in the social sciences and humanities. Many of these journals are only indexed in AHL. Periodicals from 1954 to the present are included.
WIth AHL consider the new service called CLIO Alert. You can create a profile containing up to 10 user-defined searches­to be performed for you on a monthly basis with the results e-mailed to you. This service can be accessed from either the Advanced or the Simple Search screens via the "CLIO Alert Profile" link.
To access America: History and Life from school or home, go to the library website, www.sru.edu/library, select Journal Articles/Databases, then chose Databases Alphabetically By Title.

from Lynn Hoffmann

Wednesday, June 08, 2005

What's the Big Deal With Libraries and the Patriot Act?

Congress is considering whether to renew parts of the USA Patriot Act that are due to expire soon, including a provision that allows library records to be turned over to law enforcement. From NPR, a story on one library's experience... (requires Real Player).

Pruning the Patriot Act, an editorial from today's Boston Globe...

Tuesday, June 07, 2005

Books, Books, Books....

Sunday, June 05, 2005

Historical Perspective...

Some new history resources:

By Popular Demand...

Welcome to my study, now a part of the flickr group for librarian's desks, at the request of our faithful readers. Next to appear...my desk at the library.

Saturday, June 04, 2005

Coming Soon To A Theatre Near You...


Hollywood Sign
Originally uploaded by Daly & Daly.

Declining by Degrees, a PBS documentary that aims to take a behind the scenes look at higher education, airing June 23. Official site here...

Time magazine names its picks for the 100 best films of all time. The Library of Congress has been naming 25 films a year since 1989 to the National Film Registry, to preserve those films deemed "culturally, historically, or esthetically important." Check out the impressive film collection in our library's Instructional Materials Center.

And...something called The Hollywood Librarian.


Read More About It...

For those of you too young to remember the gruesome details, here are some links to provide context for the recent "Deep Throat" revelation...

Thursday, June 02, 2005

More (and Some Obscure) Holiday Information...


King Kamehameha
Originally uploaded by Hotpasta.
  • First Saturday in June: National Trails Day from the American Hiking Society (includes a handy trail finder, searchable by zip code)
  • June 6: D-Day, a companion to the PBS series (includes letters GIs sent home describing the invasion). See also the D-Day Museum online (includes information about the Overlord Embroidery, a tapestry that records the invasion as a sort of modern Bayeux Tapestry)
  • June 7: Boone Day commemorates the first time Daniel Boone saw Kentucky, from the Library of Congress American Memory Project's Today in History feature
  • June 11: King Kamehameha Day (which in addition to being a lot of fun to say, is an important holiday in Hawaii)

Photo from flickr.com