The Life of a Sentient Search Engine

Moving...

2008-04-07T23:56:00.003-04:00

I've switched to Wordpress for various reasons. Please see sentientsearch.net. There you can update your feed, etc. This version of the blog will be disappearing before too long.

Windows Vista

2008-03-31T18:49:00.002-04:00

I bought a new laptop over the weekend (woohoo) . Its nothing too exciting, just a more modern version of my "work" (eg. grown up) laptop. It has all the usual improvements: faster processor, more RAM (after I added it in), and a bright new widescreen display (thank god for widescreen).

It also has Windows Vista. If you've been listening to the tech babble over the last year or so, you've probably been left with the idea that Vista is going to ruin your life: destroying your credit rating, ending long-term personal relationships, and bringing the wrath of the federal government down upon you.

Well, my experience was a little different. I will preface this by saying that I've only had my laptop for 48 hours, so I may discover new delightful "insights" about Vista as I go. Having said that I have to say I kind of like the fact that Vista gives the user new ways to organize content. The various menus and submenus of the "Start" button no longer sprawl across the page. It has built in support for widgets meaning I don't necessarily jave to have Google Desktop installed. The folder system presents a lo of information on the page without overwhelming me (someone used to digesting a lot of information at once, granted).

Everything looks slick and is fun to use. The old windows sound effects are gone in favor of ones that are less jarring and irritating. The "my pictures" folder does a good job of letting the user get an idea of what's in the folder.

Vista does require some more computing muscle than XP, which is irksome, but not too much. The base version of Vista really doesn't ask much of a system. The appearant speed of my new computer isn't that much faster as a result of the higher requirements for Vista, but it does run better, crashing altogether with far less frequency.

Well, thats all for now. As I learn things of note I'll share.

Yippie!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2008-03-25T20:09:00.003-04:00

Check out the link below for an explaination of my undignified outburst above.

Library Journal

Nostalgia Moment

2008-03-21T00:24:00.004-04:00

For those who haven't seen it, check out the new Pontiac commercial shown below. Its inspired by the classic game Spy Hunter. "Classic" in this case means that its as old as I am, and was already a classic when I finally got to play a port of it on original Nintendo Entertainment System (NES).

A fun game and a fun commerical. It really shows the shift in advertising emphasis in recent years.

Super Smash Bros. Brawl...

2008-03-20T23:20:00.007-04:00

...is it really that good?!

Yes!!!

Super Smash Bros.: Brawl is good old fashioned fun. It is in every way an improvement on the previous games. The graphics are crisp and reasonably well detailed without causing the framerate to bog down in the most frantic fights. These fights are ridiculously fun and get downright manic when for characters get involved. There are, of course tons of powerups and special weapons for players to use, and if you really don't like one, you can turn it off in some cases.

It includes all kinds of "collectables" and things to do, so many that I honestly haven't done everything there is to do. The solo modes include the "classic" mode and the new Adventure Mode called "Subspace Emmisary". The classic mode pits players against a series of battles against one or more opponents, throwing in special conditions like battleing a giant version of a foe or "teams" where a swarm of weaker versions of a given character attack the player. This is good old fashioned single player SSB at its best.

The Subspace Emmissary is an attempt to infuse the game with a story and a little mild platforming. To be honest, SE isn't much to get excited about. The story is a little obtuse. The play is kind of boring for streches and the characteristics of certain characters make them, at best, awkward to use in this platforming style of play. Its not so bad that it takes away from the game (it can be ignored entirely if you want), its just very obviously not the focus.

The focus is on the "multiplayer" options, and boy does Brawl deliver on this count. Why quotes? Well, this is for two reasons. First, the multiplayer set of selections is where you go to set up a standalone brawl and this can be done with only one player against computer opponents. Second, you don't need multiple players to play against other players. Yes, SSB has joined the internet age and its done so in a big way. With an exchange of friend codes, you can play against all your friends whether they're on the other side of town or the other side of the planet. Bigger than this (in my humble opinion) is the ability to jump in and play against annonymous opponents on an ad hoc basis. No friend codes, no obnoxious pre play chatting, just brawling. You pick a character, a stage, and then go to a training area where you can practice against a punching bag until the network pairs you up with your opponents then you have a delightful time beating the crap out of eachother. I've never been a big fan of online games, but I think Brawl has made a converter out of me. It is a ball to playing with other folks, all without the fuss that so often takes the fun out of it for me.

As I alluded to, there's all kind of things to collect including the familar trophies and new "stickers". There's also a whole slew of hidden characters and stages. You can unlock new music and other stuff as well. I won't get into all these mechanics, just understand that its fun and a "completionists" dream. There is also a stage builder included that allows the player to make their own stages. I haven't played with this yet but it looks like it could add a lot to the long term replayability.

Public Libraries (because this is a Librarian's blog) with teen gaming programs would be well advised to get ahold of this game as it is sure to "pack 'em in". Just be sure you have enough consoles and TVs for your probable attendance because noone's going to want to be on the sidelines for to long with this one.

Enjoy the intro movie:

Twittering away the hours...

2008-03-20T15:36:00.002-04:00

Okay ya'll,

Apparently bloging, chating, and IMing is soooooooo yesterday! The new tool for the compulsively in touch is Twitter, a social networking site designed to keep tabs on friend and loved ones. It allows users to stay in touch with people to perhaps an unhealthy (even downright diseased) level of minutia. Nonetheless, this is the new mode of communication.

One thing I can say is that, yes, it is addictive. I've only had an account for two hours and I'm already thinking "Ooo, I could twitter(?) that!" I can't help but feel that this is going to be bigger than blogging in the mainstream. Most people just don't like to (or shouldn't, to be honest) write that much, so Twitter is perfect as it actually limits you to 140 characters, so you can keep in touch without being a great wordsmith. As "Grammar Girl" puts it in her Unofficial Twitter Style Guide:

If you can't say it in 140 characters, reevaluate whether you should be posting it at Twitter.

So take a look at the site and maybe start an account (let me know if you do and we can swap usernames, if your interested in obsessively following my movements). You may also want to check out the wikipedia article and the Twitter Blog.

Is user-generated content loosing its luster?

2008-03-07T14:35:00.004-05:00

Appearently. Check out this article from newsweek. It discusses new attempts to reign in the bohemian, democratic world of Web 2.0. Yes, my librarian friends, authority is enjoying an upswing! (Best not ditch those reference desks just yet).

This comes as welcome, if unsurprising, news. After all, inaccurate information is as valuable as no information. The only thing that suprises me is how long it took...

New Reader's Advisory Tool from Gale

2008-02-28T16:57:00.004-05:00

Looks like EBSCO's Novelist is getting some company. Gale Centage has announce a new reader's advisory database that looks like its going to incorporate some Web\Library 2.0 tools, (Novelist has no Web 2.0 features) (see LJ note). It also has a really nice open web front end designed to funnel users to their local libraries, a very nice feature from a librarian's perspective. Looks like EBSCO's going to have to get moving if they want to keep their customer's attention.

Musical Pi

2008-02-28T16:52:00.002-05:00

Hey this is nifty! Check out this boingboing post! Basically it links to a little webapp that converts the first 10,000 numbers of Pi into Music based on notes you set. Really it explains itself better than I could.

Mike

Microsoft and the European Union

2008-02-28T16:43:00.002-05:00

I found this at TechCrunch and thought it was interesting. I'm not the foremost Microsoft supporter in the world, but I think Mr. Arrington makes a good point in this post.

If Europe spent half as much time coming up to solutions to their various ills as they spent blaming others for them they might be better off. Mad about not having a big tech industry? Here's an idea, do the capitalist thing and invest in it.

CML's Toolbar

2008-02-25T20:14:00.002-05:00

Hey this is cool! On CML's upcoming "Power Tools" page, you can download a CML toolbar. Ordinarily toolbars of this sort really just annoy me. However, I think that this is just plain cool. I places CML's catalog right where patron's can get to it easily.

One of the most intoxicating things about Google, etc. is the convinience and immediacy. This toolbar takes CML's catalog in a more convinient direction. What's more, you can use the toolbar to search the "hidden web" through CML, providing more convinient access to electronic periodical databases. This is definitely a step in the right direction.

Very Cool!

Electronic Arts wants to buy Take Two

2008-02-25T19:41:00.003-05:00

This should be terrifying to gamers everywhere. It seems that the biggest publisher in the game industry is intent on buying the second biggest. I'm all for capitalism, but EA is getting too big. It seems like the bigger they get the lower the quality of their product. With the notable exception of Maxis, EA seems to be the place where once venerable game franchises and developers go to die.

I have a particular concern in this case. Take 2 owns 2K Games which owns Firaxis (oi!), the current publisher of the Sid Meier's Civilization Series. I'd hate to see Civilization get the McElectronic Arts treatment...

And the Winner is...

2008-02-19T12:32:00.006-05:00

...Blu-ray!!!!!!

Yes ladies and gentlemen, Toshiba has waved the white flag, announcing that it is quitting production on the HD-DVD format. This comes as welcome news to Sony, the principal developer of the competing technology Blu-Ray. It means that they finally get what they've wanted since the Beta-Max days: to force everyone to use a format they've devised and pay handsomely for the privilege. They failed with Beta, UMD, and others, but now have a winner with Blu-Ray. No word on when\if Toshiba will develop and sell Blu-ray player of their own.

It sounds like the early adopters among you who bought HD-DVD are out of luck. I'm just glad we're finally through another format war, as they are always rather onerous.

So much for the Google Generation...

2008-02-18T19:58:00.003-05:00

Check this out! - From Library Journal

It looks like the the "Google Generation\Internet Generation" is a myth after all. Of course if anyone bothered to ask a reference librarian we could have told everyone that a long time ago and saved everyone the cost of expensive studies.

All you need is a month working reference in a public library to understand that kids in the "internet generation" don't understand:

what the internet is good for,
how to get good search results,
or how to tell the difference between good and bad results.

In my opinion this research highlights the importace of information literacy instruction. What was once primarily the arena of academic and school librarians now needs to be a part of the public library world. Of course, in order to do that the librarians themselves need to be better internet searchers as well...

Most Anticipated Games 2008

2008-01-25T20:31:00.001-05:00

Just for fun, I thought that I'd share which games I am most excited about in 2008.

Spore (PC)

From the Maker of Sim City and the Sims comes Spore, a game where you evolve a single-celled organism into a complex Space Faring society. Rather ambitious, I'd say. There are pundits who feel that this could be the "Citizen Kane of video games".

Mario Kart Wii (Wii)

The Mario Kart games are always a blast and the Wii's motion controls should make it even better. (Video from a press conference in Japanese, so audio is optional if you don't understand it.

Super Smash Bros. Brawl (Wii)

Super Smash Bros. Brawl is the third in an insanely fun series of fighting games. It just goes to show that you don't need blood and gore to have fun.

Star Wars: The Force Unleashed (Various)

This game is going to be incredible. Its being treated as a Star Wars film with the full marketing treatment and everything. It looks like its going to take the cinematic experience in games to a whole new level.

Final Fantasy IV (Nintendo DS)

This is a nostalgic pick for me. Along time ago I played the original American version of this game (Final Fantasy II) on the Super Nintendo and became a video game fan in the process. The story and gameplay are perfect. This is the only game that's ever made me cry (just a little, don't look at me that way).

2007 Japanese Release Trailer w/Subtitles - Out in the US this year!

Final Fantasy IV DS TGS 2007 ( Subtitled in English )

Empire: Total War (PC)

There's very little out about this game. I love strategy games. I love the games in the Total War series, and the era of this installment "the age of sail" is my absolute favorite period of history. I love Naval Warfare and its getting the royal treatment here.

Back to the grind...

2008-01-14T19:45:00.000-05:00

Well, I'm back in school. You can probably guess from that intro that I'm not entirely thrilled. It's not that they're bad classes or that my professors are ogres. I'm just cranky both becuse "it is" and because I have one class at 8:00 at night and one on Saturday.

Both classes look pretty interesting. My IT for Info Professionals class shouldn't be to difficult. I looked over the syllabus and the only thing that will be totally new to me is UNIX (yes I said UNIX). We're going to go through several things that should be at least useful to get another point of view on. I just need to get my head out of my but and get over it.

My Library Materials and Services for Adults class should be useful too. Its taught by someone currently working reference so she'll have a lot of current info to share.

Libraries: "The reports of our deaths have been greatly exaggerated..."

2008-01-13T21:54:00.000-05:00

Check this out! Apparently the efforts of libraries to remain significant in the internet age have been successful. This seems to indicate that we've made a great start, but libraries will have to build on this to continue to be successful. Efforts like my employer's new catalog, recently supercharged by Aquabrowser, will certainly help in this regard.

So keep up the great work folks!

(The full press release that prompted this article appears here, and is reprinted in its entirety below, as I couldn't get a permalink.)

Information Searches That Solve Problems

12/30/2007 | Release

People who have faced one of several common government-related problems in the past two years are more likely to consult the internet than other sources, including experts and family members.

In a national phone survey, respondents were asked whether they had encountered 10 possible problems in the previous two years, all of which had a potential connection to the government or government-provided information. Those who had dealt with the problems were asked where they went for help and the internet topped the list:

58% of those who had recently experienced one of those problems said they used the internet (at home, work, a public library or some other place) to get help.

53% said they turned to professionals such as doctors, lawyers or financial experts.

45% said they sought out friends and family members for advice and help.

36% said they consulted newspapers and magazines.

34% said they directly contacted a government office or agency.

16% said they consulted television and radio.

13% said they went to the public library.

The survey results challenge the assumption that libraries are losing relevance in the internet age. Libraries drew visits by more than half of Americans (53%) in the past year for all kinds of purposes, not just the problems mentioned in this survey. And it was the young adults in tech-loving Generation Y (age 18-30) who led the pack. Compared to their elders, Gen Y members were the most likely to use libraries for problem-solving information and in general patronage for any purpose.

Furthermore, it is young adults who are the most likely to say they will use libraries in the future when they encounter problems: 40% of Gen Y said they would do that, compared with 20% of those above age 30 who say they would go to a library.

“These findings turn our thinking about libraries upside down. Librarians have been asked whether the internet makes libraries less relevant. It has not. Internet use seems to create an information hunger and it is information-savvy young people who are the most likely to visit libraries,” noted Leigh Estabrook, Dean and Professor Emerita at the University of Illinois, co-author of a report on the results.

She added that internet users were much more likely to patronize libraries than non-users (61% vs. 28%).

This report is the fruit of a partnership of the University of Illinois –Urbana-Champaign and the Pew Internet & American Life Project. It was funded with a grant from the federal Institute of Museum and Library Services, an agency that is the primary source of federal support for the nation’s 122,000 libraries and 17,500 museums. The survey was conducted between June 27 to September 4, 2007, among a sample of 2,796 adults, 18 and older. The margin of error is plus or minus 2.5 percentage points.

The focus of the survey was how Americans address common problems that might be linked to government. The problems covered in the survey: 1) dealing with a serious illness or health concern; 2) making a decision about school enrollment, financing school, or upgrading work skills; 3) dealing with a tax matter; 4) changing a job or starting a business; 5) getting information about Medicare, Medicaid, or food stamps; 6) getting information about Social Security or military benefits; 7) getting information about voter registration or a government policy; 8) seeking helping on a local government matter such as a traffic problem or schools; 9) becoming involved in a legal matter; and 10) becoming a citizen or helping another person with an immigration matter.

There was some variance in the results, depending on the type of problem that people confronted. For instance, those who dealt with a health problem turned to experts more than any other source, followed by family and friends, and then the internet. And those who had issues related to big government programs such as Social Security or Medicare were most likely to go directly to government agencies for help, then the internet.

Most people were successful in getting information to help them address a problem no matter what channel they chose and no matter what problem they faced.

65% of those who approached the government for help said they were very successful.

64% of those who went to the public library were very successful.

63% of those who used the internet were very successful.

61% of those who consulted professionals and experts were very successful.

Among the sources consulted, the internet was the source that was most often cited as the one that provided a lot of the information people were seeking.

“It is important to stress, though, that even as our data show the internet is ascending, we also find that large numbers of people do not use the internet and this low-access population prefers getting information and assistance from sources other than the internet,” noted Lee Rainie, Director of the Pew Internet & American Life Project, and one of the study’s authors. “Those without broadband connections at home or at work have very different needs and search strategies from those who have woven the internet into their lives.”

A major focus of this survey was on those with no access to the internet (23% of the population) and those with only dial-up access (13% of the population). This “low-access” population is poorer, older, and less well-educated than the cohort with broadband access at home or at work. They are less likely to visit government offices or libraries under any circumstances. And they are more likely to rely on television and radio for help than are high-access users.

Another important concern in this research was to see how the rise of the internet might affect the way government officials and librarians could work to meet citizens’ needs.

“The big message in this survey is that those who want to help citizens – whether they sit in government offices, libraries, non-profit organizations, or politically-active groups – live in a much more complicated environment now than they did a decade ago,” said Evans Witt, CEO of Princeton Survey Research Associates International, the firm that conducted the survey and one of the report’s authors. “They must serve citizen needs that run the spectrum from high-tech digerati who want everything served to them online to grandparents in rural areas who want the government to mail them key documents that are printed on real paper with real ink."

This is just to cool...

2008-01-06T12:18:00.000-05:00

When I read what follows, I had a good chuckle. Then I thought about it some and laughed some more, but for a different reason. It seems Nintendo's "gamble" has paid off. After all, the Queen could be thought of as the posterchild for the non-traditional gamer. It's just another demonstration that broadening one's audience is only possible when you offer your product or service on the customer's terms, as Nintendo has with the Wii. As we all know, broadening one's audience is the surest way of remaining a viable force in any business.

From: www.people.co.uk
6 January 2008

MAKE WAY FOR THE Q Wii N

Elizabeth hogs Wills' Xmas gift from Kate ROYAL EXCLUSIVE

By Dean Rousewell

The gadget-loving Queen has become HOOKED on Prince William's new Nintendo Wii games console.

William's girlfriend Kate Middleton bought him the £200 gift for Christmas - but he now has to share it with his grandma.

A Palace source told The People: "When she saw William playing a game after lunch at Sandringham she thought the Nintendo looked tremendous fun and begged to join in.

"She played a simple ten-pin bowling game and by all accounts was a natural.

"It was hilarious. William was in fits of laughter. He was enormously impressed at having such a cool gran.

"And although she is 81 the Queen's hand-eye co-ordination was as good as somebody half her age."

The Wii was this Christmas's musthave gift. Players can create their own customised on-screen lookalike - just like our jokey Elizabeth pictured above.

Kate, 26 on Wednesday, watched as William, 25, unwrapped the gift at the Royal Family's festive gathering. Our source said: "He loves his gadgets and boys' toys. So it was the perfect present for him.

"His only difficulty nowis prising it away from the Queen's clutches. She showed all the signs of becoming a Nintendo addict."

It's not the first time the Queen has joined the hi-tech revolution.

In 2001 she got her first mobile phone and has regularly upgraded to one with the latest features.

Her Majesty set up her own email account years ago.

In 2005 she took delivery of an iPod that stores more than 100,000 tunes.

And last June she added a trendy BlackBerry to her technological armoury - and made sure her senior staff were equipped with them too.

Bog Soil and AccessScience

2007-12-10T20:09:00.001-05:00

For the first time in a couple weeks, I had a really interesting reference question this evening at work. I had a young man who wanted "a book" on "bog soil". After a a brief reference interview, I discovered that he needed to know how to make bog soil, like that of the Everglades, in order to replicate it himself. I tried our catalog without much hope for sucess. At this point the "aha" hit and I showed him AccessScience (thank you McGraw-Hill). He left very happy with a full article on bogs, a segment of the article on soil, describing the soil type found in most of Florida (characterized by a large amount of organic matter and a high proportion of sand), and a pathfinder to finding the full 45 page article from home.

Overall it was the most satisfying reference experience I've had recently. I like pushing the boundaries of my personal experience and really puzzleing things like this out.

Also, I just want to say that I really can't say enough about how nice a resource AccessScience. I really think its a must have for public libraries and anyone else who serves a high school population. Its easy to navigate, makes excellent use of multimedia, and uses the McGraw-Hill Encyclopedia of Science and Technology as its base (a gold standard for general science reference). Its great for High School Students, College Undergrads, and Life-Long Learners, so if your library doesn't have it, ask that they get it, you won't regret it.

Ten Reasons Why Bad Customer Service Really Gets Me Steamed

2007-12-06T20:30:00.000-05:00

With the holiday shopping rush upon us, I thought I'd share a few words on why bad customer service is just plain dumb. We see it everywhere, but I never really understood it until I was on "the other side of the desk". It isn't a matter of being rude to customers. It's about failing to satisfy the reasonable requests of one's customers, making customers jump through unnecessary hoops, and making\adhering to rules that don't make sense anymore. Here's ten reasons in particular why I just hate bad customer service:

1. Good customer service is not hard! - Good customer service is a matter of making an effort and being pleasant. You can read a lot of articles and learn a lot of techniques, but this is what it basically boils down to. These are two things within the reach of every person alive. It's entirely a matter of whether one has the will do it.

2. Bad customer service makes things hard! - After all, when is anything easier when one or both parties are angry. A customer with a grudge isn't conducive to a simple transaction.

3. Goodwill is important to any organization. - Good customer service builds goodwill, which is the lifeblood of any organization. Organizations rely on goodwill to maintain and grow their customer base. Organizations with bad customer service are shooting themselves in the foot.

4. Goodwill is fragile, but bad feelings tend to fester. - It's a sad fact, but people are more likely to remember when you've done something wrong than if you've done something right. In addition, one incident of sub-par service can be all it takes to turn a customer's opinion against the organization. Why risk it?

5. Customers don't understand or care about "what the policy says". - This is a fact. Write it down. The customer only knows what they need. It's the customer service rep's job to keep the customer as happy as possible, even if it means bending the policy a little. Any good employer will forgive bending the rules in exchange for a little goodwill.

6. Most customers are reasonable, decent people and shouldn't be treated otherwise. - It drives me nuts when rules are made to keep .01% of the population from doing something wrong. Just don't do it. It makes no sense and it makes your customers feel like criminals or children, not exactly conducive to a positive experience.

7. Good customer service is something everyone deserves. - This is one of those inalienable rights things. As sentient beings we have a right to be treated well.

8. Bad service is just as unpleasant for the provider as the customer. - I like to think that I have never given bad customer service. However, I can remember times when I haven't given the best service I could and they bother me for a long time after. I can't imagine how I'd feel if I gave blatantly bad service.

9. Customers make requests for a reason. - If a customer comes with a question or a request, its because they think you can help them (novel concept, eh?)! So here's a thought, try to help them! If it is genuinely impossible for you personally to do anything for them, be honest, they like that. Then bend over backwards trying to get them the help they need from another source they like that even more.

10. Its just plain annoying. - Nothing else to say really...

Changing....

2007-12-06T19:58:00.000-05:00

Yep, I did it again!

I changed things. Some are obvious (and cosmetic) and others are less so. Specifically, You'll see a bunch of new posts. If you were a reader of my other blog, they won't seem so new.

Were? You ask? Yes, WebraryLinks is now defunct. I have merged all its posts to this blog. I just decided that I was having trouble keeping up one blog, let alone two, so from now on I'll just be doing occasional site reviews here instead of doing so in its own space.

Hopefully it will go better this time.

Sentient vs. Sapient

2007-06-02T13:13:00.000-04:00

I have been informed that a better name for my blog might be "The Life of a Sapient Search Engine". It seems that the two words are often confused. Many people, including myself, assume that the definition of sentient includes "self-awareness". This is not so, according to the OED sentient means "That feels or is capable of feeling; having the power or function of sensation or of perception by the senses." Sapient has several definitions. Generally, it means "wise" but in anthropological terms it means "Of, pertaining to, or characteristic of modern man," a definition which includes being "self aware".

I've decided that I don't care. This is for four reasons:

1. It's meant to diferentiate me from computers, which are neither sentient or sapient. When they develop sentience I may change my mind.

2. "Sapient" as already mentioned, implies "wisdom" which I will not be so bold as to declare I've attained this at my age (nearly 23).

3. Most people get what I mean and might be confused by sapient.

4. I've already changed the name of this blog once and don't really want to change it again.

If you have a problem with this, tough noogies, its my blog durn it! (Yes, that's right, durn it!)

I Feel Fortunate...

2007-06-01T16:37:00.000-04:00

Reading things like this makes me feel truly fortunate that I (1) work in Ohio, which in the worst of times funds its libraries better than some states fund their libraries in the best of times, and (2) that I work in a place that truly loves its libraries. Franklin County, Ohio (Columbus specifically), is a truly a blessed place to be a librarian, and I am really lucky to work in this fantastic environment.

My thoughts are with my colleagues in Massachusetts, Oregon and everywhere else libraries have been closing lately. Hopefully your new funding will come through and you can back to serving your patrons, which I imagine is all you really want.

Shifting

2007-06-01T13:42:00.000-04:00

Today, I had the distinct pleasure of shifting in the nonfiction collection. In the process I came to the conlusion that this can be one of the most mentally and spiritually renewing tasks a tired librarian can undertake.

For those among the uninitiated, "shifting" is the process of moving books on the shelves so they fit better and are more evenly distributed. This is an essential process that goes on day to day (a small section at once). Once a year its good to do a "big shift" where you do the entire collection in a short period (a week or so).

When you're out in the stacks, you're alone with your thoughts finding treasures you didn't know (or forgot) were there. You also find stuff that has no business still being there and thus can do a little weeding while you're at it.

Shifting also lets you do something physical for awhile which is always great for your outlook on life. After all, there aren't too many day to day library tasks that let you get your blood moving quite like a shift, (except maybe storytime, but I'm not a children's librarian so I can't be sure).

So if you're a desk-bound librarian, do yourself a favor and do a little shifting once in awhile. Its not just good for your collection any more.

Booktalking

2007-05-30T18:40:00.000-04:00

Today, I did my first booktalk. The assistant manager for my branch asked me to talk about Fantasy and Science Fiction books in our staff meeting about this years Summer Reading Club. Thus, I was performing for a friendly audience. Nevertheless I feel I can honestly say that its an experience I wouldn't mind repeating in the least.

For those of you who are completly confused, Booktalking is when you stand infront of a group of people and talk about books (there's a head scratcher for ya)! You quickly have to sum up why a book is great and who should read it. For today's, I was to just talk about books in these areas (I threw in History Nonfiction as a bonus) so staff would know what was out there when they inevitably got questions about what good books are out there. Since we're aways so swamped during Summer Reading Club, its important that everyone be able to fill this role.

For the one today, I picked books I like and feel others will like. Some will tell you that you don't have to have read the books, but I feel that its much easier to talk about books you have read and liked or at least have an appriciation for its virtues. Booktalking books unfamiliar to you involves enough additional preparation to sound knowledgeable that you might as well read the book as far as I'm concerned. You can also speak with more passion about books you genuinely like.

For example, at the meeting today our teen librarian talked about teen books. All were books she liked and weren't necessarily on any best seller lists. You could tell by the way she talked exactly why this woman is a teen librarian, for her passion and enthusiasm for these books and teens and general was plain for all to see. Her personalized approach made her comments seem genuine and meaningful. All of us have spoken to people who've just read the dust jacket on something and then try to act like they read it. I comes off as really phony and does nothing to inspire.

For my own part, I have gotten some good reviews on my efforts. I had a couple coworkers tell me they liked what I had to say and wanted to know more about some of the books I discussed. I'm not a great public speaker, but I have to tell you, I found this to be rewarding experience and highly reccomend it.

Fantastic Fiction

2007-05-30T17:56:00.000-04:00

Fantastic Fiction - http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/ - 3 Stars

Many who know me have heard me extoll the virutes of this site. It allows a person armed with an author or title to find other books by the same author. The site is great for determining the next book in a series and its faster than using a database like Novelist (if you don't know about Novelist, ask a librarian its great!).

This site is easy enough to browse and search within its focus. Most books are linked to amazon so yoy can get a hold of a copy. The site has cover images, and often has them for multiple editions, so if you can only remember the cover of a book you read in the past the site can be really helpful. The site is not the most attractive out there but it is very functional. Some author pages have listings of books recomended by the author. This is really cool as it often exposes one to new and more obscure authors.

Sky and Telescope Magazine

2007-05-16T23:40:00.000-04:00

Sky and Telescope Magazine - http://skytonight.com/ - 2.5 Stars

Sky and Telescope's site offers a lot of neat stuff for telescope and astronomy enthusiasts, including cool columns, stargazing tools, blogs, feeds, and more. One can learn how to start with this hobby and ways to get involved with the stargazing community.

The site looses ground with me as far as the layout is concerned, as its really busy. It also includes ads which always irritate. If the ads weren't thematically related to the site I would have taken off another half star on my rating.

Give the site a look, and be patient.

On the Name Change

2007-05-16T22:33:00.000-04:00

I've decided to abandon the name "CoolQueries" for this blog. As neat and potentially marketable as that name was, I felt I wanted to go beyond talking about interesting reference questions (turns out there weren't enough truly interesting questions to write about).

"The Life of a Sentient Search Engine" speaks to my passion for reference service while being more open to other "librarian stuff".

PDF Online

2007-05-14T11:46:00.000-04:00

PDF Online - https://www.pdfonline.com/convert_pdf.asp - 4 Stars

I just discovered this at work today! This free service allows one to convert numerous popular document and image formats to PDF. Now I know this is nothing new, but its special to me because its all online! Where I work, I cannot install the software or drivers necessary to use most of the PDF coversion solutions and therefore could only make PDFs by printing the document, and scanning it to PDF on our RICOH copier. This naturally degraded quality significantly and was, needless to say a hassle. This free online site does the conversion with no messy real world interaction, creating crisp PDFs that look like the original document.

The site is easy to use and feature rich. All the most popular Microsoft document formats and most image formats are included! The site does load slow so be patient! Also be patient when uploading, as, quite naturally, some files take a while to upload. It only takes a short while after that for the file to show up in your mailbox. Highly recommended, especially used in conjunction with a mail service like Gmail or Yahoo mail for PDF creation on the go!

Chemical Composition of Petroleum

2007-04-19T10:06:00.000-04:00

I had a young woman with a school project on the Exxon Valdez. Her part was to look up the chemical composition[properties of petroleum. We found articles on Petroleum and Exxon Valdez in AccessScience, a subscription database that may be available at your local library.

Most Basketballs

2007-04-19T09:57:00.000-04:00

I had a patron and his father come in asking about the record for most the most basketballs spun simultaneously. They thought it was in the 1990 edition of the Guinness Book of World Records. We didn't have this, and it wasn't in the more recent editions (2007, 2006...). We checked the GWR wcbsite, and found a listing showing that the older record that the patrons had been referring to had been superseded. Here's the link to the specific article:

www.guinnessworldrecord.com/records/sports_and_games/
ball_sports/most_basketballs_spun_simultaneously.aspx

Nativity Ceramics

2007-04-19T09:44:00.000-04:00

This eventing, I had a patron ask for:

1. Books on Sculpting

2. Art Depictions of the Nativity

This patron had been planning a nativity sculpture for years and I'm pleased to say that I was able to help her get it underway with several art books, children's stories of the nativity, and books on scuolpting and pottery.

The Owl and the Pussy Cat

2007-04-16T21:13:00.000-04:00

Citizendium and Maritime Art Greenwich

2007-04-16T19:31:00.000-04:00

To atone for the lack of posts, here are two offerings.

Citizendium - en.citizendium.org - 3 Stars

Citizendium, the brainchild of Wikipedia cofounder Larry Sanger, can be thought of as the librarian's answer to Wikipedia. It uses the same free-content paradigm as Wikipedia and the same communal elements. However, unlike Wikipedia Citizendium adds an element of oversight and editorial control aimed at ensuring the quality of the information included in the site's articles.

The format will be familiar to those who use Wikipedia regularly with a clean uncluttered interface and muiltimedia articles. The authors and editors are required to give their real names and a short biography describing their qualifications. The site includes numerous other measures designed to ensure good content please refer to The Big Cleanup page on the site for more information (http://en.citizendium.org/wiki/CZ:The_Big_Cleanup).

This is a librarian's dream come true! We're trained to look for authoritative and stable sources to the information we find our patrons. Citizendium promises to combine the advantages of authoritative sources with the communal benefits of Wikipedia. The site does not currently have many articles compared to that available from Wikipedia, but its still in a beta stage. So spread the word and if you're a Wikipedian, consider getting involved with this new exciting project.

Maritime Art Greenwich - www.nmm.ac.uk/mag/ - 4 Stars

This site is fantastic! Okay, so it satisfies something of a niche interest, but its cool all the same. It's maintained by the Great Britain's National Maritime Museum and displays quality images of "oil painting collection." "The website offers a searchable database of selected paintings plus in-depth content on some of the major themes of maritime art." The paintings are beautiful and are available in sizes sufficient to study.

The site is easily searchable and browseable with the "explore the catalog" button. The "in-depth" button includes some interesting educational content pertaining to artistic and maritime subjects. The site is attractive and well laid out. Its worth a look!

Sidewalk Chalk Paint

2007-03-27T20:25:00.001-04:00

Hey!

So I had a patron wanting to know how to make sidewalk chalk paint. We tried several books and didn't find too much that was interesting, just some typical kids crafts and activites books. Several had recipes for sidewalk chalk, but nont had recipes for "sidewalk chalk paint" or "sidewalk paint".

I did a google search and found some things that were perfect for her. She left truly pleased!

Here's the links:

Sidewalk paint - http://www.recipegoldmine.com/childpaint/childpaint30.html
Sidewalk "chalk" paint - http://www.wikihow.com/Make-Chalk-Paint

Enjoy!

HowStuff Works

2007-03-22T11:53:00.000-04:00

HowStuffWorks - www.howstuffworks.com/ - 3 Stars

HowStuffWorks is a really fun site and very informative. It provides articles on how things work from "British Titles of Nobility" to "Comets". The articles are in plain English as benefits the general audience they target.

Most importantly, it is not the public that contributes the articles like Wikipedia. Instead, the contributers are genuine experts, including lawyers and PhDs, working in the field they are asked to write about. One can click on the authors name to see their credentials. In doing so, one does find that some authors write on topics that they don't have an obvious expertise and there is nothing said about what their qualification to write on that topic is. This is troublesome. However, from what I can gather, for some topics it is presumed that an ability to research and write effectively is important. Obvious efforts are taken to research topics as many articles include acknowledgments to other experts for their assistance.

The site is well designed, but it is a bit more cluttered than I usually prefer.

Gamespot and ESRB.org

2007-03-21T16:40:00.000-04:00

There's two sites on the docket for today's post, something fun and something related, but more sober:

Gamespot - www.gamespot.com - 3.5 Stars

Gamespot is my personal favorite site when it comes to gaming news. The site is a great source for information on games new and old for PC or any major (and most minor) console system in existence, past and present.

Actually, I'd more accurately describe Gamespot as an electronic magazine. It includes many of the same things like feature articles and game reviews, but is usually updated 5-6 days a week. The core of the content are the game reviews in my opinion. Their rating system is on a 10 point scale and is well described on the site. Few games get 10s and fewer get 0s, with most games seeming to fall in the 6-8 range. Gamespots editorial policy is availble though the "about us" page accessible by scrolling to the bottom.

In addition to this more "traditional" content, Gamespot has a lot of multimedia content including downloads, video, screenshots, and podcasts. It also includes many features like fourms and the ability to maintain a "wishlist" and "owned list" which really lend it a sense of community (for good or ill).

The layout of the site is busy, but consistent, so its easy to learn to navigate. The site is more conducive to browsing (read: the searching stinks). Be prepared to play and explore a little bit when you visit the first couple times.

Entertainment Software Rating Board - www.esrb.org - 4 Stars

This is a very well constructed site. For those not in the know, the Entertainment Software Rating Board is the group that decides what rating symbol ends up on the game boxes you buy. Their website is an excellent extension of their mission to help parents keep track of what games their kids are playing.

The site includes resources for parents and children that explain the rating system and define the "content" codes on the ESRB labels among other things. The site also includes a great "webliography"that lists other sites that will be of use to parents.

However, the center of attention is and should be the search interface. It allows the user to search by Publisher or Title keyword, by Rating, by Platform (PC, PS3, Wii, Xbox...), or by content (mild violence, etc.). This lets you print out great lists of titles to refer to while doing christmas shopping, for example. Overall, one of the best intersite search tools I've seen.

Clusty

2007-03-20T16:46:00.000-04:00

Clusty - clusty.com - 3 Stars

Okay, so I say that I'm not going to review a search engine, and then I go and review a search engine in my third post. What gives? Well Clusty is just that cool.

In my defense, Clusty is not a search engine, its a metasearch engine (Yeah Mike, BIG difference). If you aren't aware, a metasearch engine queries several search engines at once. So Clusty's results tend to cover a lot of ground. The excellent thing about Clusty is the way it organizes search results by grouping them by subject, so not only are the results more complete, but they're also more useful.

The interface clean and straightforward to use. It includes a filter for adult sites. You can also use the interface to search to news, images, wikipedia, blogs, jobs, and more. What's more, the site is now completely "Wii Friendly" (If you don't know what that means, then it probably doesn't apply to you.) Look in the "about" page to find out how to add a Clusty Cloud to your blog or website like the one at the bottom of this page.

Internet Movie Database

2007-03-20T13:05:00.000-04:00

Internet Movie Database - http://www.imdb.com/ - 4 Stars

Internet Movie Database is the gold standard of cinema information. Librarians love it for its usability and comprehensiveness. One can find information on films, tv shows, filmmakers, actors, and more from around the world. A great source of trivia and source of information for bar bets.

Home page has film industry news and lists of the new and top films and DVDs.

You can also use the site to purchase movie tickets, talk about movies, and even post your resume so you can get a job in the film industry yourself!

The Inaugural Post - Internet Public Library

2007-03-19T23:40:00.000-04:00

Ah...the inaugural post...

Internet Public Library - http://www.ipl.org/ - 4 Stars

Fantastic Site! It provides links to especially useful sites that have been vetted by librarians and library students. This means that their content is trustworthy. It also gives you a finite number or hits instead of the 80 billion from a Google search, so you don't have to wade through search results to find something useful. In my mind, if you're not going to a library for your infomation needs, at least go somewhere credible and useful like IPL.

The content has also been catagorized (ya'll know how librarians like to organize). The catagories are like those in web directories like Yahoo! but better (Of course, I am a bit biased).

The interface is "pleasingly plain", meaning clean and relatively intuitive. Try the Grokker enabled search too as its pretty interesting.

Overall, I have to say as a nearly lifelong Buckeye that the "school up north" has put something truly outstanding together here!