Hear Ye! Hear Ye!
Another great Common Craft video about PR on the web. This would be a great way to get information out about your library or organization
Eureka!
So that's where also those missing books went.
Tuesday, January 29, 2008
Friday, January 25, 2008
Impress Your Professor: Reviewing Reference
Reference is moving online. It's an obvious fact but one that cannot be stated enough. In the December/January 2008 ASIS&T Bulletin, Jeffrey Pomerantz discusses the need to evaluate online reference services. The article is a straightforward breakdown of how a library may go about evaluating their services. Instead of recapping the entire article, I'd like to discuss an important issue that Pomerantz mentions: privacy.
Pomerantz discusses evaluation from the position of the library. While the transition to digital services has caused problems, when it comes to evaluation, the librarian's job is half done. Online references have statistics making capabilities built into them already: there are timestamps and trackers, server logs and hit counters. A librarian merely needs to click on a file to know who, what, where, and when. Automatic logs of e-mails and instant messages can allow for a more in-depth analysis of reference interactions.
It is here that Pomerantz broaches the subject of privacy. These logs may be handy, but what do they mean for our patrons privacy and confidentiality? Libraries have tended to have a firm stance of privacy; they do not release patron records. In fact, it was a group of librarians in Connecticut who took a stand against privacy issues in the USA Patriot Act.
Patron borrowing records are one thing, but logged conversations are the start of a paper trail that could prove detrimental to our patrons' peace of mind. Person to person conversations all but disappear when they're done. Logged conversations last as long as the file is readable.
In keeping these records, are we librarians opening ourselves up to another level of privacy issues?
Pomerantz discusses evaluation from the position of the library. While the transition to digital services has caused problems, when it comes to evaluation, the librarian's job is half done. Online references have statistics making capabilities built into them already: there are timestamps and trackers, server logs and hit counters. A librarian merely needs to click on a file to know who, what, where, and when. Automatic logs of e-mails and instant messages can allow for a more in-depth analysis of reference interactions.
It is here that Pomerantz broaches the subject of privacy. These logs may be handy, but what do they mean for our patrons privacy and confidentiality? Libraries have tended to have a firm stance of privacy; they do not release patron records. In fact, it was a group of librarians in Connecticut who took a stand against privacy issues in the USA Patriot Act.
Patron borrowing records are one thing, but logged conversations are the start of a paper trail that could prove detrimental to our patrons' peace of mind. Person to person conversations all but disappear when they're done. Logged conversations last as long as the file is readable.
In keeping these records, are we librarians opening ourselves up to another level of privacy issues?
Impress Your Professor: Reviewing Reference
So many students and other researchers are now looking for their information online. It's an obvious fact but one that cannot be stated enough. While their are upsided to this migration to the digital reference, the downsides are what drives librarians nuts. In the December/January 2008 ASIS&T Bulletin, Jeffrey Pomerantz discusses the need to evaluate online reference services.
The article is a straightforward breakdown of how a library may go about evaluating their services. Instead of recapping the entire article, I'd like to discuss an important issue that Pomerantz mentions
Pomerantz discusses evaluation from the position of the library. While the transition to digital services has caused problems, when it comes to evaluation, the librarian's job is half done. Online references have statistics making capabilities built into them already: there are timestamps and trackers, server logs and hit counters. A librarian merely needs to click on a file to know who, what, where, and when. Automatic logs of e-mails and instant messages can allow for a more in-depth analysis of reference interactions.
It is here that Pomerantz broaches the subject of privacy. These logs may be handy, but what do they mean for our patrons privacy and confidentiality? Libraries have tended to have a firm stance of privacy; they do not release patron records. In fact, it was a group of librarians in Connecticut who took a stand against privacy issues in the USA Patriot Act.
Patron borrowing records are one thing, but logged conversations are the start of a paper trail that could prove detrimental to our patrons' peace of mind. Person to person conversations all but disappear when they're done. Logged conversations last as long as the file is readable.
In keeping these records, are we librarians opening ourselves up to another level of privacy issues?
The article is a straightforward breakdown of how a library may go about evaluating their services. Instead of recapping the entire article, I'd like to discuss an important issue that Pomerantz mentions
Pomerantz discusses evaluation from the position of the library. While the transition to digital services has caused problems, when it comes to evaluation, the librarian's job is half done. Online references have statistics making capabilities built into them already: there are timestamps and trackers, server logs and hit counters. A librarian merely needs to click on a file to know who, what, where, and when. Automatic logs of e-mails and instant messages can allow for a more in-depth analysis of reference interactions.
It is here that Pomerantz broaches the subject of privacy. These logs may be handy, but what do they mean for our patrons privacy and confidentiality? Libraries have tended to have a firm stance of privacy; they do not release patron records. In fact, it was a group of librarians in Connecticut who took a stand against privacy issues in the USA Patriot Act.
Patron borrowing records are one thing, but logged conversations are the start of a paper trail that could prove detrimental to our patrons' peace of mind. Person to person conversations all but disappear when they're done. Logged conversations last as long as the file is readable.
In keeping these records, are we librarians opening ourselves up to another level of privacy issues?
Tuesday, January 22, 2008
YouTube Tuesday
Cheese, Please
Learn how to share pictures online.
Library Motion
A music video about a day at a busy public library.
Learn how to share pictures online.
Library Motion
A music video about a day at a busy public library.
Friday, January 18, 2008
Happy New Year
Welcome back everyone!
Before we resume our regular post schedule of YouTube Tuesdays and Impress Your Professor Friday, I just wanted to give everyone a few updates.
Our Chairperson, Nora, has graduated and moved (really moved... moved to England moved) and Kathleen Mahoney will be taking over as Chair this semester. We also anticipate a few more new members of the board so check back here for updates.
To those new students out there, if you're interested in joining the CUA chapter of ASIS&T, please sign-up in the box located in the right hand panel of this blog under "Join Our Roster."
As always, we love your input. Please don't hesitate to comment in the blog or send us an e-mail at cua.asist@gmail.com.
Have a great semester everyone!
Before we resume our regular post schedule of YouTube Tuesdays and Impress Your Professor Friday, I just wanted to give everyone a few updates.
Our Chairperson, Nora, has graduated and moved (really moved... moved to England moved) and Kathleen Mahoney will be taking over as Chair this semester. We also anticipate a few more new members of the board so check back here for updates.
To those new students out there, if you're interested in joining the CUA chapter of ASIS&T, please sign-up in the box located in the right hand panel of this blog under "Join Our Roster."
As always, we love your input. Please don't hesitate to comment in the blog or send us an e-mail at cua.asist@gmail.com.
Have a great semester everyone!
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