Public Papers of the Presidents

This website offers an interesting visual comparison of the volume of Public Papers generated by the Presidents from Ronald Regan to the present.

• Ronald Regan - 15 volumes
• George H.W. Bush - 8 volumes
• Bill Clinton - 17 volumes
• George W. Bush - 2 volumes

Now, if that doesnt' speak volumes, I don't know what does.

Here's more about the Public Papers of the Presidents from NARA

NRC Restoring 70,000 Documents to Its Online Library

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission is restoring public access to a big bunch of documents that they have decided aren't sensitive.

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission is restoring public access to more than 70,000 additional documents through its on-line public library, ADAMS, after reviewing them for security sensitivity. The restoration involves administrative, contractual, research and other documents not related to a specific licensee that were deemed non-sensitive as a result of the NRC’s review.

This isn't everything that they have taken down, but it is a start. And great news for everyone interested in public access to government information.

Vist the NRC - http://www.nrc.gov/
And the NRC Reading Room - http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm.html

ICE - In Case of Emergency

This is a really nice idea. This ambulance company suggests that everyone enter the name and phone number of the person they want contacted in case of an emergency under ICE. That way emergency personnel would know whom to call.

By entering the acronym ICE – for In Case of Emergency – into the mobile’s phone book, users can log the name and number of someone who should be contacted in an emergency.

It makes very good sense, IMHO, to do this. But, as always, make sure the person you list as your contact isn't the person most likely to be with you in the car crash.

And maybe you could take this one step further and have a text message show up on your phone saying you are diabetic/epileptic/allergic to penicillin etc. It would sure beat wearing one of those medic alert bracelets!

2005 High School Debate Topic

This year's topic is Civil Liberties with emphasis on search and detention.

Resolved: That the United States federal government should substantially decrease its authority either to detain without charge or to search without probable cause.

Timely, or cliche'? You be the judge.

One thing for sure is that there is A LOT to be found on this topic in government information collections - especially through GPO Access.

The web page from the University of Michigan Documents Center gives a lot of good links and places to start looking for information, but those eyeballs that follow the cursor around make me want to kill myself and others.

Flag Day

Today is National Flag Day, BTW.

Holiday Insights: Flag Day - Read here to find good info on how to properly display the flag. This is one of my favorite stones to grind. People who don't properly display and care for their flags are showing disrespect for our country and everything the flag stands for. For crying out loud, people, show the flag some respect! Don't let it fall down in the mud when you've gotten bored with your patriotic posturing.

Flag Day - This website has a lot of good historical info as well as flag etiquette and galleries. There is also a flag timeline and trivia questions.

USAFlag.org - Another good website with flag history, patriotic writings, and information about the armed services.

Symbols of the U.S. Government: The Flag - From Ben's Guide to the U.S. Government for Kids, this website explores the symbolism behind the colors and patterns of the flag. It also has links to more government information about the flag.

Ever since 9/11, I have had ambiguous feelings about displaying the flag. To many people it has become a symbol of Neocon nationism, and that just makes me uncomfortable. I am no more or less patriotic today than I was on September 10, 2001 and the flag means no more or less to me now than then.

As a Democrat, I resent the national sentiment that only Republicans can be patriotic and support our troops etc. Nothing could be farther from the truth. The current mythology of Democrats as unpatriotic anti-Americans is a lie and must be crushed. It is time for liberals to fight back against this rhetoric and make our truth heard.

New Electronic Depository Manual

This PowerPoint presentation by Janet Scheitle explains how the Government Printing Office (GPO) with input/help from the depository community is planning to revamp its documentation.

GPO is consolidating and updating its various FDLP instructions and manuals into a single online publication that will continue to be updated as necessary. The Electronic Depository Manual will be a living policy document written by and for the FDLP community. Within the manual will be best practices, tips, and hot links to additional information of interest to government documents librarians.

This will be a real boon for the depository community to have all of these documents available in one place online. I've been in the documents biz since 1993, so I think I know the ropes pretty well, but I am looking forward especially to information on best practices and hope they include good information for seasoned documents librarians as well as new ones.

The idea of a living growing document as a knowledge base for documents librarians is an exciting one. As a community, unity is increasingly important to us with the shift away from traditional structures to a more electronic depository. I hope this document will provide a unifying platform for documents librarians.

What's Your Inner Flower?

what's your inner flower?

[c] sugardew

Book-A-Minute

Don't have time to read it all?

If you have a book report due and don't have time to read those pesky Cliff's Notes much less the book itself, then this site is for you. Consult Book-A-Minute for ultra-condensed versions of all your favorites in the Classics, Science Fiction, and Children's Literature.

Current Reading

I'm still working on Carolly Erickson's The First Elizabeth, but I haven't gotten very far since I've been sick and that book requires more brain power than I've been able to generate the last few days.

So I've been reading another vampire novel, too. This one is entitled Nocturne and is by Elaine Bergstrom. Maybe it is just me being sick, but I don't think this book made a lot of sense. It seemed to me that events just kind of cropped up or happened out of the blue rather for logical reasons. One reviewer likened it to Anne Rice's vampire books, but I didn't think those were that good either.

Well, I have to amend that. Back when the world was young and I was in my early twenties reading Interview With A Vampire and Vampire Lestat, I thought they were just great. Then when I re-read them 10-15 years later my opinion was pretty much the opposite. Go figure.

Nocturne on amazon.com
The First Elizabeth on amazon.com

Why and How to Use Blogs to Promote Your Library's Services

This excellent article by Darlene Fichter from 2003 discusses library-ish applications of blogs and blogging. It starts with an overview of blogs, how they got started, and how pervasive they have become. Then the author gives good information and examples on how blogging is good for libraries.

Fichter gives some good examples of library blogs and talks about how each is constructed to fill a specific need. Then she provides an in-depth tutorial/FAQ on how to set up your library's blog. She takes into account such issues as security, archiving, and overall blog structure e.g. skins, subscription lists etc. After a lengthy discussion of the many missions of a library blog, Fichter lists several blogging services and their features.

We all know that libraries have limited funds and resources for getting the word out about programs, facilities, events, etc. Library blogs seem to be a good solution to the problem of funding since many blogging programs/websites are free. It only takes staff time and energy to keep a blog current and relevant.

In addition to a current awareness service, a library blog might also give users a sense of greater involvement with the library if there is information of general interest frequently posted. However, the biggest problem that most libraries face is publicity - or lack thereof. In the case of my library, many users are unaware of the services we already provide. A blog would either become another one of those under-utilized services and be updated in a vacuum, or it could really give our PR a much needed boost.

I intend to talk about this at our annual planning meeting, which will be held in August. I'll let you know what happens. And if I get put in charge of it.

Archie McPhee

Outfitters of Popular Culture.

I just thought I'd share my favorite online store with you today. They have such cool stuff. I mean, who wouldn't want a Chinese Takeout Purse? From hula girls to rubber duckies, they have it all. Even if you can't visit their store is in Seattle, you can get on their mailing list and receive McPhee's catalog.

OTOH, I survived Melrose. I had a nice time despite the fact that I'm still sick neigh unto death. It was hot, but then this is June in Louisiana so that is to be expected. The show was good as always, but the wooden spoon man wasn't there. That disappointed me because my husband had asked for another spatula and I was going to get him one. Instead I got him a cheese platter made from a melted glass bottle. It is very cool. For myself I got a wire wrap gold ring.

More relevant blogging tomorrow. I promise.

O Me Miseram!

I'm still home sick with this bloody cold. I'm starting to feel half way human, but gads! Anyway, tomorrow is the Melrose Arts and Crafts Fair. And I'm going. I don't care how sick I am. Sorry there's no good web page about it, but here is a link to some related info - APHN stuff about Melrose and Bayou Folk.

There are some library things I want to blog about, but that will have to wait until next week - if I survive.

In the mean time, enjoy the Calvin and Hobbes Snow Art Gallery. The snowmen/snowart were always some of my favorite episodes of the Calvin and Hobbes cannon. I love that little brat's ingenuity and sense of evil fun that made these some of Bill Watterson's best strips. My particular favorites are the Snowman Crossing and the Snowmen Prophets of Doom. I'm glad Calvin doesn't live in my neighborhood, but I'm glad he still exists on the printed page and on the Internet.

Look at the official Calvin and Hobbes web page.

Way Back Machine

So, I dragged my sick carcass to work tonight so none of my co-workers wouldn't have to cover my night desk shift. I'm so full of Comtrex and Tylenol I can't feel my fingers. But enough of that!

Tonight I bring you the Wayback Machine courtesy of the Internet Archive. Here is their description of what the Internet Archive does -

The Internet Archive is building a digital library of Internet sites and other cultural artifacts in digital form. Like a paper library, we provide free access to researchers, historians, scholars, and the general public.

What could be cooler than that? You can browse the archive, or search by a specific URL. I put in the URL of the University where I work - http://www.nsula.edu - and was able to track the changes in the web page back to 1997 when we first started having a web page.

Try this with some of your favorite sites and see how they have evolved over the years.

Cyborg Name Generator

Ok, I've gotten out of my death bed to bring you another tidbit.

The Cyborg Name Generator is brought to you by Lore Sjöberg formerly of the Brunching Shuttlecocks. While it was active this was one of my favorite websites to visit. They had great games, reviews, and other comedic features. But that was then, and this is now.

So, go to the Cyborg Name Generator and find out what your - or your friends' names - would be if you were really cyborgs. And remember, once you go cyborg, you never go back.

Google Maps

I'm home sick today with a vicious cold, so I don't feel much like blogging. :-(

So, in the mean time, amuse yourselves by drawing maps to your house and your other favorite hangouts with Google Maps. It also has awesome cool satellite images.

Knock yourselves out. I'll see you tomorrow. If I survive.

Evergreen College Library GovDocs/Maps Home Page

This is one of my favorite resources for government information. Even more so than many of the official government websites.

The layout and design are very stripped down and minimal, but don't let that fool you. The page is very rich in content providing links in well organized categories to just about anything government-related your little heart desires.

But that's not all! There is information about that particular library's documents operation and collection, which may not be of much use to those outside the immediate environment - or at least the documents community - but is interesting nonetheless. There is also information on best practices in documents reference service, in-depth commentary on various resources, and other tidbits like how to register to vote.

These guides are updated often with new links and commentary, so keep checking back.

My hat is off to the staff of the Daniel J. Evans Library Government Documents/Maps Department for all their work. They also have a really groovy virtual campus tour, which includes the library. Warning - it is java-based and takes awhile to load.

flickr: Librarians' Desks

Flickr is this new way to store, sort, share and view images/photographs. Some librarians have formed a group to share photos of their desks/offices. In fact, there is a whole group for libraries and librarians. I was going to share pictures of my office, but it is unbearably boring compared to some already there.

zzzzZZZZZzzzzZZZzzz

Well, since I stayed up until after midnight reading Library Mascot Cage Match, I'm a little tired today. To say the least. But, as tired as I am, I have to say it was worth it. The Unshelved comic strip just keeps getting better, and this latest compilation is just excellent. Each individual strip and story arc is great in its own right, but the whole is far greater than the sum of its parts.

Plus, the bonus for this volume - aside from the Conference Tips - is a full color 23 page comic book featuring our favorite characters waging war against the Empire County Bookmobile. I'll admit that I was a bit sceptical about whether or not Bill and Gene could actually pull off a "real" comic book, but they did. With flying colors. Their work should be required reading in all library schools.

Related Link - Overdue Media, Home of Unshelved

Ooooo! I'm so excited!

My copy of Library Mascot Cage Match came in the mail today! And because I pre-ordered, it is autographed by Bill and Gene! With a hand drawn picture of my favorite character - Colleen! And did I mention the intro by Terry Moore of Strangers in Paradise fame?

So, I'm signing off for the night to go read it. Good night.

More Book Talk

Well, I finished The Queene's Cure today, and I must say I quite enjoyed it. It was a pretty good mystery set against the fascinating background of Elizabethan England. The characters were realistic and well written, the dialog was compelling, and the descriptive sections kept the story moving at a good pace.

However, I did find Elizabeth I a difficult heroine to like. I imagine she was a difficult person to like in real life. I was speculating on this to one of my coworkers who trained as a historian before she heard the siren song of librarianship, and she agreed with that assessment. I told her I was thinking of reading a biography of Elizabeth I so she recommended one by Carolly Erickson entitled The First Elizabeth.

Erickson, Carolly. The First Elizabeth. New York: Summit Books, 1983. For those of you wanting the complete citation in MLA format. You know who you are.

I usually try to not read anything too scholarly during the summer, but if I mix this up with another vampire novel, I should be able to keep my brain rotting at a decent rate. :-)

ResourceShelf

This site's description just about says it all -

Resources and News for Information Professionals

In the form of a blog, this website is updated daily with news, recommended readings, and other resources and tools for information professionals and librarians.

The recommended readings suggestions are very good since they represent what is new and interesting in professional reading without becoming bogged down in excessive links or extensive bibliographies. The full-text documents particularly useful to reference and other public services librarians since they usually include readings about topics of interest to our patrons.

All in all, this is an excellent web site/blog for information professionals and anyone who wants to keep up with what is going on in the world.

Books!

Well, I took a break from The Queene's Cure to read Hasty Death by Marion Chesney, which I got on interlibrary loan. Hasty Death is the sequel to Snobbery with Violence and stars Lady Rose Summer and Captain Harry Cathcart.

I'm not usually that fond of romance novels, but these are really quite good. They have a very nice element of mystery as well as history. Besides that, they are entertaining and well written. Normally I can't stand romance novels because I hate to see women unwillingly fall in love with borderline rapist assholes. I mean, what does that say about women and relationships? No wonder women get into bad relationships and stay with abusive spouses after reading these novels. JMHO.

Chesney's books seem to be the exception. At least the couple I've read. If there is another book in this series I will probably read it.

Read about Hasty Death on amazon.com.

LOUIS Digital Library

The LOUIS Digital Library is a product of the Louisiana Library Network, which includes many of Louisiana's public and private academic institutions, the State Library of Louisiana, museums, archives, and other cultural institutions from around the state. Here you will find digitized collections from a variety of institutions representing Louisiana's diverse cultural heritage.

This is a really kickin' collection of collections featuring not only scanned photos and documents, but also audio files, images of three dimensional objects, and scholarly research. Everyone who is curious about Louisiana's rich cultural history will find this page very interesting. The LOUIS Digital Library is constantly growing as collections are added or enhanced.

The University where I work - Northwestern State University - is part of the LOUIS Consortium and we have two collections on the LOUIS DL. These are the Millspaugh photograph collection and the Natchitoches Chamber of Commerce Collection. Incidentally, Natchitoches is the oldest permanent settlement in the Louisiana Purchase. It was founded in 1714 - four years before New Orleans.

Library Science Jeopardy!

I'll take Systems of Organization for 50, Alex.

Just like the popular television version, the primary rule remains to provide your answer in the form of a question. There are six categories to select from, each containing five answers in ascending order of difficulty. Click on any of these from the game board below and you will encounter your first answer. Below the answer will appear four possibly correct questions, from which you must select the correct question.

Answer multiple choice questions in such topics as Pioneers, Buildings, Machinery and Technology, and History.

Not as easy as it may sound - even for you crack librarians out there. That was not a drug reference.

Butterflits

A very yummy butterfly site. They have poetry, trivia, legends, and clip art. All related to butterflies! How cool is that? Pretty darned cool if you ask me!

Butterflits has been created to feature some of these stories and legends and true facts about some of the 24,000+ species of Butterflies that have been discovered in our world.

Besides all that good stuff, they also have butterfly collectibles, art, jewelry, etc. I'd better put my credit card away!

Simpsons Terrorism Advisory

This is just good comedy.

Put the current terror alert level on your website/blog/whatever with style, Simpsons style!

The Lipstick Libarian!

Patrons want her. Librarians want to be her.

The lipstick librarian brings a certain je ne sais quoi to the profession. She inspires us all to be chic, soigne' and professional all at once. See, it is possible for librarians to look fabulous and put paper in the printer at the same time!

Make sure to read her blog and take the quiz to see if you, too, might be a lipstick librarian.

CyberCemetary

This is a joint project of the University of North Texas and the U.S. Government Printing Office. The CyberCemetary was created by these two institutions to provide permanent public access to the web pages and publications of defunct U.S. government agencies and commissions.

You can search the CyberCemetary or browse by agency using several variables.

This is way more than screenshots, people. These are fully functional webpages, which have been captured and preserved. All images, links, documents, etc. are present in their full versions. This resource is invaluable to those researching past government activities or needing government information from the past administration.

Lost Frog

Him name is hopkin green frog.

----->Click on each image to get to the next one.

Future Digital System

The FDsys is a digital content system, which will form the backbone of GPO's future operations. It will allow providers of content i.e. government agencies to submit content, which will be managed and stored for future retrieval.

Included in the FDsys will be all known Federal Government documents within the scope of GPO’s Federal Depository Library Program (FDLP), whether printed or born digital. This content will be entered into the system and then authenticated and catalogued according to GPO metadata and document creation standards. Content may include text and associated graphics, video and sound and other forms of content that emerge. Content will be available for Web searching and Internet viewing, downloading and printing, and as document masters for conventional and on-demand printing, or other dissemination methods.

This is a pretty lofty goal for an agency that hasn't been able to articulate its plans for an electronic depository system for the last 12 years it has been in the works. However, as skeptical as I am, I am also excited. The idea of being able to provide government information to all citizens any time any place free of charge is exhilarating to say the least. If GPO can pull this off, it will be quite a coup.

I do still worry about the current Public Printer's desire to charge for access to government information. And about the willingness of some members of the depository community to go along with that. But that's another rant for another time.

Color-Based Career Aptitude Test

Here is a test that matches your color preferences with careers based on a database of matched preferences. Apparently, everyone has an individual color signature, which this test uses to match with preferred careers of others with the same or similar color preferences.

Whatever.

All I know is the damned thing works. Librarian/library assistant was right there at the top of my list. Why, oh why, must I be so predictable?!?!

Imagination Library

Dolly Parton's Imagination Library, part of her Dollywood Foundation, provides children with a book a month from birth through their fifth birthday. The program began in Sevier County, Tennessee and is spreading to other communities. There is very little more noble than this, I think.

Besides, Dolly's symbol is a butterfly just like mine!

Reading

Well, I finished Candle Bay on my lunch break today. It wasn't bad. Actually for a campy vampire novel it was pretty good.

Now I'm reading The Queene's Cure by Karen Harper. This mystery takes place during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I. That's about all I can tell you at this point because I just started it, but so far it seems very well written. It is probably well researched, but how would I know? What I know about Queen Elizabeth I would just about fit in a teaspoon.

Read more about The Queene's Cure on amazon.com.

Currents and Convergence : Navagating The Rivers Of Change

What's a good scholarly article with out a colon in the middle of the title?

All snarkiness aside, this is a really good bibliography of research on the future of government information and access thereto. Judy Russell is the expert in the field and has spent her career ensuring public access to this information.

Assuring Access to Publicly-Funded Information in the Digital Age by Judith Russell

Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office Judy Russell, considered a leading expert on government documents, will speak on the changing nature of government information, the depository library system and its impact on service, collections, and access. In her recent research on 21st century issues surrounding government documents, Ms. Russell, has focused on the digitization of collections for preservation and improved access, the authentication of government information and the future roles of the Federal Depository Library Program. Ms. Russell helped develop GPO Access, one of the Federal Government's most heavily used Web sites, and is the recipient of the 1993 Special Award, Federal Computer Week's Federal 100: The Readers' Choice Award.

It is this culture of change that has government documents librarians all across the country in a tail-spin. Sometimes it seems like GPO's insistence on moving to an electronic-only depository system is an attempt to put depositories out of business. And sometimes it seems like a bold step into the future of information instruction and delivery. I suspect the truth lies somewhere in between.

What mystifies me is the number of government documents librarians who are suprised by these developments and by GPO's insistence on moving to an electronic-only depository system. This is not a new idea. I've been in the documents "business" for about 12 years now, and this has been all the buzz during that time.

Now, if GPO could just come up with a cohesive plan and carry it through, we could all sleep a lot easier.

Sex In The Library Test

Well, I suppose as a career librarian it is inevitable that I should have sex in the library at some point. That is assuming that I haven't already. ::cough:cough:: So, I took this quiz. I'm not suprised at being so bookish, but I didn't realized I was so kinky!

Warning - copious use of the "F" word!

Hell yeah. You scored 88 bookishness and 72 kinkiness!

You love books, you're down with the kink...you'd almost definitely have sex in the library. Find a partner, find a good spot...and go for it.

My test tracked 2 variables How you compared to other people your age and gender: You scored higher than 96% on bookishness You scored higher than 50% on kinkiness

Link: The Sex In The Library Test written by missthang8 on Ok Cupid

LIS Careers

The Library & Information Science Professional's Career Development Center.

LIScareer offers career development resources for new librarians and information professionals, MLS students and those considering a library-related career. The site features practical articles contributed by information professionals, along with links to online and print resources.

This excellent website contains articles/information/advice on topics of interest to new and future librarians including career planning, networking, and mentoring. A must-read for anyone either entering the LIS profession or considering it.

Thanks to Mike for bringing this site to my attention.

Summer Reading

To me, summer is time to kick back with a stack of good trashy novels and read until my eyes blur. The semesters are the time for "good" books, literature classes, and scholarly research; but summer is reserved for paperback romances, sci-fi, horror, and mystery.

With that in mind, I decided to cruise the Internet and look at some sites that recommend books for our summer reading pleasure. And here is what I found -

HAISLN Recommended Reading Lists - The Houston Area Independent Schools Library Network offers reading lists by grade for pre-K through 12th grade. These are really impressive lists and I was suprised at how many of these I had not read. So many books, so little time!

Seabury Hall Summer Reading Recommendations - Wow! These recommendations from the faculty of Seabury Hall school in Hawaii cover a wide variety of types and time periods of literature. The most impressive to me are the English and History departments' recommendations.

Summer Reading from Scholastic - This website reminds us that just because school is out, kids shouldn't stop reading. It encourages teachers to provide their students with summer reading suggestions that include activities, tips, etc. The lists are broken down by grade level, but my favorite part is the "What to read while you are waiting for the new Harry Potter" section.

Summer Reading from Collegiateway - Even though this list is a couple of years old, it does give good recommendations for college level summer reading.

Reading Rockets - This site recommends books for children aged 0-9 on a monthly basis. The recommendations are based on themes and include a variety of old and new books.