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Showing posts from March, 2017

Catalogue and Index

Catalogue and Index: Periodical of the Cataloguing and Indexing Group, a Special Interest Group of CILIP, the Library and Information Association.....March 2017, Issue 186.... Issue 186 has two interrelated themes. The first theme continues our coverage of the 2016 CILIP CIG conference, with the inclusion of more conference papers. Amy Staniforth begins by outlining her work designing and delivering “beginners’ cataloguing training”, and argues why such training in sorely needed within the library and information sector. Suzanne Barbalet and Nathan Cunningham write about using classification for new and novel forms of data, and outline their pilot study which utilises UDC at the UK Data Archive. Ahava Cohen discusses multilingual, multiscript authority control, and the project to set up a multilingual and multiscript authority database in Israel. Anne Welsh discusses FRBR, BIBFRAME and relationships in cataloguing, with particular focus on the cataloguing of items as objects.

The United Nations World Water Development Report 2017.....

The United Nations World Water Development Report 2017.... WASTEWATER: THE UNTAPPED RESOURCE The 2017 World Water Development Report shows that improved wastewater management is as much about reducing pollution at the source, as removing contaminants from wastewater flows, reusing reclaimed water and recovering useful by-products. Together, these four actions generate social, environmental and economic benefits for all society, contributing to overall well-being and health, water and food security, and sustainable development. The cross-cutting importance of wastewater is highlighted in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, through Sustainable Development Goal 6 on water and sanitation, and especially Target 6.3 on halving the proportion of untreated wastewater and substantially increasing recycling, and safe reuse globally. http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0024/002471/247153e.pdf

International Days....

INTERNATIONAL DAYS... The United Nations General Assembly designates a number of "International Days" to mark important aspects of human life and history (the comprehensive list of all days celebrated by the United Nations and its Specialized Agencies is available here: International Days). United Nations Specialized Agencies, including UNESCO, can also proclaim World Days. In this case, the proclamation of international days depends on their governing bodies and internal regulations only. UNESCO thus celebrates UN International Days related to its fields of competence, in addition to the other World Days, proclaimed by the Organization's governing bodies or other institutions. The list of official messages by Ms Irina Bokova, Director-General of UNESCO, on the occasion of International Days with which UNESCO is associated is available here.  http://en.unesco.org/celebrations/international-days JANUARY 27 January International Day of Commemoration in Memory

Build joy into your library’s website

Build joy into your library’s website....Cathy King It is not enough that we build products that function, that are understandable and usable, we also need to build products that bring joy and excitement, pleasure and fun, and, yes, beauty to people’s lives. So, libraries’ physical spaces already bring joy and beauty to people’s lives. I think our goal should be to make our online presences as amazing and as joyful as the in-person experiences. Web analytics can help. Web analytics will help you spot trends and behaviors about your users so that you can make adjustments that improve their experiences. Without web analytics, on the web, these lost souls are invisible. Analytics gives us the opportunity to intercept the poor, confused people wandering around your website. To build them an experience that they find intuitive and engaging. And get them to the beautiful, joyful materials and services they need.

Goodreads...

Goodreads is the world’s largest site for readers and book recommendations. Their mission is to help people find and share books they love. It is a place where you can see what your friends are reading and vice versa. You can create "bookshelves" to organize what you've read (or want to read). You can comment on each other's reviews. You can find your next favorite book. And on this journey with your friends you can explore new territory, gather information, and expand your mind. https://www.goodreads.com/
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NLN to Drive Global Rating of Nigerian Journals.... NLN Official News Bulletin Prof. Aina (M) chatting with the Benue State University Librarian, Prof. John Agada while Mrs. B.F. Shuaibu looks on. The National Library of Nigeria is to partner academic institutions in Nigeria in promoting and enhancing the global rating of research and academic journals in the country. The National Librarian and Chief Executive Officer of the apex library, Prof. Lenrie O. Aina stated this when he received in audience, the University Librarian of the Benue State University, Makurdi, Prof. John Agada. According to the National Librarian, there are so many journals emanating from the country which are not captured in the world research output. According to Prof. Aina, only five out of 217 journals published in Nigeria, are captured by “Web of Science” while “Scopus” which seem to be magnanimous, only captures 27 out of this lot”. He further informed his guest that on assumption of duty,

Make Yourself Smarter With These 10 Hottest Learning Sites

Make Yourself Smarter With These 10 Hottest Learning Sites.....Chloe Chong The average person spends nearly two hours every day on social media.[1] Think about it, what will we achieve when we spend these two hours on something else? Let’s say, study a new language? Or pick up a skill? Below are 10 best websites other than social media that can make you smarter and largely improve your life. http://www.lifehack.org/564852/websites-that-will-make-you-smarter-and-smarter

How flexible is your future collection?

How flexible is your future collection? ....Katie Birch You can’t predict the future. But together we can prepare for it. What attribute of your library is most valuable to your community? For a long time, the answer to that question might have been “our collection.” For generations, libraries have spent much of their budgets on acquiring and managing local materials, but that is shifting. These days, what the library owns isn’t as important as how it supports its users and community. Access to materials must keep up with needs that are changing faster than any one institution can manage. It is nearly impossible for any one library to hit the moving target of comprehensive access to relevant content. Working together, however, libraries can take advantage of a characteristic that may be the most important for collection access going forward: flexibility. http://www.oclc.org/blog/main/how-flexible-is-your-future-collection/

National Librarian, Prof. L.O Aina Courtesy call to Ebonyi State Governor..

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National Librarian, Prof. L.O Aina Courtesy call to Ebonyi State Governor.. National Librarian in a group photo with the Deputy Governor of Ebonyi State, Dr. Kelechi Igwe (in red cap) and other members of the State's Executive Council  The National Librarian and his team paid a courtesy visit on the Governor of Ebonyi State, Mr. Dave Nweze Umahi. The National Librarian intimated the Governor, who was represented by the Deputy Governor of the state, Dr. Kelechi Igwe that he was in the State to solicit with the state government to ensure that all their publications have the ISSN and ISBN and that they are also legally deposited with the National Library of Nigeria. He also made a request to the Governor to provide land for siting National Library of Nigeria in Ebonyi State in accordance with the National Library of Nigeria Act. In his response, the Governor thanked the National Librarian for his focus and assured him that the State was willing to comply with all necessary

National Library of Nigeria Donates Books, Computers to University of Jos Library

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National Library of Nigeria Donates Books, Computers to University of Jos Library..... The National Library of Nigeria on Thurs¬day 23rd February 2017 donated 159 titles and sets of computers to the University of Jos, in the University’s Council Chamber in Jos, Plateau State. The donations were made by the National Librarian, Professor Lenrie Olatokunbo Aina, who paid a visit to the management of the University, to commiserate with them over the inferno that swept the University’s Library in 2016. Presenting the books and computers to the University’s Vice-Chancellor Professor Seddi Sebastian Maimako, the National Librarian expressed his heartfelt sympathies with the University over the colossal loss of library collections that were consumed by the inferno. According to him, ‘I was deeply saddened and troubled when I heard of the unfortunate fire incident. Your university library ranks among the top five university libraries in our country.’I felt a sense of personal loss as y

EBSCO Information Services to Fund the EBSCO FOLIO Innovation Challenge....

EBSCO Information Services to Fund the EBSCO FOLIO Innovation Challenge.... In June 2016, libraries and service providers came together to reshape the future of libraries and develop new technologies with a new initiative called FOLIO ( www.folio.org ). This community-based project provides a platform for libraries, service providers, and other organizations to team up to redefine library automation via open source projects. The FOLIO project sets out to develop new applications that extend the library into new areas. To further innovation, EBSCO will fund FOLIO grants totaling $100,000 to libraries looking to develop solutions that advance technology for libraries. Grants will be awarded to project teams that leverage the FOLIO codebase and address current opportunities in library technology. https://www.ebsco.com/folio-innovation-challenge

EBSCO Information Services Open EBSCO Solar Grant for 2017.....

EBSCO Information Services Open EBSCO Solar Grant for 2017.....by choff. IPSWICH, Mass. — January 20, 2017 — EBSCO Information Services (EBSCO) has renewed its commitment to helping libraries “go green” by bringing back an expanded version of its EBSCO Solar grant program for 2017. As part of the EBSCO Solar initiative, EBSCO is currently soliciting grant applications to help libraries fund solar installations. EBSCO is making two $100,000 grants available to bidders that will allow the winning libraries to reduce their utilities expenditures and install a solar array at their institution. In August 2007, EBSCO installed a photovoltaic array on the roof of one of the buildings of its Ipswich, Massachusetts campus. At the time, the 192 solar panels made up one of the largest installations on the North Shore of Boston. Two more arrays were added to buildings on campus, and EBSCO now has more than 500 solar panels offsetting the amount of “brown power” the company buys from the grid

IFLA invites you to submit examples of how libraries contribute to the United Nations 2030 Agenda

IFLA invites you to submit examples of how libraries contribute to the United Nations 2030 Agenda.... Libraries make an important contribution to development. They help people get the information they need to access economic opportunity, gender equality, quality education, improve their health or develop their communities. In 2015, IFLA launched a survey to gather examples of how libraries contribute with the UN 2030 agenda and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Many contributions were received from all over the world and with this information IFLA published in June 2016 the booklet and handout “Access and Opportunity for all”. This publication is a useful advocacy and awareness-raising tool to show how libraries drive progress across the entire UN 2030 Agenda. Today, IFLA launches a second call for examples, to support the advocacy work done by the library community at national, regional and global levels. Data and examples are key to show policy makers how libraries are

Happy International Women’s Day! Giulia Pelosi, Worldreader's Gender Specialist

Happy International Women’s Day! ...Giulia Pelosi, Worldreader's Gender Specialist This International Women’s Day we want to pause and celebrate how you’re supporting women and girls when you support Worldreader.  You've helped us reach over  2.5 million women and girls  with life-changing books since 2010. That includes the 4,500 girls at 25 schools across Tanzania that read from Worldreader e-readers through our partnership with Camfed. It includes the girls at the Kibera School for Girls who are setting the bar for Kenyan primary education with the help of a library of 12,500 e-books provided by Worldreader. It includes thousands of mothers and aunties who are empowered to read to the children in their lives through our  Read to Kids  program in India. Women  are some of our most avid readers  and we’re convinced that literacy and access to reading are key tools for promoting gender equality. That’s why we launched our Anasoma project to increase women's and girls’ pa

How youth navigate the news landscape..Mary Madden, Amanda Lenhart and Claire Fontaine

How youth navigate the news landscape..Mary Madden, Amanda Lenhart and Claire Fontaine Today’s young news consumers face a dizzying array of options for getting their news. While their parents’ generation relied on print media, television and radio, teens and young adults now have an ever-expanding suite of platforms to supplement those traditional formats; news and magazine websites, blogs, social media, messaging apps, text alerts, online video, GIFs, emojis and even virtual reality experiences may play a role in how today’s youth engage with the news. Less than a decade ago, simply getting any kind of news on a mobile device was considered a leading-edge activity.  https://kf-site-production.s3.amazonaws.com/publications/pdfs/000/000/230/original/Youth_News.pdf

AfLIA -Public &Community Libraries......Nkemdilim Osigwe Ph.d

AfLIA -Public &Community Libraries......Nkemdilim Osigwe Ph.d African Libraries are on the rise! The Public and Community Libraries Section of AfLIA (African Library and Information Associations and Institutions) hereby invites all Public and Community Libraries in Africa to participate in a Continental Display Fiesta with the theme – ‘My Africa Your Africa Our Africa’ from 24th April to 13th May 2017. Rules - What to do 1.   Do a display of books and other information resources, textiles, pictures, paintings, sculptures,       musical instruments, farm implements, cooking utensils or any other materials that depict the culture of the Library’s community and which identifies them as a people. a.   To do this effectively – gather information on the history of your community b.   Consult, engage and collaborate with the community Elders, Groups, Town Unions etc. 2.   Open a FaceBook Account for your Library, search for AfLIA Page and African Public Libraries Network

Why public libraries are finally eliminating the late-return fine....Ruth Graham

Why public libraries are finally eliminating the late-return fine.... Ruth Graham In 1906, a reporter for the Detroit Free Press described a scene that had become all too common at the city’s public libraries. A child hands an overdue book to a stern librarian perched behind a desk, and with a “sinister expression,” the librarian demands payment of a late fine. In some cases, the child grumbles and pays the penny or two. But in others—often at the city’s smaller, poorer library branches—the offender cannot pay, and his borrowing privileges are revoked. “Scarcely a day passes but it does not leave its record of tears and sighs and vain regrets in little hearts,” the reporter lamented. More than a century later, similar dramas are still enacted in libraries across the country every day. In some districts, up to 35 percent of patrons have had their borrowing privileges revoked because of unpaid fines. Only these days, it’s librarians themselves who often lament what the Detroi

VACANCY! OAU UNIVERSITY LIBRARIAN Hezekiah Oluwasanmi Library

OBAFEMI AWOLOWO UNIVERSITY, ILE-IFE, NIGERIA VACANCY UNIVERSITY LIBRARIAN Hezekiah Oluwasanmi Library Obafemi Awolowo University Hezekiah Oluwasanmi Library established in 1962, is the major repository of all academic resources (books, journals, theses, government documents etc) which serve the needs of both staff and students of the University as well as other interested users in the Community.  The Library holds over 700,000 volumes of books and print materials.  It also has two units providing electronic services.  These facilities provide access to learning and research in soft contacts that are available globally for the use of staff and students of the University. Wireless facilities are available for users to connect to the internet within the Library building. The Library operates an Online Public Access Catalogue (OPAC) which is a database of all resources in the library.  The Library also has access to the Telepresence Cloud Computing Facilities available at the University’

Rethinking the What and How of the ILS...Tania Fersenheim

Rethinking the What and How of the ILS...Tania Fersenheim Are we spending money wisely? Librarians and administrators ask themselves this question in many ways, both big and small, every day. Sometimes it keeps us up at night. It’s inherent in the choices we make between different brands of dry erase marker, different resources covering the same subject area, and in decisions to implement or replace software that helps us do our jobs. Libraries are asked more and more to justify the dollars we spend, and many of us are investing time and money in analyzing usage data, assessing the effectiveness of instruction programs, and otherwise attempting to quantify the return on our investment of the institution’s money. The ILS is a behemoth in many ways, and while it’s a must-have for us to run our libraries, we can ask ourselves if we are in fact spending an outsized amount of money for “commodity” functions, and for functions that could be or are already performed better elsew

How To Spot Fake News

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How To Spot Fake News...IFLA Critical thinking is a key skill in media and information literacy, and the mission of libraries is to educate and advocate its importance. Discussions about fake news has led to a new focus on media literacy more broadly, and the role of libraries and other education institutions in providing this. When Oxford Dictionaries announce post-truth is Word of the Year 2016, we as librarians realise action is needed to educate and advocate for critical thinking – a crucial skill when navigating the information society. IFLA has made this infographic with eight simple steps (based on FactCheck.org’s 2016 article How to Spot Fake News)  to discover the verifiability of a given news-piece in front of you. Download, print, translate, and share – at home, at your library, in your local community, and on social media networks. The more we crowdsource our wisdom, the wiser the world becomes. http://www.ifla.org/publications/node/11174 Fake news is no

Ukrainian librarian under Russian house arrest takes case to court of human rights

Ukrainian librarian under Russian house arrest takes case to court of human rights.... Natalya Sharina, a Ukrainian librarian held under house arrest in Russia since October 2015, has taken her case to the European court of human rights in Strasbourg. Since her arrest in 2015, the Russian authorities have extended the order for Sharina, director of the Ukrainian Literature Library in Moscow, to be detained at home repeatedly, despite calls for her release. In a move roundly condemned by human rights groups, Sharina went on trial in November 2016 for incitement by stocking books banned in Russia and labelled extremist and “anti-Russian propaganda”. Three weeks after the trial began, embezzlement was added to the list of charges. If found guilty, she faces up to 10 years in prison. Speaking to the Russian website Interfax, her lawyer Ivan Pavlov said the appeal to the ECHR had been launched because of her continued incarceration, which he described as absurd. https://www.theguard

After a night at the library, stuffed animals help kids read... Robert Jimison, CNN

After a night at the library, stuffed animals help kids read... Robert Jimison, CNN A baby seal, a giraffe and a teddy bear walk into a library ...No, this isn't the start of another corny dad joke. It's the latest way to encourage kids to read. You can't help but "awww" at the images: An adorable stuffed puppy peruses the picture book section while a much-loved, understuffed bunny hops through the chapter books. They're the actual loveys of young children who left them at the library for a "sleepover." Library workers snap photos of them choosing books, reading together, bonding over "The Rainbow Fish." When kids pick them up the next day, they can see how much fun their little friends had with books -- and the hope is that it will encourage more children to explore reading. West Orange Library in New Jersey has been hosting the parties for more than four years. Its "stuffed animal sleepover" draws in kids through second

Mostafa el-Abbadi, Champion of Alexandria’s Resurrected Library, Dies at 88

Mostafa el-Abbadi, Champion of Alexandria’s Resurrected Library, Dies at 88....JONATHAN GUYER CAIRO — Mostafa A. H. el-Abbadi, a Cambridge-educated historian of Greco-Roman antiquity and the soft-spoken visionary behind the revival of the Great Library of Alexandria in Egypt, died on Feb. 13 in Alexandria. He was 88. His daughter, Dr. Mohga el-Abbadi, said the cause was heart failure. Professor Abbadi’s dream of a new library — a modern version of the magnificent center of learning of ancient times — could be traced to 1972, when, as a scholar at the University of Alexandria, he concluded a lecture with an impassioned challenge. “At the end, I said, ‘It is sad to see the new University of Alexandria without a library, without a proper library,’” he recalled in 2010. “‘And if we want to justify our claim to be connected spiritually with the ancient tradition, we must follow the ancient example by starting a great universal library.’” It was President Richard M. Nixo

Library Advocacy Group #Publiclibrarylove Tweets February 10th & 11th 2017

Library Advocacy Group #Publiclibrarylove Tweets February 10th & 11th 2017 Dr.Nkem Osuigwe Retweeted Nelson People that are willing to learn have open minds & this helps in innovations & start-ups. #publiclibrarylove Dr.Nkem Osuigwe added,Nelson @nedewor @librarian_nkem public libraries can present classes and discussion programs & even provide online continuing education courses  Nelson ‏@nedewor  Public libraries in Nigeria have rarely been well funded. #publiclibrarylove.Budgetary allocations are clear pointers of govt policy thrusts  Dr.Nkem Osuigwe ‏@librarian_nkem Dr.Nkem Osuigwe Retweeted Connect4Better 👇👇Here's why we need functional #PublicLibraries in all communities in Nigeria- for #Lifelonglearning & #selfdevelopment #publiclibrarylove Dr.Nkem Osuigwe added, Connect4Better @Cee4Beeuk Formal education will make you a living; self-education will make you a fortune. Jim Rohn Public Libs Nigeria ‏@publiclibsng Retweeted