Week in Review: Library and Book News Roundup

-- Library Journal, 11/15/2008

Library News of the Week:

Too Late or Just Right? OCLC, I-Schools Announce Reference Extract Web Search Project
OCLC and the information schools of Syracuse University and the University of Washington have announced aReference Extractn “effort to explore the creation of a more credible Web search experience” based on librarian input—an effort that might fill a need but also raises questions about timing and scalability.

New York State Governor Proposes 20% Cut in Library Aid
In another example of how libraries can suffer disproportionate cuts in a down economy, New York State Governor David Paterson (left in photo), as part of a massive package of reductions, has proposed cutting $20 million in library aid, a 20 percent cut. Library Aid has already been cut twice this year from $102 million to $99 million, according to the New York Library Association (NYLA).

LC Merges Acquisition and Cataloging
The Library of Congress (LC) announced it has merged its Acquisition and Cataloging departments in order both to speed processing time and enhance the physical security of the collections. Now books will go to one division instead of several for centralized processing.

One for All? As Google Deal Is Evaluated, Critics Question Single Library Terminal
While the Google Book Search settlement has prompted much debate, commentators have only begun to question how it might affect library service. One of the big questions: the deal’s allowance for free access at a designated terminal within public libraries.

YourLibrarySite Now Supports SOPAC 2
SOPAC 2, the latest rising star in the world of patron-friendly online catalogs, has new support and installation options provided by web development shop YourLibrarySite. The Eugene, OR-based company, part of CraftySpace, LLC, is now helping the Palos Verde Library District, CA, install the the new catalog interface and an updated content management system (CMS) back- end for the library's site, expected to be completed sometime in the next few months.

Colleges in Worcester, MA, May Help Support Public Library
City officials in Worcester, MA, may have come up with a novel way to support public libraries in a time of shrinking municipal budgets: ask local colleges. The presence of several tax-exempt colleges in the city has prompted perennial debate about requiring the institutions to provide compensation for municipal services via payments in lieu of taxes (PILOTs). Now, according to the Worcester Telegram & Gazette, there may be a middle ground, via the libraries.

Books & Features:

Happy Birthday, OED!
This has been a busy year for the folks at Oxford University Press (OUP), not only because the publisher’s online resources continue to multiply in size and substance (including, among others, the recent expansion of Oxford Language Dictionaries Online) but also because OUP’s crown jewel—the Oxford English Dictionary (OED)—is celebrating its 80th anniversary.

Q&A: The Book Babes
Ellen Heltzel and Margo Hammond—aka the Book Babes—have made careers out of being the kind of women you dial en route to the library or bookstore to ask, "What should I read next?" It is the uncommon literature lover who offers consistently dependable answers but the even rarer reader who proves adept at finding the right book for the right moment. The Book Babes are just such readers.

Books for Dudes: Surviving This Hellish Economy
So I’m on this century ride, and a dude pulls up next to me, and we start chatting about the headwind (strong) and the temperature (brisk), and, as conversations among cyclists seemingly always do, we get around to Iceland. I know what you’re thinking—the grandeur of Reykjavík’s fishing fleet, the thermal spas, and the unadulterated prowess of the Icelandic women’s indoor handball squad.
But, no, today’s conversation is about Iceland going bankrupt.

Xpress Reviews—First Look at New Books
This week: Eminem, Roger Moore, and John Cheever.

From the Print Edition:

LJ Teaching Award 2007: Rick J. Block
Despite his “day job” and a heavy schedule of classroom teaching, Rick J. Block finds time and intense energy to be the mentor, internship supervisor, and individual advisor to the students who fill every available seat in his classes at two LIS programs. For his incredibly effective and popular teaching and mentoring, Rick Block is the recipient of the 2008 LJ Teaching Award, sponsored by ProQuest, which underwrites the $5000 prize.

A Primer in Risk: Taking a critical look at common support scenarios for open source software
Deciding whether to go with a particular open source product is an exercise in risk management: understanding the risks of your possible actions and choices, calculating when a certain level of risk is appropriate to reach a desired outcome, and planning for how to handle negative outcomes. To be sure, opting to go with a particular proprietary product is similar, but evaluating the risk level of an open source product is new terrain for many in the library world and deserves special attention.