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November 11, 2008

News

Worcester-Area Colleges May Give Library Financial Boost
As compensation for municipal services, Worcester, MA, city officials are considering funneling money from area colleges to the public library as branches prove the largest allure for drawing people to the downtown area. » » »

YourLibrarySite Supporting SOPAC 2
Web development shop YourLibrarySite has developed new support and installation options for SOPAC 2, the patron-friendly online catalog, and is helping the Palos Verde Library District,CA, install the new catalog interface and a content management system back-end on its site. » » »


Happy Birthday, OED!
The Oxford English Dictionary celebrated its 80th birthday with a lavish gathering at its ancient English digs. LJ’ s roving Reference editor Mirela Roncevic provides a live report on the festivities. » » »

BackTalk: Save Our Databases
In June, PASCAL (Partnership Among South Carolina Libraries) suffered huge funding cuts. Executive director Rick Moul and Mark Y. Herring explain how PASCAL is coping, what they’re doing to inform users of disappearing resources, and efforts to restore lost money. » » »

News of the Week
Google settlement faces hurdles, Philly’s mayor closing 11 branches, OCLC sets policy for record use and transfer, and other top stories from the web, book news, and features. » » »

Blogs


E-Views by Cheryl LaGuardia
Post-Charleston Depression
Well, I'm back from Charleston, and have to report that, as lovely as that city is,... Read On »


LJ Insider by Norman Oder
"Crusty Old Librarian"? Times Columnist Needs To Retire Stereotype
The New York Times has an advice column, Social Q's, and yesterday, advice-giver Phil... Read On »


Annoyed Librarian by Annoyed Librarian
A Philadelphia Story
As reported right here in the Library Journal (boy, that sounds strange to me), the... Read On »

LJ Talks To

OED Chief Editor, John Simpson
You joined the OED editorial team in 1976. Can you take a quick trip down memory lane and highlight some of the key advances that have occurred in the field of historical lexicography since you’ve been on board?
The last 30 years have seen big changes in historical lexicography. But you have to remember that the basic analytical processes have remained the same since the days of OED1 (1884-1928). We still compose definitions in much the same way, and use the same techniques for developing a macrostructure for each entry. » » »

Wyatt's World

Visual Narratives

  • The Best American Comics 2008 by Lynda Barry (Houghton Mifflin)
  • An Anthology of Graphic Fiction, Cartoons, and True Stories: Volume 2 by Ivan Brunetti (Yale)
  • The Best of the Spirit by Will Eisner (DC Comics)
  • Watchmen written by Alan Moore and illustrated by Dave Gibbons (DC Comics)
  • McSweeney's Quarterly Concern (issue 13), edited by Chris Ware (McSweeney's)

    For more on Collection Development, click here

    Review

    Tolkien, J.R.R. Tales from the Perilous Realm

    2008. Houghton. 403p. ISBN 978-0-547-15411-4. $28. F

    Although several new books by Tolkien have been released posthumously, including The Children of Húrin (2007), Tales from the Perilous Realm is a gathering of several of his short works appearing between 1949 and 1998. Collected here are Roverandom, Farmer Giles of Ham, The Adventures of Tom Bombadil, Smith of Wootton Major, and Leaf by Niggle. Some are set in Tolkien’s familiar territories of Middle-earth, with Tom Bombadil sporting hobbits and his other popular trappings. In addition to the stories, the book includes a new intro by scholar Tom Shippey plus numerous beautiful pencil drawings by top Tolkien artist Alan Lee, who also provides an afterword. » » »

    —Mike Rogers, LJX/LJ

    Highlights

    Redefining RA: Keeping Up with Genres
    The walls separating genres are blurring (think vampire romance mystery), so genre studies help librarians stay on top of fiction’s shifting terrain. RA expert Neal Wyatt says studies can be long or short, focused or relaxed, and big or small, whatever meets your needs. » » »

    Collection Development: Dog Care & Training
    A ruff and ready pack of 29 print, DVD, and online resources to help mold the chaotic cur into a well-behaved dog. » » »

    Online Databases: Are E-Journals Good for Science?
    Tenopir finds that scientists are reading more articles than ever before thanks to wider electronic access to materials. Citations, however, have dropped. » » »

    Reference Q&A: SAGE Knows Social Science
    SAGE Reference’s social science program has skyrocketed in only two years. LJ’s Reference editor Mirela Roncevic talks with publisher Rolf Janke about its distinct qualities, mating with CQ Press, updating its platform, and more. » » »

    In the Spotlight: Tony Rose
    The former record producer talks about his musical roots, move into publishing, and what lies ahead. » » »

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    LJ Alerts

    Librarian of the Year Deadline Extended
    LJ still is accepting nominations for Librarian of the Year, so it's not too late to nominate a friend, colleague, or yourself. Any working professional librarian in any type of library anywhere in North America (United States, Canada, Mexico) is eligible. "Professional" means a person in possession of a master's degree in Library and/or Information Science and/or holding a position designated "professional" in a library or library service. Deadline is November 17, so get your nominations in!

    Best Sellers

    Fiction
    1. Sail James Patterson & Howard Roughan
    2. Fearless Fourteen: A Stephanie Plum Novel Janet Evanovich
    3. Tribute Nora Roberts
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    Nonfiction
    1. Three Cups of Tea: One Man's Mission To Promote Peace...One School at a Time Greg Mortenson & David Oliver Relin.
    2. Audition: A Memoir Barbara Walters
    3.When You Are Engulfed in Flames David Sedaris
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    Job of the Week

    President & Chief Executive Officer
    The Executive Board of the Urban Libraries Council announces the search for a president and chief executive officer. As a membership organization of North America's premier public library systems and the organizations that serve them, the Urban Libraries Council has spent more than 30 years enriching urban communities by strengthening their public libraries.
    View More
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