Textbooks now have their own location

I've placed many of the textbooks currently used in classes in their own location, next to the Reference books. Both 'Textbooks' and 'Reference' books are for use within the library and are not available for check-out, so I thought they might get along next to one another.

The Textbooks are now grouped into two categories: Art and Design, and Culinary. In future, I hope to arrange them by course number. This will help students find the books they need and also help me get the items out on the shelf faster (no pesky call number labels to affix). Note to Faculty: you can help with this effort by emailing me a list of texts you are currently using, or will be using, in your classes.

Although the books in the Textbook collection do not circulate, the Library sometimes owns extra copies of a title which can be checked out. Please search the catalog for items in the 'Stacks' or ask for help if you want to find a circulating copy of a particular book.

Some high-demand textbooks will continue to be designated as 'Reserve' items and must be signed out at the circulation desk for use within the Library (the math books, for example).

Southern Women's Show at NC Fairgrounds

The Southern Women's Show, a consumer trade show focusing on food and fashion, will be held today through Sunday at the North Carolina State Fairgrounds in Raleigh. For more information and coupons, see the event web page:

Southern Women's Show - Raleigh
http://www.southernshows.com/wra/

Lionfish: invasive, venomous - but tasty

The News and Observer reports today that the North Carolina coast has been invaded by an exotic fish - the lionfish (Pterois volitans). Lionfish - a Pacific species sometimes kept in saltwater aquaria - are crowding out and preying upon local seafood species such as grouper and snapper. Lionfish are edible - once their venomous spines are removed, that is - so we can probably expect to see them on dinner plates along the North Carolina coast in future.

Here's a link to The News and Observer article:

'Alien lionfish swarm N.C. coast'
by Jay Price - April 22, 2009
The News and Observer (Raleigh, NC)
http://www.newsobserver.com/news/story/1495524.html


For more on lionfish, see the following NOAA video and web page:

'The Lionfish Invasion'
http://oceanservice.noaa.gov/education/stories/lionfish/

The WSJ on e-Books

Yesterday The Wall Street Journal published an article entitled 'How the e-Book Will Change The Way We Read and Write' by Steven Johnson, both in the print and the online edition. Here's a link to the online version:

'How the e-Book Will Change The Way We Read and Write' by Steven Johnson
The Wall Street Journal, April 20, 2009
http://online.wsj.com/public/page/technology-042009.html


The Wall Street Journal online also has a video review of the Sony E-Reader vs. Amazon's Kindle 2:

'Worth It?: Sony's E-Reader vs. Amazon's Kindle' by Stacy Delo
The Wall Street Journal, April 10, 2009
http://online.wsj.com/video/worth-it-sony-e-reader-vs-amazon-kindle/221A6DF1-04D5-485C-AB46-622FCC21106F.html


Briefly, my questions and comments -

• Johnson notes that there are no page references when using the Kindle and wonders what method may be used when trying to reference particular segments of text. The simple answer would be word number, rather than page number, assuming some level of edition stability.

• Johnson suggests that soon it may be possible to be notified of as-yet unread sources based on the citation history of books in one's current collection; I'll wager Google Books will have such a feature in short order.

• After describing testing the Sony eBook Reader by knocking it on the floor, Delo quips that 'in full disclosure, our office floors are carpeted'. I'd prefer a full disclosure of The Wall Street Journal's relationship with Amazon, and any exclusivity agreements they may have as content-providers.

To me, both e-book readers are just brief stepping stone towards the technology demonstrated in this TED talk by Pattie Maes of MIT (which in turn, as Maes notes, will likely be a stepping stone to even more 'interactive' technologies):

'Unveiling the "Sixth Sense," game-changing wearable tech' by Pattie Maes and Pranav Mistry
TED.com, filmed February 2009 - posted March 2009
http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/pattie_maes_demos_the_sixth_sense.html

Maes states the off-the-shelf hardware they used cost $350. I wonder if that includes the marker caps?

You may be wondering if, as a librarian, I feel concerned about my profession in light of these technological advances. In a word, no. For a science fiction author's take on the future of librarianship, see the Vernor Vinge novels, Rainbows End and A Fire Upon the Deep. I preferred the latter of the two.

Video Cases Out for Browsing

Well, I finally finished cataloguing most of the Library's DVD collection, and I've put the cases out for browsing. Like the book collection, the DVD cases are arranged by Library of Congress Classification System, which organizes them by topic.

On the inside of each case is a label describing the loan policy and license information for the video. Most can be checked out for three days, but some are for Library viewing only. The labels also indicates if the DVD purchase agreement includes classroom viewing privileges; as a policy the Library purchases classroom performance rights whenever feasible.

If you wish to check out a video, bring the case to the circulation desk. Discs must be checked out regardless of whether they are to be used in class, in the library, or taken home. Please return the discs in the case provided. In the case of multi-part sets, each disc is checked out individually.


The link below provides a list of the Library's DVD collection, if you prefer to do your browsing online:
http://www.librarything.com/catalog/AiRD&tag=DVD