Articles Posted in Library News and Views

The January issue of WSLL @ Your Service has been published at http://wsll.state.wi.us/newsletter/0801.html In this issue:

* State Law Library Catalog Debuts New Look, New Features * Using the New “Preferred Search” Feature of the Catalog * Got Milk? How About a Library Card?
* This Just In… “New Titles” Lists * WSLL, MLRC & DCLRC Exhibit at Solo/Small Firm Conference * Learn @ the Law Library: Upcoming Classes * Odds ‘n’ Endings: January Notables

This posting includes the Executive Summary followed by a link to the full text of the Final Report:

“The Working Group hopes that this Report is viewed as a ‘call to action’ that informs and broadens participation in discussion and debate, conveys a sense of urgency, stimulates collaboration, and catalyzes thoughtful and deliberate action. We anticipate broad discussion of the Report’s recommendations and their implications, and look forward to the development of specific implementation plans, research agendas, and educational programs.”

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY In November 2006, Deanna Marcum, Associate Librarian for Library Services at the Library of Congress, convened a Working Group to examine the future of bibliographic control in the 21st century. The formal charge to the Working Group on the Future of Bibliographic Control was to:

Here are some highlights from the January 3, 2008 issue of American LibrariesDirect.

National Film Registry selections for 2007 Librarian of Congress James H. Billington on December 27 named 25 motion pictures-classics from every era of American filmmaking-to the National Film Registry of the Library of Congress, including Bullitt, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Grand Hotel, Oklahoma!, and 12 Angry Men. The selections were made as part of a program aimed at preserving the nation’s movie heritage. This year’s selections bring to 475 the number of motion pictures in the registry….

Library of Congress, Dec. 27

The following is a question regarding alternative approaches to library funding and a summary of responses to that question.

QUESTION

“The perennial issue – law library funding. Beyond civil filing fees, has any law library tried other avenues for funding, for example, a portion of the attorney registration fee, or other vehicle? I am interested whether or not the attempt was successful.”

View Letter from the Working Group – November 30, 2007 [PDF, 41 KB]

Read Draft Final Report of the Working Group [PDF, 315 KB]

The period for public comment on the report is open until December 15, 2007. Comments can be submitted via the Web site at http://www.loc.gov/bibliographic-future/contact/. Electronic submission of comments is encouraged. Please note that public comments are a vital part of the Working Group’s deliberations and may be available for public access either online or in print.

The Legislative Resource Center of the Office of the Clerk, U.S. House of Representatives is looking for a Manager of Library Services. The individual will provide daily management, oversight and supervision of library operations and personnel. Applicants should have at least five (5) years of progressively responsible management and supervisory experience; an MLS from an accredited American Library Association (ALA)

school is preferred. Contact: Mr. Eddie Curry, Office of the Clerk,

Legislative Resource Center, B-106 Cannon House Office Building,

The following is an excerpt from a December 7, 2007 article by Jacob Liebenluft posted on Slate

“When it does battle on the Web, Google rarely loses. Last year’s closure of Google Answers, however, marked a rare setback for the search giant. An even bigger shock is that Yahoo! succeeded where Google failed. Yahoo! Answers-a site where anyone can post a question in plain English, including queries that can’t be answered by a traditional search engine-now draws 120 million users worldwide, according to Yahoo!’s internal stats. The site has compiled 400 million answers, all searchable in its archives. According to the Web tracking company Hitwise, Yahoo! Answers is the second-most-visited education/reference site on the Internet after Wikipedia”

“The blockbuster success of Yahoo! Answers is all the more surprising once you spend a few days using the site. While Answers is a valuable window into how people look for information online, it looks like a complete disaster as a traditional reference tool. It encourages bad research habits, rewards people who post things that aren’t true, and frequently labels factual errors as correct information. It’s every middle-school teacher’s worst nightmare about the Web.”

Library Technology Reports 43:6 2007 By Brad Eden

Excerpts from ALA TechSource publication announcment:

“As library technologists and librarians are well aware, since the advent of the Internet, the relationship between the user and his/her library has changed”.

Wsll @ Your Service, an E-publication of the Wisconsin State Law Library is now available. It contains an interesting variety of news under heading such as: What’s New, This Just in, Tech Tip in Brief, Learn @ the Law Library, and Odds & Endings. Those who are concerned about the conversion to Digital TV on February 17, 2007 will find the information and links in the Tech Tip in Brief section especially valuable.

To see the entire issue click here.

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