It seems that York University has joined the Univeristy of Toronto in the Internet Archive’s out-of-copyright book digitization project. This came to my attention via Michael Geist’s twitter feed.
Having been on boths sides of the Canadian Libraries project (scanning these 685 books on the evening shift at Robarts, and as grateful user of digitized materials like this), I’m very glad to hear that their electronic collection will continue to grow apace.
The Globe and Mail’s tabloid-style update on disgraced newspaper magnate Conrad Black’s life behind bars includes the following juicy tidbit (emphasis mine):
[He] has been nicknamed “Lordy” by his fellow inmates, orders around his cellmate, lectures on American history, and has been promoted to work in the library, according to a story yesterday in London’s Daily Mail. [read more]
I couldn’t track down any more details about his duties in the library, though the Daily Mail notes that the new gig affords him “virtually unlimited access to newspapers”… a perk welcomed by procrastinating library types the world over.
Table making library staff ill [YorkRegion.com] :
The main floor service desk [at Richmond Hill Public Library’s Central branch] has been cordoned off for nearly four weeks, ever since staff working at it complained of symptoms ranging from illness to allergic reactions, a librarian at the branch said. The desktop led two staff members to seek medical attention, one of which had to be hospitalized, the librarian added….
“(The hospitalization) was an unrelated matter when [a librarian] was at the doctor and that landed her in the hospital,” [the library’s Director of Public Service] said… “She had allergies, but when she was there they found something else. She wasn’t hospitalized, because of the desk.” [read more]
Reviewing John Broughton’s Wikipedia: The Missing Manual in The New York Review of Books, Nicholson Baker hilariously describes that mightiest of social media reference work free-for-alls as follows:
It’s like some vast aerial city with people walking briskly to and fro on catwalks, carrying picnic baskets full of nutritious snacks. [read more]
[via Library Juice]
Libraries turn new page to thrive in digital age [Globe and Mail via InsideOLITA]
From V. Ross, “Got to have it! …Oops, already do” :
In May, newspaper reports announced that LAC’s cartography section was “coveting” a 444-year-old map, one of the first to use the name “Canada.” This map, created in 1562 by Italian cartographer Paolo Forlani, was expected to cost around $200,000 at auction in Paris on June 9…
The really embarrassing thing is some staff seemed unaware that the archives also already owned the 1562 version, the very one that was going up for auction. In fact, this 1562 Forlani was acquired by the archives in 1981, and exhibited as one of the nation’s gems the very next year. It is also described in a catalogue, Treasures of the National Map Collection. And both Forlani maps are in LAC’s current web catalogue — but the LAC’s confusing cataloguing system is part of the problem.
[Read more @ Globe and Mail]
From T. K. Huwe’s “Life without a systems office” :
There’s another advantage to operating as a free agent instead of as a part of the establishment. The 21st century digital library is a collection of both content and services. So taking the initiative with new potential services or applications is a crucial skill with substantial value for the organization. Being a trailblazer can also make it easier to have a few flops on the way to getting things right…
[Read more @ Computers in Libraries]
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