Library Journal today reports on an interesting development at the NYPL:
“…A major division between the New York Public Library’s (NYPL) Research and Branch libraries has been 
bridged, thanks to a new integrated catalog which includes both research materials (formerly CATNYP) and circulation (formerly LEO) collections. The new system, known as The Catalog, includes eight million bibliographic records representing 14 million items…”
Although I rarely mention new books in this forum, Free: The Future of a Radical Price from best-selling author Chris Anderson of the much disussed “The Long Tail” will be released tomorrow.
Here is a video from last year with Chris Anderson discussing the topic:
From the author’s blog:
“…Adobe and Brand Republic
We have concluded a sponsorship partnership with Adobe – who, like Spotify [which is distributing the free audiobook, UK only], adopt a freemium model with both free and paid for goods and services. In association with Adobe we will be offering a limited number of abridged sponsored versions of FREE in paperback and e-Book through BrandRepublic.com…”
The Search Engine Watch blog had a good post by Linda Evanas today relevant to libraries titled Customer Service in Social Media:
“… ‘The Undo Button‘ showed a Twitter conversation between a restaurant owner and a woman who had visited their establishment.
…This example demonstrates a few things about conversations in social media that any marketer can integrate into their strategy for entering the social media space.
Investing in social media conversations is very resource-intensive. However, conversing with the audience in a genuine manner, not with predefined marketing messages, can have great rewards…”
Thanks to Peter Scott’s Library Blog post today Codex Sinaiticus – The world’s oldest bible reunited online for pointing out the British Library’s press release:
A remarkable collaboration between institutions in the UK, Germany, Egypt, and Russia has succeeded in reuniting virtually more than 800 pages and fragments from the world’s oldest surviving Christian bible, Codex Sinaiticus.
For the first time, people around the world will be able to explore high resolution digital images of all the extant pages of the fourth-century book, which was written in Greek on parchment leaves by several scribes and had its text revised and corrected over the course of the following centuries.
Please note: this website is experiencing exceptional demand. If you are unable to connect to it, please bookmark and return later…”
“VisualCV.com gives you an easy new way to present your Curriculum Vitae (CV) online. VisualCV replaces the traditional resume with an online professional profile. VisualCV.com is the first website that allows you to create an Internet-based resume, build and manage an integrated online career portfolio, and securely share professional qualifications with your customers, partners, employers and colleagues.
How is it used?
You’ll use VisualCVs for professional networking, job searching, business development, and personal brand management. The VisualCV’s compelling Internet-based format helps you to differentiate yourself in a whole new way!…”
© 2009
Here is a great video from Pikes Peak Library District for all of us cubicle workers:
Workspace and Kitchen Etiquette from PPLD TV on Vimeo.
There is an interesting theory in the post Google’s strategy to take out the Kindle on the Kindle 2 Review, Kindle DX Reviews, Books blog today which is excerpted below. It is worth reading the whole post, however.
“Update: The DOJ has confirmed an antitrust review of the Google Book Settlement (July 2nd). It sent a letter to the Judge overseeing the settlement stating that it has opened an investigation based on public concerns that some aspects of the settlement may violate the Sherman Act.
…Google’s Strategy to fight Amazon and the Kindle.
Google has made some really interesting moves with books, ones that are very unlike Google -
Google is going to pull a Two Buck Chuck on Amazon
Read the story here on Two Buck Chuck. Google is going to attack the Kindle in three ways (it’ll try these one by one) -
My 2 predictions for Google vs Kindle
Considering all the past hype about Second Life, here is an excerpt from an important new post from TechCrunch relevant to libraries titled Does Anybody Still Use Second Life? And If So, How Much Is It Worth Today?:
“Analyst firm Next Up Research
has published an extensive report on Linden Lab, the San Francisco company behind virtual world Second Life. The research is based on aggregate data and is available on SharesPost…The report goes rather deep into the valuation of the Linden Lab, which it pegs at somewhere between $658 million and 700 million…
First of all, you may be wondering if anyone is still using Second Life at all. The answer is yes, and users are very active on there. During the past 30 days, one million users logged in, according to Second Life’s own statistics. In average time spent per user per week, Second Life in fact trounces all other MMORPGs, including World of Warcraft and Civilization IV. In another testament to the service’s apparent stickiness, the number of hours users spend on Second Life has been increasing steadily and is currently at historic highs, totaling approximately 124 million hours in the first quarter of this year…”
The Wired article July 4, 1776: Preserving the Declaration discusses the history of efforts to preserve the American Declaration of Independence:
“…The Declaration of Independence can be fairly said to stand alongside the Magna Carta and Bill of Rights as the most important documents in the history of democracy. Its significance was understood from the moment it was signed, so one is left to wonder why its preservation was ignored for so long.
During the Revolutionary War, the Declaration of Independence was rolled up and toted around like a Thomas Bros. map, although, given the vicissitudes of war, that’s perhaps understandable. Less understandable is what came later. Water was spilled on it while it was being copied in 1823. Then it was tacked up on the wall at the U.S. Patent Office for about 40 years, where it was subjected to a strong northern light.
Finally, the suggestion was made in 1903 that maybe it shouldn’t be exposed to sunlight and, oh, by the way, maybe it should be kept dry, too. The latter turned out to be a bad idea because the Declaration, which was written on parchment, actually needs a bit of moisture to keep from cracking
It wasn’t until 1951 that the first modern preservation efforts began. The document was sealed inside a bronze, bullet-proof glass case at the National Archives building in Washington, D.C. Humidified helium replaced oxygen to prevent further erosion, and the glass was filtered to cut down on light exposure.
Beginning in 1987, using camera equipment developed for the Hubble Space Telescope, preservationists were able to monitor the Declaration for even the most minute signs of fading or flaking ink.
The measures proved effective, so much so that the Declaration outlived its original protective case. After undergoing careful inspection for further erosion in 2003, the document was resealed in a titanium casement filled with inert argon gas. Similar preservation techniques are used to protect the Bill of Rightsand Constitution.
The Declaration of Independence remains on display in the rotunda of the National Archives, where it is seen by roughly 6,000 tourists every day. At night, when the crowds have all gone home, the case is lowered 22 feet into a vault…”
hen in the Course of human events it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature’s God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. — That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, — That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security. — Such has been the patient sufferance of these Colonies; and such is now the necessity which constrains them to alter their former Systems of Government. The history of the present King of Great Britain is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute Tyranny over these States. To prove this, let Facts be submitted to a candid world.
He has refused his Assent to Laws, the most wholesome and necessary for the public good.
He has forbidden his Governors to pass Laws of immediate and pressing importance, unless suspended in their operation till his Assent should be obtained; and when so suspended, he has utterly neglected to attend to them.
He has refused to pass other Laws for the accommodation of large districts of people, unless those people would relinquish the right of Representation in the Legislature, a right inestimable to them and formidable to tyrants only.
He has called together legislative bodies at places unusual, uncomfortable, and distant from the depository of their Public Records, for the sole purpose of fatiguing them into compliance with his measures.
He has dissolved Representative Houses repeatedly, for opposing with manly firmness his invasions on the rights of the people.
He has refused for a long time, after such dissolutions, to cause others to be elected, whereby the Legislative Powers, incapable of Annihilation, have returned to the People at large for their exercise; the State remaining in the mean time exposed to all the dangers of invasion from without, and convulsions within.
He has endeavoured to prevent the population of these States; for that purpose obstructing the Laws for Naturalization of Foreigners; refusing to pass others to encourage their migrations hither, and raising the conditions of new Appropriations of Lands.
He has obstructed the Administration of Justice by refusing his Assent to Laws for establishing Judiciary Powers.
He has made Judges dependent on his Will alone for the tenure of their offices, and the amount and payment of their salaries.
He has erected a multitude of New Offices, and sent hither swarms of Officers to harass our people and eat out their substance.
He has kept among us, in times of peace, Standing Armies without the Consent of our legislatures.
He has affected to render the Military independent of and superior to the Civil Power.
He has combined with others to subject us to a jurisdiction foreign to our constitution, and unacknowledged by our laws; giving his Assent to their Acts of pretended Legislation:
For quartering large bodies of armed troops among us:
For protecting them, by a mock Trial from punishment for any Murders which they should commit on the Inhabitants of these States:
For cutting off our Trade with all parts of the world:
For imposing Taxes on us without our Consent:
For depriving us in many cases, of the benefit of Trial by Jury:
For transporting us beyond Seas to be tried for pretended offences:
For abolishing the free System of English Laws in a neighbouring Province, establishing therein an Arbitrary government, and enlarging its Boundaries so as to render it at once an example and fit instrument for introducing the same absolute rule into these Colonies
For taking away our Charters, abolishing our most valuable Laws and altering fundamentally the Forms of our Governments:
For suspending our own Legislatures, and declaring themselves invested with power to legislate for us in all cases whatsoever.
He has abdicated Government here, by declaring us out of his Protection and waging War against us.
He has plundered our seas, ravaged our coasts, burnt our towns, and destroyed the lives of our people.
He is at this time transporting large Armies of foreign Mercenaries to compleat the works of death, desolation, and tyranny, already begun with circumstances of Cruelty & Perfidy scarcely paralleled in the most barbarous ages, and totally unworthy the Head of a civilized nation.
He has constrained our fellow Citizens taken Captive on the high Seas to bear Arms against their Country, to become the executioners of their friends and Brethren, or to fall themselves by their Hands.
He has excited domestic insurrections amongst us, and has endeavoured to bring on the inhabitants of our frontiers, the merciless Indian Savages whose known rule of warfare, is an undistinguished destruction of all ages, sexes and conditions.
In every stage of these Oppressions We have Petitioned for Redress in the most humble terms: Our repeated Petitions have been answered only by repeated injury. A Prince, whose character is thus marked by every act which may define a Tyrant, is unfit to be the ruler of a free people.
Nor have We been wanting in attentions to our British brethren. We have warned them from time to time of attempts by their legislature to extend an unwarrantable jurisdiction over us. We have reminded them of the circumstances of our emigration and settlement here. We have appealed to their native justice and magnanimity, and we have conjured them by the ties of our common kindred to disavow these usurpations, which would inevitably interrupt our connections and correspondence. They too have been deaf to the voice of justice and of consanguinity. We must, therefore, acquiesce in the necessity, which denounces our Separation, and hold them, as we hold the rest of mankind, Enemies in War, in Peace Friends.
We, therefore, the Representatives of the united States of America, in General Congress, Assembled, appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions, do, in the Name, and by Authority of the good People of these Colonies, solemnly publish and declare, That these united Colonies are, and of Right ought to be Free and Independent States, that they are Absolved from all Allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political connection between them and the State of Great Britain, is and ought to be totally dissolved; and that as Free and Independent States, they have full Power to levy War, conclude Peace, contract Alliances, establish Commerce, and to do all other Acts and Things which Independent States may of right do. — And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of Divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes, and our sacred Honor.
New Hampshire:
Josiah Bartlett, William Whipple, Matthew Thornton
Massachusetts:
John Hancock, Samuel Adams, John Adams, Robert Treat Paine, Elbridge Gerry
Rhode Island:
Stephen Hopkins, William Ellery
Connecticut:
Roger Sherman, Samuel Huntington, William Williams, Oliver Wolcott
New York:
William Floyd, Philip Livingston, Francis Lewis, Lewis Morris
New Jersey:
Richard Stockton, John Witherspoon, Francis Hopkinson, John Hart, Abraham Clark
Pennsylvania:
Robert Morris, Benjamin Rush, Benjamin Franklin, John Morton, George Clymer, James Smith, George Taylor, James Wilson, George Ross
Delaware:
Caesar Rodney, George Read, Thomas McKean
Maryland:
Samuel Chase, William Paca, Thomas Stone, Charles Carroll of Carrollton
Virginia:
George Wythe, Richard Henry Lee, Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Harrison, Thomas Nelson, Jr., Francis Lightfoot Lee, Carter Braxton
North Carolina:
William Hooper, Joseph Hewes, John Penn
South Carolina:
Edward Rutledge, Thomas Heyward, Jr., Thomas Lynch, Jr., Arthur Middleton
Georgia:
Button Gwinnett, Lyman Hall, George Walton
“BLOGGING CAN BE PART OF AN EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION STRATEGY–IF YOU CAN FIGURE OUT WHAT TO BLOG ABOUT AND HOW TO DO IT EFFECTIVELY”
NO FEES – NO DUES – NO TRAVEL
ALL Librarians Can Support & Participate
OPAL (Online Programming for All Libraries) is planning something special:
Thursday, August 13, 2009 beginning at noon Eastern Time, 11:00 a.m. Central, 10:00 a.m. Mountain, 9:00 a.m. Pacific, and 4:00 p.m. GMT:
Catalog 2.0: Your Library Catalog in a Global Environment is an interesting postfrom the Kansas State Library blog:
“…We have cataloged about 1,000 Wikipedia articles analytically at the State Library providing links via the Kansas Library Catalog, WorldCat/OCLC and the State Library’s consortium OPAC, ATLAS. Most all of the Wikipedia articles we’ve cataloged are concerned with Kansas, Kansans or current topics with few resources initially available via standard library resources. We had one of the first records in WorldCat/OCLC linking to information on then-Supreme-Court-nominee, John G. Roberts, as well as an early record on Hurricane Katrina. We followed these entries with other cataloging records accessing more substantive resources, but yes, the initial records were for Wikipedia articles.
Within each Wikipedia cataloging record we’ve included a warning statement in a note stating, ‘Wikipedia is a free encyclopedia that is being written collaboratively by the readers of the web site. The site is a WikiWiki, meaning that anyone can edit any article right now by clicking on the edit this page link that appears in every article in Wikipedia. All of the articles are covered by the GNU Free Documentation License, toensure that they can remain freely available forever.’…”
This post is mainly for posterity to help record the progress I have made on the cataloging front.. The content below was taken from the homepage of our special library’s Atriuum OPAC and explains to our staff/patrons the status, condition, and use of our library resources.
Any staff member with permission can access this online catalog via a web browser from any location in the world with a computer and an internet connection.
Using the catalog “search” feature at the top of this page, you can perform a “simple” SEARCH for any of the library resources for which bibliographic records have been entered into the Atriuum database software. The pull-down menus to the right of the search box above, can also be used to LIMIT a search by 1) author, title, subject heading, call number, ISBN or series title or 2) by one of 41 material format types [complete list available upon request], i.e., HB (hardback book), PB (paperback book), BKL (booklet), CAS (audio cassette), VHS (VHS video cassette), DVD (digital video disk), 3/4″ V (3/4″ video), MAS (master), etc.
The “combo” and “expert” links can also be used for more complex searches. The combo search option is a simple form of the expert search. You are given search fields for Title, Author, and Subject. Search terms can be entered in any or all of these fields. Expert search allows you to enter search criteria for up to three different types of data and ALSO to limit the search by joining that data to “BOOLEAN” search operators (search limiting words “and”, “or”, & “and not”—SEE A “BOOLEAN” SEARCH: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vube-ZcJFk4).
Note that the “my items” link on the left is currently not operational. Using the “my items” link, “patrons” will be able to log in to view their checked out items, reserve shelf, and items reserved.
Using the “bibliography” link on the left, patrons can save favorite or interesting item records for future reference.
The actual process of descriptive and subject CATALOGING of the library materials (using Dewey decimal classification and Library of Congress subject headings) at the main library and the main library off-Site location began August 25, 2006. In April 2007, cataloging began at 2 of the 4 out of state, long-term, storage facility units.
As more bibliographic records are entered into the system, the online catalog will become an increasingly valuable and useful tool for searching for and accessing the library and archive resources. As of July 2, 2009, library holding records for 17,069 physical items have been entered into the catalog database. Cataloging continues and our collections grow daily.
Contact the librarian if you are looking for ELECTRONIC files, such as MS Word or PDF documents of program, meeting, conference or product TRANSCRIPTS, which are organized in sub-folders in the “TRANSCRIPTS” folder (6,027 files to date) on the department server and CANNOT be searched using this catalog.
There are various relevant links in the left column, including many to the online catalogs of relevant college/university libraries as well as the online catalogs of a few archival centers which may augment your research activities.
Jill Hurst-Wahl, digitization consultant/owner of Hurst Associates, Ltd. and Professor of Practice in Syracuse University’s School of Information Studies, on the Digitization 101 blog has posted a helpful “Resources on Digital Curation“:
International Journal of DigitalCuration
Proceedings of DigCCurr2009: Digital Curation: Practice, Promise, and Prospects (download for free)
Digital Curation: A Life-Cycle Approach to Managing and Preserving Usable Digital Information
Tim Steury from Washington State Magazine has started writing an article “about the changing role of the library…Without even interviewing a librarian yet” and seeks input.
This is a great opportunity for professionals to help him answer his question “Should a Library Be a Place?” Tim admits, “…these days, about the only reason I go to the actual library, which is a three-minute walk up the hill from my office, is to check out books…”
Send comments to Tim’s blog
(Flag that flew over Ft. McHenry when the Star Spangled Banner was written by Francis Scott Key)
Though some of America’s “founding fathers” who delivered to us the national freedom we all enjoy were actually deists—like Jefferson and Franklin, it is interesting to review the following thoughts by them about our dependence on a sovereign Creator:
George Washington
1st U.S. President
“While we are zealously performing the duties of good citizens and soldiers, we certainly ought not to be inattentive to the higher duties of religion. To the distinguished character of Patriot, it should be our highest glory to add the more distinguished character of Christian.”
–The Writings of Washington, pp. 342-343.
John Adams
2nd U.S. President and Signer of the Declaration of Independence
“Suppose a nation in some distant Region should take the Bible for their only law Book, and every member should regulate his conduct by the precepts there exhibited! Every member would be obliged in conscience, to temperance, frugality, and industry; to justice, kindness, and charity towards his fellow men; and to piety, love, and reverence toward Almighty God … What a Eutopia, what a Paradise would this region be.”
–Diary and Autobiography of John Adams, Vol. III, p. 9.
“The general principles on which the fathers achieved independence were the general principles of Christianity. I will avow that I then believed, and now believe, that those general principles of Christianity are as eternal and immutable as the existence and attributes of God.“
–Adams wrote this on June 28, 1813, in a letter to Thomas Jefferson.
“The second day of July, 1776, will be the most memorable epoch in the history of America. I am apt to believe that it will be celebrated by succeeding generations as the great anniversary Festival. It ought to be commemorated, as the Day of Deliverance, by solemn acts of devotion to God Almighty. It ought to be solemnized with pomp and parade, with shows, games, sports, guns, bells, bonfires and illuminations, from one end of this continent to the other, from this time forward forever.”
–Adams wrote this in a letter to his wife, Abigail, on July 3, 1776.
Thomas Jefferson
3rd U.S. President, Drafter and Signer of the Declaration of Independence
“God who gave us life gave us liberty. And can the liberties of a nation be thought secure when we have removed their only firm basis, a conviction in the minds of the people that these liberties are of the Gift of God? That they are not to be violated but with His wrath? Indeed, I tremble for my country when I reflect that God is just; that His justice cannot sleep forever; That a revolution of the wheel of fortune, a change of situation, is among possible events; that it may become probable by Supernatural influence! The Almighty has no attribute which can take side with us in that event.”
–Notes on the State of Virginia, Query XVIII, p. 237.
“I am a real Christian – that is to say, a disciple of the doctrines of Jesus Christ.”
–The Writings of Thomas Jefferson, p. 385.
John Hancock
1st Signer of the Declaration of Independence
“Resistance to tyranny becomes the Christian and social duty of each individual. … Continue steadfast and, with a proper sense of your dependence on God, nobly defend those rights which heaven gave, and no man ought to take from us.”
–History of the United States of America, Vol. II, p. 229.
Benjamin Franklin
Signer of the Declaration of Independence and Unites States Constitution
“Here is my Creed. I believe in one God, the Creator of the Universe. That He governs it by His Providence. That He ought to be worshipped.
That the most acceptable service we render to him is in doing good to his other children. That the soul of man is immortal, and will be treated with justice in another life respecting its conduct in this. These I take to be the fundamental points in all sound religion, and I regard them as you do in whatever sect I meet with them.
As to Jesus of Nazareth, my opinion of whom you particularly desire, I think the system of morals and his religion, as he left them to us, is the best the world ever saw, or is likely to see;
But I apprehend it has received various corrupting changes, and I have, with most of the present dissenters in England, some doubts as to his divinity; though it is a question I do not dogmatize upon, having never studied it, and think it needless to busy myself with it now, when I expect soon an opportunity of knowing the truth with less trouble. I see no harm, however, in its being believed, if that belief has the good consequence, as probably it has, of making his doctrines more respected and more observed; especially as I do not perceive, that the Supreme takes it amiss, by distinguishing the unbelievers in his government of the world with any peculiar marks of his displeasure.”
–Benjamin Franklin wrote this in a letter to Ezra Stiles, President of Yale University on March 9, 1790.
Samuel Adams
Signer of the Declaration of Independence and Father of the American Revolution
“And as it is our duty to extend our wishes to the happiness of the great family of man, I conceive that we cannot better express ourselves than by humbly supplicating the Supreme Ruler of the world that the rod of tyrants may be broken to pieces, and the oppressed made free again; that wars may cease in all the earth, and that the confusions that are and have been among nations may be overruled by promoting and speedily bringing on that holy and happy period when the kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ may be everywhere established, and all people everywhere willingly bow to the sceptre of Him who is Prince of Peace.”
–As Governor of Massachusetts, Proclamation of a Day of Fast, March 20, 1797.
James Madison
4th U.S. President
“Cursed be all that learning that is contrary to the cross of Christ.”
–America’s Providential History, p. 93.
James Monroe
5th U.S. President
“When we view the blessings with which our country has been favored, those which we now enjoy, and the means which we possess of handing them down unimpaired to our latest posterity, our attention is irresistibly drawn to the source from whence they flow. Let us then, unite in offering our most grateful acknowledgements for these blessings to the Divine Author of All Good.”
–Monroe made this statement in his 2nd Annual Message to Congress, November 16, 1818.
John Quincy Adams
6th U.S. President
“The hope of a Christian is inseparable from his faith. Whoever believes in the divine inspiration of the Holy Scriptures must hope that the religion of Jesus shall prevail throughout the earth. Never since the foundation of the world have the prospects of mankind been more encouraging to that hope than they appear to be at the present time. And may the associated distribution of the Bible proceed and prosper till the Lord shall have made ‘bare His holy arm in the eyes of all the nations, and all the ends of the earth shall see the salvation of our God’ (Isaiah 52:10).”
–Life of John Quincy Adams, p. 248.
William Penn
Founder of Pennsylvania
“I do declare to the whole world that we believe the Scriptures to contain a declaration of the mind and will of God in and to those ages in which they were written; being given forth by the Holy Ghost moving in the hearts of holy men of God; that they ought also to be read, believed, and fulfilled in our day; being used for reproof and instruction, that the man of God may be perfect. They are a declaration and testimony of heavenly things themselves, and, as such, we carry a high respect for them. We accept them as the words of God Himself.”
–Treatise of the Religion of the Quakers, p. 355.
Roger Sherman
Signer of the Declaration of Independence and United States Constitution
“I believe that there is one only living and true God, existing in three persons, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost, the same in substance equal in power and glory. That the scriptures of the old and new testaments are a revelation from God, and a complete rule to direct us how we may glorify and enjoy him. That God has foreordained whatsoever comes to pass, so as thereby he is not the author or approver of sin. That he creates all things, and preserves and governs all creatures and all their actions, in a manner perfectly consistent with the freedom of will in moral agents, and the usefulness of means. That he made man at first perfectly holy, that the first man sinned, and as he was the public head of his posterity, they all became sinners in consequence of his first transgression, are wholly indisposed to that which is good and inclined to evil, and on account of sin are liable to all the miseries of this life, to death, and to the pains of hell forever.
I believe that God having elected some of mankind to eternal life, did send his own Son to become man, die in the room and stead of sinners and thus to lay a foundation for the offer of pardon and salvation to all mankind, so as all may be saved who are willing to accept the gospel offer: also by his special grace and spirit, to regenerate, sanctify and enable to persevere in holiness, all who shall be saved; and to procure in consequence of their repentance and faith in himself their justification by virtue of his atonement as the only meritorious cause.
I believe a visible church to be a congregation of those who make a credible profession of their faith in Christ, and obedience to him, joined by the bond of the covenant.
I believe that the souls of believers are at their death made perfectly holy, and immediately taken to glory: that at the end of this world there will be a resurrection of the dead, and a final judgement of all mankind, when the righteous shall be publicly acquitted by Christ the Judge and admitted to everlasting life and glory, and the wicked be sentenced to everlasting punishment.”
–The Life of Roger Sherman, pp. 272-273.
Benjamin Rush
Signer of the Declaration of Independence and Ratifier of the U.S. Constitution
“The Gospel of Jesus Christ prescribes the wisest rules for just conduct in every situation of life. Happy they who are enabled to obey them in all situations!”
–The Autobiography of Benjamin Rush, pp. 165-166.
“Christianity is the only true and perfect religion, and that in proportion as mankind adopts its principles and obeys its precepts, they will be wise and happy.”
–Essays, Literary, Moral, and Philosophical, published in 1798.
“I know there is an objection among many people to teaching children doctrines of any kind, because they are liable to be controverted. But let us not be wiser than our Maker.
If moral precepts alone could have reformed mankind, the mission of the Son of God into all the world would have been unnecessary. The perfect morality of the Gospel rests upon the doctrine which, though often controverted has never been refuted: I mean the vicarious life and death of the Son of God.”
–Essays, Literary, Moral, and Philosophical, published in 1798.
John Witherspoon
Signer of the Declaration of Independence, Clergyman and President of Princeton University
“While we give praise to God, the Supreme Disposer of all events, for His interposition on our behalf, let us guard against the dangerous error of trusting in, or boasting of, an arm of flesh … If your cause is just, if your principles are pure, and if your conduct is prudent, you need not fear the multitude of opposing hosts.
What follows from this? That he is the best friend to American liberty, who is most sincere and active in promoting true and undefiled religion, and who sets himself with the greatest firmness to bear down profanity and immorality of every kind.
Whoever is an avowed enemy of God, I scruple not [do not hesitate] to call him an enemy of his country.”
–Sermon at Princeton University, “The Dominion of Providence over the Passions of Men,” May 17, 1776.
Alexander Hamilton
Signer of the Declaration of Independence and Ratifier of the U.S. Constitution
“I have carefully examined the evidences of the Christian religion, and if I was sitting as a juror upon its authenticity I would unhesitatingly give my verdict in its favor. I can prove its truth as clearly as any proposition ever submitted to the mind of man.”
–Famous American Statesmen, p. 126.
Patrick Henry
Ratifier of the U.S. Constitution
“It cannot be emphasized too strongly or too often that this great nation was founded, not by religionists, but by Christians; not on religions, but on the Gospel of Jesus Christ. For this very reason peoples of other faiths have been afforded asylum, prosperity, and freedom of worship here.”
–The Trumpet Voice of Freedom: Patrick Henry of Virginia, p. iii.
“The Bible … is a book worth more than all the other books that were ever printed.”
–Sketches of the Life and Character of Patrick Henry, p. 402.
John Jay
1st Chief Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court and President of the American Bible Society
“By conveying the Bible to people thus circumstanced, we certainly do them a most interesting kindness. We thereby enable them to learn that man was originally created and placed in a state of happiness, but, becoming disobedient, was subjected to the degradation and evils which he and his posterity have since experienced.
The Bible will also inform them that our gracious Creator has provided for us a Redeemer, in whom all the nations of the earth shall be blessed; that this Redeemer has made atonement “for the sins of the whole world,” and thereby reconciling the Divine justice with the Divine mercy has opened a way for our redemption and salvation; and that these inestimable benefits are of the free gift and grace of God, not of our deserving, nor in our power to deserve.”
–In God We Trust—The Religious Beliefs and Ideas of the American Founding Fathers, p. 379.
“In forming and settling my belief relative to the doctrines of Christianity, I adopted no articles from creeds but such only as, on careful examination, I found to be confirmed by the Bible.”
–American Statesman Series, p. 360.
Today many ask the question “Who is Jesus…Really?“
Here IamLibrarian blogs about the new “Infoquest collaborative text messaging project which will kickoff on July 20, 2009“:
“The time is approaching…MyInfoquest will launch on July 20th. We currently have 36 libraries participating in this collaborative text reference service. The advisory committee and subcommittees have been meeting regularly and working hard.
This project is a pilot project slated to run through December, 2009. We are working on securing funding to continue the service. One of the ways that we are doing this is through an upcoming conference “The Handheld Librarian.” This is a one-day, virtual conference offering presentations on a wide variety of topics…”
This is from MyInfoquest page:
On the go and need an answer? Text your question to an InfoQuest librarian and have the answer delivered to your phone in any zone with My InfoQuest: txt 4 answers!
InfoQuest is brought to you by your library!
Visit here for a list of participating libraries.“The Special Libraries Association, which six years ago began doing business simply as SLA, is again considering changing its name. ‘As SLA enters its second century, it is clear that we are burdened with a name tha
t not only causes confusion but also fails to capture the aspirations of our members,’ CEO Janice Lachance wrote in June Executive Connection column.
The SLA Alignment Project, the two-year study that helped redefine the association’s ‘positioning in the marketplace,’ has reached that conclusion, a suitable circumstance on the 100th anniversary of SLA’s inception on July 2, 1909. No timetable for the change has been announced…”
Although it has been available for a couple of months, there is a new textbook, Mobile Learning: Transforming the Delivery of Education and Training, which is available for FREE download in whole or in part. It is described by the pubisher as follows:
“This collection is for anyone interested in the use of mobile technology for various distance learning applications. Readers will discover how to design learning materials for delivery on mobile technology and become familiar with the best practices of other educators, trainers, and researchers in the field, as well as the most recent initiatives in mobile learning research. Businesses and governments can learn how to deliver timely information to staff using mobile devices. Professors can use this book as a textbook for courses on distance education, mobile learning, and educational technology…”
Thanks to Stephen Abram for his posting today Does Technology Ever Really Die? highlighting the above great visualization from The Steve Rubel LifeStream who says:
“The image above is one of the most important graphics I have ever seen. In fact I stare at it every day on my desktop to remind me that a) there will always be shifts in media and b) one format never supersedes another.
The blog is at a critical stage in its evolution. Blogs are out of beta. Blogs are the new normal. Everything is a blog. So what’s next? Well, the format will indeed evolve into something new. I believe it will be the stream. Yet lots of folks this week are defending the blog like it’s sacrosanct and untouchable…”
“LexisNexis has published a report on Best Practices for Government Libraries – 2009.
It gathers together contributions from dozens of librarians in U.S. government agencies, courts, and the military, as well as from professional library association leaders…”
Here is part of a very interesting post today from Libology titled NASA Needs A Library Solution (But So Do Libraries) which we should all find thought provoking:
“In a merging of two of my great interests, NASA has issued a Request For Information (ROI) on how best to “analyze and catalog notes from spaceflight pioneer Wernher von Braun into an electronic, searchable database or other system.“
At first glance, this is something that would be solved by using library tools and software. However, the list of potential ways to set this up seems to illustrate the gaps in library technology (all points are mine):
This project begs for a combination of a traditional database (for storing and searching text) with the added functionality provided by social software products. Nothing in the list is beyond the current means of technology… think of a wiki combined with flickr-type functionality that can utilize PDF documents and you have a good starting point.
Why hasn’t this been done? How many libraries and archives have document sets like this that could become a researcher’s favorite collection, with the right application of technology? Have any been digitized with a social annotation feature?
Why do I suspect that the development of this will come from outside the library community?…”
From The Resource Shelf today:
“Word from Michael Hart, the Founder of Project Gutenberg, that once again this year the World e-Book Fair will take place from July 4th-August 4th. This is the 4th year of the annual book fair. It starts on July 4th to celebrate the 38th anniversary of Project Gutenberg which began on July 4th, 1971.
Once the event begins you’ll find FREE access to over 2.5 million full text eBooks that you can download to your computer. Some titles can also be downloaded and read on certain types mobile phones…”
Here is an interesting excerpt from Jon Johnson, Client Services Manager for Library Associates Companies / LAC (LibGig’s parent company), from the LibGIG post The Next Big Thing about Jason Cranford Teague’s talk “Web 2.0 Applications and the Future”:
“…In the Web 3.0 world, websites will need ‘Sincerity’ as a key ingredient in terms of attracting visitors who come back and use the service, or to follow the traffic generated. Two other aspects that go hand-in-hand with ‘Sincerity’ are ‘Credibility’ and ‘Trust.’ The sites and services that have these three aspects will be the ones that are visited most and gain the most traffic. The drawback to this is the risk that people will tend to those sources that most speak to them, rather than becoming more exposed to different views and tones of dialogue, although I found surprising that he refuted the common misconception that people read what they can on the internet and take it as truth. He said that his research found the opposite is actually true, particularly with the younger generation of users. They tend to look at content and information much more skeptically than people realize, more so than any other generation. The most trusted source of information for the younger generation of Americans is Jon Stewart firs and Steven Colbert second — I rest my case.
Here is the crux of his talk: historically there has always been ‘Trusted Filters’— people or organizations that have the trust and credibility to present information correctly. Examples are parents, teachers, and LIBRARIANS; these are people who are trusted to provide the information requested in a way that is not colored and is more forthright and honest. Those networks have, over time, moved from the home/neighborhood to the media (print, radio, TV which is now too colored to be credible), to the computer (too much information to filter through). The next step will be to leverage applications like Twitter, Facebook, etc. to search out sources of information. Finding “Trusted Filters” is the next step in Web 3.0 evolution, networks of people sharing information that filter the news and information they receive and consider when making decisions.
Teague says there are applications/websites that are starting to move in this direction. Tiseme.com and vark.com are two such applications. They will take your IM buddy list and link through all your buddies to source out experts in certain fields who may best be able to answer a question.”
Judith A. Siess on the OPL Plus (not just for OPLs anymore) highlights an interesting and very importnat article/warning in her post Lessons for Corporate Librarins –and Others which is excerpted here:
“‘“When the Internet as a popular research tool began affecting the lives of librarians and information professionals and their clients, accountability for contributing to the mission (i.e., bottom line) of one’s parent organization—whether a for-profit or not-for-profit—became the most critical driver behind the survival of corporate libraries.’
Thus begins a great article by special library gurus Toby Pearlstein (retired from Bain & Co., Inc., Boston, Massachusetts) and James Matarazzo(retired Dean, Graduate School of Library and Information Science, Simmons College, Boston). They outline the ways corporate librarians can—and, in fact, must—make their value known to the decision-makers in their organizations…
Read, understand, internalize, and implement the message in this article—before it’s too late for you!
Citation:
Pearlstein, Toby and James Matarazzo, Survival Lessons for Librarians: Corporate Libraries—A Soft Analysis and a Warning, Searcher 17(6):12-17,52, June 2009, available for US$2.95 athttp://www.infotoday.com/searcher/jun09/index.shtml“
