Online books

The University of Pennsylvania has put together a nice webpage with links to over 25, 000 online books that is certainly worth a look. A quick perusal of the items on offer raises the question: why are some books available online while others are not? Many of the books you’ll find online in full text are old enough that they fall in the public domain. While copyright laws are extensive, they do have limits in terms of longevity. For a roundup of copyright law and the public domain take a look at this webpage from Cornell University.

So while it is possible to read Huckleberry Finn online from sources like Project Gutenberg, your most likely not going to be able to find your recent text book for free online. However, the Regis Libraries do offer access to several electronic book collections including Books 24X7 and NetLibrary, which provide you access to copyrighted materials licensed for use by Regis University students. All of these sources are worth investigating!

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Libraries give you more!

So why should you go to the library (physical or online) if you’ve got an internet connection at home and Google at your fingertips. Candace Lombardi from the CNET technology website tells us why.

http://news.com.com/Steal+this+book+Dont+bother/2100-1038_3-6197993.html

It’s nice to see a mainstream media source publicizing libraries and their value!

P.B.

Websites you can trust…

Given the recent report from Google about malicious websites, I thought it might be useful to direct you to one of our favorite web portals: the Librarians’ Internet Index. Here is a short summary of what this site offers.

We have over 20,000 entries, also maintained by our librarians and organized into 14 main topics and nearly 300 related topics. We also offer featured collections. These have ranged from The Grapes of Web (a companion to the 2002 California statewide Steinbeck reading program) to such topics as taxes, elections, and September 11.

Just like with the list of recommended websites you can find on each of the Regis Libraries subject guides, the Librarians’ Internet Index offers you access to authoritative and current resources on the web that have been reviewed by a librarian.

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Longevity and the library…

I’ve noticed a trend in big Hollywood films recently. When a character needs to find out some info about a past crime, find data about a previous environmental disaster, or dig up some dirt about a co-worker, the character more often than not jumps on a computer and pulls up all the info they need of the internet? Films like this show information as ubiquitous, out there in the ether, ready for you to grab with ease. But what is the reality of the information age we live in today? While this article does not cover all aspects of online information, it does address a common myth: that libraries are being superseded by the internet.

10 Reasons Why the Internet Is No Substitute for a Library

http://www.ala.org/ala/alonline/selectedarticles/10reasonswhy.cfm

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Who we are?

A recent article entitled “A Hipper Crowd of Shushers” by Kara Jesella for the New York Times (access via InfoTrac; reguires RegisNET login) has created a lot of buzz among librarians with its description of an emerging young and “hip” generation of librarians. Librarians have always been sensitive to the stereotype associated with the profession, you know the one: the gray haired, bespectacled, sweater wearing librarian with the steely eyed prohibitive glare and who’s favorite word is “Shhhuush!”. This article, and the response it has amassed, got me thinking that this would be a great time to open the discussion to you, the students. Please tell us, what are your perceptions of librarians and the library?

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Just another day at the library

Those crafty folks at Cornell came up with this amusing “old tyme” style library cartoon. I guess I’d be the shhhsh’ing moose!

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