I am mid-way through my Library Automation course and have been researching the final project, a vendor/product analysis paper. I have chosen SirsiDynix Symphony. The research is going well and I have started writing the paper.
Symphony is the product that we use in my library and I have a much better understanding of the features, the migration necessary to move from Unicorn to Symphony and a greater understanding of the information that is avaialable to SirsiDynix customers. For example, they produce detailed Release Notes so you can find what has changed or been added in each new release. I have always asked for Release Notes whenever we had a upgrade and none were ever provided to us but now, I can find them myself.
All-in-all a very worthwhile project.
Sunday, July 27, 2008
Friday, July 25, 2008
Rediscovering Gems: The Lymond Chronicles
The first in the new Friday series, Rediscovering Gems, is the Lymond Chronicles. This is a series of books written by Dorothy Dunnett that follows Francis Crawford of Lymond in his adventures in 16th Century Europe and the Mediterranean. There are six books in the series: The Game of Kings, Queens's Play, Disorderly Knights, Pawn in Frankencense, The Ringed Castle and Checkmate. Clearly all use the imagery of chess and Lymond is a charismatic figure who is a patriot, a soldier of fortune, a poet and troubled man.
Dunnett is a superb author and she handles the sweeping history of the Lymond Chronicles with ease. Clearly the books are lovingly and exhaustively researched but the reader is in the hands of a wonderful storyteller so the history comes through as part of the story not like a lesson.
There are several reading guides available for this book including this site put together by Random House that includes images of all of the books, a history and reader's guide to the books.
Wikipedia has a terrific entry on the Lymond books which includes major characters, both historical and fictional, and a synopsis of each book.
Dunnett wrote another series, The House of Niccolo, that has a linkage to the Lymond Chronicles. A link to the family tree of the House of Niccolo is available through the Wikipedia link above. However, if you have not read the House of Niccolo you may find that the family trees gives away an important revelation in the final Niccolo book (I have not finished the Niccolo books so I have not yet checked out the family tree because I do not want the surprise to be spoiled.)
Who would like this gem: People who love history would love these books and the success of the Patrick O"Brian books and the rediscovery of the Horatio Hornblower books show that there is a readership who enjoy books that combine history with a sweeping story. And, Lymond is a wonderfully romantic creation and these books will appeal to those readers who enjoy a romantic figure at the heart of the story.
Dunnett is a superb author and she handles the sweeping history of the Lymond Chronicles with ease. Clearly the books are lovingly and exhaustively researched but the reader is in the hands of a wonderful storyteller so the history comes through as part of the story not like a lesson.
There are several reading guides available for this book including this site put together by Random House that includes images of all of the books, a history and reader's guide to the books.
Wikipedia has a terrific entry on the Lymond books which includes major characters, both historical and fictional, and a synopsis of each book.
Dunnett wrote another series, The House of Niccolo, that has a linkage to the Lymond Chronicles. A link to the family tree of the House of Niccolo is available through the Wikipedia link above. However, if you have not read the House of Niccolo you may find that the family trees gives away an important revelation in the final Niccolo book (I have not finished the Niccolo books so I have not yet checked out the family tree because I do not want the surprise to be spoiled.)
Who would like this gem: People who love history would love these books and the success of the Patrick O"Brian books and the rediscovery of the Horatio Hornblower books show that there is a readership who enjoy books that combine history with a sweeping story. And, Lymond is a wonderfully romantic creation and these books will appeal to those readers who enjoy a romantic figure at the heart of the story.
Friday Feature
One of my interests is in moving the backlist in libraries. Netflix talks a lot about this and identifies it as one of the big contributors to its success. Essentially, moving the backlist refers to rentals coming from older DVDs. Recommendations play a large role in moving the backlist as do the wealth of unusual titles available to Netflix subscribers because otherwise some of the titles may be "lost" to the customers unless their presence is pointed out to the customer.
Libraries are like Netflix in that they have a tremendous backlist--a lot of wonder books, movies and CDs that are gems but undiscovered ones or ones that simply need to be rediscovered by today's patrons.
Friday is going to be Rediscovering Gem day. Each Friday, I will feature a title that I think would appeal to today's readers if they only knew it existed. I will also point out ways that I think that these books can be publicized by the libraries.
Libraries are like Netflix in that they have a tremendous backlist--a lot of wonder books, movies and CDs that are gems but undiscovered ones or ones that simply need to be rediscovered by today's patrons.
Friday is going to be Rediscovering Gem day. Each Friday, I will feature a title that I think would appeal to today's readers if they only knew it existed. I will also point out ways that I think that these books can be publicized by the libraries.
Labels:
backlist,
best books 2007,
Libraries,
recommendations
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
Personal Librarian
I work in different branches of my library system and don't really get to develop a relationship with our patrons. However, as I continue to think about what we as librarians can do to match our patrons and hopefully, people who are not regular patrons, with titles that they can enjoy I have been thinking about different methods of recommending or highlighting books.
For example, book displays are great but only work for patrons who come into the library. I also like the idea of a library blog that features new titles but I wonder whether this has been studied and if it is effectly. Clearly, this would depend on a number of things: Is the blog updated frequently? Does the writer have an interesting voice?
Hairdressers keep index cards on file about their customers. They update it when the client requests a new hair-do or comments about considering a new style. They probably add information about how the hair looks during very hot or cold weather and makes a note to themself to suggest that they recommend a treatment or style to the client next time. I would imagine that they also update the cards with personal information about the client so the next time they see the client they can be sure to ask questions about an event the client recently attended or ask about a member of the family that they discussed in a previous visit. It makes the client feel that the hairdresser listens to them and remembers what was said.
So, why can't we do this for patrons? In a larger library, this would be difficult but even in a larger library there are patrons who are regulars that you develop a relationship with--can't we be more proactive about recommending titles for them? In one of the branches, a patron who identified herself as an infrequent reader and user of the library, came up to me at reference, showed me a book that she had just read and asked for one that covered similar topics (women in the Middle East). I found a book for her and she was delighted and told me how much she enjoyed the previous book and was looking forward to reading this one. At the end of our conversation, she asked me to start thinking about the next title that I would recommend. The transaction was quick and I did not get her name, but I think about her often whenever I see a book that I think that she would like.
Blogs, displays and programs are great, better yet we could be the patron's personal librarian, the one who calls them or communicates with them when something that we think they would like come in or is ordered. Personal shoppers do this and I think that it is a model that could be tried in libraries, one patron at a time.
For example, book displays are great but only work for patrons who come into the library. I also like the idea of a library blog that features new titles but I wonder whether this has been studied and if it is effectly. Clearly, this would depend on a number of things: Is the blog updated frequently? Does the writer have an interesting voice?
Hairdressers keep index cards on file about their customers. They update it when the client requests a new hair-do or comments about considering a new style. They probably add information about how the hair looks during very hot or cold weather and makes a note to themself to suggest that they recommend a treatment or style to the client next time. I would imagine that they also update the cards with personal information about the client so the next time they see the client they can be sure to ask questions about an event the client recently attended or ask about a member of the family that they discussed in a previous visit. It makes the client feel that the hairdresser listens to them and remembers what was said.
So, why can't we do this for patrons? In a larger library, this would be difficult but even in a larger library there are patrons who are regulars that you develop a relationship with--can't we be more proactive about recommending titles for them? In one of the branches, a patron who identified herself as an infrequent reader and user of the library, came up to me at reference, showed me a book that she had just read and asked for one that covered similar topics (women in the Middle East). I found a book for her and she was delighted and told me how much she enjoyed the previous book and was looking forward to reading this one. At the end of our conversation, she asked me to start thinking about the next title that I would recommend. The transaction was quick and I did not get her name, but I think about her often whenever I see a book that I think that she would like.
Blogs, displays and programs are great, better yet we could be the patron's personal librarian, the one who calls them or communicates with them when something that we think they would like come in or is ordered. Personal shoppers do this and I think that it is a model that could be tried in libraries, one patron at a time.
Monday, July 21, 2008
Today in the New York Times
There are two interesting articles in the business section of the New York Times today. The first describes a new e-reader device that is is being tested in France to view French newspapers over the device. The article Reading Device Enlisted to Help French Papers describes a e-reader which has a menu of several newspapers and with one click one can select the newspaper they want to read.
Interesting points in this article include the fact that the device and trial are sponsored by France Telecom and the content will include advertisements as a way of increasing revenue. The article points out that it is difficult to effectively track the viewership of on-line ads through such a device. The article also mentions that the e-reader will eventually be able to access other content such as books although it does not mention any active partnerships.
The device seems to lack a keyboard and one tester mentioned that they would really like to be able to cut and paste articles but that did not seem possible at this point with the device. They are not disclosing the cost yet and the article seem to indicate that France Telecom was considering selling the device for a lower price if the customer bought a contract. Elsewhere in the article, it was suggested that the price may be about $800 which would make it more expensive than other readers such as the Kindle.
Another thing that struck me about the article, although not related to e-readers was the percentage of newspaper readers in various countries. In the US and France, that percentage was in the 40's (48% in the US and 43% in France) but the readership in Germany of newspapers is 73%. One must ask why are they so much more popular in Germany.
Overall, very interesting that this is being developed and marketed by a telecommunications provider rinstead of a content provider such as Amazon with the Kindle.
The other interesting article was a column by David Carr, Hey Friend, Do I Know You? about the increasing use of Facebook for professional users. Carr describes "meeting" and "friending" other reporters online and using Facebook to develop his online network. Sounds like Facebook is moving on from merely being a social, social networking tool, to a business social networking tool.
Interesting points in this article include the fact that the device and trial are sponsored by France Telecom and the content will include advertisements as a way of increasing revenue. The article points out that it is difficult to effectively track the viewership of on-line ads through such a device. The article also mentions that the e-reader will eventually be able to access other content such as books although it does not mention any active partnerships.
The device seems to lack a keyboard and one tester mentioned that they would really like to be able to cut and paste articles but that did not seem possible at this point with the device. They are not disclosing the cost yet and the article seem to indicate that France Telecom was considering selling the device for a lower price if the customer bought a contract. Elsewhere in the article, it was suggested that the price may be about $800 which would make it more expensive than other readers such as the Kindle.
Another thing that struck me about the article, although not related to e-readers was the percentage of newspaper readers in various countries. In the US and France, that percentage was in the 40's (48% in the US and 43% in France) but the readership in Germany of newspapers is 73%. One must ask why are they so much more popular in Germany.
Overall, very interesting that this is being developed and marketed by a telecommunications provider rinstead of a content provider such as Amazon with the Kindle.
The other interesting article was a column by David Carr, Hey Friend, Do I Know You? about the increasing use of Facebook for professional users. Carr describes "meeting" and "friending" other reporters online and using Facebook to develop his online network. Sounds like Facebook is moving on from merely being a social, social networking tool, to a business social networking tool.
Sunday, July 20, 2008
Showcasing Older Books
In between questions, one of the things that I like to do at the library is to review the circulation statistics for books that I have particularly enjoyed. Often, they are books that were well reviewed but not terribly popular but I have often thought that one reason they are not popular is that they are not well known. If people could find out about these books, they would re-discover them and enjoy them too.
One book in this category for me, is Frankie's Place by Jim Sterba. It is about the courtship and marriage of Sterba and Frances Fitzgerald and is most centered in her place in Maine where they stay from June to October. This was a lovely book--about their romance, their lives as writers, their activities and friends in Maine and it also includes recipes. Good ones too--I copied some of them and made them myself.
This is also a great seasonal read. It is a book about summer and is terrific to read during that time of year. Of course, you can also read it in the winter when you are yearning for summer, but for this, this is a summer book.
But back to my original question: How do you share books like this with your reading public? Displays help but I would like to see something more proactive to help readers discover wonderful books that they might have missed the first time out.
One book in this category for me, is Frankie's Place by Jim Sterba. It is about the courtship and marriage of Sterba and Frances Fitzgerald and is most centered in her place in Maine where they stay from June to October. This was a lovely book--about their romance, their lives as writers, their activities and friends in Maine and it also includes recipes. Good ones too--I copied some of them and made them myself.
This is also a great seasonal read. It is a book about summer and is terrific to read during that time of year. Of course, you can also read it in the winter when you are yearning for summer, but for this, this is a summer book.
But back to my original question: How do you share books like this with your reading public? Displays help but I would like to see something more proactive to help readers discover wonderful books that they might have missed the first time out.
Friday, July 18, 2008
What is your Library School concentration?
People in the library often ask me what my concentration in Library School is and I never really know what to answer. When I started the program, there were a few concentrations available such as digital libraries, school librarian and children's and youth services, but I found some of the courses under the digital library tract (my primary interest)to be ones that I did not wish to take. I have another Master's degree and I took some of those courses, or similar courses previously and I wanted to use the school experience to learn something new. I found out that I did not need to select a concentration and as long as I took the required courses, I could take whatever elective courses I wanted.
We got email today explaining that concentrations would be available in the future--back again, I suppose and I looked at the chart with interest to see based on the courses I have taken and plan to take where I fall in terms of a concentration. And it seems that I fit in most closely with Digital Libraries. I wonder about some of the choices they made, some classes would seem to be a better fit with the concentrations than others but overall with a few exceptions, I seem to fit in the Digital Library track.
We got email today explaining that concentrations would be available in the future--back again, I suppose and I looked at the chart with interest to see based on the courses I have taken and plan to take where I fall in terms of a concentration. And it seems that I fit in most closely with Digital Libraries. I wonder about some of the choices they made, some classes would seem to be a better fit with the concentrations than others but overall with a few exceptions, I seem to fit in the Digital Library track.
Wednesday, July 9, 2008
A new e-reader
There was a story in the New York Times earlier this week on a new e-reader called the Readius. It is small and can fit into a pocket but the screen folds out which makes it easy to carry and yet provides about 22 linkes of text. It has wireless capability but does not seem to have a keyboard which I would like because I often take notes when I read. I would really like to be able to bookmark sections and annotate while I read. I have never liked writing in books and now that most of my books come from the library that is not possible anyway. I often take notes in a small paper notebook when I am reading but I have found that if I finish the book and pick up the notebook to see what I found interesting about the book, my notes are hard to follow because it lacks the context of the book.
An e-reader that has a keyboard would allow me to take notes and I like the fact that many of the e-readers can hold several books at a time. Imagine going on vacation with one device and not having to tote 10 books along with you.
An e-reader that has a keyboard would allow me to take notes and I like the fact that many of the e-readers can hold several books at a time. Imagine going on vacation with one device and not having to tote 10 books along with you.
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