Holidays

Readers, I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving week. Jen and I did - and we are now back and ready to finish up the year. I have a few projects for school to wrap up, and so The Dean Files postings by me might not be quite what they have been, and I apologize for that. Stick around, as things will get better!

Social Media Tools and Libraries

It's Friday - and I'd just like to share a presentation with you. Uber-librarian Jessamyn West recently gave a talk about social media tools and libraries, titled The Mayor of Everywhere: Using Social Tools to Be More Places at Once. I think it's a great talk, and if you click through this link here, you'll go right to the talk. What do you think about it? Have a great weekend!

200 Million Records

In the latest issue of C&RL News (Nov. 2010), there were a few things of note for me. First, if you are going to put a QR code on your cover, please don't cover it up with an address label! Second, Erin Dorney, young librarian extraordinaire, had another great Job of a Lifetime article - so cool!

An eBook Epiphany...

I felt as though I had an epiphany yesterday about eBooks. Someone else has probably had this thought before - I just haven't seen it. Anyhow - here it is:

A Catalog Mashup Idea

I was cataloging a book about the Hudson River school yesterday, and as I examined the record, I wondered to myself what purpose the 043 fields in a MARC record serve. I know they "have" to be there when you have a 651 field. Before I go further, allow me to explain myself a bit.

In the Year 3000...

It's Thursday, and for me the semester is beginning to wind down. There's been a lot to do, especially in my digital libraries course. One of the things that keeps me centered in this whole digital libraries movement and my education in it is this image, a cover by Dan Clowes for The New Yorker:

The Kimbell

The Kimbell Art Museum here in Fort Worth recently broke ground on their Renzo Piano addition - something that has been a long time coming. I want to share with you one of my favorite quotes from the American artist (and one of my favorites) Donald Judd about the original Louis Kahn building, as well as some images from the original construction and some images I took this week during the initial phases of construction on the Piano building.

Visual Explanations and Classification

Remember my previous post about Edward R. Tufte and Classification? Well, my presentation was well-received, and I would like to share it with you.

Bicycles and Fall

Fall has officially arrived here in Fort Worth. Jen and I have been celebrating with mulled Apple cider (yum), breaking out the jackets, and putting the winter comforter on the bed. Fall and winter are my favorite seasons, but this year has been absolutely lovely.

RDA Discussion

Readers,

I know I rarely do this, but I just want to share a link with you. This post over at Bibliographic Wilderness is one of the best overall discussions of the strengths and weaknesses of RDA I have seen. So, if you are interested, here's the link:

ALCTS RDA Presentation, at Bibliographic Wilderness

What do you think about what is said over there?

The Semantic Web

This idea of the semantic or linked web is a concept I have been wrestling with over several months. It's a concept I see bandied about regularly in American Libraries, but I think it's something few people outside of the programming and IT world take the time to familiarize themselves with. As a librarian, I think it's my responsibility to at least be conversant with this new web initiative, and (as I think it's a great concept) it is something I would like to advocate for.

A Lovely Morning

Readers,

It's a wonderful morning here in Fort Worth - it's nice and crisp outside, and it's November 2nd, which means it's election day. I know it's the midterm elections, which are less "fun" than the presidential ones, but I love voting. I really love voting with my wife on a cool November morning. So, go vote today regardless of who you vote for, and make sure your voice is heard. I think, perhaps a quote from LBJ is in order:

Indexing

Readers,

Once again, The Dean Files is back in action. Last week was great, but very busy, full of things that I hope to be able to share with you at a later date. Jen and I celebrated our second anniversary, which was lovely!