M. Diderot and Classification

Note: as you might remember, I recently cataloged the Carter's copy of Diderot's "Encyclopédie," which I talked about previously on The Dean Files (Here) and on the Amon Carter's blog (Here). This week for my class on classification, I examine the classification scheme Diderot employs in his "Encyclopédie," specifically as to how it fits in as a schema for classification, as well as any flaws. What follows below is my response to that prompt:

Old Family Photos

As I am sure you read here recently, Jen and I went to visit my family in Lubbock last weekend. This side of the family includes my grandpa Jack, my aunt Joni, her daughter (my cousin) Anna, and my mother Gretchen. My grandpa has a huge number of photos from across the years, which he has been kind enough to loan to me for scanning. I was inspired in this project by our new friend, volcanojw on flickr. She scanned many older slides of her family, and is now sharing them - and the photos are great! You can check them out here:

My eBook Challenge

You know, it hit me this weekend that I talk a big game about eBooks and ePubs, but I have never even tried reading them for any extended period of time. So, on the way home yesterday, I came up with a challenge for myself: read only from my iPad this week. One of the advertised functions of an iPad is reading, and rather than trying a Nook, or a Kindle (which I have tried and don't like), I should use that which I already have.

Oxford English Dictionary in Binary

I imagine that you, good reader, know of the special place in my librarian heart that the Oxford English Dictionary holds. This happened about a year ago, as I examined common reference titles in libraries, and evaluated the OED. It's an incredible piece of work, and a very early example of what is now described as "crowdsourcing." In print, the dictionary is imposing and substantial. Sam Duncan, knowing of my interest in the OED, brought this article to my attention recently:

The Oxford English Dictionary Definitions of ‘Print’ And ‘Digital’, by Tim Carmody

In Defense of Catalogers

If you are a regular reader of The Dean Files, and specifically my posts here about my library experience, you know that I love cataloging. I might be one of, oh, a hundred people in library schools across the country right now that would say that. My love of cataloging comes from my belief that cataloging is the key interface between a library's patrons and the information resources a library holds. I was re-reading this blog post this morning:

Reading Tea Leaves, by Diane Hillmann

A Dearth of Manners

My grandmother was a stickler for good manners. Of course, this was a point of incredible annoyance to me as a kid and teenager - but the efforts to imbue politeness bear fruit much later it seems. Only now have I come to a point where I see the actions of a polite individual as being very important. I try and hold the door open for women (including my wife) and other than Jen, I rarely get a "thank-you" in response. I think this is just the latest symptom of the decline in common manners among people today. (I don't want to be one of those naysayers who claim that the next generation is the worst ever - something said since Juluis Caesar was Consul of Rome.)

What is a Digital Library?

As I discussed earlier this week, my final semester at Syracuse as an MSLIS student started on Monday. During the course of the semester, as I have done in the past, I want to share with you discussions that arise from class, as well as questions that come to mind. This week, I (and my fellow students) have been asked to answer this question:

What is a Digital Library?