5 Myths About the 'Information Age'

Robert Darnton. "5 Myths About the 'Information Age'," The Chronicle of Higher Education: The Chronicle Review 57, Issue 33:B9.

Confusion about the nature of the so-called information age has led to a state of collective false consciousness. It's no one's fault but everyone's problem, because in trying to get our bearings in cyberspace, we often get things wrong, and the misconceptions spread so rapidly that they go unchallenged. Taken together, they constitute a font of proverbial nonwisdom. Five stand out:

1. "The book is dead."
2. "We have entered the information age.
3. "All information is now available online."
4. "Libraries are obsolete."
5. "The future is digital."

You may read the rest of the article at: http://chronicle.com/article/5-Myths-About-the-Information/127105/

From: The Chroncile of Higher Education, April 22, 2011.

New Content and Functionality Added to the RDA Toolkit

A new table of contents and index were recently added to the RDA Toolkit. The new book-style table of contents makes it easier for users to get a high-level overview of the structure of RDA. The index is intended to supplement the Toolkit's full-text searching capability by including terms that are not actually found in the RDA text, such as General Material Designation. The concept of the GMD does not exist in RDA, but the index contains an entry that directs users to the RDA concepts of Carrier Type, Content Type, and Media Type. Printable PDFs of both the table of contents and the index are available for offline use, and both are available free of charge. A subscription to the RDA toolkit is not required to view these new additions to the Toolkit.
For more information, see the RDA Toolkit Blog at: http://www.rdatoolkit.org/blog/119.

RDA Toolkit email list, 4/20/2011

Library Journal releases results of their ILS Survey: Are You Satisfied?

Library Journal released the results of their ILS Survey: Are You Satisfied? on April 1, 2011.

Library Journal recently surveyed librarians to tell what they, and their patrons, thought of their ILSs. Nearly 1300 librarians responded, including 709 public librarians and 541 academic librarians. Their answers will strike a chord with many librarians. For example, 62 percent of library directors said they were satisfied with their ILS, but only 36 percent of public services librarians on the front lines said the same. Many librarians said patrons wanted better search capability, with the familiar word Google repeated as a common refrain. And while fewer than 30 respondents used open source ILSs, most claimed satisfaction with them and said they would recommend them to colleagues.

Select this link to read LJ's summary, their graphical analysis, and their methodology: http://www.libraryjournal.com/lj/ljinprintcurrentissue/889620-403/are_you_satisfied.html.csp

Marshall Breeding's Automation Marketplace 2011: The New Frontier is available

Marshall Breeding's Automation Marketplace 2011: The New Frontier is available at Library Journal's website.

This year's automation marketplace reveals the continued trend of librarians seeking solutions that immediately improve their users' experiences, especially via discovery products. Meanwhile, the number of complete integrated library system (ILS) replacements declined again this year. For the full report, check out the April 1 issue of Library Journal: http://www.libraryjournal.com/lj/home/889533-264/automation_marketplace_2011_the_new.html.csp