Contributors Michael Stephens

3974 posts
Advocacy

Palin’s Book Banning

Via SLJ’s Twitter: (everyone should subscribe to their tweets!) http://www.ajc.com/news/content/news/stories/2008/09/05/palin_book_banning.html In December 1996, Emmons told her hometown newspaper, the Frontiersman, that Palin three times asked her — starting before she was sworn in — about possibly removing objectionable books from the library if the need arose. Emmons told the Frontiersman she flatly refused to consider any kind of censorship. Emmons, now Mary Ellen Baker, is on vacation from her current job in Fairbanks and did not return e-mail or telephone messages left for her Wednesday. When the matter came up for the second time in October 1996, during a City […]

Presentations

Fall Education Institute Schedule

Thanks to DLK for reminding me to post this: Check out the fall lineup of online courses and Tech Tuesday webinars for theEducation Institute: Online Courses: September 15 – October 9, 2008 – Time Management for Library Staff – Cheryl Stenstrom November 3 – 28, 2008 – Say It Right: Speaking Confidently and Effectively – Cheryl Stenstrom Technology Tuesday Series: September 23, 2008 – Cool Tools for Library Webmasters – Darlene Fichter and Frank Cervone October 7, 2008 – Fast and Easy Site Tune-ups – Jeff Wisniewski October 21, 2008 – The Secret to User-Centered Web Sites: Cheap, Easy & Effective Usability Techniques – Erica Reynolds November 18, 2008 – Designing the Digital […]

Emerging Technology

Firefox on Public Computers – Request for Info & Ideas

Judy Akalaitis, Business Librarian at the Seattle Public Library writes: Hi Michael! I’m trying to find out what public libraries have Firefox as an option on their public computers.  It was suggested that I contact you, as your travels and work may have led you down this path.  If you know iof any libraries or have any ideas or leads, I would love to hear about them. Thank you for your time and consideration. Good question! I would suggest this post: http://www.swissarmylibrarian.net/2008/05/08/using-firefox-on-our-public-computers If you have info or ideas about using Firefox in the public library, please email Judy Akalaitis at Judy.Akalaitis (at) spl.org […]

Blogging Education

Teaching with WordPress MU

  I start my first class tomorrow: LIS753 Internet Fundamentals & Design. We’re hosting all of our courses at http://classes.tametheweb.com/, via a WordPressMU installation. After considering and playing with Drupal, I was drawn back to WordPress and its ease of use and multiple blog possibilities. Watching the excellent WP-based work of Casey Bisson and Alan Levine helped me make my decision to stay with WP. My ultra-cool grad assistant Kyle Jones worked on making the classes site functional and pleasing to the eye. Thanks Kyle! We’re sticking with WordPress now and hope to add the officially released version of Buddypress in the […]

Hyperlinked Library Library Spaces

On the Learning/Information Commons

I’ve become fascinated with the idea and implementation of the Commons in academic libraries of late. It’s very much part of what I call The Hyperlinked Library. These past few months, I’ve wrote about the commons at ALA TechSource blog. Please take a look if you are interested. The Space Had to Say WOW: Indiana University South Bend Student-centered Digital Learning: Loyola University Keeping the Library Relevant: Georgia Tech

Advocacy

Kennewick library giving students the boot

Via Melissa, one of my students comes this article from Kennewick, WA: Kennewick library Giving StUdents the Boot. Attention grabbing headline, no? From the article: Kennewick High School students have been banned from using the library across the street from their school while classes are in session. Students who often walked across the street to the library during lunch arrived at school last week and learned they were no longer welcome there — at least not between 7:30 a.m. and 2:10 p.m. “I think it’s stupid that they call it the public library and it’s not open to the public,” […]