What's New Library Blog - LaGuardia Community College Library Media Resources Center

How to Succeed in College

AskMetaFilter, the discussion site, has a great thread on how to succeed in college. You can see the thread here: http://ask.metafilter.com/mefi/24548.
Basically, the posters seem to have two big thoughts on the keys to success:

1) Get a calendar
2) Back your data up.

They both sound good to me.

posted by Steve in the Library on Wednesday, September 28, 2005

Maus Guide

Our guide to "Maus," this year's Common Reading is now online.
You can see it here: http://www.lagcc.cuny.edu/library/commonreading/maus/default.htm.
It has a lot of great resources, so try and check it out.

posted by Steve in the Library on Monday, September 26, 2005

Authors Sue Google

First, some publishers were mad about Google's plan to make certain books searchable via the Internet.
Now, some writers are getting mad. Three authors have filed suit against Google, claiming the search engine doesn't have the right to post their work online.
I wonder if Google will ever get this project online.

posted by Steve in the Library on Thursday, September 22, 2005

Congratulations!

Congratulations to all of yesterday's graduates!

posted by Steve in the Library on Wednesday, September 21, 2005

Google and Copyright

A ton has been written about Google's project to scan books and place them online.
The books would be searchable, but users couldn't read a whole book online. The books would also be difficult to print.
Google had started the project and then took a break. Now Google is getting ready to start up again.
Some publishers are worried they'll lose money on this. I liked this article because it has the best take I've seen on the whole thing, courtesy of Tim O'Reilly, chief executive of O'Reilly Media and an adviser to Google's project: "For a typical author, obscurity is a far greater threat than piracy."
That doesn't address the money issue, but it does address the idea that most authors want as many people to see their work as possible.

posted by Steve in the Library on Monday, September 19, 2005

A New Browser

I'm not sure that we need one, but developers are working a new browser.
It's called Flock.
What makes Flock different? It's supposed to consolidate a lot of different services, so you can bookmark favorite sites, blog, and post pictures more easily. The developers are even saying Flock will authenticate accounts, so you're not constantly logging into your favorite services.
I'm curious to check it out. I think it's a good first step that the Flock people noticed users want all of their information in one place.
I also like that the browser is based on the idea that users want to share information.
The Internet works best when people contribute and don't just take.

posted by Steve in the Library on Thursday, September 15, 2005

Buying Used Textbooks

Sure it's a little late in the semester, but Lifehacker has a brief guide to buying used textbooks online: http://www.lifehacker.com/software/shopping/buying-used-textbooks-124785.php.
And don't forget that the Library has most of your textbooks on reserve.
Just ask for them by title at the checkout desk. You can use them for two hours, but they cannot leave the Library.

posted by Steve in the Library on Tuesday, September 13, 2005

Memory Lasts Forever

The BBC has an interesting article on the dangers of selling hard drives and memory cards online.
It's not really a Library issue, but it's a huge privacy issue.
Apparently, people selling their used memory aren't doing a great job deleting their personal information, so that the next owners can see what used to live on the hard drive or memory card.
So if you decide to sell your old memory card, make sure you find a good tutorial on overwriting data, the best way to delete something from memory.

posted by Steve in the Library on Monday, September 12, 2005

Online Notes

The always interesting Ask MetaFilter has a post on online note-taking software.
The advantages to online note software?
Your notes are always with you.
You can cut-and-paste information quickly.
You can easily share your notes.
The disadvantages?
Your notes are only with you as long as you have Internet access.
If the site crashes (or suddenly goes out of business), your notes are gone.
Still, some people are very into the idea of working entirely electronically.
If you're one of those people, Ask MetaFilter are some interesting sites to check out.
Just try to remember to back-up your notes.

posted by Steve in the Library on Friday, September 09, 2005

Queens Library Site Update

The Queens Library (no longer the Queens Borough Public Library, I guess) recently updated their Web site.
It's kind of a tough update.
Their site no longer works in the Opera browser, which is a bit frustrating for me.
Also, they no longer have a catalog link. Instead there's just a search box that doesn't tell you what you're searching.
The catalog does have some nice aspects, though. Like it gives you words associated with your search term. So if you search Shakespeare, it'll list criticism as an associated word. Than you're just a click away from Shakespeare criticism.
If you're having trouble navigating the Queens site, I pulled out the important links here.

posted by Steve in the Library on Thursday, September 08, 2005

Katrina Online

Here at the Library, we spend a fair amount of time warning people about the perils of the Internet.
It's not that the Internet is a bad place. It's just that it provides a lot of opportunities for misinformation.
But sometimes, the Internet can be a lifesaver.
USA Today has an article on the Web sites that are popping up to help Katrina survivors.
The Internet is really perfect for this kind of thing — moving huge blocks of information to tons of people very quickly.
* * *
Wikipedia also has a huge Katrina entry.
While the information there looks OK, I'm a bit nervous about trusting a document that's changing so quickly.
For instance, they already have a death toll summary. They disclaim it as unconfirmed, but it's a kind of confusing to post statistics and then say you're not sure about them.
So as always, look at online information with a critical eye.

posted by Steve in the Library on Wednesday, September 07, 2005

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		How to Succeed in College AskMetaFilter, the discussion site, has a great thread on how to succeed in college. You can see the thread here: http://ask.metafilter.com/mefi/24548. Basically, the posters seem to have two big thoughts on the keys to success: 1) Get a calendar 2) Back your data up. They both sound good to me. posted by Steve in the Library on Wednesday, September 28, 2005 Maus Guide Our guide to "Maus," this year's Common Reading is now online. You can see it here: http://www.lagcc.cuny.edu/library/commonreading/maus/default.htm. It has a lot of great resources, so try and check it out. posted by Steve in the Library on Monday, September 26, 2005 Authors Sue Google First, some publishers were mad about Google's plan to make certain books searchable via the Internet. Now, some writers are getting mad. Three authors have filed suit against Google, claiming the search engine doesn't have the right to post their work online. I wonder if Google will ever get this project online. posted by Steve in the Library on Thursday, September 22, 2005 Congratulations! Congratulations to all of yesterday's graduates! posted by Steve in the Library on Wednesday, September 21, 2005 Google and Copyright A ton has been written about Google's project to scan books and place them online. The books would be searchable, but users couldn't read a whole book online. The books would also be difficult to print. Google had started the project and then took a break. Now Google is getting ready to start up again. Some publishers are worried they'll lose money on this. I liked this article because it has the best take I've seen on the whole thing, courtesy of Tim O'Reilly, chief executive of O'Reilly Media and an adviser to Google's project: "For a typical author, obscurity is a far greater threat than piracy." That doesn't address the money issue, but it does address the idea that most authors want as many people to see their work as possible. posted by Steve in the Library on Monday, September 19, 2005 A New Browser I'm not sure that we need one, but developers are working a new browser. It's called Flock. What makes Flock different? It's supposed to consolidate a lot of different services, so you can bookmark favorite sites, blog, and post pictures more easily. The developers are even saying Flock will authenticate accounts, so you're not constantly logging into your favorite services. I'm curious to check it out. I think it's a good first step that the Flock people noticed users want all of their information in one place. I also like that the browser is based on the idea that users want to share information. The Internet works best when people contribute and don't just take. posted by Steve in the Library on Thursday, September 15, 2005 Buying Used Textbooks Sure it's a little late in the semester, but Lifehacker has a brief guide to buying used textbooks online: http://www.lifehacker.com/software/shopping/buying-used-textbooks-124785.php. And don't forget that the Library has most of your textbooks on reserve. Just ask for them by title at the checkout desk. You can use them for two hours, but they cannot leave the Library. posted by Steve in the Library on Tuesday, September 13, 2005 Memory Lasts Forever The BBC has an interesting article on the dangers of selling hard drives and memory cards online. It's not really a Library issue, but it's a huge privacy issue. Apparently, people selling their used memory aren't doing a great job deleting their personal information, so that the next owners can see what used to live on the hard drive or memory card. So if you decide to sell your old memory card, make sure you find a good tutorial on overwriting data, the best way to delete something from memory. posted by Steve in the Library on Monday, September 12, 2005 Online Notes The always interesting Ask MetaFilter has a post on online note-taking software. The advantages to online note software? Your notes are always with you. You can cut-and-paste information quickly. You can easily share your notes. The disadvantages? Your notes are only with you as long as you have Internet access. If the site crashes (or suddenly goes out of business), your notes are gone. Still, some people are very into the idea of working entirely electronically. If you're one of those people, Ask MetaFilter are some interesting sites to check out. Just try to remember to back-up your notes. posted by Steve in the Library on Friday, September 09, 2005 Queens Library Site Update The Queens Library (no longer the Queens Borough Public Library, I guess) recently updated their Web site. It's kind of a tough update. Their site no longer works in the Opera browser, which is a bit frustrating for me. Also, they no longer have a catalog link. Instead there's just a search box that doesn't tell you what you're searching. The catalog does have some nice aspects, though. Like it gives you words associated with your search term. So if you search Shakespeare, it'll list criticism as an associated word. Than you're just a click away from Shakespeare criticism. If you're having trouble navigating the Queens site, I pulled out the important links here. posted by Steve in the Library on Thursday, September 08, 2005 Katrina Online Here at the Library, we spend a fair amount of time warning people about the perils of the Internet. It's not that the Internet is a bad place. It's just that it provides a lot of opportunities for misinformation. But sometimes, the Internet can be a lifesaver. USA Today has an article on the Web sites that are popping up to help Katrina survivors. The Internet is really perfect for this kind of thing — moving huge blocks of information to tons of people very quickly. * * * Wikipedia also has a huge Katrina entry. While the information there looks OK, I'm a bit nervous about trusting a document that's changing so quickly. For instance, they already have a death toll summary. They disclaim it as unconfirmed, but it's a kind of confusing to post statistics and then say you're not sure about them. So as always, look at online information with a critical eye. posted by Steve in the Library on Wednesday, September 07, 2005