Adobe Digital Editions - Personal E-Book Management

Ah free time. What is a person to do with reclaim hours in the day? When one of the things I did was check of CNet's Download.com for new stuff about to float to the cyber surface.

Seth Rosenblatt had and interesting video on a new product from Adobe called Digital Editions. I have .pdf files all over the place on my computer so anything that can help me keep track of the 300+ e-books, articles, help guides and manuals would be a really good thing.

So I cruse over to the Adobe Digital Editions product page to scope out the action for myself. It is a small Flash based program. I'm giving it a test run to see if Seth is on point with his review.

First thing that I did was to download the program and install it. Fairly straightforward. Next, I picked up a few of the free sample books that where available.

The books I selected from http://www.adobe.com/products/digitaleditions/library are in the public domain or sample chapters from publishers. According to the FAQ you can also use this to view e-books from the public libraries that offer them.

When I clicked on the book one of two things happened. Ether it when directly into the program and I could see the book on the screen or it was saved to my hard drive. I will have to hunt for them later.

So far the program does what it claims to do. One of the features that I immediately like is the zoom in page tool. I know some folks with low vision who need to have the ability to magnify type.

I'm going to spin it around the block and whip up my own video demonstration. If you do decide to download keep in mind that this is a first generation product and knowing Adobe they will work to make it better.

CSU Channel Islands Job Listings

There are some great employment opportunities for library assistants at the newest Cal State campus at California State University - Channel Islands.

The following is an extract from the job listings found at http://www.csucijobs.com

Acquisitions and ILL Assistant (Class Title: Library Assistant II) $2,2958 to $4,437 monthly

• The Acquisitions and ILL Assistant is responsible, under the supervision of Head of Collections and Technology Services, for coordinating the operation of the library acquisition process, and assisting the ILL process.
• Knowledge and understanding of Voyager or similar integrated library management system.
• Knowledge of acquisitions processes, ILL and best practices in course reserve processes and procedures.
• Ability to learn best practices in acquisitions, Inter-Library Loan, and accessibility to library materials.

Circulation Coordinator (Class Title: Library Assistant II) $2,2958 to $4,437 monthly

The Circulation Coordinator is responsible, under the supervision of Head of Public and Outreach Services, for overseeing circulation operations. Circulation operations include scheduling the service desk, developing policies and procedures, supervising the work of student assistants, and working with library systems to enhance the circulation modules of the library's integrated library system.

• Manages the circulation desk.
• Responsible for the circulation component of the Integrated Library System and RFID.
• Responsible for the creation and modification of circulation policies, procedures and methods.
• Tracks fines/fees and materials circulation, including generating specialized reports and notices to users.
• Trains library staff and student assistants in the proper use of the circulation system and application of policies.
  

Stacks and Facility Coordinator (Class Title: Library Assistant II) $2,2958 to $4,437 monthly

The Stacks and Facility Coordinator is responsible, under the supervision of Head of Public and Outreach Services, for overseeing collection maintenance, facilities upkeep, and room reservations. This position will be the library's liaison to the OPC, and the Copier Committee.

• Coordinates the display and shelving of library materials.
• Develops policies and procedures to insure library materials are quickly and easily accessible.
• Works with Technical Services to identify damage to, and prevent further damage of, materials.
• Makes room reservations for groups and events.
• Oversees set-up for groups and events.
• Knowledge and understanding of Voyager or similar integrated library management system.
• Knowledge of collection arrangement and management, Library of Congress call numbers, and best practices in stacks and facilities processes and procedures.
  

Visual Digital Collection Specialist (Class Title: Visual Resource Specialist II) $3,328-$4,992

The Visual Digital Collection Specialist is responsible, under the supervision of the Head of Technical Services and Collection Development, for administering the Library's visual digital collections including developing collections, policies, processes, and procedures. The Visual Specialist works closely with librarians, faculty, and students to develop, maintain, enhance, and publicize core visual digital collections relevant to the academic vision of the University.

The Visual Digital Collection Specialist is also responsible, under the supervision of the Dean of the Library, to administer the Architectural Docent program for the John Spoor Broome Library and the Library's Art Gallery and various spaces where art and other visual materials could be displayed.

• Applicant must have Art or Art History focused degree and at least one year experience within Digital Visual Resource setting. In-depth and comprehensive knowledge of subject area specialties such as art, art history, architectural history and/or environmental design.
• Ability to independently organize and operate visual resource area. Ability to stay current and advise management on developments in visual resource principles and international and national copyright laws.
• Working knowledge of MS Office, ABBYY FineReader, Xmetal, Adobe Photoshop CS, Apple iLife & Final Cut Pro, Roxio Toast & Popcorn, and metadata standards, such as Dublin Core and EAD.
  
• Must have comprehensive knowledge of emerging digital files and formats, including those for still and video.
  
• Extensive experience and expertise in directing the development of visual materials.
• Works closely with campus IT personnel to procure and maintain digital equipment and software to perform duties mentioned above.

There is not a lot of time to apply so if your interested get moving. These positions are open until July 3, 2007. For more information about benefits, living allowances and other employment information visit http://www.csuci.edu/hr/employment.htm

Additional Photos of Graduation 2007

These are additional photos - for some reason Mrs. Kim refuses to appear no matter what I do with the first image that I posted. She is there but the techno-gremlins are working double time.

Graduation Day at PCC Library Technology Program

To some of my classmates it seems that this day would never come. Especially those of us sweating bullet in our Library 105-A final.

Graduation day has arrived and here is the proof:

To get a larger version of the photo, click here to Flickr where the photo is stored. If you would like to download a copy of the picture to make a print:

1. Place your mouse pointer on the photo and
2. Right click your 2nd or right mouse button.
3. A menu will appear.
4. Select "Save Image As" and then store it on your computer.

The 2007 graduating class was the largest in the program's history with 17 students. I wish all of my (former) classmates the best in their future career paths.

Identity Theft Protection Class at La Pintoresca

Renee Focht from the U.S. Postal Inspector's office will teach a workshop on protecting yourself from Identity Theft at the La Pintoresca branch of the library on June 23 at 11:00am.

The La Pintoresca branch is located at 1355 N. Raymond Avenue in Pasadena.

Introduction to Westlaw at Pasdena Public Library

If you have inclinations toward working in a law library or law office you might want to pay a visit to the Pasadena Public Library.

There are free introductory classes in how to locate legal forms, California and Federal case law, statutes, court rules and more.

The class is taught by Sarah Sabateanski from the L.A. County Law Library. The best part it is free and it is being offered on the following dates:

• July 11 Noon to 1pm and 7 to 8pm
• August 1 Noon to 1pm and 7 to 8 pm

You can register online by click http://apacitation-machine.blogspot.com/library/pubtraining.htm
or your can call 626-744-4066 and press option 7

If you have the time I definitely recommend that you add this skill set.

Cataloging Help for the Hopeless - Library 105A Assistance

Ok, there is hope. It is just that before an exam I see the darkness before the dawn.

We'll do fine. I think. So this is just a recap and additional sources to check out and compare what we have learned and what we might have to back fill on for the exam.

• Authority Tutorial http://www.lib.usm.edu/%7Etechserv/pdc/auth_tutorial/index.htm
• Bibliographic Formats and Standard http://www.oclc.org/bibformats/en/
  
• Catalogblog http://www.catalogablog.blogspot.com
• Cataloger Calculator - type in a word, select the search options and it will give you the correct abbreviation for the field. http://calculate.alptown.com
  
• Cataloger's Reference Shelf http://www.itsmarc.com/crs/CRS0000.htm
  
• Catalogers Toolbox http://staff.library.mun.ca/staff/toolbox
• Connexion Client Tutorials http://www.oclc.org/support/training/connexion/client/tutorial/default.htm
  
• Internet Library for Librarians Cataloging Section, this has links to various web pages dealing with cataloging http://www.itcompany.com/inforetriever/cat.htm
• Information Professionals Glossary http://www.sir.arizona.edu/resources/glossary.html
  
• Library of Congress Authorities Records Search link - http://authorities.loc.gov
• MARC Tag of the Month - an explanation of each tag and examples http://www.fsc.follett.com/clientsupport/community/tagofthemonth
• MARC Punctuation Cheat Sheet http://staffweb.lib.washington.edu/monos/catdocs/punctuationcheatsheet.html
  
• Monographic Cataloging Cheat Sheet is a review of what should be focused on in a particular section but it doesn't tell necessarily how to do it. http://www.slc.bc.ca/cheats/mono.htm
• Note Order and MARC tags http://staff.library.mun.ca/staff/toolbox/
• OCLC Authorities User Guide http://www.oclc.org/support/documentation/worldcat/authorities/userguide
• UCLA Cataloging Reference Shelf http://unitproj.library.ucla.edu/cataloging/refshelf/index.cfm
  
• Web World of Authority Control http://net.lib.byu.edu/~catalog/catalogwebsite/authority/index.htm
• Yale Cataloging Tools and Resources http://www.library.yale.edu/cataloging/tools.htm
  

Library of Congress Blog

A few years back I had the opportunity to walk around the Library of Congress. I'm not sure if I even saw a book or the stacks. The architecture and the size of the place was stunning and I think overwhelmed me.

I do remember my feet hurt but that was because I tried to visit every museum in D.C. in two days. So I am thrilled that there is a blog. I'm real sure they will never run out of content.

On the day I visited the blog there was a photo taken of the inside of the place by a staff member and there are posts that talk about their relationship to the materials in the collection.

It is not just gushing about the collection or some of the events. There are posts about digital preservation, should corporate blogs have ISSN numbers assigned and the doings in Congress that might affect the library.

The author of the blog is Matt Raymond who is the Director of Communications for the library. It is his voice but there is a disclaimer at the bottom of the blog that states the blog does not represent office communications of the Library of Congress.

Even so, it does help to demystify the institution and provide a starting point for communication.
http://www.loc.gov/blog

Santa Monica Elementary School Position

The Santa Monica School District has an open position for a Elementary Library Coordinator.

Per Mrs. Kim:

Job Title: ELEMENTARY LIBRARY COORDINATOR
Closing Date/Time: Fri. 06/29/07 4:00 PM Pacific Time
Salary: $14.41 - $18.39 hourly
$2,497.73 - $3,187.60 monthly
Job Type: PERMANENT, 10-MONTH
Location: SANTA MONICA, California

Current vacancy: 1 position, 7 hours per day, 10 months per year at Will Rogers Elementary School in Santa Monica, California.

Under the direction of the School Principal & in coordination with district programmatic activities through the Assistant Superintendent Educational Services, coordinate activities and operations with the Director of Curriculum and Staff Development;

• oversee the daily operation of an elementary school library;
  
• order, process, store, maintain and circulate a wide variety of library materials, including books, textbooks, audio-visual equipment and software, and related instructional materials;
  
• assist in the supervision of students using the library.

If you are interested in this opportunity please visit the Santa Monica/Malibu School web site at http://www.smmusd.org

Library 105B Class is A Go for September

Those of you who petitioned to have Library 105B re-instated will be pleased to know that the course will be offered in the Fall 2007. To ensure that the class is a go please register as soon as possible.

Per Mrs. Kim:

We have received some requests from our program students and San Jose MLS program students for offering Lib 105B: Introduction to Classification and Subject Access (3 units). With Krista Goguen's efforts, PCC has approved this addition.

It will be offered on Saturday 9:00 a.m.--12:20 p.m. The class begins on September 1, Saturday and ends on December 15, 2007, Saturday. If you want to advance your skills in cataloging, please sign up this class. If you have not completed Lib 105A at PCC, contact me for permission to take the class procedures.

If you have worked in libraries or if you have prior experience in cataloging go for it. If you have no idea of how to use MARC, AACR2 or to perform searches in WorldCat you might want to begin some heavy duty studying over the summer.

I enjoyed the class but it can be challenging for total newbies to cataloging.

Pixelodeon 2007 - Shameless Plug

I do try to keep my blogging experiences separate but I gotta make an exception in this case. I can honestly say that the library program help me to prepare for this event.

Pixelodeon 2007 is a exploration of online videos and a sampling of the diversity of content that can be found on the Internet. On June 9 and June 10, 2007 hosted at the American Film Institute will be a gathering of vloggers, lost souls, techies, media scribes, content creators, friends, family and those trying to make a buck off of this web video thing.

I am one of the curators of the event. My category is Social Justice, Community and Awareness. What I wanted to do was to show examples of people with a "problem" finding paths to solutions.

For example, one of the videos is an alert put out by deaf performers about the reduction of funding for the National Theater of the Deaf. Another video demonstrates how a Horticultural society networks with prison inmates to produce organic food for low income residents in Philadelphia. Or it is 3am and you need a condom. Can your local laundry mat help you out?

So how did the library program help me? Inspiration thoughts came from Library 104 about discussions about acquisition and collection practices. There were some readings that helped me make decisions.

Library 101 had discussions about weeding practices which I certainly had to do with some of my initial selections. Even Library 105 A and B had something to do with it - how do I classify this as a "social justice" video? What would be the video equivalent of an access point?

And Library 103 - doing presentations & shelving books exposed me to new stuff books and ideas to check out. I'm not a media professional. I'm not a librarian. But I was able to find the tools and resources that I needed thanks to the skills I've learned via the program.

I guess I want to say that you don't have to know everything. You can't. You just have to be open to learning where to look for information.

Now if I could just get into Library 102.