Who Doesn’t Love a Good Upside Down Face?

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What Has the Texas Library Association Been Up To Lately?

TLA is a diverse professional organization promoting librarianship and library service in Texas, through legislative advocacy, continuing education events…and they’re selling a calendar called The Tattooed Ladies of TLA in which “21 well-read and well-illustrated Texas librarians show their ink to benefit TLA’s Library Disaster Relief Fund.  Order yours today, They’re flying off the shelves!”   See more.

 

And Now for Something Completely Different…Stitch Wars.

“The little Jabba seen here is part of the Stitch Wars exhibition currently running at a gallery in Florida, which showcases handmade goods based on the Star Ware universe.  Check out the gallery here.”

James Randi Matchbox Trick

Text-a-Librarian

As you are already aware, we are having a few minor techincal difficulties with our Text-a-Librarian service.  To work around these problems we have come up with the following:

• When you log onto either of the Reference Desk computers, the web page for Text-a-Librarian(TAL) will automatically launch.

Enter the proper username and password as printed on the yellow post-it at the computer, check off the box that says “Remember me” and then login.

Minimize the TAL window and open a separate window for your internet searches, e-mail, etc.

Before you logoff of the Reference Desk computer, be sure to logout of TAL.

Hopefully this will temporarily eliminate any problems we are having with duplicate logins forcing one person out of the software and the software timing us out.  Let me know if you have any further problems or questions.  Mosio is currently working on these issues for us.

-Denise

Blue Dye May Prevent Spinal Paralysis, While Making You Smurfy

“Fifteen minutes after researchers intentionally paralyzed this rat by dropping a weight on its back, they injected the rodent with Brilliant Blue G dye, a derivative of common food coloring Blue Number One. The dye reduced inflammation of the spinal cord, which allowed the rats to take clumsy steps…”    Full Story

Was This Famous War Photo Faked, 73 Years Ago?

” ‘If your pictures aren’t good enough,’ Robert Capa once remarked, “then you’re not close enough.” For more than 35 years, Capa’s 1936 photograph “Death of a Militiaman” – arguably the most enduring image of the Spanish Civil War – commanded worldwide acclaim and helped establish Capa as the archetypal modern war photographer.

But beginning in the 1970s, researchers and historians began to challenge the picture’s veracity and raise questions about Capa’s reputation: Did the famous photograph capture the militiaman at the moment of his death, or was it staged? Now comes a claim that new and “indisputable” evidence determines once and for all that the photograph is a fake…”     Full Story

Newsday Online–The World As You’ve Known It Has ceased to Exist

Newsday has followed through on its decision to restrict most of its content to anyone not a subscriber of either the print version or Optimum. Since we ARE a subscriber to the print version, I have established an account. I’ll compose a memo and put the info on the rolodex both under NEWSDAY and PASSWORDS.

Bronx Public Access TV Show, About Local Foods, Actually Worth A Look

“In each month’s half-hour episode, the Baron gets into some scrape that can only be solved by eating and exploring a different cuisine. Our hero usually gets the girl, and he always gets lunch. Along the way he introduces his audience to an array of mom-and-pop restaurants of every ethnicity, and the dishes that make them stand out. The show is the brainchild of Justin Fornal, 31, a guerrilla filmmaker and culinary adventurer who plays the Baron.”   NYT Article   (Episodes of Bronx Flavor)

Catalog work around….sort of

System has suggested that we use the Encore catalog as a work around to the Pac1 and Pac2 problems we have been experiencing.  For those of you who are unaware of what Encore is, let me explain:  Encore is our catalog displayed in a more graphically oriented way.  It looks very similar to catalogs like Amazon.  When you do a search, you can limit the search on the left side of the page using multiple limiters.  There are image links related to your search on the right side of the page along with a tag cloud, popular choices made by other patrons, and links to search our databases using your search terms.

I really like the Encore catalog…….BUT…..and this is a BIG problem…..the item statuses are NOT up-to-date.  System is telling us that the server used for Encore is not syncing properly with Pac1 so it is a day or two behind.  I hate to contradict them, but I have discovered items that were checked out 2 weeks ago, and their item status still says ‘Available’ in Encore.  Also, do NOT place holds via Encore – 1)it will require the patron’s password and 2)if Encore isn’t syncing properly with Pac1 who knows how long it will take for the hold to show up on the patron’s record…..if it ever will.  So, to summarize:  Encore is much faster at performing searches than Pac1 and Pac2 but any recent changes to an item (checked out, returned, changed from new to old, etc.) will NOT show in Encore and you CANNOT use it to place holds.  That being said, if you would like to use Encore – here is the link: 

http://encore.suffolk.lib.ny.us/iii/encore/app

If you would like a quick training session on using Encore, please just ask.  I would be happy to show anyone how it works.

-Denise