April 20, 2024

OCLC Works Toward Linked Data Environment | ALA Midwinter 2015

In an effort that parallels and complements the Library of Congress’s Bibliographic Framework Initiative (BIBFRAME), OCLC is using schema.org to help facilitate this discoverability using linked data, explained Richard Wallis, technology evangelist for OCLC and chair of the W3C Schema Bib Extend Community and his colleague Ted Fons, executive director, Data Services and WorldCat Quality Management for OCLC during the “OCLC Links and Entities: The Library Data Revolution” session at the American Library Association’s 2015 Midwinter conference in Chicago.

LITA Members Talk Tech Trends | ALA Midwinter 2015

Five experts discussed the latest in library tech during the Library Information Technology Association (LITA) Top Technology Trends panel at the American Library Association (ALA) Midwinter 2015 conference in Chicago. In front of a full house despite the snowstorm outside, the lively discussion of trends ranged from coding classes for girls to the growing infrastructure demands of open access publishing.

What You Should Know About Banned Websites Awareness Day, September 24

The fourth annual Banned Websites Awareness Day makes excessive filtering an intellectual freedom issue in K–12 learning.

Anticipatory Discovery and One-Click Server Installs Among LITA Top Tech Trends | ALA 2014

LITA Top Tech Trends 2014 panel

Anticipatory and contextual discovery, open hardware, one-click server installs, mobile-first design, institutional digital assets management, and even biohackerspaces were some of the topics discussed this year at the Library and Information Technology Association’s (LITA) Top Tech Trends panel, held June 29 at the American Library Association (ALA) 2014 Annual Conference.

Library Simplified Works on Three-Click Access for Library Ebooks | ALA 2014

Library Simplified logo

Library ebook transactions remain too lengthy and complicated for patrons, especially in comparison with consumer ebook transactions, James English, product manager for the Library Simplified project at the New York Public Library (NYPL) said during his “EPUB: Walled Gardens and the Readium Foundation” presentation at the National Information Standards Organization (NISO) Book Industry Study Group (BISG) Eighth Annual Forum, held June 27 in conjunction with the American Library Association (ALA) 2014 Annual Conference. The group is working to make an open, commercial-grade ereader for libraries that would greatly simplify this process.

Vendor News Roundup | ALA 2014

Trying to keep up with all the vendor, publisher, and product news coming out of the year’s biggest gathering of librarians? So are we. This is a selection of announcements that vendors have sent LJ staff this week prior to the ALA 2014 annual convention. If we missed your announcement, please feel free to post an excerpt in our comments section.

ALA Report Confirms Negative Impact of Filtering on Student Learning

“Fencing out Knowledge: Impacts of the Children’s Internet Protection Act 10 Years Later” concludes that institutions using filtering software in order to receive certain federal funds routinely block more content than required, depriving students of access to information and collaborative tools.

CIPA at 10: Internet Filtering Excessive, Study Finds | ALA Midwinter Meeting

A decade after the Children’s Internet Protection Act (CIPA) went into effect, its implementation in schools and public libraries is problematic and the scale of Internet filtering is excessive, panelist said during the ALA Midwinter session “Revisiting The Children’s Internet Protection Act: 10 Years Later.”

Top Tech Trends | ALA Midwinter 2014

ALA LITA

Codes of conduct and anti-harassment policies were listed among the leading current trends during the annual LITA Top Tech Trends panel, along with digital forensics, open content, next steps in social media, and more.

Kiera Parrott’s Picks from the Best Apps for Teaching and Learning | ALA 2013

AASL_BestApps logo

The American Association of School Librarians (AASL) revealed its inaugural Best Apps for Teaching and Learning list on Jun 30 at the American Library Association annual conference. Head of children’s services at Darien Library, CT, Kiera Parrott highlights some of her favorites from the 25 winning apps that cover a broad range of subjects, inspire curriculum connections, and can be used for classroom instruction and public library programming.