ALA Cognotes D.C. Highlights 2010 - (Page 17)

WASHINGTON, D.C. • 2010 Annual Conference Highlights Cognotes • Page 17 Technology Titans Reach Out to Libraries in ALA Technology Pavilion By Deb Nerud Vernon Bill Gates once said, “Never before in history has innovation offered promise of so much to so many in so short a time.” The same can be said about the Technology Pavilion that was in the ALA Exhibits at this year’s Annual Conference. Booths that couldn’t be missed included the Eastman Kodak booth. Long known as the industry’s leader of innovative document capture products, software and services, Kodak has developed a photo scanning system which allows auto batch feeding. “It’s the only one on the market,” said Barry Symonds, Business Development Manager of Photo Scanning. Symonds said that the new photo scanning system is extremely relevant to libraries. “First, libraries are able to scan their own archived photos and share them with the community in a digitized format. And libraries can offer that same service to their communities. People can bring in photos or libraries can offer workshops on the process and do some fund raising.” He added that it is a way for the library to offer services to businesses and that there is no ongoing supply cost. Another booth that got a lot of attention was the HP BookPrep booth. BookPrep is a web service that makes it possible to provide readers with access to any book ever published. “BookPrep is a tool to take scanned books, clean them up, perform color correction, and get them ready for print on demand,” said Shawn Collins, Manager IPG Research Alliance. “This provides an excellent alternative for storage and archiving those old books,” added Collins. “If you have an old out-of-print or rare book, you can still get a physical copy out for circulation.” Collins had many examples of books done with the BookPrep system in his booth and added that if a copy of the book sells the library shares in the revenue from the sale of that book. Over six million hours of film and video from the 1920’s to current events will help engage your students and develop 21st century learning skills. That is what NBCLearn was showing off in their booth 805. They have developed an educational resource that never goes out-of-date and is aligned with K-12 learning standards in all 50 states and tackles over 28 subject areas in higher education and is integrated with Blackboard. “You can enliven the classroom material you have and add real world context and relevance,” said Michael Levin, Directory of Technology. “The student can watch, see, hear, and feel what it is like to be there.” The patented cue card media player displays full-text transcripts and primary source documents on the ‘back’ of the media card as well as providing bibliographic citation information and links. The robust search feature allows one to perform Boolean, date or collection searches. “You can even search by state standards to find all the videos that help support them,” said Levin. At the Bing booth attendees discovered how searching is not the just the same old thing any more. Microsoft designed Bing as a decision engine to provide people with intelligent search tools to help them simplify tasks and make more informed decisions. The Bing search engine has upgraded its Bing Health service, making it a more direct competitor with HealthLine and WebMD as well as adding an entertainment section with click-to-play music, television shows, movies and casual games. Rosemary Harris (Dead Head) moderates a panel discussion with fellow mystery authors Donna Andrews (Swan for the Money), Ellen Crosby (The Riesling Retribution) and J.B. Stanley (Path of the Wicked) at the PopTop stage. Archivists and Librarians Working with Legislative Records Display Synergy at GODORT Session By Frederick J. Augustyn, Jr. The Library of Congress ALA’s Government Documents Roundtable, Collections Management & Technical Services, on June 28 featured a panel suggesting how librarians and archivists can benefit each other for they bring distinctive strengths to their tasks. Presenters included: Robin Reeder, Archivist, Office of History and Preservation, Office of the Clerk, House of Representatives; Cass Hartnett, U.S. Government Documents Librarian, University of Washington Libraries; and Linda Whitaker, Librarian, Arizona Historical Foundation. Reeder detailed how the Clerk oversees the records of the House, which primarily come from committees, as well as presiding over the House floor. House records are closed to the public for 30 years after their creation, for 50 years if they contain sensitive information. The National Archives and Records Administration’s Center for Legislative Records at Archives I in Washington D.C. houses these materials although, unlike executive branch records, they remain the property of the issuing body. Reeder’s office also advises House Members how to prepare for the archiving of their personal records. The various forms of electronic records have presented one of the biggest challenges to archivists working with legislative materials and there now are streaming video websites of some committee records. NARA began harvesting websites in 2002 (www. webharvest.gov/collections) which it continues to do for legislative records although no longer for those issued by the executive branch. The Library of Congress web harvest project often relates to Members as well on such topics as campaign literature. Hartnett suggested two recent archivist-produced publications for librarians who work with government documents: Managing Congressional Collections by Cynthia Pease Miller (SAA, 2008) and An American Political Archives Reader (SAA, 2009.) More people, even those who work with government documents, know about the location of presidential libraries than of Congressional collections. She regretted that in the early 1980s, many libraries withdrew their printed congressional materials when the same arrived on microforms. Many are again searching for paper copies for the easier teaching possibilities that they provide. Even with digitization, congressional committees still issue their documents in paper form. Hartnett noted that Members’ own copies of hearings and other documents are different in color and have marbled edges. Within Congressional papers, constituent correspondence often reveals the passions of the day and offer opportunities for popular cultural research. Librarians and archivists can also gain by the insight that cultural heritage experts can provide. Whitaker, who maintained that a course in government documents should be mandatory in all library science programs, asserted that government documents librarians and archivists share similar “high-end” users such as graduate students and tenure-seeking professors. Upcoming Dates for Midwinter & Annual 2011 Midwinter Meeting January 7–11, 2011 San Diego, C A 2011 Annual Conference June 23–28, 2011 New Orleans, L A 2012 Midwinter Meeting January 20–24, 2012 Dallas, TX Newly installed ALA President Roberta A. Stevens presents her Inaugural Banquet address June 29. http://www.robertastevens.com/ http://www.webharvest.gov/collections http://www.webharvest.gov/collections

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of ALA Cognotes D.C. Highlights 2010

ALA Cognotes D.C. Highlights 2010
Librarians Rally on Capitol Hill
Exhibitors Add International Flair
Amy Sedaris Regales Audience At ALA Annual 2010 Closer
Junot Diaz: His Life a Canvas
John Grisham Thanks Libraries
Authors Recognized for Contributions to Children’s Literature at Newbery Caldecott Awards Banquet
Will Shortz Tests Librarians’ Puzzle Skills
NBA Star Dwyane Wade Honorary Chair of Library Card Sign-up Month
APALA Celebrates Its History, Accomplishments, Current Programs, and Members at 30th Anniversary Gala
Library Champions
Librarians Can Change Society
DEMCO/AILA 2010 Scholarship Awards
Dave Isay and StoryCorps: Preserving the Voices of Everyday People
Marlo Thomas Cultivates Seeds of Laughter
Kidd and Taylor: On Memoirs, Relationships
Revised Intellectual Freedom Manual Introduced
Toni Morrison and Libraries: An Intimate Relationship
Sir Salman Rushdie Putting Messages in a Bottle
Eppo van Nispen Inspires Librarians to Finish Strong
Technology Titans Reach Out to Libraries in ALA Technology Pavilion
Archivists and Librarians Working with Legislative Records Display Synergy at GODORT Session

ALA Cognotes D.C. Highlights 2010