Healey Keynotes

Massachusetts Laws Online

Healey Library was delighted to learn that the Massachusetts Acts and Resolves 1960-1996 have been digitized by our State Librarian and are now online.

The State Library of Massachusetts has digitized volumes from 1960 to 1996 and the full-text of these laws is now available for searching and viewing on this site. Session laws from 1997 to the present are online on the Massachusetts General Court’s website (www.mass.gov/legis).  Private Bills, such as that assisting the New England Small Farm Institute—below—are now at our fingertips.

Libraries are still relevant!

A new study found that over 50% of Americans visited a library in the past year. Most of them were drawn by Internet access. The results of the study come as a surprise given predictions in the mid 1990s that libraries would be irrelevant in the digital age. Another surprise finding is that young adults are the heaviest library users. Read more about study in the New York Times and Reuters.

More books online

The Boston Library Consortium (BLC), of which the UMass Boston is a member, will partner with Open Content Alliance (OCA) to build a digital library of its members’ materials. According the BLC press release, “The Consortium will offer high-resolution, downloadable, reusable files of public domain materials. Using Internet Archive technology, books from all 19 libraries will be scanned at a cost of just 10 cents per page.” OCA was created to provide public access to a digital collection of the world’s knowledge and the BLC is their first large-scale consortium partner.

In related news, the New York Times reports on the freedom of access to digital collections. See "Libraries shun deals to place books on web".

Doing away with Dewey

The Perry Branch Library in Gilbert, Arizona has eliminated the Dewey Decimal System from its shelves. The books are now arranged by basic subjects much like a bookstore. Melville Dewey created the system in 1870s and it is used by 95% of public libraries in the US as well as thousands of libraries around the world. Critics are calling this change the "Googlization" of libraries meanwhile circulation is up in Perry and patrons are happy. Read more on this story in the Wall Street Journal.

Hip Librarians

Librarians are now hip, so says the New York Times. Throw out that old stereotype of the old nerdy librarian with a bun and glasses and enter the young hip librarian with pink hair and tattoos. According to the Times article by Kara Jesella, as libraries have become more reliant on electronic information, young urban hipsters are entering the field. Librarians now write blogs, create wikis, and use myspace on a daily basis, which is attracting younger people to the field. It’s not just the technological shift that appeals to this new crop of librarians; they also cite intellectual stimulation, job stability, and reasonable hours as benefits to the profession. The fear of massive empty positions due to retirement is so far unfounded; in fact enrollment in library schools has steadily increased in the past ten years.

Be sure to check on the Healey Library’s online presence on Facebook and Wikispaces.

Librarian: Job for the Future

Are you trying to decide on a career? Well, look no further than the library. U.S. News & World Report named "Librarian" as one of the 25 best careers for 2007. The report examined the job market as well as issues such as quality of life and attainability.  Citing the increase need to navigate digital information and pleasant work environment, librarianship made the list.  "Librarians these days must be high-tech information sleuths, helping researchers plumb the oceans of information available in books and digital records." At the Healey Library several high school interns are exposed to the library world each semester. These students are part of MassBLAST, a program to build library awareness and staff for the future. The students are often surprised at variety of jobs in the library. I, for one, think it is an interesting and exciting career.   

The future of the reference desk

The Digital Reference blog touches a hot topic in the library world, the future of the reference desk. More and more reference services are provided through email, chat, IM even video (see Live video of Reference Librarians). These technologies allow librarians to assist students and faculty wherever they are working rather than a fixed point in the library. However, we lose face to face contact and the opportunity for teachable moments. Read about the debate among librarians at the Digital Reference blog and tell me what you think. Is the reference desk an outmoded service or is it important to have personal connections?

Live video of Reference Librarians

The Alden Library Reference Department at Ohio University is piloting a project using video for reference services. The department initially looked into several video IM services but choose to use Skype, an internet calling service. They set up a kiosk in the general stacks on the 6^th floor of the library. The Reference Department is on the 2^nd floor. Cameras were installed at the kiosk and in the reference office and allow patrons to see into the office all day. When a patron uses the kiosk, an audio connection is activated. The patron can then talk to the librarian and view the computer the screen. Char Booth, Reference and Instructional Librarian, sees this service as a virtual reference desk although some librarians were uncomfortable in front of the camera. She thinks video interface allows patrons and librarians to connect in a way they don’t with email or text IM. However, she does admit that it is not the same as face to face contact and found it impossible to maintain eye contact. The project has had mixed reactions and only a small number of users. Booth contends that the more patrons use video in other areas, the more video reference will be used. Read about the project and listen to an interview with Char Booth at http://charbooth.googlepages.com/home.

Presidential Libraries: Research Institutions or Shrines to Former Presidents

The latest CQ Researcher profiles Presidential Libraries and our neighbor the Kennedy Library is pictured on the front page. This report comes out of the current controversy about the future site of the George W. Bush Library at Southern Methodist University and poses the question, "Are (Presidential Libraries) valuable archives or wasteful monuments?" Supporters claim that the libraries, actually archives, contain invaluable resources on the history of a Presidency. "The libraries have grown in importance because of a post-Watergate law enacted in 1978 making all presidential papers public records and guaranteeing access beginning five years after a president leaves office." Critics counter that the libraries are more concerned with the presidential image than facts. "In recent years, the JFK library has fielded a steady stream of complaints that it has limited access to documents that would detail Kennedy's medical condition or extramarital liaisons." Then there is the issue of cost. The Clinton Library cost $165 million. Estimates for the Bush Library are $500 million. Presidents must raise funds for the construction and some operating costs while the National Archives maintains and administers the libraries. Since 1986 presidents are required to establish an endowment for operations equal to 20 % of construction costs. These endowments are overseen by foundations set up by the president. In the case of George W. Bush Library, the Bush foundation, whose expressed mission is “to further the domestic and international goals of the Bush administration,” has been established to oversee the library and accompanying museum and policy institute. What do you think? Are our tax dollars funding partisan institutions or are we preserving our nation’s history? Read the entire report here.