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A Chat with NYC's Coolest Culinary Librarian - IgoUgo

A Chat with NYC's Coolest Culinary Librarian - IgoUgo.

A Chat with NYC's Coolest Culinary Librarian
Posted on March 31, 2008 in Features

Who boasts the best menu in New York? Our vote goes to Rebecca Federman, keeper of the New York Public Library’s culinary collection. The passionate bibliographer—and writer of Cooked Books—talks to IgoUgo about her fascinating job and favorite tables.

IgoUgo: What comprises your work at the New York Public Library, and what are the best parts of your position there?
Rebecca Federman: My official title is Social Sciences Bibliographer, which means I order books and keep on top of trends and publications within the social sciences: women's studies, political science, history, etc. But I also spend a lot of time working with the Library's culinary collection, both the cookbooks and the historic restaurant menu collection. That's one of my favorite aspects of the job: reading through menus from the mid-19th century to the present, helping researchers, and meeting people. It's a job where one wears a lot of hats and is never bored. I like that.

Book Lovers Ask, What’s Seattle’s Secret? - New York Times

Book Lovers Ask, What’s Seattle’s Secret? - New York Times.

Book Lovers Ask, What’s Seattle’s Secret?
By JULIE BICK, Published: March 9, 2008

Seattle - TEN years ago, Nancy Pearl started a program for public libraries here that she hoped would get adults excited about literature. It was called, “If All of Seattle Read the Same Book.” Free copies of “The Sweet Hereafter,” a novel about a tragic school bus accident, were distributed to individuals and book clubs. Posters encouraged people to read the book and discuss it at library-sponsored events.

The novel became the top-selling book in the area. But Ms. Pearl’s program received little national attention despite its success. “We just weren’t on the map then,” Ms. Pearl, who is a librarian, said.

Today, her name is familiar to book lovers from coast to coast. She attracted attention in 2003, when she published “Book Lust,” a guide to must-read books. A few years later, a sequel to that book coincided with her promotion to national book commentator on National Public Radio.

Web Sites Let Bibliophiles Share Books Virtually : NPR

Web Sites Let Bibliophiles Share Books Virtually : NPR.

Books
Web Sites Let Bibliophiles Share Books Virtually
by Martha Woodroof Listen Now [4 min 32 sec]

“People tend to define themselves by their books, and they love to show off their book collections at home. ... I think book social networks act as an extension of that.”
--Sean Flannagan, Deeplinking.net

All Things Considered, March 20, 2008
Bookish people may not be known for their social skills, but a crop of social-networking Web sites aimed at bibliophiles are allowing readers to connect with the page — and with each other — in a brand new "virtual" environment.

Think of it as Facebook or MySpace for people who'd rather browse in a book shop than go to a party. Book-centered sites like LibraryThing, Goodreads, Shelfari, aNobii and BookJetty, among others, allow readers to keep track of books they have read or books they want to read or buy — and see what others are reading and recommending.

Algorithms Are Terrific. But to Search Smarter, Find a Person.

Algorithms Are Terrific. But to Search Smarter, Find a Person..

Algorithms Are Terrific. But to Search Smarter, Find a Person.
By Brendan I. Koerner Email 03.24.08 | 6:00 PM
Illustration: James Victore

When he returned home from a long day at the office, Jeremy Brosowsky would glance ruefully at his coffee table. It was always covered with magazines he knew he'd never crack open. "The Economist just ended up being a $100-a-year paperweight," says Brosowsky, founder of the now-defunct Washington Business Forward magazine. In 2006, Brosowsky realized that his "coffee table problem" wasn't confined to meatspace. He was similarly unable to keep track of all the information that poured into his RSS reader, to say nothing of the online versions of The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and dozens of other publications. Brosowsky wished he had a way to manage the deluge and zero in on the few must-read articles. His solution was to create Brijit, a Washington, DC-based startup launched in late 2007 that produces 100-word abstracts of both online and offline content. Every day, Brijit publishes around 125 concise summaries of newspaper and magazine articles, as well as audio and video programs, rating each on a scale of 0 ("actively avoid") to 3 ("a must read") so readers can decide whether it's worth their time to click through. "What we've created with Brijit is your well-read friend," says Brosowsky, whose eight employees sift through more than 100 sources, from AARP the Magazine to XXL.

TIME Magazine Archives - TIME Archives - TIME Magazine Back Issues

TIME Magazine Archives - TIME Archives - TIME Magazine Back Issues.

TIME Magazine Archives

Left, screenshot, TIME Magazine Archives

This wonderful historical archive from TIME magazine contains covers, articles, and excerpts from articles from 1923 to the present.. well-organized, with covers, and has some featured collections.. enjoy!

Essay About Love and Literary Taste - Books - Review - New York Times

Essay About Love and Literary Taste - Books - Review - New York Times.

Essay
It’s Not You, It’s Your Books
By RACHEL DONADIO, Published: March 30, 2008

Some years ago, I was awakened early one morning by a phone call from a friend. She had just broken up with a boyfriend she still loved and was desperate to justify her decision. “Can you believe it!” she shouted into the phone. “He hadn’t even heard of Pushkin!”

The Code4Lib Journal / Code for Library Journal

The Code4Lib Journal / Code for Library Journal.

The Code4Lib Journal

Issue 2 Code4Lib: More than a journal
Eric Lease Morgan

It is a pleasure and an honor to be able to introduce this, the second issue of Code4Lib Journal. Code4Lib is much more than a journal. It is a thriving community.

A fine journal, now up to issue 2.. working on the coding and scripting and various tweaks and solutions for software and programs for libraries...

LibraryThing: Introducing LibraryThing Local

LibraryThing: Introducing LibraryThing Local.

Monday, March 03, 2008
Introducing LibraryThing Local

Today we* unveil a major new section of the site, LibraryThing Local.

What is it? LibraryThing Local is a gateway to thousands of local bookstores, libraries and book festivals—and to all the author readings, signings, discussions and other events they host. It is our attempt to accomplish what hasn't happened yet—the effective linking of the online and offline book worlds. Books still don't fully "work" online; this is a step toward mending them.

Slashdot | Can Architects Save Libraries from the Internet?

Slashdot | Can Architects Save Libraries from the Internet?.

Can Architects Save Libraries from the Internet?
Posted by Zonk on Sunday March 02, @05:13PM from the it-would-be-kind-of-awesome-to-live-in-a-library dept.

"Slate has an interesting photo essay exploring the question of how to build a public library in the age of Google, Wikipedia, and Kindle. The grand old reading rooms and stacks of past civic monuments are giving way to a new library-as-urban-hangout concept, as evidenced by Seattle's Starbucks-meets-mega-bookstore central library and Salt Lake City's shop-lined education mall. Without some dramatic changes, The Extinction Timeline predicts libraries will R.I.P. in 2019."

Read the geeks and nerds view of a library today.. it's strange to see this view, but I do understand its appeal.. some defenders of libraries posting, too, and what about that extinction date in 2019? I guess all "books" will be online then, and that will mark the death bell for libraries as we know them...

Electronic Resources & Libraries: 2008 Conference Schedule

Electronic Resources & Libraries: 2008 Conference Schedule.

Electronic Resources & Libraries: 2008 Conference Schedule

Our Schedule of Events [PDF] gives details on when receptions and sessions will take place. Tuesday's Welcome Reception and pre-conferences will be held at the GA Tech Library & Information Center.  All sessions on March 19th-21st will be held at the Global Learning Center.

This looks to be another great ER&L conference in Atlanta, coming soon in March.. wish I could attend this one...

Terence Smith | Blog Archive | A BAD WEEK FOR THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE

Terence Smith | Blog Archive | A BAD WEEK FOR THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE.

A BAD WEEK FOR THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE
February 29th, 2008

Two of the best practitioners of the English language died this week: William F. Buckley Jr. and W.C. Heinz.

They could not have been more different writers.

Bill Buckley delighted in the complexities of the language; his erudite phrasing was over-the-top, but entertaining. Often he was just trying to score points over one of his adversaries on Firing Line. One of his favorite responses was: “I won’t insult your intelligence by suggesting that you actually believe what you are saying.”

Nice brief article on these writers, and a great Hemingway tale at the end.. I do worry about the state of English language, writers, and writing...