Is Google Making Us Stupid? The process of adapting to new intellectual technologies is reflected in the changing metaphors we use to explain ourselves to ourselves. When the mechanical clock arrived, people began thinking of their brains as operating “like clockwork.” Today, in the age of software, we have come to think of them as operating “like computers.” But the changes, neuroscience tells us, go much deeper than metaphor. Thanks to our brain’s plasticity, the adaptation occurs also at a biological level.
Getting past the easy reach As I’ve been working on writing my book and hitting these mental milestones (40,000 words felt like a lot, then it felt like a lot to rework my outline, then it felt like I’d hit a mountaintop at 55,000 words and counting), I’ve been thinking a lot about the way we talk about and promote books to readers. Then in today’s Shelf Awareness, I saw this about the “book grapevine.” Click through and read it because it isn’t long. World's Virtual Library (80,000+ FREE eBooks, eTexts, On-Line Books, eDocuments) n Welcome! Over the last decade, a quiet revolution has been going on in the development of a large library of "digital" or "electronic" books. While there are still large gaps, a very substantial body of "Western" thought is available in the form of downloadable or on-line books.
Five Ways Libraries Can Offer Readers’ Advisory on Tumblr by Molly Wetta *This article originally appeared in the August 2014 issue of RA News.* Libraries are interacting with patrons in digital spaces. Virtually all libraries have a Facebook page, and over half are on Twitter, but as the social media landscape continues to evolve, so must libraries' digital presence. The Web Library Building a World Class Personal Library with Free Web Resources The Web Library: Building a World Class Personal Library with Free Web Resources Online companion to the book. Frequently updated: last update 8-24-2009copyright Nick Tomaiuolo 2009 Indicates a site that is not discussed in the book. News! about FREE resources
Readers’ Advisory with Style: KLA 2013 Presentation I presented with Scott Rader from Hays Public Library at the Kansas Library Association this week. Our program was Readers’ Advisory with Style. We shared ways that we promote books in our libraries through passive RA materials like displays or graphics and through social media. Scott also discussed fanmixes for YA novels. Then we talked about some of our favorite under the radar or debut author releases from 2013-2014. The PowerPoint from our session is below. Global Peace Index – Vision of Humanity The results this year show that the level of global peacefulness deteriorated, with the average country score falling by 0.34 per cent. This is the ninth deterioration in peacefulness in the last twelve years, with 81 countries improving, and 80 recording deteriorations over the past year. The 2020 GPI reveals a world in which the conflicts and crises that emerged in the past decade have begun to abate, only to be replaced with a new wave of tension and uncertainty as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Iceland remains the most peaceful country in the world, a position it has held since 2008. It is joined at the top of the index by New Zealand, Austria, Portugal, and Denmark. Afghanistan is the least peaceful country in the world for the second year in a row, followed by Syria, Iraq, South Sudan and Yemen.
Why Good Readers’ Advisory Matters Written by: Kelly on September 6, 2012. A teen boy came to the reference desk while I was working a couple of weeks ago. He asked me to tell him a good book to read. I knew nothing about the boy, other than he looked maybe 14 or 15. My first step in answering his question was to ask him more questions: what was the last thing he read that he liked and what kind of books does he usually like? The World Factbook People from nearly every country share information with CIA, and new individuals contact us daily. If you have information you think might interest CIA due to our foreign intelligence collection mission, there are many ways to reach us. If you know of an imminent threat to a location inside the U.S., immediately contact your local law enforcement or FBI Field Office. For threats outside the U.S., contact CIA or go to a U.S. Embassy or Consulate and ask for the information to be passed to a U.S. official. Please know, CIA does not engage in law enforcement.