May 2007
Volume 27 No. 11

Big Read's 3rd Deadline - July 31, 2007
The Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), in partnership with the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), is again accepting grant applications for The Big Read. Details.

Statewide Reference Design Proposal & Library Building Needs Assessments
The California State Library has posted a new study on second-level reference within the CSLA systems. The reference documents are the latest phase in the State Library's analysis of reference services, which began in 2004. Documents from these earlier focus groups and reports are posted under Reference Service Studies on the System Reference Center site.

SJSLIS SecondLife Campus Opens - Wednesday, May 16, 2007
San Jose State University's School of Library and Information Science (SJSLIS) is holding its SecondLife Campus opening event on May 16, 2007 Noon-6:30 pm. This 16 acre campus site in the SecondLife virtual environment will be another campus for SJSLIS in addition to San Jose and Fullerton.

For guidance on visiting this SJSLIS Campus, go to the SJSU SLIS M.U.V.E. Wiki. To participate in the opening, beginners should review this tutorial on how to enter Second Life and find SLIS. Also you must be registered on the SecondLife site. Registration is free. Details. SJSLIS SL Campus map.

Thinking Green
How to Live Green - Newsweek, April 16, 2007, Page 82
Calculate your impact on global warming, create a water budget, compare fuel-efficiency rates, and tips for saving on gas when you drive. The online version has links to related Newsweek articles, videos, and podcasts.

The Green Gate
A project of the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), this site brings together information on environmental "indicators" in five categories (air, water, wildlife, urban living, and health). The Green Gate reviews fiction and nonfiction about the region, includes some basic facts, explains recent trends, and offers advice on ways to get outside and enjoy the Bay Area's many natural wonders. The site covers the nine counties of the San Francisco Bay Area: Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, Napa, San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Solano, Sonoma.

California Native Plant Society - www.cnps.org
Ideas for drought-tolerant plants and garden plans, plant lists, and more.

Traffic Sites
CalTrans Maze Report
Frequently updated reports on the maze repair, with alternative routes. Also news stories, videos, traffic cameras and more.

511: San Francisco Bay Area Transit Information
San Francisco Bay Area public transportation, traffic conditions and estimated driving times, and more. Travelers in the Bay Area may also dial "511" for the same information. - www.511.org

Sigalert - sigalert.com
Map of the San Francisco Bay Area, including part of San Jose, with colored dots representing accidents and traffic speeds. There are similar maps for some other California cities. - www.sigalert.com

top

Finding our Man
Our patron needed a mailing address for the television producer and director, Pierre de Lespinois.The patron thought Lespinois lives in Queens, NY. After seeing that the local librarian has searched Discovery.com, the second-level researcher verified that some of his work was in the Discovery Channel. His work is also listed in the Internet Movie Database (imdb.com).

The local librarian had searched these sources to no avail:

Websites in addition to Discovery.com and IMBD: refusa.com, infospace.com, superpages.com, zabasearch.com, switchboard.com

Books: Star Guide, The International TV and Video Almanac, Variety, Who's Who in Show Business, Grey House Performing Arts Directory

Our second-level librarian emailed the local librarian that Pierre de Lespinois is the "founder of Evergreen Films LLC - www.evergreenfilms.com) and the contact information for Evergreen Films is 1515 Palisades Drive, Suite N, Pacific Palisades, CA 90272."

A Google search using the exact phrase "Pierre de Lespinois" led to Zoominfo.com, a clean easy-to-use company and people search site for contemporaries who aren't in Biography Resource Center. To verify the relationship between Lespinois and Evergreen Films, and thus the address, the researcher did some entertainment news searches, which detailed the principals and partnerships of Evergreen Films. A search on the California Secretary of State's Business Portal confirmed Evergreen Films' current address.

top

Hayward PL installs LED digital sign
Hayward patrons kept missing event directions and library announcements posted on a floor sign because the sign was often toppled by a breeze. To solve the problem, Hayward Public Library purchased an LED sign with an internal media player for changing memory cards. Now the sign is always visible and can hold several announcements at once.

New and Familiar Special Libraries for the Public
The System Reference Center has updated the special libraries bookmarks for San Mateo and Santa Clara counties with more special libraries than the old version. The new bookmark can be downloaded and printed at your convenience from the Webliographies page and should replace older versions.

As a new feature for the SVLS version, Garrett Kuramoto, of the Sunnyvale Public Library, made a Google map of all SVLS library locations including branches, complete with street address, zip code for GPS, and area code. Each jurisdiction has a different color. Click on either the library link or "arrow" for each facility to get a complete address, phone number, and hours.

Librarians as Authors
The "Librarians as Authors" page on the System Reference Center site has more than doubled in the last month. New authors are flagged with a "new" icon . Check it out. Were there surprises? Do you know someone who should be there?

Clue Us! Does your Library have a Summer Reading Program for Adults?
Several member libraries are treating summer reading programs as possible intergeneral programs, with an adult component to the traditional children's activity. San José Public Library is one of the first to announce the adult program, as part of its Summer Reading Celebration, with a prominent link to its March 26, 2007 press release on the library's home page. During July, adults are invited to read books and win prizes through weekly drawings at all library locations. Get ideas from the Summer Reading site.

Court-SVLS and MOBAC Library Partnership wins the Kleps Award
The "Regional Court and Library Partnership" project won in the Category 5 - Collaborative Projects category of the prestigious Ralph N. Kleps Award for 2006-07. Awards will be presented at the September meeting of the Presiding Judges and the Court Executives. The Kleps award honors California courts for innovative, replicable projects that improve court efficiency and effectiveness and aid the public.

In April 2006, attorneys from the self-help units of the Superior Courts from the counties served by MOBAC and SVLS libraries trained 88 librarians on authoritative legal web sites and court procedures. The websites, handouts, and information about the project are posted on the System Reference Center site.

The competition process required a site visit by the judges for each finalist in each category. Since the project originated in Monterey County, the judges held their hearing at the courthouse in Salinas on January 10, 2007. The libraries were represented by MOBAC librarians - Dody Anderson of Watsonville and Beata Obydzinski from the Seaside Branch of the Monterey County Free Library. Dody and Beata spoke eloquently about the results of the training. The panel of judges seemed more interested in them, rather than in the court attorneys. In the questioning process, Dody and Beata educated the others about public libraries, their services and their cooperative ventures. On that day, after the presentation, everyone from the project's courts thought that the chance of the award rested on the librarians' remarks.

top

top