Library Stuff

From Boing Boing: BookMooch: give away your old books, get others'

Interesting idea, using a points system. "In order to keep receiving books, you need to give away at least one book for every two you receive." You can also donate points to charities.

I also recently heard about a community book exchange in the Chicago area. (Thanks, Jenna).

It makes me think--is the rise in this sort of cooperative trading arrangement a result of the poor economy, the increase in use of social networking websites (well, until DOPA kills them all!), or some other nebulous factor?

In any case, I applaud the concept and those willing to do the organizing work to make these sort of arrangements function. It will be interesting to see if/how they survive.

Via LIS News:

NPR : British History Goes Online

Imagine being able to look up who was living in your house in the eleventh century. Britons can now do that with the online version of the Domesday Book. The book is Britain's nationwide inventory, commissioned by King William I in 1085, and was put on online Friday by the British National Archives.

A gem from The Onion:

Dewey Decimal System Helpless To Categorize New Jim Belushi Book

If no decision is reached within the week, librarians may be forced to shelve it in the "phantom zone" between Jenny McCarthy’s book of marriage tips and novels in which a cat helps solve a mystery.

Thanks to Brian for the link.

A Face Is Exposed for AOL Searcher No. 4417749

"My goodness, it’s my whole personal life. I had no idea somebody was looking over my shoulder." - THELMA ARNOLD, an AOL user who was identified through her Web searches.

One interesting point made:

John Battelle, the author of the 2005 book “The Search: How Google and Its Rivals Rewrote the Rules of Business and Transformed Our Culture,� said AOL’s misstep, while unfortunate, could have a silver lining if people began to understand just what was at stake. In his book, he says search engines are mining the priceless “database of intentions� formed by the world’s search requests.

“It’s only by these kinds of screw-ups and unintended behind-the-curtain views that we can push this dialogue along,� Mr. Battelle said. “As unhappy as I am to see this data on people leaked, I’m heartened that we will have this conversation as a culture, which is long overdue.�

This biblioblogger left me a comment the other day, so I explored their site and found the following hysterical post: Can I be fined for this?