The ALA TechSource Blog comments on the stupendous success of Apple iPod, as reported in a Chicago Tribune industry report —
"… Apple shipped more than eight million iPod devices in the second quarter of 2006. That’s almost three million per month or 100,000 per day [emphasis added], and the second quarter is not a big gift-giving quarter, unless Apple packaged all those iPods in large plastic Easter eggs…"
"Batton Lash, cartoonist, is the creator of the humor/horror series Supernatural Law. In 1979 his comic strip, “Wolff & Byrd, Counselors of the Macabre,” began running weekly in The Brooklyn Paper and it appeared in The National Law Journal from 1983 to 1997. Since May 1994, Wolff & Byrd have held court in their own comic book series, Supernatural Law. To learn more about Supernatural Law, Wolff & Byrd, Batton Lash, and more, visit www.exhibitapress.com."
This Saturday past , Batton was impaneled @ Comic-Con — 10:30-12:00 What Is Mainstream?— Batton Lash (Supernatural Law) [in direct conflict with a competing law related presentation — Comic Book Law School 303: Why Can’t You Behave?!]
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Brian Leiter’s Law School Reports Blog shares some statistical data – Total SSRN downloads (from the July stats): The top 20 law schools with the most downloads in the last 12 months (total # of downloads). USD Law is 19th with 9,565 downloads.
The complete list is available here.
"Institutions should encourage the development of "blended spaces" — places where students can mix eating and relaxing with study and discussion. …
[A]mid the triumph of technology, institutions should preserve "sanctuaries," like the quiet spaces of a library or the serenity of a green spot outdoors, where students can meditate and reflect." Chronicle of Higher Education, Today’s News, Campus Planners Have a Tech-Savvy Generation’s Needs to Consider.
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"I still wonder if more libraries should experiment with patron-driven selection—point our users to millions of available books, perhaps through a mash up of information cobbled from WorldCat, Amazon, publishers, book jobbers, etc., then a user could actually purchase (or libraries could even lease access to) an item only when a user expresses the interest or need to use the full text. While we’re at it, let’s let them decide what format they prefer: p-book, e-book, audiobook, etc. …" "The Long Tail Wags The Dog" ALA Techsource.
This ties in nicely with my food stain theory of acquisitions — First, Open the library to food and drink. Second, Track the occasional spill on our books. By spilling, the patron inadvertently "marks" the in-use item – It is a defacto statement of utility. Upon spotting the stain, we should, as a rule, acquire a fresh copy and/or newer edition of the damaged item.
"When you’re smiling (The Whole World Smiles With You)" – So goes the song and yet the ubiquitous Smiley, "… a sketchy representation of a smiling face, most often coloured yellow…," is now at the center of an international trademark law dispute involving a little company called WALMART and a French firm known simply as Smileyworld.
Read the International Herald Tribune story for the surprising history of the SMILEY as well as a brief overview of global trademark law issues.
Live, On-Line (LOL) & Live, In-Person (LIP) Conferences — The ALA Tech Source blog has a nice post regarding Loose LIPS (Live, In-Person Conferences where technology has forged a hybrid between digital and human interaction):
"We carbon-based critters heated to 98.6 degrees F love to congregate. Although live Web-based events, podcasts, and Flickrd photos are good ways to extend the availability and usefulness of professional presentations, there really is no perfect substitute for a good old lippy conference or workshop. Loose LIPs—ones that utilize to advantage these new online tools for broadcasting, capturing, and conveying professional information, opportunities, and concerns—however, are a definite improvement for this tried-and-true mode of professional interaction."
ALA’s Annual Convention (June 22-28, 2006) was the first major convention to take place in New Orleans post-Katrina.
AALL is headed to St. Louis later this month for its Annual Convention but the 2007 Meeting will be in New Orleans.
ALA has published some information on their website (http://www.ala.org/) regarding the meeting’s impact on the local economy and NOLA.com (with the Times-Picayune) has a great deal of additional information on the state of the city’s levees as the 2006 hurricane season builds.
