Self Service Check Out

http://www.insidebayarea.com/oaklandtribune/localnews/ci_2903410

The Berkeley Library is implementing new technology which will allow patrons to check out their own books. The use of Radio Frequency Identification tags on books will allow this. This will reduce the work load for employees who apparently have sustained injuries from the repetitive movement of checking out books and will allow them to devote more time to assisting patrons in other areas. Some people are concerned that these tags could amount to an invasion of privacy; however library officials dismiss this stating that the tags only contain bar code information not title, author, etc.

Self service already exists in super markets, airports, and probably other places as well. It seems only logical that this trend would continue into the library setting.

INFOhio

There is an excellent article on INFOhio in the August issue of Ohio Schools. INFOhio gives students access to a wealth of resources through the website which can be accessed at school or at home. It is invaluable in teaching student's about finding credible sources.

Patriot Act

From the ACLU web site . . .

July 19, 2005
Patriot Act Update: House Vote Likely This Week!
The House of Representatives will likely vote this week on a bill to reauthorize the expiring sections of the Patriot Act. Even though Congress still has six months to deliberate before these sections expire, some lawmakers are looking to rush the bill through now to stifle dissent and debate -- just as they did in 2001 with the original passage of the Patriot Act.
This must not be allowed to happen. Congress went too far, too fast the last time around. It has a chance now to fix the Patriot Act, and to keep our personal records free from unwarranted federal scrutiny and our homes free of secret searches.

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I think people in the fields of library and information sciences need to watch this very closely and take action if necessary. This could affect us greatly in our profession.

Banned from the public library?

http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/0706phxlibrary06.html

14 patrons were banned from using the computers at the Phoenix Public Library because they used the computers to access pornography. Pornography is not constitutionally protected free speech, so the library has no reason to tolerate such use of their computers. However, because of this, the library is keeping a record of all sites uploaded or downloaded by their patrons for thirty days. The intention is that they would only be available on court order; however, there seems to be a potential privacy issue here. The library will also use Internet filters and hire more staff to help prevent something like this from happening again.

Wi-Fi in Libraries

http://www.edmondsun.com/articles/2005/07/13/news/news04.txt

It looks like public libraries are beginning to follow the trend started by coffee shops such as Starbuck's and Panera by offering wireless internet access to their patrons. According to a study by the ALA (cited in the above article) 18% of US libraries currently offer wireless Internet access. According to the above article the Metropolitan Library of Edmond, Oklahoma has joined that group at the request of its patrons. The Internet will be available in the same filtered form that it is on the library's desktop computers. Patrons will not need a library card to use this service.

Cincinnati Library's New Materials Recovery Plan and E-newsletter

http://www.cincinnatilibrary.org/news/2005/materialsrecovery.html

As of July 5, the Cincinnati Public Library will be using a new system Unique Management Services (http://www.unique-mgmt.com/) to recover overdue books and collect outstanding fines. They are doing away with mailed overdue notices and will instead contact patrons by phone or email when items are overdue. They are encouraging patrons to sign up to be contacted by email. If they do so, they will get an email reminder three days before their books are due. This use of email will help keep patrons up to date on their account and will save the library the cost of traditional means of recovering books and collecting fines.

Patrons can also sign up for weekly newsletter from the library that includes a variety of topics from new books to job openings to library programs and events. Patrons can preference the areas they are interested in.

OCLC Pilots Traditional Libraries into Web Services

http://www.infotoday.com/newsbreaks/nb050705-2.shtml
OCLC Collection services made their WorldCat available to search engines such as Google and Yahoo! In December of 2004 allowing users to search their giant card catalog. They are expanding the types of materials that will be available to include electronic journal collections. They are also making reference librarians available to answer questions online. Along with this, they will make books available for purchase through their site. There's even a summer reading program in the works based on the wiki format. With so much to offer, it's no surprise that OCLC will begin charging libraries for use. This is just another example of how new technologies are making huge amounts of information available to people regardless of their location. Libraries will remain vital parts of the community by embracing this technology and finding ways to promote it to their patrons.