Keep the Knowledge Coming, says Star-Ledger

Originally posted Jan. 30, 2008
Updated Feb. 9, 2008

The Star-Ledger wrote Jan. 30 about the battle to retain funding for the New Jersey Knowledge Initiative, and offers its editorial support. Funding for the Knowledge Initiative, which funds JerseyClicks.org, will end Feb. 29 for want of $1 million.

Patricia Tumulty, the NJLA's executive director, posted the Star-Ledger articles on the NJLA blog. (Go to the entry for Jan. 30.)

The State Librarian, Norma Blake, spoke Jan. 30 to Rutgers MLIS students, and NJKI funding was a hot topic. Ms. Blake noted that being named as as Librarian of the Year by Library Journal gives her more visibility, and a bully pulpit (in the best sense of the phrase) to keep NJKI going. (Video of the dinner honoring Ms. Blake, from ALA Midwinter in Philadelphia, is on the Library Journal site.)

Photos from the SLA Leadership Summit

I've posted my photos from the SLA Leadership Summit, held Jan. 23-26, 2008, in Louisville, Kentucky.

I took pictures of our table at our Friday night dinner, plus a few others of Barbara and me.

I got lots of pictures of exhibits and signs at the Louisville Slugger Museum & Factory, partly because I wanted to share the photos with my baseball-fan brother.

And if you want to see the odds-and-ends, there are a few of the outside of the Louisville Science Museum, and of a paint-can sign.

How Much Does Your Kid's Teacher Make (in New Jersey)?

Note (May 5, 2008): The Courier News has moved its site from c-n.com to MyCentralJersey.com. Thus, the CN links below won't work anymore. (The Asbury Park Press links are fine, as is the site DataUniverse.com.

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Original post from January 27, 2008:

The Gannett New Jersey newspapers have established the site DataUniverse.com.

The local Gannett paper for Somerset County, the Courier News, promotes the database as a way to research genealogy. I think, though, that people will be much more interested in the salary and school information.

The salary information covers the federal level, and in New Jersey, the state, local and school district levels. Plus Rutgers University.

Note that there are at least two versions of the site, which look different, and offer entries to information you won't find on the other:

• Courier News version: Includes access to Somerset, Hunterson and Union County salary information.
  
  
• Asbury Park Press version: Includes access to toll road costs.

I've sometimes criticized local newspapers for being superficial, but this project is really a terrific service and a great use of mash-up technology taking advantage of public information.

To bring it back to a library theme: Datauniverse.com can be a resource for public library patrons, but also for special libraries researching New Jersey government statistics (along with some federal stats and general information).

Tech Tools Coming for SLA

I'm here at the SLA's Leadership Summit in Louisville, Kentucky. (Barbara Burton and I are representing the New Jersey Chapter.)

Much of the discussion today centered on how the SLA and the units/chapters can serve their members electronically. The SLA has implemented some new technology tools, and is working on even more. You can read a little about this on the SLA IT's division blog.

Librarian Honoring Dr. King's Memory

As we approach Dr. King's birthday, a librarian in California has been honored by the Martin Luther King, Jr. Foundation.

Though I take issue with the headline writer's idea of "average librarian," I'm happy to share this article about Lani Yoshimura: Better than your average librarian.

Great Minds Think Alike

Check out Aaron the Librarian. I didn't get the idea for my site/blog name from Aaron, but good ideas are meant to be stolen.

As a reporter in a previous career, and now as a customer service agent, I try to speak clearly on the phone, especially when identifying myself, but I've been called Aaron, Derek, Alex, Erin, etc. My favorite is "Alec Suarez."

The original EricSchwarz.com (no relation) has gone all 404, but you can see something he put up in 2004. I remember reading his wedding tales, but I never contacted him to express my URL envy.

Follow the Leader

All along I thought followship was a 30 Rock joke. But followers can also be leaders, and it's nice to see some examples as published in The Wall Street Journal's Career Journal.

And Peter Bromberg writes in Library Garden about the lost art of listening to new co-workers: Ten Questions to Ask Every New Employee.

Librarian Blogs Galore

Of course, I knew that there were thousands of librarians blogging. (I could go to one of the blogs to find out a better number, but I've already spent enough time tonight looking at some great ones.)

For my new blog, I've featured LISNews.org with its own feed, plus a few other blogs in a list.

Now LISNews tells me that there are 10 best (no more, no less). I had already put Stephen's Lighthouse in my list ... and now I have nine others to check out. I'll try not to overburden this site with long lists ...

A Few Good Men

Upshur County Hires First Male Librarian

Are guy librarians really that rare -- or is this a case of a copy editor looking for an "angle" on the story? The other applicant is a guy, too, so I guess the male librarians may soon take over Upshur County, Texas.

...

Male NextGen librarians remain a rare breed, Rachel Singer Gordon wrote in a 2004 Library Journal article: NextGen: The Men Among Us.

From the Front Lines of the Public Library

Shhh! No talking, drinking or fighting -- people are trying to read

There's nothing too surprising about Don Borchert's memoir of librarianship: Librarians and customers come in every form. But the article is fun reading.

SLA Leadership Summit in Louisville

The SLA's GLBT Issues Caucus invites you to dinner during the Leadership Summit in Louisville, Jan. 25, 2008.

When: Friday, Jan. 25, 2008, at 7 p.m.

Where: Browning's Restaurant and Brewery, 401 E. Main St., Louisville, KY 40202. (East Main Street at North Preston Street). - Phone 502-515-0174. (Directions below.)

Description from the SLA Kentucky Chapter's Restaurant Guide: "This restaurant at historic Slugger Field offers informal pub grub with a good selection of entrees. [$30 range for dinner]."

RSVP/Contact: Please reply to Eric Schwarz by Thursday, Jan. 17. Email me at eric "AT" ericthelibrarian "DOT" com. Guests are more than welcome.

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Directions: From the convention hotel (Louisville Marriott Downtown, 280 West Jefferson Street). Map.

Walking Directions:
Distance: 0.7 miles
Estimated time: 13 min
1 Start in 280 W Jefferson St, Louisville, KY 40202 going
towards S 1st St 0.2 mi
2 Turn Left on S 1st St 0.0 mi
3 Turn Right on Congress Aly 0.2 mi
4 Turn Left on S Floyd St 0.1 mi
5 Turn Right on Billy Goat Strut Aly 0.1 mi
6 Turn Left on S Preston St 0.1 mi
7 Arrive in 401 E Main St/Us-31E (W), Louisville, KY 40202

Driving Directions:
Distance: 0.9 miles
Estimated time: 3 min
1 Start in 280 W Jefferson St, Louisville, KY 40202 going
towards W Liberty St 0.0 mi
2 Turn Left on S 3rd St 0.1 mi
3 Turn Left on W Liberty St 0.3 mi
4 Turn Left on S Brook St 0.3 mi
5 Turn Right on E Washington St 0.2 mi
6 Turn Right on N Preston St 0.0 mi
7 Arrive in 401 E Main St/Us-31E (W), Louisville, KY 40202

Attendees as of Jan. 24, 2008

• Ard, Constance
• Burton, Barbara
• Dollinger, Michelle
  
• McBee, David
• Mulready, Chris
• Schwarz, Eric
• Shea, Ann
• Shea, John
  
• Vargha, Rebecca