Infoblog

In this podcast, Infopeople’s book guy Michael Cart indulges his passion for Southern fiction by devoting an entire podcast to North Carolina writer Ron Rash and his remarkable new novel Serena. What a story!

Cites from this podcast are here (in PDF format).

Stephen Abram has written a good post that looks at the world of ebook readers (KIndles and iPads) and academic libraries. The jury is till way out on what ebooks really mean for libraries (academic or public), and in today’s economic climate it’s not something most libraries can invest in, but it’s still worth reading what the early adopters think of the new devices, just to stay current.

In this latest edition of Thinking Out Loud, George and Joan look at children’s literature and the kid’s books that have had the most lasting impact on them. The messages in these books, as it happens, aren’t just for kids! Titles discussed include “The Emperor’s New Clothes,” “Stone Soup,” Many Moons,” and “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz.”

In this podcast, Infopeople’s book maven Michael Cart mourns the loss of legendary author (and recluse) J. D. Salinger and muses about the current age of authorial self-promotion (tell-all memoirs, anyone?).

Cites from this podcast are here (in PDF format).

The last economic upsurge was driven by lawyers, bankers, accountants and the like. What will drive the next wave? Some say it will be a “creative economy.” Some qualities of a creative worker: curiosity, humor, quirkiness. How does this potentially impact libraries? Listen to George and Joan’s latest podcast and find out!

In his latest podcast, Infopeople’s resident book reviewer, Michael Cart, talks about the curious history of the review and its even more improbable prospects for the future (get out your hankies for this one!). Oh, and welcome back, Kirkus!

Cites from this podcast are here, in PDF format.

Probably not as secure as it ought to be. This Lifehacker post discusses how to hack weak passwords. if you don’t already use an application to securely store your passwords (and you should have multiples – don’t use the same password for everything!), two apps the author recommends are RoboForm or KeePass for Windows or Mac users, and he also recommends 1Password for Mac users (and I can second that recommendation – I use 1Password and wouldn’t leave home without it – well, actually, I don’t think I COULD leave home without it as it’s on my computer and my iPhone!).

In this podcast, Joan and George use their considerable brainpower to look at ways to improve the Infopeople brand. As usual with them, it’s scintillating stuff!

Thanks to Chuck O’Shea for his help producing this podcast.

In his latest podcast, Infopeople’s unofficial ambassador to the book world, Michael Cart, reports on an official ambassador (you’ll have to listen to find out who it is) and then shifts gears to talk about the world’s first consulting detective — you won’t need to listen to know that was Sherlock Holmes!

A list of cites from this podcast is here, in PDF format.

George and Joan’s latest podcast may not sound like a high interest topic but in a time where more and more libraries are being called on to justify their existences, you’d do well to pay attention! Using Guy Kawasaki’s blog post, Mantras versus Missions, George and Joan make a strong case for seriously thinking about how libraries go about concisely describe what they do – the essence of what they really do. Thought-provoking stuff.

Here’s the Infopeople mission statement: “The mission of the Infopeople Project is to improve the quality of life of the people in California by upgrading the performance and effectiveness of California libraries.” Do you know what your library’s is?