Desktop News - Issue 171

Desktop News
Issue 171	Friday, August 13, 1999	05:30:26 PM
For a bi-monthly wrap up of NOLA news and information, be sure to check out NOLA Notes! To receive The Desktop News in your email, go here. (You must be using Netscape, Internet Explorer or an HTML-based email program to use this service)

Youth Services Programs

The fall Book Look will be held on October 29th (Friday) and November 1st (Monday). We will once again have a "Share Your Favorite Book" during the lunch hour each day - Carol Davis (Leetonia Community Public Library) and Diane Fritz (Girard Free Library) will facilitate these discussions - so bring your personal favorites. The last luncheon in June was so well received, we were asked to do another one.

Mark your calendar today - the State Library/NOLA Summer Reading Program Workshop will be held on April 5, 2000. The theme will be "Into Books And Out Of This World" and Michael Rex will develop the artwork.

NOLA Director Resigns as of August 31, 1999

I was having dinner last week with a friend and she mentioned that there are a number of interesting theories circulating about why I have resigned. To squelch those rumors, I am going to give you the "scoop." When I came to NOLA, I assumed that I would be here from 3 - 5 years and then would work in one more position before retiring.

Last month an opportunity became available to me that I could not pass up. In early September I will become the Director of the Southeastern Ohio Library Organization (SOLO), a Regional Library System that was chartered by the state on July 1, 1999. There are currently 14 public library members in 11 counties. For many years SOLO has had a very capable part-time Director; I believe that I will be their first full-time Director. I am really looking forward to the opportunity of working with SOLO's librarians as we strengthen current services and begin to chart some new directions. I have recently found an apartment in Caldwell, the location of the SOLO office, and will move at the end of August.

As many of you know by now, Regional Library System work is my first love - professionally speaking. But I am also going to southeastern Ohio for personal reasons - my ancestors moved from New York and Virginia into the Marietta area in the early 1800s. My hero has always been my widowed GGGGGrandmother who brought her five young children over the mountains and across the Ohio River to settle on Fifteen Creek in Washington County in 1812. She only had a couple of dollars in her pocket but she had a ton of spunk. I admired her so much that I wrote an article about Ohio's pioneer women that was published in "Ohio History" about twenty years ago. Now I will be able to spend weekends working on my family history that was begun 30 years ago when my Dad and I started to walk over the hills of Washington County looking for old family log houses and cemeteries. And I also look forward to completing some additional research and publishing another article within the next year. I also want to spend some time with my oldest sister who lives in Waterford (about 20 minutes from Caldwell) and whose husband died this past winter. There are also many cousins, nieces and nephews in Washington County or nearby. And I won't be surprised if I run into Alan Hall on Fifteen Creek or Carol Roddy in Marietta someday since they are also doing family research in Washington County. .

I have thoroughly enjoyed my two years at NOLA and believe that together we have had many successes that we can be pruned of. Now it is time to take my adventuresome soul and move on down the pike (I-77). My last day at NOLA will be August 30th but I plan to take a few days vacation prior to that date. Please keep in touch and I will see all of you at future library conferences.

Millie

Library Renovations

MacKenzie Memorial Public Library in Madison will be closed from Monday, August 9 until Monday, August 23, while moving to temporary facilities. It will reopen on the 23rd at 25 Edwards Street in Madison Village, where it will operate for the next 12-18 months during renovation of the permanent facilities. The new site will hold the entire collection and library will maintain its regular services and hours. Phone numbers and mailing address will stay the same.

Bot's abound!
The concept of the web bot is not new - it's an automated tool that performs some web related task for you (usually some task that is either tedious or too complex for the average user). The bots that complete complex tasks often use emerging technologies (such as web based neural networks, data mining, and more) - look for some of the best ideas to reach the "general computing public" in the next 12-18 months.

If your looking for more info on bots or want to try one out check out BotSpot.com. BotSpot.com brings together a collection of very useful bots with descriptions and recommendations. I found a few to make my web life easier -

Want to know more? Check out http://www.botspot.com

When is a web link illegal?
The practice of "Deep Linking", creating links on one web site to content located deep within another site, has come under some scrutiny lately. Two companies (Ticketmaster and Universal Studios) have raised legal questions related to the practice. They allege that deep linking hurts their business and should be illegal. Ticketmaster claims that links created by Tickets.com which point users directly to web pages selling tickets for specific events which are located deep within the Ticketmaster site have caused harm. Ticketmaster claims they have lost ad revenue and experienced reduced site traffic as a result of deep linking. Universal Studios claims that deep linking by sites to downloadable movie trailers located on Universal's servers has resulted in lost ad revenue and increased load on their servers and network infrastructure.

An excellent article on this topic is available at the Salon site. Click on this deep link to read more.

By now all of you should have received the continuing education catalog, and or the calendar that was sent to your library. Please review this carefully, you will see that many of the programs that were requested on our survey have been scheduled. I would like to take this time to point out some of the upcoming programs.

Have you ever said, "I wonder how my network works?" If so, this is the workshop for you. Everything You Wanted to Know About Networking, but were Afraid to Ask. Thursday, August 19, 1999. This workshop will provide attendees with a high-level understanding of networking concepts, issues and trends, as well as hardware and software basics.

Take your use of Excel to the next level and learn new ways to use this powerful tool! Did you know that Microsoft Excel can be used as a database, where items can be sorted and subsorted? Find out how! Microsoft Excel Intermediate, Thursday, August 26, 1999

Need a dynamic, dazzling Web Page? This course is designed to teach library staff the skills to conceptualize, design, layout, create and maintain an effective homepage.Try it out, Web Development & Maintenance, Wednesday, September 1, 1999

Learn to fix your personnel management problems BEFORE they happen. This is a must, Legal Aspects of Personnel Management, Thursday, September 2, 1999

You asked for it... you've got it! Join us for one of the "hottest" topics today... Genealogy on the Internet, Wednesday, September 8, 1999

Participants will learn how to customize Windows 95/98 in order to be more productive. Windows 95/98, Thursday, September 9, 1999

We've all been there... that "uncomfortable feeling" we get when approached by a patron with special needs. You try to be as helpful as you can, but you are just not sure how to best serve them. A GREAT 1/2 day workshop, Dealing with Physically & Mentally Challenged Patrons, Thursday, September 16 or Friday September 17, 1999, for all library staff who deal one-on-one with any patron with special physical or mental challenges. Sign up Now!

The country fresh air! Real trees and flowers! Whhheeezzzz! Wheeeeeezzzz Look - a whole field of goldenrod! …gasp…gasp… Oh how cute! Kitties! AAAAACHOO! Tissue please. Sound familiar? Well, this is snot a joke. Stop suffering and visit Reflinks 616 (Diseases). Check out the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease (NIAID) and The American Lung Association. Find the latest info on research and drug therapies, treatments, lung diseases and more. State listings help you find resources close to home. Relax! You can breath easy with Reflinks.

NOLA Regional Library System 4445 Mahoning Ave Warren, OH 44483	Phone: (330) 847- 7744 Fax: (330) 847- 7704 Email: [email protected]
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