Library News

Website for International Students — Google 翻訳

The UB Libraries provide a website focusing on information resources for international students. A highlight is translated audio tours of the libraries in Japanese and Mandarin Chinese. Also available are links to multi-language journals, foreign language newspapers, English as a second language (ESL) resources, research tips, and contacting a librarian by instant message, email, phone, or in person.

Listen to WBFO's interview with site developers Ligaya Ganster and Dorothy Tao.

Employment Opportunity — Google 翻訳

Dr. Janes Offers Tips for Library Futures — Google 翻訳

Dr. Joseph Janes, Associate Professor, School of Information, University of Washington, the keynote presenter at the SUNY Librarians Association Annual Conference on June 12, 2008, offered six concise tips for libraries and librarians in the "fast-paced, technology-driven World of Tomorrow that we now inhabit." Janes appeared at the conference via Internet2 from the west coast. Janes is the founding director of the Internet Public Library, author of eight books on libraries and technology, including Virtual Reference Experience, Internet Searcher's Handbook, and Introduction to Reference Work in the Digital Age. He also writes the "Internet Librarian" column for American Libraries magazine.

Tips for Library Futures

1. Be aware of the information environment. Digital format will eventually win out over codex. Microsoft is losing ground to Google because Microsoft doesn't focus on "figuring people out."
2. Be where they are. Libraries need to be positioned in the middle of the virtual campus, and be "in the middle of people's heads." People have multiple selves now and inhabit multiple worlds - we need to be in them all.
3. Be creative. Build and contribute to blogs, wikis, Facebook, YouTube. Skip Second Life ("who cares"). Extend the notion of the library to anywhere, anytime, in concert with the ways that people interact with information.
4. Be better online than in person. Be better than Google by playing on our strengths of quality, depth, literacy initiatives, our client-centered focus, and by building tools to enhance digital information.
5. Be together. What libraries do must make sense to librarians and to our communities. Put our tools and instruction modules on YouTube, etc.
6. Be librarians. Libraries are central to the information lives of our community. We allow people to better themselves individually and collectively. There could be a future "dark age" when much digital information may no longer be accessed due to the viability of mediums. One of the unique strengths of libraries is that we will insure the preservation, retention, and accessiblity of the digital universe.

Library Website Redesign — Google 翻訳
The University at Buffalo Libraries are in the process of redesigning its website. The aim for our new website is to increase the effectiveness of the website as a research tool and Improve usability and signposting.

The old design can be found at this URL:
http://ublib.buffalo.edu/libraries/index-old.html

WBFO Commentary: Coffee with a Conscience — Google 翻訳
On June 3, 2008, Christopher Hollister, UB Information Literacy Librarian, presented a commentary on WBFO 88.7 FM regarding the danger to migratory bird populations resulting from South American tropical forest habitat clearance. Habitats are rapidly disappearing to make way for coffee plantations. Listen or read about how "shade-grown coffee" can help save our songbirds.

WBFO 88.7 FM is a public radio station operated as a major public service of the University at Buffalo.