Library loaning iPod shuffles loaded with books

Wired News reports that the South Huntington Public Library on Long Island, New York, has become one of the first public libraries in the country to loan out iPod shuffles. For the past three weeks, the library ran a pilot program using the portable MP3 devices to store audio books downloaded from the Apple iTunes Music Store.Ken Weil, the library's director, said that the library had been looking for a way to share digital audio content with its patrons for some time, and that until recently, the existing iPods were far too expensive. The library now stocks both the 1GB and 512MB iPod shuffle which easily store their audio books 150 to 350 MB MP3 files.Joseph Latini, the library's assistant director, said that most titles on CDs cost the library around $75, whereas in MP3 format, they range from $15 to $25. "In the end, obviously, we're literally saving money," he said. "The units are paying for themselves."

RSS -- "you have an overdue book"

Now that we are looking at email notifications...

From the LibraryStuff blog

"Libraries send many hundreds of thousands of notifications and communications to users a year. New technologies allow real-time (or near real-time) communication and are cheaper than sending letters. How many libraries have yet switched to new methods of communicating with users? In the HE arena, notices are typically sent by email, but this still requires students to check for new emails. How many have yet started to investigate technologies such as RSS and SMS?"

http://www.librarystuff.net/2005/02/personalized-rss-for-your-patrons.html

Libraries with blogs

blogwithoutalibrary.net is an excellent site with a link to an extensive list of libraries that have blogs, including internal blogs.

http://www.blogwithoutalibrary.net/links.html

Off we go

OK, LSCs here is our first posting to the new blog. A good place to start learning and find resources on blogging especially in libraries is Blog-bib. Thsi site is a great beginning point and includes Power Point presentations about blogging.

http://blog-bib.blogspot.com/

I sent Cherie and Dave Acq and Cat blogs. Scott here is one for ILL
http://illresources.blogspot.com/

circ blogs? uhhhh...