Why Libraries Matter: A day in the New York Public Library system

[brightcove vid=3572479669001&exp3=1054655355001&surl=http://c.brightcove.com/services&pubid=29913724001&pk=AQ~~,AAAABvb_NGE~,DMkZt2E6wO3_sfth6vHgTpNZZSEwcydt&lbu=http://www.theatlantic.com/video/iframe/371084/&w=480&h=270]

This fantastic short film helps capture the impact that libraries have on the lives of their users. If you have 10 minutes, it's definitely worth watching!

Google ads and you: want to opt out?

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="636"] Google's got a bright idea that users may not have heard about yet, if they missed the announcement last month[/caption]

Last month, Google announced an update to their Terms of Service (TOS) that allows them to use aspects of your Google+ profile for targeted ads.  Which means what?  It means that Google could use your name, picture, and reviews you've given in ads targeted to people in your Google contacts or Google+ circles.  It also means that if you're over 18, your face will start popping up in other folks' searches for "doing anything from leaving a YouTube comment to starring something in Google Play to giving it the +1 treatment."

So let's say you're not interested in the review of the local Thai joint popping up when an acquaintance you've emailed once or twice searches for good local Thai food. Can you avoid having your likeness used? The answer, fortunately, is "yes." All you have to do is opt out via this link while you are logged into your Google account. Then go ahead and click the option to not have aspects of your profile used in this way and SAVE.

Situations like this are why it's important to read the TOS set forth by websites and online communities in which you participate. Companies purposely try to make TOS long so that people avoid reading the whole thing; by making it more onerous to read, companies are betting that you will just click "I agree" in order to gain access to a resource, and are also betting that you won't care much about future changes due to your usage of the site/product at a future date. Make sure you take time to educate yourself on what companies are doing with data, and what rights you're signing away when clicking that agreement box on a TOS!

I've been hacked!

On Facebook lately, I noticed a friend complaining that some pins and boards that she had never pinned or created showed up on her Pinterest account (using social media to complain about social media.  How meta.)  Although she joked that the weight-loss ads that had popped up were "Pinterest fat-shaming me for all the desserts that I post,"  account security is something to be cognizant of.   What do you do if you get hacked?

First of all, any time you get hacked, or suspect that you've been hacked, your immediate priority should be changing your password for the site.  This is also a good time to remind yourself that make sure that you have different passwords that you change/update regularly.  It's not a great idea to have the same password for your Facebook account, your online banking, and your Google account.  You don't want to hand over the keys to your entire online kingdom in one fell password swoop.  Similarly, you should be updating your passwords on a regular basis.  If you've been using the same password for 2 years, it's time to retire it and come up with something new.

Once you've updated your passwords, it's time to go ahead and run a virus scanner on your computer.  Computing services can clue you into some great software for your devices, and it's also worth exploring ad-block or no-script programs that can stop hijack attempts.  Lastly, you will want to make sure that you go in and delete the posts that the hacker/program made on your behalf (which sometimes can't be done until you've changed the password.)

Hopefully these tips will help your accounts get cleaned up after a hacking.  As for protecting your account, make sure that you change/update your passwords regularly, and be vigilant when deciding to click on links.  Remember the old caveat that if something looks too good to be true, it probably is, which means that Sony probably is not going to give you a free PS4 just so you can help them test it by clicking on some random link that you see on your Facebook feed. These types of ads can contain phishing programs searching for passwords and other sensitive date, so be careful And when in doubt, you can always check on Snopes or Google an ad or story to see if something has been debunked. Forewarned is forearmed!

Off-Campus database access

Currently off-campus access to library's databases is not available due to some issues with the proxy server that we use to authenticate our users.  If you need access to library's databases, it is recommended that you come to library to do so.  We'll let you know via a post here on the blog and on the library's Facebook page once things are up and running again.  Thanks for your patience everyone, we hope that you had a good Spring Break!

Useful Website

In a class I'm taking this semester called Fundamentals in Exercise and Nutrition, we came to the library to use the computers. Our class needed the computers to fill out a health assessment called the RealAge Test. The test asks questions regarding one's health, feelings, fitness, and diet. The results the test gives varies depending on your answers to the questions. For example, my current age is 19.6 but based on my answers to all the questions, my RealAge is 18.7. The assessment gives you your RealAge and then it breaks down all of your answers and tells you whether you need to make changes or if you need to maintain your current choices. For example, there was a question in the diet section about the amount of grains I consume each week. From my answer the test told me that I need to eat more grains. It was a great assessment that made it easy to evaluate my current health and identify any changes that need to be made.
~Nathan

Riddle Me This! Brainteaser Thursday

Part of being a successful searcher (in my mind anyway) is being able to logically think through your search while linking together related information to complete the big picture of whatever issue you are researching. Thus, the justification for posting this riddle, allegedly created by Albert Einstein a century ago.  There are no tricks, as this can be solved with some simple (and complex) logical thinking.  Give it a try and have fun!

The Riddle

1. In a street there are five houses, painted five different colours.
2. In each house lives a person of different nationality
3. These five homeowners each drink a different kind of beverage, smoke different brand of cigar and keep a different pet.

THE QUESTION: WHO OWNS THE FISH?

HINTS

1. The Brit lives in a red house.
2. The Swede keeps dogs as pets.
3. The Dane drinks tea.
4. The Green house is next to, and on the left of the White house.
5. The owner of the Green house drinks coffee.
6. The person who smokes Pall Mall rears birds.
7. The owner of the Yellow house smokes Dunhill.
8. The man living in the centre house drinks milk.
9. The Norwegian lives in the first house.
10. The man who smokes Blends lives next to the one who keeps cats.
11. The man who keeps horses lives next to the man who smokes Dunhill.
12. The man who smokes Blue Master drinks beer.
13. The German smokes Prince.
14. The Norwegian lives next to the blue house.
15. The man who smokes Blends has a neighbour who drinks water.

Psychology Podcasts

Need something new to listen to at the gym or on long car rides home? The American Psychological Association has a great selection of podcasts relating to psychology. The podcasts, available here, are said to "showcase the academic, the scientific and the clinical sides of the field." One that I found really neat that the site links to Scientific American's "60-second Mind." Updated every Saturday, the podcast discusses some of the latest developments in human behavior and research on the brain, and it does so in a concise, one minute package. Recent podcasts have covered how body image is affected by the images that people see and Michael C. Hall, on TV's Dexter, talking about psychopathy. It's really pretty interesting stuff, and you can check it out for yourself here. Here's to starting off the new year with new podcasts for the mind, about the mind!

-Katelyn, Head of Reference

Sponsored Content on Websites: Who's providing the information?

Welcome back to Coe for the Spring 2013!  Campus was exceedingly quiet over the holidays, with one giant blizzard that shut everything down for a day thrown into the mix.  But now that everyone is back and ready to embark on another semester of learning and critical thinking, I wanted to touch on something making the news rounds for last day.  Yesterday, the Atlantic, a publication that has been around for more than 100 years and published the likes of Mark Twain and other great American writers and journalists, published a post that can only be described as curious.  The post, which has subsequently been pulled, was an unabashedly positive review of the past year for the Church of Scientology; many of the initial comments on the article were equally enthused.  The reason everything sounded as though it came straight from the Scientology PR folks was that it.  The church paid to post the content on the Atlantic's website, while also formatting and presenting the article just like any other article on the site.  Although the article has been pulled, you can see a screengrab of it here.  Take a look at the screenshot, then head over to the Atlantic's site and see if you think that you would spot the difference in a hurry.  This problem, the idea that readers might believe that this sort of content has the been through the same editorial review process as other content on the site, along with the question of how comments are presented to the masses on pieces such as this, raise real questions for publications that are looking to diversify their profit streams in new and reader-engaging ways.

Response from the media at-large has been widely negative, including from journalists currently published by the Atlantic.  Here are a few of the articles covering this situation:
-"The Atlantic Is Now Publishing Bizarre, Blatant Scientology Propaganda as ‘Sponsored Content’" from Gawker
-Business Insider's coverage
-Salon's coverage
Just searching "Atlantic Sponsored Content" via search engine takes users to dozens upon dozens of reactions, so it's easy to see this is something bothering the media at large right now. But for users, those seeking information on a topic, this is a just an additional challenge that must be kept in mind as they search for answers. WHO is giving you your information? Always be thorough when checking out a source, and don't assume that just because something appears on a reputable website that they are also the creator of this content. Read carefully before citing something, and with this in mind, good luck this semester at Coe!

-Katelyn, Head of Reference

Zeitgeist 2012: The year that was thanks to Google

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=xY_MUB8adEQ]

Today Google released its "Zeitgeist 2012" video which shows the past year in terms of what users searched on Google.  The video is pretty great, very much worth the 2.5 minutes to watch and enjoy.

Problems with EBSCO

Yesterday the library received a heads up that some students were having trouble accessing EBSCO from off-campus.  Computing services has been doing some work updating the proxy server that the campus uses to authenticate off-campus users, and that might be causing the issue.  We're working on resolving the problem, but in the mean time, remember that users should be able to access ALL of the library databases via the library website as long as they are on campus (this includes the new apartments across the street.)  If you are on campus, you never have to go through My.Coe to access the databases, you need simply to go the library's webpage.  Also, if you ever do have issues accessing any of the databases from off-campus, please let the library staff know so we can take care of it!  Good luck with your finals!

-Katelyn, Head of Reference

Facebook, Privacy, and Ownership of Content

You might have spotted something along the lines of this in the status of your friends on Facebook:

In response to the new Facebook guidelines, I hereby declare that my copyright is attached to all of my personal details, illustrations, graphics, comics, paintings, photos, and videos, etc. (as a result of the Berner Convention). For any and all commercial use of the above my written consent is required in every instance.

(Those reading this may copy and paste this text on their Facebook walls. This will place them under protection of copyright laws. By the present communiqué, I hereby notify Facebook that it is strictly forbidden to disclose, copy, distribute, disseminate, or take any other action against me on the basis of this profile and/or its contents. The aforementioned prohibited actions also apply to employees, students, agents, and/or any staff under Facebook’s direction or control. The content of this profile is private and confidential information. The violation of my privacy is punishable by law (UCC 1 1-308-308 1-103 and the Rome Statute).

Facebook is now an open capital entity. All members are recommended to publish a notice like this, or if you prefer, then you may copy and paste this version. If you do not publish a statement at least once, you will be allowing tacitly the use of elements such as your photos, as well as the information contained in your profile status updates

As noted in this article from Time magazine, this message is a hoax. It, and any variation thereof, has exactly zero impact as to how Facebook can use the data and content that you post via the site. And they can do this due to the terms and conditions of use that all users agree to prior to creating and maintaining a Facebook account. No amounting of posting in your status bar is going to change the TOS (terms of service), so if you aren't happy with how Facebook is using your data, you are out of luck unless you A) close your account (where it is still a bit murky as to what the company does and does not keep of your data), B) never post information that you're not comfortable as public knowledge, or C) hope that Facebook changes/amends its TOS.

What this all settles down to is that it's important to pay at least some level of attention to the terms and conditions of use on any website that you're using, particularly those that are responsible for your personal data.  Much like the notes and references sections on an academic articles, it might be tempting just to skip over that information; however, you could be missing important information, such as how the company can use your data and what your options are.  This is why you should never just click "I agree" and forget about it, as it could come back to bite you. If you don't want someone to use the info that you post online, the best answer is never to post it all.
-Katelyn, Head of Reference

Time Lines for Music

A helpful resource for Music History buffs, is the timeline...

here are some website examples....

http://www.jazzinamerica.org/jazzresources/timeline

http://www.d-vista.com/OTHER/Liszttime.html

http://www.timetoast.com/timelines/51727

These are great aids in relating subject matter to what was going on in history at the time.  There are timelines available for all sorts of subjects, I just chose music to blog on today.

You can also find time line posters and charts as well as the online scrollable kind. It is a wonderful way to expand what you know, or find out more about what you want to know. Next time you google add "timeline" to your search.

Rich A.

The Case Against Wikipedia

When students come into the library for sessions on research, invariably we end up discussing Wikipedia for a moment or two.  As librarians and people who regularly work with students, we know it's often a place where students start their research or go for quick answers.  I'm constantly dissuading students as to why Wikipedia is not a desirable place for conducting real research, especially research that will be turned in for a grade, for the obvious reasons of the authority of the author/contributor and the lack of proper citation at times.  Following Hurricane Sandy, an excellent example of the first reason has been chronicled by the mainstream media.



His name is Ken Mampel, and he's currently the primary contributor to the Wikipedia article on Hurricane Sandy.  He is 56 years old, unemployed, and does not believe in climate change; hence the lack of the climate change mention as a possible factor in Hurricane Sandy's devastating impact despite several articles written up in recent days to the contrary.  Popular Science has done an excellent write up that you can take a look at here. This is an excellent example as to why one must always follow-up on one's sources, and why it's important not rely on a sole article/viewpoint when exploring a topic. It also serves a great point of emphasis why Wikipedia, although at times informative and entertaining, is not the most reputable place to turn for information. Coe's library has several different reference resources available online for our students and users, such as Credo Reference and Britannica Online, accessible via the library's website. Consider these resources the next time that you're thinking about clicking on a Wikipedia link.

-Katelyn, Head of Reference

Register to Vote!

For many Coe students, the upcoming election is one of the first opportunities that they have had to participate in a national election.  However, before one can vote, first you have to be registered.  Although the registration deadline has passed in some states, it's still open in others.  If you are unsure of whether or not the deadline in passed in the state in which you plan on voting, Rock the Vote (an organization devoted to getting out the youth vote) has a on registration deadlines.
Assuming you can still register, the next step is to get yourself signed up!  Then, once election day comes, you are all set when it comes to voting.  If you plan on registering within Iowa and voting here, but can't make it to the polls on election day, you have two options:

1) Vote early!  Iowa is one of several states that has early voting locations available to voters.

2)Request an absentee ballot from the Linn County Auditor's office (this is if you are registering at your Coe address. If you consider another address your home/permanent address, you will need to check in with the auditor in your home county.) Here is the link for the Linn County office.
The hope is that this post has clarified a few issues related to voting, but if not, feel free to post questions, OR check your Coe email for a message from Tom Hicks that has more information on voting locations and other relevant.  Have fun participating in democracy!
-The Reference Department

Neat Q and A on Internet Law

This is a neat blog post that I found earlier today on Lifehacker.  The site hosted a Q & A session with  Derek Bambauer, an associate professor of law at the University of Arizona, where he teaches about internet law and intellectual property. In the past, he was also involved OpenNet Initiative, which tested and studied censorship in countries such as China, Iran, and Vietnam. Although the session is now over,  you'll find lots of great questions in the comments on Internet behaviors and law that I think would be of interest to pretty much everyone who uses the Web

Internet law and rules, answered by an expert

This is a neat blog post that I found earlier today on Lifehacker.  The site hosted a Q & A session with  Derek Bambauer, an associate professor of law at the University of Arizona, where he teaches about internet law and intellectual property. In the past, he was also involved OpenNet Initiative, which tested and studied censorship in countries such as China, Iran, and Vietnam. Although the session is now over,  you'll find lots of great questions in the comments on Internet behaviors and law that I think would be of interest to pretty much everyone who uses the Web.  If you need a break today, take a look!
-Katelyn, Head of Reference

Summer Salutations from the Reference Department

As summer officially begins today, I though that I would post a summer update from the reference department.  Right now, we are in maintenance and reading mode.  This means we are slowly trying to sift our way through the stacks of library publications on our desks while also trying to prep for the coming school year (and accompanying classes.)  All this reading means that occasionally you find neat resources that you really want to share with students, though it can be tricky to find the proper home for them on the library's website.  However, this type of stuff is ideal for the blog, so let's start the sharing and caring!

This week's focus is on financial literacy for students.  With student loans prevalent, and many students starting their first job where one has to contemplate 401K, IRAs, and retirement funds, it can be overwhelming at times to figure out where to go to get financial information and advice.  Thankfully, the ACRL recently published a bang-up list of websites that students can use to help educate themselves on all of these issues and much more.  Here are a few highlights from that list:

-360 Degrees of Financial Literacy: This site, sponsored by the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, is an extensive resources aimed at users ages 12 and up.  Another bonus?  The information is organized and separated both by life stages and by topic.

-Mymoney.gov: Another site organized according to life stages, this website is hosted by the US Government and aims to improve the financial literacy of a variety of consumers.  It's also available in Spanish, for those who would prefer.

-'Financial Literacy and Ignorance" Blog:  Authored by Annamaria Lusardi, a researcher and professor of economics and accountancy at the George Washington School of Business, this blog touches on a variety of financial and economic issues.

Happy $$$ planning!

EBSCO, Trials, and Facebook Scams

A few notes from the library's reference department:

1) As several folks noticed yesterday, Coe's EBSCO databases were down most of the afternoon due to some maintenance by EBSCO.  Apparently they were doing work on the administrative module for EBSCO and inadvertently knocked out all EBSCO services.  Everything is back up and running, so here's hoping that everyone's research schedules were not too greatly effected. This does serve as a great lesson, though, as to why it's in your best interest to explore a variety of the college's databases offered by several different providers.  For EBSCO database that Coe has, we probably have 2 that are not, so take the time to explore some of those databases that you use less often.

2) Speaking of new database offerings, the library will be part of a few new database trials in the coming weeks.  We'll be emailing the faculty members that we think would get the most use out of the specific trials, but we will also try to post information on various trials as the information becomes available to us on the library blog as well.  Please feel free to offer any feedback that you have on these databases in the comments here, as it will help the staff get a feel for the college's impressions of the offerings.

3) Finally, with over 600,000,000 folks on Facebook, you are almost bound to see offers on it from time to time to good to be true.  Usually, if seems to good to be true (like a free IPad or a $100 gift card to Red Lobster, for example,) it is.  But, if you're interested in checking into whether something might be a scam,  Facecrooks is a great scam watch website.  It not only will give you the scoop on mysterious free offers, but it also investigates things like messages sent to you trying to get you to watch some crazy video you were supposedly in.  Remember, you should always be careful about what you click on or to whom you give personal information online.

-Katelyn, Head of Reference

 

Lord of the Rings Humor

A little humor from Lord of the Rings for your Friday.  Hope we see you at the Common Hour this afternoon!

Today's Cool Thing: William Howard Taft

William Howard Taft

27th President of the United States.  10th Chief Justice of the Supreme Court.  You can listen to him to deliver a speech on the abolishment of war thanks to the Vincent Voice Library, hosted by the Michigan State University Libraries.  The collection contains more than 40,000+ hours of spoken word recordings.  They have special collections as well, such as one highlighting recordings of US Presidents.  Great idea for a presentation requiring primary source material.

William Howard Taft Speech

Enjoy!

Vincent Voice Library: http://vvl.lib.mus.edu