Librarian Way

LITA, a division of ALA, has posted a list of the top nine tech trends that they believe are “issues and trends in today’s libraries.” The list includes excellent links to more information about the technology, who is using it, and why librarians should be interested in it. XML, RFID, and copyright are the top three issues. I wish I had more time. There is a lot of wonderful information there.

There is talk on the ASIS&T SIGIA-L (Information Architecture SIG) electronic list about a new look for Google. See Jesse Ruderman’s Experience Google’s new look weblog entry.

I gave up and bought a Dell Inspiron-8600 laptop. It is very pretty. I still prefer my Mac, having used Macintoshes since 1984, but this laptop is right beside it. I had to buy it because OCLC, and I understand WebDewey, do not work well with Macs. Also, Real Player does not work properly on the Mac and my online classes use it. See jogin.com :: Real Obnoxious for a discussion and see a reply at jogin.com :: Real Reply.

I cannot build up speed on the laptop keyboard, and I don’t like mousing on a touchpad. So, my first challenge was to work out how to have one keyboard, one mouse, and one monitor. My solution was to purchase the Belkin Omniview SOHO 2-port KVM switch with audio. Really cool the way this KVM (keyboard video mouse) works. They support both Mac and PC on this. I just press a button on the front to toggle the peripherals between the PC and Mac.

I plugged the mouse into the mouse in-port and ran USB cables from both the Mac and the Dell laptop. Single mouse. Works great. My Apple keyboard is not recognized, so I bought a Logitech Elite. I cannot get used to it. You may know how that is. You type for years on a certain keyboard and your fingers just find their way. The KVM has extra USB ports, so I hooked my printer into one of them and I can print from either system.

The screen on the Dell is very sharp, so I use that when I am working on the PC and I use the Apple Display when I am using the Mac. I am still shopping around for a monitor, and I am looking very seriously at a Viewsonic in 19 inches because my daughter recommends the Viewsonic. The ones I have viewed are floor models only, as everyone seems to have these back-ordered.

I am getting up to speed on XP Pro, and of course the first thing I did was add security software. Networking is not an issue. I plugged an ethernet cable into the router and I can get to the Internet with either system. I am getting there folks. PC-land isn’t as bad as I thought it would be. Having sharp graphics and a speedy system makes a difference.

Now I just need to figure out how to make the Dell a dual-boot system with RedHat Linux and Windows XP Pro. You didn’t really expect me to live with Windows, did you?