"I certainly never write a review about a book I don't think worth reviewing, a flat-out bad book, unless it's an enormously fashionable bad book." --
says, John Gardner in Conversations with John Gardner
Quoted from 'Dictionary of Library and Information Science Quotations'     Edited by Mohamed Taher & L S Ramaiah. ISBN: 8185689423 (New Delhi , Aditya, 1994) p.150. Available @ Amazon.com

Wednesday, March 28, 2007

Unputdownable

P.S This is not a review from my desktop. This review is courtesy: Filipina Librarian in the Land Down Under. As far as I see, this is about a new book and how a librarian is reading between the shelf.

Out Front with Stephen Abram: A Guide for Information Leaders, by Judith A. Siess and Jonathan Lorig, ALA Editions.

"This is what I can say of Stephen Abram's book Out Front with Stephen Abram: A Guide for Information Leaders (Chicago : ALA, 2007). I have just finished cataloging the book and intended to read it later but when I started reading the first article I just couldn't stop. (Frankly, for the first time I actually hoped I would miss my train on my way home home so I can read more but I arrived a couple of minutes early at the train station. However, I made use of the train ride and was able to finish the book in time for me to get off the train.)" continue reading the comments



Previous posts from my blog:
  • Leadership Basics for Librarians and Information Professionals
  • SLA Leadership Summit 2007
  • Tuesday, March 13, 2007

    Blooker prize honours best blogs

    PS. This is not from my desktop [Info Courtesy: Thadakamalla Sujatha Rao @ Auckland City Libraries]


    BBC News, 13 March 2007, 15:06 GMT
    The short-list for a literary prize aimed at honouring the best books based on blogs has been announced.
    Among the 15 short-listed "blooks" is one which claims to have invented a new genre of fiction.
    Last year's winning blook - Julie and Julia: My Year of Cooking Dangerously - has now sold over 100,000 copies and is being made into a film.
    The prize aims to encourage cutting-edge literature, more of which is beginning life in the blogosphere.
    "Blooks are the latest landmark in the history of books," said Bob Young of Lulu, the self-publishing website which sponsors the prize.

    ...
    Well-known blogs that have become books include The Devil Wears Prada and Belle de Jour: The Intimate Adventures of a London Call-Girl.

    Continue reading

    Wednesday, March 07, 2007

    Health Information and Libraries Journal 24:1 (March 2007)

    P.S. This is not a review, and not from my desk.

    The latest edition of the Health Information and Libraries Journal 24:1 (March 2007) is now available. It has some interesting papers including:

    The emerging Web2.0 social software: an enabling suite of sociable technologies in health and health care education
    Maged N. Kamel Boulos, Steve Wheeler
    Effectiveness of information skills training and mediated searching: qualitative results from the EMPIRIC project
    Alison Brettle, Claire Hulme, Paula Ormandy


    continue reading @ Informaticopia

    Friday, March 02, 2007

    Reviewing a blog - benchmarks?

    What is important in a blog's review?
    Is it layout, design, format, context, content, or what else?

    A techie would say, a blog is nothing but a Website. So, the review of a blog, is just like reviewing a website.
    But then the techie may have a second thought, and might say 'wait a minute.' A Website most of the time constitutes distinct components, such as, (a) Web pages, (b) client based or server based content, and c) most important it is a showcase for a business. Whereas, a blog is, by and large, is not a site to host, store, and be-all or end-all in Web architecture. Some may be specific purpose blogs, but general use of the term blog is more with an immediate goal (see e.g., How To Build A Blog Empire).
    Aha, then a blog is in this sense a window, and the Website is most of the time the main door, if not the main house for a business.
    So, what makes a review of a blog different. Let's leave this for another post.
    Here, let us look at how bloggers review a blog. For instance, @ Blog About Your Blog, the description of a blog includes: Layout, Content, Suggestions. A quick glance at these details gives a better picture:

    Layout
    Great header at the top, as the tagline says “the perfect blend of good and evil”. The template is a darker theme, but it works. Simple but decent. No ad placement or huge banners to take away from the content. You do see a somewhat large picture of the author, I might make it a tad smaller.

    Content
    What I like everytime I visit this blog is the number of comments, it’s ridiculous. 39 on some, 42 on another, heres 53! It’s obviously a personal blog so there should be a few more comments than other blogs, but that’s still really good. She must have a nice broad readership. It gives the blog other story to read basically. First the article, then the comments.

    Suggestions
    With a blog as big as this one, she should make it easier to find certain posts or topics. Categories or a search bar would definitely help that. Read the complete review


    Another sample Blog Review: by Zaib Kaleem
    This time around my review is for NotSoBoringLife.com. First comment..great domain name…I’m surprised it wasn’t taken already. As always, I navigated to the “About Me” page first to learn more about Nathan Metzger. Right off the bat, Nathan has me interested in learning more about how to lead “a not-so-boring life”. Like him, I’m married with two kids and sometimes things get a little less than exciting. I’m always looking to shake things up…..”shark wrestling” sounds a little extreme for my angling skills but I’m definitely overdue for a game of paintball. Read the complete review

    My own two cents in reviewing a blog (and my own blog, with malice towards none):
    Details of my blog: Multifaith Information Gateway
    Content: general coverage of faithwise information. Meant to promote religious tolerance in a multicultural and multifaith society.
    Strength is in its unique contribution: This blog founded the first ever Multifaith Hall of Fame This Hall has received 14 comments from visitors.
    Weakness: The blog on the whole is too general. Hence, lacks focus and depth.
    User comments (general): very few.
    http://multifaith.blogspot.com/2006/06/multifaith-hall-of-fame-of-21st.html: May 2006; total visitors todate, Bravenet counter is 3729.
    Indexed (cited) in:
    Faithcommons.org
    FoundationforPluralism.com
    Spirit And Sky Definitive Spiritual Directory
    Successful Blog: SOB A-Z Directory
    All Things Spiritual Directory
    LS Blogs Directory
    Technorati
    Del.ici.ous

    P.S. The question then remains, what makes a blog, and what are the components that are a) essential and b) that are recommended?

    NB. This question is not so simple, or simply about description of what are the itmes in a blog that are usable / useful (see such a catalog) or list of contents that make a blog. Furthermore, neither this is a question about functionality of a blog; nor about diffrent types of blogs; see similar views; and much more; and also CRITIQUE MY BLOG!


    Any comments?



    Related posts from my desktop:
  • The real secret to a successful blog/book/business...
  • Citing a Blog, Wiki - Style for bibliographic notes and references Blog As A Teaching Tool
  • Add a little more random to your product
  • A Visible Pathfinder for Increasing Blog Traffic
  • Visualizing Comments on Blogs
  • 25 Basic Styles of Blogging