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<P align=center><B><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 14pt">OPLIN 4cast #6 - May 16, 2006</SPAN></B></P>
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<P><STRONG>OPLINlist & OPLINtech subscribers: </STRONG>If you have your e-mail set to view messages as plain text (instead of html), you may not be seeing the hyperlinks that accompany each article. You can see these links if you visit the <EM>OPLIN 4cast</EM> website at <A href="http://www.oplin.org/4cast/"><STRONG>http://www.oplin.org/4cast/</STRONG></A>.</P></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
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<P>The <EM><B>OPLIN 4cast</B></EM> is a weekly compilation of recent headlines, topics, and trends that could impact public libraries. <STRONG>This will be the final <EM>4cast</EM> posted to OPLINlist and OPLINtech.</STRONG> Beyond that, you can subscribe to it in a variety of ways, such as:</P>
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<LI><STRONG>RSS feed</STRONG>. You can receive the <EM>OPLIN 4cast</EM> via RSS feed by subscribing to the following URL: <A href="http://www.oplin.org/4cast/index.php/?feed=rss2">http://www.oplin.org/4cast/index.php/?feed=rss2</A> (for further explanation, see <A href="http://www.oplin.org/4cast/index.php/?p=7">last week's <EM>4cast</EM></A>).
<LI><STRONG>Live Bookmark</STRONG>. If you're using the <A href="http://www.mozilla.com/">Firefox</A> web browser, you can go to the <EM>4cast</EM> website (<A href="http://www.oplin.org/4cast/">http://www.oplin.org/4cast/</A>) and click on the orange "radio wave" icon on the right side of the address bar.
<LI><STRONG>E-mail</STRONG>. You can have the <EM>OPLIN 4cast</EM> delivered via e-mail (a'la OPLINlist and OPLINtech) by subscribing to the <EM>4cast</EM> mailing list at <A href="http://mail.oplin.org/mailman/listinfo/OPLIN4cast">http://mail.oplin.org/mailman/listinfo/OPLIN4cast</A>. </LI></UL></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
<P class=style4>This week’s <EM>4cast</EM><B>:</B></P>
<P><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 14pt">1. <B><STRONG>The Debate Over Social Networking Sites (Demented & Sad, But Social) </STRONG></B></SPAN></P>
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<P><A href="http://www.myspace.com/" target=_blank>MySpace</A>, <A href="http://www.facebook.com/" target=_blank>Facebook</A>, and <A href="http://www.flickr.com/" target=_blank>Flickr</A> are three examples of social networking websites that are both hugely popular and increasingly controversial. While libraries debate their role in the use of such sites, Congress is debating whether these sites should be used in libraries at all.</P>
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<LI><A title="Permanent Link: Libraries in Social Networking Software" href="http://meredith.wolfwater.com/wordpress/index.php/2006/05/10/libraries-in-social-networking-software/" target=_blank>Libraries in Social Networking Software</A> (Information Wants To Be Free)
<LI><A href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_social_networking_websites" target=_blank>List of social networking websites</A> (Wikipedia)
<LI><A href="http://news.com.com/2100-1028_3-6071040.html?part=rss&tag=6071040&subj=news" target=_blank>Congress targets social network sites</A> (CNET News)
<LI><A href="http://ala.org/al_onlineTemplate.cfm?Section=american_libraries&template=/ContentManagement/ContentDisplay.cfm&ContentID=126580" target=_blank>House Bill Would Force Libraries to Block Social Websites</A> (ALA) </LI></UL></BLOCKQUOTE>
<P><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 14pt">2. <B><STRONG>Open Up & Save Document</STRONG></B></SPAN></P>
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<P>Given the ever-shifting fortunes of the computer industry, do you ever worry that your library's important Word or PDF documents might become unreadable sometime down the road? The OpenDocument format (ODF) is an open-source alternative that allows users to create and save a wide variety of document types, minus the proprietary software. </P>
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<LI><A href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OpenDocument" target=_blank>OpenDocument</A> (a basic description from Wikipedia)
<LI><A href="http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,1895,1957497,00.asp" target=_blank>Open Document Format Gets ISO Approval</A> (PC Magazine)
<LI><A href="http://www.groklaw.net/article.php?story=20060504015438308" target=_blank>OpenDocument Foundation to MA: We Have a Plugin</A> (Groklaw) </LI></UL></BLOCKQUOTE>
<P><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 14pt">3. <B><STRONG>Touting Technology Both Up & Down Your Library's Ladder</STRONG> </B></SPAN></P>
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<P>Meredith Farkas and Dorothea Salo recently contributed two useful posts to the <A href="http://techessence.info/" target=_blank>TechEssence.Info</A> website, offering advice on how to convince your library's technophobic staff to embrace important, new technologies.. </P>
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<LI><A href="http://techessence.info/node/39" target=_blank>On getting staff members to buy into a new technology</A> (how to sell new technology to your staff)
<LI><A title="Site: TechEssence.Info blogs" href="http://techessence.info/node/41" target=_blank>Selling tech up the ladder</A> (how to sell new technology to your supervisors) </LI></UL></BLOCKQUOTE>
<P><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 14pt">4. <B><STRONG>Speaking the Same Language</STRONG></B></SPAN></P>
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<P>And speaking of the technophobic, David Lee King (IT Director at the Kansas City Public Library) has compiled a list of links to tips on talking about technology, without the ones and zeros. Yahoo! is building <A href="http://tech.yahoo.com/" target=_blank>an entire website for consumers</A> around this concept. </P>
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<LI><A href="http://www.davidleeking.com/2006/04/20/articles-on-techies-and-non-techies-getting-along-with-each-other/" target=_blank>Articles on Techies and Non-Techies getting along with each other</A> (David Lee King)
<LI><A href="http://tech.yahoo.com/" target=_blank>Yahoo! Tech</A> </LI></UL></BLOCKQUOTE>
<P> </P>
<P>----------<BR>Joel Husenits<BR>Managing Editor</P>
<P>Ohio Public Library Information Network (OPLIN)<BR>2323 W. 5th Avenue, Suite 130<BR>Columbus, Ohio 43204</P>
<P>Phone: (614) 728-5252<BR>Fax: (614) 728-5256<BR>E-mail: <A href="mailto:editor@oplin.org">editor@oplin.org</A><BR>Web: <A href="http://www.oplin.org">www.oplin.org</A><BR>----------</P></DIV></BODY></HTML>