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<p align="center"><b><span style="font-size: 14pt;">OPLIN 4cast #69 -
August 28, 2007</span></b></p>
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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. You can subscribe to it in a variety of ways, such as:</p>
<ul>
<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>.</li>
<li><strong>Live Bookmark</strong>. If you're using the <a
href="http://www.mozilla.com/" target="_blank">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. In <a href="http://www.microsoft.com/windows/ie/"
target="_blank">Internet Explorer 7</a>, click on the same icon to
view or subscribe to the <em>4cast</em> RSS feed. </li>
<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>
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<p class="style4">This week’s <em>4cast</em><b>:</b></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;">1. <strong>Your Public Library = The
New Arcade?</strong></span></p>
<blockquote>
<p>As
the audience for online games continues to diversify and grow, what
steps are libraries taking to accomodate and reach this group? ALA's <a
href="http://gaming.techsource.ala.org" target="_blank">Gaming,
Learning, and Libraries Symposium</a> (<a
href="http://www.techsource.ala.org/blog/Gaming+and+Libraries+Symposium/"
target="_blank">blog</a>), held last month in Chicago, has generated a
lot of literature on the topic, and many of the sessions are available
online.</p>
<ul>
<li><a
href="http://oedb.org/blogs/ilibrarian/2007/a-quick-guide-to-gaming-in-libraries/"
target="_blank">A Quick Guide to Gaming in Libraries</a> (iLibrarian)</li>
<li><a
href="http://librarymarketing.blogspot.com/2007/08/get-your-game-face-on-understanding-and.html"
target="_blank">Get your game face on: Understanding and serving gamers</a>
(Library Marketing - Thinking Outside the Book) </li>
<li><a
href="http://librarygarden.blogspot.com/2007/08/future-of-gaming.html"
target="_blank">The Future of Gaming</a> (Library Garden)</li>
<li><a
href="http://theshiftedlibrarian.com/archives/2007/08/22/online-gaming-is-more-popular-than-facebook-and-youtube.html"
target="_blank">Online Gaming Is More Popular than Facebook and YouTube</a>
(The Shifted Librarian) </li>
</ul>
</blockquote>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;">2. <strong>The Glass is 1/4 Empty</strong></span></p>
<blockquote>
<p>A recent Associated Press-Ipsos poll focused on <a
href="http://www.cnn.com/2007/LIVING/wayoflife/08/21/reading.ap/index.html"
target="_blank">American reading habits</a>.
Among other findings, it concluded that one in four adults have not
read a book in the last year, and that older people generally read more
than younger people. So is this good news for libraries (most adults
are reading books) or cause for alarm (the readers are dying off)?</p>
<ul>
<li><a
href="http://www.cnn.com/2007/LIVING/wayoflife/08/21/reading.ap/index.html"
target="_blank">Where you fall in poll of U.S. reading habits</a> (CNN)</li>
<li><a
href="http://www.librarything.com/thingology/2007/08/i-just-get-sleepy-when-i-read.php"
target="_blank">"I just get sleepy when I read"</a> (Thingology)</li>
<li><a
href="http://stephenslighthouse.sirsidynix.com/archives/2007/08/american_readin.html"
target="_blank">American Reading Habits</a> (Stephen's Lighthouse)</li>
<li><a
href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/carol-hoenig/are-books-becoming-obsole_b_61494.html"
target="_blank">Are Books Becoming Obsolete?</a> (The Huffington Post)</li>
</ul>
</blockquote>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;">3. <strong>Librarians to "Slam the
Boards" </strong></span></p>
<blockquote>
<p>On Monday, September 10th, librarians from around the globe will
attempt to inundate the many online reference sites (i.e. <a
href="http://answers.yahoo.com/" target="_blank">Yahoo! Answers</a>, <a
href="http://askville.amazon.com" target="_blank">Askville</a>, <a
href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Reference_desk"
target="_blank">Wikipedia Reference Desk</a>, and <a
href="http://www.chacha.com/" target="_blank">ChaCha</a>)
with some top-notch question-answerin'. The idea is to demonstrate for
users of these sites that librarians are really the best go-to when
they need reference help. </p>
</blockquote>
<blockquote>
<ul>
<li><a href="http://answerboards.wetpaint.com/" target="_blank">Answer
Board Librarians</a> (idea-sharing wiki)</li>
<li><a
href="http://answerboards.wetpaint.com/page/Slam+the+Boards%21?t=anon"
target="_blank">Slam the Boards!</a> (Answer Board Librarians) </li>
</ul>
</blockquote>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;">4.<strong> The Filtering Follies </strong></span></p>
<blockquote>
<p>The
price and potential pitfalls of large-scale Internet filtering is
playing out Down Under, where the Australian government has unveiled a
nationwide Internet filtering initiative, which was subsequently
cracked in half an hour by a Melbourne teenager.</p>
<ul>
<li><a
href="http://www.smh.com.au/news/web/veto-for-parents-on-web/2007/08/09/1186530535350.html"
target="_blank">Veto for parents on web content</a> (The Sydney
Morning Herald)</li>
<li><a
href="http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20070814-australia-to-spend-189-million-on-anti-porn-initiative.html"
target="_blank">Australia to spend $189 million on anti-porn tech
initiative</a> (Ars Technica)</li>
<li><a
href="http://abc.net.au/news/stories/2007/08/27/2015813.htm?section=australia"
target="_blank">Teen hacks 'useless' Govt porn filter</a> (Australian
Broadcasting Corporation)</li>
<li><a
href="http://www.librarian.net/stax/2127/84-million-dollar-porn-filter-circumvented-by-teen-in-30-minutes"
target="_blank">84 million dollar porn filter circumvented by teen in
30 minutes</a> (librarian.net)</li>
</ul>
</blockquote>
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<pre class="moz-signature" cols="72">--
Joel Husenits
Managing Editor
Ohio Public Library Information Network (OPLIN)
2323 W. 5th Avenue, Suite 130
Columbus, Ohio 43204
Phone: (614) 728-5252
Fax: (614) 728-5256
E-mail: <a class="moz-txt-link-abbreviated" href="mailto:editor@oplin.org">editor@oplin.org</a>
Web: <a class="moz-txt-link-abbreviated" href="http://www.oplin.org">www.oplin.org</a></pre>
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