[OPLIN 4cast] OPLIN 4cast #9 - June 6, 2006

[OPLIN Managing Editor]

OPLIN 4cast #9 - June 6, 2006
The OPLIN 4cast 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:
RSS feed. You can receive the OPLIN 4cast via RSS feed by subscribing to the following URL: http://www.oplin.org/4cast/index.php/?feed=rss2.
Live Bookmark. If you're using the Firefox web browser, you can go to the 4cast website (http://www.oplin.org/4cast/) and click on the orange "radio wave" icon on the right side of the address bar. 
E-mail. You can have the OPLIN 4cast delivered via e-mail (a'la OPLINlist and OPLINtech) by subscribing to the 4cast mailing list at http://mail.oplin.org/mailman/listinfo/OPLIN4cast.


This week’s 4cast:
1. The Library vs. The Internet: Who's Winning?
LISNews ponders whether the tide has turned against libraries.
Library/Internet debate and Scrolling Forward (LISNews) 
10 Reasons Why The Web Is Almost A Substitute For Libraries (LISNews)
10 Reasons Why the Internet Is No Substitute for a Library (ALA) 
2. I Don't Care Where We Go... Just Take Me With You 
Portable applications are software programs that can run directly from a removable storage device, such as a USB memory stick, without having to install anything on the computer itself. 
List of portable applications (Wikipedia) 
Portable open source software (NewsForge) 
How to Surf Safely at Cybercafes: Use Their Computer, but Bring Your Own Desktop From Home (New York Times) 
Download of the Day: Portable Apps Suite (Lifehacker)
3. Impress with WordPress 
The OPLIN 4cast is but one of a growing legion of blogs/websites that owe their existence to WordPress publishing software. It's free, it's fully customizable, it's easy to install, and it's spawned a devoted community of user forums for ideas and support.
WordPress (Wikipedia entry with additional links)
Get Your Feet Wet with WordPress (Webmonkey)
Cool, customizable WordPress (Ask MetaFilter)
4. No More Fines? Fine By Some 
The Christian Science Monitor recently asked whether the concept of library fines should go the way of the purple mimeograph. This same discussion came up earlier in the year (see the third link below).
Is the lifting of library fines long overdue? (The Christian Science Monitor)
Library fines? or not (Multitype Librarian)
Killing Off Fines Is Long Overdue (It's all good) 

----------
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: editor at oplin.org
Web: www.oplin.org
----------
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: http://mail.oplin.org/pipermail/oplin4cast/attachments/20060606/cd9fe330/attachment.html