Category Archives: General

PBS Website Hacked – A Teachable Moment?

By now you’ve likely heard that the PBS website was recently hacked. While this incident is incredibly unfortunate for PBS and Tupac fans, skilled librarians and media specialists can use it as a prime example during information literacy workshops and discussions with students. Many people would likely assume that PBS is always an accurate new source; however, this situation proves how very important it is to fact check and to consult a variety of sources before using and citing information from all sources, even those thought to be “reliable”. You never can be too careful!

Online News Sources on the Rise

It will likely come as no surprise that the latest PEW Research Center publication, titled State of the News Media, that news accessed online is the only type of news source that is on the rise. As you’ll see from the graph embedded in the brief article, all other sources of news have actually declined. Traditional news sources experiencing a decline in use include cable television, magazines, audio, newspapers, and local TV.

Image: http://www.flickr.com/photos/canadian/197440773/ by hellomike

Grand Rapids Area Library Branding is Featured in ALA Direct

Did you see it? Grand Rapids (Minn) Area Library was highlighted in this week’s ALA Direct newsletter. Kudos to Grand Rapids Area Library and Director, Marcia Anderson, for developing and actively using a branding campaign that highlights their fantastic programs and services. Since 2006, Grand Rapids Area Library has been using the “@ your library” brand to identify upcoming events and offerings at the library. It has been an incredibly successful campaign, with a weekly column in the local newspaper devoted to the @ your library information. Read more here.

YouTube’s Copyright Workshop & Center

Struggling to explain copyright to your students, staff or faculty? You might try guiding them towards a host of resources on copyright available through YouTube. YouTube’s Copyright Workshop provides a great deal of information on copyright as it is used and applied on YouTube. If the patron’s need is more general, and not specific to YouTube, try directing them towards YouTube’s Copyright Center which is broader in focus and explains the basics of copyright.

Image: Copyright graffiti by opensourceway http://www.flickr.com/photos/opensourceway/5537457973/