Happy Birthday, Woodstock

On this date in 1969, nearly half a million people descended on Max Yasgur's dairy farm for the concert that became a defining moment for a generation.

100,000 tickets were sold to the event, but tickets quickly became irrelevant - it was impossible to stem the tide of spectators who had come to be a part of the happening. Roads to the farm became so clogged that the performers had to be flown in by helicoptor. And what a list of performers it was: Santana, The Grateful Dead, Credence Clearwater Revival, Janis Joplin, The Who, Joan Baez, Sly & the Family Stone, and Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, to name just a few. And on the morning of August 18th, the fraction of the crowd who had outlasted the rain, the mud, the food shortages, and the sanitation issues witnessed the finale, a two hour set by Jimi Hendrix that included this electrifying version of the Star Spangled Banner:

If you'd like to learn more about this pivotal moment in music history (Or, if you were there, and need some - ahem - memory reconstruction) we have a couple of resources for you. Come check them out, and celebrate three (plus) days of Peace & Music.

Woodstock: the Oral History

Remembering Woodstock

The eBook Wars Continue . . .

In the continuing saga in eBook land, another salvo was made today. In case you lost track of where we are in all this mess (and who could blame you?) allow me to recap:

First, you've got a mess of eReaders. Some of them are dedicated readers (the Kindle, Nook, Sony eReader, Kobo, etc.) Some of them are multitaskers (the iPad, iPhone, etc.) Or you can just use whole computers (laptops, desktops, netbooks, etc.)

Second, you have eReader software. This usually corresponds to a flavor of eReader. So you've got Kindle Reader, Kobo Reader, iBooks, web browser applications--you name it. Most of these function on various devices: Kindle has apps for iPhone, iPad, computers and more.

But here's the rub: it's all about money. Up until recently, you could download a Kindle app on your iPad and use it to buy Kindle books using your iPad. Apple wanted none of this: it wanted a piece of the pie. So it banned apps that included links to take you to content that could be purchased outside Apple's App Store. (Apparently in hopes that this would divert sales to its App Store, where Apple gets a 30% cut of everything that's sold. No wonder they're making so much money.)

Kindle has now fought back with a new announcement today: the Kindle Cloud Reader. Using it, users can search, buy and read eBooks from a variety of browsers instead of apps. So you can use Safari on your iPad to use Kindle books.

I'm sure all of this makes sense to someone, but to yours truly, it all smacks a bit of kids playing on a playground and arguing over a prized toy. Next thing you know, we'll see news releases along the lines of "Apple: Liar Liar Pants on Fire."

I wish we could just skip this awkward eBook stage and jump straight to a uniform standard we all agree on, but that's just wishful thinking . . .

Mantor Monday

Big news: our new IT librarian is here! Here's the official scoop on Jen Arnott:

Jen is delighted to return to New England. Born and raised in the Boston area, she spent 12 years living in Minnesota, where she loved the lakes and rivers, but missed hills, mountains, and the ocean a great deal. Her work life has been solidly centered around libraries and technology, especially user support and education. She has worked helping faculty create technology projects, doing user support for a consulting company, and for 10 years at an independent high school in Minneapolis, both as the library paraprofessional and then as the Teacher Librarian. She's a graduate of Wellesley College (BA) and Dominican University (MLIS).

Jen is particularly interested in how we support creative projects, use our online time in a way that feeds our lives, and in issues around online privacy, digital citizenship, and meaningful interactions that include online settings. Other interests include reading anything that sits still long enough (with a particular fondness for SF, mysteries, and narrative non-fiction), music (voice and folk harp, mostly), fiber arts (spinning and knitting), and baking (bread, but also cookies). She has a blog at http://modernhypatia.info where she talks about various library and technology interests.

Jen is going to be serving as the front line person for technical support in the library, as well as guiding us in the implementation of emerging technologies. The library world is changing rapidly, and we're lucky to have a librarian as "plugged in" as Jen is to help us make informed decisions about the the products, services, and technology we offer patrons in the future. Welcome, Jen!

A Review of Spotify

A new (in the United States) music streaming service launched a bit ago: Spotify. I've downloaded it and put it through its paces, and I thought I might share my thoughts with you, the general public.

We've come a long way from the days of the CD. Now, most people have their music on everything from their computer to their cell phone. But all that music takes up a fair bit of space on a hard drive. That's where the cloud comes in. The next big thing in digital music is being able to play songs directly from the internet--no need to store all the music on your own device. Some services (like Amazon) let you upload your songs to their servers. This takes a lot of time, but it can be effective. Others (like Pandora) let you stream "radio stations" online for free--songs that are similar to a certain artist or song.

Spotify is a service that's been going gangbusters in Europe for the past while. I essentially lets you listen to any song for free--regardless of whether or not you own it. You have to have an internet connection and a computer, but that's the only requirement. (You can, of course, purchase the song to be able to listen to it without a connection, and for a fee, you can be a premium Spotify member, which lets you stream your music to an iPhone or other device). It's taken forever for it to come over to America (mainly due to music licensing issues), but it's arrived at last. I signed up right away.

How is it?

I'm honestly not blown away by the service. In theory, it should be really cool. The ability to share music with friends on Facebook, post public playlists, listen to your music on any computer--all very nice. But the sharing seems like the biggest offering, and its execution is clunky at best. When you share a playlist, not everyone can see all the songs on it. They can only see the songs in it that they already own--unless the subscribe to the playlist, at which point the songs become visible.

I think.

That's the thing--I'm not sure. The user interface leaves much to be desired. I've used it, read about how to use it, experimented with it, and I'm still not sure I'm doing everything with it that I can. That's frustrating, especially in an age where I'm so used to having something made in such a way that it's so intuitive, the manual seems redundant. Not so with Spotify. It doesn't help that their online help section leaves much to be desired, too.

It seems to me I should be able to add music freely to my library--the one I can listen to on a computer for free. I guess you can, as long as you add them to a playlist first. I'm sorry for seeming so confused--it's just a reflection of my frustrations working with the program.

In the end, I'm not sure how much I'll use Spotify. It feels to me like an over-hyped summer blockbuster. You hear and read so much about it, that by the time it's released and you get to see it, you can't help but be disappointed.

How about you--anyone out there already use Spotify and love it? What am I doing wrong? Do share . . .

Mantor Monday Sneak Preview

Guess what we just got.

Go ahead, guess.

Did you guess a fancy-schmancy new microfilm and fiche reader that makes our old reader look like a relic of the Pleistocene?

If you did, well played. (If you guessed pony rides you're wrong but it's still an excellent suggestion.)

Our new Scanpro 2000 was delivered today, and it's not ready for prime time, but stay tuned - we'll be offering much more information when it's available for use.

Speaking of ready to use: have you seen our "On Our Minds" garden lately? Kale, cabbage, basil, nasturtiums and Lemon Gem marigolds all ready for salad-on-the-fly grazing. The Sungold cherry tomatoes are starting to ripen and will soon turn into a bright orange tidal wave of tomatoes: help yourself as you walk by.

And last, as a special First Day of August treat for you, I invite you to escape your Monday and lose yourself for a few moments in a land of books:

This Is Where We Live from 4th Estate on Vimeo.

Google/Search Tip: Reverse Lookup

Still on vacation, but I'm back to bestow another worthy link on your eager eyes. This week's tip is all about reverse search: the process of using a definition to look up a word. Sometimes this is useful just because you want to find the right word, and all you're coming up with is approximations. In searching, this is especially important--particularly when you're dealing with Google. Google returns so much information that having just the right word can make your search that much better. Instead of racking your brain for synonyms for a particular word or concept (especially in a subject you're not that familiar with), just do a reverse lookup search and your problems are solved.

For more information on how to conduct one (and what tool to use), check out this post by a Google exec: http://searchresearch1.blogspot.com/2011/07/using-reverse-dictionary.html

Amazon Launches Kindle Textbook Rentals

Amazon launched it's Kindle e-Textbook service today, which will allow consumers to rent rather than buy textbooks. With discounts up to 80% off list price, and the ability to store margin notes and highlights in the cloud even after the rental expires, this might be an attractive option for many students.

Don't have a Kindle? Not to worry. Amazon's Kindle Reader application is available for downloading to your PC, Mac, and/or mobile device - all Whispersynced, so you can rent once, but read on all your gear, seamlessly.

Amazon is offering flexible rental periods: from 30 to 360 days, and if you need an extension - even if it's just a single day - you can purchase extra time.

E-textbook rental is not a new concept, but Amazon is hoping that the convenience of cloud note storage, Whispersync technology, flexible rental periods, and discount pricing on tens of thousands of titles will edge out competitors like Chegg. What do you think? Does this sound like a service you would try?