Comments Off on Search Engines Compared

By Scott Pfitzinger, October 12, 2007 8:56 am

PC Magazine recently published an article (7 August 2007) that said that the most popular internet search engines were Google and Yahoo, with Amazon coming in third.

There was also an article back in April that was called Search Engine Shoot Out, which compared dozens of search engines and gave us the results. It’s worth a look.

Comments Off on Would You Like a Dog?

By Scott Pfitzinger, October 8, 2007 1:43 pm

Hi. We have a dog that we need to get rid of. Would you be interested in adopting a dog?

He is sweet, has a cute face, and is soft and cuddly (could make a nice warm lapdog in winter). Age is just over 1 year old, size is small-to-medium (14 lbs.), breed is probably half beagle and half rat terrier or Jack Russell terrier. He has all his shots and has been neutered. We have the paperwork for all that but not birth records since he showed up on our doorstep back in May. He is mostly housebroken and he gets along well with the other dog and with children. He’s a nice enough dog, but we already have one and don’t have room for a second one. If our house were bigger and the yard were fenced, we’d keep him, but they’re not and we rent for now, so that won’t be changing.

Here are links to some pictures we took of Buddy this summer:
http://pfitzinger.net/Buddy1.jpg
http://pfitzinger.net/Buddy2.jpg
http://pfitzinger.net/Buddy3.jpg
http://pfitzinger.net/Buddy4.jpg

If you’re interested or know someone who is, please let me know.
Thanks.
Scott Pfitzinger
Irwin Library
940-9219
spfitzin@butler.edu

Comments Off on Reference Desk Calendar

By Scott Pfitzinger, October 1, 2007 9:25 am

Hi there. I’ve
created a new Public Calendar in the Library folder, called Reference Desk. It’s
in the same place as the Library Schedule and Personnel Calendar. All librarians
should be able to add entries and edit existing ones, which is the primary
function here.

The reason
we’ve got this calendar is so that we can more easily plan meetings and track
subs. Sally is another of our librarians who likes to use the Outlook calendar
to schedule meetings and by having the Reference Desk calendar listing who’s
working the desk, it’s easier to see if someone’s free.

If you
cannot work a shift and you have gotten a sub, please edit that shift’s entry
on the calendar and replace your name with your sub’s name. Be sure to edit
JUST THE OCCURRENCE, not the SERIES. Unless they’re subbing for you on that
shift for the rest of the semester. 🙂

If you have
any questions or problems using this calendar, please let me know.

Thanks.
Scott

Comments Off on Banned Books Week, Sept. 29- Oct. 6

By Scott Pfitzinger, October 1, 2007 7:51 am

Banned Books Week: Celebrating the Freedom to Read is observed during the last week of September each year. This year it is from Sept. 29 – Oct. 6. Observed since 1982, the annual event reminds Americans not to take this precious democratic freedom for granted.

Banned Books Week (BBW) celebrates the freedom to choose or the freedom to express one’s opinion even if that opinion might be considered unorthodox or unpopular. It stresses the importance of ensuring the availability of those unorthodox or unpopular viewpoints to all who wish to read them. After all, intellectual freedom can exist only where these two essential conditions are met.

Between 1990 and 2000, of the 6,364 challenges reported to or recorded by the Office for Intellectual Freedom:

• 1,607 were challenges to “sexually explicit” material (up 161 since 1999)
• 1,427 to material considered to use “offensive language” (up 165 since 1999)
• 1,256 to material considered “unsuited to age group” (up 89 since 1999)
• 842 to material with an “occult theme or promoting the occult or Satanism” (up 69 since 1999)
• 737 to material considered to be “violent” (up 107 since 1999)
• 515 to material with a homosexual theme or “promoting homosexuality” (up 18 since 1999)
• 419 to material “promoting a religious viewpoint” (up 22 since 1999)
• 317 to material involving “nudity” (up 20 since 1999)
• 267 to material involving “racism” (up 22 since 1999)
• 224 to material involving “sex education” (up 7 since 1999)
• 202 to material considered to be “anti-family” (up 9 since 1999)

Links

Proclamation from the Butler Libraries
Quotes relating to Banned Books Week

Challenged and Banned Books
The Most Frequently Challenged Books of 2006
The 100 Most Frequently Challenged Books of 1990-2000
What’s the Difference Between Challenged and Banned?
Google Book Search’s Banned Books Page

American Library Association (ALA)’s Banned Books Week page
American Booksellers Foundation for Free Expression

Comments Off on Oxford Language Dictionaries Online

By Scott Pfitzinger, September 27, 2007 3:19 pm

Introducting OLDO! The Oxford Language Dictionaries Online.

Instant
access to Oxford’s top-of-the-line, unabridged bilingual
dictionaries!

Oxford Language
Dictionaries Online features essential language resources never before
available online – fully searchable, comprehensive, authoritative bilingual
dictionaries and unique study materials that provide extra help with learning
and using an expanding range of languages.

1. Initially offering
   over 1.2 million words and phrases, and over 2 million translations in
   French, German, Spanish and
   Italian
2. Coming in
   2008: Chinese, Russian, and revolutionary pronunciation software
   allowing you to hear native speaker stress and intonation
3. Unique
   language learning support, including usage examples and illustrative
   phrases, grammar guidance, click-through verb tables and pronunciation charts,
   explanations of grammatical terms, and help with spelling and
   pronunciation
4. Access to
   hundreds of correspondence templates including sample letters,
   emails, and resumes to provide practical help with writing
5. Regular
   updates every six months ensure that the most current meaning
   and the latest new words are just a click away

You can access OLDO on the Library Website under Databases or just click the link above.