Reading, Writing, Research
writing

Pike’s Pique, or, Have I peeked your interest?

Peak. Peek. Pique. All of them can be used as a noun or verb. All of them mean something different. Good writers must know which word is which. Otherwise, they’ll come up with blunders like these: He left in a fit of peek. I peaked out the window. That really …Read the Rest

Libraries nourish creativity
libraries

Libraries nourish creativity

“One of the only ways to get out of a tight box is to invent your way out” — Jeff …Read the Rest

Controlled vocabulary: the key to using a library catalog
library catalogs

Controlled vocabulary: the key to using a library catalog

Search engines and online library catalogs differ fundamentally. The catalog is a database–a very special kind of database where all …Read the Rest

Crowdsourcing at the library: editing Wikipedia
research

Crowdsourcing at the library: editing Wikipedia

Recent decades have seen growing power of crowdsourcing. Wikipedia, which has been around for ten years now, is based in …Read the Rest

Libraries and social media
libraries

Libraries and social media

A majority of libraries have gotten into social media, some in a big way. I don’t mean simply that many …Read the Rest

Hackerspaces and libraries
libraries

Hackerspaces and libraries

I originally understood the term “hacker” to mean someone who broke into computer systems with criminal or mischievous intent. For …Read the Rest

Improve your writing by proofreading
writing

Improve your writing by proofreading

Your first draft needs improvement. After all, it’s unreasonably difficult to decide what you want to say and find the …Read the Rest

Libraries and playing games
libraries

Libraries and playing games

The American Library Association just sponsored the fourth annual National Gaming Day @ Your Library. More than 1800 libraries participated …Read the Rest

Library services for the unemployed
library services

Library services for the unemployed

According to a 2010 study of perceptions of libraries, 37% of respondents said that they have used the library more …Read the Rest

Libraries and adult literacy
library services

Libraries and adult literacy

America has a problem with adult literacy. Too many adults read so poorly they can barely function. American libraries, therefore, …Read the Rest

Wrong word rant, or, misused pears
writing

Wrong word rant, or, misused pears

I had a chat on Facebook not long ago where my friend was enthusiastically explaining a new school he had …Read the Rest

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