Articles

When reading the article from this week and last week, I came across two very interesting things:
1. The IPL has a Ready Reference section
2. The IPL has a Reading Room

When working with the IPL before, I only thought it was a question/answer service. I think this was because I was working with the IPL from the answer side, so this was the side I saw most often. The Ready Reference section will come in very handy when I find a job - I can't tell how many times someone asks me a question I can't answer, and I turn immediately to Google to find the best source to answer their question. Next time I can simply turn to the IPL Ready Reference section to give better service with a greater variety of sources.

The Reading Room was rather strange to me at first, as I was expecting something more along the lines of NetLibrary, where you "check out" a book and have a set time to read it. It was nice that the titles are just there to be read - there is no need to sign in to read them, or sign in to check them out. The magazines and newspapers were a surprise to me at first, but once I thought about it, it made perfect sense. So many newspapers and magazines are online as well as in print, usually with the online content enhancing the print side, so linking to those sites almost make it a reference point - Anyone who wants to know the latest Entertainment information can simply go to the Magazines and click on the Entertainment heading to choose from a large variety of sources.

In fact, the most interesting thing I learned today came through the IPL: "Josh Hartnett was just busted for getting it on in a library" (Cosmopolitian.com). By going to the Magazine section in the IPL's Reading Room, under the Fashion heading, I clicked on the Cosmo link and it was right there on the first page. (I don't think Hartnett's actions will ever be an appropriate use of the library!) :)