Wednesday, June 27, 2012

Fences, A Desktop Icon Organizer

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If you're losing the battle over your workspace to your desktop icons, a secret weapon is one click away. Fences quickly and easily organizes your icons into separate windows on your desktop, either automatically or manually. Labeling these boxes helps keep programs, photos, files, and Web links together, or you might choose to group by project rather than by file type. You'll be able to drag and drop fences (and the shortcuts within them) anywhere on your desktop.


You can also drag and drop shortcuts anywhere, and resize the fence. A scroll bar pops up so you can find your icons in fences that you've resized to be smaller than their contents. In addition to sorting shortcuts, you can hide them completely by double-clicking the desktop; double-clicking again resurfaces them. Fences helpfully lets you exclude select fences from hiding. Customization tools can change the color scheme or take snapshots of your layout at any time, in case you'd like to switch among them without completely redoing your arrangement.


It would be nice in creating a new fence that was smoother and took fewer steps, and that you could create rules for certain files types to automatically download into specific fences. Fences is great for anyone looking for a solution to desktop clutter.


For more information and/or to download the free version, visit:

Operating Systems: Windows XP/Windows Vista/Windows 7

Tuesday, June 19, 2012

2012 Library Blog Winners

Salem Press once again surveyed the library blog landscape in search of exceptional thinking, writing, and information.


General Library Blog Winner
In the Library with the Lead Pipe

General Library Blog Honorable Mention
Stephen's Lighthouse

In the Library with the Lead Pipe was a clear winner of the public vote as
well as a favorite among this year's judges, who appreciated the blog's
cast of diverse writers and wide range of topics and perspectives.
In the words of one judge, "almost every post is gold."
Stephen's Lighthouse didn't go unnoticed either. The judges thought
highly of Stephen's "top-level, unique, and pervasive awareness of
the library world and of issues outside librarianship that nonetheless impact it."


Academic Library Blog Winner
Musings About Librarianship
Academic Library Blog Honorable Mention
No Shelf Required®

Sue Polanka's No Shelf Required® received a strong response
from the public and accolades from the judges for sharp and
objective coverage of ebook news of interest to libraries. (The blog
also won first place in Academic category in 2010.) Aaron Tay's
Musings About Librarianship was praised for high-quality original
coverage as well as unique perspectives on how to implement
emerging technologies in academic libraries. "A stellar example
of a dedicated librarian, sharing his work with others with the
idea that we can replicate his successes at our own libraries."


Public Library Blog Winner
Librarian by Day

Public Library Blog Honorable Mention
David Lee King

Two well-cultivated blogs rose to the top in the Public
category, both written by librarians with large, dedicated
followings. "David Lee King is one of the most trusted names
in the library geek world. Even if he is blogging a conference,
people are reading," said one judge. "Bobbi Newman is a
spitfire and thank goodness for that," said another judge.
The judges' votes remained evenly split, but the public
vote went in Bobbi's favor. Her Librarian by Dayblog came
close to winning in this category in 2011.


School Library Blog Winner
The Adventures of Library Girl

School Library Blog Honorable Mention
Cathy Nelson's Professional Thoughts

The Adventures of Library Girl was the big winner of the public
vote in the School Library category. Most of the judges agreed
with the public, calling Jennifer LaGarde's voice "personable"
and "enthusiastic" and her posts "chock-full of good ideas."
"You can tell she's a go-getter," said one judge. But many were
also very impressed with Cathy Nelson's strong voice and
focus on multimedia. "Other school librarians will definitely get
inspired from reading about Cathy's top-notch work."


Special Librarian Blog Winner
davidrothman.net

Special Librarian Blog Honorable Mention
bizologie

The Special category was the most competitive this year. All four
nominees receiving a strong response from the public. In the end,
it wasdavidrothman.net that won the most votes from the judges.
They found David's posts thoughtful, forward-thinking, and amusing.
In the words of one judge, "His pithy and direct commentary makes me
laugh out loud more often than I dare admit." The honorable mention
went to bizologie, which scored points for focused coverage and strong
personalities of the bloggers.


Quirky Library Blog Winner
Screwy Decimal

Quirky Library Blog Honorable Mention
This is What a Librarian Looks Like

Both the public and the judges showed enthusiasm for Screwy
Decimal
for its great name, its good sense of humor, the patron
quotes, and relevancy of the topics. "Rita Meade is hilarious. Full stop.
Well worth reading just to remind yourself of the lighter side of what we
do," said one judge. And while Screwy Decimal re-affirms what "quirky"
is all about through humor and wit, This Is What a Librarian Looks Like
added a new dimension to "quirky" that didn't go unnoticed. Judges
praised the blog for its great user-generated look at librarianship.
"A kaleidoscope of faces that shows just how diverse our profession really is."


Academic Institution Library Blog Winner
Scholarly Communications @ Duke

Academic Institution Library Blog Honorable Mention
Facts from the Stacks

The clear winner of the public vote in the academic institution
category was Duke University's Scholarly Communications @ Duke
(which has been nominated for an award in the past). The judges
acknowledged the blog's "super knowledgeable" posts, "remarkable"
quality of writing, transparency, and the overall effort to build a readership.
Bellvue's Facts from the Stacksreceived a significant number of votes from
the judges as well, who praised the blog's friendly tone, accessible writing,
and reliable information about the library's holdings.


Public Institution Library Blog Winner
Eleventh Stack

Public Institution Library Blog Winner
Infoblog

The absolute winner of the judges' vote in the public institution category
was Carnegie Library's Eleventh Stack. According to one judge, "The writers'
witty personalities (and their fascinating interests) shine through and show
that this library is run by a group of intriguing (and dare I say 'fun') librarians."
According to another judge, "I want to steal all their ideas and replicate them
on my own library's blog." Another example of what a public library blog for
patrons should look like is East Baton Rouge Parish Library's InfoBlog, which
received a lot of support from the public.