reference
Word Geeks Have a Say
I have confessed my geekness here before when it comes to Scrabble, Words with Friends, spelling bees, and words in general. This explains how intrigued I was to consider what word I would add to the dictionary. My mind raced with possibilities. Was there a word that used a Q, K and Z? Just think of the points that make and the relief of using all the “problem children” at once.
Read MoreThree Librarians Walk Into a Casino
If you are still on the fence about whether to attend the American Libraries Association (ALA) Annual Meeting in Las Vegas this summer, this bit of news might help you make your decision. There will be a special performance by the Oxford Commas, a band composed of librarians and university press editors who are dedicated to raising the grammatical standard in popular music. The set list will include such favorites as: Whom Do You Love?, You Haven’t Seen Anything Yet, and Two Out of Three Is Not Bad.
Read MoreWho’s the Boss?
In case you haven’t read the press release that came out last week from the National Telecommunications and Information Administration, the title should give you reason for pause, “NTIA Announces Intent to Transition Key Internet Domain Name Functions.”
Read MoreInformation Architecture Librarian Position Available
ASRC Primus Solutions, Inc. is currently seeking a Information Architecture Librarian in Washington, D.C. These type of jobs aren’t posted often, as you know.
Read MoreThe Wide World of Vocabulary
The average English-speaker knows between 25,000 and 40,000 words. The Oxford English Dictionary bills itself as the “definitive record of the English language.” To date, they have recorded 800,000 words and counting.
Read MoreCapturing Cultural References
Webster’s move over, the Urban Dictionary is quickly becoming the “go to” source for those trying to keep up with cultural and current terminology. Their existence on the Web allows them to be the anthropologist capturing cultural moments in real time.
Read MoreLanguage Comes into the Future
The Oxford English Dictionary is progressing towards a third edition with over 619,000 words compiled between its binding. To compile a dictionary of nearly every word in the English language was an endeavor typical of Victorian times. This mammoth-sized task resulted in the first installment emerging in 1884 with its contents “A to Ant.”
Read MoreMapping the Stars
Floating around the Milky Way galaxy is the most recent space observatory launched by the European Space Agency (ESA). Gaia will monitor each of its target stars about 70 times over a period of five years – all unmanned.
Read MoreThe Ghost of Research Past
There are a good many professional organizations that take their knowledge organization and dissemination responsibilities seriously. One good example, appropriately enough, is the International Society for Knowledge Organization (ISKO), which maintains a free online bibliographic service covering knowledge organization literature.
Read MoreHow is your qi?
Is qi a word? According to Word with Friends, yes. It is reported to be another spelling for chi. For hardcore Scrabble-ites, this can sometimes be a hard pillow to swallow. The purist resist words that are popular for those hard to use letters like q and z.
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