CS-SIS Blog

With increased reliance on information storage in "the cloud" and the United States' aging communications infrastructure, cybersecurity issues are on the rise.  On Tuesday, President Obama signed an executive order that is a first step toward addressing cybersecurity concerns.  The focus of the executive order is information sharing regarding cyber threats between the federal government and private business and industry.  

A second part of the executive order concerns a review of the existing regulatory framework to see whether the federal government has the ability to require standardized barriers to cyber threats.  Last year, the Obama administration was unsuccessful in its attempt to pass cybersecurity legislation that would create enforceable minimum technological and security standards for critical infrastructure, so information sharing is very much a first step. 

Further reading:

• New York Times: http://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/13/us/executive-order-on-cybersecurity-is-issued.html
• Law Technology News: http://www.law.com/jsp/lawtechnologynews/PubArticleLTN.jsp?id=1202588062959
• Executive Order text: http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2013/02/12/executive-order-improving-critical-infrastructure-cybersecurity

The CS-SIS Awards Committee invites nominations for the Kenneth J. Hirsh Distinguished Service Award.

This award honors a CS-SIS member who has made outstanding contributions to the SIS, to AALL, and who is well regarded for their service to the profession. The inaugural award recipient was Ken Hirsh, in whose honor the award is named.

Criteria:

* Outstanding leadership through committee work, service on the executive board, involvement in special projects or other activities

* Participation in professional development activities in furtherance of the section and its interests, including educational program planning and presentations

* Involvement with mentoring activities to foster interest and participation in the section and its activities

* Evidenced commitment to the section, its purpose, and its role within the association in furtherance of the law library profession

To be eligible for the award, a nominee must be an active or retired member of the section.

Section officers are not eligible for this award during their term of office.

Submission Procedure:

Nominations must include:

* A letter of nomination, including the candidate’s full name, title, and institution name and address. If the candidate is retired, include name, home address, and most recent former employer;

* A narrative supporting the nomination, to include a discussion of the candidate’s contributions to the section and to law librarianship; and

* The name, e-mail address, and phone number of the nominating party.

Nominations must be received electronically or in paper by March 15, 2013. Nominations should be submitted to: 

Monica Sharum
Head of Library Technology and Instructional Support
McGeorge School of Law
3282 5th Avenue
Sacramento, CA 95817
msharum@pacific.edu

The 2013 International Consumer Electronics Show is wrapping up in Las Vegas today.  What did the trade show offer of interest to law librarians?  

Library administrators planning for emergency situations may appreciate SpareOne, the world’s only mobile phone powered by a single AA battery.  It delivers up to 10 hours of talk time when in use and has a storage life of 15 years.  (In addition to library personnel, those preparing for a zombie apocalypse may appreciate this product created by XPAL Power Inc., as well)  http://spareone.com/spareone/spareone-emergency-phone

The YotaPhone is half e-reader, half smartphone.  The tech-savvy librarian can flip between the two screens and “throw” an image from one side to the other.  The e-reader side uses the battery saving e-ink technology, while the smartphone side has a full-color LCD screen.  PC Mag says “Not boring, the Yotaphone is.” http://www.yotaphone.com/

Are you running out of space in your library?  Clear out those traditional tables and desktops and replace them with Touch Table PCs by Moneual.  There’s no need to worry about requiring lidded drinks in the library; these touch table PC are recommended for restaurants and cafes and can be configured to act as a PC with audio jacks and speakers.  http://ces.cnet.com/8301-34441_1-57563552/moneual-smart-table-lets-you-order-and-pay-for-your-food/ 

The Vuzix M100 Smart Glasses might just tempt us to set aside our librarian-friendly, thick-rimmed glasses for a moment.  Vuzix glasses provide access to an iOS or Android smart phone from the cloud, hands free.  New doors of multi-tasking possibilities have just opened.  http://www.vuzix.com/site/_news/2013/vuzix-unveils-M100-smart-glasses-at-CES.pdf

The Apex HD+, Wi-Fi Snow Goggle by Liquid Image Co. is a cold weather alternative for eyewear.  It is the first snow goggle with full HD recording and live streaming to an iOS or Android device.  Think of the instructional library videos you can create while carving the slopes. “Nice try,” your boss says.  http://www.liquidimageco.com/products/model-339-apex-series-hd

For more CES award winners, visit http://www.cesweb.org/Awards.aspx.

Every month, CS-SIS highlights new or current technologies relevant to law librarianship.

Interested in organizing your own work or personal tasks? Consider utilizing an online task managment tool to bring your to-do list to the modern era. Benefits of going digital include portability, helpful reminders, and collaborative possibilities for larger projects. Here are just a few available task managers, arranged loosely by complexity:

Simple

• Workflowly, Free

Workflowly lest you create simple, bullet-point lists quickly. It is easy to add tasks, cross off completed items, and expand or contract lists when things get a little unwieldy. There is no ability to set due dates or prioritize tasks, but advanced users can explore options to tag items for easy filtering. A mobile site and iPhone app allow access to your list from a mobile device.

• Wunderlist, Free

Wunderlist is a modern, simple tool that lets you creat lists and add tasks easily. Adding due dates, notes, and sharing lists is intuitive and fast, and your lists are visually pleasing thanks to Wunderlist's different backgrounds. Native mobile apps for a variety of platforms support access on-the-go.

More Complex

• Remember the Milk, Free or Pro Account ($25/year)

Remember the Milk supports basic to-do lists while offering a large number of advanced features. You can add due dates, repeat tasks, prioritize items, add tags, and even share lists with friends. Mobile apps for most devices are available, and plug-ins support adding tasks from your email or web browser. A Pro account unlocks automatic syncing for mobile devices.

• Todoist, Free or Premium Subscription ($29/year)

Todoist is a straighforward task manager with options to create lists (or "projects") and sub-projects for a clean look and organization. You can add labels and due dates to tasks, and multiple plug-ins allow you to add tasks from your email and other web pages. Native mobile apps and a mobile site provide access to your projects on-the-go. Advanced features such as reminders and note-taking are available with a Premium subscription.

Power Users

• Asana, Free for up to 30 users or monthly pricing for larger groups

Asana is a task manager designed for collaborative work, allowing multiple users to work on projects and communicate on tasks within Asana. You can assign tasks to users, chat about the tasks within Asana, attach documents, and follow projects to track progress on items you are not completing yourself. Asana also supports private lists for your own personal task management. 

Interested in exploring other options? Check out Mashable's suggested To-Do Apps for getting organized, or consult Lifehacker's articles on task managment. With so many productivity tools out there, you can hopefully find something that fits your work style.