This week’s 4cast:
1. Â E-Books: Point, Counterpoint
With recent advancements from Google Books Library Project, Amazon’s Kindle, and others, some are contemplating the future of the once ubiquitous, ever-humble, paper-bound book.
- HarperCollins Will Post Free Books on the Web (The New York Times)
- The Top 9 Reasons Why E-Books Are So Very Evil (Goodreads)
- Publishers Are Braced for the Slow Death of the Book (Times Online)
- Pushing Paper Out the Door (The New York Times)
2.  Tools, Plug-Ins, & Apps… for Librarians
Below, a collection of select tools-of-the-trade with which you may or may not be familiar:
- 40 Useful Firefox Add-Ons for Librarians (Parts I, II, & III) (What I Learned Today…)
- The Top 50 Proprietary Programs that Drive You Crazy—and Their Open Source Alternatives (WHDb)
- Sarah’s Top Ten Firefox Plug-ins and Extensions (LibrarianInBlack)
- Eleven Internet Tools to Boost Your Happiness (The Huffington Post)
3.  Don’t Let the Door Hit Your Customers on Their Way Out
There’s always room for improvement when it comes to customer service, and libraries are no exception. Online interactions add additional opportunities to serve your users.
- Kicking Users Out the Door (David Lee King)
- A Better Experience Begins With Staff (David Lee King)
- “Libraries Are Absolutely *Terrible* Online†(Library Geek Woes)
- Improving Librarian Behaviors in Chat Reference (Stephen’s Lighthouse)
4. Â Want Some More Green?
Not only is going green good for the community and environment, it can also be a money-saver for libraries on a budget.
- Green-Built Library Saving Lots of Green (GreenStrides)
- Software Goes Green, Saves Money (
- Cloth Library Bags For Sale (Going Green @ Your Library)
- GreenPrint Offers Free Paper-Saving Software (Green Tech Blog: CNET News)
