Another year is quickly drawing to a close.  It is that time of the year during which all those “Best of” lists begin popping up.  From books to music to movies and even moments, everyone has an opinion on what were the best of 2009.  We at iBraryGuy are no different. However, with so many available “best of”  lists out there, we decided to decline the chance to reinvent the wheel and publish our own lists on specific topics.  Instead, we thought we would help our readers find some of the best of the “best ofs”.  Between now and the end of the year, we will be sharing them with you.

Best of the Best of 2009:  Web Sites


Web sites, web sites everywhere!  It seems like no matter what the interest, question, or need, there is a web site or hundred dedicated to it.  There are the good, the bad, and the ugly and more of each than we can count.  Web sites are literally a dime a dozen.  So too are lists of the best web sites.  Here at iBraryGuy, we have looked at a lot of those lists this year. Here are some of our favorite best web sites lists for 2009, in no particular order:

Continue Reading iBraryGuy’s Best of the Best 09: Best Web Sites Lists

Another year is quickly drawing to a close.  It is that time of the year during which all those “Best of” lists begin popping up.  From books to music to movies and even moments, everyone has an opinion on what were the best of 2009.  We at iBraryGuy are no different. However, with so many available “best of”  lists out there, we decided to decline the chance to reinvent the wheel and publish our own lists on specific topics.  Instead, we thought we would help our readers find some of the best of the “best ofs”.  Between now and the end of the year, we will be sharing them with you.

Best of the Best of 2009:  Scandals

Oh la la (as our French friends say), what would a year be without its scandals!  They shock us, amuse us, and sometimes horrify us.  No matter how bad they get though, it doesn’t seem to stop them from happening year after year.  And where would our media be without the juicy, sensational stories to balance out the real news that matters?  😉  Face it, without the scandals, lunch breaks and standing in line at the grocery story would just not be the same!  Here are some of the best scandals lists for 2009, in no particular order:

  • The Week:   The Week is one of our favorite news magazines here in iBraryGuyland.  It’s news summaries from around the world just cannot be beat.  One of its strongest points is the way in which it presents various views on a topic.  This year, The Week is offering a month by month look at the 12 biggest controversies that shaped public opinion.  You can get an eyeful here.
  • CREW:  CREW is the acronym of the Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, a non-partisan group promiting ethics in the American government.  They have published a rather impressive report in PDF of the top scandals in Washington this year.  It is quite a read and an admirable effort!  You can find their report here.  
  • Time Magazine: Time Magazine is offering a whole bunch of Top 10 lists this year.  Their list of lists is rather extensive!  One of our favorites is their list of the top 10 scandals of 2009.  You may feel the need for a shower after reading this one here.
Ah scandals!  We love them.  We hate them.  We love to hate them.  They bring the high and mighty back down to earth and sometimes even make celebrities out of unknowns.  This year certainly had its share.  We can bet that 2010 will be no different!

The editing team here at iBraryGuy want to wish you all a safe and happy holiday season.  May the holidays and the New Year bring each and everyone of you health and prosperity!

Your readership has made our blogging efforts an enormous joy in what was otherwise a challenging and difficult year.  iBraryGuy and its affiliated services are truly a labor of love for a profession that continues to enrich our lives every day.  Thank you all for reading along and sharing your thoughts.  We have bigger and better plans for 2010 already.  We hope you will stay on this journey with us.

If you have enjoyed our iBraryGuy blog, we hope you will recommend it to others.  If you have a moment to give us a vote for the 2010 “Blogs to Read” list from LIS News, we would really appreciate it (http://tr.im/Icwk).  Finally, please feel free to contact us with any questions, concerns, and kudos you may have.  We really value the feedback and suggestions!

HAPPY HOLIDAYS from our stacks to yours!

Another year is quickly drawing to a close.  It is that time of the year during which all those “Best of” lists begin popping up.  From books to music to movies and even moments, everyone has an opinion on what were the best of 2009.  We at iBraryGuy are no different. However, with so many available “best of”  lists out there, we decided to decline the chance to reinvent the wheel and publish our own lists on specific topics.  Instead, we thought we would help our readers find some of the best of the “best ofs”.  Between now and the end of the year, we will be sharing them with you.

Best of the Best of 2009:  Headlines

Wow, how exactly does one create a list of the best headlines from a year?  Do you choose the most shocking?  Or is the the most hopeful that people want to see?  Perhaps, one could focus on the funniest or most off the wall.  No matter how you approach it, creating a list of the best headlines of 2009 has to be daunting task. There was just so much, good and bad AND bizarre, going on!  Today, we featuring lists composed by sources who were up to the task.  Truly, these are some interesting reads!  Here are some of the best “Best Headlines” lists for 2009, in no particular order:

  • Newsweek:    Newsweek’s list is a wonderful rundown of some the wierdest and wildest headlines of the year.  Someone had some fun gathering these!  From stoned wallabies to half-naked santas, this list is not to be missed.  You can grab a few good laughs here.
  • Yahoo!:   Dedicated to more than just headlines, Yahoo!’s annual “Year in Review” site endeavors to capture the biggest news and trends of the year.  The 2009 site has everything from the first African American President of the USA to Susan Boyle’s jump from unkown to best-selling recording artist.  You can catch up on everything you missed (or need to be reminded of) here.  
  • Foreign Policy: Foreign Policy Magazine has a unique best of list when it comes to the news.  They have a list of 10 top stories that they bet you missed last year.  They even tell you why these overlooked stories are so important.  Want to know what you missed this year?  Find out here.
In a world where news, really well-written and unbiased news, is at a premium and the airwaves are jammed with all kinds of information, sorting out the best and biggest is a real labor.  If those who fail to remember the past are doomed to repeat it, then we have our work cut out for us in revisiting the lessons of 2009.  Hopefully, today’s “best of” sites are a good start in memorializing the year that was!

Another year is quickly drawing to a close.  It is that time of the year during which all those “Best of” lists begin popping up.  From books to music to movies and even moments, everyone has an opinion on what were the best of 2009.  We at iBraryGuy are no different.  However, with so many available “best of”  lists out there, we decided to decline the chance to reinvent the wheel and publish our own lists on specific topics.  Instead, we thought we would help our readers find some of the best of the “best ofs”.  Between now and the end of the year, we will be sharing them with you.

Best of the Best of 2009:  Companies

Best Companies lists are another annual favorite and they too come in many, many flavors.  From the “greenest” to the most socially responsible to those that have the happiest employees . . . there is no one way to rank the big companies.  Whether focused on a particular industry or geographically-restricted, the iBraryGuy editors tend to find them all fascinating!  Here are some of our favorite Best Companies lists for 2009, in no particular order:

  • ReadWriteWeb’s Best BigCo of 2009:  It should surprise no one that one of our favorite web news outlets provides one of our most favorite Best Companies lists.  RWW’s list is dedicated to internet companies that have made an impact over the last 12 months.  This is their sixth year offering the Best BigCo list and, in our humble opinion, they are again spot on!  You can find it here.
  • Fortune’s 100 Best Companies to Work For:  The release of Fortune Magazine’s Best Companies to Work For is almost like an event each year.  People eagerly wait to see where the jobs are most plentiful, the best perks are, and the employees are happiest.  Fortune really looks at the various angles in putting its list together.  You can find their top 100 here.  
  • Business Week’s Global Champions: Last but not least is the Global Champions list created by Business Week and the consultants at A.T. Kearney is based on sales growth and value creation.  An impressive list indeed, it consists of those companies that managed to flourish during what was a challenging last 12 months!  You can read about the survivors here.
Whether you are interested in seeing which companies weathered the recession best or are hoping for some greener pastures in which to anchor your plow, these lists above should prove very enlightening!

Another year is quickly drawing to a close.  It is that time of the year during which all those “Best of” lists begin popping up.  From books to music to movies and even moments, everyone has an opinion on what were the best of 2009.  We at iBraryGuy are no different. However, with so many available “best of”  lists out there, we decided to decline the chance to reinvent the wheel and publish our own lists on specific topics.  Instead, we thought we would help our readers find some of the best of the “best ofs”.  Between now and the end of the year, we will be sharing them with you.

Best of the Best of 2009:  Gadgets

We had initially expected, especially with the biggest buying holiday of the year just days away, that lists of Best Gadgets would be a dime a dozen.  The surprise was on us!  There were not as many as we had hoped and many of the ones we found were written early in the year as predictions of the months ahead.  You can bet that many of the folks who penned those predictive lists are now wondering what they were thinking!  Here are some of the best “Best Gadgets” lists for 2009, in no particular order, and sans crystal ball:

  • T3’s Best Tech 2009:    For gadget lovers, T3 is one of the best sites out there.  These guys live and breathe technology!  Their reviews and insights are always interesting.  Their round up of the year’s best tech toys was one of the best we cold find.  You can read it here.
  • Huffington Post’s 15 Best Gadgets:  The Huffington Post has taken a much different approach to it’s best gadgets list. Their list is all about the best geadgets to get and give during the holidays.  Talk about some fun suggestions!  Are you done with your holiday shopping?  You can check out their list here.  
  • Gizmodo’s Best Gadgets: The good folks at Gizmodo are constantly updating their list of the year’s best gadgets.  So what you see is really rather fresh and fantastic!  From phones to computers, it is a gift list for the true tech afficianado!  You can the Gizmodo gallery of best tech toys here.
The world of technology is always in rapid and exciting flux.  From tools to make us more productive to toys designed to take our minds off of work and responsibility, there is always something new on the gadget front.  Of course, we all know that technology makes great gifts.  So whether shopping for yourself or someone special . . . or even just pining for a new toy . . . we hope these lists help you figure out what’s hot!

As the year draws to a close, we’re working hard on our library & info-pro blog lists. Our goal is to gather up the the best and bring them to you in ways that are easy to access and available on the go. Let us know what you think and whether we are missing any! Thank you all for reading along with iBraryGuy and making 2009 such a great year for us!

Our blog collections:

Another year is quickly drawing to a close.  It is that time of the year during which all those “Best of” lists begin popping up.  From books to music to movies and even moments, everyone has an opinion on what were the best of 2009.  We at iBraryGuy are no different.  However, with so many available “best of”  lists out there, we decided to decline the chance to reinvent the wheel and publish our own lists on specific topics.  Instead, we thought we would help our readers find some of the best of the “best ofs”.  Between now and the end of the year, we will be sharing them with you.

Best of the Best of 2009:  Books

Best of Books lists are definitely an annual favorite and among the most commonly written “best ofs”. There are so many!  Some are based on sales and others on critical opinions.  Some are even based on public polls.  Perhaps there is no single best way to compose a Best Books list.  We prefer lists that are not too heavily tied to retailers, though there is certainly nothing wrong with them.  Here are some of iBraryGuy’s favorite Best of Books lists for 2009, in no particular order (almost ironic, we know):

  • Publishers’ Weekly:  The venerable Publisher’s Weekly usually chooses 100 books for its “best of” list each year.  This year, they have upped the ante and chosen 10 as being the very best.  It is an excellent list (all-male controversy aside – we are not even going there) and a really boon for those who like to give books as holiday gifts.  Check it out here.

  • The New York Times:  Equally respected, the New York Times also publishes an excellent best books list that is designed to serve as a gift guide.  They had a much different list than PW’s above.  The NYT list also provides links to other top 10 lists by critics and writers.  No reader should end the year without giving the list a gander here.

  • NPR: NPR’s almost overwhelming Best Books of 2009 list is also excellent.  Theirs is divided up among and organized by critic.  One of the contributors is none other than librarian extraordinaire, Nancy Pearl!  You can access NPR’s list here.

  • Library Journal: Finally, Library Journal wraps up our Best of Best of Books Lists for 2009.  By their own admission, LJ was striving for a “little edginess, a little risk”.  Did they succeed?  Find out here.
There is still plenty of time to get out there and grab a tome or two for you favorite readers!

With so many people using Twitter these days, how do you find those who are really posting the best information?  Don’t you wish you could follow the most popular and prolific?  Or maybe you want to know which experts your experts are following?  Searching the Twitterverse for the best, brightest, and most followed tweeters is by no means a small task.  Well, thanks to a cool new service, you can stop searching blindly and TWIANGULATE them instead!

Thanks to Twiangulate, finding valuable new Twitter streams to follow is as simple as entering the Twitter names of your favorite tweeters.  Yes, it really is that easy!  Twiangulate lets you enter the IDs of up to three Twitter users and then shows you which tweeters they are following in common.  It also gives you the basic stats on each of the users you entered: how many people they follow, how many follow them, etc.  You do not have to register with the site to use this cool search.  However, signing up is free and provides access to even more neat features, such as: hiding the names you follow, watched searches, search recommendations and more.

Twiangulate is so straight forward and easy to use that there is not much more we can say.  Give it a try.  You may just discover a treasure trove of tweeters to follow!

Here at iBraryGuy, we are ever amazed at the cool and innovative ways various sites are making aggregation of blogs and newsfeeds possible.  From widgets to feed lists, these sites keep trying to one-up each other in the war to make following the deluge of feeds easier.  By now you know that iBraryGuy editing team are news addicts.  We follow more blogs, tweet streams, and newsfeeds than we can count.  It is no easy feat!  Suffice it to say that we are always on the lookout for tools that can make our lives (and our news addiction) easier.  Our newest find, and a really refreshing one at that, is .Collected.

.Collected is a sweet new service designed to make it easier to gather feeds and news into manageable collections that you can follow and share with others.  It actually gathers all kinds of feeds.  Blogs, Twitter streams, Flickr feeds . . . just about any stream or feed that uses RSS, Atom, or XML.  With .Collected, you can even easily export your collection to a favorite reader.   It is a cinch to set up and the interface makes it a pleasure to read.  You can share collections you create via e-mail, Twitter, and even Facebook.

In our testing of .Collected, we got so hooked that we actually went hog-wild on the library and info blogs and feeds.  You can enjoy Librarians.Collected today by simply clicking here.  As always, we invited you to share it with your colleagues!