Tweet Library summarizes novels in 140 characters or less. Where else can you find such eloquent synopses as the following:

The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe by C. S. Lewis. Teenage boy enjoys “Turkish Delight.” The End.

A little terse, but at least they’ve got the most important elements in there.

Through several misguided CD purchases as an adolescent (ahem, Korn), I’ve come to realize that I need to preview music before I commit to buying it. There a few really great sites that allow you to stream music online:

Grooveshark: Grooveshark tops my list with an impressive 22,000,000 songs in its repertoire. It’s the first place I go when I’m craving a certain song or want to check something out before purchasing. It has more features than ever, and they’re working on ironing out the small bugs in the code. You can create playlists and see search results displayed in multiple ways. You can also add a Grooveshark plugin to your WordPress blog!

Last.fm: Like Grooveshark, Last.fm also has a variety of songs (though not as many as Grooveshark). Unlike Grooveshark, it’s less a search engine and more a radio: you tune into different stations and listen to what Last.fm suggests. Not to worry, though: if you hate a song, you can banish it. I find that Last.fm is great when you aren’t feeling too picky or want to be exposed to new music. Also, Last.fm has a community vibe that Grooveshark lacks. For example, you can comment on tracks and see who else is planning on attending upcoming concerts. I definitely take advantage of Last.fm’s synchronization with Google Calendar to keep track of concerts happening in Montreal.

Live365. Call me shallow, but the interface is so ugly that I just couldn’t get into it. It looks so…generic. And it loads so slowly you’ll be tempted just to close the window and navigate back to Grooveshark.

Deezer. With only 165,000 songs, Deezer is a French site that seems to be on the beta side. You can search for songs by title or artist or tune in to a radio station. It’s got a nice design and lots of potential.

For me, Grooveshark and Last.fm are the clear winners for now. Anyone have any other suggestions?

Today, our beautiful country turns 142! This is probably the one day out of the entire year that I’m sad I no longer live in Ottawa. I grew up in the capital, and while I generally found it quite unexciting, Canada Day was always filled with happiness, activity, and celebration. The fireworks on Parliament Hill are amazing!

This is my first Canada Day in Montreal, and unfortunately, I’m too sick to go see the fireworks at the Vieux Port.

Canada Day is a celebration of all peoples who inhabit this land, so it’s important to remember the struggles of the First Nations peoples. It’s sad that those who originally populated this land, long before the English and French came, are now disproportionately victims of poverty and racism. The recent H1N1 scare illustrates that First Nations people are more susceptible to virus outbreaks like this, and more should be done to mitigate the effects of pandemic illnesses among their population.

Unfortunately, many of them seem to be specific to Western students. I’d like really like to read something similar for McGill MLIS students, since that’s what I’ll be come September 1st, but I haven’t found anything as of yet. Maybe once I’m immersed in my studies at McGill, I’ll be able to write one of these of my own!

This article claims that special librarians will have it made in 2009, but school and public librarians may have trouble finding a job. Of course, this is probably a reflection of the generally troubled economic times we’re in. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics also warns that growth in the field will be sluggish but mitigated by the retirement of many professionals in the field.

At the end of the day, this is a great time to be in school. With any luck, but the time I’ve finished my MLIS and am thrust head-first into the job market, the financiapocalypse will have run its course, and the Canadian economy will have recovered.

I’ve had the intention of starting one of these “blog” thingamajiggies for a while now, but somehow, I’ve neglected to turn that intention into action. I’ll admit, the thought of learning and/or re-learning HTML, CSS, XML, and other complicated-looking acronyms left me feeling a bit intimidated and overwhelmed. However, if John McCain can Tweet, I know I can blog! I’ll do it just to spite him.

A little about me: I’m a soon-to-be MLIS (Master of Library and Information Studies) student at McGill University in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. I’ll be in the program’s librarianship stream with other geeky, Converse-wearing, spectacle-sporting twenty-somethings. I hope to eventually pursue a career as an academic or special librarian. I would also love to work in international development, helping humanitarian organizations bring libraries, literacy and learning to people in developing countries.

Apparently, I also enjoy alliteration.