resource of the week: read it later sites

Read it Later

With all of the information that is available at your fingertips on the Internet, even a quick peek at your favorite website can make it hard to stay focused on your daily tasks. Read-later services can help you store web articles to a central list, so that you can read them at your convenience – anytime, anywhere, even without internet connection.

Here are a few examples of popular read-later services that can help you boost productivity by saving items of interest for future viewing:

Pocket, which was formerly known as Read It Later, offers some of the most robust options for read-it-later activities, including browser extensions, bookmarks, app integration, multi-platform readers, and more.

Instapaper  is a free tool that turns your saved websites into black and white, paper-like representations, which you can then read later on Instapaper.com. It also makes it easy to highlight and comment on text-in articles, as well as store, retrieve, quote, and share information.

Readability is a free web and mobile app that removes online clutter and turns any web page into an easy-to-read, clean view for reading now or later on your computer, smart phone, or tablet. In addition, it can also show you the top articles that other people are reading.

- Thanks to Amy for sharing this productivity boosting post, featured in the Printer@Work newsletter from Quick Copy.

New NC LIVE Director appointed

The NC LIVE Nomination Committee is very pleased to announce the appointment of Rob Ross as NC LIVE Executive Director, effective 14 September 2015.

Rob Ross joins NC LIVE from OCLC, a global library cooperative, where he most recently served in a leadership role as Director of Implementation Programs. At OCLC, Ross led the team responsible for working with member libraries of all types to successfully implement new technologies, redesign library workflows and measure ROI. He continuously engaged with libraries to identify their most pressing needs and create services to meet them. He also collaborated with libraries to tell their stories publicly at conferences and in publications.

At OCLC, Ross gained experience in marketing; program development; talent management; new business development; partnerships; consulting; and member outreach, which will serve him well in his new role as Executive Director.

Before joining OCLC, Ross served as Interlibrary Loan Supervisor and Adjunct Professor of English at Bentley University. He holds an MLIS from Kent State University, an MFA from the University of New Orleans, and a BA from Ashland University.

Among his professional activities, Ross has presented at IFLA, ALA, Internet Librarian, and the Charleston Conference. His publications include “Library Technologists as Agents of Change,” in Computers in Libraries, “Risks of Moving to the Cloud: The Human Factor,” with Petra Duren, at the 80th IFLA General Conference and Assembly, and “Shadow of the leader: How library leaders undermine or bolster change efforts," with Petra Duren at the 36th Annual International Association of University Libraries Conference.

I would like to thank the other members of the Nomination Committee, Ruth Ann Copley (Public Libraries COI Representative); Suvanida Duangudom (Community Colleges COI Representative); Cal Shepard (State Librarian and Ex-Officio member); who worked so diligently to find a new Executive Director for NC LIVE.

We believe that Rob Ross brings the leadership NC LIVE needs to continue to strengthen resources and services for NC libraries. I know Rob is eager to meet all of you and to work with you to serve our state.