LibrarianInBlack

My Online Marketing Webcast Available

Today I gave a 90-minute webcast for OPAL: Online Marketing for Libraries.  Tom Peters, OPAL's coordinator, has already archived the presentation on OPAL's archive site.  You have three choices: you can listen to the audio while viewing the slides and text chat, or just listen to the audio file, or simply view the slides. 

While you're there, you might want to check out some of the other recently archived presentations, like "Discover Your LibraryThing" with Tim Spalding and Cindy Hart or "Virtual Worlds for Kids, Tweens and Teens," a panel discussion with Cliff Zintgraff, Kelly Czarnecki, and Tom Peters.  There's a lot more too! 

I have another presentation for OPAL coming up about technology training and competencies on Thursday, May 15th at 1pm PST.

Live Mesh - bring your data with you

If you haven't read about Live Mesh from Microsoft yet, it's an idea to bring together various computing experiences and make them uniform based on user, not on location.  In other words, you bring your preferences and your files with you wherever you go.  Lorcan Dempsey does a fabulous job of describing Live Mesh on his blog. 

Live Mesh is now available in "Tech Preview" mode if you want to try it out.  Early reviews have been mediocre at best.  But hey...try it out yourself and see what you think!  I have written about this concept before, and really believe that this is the next big breakthrough in personal computing.  This is something you absolutely need to watch!

IPL collection on web apps

The Internet Public Library has a special collection of links dedicated to Web Applications.  It's a couple of years old, so a lot of the "hot new stuff" isn't there, but the solid stand-bys are here, and I was able to use this site a few times to answer user questions in the last year.  I recommend bookmarking it as a potential research tool.  You never know!  Note to IPL: please update this!  We'd love you to pieces if you did.

New Children's Books Podcast

I just heard about a children's books-themed podcast, entitled Just One More Book.  The podcast comes out three times a week, is between 5 and 25 minutes in length, and discusses favorite books and literacy issues.  There are over 300 archived episodes, so there is a lot of information to draw upon already, not to mention the future episodes.  As a speaker and presenter I often get questions about why there aren't more youth services-themed technology initiatives out there.  I am happy to add this site to my knowledge base!

found via Stephen's Lighthouse

New BIGWIG site

The LITA BIGWIG Group (Blogs, Interactive Groupware, and Wikis Interest Group) has a new website.  The new site includes a My Account feature, an activities calendar, and forums.  If you have an interest in blogs, wikis, and other groupware please join up!  You don't have to be a LITA Member or a BIGWIG participant.  It's all about sharing and group knowledge, so the more the merrier!

videos make the world go round

Here are two wonderful videos that can make you feel great about working in a library:

1. the St. Joseph County Public Library's commercial (via skagirlie)
2. Allen County Public Library's Why I Love Being a Librarian (via Tame the Web)

Enjoy!

Internet Archive staves off the FBI

Back in February, Brewster Kahle (proprieter of the Internet Archive) received a National Security Letter from the FBI.  He fought it with the help of legal counsel, and the FBI recently withdrew the letter and lifted the gag order.  This is only the second National Security Letter that has been challenged and as Kahle said, ""you can push back on these."  Read more in the San Francisco Chronicle's lengthy article.  And all I have to say is "You go Brewster!"

Memory Card Cases

Check out Pelican Memory Card Cases ($18.99 for an 8-slotted case).  Perhaps I just haven't had my eyes open, but this is the first time I've seen a memory card case to carry multiple cards.  I like this one especially for its small size and water-resistance.

found via Cool Tools

Small Libraries Can Tackle Tech Too!

Jessamyn West has kindly posted her talk notes from a session at the Central Massachusetts Regional Library System entitled "Tiny Tech/High Tech - How Small Libraries Can Use Technology Sensibly."  It's a great presentation and highlights some very real, and easy, things that smaller libraries with no funding or staff can do to make themselves more technologically relevant in their communities.  Thanks Jessamyn!

Libraries Unleashed: the Guardian Tackles Library Technology Issues

The U.K.’s Guardian published a special supplement recently: Libraries Unleashed.  There were 18 articles on library technology on topics like Library 2.0, digitization, "the new user," and more.  While some of the statements in the articles made me cringe in dismay, in general I think they did a great job of getting the word out about what libraries do today.  Now, if only here in the U.S. we could convince Time or Newsweek to do the same :)