LibrarianInBlack

Jaiku for you?

If you're a mobile technology person, check out Jaiku, a social networking site oriented toward mobile devices.  It's kind of like Twitter by phone, letting people know what you're up to, what's going on around you.  I am not a mobile computer person yet, but apparently this thing is taking off like wildfire with the masses of people who are.

via Darlene Fichter's furl file

Book inscriptions and withdrawn titles

Two fun sites to check out:

• Book Inscriptions: a collection of scanned in pages of book inscriptions
• With, Drawn: a collection and study of materials withdrawn from U.S. public libraries

found via Folderol

Hennepin and Minneapolis libraries merging

The Hennepin County Library is merging with the Minneapolis Public Library.  Minneapolis is the biggest city in Hennepin County, so it's nice to finally see the city merging with the county.  I wish all city libraries would merge with their county systems.  It's so confusing to the public to have these strange jurisdictions.  I wish both libraries the very best in this transition.

Web-based IM Services Guide

Have you heard of Meebo?  KoolIM?  Yahoo Messenger for the Web?  You know....websites where you can log in to your IM account and message your contacts without actually installing or launching an IM program?  Yes...those websites. 

Wondering how they stack up to each other?  Then take a look at this guide to web-based IM services created by Robin Good.  It's a fabulous comparison of the various tools, as well as a list of related web posts, articles, and more. 

For libraries where IM is blocked for staff, these services can help you get around that block to provide IM service to your patrons.  For libraries where IM is blocked for the public, creating links to these services from your public computers will help your users IM to their hearts' content.

Dance Dance Revolution Game Night 101

Andrea Mercado has provided, on the PLA Blog, a wonderful guide to holding a Dance Dance Revolution night at your library.  If you're thinking of holding a night like this  at your library, take a look at this guide to help you get started.

Library opening with no classification system

The new Perry Branch of the Maricopa County Library District is set to open without any classification system for its books.  Books will be arranged in neighborhoods (like Gardening), and then sub-sections within those neighborhoods, but the library will not be using Dewey, LC, or any other classification system to organize books.  The example they give is  "a book on the Civil War would be in the history neighborhood and in the U.S. section."  Umm, doesn't that sound like Dewey, basically, just lacking the location specificity? 

What bothers me isn't that it's a library patterning itself after a bookstore (generally I think that's a good idea in a lot of areas).  But what bothers me is that it's being a bookstore at the cost of your users' ability to find specific items easily.  Have you ever tried to find something in a bookstore?  You end up trolling shelf after shelf, trying to figure out if there is any kind of order at all, and then eventually asking for help at the service desk, only to go back with that person to troll the shelves again, and find out that the book just isn't there after all.  Not fun.

Bookstores are largely browsing places, whereas libraries are both browsing and finding places (usually more finding than browsing).  A combination of Dewey locations and good subject-based signage on the bookshelves (Cookbooks, Computer How-To Manuals, Mysteries A-G, etc.) will work to provide that subject-browsing ability without sacrificing specificity.  That's what libraries should be doing.  No one knows what 641.5 is for gosh sake (except your prolific shelvers and catalogers).  And they shouldn't have to know that.  So, add some good subject signage, add some marketplace designed browsing shelves at the front of the library for your browsing fiends, and you're good to go.

Good for them to be willing to try something new, but this was probably not the "new" thing to try.  I'm afraid that it's a disaster waiting to happen.  I think they're hoping that being bookstore-ish will bring in more users, but if the people can't find the items they want, will they come back?  Probably not.

Sacramento Public Library Librarians say "no" to popular materials

The Sacramento Public Library librarians are presenting a:

"petition with 600 signatures from staff, former staff and patrons to the library’s board at a Thursday meeting. It asks leaders to reconsider modeling library branches after a popular book or music store while casting off books with lasting value."

Why are they doing this?  They feel that management is forcing:

"a departure from amassing a rich research collection to pandering to the whims of the YouTube generation."

The Library has copies of Paris Hilton's book and the Jackass 2 movie.  And, according to the article, they want the library director to resign over this.  The article in the Sacramento Bee tells all. 

The biblioblogosphere is all over this, naturally, and reactions are generally those of shock and head shaking.  Jon Blyberg says "So we’re in the business of placing value on content, now," and Karen Schneider can't bear to think of herself as being in the same profession as these librarians.

Frankly, I was shocked to see this issue rise up at all, and embarrassed that it's happening at a California library, and in our state capitol of all places.  I was a speaker at the Sacramento Public Library's Staff Development Day last year.  There were a number of people who seemed very engaged with the Library 2.0 topic of my talk, but the bulk of the audience was disinterested in the topic and even worse, seemed offended and threatened by what I was saying.  This was not the first time that had happened to me, but it was one of the more negative groups I've talked to, unfortunately.  No kind words, gentle explanations, or invitations for discussion seemed to help.  I was even grabbed in the hallway after my talk by one librarian and told that all this "2.0 crap is sickening" and that it was "forcing" this particular librarian to consider early retirement rather than deal with all this "useless stuff that only the kids care about."  Right.  Nice.  The scary thing is that this was coming from a children's librarian.  After my talk, several other people emailed me with similar disavowing of all things digital.

These are not new issues.  Libraries have been dealing with popular vs. "quality" materials forever.  Most public libraries give the public what they want.  It is their library after all, funded by their dollars.  And if 100 people want to check out the Jackass 2 movie, then by all means, buy some copies.  Better that than buying some weighty art book that circulates once in its 10-year shelf life.  I would encourage these librarians to look at the library's mission and see if what the library director is doing meets that mission.  If not, then they have something to use to prove their point.  Their strategic plan (found here) certainly upholds the circulation of popular materials, though.

The Librarian in Black is sad today.  And I offer my condolences to any Sacramento Public Library staff who feel differently and are fighting the good fight to promote customer-centered services.  We're with you.

Pew Study on Spam

Spam, spam, spam, spam, spam....  Oh, hello!  You might want to take a look at the Pew Internet and American Life survey on spam.  You know, that nasty stuff that appears in your e-mail inbox whether you want it or not.  The amount of spam continues to go up, despite the best efforts of IT staff everywhere.  The bad guys are more clever than you are.  They always will be.  Build a wall and they find the hole in it before you finish laying the last brick.

Spam has grown beyond e-mail and branched out into blog comment spam, web form spam, and more.  There's spam on Twitter, Flickr, MySpace, Facebook, you name it. Spam exists, we deal with it, we're annoyed, but we move on.  I have a feeling this will be the status quo for a long time.

how to get tech stuff done in your library

Dan Chudnov has offered some very practical advice in Advice to a Slightly Less Experienced Geek Librarian.  He offers words of wisdom for library staff who are frustrated about not being able to implement all of the neat technology projects that they'd like to put in place.  He addresses the source of the frustration and some tools for not only dealing with it, but getting those projects done after all. 

Thank you Dan, for some positive words of wisdom!  I know that I will come back to this piece when flames are shooting out of my eyes and "SARAH....MAD!!!" is running through my head.  I kid, I kid.  Okay...I don't kid. :(

all the google news you can handle

1. Google is purchasing Feedburner for $100 million
2. Google wants to buy Double-Click too, but the guv-mint (aka the FTC) is cracking down, saying it would be a monopoly
3. You can now also get search results translated by Google Translate
4. The 8th Google Librarian Newsletter has been released.  As always, there is a lot of information about Google's various tools, but there is a useful feature on Google Custom Search Engines that you may want to read.  There is also a new handout about Google Book Search and the Library Project.

Amazon podcasts

Amazon has introduced a set of new podcasts, on topics like upcoming audiobooks, recommended music, celebrity interviews, and more.  These may be good tools to tap if you're doing collection development in certain formats.  Listen instead of reading about what's hot!

discovered via ResourceShelf

ePaper anyone?

The Seattle Post-Intelligencer may have plans to try distributing its newspaper via ePaper, a flexible digital display that makes me drool.  Read much more about the project and ePaper on Crosscut (who says they're doing it) and the Seattle P-I itself who says they're not.  So, who knows?  It's an interesting idea, though.

The 411 on Mr. Price

Some news about Gary Price, Ask.com's Director of Online Information Resources:

• He has an audio interview up through the Library Geeks podcast (by Dan Chudnov)
• He got married! (Congrats times 10!)
• His Price's List of Lists is still an excellent reference resource (ok, not news, but still rockin' good)

Wi-fi health concerns still unproven

This BBC News article discusses the issue of wi-fi health issues and the fact that no research yet proves or indicates that there is a serious health concern.  I know that I have gotten many questions from library users concerned that the library's wi-fi was going to give them brain cancer (or whatever).  Resources like this are things I keep in my pocket for when the issue comes up.

How does the library save you $, let me count the ways

The Personal Financial Advice blog has a great post: More Than Books - The Many Ways Your Library Can Save You Money.  The comments on the post are equally useful.  Take a look, use it to come up with a top 5 list for your own library, and publicize it to your user base!  The Library really does save people money, time, and hassle.  Here's one good example of getting the word out about it.

found via Dr. Web

Sarah's social network presences, and the dilution thereof

Over time, I have developed profiles on several different social networking sites.  Not a lot, but the big ones (I think).  Below are the links to my profiles on the various sites:

• Facebook
• Flickr!
• MySpace
• LinkedIn
• LiveJournal
• Ning
• Twitter
• SecondLife: nothing to link to, but my name is Sarah Montgomery (and guess what--I'm a tall blonde in all black; go figure)

I am starting to find it a rather time-consuming and, frankly, annoying process.  I have to set up the darn profile, at least a little bit, on all these sites.  And then I end up going through my friends' friends to find more friends.  Then I feel guilty because I’m not sending updates on a regular basis about what’s going on (e.g. where I am for Facebook, what I’m doing for Twitter).  And if I'm not on the site, it shows that I'm offline, so I'm not available for in-network chat (like in MySpace).  So that's not good.  I also feel guilty for not reading all the discussions in the communities—particularly on Ning.  I also feel like I have to keep a window open all the time for each site just to be "available" and currently updating people.  That is silly.

And then there are the new friend requests.  A lot of these friend requests are from people I don’t know at all…but I have a sense of guilt that I would offend or upset someone if I didn’t say "Yes, I’m your friend now."  So, I say yes to all of them (except bands, authors, etc. who are looking to advertise through me).  As a result, my list of "friends" has become quite meaningless.  There are people on the lists who really are my friends, others who I’ve perhaps shared one e-mail with, and others who I wouldn’t know from a hole in the ground—and they all have equal weight as my "friends." 

It begs the question—what’s the point?  Is it a status thing to have lots of friends?  Or particular friends?  Am I more important because Stephen Abram is my friend on these networks?  Am I the only one feeling the weight and noticing the dilution of our social networks?  Something tells me I'm not the only one.

you don't look like a librarian...

You Don't Look Like a Librarian, a site created by Ruth A. Kneale (who you may know from Random Musings from the Desert), is a new site that is collecting resources dedicated to non-traditional images of librarians in the internet age. 

Livin' Large with the Encyclopedia of Life

The Encyclopedia of Life (EOL) is an online reference source and database for 1.8 million specifies that are named and known on Earth.  It's still in the process of being created, but several sample entries have been posted so we can see what's in store for us.  Here's the entry for the Death Cap Mushroom.  Helpful?  Yes!  Great for science reports?  Yes!  This is very impressive--keep an eye on it and bookmark it for future use!

found via TechCrunch

fake bookcase wallpaper

Found via Boing Boing, this fake bookcase wallpaper is sure to make you look more smart and your house look more cluttered, both at the same time!  It is hand-painted and seemingly not available directly in the U.S., but all the same, it's pretty darn nifty.

Two search engines to be aware of

A while back, Mary Ellen Bates mentioned two search engines that I hadn't heard of.  I test-drove each, and recommend them both for different reasons.

• Quintura: The results clustering and data visualization map make this worth checking out.  Even cooler (and Mary Ellen Bates noted this as well), the ability to click on any term in your results cloud (viewing related terms), and automatically get that term appended to your search, for a batch of new results.  Okay, it's hard to explain--just go try it.
• Kosmix: Results are clustered by pre-defined categories like travel, politics, and more.  The way the site clusters is highly impressive; the related terms and refining options are spot-on.  You also get webpages, images, journals, organizations, blogs, and more--all displayed vertically (ha ha Google, they beat you to it).  Plus, they split the results into Basic and Advanced Reading.  That appeal to any youth services librarians? :)

These two sites just remind us all that the world does not consist of the holy trinity of MSN-Yahoo-Google.  There are other search engines out there, some with really great features and content.  And as librarians (yes, I'm gonna say it again) we need to be aware of the tools that are available to us.

Scratch: create your own characters

Scratch, a new free tool developed by MIT's Mitchel Resnick, allows its users to create custom characters, animation, and sound--all without knowing a stitch of code.  It works with PCs and Macs, and lets you share and upload your projects to Scratch's website. BBC News has a great article on Scratch, including a short video displaying how it works.  This might be a good game to recommend to parents, as it teaches computer skills, art, and more -- all in a fun, free way!

Using Twitter to Pull In Web Traffic

There is a useful article on SearchEngineLand about using Twitter to generate traffic on your websites.  The article recommends installing a Twitter Widget on your webpage so users will see what you are doing (and know you are using Twitter, and therefore "friend" you).  Definitely another tool in the online marketing toolbox that we all need to start devoting more staff time to.

California State Library is brewing rather big changes to reference

About a month ago, the California State Library released a report of findings regarding the future of statewide reference models.   There is a Background document that is probably good to read as well.  From the way I’m reading this, it sounds like over the next few years the State Library is looking at “repurposing” (read: cutting) CLSA funds (California Library Services Act).  CLSA pays for transaction-based-reimbursement (paying for relatively local ILLs), second level reference services, and more.  It's not clear exactly what would be cut, but something has to give.  The money would instead be spent on a QuestionPoint-based system that will act as a portal for e-mail, fax, telephone, web-based chat, and instant messaging reference services. 

As someone who was consulted on this project (but who wasn't cool enough to make it onto the Acknowledgments list of participants), I was a little surprised at the results.  Not only did they completely disregard the state's libraries desire for statewide databases, but they named the software they're planning to use (without sending out an RFP or anything) and QuestionPoint doesn't even have all of the capabilities that they are talking about using.  It's all very confusing. 

What's even scarier to me as someone who is relatively involved in California library politics is that there hasn't been any real discussion about this topic whatsoever in the California Library community.  No discussion from the California Library Association, or on the statewide listserv, Calix.  Does no one care?  Or did no one read the report?  Does no one know it's even there?  I don't know.  I do know that it's a big deal...a very big deal.  And it seems like the state's librarians know nothing of it (or don't care).  I'm willing to be it's the former.

I don't mean to be a stinker on this issue, but I really am surprised by the complacency and lack of discussion about this important report.  Does anyone know any more about this that they're willing to share?  Am I totally wrong about how I'm reading the report?  Has there been discussion with California's library leaders?

Now we have four habits?

"The Four Habits of Highly Effective Librarians," by Todd Gilman, appeared in the Chronicle of Higher Education today.  He outlines four general characteristics that today's academic librarians need to thrive: Openness, Responsiveness, Collaboration, and Communication.  The same could probably be said of any profession, except perhaps "mob hit man."

New Catalog for McMaster University

A couple of weeks ago, Amanda Etches-Johnson announced the launch of her library's (McMaster University Library) new Endeca-powered catalog.  She's quite proud of it, and rightly so.  It's certainly better than most of the library catalogs I've come across.  Soooooo, if you're looking for ways to improve your library's own catalog, take a look at this one and see what features you can incorporate into your own.

Blog Backup

A major concern of mine, as LiB is now 3 1/2 years old, is archiving or preserving my blog's content.  What if Movable Type went belly up?  Where would my blog go? 

A tool to look in to, if you're in a similar situation for your personal or library blog, is BlogBackupOnline.  Just register your blog to your account and then your blog gets backed up daily.  And yes, this is a free service.  You do have a limit of 50MB, but other than that it's free and clear--no software to install, no code to add to your site. 

Does anyone else know of similar tools that they would recommend?

Inviting audio comments to your blog

Evoca is a cool tool that allows you to install a widget on your blog that lets people record and leave audio comments on your blog.  If your readers don't have a microphone on their computers, never fear!  You can also call in to Evoca Virtual Voicemail by phone to leave an audio comment. 

The Library Clips blog covered this tool, and many other similar audio services, earlier this year.  Best to go look at that post to get the full dish on these kinds of tools.  I could never be as thorough ;)

I am thinking, though, what a nice service this would be to fold in to a library's blog.  Such a service would be valuable to people who can't/don't type, or have difficulty with the written word but do well speaking...on and on.  Libraries of all types are all about full participation and inclusion, and services like these would help us get there.

Changes to Exalead

Exalead has had a facelift that has improved several of its features.  (If you're not familiar with Exalead, it's a great search engine that is beloved by search engine experts and geeks alike).  Not only can you do image, video, and other searches, you can search Wikipedia too. 

Exalead has fabulous advanced search options (including the option to just search for "faces" in the image search), and present very useful options for narrowing your search as you get to your results.  Some of the related terms for my name (Sarah Houghton-Jan), for example, are Jenny Levine, Anti-harassment, Sarah Houghton, Technology Competencies, and Virtual Reference.  (Tee hee!  Anti-harassment!)  Exalead also now has a blog, from which you can glean all sorts of useful tips and tricks about using the site.  I initially heard about these improvements from Phil Bradley, who also loves the site.

Just try it.  Really.  I think you'll find that you like it.  We all get so G**gle complacent...using that and only that.  I recommend trying at least two new search engines every year, exclusively using them for one week, and then seeing what you think.  Any good librarian should constantly be re-examining his/her tools...and search engines are a top tool for all of us.  And if you're curious, my two favorite SEs are Ask.com and Exalead...great information-hunting tools.

ImageChef

If you're looking for a quick way to create an image for a poster or your website, check out ImageChef.  You can create sidewalk writings, mugshots, tattoos, t-shirts, post-its, and more.  It goes hand in hand with the other great image generation sites like ImageGenerator.org and CustomSignGenerator.  Quick ways to spice up your material!

Bloggers & Podcasters Magazine

There's now a magazine for everyone interested in blogs and podcasts: Bloggers and Podcasters Magazine.  The print version is $79-$99, depending on where you live.  But here's the cool thing: the print and podcasted digital versions are FREE.  That's right...zero, zilch, nada.  View the subscription page for more details.  They also have a blog, as any good blogging magazine should ;)

via Laurie the Librarian

Twitter Firefox Plugins

You may be like me, and try to use Twitter but keep wondering what all the fuss is about.  Or you may love Twitter.  Or you may have no idea what Twitter is (in which case, for the sake of your library, please learn).  You don't have to use all these things, but you should know what they are and think about how they could be used at the library, especially in terms of online outreach to your users.

Personally, I've found that Twitter is annoying--I have to keep an extra browser window open, as I can't get it to work with my IM account (Twitter's help desk even admitted it was a bug they had to fix).  I was happy to see this list of 8 Awesome Firefox Plugins for Twitter from Mashable.  You can create little toolbars, sidebars, notifiers, and more with these independent plugins.  Check it out!

Where do all your taxes go?

This Visual Guide to Your Federal Taxes has a high likelihood of making you cry.  That being said, it is a good reference and teaching tool about how the federal budget works.  You can even buy the poster version.  Just be ready with the tissues, and you'll be fine.

via beSpacific

Three exciting announcements from PLCMC

Helene Blowers announced three very exciting things that are happening at the Public Library of Charlotte & Mecklenburg County!

• A follow-up to Learning 2.0, a self-directed staff learning program called Learning 2.1: Explore... Discover... Play!
• Technology Scholars program, supporting four employees per year to take up to six months off their regular jobs to pursue the technology project of their choosing
• Experimental Gaming Lab

PLCMC has an Emerging Technology Manager, as well as a lot of other technology-oriented staff, and it sounds like these people have really made these projects possible.  I wish that every large library had positions like this...not just someone stuck in the daily grind of doing line tech work, but actually looking at the bigger picture and planning for the future.  Ah, one can dream.

Hugely Discounted GrantStation Memberships: May 23 Only!

GrantStation is going to be available on May 23rd (ONLY!) for only $99, instead of $399, to public libraries and nonprofits.  GrantStation is a web-based listing of grant research tools.  It's kind of like a grant uber-directory.  From the TechSoup posting:

Due to the tremendous response to the GrantStation event we held last February, TechSoup Stock and GrantStation are pleased to present a special offer for nonprofit organizations and public libraries  — on May 23 from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Pacific time (10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Eastern time). During this limited-time offer, specially discounted GrantStation memberships will be available to eligible nonprofits for only $99 (a savings of $300). Once this special event is over, the TechSoup Stock admin fee will return to $399. (The regular retail price is $599.) Organizations may renew their existing memberships with this special offer. This special promotional offer from GrantStation is not refundable. New to TechSoup Stock? We encourage you to pre-register your organization today so you'll be ready to take advantage of this special limited-time offer. Visit TechSoup Stock on May 23 to place your order!

40 Free eBooks/Books Sites

A while back David Rothman (on TeleRead) linked to this fabulous list of 40 websites that offer free eBooks and other related book-ish services, created by the authors of the website Fried Beef (*the vegan shudders quietly*).  I have a list in my bookmarks file of all the sites I know about, and there were a few here that were new to me.  Hurrah!  Take a look.  And thanks David!

Use Wikipedia to point people to Library resources

Jessamyn West points us to an article with a case study and some great suggestions for libraries about how to use Wikipedia to point people to your library's website. The article, "Using Wikipedia to Extend Digital Collections" in DLib Magazine is by two University of Washington librarians, Carolyn Dunford and Ann Lally.  They added pointers to their digital resources in relevant Wikipedia entries, and it worked!  If your library has digital collections (photographs, essays, oral histories, etc.) consider adding pointers in Wikipedia!

How to use Web 2.0 in your library

Phil Bradley's latest book, How to Use Web 2.0 in Your Library, has been published!  Phil talks a bit about the book on his blog, which is also well-worth subscribing to.  Congratulations Phil!

Google's Universal Search Premieres

Google has launched their new Universal Search, which searches their databases for webpages, images, videos, maps, books, and news.  The official Google Blog announced it a few days ago.  On the results pages now, you'll see a little grey bar under the Google logo with links to the various areas in which there are results.  Take a look...do a search :)  See what you think.

Search WorldCat and 21 other bibliographic databases in one fell swoop

viaLibri has announced a new "Quick Query" tool.  Put in some book search parameters and then the Quick Query will search twenty-two different bibliographic catalogs.  Ten are union catalogs (including WorldCat) and the others are independent libraries with "important collections of early and rare books."  If you're looking for a comprehensive search for what is in the world's libraries, this is as close as you are going to get.

David Weinberger Interview

OPAL (Online Programming for All Libraries) is holding a live online interview with David Weinberger, Author of Everything is Miscellaneous on Wednesday, June 6, 2007 at 11:00 a.m. PST.

From OPAL's description:

David Weinberger will be discussing his new book, Everything is Miscellaneous, in which he explores how the new principles of disorder are remaking society, culture, education, business, media, politics, and--perhaps most importantly--libraries. This is the book that Karen Schneider described in the ALA TechSource Blog as "...dangerous. [It] takes all the precious ideas we are taught as librarians and throws them out the window." The dedication of the book, by the way, is "To the librarians." Weinberger, one of the co-authors of The Cluetrain Manifesto, is a fellow at Harvard Law School's Berkman Center for Internet & Society and holds a doctorate in philosophy.

Sponsor: TAP Information Services

There is no need to register, and no cost.  For more information and for links into the online room and background information, please visit: http://www.opal-online.org/progschrono.htm. 

Full disclosure: I'm quoted me in his book, but really...it is a GREAT book.  One that all library staff should read to understand our placement within the information economy.  And listening to the author live is a great addition to reading the book.  If your Library has been discussing Library 2.0, this is a good event for which to encourage attendance.

Would you like a Walt Crawford in Your Pocket?

The esteemed Walt Crawford has been let go by OCLC (termination effective September 30) and is now up for grabs.  Walt is a great speaker, writer, and resource for research.  He's quite good at seeing the big picture, and always documents his findings with impeccable reference lists (a useful skill that many of us have forgotten). 

If you think you would like to hire THE Walt Crawford take a look at his description of the types of jobs he is interested in.  From Walt's post:

I'm looking for a mutually-beneficial situation, which could be part time, could be full time, could be based on sponsorship of current writing and possible expansion to new areas, could be contract or consulting. I'm open to an exclusive working relationship--but also to more piecemeal possibilities.

Libraries R 4 More than Reading

Steve Bertrand, the Assistant Director of the Kankakee Public Library, wrote a post on She Said/He Said: Kankakee Public Library Blog entitled The Right NOT to Read.  He writes:

For centuries, most Libraries' only strategy for confronting the non-reader was to devise ways to seduce them to start reading. Those who refused were marked up as "lost souls" and ignored. I have to ask myself, would I frequent the Kankakee Public Library if I didn't work here. I can honestly say yes. I say yes because KPL has faced up to the problem of what to do for people for which reading has not been, nor ever will be a part of their lifestyle.

According to the OCLC study, we all know now that the library brand is "books."  But we do more than that, right?  We have wireless access, public use computers, classes of all sorts, author readings, book clubs, craft events, DVDs, CDs, music performances, art exhibits--on and on.  We're about more than reading.  A lot more.

It's long been an irritation to me that libraries have summer reading clubs.  I want a library to have a summer non-reading club.  You'd get points for using the various services and resources the library provides that don't deal with reading.  You could combine the two and just call it the Summer Library Club.  Some points for reading, some points for using the wi-fi, some points for coming to a gaming night, some points for checking out a DVD, etc. 

I know of at least three libraries that only this year are "allowing" their summer reading participants to count audio books.  Let's.  Get.  Real.  We cry and scream that we're about more than books, and then with our own programs and resources focus on books like we have blinders on.

Think for just a second.  What are you in charge of at your library?  What do you do every day?  How can you bring non-reading activities into the fold?  What can you do to be more inclusive of those who either can't read or simply don't enjoy that as a pastime?  We're for everybody--not just the few, the elite, the readers.

via Library Revolution

Using NetFlix instead of doing DVD ILLs

ILLing items is expensive.  Libraries are starting to use Amazon as a way to just purchase the item the person wants and shipping it directly to them, using Amazon's Library Processing services.  You could also do what the Exeter Library has done and what the Cook Memorial Library has done, and get a Netflix subscription--then just sign up for the movie the person wants and voila!  A larger library might want to purchase multiple Netflix accounts, but hey--it gets the job done and is a lot cheaper than ILLing every single DVD that people want!

found via the Shifted Librarian

The Hollywood Librarian arrives

The Hollywood Librarian is a movie by Ann Seidl all about librarians, real librarians, and what we do.  It's to be unveiled at ALA Annual, but you can see the trailer now.  There is also a Behind the Scenes video and a Making of the Score video.  The wonders of YouTube! 

Annotation Anarchy

If you're the kind of person who writes in your books (not library books, of course), leaves post-its all over the pages, or even the dreaded paperclip on the side of the page--then you're probably wanting to mark up the online content you read too.  But how?  There are a lot of services out there; I've tried several but never found one I liked.  Nick Gonzalez at TechCrunch has a nice article on Five Ways to Mark Up the Web--looking at five services and outlining their basic features and functionality.  If you've been thinking about experimenting with a web annotation service, this article is as good a place to start as any!

C&I: Can you admit wrong headedness?

The latest issue of Walt Crawford's Cites & Insights is out.  The first article, On Being Wrong, is quite a treat.  I think some of us (ahem) have a hard time admitting we made a mistake about something, particularly when it's a big mistake.  And the infuriating thing is, it's those big mistakes that we need to admit to most.  Walt's article is insightful and applicable to all sorts of life situations.  Thanks Walt :)

Children and Digital Tech

If you are a children's librarian or school librarian (or someone who manages these folks), then take a look at this article: "Schools, Children, and Digital Technology: Building Better Relationships for a Better Tomorrow," by Mark van 't Hooft.  It appears in Innovate: The Journal of Online Education.  Here's the link to the synopsis--if you want to read the full article or print it off, use the navigation on the left (it's a little confusing).  You'll have to sign up for a free account, but it takes all of 30 seconds.  You can afford that, can't you? :)

Digital Reference group in Facebook

There's a new group in Facebook called Digital Reference in Facebook, created by Gerry McKiernan.  From Gerry's description in his post about the profile on the Dig_Ref listserv:

Digital Reference in Facebook is an umbrella group devoted to digital reference services that offer a companion Facebook site and is available at http://iastate.facebook.com/group.php?gid=2406828163.  We welcome all who are involved with such services as well as those who have any interest.
!!! Please visit the group site and join !!!
NO QUESTIONS ASKED [:-)

Simple games and rewards make learning fun

"Games for Teaching Information Literacy Skills" by Felicia A. Smith @ the University of Notre Dame appeared in April's Library Philosophy and Practice eJournal.  It is a wonderful article to look at if you teach, especially information-finding skills, as that was the focus of the study.  You'll see how simple games with prizes can greatly enhance people's willingness to learn and what they end up taking away from the experience.  Here is the article's abstract:

A didactic approach to teaching database research skills has proven to be dreadfully dull and ineffective for many students. One possible solution to this problem is to incorporate educational games with predetermined learning objectives into the curriculum. Chemistry/Biochemistry majors at the University of Notre Dame take a required information literacy skills course that introduces chemistry database search techniques. The course features several databases – highlighting the distinct nuances of each database and the different search strategies required to access information. This paper describes active learning activities as a method for creating a higher level of engagement while maintaining the objectives of a traditional course format.

Explaining RSS to newbies

This RSS in Plain English video, created by the CommonCraft site folks, explains in under four minutes how RSS works.  I think just about anyone will understand this, and probably go away realizing the many ways that RSS could save them time and improve their information digestion.   I love it when people explain things in a way that just makes sense...with words better than those I could have come up with.

Click To Play

You're bound to be infected with something...

A recent study by Google found that 1 in 10 websites contains malicious code of one type or another.  Some install software like spyware while others compromise security.

This is why it's important to keep your Operating System and all software up to date, to keep your anti-virus up to date, to have spyware and adware protection and removal programs as well.  I run SpyBot Search and Destroy, Ad-Aware, SpywareBlaster, and SpywareGuard (all free!), in addition to my out of the box anti-virus and firewall software.  They each find unique things, and I'm constantly amazed how much you pick up doing innocent things.

A picture is worth a thousand words

Kathryn Greenhill (academic reference librarian in Perth, Australia) has created a fabulous little diagram of how she envisions Library 2.0 in the academic world in 2010. Click here to see her fabulous image and click here to see her post about what she envisions her image as meaning, point by point. A lot of us have Library 2.0 on the brain and it's nice to see a graphical representation of it and ones that dedicated to a specific...  Australian libraries are also invited to submit their own vision of Library 2.0 in 2010.

Draw a picture of your vision for your own library - see where it gets you!  You might find it easier to articulate your desires visually.

Web 2.0 Award Winners Announced

The winners of this year's Web 2.0 awards have been announced.  Here is a chart of the winners.  I was happy to see all my favorite services named.  One surprise to me was that Ma.gnolia beat out Furl and Clipmarks for bookmarking.

At any rate, if you're still new to Web 2.0 and don't understand what it means, includes, or what the good sites are to use...take a look.  It's kind of a best-of guide!

Snarky girl shirts

I think I may violate my "Sarah only wears black, so there..." mantra.  Why?  These gorgeous and snarky shirts from Nicole Locher (warning: if you don't like profanity, don't look).  She combines antique-looking embroidery and images with snarky sayings that would make any girl blush.  I like to be a little raunchy and yet feminine at the same time.  Finally, some beautiful clothing to match my attitude.  Tee hee!  I want them all, but currently the one to the left is winning: I don't play nice.  She also offers accessories.  Something tells me that other library people will like these too.  We're all a little snarky, no?

found via Boing Boing