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February 29, 2008
Creating Cool Little Booklets from PDF's - Fast
BookletCreator - is a free online tool that allows to create a booklet from a PDF document. It reorders pages so that after printing and folding the pages you get a small book. Here is how it goes:
"The original document should be in PDF format with "Portrait" paper orientation. If you have a document in the format other than PDF, you should at first convert it to PDF. You can use some free PDF creation tool. For example PrimoPDF. You upload your document to the BookletCreator website and download the result.
Then you print out the document choosing "Print on both sides" in your printer preferences. If your printer can't print on both sides automatically, print the odd pages first (Acrobat Reader has such option in printing preferences), then put the printed paper back into your printer and print the even pages. We advise you to practice on short documents to ensure that you understand how to turn paper so that the front and the back of the page are printed the way they should. Finally you should stack pages in the correct order, fold them in half and staple them. This is how it will look like at the end:
Optional parameters
You might want to set some additional parameters. If you set "Pages per booklet" to some value other than "All" you will get not one booklet but several booklets, each having the chosen number of pages or less. It is useful when you have a large document, which is not convenient to fold. If you want all the "sub-booklets" to have the same number of pages, check the "Add blank pages to the last booklet" option."
Cool. It can make neat training handouts and has the potential to save paper too.
Stephen
Posted by stephen at 10:50 AM | Comments (2)
Netscape Fails to Leap
So today is the last day for Netscape support. It's been comatose for years but sadly it's done. It was my first browser - even before it was called Netscape
Hope no one is still using this on public terminals! Shift happens.
Stephen
Posted by stephen at 8:07 AM | Comments (0)
February 28, 2008
Happy Leap Day
Happy Leap Day!
Here's some Leap Day fun:
And here's an interesting tech video on YouTube:
Nokia Morph Concept
Nanotechnology and Communication Devices
Stephen
Posted by stephen at 11:59 PM | Comments (0)
A Generous Offer from Unshelved
We all love the Unshelved library comic. I have to have my daily fix of Dewey and the gang.
Did you know this?
Unshelved has over two thousand strips about libraries and the things that go on there in its archive. The Unshelved writer and artist allow you to use them without charge to promote your library, school, or other noncommercial reading-friendly cause. Indeed, even if you need a high-resolution version suitable for printing, they'll try to accommodate you.
This is just so generous you should buy one of the strip's collections or bags or hats or bumper stickers or cool t-shirts!
If you ever get a chance to see these two guys at a conference, do so. They're just as funny in person.
Thanks Unshelved. (You know you can have the strip added to your RSS feed too, right?! Never miss a strip.)
Stephen
Posted by stephen at 11:40 PM | Comments (1)
Information vs Social Fluency
Dave Pollard at How to Save the World blog has an interesting post about Information Fluency and Social Fluency. It has some good insights into what makes a social profession like librarianship valuable to our clients.
It's not too long, has nice graphics and is definitely worth a read.
Stephen
Posted by stephen at 11:35 PM | Comments (0)
The Rochester Library Anthropology Study
The University of Rochester library hired an anthropologist to work with their students and staff, to understand exactly what their needs are, and how they go about studying and writing research papers. I love it when my undergrad in anthropology comes into play in my work in libraries! There are a few of us in libraries and the tools and techniques of social and ethnographic anthropology work very well in developing understanding of the social life of information and libraries. This report is exciting and will provide some bedtime reading for me.
Download this for free (99 page PDF):
Studying Students: The Undergraduate Research Project at the University of Rochester
edited by Nancy Fried Foster and Susan Gibbons
Association of College and Research Libraries, ALA, Chicago 2007
Table of Contents
Introduction to the Undergraduate Research Project
Faculty Expectations of Student Research
Asking Students about Their Research
Night Owl Librarians: Shifting the Reference Clock
Library Design and Ethnography
Dream Catcher: Capturing Student-Inspired Ideas for the Libraries’ Web site
Photo Surveys: Eliciting More Than You Knew to Ask For
Mapping Diaries, or Where Do They Go All Day?
What an Experience: Library Staff Participation in Ethnographic Research
Then and Now: How Today’s Students Differ
The Mommy Model of Service
Conclusion: Creating Student-Centered Academic Libraries
References
Author bios
You can also purchase it for $28.00 from ALA/ACRL.
This is a lovely contribution for libraryland, again, from the good people at the University of Rochester. Thanks.
Stephen
Posted by stephen at 11:13 PM | Comments (1)
The Great Starbucks Outage
By now you've heard or experienced Starbucks three hour closing Tuesday night.
What did they do and why?
Watch this video (8 minutes) from their learning guru, Elliott Masie of the Masie Center.
On Feb 26, 2008, Starbucks closed over 7,000 stores for a unique 3 hour company-wide training effort. 135,000 people trained and/or refreshed in 3 hours!
Can we adapt this method to libraries? Is this a complementary strategy to our staff days?
Would the press cover our 3 hour closing like they did for caffeine addicts? It's actually a good thing to be missed. The opposite would be bad.
Stephen
Posted by stephen at 11:04 PM | Comments (0)
Reputation Privacy. Gossip and Rumor
The full text of The Future of Reputation is now available online for free. Click on this link to download PDFs of each chapter.
__________________________________________________
THE FUTURE OF REPUTATION:
GOSSIP, RUMOR, AND PRIVACY ON THE INTERNET
by Daniel J. Solove
Yale University Press (2007)
Chapter 1. Introduction: When Poop Goes Primetime
PART I
RUMOR AND REPUTATION IN A DIGITAL WORLD
Chapter 2. How the Free Flow of Information Liberates and Constrains Us
Chapter 3. Gossip and the Virtues of Knowing Less
Chapter 4. Shaming and the Digital Scarlet Letter
PART II
PRIVACY, FREE SPEECH, AND THE LAW
Chapter 5. The Role of Law
Chapter 6. Free Speech, Anonymity, and Accountability
Chapter 7. Privacy in an Overexposed World
Chapter 8. Conclusion: The Future of Reputation
Notes & Index
__________________________________________________
Consider using this book for a discussion in your library or association chapter. Solove has thoughfully provided a page of discussion questions.
This is one of the key issues of our age. It's also a key thing that needs to be considered in information literacy training and library policy development. This is a way to grow the thinking about this issue in a positive way.
Stephen
Posted by stephen at 1:38 PM | Comments (1)
Aligning Teens to Library Technology
YALSA has published a list of "25 self-directed tech activities for teens". It's a fun list and positions the library nicely. Read about it here.
25 Things you can do for Teen Tech Week
"1. Download an eBook or audiobook onto your mp3 player.
2. Visit your local library's webpage.
3. Blog about a library book or program.
4. Try out a book focused site like LibraryThing or Shelfari.
5. Create a soundtrack for your favorite book.
6. Ask your librarian to recommend a non-fiction book on an area of technology that interests you.
7. Add something to an article on Wikipedia.
8. Set up a podcast for a group or club you belong to.
9. Many young adult authors welcome email from their readers, and some even have their own MySpace profiles. Why not send them a message in honor of Teen Tech Week?
10. Check out some video games, DVDs or music CDs from your library.
11. Create an avatar on Yahoo! Avatars.
12. Start a Teen Tech Club at your school or public library.
13. Read and contribute to a blog about technology.
14. Practice your HTML skills on your MySpace.
15. Watch some anime or startup an anime club at your library.
16. Create a YouTube video about your library or a favorite book.
17. Download a newspaper article from the day you were born from an electronic database.
18. Volunteer to help clean the computers and media at your library.
19. Volunteer to tutor library customers who are new to using computers.
20. Learn how to DeeJay music or record music with a computer.
21. Search in a biography database for an article about your favorite musical artist.
22. Learn how to use some new software.
23. Take a class on graphic design or digital photography.
24. Create a database of something you want to organize.
25. Start a del.icio.us, Twitter or Flickr account. "
Great list! And staff can play too!
Stephen
Posted by stephen at 11:22 AM | Comments (0)
20 minutes and breaking personal inertia
From: www.cio.com
20 Things You Can Do In 20 Minutes to Be More Successful at Work by Stephanie Overby, With the Staff of CIO and CIO.com, CIO
February 25, 2008
Looking for a 20-minute miracle? This article list a few things that one can do in 20 minutes that might make a big difference. It's all about breaking inertia. Here are the headings. Try spending your first 20 minutes reading the article.
1. Counterintelligence 101
2. The Mini-Meeting
3. Business Intelligence 201
4. Your Vendor, Revealed
5. Self-Knowledge Is Power
6. Call a Customer (Bonus Points If They're Irate)
7. Life Without E-Mail
8. Say Yes to Staff Training
9. And Who Are You?
10. Go for a Walk
11. Knock on a New Door
12. Should You Stay or Should You Go Now?
13. What's So Funny About Company Peace, Love and Understanding?
14. Set Up a Facebook Account
15. Encrypt Now or Regret It Later
16. What Users Want
17. The Kids Are Real Smart
18. Does Your Vendor "Get" You?
19. iPhone Fun
20. Take a Google Test Drive
Stephen
Posted by stephen at 11:10 AM | Comments (0)
February 25, 2008
Relevance
Check out this video from the Association of Fraternity Advisors (I guess fraternities are facing challenges):
Hmmm, yes I know she's annoying.
I guess I might need to get over that.
Love the simple design of the video too.
Stephen
Posted by stephen at 5:50 PM | Comments (5)
Libraries are FREE 2
Hmmm. There must be something in the air.
I was musing earlier today about the concept of fee based on an inspiration from the TrendWatching.com briefing.
Then I find out that Chris Anderson, of Long tail fame, is writing a book on 'freeconomics'. His next book, FREE, will be published in 2009 by Hyperion.
And then today I read his latest article in Wired online.
Free! Why $0.00 Is the Future of Business
by Chris Anderson 02.25.08 | 12:00 AM
Synchronicity!
Stephen
Posted by stephen at 5:39 PM | Comments (0)
POD Print on Demand
I've often wondered what the opportunity for Print on Demand publishing in the library sector might be. It is certainly maturing as a sector and as an opportunity.
If you're interesting in leanring more about PoD, read this ReadWriteWeb posting.
Here's a list of some of the major PoD players:
CreateSpace
Lulu
PrintonDemand
AuthorHouse
iUniversere
Wordclay
Borders Personal Publishing
CafePress
Blurb
I wonder how many libraries have taken advantage of these services? I could imagine:
a. Publishing student poetry in a collaborative framework and seeling it to parents and grandparents.
b. Publishing recipe collections from your community as a fundraiser that matches the production costs
c. Publishing and collecting local literature efforts from your community.
d. Offering the abilty to publish family genealogies.
e. Offering to publish any non-commercial stuff that remains important but has a very small market - like local histories, local historical society writing, etc.
Just remember that printing is not publishing. If I remember some of my history of the book stuff, there is a big difference from building a Gutenberg Press and printing and what the Italians did almost a century later when publishing was invented. You'll mostly need to do your own marketing, promotion, pricing, editing, graphics, distribution, etc. this isn't the system for a popular Harry Potter tome but it can be very successful for niche properties or giving voice to the unheard.
Stephen
Posted by stephen at 12:14 PM | Comments (2)
Follow the money
I find this post at ReadWriteWeb interesting.
I always say "follow the money" whenever I see mergers and acquisitions proposed. It's the same with ad-based businesses. Whenever I watch the search business I look at the number of ads on the pages and search results and Google does very very well at that. They do a good job of dealing with their prime customer - advertisers. If you follow the money you know users basically don't deliver much except clicks and eyeballs. Ad buyers do deliver cash - the tune if billions in profits.
So, why would Microsoft want Yahoo!? According to this post, that looks into advertising impressions, we find out that search isn't the biggest opportunity for ads in the consumer space (which is where most of our library public, college, K-12 and academic users reside). It's all about e-mail again.
"Email is 49% of Impressions. Portals and Search Engines is 10% by contrast. This is some free data from Nielsen-Netratings.
56% is Microsoft and Yahoo combined market share of webmail. Gmail is down at 7%."
I'm astonished at the size of the comercial and ad opportunity and the threat to Google. Combined with a recession driven drop in ad buying and you can see another shift on the horizon among the big players.
Interesting.
Stephen
Posted by stephen at 12:02 PM | Comments (0)
Libraries are FREE
The latest Trendwatching Report is all about free. It's titled "Free Love" in a tongue in cheek kind of way.
Here's their definition:
"FREE LOVE: the ongoing rise of free, valuable stuff that's available to consumers online and offline. From AirAsia tickets to Wikipedia, and from diapers to music.
FREE LOVE thrives on an all-out war for consumers' ever-scarcer attention and the resulting new business models and marketing techniques, but also benefits from the ever-decreasing costs of producing physical goods, the post-scarcity dynamics of the online world (and the related avalanche of free content created by attention-hungry members of GENERATION C), the many C2C marketplaces enabling consumers to swap instead of spend, and an emerging recycling culture.
Expect FREE LOVE to become an integral if not essential part of doing business."
Go and read the report and think about these questions:
1. Most libraries are free to the end user. In fact most libraries have mostly been free for centuries, at least in the western world. So what is it about free in the library sense that matters to our users?
2. If libraries are free and known to be free by our users, why are do we remain challenged by the cult of free on the Internet?
3. Do libraries place barriers to success for ourselves and end users? Are we doing things that don't work for us anymore? What does your library do that might be an unjustifiable barrier?
For example:
a) Do we use fines as punishments? Can we find good examples of fines and punishments on free websites?
b) Do we require people to come to the elibrary, be interviewed and show ID to use us for our free services like database searching on the web? Are there examples of successful websites that do this or have trhey developed more seamless mechanisms?
c) Do we have line-ups? Is there a metaphor for physical line-ups on the free services? Are online holds just another form of line-up?
d) Is our 'location' too physical in the user's head? Do any of the free virtual services have a 'place' that is physical that matters to the user?
4. Are there new ways to liberate our 'free' to compete with the other free?
If you don't know the story about "Information Wants to be Free" read by old article here. How do we get the people side of libraries promoted and unfetter our relationships?
Just thinking out loud. But if free was so all important then libraries have a great advantage. Clearly, there's more at play here and the Trendwatching Briefing is a nice think piece.
Stephen
Posted by stephen at 11:43 AM | Comments (2)
Fearful Consumer Technologies?
CIO.com has a good article this week;
Nine Consumer Technologies CIOs Fear
By C.G. Lynch
"Some of them get it, and some of them don't. That's what our consumer technology survey found when we polled 311 IT decision makers about their views on consumer technologies in the enterprise. The survey found that 54 percent of respondents believe consumer applications are "inappropriate for corporate use," while more than a third say they take the draconian measure of shutting down any unsupported technology as soon as they detect it."
What are the top 9?:
VOIP
Web-Based Productivity Applications
Digital Cameras
Remote Storage
Smartphones
Social Networks
Instant Messaging
Consumer E-Mail
Portable Storage Devices
Interesting. Are some corporations and other enterprises building a wall around themselves? Are they hiding in the Kemlin and remain unknowing about the serfs being restless? It is frightening how many organizations I am in where all staff are restricted from knowing what is going on in the web world and are forced to be uninformed. Of course, serious professionals do searches from home accounts or argue and get a hole burned into their firewall so that they can use the tools necessary for their mandates.
Then again, for some IT types it might be in their best interests to resist some of this stuff since it will make their personal lives easier and reduce complexity. Let someone else deal with the changes in the world after they retire.
Stephen
Posted by stephen at 11:29 AM | Comments (0)
February 22, 2008
Tattoo Touch Screens
Who thinks up these concepts? Even I find this one creepy.
Imagine! A touchscreen on your arm as a subcutaneous digital display powered by your own blood. It could be a video phone, a calculator, or more.
Yuck, imagine never being able to forget your phone just to get some peace. (It reminds me about the old joke where a business type receives a fax. If you've never heard it I can't tell you here.) Just think - spam, phishing, and begging phone calls delivered directly to your body.
Here's one idea I hope never comes to fruition. (Of course the technology that drives this could have excellent medical uses that do make a difference.) I don't even want to speculate about what the upgrade path looks like. Imagine aging gracefully but having the tattoo equivalent of a rotary dial phone permanently inked on your arm.
Oh well, there's a little Friday fun.
Stephen
Posted by stephen at 11:43 PM | Comments (7)
Teleconference Meetings
Anyone else get tied into big and small teleconferences for meetings or presentations? It's great that we can chat in groups so much more seamlessly than in the past but the calls still feel a little awkward for me sometimes.
I don't handle them real well but I am trying to get better. I have to do quite of few these. I even added a speaker to my phone to stop heated ear and crooked neckache gained from 1-2 hour calls.
I found this article from CIO.com useful so I thought I'd share it with you in case your organization, association or club requires you to be on-the-call.
Running an Effective Teleconference or Virtual Meeting
Stephen
Posted by stephen at 8:03 PM | Comments (0)
Social Networking Tools for Libraries
Collegedegree.com has another nice list:
25 Useful Social Networking Tools for Librarians
What ones do they discuss?
MySpace
Facebook
Ning
Blog
Meebo
LinkedIn
Twitter
Flickr
YouTube
TeacherTube
Second Life
Wikipedia
PBwiki
Footnote
Community Walk
SlideShare
Digg
StumbleUpon
Daft Doggy
aNobii
Del.icio.us
Netvibes
Connotea
LibraryThing
I feel very geeky when there's only 2 on the list I hadn't played with. Have I reached the edges of the internets? (Grin)
Stephen
Posted by stephen at 7:56 PM | Comments (1)
Kindle or iLiad?
School Library Journal has a nice video. You can watch it here:
Test Drive: Amazon Kindle, iRex iLiad.
SLJ columnist Jeffrey Hastings on the good, the bad, and the cute (sort of) in ebook readers.
His article on the topic is here:
Ebook Readers the Kindle, iLiad Reviewed
The good, the bad, and the cute (sort of) in ebook readers
By Jeffrey Hastings -- School Library Journal, 2/1/2008
This is certainly a hot topic in the publishing industry where many are removing DRM features.
Stephen
Posted by stephen at 9:25 AM | Comments (2)
February 21, 2008
Who do you hate, technology-wise?
I so enjoy Seth Godin's blog. Here's his take on technology dynamics and change...
"Encyclopedia salesmen hate wikipedia...
And CNET hates Google
And newspapers hate Craigslist
And music labels hate Napster
And used bookstores hate Amazon
And so do independent bookstores.
Dating services hate Plenty of Fish
And the local shoe store hates Zappos
And courier services hate fax machines
And monks hate Gutenberg
Apparently, technology doesn't care who you hate.
Libraries hate ______________________________
Librarians hate _____________________________
Hmmmm, not quite a meme. Such a lot of competitive threats in change.
Stephen
Posted by stephen at 8:21 PM | Comments (0)
Early Adopters in Libraries
A Portrait of Early Adopters: Why People First Went Online --and Why They Stayed
by Amy Tracy Wells, Pew Internet & American Life Project
"Our canvassing of longtime internet users shows that the things that first brought them online are still going strong on the internet today. Then, it was bulletin boards; now, it's social networking sites. Then, it was the adventure of exploring the new cyberworld; now, it's upgrading to broadband and wireless connections to explore even more aggressively. Yet there are changes in their activities and motives. In the early days, most internet users consumed material from websites. These days they are just as likely to produce material. One common refrain is that they think more change lies ahead and they are eager to watch and participate."
View PDF of Report (5 pages)
I think it's important to have a small group of early adopters in your communiity that you know. When we introduce new programs that are at the front edge of the curve, you need to test them with folks who understand the nature of the beast. If your test audience is asking why questions in stead of how questions, they're probably not early adopters... If we had only tested and listened to users asking "Why would I ever want to place an online hold?; Search an OPAC on your website?; Listen to a dowloaded audiobook?; Read an eBook?; Search databases on the web? then we'd never make progress.
So, if you're testing a MySpace presence, putting your OPAC into Facebook, making research skills training YouTubes, Podcasts or Screencasts, or adding Meebo to your homework helper site, look for the early adopters for feedback. They'll build on their own why's and help with the how.
Stephen
Posted by stephen at 8:11 PM | Comments (0)
Screencasting and Library Tutorials
Mashable has another of their great lists for top free and fee tools. This time it's for screencasting:
12 Screencasting Tools For Creating Video Tutorials
I love the idea of creating screencasts of the path through any software you're asking your users or students to try to use.
If you want to know more about screencasting watch teh SirsiDynix Institue session on this or listen to the iTunes podcast.
Show and Tell The Easy Way - An Introduction to Screencasting with Paul Pival
It's a quick and easy way to make useful, reusable learning objects for your library.
Stephen
Posted by stephen at 7:45 PM | Comments (0)
How and When Not To Answer Reference Questions
In Multimedia and Internet @ Schools I write a column called "Pipeline" for every issue. For the Nov. / Dec. 2007 issue, I offer up:
K-12 Reference Work: Learning to NOT answer their Questions
It an interesting idea, even I do say so myself!
Stephen
Posted by stephen at 6:49 PM | Comments (0)
SLA: Innovate in 2008
I also get to do a bi-monthly column for Information Outlook as part of my presidential communication role. (The alternate months are written by SLA's CEO, Janice Lachance.)
In January's issue I outlined some of our agenda for the Association, Board and members in 2008.
You can read it here: Innovate in 2008.
I'll be writing a few more of these! It's a good thing I like to write.
We've got a lot going on! It's an exciting time to be an information professional.
Stephen
Posted by stephen at 6:33 PM | Comments (0)
Innovation at SLA
I write a monthly column for Information Outlook which is one of the benefits of membership in SLA. ,In the Jan. 2008 Issue I took the opportunity to pre-announce the SLA Innovation Laboratory which will be launched very soon. It's an exciting learning initiative based on the sandbox model. If you want ot know mre, read it here:
Innovation at SLA (7 page PDF)
If you want to play, just join SLA. Here.
Stephen
Posted by stephen at 6:28 PM | Comments (0)
Technologies to Promote Your Libraries
Earlier this week I did a national releconfverence for the Education Institute. The topic was Technologies to Promote Your Libraries as part of their Tech Tuesdays: Talking with Techies program.
I sent out a handout in advance and thought others might find it useful.
You can download it here (7 page PDF):
I've included my favourite marketing blogs and other stuff of that nature as well as my article "Can All This 2.0 Stuff Help Libraries with Promotion?"
Stephen
Posted by stephen at 6:24 PM | Comments (0)
More on the Value of Libraries
After my first trip to Arkansas I was asked to submit an article for "Arkansas Libraries" magazine by the state libraian. I updated the article I developed to cover all of the library value studies since that was the area I got the most questions on.
Here's a copy:
The Value of Our Libraries: Impact, Recognition and Influencing Funders
BTW - Arkansas was a lot of fun!
Stephen
Posted by stephen at 6:21 PM | Comments (0)
Building Capacity for Change
Here's another article we (Jane Dysart and I) did for the Online International Conference Proceedings (December 2007) and presented in London.
Building Capacity for Learning, Change and Innovation
Stephen
Posted by stephen at 6:18 PM | Comments (0)
Preparing for a 2.0 World
I am going to catch up on posting some of the articles I've been writing in the past few months.
Here's one I wrote for the Online International Conference Proceedings (December 2007)
Web 2.0, Library 2.0, and Librarian 2.0: Preparing for the 2.0 World
This article explores some of the concepts in the highlight presentation for the Online International 2007 Conference in London, UK on Dec. 4, 2007.
Even though I caught the flu there it was still a great conference (and huge).
Stephen
Posted by stephen at 6:14 PM | Comments (0)
Understanding Older Americans
Here's some quick hits I discovered from ResourceShelf:
Statistics: A Statistical Profile of Older Americans Aged 65+
2 pages; PDF.
and
A Statistical Profile Of Black Older Americans Aged 65+
2 pages; PDF.
Some bites:
The older population (65+) numbered 37.3 million in 2006, an increase of 3.4 million or 10% since 1996.
• The number of Americans aged 45-64 – who will reach 65 over the next two decades – increased by 39% during this decade.
• Since 1900, the percentage of Americans 65+ has tripled (from 4.1% in 1900 to
12.4% in 2006), and the number has increased twelve times (from 3.1 million to 37.3 million).
• The Black or African American older population was 3.1 million in 2006 and is projected to grow to over 10.4 million by 2050. In 2006, African American persons made up 8.3 percent of the older population. By 2050, the percentage of the older population that is African American is projected to account for 12 percent of the older population.
• Most older persons have at least one chronic condition and many have multiple conditions. Among the most frequently occurring conditions of elderly in 2004-2005 were:
• hypertension (48%),
• diagnosed arthritis (47%),
• all types of heart disease (29%),
• any cancer (20%),
• diabetes (16%), and
• sinusitis (14%)
I wonder how these chronic conditions map to health reference questions and collections? I have almost half myself!
Anyway, since these are only two pages each they're easily posted on a bulletin board, e-mailed or printed and distributed to all staff as a backgrounder or brown bag lunch session.
Stephen
Posted by stephen at 4:10 PM | Comments (0)
Technologies to Promote Your Libraries
Here are the handouts:
Education Institute Program
Tuesday, Feb. 19th, 3-4pm ET (12-1pm PT)
Technologies to Promote Your Libraries
Part of Tech Tuesdays: Talking with Techies Series
with Stephen Abram- 1 hour AUDIO CONFERENCE
Stephen
Posted by stephen at 9:28 AM | Comments (0)
February 20, 2008
Evaluating Your Website
This is a useful new list to ponder:
50 Questions to Evaluate the Quality of Your Website
by Carsten Cumbrowski at Search Engine Journal (Feb. 20, 2008)
Just print off the list and give your website a mark on the standard A B C D F N/A scale.
Gold stars extra.
Stephen
Posted by stephen at 4:36 AM | Comments (0)
Facebook and Social Glue
by Nicole B. Ellison, Charles Steinfield, Cliff Lampe
Department of Telecommunication, Information Studies, and Media
Michigan State University
Abstract
"This study examines the relationship between use of Facebook, a popular online social network site, and the formation and maintenance of social capital. In addition to assessing bonding and bridging social capital, we explore a dimension of social capital that assesses one's ability to stay connected with members of a previously inhabited community, which we call maintained social capital. Regression analyses conducted on results from a survey of undergraduate students (N=286) suggest a strong association between use of Facebook and the three types of social capital, with the strongest relationship being to bridging social capital. In addition, Facebook usage was found to interact with measures of psychological well-being, suggesting that it might provide greater benefits for users experiencing low self-esteem and low life satisfaction."
And there are lots of interesting charts and tables. This is the first academic study I've seen on this issue since "The strength of Internet ties" (Boase, J., Horrigan, J. B., Wellman, B., & Rainie, L., 2006 ) by the Pew Internet and American Life Project.
Stephen
Posted by stephen at 3:25 AM
February 19, 2008
Emerging Technologies
MIT's Technology Review has issued a few Special Reports
ALL SPECIAL REPORTS
Surfing TV on the Internet
Google Pledges Transparency, Debuts New Gadgets
Google's Private Lives
The Search for Voice Activation
Better, More Accurate Image Search
Wikipedians Promise New Search Engine
Tracking Down a Tune
Google: Beyond Good and Evil
Googling for Code
Why AOL Matters
People-Powered Search
Better Search in Virtual Worlds
Soul of the Mobile Machine
Transforming Communication
Finding Yourself without GPS
Jott: Calling It In
The Evolution of Wireless
Invisible Revolution
Encryption Software May Halt Wire Tapping
A Sentinel to Screen Phone Calls
Return of the Porta-People
Motorola's Dumb Phone
Nokia's GPS-Enabled Pocket Computer
Smart Phone Suggests Things to Do
Q Is for Quixotic
Better Touch Screens for Mobile Phones
Mobile Web Searches Using Pictures
The Promise of Personal Supercomputers
A New Platform for Social Computing: Cell Phones
The Future of Cell Phones
Blogging on the Go
Golden Gate Lark
Phone a Friend over Wi-Fi
Besides the social, green and tehcnical value of solar to the developing world, I could be self cenrtered and hoppe this makes my personal devices cheaper to run. Maybe we can really go wireless and forego plugging in.
Supplying the World's Energy Needs with Light and Water
Cheap Nano Solar Cells
Cheap, Superefficient Solar
A Sharper Focus for Photovoltaics
Large-Scale, Cheap Solar Electricity
More Efficient Solar Cells
Silicon and Sun
Cheaper, More Efficient Solar Cells Making Gasoline from Carbon Dioxide
Solar-Powered Hydrogen Generation
New Solar Technologies Fueled by Hot Markets
How To Build a Solar Generator
Nanocharging Solar
Holographic Solar
10 Emerging Technologies 2007 (Last year's)
"1. Peering into Video’s Future - With the Internet being swamped by digital video, peer-to-peer networks may be the answer.
2. Nanocharging Solar - Cheap photovoltaics through quantum-dot solar power.
3. Invisible Revolution - The magic of metamaterials.
4. Personalized Medical Monitors - Computer-automated diagnostics for individuals.
5. Single-Cell Analysis - Analyzing differences between individual cells could make for better medical tests and treatments.
6. A New Focus for Light - New optical antennas that focus light could bring us DVDs that hold hundreds of movies.
7. Neuron Control - A genetically engineered switch lets scientists turn selected parts of the brain on and off–which could lead to new treatments for depression and other disorders.
8. Nanohealing - Stopping bleeding, aiding recovery from brain injury–nanofibers hold life-saving promise.
9. Digital Imaging, Reimagined - “Compressive sensing” could help make the capture of digital images more efficient.
10. Augmented Reality - Digital information, superimposed on the real world."
"Each year, Technology Review publishes its list of 10 emerging technologies that its editors believe will be particularly important over the next few years. This is work ready to emerge from the lab, in a broad range of areas: energy, computer hardware and software, biological imaging, and more. Two of the technologies--cellulolytic enzymes and atomic magnetometers--are efforts by leading scientists to solve critical problems, while five--surprise modeling, connectomics, probabilistic CMOS, reality mining, and offline Web applications--represent whole new ways of looking at problems. And three--graphene transistors, nanoradio, and wireless power--are amazing feats of engineering that have created something entirely new."
I find this one really interesting as I spend an inordinate amount of timne remembering to recharge my razer, iPod, phone, DVD player, speakers, etc.
Self-Assembling Batteries
Safer, Longer-Lasting Batteries
3M's Higher-Capacity Lithium-Ion Batteries
Higher-Capacity Lithium-Ion Batteries
Battery Breakthrough -- An Update
Finally, Better Batteries
Flexible Batteries That Never Need to Be Recharged
Powering GM's Electric Vehicles
How Future Batteries Will Be Longer-Lasting and Safer
Safer Lithium-Ion Batteries
GE's Two-Battery Strategy for Fuel-Cell Buses
More Powerful Hybrid Batteries
Safer, Higher-Capacity Batteries
.
Tomorrow's Car
I don't drive but this is interesting.
As we go more green this is interesting too.
This is the 2007 list of top innovators under 35. I feel old. And poor.
Anyway, there is some interesting reading here. If only a few come to pass the world gets more exciting and more challenging.
Stephen
Posted by stephen at 10:38 PM | Comments (0)
February 18, 2008
30 Mobile Trends in Libraries
The Mobile World Congress just finished in Barcelona. This post from Emergic summarizes the "Trends from Mobile World Congress" that were bandied about here.
I was interested in this because I was communicating with an author of a new book which is loosely based on the First International M-libraries conference which was held in the UK in November 2007. It was hosted jointly with Athabasca University and attracted more than 100 delegates from 25 countries. The conference outline can be seen here http://library.open.ac.uk/mLibraries/index.html. The next conference will be in Canada in Spring 2009. The book is due out in the summer. Sounds like something to look forward to.
So I tried my hand at thinking about mobile devices (basically cel phones, digital smart phones, iPods, Touch, etc.) and what that would mean to libraries and our host institutions and communities.
Here are my predictions for the next 5-10 years of mobile. It's not complete or comprehensive but it's what's on the top of my mind, such as it is:
1. Voice will not be the dominant form of electronically mediated communication in the future. It will stay static as new forms - even beyond texting and SMS take over. Jetson style videophones are already here (including my new one).
2. Mobile will have a large component of asynchronous voice messaging including threaded discussions using v-mail technologies. Timed v-mail as well as mobile v-blogging will be common.
3. Mobile devices will be most individuals' primary electronic device used for their calendar, voice and e-mail, small scale video, learning, surfing, search, GIS, etc. - basically most everything. This moves the virtual world from home or office-based computing to truly personal computing.
4. GIS features will be key to the growth of mobile applications. 3D maps of your local area, context sensitive ads and coupons, smart mobs, political rallies, etc. will all come to popular consciousness. Search and local apps will be GIS sensitive.
5. Search on the mobile will be the fastest growing app in the next five years. It is already a major feature of Apple iPhones (as I noted on this blog recently) and other digital phone companies are well advised to catch up.
6. Your called and calling numbers history as well as your nicknames and directory on your mobile will start to support social networking apps. Downloading your social networking lists will be seamless from Plaxo, LinkedIn, Facebook, Bebo, MySpace, e-mail, etc. The contact-sensitive phone (hinted at where you customize ringtones to your family or work colleagues) will become very powerful and personalized.
7. Social networking apps will be huge on the mobile but not for a few years in the western world. When it hits this will be huge since humans are social beings and social is infinitely more sticky than content.
8. iPhone style phones will dominate more quickly than predicted. The fact that apps on the phone are appearing on Apple phones fifty times more than regular phones tells us something. Your business phone may be different for security reasons.
9. Mobiles will support multiple networks including the telephone's digital network but also your home wireless network (like Apple's Touch does today) or campus wireless grid.
10. Gaming on the mobile is just the tip of the iceberg, As ringtones taught folks how to download, games are the killer commercial app to start. Learning apps will follow with e-learning on mobiles being very popular. Globally this will be critical to filling the skills gap.
11. Mobile phones will leap laptops and PC's in the developing world as the main form. Recharging will be by solar.
12. The Open Handset Alliance / Android is a really big deal. It will ultimately tie to OpenSocial and massive international ad networks and social data capturers. This will be the platform for many major mobile developments.
13. eCommerce on the phone through OpenID and your provider's billing system will be common within five years. Micropayments may finally have a business case.
14. All of the world will be ahead of the U.S. for 5 more years and then the consumer monster will awaken 'size large'.
15. Publishers and service providers who have already adapted to XML are better prepared for a mobile world.
16. Mobile dominance will decrease the use of PDF's and Flash (yay).
17. OPACs will develop GIS sensitivity and be able to communicate with users through their mobiles for holds, fines, late notices, alerts, etc.
18. In the short term the biggest markets are China, Indonesia and India.
19. Video on the mobile will be huge. Photos already are.
20. The transition from surveys based on homebase landlines to individually oriented phones will be complete. If anything has been learned by the pollsters in the current US election it is that they were really off on the role of mobiles in the new generation and that their polls of landlines in homes were off by a major factor. The scramble to catch up with the voter behaviors is fun to watch.
21. The ability for a phone to read barcodes or RFIDs and search for a better price will rock the retail industry as price comparison sites go wild.
22. Mobile and auction are a perfect fit (think what Skype and eBay could do if they thought it through!) If you're buying something in a retail mall and you can find it used or at a better price through the web or auction site, the market shifts rapidly.
23. Tagging and usage tracking on mobiles will be an important strategy for websites and ads that depend on web based revenue.
24. Some apps that will be popular are those that block unwanted mobile texting, ads, begging calls, etc. Mobile spam, phishing, etc. will be an issue. Hopefully it can be thought through before this environment gets too big. Surely we can learn from the past here.
25. Plans will need to catch-up with users. Carrying two phones to cover voice and texting cost-effectively is not a good practice if the communication provider wants to capture search and ecommerce revenue and beyond. Suppliers will need to catch up with more creative plans.
26. The early beneficiaries of ecommerce on digital mobiles will be products that do not require delivery - like advice, music, movies, ringtones, ebooks, storyhours, audioboooks, podcasts, radio, alerts, financial transactions like stocks/insurance, and more.
27. Cloud computing and apps like Google Docs and Zoho hint at greater funcionality and access to personal or collaboration files than previously dreamed.
28. Privacy and copyright regimes get more complex and complicated. Duh!
29. Some apps may be mandated or popularized through certain events. For example compare the number of mobile apps at the last two Olympics with teh next two. Athletes will be able to blog this time, events can be podcast and webcast or YouTubed. What will we see in these experiments. Also, mobile alerts - as sadly had to be used in the recent Northern Illinois University shootings will become in serious demand. Similar apps for weather, hurricane and earthquake warnings will drive adoption. Social needs like Amber Alerts or other safety warnings can drive community adoption.
30. The world will get smaller. Much much smaller, again.
There are a few places to watch for the changes to be piloted or the seeds being planted. One place is the 2008 Summer and 2010 Winter Olympics. Another is the 2008 US presidential election (polls, convention management, communication, fundraising, etc.). If you're not too tired after that this is one place to watch for major mergers and acquisitions. The satellite band auction and the players there as well as following the device manufacturers offerings especially outside of North America. Then watching teens and young adults never hurts either or early adopters in the GenX, Boomer and Senior demographics.
It's interesting to think about the future, eh? Sometimes staying optimistic is a challenge but its not too hard.
Stephen
Posted by stephen at 8:59 PM | Comments (1)
DVD Wars Over
OK - we know CD-ROM won out over vinyl, cassette tapes and 8-Tracks.
78 lost to 33 1/3 (and its cousin 45) whih lost to digital. There are still some afficianados who llove earlier formats but it is a small and shrinking niche market.
Of course, CD is gradually losing the format battle to MP3 downloads.
We know that film (when I was a kid we borrowed 8 mm and 16 mm films from my local public library) lost out to videotape and Beta formats lost out to VHS. Videotape lost out to DVD. (although there will always be small markets for alternative formats).
Picture camera film still exists now only mostly for the professional and hobbyist market but digital cameras and home printers do a pretty good job for the mass consumer. Polaroid has announced that instant film will stop being produced at all over the next couple of months..
Now comes news that the traditional DVD format battle that was between the HD DVD format for high-definition video and the competing Blu-Ray format has been won by Blu-Ray. Toshiba will stop production of HD-DVD machines and big retail Wal-Mart will only stock Blu-Ray.
Yep. Again our library world is thrown into having multiple formats to support and stock in old formats for a shrinking market.
While it was interesting that CD-ROM, DVD, Blu-Ray, etc. all won their respective battles, they haven't won the war. Streaming media is coming on strong and it's time to experiment with streaming video, MP3 collections, and high definition YouTube style videos as recently announced by DailyMotion. YouTube is having to play catch-up.
Life gets interesting. This game isn't for the weak willed or risk averse.
And yes, your old collections will still work as long as you can find player. I know of some school boards that have such a huge investment in Beta that they buy old players on eBay. If you have a huge collection in old formats (like me) buy one on sale (I found a joint DVD / VHS player for under $50.00)
Stephen
Posted by stephen at 6:17 PM | Comments (0)
Web Based Presentations
Mashable has another of their great lists.
Forget PowerPoint: 13 Online Presentation Apps
Here are the 13:
AjaxPresents
BrinkPad.com
Empressr.com
Google Documents
Preezo.com
PresentationEngine.com
PreZentit.com
SlideRocket.com
Spresent.com
ThinkFree.com
Thumbstacks.com
Vcasmo.com
Zoho Show
I await the day when I can upload my presenation to the web and feel confident that I will be able to acess it in that auditorium, or serve it off my digital phone.
That would be so Jetson's.
Stephen
Posted by stephen at 12:48 PM | Comments (1)
U.S. eBook sales up 23.6%
Interesting. Read the whole post at TeleRead.
No library, educational or professional electronic sales are included and the retail figure might actually be in the $60 million range. All in, retail sales might be well past $80 million.
It's still not huge and doesn't come close to a single Harry Potter, growth is bigger with small numbers, but things have to start somewhere. I am seeing quite a few Kindles and Readers at the airport.
Stephen
Posted by stephen at 12:40 PM | Comments (0)
Another Public Library Value Study
In the interests of my collection of value studies I'm adding another blog posting about the latest.
One Dollar In, More than Three Out!
New Study Asserts the Economic Value of the San Francisco Public Library System
Conducted by Berk and Associates, study shows that for every dollar spent supporting the San Francisco Public Library, city residents see a return of more than three times that amount
See the press release here.
URL: http://www.friendsandfoundation.org/press_release.cfm?id=41
I particularly liked hte Friends list of the many roles that SFPL plays:
"Lender of books, magazines newspapers, DVDs and video cassettes, CDs and tapes, books on tape and CD, e-books, downloadable audio books, maps, computer files and electronic databases
Provider of public access computers and wireless computer networks
Facilitator of connections to needed social services
Supporter of small and larger businesses, as well as government offices
Recorder and archiver of history
Curator of rare and unique special collections
Host for dynamic cultural and artistic exhibits
Catalyst for quality of life, neighborhood identity, and economic revitalization"
Now that's a great Friends group!
Stephen
Posted by stephen at 11:50 AM | Comments (0)
OpenID
I've been following OpenID for many years. It seems to finally be breaking out in the area of federated ID management.
What problem does it solve? Well just ask yourself how many ID's and passwords you have. It's a pain. How many have you forgotten? Are there more forgotten ones than there are active ones? (For me the answer is a big yes even though I do try to stick with a limited variety of them.)
OpenID attempts to create a secure space to manage your identity while protecting the rights of others. You can use your OpenID on any one of a growing number of sites (nearly ten-thousand) which support OpenID. Over the past few months some of the majors have signed on. I think this is the equivalent of the time when the browser wars ended and everyone adopted a more or less common standard. Here are a few:
Google
IBM
Microsoft
Yahoo!
Verisign
Wikia
SixApart
CNN
Drupal
Plaxo
Technorati
LiveJournal
AOL
On Feb. 7th the OpenID Foundation announced that Google, IBM, Microsoft, VeriSign, and Yahoo! had joined the board. "The OpenID Foundation was formed in early 2006 by seven community members with the goal of helping promote, protect and enabling the OpenID technologies and community. [This] announcement marks a milestone in the maturity and impact that the OpenID community has had. While the OpenID Foundation serves a stewardship role around the community’s intellectual property, the Foundation’s board itself does not make any decisions about the specifications the community is collaboratively building.
Last year, OpenID grew by leaps and bounds both as a technology and as a community. At the beginning of 2006, there were fewer than 20-million OpenID enabled URLs and less than 500 websites where they could be used. Today there are over a quarter of a billion OpenIDs and well over 10,000 websites to accept them. OpenID has grown to be implemented by major open source projects such as Drupal, cornerstone Web 2.0 services such as those by 37signals and Six Apart, as well as a mix of large companies including as Apple, Google, and Yahoo!. Today is about truly recognizing the accomplishments of the entire OpenID community which has certainly grown beyond the small grassroots community where it started in late 2005.
So what does this really mean? In the past few months respected bloggers, analysts, and marketers have been writing about how OpenID needs to start being explained clearly, so that it can actually become a mainstream technology. We started this process late last year by cleaning up the website, making it far more accessible and useful to a wider range of people. At OpenID DevCamp there was a focus on OpenID usability and the implementation of Yahoo! OpenID Provider clearly shows that a lot of thought went into making it clear and comprehensible to those who aren’t geeks.
One of the other accomplishments of the Foundation last year was working with AOL, Microsoft, VeriSign, Sun, Symantec, and Yahoo! to develop an intellectual property rights policy and process for technical OpenID specification work which was finalized in December. While all of these community accomplishments have been great, each was made possible by the community’s willingness to include the resources of companies alongside the efforts of individual contributors.
By bringing on these companies and their resources, the OpenID Foundation will now be able to better serve the needs of the entire OpenID community. In 2008, we can expect to see a larger focus on making OpenID even more accessible to a mainstream audience, the development of a World-wide trademark usage policy (much like the Jabber Foundation and Mozilla have done), and a larger international focus on working with the OpenID communities in Asia and Europe. Awesome!"
This is a major initiative that all libraries should be watching. By integrating into the ID/password simplicity movement we will help improve the user experience for our users. We also need to participate in the development to ensure our users' privacy and rights are protected too. We need to understand this development very well. Are libraries ready to participate with OpenID? Anyone out there already signed on? Anyone out there with a personal or organizational membership?
Stephen
Posted by stephen at 10:43 AM | Comments (2)
More Comic Creators
Here are a few more comic creators.
Toondoo
http://www.toondoo.com/Home.toon
Pixton
http://www.pixton.com/home
MakeBeliefsComix
http://www.makebeliefscomix.com/
Comiqs
http://comiqs.com/
Toonlet
http://toonlet.com/
Comic Life
http://plasq.com/comiclife-win
Different sites seem appropriate for different ages and stages. They seem tailor-made for library events. How about these ideas:
1. Have a library user contest to make the best comic to describe a visit to the library. (humour welcome)
2. Add this to the 23 Things or Learning 2.1 as a fun activity. (fun is welcome, eh.)
3. Write a comic book about a trip to the library for different grades to access and read before or after a library visit.
4. Write a fun storyboard about a library event - games night, teddy bear or wear-your-pajamas night, sleepovers, computer literacy training, and more.
5. Promote a vote for a bond issue or library proposition. (Hey if you can comnunicate your best argument in four panels you're halfway there!)
6. Promote your graphic novels, mystery or romance collection with a graphic representation of the staff and librarian.
Remeber there are many formats of comics:
- Single pane
- 3-4 panels
- Sunday colour comics longform
- Classic comics
- Graphic novels
- Serials (or Soap Operas) like Mary Worth or Gasoline Alley
- Limited series (like a Christmas arc)
What are your ideas (or examples?). You can share in the comments.
Hey! You don't need to know how to draw anymore!
Stephen
Posted by stephen at 10:24 AM | Comments (0)
February 16, 2008
Make Your Own Comic with Toonlet
OMG, this is so fun!
I picked this up from the Infodoodads blog. That's my strip. I made it in less than 10 minutes. It's my title, That character is me. It's the first avatar of me with my new beard.
All you need to do to create comics for free is register and it's easy to use. You create a set of characters. You can adjust their styles and moods. Then you write your strip. You literally have billions of options.
There are a ton of library applications here. You can create a suite of characters - librarians, pages, directors, trustees, students. Then you can put up a comic a week advertising the latest event, book, meeting, whatever. You could even have the book, teen or seniors clubs make their own.
Anyway, you can find Toonlet here.
Watch, follow along on the tour comic (oooo - good idea - a library tour comic...!) and get started.
Let your imaginations go wild. This is one of those simple things that can engage folks and get our message out there.
Stephen
Posted by stephen at 11:01 AM | Comments (1)
Yahoo vs. Google on Searchers' Wealth
Hitwise is reporting some interesting new data on the demographic differences between Yahoo searchers and those that tend to use Google. Read more here.
With the current Microsoft / Yahoo! soap opera this is interesting stuff. (Can you believe Yahoo! is even considering merging with AOL? That's just so lame. And News Corp.?! Anyway, I hope the widely predicted search consolidation happens fast. This pulling off the band aid strategy is starting to feel like a bad reality show. Now Yahoo's board is reported to disagree with Jerry Yang and wants to sell to MS and many shareholders are suing over not selling to MS. Do you think they could get The Donald to host the final episode?)
It is interesting that Yahoo! attracts a statistically significant younger audience. I wonder why this is? I could speculate that Yahoo Mail is more popular among teens, that Yahoo has more hits due to its old portal strategies, or that there are vestiges of the old Yahoo! directory strategy driving better experiences. Don't know though.
And I love this bubble chart. The bigger the bubble the higher the propensity to have spent $500 online.
Now kids are rumoured to have no, less, lots of money. Many have credit cards (I know some parents prefer that their kids don't have access to actual cash for some of those nasty cash transactions.) which can change their online habits. This chart isn't about kids though but the overall searching population.
Anyone know if there are any studies of library searches (website, OPAC, etc.) that delve into demographic data? I wonder how libraries in general compare online to the big commercial online presences. Are we actually addressing the digital divide? Do we serve the underserved? Do we do great at youth? Is there a gender imbalance? How about educational attainment?
Stephen
Posted by stephen at 10:09 AM | Comments (0)
Semantic Web - Web 3.0
Some of you will need to control your visceral reaction to the 3.0 concept. Again it's just the title of a conversation. In library land there seem to be two types of conversations - those that discuss the concept and try to figure out what it means, and those that try to decide what label it should have on its spine.
Anyway, the web 3.0 thing is starting to form a beach head in the discussions outside of library land. One useful post to start with is this one:
11 Things to Know About the Sematic Web (ReadWriteWeb)
It's a nice simple post. I like point number one: "You don’t need to apologize for calling it Web 3.0. Of course the Web does not upgrade in one go like a company switching to Vista. But there is a definite phase transition from current technologies. My personal Web 3.0 definition is “the combination of Web 2.0 mass collaboration with structured databases”."
I also like the hint that this trend is more powerful in the enterprise world than the consumer space. With an emphasis on vertical search, leveraging local communities and tagging, it's made for librarians' skills. My SLA colleagues will be watching this one closely.
If you don't like the Web 3.0 title, just call it the semantic web, no one really knows what that means either.
Stephen
Posted by stephen at 9:58 AM | Comments (1)
February 15, 2008
My Current Professional Reading
I just bought a few new books. I think I need to improves my speaking and my PPT slides.
I am halfway through this book and it's awesome:
PresentationZen: Simple Ideas on Presentation Design and Delivery by Garr Reynolds.
On the bedside table and awaiting cracked spines are:
Beyond Bullet Points from Microsoft press by Cliff Atkinson
Rick Altman's Why Most PowerPoint Presentations Suck and how you can make them better.
Clear and to The Point: 8 Psychological Principles for Compelling PowerPoint Presentations by Stephen M. Kosslyn.
I am also looking forward to reading SLA Commnuictaion Diretcor's new book: Tough Questions -- Good Answers: Taking Control of Any Interview by Tom Calcagni.
That'll make a few more airport and plane trips more bearable. Hopefully it will make my speeches more bearable too!
I also highly recommend this post:
Talk Good: Giving Effective Presentations by Peter Bromberg at Library Garden blog.
He provides a bunch of very good links to his top 10 presentation tips sites. (There's actually more than 10.)
Gotta get better every day. I've got a week's worth of reading. Yay.
Stephen
Posted by stephen at 6:44 PM | Comments (1)
SIIA Report on Web 2.0 and Business
So, I have competing information on Web 2.0 and business and intranets. Interesting.
Stephen
SIIA Survey Reveals Businesses Increasingly Embracing Web 2.0 Technologies
New Applications Advance Business-to-Business Use of Social Networking Sites, Blogs, Wikis and User-Generated Content
Washington, DC February 8, 2008 -- The Software and Information Industry Association (SIIA), the principal trade association for the software and digital content industry, today released the results of a survey on business use of Web 2.0 technologies such as wikis, blogs, social
networking and user-generated content, which indicated that businesses are increasingly embracing these new technologies.
“Clearly, Web 2.0 is infiltrating the B2B space at a rapid rate, as businesses attempt to reach new markets and increase their connection with consumers” said SIIA Vice President of Content Ed Keating. “As new applications are developed, we expect to continue to see further
penetration of tools adapted for the business market in a relatively short time.”
Conducted to coincide with SIIA’s Information Industry Summit, the survey explored the ways in which business-oriented content companies are using the various forms of Web 2.0 capabilities to enhance their connection to their users. Nearly 42% of respondents are currently using social
networking technologies such as MySpace and Facebook, while another 35% plan to do so in the near future. Only a third place user-generated content on their sites, while more than half carry at least one blog.
The survey found that B2B users expected social networking to enable them to reach new markets and increase user engagement and loyalty. While just over 80% of respondents expected to achieve these goals, about 40% feel they have already reached new markets and a third believe they have increased customer engagement.
About a third of the firms surveyed currently post user-generated content, with a quarter planning to do so in the near term. The major driver for its use is again to increase user engagement and loyalty (92%).
Those surveyed about the utility of blogging had a mixed reaction. While more than half of survey respondents indicated that they do publish blogs, almost two-thirds believe that their influence on the industry has been mixed. Only 15% view them as “critically important” to the industry’s market environment.
To view the full results of the SIIA survey, please visit:
www.siia.net/content under Recent Publications.
SIIA Contact: Ed Keating, VP, Content Division, 860-663-5535,
ekeating@siia.net
PR contact: Don Marshall, Rational PR, 202-429-4932,
donmarshall@rationalpr.com
Posted by stephen at 6:36 PM | Comments (0)
Teens and Cel Phones
Picked up from YPulse.
Sudbury Star, Feb. 15, 2008
Teens wired to their cellphones; Most could give it up for a day, but any longer would give them fits
"Young people ages 13 to 24 are the largest group of wireless phone users in Canada."
"52 per cent of Canadian teens do have their own phone."
"Teens spent 10 per cent less on clothing last year, allocating money to their cells."
"More cellphone chatting and text messaging has meant fewer teens using online chat rooms, according to a study by Mobile Youth. Only 27 per cent now use Internet access to chat, down from a high of 75 per cent in 1999. Also 93 per cent of those surveyed now use text messaging every day . About three per cent send more than 40 messages a day."{
"144 cellphone users ages 16 to 40 from several countries to give up their cellphones for a couple of days. Even the moderate users described the experience as one of "deprivation." They felt anxious without their phones."
"Teens text teens, talk to parents"
Today Wired mag reports that Google was shocked to discover that Apple iPhone users search Google with their mobiles fifty times more often than other kinds of phones. "Not bad for a phone that represents 0.4 percent of the mobile handset market."
We see the beachhead of change...
Stephen
Posted by stephen at 6:26 PM | Comments (0)
CASLIS Toronto Chapter Presentation
I visited my local chapter of CASLIS (A division of CLA) to present in February. It was great to see so many old friends and catch up.
Here are the PPT's:
Building Capacity for Learning: Learning 2.0!
CASLIS Feb. 6, 2008
Stephen
Posted by stephen at 9:26 AM | Comments (0)
Tips For Social Networking
If you're working on using a social networking site for engaging your users or markets, this post contains some great advice.
Eight Secrets of Effective Online Networking
Tips, tricks, and tools for using and managing your social networks wiselyby Beth Kanter
How can you get the most out of social networking tools, try these tips (lots more advice in the posting):
1. Invest Time in Your Network
2. Test the Waters with an Individual Profile
3. Establish a Routine
4. Don't Spread Yourself Too Thin
5. Share the Workload
6. Keep It Personal
7. Befriend People Strategically
8. Use a Few Good Time Savers
The time savers were great - even if you're not a big social networker.
Stephen
Posted by stephen at 12:28 AM | Comments (1)
Intranet 2.0
Information professionals in special libraries often have a key role to play in the development and population of their enterprise's intranet.
The Global Intranet Trends Report is available and the executive summary is free (and the full report is available to order).
Read this review:
Intranet 2.0 on the rise, but barely
The adoption of Intranet 2.0 (Web 2.0) tools in the past two years has barely grown while organizations and intranet managers focus on more pressing priorities.
It notes that only "6% have blogs in general use (another 23% have them implemented it in some form) while 45% are still in test mode. Only 7% have implemented commenting tools (e.g. post a comment to a story on the intranet) in general use (another 35% have implemented it in some form)."
For intranet leaders the issues of content, ownership & governance, intranet awareness and use, search engine effectiveness and usability and navigation are more pressing.
Adoption of new tools is running slowly - just like the Moore adoption curve predicts.
Stephen
Posted by stephen at 12:17 AM | Comments (0)
Teens and Copyright
On January 23, 2008 KRC released a memorandum with the "Topline Results of Microsoft Survey of Teen Attitudes on Illegal Downloading"
It "summarizes the topline results of an online survey of 501 teenagers attending seventh through tenth grade, conducted by KRC Research on behalf of Microsoft Corporation. The interviews were conducted between January 14 and 17, 2008. The estimated margin of error for the national study is ±4.4 percentage points at the 95% confidence level."
KEY FINDINGS
"Fewer teens expect punishment for illegal use of Intellectual Property than stealing goods. Fewer than half of teens surveyed (48%) thought they should be punished for illegally downloading materials over the Internet, while most thought they should be punished for things like stealing a bike (90%), stealing a video game at the mall (89%) or stealing a cell phone from a locker at school (85%).
Awareness of the law impacts teen attitudes towards illegal downloading. The more teenagers know about laws against illegal downloading, the more they will come to think it should be a punishable offense. Likewise, teenagers unaware of the rules are more tolerant of illegal activities.
Among teenagers who said they were familiar with the laws, more than eight in ten (82%) said illegal downloaders should be punished. In contrast, slightly more than half (57%) of those unfamiliar with the laws said violators should be punished.
Parents play a critical role for teens. Teens report their parents are their main source of information about what they can and cannot do online. Reinforcing the critical role of parents is the fact that some of the strongest deterrents to stealing and illegally sharing content are the thoughts of potential consequences.
Teens challenged by peer pressure and their wallets. Among teens, peer pressure and cost also have a strong impact on attitudes towards illegal downloading."
Read the memo here. At the end, the conclusion about pricing is interesting.
Stephen
Posted by stephen at 12:12 AM | Comments (0)
February 14, 2008
Mobile Search
I was wondering what sort of stuff was available for dowboad to mobiles. I was particularly interested in what sort of search applications there were for cel phones.
The iPhone is the third bestselling phone in the world right now, so what can we do with it that might be library related. Here's the search apps for the iPhone. It's runs the gamut from practical to weird:
Freekat Search 02/13/2008 Allows you to search the web and locate reliable information online with an easy-to-use iphone interface.
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LawFone 02/12/2008 Combines the #1 mobile lawyer directory with valuable legal information and a proprietary, confidential case submission form for iPhone.
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pricecheckah 02/12/2008 Helps comparison shop while still at the store. Search for anything via a UPC, ISBN or Keyword- Now Searches UK
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Britannica Mobile | Staff Pick 02/08/2008 Get real answers from real experts! Allows access to the entire Encyclopedia Britannica, including thousands of photos and other images.
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Area Code Finder 02/07/2008 Find U.S. and Canada area codes by city, state, or number.
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Summize for the iPhone | Staff Pick 02/05/2008 Find summarized reviews on millions of products.
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Job Search USA 02/05/2008 Search through and apply for all the latest jobs on the Harvey Nash USA website.
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uh… Where? | Staff Pick 02/05/2008 Search for zip codes, area/postal codes, international city information all from your iPhone or iPod Touch.
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spotstart.com 02/04/2008 Collection of the most popular searchable web resources.
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Harvey Nash Mobile Job Search | Staff Pick 01/31/2008 Search through our latest jobs with an optimised interface for the iPhone.
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Top 5 Event Finder 01/30/2008 The Top 5 Event Finder webapp presents the top 5 major events in your area. The events are auto-updated as they become available.
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Amazon Search 01/29/2008 Check product prices and availability on amazon.com
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KELZEN Employer Check 01/29/2008 Employer Check - Company reviews for employees by employees.
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Pinpoint | Staff Pick 01/28/2008 Lookup restaurants, bars, gas stations, hotels, movie theaters, wi-fi hotspots, and virtually any other business from your iPhone or iPod Touch.
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iPling :)) 01/28/2008 Find and be found… now! Share your interests in real time and discover like-minded people nearby.
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Antiques TV 01/24/2008 Art and antiques videos, art and antiques for sale, directory with Google maps.
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CaseFone 01/21/2008 Find a lawyer by posting your case information anonymously and securely; attorneys then request contact information from us if interested.
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uscity.net Internet Directory 01/18/2008 Internet directory interface for the iphone. Directory/Category Structure eliminates the need to type.
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UKLRS Land Registry Mobile 01/18/2008 The leading Internet supplier of Land Registry Title Deeds and Plans for the UK is now mobile.
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Local Search - Yellow and White Pages for Germany 01/14/2008 Search in the most comprehensive yellow pages service and white pages in Germany.
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iClueless 01/11/2008 A search portal that empowers you to search for any information you need at anytime.
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Foodist Colony’s NYC Restaurant Guide | Staff Pick 01/10/2008 Take your personal NYC restaurant guide and your friends to-go.
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Yeah. No, Totally. 01/09/2008 Jump start your web searches to many popular sites, all from one quick startpage.
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Ham Radio Callsign Lookup 01/09/2008 Look up US Amateur Radio Callsigns.
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BT Phonebook 01/08/2008 Convenient access to BT’s Phonebook from your UK iPhone or iPod Touch
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i.Zami | Staff Pick 01/07/2008 A wiki-style yellow pages for the iPhone lifestyle.
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118 712 - Annuaire des particuliers et professionnels 01/04/2008 Find local businesses and persons with France White & Yellow Pages.
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PriceMiner 01/04/2008 PriceMiner, the world’s largest Antiques and Collectibles price guide, includes over 20 million prices from sources including eBay and GoAntiques.com.
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Pagesmode search 12/20/2007 Wherever you are, now you can research a shop from your iPhone while entering the trade name and then the town (in France).
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SAPOmobile 12/20/2007 SAPO mobile portal for cellphones, smartphones and iPhone. In Portuguese.
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Compendium 12/18/2007 Live Search in more than ten Wikipedia’s (and in several dictionaries) with iPhone and iPod touch optimized interface.
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HTCC Mobile Member Directory 12/12/2007 On the go access to all Huntington Township Chamber of Commerce members.
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Real Estate and accommodations in Val-de-marne (France) 12/11/2007 Estate agent’s office in Val-de-marne (France).
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Google Search | Staff Pick 12/05/2007 A better way to search with Google from your mobile.
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People Search & Background Checks (Stealth Insight) 12/04/2007 Instant, Nationwide People Search & Background Checks with your iPhone - Summary Results are always free.
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iFindToys 12/03/2007 Find the toughest toys and gifts this holiday season.
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Unbound MEDLINE | Staff Pick 11/30/2007 Access more than 17 million healthcare journal articles anytime, anywhere. Plus, search Best Evidence with Unbound’s unique EBM filter.
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Second Life Search | Staff Pick 11/27/2007 Feel free to touch a new world. Explore Second Life like no-one else. Groups, Places, Residents, and much more.
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RetailMeNot.com Coupons | Staff Pick 11/27/2007 Save a bundle of money with access to over 50,000 coupon codes for shopping.
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superDeal 11/27/2007 A mobile price comparison for iPhone.
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Maps 11/27/2007 Google Maps for iPod Touch.
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Prixtag | Staff Pick 11/27/2007 Quickly check online prices while you are out shopping to see if its cheaper to buy online.
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Nirvino | Staff Pick 11/27/2007 Access to over 200,000 wine reviews and ratings that combine print, online, and broadcast wine critics into one simple score.
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GelbeSeiten 11/16/2007 Find local businesses and services with Germany’s well known Yellow Pages.
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QuickSearch 11/15/2007 Search full & mobile versions of GMail, Wikipedia, Google, and more. Also available as a lightweight data URL so it’s always ready.
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Pricedrop Deal Finder 11/12/2007 The Pricedrop deal finder provides instant access to the best deals on Consumer Electronics, Cameras, Computers, GPS, Music, and More.
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Digital Photography Store 11/12/2007 iPhone version of Hunt’s Photo & Video allowing you to quickly find your favorite photography gear with the tap of your finger.
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Sputtr Custom Search 11/08/2007 Better and more efficient search for your iPhone/iPod Touch. Try it out.
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Yell.com mobile 11/08/2007 Looking for a shop, business or service when you’re out and about?
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iStoreFinder 11/05/2007 With iStoreFinder, directions to the nearest Apple Store is only a touch away.
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PoP Church Directory 11/02/2007 Directory of all Presbyterian Church USA churches in the Presbytery of the Pacific.
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Find Pharmacies in Germany (Apotheken-Finder) 10/31/2007 Find Emergency Pharmacies and emergency medical practices in Germany.
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YELLOWPAGES.COM | Staff Pick 10/30/2007 Need something local? YELLOWPAGES.COM, a leader in local search, is now optimized for the iPhone and iPod touch.
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Sullr 10/26/2007 A tool for obtaining information from telephone lines in reverse mode.
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iCoupie 10/25/2007 Shows you the latest online coupons available in various categories. Don’t go shopping without it!
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iSave.com 10/25/2007 A shopping comparison tool that allows to shop and compare through thousands of products.
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Synod Directory 10/24/2007 Directory of all Presbyterian Church USA churches in Southern California and Hawaii.
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iSchools.mobi - USA School Directory 10/24/2007 iSchools provides general information on over 135,000 schools and colleges in the USA.
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Yahoo! pipes | Staff Pick 10/24/2007 A powerful composition tool to aggregate, manipulate, and mashup content from around the web.
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Knitmap iPhone 10/23/2007 Find yarn stores near you using Knitmap iPhone.
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BookSearch.app 10/23/2007 Find prices for books at major online retailers by searching using a book ISBN.
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iViewr | Staff Pick 10/11/2007 Browse and view popular attractions, events, and travel information directly on your iPhone or iPod touch.
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sho’fr 10/11/2007 Mobile sho’fr allows iPhone owners quick and easy access to our entire Chevrolet Corvette service and club directory with nearly 200 profiles locations in 17 U.S. cities.
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Nutrition Database for iPhone 10/11/2007 Look up any food’s nutritional content on your iPhone.
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Reverse Phone Lookup 10/11/2007 Lookup the owner of a phone number by performing a reverse phone number lookup on your iPhone
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Bible for iPhone 10/11/2007 A searchable Bible for your iPhone.
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Scriptures 10/11/2007 Read and study the Bible, Book of Mormon, and other Scriptures. More
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3onesix Ministry Tools 10/11/2007 A simple-to-use Bible search application designed for iPhone and iPod touch.
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iPhocal 10/11/2007 Find local businesses on your iPhone.
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The Scriptures (iPhone Edition) 10/11/2007 Religion in your pocket, not on your sleeve. Read, bookmark, annotate and search the Scriptures on your iPhone.
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zabihah 10/11/2007 zabihah allows users to find and map restaurants in their area that conform to Halal (Muslim dietary code) standards.
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Mowser - Mobilizing the Web 10/11/2007 Mowser helps you view the web with tools for your mobile browser including feeds, links and content adaption.
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Here's the other download categories.
Calculate
Entertainment
Games
News
Productivity
Search Tools
Social Networking
Sports
Travel
Utilities
Weather
Seems like a list of top reference questions. Hmmm.
Time to play more with my mobile/cel/PDA whatchmacallit.
Stephen
Posted by stephen at 11:44 PM | Comments (2)
Neat little tool lists
I was a little surprised to find this neat little list on a website called "CollegeDegree.com", but anyway it has some fun lists. The first one is a neat little list of alternative library OPAC and content search engines:
25 Awesome Beta Research Tools from Libraries Around the World
"If you're tired of using the same old search box on your local library website for research projects, it might be time to broaden your horizons. Try out one of these in-the-works betas sponsored by world-class libraries around the world. From academic libraries like that at MIT or renowned research centers like the Library of Congress, the following beta research tools feature innovative tricks to connect you with the most relevant, valid results on the Internet and in their card catalogs. Melvil Dewey would be proud."
Others to be found here incude:
60+ Killer Open Courseware Collections for Web Designers
99 Resources to Research & Mine the Invisible Web
Anyway, neat lists of stuff to review and play with.
Stephen
Posted by stephen at 11:33 PM | Comments (0)
February 13, 2008
Types of Innovators
I liked Dave Pollard's post on types of innovators and experimenters:
He encourages a culture of experimentation using these styles:
- collaborators: they don't do anything alone
- facilitators and coaches: they help others to learn and discover how to do things better
- demonstrators: more than just communicators, they show how it works and what it means
- ideators: they imagine what's possible, and tell stories to bring those ideas to life
- innovators: they take those good ideas and realize them, make them real
- researchers: they study what's been done, in nature, by other cultures and communities, and what's needed, and spread that knowledge
- connectors: they bring people together who were meant to work together
- model-builders: they design and build something that can be understood, replicated and adapted by others
- founders: they start new things -- enterprises, communities, different ways to do important things; they build something new rather than criticizing what exists.
I've been talking about pilots and trials and experiments for years rather than abstractly studying things to death to move our enterprises forward. Releasing the energy in our staff and not "betting the enterprise" on potentially too risky initiatives and doing enough experimenetation rather than just the BIG ONE, seems like a thoughtful approach.
Stephen
Posted by stephen at 9:21 AM | Comments (1)
Who actually clicks on Ads?
Honest to heaven, don't you wonder who actually clicks on those ads on the web?
StarCom MediaVest published this:
New Study Shows that Heavy Clickers Distort Reality of Display Advertising Click-Through Metrics (Feb. 12, 12008)
Highlights:
"Heavy clickers skew towards Internet users between the ages of 25-44 and households with an income under $40,000," the study said, and they "are also relatively more likely to visit auctions, gambling, and career services sites – a markedly different surfing pattern than non-clickers."
"heavy clickers represent just 6% of the online population yet account for 50% of all display ad clicks."
"Heavy clickers behave very differently online than the typical Internet user, and while they spend four times more time online than non-clickers, their spending does not proportionately reflect this very heavy Internet usage. Heavy clickers are also relatively more likely to visit auctions, gambling, and career services sites – a markedly different surfing pattern than non-clickers."
"preliminary Starcom data suggests no correlation between display ad clicks and brand metrics, and show no connection between measured attitude towards a brand and the number of times an ad for that brand was clicked."
I would be interested to compare and understand the demographics of library clickers on our websites and circulation transactions.
Stephen
Posted by stephen at 9:06 AM | Comments (0)
February 12, 2008
Education Institute: Feb. 19th
Coming up at the Education Institute, Tuesday February 19th from 3-4 EST, I'll be chatting about technologies for promoting your library with Jane Dysart, Dysart & Jones Associates.
She's going to interview me about the new technology tools that I've heard about, observed or played with to promote library goodness.
Sign up, pay and join us! And if you have questions for more things you want to know, let me know through the comments here or via email (stephen.abram at sirsidynix.com)
Stephen
Posted by stephen at 3:19 PM | Comments (0)
February 11, 2008
SirsiDynix SuperConference and SDI Executive Track
Registration is now open for the SirsiDynix SuperConference. You can find out more here.
We're at the Detroit Marriott at the Renaissance Center this year from April 5-8. There are many pre-conference training opportunities, the SirsiDynix Institute Executive Conference, a vendor exhibition and 100+ informative breakouts are all being planned now for the best SuperConference ever in a beautiful facility.
I am especially involved in the SDI Executive Track. You can see the program here. I think we have an awesome line-up this year on the theme of Open Libraries.
We will have the return of the popular Lee Rainie from the Pew Internet & American Life project. I'll be presenting there and there will be special appearances from this amazing group of folks:
Deb Jacobs, Seattle Public Library
Lesley Boughton, Wyoming State Librarian
Terri Fredericka, Executive Director, INFOhio
The SirsiDynix technology and development leaders
Gary Rautenstrauch, SirsiDynix CEO
I am also very excited to have Peter Morville, from Semantic Studios and librarian author of O'Reilly's Ambient Findability and Information Architecture for the WWW at the conference. He blogs at Findability.org is writing a new book on search patterns. He has uploaded screenshots illustrating different types of search patterns to Flickr. He asks folks to add tags, notes, and comments, and suggest new examples. Over time, he hopes to include patterns that illustrate user behavior and the information architecture of search and be blogging about search patterns as the collection and his ideas evolve. I think this will be a very interesting session.
Like all SirsiDynix events, the SDI Executive Track is open to everyone.
Stephen
Posted by stephen at 2:32 PM | Comments (0)
February's SirsiDynix Institute
You are invited to attend the upcoming SirsiDynix Institute webinar – Tuesday, February 19, 2008 at 11 a.m. EST.
Please follow the link to register for this webinar:
https://events.livemeeting.com/sirsidynix021908Reg.htm
February 19, 2008 - 11 a.m. EST
Dru Zuretti
Copyright Education Manager, Copyright Clearance Center
The 21st Century Classroom: Copyright and Electronic Content
The 21st century classroom is integrally tied to the Web as a portal for communication, information gathering, and recreation. Students are roaming daily in social networks such as MySpace and Facebook, voicing their opinions in blogs, conducting research, and texting with their peers. These students have come to expect the around-the-clock access to information and services with limited guidance from others.
To meet the expectations of the independent, technological student, teachers and librarians are faced with finding ways to incorporate online content and platforms into the teaching environment, whether the classroom is physical or virtual. Technological solutions, such as course management systems, have allowed educators and students to interact and share resources efficiently and the Web, for over a decade now, has expanded the reach of information beyond the library and geographical boundaries.
So, where does the issue of copyright fit in this new paradigm? How do educators and librarians navigate the complexities of copyright exemptions in the academic setting? Please join Dru Zuretti, Copyright Education Manager at Copyright Clearance Center, in this Webinar where she will discuss these issues and suggest some best practices for working with copyrighted content in today's Web 2.0 environment.
Dru Zuretti is the Copyright Education Manager at Copyright Clearance Center. Dru has been with CCC since December of 1997, and has served in a variety of customer facing roles, including management of the Customer Relations Group. In her current role of Copyright Education Manager, Dru travels extensively throughout the United States, and visits many college and university campuses, businesses, consortia and corporations, at their request. She also has been a presenter on copyright issues for a variety of national conferences including the National Association of College Stores at ConTEXT and CAMEX, the Medical Library Association Annual Conference, the Special Library Association Annual Conference, Big Ten Printing and Copyright Conference, Print Image International, the Association of College and University Printers, the Society of Technical Communication, and the Text & Academic Authors Association.
Prior to coming to CCC, Dru was the President and General Manager of the Credit Bureau of Eastern Massachusetts, an independent credit reporting and collections agency located in Salem, Massachusetts.
Dru is a member of the National Speakers Association and International Coaching Federation, and has a Master of Education degree from Cambridge College.
Register today to receive your webinar log in information and to hear Dru’s presentation Tuesday, February 19!
Stephen
Posted by stephen at 2:27 PM | Comments (0)
O'Reilly Tools of Change for Publishing
I had the great opportunity to do the opening keynote for the O'Reilly Tools of Change (TOC) for Publishing Conference in New York this morning.
Here are my slides:
Information 3.0 - Will Publishers Matter?
I'll be closing the conference on Tuesday with an interview panel of teens and their use of information and libraries. That'll be fun!
Stephen
Posted by stephen at 2:23 PM | Comments (1)
I Wish I'd Thought of This!
This is a brilliant use of current events to market the library. I wish I'd thought of it.
Pennsylvania Library Reminds You Their Writers are NOT On Strike
Too bad the stike is over but it reminds us to always be aware of the top news and to use it to engage our users in our programs. Any ideas? 2008 Olympics, primaries, caucuses, celebrity meltdowns . . .?
Stephen
Posted by stephen at 2:19 PM | Comments (1)
STARS 2008 ALA Preconference
I'll be speaking at this ALA Pre-conference in Anaheim in June.
Registration is now open for the STARS 2008 ALA Preconference:
"Throw off your policies and expose your resources: Rethinking resource sharing" Friday June 27, 2008 Anaheim CA (before ALA Annual)
Resource sharing is changing in innovative and exciting ways, and this is your chance to learn all about what the future holds. Join us for this eye-opening preconference, where you will
- Hear Stephen Abram, the guru for library innovation, talk about resource sharing.
- Develop ideas to help librarians improve resource sharing.
- Find ways to improve service to your users and ways to encourage new users to take advantage of your collections and services.
Who should attend?
- Library managers and administrators who have the ability to make change happen.
- Front line librarians in Interlibrary Loan and Document Delivery departments who will be implementing changes.
- Resource sharing staff responsible for setting resource sharing policies, entering into agreements with other institutions, and making decisions about end-user services.
- Anyone interested in the future of and the big picture for resource sharing.
For more information including the preconference schedule and list of presenters:
http://www.ala.org/ala/rusa/rusaourassoc/rusasections/stars/starsevents/starsevents.cfm
For more information, please contact:
Anne Beaubien, RUSA STARS Preconference Planning Committee 2008
e-mail: beaubien@umich.edu
Posted by stephen at 2:13 PM | Comments (0)
February 10, 2008
Happy Birthday XML
Today marks the tenth anniversary of the first public unveiling of XML. Seems like longer!
It's almost the same age as other pre-teens like Google.
The invention of XML was one of the most transformational events in the history of the electronic world.
Stephen
Posted by stephen at 12:54 AM | Comments (0)
February 9, 2008
Top 100 Tools for Learning 2008
Jane's E-Learning Pick of the Day (A daily item of e-learning interest selected by Jane Hart of the Centre for Learning & Performance Technologies) is working on updating the Top 100 Tools for Learning for 2008.
If you want to contribute you can find out more here.
The list is updated as it is added to and can be found in draft form here.
It's already an interesting list and seems about 60/40 for free/fee. I hadn't even considered some useful to learning but now that I think about it . . .
Stephen
Posted by stephen at 10:52 PM | Comments (0)
The Amazon Kindle and Libraries
Norm Oder at Library Journal dug into the story about whether libraries can loan Kindles with books on them. Here's what Amazon said:
"Amazon spokesman Drew Herdener told LJ that a loan of a Kindle without content is OK but sharing a device loaded with content "with a wide group of people would not be in line with the terms of use."
Huh? Read more here.
An empty Kindle? What a fun thing! What's next - blank paperbacks with free delivery?
Stephen
Posted by stephen at 10:39 PM | Comments (1)
February 6, 2008
Information Economy Report 2007-2008
The United Nations Conference on Trade and Development released their annual study:
Information Economy Report 2007-2008
Highlights
The Information Economy Report 2008 - Science and technology for development: the new paradigm of ICT, analyses the current and potential contribution of information technology to knowledge creation and diffusion. It explores how ICTs help generate innovations that improve the livelihoods of the poor and support enterprise competitiveness. The report examines how ICTs affect productivity and growth and reflects on the need for a development-oriented approach to intellectual property rights in order to enable effective access to technology. ICT has also given rise to new models for sharing knowledge and collective production of ideas and innovations, known as "open access" models, which often bypass the incentive system provided by intellectual property rights.
The Report presents a current cross-section of themes and analysis that aim to inform and enable governments to understand the policy challenges and opportunities. The analysis identifies important areas of concern and best practices necessary for the formulation of targeted policy decisions to support and accelerate ICT diffusion. In particular, the Information Economy Report 2007-2008 addresses the following issues:
Trends in ICT access and use consisting of basic ICT indicators and an analysis of how ICTs impact on enterprises in developing countries;
The ICT producing sector and the emerging South examines the role of the sector from the perspective of South-South trade, while exploring issues of the relationship between ICTs and employment, FDI and outsourcing;
Measuring the impact of ICT on productive efficiency through a case study of Thailand confirms that developing countries can benefit as much as developed ones from increasing ICT use;
ICT, e-business and innovation policies highlights the need for balance between policy stability and flexibility to meet the needs of evolving ICTs and feedback from policy implementation;
E-banking and e-payments explains the potential of ICTs to improve overall business efficiency and assist in bringing SMEs and micro-enterprises into the formal economy;
ICTs for the poor are discussed within the scope of the increasing use of mobile telephones and supportive policy measures and the potential of telecentres to promote livelihoods by providing access to relevant information and business opportunities to rural and poor populations.
Analysis from Reuters:
Rich-poor "digital divide" still broad, says UNCTAD
Highlights:
"The digital divide between rich and poor countries is narrowing as mobile phones and Internet use become more available, but the developing world still lags far behind"
"mobile phone subscribers have almost tripled in developing countries over the last five years, and now make up some 58 percent of mobile subscribers worldwide."
"In 2002, Internet availability in developed countries was 10 times higher than in developing countries; in 2006, it was 6 times higher"
"Developed countries also continue to lead Internet subscriptions worldwide, and the gap in terms of Internet broadband penetration has widened since 2002."
Stephen
Posted by stephen at 11:34 PM | Comments (0)
Be Prepared
I don't want to be a downer but I am an old boy scout and Be Prepared was our motto!
I've collected the following list of links that might be useful:
10 Ways Digital Can Help You Thrive in a Recession
How will the recession affect libraries?
Why Social Applications Will Thrive In A Recession
Social Media effective during Recessions
Strategies For Interactive Marketing In A Recession
Unlike Last Time, Results-Based Marketing And Social Applications Could Thrive
(Register for free report)
Just remember that we've been through this before and it may not happen, but:
Libraries Are Used More in Recession - New York Times - and that was in 1993. Those who remember history . . .
Stephen
Posted by stephen at 10:43 PM
CASLIS Evening Event
I did a session on professional learning for special librarians for the Toronto Chapter of the Canadian Association of Special Libraries and Information Services (CASLIS).
Building Capacity for Personal Learning: Learning 2.0
Stephen
Posted by stephen at 4:43 PM | Comments (0)
Handbook for Information Literacy Teaching
Cardiff University has offered up this for all for free under a Creative Commons license:
Handbook for Information Literacy Teaching (HILT)
The "Handbook was written by a group of subject librarians at Cardiff University to support their colleagues in Information Services as they developed their information literacy teaching."
It is available as a Word (editable) or PDF (easily printed) version:
Herer's an idea of the content:
Word Version
HILT Preliminaries
HILT Section 1: Information Literacy - Key Issues
HILT Section 2: Library Orientation
HILT Section 3: Lesson Planning
HILT Section 4: Lesson Formats
HILT Section 5: Teaching Aids
HILT Section 6: Lesson Delivery
HILT Section 7: Evaluating your Teaching
HILT Section 8: Assessment
HILT Section 9: Instructor Training
HILT Supporting Documents
PDF Version
Handbook for Information Literacy Teaching
This seems very helpful.
Stephen
Posted by stephen at 12:40 PM | Comments (0)
Can you do it on one page?
Jill Hurst-Wahl has an interesting link post at the SLA Leadership and Management Division blog.
She links to two simple documents that help units in a large organization, as well as entire organizations, do business plans.
Anyway, even if these just end up being executive summaries or handouts for staff and colleagues, one pagers are a good idea to polish up your thinking and communication.
Offered up are a "One Page Marketing Plan Guide" (2+ pages) that links to a real one-page marketing plan template! and the same stuff for a one-page business plan.
Check out the links in the blog post.
The thinking is hard but the reading and communication need to be simple for all players to get on board. This process needs to be simple. These two tools might be helpful to you.
While I am at it I should mention Ulla de Stricker's forthcoming book:
Business Cases for Information Professionals: Here’s Why, Here’s How
Information Today, Inc - Forthcoming in mid-2008
Intended as a template and instruction guide for those needing to produce business cases to support proposals for investments in information and related human resources, the book covers the reasons why management needs a “sales instrument” and illustrates with sample templates/cases the typical components and progression of a business case document.
I know it will be great. Recommended.
Stephen
Posted by stephen at 12:27 PM | Comments (0)
More OPAC Innovation
Adding to my recently blogged post about innovations by some SirsiDynix clients who have added Meebo to their OPAC results, comes this neat innovation from Calvin University.
See this announcement about making their catalogue searchable using mobile devices. See the Hekman library's website here.
Cool.
Stephen
Posted by stephen at 12:09 PM | Comments (0)
February 5, 2008
Another Reason to Invest in Academic Libraries
Thursday, Jan. 31 2008
With College Affordability an Issue, U.S. Falls Behind in Degree Attainment
"PHOENIX, AZ, Jan 31, 2008 (MARKET WIRE via COMTEX) -- The United States continues to fall behind other major industrialized nations in terms of the percentage of the population with a college degree, according to a recent series of joint studies released by the National Center for Higher Education Management Systems and Jobs for the Future.
Currently ranked tenth among industrialized countries in the percentage of 25-34-year-olds holding an associate's degree or higher, the U.S. is projected to slip further, ranking near the bottom in the percentage of entering students that complete a degree program. Notably, the U.S. now stands as one of the only countries where older adults are more educated than younger adults."
There needs to be a huge investment to create the workers needed to remain globally competitive. This, by definition, should include advanced development of the library infratsricture necessary to create the graduates of tomorrow. The US will be 16 million graudates short by 2025 just to match leading nations liek Canada, Japan, and South Korea in the percentage of adults with a college degree.
Check out the full release.
Stephen
Posted by stephen at 8:07 PM | Comments (0)
Microblogging
Library Clips has an excellent post on microblogging. If you have trouble undertsanding Twitter, Pownce and their ilk, this is a great primer.
How I use the various micro-blogging services
Stephen
Posted by stephen at 8:01 PM | Comments (0)
MySpace Developer Platform
MySpace Developer Platform Launches; Levels the Playing Field for App Builders
So, starting today you can check out the MySapce Developer site.
"The MySpace Developer Platform (MDP) allows developers to create applications that interact with MySpace members and their social data. With MDP you will be able to create compelling new products that integrate directly into MySpace pages and get exposure to millions of people around the world."
During the sandbox phase you can
"earn about the platform, our APIs, and OpenSocial
Test OpenSocial applications using the MySpace Container
Build apps with our App Builder that install on real MySpace accounts"
Apparently it's mostly (about 80% compatible with OpenSocial too.
Let the creativity begin.
Stephen
Posted by stephen at 7:52 PM | Comments (0)
Podcasting Growing
eMarketer (Thanks Elyssa) estimates that the total US podcast audience reached 18.5 million in 2007. Furthermore, that audience will increase by 251% to 65 million in 2012. And of those listeners, 25 million will be “active” users who tune in at least once a week."
”As the US podcasting industry matures it is unquestionably creating a listening audience,” says Paul Verna, eMarketer Senior Analyst and author of the new report, Podcast Audience: Seeking Riches in Niches, “And along with a larger audience comes increases in advertising spending tied to podcasts.”
Looks like our early experiments in libraries are worth doing as the market size increases.
Stephen
Posted by stephen at 7:50 PM | Comments (0)
SDI Questions and Answers
I just got the transcript wirh the questions asked during my SirsiDynix Institute session this week. I'll do my best to answer them here. I've removed the questioner's names for privacy reasons.
SDI Questions and Answers:
Subject: Open Libraries: 25 Technologies to Watch, and How
Start Time: Thursday, January 31, 2008 8:00:00 AM GMT-8:0
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Q: What's the name of that site again that teaches you how to technology stuff?
A: This is a common question so I did a whole post on this today at Stephen's Lighthouse. It's called 23 Things and has a ton of links. I link to other ones besides the 23 Things too.
http://stephenslighthouse.sirsidynix.com/archives/2008/02/the_23_things_l.html
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Question: What is your reaction to the "abandonment" of Second Life?. A report on NPR said that where Second Life once attracted millions at a given moment, it was now numbered in the tens of thousands, at least when the reporter checked. Do our patrons really want us in all social spaces?
Answer: That weird application of numbers on NPR was interesting. Comparing a years worth of visits to a nightly amount and stating a loss of attention is pretty bad research. Anyway, It is plateauing but not dying. It's a great place to learn and experiment. No one knows the perfect environment yet.
I don't think our patrons want us to be in ALL social spaces. However, I do think libraries should have an understanding of all virtual social spaces where their users are. Since significant percentages of our users are in facebook, MySpace, delicious, Flickr, etc., then we need to be there to understand what's happening.
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Question: I would hate to invest a lot of time developing something and then have the program or software I use become obsolete or unpopular.
Answer: Good question. However by the time we wait for something to be popular we'll be too late to the party. I wouldn't bet the house on any free technology but programs can be planted in them and success can be tested. By the time it's important to the structure of libraries then professional applications can be licensed or acquired and moved in house for stability.
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Question: Hi Stephen. Can you tell me more about 'gaming as a learning device'? Thought that one slide said 'Read Wildly'. :-)
Answer: There are a few books on this topic. Some titles include:
What Video Games Have to Teach Us About Learning and Literacy. Second Edition: Revised and Updated Edition by James Paul Gee
Good Video Games and Good Learning: Collected Essays on Video Games, Learning and Literacy (New Literacies and Digital Epistemologies) by James Paul Gee
Everything Bad is Good for You [BARGAIN PRICE] (Paperback) by Steven Johnson
How Computer Games Help Children Learn by David Williamson Shaffer
The Kids are Alright: How the Gamer Generation is Changing the Workplace (Paperback)
by John C. Beck (Author), Mitchell Wade
(p.s. I checked the slide and it did say Read Widely. But wildly could be more fun.)
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Question: Website for powerpoint again, pls
Answer: The Powerpoint is on the SirsiDynix Institute website with all of the archives.
http://www.sirsidynixinstitute.com
It's also on this blog as a PDF at:
http://stephenslighthouse.sirsidynix.com/archives/2008/01/my_january_nsti.html
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Question: Will you please send us an email with the list from this presentation, or is it on your blog?
It's on the blog here:
http://stephenslighthouse.sirsidynix.com/archives/2008/01/my_january_nsti.html
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Question: In taking notes, I say/heard #17 as podcasts, and the 20 as streaming media. Did I go to sleep or did you just skip some numbers?
Answer: I lost count and there were some numbers missing. Sorry.
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Question: I do have a question about using the right combination of web 2.0 tool for my book group for my library branch at Miami Lakes. I have a blog on wordpress discussing the first book. I have a Google Group to host essays and reviews from those who read the book or for those who want to make comments. I have a MySpace account where either I am sending out information to those who read the book and to libraries. On the date of the event, I am planning to use Meebo to have a live chat with those who can not attend in person. While all these options seems logic to me, is there something else I should do?
Answer: I think that the right mix is highly variable. That's why we need to pilot and keep our minds open. Just keep experimenting. If this stuff could be prescribed it wouldn't need professionals to implement it. That's good for us. Keep up the good work.
Thanks to all who attended. Feel free to ask more questions in the comments.
Stephen
Posted by stephen at 6:18 PM | Comments (0)
OLA SuperConference Session
We did a session for the OLA SuperConference in Toronto on Saturday.
Here are the PPT's.
Building Capacity for Learning: Lerning 2.0
Stephen
Posted by stephen at 4:41 PM | Comments (0)
AACR2: The movie
OK, I know I'm a bit geeky. I missed this 'funny' movie trailer the first time around:
Stephen
Posted by stephen at 4:38 PM | Comments (0)
The 23 Things - Learning 2.0
I refer to Helene Blowers inestimable effort - 23 Things and Learning 2.0 - for libraries often. I believe that this has been one of the most transformational and viral activities to happen globally to libraries in decades. Her efforts have really made a difference.
People ask me for the links and I send them out. I thought it would be just easier if I posted some of these links here from my collection. Then you can surf and play all you like.
Enjoy. Play.
Stephen
23 Things / Learning 2.0
The original 23 Things from Public Library of Charlotte and Mecklenberg County
http://plcmcl2-things.blogspot.com/
Sean Robinson’s PPT of his (Allen County PL) library’s 21 Things
http://www.iolug.org/programs/2007-2008_01_Fall/IOLUG.2007Fall.Robinson.Learning2.0.pdf
Allen County PL Links to their 21 Things
http://clearbluedei.wordpress.com/category/allen-county-public-library/
Some of my articles:
Information Outlook, Feb. 2006 Issue
43 Things I might want to do this year
http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0FWE/is_2_10/ai_n16133338
Information Outlook, Feb. 2007 Issue
15 Minutes a Day: A Personal Learning Management Strategy
http://www.sirsidynix.com/Resources/Pdfs/Company/Abram/IOColumn_56.pdf
Other Versions of the 23 Things for different library sectors:
California School Library Association
http://schoollibrarylearning2.blogspot.com/2007/02/23-things_27.html
InfoPeople’s (California) “Our 23 Web 2.0 Things:
http://our23things.infopeople.org/
Minnesota’s 23 Things on a Stick
http://23thingsonastick.blogspot.com/
King County Library System 27 Things
http://kcls27things-list.blogspot.com/
Combined Arms Research Library: 24 Things (Special)
http://carlweb20.blogspot.com/2006/12/23-things.html
23 Things Remixed
http://23thingsremixed.wikispaces.com/
Victorian Public Libraries Learning 2.0
http://publibraries.blogspot.com/2007/09/week-1-lets-begin.html
Yarra Plenty (Australia)
http://www.yarraplentyonlinelearning.blogspot.com/
Washington County Free Library and the Western Maryland Public Libraries Statewide Maryland Libraries Learning 2.0 - 23 Things
http://wcfl23things.blogspot.com/
http://marylandlibrarieslearning2.blogspot.com/
MLibrary 2.0 - 13 Things (U of Michigan)
http://www.lib.umich.edu/lib20/13things.html
Swinburne University of Technology Online Learning
http://23things-swinburne.blogspot.com/2007/08/23-things.html
Deakin University Library 23 Things
http://23things-deakin.blogspot.com/2007/08/23-things.html
PLAN’s Navigating New Technologies
http://www.planfl.net/23things/
MRRL Library Learning 2.0 (29 Things in Missouri)
http://mrrllearning.blogspot.com/
23 Things at TPL (Toronto Public Library)
http://tpl23things.blogspot.com/
And on and on. If you search “23 things” or “Learning 2.0” on Google you’ll get loads of links to surf. There are hundreds of libraries doing this.
Build Your Own List of Things to Learn:
Are you self directed and know what you want to learn? Then, build your own list.
43 Things
SirsiDynix Institute Sessions
(These are on iTunes too)
Helene Blowers —Technology Director, Public Library of Charlotte and Mecklenburg County
Learning 2.0: Make "play" your New Year's resolution
Jan 09, 2007
http://sirsidynixinstitute.com/seminar_page.php?sid=74
Christine Mackenzie —Chief Executive Officer, Yarra Plenty Regional Library
Hopping into Library 2.0: Experiencing Lifelong Learning
Feb 05, 2007
http://sirsidynixinstitute.com/
Other sites of a similar nature:
The Internet can change your life: a series of daily assignments designed to teach the newbie all the wonderful things the Internet has to offer blogged by R.A. Meyer at Guam AFB. It’s currently at 181 Things!
http://rameyerguam.blogspot.com/
GO2WEB20.net
The Complete Web 2.0 Directory
http://go2web20.net/
5 Weeks to a Social Library
http://www.sociallibraries.com/course/
http://www.sociallibraries.com/course/week1Credit: Meredith Farkas, Amanda Etches-Johnson and the entire 5 weeks team.
• Five Weeks to a Social Library is the first free, grassroots, completely online course devoted to teaching librarians about social software and how to use it in their libraries. It was developed to provide a free, comprehensive, and social online learning opportunity for librarians who do not otherwise have access to conferences or continuing education and who would benefit greatly from learning about social software.
• The course is taught using a variety of social software tools so that the participants acquire experience using the tools while they are taking part in the class. It uses synchronous online communication, with one or two weekly Webcasts and many small group IM chat sessions made available to participants each week.
• By the end of the course, each student develops a proposal for implementing a specific social software tool in their library.
• Course content is freely viewable and all live Webcasts are archived for later viewing.
• The course will cover the following topics:
• Blogs, RSS , Wikis , Social Networking Software and Second Life, Flickr, Social Bookmarking Software, Selling Social Software @ Your Library
• The content of this course is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Non-Commercial-Share-Alike license.
• For a listing of the social software experts who will be presenting during the course, please visit the Program. You can also access content for each week of the course from the menu on this course page.
• The list of individuals participating in the course is available on the Participant Blogs page. To receive all blog content coming from the course, you can subscribe to the following RSS feed http://www.sociallibraries.com/course/blog/feed. To receive only blog posts from the organizers of the course, you can subscribe to this RSS feed
http://www.sociallibraries.com/course/taxonomy/term/13/0/feed
Learning 2.1: Explore... Discover... Play! is the continuation of 23 Things / Learning 2.0
http://explorediscoverplay.ning.com/
• Requested by staff very often. It is an ongoing list of ‘things’ with guest bloggers rotating and taking the helm each month as Learning Guides.
• There is a public Learning 2.1 Ning network as well as a Learning 2.1 Wiki.
• Check it out and feel free to join. explorediscoverplay.blogspot.com - mashing up 21st century skills with lifelong learning. :)
Library 2.0 Wiki: Learning 2.0 in 15 minutes a day
http://instructionwiki.org/Library_2.0_in_15_minutes_a_day or
Here we are. What now? (21 lessons in sidebar…)
http://supercrazylibrarianguy.wordpress.com/
List of Learning 2.0 libraries in delicious:
http://del.icio.us/hblowers/learning2.0Libraries
Posted by stephen at 3:45 PM | Comments (3)
Technology Petting Zoos
I often recommend that libraries try to set up Technology Petting Zoos for staff to touch and connect with the plethora of devices that our users are using. Learning by doing seems to work well! We've had several of these types of sessions on a larger scale at SLA conferences where gadgets are shown and passed around. I think that these work even better with smaller groups.
Anyway, here are some ideas that I've collected.
Start with just one type of device - phones, MP3 players, games, etc.
It will help if you Inventory what your staff and their families have and will volunteer (voluntarily) to bring in and share for a few hours.
1. Have everyone bring in their phones or borrow a phone from their spouses. You should be able to get everything from a plain phone through to a Treo or Blackberry. Bring in the manuals. Play with the cameras, video features, e-mail, texting, calling, voice dialing, etc. Try to download a free ringtone.
2. Have an MP3 petting zoo. Have people (staff, Librarians, trustees or users) bring in what they have. For greater variety ask the teens or pages in the library. You should be able to easily see iPods, assorted MP3 players, phones that play songs, car radios, etc. Listen and see how the metadata is organized. Download a song or two from iTunes and from websites and MySpace. Look for podcasts and lectures and listen to them. Share favorite podcast, video and MP3 search engines.
3. Borrow a few games - PS2, PS3, Wii, Nintendo, XBox, etc. Play. You don't need to do it all at once. You can do one at time. Try to make sure everyone takes a turn. Many library folks like to watch and not play. They can't learn as much that way. Teens love to demo their expertise. Have everyone play Guitar Hero and/or DDR.
4. Have an eBook or Audiobook event. Buy an iReader and Kindle. Also look at them on phones and PDA's and PC's. Call it R&D.
5. Play with digital Cameras. Bring in your own or borrow some. Some are as cheap as $29. I've seen disposable video cameras lately too for really cheap. The library should have a couple of digital cameras too. Don't forget phone cameras. Trade tricks and set up a Flickr account to share ideas and examples. Try to make a YouTube video.
6. Have a scanner party. Start scanning things and adding them to databases and documents. Have some fun making posters. Try scanning 3D objects and body parts. Have fun. Be artistic.
7. Some libraries need to play with stuff like using USB drives, handheld scanners, headphones, PC microphones, etc. is needed in some libraries. Sometimes the whole PC needs to be petted! Laptops too. Buying an ASUS or XO OLPC might be interesting too and they're quite cheap for laptops.
Some libraries buy the devices and then make them prizes in library events and library card campaigns.
You can't really be comprehensive and have all the toys but you can probably get enough variety to learn a lot.
David Lee King at Topeka & Shawnee PL posted his Techie ToyBox here:
http://www.davidleeking.com/2007/10/23/topekas-techie-toybox/
As for costs, it depends how many things you might want to own, rather than borrow. I know some libraries have had local businesses in to do demos of the equipment they sell - phones, PDA's, gaming, etc. It could even be a tabletop event to support a local business...
Anyway, there's some thoughts of the top of my head. Any ideas from you in the comments would be welcomed.
Good luck,
Stephen
Posted by stephen at 12:29 AM | Comments (3)
February 4, 2008
Improving Librarian Behaviours in Chat Reference
RUSQ has a major study in the current issue that's worth a read.
The Effects of Librarians’ Behavioral Performance on User Satisfaction in Chat Reference Services
Nahyun Kwon and Vicki L. Gregory
Print version (Adobe Reader required) (12 Page PDF)
"The purpose of this study was to determine the effective behaviors of reference librarians during the chat reference interview, with particular emphasis given to whether the service users would feel more satisfied when librarians adopt the behaviors recommended in the revised “RUSA Guidelines for Behavioral Performance of Reference and Information Services Providers.” The data analyzed for this study consisted of 422 chat reference transaction transcripts and corresponding user surveys obtained from a public library system that participated in a nationwide chat reference consortium. In six of the ten behavioral types observed, the users perceived the service as more satisfying when librarians demonstrated the behaviors suggested in the revised guidelines than when they did not. Five of these behaviors–receptive and cordial listening, searching information sources with or for the patrons, providing information sources, asking patrons whether the question was answered completely, and asking patrons to return when they need further assistance–were revealed as strong predictors of user satisfaction. These findings demonstrated that the RUSA behaviors are effective in increasing user satisfaction, suggesting that the guidelines can continue to be used as an effective tool for both staff training and service assessment in chat reference services. This report concludes with recommendations for further improvement of the guidelines and agendas for future research.
As library users become more comfortable with using the Web for services and to search for information, librarians often have led the way in making reference services available to patrons online. Online real-time chat reference services have become increasingly prevalent in many types and sizes of libraries, and, as with any other library service, it is important to evaluate the effectiveness of, and user satisfaction with, those services.1 This research reports the results and conclusions from a case study of a chat reference service intended to assess the usefulness of the 2004 revised “RUSA Guidelines for Behavioral Performance of Reference and Information Services Providers”(hereinafter referred to as “revised guidelines”).2 These were originally developed by the Reference and User Services Association (RUSA) in 1996 as behavioral guidelines to support reference staff working at a physical reference desk (hereinafter referred to as “original guidelines”).3
The purpose of this study is to:
- investigate, in a series of chat interviews, the extent to which librarians’ behaviors reflected those recommended in the revised guidelines;
- assess the influence of those behaviors on user satisfaction; and
- examine the revised guidelines as a useful assessment tool in evaluating the efficacy of a chat reference service.
The results of this study will provide library professionals with a better understanding of the nature of chat reference interviews as well as test the usefulness of the revised guidelines in the context of chat reference services. The results of this study will better elucidate effective teaching methods and techniques for library educators within the area of virtual reference with respect to the reference question negotiation process.
Background of the Study
The Original Guidelines (1996) and the Revised Guidelines (2004)
Perhaps one of the most important roles of professional associations is to establish benchmarking standards and develop useful guidelines to assist their members’ practice. RUSA has been at the forefront in offering its members such support. Beginning in the 1980s, RUSA began developing reference interview guidelines intended to delineate those librarian behaviors most likely to lead to an effective face-to-face reference interview. This effort resulted in the publication of the “RUSA Guidelines for Behavioral Performance of Reference and Information Services Providers” in 1996. A handful of research studies conducted since that time have consistently indicated that use of the behaviors prescribed in the original guidelines is positively associated with reference success.4 The original guidelines thus became widely recognized as the only behavioral guidelines of its kind for reference staff. Besides the fact that the original guidelines were prepared by RUSA, a leading professional association among reference librarians, the continued use of the original guidelines in practice seems to suggest their usefulness as standards for reference staff training as well as performance evaluation.
A revised and extended version of the original guidelines was published in June 2004. This revision reflects the increasing need for behavioral standards that can assist personnel who provide virtual reference services. Maintaining the five-component structure of the original guidelines (that is, approachability, interest, listening/inquiring, searching, and follow-up), the revised guidelines subcategorized each of those five components into three settings: general, in-person (physical setting), and remote (virtual settings). The five-component structure is summarized as follows:
First, approachability refers to behaviors that ensure easy access to the reference staff by lowering barriers to personal assistance. Example behaviors include making instructional and directional signs clear, making the presence of reference assistance visible, and establishing “word” contact with the patrons.
Second, interest refers to behaviors that exhibit librarians’ interest in patron inquiries so that patrons can ask questions without hesitation. Example behaviors include focusing attention on the patron, maintaining and re-establishing “word” contact, and clarifying the scope of the questions.
Third, listening/inquiring refers to behaviors that exhibit good listening and questioning skills so that librarians can identify patrons’ real information needs, which sometimes are buried or poorly expressed. Example behaviors are communicating in receptive and cordial ways, using proper written language, ensuring adequate probing, and rephrasing questions to ensure adequate understanding.
Fourth, searching includes the application of effective search skills and related behaviors that can enhance searching effectiveness and result in finding accurate answers. Example behaviors include explaining search strategies, escorting patrons in the search process, and providing pointers and information sources.
Finally, follow-up refers to the behaviors involved in bringing proper closure to the reference transaction. Example behaviors include asking patrons if their questions were completely answered, asking if they need additional information, referring them to alternative sources or agencies if their questions were not answered, and urging patrons to return if they need further assistance.
As described above, the revised guidelines have incorporated many behaviors that pertain specifically to virtual reference. Yet, the core components and ideas remain the same as those set out in the original guidelines prepared for face-to-face reference service practice."
There's lots to discuss here with the five steps. I like the issue of 'approachability" as topic one. The rest seem more easily understood and trained.
Stephen
Posted by stephen at 11:56 PM | Comments (0)
Meebo Widgets
Thanks to Jenny for pointing to these.
Undeadening the Dead Ends
By jenny on meebome
"We know that enterprising libraries such as The University of Calgary, McMaster University, Topeka Shawnee County Public Library, and Baylor University have implemented MeeboMe widgets at the dead ends of their catalogs."
It's a great little trick. And it seems like there's an easy way to implement this and enhance your Meebo or virtual reference services...
Stephen
Posted by stephen at 11:48 PM | Comments (1)
A Milestone
On Feb. 2nd, 2008 Paul Courant, Dean of Libraries at the University of Michigan, announced on his blog, Au Courant that "Today the University of Michigan Library is celebrating a significant milestone: We have just put the one millionth book digitized from our collections online."
The official page is here:
"The University of Michigan's University Library has just put the millionth book from its collection on-line. That's one million out of the 7.5 million volumes in the library's current holdings."
"What does one million mean?
One million = 361,441,145 pages
One million = 42 terabytes
One million = 750 tons
One million = 146 miles..."
Congratulations. I think that it is interesting that this is likely the first library to hit the million. I wonder which national library will be first? How many more millions by next Grondhog Day?
Stephen
Posted by stephen at 11:40 PM | Comments (0)
Gaming Growth
"2007 was a banner year for video gaming, and the industry has the figures to prove it. The Entertainment Software Association (ESA) announced today that total sales for 2007 were $18.85 billion, with $9.5 billion of that spent on games (both PC and console) and $9.35 billion on consoles."
Some stats:
- PC games accounted for only 9.5 percent of total gaming sales.
- Portable software sales (e.g., PSP and DS) hit a record of $2.0 billion
- Consoles accounted for $6.6 billion in sales.
- Approximately 267.8 million games were sold across all platforms.
- An astonishing 9 games were sold every second of every day of the year.
- Wii was by far the most popular console, Xbox came in second with 4.62 million, the PS2 third and the PS3 finished
- The age of gamers is trending up and more females are playing.
- Handheld sales go, the Nintendo DS ruled the roost with 8.5 million, with the PSP selling 3.82 million.
- M-rated titles only accounted for 15.5 percent of 2007 sales. Titles carrying the E rating were most popular, followed by T-rated games.
- The Motion picture industry saw modest growth in 2007, reporting a total box office take of $9.66 billion, a modest increase over 2006's $9.49 billion.
- The RIAA has not yet released its 2007 report, but we did learn from the IFPI that global music sales fell about 10 percent for the year.
Lots of clues here about trends for libraries
Stephen
Posted by stephen at 11:15 PM | Comments (0)
Best Careers 2008
US News and World Report put out their Best Careers 2008 issue this month.
Best Careers 2008
Audiologist
Biomedical equipment technician
Clergy
Curriculum/training specialist
Dentist
Editor
Engineer
Firefighter
Fundraiser
Genetic counselor
Ghostwriter
Government manager
Hairstylist/cosmetologist
Higher education administrator
Investment banker
Landscape architect
Librarian
Locksmith/Security system technician
Management consultant
Mediator
Occupational therapist
Optometrist
Pharmacist
Physician assistant
Politician/Elected official
Professor
Registered nurse
School psychologist
Systems analyst
Urban planner
Usability/User experience specialist
The highlights are mine. Cool.
Stephen
Posted by stephen at 11:09 PM | Comments (0)
What is Better than Free?
A great postings this week from Kevin Kelly at Technium (Found via Seth Godin)
It discusses what makes free worth something and when can you charge for something so that you offer value.
Better Than Free by Kevin Kelly
He says that these factors are important:
Immediacy ,
Personalization
Interpretation
Authenticity
Accessibility
Embodiment
Patronage
Findability
To me these sound lilke library type positionings. Anyway, it's worth thinking about since it might be useful positionings for us - especially when some users perceive all libraries as 'free'.
Stephen
Posted by stephen at 10:57 PM | Comments (0)
Book Retailing in Canada
The Globe and Mail reported Feb. 2nd that “an ambitious, 102-page study of Canada's retail book sector conducted for Canadian Heritage” “provides a panoramic survey of the industry.”
"The retail book business in Canada generates annual sales in excess of $1.5-billion, much of them through one company – Indigo Books and Music – but overall sales through traditional book retailers are “flat” at a time when Canadian publishers are releasing more new titles than ever."
"In 2006, [Indigo Books and Music] accounted for 44 per cent of domestic book sales – 67 per cent if one excludes online and mail-order sales and sales at university and college bookstores."
Interesting stats highlighted by the G&M:
- average time spent reading: 4.5 hours a week;
- average number of books read each year: 17;
- percentage of Canadians who buy at least one book a year: 81.
For the Globe and Mail article, click here, and for the full report, The Book Retail Sector in Canada, click here.
Booksellers and Libraries are linked at the hip in Canada. It is hard to imagine a scenario where one does well and the other fails precipitously. It's worth studying the data.
All in all, Canadians continue to read from retailers and libraries.
Stephen
Posted by stephen at 10:35 PM | Comments (1)
Firefox add-in for Librarians
Nicole Engard has a very useful posting at What I Learned Today…
40 Useful Firefox Add-Ons for Librarians – Part One
40 Useful Firefox Add-Ons for Librarians – Part Two
40 Useful Firefox Add-Ons for Librarians – Part Three
Gotta love lists like this. Especialy for Firefoxers
Stephen
Posted by stephen at 10:31 PM | Comments (0)
URL's that are too long
I am sure we all know about TinyURL. It's that service that let's us shorten those abysmally long URL's that some sites offer. I didn't know that there were so many of these services! Here's Mashable's list:
URL Toolbox: 90+ URL Shortening Services
Useful stuff that militates against some of the more annoying web standards. I once heard Tim Berners-Lee wish he had never said "WWW".
Stephen
Posted by stephen at 10:18 PM | Comments (2)
USA Today and Biased Surveys
USA Today has posted the results of a survey of “youth 8 - 18,” It's a nice graphic that USA Today does so week.
Respondents were asked whether they “have visited a public library or its website in the last year.” They were also asked whether they visited the library for personal or school use. Answers:
“Personal use” 78%
“For school” 67%
“Read there” 34%
“Visit website” 34%.
The current snapshot asks:
“When was the last time you visited a public library or its website?”
The options were,
“Can’t remember,”
“Within past year,”
“More than a year ago,”
“Never.”
We didn't do too bad. And at least the question included the web presence.
Hmmm, I think I'll do a survey of our library users. My question could be:
When was the last time you read a newspaper?
The options could be the same:
“Can’t remember,”
“Within past year,”
“More than a year ago,”
“Never.”
Hmmmm. Libraries are mostly open daily or 6-7 days/week. Newspapers publish 6-7 days a week, although USA Today only does 5. Why not ask it as an annual question. Seems fair....
The good news is that the numbers weren't too bad. Tonight it showed only 2% hadn't visited a library and 61% had been in the last year.
Stephen
Posted by stephen at 6:55 PM | Comments (0)
February 2, 2008
OLA SuperConference
Here's the slides that we did for the OLA SuperConference this year.
Building Capacity for Learning: Learning 2.0!
OLA 2008
OLA is so huge and enormous. It's a wonderful conference in Canada attracting folks from all over the world.
Stephen
Posted by stephen at 9:41 AM | Comments (0)
February 1, 2008
Busy Day
I'll be at the Ontario Library Association SuperConference all day today and Saturday but I have to blog this.
1. Amazon bought Audible.com today and made noises about DRM. Hope it doesn't follow the Kindle in libraries debacle route.
2. Microsoft, as I've predicted a few times, offered $44.6 billion for Yahoo! Semel left the board of Yahoo! at the same time.
3. Google's stock price dropped.
Stuff is afoot.
It's a frosty Friday in Toronto and there are icestorms and flight cancellations. This is a long OLA tradition.
Stephen
Posted by stephen at 9:52 AM | Comments (0)
Arizona Library Leadership Training
In January I got to spend some time at an Arizona libraries leadership camp. Suppported by the state library and cooperatively produced by a few library systems a group of future leaders are developed and coached over many months.
Here's my presentation:
The Future is Already Here
2008 Leadership Academy
Jan. 28-29, 2008
Afterwards I met with the small teams of leadership candidates and had good small group discussions.
Stephen
Posted by stephen at 9:19 AM | Comments (0)