« January 2009 | Main | March 2009 »
February 27, 2009
Top 20 Sites for the Social Web
Pandia has made a list of the top 20 social web sites (Thanks Philip):
"The latest issue of Website Magazine presents a top 50 list of social media resources, that is the most visited social web sites out there. The list is based on web statistics gathered by Ranking.com.
[All sites are linked after the link]
1. YouTube (Video sharing)
2. MySpace (Social networking)
3. Facebook (Social networking)
4. Bebo (Video and social networking)
5. Black Planet (Black online community)
6. Tagged (Social networking)
7. Imeem (Social network for sharing music, video and photos)
8. Hi5 (Social networking)
9. Orkut (Social networking)
10. Digg (Sharing and discovering links)
11. LinkedIn (Professional networking)
12. Ning (Create your own social networking community)
13. Stumbleupon (Sharing and discovering links)
14. Friendster (Social networking)
15. Buzznet (Pop culture social networking)
16. Multiply (Media sharing)
17. Twitter (Microblogging)
18. Cyworld (Social networking)
19. Netlog (Blog based social networking)
20. Livejournal (Blog based social networking)
Below the top 20, we find a few fast climbers: Yelp, Tribenet and Zing."
Anyway, it's a great list to start playing with. I think I've played with most but only really participate in 4 or 5. Play works as continuing education and it's a great way to learn. You don't have to marry every social website you date!
Stephen
Posted by stephen at 10:22 AM
February 26, 2009
Are the Millennials the Dumbest Generation
Do you have 1.6 minutes? Watch this new video from Don Tapscott.
Grown Up Digital - The Net Generation is Changing YOUR World
OK, go watch it. . . .
(Imagine I am humming the Jeopardy theme song here.)
Now, I think four million dollars in research might be worth buying the book for $18.45 US here.
If you're a visual learner, try watching the rest of the Tapscott videos on YouTube. They're short so they're OK for my extra-short Boomer attention span (just kidding!).
Oh, and just in case you've missed some of the silliness, Check out the UK MailOnline:
Social websites harm children's brains: Chilling warning to parents from top neuroscientist
One "top" UK scientist has according to the article surveyed exactly one teacher and now fears for an entire generation because she "believes" things might be happening to them physically. She "believes" bad things are happening. Call me crazy but I thought scientists used data and experiments and academic standards rather than fears, beliefs and conjecture. I always thought academics did studies and could provide proofs and data or infomation to underscore their points. Apparently that's not needed anymore? I fear for these universities where professors can give interviews to the press and have their personal opinions and prejudices aired in the context of their universities' good brand. Scary.
I'll be interested in Tapscott's study and data to see how it compares to these 'scientists' apparently unsupported beliefs.
Stephen
Posted by stephen at 9:04 AM | Comments (0)
February 25, 2009
TV and Streaming Media
Another intriguing piece of data about where Americans stand nationally on watching stuff on TV, the Internet, our phones, etc. How much timeshifting is going on?
(From Nielsen)
The streaming media growth is interesting and is likely poised for even bigger growth - just like movies and radio grew in the Thirties when distracting entertainment became the big thing. I wonder who the commercial winners will be - probably no one we've heard of yet. I also wonder what the business model will be . . . who will staff the ticket wickets to the show in 2025?
Stephen
Posted by stephen at 9:57 PM | Comments (0)
February 24, 2009
Lost Generation
There seems to be a lot of backlash against and between the generations lately. That's sad.
Check out this YouTube Video:
Watch it for the full 1:44 minutes and I found it helps.
What is the motivation of people who criticize in a generalized way an entire generation? I remember when another group of opinionated researchers and commentators decided that my Boomer generation was "lost" because of TV. So lost ...
Socrates was killed for corrupting the younger generation. He asked questions. We call that the Socratic Method of teaching. Perhaps some of these negative commentators, who are so quick to assess a generation in formation, should ask more questions and look for data and information to support their opinions.
Stephen
Posted by stephen at 11:26 AM | Comments (1)
Picnik (Free Digital Photo Editing)
I know a lot of libraries feel that they cannot afford photo-editing software. I've had to by Adobe PhotoShop for my daughter's university studies and even with the educational discount it's not cheap!
Anyway, maybe you know about this free tool already but with Picnik you can (from their site):
"- Fix your photos in just one click
- Use advanced controls to fine-tune your results -
- Crop, resize, and rotate in real-time
- Tons of special effects, from artsy to fun
- Astoundingly fast, right in your browser
- Awesome fonts and top-quality type tool
- Basketfuls of shapes from hand-picked designers
- Works on Mac, Windows, and Linux
- No download required, nothing to install"
All this for free! But you can ugrade to Picnik Premium for only $24.95 a year which is pretty reasonable and close to the Flickr premium cost.
It will work with your digital photos if they're stored on your computer or on Flickr, Picasa, MySpace, Facebook, Photobucket, Webshots, or WEBS.
And Comscore shows it growing faster than I knew:
Anyway, it's an easy way to get into digital photo editing and fix up anything to a professional look. (And just think, you can transfer a work skill to your home photos!)
Stephen
Posted by stephen at 10:53 AM | Comments (0)
Finding Time for Library 2.0
I love these two excellent graphics.
One thing those of us who talk about Web 2.0 and Library 2.0 hear so often is how does library staff find the time to do all ths stuff?
A few people have pointed to these graphics already (1, 2, 3). Check these posts out. I will too because they're awesome. They seem to have originated in the Museum 2.0 community and spread to library land (we're not alone!).
The above two graphics provide food for thought when we think about the whole team. When we work in teams we spread the work around. Many hands make for light work, or so the expression goes. And if you work as a solo, there are at least two options - just do one or two high priority 2.0 things and/or find a partner outside or inside the organization to accomplish the tasks.
You're never fully alone on the social web.
Stephen
Posted by stephen at 10:02 AM | Comments (3)
February 23, 2009
The Future of Academic Libraries
John Dupuis in the Confessions of a Science Librarian blog has created an excellent list of recent major reports on the future of academic libraries. He apologizes for the length of the list and some additional focus on academic science library issues. This is not necessary and it's wonderful to have this great list in useable form. If you follow the link you'll find every single report linked as well.
Thanks John.
Twenty-nine reports about the future of academic libraries
Ithaka’s 2006 Studies of Key Stakeholders in the Digital Transformation in Higher Education
How Readers Navigate to Scholarly Content: Comparing the changing user
behaviour between 2005 and 2008 and its impact on publisher web site design and function
College Students' Perceptions of Libraries and Information Resources
Sharing, Privacy and Trust in Our Networked World
Generations Online in 2009
The Future of the Internet III
Networked Workers: Most workers use the internet or email at their jobs, but they say these technologies are a mixed blessing for them
Use of Cloud Computing Applications and Services
2009 Horizon Report
Scholarly Information Practices in the Online Environment: Themes from the Literature and Implications for Library Service Development
National Consultation on Access to Scientific Research Data
Agenda for Developing E-Science in Research Libraries
Sustainability and Revenue Models for Online Academic Resources
Skills, Role & Career Structure of Data Scientists & Curators: Assessment of Current Practice & Future Needs
Semantic Enrichment: The Key to Successful Knowledge Extraction from STM Literature
No Brief Candle: Reconceiving Research Libraries for the 21st Century
Preservation in the Age of Large-Scale Digitization: A White Paper
A Survey of Digital Humanities Centers in the United States
Library as Place: Rethinking Roles, Rethinking Space
Current Models of Digital Scholarly Communication: Results of an Investigation Conducted by Ithaka for the Association of Research Libraries
The Next Generation of Academics: A Report on a Study Conducted at the University of Rochester
Studying Students: The Undergraduate Research Project at the University of Rochester
The ECAR Study of Undergraduate Students and Information Technology, 2008
Economic Implications of Alternative Scholarly Publishing Models: Exploring the costs and benefits
More People, Not Just More Stuff: Developing a New Vision for Research Cyberinfrastructure
Our Cultural Commonwealth: The report of the American Council of Learned Societies Commission on Cyberinfrastructure for the Humanities and Social Sciences
Cyberinfrastructure for the Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences
Transformational Times:. An Environmental Scan Prepared for the ARL Strategic Plan Review Task Force
Finding Context: What Today’s College Students Say About Conducting Research in the Digital Age
These sort of timely webliographies are at the heart of professional web based collaboration, communication and sharing. John requests folks to add more studies on the topic in the comments to his post.
Stephen
Posted by stephen at 9:40 PM
Measuring Libraries
I like this quote from the Official Google Blog. It's from "Stop bouncing: tips for website success", and it is the first post in a series on The Power of Measurement:
"Would you believe me if I said you don't need a Ph.D. to understand your website data? No? Believe it. Free tools like Google Analytics can help simplify website data so that you can better understand what visitors are doing when they arrive on your site."
I know many libraries are alread using Google Analytics but I sometimes get surprised at how many are not an arent't using too many stat tools on the web presence at all! And yet they tend to know their hard copy circulation stats very well. Anyway, it's worth a try to install this free application and get some data.
As with all Google stuff it's largely drven by advertisers' needs so you'll need to interpret it for libraries but it's a start.
The Rambling Librarian also points to some other useful measurement tools.
SirsiDynix offers some sophisticated tools and some of the regular stuff in then ILS.
SirsiDynix Symphony, Unicorn and Horizon offer sets of hundreds of pre-formatted reports on activity in the system. That's pretty normal. If a report doesn't exist they can often be written by yourself or by our consulting practice.
SirsiDynix also offers SirsiDynix Web Reporter . It is an extremely easy-to-use for the staff member who just needs to run pre-developed reports. At the same time, it offers great capability for the "power user" to create new or customize existing reports.
And lastly, our most sophisticated tool that includes the ability to import any kind of data as well as your ILS and Website data we offer SirsiDynix Directors Station. This is a pretty neat scenario modeling tool that allows for sophtsicted modelling of transactions, financial and user behaviors.
All of these tools work with all of our current ILS offerings.
Numbers. I hate them viscerally - probably because of awful math training in elementary school - but I know I'm not in good shape unless I have the numbers to back up my assertions of the power of libraries. During this time of economic disruption(s) all libraries have to get great at being numerate and providing proofs. It's all about playing the game.
So, no matter what type of library you're in, make sure you've got your house in order on this issue. Who is in charge of the numbers? Have they been trained in all facets of where your numbers come from? Can they create great measurements showing impact or is it just sheaves of statistical gibberish? Measurements of transformations are more powerful and positive than statistics showing expensive effort (and where to cut). And lastly, can you get your data into a visual format that shows what's happening to your advantage? If we want a bigger piece of a shrinking pie we might want to get good at making prettier and more powerful pie charts and bar charts.
Do you have the tools you need to succeed?
Stephen
Posted by stephen at 4:41 PM | Comments (0)
Oscar's DVD's
So many of us are Oscar fans - either for the opportunity to snark at the dresses or out of a love for film (more movies or motion pictures depending on your snob niche).
Anyway, I love movies and saw most of the ones nominated this year. For public libraries this is a key market niche for circulation stats with DVD collections.
The Blah Blah Blah Blog tells us that this is the status of the DVD releases for the big films:
Slumdog Millionaire. March 2009. Best Picture, Director, and 6 other wins.
Milk. March 2009. Best Actor, Sean Penn.
The Reader. April 2009. Best Actress, Kate Winslet.
The Dark Knight. Already available. Best Supporting Actor, Heath Ledger.
Vicky Cristina Barcelona. Already available. Best Supporting Actress, Penelope Cruz
Benjamin Button. April 2009. Numerous Technical Awards.
Man on Wire. Already available. Best Documentary.
Wall-E. Already available. Best Animated Feature.
And of course even getting nominated should increase interest.
Looks like March and April could be big circ months if you by and promote right. You likely have your orders in already. Have you reviewed them for their new status of Oscar winners or nominees? What does your 'New Releases' and 'Coming Hits' webpage and whiteboard look like today? I think it's neat that many libraries have a whiteboard that they update just like the old (and likely closed) local rental place. I'll bet this is a top question with your top DVD borrowers.
And most libraries now allow holds on DVD's and upcoming titles. How else can you gauge demand?
Stephen
Posted by stephen at 3:27 PM | Comments (0)
Blog Spam
I get a lot of Blog Spam. Maybe not as much as others but between 150-600 comments spam per day. The filter does a pretty good job of moving it into am junk folder for review later. I will admit that I don't always look through this as finely as I should (who has the time!?) since I found too many legitimate comments in the junk folder this weekend.
There does seem to be some trends in which comments get moved into the junk folder. Here's what I noticed and you can do what you want with them if you comment on blog postings here or other places.
1. If you use the word 'thank' or 'thanks' it goes to junk. It seems that most of the comment spam senders are thanking me for something and then passing on a URL that goes to some commercial, or nasty porn or scam site.
2. Some people habitually start their messages to me with 'Greetings' and this seems to guarantee your comment heads to junk. Nearly 20% of my blog spam uses Greetings as it's generic intro.
3. I suspect that there are similar issues with the word 'free' or anyone complimenting or congratulating me on my web design or content or just saying you are going to bookmark my site. All of these seem to be Trojan horses to try to get nasty URL's into my comments and influence the search rankings and hits for those sites (or to test if they can get through). I don't see it but I hear that most of the words for dubious financial schemes are bad for the filters as well.
4. If you include a URL it heads to junk. I think it's trying to protect me (and others) from scam URL's that will direct you to nasty sites that phish, infect or disgust.
Just know that I appreciate the comments you send and do try to read and post them if I see them.
I do try to post all messages of course, but I don't permission any abusive, scandalous, libelous, untruthful comments or ones that contain too much profanity, death threats, personal abuse, etc. - especially if they're from anonymous, pseudonymous or false identities. If you care enough to comment, then care enough to be real. After all it's my blog and I have to have some standards!
Thanks for reading and commenting. I haven't counted hits and feeds lately but there seem to be quite a few you all!
Stephen
Posted by stephen at 3:04 PM | Comments (1)
February 22, 2009
Personal Library Value Calculator
How much do "I" get out of the public library?
The Denver Public Library has a Library Value Calculator on their website. It just asks cardholders to input some simple data and it will caculate the monthly value of their free card based on the sevices they use.
If course, some folks are going to discover services that they hadn't been aware of.
It helps that the Denver newspaper wrote about it (here).
Steal this idea.
Stephen
Posted by stephen at 6:40 PM | Comments (5)
February 21, 2009
The Value of Libraries
I am reposting this great blog posting from George Needham at OCLC's It's All Good blog.
I will also add a link to one of my articles summarizing the library value studies that might be useful to many. It seems that there are a bunch of threats to libraries right now that we need some back up about our value in hand.
"When the drought causes the watering hole to shrink, everyone starts to look like food."
Growling helps.
The Value of Our Libraries:. Impact, Recognition and Influencing Funders
"REPORTS ON CALCULATING A LIBRARY’S RETURN ON INVESTMENT
Compiled by Don Reynolds, Past President of the Association of Rural and Small Libraries, and Director, Nolichucky Regional Library, Morristown, Tennessee
Updated February 20, 2009
Public Library Benefits Valuation Study. St. Louis Public Library, April 2001.
Library's Contribution to Your Community. Illinois Regional Library Systems, 2002/3.
Libraries: How they stack up. An OCLC Report. OCLC, 2003.
Value of Public Library Service. Massachusetts Library Association, October 2003. Also available: "Estimated retail value and Values explained" and Calculator work sheet
The Economic Impact of Public Libraries on South Carolina. January 2005.
Taxpayer Return-on-Investment (ROI) in Pennsylvania Public Libraries. Pennsylvania Library Association, September 2006.
Value for Money: Southwestern Ohio’s Return from Investment in Public Libraries. November 2006. Report Summary
Making Cities Stronger: Public Library Contributions to Local Economic Development. Urban Libraries Council, January 2007.
Worth Their Weight - An Assessment of the Evolving Field of Library Valuation. Americans for Libraries Council (Libraries for the Future), May 2007. Two notes:
1.) This report summarizes all the various valuation projects from around the country.
2.) I was having some trouble getting this to download, but was told by Libraries for the Future that the website issue is being addressed.
Update: Betha Gutsche from WebJunction offers this alternate site for finding "Worth Their Weight." Thanks, Betha!
Vermont Library Association’s Library Use Value Calculator - What is your library worth to you? August 2007. (Note: Follows Massachusetts model.)
Return on Investment for Public Libraries. Library Research Service (Colorado), 2007/8. Note: This site also includes numerous case studies of individual libraries. Individual ROI Calculator.
Return on Investment (ROI). North Suburban Library System (Illinois), 2008. (Note: Two calculators are available here, one for a library’s return on investment to the community, one for the ROI for an individual.)
Maine State Library’s Library Use Value Calculator. Updated 2008. Note: This approach also follows Massachusetts model.
New York Libraries: How They Stack Up! Revised October 2008. Printable brochure version, also revised October 2008"
From this small set of value studies it should be a simple task to create a list of talking points for ALL library staff, volunteers and board members. Using some of the calculators you could even create institution specific data. You've got an army, use it.
Good luck out there.
Stephen
Posted by stephen at 2:28 PM | Comments (3)
Wowbrary
Have you played with Wowbrary yet?
"Free Alerts about Your Library's Newest Books, Movies & Music!
✓ Receive free weekly email alerts or RSS
✓ Discover the latest books, DVDs and CDs
✓ Reserve bestsellers instantly
✓ Enjoy the early notification
✓ Completely private - 100% spam-free
✓ Wildly convenient - view it from home
See what your library's alerts look like! Just enter your ZIP code."
What is Wowbrary?
"Wowbrary was created to make public libraries more visible and accessible to everyone.
Wowbrary regularly informs you by email and/or RSS about your chosen public library’s newest books, movies and music. We make it easy for you to browse through the latest additions and place a hold on a new title. This is a free user service supported by grants, donations, sponsorships, book sale commissions and volunteers.
Wowbrary is the brainchild of Jeff Levinsky and Torben Gronning, both avid library fans. It is a special project of Interactive Sciences, Inc., a California nonprofit 501(c)(3) public-benefit corporation that uses technology to help with social needs."
It appears to just work in the major US cities right now (Since the US is the only place that has zip codes...)
It's a neat little competitor to LibraryElf too.
We seem to have different business models here. One uses premium subscriptions with the library, another looks for library allied sponsorships, others look more like the LibraryThing for Libraries model.
All interesting. Some duplicate features already available in the library's ILS.
Stephen
Posted by stephen at 12:51 PM | Comments (2)
February 20, 2009
McGill's Web 2.You Conference
The students at McGill University School of Information Studies put together a great one day conference.
Web 2.You in Montreal, PQ, Feb. 13, 2009
There were great presentations by the Master's and PhD students as well as winderful sessins from Michael Stephens and Amy Buckland.
Here are my slides:
Trendspotting: Weak Signals from the Future
Like I always say, I'm not worried about the future of libraries when I visit iSchools and LIS schools and meet the students.
Stephen
Posted by stephen at 2:42 PM | Comments (0)
The Sims - Friday Fun
FastCompany tells me that today is the 9th birthday for The Sims, the bestselling video game in history for the past seven years.
Now, anyone want to conceive of a Sim Library game? Libraries in roller coasters? Libraries with authors still there to talk to? Libraries without walls? Libraries with cool librarian avatars...?
OMG, I think it's Second Life!
Stephen
Posted by stephen at 2:26 PM | Comments (0)
Statistics and Libraries
I think that it's interesting to look at book retailing and see if it's different that what happens in your library's circulation.
Listed below is the various book categories and what happened in 2008:
Overall Book Market - EVERYTHING -Week Ending: 2008-12-28
Category Sales '000's Share YoY
Adult Non-Fiction 10,411 36% 25%
Adult Fiction 6,185 22% 18%
Juvenile Non-Fiction 1,422 5% 84%
Juvenile Fiction 6,271 22% 72%
Other 4,264 15% 8%
Computers 151 1% -8%
Total 28,553 100% 30%
As you can see, the computer market is only 1% of total unit sales in bookstores and online retailers. The Computer category was the only category down [-8%] year-over-year. Note that this is unit sales which is more comparable to circulation than revenue which can be affected by average prices, inflation and discounting programs.
For example, do you see that trend computer book trend in your library?
You can learn more about this stuff here at O'Reilly Radar:
State of the Computer Book Market 2008, Part 1: The Market
State of the Computer Book Market 2008, Part 2: The Technologies
[Added Feb. 24, 2009] State of the Computer Book Market 2008, Part 3: The Publishers
I like this stuff since it is just the sort of thing that we had hoped would be used with library data and SirsiDynix Director's Station. Retailers sure live and die on their numbers and use the most sophisticated tools.
Stephen
Posted by stephen at 2:16 PM | Comments (0)
Libraries are 'hip'?
From MSNBC:
Library Hip As Economy Suffers
Now Google tells me that "Hip is a slang term meaning fashionably current."
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hip_(slang) (hep too!)
I wonder how many people still say hip...?
Oh well. I'll take publicity any way I can get it.
Twenty three skidoo all you cool cats.
Stephen
Posted by stephen at 2:03 PM | Comments (0)
Trees Falling in Forests
ResourceShelf pointed to this today and it's quite an interesting statistic...
Open Access to Scientific Papers May Not Guarantee Wide Dissemination
"New research challenges assumption that having research published in open access journals and other free sources leads to more exposure and citations"
Here's the soundbite:
"The results were surprising. On average, when a given publication was made available online after being in print for a year, being published in an open source format increased the use of that article by about 8 percent. When articles are made available online in a commercial format a year after publication, however, usage increases by about 12 percent.
"Across the scientific community," Evans said in an interview, "it turns out that open access does have a positive impact on the attention that's given to the journal articles, but it's a small impact."
Now this is a bit of a grenade in the OA community and will get debated a lot. Since some of the fervour verges on religious belief it'll be fun to watch the twists and turns.
Again, we need to be careful when the more doctrinaire among us advocate for a single way. The hybrid solution seems to be the one that gets the results. It's not just about ownership, format and rights. It's about whether your research gets read and used and has a positive impact.
Stephen
Posted by stephen at 1:54 PM | Comments (0)
Boomers and Social Media
Don't ignore Boomers in your social media strategies.
"Joining social networks is also becoming a widely popular among the Younger Boomers. Today, almost one in four Younger Boomers are active in social networks, up from 15% in 2007."
A new report from Forrester Research shows that Boomers aren't technophobic. "In fact, more than 60 percent of those in this generational group actively consume socially created content like blogs, videos, podcasts, and forums. What's more, the percentage of those participating is on the rise."
Some insights from Read/Write/Web here or buy the report:
by Jeremiah K. Owyang with Josh Bernoff, Shar VanBoskirk, Cynthia N. Pflaum, Angie Polanco
"Executive Summary: Baby Boomers aren't technology Luddites; in fact, more than 60% of them consume socially created content. You'll also find Boomers leaving their opinions on Web sites and even joining social networks. Yet this group isn't as active as younger generations, so to reach Boomers, start with sponsoring or creating social content since they're not as willing to create blogs, videos, or audio. We also recommend allowing Boomers to share their opinions with others by enabling comments, ratings, and rankings on Web sites."
Here's how it divides up:
Either way, this social web stuff is becoming the new normal.
Stephen
Posted by stephen at 1:41 PM | Comments (0)
Top 30 Innovations in 30 Years
PBS Nightly Business partnered with Knowledge@Wharton to pick the top 30 innovations in the past 30 years. These innovations are part of normal now but they didn't exist at one time and lead the way to big changes in how we live, work and play.
Here are the thirty technology innovations from that list.
Fiber optics
Biofuels
Mobile phones
Microfinance
Photovoltaic cells
Anti-retroviral
AIDS treatment
LCDs
Bar codes
E-mail
Media file compression
GUI
Microprocessor
Digital photgraphy
Internet
Open source software
RFID
Office software
E-commerce
Non-invasive surgery
PC/Laptops
MRI
DNA sequencing
SRAM/Flash memory
ATMs
Wind turbines
Stents
GPS
LEDs
Genetically modified plants
Social networks on Internet
You can see the rankings here.
Just about every one has had a big impact on library land.
Stephen
Posted by stephen at 1:10 PM | Comments (1)
February 19, 2009
Teaching Generation M
Teaching Generation M: A Handbok for Librarians and Educators
Edited by Vibiana Bowman Cvetkovic and Robert J. Lackie
ISBN: 9781555706685
Published: June 2009
6 x 9 | 350 pp. | $75.00
This will be pubished soon and they're taking orders! And in the interests of ful disclosure, I had the privilege to write a chapter for this tome. I also got to read many of the other chapters. I recommend them all.
"Working with and devising quality educational resources for “Generation M” – today’s group of teens and young adults born in the early 1980s through the mid 1990s – can be a challenge for librarians and instructors who may not relate well to their multitasking, technophile students. Here, editors Cvetkovic ( named of one of the “2005 Library Movers and Shakers” by Library Journal) and Lackie (the 2006 recipient of the ALA Kenneth Haycock Award for Promoting Librarianship) answer the core questions you’ll need to facilitate new and powerful learning opportunities for your Gen M audience, including:
• Who are the members of Gen M?
• What is their shared cultural experience and how does it influence learning?
• How can librarians and educators best meet this cohort’s educational requirements?
Cvetkovic, Lackie and their contributors debunk common myths and misconceptions about this unique generation to provide a realistic understanding of their instructional needs and learning styles. You’ll find a comprehensive introduction and overview of Gen M, including key term definitions, background information, and a clear idea of the scope of issues facing educators charged with teaching and working with this age group. A section on the emergent digital community inherent to Gen M examines the personal, sociological, and educational implications and impact on future pedagogy. The authors cover popular online tools like Facebook, Wikipedia, YouTube, Google, many of which play a large role in Gen M information retrieval, and also address key educational theories and provide instruction for creating lessons and learning objects that can be used in both traditional and online educational environments. Examples of current best practices are provided along with corresponding instruction for designing and implementing them in your library or classroom.
Specifically geared toward librarians, media specialists and educators of all types, this much–needed guidebook offers unprecedented insight and instruction that will help you succeed at the head of this distinctive young class."
And just in case you think I spend too much time talking and writing about Millennials, the latest book chapter I've writen and submitted is for a book focused on the 55 plus cohort of people in libraries!
Both chapters have bad Karma though! The GenM one was the only writing I lost in a bad hard drive crash in Nashville after writing for a few days on the beach in Jamaica last Summer. (Yes there is an actual wireless beach there!). And then just over this past Christmas I had completed about 75% of the 55 Plus chapter (coming soon) right after a back-up and my hard drive failed again, completely! I had to start from scratch and lost the whole thing. How the gods can know you only have one piece to lose after a full back up and both times for it to be a big piece of writing, I don't know. Anyway, I can truly say that tears and sweat are in this work.
Stephen
Posted by stephen at 2:58 PM | Comments (0)
School Libraries Make A Difference
I've already pointed to the NYT article but, if you haven’t already, you’ve also got to watch the video associated with this story on the NYT site:
The 21st-Century Librarian - Video Library - The New York Times
http://video.nytimes.com/video/2009/02/15/arts/1194837851726/the-21st-century-librarian.html
Published: February 19, 2009
“School librarians like Stephanie Rosalia have transformed into multi-faceted information specialists who guide students through the flood of digital information that confronts them on a daily basis.”
My only quibble is that the video says that Ms Rosalia isn’t your typical school librarian. I hope that she is and that everyone strives to make a difference just like her!
Stephen
Posted by stephen at 10:46 AM | Comments (0)
February 18, 2009
Teaching Facebook Literacy
OK, I know folks are fearful of Facebook this week. Apparently changing (and then recanting but not permanently) content ownership rights and privacy policies is hitting epidemic proportions. Who'd have thunk that OCLC could give the bug to Facebook?! The essence of the web really is viral.
Anyway, just in case you need a refresher:
Privacy Settings Every Facebook User Should Know
From the AllFacebook Blog
Here's the ten - and the details are in the posting. This looks like a lunch and learn discussion for staff and students.
1. Use Your Friend Lists
2. Remove Yourself From Facebook Search Results
3. Remove Yourself From Google
4. Avoid the Infamous Photo/Video Tag Mistake
5. Protect Your Albums
6. Prevent Stories From Showing Up in Your Friends’ News Feeds
7. Protect Against Published Application Stories
8. Make Your Contact Information Private
9. Avoid Embarrassing Wall Posts
10. Keep Your Friendships Private
These are not absolute recommendations to build a wall around yourself anymore than you'll be safer if you don't have any relationships at all since most people are murdered by someone they know. It just means that you should be careful and mindful.
Lord knows that I have a life on the web that surprises me. This photo has a life and has turned up in odd places which required me to note that it was Halloween and I don't normally dress like this for work. Context is everything.
I am waiting for the first Senate, Cabinet or Supreme Court nomination hearing where the nominee's Facebook wall gets entered into the testimony!
Stephen
Posted by stephen at 5:05 PM | Comments (0)
What is Your Library's Visual Image?
I was thinking about this today. I was looking at a few library websites and found so many of them dour. When did looking useful and professional mutate to mean plain, verging on dull, boring and unengaging?
I use a site called iStockphoto.com. I got this picture there a few minutes ago and acquired the lawful rights for this blog posting and future powerpoints. You can acquire stuff in any size and resolution - for everything from blog postings, to newsletters, to websites, posters, and billboards.
I am sure other photo sites do neat things. I've just gotten used to iStockphoto.com and have a deposit account there. They make it easy to purchase but that's not what I like best. It used to be that most of the time when I'm looking for photos to illustrate a concept I have to think up the metaphor and then search on a noun. Suppose I want to visually demonstrate inflexibility. I think about searching on rocks, walls, concrete, etc. If I search on inflexible on this site I get tons of visuals. It's the same for any emotional word, verb or concept. I continue to be amazed. I bought pictures for 'cool', 'ecstatic', 'engaged (working)', etc. Honestly, it was fun.
Libraries need to do their absolute best at engaging and connecting with users on an emotional level - now more than ever. Look at the pictures and graphics you use to lift your words off the page - or webpage. Would you use nouns to describe them? Or do verbs, feelings and actions come to mind? Are there people there? Are they breaking the fourth wall and reaching out to you? Are there hands? I once read that humans respond emotinaly most to hands and faces. How many hands and faces are there in your library presence? Are there cold book covers or someone holding books out to you?
Is a few hundred dollars in legal images the difference between a good site and a great presence and engagement? It might be.
The kid above is my wallpaper now because everyone needs to see someone who's truly engaged and having fun so that this kid will reconnect me with that feeling. I think happy first. That's good.
Of course, you too could create great digital pictures with a great concept, cute kids and some fingerpaint. Hey, that sounds like a library program! Just put plastic on the rug and go for it. As my eldest kid once told his grade 6 school librarian, "Libraries aren't rug museums".
And pictures should be engaging or not there at all.
Stephen
Posted by stephen at 11:51 AM
February 17, 2009
Funny for Today
So my wife is marking grade four geography/science tests at the dining room table last night. She breaks out laughing which isn't her normal style while markng.
So, I ask, "Dearest, what's so funny?"
She replies with the test question:
"What covers almost 75% of the earth's surface?"
The kid's answer . . .
"Pigeons."
I just asked Google and I get a few of what I think are different answers - oceans, water, salt water, the hydrosphere, reflective surfaces, . . .
Wasting time surfing I find out that 75% of Americans are chronically dehydrated, (http://corrosion-doctors.org/Water-Glossary/Glossary.htm).
I wonder who's correct?
Personally, I'll go with pigeons.
Is Google smarter than a fourth grader? (BTW, the most 'popular' answer is oceans and that's actually wrong. About 61% of earth's surface is oceans.)
Pigeons. Observable evidence. The world is flat too.
Stephen
Posted by stephen at 6:11 PM | Comments (0)
Famous Librarians
Just for fun:
25 Famous Librarians Who Changed History
Anyone missing?
Stephen
Posted by stephen at 12:03 PM | Comments (4)
About Freaking Time
Major cell phone makers and carriers have signed on to support a universal, Micro-USB-powered charger. A rare good move for the environment and users.
Universal Chargers to Finally Become a Reality [by 2012]
"(according to the GSM Association, which is leading the initiative, members on the phone and chipset side include LG, Motorola, Nokia, Qualcomm, Samsung and Sony Ericsson, and members on the operator side include 3 Group, AT&T, KTF, Mobilkom Austria, Orange, Telecom Italia, Telefónica, Telenor, Telstra, T-Mobile and Vodafone.)
Now why would I buy a phone from anyone who didn't support this standard? Who needs a drawer full of rechargers?
Stephen
Posted by stephen at 10:28 AM | Comments (0)
IDC 2009 Predictions
I like the IDC predictions for 2009. They're a bit corporate so some people have trouble making the connections to the social service sector and libraries so I've added some comments on them. You can get access to the ful report
IDC's TOP 10 PREDICTIONS
IDC Predictions 2009: An Economic Pressure Cooker Will Accelerate the IT Industry Transformation
"In 2009, two powerful forces will collide in the IT market: a deep global recession, and
a radical IT industry transformation that has been in progress for the past several
years. These two forces, interacting with each other, loom large in virtually all of our
10 predictions themes for 2009:
Global IT growth will be cut in half — it will be critically important for suppliers to
orient toward segments that are spending at above-market growth rates."
Some areas that can be expected to spend above other market areas are the public sector. This is partly due to the pressure on public sector budgets due to tax and investment shortfalls. They still need to do their business but need to do it more effectively. Additional stimulus investments in infrastructure to create employment will also add projects here. This would imply that library management would be well advised to further develop good relationships with IT strategy folks in their town, city, state, consortia, univeristy, college, board, etc. One key trends towards SaaS (software as a service) can generate good savings with less loss of control than the traditional model of partner hosted services.
Emerging markets and small businesses spending will slow significantly — but
outperform the market even more than in 2008.
Public Libraries have rarely had huge service relationships with large businesses but have been a god-send for small and medium-sized enterprises. Libraries have also been huge suporters of entrepreneurs and home-workers. Now is not the time to cut these services. It is the time to grow and promote them. Be part of the solution and don't contribute to the ongoing economic crisis. And make sure your advocacy communications include these services.
The IT industry's expansion to "the cloud" will accelerate — as the bad economy
drives more users to the cloud model's low costs, and IT suppliers follow suit.
SaaS - software as a service - is huge. You can reduce your total cost of information systems by up to 40% by cooperating on a higher level and still retain the control in the areas that matter. For library management, this is one of those areas where staff will not usually bring it forward as a solution since it impacts their jobs and generates significant change for all. This is one of those times where leadership is difficult but when it's a choice of survival, thriving or awful cuts . . . .
The struggling offline economy will drive more shoppers to the online economy
— as over 1.5 billion people go online, driving over $8 trillion in online sales.
Just remember that libraries are part of the online economy. Just because your library doesn't usually charge fees, doesn't mean that online holds, online fine payments, and easy downloads of audiobooks, games, e-books, and music aren't just the same as the big online retailers. You can piggyback on this trend as more and more people use the web for transactions. Make sure your community thinks of you this way. Promote the services that regular users think of as normal to attact new users looking for savings.
The telecom industry will consolidate, and expand, in 2009 — driven by the need
for scale in developed markets, a wireless land-grab in emerging markets, and
the promise of the cloud model to greatly expand telcos' value-added services.
You wireless is their wireless. You're part of this trend and bridge divides. Promote it. Expect ownership changes in your providers.
It will be a grim year for mobile gadgets — as volume growth flattens in mobile
phones, as netbook PCs expand the market but threaten notebook pricing and
margins, and as consolidation looms in personal navigation devices.
I just bought two net PC's. They're awesome and so cheap (my ASUS was $349.00 Cdn). Honestly, when an IT company's pricing is threatened that good for consumers like libraries and their users. I am always looking for wireless zones and I see these everywhere. So, if you serve students and the wireless crowd. Make sure you've promoted your fine space as a good place to work. If you're not wireless yet you're way behind and need to get on board. Even a simple wireless $200.00 router in the lobby is a start.
The crumbling of the "business/personal" wall in IT will accelerate — as the
economy and the "2.0" culture drive consumer and business technology together,
opening new opportunities and threatening to create new IT industry dinosaurs.
Lordy, libraries broke the business/personal wall from the start! Only a few silly libraries try to control what users do from this perspective. I set up many business conferences on Facebook alone and also do personal stuff there. I am always amazed when some public institution tries to control my use and ruin my ability to do business. The other lesson in this trend is to share your views with your users. Engage them.
The reinvention of information access and analysis will accelerate in 2009 —
driven by blow-back from the financial industry fiasco, the growing information
avalanche from social networking and digital video, and the ambitions of key
vendors to own the last — and most strategic — patch of IT market real estate.
Like I've been saying for years. Libraries are social insitutitons an the social web 2.0 tools are made for us! Ride the wave. Then again, don't get too attached to any one few service. It'll mutate and change and potentially disappear. Remain flexible. Watch for huge and fast changes in streaming media affecting your DVD business. Entertainment choices mutate during recessions but don't decline in total.
Green technologies will have a good year, disguised as "cost cutting" — with
good demand for green tech that can deliver near-term savings, but temporarily
shoving capital-intensive green investments down the agenda.
Libraries are green. We lend books to many and more. From the IT perspective we could get better by retiring old energy inefficient servers and coopoerating more with SaaS, etc. Many times the energy and carbon footprints of libraries are invisible to staff but they're there.
Government initiatives in 2009 will catalyze massive IT investments and industry
growth — focused on economic recovery, energy and health industry
streamlining, and improving financial markets' stability and transparency.
And amongst our top questions in libraries - finance, health, energy, the economy, and more. We're ready, just come on down !
Of course the stupidest predictions I've seen lately are those that are predicting the end of web 2.0 and Library 2.0 because of a few companies going under. What a laugh! Then again I recall a few folks saying the web was so over in the Dotcom bust in the stock market in the 90's. Some folks have trouble differentiating long term trends from investor confidence and industry concatenations.
Be careful out there.
Stephen
Posted by stephen at 8:36 AM | Comments (0)
February 16, 2009
The E-Resources Management Handbook
I thought I'd point to this UK Serials Group project since it looks to be quite useful to many. (Disclaimer: I was interviewed for one of the chapters and quite enjoyed the process.)
"UKSG has recently published new chapters of The E-Resources Management Handbook, its open access guide to the issues and challenges facing those in the information community.
Two of the new chapters follow the book’s original formula by providing analyses of specific areas of e-resource management. Louise Cole, Senior Information Advisor (Collections) at Kingston University gives up-to-date guidance for UK librarians relating to copyright in the digital age. Her chapter covers licences, digital rights management, sharing and adapting content, multimedia and open access. Jo Cross, Market Research Manager at Taylor & Francis, provides an introduction to impact factors that explains how they are calculated and what variables need to be considered when evaluating them.
An additional five new chapters take the form of interviews with thought leaders from the information community:
• Stephen Abram, Vice President, SirsiDynix
• Martin Marlow, Vice President, Publisher Business Development & Marketing, Ingram Digital
• Peter McCracken, Director of Research, Serials Solutions
• Jim Mouw, Assistant Director,Technical & Electronic Services, University of Chicago
• Alison Mudditt, Executive Vice President, Higher Education Group, SAGE
The interviews are designed to summarise the current state of scholarly communications while providing a broad range of insights into what the future may hold, from professionals with differing perspectives and comprehensive experience. They provide a milestone in the handbook’s evolution, and a benchmark against which future developments in e-resource management can be measured."
"The E-Resources Management Handbook now incorporates 21 chapters covering licensing, statistics, archiving, resource discovery, marketing and ERM systems among many other topics. As a “living” e-book, chapters are reviewed periodically and updated when necessary – but they are never removed, even when superceded, so that the book is an evolving record of the state of the field. It has been described as “essential reading for anyone involved in the management and use of electronic resources” by Charles Oppenheim, Professor of Information Science, Loughborough University.
Planned updates for 2009 include chapters on peer review, repositories, e-learning and the semantic web. Learn more, or sign up for new chapter alerts at http://www.uksg.org/serials#handbook."
Stephen
Posted by stephen at 4:35 PM | Comments (0)
MapQuest versus Google Maps?
In the battle between Google Maps and MapQuest, which one do you use?
Do you one for personal directions and another for your library website? I used to use MapQuest but now use Google Maps mostly. I still find some weird directions but that happens with Silicon Sally on the car GPS's too, not that I'm the one driving.
I suspect Google Maps is used more for library websites due to it's easy API that allows for easier integration. I can't imagine a good library website without a proper map and directions for walking or driving to every branch. It's so easy and, really, what good is just a simple address unless you've lived in town for years?
And besides, the Google Earth and satellite views are just plain fun.
Add this to a good SEO plan where you find the library - in addition to the local bookstores - when you search on books in Google and you're golden.
Stephen
Posted by stephen at 3:54 PM | Comments (1)
Libraries Save Money for Consumers
Here's something you might want to engage your cardholders in:
Woman's Day seeks library stories
Woman's Day magazine has announced a call for entries on a timely topic: using the library to help save money. From February 17 through May 18, women ages 18 and up are invited to send in stories in 700 words or less for a chance to be profiled in the March 2010 issue. Up to four women's stories will be featured.
Visit:
http://www.womansday.com/Content/Family-Lifestyle/ALA-Contest-Info-Rules
Librarians can download free tools to help collect local stories from the Campaign for America's Libraries website.
Stephen
Posted by stephen at 3:44 PM | Comments (0)
Facebook Growth
OK, this is pretty amazing.
Facebook Surpasses 175 Million Users, Continuing to Grow by 600k Users/DayFebruary
It grew from 150,000,000 users in January to 175,000,000 users today.
"- 45% of Facebook’s US audience is now 26 years old or older.
- The fastest growing segment in the US: Women over 55, up 175.3% in the last 120 days. Facebook growing faster with women than men in almost every age group.
- The number of people on Facebook grew by over 10% monthly in 52 countries in January. It grew by over 20% monthly in January in 13 countries.
- Facebook’s monthly growth accelerated by at least 25% in 30 countries in January vs. December 2008."
Stephen
Posted by stephen at 3:06 PM | Comments (0)
New York Times - Front Page Librarian
The Future of Reading: In Web Age, Library Job Gets Update
"It was the “aha!” moment that [librarian] Stephanie Rosalia was hoping for.
A group of fifth graders huddled around laptop computers in the school library overseen by Ms. Rosalia and scanned allaboutexplorers.com, a Web site that, unbeknownst to the children, was intentionally peppered with false facts.
Ms. Rosalia, the school librarian at Public School 225, a combined elementary and middle school in Brighton Beach, Brooklyn, urged caution. “Don’t answer your questions with the first piece of information that you find,” she warned."
It's the third in a series:
The Future of Reading: Using Video Games as Bait to Hook Readers (October 6, 2008)
The Future of Reading: Literacy Debate: Online, R U Really Reading? (July 27, 2008)
Good articles.
Stephen
Posted by stephen at 11:36 AM
February 15, 2009
How Prevalent is Twitter?
From The Pew:
"As of December 2008, 11% of online American adults said they used a service like Twitter or another service that allowed them to share updates about themselves or to see the updates of others.
Twitter and similar services have been most avidly embraced by young adults. Nearly one in five (19%) online adults ages 18 and 24 have ever used Twitter and its ilk, as have 20% of online adults 25 to 34. Use of these services drops off steadily after age 35 with 10% of 35 to 44 year olds and 5% of 45 to 54 year olds using Twitter. The decline is even more stark among older internet users; 4% of 55-64 year olds and 2% of those 65 and older use Twitter.
The use of Twitter is highly intertwined with the use of other social media; both blogging and social network use increase the likelihood than an individual also uses Twitter. Twitter users and status updaters are also a mobile bunch; as a group they are much more likely to be using wireless technologies -- laptops, handhelds and cell phones -- for internet access, or cell phones for text messaging.
Overall, Twitter users engage with news and own technology at the same rates as other internet users, but the ways in which they use the technology -- to communicate, gather and share information -- reveals their affinity for mobile, untethered and social opportunities for interaction. Moreover, Twitter as an application allows for and enhances these opportunities, so it is not so surprising that users would engage in these kinds of activities and also be drawn to an online application."
The full PDF is here.
11% already! That's fast. It has certainly been my experience that loads of folks are twittering. I remember when I started seeing URL's in every advertisement in magazines and on TV. That was a sign when conservative media gt on board. Now I can't watch CNN without watching Cooper, Wolf or Rick being distracted by folks tweeting at them. And following the election was a real treat per tweet.
I've been following a few libraries that are makng their tweets available. It's simple stuff like hours and events. Right this minute I saw one about Oscar winners form the past in the library's books and DVD collections. Pretty creative way to promote the library brand - or keep staff in the loop on the latest changes and fun events.
CIO Magazine did a quick overview this week:
Twitter Etiquette: Five Dos and Don'ts
"Twitter beginners need to understand the rules of etiquette for the service. So before you stick a foot measuring 140-characters-or-less in your mouth, check out our advice on how to follow and un-follow, share politely, direct message appropriately, and more."
Their beginner's guide about how to get started on Twitter is here.
Play for a while. If you like it, stay. If you don't you now have an informed opinion based on experience and can leave!
Stephen
Posted by stephen at 3:30 PM | Comments (0)
February 13, 2009
Digital Branch Style Guide
Digital Branch Style Guide
The inestimable David Lee King has posted his library's [Topeka & Shawnee County Public Library] digital branch style guide here.
Whether you call it a virtual branch, an e-branch, a digital branch, a blog or a website there's lots of wisdom and experience here that'll help you get a head start.
Of course, you shouold also buy David's book "Designing the Digital Experience: How to Use Experience Design Tools & Techniques to Build Websites Customers Love ".
Stephen
Posted by stephen at 3:21 PM | Comments (0)
Teaching Context
Check out this short (2 minute) video on YouTube.
It's a nice quick way to show people that information without context isn't even close to answers and knowledge.
Stephen
Posted by stephen at 2:56 PM | Comments (0)
February 11, 2009
Finding Jobs in a Recession
Jeremiah Owyang at his Web Strategy Blog has been running a series on finding a job in a recession. Obviously ths is a question that's increasing at many libraries and it's a core reference business for the foreseeable future.
You can read the first five postings on the results of his survey of recent job seekers and finders since Sept. 2008 (more are coming, I suspect) here.
I found this chart particularly relevant. Most people who found jobs in his survey recommended using social networking sites.
This is a clear opportunity for library folks to assist job seeking folks as long as they're involved and informed themselves. As Jeremiah notes most people find jobs through referral from friends, colleagues, alumni, or family and social netwokring sites like LinkedIn, Plaxo, Facebook, and MySpace can help you manage that process without being too intrusive.
There's a lot to learn in this thread to update our reference and training skills in this inportant area.
Stephen
Posted by stephen at 10:37 AM | Comments (2)
Wireless, Inkless Printers
I just noticed these wireless and inkless printers on Gizmodo.
And they're even pretty. This is a Dell Wasabi. Another option is the Zink Pocket Printer.
At first I didn't see a library application but then I thought again.
With the demise of Polaroid photos, this is a good option. You can quickly print photos for the bulletin board for Mom & Tots storytime, members of the Summer Reading Club or Wii Fit Group etc. It'll even work with anyone's phone at an event, parade, fair or party.
People love seeing pictures of themsleves in public places. It's a user engagement strategy. And you've still got a digital copy for the website.
And these printers are only $100-149.00 which seems cheap enough for me to try one as soon as I find it.
Any libraries out there using this?
Stephen
Posted by stephen at 10:24 AM | Comments (0)
February 10, 2009
ARL Environmental Scan
The Association of Research Libraries (ARL) has released their environmental scan:
Transformational Times: An Environmental Scan Prepared for the
ARL Strategic Plan Review Task Force
This is a step in their 2009 project to renew their strategic plan to guide the Association in setting priorities and organizing its activities for the next several years, a time that is expected to present unprecedented challenges and concomitant opportunities to research libraries.
Yep. Big changes on the horizon an already heading down the hill on horses.
Stephen
Posted by stephen at 3:39 PM
SmartPhone Growth
eMarketer is reporting on the growth of smartphones in the U.S. These G3 phones have already grown to major market share in other industrialized countries. As North America catches up, there are great opportunities for knowledge based enterprises like libraries - in addition to the entertainment industries like music, video and gaming.
"More than 2.5 billion consumers will subscribe to 3G worldwide by 2013, according to a Parks Associates report. Parks Associates predicts more than 1 billion of those subscribers will be in Asia alone."
I guess just getting text and e-mail on your phone is so last week.
Stephen
Posted by stephen at 11:32 AM | Comments (1)
Communication in 1901
I love this map from Gizmodo. It shows just one telegraph company's network in 1901, the year Queen Victoria died.
It shows Eastern Telegraph Co.'s network of undersea cables. We still use this sort of network. Just remember that this as for telegraph, not telephone, e-mail, fax, TV, etc.
Anyway, it's neat to see this bit o'history.
Stephen
Posted by stephen at 11:25 AM
February 9, 2009
What Should Google Do?
A very interesting read at Silicon Valley Insider:
Google Next Victim Of Creative Destruction? (GOOG)
by John Borthwick
February 8, 2009
It's long but worth the effort.
Stephen
Posted by stephen at 6:50 PM | Comments (0)
Cool Org Charts
Do you ever need to create organization charts? flow charts? wireframes? site maps? network diagrams?
Lovely Charts is an online diagramming applications that allows you to create professional looking diagrams of all types including organization charts, flow charts, wireframes, site maps, network diagrams, and many more, for free. Here's an example:
Get ready for that re-org or redesign now.
Stephen
Posted by stephen at 12:51 PM | Comments (0)
Content Collections in Social Networks
"eMarketer projects that 79.7 million people, 40% of US Internet users, will create content on social networks at least once a month in 2009, either by updating a profile or communicating publicly. That represents 90.5% of social network users."
I wonder what the opportunity is for content collections here. I was just reviewing the starter pack of a photo colection on the SLA Toronto site for SLA's Centennial and was liking the fun trip through the past and the opportunity to add metatdata and commnents.
Local history seems like a big opportunity here.
Stephen
Posted by stephen at 8:59 AM | Comments (0)
Social Network Growth
"eMarketer estimates that in 2008 nearly 80 million people, 41% of the US Internet user population, visited social network sites at least once a month, an 11% increase from 2007.
By 2013, an estimated 52% of Internet users will be regular social network visitors."
Does your library have a fan page yet? What percentage of your staff are in social networks and how does that compare to your users? Can one truly understand the end user's context from afar?
Stephen
Posted by stephen at 8:48 AM
February 7, 2009
Google and Eye Tracking
As many of you know I really like the results of eye-tracking studies. I've been a fan since the early days of Internet World in NY and I first met the folks at eyeballglue, one of the early innovators.
Anyway, on the Official Google Blog they're sharing some of their eye tracking work and insights. Check it out here:
Eye Tracking Studies: More than meets the eye
You can find some of the SirsiDynix eye tracking work with Kent State University here (free PDF - view an print in colour):
http://schoolrooms.net/Pdfs/UsabilityStudy_KentState.pdf
Stephen
Posted by stephen at 12:49 PM | Comments (0)
February 6, 2009
Fundraising?
I'll bet fundraising has been getting a new focus in many library institutions in the past few months. AFP has compiled a toolkit of resources to advise and guide fundraisers in tough economic times.
The Association of Fundraising Professionals has posted A Survival Kit for Fundraising in a Bad Economy, which includes links to dozens of articles.
Titles include: "Face the Economy With Sharpened Focus, Solid Strategy," "Succeed at Fundraising Despite a Recession," "Fundraising in a Recession," "Recession-Proof Your Fundraising," "Fundraising in a Tough Economy, Fundraising Tips: Do's and Don'ts in a Troubled Economy," etc.
Check it out at http://afpnet.org/ka/ka-3.cfm?folder_id=2545&content_item_id=24683
Headings include:
Resource Toolkits Compiled By Other Organizations
Strategic Responses to the Crisis (McKinsey Quarterly)
Books available in the AFP Bookstore
Recent AFP articles and research
Articles from various sources collected by the AFP Fundraising Resource Center
Paulette Maehara, CFRE, CAE, president and CEO of AFP, staes: “But despite the headlines about Wall Street and the financial markets, we as fundraisers should not lose sight of the fact that giving is a way for communities to pull together. While the economic forecasts are uncertain right now, what is quite certain is the capacity of people to lend a hand and support institutions of all kinds. We hope you’ll use AFP as a resource in garnering vital support for your organization in what may be a wild ride over the next few months.”
Hope this stuff helps.
Stephen
Posted by stephen at 1:25 PM | Comments (0)
Mobile Books
From Inside Google Book Search Blog
1.5 million books in your pocket
"One of the great things about an iPhone or Android phone is being able to play Pacman while stuck in line at the post office. Sometimes though, we yearn for something more than just playing games or watching videos.
What if you could also access literature's greatest works, such as Emma and The Jungle Book, right from your phone? Or, some of the more obscure gems such as Mark Twain's hilarious travelogue, Roughing It? Today we are excited to announce the launch of a mobile version of Google Book Search, opening up over 1.5 million mobile public domain books in the US (and over half a million outside the US) for you to browse while buying your postage.
While these books were already available on Google Book Search, these new mobile editions are optimized to be read on a small screen. To try it out and start reading, open up your web browser in your iphone or Android phone and go to http://books.google.com/m."
There's more backstory in the full posting.
And so it begins. Do libraries need to keep classics or pubic domain collections if everyone has access via their phone? When will this become an issue? Ever? or now?
Have you reviewed Google Book Search beta lately? 20,000 current publishers involved along with quite a few libraries. My vanity search found many books I'd written for or was named in that I'd forgotten or didn't know about.
Stephen
Posted by stephen at 1:12 PM
February 5, 2009
Library Staff Make Errors!?
Library Typos web page relocated
"The web page "Typographical Errors in Library Databases" is leaving its home at Quinnipiac University. This is a result of the relocation of longtime Quinnipiac automation librarian Terry Ballard to a position as Assistant Director of Technical Services for Library Systems at the New York Law School's Mendik Library. The permanent home for the typographical errors page is now http://www.terryballard.org/typos/typoscomplete.html ."
"The typographical errors project started with a keyword inventory performed by Ballard at Adelphi University in the early 1990's that uncovered nearly 1000 likely errors to be found in library catalogs. Five years later, an online group was formed that kept a master list that grew to more than 7000 entries, thanks in large measure to listkeeper Tina Gunther from Biola University. This work led to the very popular blog "Typo of the day for librarians," which remains at librarytypos.blogspot.com ."
It's always interesting to see the inconsistencies in data - even when done by professionals to specialized standards. I know that every conversion project I've ben involved in had a great deal of time invested in 'scrubbing the data' and making certain fields and tags consistent and more easily searchable. The older, deeper, or bigger the database, the more scrubbing that could be done. Indeed, it could be a black hole of work and a big timesink if you let perfectionism take control of your soul. Then again, libraries of programs for scrubbing data result in much better databases after a good conversion.
The personal risk in any print to digital conversion is that it can put a big magnifying glass on centuries of management and work.
Stephen
Posted by stephen at 3:42 PM | Comments (1)
SLA Through 2015
Just in case you plan ahead like me . . .SLA has announced the dates/locations of our annual conferences through 2015.
Annual conferences:
2009: June 14-17 in Washington, DC, USA.Register online.
2010: June 13-16 in New Orleans, LA, USA.
2011: June 12-15 in Philadelphia, PA, USA.
2012: July 15-18 in Chicago, IL, USA.
2013: June 9-12 in Phoenix, AZ, USA.
2014: June 8-11 in Vancouver, BC, Canada.
2015: June 14-17 in Boston, MA, USA.
In 2010, the Leadership Summit will take place in St. Louis, MO, USA, January 13-16.
Some of these cities are firsts for SLA.
W00t!
Stephen
Posted by stephen at 12:52 PM | Comments (0)
Online Converter
OK, I'll admit it. My doctor weighs me in kilograms and I need to know what it is in pounds. My kids are the opposite and need explanations of stuff when I talk old school.
Anyway, I love this handy online tool:
Distance & Length
Pressure
Weight & Mass
Area and Space
Speed
Time
Temperature
Bits and Bytes
Morse Code
Volume
Effect
Now I just need to make it lie to me about my weight.
Stephen
Posted by stephen at 11:38 AM | Comments (0)
The iSchool @ Toronto
I had great fun on Monday night guest lecturing in a new course at the iSchool @ Toronto. I was there to talk about Millennials in the "Special Topics in Information Studies: Issues in Children's and Young Adults' Services".
This is an interesting course since the students advocated for it themselves and the faculty responded by creating a special issues course. Since the University of Toronto Faculty of Information (iSchool) offers the only graduate level course in library advocacy, it seems to be working in creating new advocacy skills. Cool!
Reality 2.0: Attracting and Engaging the Millennial Library User
It was also a treat to hear the student projects that dealt with special issues and library ethics in servicing young users. Like I always say, I'm not worried about the next generation's talents and education at all.
Stephen
Posted by stephen at 11:10 AM | Comments (0)
All Digital TV will be delayed until June
Sabrina is reporting:
[US] House Passes DTV Delay Act
"Follow up to previous postings on digital television transition, "by a vote of 264 to 158, the House of Representatives approved S. 352, the DTV Delay Act, which will postpone the transition to digital television until June 12, 2009. This delay will grant millions of households the chance to be prepared for the transition and retain access to an important information resource."
See also - Over Two Million Households on DTV Coupon Waiting List: "On February 4, Energy and Commerce Chairman Waxman and Subcommittee Chairman Boucher sent a letter to their colleagues with an updated list of households on the waiting list, organized by congressional district.""
And of course, with this delay ther are further delays in catchng North America up with most of the rest of the developed world. Necessaarily, there will be delays in interactive TV, broadly available web access TV and, of course, the use of the old analog TV signal white space to provide widely available wireless broadband access, potentially for free, to all.
Eventually... I wonder why it takes so long to send coupons. The big pizza companies should be hired to manage this program. I seem to get loads of coupons from them! They seem to realize that you manage coupons on the redemption end of the chain more cost effectively than trying to have folks request and register up front. Gee, some providers even just stick the coupon on the shelf at the store. How much more budget effective and anti-bureaucracy is that?
Stephen
Posted by stephen at 9:12 AM | Comments (0)
February 4, 2009
Learning from the Obama Campaign
Does your library have a campaign planned?
Is it a library card / membership campaign?
Are you wanting more attendees at storytimes and programs?
Are you looking to support your budget, library muniicipal bond or building campaign?
Who isn't campaigning for something?
If the last US election proved anything, it's that it's not business as usual for campaiging for civic involvement! (or money!)
So read this report by The Social Pulpit
Barack Obama’s Social Media Toolkit
Key "Social media lessons from the Obama campaign
• Start early
• Build to scale
• Innovate where necessary; do everything else incrementally better
• Make it easy to find, forward and act
• Pick where you want to play
• Channel online enthusiasm into specific, targeted activities that further the campaign’s goals
• Integrate online advocacy into every element of the campaign"
I think there's much to learn here and lots of opportunities for success.
Stephen
Posted by stephen at 3:16 PM | Comments (0)
Success
Some Seth Godin wisdom:
1. See (really see) what's possible
2. Know specifically what you want to achieve
3. Make good decisions
4. Understand the tactics to get things done and to change minds
5. Earn the trust and respect of the people around you
It sure seems like we spend all our time on #4."
Stay focused - especialy in tumultuous times.
Stephen
Posted by stephen at 11:29 AM
The Black Swan
I'm starting to read The Black Swan by Nassim Nicholas Taleb on my Sony Reader this week.
I was taken with author, Taleb's top life tips:
"1 Scepticism is effortful and costly. It is better to be sceptical about matters of large consequences, and be imperfect, foolish and human in the small and the aesthetic.
2 Go to parties. You can’t even start to know what you may find on the envelope of serendipity. If you suffer from agoraphobia, send colleagues.
3 It’s not a good idea to take a forecast from someone wearing a tie. If possible, tease people who take themselves and their knowledge too seriously.
4 Wear your best for your execution and stand dignified. Your last recourse against randomness is how you act — if you can’t control outcomes, you can control the elegance of your behaviour. You will always have the last word.
5 Don’t disturb complicated systems that have been around for a very long time. We don’t understand their logic. Don’t pollute the planet. Leave it the way we found it, regardless of scientific ‘evidence’.
6 Learn to fail with pride — and do so fast and cleanly. Maximise trial and error — by mastering the error part.
7 Avoid losers. If you hear someone use the words ‘impossible’, ‘never’, ‘too difficult’ too often, drop him or her from your social network. Never take ‘no’ for an answer (conversely, take most ‘yeses’ as ‘most probably’).
8 Don’t read newspapers for the news (just for the gossip and, of course, profiles of authors). The best filter to know if the news matters is if you hear it in cafes, restaurants... or (again) parties.
9 Hard work will get you a professorship or a BMW. You need both work and luck for a Booker, a Nobel or a private jet.
10 Answer e-mails from junior people before more senior ones. Junior people have further to go and tend to remember who slighted them."
“You find peace by coming to terms with what you don’t know.”
Stephen
Posted by stephen at 11:05 AM | Comments (0)
User Generated Content and Libraries
How much user generated content do you have on your library site?
It seesm to be a key strategy to engage users and communities.
Check out this posting:
Six out of 10 US Internet users view user-generated content.
It's certainly inexpensive now. The technical barriers in content creation are much lower forthings like online video, podcasts and music recordings. And end users are certainly comfortable with such content tools as blogs, videos, and photo sharing. And when CNN anchors are watching Twitter reactions and their MyFace presence on the air, it's normal.
It seems like it's time for end-user content generation and collection strategies in libraries to be mainstreamed.
As for the ongoing discussion on what to call library users, members, cardholders, patrons, etc., I submit that we should start calling them FANS.
Stephen
Posted by stephen at 10:56 AM | Comments (0)
How-To Questions
I found this post interesting at the Microsoft LiveSearch blog.
"Here were the leading searches in 2008 using “How to” questions in the U.S. market:
How to lose back fat
How to tie a tie
How to avoid tan lines
How to save money
How to write a resume
How to lose weight
How to make money
How to improve your marriage
How to save on home heating bills
How to cook a turkey
How to pronounce palahniuk
How to brine a turkey
How to argue with your spouse
How to choose a pediatrician
How to reduce stress in your life
How to be happy at work
How to make gravy
How to recycle cell phones"
I wonder if any LIS research or libraries have ever collected data in this way? It would be interesting to do a sampling of a library's top 'How To' questions, or indeed an analysis of a month's worth of questions.
I'll bet it tells a story. (For example I think "How do I find a job?" probably ranks pretty high right now and libraries play a big role in helping.)
Stephen
Posted by stephen at 10:46 AM | Comments (0)
February 3, 2009
What do consumers do online?
Once more with feeling,
what are consumers doing online?
How does your library compare? What makes libraries different? or differentiated?
Stephen
Posted by stephen at 2:19 PM | Comments (0)
Cel Phone Novels
86 Percent of Japanese High Schoolers Read Cell Phone Novels
"As American publishing companies grapple with the recession, some encouraging reading statistics have emerged in Japan. According to a recent report, ten of Japan's print bestsellers in 2007 were based on cell phone novels--successfully selling about 400,000 copies apiece.
The cell phone novel was born in 2002, when the author Yoshi wrote Deep Love: Ayu's Story for the cell phone. The book exploded in popularity, spawning print books, cartoons, and a film. The genre evolved, as authors published short novels in 70-word installments for the cell phone.
Here's more from Japan Today: "[One company] has released 40 titles that have sold 10 million copies ... cell phone novels proved that there was a market for females between the ages of 10 and 20, a demographic thought to be apathetic toward reading. According to a recent Mainichi Shinbum newspaper survey, 86% of high school, 75% of middle school and 23% of grade school girls read cell phone novels." (Via TeleRead.)"
Another format!
Stephen
Posted by stephen at 11:18 AM | Comments (0)
Pew's Generations Online
The Pew Internet Project released a major report on Jan. 28:
Contrary to the image of Generation Y as the “Net Generation,” internet users in their 20s do not dominate every aspect of online life. For instance:
- Generation X is the most likely group to bank, shop, and look for health information online.
- Boomers are just as likely as Generation Y to make travel reservations online.
- Even Silent Generation internet users are competitive when it comes to email (although teens might point out that this is proof that email is for old people).
The PowerPoint deck is very interesting too as an executive summary.
Stephen
Posted by stephen at 11:04 AM | Comments (0)
Institutional Repositories
Here's a link to the list of the top 300 repositories in the world.
The start page also decries the lack of standards in naming conventions and URL's. What's up with that? Why make something that's difficult to find or use? Or are some libraries having more fun making repositories than making them useful?
Stephen
Posted by stephen at 10:44 AM | Comments (0)
Double the size
Facebook is now twice as big as MySapce.
Interesting. Does anyone stay on top for long anymore? Free or fee, companies seem to get eclipsed quite regularly.
Maybe we need a word for that. How about getting netscaped?
Stephen
Posted by stephen at 10:41 AM | Comments (0)
Upcoming book on revitalizing special library spaces
Any special libraries out there with stories to help this upcoming book?
Facelifts for Special Libraries: a practical guide to revitalizing diverse physical and digital spaces (working title*) is a book currently being written to share collective experiences and to give practical advice to busy solo-librarians or special library managers as to how to revitalize their libraries both in the physical and the digital space.
The book aims cover a variety of areas that could be considered revitalization projects including: renovations or upgrades to physical space with green initiatives, upgrading the library's digital space via open source software or other innovative web-based tools, as well as budgeting, planning, getting support from upper management and working with designers and vendors.
We are gathering information, case studies and interviews with librarians who have completed, are in the process of undertaking a physical or digital renovation project, or who are considering a future renovation or revitalization project in a special library.
*Upcoming book authored by three special librarians: Dawn Bassett (Vancouver Aquarium), Brooke Ballantyne Scott (Riverview Hospital and the Forensic Psychiatric Services Commission), and Jenny Fry (formerly of the BC Institute Against Family Violence)
Share your experiences
We'd like our book to be as practical a guidebook as possible.
Our intention is to incorporate practical real-life examples in our book so if you have a story to share, advice, and/or images to share please post them on the blog or email us and we'll post them for you: http://faceliftsforspeciallibraries.blogspot.com/
For more information, contact us at jbdbookproject@gmail.com
If you know of other librarians who would be interested in this project, please feel free to forward this email to them.
Thank you for your valuable input.
Brooke Ballantyne Scott
Dawn Bassett
Jenny Fry
Posted by stephen at 10:34 AM | Comments (0)
February 2, 2009
How Our Brains Do Fiction
You have to check out this posting by Cory Doctorow on Boing Boing:
Your brain on fiction: we simulate action we read in narrative
"A forthcoming journal article in Psychological Science reports on the research of scientists from the Dynamic Cognition Laboratory at Washington University in St. Louis into what brain activity takes place while we read narrative stories. The study concludes that our brains simulate the action in the story, echoing it as we read.
I've always assumed that this was the case -- especially when it comes to character motivations. When I hear the voice of a loved one in my head, cheering me on or disapproving, I know that this is my mental simulation of that person. When a character does something in a story and I feel for him, it's the same kind of simulation. And when I try to write a character doing something "wrong," I know that this, too, is part of the simulation, and the resistance I feel there is the same as the resistance I'd feel if I tried to imagine my mother committing an ax-murder."
Nicole Speer, lead author of this study, says findings demonstrate that reading is by no means a passive exercise. Rather, readers mentally simulate each new situation encountered in a narrative. Details about actions and sensation are captured from the text and integrated with personal knowledge from past experiences. These data are then run through mental simulations using brain regions that closely mirror those involved when people perform, imagine, or observe similar real-world activities.
"These results suggest that readers use perceptual and motor representations in the process of comprehending narrated activity, and these representations are dynamically updated at points where relevant aspects of the situation are changing," says Speer, now a research associate with The Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education (WICHE) Mental Health Program in Boulder, Colo. "Readers understand a story by simulating the events in the story world and updating their simulation when features of that world change."
Readers build vivid mental simulations of narrative situations, brain scans suggest (via Futurismic) "
Now you know.
Cool, eh?!
Stephen
Posted by stephen at 11:54 AM | Comments (0)
2009 Trend Map
Global trends in 2009 and beyond.
Print yourself a bigger PDF version here.
It continues the big picture trends map based on the London tube map. (See it here.)
(Picked up from lonewolflibrarian.)
Stephen
Posted by stephen at 11:41 AM | Comments (0)
February 1, 2009
Promoting Reading in Schools 2.0
It's time to post my Multimedia and Internet @ Schools column from the Sept./Oct. 2008 Issue:
Promoting Reading Using This 2.0 Stuff
Stephen
Posted by stephen at 8:47 AM | Comments (0)