July 9, 2008
Next SirsiDynix Institute
Video on the Web: A Primer
Date : Jul 15, 2008
Start Time : 11 a.m. Eastern
Length: 1 hour
Video on the web is one of today's hottest social networking trends. But what can this emerging technology do for libraries? What is a videoblog and why use one on your library's website? This in-depth session answers these questions and more. Come explore how libraries are using video for outreach and learning through a variety of case studies, discover tips on what types of content work best for different types of libraries, and learn what to consider when planning for and implementing videocasting at your library.
Presenter: David Lee King
David Lee King is the Digital Branch & Services Manager at the Topeka & Shawnee County Public Library, where he plans, implements, and experiments with emerging technology trends. He has spoken in the U.S. and Canada about emerging trends, website usability and management, digital experience planning, and managing techie staff, and has been published in many library-related journals. David was named a Library Journal Mover and Shaker for 2008, and writes the Internet Spotlight column in Public Libraries Magazine with Michael Porter. David maintains a blog at http://www.davidleeking.com
Stephen
Posted by stephen at 12:21 AM | Comments (0)
July 8, 2008
Google Envies Second Life
Google has entered the Second Life virtual worlds space this week with Google Lively.
Google says:
"Create an avatar and chat with your friends in rooms you design"
You can learn more at SearchEngineWatche's Comprehensive Guide to Getting Started.
I suspect avatars that are beyond gaming are moving into the real world a lot more. I'll predict that 2008 and 2009 will be even bigger in terms of people moving into these worlds.
And on that note, there was another major announcement today on Global Neighborhoods.
"Sometime earlier today an avatar was successfully teleported from a SecondLife Virtual World preview Grid onto an OpenSim world developed by IBM, marking the first incident of virtual space travel by a virtual life form. While the folks at Linden Lab are emphasizing the limitations of what was accomplished, one cannot help but marvel at the implications of what it means."
The video of the event feels like a a cross between teleporting on Star Trek and the moon walk. I have the feeling that I am watching a beginning.
This development was pretty fast since I only blogged the IBM goal a few months ago (grin).
The commentary on the announcement also speculates that this may be as important as when the first US website went live (with a nifty picture of the first US website creator!).
Stephen
Posted by stephen at 11:35 PM | Comments (0)
Home Broadband Connectivity Breaks Through the Halfway Mark
One of my favourite regular Pew studies:
55% of adult Americans have home broadband connections
There was no growth in broadband adoption among poorer families or blacks, while growth was strong among rural residents, older Americans, and those in households earning $20,000 to $40,000
7/2/2008 | Release
Washington, DC – Some 55% of all adult Americans now have a high-speed internet connection at home, according to a May 2008 survey conducted by the Pew Internet & American Life Project. The percentage of Americans with broadband at home has grown from 47% in early 2007 and 42% in early 2005. Among individuals who use the internet at home, 79% have a high-speed connection while 15% use dialup.
The 17% growth rate from 2007 to 2008 represents is comparable to the 12% growth rate recorded in the 2006 to 2007 timeframe. However, several groups exhibited little or no growth in broadband adoption at home from 2007 to 2008:
Among adults who live in households whose annual incomes are less than $20,000 annually, home broadband adoption stood at 25% in early 2008, compared with 28% in 2007.
Among African Americans, home broadband adoption stood at 43% in May 2008 compared with 40% in early 2007.
“The flat growth in home high-speed adoption for low-income Americans suggests that tightening household budgets may be affecting people’s choice of connection speed at home,” said John B. Horrigan, Associate Director of Research at the Pew Internet & American Life project and author of the report. “Broadband is more costly on a monthly basis than dial-up, and some lower income Americans may be unwilling to take on another expense.”
Nonetheless, several groups exhibited strong growth in home broadband adoption from 2007 to 2008, namely:
Older Americans: Those age 50 and over experienced a 26% growth rate in home broadband adoption from 2007 to 2008. Half of Americans between the ages of 50 and 64 have broadband at home. Some 19% of those 65 and older had home broadband access as of April 2008.
Lower-middle income Americans: Those with household incomes between $20,000 and $40,000 annually saw broadband penetration grow by 24% from 2007 to 2008. Some 45% of those in that income range reported having broadband at home in April 2008.
Rural Americans: 38% of those living in rural American now have broadband at home, compared with 31% who said this in 2007, or a growth rate of 23% from 2007 to 2008.
While broadband adoption for low-income Americans has been flat, many broadband users show a willingness to pay more for broadband in order to get faster speeds. Some 29% of home broadband users say they subscribe to a more costly premium broadband service in order to have a faster home high-speed experience. A few even have fiber optic connections at home – 2% of broadband users say they have fiber at home.
The Pew Internet study also explores the reasons why many Americans – either dial-up users or non-internet users – do not have high-speed internet connections at home. Among the 10% of Americans (or 15% of home internet users) with dial-up at home:
- 35% of dial-up users say that the price of broadband service would have to fall.
- 19% of dial-up users said nothing would convince them to get broadband.
- 10% of dial-up users – and 15% of dial-up users in rural America – say that broadband service would have to become available where they are.
Overall, 62% of dial-up users say they are not interested in switching from dial-up to broadband.
Americans who are not online – 27% of adults who do not use the internet – are likely to be older (their median age is 61) and have low incomes. When non-internet users are asked why they don’t use the internet, here is what they say:
- 33% of non-users say they are not interested.
- 12% say they don’t have access.
- 9% say it is too difficult or frustrating.
- 7% say it is too expensive.
- 7% say it is a waste of time.
“Economic factors play a large role in why some people don’t have broadband, but about one in ten non-broadband users say that service isn’t available where they live,” said Horrigan. “Beyond price and availability, some non-broadband users simply don’t see the need for having a high-speed connection at home.”
Other key findings from the survey are:
Price of service:
- Broadband users report an average monthly bill of $34.50 for high-speed service, 4% lower than the $36 reported by broadband users in December 2005.
- Dial-up users report a montly bill of $19.70 for service, an increase of 9% over the $18 figure reported in December 2005.
- Always connected users: Some 34% of online users say they have gone online away from home or work using a WiFi connection on their laptop. Among this group:
- 64% say they use free WiFi services when they do this.
- 58% use WiFi in public places such as an airport or coffee shop.
The Pew Internet Project’s report on broadband adoption is based on the Project’s April-May 2008 survey of 2,251 adults, 1,153 of whom were home broadband users. The Pew Internet Project is an initiative of the Pew Research Center, a nonprofit “fact tank” that provides information on the issues, attitudes and trends shaping America and the world. Pew Internet explores the impact of the internet on children, families, communities, the work place, schools, health care and civic/political life. The Project is nonpartisan and takes no position on policy issues."
Of course, the vast majority of Americans have broadband access through home, work or school. If you factor in public libraries then over 95% do. This approaches telephone and TV penetration.
If anyone questions why libraries are investing in web apps and experiences, this is why. It's where the users are.
Stephen
Posted by stephen at 10:44 PM | Comments (0)
Update Your Browser!
This is a useful study in case you want to encourage you institution and your users to install the latest (remarkably free) browser upgrade. According to this study, 45.2% of Internet users were not using the most secure browsers. and this is an optimistic number since it doesn't cover out-of-date and vulnerable browser plug-ins!
Anyway, it's worthwhile to be up-to-date. And this short study is readable and not too geeky.
And while you're at it, make sure you have the Unicode compliance your users need. It's frustrating for too many users not to be able to display their language on public terminals. It's not just about serving diverse communities but even mathematicians and scientists needs to see the Greek characters in the formulae! The latest data shows that the majority of global websites are unicode compliant.
Stephen
Posted by stephen at 10:26 PM | Comments (0)
Latest Academic Library Statistics (2006)
The NCES (National Center for Education Statistics) has released this today:
Academic Libraries: 2006 First Look
Selected Findings
Services
• During Fiscal year (FY) 2006, there were 144.1 million circulation transactions from academic
libraries’ general collection
• Academic libraries loaned 10.8 million documents to other libraries, and borrowed 10.3 million
documents from other libraries in FY 2006. In addition to the interlibrary loans,
academic libraries received 1.2 million documents from commercial services in FY 2006.
• During a typical week in the fall of 2006, of the 3,600 academic libraries in the United States
were open 24 hours per day, 7 days per week
• During a typical week in the fall of 2006, approximately 1.1 million academic library reference
transactions were conducted, including computer searches.
Collections
• At the end of FY 2006, there were 221 academic libraries that held 1 million or more books,
serial backfiles, and other paper materials, including government documents.
• The nation’s 3,600 academic libraries held 1.0 billion books; serial backfiles; and other paper
materials, including government documents at the end of FY 2006.
• In FY 2006, academic libraries added 22.2 million books, serial backfiles, and other paper
materials, including government documents.
Staff
• Academic libraries report 93,600 full-time equivalent (FTE) staff working in academic libraries
during the fall of 2006.
• Academic libraries reported 26,500 FTE librarians in during the fall of 2006. Librarians
accounted for 28 percent of the total number of FTE staff working in academic libraries during
the fall of 2006.
Expenditures
• Academic libraries’ expenditures totaled $6.2 billion during FY 2006.
• During FY 2006, academic libraries spent $3.1 billion on salaries and wages, representing
50 percent of total library expenditures.
• Academic libraries spent $2.4 billion on information resources during FY 2006.
• Academic libraries spent $94 million for electronic books, serials backfiles, and other materials in FY 2006. Expenditures for electronic current serial subscriptions were $692 million.
• During FY 2006, academic libraries spent $106.3 million for bibliographic utilities, networks,
and consortia.
Electronic Services
• In the fall 2006, some 72 percent of academic libraries provided library reference service by e-mail or the Web.
• Fifty percent of academic libraries reported providing technology to assist patrons with disabilities in the fall 2006.
Information Literacy
• During FY 2006, some 48 percent of academic libraries reported that their postsecondary institution defined information literacy or the information-literate student.
• During FY 2006, there were 34 percent of academic libraries that reported their postsecondary
institution had incorporated information literacy into its mission.
Full Report (PDF; 1.1 MB)
Supplemental Table (PDF; 169 KB)
Always useful to get the NCES stats stuff!
Stephen
Posted by stephen at 10:13 PM | Comments (0)
Latest Academic Library Statistics (2006)
The NCES (National Center for Education Statistics) has released this today:
Academic Libraries: 2006 First Look
Selected Findings
Services
• During Fiscal year (FY) 2006, there were 144.1 million circulation transactions from academic
libraries’ general collection
• Academic libraries loaned 10.8 million documents to other libraries, and borrowed 10.3 million
documents from other libraries in FY 2006. In addition to the interlibrary loans,
academic libraries received 1.2 million documents from commercial services in FY 2006.
• During a typical week in the fall of 2006, of the 3,600 academic libraries in the United States
were open 24 hours per day, 7 days per week
• During a typical week in the fall of 2006, approximately 1.1 million academic library reference
transactions were conducted, including computer searches.
Collections
• At the end of FY 2006, there were 221 academic libraries that held 1 million or more books,
serial backfiles, and other paper materials, including government documents.
• The nation’s 3,600 academic libraries held 1.0 billion books; serial backfiles; and other paper
materials, including government documents at the end of FY 2006.
• In FY 2006, academic libraries added 22.2 million books, serial backfiles, and other paper
materials, including government documents.
Staff
• Academic libraries report 93,600 full-time equivalent (FTE) staff working in academic libraries
during the fall of 2006.
• Academic libraries reported 26,500 FTE librarians in during the fall of 2006. Librarians
accounted for 28 percent of the total number of FTE staff working in academic libraries during
the fall of 2006.
Expenditures
• Academic libraries’ expenditures totaled $6.2 billion during FY 2006.
• During FY 2006, academic libraries spent $3.1 billion on salaries and wages, representing
50 percent of total library expenditures.
• Academic libraries spent $2.4 billion on information resources during FY 2006.
• Academic libraries spent $94 million for electronic books, serials backfiles, and other materials in FY 2006. Expenditures for electronic current serial subscriptions were $692 million.
• During FY 2006, academic libraries spent $106.3 million for bibliographic utilities, networks,
and consortia.
Electronic Services
• In the fall 2006, some 72 percent of academic libraries provided library reference service by e-mail or the Web.
• Fifty percent of academic libraries reported providing technology to assist patrons with disabilities in the fall 2006.
Information Literacy
• During FY 2006, some 48 percent of academic libraries reported that their postsecondary institution defined information literacy or the information-literate student.
• During FY 2006, there were 34 percent of academic libraries that reported their postsecondary
institution had incorporated information literacy into its mission.
Full Report (PDF; 1.1 MB)
Supplemental Table (PDF; 169 KB)
Always useful to get the NCES stats stuff!
Stephen
Posted by stephen at 10:13 PM | Comments (0)
Happy Anniversary at the Lighthouse
Today is the third anniversary of Stephen's Lighthouse.
I've done 1,794 postings not including this one. I've had almost 1,400 comments. Thanks.
I get between 500 and 1,000 blog spam (splog) per day. The filter handles most of it but really who are these idiots! Why not work for world peace with that kind of talent and energy? What a sad waste of a human brain.
Anyway, it's still fun. Here's what I wrote on July 8, 2005.
"Well here's my first formal blog posting. Welcome to Stephen's Lighthouse where I'll muse about things library and librarianesque.
The lighthouse theme is based on what lighthouses do - shine a light on the waters and/or sound a horn to help ships navigate the course. They don't always stop the ships from crashing onto the rocks but they help most of the time.
So, arrogant or not, I hope that this blog contributes in some small way to helping the good ship Library World navigate to their vision of the future,"
Still trying to write about and point to stuff that interests me in the hope that it interests you.
Cheers,
Stephen
Posted by stephen at 10:05 PM | Comments (1)
July 7, 2008
Young People and Social Networking Services
This report is international and fairly balanced. It might be useful in some of your communication with and training of parents and other groups.
Young People and Social Networking Services
This Digizen project is "designed to investigate how social networking services can and are being used to support personalised formal and informal learning by young people in schools and colleges.
The work opens by asking “What are social networking services?” This section investigates current definitions of social networking services and provides a comprehensive review of current social networking service types and activities.
In Evaluating social networking services, this report then describes how to use a toolkit – a social networking evaluation chart covering six different social networking services, and an accompanying checklist, which are available to download from the Digizen website to evaluate services. The chart is not definitive, but provides a comprehensive framework covering significant relevant issues such as site age restrictions, the presence of adverts, collaborative tools, security issues and data management restrictions.
Benefits and opportunities evaluates the potential educational benefits to individual users, as well as outlining some of the opportunities that educators and schools using social networking services might take advantage of. This section looks at issues around digital literacy and social engagement, skills and identity development, and opportunities for better understanding e-safety and data management issues.
Barriers and risks looks at current barriers to using social networking services within education, including staff development and support issues, and risk evaluation and management approaches. Risk areas that educators should be aware of are outlined, and approaches to manage these are addressed. Issues include users’ perceptions of the environment they are posting in, personal data management, and cyberbullying and potentially illegal behaviours.
Ideas and examples showcases innovative practice, providing links to a range of projects and examples where social networking services have been successfully used to support both teachers and students. Links to current debates around specific services are also included.
Finally, the Glossary describes some terms that readers may be unfamiliar with."
Sections of the report
1.What are Social Networking Services?
2.Social Networking Services evaluation
3.Benefits and opportunities to support learning and teaching
4.Identifying and managing risks
5.Social Networking Services Ideas and Resources for learning and teaching
6.Download the complete report here [This PDF file is 1.1 mb - 37 pages]
Worth a read.
Stephen
Posted by stephen at 11:47 PM | Comments (1)
PDF Now an ISO Standard
PDF now ISO standard
Also, Adobe Systems releases Version 9 of Adobe Reader
"The International Organization for Standardization has approved the PDF as a standard format for electronic documents. ISO has christened Version 1.7 of PDF, the current working version, ISO 32000-1.
“As an ISO standard, we can ensure that this useful and widely popular format is easily available to all interested stakeholders," said ISO Secretary-General Alan Bryden in a statement. "The standard will benefit both software developers and users by encouraging the propagation and dissemination of a common technology that cuts across systems and is designed for long-term survival.”
Developed by Adobe Systems, PDF is a digital document format designed to preserve the layout and appearance of an electronic document — or the scanned version of a paper document — on different platforms. Adobe submitted the format to ISO for standardization in February 2007.
With Adobe relinquishing control of PDF, the ISO Document Management Applications Technical Committee will review any changes made to the format. The openly published standard provides the technical information required for writing software programs that can create and read PDF files, ensuring that organizations will always have some tools available to render PDFs, even if Adobe stops shipping its PDF viewer.
This is not the first version of PDF to be under ISO’s care. The organization also oversees PDF/X, a subset for the printing industry, and PDF/A, for long-term archiving of documents.
In related news, Adobe has released the latest version of its free PDF viewer, Adobe Reader. The new version is the first to support PDFs with embedded interactive Flash animations, a feature made available with the recently released Version 9 of Adobe's Acrobat PDF creator. The new reader also allows multiple users to annotate and update documents through the company's online collaboration service, Acrobat.com.
"PDF documents are well beyond simple visual representation of paper on a screen," said Bobby Caudill, group manager of global government solutions at Adobe.""
I've never been a great fan of proprietary PDF's but they are ubiquitous and a major part of libraries' service propositions. The upside to an ISO standard is that developers can now more confidently develop access to these docs as well as ensure some sustainability should Adobe itself change direction.
Stephen
Posted by stephen at 11:31 PM | Comments (0)
12,000 Laptops a Week!
I was amazed at this study:
[17 page PDF]
Executive Summary: "Everyday business travelers are putting the sensitive and confidential data of their organizations at risk when they travel through airports."
1. Business travelers lose more than 12,000 laptops per week in U.S. airports. [!!!]
2. Only 33% of laptops lost and found in airports are reclaimed.
3. Over 70% of business travelers feel rushed when trying to get on their flights and 60%
worry that delays due to security checkpoints will cause them to miss their flight.
The stress of rushing to catch a flight combined with the number of items business travelers
5. Over 34% of business traveler who say they do take steps to protect the sensitive or
confidential information in their laptop computers don’t know how this information is
protected.
6. According to U.S. airport representatives, the most common airport locations where
laptops are lost include security checkpoints (40%) and departure gates (23%).
Recommendations and Conclusion
Lost laptops in airports are a serious issue for business travelers and their companies. As
revealed in this study, very often business travelers’ laptops contain sensitive or confidential
business information that is vulnerable to a data breach.
According to our Cost of Data Breach Study, the average business cost when confidential
personal information is lost or stolen is $197 per record.4 Obviously, even one missing laptop
can become a serious problem for any organization. To avoid having this occur, we recommend
the following simple steps.
Label your laptop. Provide your full contact information so that if the device is found, airport
personnel will be able to reach you or your company quickly.
Allow enough time. Airline travel is a hassle that only gets worse when you don’t allow
enough time. Stupid mistakes can be avoided if you slow down your pace.
Carry less and think ahead. Have a mental strategy when removing laptops and other
possessions prior to screening at a security checkpoint.
Take appropriate security measures to protect your information. Consider the use of
encryption technologies and always backup your system.
Think twice about the information you carry on your laptop. Is it really necessary to have so
much information accessible on your computer?
Know who to call. Airports need to do a better job coordinating the lost and found process,
especially when it concerns the loss of a laptop computer or other data-bearing devices.
Looks like a job for SuperLibrarian! The report is at least a useful one to send to your folks.
Stephen
Posted by stephen at 11:24 PM | Comments (0)
Wall Street Journal Ad Campaign for Librarians
As president of SLA I am pretty excited about this partnership:
One of the great events at the annual SLA conference in Seattle was to see the full page advertisements in the Wall Street Journal promoting the value of information professionals. One smaller ad ran before the conference and the for four days in a row they ran in the WSJ at full page size. Another has been seen after the conference.
This unprecedented campaign which will continue through 2010 is the result of the fine relationship between SLA and Dow Jones (owners of the Wall Street Journal, Dow Jones Company (which includes the Factiva brand).
Here is the full text of the ad:
The right people, information and decisions
Behind every good business decision is an information professional.
The competitive advantages you bring to the table are superior management strategies and decision-making capabilities. Both originate from information that’s been gathered, organized and shared throughout your enterprise by people called information professionals.
The relevant, high-quality business information you need to take action doesn’t turn up all by itself. Whether internally or externally produced, it’s the lifeblood of people who work for you: librarians, knowledge managers, chief information officers, Web developers, information brokers and researchers.
The Special Libraries Association, with support from Dow Jones Factiva, is behind your most profitable decisions. To learn how an SLA information professional can benefit your organization, visit www.sla.org today.
For a PDF suitable for posting on your library's bulletin board or intranet:
http://www.sla.org/PDFs/WSJ-SLAad.pdf
If it's in the WSJ, then it must be true! Watch for more from this campaign over the next couple of years.
Stephen
Posted by stephen at 11:12 PM | Comments (0)
July 1, 2008
Happy Canada Day
Well Happy Canada Day!
I think this is the first Canada Day I've spent out of Canada. I am still at ALA in Anaheim. My friends are all on the beach on Lake Erie at the cottage raising the flag right now - noon ET and singing the national anthem. Our tradition is that the youngest kid there raises the flag.
O Canada!
It's also my Dad's birthday - Happy birthday Dad.
Anyway, I am looking forward to visiting Yukon tomorrow since I've never been there before. That'll be my Canuck celebration of Canada for 2008.
Stephen
Posted by stephen at 11:48 AM | Comments (2)
June 29, 2008
eBooks and Students
At ALA ebrary announced the results of the 2008 Global Student E-book Survey, completed by nearly 6,500 college and university students and designed by more than 150 librarians, is now publicly available at no cost. To receive a digital copy, you register at http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=V6KfjUjiRPtGyJYmHINDRg_3d_3d
Key findings of the 2008 Global Student E-book Survey include the following:
• On research or class assignments, e-book usage is on par with print books, with almost equal
numbers of students using each type.
• Fifty-one percent of students would “very often or often” opt to use electronic versions of books
over print versions, compared to 32% who “sometimes” prefer e-books and 17% who always use
the print version.
• E-books rank among the top resources students consider trustworthy, along with print materials
such as books, textbooks, reference (dictionaries, encyclopedias, maps), and journals.
• Google and other search engines are indicated by the highest number of students for use in
research or class assignments. Other top resources include e-books, print books, e-reference
resources such as online dictionaries, encyclopedias and maps, and Wikipedia.
• Fifty-seven percent of students view instruction in information literacy as very important,
compared with 38% who consider it somewhat important and only 5% who find it not important.
An interesting addition to the research as we watch the variant ebook adoption rates in different markets, in various genres, and in different topical domains and geographies. All we know is that it's growing.
Then again, Seth Godin as an interesting perspective, or at least 18 questions, too. Read it here. Question number one is: "Let me see the percentage of people who have bought a book and actually finished reading it. (The Kindle knows, right?) Even better, let me see Kindle books that are finished by people who finish books that I finish! "
Stephen
Posted by stephen at 11:51 PM | Comments (0)
Happy Birthday Sydney
Twenty years ago today my daughter Sydney Claire was born. Here she is at SLA with me last week along with her boyfriend, Andrew, at the top of the Space Needle. (Thanks for the photo Peggy)
I've learned something from her every day for 20 years.
I, for one, will miss having a teen in the home.
Happy Birthday Sydney!
Stephen
Posted by stephen at 11:19 AM | Comments (1)
June 25, 2008
Heading to ALA
Well, I am in the airport heading off to ALA in Anaheim..
I hope to see quite a few people there.
I am sitting on a panel at The Future of Libraries pre-conference on Saturday.
I am doing a session at the Resource Sharing pre-conference on Friday.
I am participating in the LITA Ultimate Debate again on Saturday afternoon. That's fun with Roy Tennant, Karen Schneider and Joe Janes.
I plan to be in the SirsiDynix booth often and I am invited to quite a few receptions and the Monday opening as SLA president.
I'll see some of you there.
I'll be running on Starbucks lattes.
Stephen
Posted by stephen at 7:47 AM | Comments (1)
June 24, 2008
What's the difference between 1.0 and 2.0?
First Monday had a nice article a few weeks ago:
Key Differences Between Web 1.0 and Web 2.0
by Graham Cormode and Balachander Krishnamurthy of AT&T Labs
ABSTRACT: "Web 2.0 is a buzzword introduced in 2003–04 which is commonly used to encompass various novel phenomena on the World Wide Web. Although largely a marketing term, some of the key attributes associated with Web 2.0 include the growth of social networks, bi–directional communication, various ‘glue’ technologies, and significant diversity in content types. We are not aware of a technical comparison between Web 1.0 and 2.0. While most of Web 2.0 runs on the same substrate as 1.0, there are some key differences. We capture those differences and their implications for technical work in this paper. Our goal is to identify the primary differences leading to the properties of interest in 2.0 to be characterized. We identify novel challenges due to the different structures of Web 2.0 sites, richer methods of user interaction, new technologies, and fundamentally different philosophy. Although a significant amount of past work can be reapplied, some critical thinking is needed for the networking community to analyze the challenges of this new and rapidly evolving environment."
Contents
1. Introduction
2. What is Web 2.0?
3. Analysis issues
4. Web 2.0 substrate and enabling technologies
5. Measurement issues
6. Technical and external issues
7. Summary of metrics of interest
8. Beyond Web 2.0
A nice simple explanation of a sometimes confusing topic. By the end of it you wonder why some folks think it's controversial!
Stephen
Posted by stephen at 11:13 PM | Comments (0)
7 Things You Should Know about Second Life
Another useful report from Educause:
7 Things You Should Know About Second Life
What is it?
Who’s doing it?
How does it work?
Why is it significant?
What are the downsides?
Where is it going?
What are the implications for teaching and learning?
The usual good work at summarizing a difficult topic.
Stephen
Posted by stephen at 11:10 PM | Comments (0)
2008 Library Budget Predictions
You can get a free research report entitled Library Budget Predictions for 2008 (30 Page PDF) from Publishers Communication Group.
"As part of our service to the library community we are making this report freely available. In an increasingly competitive global market place, knowledge of budget change at international institutions helps provide context and will hopefully allow you to better position your institution in the coming year."
This might be a useful comparison tool.
Stephen
Posted by stephen at 11:06 PM | Comments (0)
100 Useful and Free Library Videos
Check out this list:
100 Awesome Youtube Vids for Librarians
Sections include:
Using Databases
Academic Librarians
Librarians and Technology
Outreach and Special Program Ideas
Skits and Cartoons
Library Etiquette
Spreading the Good News
Digging Through Archives and Public Records
National Library Week and Reading Campaigns
Library Tools
Just for Laughs
Showing Librarians and Libraries Some Love
Links on the original posting.
Stephen
Posted by stephen at 10:59 PM | Comments (0)
Narrowing the Digital Divide
A new study was released on June 20th about the digital divide. Here's the press release:
University of Minnesota study uncovers the educational benefits of social networking sites
Low-income students are in many ways just as technologically savvy as their counterparts
In a first-of-its-kind study, researchers at the University of Minnesota have discovered the educational benefits of social networking sites such as MySpace and Facebook. The same study found that low-income students are in many ways just as technologically proficient as their counterparts, going against what results from previous studies have suggested.
The study found that, of the students observed, 94 percent used the Internet, 82 percent go online at home and 77 percent had a profile on a social networking site. When asked what they learn from using social networking sites, the students listed technology skills as the top lesson, followed by creativity, being open to new or diverse views and communication skills.
To watch a video about the study and a full interview with the lead researcher, visit:
http://www1.umn.edu/urelate/newsservice/Multimedia_Videos/social_network.htm
Data were collected over six months this year from students, ages 16 to 18, in thirteen urban high schools in the Midwest. Beyond the surveyed students, a follow-up, randomly selected subset were asked questions about their Internet activity as they navigated MySpace, an online forum that provides users with e-mail, web communities and audio and video capabilities.
"What we found was that students using social networking sites are actually practicing the kinds of 21st century skills we want them to develop to be successful today," said Christine Greenhow, a learning technologies researcher in the university's College of Education and Human Development and principal investigator of the study. "Students are developing a positive attitude towards using technology systems, editing and customizing content and thinking about online design and layout. They're also sharing creative original work like poetry and film and practicing safe and responsible use of information and technology. The Web sites offer tremendous educational potential."
Greenhow said that the study's results, while proving that social networking sites offer more than just social fulfillment or professional networking, also have implications for educators, who now have a vast opportunity to support what students are learning on the Web sites.
"Now that we know what skills students are learning and what experiences they're being exposed to, we can help foster and extend those skills," said Greenhow. "As educators, we always want to know where our students are coming from and what they're interested in so we can build on that in our teaching. By understanding how students may be positively using these networking technologies in their daily lives and where the as yet unrecognized educational opportunities are, we can help make schools even more relevant, connected and meaningful to kids."
Interestingly, researchers found that very few students in the study were actually aware of the academic and professional networking opportunities that the Web sites provide. Making this opportunity more known to students, Greenhow said, is just one way that educators can work with students and their experiences on social networking sites.
The study also goes against previous research from Pew in 2005 that suggests a "digital divide" where low-income students are technologically impoverished. That study found that Internet usage of teenagers from families earning $30,000 or below was limited to 73 percent, which is 21 percentage points below what the U of M research shows.
The students participating in the U of M study were from families whose incomes were at or below the county median income (at or below $25,000) and were taking part in an after school program, Admission Possible, aimed at improving college access for low-income youth.
Greenhow suggests that educators can help students realize even more benefits from their social network site use by working to deepen students' still emerging ideas about what it means to be a good digital citizen and leader online.
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Stephen
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