The Calvert Library has recently held some family gaming nights with a Wii. From the flickr photoset it looks like everyone had a great time.
(On a related note, if your library has a flickr account be sure to fill in your profile and include things like where you’re located and a link back to the library’s Web site. I would have loved to link back to the library’s site in this post but I didn’t want to guess as to which one Google listed was the right one.)
The invitations have been sent and it looks as if I’ll be presenting two sessions at Computers in Libraries 2008. They are:
Track C, Tuesday, April 8: Social Software: 2.0 Tools, Tricks & Tales
11:30-12:15
C202 Libraries a-Twitter & del.icio.us
Michael Sauers, Technology Innovation Librarian, Nebraska Library Commission & Christa Burns, OCLC Member Services Coordinator, NEBASE
Aysegul Kapucu, Reference/Instructor Librarian, Athena Hoeppner, Electronic Resources Librarian, & Doug Dunlop, Cataloger/Metadata Specialist, University of Central Florida (UCF) Libraries
In early 2007 librarians discovered the latest in micro-blogging: Twitter. The point of twitter is to answer the question "What are you doing now?" in 140 characters or less via the Web, client software, IM or SMS. The first presentation shares the ups and downs of Twitter along results of several librarian- and library-based Twitter experiments. The second presentation discusses the use of social bookmarking for library instruction, research consultations, and collaborative resource guides using del.icio.us. They share experiences, address technical issues, barriers to participation, training requirements, and satisfaction.Track B, Tuesday, April 8 : Content Management
1:30-2:15
B203 Creative Commons (CC): Copyright Alternative?
Michael Sauers, Technology Innovation Librarian, Nebraska Library Commission
With the debate over copyright raging, with some calling for the end of the "all rights reserved" regime, and [for] libraries feeling like they’re caught in the middle, just what are the alternatives? CC is the most respected alternative available today with its idea of "some rights reserved" as set by the content creators themselves. Sauers talks about the principles of Creative Commons, shows how you can easily apply it to your intellectual property today, and how you can use CC to find material that you can legally reuse in the creation of new content.
No word yet on a delivering my RSS pre-conference. I’m still waiting to hear back on that one.
Cory Doctorow’s latest Information Week column is on Facebook specifically and social networking sites in general. Here’s just a taste:
‘Facebook has all the social graces of a nose-picking, hyperactive six-year-old, standing at the threshold of your attention and chanting, "I know something, I know something, I know something, won’t tell you what it is!"’
Someone recently said to me that they wished that in their library they could just put up a sign that said "Go ahead and use your cell phone, just don’t be an asshat." Well, these signs from ..@the library.. aren’t exactly that but they’re close.
What if CTU agents had to rely on early 90s technology? Find out in this hilarious "unaired pilot".
Sometimes you just need to take a photo where you’re not supposed. You pretend not to see the "no photography" sign, look around for guards, slip your cell phone or small camera out of your pocket, make sure the flash is off, and quickly snap the shot. (If only I had that photo I took of Paddington Bear at Paddington station as no photography is allowed in the London Undereground and all the film from the trip was lost.) Well, now there’s a site dedicated to such photos. Strictly No Photography is a site that lets you upload, browse and search for just those types of photos. I’ve uploaded a few to my account and will probably be adding more in the future.
Those of us that live west of downtown Lincoln, NE have a habit of using the Harris Overpass to get to our homes, literally, the other side of the tracks. Well, about three weeks ago, the road was closed and the several-blocks-long bridge is being completely torn down and replaced. The project is scheduled to take a full year.
Yesterday, I went out and walked around and got some photos of the progress so far. My plan is to go out every few weekends and take some updated photos. You can watch my flickr set of the project if you’re interested in following along.
Many times when I talk about USB technologies, specifically flash drives, I’m asked about "our older computers which only have USB outlets in the back". Short of upgrading or installing an internal hub in an empty bay, the simplest solution is to run a USB extension cable from the back of the computer up to the desk. But then how to secure them. Well, at the lab I was in at the North Platte Community College they’ve come up with a solution: attach the user’s end of the cable to the monitor. You can see how they’ve done it in the two photos below. (The cable ties are easy to find. If anyone can supply a link to somewhere that sells the part stuck to the monitor I’d appreciate it.)
Bookmarks
