YouTube as Presentation

Tomorrow is the Nebraska Library Commission's Vendor Day and as part of the festivities I get 30 minutes to introduce Second Life. So, with the discovery of the video I posted earlier today I decided to take a different approach and assemble 30 minutes worth of YouTube videos and use them. (I'll most likely cut short the Vega song short as I'm using it more as an intro to the video on building her SL guitar.) I've still got handouts but I thought this would be an interesting experiment. The videos are presented for you below and I'll report back afterwards as to how the audience liked it.

303 no more

BTW: My Colorado cellphone number will be deactivated sometime tomorrow. If you need, but don't yet have my new Lincoln, NE phone number be sure to drop me an e-mail.

Pulp Muppets

Second Life Introduction

Here's a great short video introducing Second Life. I think I'll use this one tomorrow. Listen for the line about linking from Second Life to an "old fashioned Web site".

In-service Day

On Friday I was honored to attend and present at the Lincoln City Library's In-Service day. I haven't had a faster or more fun Arbor Day in my life. I was great to meet so many librarians from my new home town and to see how excited you were about all the new technologies I was presenting. At one point during my Flickr presentation someone asked for more specific examples of how to use Flickr in a library. Well, here's one. Use Flickr to post a slideshow of an event on the library's blog/Web site.

Embed Slideshow

And so it begins... again!

Now here's an amazing yet wonderful coincidence. Over the past month I've been re-watching the whole Babylon 5 series once again. (Last night I watched the episode in which we discover who Valen really was.) Not five minutes after finishing that episode I check my feeds and the Amazon.com blog informs me that Babylon 5: The Lost Tales, the first of a new series of direct-to-DVD movies is being released at the end of July. I'm so excited! Now I've got to get through the rest of the series, the movies, and Crusade in the next three months. (And yes, I just pre-ordered my copy.)

Being introduced

Being introduced
Originally uploaded by Travelin' Librarian.

I'm now giving my flickr session to Lincoln City librarians.

The iPod Song (a new verse)

I wish I were a little apple ipod
Whether podcasting or belting out a tune
If I had to, I could even be a shuffle,
But sorry, I could never be a zune!

PBWiki Educator Videos

The folks at PBWiki now have educator videos available for download for use in presentations.

Internet Connectivity Evaluation Tool

Internet Connectivity Evaluation Tool: "The Internet Connectivity Evaluation Tool checks your Internet router to see if it supports certain technologies. You can use this tool on a PC running either the Windows Vista or Windows XP operating system. If you're planning to run Windows Vista, this tool can verify whether your existing Internet router supports advanced features, such as improved download speeds and face-to-face collaboration using Windows Meeting Space."

Blogging 101, take 3

And this morning 13 more Nebraska librarians are writing their first posts to their new Blogger blogs. No mutiny in sight.

Digital Photo Wallet Still Has Obnoxious Pictures of the Kiddos - Gizmodo

Here's one from Gizmodo: "This $50 wallet comes with a small digital photo frame that can hold up to 55 pictures."

Blogging 101, Take 2

10 more Nebraska librarians are now writing their first blog post. (Whoops, make that nine.)

Game makers excited about Windows Vista

Game makers excited about Windows Vista - CNN.com: "The latest improvements, many believe, far surpass even the very best of what the consoles are capable of. Case in point: the upcoming PC shooter 'Crysis,' where players take the role of a battle-savvy soldier who has to uncover the secrets behind an asteroid that has smashed into Earth."

Blogging 101

Right now I have 10 Nebraska librarians writing their first blog post. Pretty soon they'll be writing their second one.

Outlook 2007 Performance Update

Some have noticed that Outlook 2007 runs a little slower than the 2003 version did. Those of us that have massive amounts of e-mail and calendar data just chalked it up to the amount of data we're making it crunch. However, it seems that 2007 is actually running slower than 2003 as stated by a recent, yet unpromoted, Outlook 2007 update released this past April 13th.

"This update fixes a problem in which a calendar item that is marked as private is opened if it is found by using the Search Desktop feature. The update also fixes performance issues that occur when you work with items in a large .pst file or .ost file."

Believe it or not, the difference post update is noticeable.

Michael going for a strike

Michael going for a strike
Originally uploaded by The Shifted Librarian.

I did get some strikes but I don't recall if this was one of them.

RE: Twitter

via Gaping Void

What I learned at Computers in Libraries

Unfortunately I was unable to attend the videoblogging post-conference (a.k.a. The Dave & Dave show) but I was lucky enough to attend the informal version of this training a few evenings earlier.

Click To Play

Flickrwhacking 2.0

Sometimes at conference the ridiculous becomes sublime, insane suggestions become ideas, and ideas become accepted by others. This is the shortened story of one of those ideas. (Sorry, you'll have to ask one of the responsible parties directly if you want the foll story.)

Many of us have heard of Googlewhacking, the game in which you need to search Google using two English, non-proper-name, words and retrieve only one result. (Trust me, it is not as easy as it sounds.) In that spirit, I came up with Flickrwhacking, the idea of searching Flickr for two English, non-proper-name, words and finding only one photo. For example, search Flickr for pony and monocle, and you'll have a Flickrwhack. (Flag on the play! I uploaded this photo so it doesn't count. That's cheating.)

In the spirit of my cheating I call this game Flickrwhacking 2.0 because there is already a Flickrwhack pool that you can find on Flickr. The trouble is, that game has you assigning a unique tag and if you're in control that's hardly as much fun.

So, I hereby declare the games open, and let the Flickrwhacking begin.

Note: I did my best and I can't find a previous mention online of the game in this form. If I am not the first to come up with this please let me know and I will correct the record. Thanks to Jason, David, Michelle, and Meredith for their input and inspiration.

CIL2007: The Library of the Future

Louise Parker Berry

• Three Principles
• a covenant w/ our patrons
• stay ahead of expectations
• be the first of the new libraries, no the last of the old
• Two Goals
• design and build an absolutely fantastic new library
• use tech wherever it will make us more efficient and effective and however is will meet our patron's demand
• One Rule
• Tolerate Uncertainty
• Continuing vision
• eternal values
• new technology
  
  

Alan Kirk Gray

• Architect of the new library
• [maps and plans of the new library]
• Green building
• .5 energy of typical building
• using ground water for heating
• [artists renditions]

Peter Gisolfi

• The fine print
• just a cute little library in SW CT
• your mileage may vary
• you may legitimately believe there is a good reason for you to do things differently
• not going to slap a layer of tech over an existing plan
• Four principles
• it's not our library
• take real risks
• failure IS an option
• get it right, finally, ant then keep changing to stay ahead.
• Planning horizon graphic (pyramid chart)
• OODA
• Observe
• Orient
• Decide
• Act
• Out library is a story
• what is our voice?
• "the good writer treats each unit individually, developing them one by one" -John Garndner
• Tech layers
• Infrastucture
• Admin
• staff
• parton indirect
• patron direct
• p2p
• RFID Materials Handling System
  
  
• 3M &FKI
• There are legit alternatives
• Drive for show, putt for dough
• self check works for the benefit of the patron
• Materials handling can have....
• get a good RFID system
• Skip the RFP process
• have each competitor deisgn to your needs
• more important process = less valuable RFP is
• if you do it right
• no tech services or circ back office
• no cataloging
• workflow managers, not clerks
• a small workspace to deal with expectations
• in other words
• outsource everything
• thought experiment
• what if no book trucks?
• would it be full of knowledge workers?
• metrics
• active item back on shelf in 20 min
• inventory turns per item doubled
• cost per circ halved
• time from order to first circ: 18 hours
• annual circ per FTP: 40,000
• long tail
• we want a short (support) tail
• it's the supply chain stupid
• fast second order
• direct order and hip to patron
• delivery from distributor same day
• let's not stop there
• everyone in front of desks
• circ staff become reader's advisors
• info staff are at remote ref points
• tech staff work in partnership w/ patrons
• we'll have a virtual library too
• Not ref desk, concierge desk
• eveolution of ref services
• IM
• Video chat
• WebEx
• 24/7 local remote at off hours
• Small office / mobile office
• a.k.a. "small Kinkos"
• collaborative spaces
• smart study rooms
• conference room
• community room
• MANY POWER OUTLETS!
• Still needs some help
• [list of things here]
• no
• security
• gaming
• "extra" patron data ports
• no PCs in teen area
• Coming not soon enough
• VublQ

Principles of economics, translated

Thanks to Darlene Fichter

CIL2007: Catalogs/OPACs for the Future

Roy Tennant, California Digital Library & Tim Spalding, LibraryThing



Tim: The Fun Opac

• OPACs should have funability
• "The library is the most fun you can have with your pants on"
• Bring the OPAC front and center, don't separate it from the Web site
• Separate because we're ashamed of the OPAC
• Inbound links don't go to records but to the homepage or a timeout screen
• Link outwards & people will come to you
• Why not link to commercial services? Your patrons are already aware of them.
• No benefit from being a Mall
• Link around, make everything clickable
• "massive linking"
• Dress up your OPAC
• covers
• Syndetics
• Amazon.com
• Free open repository of covers needs to be created
• link to Wikipedia via ISBNs
• Put your data out there
• you're not the only one who knows how to work with your data
• librarians don't have a monopoly on fun
• Feeds
• of new books
• from a search
• subject headings
• People don't want your content, they want their content
• Blog widgets
• They want to tell people what they're reading
• LibraryThing widget
• What I'm reading now v. random
• Random way more popular
• How much money do I owe my library?
• LibraryThing for Libraries
• Library Thing Tage Consortium

Roy: Catalogs for the Future

• Refuse to use the "O word"
• what future?
• Demise of the catalog at the local level
• ILS still needed
• New world order
• discovery disaggregated form the ILS
• Google
• OpwnWorldCat
• Metasearch
• Others
• [diagram slide about worldcat, openworldcat & worldcat local]
• Why this makes sense
  
  
• users typically want to fine everything they can on a topic
• prefer to search in one place if possible
• most ILSs lack cool new features
• WorldCat Identities
• FictionFinder
• Needle Library, Hystack College
• made up example
• finding tool, not an OPAC
  
  
• Next Gen ILS
• refocused on library operations
• discrete components that interoperate through rapid protocols
• able to work well with other systems
• Upload to other systems
• expose APIs
• inexpensive, scaleable, & easy maintenance
• [Pines Evergreen System]
• Next Gen Finding Tools
• integrate access to wide variety of sources
• Able to use info from other systems as well as provide it (via protocols)
• offer sophisticated features
• relevance
• faceted browsing
• not a library catalog
  
  

CIL2007: Trends in Mobile Tools & Applications for Libraries

Megan Fox, Simmons College, (fox@simmons.edu) web.simmons.edu/~fox/mobile

• Patrons want and demand mobile on-demand services
• Mobile Market
• [I lost the stats I typed in...]
  
  
• Latest Devices
• iPods
• tablets
• PSP
• Blackberry
• m300 smart watch
  
  
• Treo
• Samsung B470
• Nokia N93
• HTC S710
• iPhone
• MyOrigo
• HTC Advantage and Shift
• Ultra Mobile PC - Q1 Ultra
• Mobile Web / Transcoded Web
• .mobi
• mobilelearn
• winksite
• volantis
• roundpoint
• mobiSiteGalore
• Freemont PL has a .mobi version
• zinadoo
• NYT
• National Weather Services
• Digg
• PubMed
• Hoovers
• Ball State University (Looks like Gopher)
• Mobile Optimized OPACs
• III AirPac
• LibraryThing
• Ready Reference On the Go
• Tucors
• handango
• dictionaries
• almanac
• Mobile Answers
• eBooks & eAudio
• Transcoding
• Optimizing for the mobile environment on the fly
• May remove content so somewhat controversial
• Blogger on the Go
• mobilicio.us
• Databases on the Run
• Factiva
• LexisNexis
• Mobilize your content
• via RSS then to SMS
• MobiFeeds
• xFruits
• feedbeep
• hubdog
• GoogleReader
• Text onto the iPod
  
  
• Mobile Search
• Google
• 4info
• Yahoo!
• AOLMobile
• Ask
• [Presented on this earlier in the conference]
  
  
• SMS for content
• GoogleSMS
• Yahoo
• AskMeNow
• Biblioteche di Roma (answer w/in 48 hours, ugh!)
  
  
• 411
• Meriam Webster
• Life's a Pitch - 1st chap via SMS
• Harper Teen
• Citysearch
  
  
• SMS for communication
• Simmons College Reference Services
• Altrama (SMS Virtual Reference)
• teleflip
• gizmoSMS
• MagicMessage
• MobileU
• AIRBaruch
• Class in Hand
  
  
• Text Feedback Link
• Feedback Meter Link
• Mobile audio & multimedia
• downloadable audio
• mobile tours - guide by cell
  
  
• instruction
• story hours
• video tours
• mobile tv
• mobile YouTube
• mobile Second Life
• Ball State University training videos & promotional videos
• Video downlaods
  
  
• Applications for staff
• Stats - bar code readers
• Sirsi PocketCirc
• Wireless Workstation
  
  
• What's Next?
• txt & video ads (you must approve & get a discount on your bill for viewing)
• MasterCard & Visa via your phone
• Hardware displays
• glasses
• eink/epaper
• project to wall
• ZenZui
• Microsoft Live Labs Deepfish
• Photo2Search
• Thrrum
• mobile visual interactions - qipit
• spoken interactions - GotVoice
• GPS Location Interaction
• [showing pics from my Library Signage flickr pool!]
  
  

CIL2007: The World Digital Library Initative (Wednesday keynote)

John Van Oudenaren, Senior Advisor, World Digital Library, Library of Congress (jvou@loc.gov)

• Vision
• Digital library of mostly original materials from cultures from around the world & to make it available
• Objectives
• promote international and inter-cultural understanding and awareness
• provide a resource for educators that matches the needs of a global digital world
• acquire rare and unique content of interest to scholars and the general public
• Existing projects
• American Memory
• Bilateral projects w/ other countries
• Partners
• UNESCO
• National libraries and other cultural institutions
• Bibliotecha Alexandrea
• Nat Lib of Egypt
• Nat Lib of Brazil
• Russian State Librart
• National Library of Russia
• Others
• Tech community
• Google
• Yahoo
• Apple
• Standford university
• Dates & Milestones
• June 2005: WDL Proposed
• November 2005: Google gives $3 for project planning
• 2006: agreements w/ partner institutions
• December 2006: site mockup and proposal to UNESCO
• 2007: Agreement with UNESCO
• October 2007: WDL Prototype unveiled at UNESCO
• September 2008: Planned full-scale launch
• Implementation
• Not just a big Web site
• three pillars
• content acquisition
• construction of a sustainable network for production and distribution of content
• the site: www.worlddigitallibrary.org
• Content Acquisition
• work w/ partners to digitize content in places where little or no scanning is being done
• bring to light the hidden treasures
• maintain and build upon existing scanning operations
• Cairo
• Rio
• Moscow
• St. Petersburg
• mobile scanning team in Siberia
• establish additional operations
• pursue additional methods of acquisition
• Construction of network
• both as technical infrastructure and a community of institutions, scholars, curators, linguists and technologists
• Nodes
• digitization
• cataloging
• translation
• editorial
• distribution
• central sites & mirrored sites
• The Web Site
• prototype under development
• multilingual
• high quality user experience
• ability to search and browse
• multi-format
• manuscripts
• maps
• photos
• rare books
• sound & video
• 3-D representations
• special features
• educational content
• social networking features
• adjustments to developing country conditions (i.e. low bandwidth & mobile devices)

CIL2007: Learning with Blogs and Wikis

Meredith Farkas & Michelle Boule (http://michellemeredith.pbwiki.com/Learning%20with%20Blogs%20and%20Wikis)

• What is a blog
• frequently updated page with posts presented in reverse-chronological order
  
  
• What's cool about them
• don't need to know HTML
• easy to update
• don't need server space
• outputs RSS
  
  
• How are blogs used in education?
• Course management system
• faculty communication w/ students
• class news
• course reflection
• reflective learning
• space for dialog & feedback
• language/writing practice
• alternative to discussion forum
• [examples shown available on presentation URL above]
• What is a wiki
• a web site anyone in a group can create and edit w/o HTML
• What's cool about it?
• don't need HTML
• quick updating
• everyone can add their 2 cents
• view page history and track changes
• How can wikis be used in education?
• course management system
• stimulate class discussion
• group projects
• student space to build identity and portfolio of work
• Blogs / Wikis cage match
• b: more structured w: less structured
• b: ownership w: egalitarian
  
  
• b: best for chronological order w: knowledgebases, documents, directories
• b: lends itself to reflective writing w: great for working in groups
• b: more pressure to post w: have to trust your students
• Five Weeks to a Social Library
• "The first free, grassroots, completely online course devoted to teaching librarians about social software and how to use it in their libraries."
• Model
• 40 participants
• small group weekly chats
• sync & async presentations
• weekly activities
• participants blog & coment
• final project: implement one tool in your library
• Why?
• continuing education needed
• conference attendance dificult
• One-day workshop not enough
• many online classes require expensive tools
• Drupal
• allowed each student to have a blog
• each post listed on central page
• add-ons like chat rooms
• Drupal creators have control over the site
• many RSS options
• Blogging to reflect on learning
• blogging to get feedback
• blogging to create a record
• Media Wiki
• runs wikipedia
• common in libraries
• lots of documentation
• wikis for directories
• wikis for quick collaborative pages
• wikis for building a personal space
• Steal this idea
• don't have to teach in 5 weeks
• don't have to use the same tools
• don't have to cover the same topics
• do need to provide for reflection of experiment
• do need to allow for many conversations
• do need to use tools that are easy
• do need to be flexible
• do need to hve an open process
• do need multiple modes of learning (audio, video, etc)
• What participants said...
• Tips for blogs in education
• provide documentation and/or training
• keep comments open
• blog to start dialogues
• don't try to control discussions
• allow for unpopular views
• be willing to change based on feedback
• remember that some people are uncomfortable w/ public writing
• Tips for wikis in education
• training often required
• create a sandbox for experimentation
• wikis can get messy
• don't control too much

CIL2007: Project Planning the 2.0 Way

Nicole Engard

• Time to start a new project, what do you do?
• set up a meeting with everyone involved
• start of list of tasks onto calendar
• assign tasks, put on document
• communication via phone & e-mail attachments
• This doesn't work
• everyone knows a little, but no one knows everything
  
  
• A Jenkins we use a blog
• each project has a blog
• any staff can add to any blog
• Then there's the issue of finding information down the road
• Can you find the e-mail of a decision made a year ago?
• Solution: blogs
• web-bases & full-text searchable
• archived & backed up
• visible to all staff, no one is left out
• fewer e-mails
• conversational format
• date & time stamps
• ability to link to relevant pages & comments
• What does the staff think?
• project section of the intranet is the favorite part
• cut down on clutter in inbox
• great having everything in one place
• helped put everything in perspective for end-of-year report
• Project is complete, now what?
• store on shared drive?
• add links on intranet?
• store them in your e-mail?
• print them out?
• Now, a wiki
• all policies and procedures on wiki
• full text searchable
• archived
• visible to all staff
• history of changes
• link to relevant pages & comments
• sound familiar?
• made all staff feel included
• "better than the old way"
• IT staff now documents in the wiki
• no more lost files
• [Live demo]

CIL2007: What is a Mashup and Why do you Want one?

Darlene Fichter, University of Saskatchewan

• Definitions
  
  
• web application that uses content from multiple sources to create a new source
• uses APIs or RSS
• term comes from pop music
• cool new breed of application on the web
• Not everyone likes the term
• IBM very interested in the concept for inside the enterprise
• today's playground
• Example
• Frappr: People + Google Maps
• Mashup ecosystem
• open data
• open set of services
• small pieces loosely joined
• Implications
• fastest growing ecosystem
• don't need anyone's approval to provide a new API to the Internet operating systems
• DIY Programming
• 5 minute customization of applications
• no longer need a techno-elite to do it
  
  
• It's Legos!
• Examples
• Zip-code lookup using google maps
• library route map for deliveries
• day's popular photos, links and news
• newsmap
• reveals underlying patterns in the news
• Earthquake
• USGS & Google Maps
• Book Carousel
• ChicagoCrime.org
• Captioner
• Color Pickr
• Housing Maps
• PlaceOpedia
• NetVibes / SuprGlu
• Group maps for Online Communities
• Live Plasma
• Weather Bomb
• McMaster Library - 5000 aerial photos & google maps
• Pittsburg University Library
• Yahoo! Pipes
• Scopus and Web of Sciences
• publications by their faculty
• output one RSS feed
• Facts & Figures
• 1799 mashups
• +3/day
• Types of mashups pie chart
• Mashup Matrix
• Mashup typology
• presentation
• client-side data
• client-side software
• server-side software
  
  
• server-side data
• Where to start
• point, lick & publish
• Google My Maps
• APIs/Web Services
• get an idea
• get a developer token
• read the fine print about use
• Community Walk
• Learn from Others
• Western Springs History
• just do it
• lib-web-cats
• directory by Marshal Breeding

CIL2007: Using Social Media for Community Engagement (Tuesday Keynote)

Andy Carvin, National Public Radio (www.andycarvin.com/complibraries.ppt)

• Head of NPR's Web 2.0 streategy
• Traditional Media Production
• publisher
• broadcaster
• billboard owner
• drag a sign from a plane
• hold up a sign at a sporting event
• Web 1.0
• read instead of produce
  
  
• HTML
• Programming
• Graphic design
• hosting ability
• promotion mechanisms
• Web 2.0
• new software makes content creation easy
• people focus on ideas and creativity rather than technical know-how
• "the read-write web"
• "we media"
• Social software and the democratization of content
• classblogmeister.com
• flickr.com
• epnweb.org
• blip.tv
• youtube.com
• common thread: online communities where people are actively encouraged to use and share each other's original content
• Content production: All the cool kids are doin' it
• [see notes from PEW keynote yesterday for stats]
• The Web 2.0 Universe
• geotags
• blogging
• aggregation
• podcasting
• folksonomies
• rating
• vlogging
• community discussions
• tagging
• IM
• SMS
  
  
• mashups
• RSS
• wikis
• citizen journalism
• online social networks
• Most famous examples: Blogs
• early days: online geeks have personal homepages
• blogging software made it easy for everyone
• fill-in-a-form publishing
• today: 60-100 million+ blogs online
• perception: a media-blogger war of attrition
• The media hates bloggers
• can't trust trust them to get it right
• have agendas/biases
• mob mentality
• don't respect journalists
• don't do hard news
• bloggers hat the media
• you can't trust old media
• claim their unbiaser
• dominated by soundbites
• don't respect the public's brains
• always pandering to lowest common denominator
• Today: Happy Internet, the war is over
• concerted attempts at finding understanding between the media and the blogosphere
• media/blog collaboration now more common
• greater emphasis on "networked journalism" (Jeff Jarvis)
  
  
• finding ways for the media to work with "the people formerly as the audience" (Jay Rosen)
• Why are media outlets embracing Web 2.0
• improving journalistic transparency
• creating a public dialogue
• tapping into public knowledge and creativity
• new collaborative opportunities with affiliates
• maybe it's profitable, too?
• Open piloting
• inviting the public to help create new broadcast programming
• sharing rough drafts of shows before they're ready for prime time
• a focus group, but everyone's welcome
• examples: Rough Cuts, Bryant Park
• Radio Open Source
• "a blog with a radio show"
• not about open source software
• opens editorial process to the public
• invites users to submit & debate program ideas
• users recommend guests & questions
• asks users to participate on-air
• Similar: TOTN, WHYS
• BBC Have Your Say
• centralized forum for discussion news
• only select stories covered
• two-tiered moderation
• users can rate each others' comments
• CNN iReport
• http://www.cnn.com/exchange/
• CNN citizen journalism project w/ blip.tv
• users submit photos, video for specific stories
• best clips included on air
• published early video from VT shootings
• "tell your friends, iReport for CNN"
• USA Today
• embedding social networking across the site
• note balkanized to a special section
• users can comment
• OhMyNews
• english.ohmynews.com
• Korean online news service
• dedicates 20% of its space to citizen journalism
• ones that submit consistently get paid
• Global Voices
• www.globalvoices.org
• bridge blogging
• Vote Guide
• Minnesote E-Debate
• NewAssignment.net
• So What Should You do?
• community blogs & discussions
• more...
• bathroom in South Africa photo

CIL2007: Gadgets, Gadgets, Gadgets

Barbara Fullerton, 10-K Wizard, Sabrina Pacifici, LLRX.com, and Aaron Schmidt, North Plains Public Library

• Simplify! But is it going to happen?
• What's coming
  
  
• march of the treos
• improved blackberrys
• smartphones w/ 2 keyboards
• google cell phone
• text messaging
• gaming on all levels
• monitoring energy uses
• storing information in a totally new format
• 680, 700p, 700wx, 750, 755p
• palm & Windows versions
• colors
• shredder scissors
• five pairs in scissors in one
• retro gadget
• TI's projector phone
• DVD quality on the wall
• not available yet
• 5th Gen iPod
• iCharge for iPod
• charge w/ a 9-volt battery
• nano batteries
• flexible & see thru
• one minute to charge
• lasts 1000 cycles
• 200 nanometers thick
• iPhone
• Cube World digital stick people
• ID Pilot
• Aliph Jawbone Bluetooth Headset
• collapsible chopsticks
• jott.com
• voice to text
• phone or email sms
• free
• golan i.tech virtual keyboard
• illuminated waterproof flexible keyboard
• rear view computer mirror
• Sony's DVP-X810 DVD Walkman
• plamsize micro copter
• CRT's are on the way out
• Plantronics CS55 wireless convertible headset
• Targus Wireless Multimedia Presenter
• IBM Optical Transceiver
• USB Missle Launcher
• USB vision & posture reminder
• QR Code
• Google's Dodgeball
• Next generation robotic vacuum
• Cordinator
• Trillian
• Belkin compact surge protector
• Smallest MP3 player ever
• 2gb storage
• weighs less than headphones
• Meebo
• Pelican 760 LED flashlight
• Sony HDR-UX7
• HD Camera for consumers
• USB Toaster (joke)
  
  
• International AC Travel Adapter
• Fireplace iPod dock
• Clocky the alarm clock
• Retro phone handset
• Picknik Photo Editor
• Chocolate gadgets

CIL2007: Gaming & Libraries: Engaging Strategies

Jenny Levine, ALA & Aaron Schmidt, North Plains Public Library

• http://theshiftedlibrarian.pbwiki.com/
• Numbers
• define gamer
• define gamer
• there are a lot of young gamers
• not just teenage boys in the basement along
• boomers 77 million
• avg 21-year-old = 5000 hours
• 33 avg age of gamer
• online gamers = largest percentage is middle-ages women
• Flickr photos of gamers
• Nintendo Wii
• gamers
• see themselves as a hero on a quest
• willing to experiment and keep trying
• willing to seek expertise & ask for help
• desire to collaborate
• learn from mistakes & adapt quickly
• thrive on fast decision making
• have an inherent distrust of bosses
• format agnostic
• don't want to be spoon-fed
• are used to creating content
• expect interaction, rewards, customization
• engaging strategies
• collection development
• Mario Brothers Memorial Library
• Gaming Target
• support materials/services
• gaming night for families
• www.ocls.info/gaming
• www.myspace.com/gamespryte
• reader's advisory
• what movies do you like
• what tv shows do you watch
• what games do you play
• 10 YA novels w/ gaming plots
• provide board games
• GeoCaching
• Open play
• kids bring in their own gaming equipment
• Support w/ a blog
• lots of comments
• free online games
• reunscape
• step mania
• 4 librarians
• good experience
• "Game Pods"
• Tournament Play
• Bibliographic Instruction
• Game creation
• Participation Gap
• lifelong learning
• potential gaming groups
• families
• DDR
• Mario Kart
• Wii Sports
  
  
• 20- and 30-somethings
• DDR
• Guitar Hero
• Halo
  
  
• middle-aged women
• DDR
  
  
• greatest generation men
• WWII games
• Nintendo DS handheld
• Built in Wireless
• Brain Age
• Communal Experience
• Further Reading

CIL2007: Millennials and the Library

Marshal Breeding, Vanderbilt Library

• Generations
• Silent Gen
• Baby boomers
• Gen X
• Millennials
• Millennial characteristics
• inate ability for tech
• frenetic multitasking
• comfortable w/ diverse types of digital media
• highly interactive style of working
• The Millennials are coming
• creative, organized, independent
• impatient, skeptical, sometime arrogant
• status and authority don't impress them
• Contrast of Generations charts
  
  
• approach to study and learning
• "they do it all while studying"
• 85% also listen to music
• also...
• tv
• movie
• im
• chat
• shaping collections for millennials
• content
• digital/immediate
• discovery
• more like the web
• access
• anytime/anywhere
• consistent with existing trends
• doesn't conflict w/ needs of library users from previous generations
• in tune w/ strategic direction most libraries have
• a matter of degree
• an urgent need
• boomers and genx are happier w/ traditional content & modes of service
• millennials will move on to non-library info if not satisfied
• a lot at stake
• content of collections
• Ms comfortable w/ content in diverse media
• multimedia
• graphics over text
• music & audio
• video
• Ms love to remix
• collection possibilities
• e-journals/e-books
• podcasts of lectures
• video libraries of stock footage
• news archives
• datasets: census/GIS
• access to collections
• best opportunity for impact
• building collections well underway but how best to provide access
• how to respond to their prefs
• immediate
• mobile
• flexible
• intuitive
  
  
• heightened user expectations
• expectations set by web
• sophisticated web skills
• low tolerance for clunky interface
• confident in their abilities
• problems with status quo
• doesn't meet expectations of current generation
• too many interfaces
• overly complex
• not always intuitive
  
  
• different locations for different types of information
• Best library OPAC: A Card Catalog card on the screen?
• Best we can do?
• Finding Time Magazine Video
• common tools for access to local collections
• library opacs
• links to aggregators/publishers
• cross linking via OpenURL
• journal finding aids
• metasearch engines
• all loosely coupled
• Metasearch
• inherently problematic
• not immediate
• relevancy ranking difficult
• lake of deep results
• interim solution
• Change Underway
• widespread dissatisfaction
  
  
• movement to break out of current mold
• decoupling of the front-end from the back-end
• working toward the next generation of interfaces
• redefinition of the library catalog
• more comprehensive information discovery environments
• better info delivery tools
• more powerful search capabilities
  
  
• more elegant presentation
• comprehensive search service
• more like OAI
• problems of scale diminished
• problems of cooperation exist
• web 2.0 a good start
• more social and collaborative
• tools and tech that foster collaboration
• blogs, wiki, tagging, social bookmarking, user rating, user reviews
• Supporting technologies
• web services
• XML APIs
• AJAX
• Microformats
• Opensearch vs SRU/SRW
• replacement OPACs
• endeca guided navigation
• aquabrowser
• common thread
• decoupled interface
• mass export of catalog data
• alternative search engine
• alternative interface
• expanded discovery and delivery tools
• ex libris primo
• encore from III
• common threads
• decoupled interface
• comprehensive indexes that span multiple resources
• alternative interface
• library developed solutions
• extensible catalog
• university of rochester
• http://www.extensiblecatalog.info/
• redefinition of library catalogs
• question traditional notions
• no longer enough to provide a catalog of just print
• digital resources can't be an afterthought
• multiple interfaces less tenable
• work toward equal footing for digital and print
• interface expectations
• millennials are used to the Web
• used to relevancy ranking
• must be fast
• rich visual information
• facted browsing
• navigational breadcrumbs
• ratings and rankings
• appropriate organizational structures
• LCSH v FAST
• Full MARC v Dublin Core
• OCLC perceptions: Where do your users start?
• Library Discovery Model
• Library as search destination
• non-library nterfaces
• web services are an essential enabling technology
• libraries lag behind in implementation of service oriented architecture
• global arena
• google, yahoo
• google scholar
• ask worldcat
• wikipedia
• google library print
• local v global
  
  
• how to lib collections relate to global realm
• will mass digitization replace local collections
• global arena excels at discovery
• local arena focuses on delivery
• multi-layered information discovery
• google v libraries
• unfounded concern
• google based on discovery
• libraries specialize in delivery

CIL2007: Heat Up Your Browsing with Firefox a.k.a. Pimp Your Firefox

Jessamyn West, Librarian.net



I'm going to sit back and watch. All the information from Jessamyn;s presentation can be found at http://librarian.net/talks/cil2007/.

CIL2007: Setting up the New Stuff: Planning and Implementing Library 2.0

David Lee King, Topeka & Shawnee County Public Library

• Why, What, Who, how, and When
• Why should we set up new services
  
  
• example: library myspace set to private
• example: last updated six months ago
• example: flickr last uploaded to in 2005
• example: blog, about says "latest news", not updated since Jan 2005
• meet changing customer needs
• stay culturally relevant
• keep digital space up-to-date
• What services should you set up?
• lots to choose from
• think through goals
• what should the end result look like?
• Who does the work
• patrons
• staff
• How to make this happen
• admin and management
• staff time
• do we have
• the equipment
• willing participants
• can we make willing participants
• skilled staff
• when to roll it out
• like, yesterday
• seriously, some things don't take a lot of time
• blogs, flickr, youtube, IM
• 5 minutes, tops
• depends on you
  
  
• Content, container, and customer
• Content
• conversational tone
• create often
• reuse content...
• Inviting participation
• Just ask
• Paper Cuts blog: 52 Questions
  
  
• Container
• just the basics or fancy-schmancy?
• Customer
• contacts
• friending in different services
  
  
• comments
• answer them
• quickly
• default to "comments on"
• edit if needed
  
  
• creators
• decide about customer content
• actual content
• comments only
  
  
• who's in charge of content babysitting
• doesn't have to be the Webmaster
• Definitely not the admin
• some specifics
• Blogs
• mylibrary.blogspot.com or mylibrary.org/blog
• free or purchase
• what to name it
• default design or integrate
• reasons for the blog
• what's new at the library
• new books
• library news
• who's in charge
• who writes
• who answers questions
• Tricks
• make sure to link to your stuff
• catalog
• events
• flickr for images
• saves storage space
• reuse content
• pic in two places, more comments
• consider customer and staff training
• staff needs
• a little posting training
• writing for the web training
• basic HTML (imbedding images from flickr)
  
  
• Flickr
• MySpace
• decisions
• name/age/sex
• "you don't have to tell the truth"
• design/skin
• reason for the page
• make use of multimedia
• tricks
• musical artist account if you podcast
  
  
• reuse content
• customize additions
• catalog search box
  
  
• link to your content
• staff needs
• who's in charge
• who does comments
• who writes content
  
  
• YouTube
• decisions
• downloadable video?
• channel design
• reasons for the videos
• current what's up at the lib
• what's new/library update vids
• videos of events
• training
• new books
• youtube specific account stuff
• who's in charge
• what goes in profile
• tagging
• allow comments
• staff or customer content
• everything in blogs above...
• tricks
• channels: link to other relevant content
• provide link back to library page
• embed video on your Web site!
• staff needs
• training
• equipment
• Final thoughts
  
  
• Goals are good!
• Plan for participation
• You don't have to be an expert
  
  

CIL2007: Web 2.0 and What it Means to Libraries

Lee Rainie, Director, Pew Internet and American Life Project

• "I adore librarians"
• Ask a Ninja: What is Podcasting
• The Starting Point
• Tim O'Reilly & John Battelle
• The Web as platform
• netscape v google
• doubleclick v adsense
• akami v bittorrent
• harnesing collective intelligence
• data is the next "intel inside"
• software above the level of a single device
• rich user experiences
• Changes
• cashing - peer to peer
• britannice - wiki
• personal sites - blogging
• evite - upcoming.org
• doubleclick - adsense
• ofoto - flickr
• taxonomy - folksonomies
  
  
• etc
• Web 2.0 meme map
• 6 hallmarks of the Web 2.0 world that matter to libraries
• The Internet has become the computer
• # of computer users is indistinguishable from # of Internet users
• Broadband availability up
• Internet users # up
• wireless connectivity up
• people go online from more places
• # of people accessing internet from libraries has doubled in past 4 years
• broadband turns the internet into a destination
• broadband intensifies people's internet use and it becomes more serious
• broadband makes video a big part of the internet experience
• broadband make people's internet use more social
• Tens of millions of Americans, especially the young, are creating and sharing content online
• 55% of teens have profiles on social networking sites
• 20% of adults have profiles on social networking sites
• SN Profiles: Switchboards for social life
• Teen girls more likely to use all SN features
• 51% of young adults have uploaded photos / 37% of adults
  
  
• 39% of teens share their own creations / 22% of adults
• 33% of teens are tech support for their families & orgs / 13% of adults
• 25% of kids / 33% college students / 12% adults have blogs
• 27% of teens / 14% adults have their own Web site
• 26% teens / 9% adults have created mashups
• 19% teens / 9% adults have an avatar to interact with others
  
  
• 15% teens / 8% adults have created videos
• Even more internet users are accessing the content created by others
• Long Tail audience
• 46% of young users read blogs
• 44% of young adults seek info in wikipedia
• 14% of young users download podcasts
• many are sharing what they know and what they feel online and this is building conversations and communities
• 33% of young adults have rated a product, person, or service online
• 32% of young adults have tagged content
• 25% of YA have commented on videos, also blogs & photos
• tens of thousands are contributing their knowhow and processing power
• 40% of users participate in peer-to-peer
• grid computing
• open source movement
• online Americans are customizing their online experiences
• 40% of YA customize news and other information pages
• 50%+ of YA on specialty listservs
• 25%-33% of YA get RSS feeds
• 5 issues libraries and all online participants must struggle to address - Pam Berger - http://www.infosearcher.org/
• Navigation
• transitioning from linear format to nonlinear in format
• Context
• learning to see connections
• Focus
• practicing reflection & deep thinking
• Skepticism
• learning to evaluate information
• Ethical behavior
• understanding the rules of cyberspace
• The Machine is Using Us
  
  

Technorati Tags: cil2007

CL2007: The WiFi Situation

WiFi in the rooms is $10 a day through T-Mobile unless you're running Vista. If you are running Vista, T-Mobile is offering free access through the end of the month. Find the right link on the T=Mobile home page for the free access.

In the main ballroom, and I assume in the other conference rooms, there is free WiFi! Just look for the SSID "CIL1"

CIL2007: Pre-conference Day

Not much to tell as I'm already as tired as if I'm on day four. My session went well but as usual I had too much material for the time allowed. I did do an audio recording of my session but I've not yet secured permission to distribute it. I'll work on that tomorrow.

I ended up trying both Wii bowling and Guitar Hero after Jenny and Aaron's session on gaming. There is video evidence of this but I have not yet secured a copy of said evidence. In the mean time, here's a video I too of David Lee King battling Aaron Schmidt in Guitar Hero. (I don't remember who won.)

I went out for dinner (sushi for me) with Louise, Jenny, Amanda and Aaron and most of us ended up meeting up with many others including Meridith and Jessamyn at the hotel bar.

Tomorrow, the sessions start. NO real plans just some intentions when it comes to attending particular sessions so you can be a surprised as I am when I post.

Twitter @ CIL2007

If you want to follow the Twitter feed from CIL you can find it in the conference wiki @ http://cil2007.pbwiki.com/Twitter%20Feed. There you can also find the URL for the RSS feed if you wish to subscribe in your aggregator.

If you would like your tweets to show up in this feed send an e-mail with your Twitter username to me (msauers[at]travelinlibrarian.info) and I'll add you.

The Dilbert Blog: Post Removed

Can anyone explain to me today's post on Scott Adams' blog?

The Chief's Corner

The Lincoln, NE police chief has started a blog titled The Chief's Corner. There's only a few posts at this point but so far I'm very impressed. He's dealing with relevant local issues in an honest and human way. The post responding to recent newspaper editorials titled "That pesky Constitution" is definitely one to read.

Walt Disney's passport

l21269
Originally uploaded by Travelin' Librarian.

Yes folks, it's up for auction on eBay.

Package Tracking Widget

Here's a great new Vista sidebar widget that allows for near-real-time package tracking. This is even better than doing is via RSS. It's available from the Windows Live Gallery.

HD here I come

Yesterday I ordered my first HDTV. I'm a bit nervous that I'll need additional equipment to get this thing to work but according to the photos it has all the right low-tech connectors in the back to work with my current system. It's going to arrive while I'm at CIL so I'm sure that for the first time I'll be a little itchy to leave conference so I can get home and play with my new toy.

Permission Slips

Photo: Pesky Library

This is something that's got me totally riled. It's a complex situation but I'll boil it down to only the points necessary to understand the situation.

Student A's Junior Prom is this weekend and it is being held at A's school and is an official school event. A has invited Student B to the prom. B goes to a different school. A has a permission slip/agreement that says things like "I won't cause trouble at the event", "can be kicked out of the event for causing trouble" and other similar language. All of the rules mentioned are said to apply to both A and the guest, B. This permission slip/agreement has to be signed by A, A's parent, B, B's parent, and A's principal. So far I'm totally o.k. with this. Everyone involved should sign and yes, the principal has the right to bar his own students and outsiders from an official school event.

But here's the thing, the permission slip/agreement must also be signed by B's school principal. In other words, the principal of school B has veto power over something that student B is doing on their own time and has nothing to do with the school that this second principal is responsible for!

Let's take this out a step. If A wanted to invite someone from a school in another state (not unheard of) then the principal in the other state would have to sign the form. Why!? Student B's principal doesn't have to give permission for A to take B to a movie on a Saturday night, so why is this any different?

The bottom line: No principal should have the right to control what that student does, off school grounds and not on school time? That's between the student and their parent. (Any attempts to set me straight are asked for and welcome but will be met with strong debate.)

What are we twittering?

Twitterment is a new Twitter search engine. More interesting is the way in which you can search two different terms and get a comparrision of their use. Here's a sample of library vs. bookstore. Guess which one won.

Top 10 Firefox extensions to avoid?

Computerworld has published a list of the top 10 Firefox extensions to avoid. Usually I find a lot of use in "top 10" articles but this one was no help at all. I run six of the ten they tell me to avoid. (FasterFox, Video Downloader, PDF Download, ScribeFire, Greasemonkey, and TabBrowser Preferences) Granted most of the points they make are valid but they're hardly reasons not to use them. As some of the commenters have responded, the article seems to be geared for you mom and dad with a computer at home. If you're the person they call for help, you're perfectly safe pretty much running any of these extensions.

New meaning to the term "firewall"

Here's a video of some network monitoring software that takes your network traffic data and presents it as a videogame-esque battle between good and evil packets. This would make network traffic monitoring a much more interesting chore.

Via TechCrunch

DMV, part 2 of 2

I ended up going back to the DMV yesterday after work as I'd head the necessary form had been faxed in by my ex. This time the experience was much more pleasurable. I was in and out in less than 20 minutes, didn't wait in a single line and walked out with my new title, new plates, and a new driver's license. Check all that off my to-do list.

Dewey Torrents

In today's unshelved. (I still haven't seen 300 yet. Guess I'll need to wait for the DVD at this point.)

Comic book art

This is most likely the most beautiful comic book cover I have ever seen. (The story's pretty good too.)

Visual joke

Caught this on YouTube. It's from an episode of Robot Chicken. The guy just stands there then asks "Do you get it?" Well, do ya punk?

Installing fonts in Vista

Well, here's something that hasn't changed in Vista. Get yourself to the "Add Fonts" dialog box and you'll see the exact some screen we've been looking at since Windows 3.1 (or maybe even earlier). The insanity of this is easily discovered when you attempt to browse for the file you dumped on your desktop. You do know the DOS path to your desktop, don't you? Come on Microsoft, why couldn't you bother to update this to use the same browsing interface the rest of the OS uses?

DMV, part one of n

I finally had the cash and the time to get out to the DMV this morning. In total I have to get the car inspected by a Sheriff's Deputy (to make sure it's not a stolen vehicle,) get a Nebraska title, register the car in Nebraska, and get a new driver's license. I didn't expect to get it all done today but...

The inspection was quick and easy. Basically, just a computerized VIN search which cost me $10. Then off to get a new title. Trouble is, my ex (we divorced in 2002) was still listed on the title. Why hadn't I fixed this before? No clue. It just hadn't dawned on me as something I needed to do. So I took all my paperwork including proof of the divorce over to the next window and I was told that wouldn't work. I needed something from the divorce decree that established she'd given up all rights to the car. Or, I could get her to sign a power of attorney for the car. Back home I went to look through my files.

I found an "Affidavit of gift of motor vehicle" in my divorce papers which to me, since it said "the transferor has transfered and conveyed to transferee, all of transferor's right, title and interest in and to the... motor vehicle." [emphasis added] Sounds good to me, but when I got back to the DMV I was informed that that would only save me some money on taxes or some such and "that may be the way they do it in Missouri [where the divorced occurred], but that won't work here."

So, I'm back to faxing the form to my ex (this isn't really a problem, it's just an annoying and delaying bureaucratic step in this whole process) so she can sign it, have it notarized, and fax it back to the DMV. I then get to go tomorrow and try to get my new title and registration.

Exchange & Q

No, this isn't a Star Trek-related post... On Friday I got a Motorola Q and so far I'm liking it a lot. Most of the learning-curve issues involve switching from PalmOS to Windows Mobile 5. (For example, I had to install a third-party application to get threaded SMS messages, and WM5 doesn't sync Outlook Notes.) However, the big problem at the moment is using the Q to access the office's Exchange Server. To do this I installed Alltel's "Office Sync Personal" which installs a desktop client that the phone is supposed to connect to. This then allows me to sync my contacts, e-mail, and calendar from to the Exchange server and my My Documents folder. It also allows me to have Web access to this information. (Though, we do already have that via Outlook Web.) Well, the desktop client logs in just fine, and the Web access works, proving the working-state of the desktop client. However, when I finally try to log in with the Q, I get a server error.

So, this morning I spent the better part of three hours with Alltel tech support. They are helpful and friendly but they have no clue why the error is occurring. They're working on trying to find a solution and promise to give me a shout when they come up with something. (I do have contact info for the last tech support guy I worked with so they've got 24 hours before i get back to them.) I'll keep you posted.

New laptop bag

I've been wanting/needing a new laptop bag for a while and it finally arrived today. I've switched from a backpack to a messenger bag. Heck, I never used the left strap on the backpack anyway. This one holds my 17" laptop, folders, pens, notebooks, iPod, camera, and more. And I totally get some geek-cred for the embroidered Firefox logo.

From a different perspective

I'm not sure if I've blogged about the Will it Blend videos before but I can't pass up this one.

Creative Data Visualization

I've got a thing for interesting ways to present data visually. Here's a cool one: Housing prices from 1890 to the present done as a roller coaster.

Flash Mob in Victoria Station

via The Evening Standard:
"More than 4,000 clubbers danced through the rush hour at Victoria station in Britain's biggest flash mob stunt."

Wired thinks it's tomorrow already.

Here's an article from Wired online published today but dated tomorrow.

SirsiDynix Institute follow-up

The MP3 and PDF for my Second Life presentation are now available on SirsiDynixInstitute.com.

When it comes to Vista, updated drivers are very important

I've seen the article Speed Up Windows Vista from ExtremeTech blogged about several other places so I wasn't going to mention it here. I did read it though and agree with the criticism regarding the section of the article dealing with Windows services. But the one thing that I got from the article was the importance of making sure your drivers are up to date; especially if you're upgrading from XP to Vista.

First a little background: In my workshop Tech Support on the Fly I talk about Windows update and the different categories of updates you'll find there. One category in XP is "optional hardware updates" and I stress that you should only install hardware (i.e. driver) updates when you're having trouble with said hardware or if the new driver gives you new features you want. This advice spawns from the times that I've had to rollback video drivers on computers where I can no longer see anything on the screen. That is not fun!

So when I upgraded my laptop to Vista I updated as many drivers as I could but was unable to find the updated driver for my video card. (As blogged earlier.) My laptop was running but it seemed a little more sluggish than I would like. I was poking around in the computer's properties last weekend and found something called the "System Rating".

The one pictured here is from my second office computer with known issues so don't worry too much about the low score. In the case of my laptop the score was 2.8 out of five. Looking for a little more detail I clicked on "Windows Experience Index" and found the detail and explanation I was looking for.

It turns out the the rating is based on the lowest score in five categories: Processor, Memory, Graphics, Gaming Graphics, and Primary Hard Disk. In my laptop's case, the graphics rating was 2.8. This may just have been the reason for the sluggish performance of my machine.

A commenter to this blog had recently pointed out where I could find the driver and a few days ago I download and installed the update. I then went to Windows update and noticed there was an "optional" update to my video driver so I took a chance and installed that next. After all the required reboots I went back to look at my computer's score. The score hadn't changed but it did inform me that it had "found new hardware" and needed to rerun the tests to recompute my score. I clicked OK and waited about five minutes. The score was updated to 3.8 and I was told that I could even comfortably run the Areo interface now.

I switched Aero on and started to play. My laptop is now back to the speed it was running at with XP. (Unfortunately, Second Life still won't run and my iTunes problems still exist but I've ruled out my video driver as the source of the problem.)

So, the bottom line, if you're running Vista, my current advice is to install those driver updates as soon as they become available. Might your system die as a result? Sure, but I'd say the benefits outweigh the very small risks in this situation.

Need... Coffee...

Mary and the girls showed up from CO this morning at 2:45am. I just got back from Starbucks to find this gem from Unshelved:

Your mission, should you accept it...

...is to use the library OPAC to find Time Magazine.

If you're caught, all knowledge of your mission will be denied.

Post Its as PowerPoint

I've got to try this sometime.

Disney's Tower of Terror

Having done this ride twice this past August I was a bit skeptical when I was told that someone had accurately recreated it in the game Half Life 2. Well, they did and I'm amazed.

Watching Tron is dangerous

tron_1024
Originally uploaded by danakin.

It seems that the Department of Homeland Security has classified the film TRON as "Sensitive". I think I'll watch my 20th Anniversary DVD this weekend. I wonder what a 13- and 17-year-old raised on CGI will think of it.

What happened to the design?

To know more about why styles are disabled on this website visit the Annual CSS Naked Day website for more information.

The Customer-Centered Library: How to stop tweaking and start doing it with new steps for 2007

Karen Hyman, South Jersey Library Cooperative
Columbus Public Library, Columbus, NE

• After today's session you will...
• see from the customer's point of view
• focus on user needs and expectations
• development & implement things that support a customer centered library
• operate the library for the convenience of your customer
• make customer service a way of life
• What makes a library really great?
• money?
• size?
• luck?
• use?
• Really great for whom?
• Customer's have choices
• Google
• Amazon.com
• Barnes & Noble
• Movies on demand
• WiFi @ Starbucks
• Cell phones & PDAs
• The big fear
• libraries (and what they can offer) will be irelevant and invisible to the majority of people
• New opportunities to...
• provide value-added service
• embrace new roles
• be a "third place"
• take the library to new people
• fail to take advantage of new opportunities
• provide poor service in new and irritating wasy
• Value added equals
• current
• relevant
• in tune with customer needs
• beneficial from the customer's point of view
• defined by the quality of the result
• Service can be your competitive edge
• intelligent
• responsive
• personal
• Quote from OCLC Perspectives report
• Customer service basics
• first, do no harm
• everyone here is an expert on customer service because everyone here is a customer
• get a grip
• Of course there are other strategies
• you can change riders
• you can get a committee to study the dead horse
• you can benchmark how other companies rise dead horses
• you can declare that it's cheaper to feed a dead horse
• you car harness several dead horses together
• But after you've tried all of these things, you're still going to have to dismount
• change
• some people love change
• excitement
• anticipation
• curiosity
• some people hate change
• dread
• disorientation
  
  
• loss
• nobody gets to choose how they feel
• dealing with change is a learned skill
• all predicitions haev equal value
• we can all join each other on the edge of the unknown
• Step one: Care
• Caring
• some people just care
• some people just don't
• most of us fall in the middle
• caring and not caring is contageous
• blaming is the enemy of caring
• everything flows from caring
• the key to quality customer service is creative problem solving
• the key to quality problem solving is having a problem
• most care more when we...
• know and like the other person
• don't feel tired
• don't feel threatened
• aren't having a bad day
• get support and rewards for caring
• take pride in caring, or appearing to care
• try caring
• can improve your day
• uses your skills
• can increase energy
• can be fun
• you're paid to care
• make it a habit, and caring gets easier.
• caring begets attention, attention begets curiosity and curiosity is the fount from which all knowledge flows
• Step two: Think like a customer
• why don't we think like customers?
• we work at the library
• we don't understand the customer
• we're not trying hard enough
• we don't focus on results
• we hear but don't listen
• we think we know better
• we don't see options as options
• when you think like a customer you...
• put yourself in their place
• make it your business to see results for the customer
• make customer service a way of life and a part of every decision
• step three: see the problem(s)
• to define problems from the customer's perspective...
• somebody wants something and they're not getting it
• somebody's getting something they don't want
• step four: change your approach, not the customer
• why not change the customer?
• what do you do with someone who...?
• why can't people...?
• shouldn't people...?
• people used to...?
• children used to...?
• Because you can't!
  
  
• ditch the rules
• have a bonfire for the signs
• root out negatives
• solve problems when they happen
• work as a team
• what are the rules?
• do we really need this rule at all?
• can we say the same thing in a more positive way
• share expectations and look again
• to change your approach
• provide customers the opportunities to do what you want
• skateboard rack
• baskets for books
• try doing what they want
• express checkout
• eating in the library
• when it comes to customer service...
• every choice has a down side
• err on the side of customer services that is positive, welcoming, and empowering for the consumer
• step five: abandon victimhood
• is your library a culture of victimhood?
• we never get any more money
• we never get any respect
• why are we always the last to know?
• nobody understands all the great things we do
• we always have to clean up after these slobs
• Victimhood...
• obscures facts
• is powerless
• is personal
• saps your energy
• takes you nowhere
• Try telling the same story in a different way
  
  
• Step six: Organize your library to support quality service
• to support quality service
• easy to use continuous communication system
• morning briefings
• library blogs
• whiteboard in staff area
• email to customers
• newsletters, recommendations
  
  
• flexible, helpful, friendly signage
• create systems that support consistent great service
• make it fun
• create a supporting culture for risk, flexibility, curiosity, etc.
  
  
• set specific targets & measure results
• Deliver the goods
  
  
• step seven: walk through everything
• walk through every process
• in the building, on the web, phone
• to share the customer's experience
• to see what works and what doesn't
• to get your vendors on the customers' side
• to five vendor responses
• the default is...
• go to another source for support
• help notes explain that in section. 1.A.3(b)7
  
  
• it works here
• nobody else has complained
• in your library
• what makes it easy to find things
• what makes it difficult to find things
• what alerts or obscures possibilities
  
  
• what makes navigation a breeze or a chore
• easy/alerts to possibilities
  
  
• very open, spacious, neat, etc
• shelves well organized and documented
• overhead signs in adult stacks
• natural light, large windows
• large signs on soffits
• difficult, obscures possibilities
• lobby is dark & dull
• "NO" signs in the library
• nothing hits you when you walk in
• no encouragement to ask for help
• etc...
• self service library
• easy and intuitive
  
  
• helpful & friendly signage
• alerts to possibilities
  
  
• direct online interaction
• self-checkout
• drive-up window
• 24/7/365 access
• step eight: Get the book into the customers' hands
• if books are the brand, what could you be doing with books that you're not doing now?
• reduce processing time
• grab-and-go collection
• buy when it's fast and affordable
• float the collection
• Netflix model
• Weed!
• merchandise the collection
  
  
• Through merchandising you can
• transform the library experience
• find out what sells
• sell what you want to buy
• find out what nobody will read as part of the everyday process
• make it easier for your public to discover materials, "impulse buy"
• make it a little harder for your staff to find specific titles
• [photos of merchandising examples]
• Step nine: Transform the library experience
• find five things that would surprise and delight your customers and put them in the center
• a warm, inviting 21st century environment
• has a greeter
• comfortable
• allows food
• provides public computers & WiFi
• allows cell phones
• avoids too many rules
• the destination library
• enjoyable, friendly, fun environment
• comfortable seating
• extended hours
• hi tech, hi touch
• browsing, book clubs, author events
• drop in story hours
• supports personal use of technology
• community center
• fosters collegiality
• serve kids
• does your children's area have a percentage of floor space that equals their percentage of circulation?
• play fair
• Step ten: Overcome overdues
• reexamining the rules
• pay when $10 threshold is reached
• Fine Free Fridays
  
  
• no overdues -- but we love donations
  
  
• courtesy reminders -- consider Library Elf
• multiple renewals
• new motto: "Late is great!"
• step eleven: take the library to the people
• have an online application process and mail the card with the library info
• provide live online services
• put satellite libraries in the community
• experiment with mobile communication to cellphone & PDA
• [screenshots of examples]
• Step twelve: Make something happen
• did anything happen?
• depends on results for the customer, not the library
• depends on fit with everyday life of the customer
• how many things have to "go right" for this to work?
  
  
• focus on results for the customer will help you to...
• chose among the flawed options
• avoid "compromises" that produce no results
• handle the down side of a great choice
• do the extra work that makes a real difference
• 5 things you can start today
• look at the rules and remove or restate
  
  
• look at what people want & find ways to deliver it. ask them and listen when they answer
  
  
• walk through your building and fix what doesn't work for the customer
• incorporate customer service into every decision and problem solving process
• treat every customer like a person

Breakout groups: Five things your library can do to surprise your customers

• Suggestion box
• free paperback for every $1 in fines paid
• address customer by name
• more color in the library (too much tan)
  
  
• MySpace page
• check out off items: GPS, Projectors, Laptops
• WiFi
• "Check Us Out" sign
• Gaming Night
• AccuCut machine for public use
• No fines
• Allow cell phones
• Automatic reminders
• Recommendations in the OPAC
• Put holds in an ordered queue
• More classes for the public
• Audio book during a knitting circle
• Open 5-midnight one night
• 5-cent fine on unfriendly staff
• Live mystery at the library
• DVD checkout length as book
• group computer space
• public fax machine
• food allowed area
• fine free day
• cake pans
• door greeter / roving staff member
  
  
• allow food
• emphasize the e-resources
• teen hangout
• "We settle bar bets"
• new baby program
• book delivery program
• movie nights
• Director "open door"
• treat drawer
• no rural membership fee
  
  
• background music

• 
  
  

Twitter 404 page

Twitter 404 page
Originally uploaded by Travelin' Librarian.

Has anyone else noticed Twitter's creative 404 error page?

Second Life & Info Island presentation

This morning Rhonda and did a SirsiDynix Institute presentation on Second Life and Info Island to more than 300 attendees and have both received several post-presentation e-mails already so keep them coming. For those that missed it, there are several ways to get copies of the material.

• The audio and video recordings along with a PDF of the slides will be available via the SDI archive page in the next few days.
• The raw PPT file is now available on my presentations page.
• I've embedded a Web-based version (sans audio) of the PPT files below.

Thanks to everyone who made this a success. Please feel free to contact me if you have any additional questions.

Easter funnies

Easter
Originally uploaded by Liene.

The New Apple iRack

Supermarket 2.0

Check out this video on gSupermarket 2.0. One point for each gag you understand. (Sorry, can't embed, have to link.)