Daily Archives: August 14, 2006

5 posts

Your Attention Please (Update 2)

DSC01755 Originally uploaded by travelinlibrarian. What do you think? I understand the thinking about funding but if I came in on vacation to use the internet I’d turn and flee for sure! Hopefully, there’s an internet cafe nearby. Update: Michael Sauers posts about the picture he took at the Marshall Public Library in Pocatello, ID! Take a look. He shares some great points. Thanks Michael! Read the comments here as well… they are fascinating. Update 2: The director comments at Michael’s blog: http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=5543214&postID=115561108774412256 The policy was put in place because the Marshall Public Library was being used by tourists to […]

USB Friendly!

Darien Library, one of my favorite L2 examples and site of a recent Roadshow stop, is circulating USB drives! http://www.darienlibrary.org/connections/info-tech/archives/2006/08/extra_usb_drives_to_the_rescue.html We recently purchased five additional high-capacity USB or “flash” drives, making for a total of 10 drives in circulation that may be borrowed free of charge. (These are in addition to the floppy disks, CDs, and DVDs we already have available for sale.) The SanDisk Cruzer drives can each hold up to 512 MB of data, and they come in a sturdy titanium shell that protects your files during transit from the Library to your home or workplace. We invite […]

Visualizing the Tipping Point

Via Deborah Hotchkiss, SC State Library: http://darmano.typepad.com/logic_emotion/2006/07/visualizing_the.html The Connectors, Mavens, and Salesmen help fuel the growth of the Social Media Network (shown behind). Each type of individual possesses a complimentary quality that when combined, creates an infectious momentum which spreads rapidly. From wikipedia: * Connectors: Those with wide social circles. They are the “hubs” of the human social network and responsible for the small world phenomenon. * Mavens are knowledgeable people. While most consumers wouldn’t know if a product were priced above the market rate by, say, 10 percent, mavens would. Bloggers who detect false claims in the media could […]

Carvers Bay (SC) Branch Library: Gaming the Way to Literacy

http://webjunction.org//do/DisplayContent?id=13796 Fascinating article at WJ about Carvers Bay library and their gaming program — take a look for inspiration! Located next to the middle and high schools, the library is physically convenient for the Carvers Bay teens, but director Dwight McInvaill knows that it takes more than proximity to get the kids through the doors. Gaming is the key. The library has extended its hours until 7 PM most nights to accommodate the students’ schedules. However, McInvaill intends for the new library to have an impact on the low literacy and high dropout rates, so he’s applying a few rules […]

It won’t be long before IM is the “phone” and Email is a delivery tool

http://blogaboutlibraries.com/2006/08/use-what-they-use-now.html why in the world doesn’t every library with an internet connection offer IM Reference? This includes my own library where I have introduced the concept to my staff on a couple occasions, but where we have still not taken steps to get it going. My sense is that some of them just are not ready to make this leap. Maybe it’s my fault for not pushing my people harder, hoping instead that one day someone will come to me with the same idea I had two years ago. However, if that doesn’t happen soon, I can’t see how we […]