Monthly Archives: May 2009

24 posts

The Transparent Library: Reasons for Optimism

MS: I just concluded a section of my favorite class to teach: LIS768 Library 2.0 and Social Networking Technologies. Centered around the concept of participatory service, the class encourages students to experiment, play, and think critically about improving services in a changing world. I close the session with some counsel to students as they head out into the job market. Make Issues Opportunities. Look at any of the issues impacting libraries right now, for example, the economy, new converged devices, and digital streaming and downloads. Then look at what innovative thinkers have done regarding such issues. Learn to be such change agents. […]

Preview: The Twitterverse v1.0 by @BrianSolis & @Jess3

Preview: The Twitterverse v1.0 by @BrianSolis & @Jess3, originally uploaded by b_d_solis. The Twitterverse was created in the spirit of TheConversationPrism.com. This is a preview of the soon-to-be announced Twitterverse. Please let us know what we’re missing and if we need to reorganize the placement of apps. HINT: Click on all sizes for a larger view. (cc) www.briansolis.com + www.jess3.com.

TTW Mailbox: Indiana Library Federation Reference Divison sponsors “Unconference” at Ball State University

Are you familiar with “create your own adventure” books? How about a “create your own library conference?”   The Indiana Library Federation Reference Division is doing just that with Reference Unconference 2009 at Ball State University’s Bracken Library on Friday, August 7.    What makes an unconference is special is the ability for everyone to be actively involved from determining the topics to giving presentations and contributing to the discussions. Everyone is a teacher and everyone is a learner! It is a format becoming popular throughout the library world!   The first step is to visit the unconference wiki at ilfreference2009.pbwiki.com. There you can read […]

TTW Mailbox: Favorite Places to Study

Frank Haulgren, Collection Services Manager, ILL – Document Delivery  &  Assessment Cooridnator at the Wilson Library, Western Washington University writes: Hey Michael some of your readers may be interested.   Each quarter The Western Libraries sponsors a mid-term Study Break.  We set aside an hour and a half in the early evening and provide food, fun and information about the library and campus activities for students.  They love the food (of course) and the crazy goggles that the Student Wellness Center has that allows you to simulate being drunk and having to walk a line.   This quarter we set up or video […]

Ten Ways to Encourage the Tribe*

Download the Virginia Beach Version of the Slides here. The good folks at Virginia Beach Public Libraries asked me back this year to talk about building community with social tools.  This was perfect timing because I had just read Peter Block’s Community: The Structure of Belonging and I’ve been working on an article and interview about/with Seth Godin for Digital Bibliotek magazine. His book Tribes: We Need You to Lead Us has figured prominently into my thinking and teaching so far this year. I always appreciate this type of synchronicity. Jenny Levine introduced me to Peter Block’s book – a fascinating […]

Curtis Roger’s Web 2.0 Survey

http://curtisrogers.blogspot.com/2009/05/web-20-survey-please-respond.html Many academic and public libraries in the United States have been embracing the use of Web 2.0 and Social Networking tools to enhance services to library patrons as well as promote/market library events to new audiences.  Libraries have been implementing a wide variety of these tools but many are concentrating their efforts on the use of blogs, open source content management systems such as Joomla and Drupal, social networks such as MySpace and Facebook, and many are also using Instant Messaging chat services such as Meebo to answer reference questions.  According to Wikipedia, “Social media are primarily Internet-based tools […]

CityLibrariesLearning discover*play*connect Launched

http://citylibrarieslearning.wordpress.com/2009/05/05/discover-learning-20/ My co-investigator Warren Cheetham has launched his library’s Learning 2.0 program after we ran a pre-course survey of the staff. From his intro post: Welcome everyone! I hope you are as excited as I am to begin this learning journey together. We have a lot of fun things ahead of us, and I am really looking forward to learning about some new Web 2.0 tools with you. About CityLibrariesLearning – discover*play*connect For an overview of our program, please visit the “About” page on this blog. If you have any questions at all, you can leave a comment on the […]

Reasons for Optimism

By Michael Casey & Michael Stephens These may be tough times, but libraries are more important than ever. We find reasons for optimism and also offer advice to new graduates. Libraries are going through some difficult times right now. What gives you hope? MS: Libraries are forging ahead with low-cost technologies and new initiatives. Many nimble librarians are adapting quickly to the current economic climate, offering access to government programs, résumé workshops, and projects centered around saving money. We can and do think on our feet. MC: I’m encouraged by the number of libraries that offer training classes in various […]

Facebook Vs the Fortune 500

Gary Hamel notes: “The experience of growing up online will profoundly shape the workplace expectations of “Generation F” – the Facebook Generation. At a minimum, they’ll expect the social environment of work to reflect the social context of the Web, rather than as is currently the case, a mid-20th-century Weberian bureaucracy.” He offers a set of ideas that tomorrow’s employees will look for in progressive institutions:  All ideas compete on an equal footing. Contribution counts for more than credentials. Hierarchies are natural, not prescribed. Leaders serve rather than preside. Power comes from sharing information, not hoarding it. Opinions compound and […]