Monthly Archives: August 2006

40 posts

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 […]

Use of this Table…. caught at KCPL (UPDATED!)

Use of this Table…. caught at KCPL Originally uploaded by mstephens7. There must be a story about this poor little table….I’ll be using this in my L2 talks! Update: David King IMs to say the sign has been removed! Woohoo! Please, folks, take a walk around your buildings and see what story you are telling about your library by the language and tenor of your signage and stance toward collaboration and technology. I understand we need balance and some guidelines for conduct, but a “culture of no” does not work well in libraries! Apology: the comments on this post were […]

“A Culture of No”

Take a look at this thoughtful post at a Blog About Libraries: http://blogaboutlibraries.com/2006/08/which-culture-of-is-your-workplace.html Do you work within the “Culture of No”? If you are a leader, do you foster a “Culture of Maybe?” Continuing to wonder why it was that all libraries in the country have not started IM reference led me to start looking at organizational cultures. I came across some interesting stuff that I am certain applies to many libraries. Every innovator in libraries has probably dealt with “NO”, or “Death by a thousand cuts”. There is a subtle difference between the two, the former being (obviously) an […]

My Life Online (Sony IM device)

So…are folks at Sony really getting the “This is where we live” Web 2.0 vibe or what? http://www.wired.com/news/technology/0,71559-0.html Hoping to tap into the growth of wireless networks across college campuses, other public spaces and within homes, Sony is introducing a new pocket-sized gadget for instant messaging and other internet-based communications. The Sony mylo, slated for availability in September at a retail price of about $350, is a first-of-its-kind product that uses Wi-Fi networks, analysts say. It is not a cellular phone and thus doesn’t carry monthly service fees. And though it could handle web-based e-mail services, it doesn’t support corporate […]

Regarding Trust

http://www.socialcustomer.com/2006/08/the_one_where_j.html Most cool post at the Social Customer Manifesto — including this bit that I couldn’t have said better myself: What does this mean? This means that now, organizations now have these social tools to put the humanity back into business to solve the trust problem. In other words, the organizations that will win are the ones that most easily enable customers to build relationships and communities with people they trust.