Yearly Archives: 2008

749 posts

Thanks and Happy Holidays

Before Michael puts Tame The Web to rest for the holidays I just wanted to say a quick thank you. You might be asking, “why the thanks?”  Well, to be honest I have to say that spaces like Tame The Web, Twitter, Facebook, and other online networks have connected me with the profession in more ways than I could have ever imagined.  I’ve had some great professional dialogues about the state of librarianship and its future.  I’ve met some wonderful folks and I hope to continue to build these relationships and create even more.  With two classes left at Dominican […]

Congrats to Dr. Margaret Lincoln!

http://alfocus.ala.org/videos/i-love-my-librarian-award-ceremony Ten winners of the inaugural Carnegie Corporation of New York/New York Times I Love My Librarian Award were recognized at a ceremony hosted by the New York Times December 9. The award, administered by the ALA’s Public Information Office and the Campaign for America’s Libraries, recognizes public, school, and college librarians for service to their communities, schools, and campuses. Among the ten is my dear colleague and fellow UNT doctoral graduate: Margaret “Gigi” Lincoln, Library Media Specialist, Lakeview High School, Battle Creek, Michigan Checkout the video! A big congrats to Gigi! (Via ALAFocus which highlighted Gigi’s picture in the mailing – very […]

State of the Twittersphere

Don’t miss: http://blog.hubspot.com/blog/tabid/6307/bid/4439/State-of-the-Twittersphere-Q4-2008-Report.aspx You can download the full report in PDF format and click here to tweet about the report. Here is a glance at some of the more interesting findings. Twitter is dominated by newer users – 70% of Twitter users joined in 2008 An estimated 5-10 thousand new accounts are opened per day 35% of Twitter users have 10 or fewer followers 9% of Twitter users follow no one at all There is a strong correlation between the number of followers you have and the number of people you follow The graphs showing the growth of the most popular micro-blogging tool […]

On Encouraging the Heart: “Why We Do This”

The Feel Good Librarian points to: http://fulton.blogspot.com/2008/11/go-ahead-make-my-day.html Yesterday I received an envelope in my mailbox here at the library. I didn’t recognize the name on the return address. Inside was a picture of a young boy I didn’t know. His name was on the photo along with a message from his parents welcoming him to their family. Mystified, I opened the enclosed card. A handwritten message read, “Thank you for your notary services. The final documents enabled us to finish the adoption of our wonderful son. We are so glad to have him home and are grateful to the many […]

New ‘Learning Commons’ Defies Commonplace

Chelmsford Library Revamped: In the place formerly known as the library, students perch on long-legged chairs and huddle in purple and black booths. Once a week, they drink coffee and discuss books in the Java Room. They watch a history lesson, school news, and CNN on a 58-inch flat-panel “digital kiosk.” Just don’t call it the library. The new Learning Commons was born from the old Chelmsford High School library, until recently an area so notoriously shabby that school officials conspired to keep superintendent candidates from glimpsing its electric yellow walls and duct-tape-scarred floors. But the school district’s head of […]

Library 2.0 In A Blink: A TTW Guest Post from Chris Oien

In Michael’s Library 2.0 class, I had the opportunity to read Blink by Malcolm Gladwell, and I wrote up the lessons I thought libraries could take from it as they seek to better themselves in a Library 2.0 world. Here’s the condensed, bloggy version of what I took away. Lesson one: The Aeron chair. This chair was break aesthetically from how office chairs had always looked, but despite some initial outside skepticism, the design team persevered because they knew they had created a great project; the chair came to be the company’s biggest seller. Similarly for libraries, it is important […]

Investigating Student Laptop Use

File under keeping up with your students’ technology use. Brian Mathews reports on investigating how his library could better support the technology needs of students: http://theubiquitouslibrarian.typepad.com/the_ubiquitous_librarian/2008/12/tell-me-about-your-laptop-what-libraries-can-do-to-provide-support.html I am not talking about IT support, although that is offered by people in our building, but rather about  the types of software, gadgets, accessories, tools, furniture, or supplies that would help people to be more productive. So I asked them: Recliners and more ottomans More outlets More headphones for check out Power strips Extension cords Book stands / paper stands More small cubical-like spaces Wireless keyboards Wireless mice Laptop docking stations Comfortable chairs with […]