By Michael Casey & Michael Stephens The most difficult part of 2.0 librarianship is not the creation of new services nor even the job of convincing those in charge to let you try those new ideas. No, the hardest part is often the reexamination of ideas. It’s a key factor of any library service and part of the definition of Library 2.0 that sometimes gets overlooked. The evaluation of newer and existing services is critical for any successful library. It can be accomplished via vertical teams or a mix of internal and external evaluators; either way, you must look at […]
Daily Archives: April 15, 2008
6 posts
WordPress: Open source blogging/CMS. Blogging for a Good Book: Sample WordPress site (hosted). LibraryThing: Catalog your whole library online. Scriblio: Open source OPAC/CMS. Lamson Library: Sample Scriblio site. Drupal: An engine suitable to setup or build a content driven or community driven website. Modular design allows flexibility in design. Franklin Park Public Library: Sample Drupal site. Fish4Info: a next generation social alternative library portal. (See this for more info.)
Adopting a new technology can be fun, whether it’s Web 2.0 applications like Drupal or cutting-edge technologies like RFID. It can be seductive to watch these tools used by other library systems. We’ve seen many “cool tools” presentations at conferences that play up the wonders of Twitter, FriendFeed, or Facebook apps. However cool these new tools might appear, it may not be easy to inject them into your library—nor do they all belong there. Check out the Libraries Using Evidence blog, created by a group of Australian librarians, for insight into how evidence-based practice meets 2.0 initiatives. Administrators must take a big […]
My time at CIL was short so I didn’t attend much, including the feedback session for Swift. I am glad to get caught up via some excellent blogging: Ryan Deschamps: http://otherlibrarian.wordpress.com/2008/04/13/no-tell-me-what-you-really-think/ I think ITI got user needs right for the conference. My needs? Top of the line speakers, organized sessions with paths to help me keep things relevant. Great moderators that help both audiences and presenters feel good about the space they are speaking in. Easy access to the internet (the only miss this time around — I’m sure they’ll learn for next time though). Ways to hook up with […]
100_3532 | Originally uploaded by freerangelibrarian Fascinated by Karen Schneider’s Flickr set from IA Summit 2008.
Ruth at Utopian Library reports on CIL: http://www.utopianlibrary.com/?page_id=319 The common message at this year’s conference, at least from where I sat in each room, is this: The library has a story to tell. The story is about community. It’s not about the library. The community and the library can engage and support each other through creative use of social software and the library’s online presence. The library’s online presence and “virtual branch” rely on precious resources: money, staff, and time. Loads of conference blogging to click through. Thanks Ruth.