Monthly Archives: September 2008

71 posts

Baker’s Dozen: Learning 2.0 in Arizona

  Jen Maney, Virtual Library Manager, at the Pima County Public Library wrote to say that her Emerging Tech team has kicked off a statewide Learning 2.0 program today called Baker’s Dozen: Learning 2.0 Arizona. They are using a wiki for the program – http://bakersdozenarizona.wetpaint.com/ Any library staff member in Arizona (any kind of library, including library school students!) can participate.   

Productivity workstations as far as the eye can see

Productivity workstations as far as the eye can see, originally uploaded by julieshen. julieshen writes: This is the Cal Poly Pomona University Library’s brand new productivity center. It’s located next to the Reference Desk (now called the Research Help Desk), which shares space with staff providing technical help, and part of our new learning commons. It’s not open for use yet, but once it’s ready the productivity workstations will have the normal Microsoft Office software suite along with a lot of other software, including GIS and SPSS. It’s part of theexpansion we’ve been going through for the past 2 years: www.csupomona.edu/~library/TheNextChapter/

Being Wired or Tired by Sarah Houghton-Jan

There’s an excellent new article from Sarah Houghton-Jan at Ariadne: http://www.ariadne.ac.uk/issue56/houghton-jan/ All of it is golden, but here are some bits that resonated with me: Make an Inventory of Your Devices Not only do we need to consider the data, and the mechanism for their input, but the devices we use to access that data. I have a choice about accessing my work email; I can use any of three different computers or my smart phone. I have a choice about what device I use to talk to my parents; do I use my home phone or my smart phone? […]

From the Director’s Desk

http://plainfieldlibrarydirector.blogspot.com/ The Parking Question The parking question arises quickly when talking to those who live in the downtown area or who frequent downtown businesses. It comes in several variations: Is the Library going to build a parking deck? Is the Village going to build a parking deck? Couldn’t the Library put in underground parking? Can the Library buy (insert property name/address here) to build more parking? Can the Village buy (insert property name/address here) to build more parking? Now, I cannot speak for the Village beyond reporting what was said at the Site Feasibility Committee meetings. Those meeting notes are […]

Brian Kenney on ALA Setting Content Free

http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/article/CA6590041.html So if you’re a member of one youth division in the American Library Association (ALA), then you can’t read the literature from the other divisions, much of which might be highly relevant to your work. Unless, of course, you join the division; take out a subscription; get a friend to send it to you, like we did in the old days; or have access to the right subscription databases. I’m surprised ALA—which brought us $259 preconferences—hasn’t created a way for its members to buy articles from the other divisions, but it’s probably just a matter of time. Go deeper and the […]

Buildings need to Inspire

http://education.guardian.co.uk/librariesunleashed/story/0,,2274826,00.html Colleges and universities are on a similar learning curve. Today’s student population is more diverse, it demands e-learning and online resources including Web 2.0 technologies, and has higher expectations of physical space. Meanwhile, researchers and academics are calling for better access to digital resources. With so much information coming to students online through various fixed and mobile devices, universities and colleges need well-designed work and study spaces. Libraries are leading the way in developing innovative learning spaces in which people can make productive use of powerful combinations of information and technologies on their desktop – including communication and collaborative […]