Monthly Archives: November 2008

50 posts

Yes, that OCLC Kerfuffle

Via Jessamyn and a slew of emails this weekend from TTW Readers: http://wiki.code4lib.org/index.php/OCLC_Policy_Change I need to catch up on all of these posts. Jessamyn suggested this one as  http://www.betaversion.org/~stefano/linotype/news/220/ So, OCLC decides to update its data licensing policy after 21 years because, quote: “The Guidelineshave also been frequently faulted for their ambiguity about WorldCat data sharing rights and conditions.” Having had to deal with such ambiguity myself when discussing about releasing the Barton Library data from the MIT Libraries, I have to say that I very much welcomed any sort of update in clarification and a more modern and up-to-date licensing agreement between OCLC and […]

12 Signposts to Transparency Part 1

We recently presented a workshop in London at Internet Librarian International, based on our writings here, and realized that throughout the columns we’ve identified a set of mile markers for the journey toward transparency. Give everyone an avenue to talk.  Play nice and be constructive.  Grow and develop your support community.  Be willing to accept anonymity.  Tell the truth. Lies don’t work.  Focus on user-driven policy, not driving users away.  Read the whole column here.

Six Signposts on the Way

By Michael Casey & Michael Stephens We recently presented a workshop in London at Internet Librarian International, based on our writings here, and realized that throughout the columns we’ve identified a set of mile markers for the journey toward transparency. Give everyone an avenue to talk. Offer online and real-world mechanisms for all of the library’s stakeholders, staff and users, to talk, react, and suggest solutions. A good start is a suggestion box and a way to share the answers with everyone. Add an online forum or blog and “town hall meetings,” and the stage is set. Your goal is […]

Google Friend Connect

Via Brett Kochendorfer Google Friend Connect lets you grow traffic by easily adding social features to your website. This means means more people engaging more deeply with your website — and with each other. In this video, Google Product Marketing Manager Mendel Chuang gives a short introduction to Google Friend Connect. Very interesting -especially the bit about ease of sign on via any number of services and adding the Friend Connect to your site takes no programming skills whatsoever. Looks like ratings, friends and comments can easily be integrated. Ways it might affect libraries: Folks will come to expect this […]

Library Services Hierarchy

Library Services Hierarchy, originally uploaded by herzogbr. Take a look: http://www.swissarmylibrarian.net/2008/11/13/what-is-necessary-what-is-possible Not that any of this is rocket science, or isn’t discernible by anyone else that works in a library. I think I did this as an exercise to illustrate patron-centricness. When it comes to library services, everything we offer should be addressing a need from “up the chain.” Offering services just because we can, or because it’s something being pushed on us from “below,” doesn’t justify that service. If a service doesn’t address a patron need, then should we really be offering it?