Contributors Michael Stephens

4147 posts

Starbucks Free* WiFi

Via a heads up from Evan T. Struble at Ohionet: http://www.usatoday.com…-starbucks-wifi_N.htm Thirsty for more business during the worst slump in its history, Starbucks will try to lure more customers by offering two hours of free AT&T Wi-Fi a day. The Wi-Fi freebie will be available starting Tuesday to customers who purchase a minimum $5 reloadable Starbucks Card, register online for the Starbucks Rewards Card program, and use the card at least once a month. The two hours must be consecutive. New members also receive a voucher for a free drink. Starbucks’ 7-year-old relationship with T-Mobile for Wi-Fi service is being […]

Trust, Identity, Security

http://cogdogblog.com/2008/06/04/high-school-buddy-on-oldaily/ Adam Levine points to a facsinating presentation and a bit of serendipty with an old chum: In the midst of my regular daily mix of seeing what new things come into my antennae, I am reading the email update of Stephen’s OLDaily and stop my scan/scrolling– there it is, a familiar name: How Identity and Access Management Can Help Your Institution Touch Its Toes Kevin Morooney, EDUCAUSE Connect This presentation was both fascinating and infuriating. I really liked the style of presentation – page forward through it quickly – and I think the argument is well reasoned. But – […]

Keeping Current from the Librarian in Black

Great stuff! I’ll be sharing these helpful presentations with my students: I had a good time presenting at the Arizona Libraries Summer Institute, despite the fact that I was rather ill while presenting (darn food poisoning).  I had a number of very informative and energizing discussions with the staff who attended, and I want to especially thank Jaime Ball for making my entire experience a nice one (again, sans food poisoning).  I did promise to post my presentations, so here they are! Methods for Staying Current (PDF) Tools for Staying Current (PDF) Thanks Sarah!

A Year in the Life (via iTunes)

A Year in the Life (via iTunes), originally uploaded by mstephens7. When I do talks, I always try to relate changes in technology to how they can impact, enhance or chronicle people’s lives. I’ve been highlighting LastFM in The Hyperlinked Libraries and other presentations since 2006. I was pleased to discover a new site called lastgraph – which takes LastFM data and creates graphs and charts. Looking at the graph above, I can see major milestones in the last 12 months. It blows my mind how a “year in the life” can be represented by music tracks played, or by […]

SJCPL Blog Patron Posts

http://www.libraryforlife.org/blogs/lifeline/?p=5181 An inspired way to invite participation in the library blog! The folks at SJCPL are featuring library patron John D. Smith sharing how he uses the library. I heard that this will be the first of an ongoing series. Think about it: John tells family and friends he’s posted on the library blog and they take a look, etc. This could lead to more participation and maybe even folks asking to do guest posts! Well done SJCPL!

Britannica Goes Wiki

Via Gerry McKiernan: http://chronicle.com/wiredcampus/article/3064/ Josh Fischman writes: Long a standard reference source for scholarship, largely because of its tightly controlled editing, theEncyclopaedia Britannica announced this week it was throwing open its elegantly-bound covers to the masses. It will allow the “user community” (in the words of the encyclopedia’s blog) to contribute their own articles, which will be clearly marked and run alongside the edited reference pieces. This seems to be a response to the runaway success of the user-edited online reference tool Wikipedia. (See for yourself. Do a Web search on a topic and note whether Wikipedia or Britannica shows […]

Ready, Set…

Ready, Set…, originally uploaded by St. Joseph County Public Library. Congrats to the folks at SJCPL as they break ground for the updated Roger B. Francis Branch. Find out more here and here! Nice use of Flickr and the library blog. Maybe it’s time for a construction blog for to gather all of the cool things the library is doing with its buildings!

Smells Like Teen Spirit (Sorry! Had to be done!)

Another great opportunity for “at your desk” learning:   Learn more about creating and maintaining great teen physical and online spaces, and receive guidance in creating programs and events that keep teens coming back to the library again and again.   Tuesday, June 10th, 2 PM EDT. www.libraryjournal.com/teenservices Polaris Library Systems President and CEO Bill Schickling will lead a one hour webcast which will include a stellar panel of educators, researchers and librarians who are at the forefront of promoting teen services in public libraries. Topics will include: Your Teen Area as Their Third Space: Creating a Place Cool Enough to […]

Skokie PL: Virtual Services Coordinator

Under the direction of the Director, and in cooperation with the Website Coordinator and Manager of Public Information, the Virtual Services Coordinator develops strategies for implementing and delivery of virtual services to the public. The Virtual Services Coordinator works to integrate the Library’s web offerings and to guide the Library’s virtual services efforts toward user-centered services, incorporating new creative approaches that optimize the customer experience, manage content, and provide customer support. Duties and responsibilities: Ensures that all our web services and virtual resources are integrated and designed for ease of use and convenience of patrons Provides leadership to engage the […]