Picture this: your library has launched a visionary long-range reorganization plan that sparks an anonymous, critical blog from staff members. Or your library appears in an anonymous YouTube or Flickr extravaganza that targets your authoritarian signage, unfriendly staff, and dirty public restrooms. Or your soon-to-be-launched web revamp is reviewed on an employee’s personal blog before the library goes public. Hypothetical? No. Such events, which have occurred at various libraries, can make for difficult and stressful times. Are they entirely negative? Can transparency and anonymity coexist? Is it better to turn a blind eye to the conversation playing out online? Read […]
Contributors Michael Stephens
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Excelent piece from John Berry at LJ. He mentions that he teaches at Dominican (!) and sums up very well what I’ve also observed in library school and in our realm here: http://www.libraryjournal.com/article/CA6515838.html Like those who came before them, the current cadre of librarians bring new tools for the job ahead, technologies that make access to information much easier but just as corruptible. They bring that vitality and spirit that, in themselves, are enough to force change and even shape its outcome. At first, those in power will hang on, as they did decades ago. Ultimately, if we remember the […]
Hello Iowa! Originally uploaded by mstephens7 This morning I’m opening the The Small Libraries Institute Online Conference in Iowa. A big greeting to all of the virtual attendees. I have my tea and I’m still in my comfy clothes – what a great way to do a talk. http://www.swilsa.lib.ia.us/isloc/schedule.htm
Information Glut Originally uploaded by michelle_f
Re-invention of library’s traditional space part 2 Originally uploaded by michelle_f From the LITA Assessment Brainstorming session. I am so happy I was able to follow the goings on at ALA MidWinter via my favorite social networks, including Flickr. Thanks folks!
Courtesy of blogger Lauren Pressly: http://laurenpressley.com/library/?p=462 A snippet: The panel switched gears to talk about software of participation and software of aesthetics Pointed out LibraryThing has a lot of reviews, Amazon trusts their users enough to let them post reviews that say, “you know, you suck.” OCLC isn’t getting much engagement in their reviews. It’s not about letting users do things, but encouraging them to do so. Aesthetics is important: you see it with iPods, Bibliocommons, it really matters (but we don’t see it much in libraries) Aesthetics in buildings, too…. how to incorporate technology in an aesthetic way Ebooks […]
Bryan Sinclair writes at EDUCAUSE Quarterly: With the rise of Web 2.0 and social software we are witnessing a major shift in the ways students approach and use information. They no longer merely consume and download information; increasingly, they create and participate in it. They are social creatures in every way that past generations were and in some new ways, sharing information digitally and using each other as sounding boards. They value social experiences that blend communication and learning. Social software in the form of blogs, wikis, MySpace, Flickr, and YouTube is merely an extension of this socialization in a […]
Great reading: http://clifflandis.net/2008/01/07/my-20-advice-to-vendors/ Find out who your users are. Remember that no matter who the target audience is, you always have a diverse user population. Librarians are your users. Students are your users. Faculty & staff are your users. Members of the public are your users. People of many ages, skill levels, degree of ability and background are all your users. Each one searches differently. How does your tool cater to their needs? Let your users generate & change content. The larger your tool, the more you need this. Your organization’s workers won’t look at every remote record, but your […]
Working with technology in an ever-changing environment can certainly create stress. Here are some helpful hints for those times: http://www.rd.com/content/37-stress-management-tips/
This semester I am working with a student at The College of St. Catherine (Dominican has partnered with the school for a few years) on an independent study examining the information needs and information-seeking behaviors of Second Life Users. Check it out: http://librariandreamer.wordpress.com/ I constructed this research project because I desperately want to know more about people who use virtual worlds. Knowing more about the users can help librarians who are experimenting with how to provide library services and information there. Virtual worlds present a unique opportunity for librarians to creatively apply the mandate they have to serve user communities. […]