I keep coming back to this post “I didn’t get an MLS to do that.” http://blogaboutlibraries.com/2007/02/i-didnt-get-mls-to-do-that.html Professions do not stand still. Have you ever met a plumber who doesn’t work with PVC? An electrician who only uses knob and tube wiring? A firefighter who thinks those new fangled breathing masks are just too complicated? No, professionals who don’t keep up with the technologies that affect their work go out of business. Librarianship is not immune to that. We don’t have a choice. To me this is the most important reason. Even if we don’t like computers, our patrons do. Libraries […]
Contributors Michael Stephens
3974 posts
http://librariansmatter.com/blog/2007/07/31/gaming-in-my-academic-library/ Like many academic libraries, our library has just remodelled two floors to make a Learning Common. It is aimed at capitalising on the building as a social space – a place that creates a community of learners and provides a venue for students to hang out and (hopefully) do some self directed learning. We are opening part of it 24/7 and have soft drink vending machines, junkfood vending machines, comfy couches, a coffee shop… Is a gaming space really so far from that continuum? During mid semester break, we have PC labs that stand empty. Would a leisure reading […]
By Michael Casey & Michael Stephens When was the last time someone said lawyers or doctors needed to update their images into the 21st century? How many skits on Prairie Home Companion or Saturday Night Live have you seen where doctors appear as outdated, dowdy spinsters in need of love or romance? None. Yet Garrison Keillor’s “Adventures of Ruth Harrison, Reference Librarian” parades antiquated and stereotyped images of librarians as humor. Unfortunately, librarians are often portrayed as technologically backward, fearful of teens and loud noises, and overly protective of books to the point of not wanting anyone to “touch our […]
Tess reading Harry Potter Originally uploaded by Hennepin County Library Via Meg 2.0: Love this promotion for Harry at my library: Submit a photo of you, a friend, a family member reading HP7 to add to our Flickr photostream Blog your review and discuss the book. There are now 90 comments!! from readers on HP. Any library could this kind of thing to allow users to share their reading experience.
Why good signage matters [aka you are fooling no one] Originally uploaded by jessamyn Jessamyn’s tour continues.
always remember who is most important Originally uploaded by jessamyn Jessamyn tours Seattle Public Library.
I’ve been working on a post about South Carolina’s State Library site for TechSource and just caught this at Dr. Curtis Rogers’ blog: I recently found out that staff members at the NM State Library do not have access to Flickr, YouTube, and other social softwares/web based technologies that Libraries are using in the 2.0 world to promote their services, offer IM/Chat reference services, and more. This is a big mistake! If the state library can’t access these tools then how are they supposed to do a good job of helping the libraries in the state? This makes no sense […]
Rob Coers writes: I am happy to announce to you that the Dutch public libraries now also offer a chat reference service to the audiences. Not via IM, but via an application by a small Dutch company, called Chatfone. Behind the scenes there is a team of about 30 librarians who also work as al@din searchers, the nation-wide QnA service, running on OCLC’s QuestionPoint. In the last months of 2006, 22 public libraries tested several ways of chat reference. We tried: 1. Meebo 2. the big IM’s – MSN, GTalk, Yahoo, monitored with Meebo 3. QuestionPoint Chat 4. Chatfone Chatfone […]
I am blown away by the new vision and mission statements from the University Library at McMaster in Hamilton, Ontario. Jeff Trzeciak, University Librarian,and his team of strategic planners have really honed in on some incredible goals. http://ulatmac.wordpress.com/2007/07/25/new-visionmission-statements/ Vision McMaster University Library will be recognized as Canada’s most innovative, user-centred, academic library. Mission The University Library advances teaching, learning and research at McMaster by: · teaching students to be successful, ethical information seekers · facilitating access to information resources · providing welcoming spaces for intellectual discovery · promoting the innovative adoption of emerging learning technologies We value: · excellent customer […]
poster idea for fall orientation – student of the year Originally uploaded by K Jane Poster idea for fall orientation at the University of Guelph — student of the year. Libraries – steal this idea! Mash up your own! Thanks KJane!