Contributors Michael Stephens

4147 posts

Apple iPhoto Book – Made on a Mac

I made a book in the new version of Apple’s iLife 05 iPhoto app of our October 2004 trip to England for Internet Librarian International. The page pictured above opens the book with a photo by my chum Rob Coers of me and my laptop at the keynote. Take a look… it’s incredible what this software and Apple’s printers/binders can do!

RSS Synchronicity this AM

Nice bit of synchronicity. I e-mailed David King’s new Computers in Libraries article (as a PDF) to some folks here at SJCPL to highlight how focusing on local content and offering RSS is effective in serving users. Then, I log on to the Online Social Network Conference and find that one of the attendees has posted a link in the “Library Table” are: http://www.publicradio.org/columns/futuretense/2005/01/21.shtml “Libraries get hip to RSS” — sorry if someone posted this last month and I missed it.

That Local Flavor Please

This is a cross post from the Online Social Network Conference going on now: One thing that has really impressed me is the use of subject-guide categories at Kansas City Public Library. Their site is full of pages that are often updated with local information and general interest stuff as well — and many of the pages have specfiic RSS feeds. ? Take a look at: ? http://www.kclibrary.org http://www.kclibrary.org/guides/computers/index.cfm?article=read&articleID=109 It’s ingenious and I believe they hit on one of the strengths of creating an OSN for a community via the library: highlighting local information. Back in the day — 🙂 […]

TTW Podcast #2: Communicating Your Library’s Message

Let’s try again. I did some tweaks on my setup. Tame the Web Podcast 2: Communicating your Library’s Message Contents: Call for Speakers for Public Library Track at IL 2005 Call for Speakers at Internet Librarian International Communicating your Message – 8 Channels (PDF) (Originally developed with Lissa Krull 2003) Please comment… or e-mail…

Unintended Consequence of Podcasting

I am sitting here this rainy cold Sunday in Northern Indiana trying to record the TTW Podcast #2. Here’s my take on an unintended consequence: recording a podcast is also great prep for a presentation…. I have notes, some pages to refer to and my thoughts but it really helps to settle in and start talking — to present the topic and see how it plays out as you record. It helps put ideas in place. You get to hear yourself immediately as well– eeek! Too many UMs and “wells” or weird sentences and I want to edit or rerecord. […]

Will Richardson’s Teacher Blogger Guidelines

Via Weblogg-ed, one of my favorites in Net News Wire… (I can’t stand it…I’m reprinting them all here…) For Teachers (Librarians), blogging at work: “So, here’s a short list. This is open-text, remember, so we can all play along. 1. Decide carefully if you want to create a public space for your ideas with your name on it. Maybe going anonymous would be better. There are a couple of great anonymous teacher blogs out there, Hipteacher among them. 2. When you write, assume it will be read by the very people you may not want to read it. Think about […]

IM Bookmark

Beatrice comments: I’m a brand new librarian in a new job and getting giddy just reading this. I love the idea of the IM bookmark as a promotion. May we “borrow” this idea? My library is currently offering e/m and virtual ref, but virtual ref is sporadically active at best. I’m going to be talking to my colleagues today about trying chat reference (probably using Trillian); on any given day that I walk around the library I see students using databases, the web and one or two IM applications all at once. I’m hoping that we’ll even reach those working […]