People used to need the help of library and IT staff to do things like find articles, edit videos, create databases, install a VOIP phone system, etc. This is changing. People are increasingly sophisticated users of digital media and computers. Third-party software applications and web-based services (read: not made or vetted by your local library and IT staff) are increasingly accessible. Obvious, I know, but it bears repeating. People don’t need us as they used to; yet we librarians and IT staff sense we can still be helpful (good for us!). Our challenge is therefore this: we have to A) […]
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Man, webinars, streamed meetings, recorded speeches, etc. are everywhere. Earlier today I stumbled across a twitter hashtag #gwws discussing a seemingly interesting (haven’t had a chance to watch it yet) presentation on screencasts and staff development. This is directly in my professional interest wheelhouse. I am lucky I noticed the hashtag. What if I hadn’t? I, on the same hand, recently facilitated the Chicagoland Library Drupal Group. We had some great content, discussing the soon to come and conquer Drupal 7 and how to allow patrons to make customized database lists using the Flag Module. We streamed and recorded the […]
For those that are interested the Chicagoland Drupal Group (which I happen to run) is streaming their meeting this coming Monday 9:30-12:00 central at http://www.ustream.tv/channel/mickjacobsen. The scheduled presentations are: But, I don’t WANT to read the whole manual: Continuing-Ed Opportunities with Drupal by Gwyneth Stupar, Reference and Web Services Librarian at the Northbrook Public Library and Matthew Lechleider Drupal community organizer. Getting Evanced to Play Nice with Drupal – a Huge Step in the Right Direction by me. If you happen to be in the Chicago area the group is meeting at the beautiful Glen Ellyn Public Library. This program […]
Don’t miss Jason Griffey’s new Library Technology Report. Covering all types of gadgets and devices, Griffey offers an concise, useful overview of all of the choices. Most importantly, he emphasizes the need to keep up with emerging tech and understand how it might fit into the information ecology of our users. From the closing chapter: Gadgets give you the opportunity to show off new and exciting technologies to those who may never own one for themselves, in much the same way that libraries have found that providing computers and Internet access was an important function of the late twentieth-century library. […]
This post was written by Kasia Grabowska for last semester’s LIS 768: Library 2.0 & Networking Technologies class. Kasia has allowed me to repost it here. After doing brand monitoring research for the past few weeks, looking closely at Skokie Public Library (and not so closely at several other libraries), I decided to put together a list of “do’s and don’ts” for librarians on successfully utilizing social media. This is what I learned from doing brand monitoring and what I personally would recommend to libraries that are getting started with social media. Tip #1: Learn how to monitor your brand Join the RIGHT […]
I have been trying to figure out how to best describe the awesomeness that is content management systems to an audience whose technological knowledge will range from using email/Word to a little more advanced. By the way, I have less than an hour to do so. Instead of bemoaning my fate I am looking at this as an opportunity. I get to think about the “elevator speech” for content management systems. After much thought I identified the two most important aspects, content types and permission levels. These two aspects of CMSs are counter intuitive to organizations and individuals used to […]
Michael’s EDUCAUSE Learning Initiatives 2010 conference presentation where he discussed “The Hyperlinked Campus” leads nicely into a recent post I made detailing exactly how Michael and I put together his course sites from a technical standpoint. If you’re looking to break free from the constraints of your learning management systems (LMS), I highly suggest you look into using WordPress MU and BuddyPress for a custom LMS. See all the details here: http://thecorkboard.org/blog/enhancing-wordpress-as-lms/ ——- Kyle Jones, TTW Contributor @thecorkboard thecorkboard.org
I highly recommend everybody taking a look at an intriguing, impromptu, and important discussion on the future of librarianship being had at Toby Greenwalt’s theanalogdivide by some of the finest minds in the field. It all began when Seth Godin wrote a few paragraphs about what libraries/librarians should be doing to remain viable -which some librarians took exception to it on Twitter and elsewhere. Be sure to check out the comments by Kate Sheehan, Bobbi Newman, and even a response by Seth Godin himself! Mick Jacobsen – TTW Contributor
Working in a university library, as with any type of library, means a dedicated service focus which supports the goals and directions of the parent company or institution. While each individual university will have their own priorities and strategic directions, there are some themes that seem to resonate across the board. One such area is the recognition of the need for universities to internationalise. Internationalisation benefits a university’s staff, students, research, and institutional profile and competitiveness, to just skim the surface of its influences. I work at Flinders University in South Australia, which has established a number of ways to […]
I recently produced a screencast on a popular reader’s advisory tool we use at mpow. I want to bring the tool to the attention of those that do not normally follow book reviews such as Library Journal’s Booksmack because of the use of participatory technologies. I have seen it written that IT/Technology is reference, I think we need to extend this to RA. BookMatch: An RA Innovation via Screencast “In an illuminating screencast created especially for BookSmack!, popular services manager Ricki Nordmeyer and adult services librarian Mick Jacobsen explain the Skokie Public Library’s new BookMatch program. This patron pleaser takes […]