I want to point everybody to Toby Greenwalt’s (theanalogdivide on Twitter) great slideshow and even more awesome handout on starting and using Twitter. As I was looking over Toby’s handout I kept thinking, “I wish I had this when I started out.” Full disclosure: I work with Toby at the Skokie Public Library. TTW Contributor: Mick Jacobsen
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In Mick Jacobsen’s post, “An Unformed Thought,” in which he discussed the possibility of libraries acting as a hub for information technology needs such as website design and hosting, he hit on a core value of librarianship – community building. As we strive to build library spaces that are usable and promote interaction and collaboration, we naturally try to enhance interpersonal connections and create conversations that connect our patrons either to us or other users. And the conversation in the past couple of years has advanced this thought into our online spaces but with a reliance on preexisting technologies like […]
A few weeks ago the director of my library asked me to design and produce a website for a small community group, the North Shore Business Development Foundation (NSBDF). I was happy to be given the opportunity (I start getting the shakes if I don’t get to design a website ever-so-ofter). I had about a week to look over their logo, handouts, mission and vision statements, previous event flyers, etc. and around 7 more days to actually build the website. Time was short because of an upcoming program which the group wanted to use to make attendees aware of the […]
Elsie Martinez, Meg Edwards, Elizabeth Nelson, Marcie Shaffer, Lauren Offerman-Vice, and I were given the opportunity to consider and write a vision statement during Synergy 2009: The Illinois Library Leadership Initiative. The group consisted of special, academic, and public (adult and youth) librarians from all over the state of Illinois. After much thought, writing, discussion and debate we arrived at a vision statement we were pleased with. Please take a few minutes to view the video we designed to present the Vision Statement. Synergy Vision 2009 from Mick Jacobsen on Vimeo. TTW Contributor: Mick Jacobsen
One of the most important, if not most important, aspects of screencasting (yes, it is another screencasting post, I swear I have other interests see the Summer Reading series at LISNews) has nothing to do with designing or producing, but where it is placed. Screencasts, to be most useful, have to be at a point of need. Placing screencasts, chat widgets (thanks David Lee King), or other tutorial at the point of need seems so self-evident (a priori) that I don’t believe I need to make any arguments for it. More important are some of the techniques, hypothetical and production, […]
For a patron to learn that our library has just the resource they were looking for, followed by a helpful tutorial by a librarian, only to realize a day later that they can’t remember exactly how to access it worries me. Many patrons quickly forget the title of a recommended resource, let alone how to find it on a library’s website. This is very true when I am on the customer side of service desks. Perhaps they will recall the name of the resource and even how to find it, but will not be able to replicate the search. Worst […]
by: Claire Steiner Dominican University ———- During my days as a MLS student, I have heard the phrase “running a library like a business” too many times to count. So many times, in fact, that I have decided to examine what exactly this concept entails and the effects it may have on libraries and the inevitable implementation of Library 2.0 technologies. The reality is that many libraries are being run like businesses these days, however, they are still not living up to their potential. So it begs the question, how does running a library more like a business make it […]
I was given the opportunity to be on a panel discussing screencasting for the RUSA MARS Hot Topics Panel at ALA. The slides will not make much sense in and of themselves, so I am making my speech notes available as well. Thanks to everybody who made the long walk to the far corner of South McCormick Place to watch us. Public Library Screencasts View more presentations from mjacobsen. – TTW Contributor Mick Jacobsen
Sad news, Rachel Singer Gordon’s Tech Static is calling it quits. Tech Static is/was an outstanding resource for reviews of technology books. Anybody who has collected Dewey 000s knows just how difficult it is to find credible, reliable, and well written reviews of computer books. This is especially true for those who collect that area but do not have a formal background in technology, like me. I am also disappointed that we let the Tech Static die. Not enough people stepped up when Rachel asked for help. Perhaps you were like me and had it on your to do list […]
This book was a very easy read about a subject that is not intuitive to me being a digital immigrant. I appreciate that the book has chosen a broad audience to address that includes parents, educators, and librarians— to create a conversation between all those who have high stakes in dealing with the changing needs of the digital native population. The idea of creating a dialogue between parents and their children, educators and their students, librarians and their users, was a strong point throughout the book and reiterated in the synthesis, “…this book is an invitation to conversation. It’s an invitation sent out especially […]