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4301 posts

Greg’s Podcast

I chatted this am with Greg Schwartz, who asked me what i thought of his podcast. “Be honest,” he said. I listened Tuesday while working on stuff at my desk and I enjoyed it. I was tickled to hear Greg do a sort of audio lit review — ah, that thing I know so well and will certainly be doing more of as I work on my degree — and he hit points of the article and chimed un with his thoughts. I like that. I also like the format: 20-30 minutes of news and information for the LIS community […]

An LIS Weblog I’d like to see (Updated)

I was pondering this morning that we have a lot of blogs for library tech folk…and many of the library specialties out there… but I would love to see a blog dedicated to the whole Audio Visual area scene. What’s hot in AV? What circulates? How are DVDs doing versus tired old VHS? What are some innovative AV departments doing — like circulating games? iPods? SACD? DVD-A? Maybe some librarian is doing just that and I haven’t seen it yet…please let me know…if not..I, for one, think there’s a place at the LIS Blog table for AV stuff. UPDATE: Greg […]

Social Learning

So true… http://www.weblogg-ed.com/2005/01/25#a3071 My brain hurts. Sometimes there are just too many interesting, intensely profound ideas floating around out there. What did I do BB? (Before blogs…) … My zeal for the potential of Weblogs, wikis, RSS etc. is born almost entirely from my reflective self that is constantly amazed at the way these tools have transformed my learning first and my teaching second. This is pure passion for new ideas, for stimulated thought, for dreaming. It is in many ways intoxicating and exhausting. But I really feel like for the first time in my life, I’m getting the most […]

I’m all about Presence

Please visit http://www.lawtechguru.com/archives/2004/03/31_online_presence_considering_blogs_instead_of_web_sites.html and read Jeff beard’s thoughts about how using blogs can increase someone’s presence and then translate the implications to libraries. Good stuff! Concerning the value of blogs for “guerilla marketing,” Beard states: 1) Search Engines Love Blogs 2) Instant “Expertability” 3) Super Easy Updating 4) RSS News Feeds = Extended Reach = Larger Audience = More Hits 5) Built-in Search and Content Management Features Hmmm.. how easy can it be? So — to the librarians out there that cringe when they remeber their libraries’ out-dated and not up-dated Web site…ponder a blog instead! There are great benefits […]

The Up-to-Date Techie Librarian: Six Resources Every Techie Librarian Should Use (Updated)

Last week I wrote about 12 Techie Things for library folk to be aware of — to be in the know about in planning meetings and staff meeetings. Nothing pains me more but a bunch of blank looks in a meeting room when someone says they learned about some new technology at a recent conference. Here’s an addendum: Six Resources Every Techie Librarian Should Use: 1. LIS and technology blogs. Oh yeah! Use these directories of LIS Weblogs to locate useful library and librarian?s weblogs that speak to you or focus on interests. Library Weblogs – Peter Scott?s directory of […]

Karen at the Webcred Conference

Please visit the Free Range Librarian and read Karen’s reports from the Webcred Conference. This little passage just sent me: But Friday and Saturday were also vacation days for me in the truest sense of the word, because at Webcred I went somewhere new and came back changed. Like many travel writers, I was on a quest, but did not quite know what I was looking for. I observed journalists and bloggers in their native habitat; I enjoyed their colorful costumes and quaint manner of speech; I heard both L’eminence grise and fresh-faced upstarts in both communities share their thoughts, […]

Call for Speakers: Implementing Top Tech Trends for Public Libraries

I am organizing a track for Internet Librarian 2005, October 24-26, dedicated to implementing some of the top technology trends in public libraries. My emphasis: practical applications and useful ideas that attendees can take home and USE in their small or medium-sized public libraries (or boost what some of the BIG libraries are doing). Are you a public librarian and implementing RFID? WiFi? A PL Blog with RSS? A Tech Training program that ROCKS? Let me know — Comment here! Shoot me an e-mail (mstephens7 (at) mac.com) or comment here and we’ll talk. The Submissions page is here. FEEL FREE […]

Evaluating LIS Weblogs

I updated a handout from last year this morning after chatting with Karen about this important facet of Weblog training. I’ll use it in February for a class I just scheduled at the Purdue library. It’s one thing to say to classes “Look at all the stuff you can get to via RSS!” but we must also remember to give folks tools to choose the LIS weblogs right for them. I incoprated some of the excellent work by Laurel Clyde and updated the banner. Take a look — and use it if you’d like! http://www.tametheweb.com/presentations/EvaluatingLISWeblogs.pdf

Is Virtual Reference User Centered?

Aaron, who also made this Winter’s NetConnect with a most cool TOP TEN, posts a most thoughtful bit about his thoughts on the state of VR in libraries. http://www.walkingpaper.org/index.php?id=143 Virtual Reference is not user-centric, he writes. Expecting people to enter into and operate in a little world that vendors have created is a bit naive. VR systems clearly were built with librarian in mind. The benefits awarded librarians vs. patrons illustrates this. Yes. I agree. Who were we planning for when so many libraries jumped on to the RMS Virtual Reference as it sailed toward greatness only to encounter a […]