I recently had a Facebook conversation with Jeff Dawson, director of the Lester Public Library in Two Rivers, Wisconsin. I realized in our back and forth that his experience with creating and extending online presense for his library was the makings for a HOT TTW guest post: For example, the entire town knew I went to PLA (I think I left town as you were coming in… ). We are now running 2 blogs out of LPL, Blogging LPL is sustaining an average of roughly 3,000 hits a month and rising (I know my mom isn’t the only one looking […]
Categories Social Media
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A question came up at the end of my presentation at Batavia Public Library about using new technology and attracting customers to join libraries in that interactive experience. Denise Raleigh from Gail Borden Public Library just happened to be in the audience and she helped answer the question. It was such a great response, I asked her to do a TTW post. How can we make sure video contests and the like actually are successful? I can only answer for us. What we try to do is to make it easy for them to get involved. Storypalooza 2007 has grown into StoryTubes […]
http://www.librarian.net/stax/2266/why-should-libraries-be-socially-networking/ The reason I think it’s important to show good examples and best paractices is because we’re still dealing with libraries like Mishawaka Library which thinks that blocking social software sites in their library because they can’t manage unruly teens is some sort of solution to a problem. I’m not saying there aren’t problems surrounding public computer and internet use in libraries generally, maybe there are even sometimes problems with teens, but really responding to the problem by blocking wide swaths of the Internet is not really going to help anyone understand the problem better. It just makes libraries look hostile and librarians look […]
Helpdesk Rickrolled Originally uploaded by lerxst / boycat Joe writes: Grabbed www.flickr.com/photos/timtastic/2371253585/ and printed it. You can call the Information Systems Help Desk at 989-272-7425 and let them know that they got Rickrolled!
| View | Upload your own Run don’t walk to checkout this talk from CIL2008 about Facebook, libraries and the possibilities. I think my brain exploded a little when I read: Library catalogs are social networks for ideas.
StoryTubes is here! From New York to California, kids in Grades 1-6 are talking up their favorite books. You can too! Along with your parent or guardian, follow these simple steps: Make a 2-minute video about your favorite book; Upload the video to YouTube; and Come to this StoryTubes website and send in the link to your uploaded YouTube video using the online Contest Entry Form. Beginning April 1, your video becomes part of a national contest! Voting mania will then begin and happen each week in May! At the end of each week, one lucky contestant will win $500 in books. […]
From Jason, in my LIS753 Class: Here’s an article I came across on this topic. Lexington County Library Bans Social Networking Sites – http://www.thestate.com/154/story/304545.html It’s from TheState.com, South Carolina. They include an online poll asking readers if they think such social software should be banned. As of this morning (3/29) of 101 votes, 52 votes for yes and 49 for no. Here’s part of the article: The primary reason for the decision was research that shows social networking sites can make computer systems vulnerable to viruses, said Dan MacNeill, executive director of the Lexington County Public Library. “This is security […]
Lots of discussion on the Twitter and at various blogs about SWIFT, a conference social networking platform. Don’t miss these posts and the comments too: Karen Schneider: http://freerangelibrarian.com/2008/03/21/moving-swiftly-on/ Jessamyn West: http://www.librarian.net/stax/2261/not-so-swift/ David Lee King: http://www.davidleeking.com/2008/03/14/not-using-swift-for-computers-in-libraries/ Personally, I don’t get why I would put my slides, blog posts, photos etc. anywhere but here at TTW. I also agree with Karen: I’d rather see wifi at the conferences long before a contracted, vendor-based solution for social networking. I know that the amazing folks attending CIL could have whipped up similar grass roots systems in a heartbeat. My vote will always go for […]
An SJCPL Librarian comments on the Mishawaka Ban: I work in the reference department at SJCPL and yes – we’re getting the overflow from Mishawaka now that MySpace and Facebook have been restricted. Our computers are basically full with a queue all of the time. I’ll share some thoughts… First, we have a limit of 2 persons per computer. We were hesitant to do that, but found that things were just getting too loud. We do still get complaints about the noise level and we try to keep the peace as much as we can. We don’t have our computers […]
Via the South Bend Tribune and a bunch of folks who emailed me: You can no longer use MySpace, Facebook or other “social networking sites” at Mishawaka-Penn-Harris Public Library. Fights, lewd language and cars being blocked in the parking lot by teenagers are among the problems Director Dave Eisen said have plagued the downtown library lately. He told library board members that adults have complained about not feeling safe at the library. Eisen and his staff believe the teenagers are there to use MySpace, Facebook and other social sites. Oh boy. This is my hometown library. It saddens me that […]