LibrarianInBlack
resources and discussions for the "tech-librarians-by-default" among us...
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RSS FEED IDEMS: LibrarianInBlack
- a little twitter in my ear
Michael Porter, aka Libraryman, sent me an invitation to join Twitter (a site where you log in and tell it what you're working on, and see what your friends are working on). So I did. And then I added a whole bunch of friends. And then I played with it for a couple of days...and realized that I have no use for this whatsoever, really. But that's ok. As David Lee King says in his post, Twitter Explained for Librarians, or 10 ways to use Twitter:
With emerging trends, you really should play with the stuff youâre interested in, and let others mess with things that donât interest you. But then - and this is important - SHARE.
So yes, I didn't find Twitter that useful at all. CNN and BBC had Twitter feeds that I subscribed to, but I already get more finely-tuned news from them via RSS in my areas of interest only. Even so, I could see its usefulness for work-groups who need to keep track of individual progress. I think it would also be useful for keeping track of random thoughts you have that you don't want to lose (but there are other ways to do this too with other free tools).
At any rate, try Twitter, or any other new start-up that you're willing to give a go, and share with the rest of us. Tell us what you learned so we learn from your experiences. A great place to keep up with new and emerging tools and web services is eHub, one of my favorite sites.
Tue, 13 Mar 2007 04:15:20 PDT - Google is hiring a librarian
Google is hiring a librarian to work in either Mountain View (CA) or Washington D.C. Here is the job description.
Tue, 13 Mar 2007 02:54:04 PDT - Hennepin County Library's Book Space
Hennepin County Library, a library that knows how to create a thriving online space, has started an online book community. HCPL's Book Space is a place where users can do anything and everything related to books:
- create their own account for Book Space
- sign up for e-mail alerts on new books
- get daily book excerpts via e-mail
- listen to audio eBooks
- create book lists
- browse subjects and genres to find good books
- get e-mail and RSS feed updates on new books
- post comments about what they're reading
- find book events and book clubs
- sign up for Book Space eNews
HCPL was very smart and got a good domain name, bookspace.org, for their new site. I think that domain names are a vastly underutilized option in libraries. We all stick iwth our library websites, and ask users to remember something like: www.co.library.state.us/books/homepage.html. Very silly indeed. Simplify things with a good domain name! And for a stellar page like this, with so many useful services integrated into one place, I predict huge success and a wildly enthusiastic public reception. I will definitely be looking back at this site as I develop our new website's books section!
Tue, 13 Mar 2007 02:52:40 PDT - Internet Librarian Conference 2007: Accepting Proposals
I am a regular at the Internet Librarian Conference. They are now accepting program proposals for the 2007 conference, to be held in Monterey from October 29-31. Be there with your costume on!
Tue, 13 Mar 2007 11:02:52 PDT - BBC + YouTube = 1 Happy LiB
The BBC has contracted with YouTube to offer three channels of BBC video content, one for news and two for entertainment. All channels will show short clips of glorious BBC content. For more info, read the article on BBC News.
Mon, 12 Mar 2007 04:45:29 PDT - Fabulous use of MySpace
This is not library-related, but it could be...if libraries decided to use tools like MySpace to find pro-library people in their area.
i got a MySpace friend request from a "Save Stargate SG-1" profile. I had not even known Stargate SG-1 was slated for cancellation until I got this message. I promptly sent e-mails as requested to the officials responsible for this bad decision (as requested by the site), went to their main campaign website, and signed petitions 1 and 2. I'll also be sending some postal mail as well.
The point is this--I was sent a message because I had listed "science fiction" as one of my interests. And not only am I grateful to them for letting me know about this, but I also became an active member of the campaign within two minutes. Fabulous!
Why can't we look for people who list "Reading" or just about anything else as their interests (movies, music, technology, games--so, just about anyone), and ask them to help with library issues? I think this could especially benefit institutions like ALA or state library associations, when national or statewide issues arise...as it's sometimes harder to pinpoint people by individual library jurisdiction. We need to use the tools available to us!
Sun, 11 Mar 2007 11:14:20 PDT - back, but bruised
Hi all. I am back in the land of the living, but am somewhat out of service. I can only type one-handed. You'd think that would only slow you down by half, logically speaking, but if you've ever tried it, it slows you down crazy-lots. I will try to begin posting again soon, but please be patient as your little LiB tries to heal herself.
Fri, 09 Mar 2007 02:01:57 PST - Sarah away for a while
Hi all. I will not be blogging for a while, probably a week or so, due to a minor medical procedure I'm having that will leave me without the use of my left hand for a while. No need to worry; I just wanted to let you know why I wasn't around. Cheers.
Tue, 27 Feb 2007 10:13:09 PST - Survey about LIS degrees & loans
Fill out a brief survey about MLIS holders and loans incurred: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.asp?u=953253374665.
Mon, 26 Feb 2007 09:34:28 PST - User control and user happiness
How much control should our users have? -- so asks Kathy Sierra at Creating Passionate Users. The conclusion: users need control, but not too much control--which results in the same negative results as not too much control does. Sierra writes:We shut down when we're faced with too many choices, even when those choices are about relatively simple things.
How does this apply to library services? All sorts of ways...
We should have library account access online that lets users customize certain things: the way they get notices, what they get notices of, what their landing page looks like... Should we stop there or keep going?
We should let users customize their experiences when they access our online library resources too--but again, how much?
Interesting questions to ponder...
Fri, 23 Feb 2007 03:43:31 PST - She's Such a Geek Photo Contest
I am so tempted to enter this She's Such a Geek photo contest from Inkling Magazine, being held in honor of the She's Such a Geek book. Deadline is coming up soon--February 28th. Enter ye geeky girly librarians...do us proud!
found via Boing Boing
Fri, 23 Feb 2007 03:34:00 PST - Jim Rettig for ALA President
Candidate for ALA President, Jim Rettig, is using YouTube to get his campaign message out. That he's using YouTube and there's a Segway, and it is indeed library-related, make me happy. Good way to get your name out there, Jim :)
Fri, 23 Feb 2007 01:06:51 PST - Stupid Questions
Librarians like stupid questions. As proof check out the Cafe Press offerings that say so:
Fri, 23 Feb 2007 01:04:19 PST - NetLibrary offers title-level buying for eAudiobooks
NetLibrary is now offering a new purchase model for libraries for its eAudiobooks (aka Recorded Books). Libraries can now individually add titles to their collections one at a time, or subscribe (as has been the model until now) to the entire collection as one bundle through an annual subscription cost. For more information, see the press release.
Fri, 23 Feb 2007 12:56:52 PST - Cute kitty video--I know, I know
Nora, the Piano Playing Cat is the most amazing video of a cat playing piano. Both paws! I know it's not library-related, but I don't care. I think it's cute.
Fri, 23 Feb 2007 12:53:40 PST
