Libraries

Connecting Generations

/ dwakimoto

So maybe I am just fixated on communication at the moment, or it might because I am prepping for my class on information and society, but all I can think about at the moment is how we can use technology to help others and create communities. Like my post on humanity, this is a call to use technology to come together and build understanding.

Now, I’m not sure if I agree with all of this, but you really should check out this video (thanks to Tame the Web blog for pointing it out):

So, how are we going to bring together these generations? What does it mean for the library and library profession? How do we connect?

I think reaching out into online communities, getting student liaisons for the library to talk with other students and always looking for ways to innovate in the library are great starting points. But we cannot forget that our greatest assets are not our technological ones, but our human traits and qualities. I still firmly believe that being friendly and helpful will connect us to others and keep the library at the center of the community.

So, what do you think?

Accessibility and Useless Gadgets

/ dwakimoto

It is Friday and, like always, my brain feels about fried so I think that it will come as no surprise that today’s ramblings and resources are a little off the wall. But really it makes sense, really! I’ll explain.

Yesterday was the fourth in a series of five technology brown bags that I have been hosting at my library. The topic was on accessibility and online resources. The CSU system is one of the great systems that is actually forcing compliance with Section 508. However, lots of people are confused about what they need to do to make, retrofit and use accessible resources. It was a great workshop and of course, lots of excellent questions raised. One major question was: how do we code accessible JavaScript and AJAX? I really need this as I want to make Google Gadgets for the library. So of course, I went digging.

Here are two resources that I am still reading, but look awesome, on accessible coding. First is Reading up on WAI-ARIA from 456 Berea Street. It links to a ton of resources on creating Accessible Rich Internet Applications (ARIA).

The other great resource is this Accessible JavaScript post from Enpresiv Developers blog. I really need to work through this because accessible JavaScript is the only way to go.

And, because it wouldn’t be Friday without a slightly random article. Here is a Wired article on Five Useless Gadgets You Should Throw in the Trash Right Now. And can I just say, I am completely for getting rid of fax machines–those things hate me! And printer ink, don’t even get me started! So have a read, or at least a laugh at the photograph in the article.

Have a great weekend!

An Assortment of Goodies…

/ dwakimoto

…to help with finding library conferences, public speaking, and more.

Yes, another random day of posting from the Waki Librarian. And why not? I am a little tired at the moment and apologize in advance if none of this makes sense. I am wading through another round of homework from my students and am amazed how many do not pay attention to directions? Anyone have a great tip for getting students to actual follow directions on assignments?

Anyway, first resource for today is the recently updated Library Related Conferences compiled by Marian Dworaczek. Rock on Marian! This is a great source–international in scope and just makes me want to go to so many conferences.

Speaking of conferences, check out this great article on public speaking from Lifehacker. I don’t know about you, but it is so disappointing to go to a presentation and have a person present so poorly that all you can think about is why there isn’t wifi in the room so at least you could be on Facebook. Really, everyone can always improve their public speaking (I know I can), and it is worth it to explain your point coherently and engagingly. Remember, public speaking might be nerve-wracking, but it can be the best way to make an impact in your library and in the great community. You represent not only yourself but your organization, so go out and make a splash so no one is wondering how to hijack the wifi while you are presenting but instead are riveted thinking “wow, that is so cool!”

So you are getting ready for presenting and would like to change it up a little. I dare you to include one of the 24 words that CED wants to get rid of to make room for other words in the dictionary in your presentation. Perhaps you can embrangle your competition or, as my mother says, baffle them. Plus, I think it is always fun to learn obscure words. Have some fun.

Alright, so you’ve got the list of conferences you are going to, you’ve got your tips on public speaking and even a few cool, obscure words to use, but you still need to figure out where to meet Bill before you both head down to the conference together. No worries, there is Meet Inbetween Us to the rescue showing you the half-way point to meet before carpooling over to the conference together.

Finally, you’ve heard of Google docs right? But do you know how to use Google docs? I have to admit to not being fully conversant in all things Google docs. Luckily for us there is the Google Docs Guide. Now we can all figure out how best to use Google docs.

I think that is enough to keep us all busy this Wednesday. But I have to share a quotation before leaving you in the blogosphere that came up on the quote widget on iGoogle the other day and is just great for our web2.0, perpetually beta, hyperlinked world where we are always learning:

“Personally I’m always ready to learn, although I do not always like being taught.” ~ Sir Winston Churchill

Thoughts for a Foggy Monday

/ dwakimoto

Hi! I hope everyone had a great weekend. I don’t know if it is because it is a Monday, or because it is foggy, but I seem to be in a bit of a brain fog this morning. Or it might just be because we are in the 5th week of the quarter (ack! where did the time go?) or because my head is exploding from all the information I took in at Internet Librarian 2008!

Anyway, that is a long way of saying that today’s post is going to be a little bit random (but what’s new?) and will be some tips and thoughts I had mulling over in my brain this weekend.

First, how do the Michaels do it? They always have such relevant Transparent Library columns. I was just thinking about implementing some of the tips that I got out of the digital marketing session from IL2008 and then read Library Journal and there was this column talking about PR 2.0. I think this is fantastic, as usual, writing about how to open up the lines of communication and get us connecting with library patrons. We need to get out there and be visible and how easy is that now that we can use free resources such as RSS, blogs, wikis and YouTube for promoting the library and friends of the library? Love it, want to implement, and hopefully my fellow librarians will be down with it.

Okay, so speaking of all things 2.0–are you twittering yet? Are your patrons? I sometimes feel we are out in front of the tech curve, but lots of people are using twitter as yet another social network. You can sign up for a free account at twitter.com and get a network of followers and those you are following. It is a fun way of keeping up with people and you can use it to network too as a lot of librarians are on twitter. If you want some more applications to make twitter more fun look at this article. Oh, and remember you can get Firefox widgets for twitter and many social network sites, like Facebook, have twitter widgets.

So if microblogging is too much, and I admit that sometimes it is, what can you do keep in touch with people in a meaningful way? To borrow from the great Lifehacker, ungeek to live! I have a friend who we almost exclusively keep in touch through handwritten cards. Yup, through the post. It is great to have a correspondence in the 0.0 world and be able to look back over these cards. So just remember, just because it doesn’t come with bits and bytes doesn’t mean it might not be the best tool for the job.

Have a happy Monday.

Mashing Up and Remixing the Library Website

/ dwakimoto

Mashing up and Remixing the Library Website

Karen Coombs

Theory and demo system from University of Houston

Problems with traditional content management systems:
Different skill levels which leads to problems
Many different systems
Problems of repetition of information
Patrons just want to get into information quickly
Need to integrate into classroom CMS/curriculum

Traditional Solutions:
Used database system
Install CMS (proprietary or open source)
Distribute content creation throughout the library= shared responsibility

New Solution:
Build your own system or use mash-ups
Need easy to use system
Have remixable site
Incorporate other systems

Inspirations:
Drupal: can be complicated with tons of modules
iGoogle: customize with gadgets, widgets
Wordpress: blogging software

Web 2.0 Pillars
Radical decentralized control of information
Modularity
Perpetual beta: some people have a problem with this, but I love it!
Remixable
User as Contributer
Rich user experience (interactivity)

Systems that University of Houston is using:
LibraryFind
Archon
WorldCat
SerialsSolution
Wordpress
flickr
All systems working together

Microformat: way to encode part of a webpage as an event
Make content portable
Embedable code to put on different sites

API: interface that is programmable, use object metadata into other places, using OpenSearch, outputs different formats

Take Home Message:
You want to give power to more than a small group of people for creating content and editing the website. It is important to have remixable content and modules. Web 2.0 rocks!

Search Widgets adn Gadgets for Libraries: IL 2008

/ dwakimoto

Search Widgets and Gadgets for Libraries

Jason Clark and Tim Donahue

Wiki.sla.org= able to do 23 things learn web 2.0 technologies in 15 minutes a day

Networked research environment and search-push technologies

New technologies, widget, gadget, and Flash animated finding tools

Where are Users are: personal-learning environment (PLE), users in all types of areas on the web, work in flickr, facebook, blogs

How to do research through: iGoogle, and other portals

Want users to use our resources, stuff moves quickly, technology moves quickly

What do we do/play?
“broadcast our signals” more widely, need to work in distributed environments

OpenSearch browser plugins–widgets
Google Gadgets–JavaScript applications, can link into library resources/catalog
Hook people and bring back to library resources

Montana State University: has page that has widget page to promote them to users

Examples:
Widget to enter library catalog through the browser, very cool application, don’t have to come into the library catalog, can do it for databases too, very easy to set up, very small XML file to create this widget

Google Gadgets: can build, quick search functionality, allow people to search in their own environment, users can drop this gadget into iGoogle page, Google has text editors (Google Gadget Editor) and can copy and paste code so not difficult to do, gives you the embed code after you make the gadget

Google Gadgets: there is the ability to have tabbed widgets–how cool is that?

All is done to allow users access to library resources through the environment they are comfortable with

Multiple Endpoints:
Facebook, MySpace, web portals, etc.
Can have library widgets that work in many different environments

What’s  next?
Promotion of the widgets and gadgets through education, videos, marketing
Figure out more opportunities–go where the users are instead of forcing one size fits all way of searching the library

Interplay between physical and digital resources/services in libraries

Apply new technology to books

Flash–animate the web! J
Example: library map, animate a map, mouse over the stacks to see what subjects/call number ranges in the stacks

Simplicity is key in visual design

Flash works through frames: drawing, animating through time and space, way to get around doing coding (ex. Took about 200 hours to create the example map)

Trying to integrate the map into the catalog, nice idea ex. Search catalog, find record, click link to see where it is in the library through the map

Flash is scalable so it is possible to work it into a widget, you don’t use resolution and can maximize widget/gadget to see larger version of the map

Arizona State University and Montana State University moving towards Google Application platform, have students use iGoogle pages as home portal and access resources through there

Take home message:
Widgets and Gadgets have the ability to bring the library to the users’ environment and push people to the library’s online resources/services, great ideas!

Chris Crutcher

/ dwakimoto / 1 Comment

I love, love, love this reply that Chris Crutcher wrote to a man who is trying to get Crutcher’s books banned at a school. Sheer eloquence and never once does Crutcher resort to nastiness. He just lays out his argument and, as my mother would say, takes Mark off at the knees but in a Miss Manners-like way so he had no clue until way after the fact.

Check out the article here on Stonewall News.

Oh, and this post is also a shout-out to Mary Boutet, a huge Chris Crutcher fan and future librarian and her mother, Nancy, who is one of the coolest librarians ever.

It's Blog Action Day!

/ dwakimoto

That’s right, today is Blog Action Day 2008 and everyone who has joined is writing to raise awareness in the fight to end world poverty. How can you not get behind a day that is trying to get people off their comfy office chairs to end poverty?

I can tell you that I believe librarians are in a great position to help raise awareness and combat poverty. We provide information and resources for free, to everyone! We help people become educated and we all know that education, especially of women, can raise a person, a family and even a country above poverty. Education is a method, albeit with slower results than food drops, to combat poverty. We can give of ourselves and pledge our libraries to fighting poverty in our communities and around the world. Whether we are working in academic, special, school or public libraries, we can all do something. Librarians rock, we are smart and we can come together.

What small things could we do? We could have a food drive, a coat drive, make banners that let people know the facts about poverty and what they can do to help. We can support student organizations in their events that sponsor local community food banks and support services. We can give books and resources to organizations that distribute them to communities that need the materials.

What can we do that is so small and doesn’t even require getting out of the office? Go to Free Rice and play the vocabulary game. Improve your vocabulary and donate rice at the same time.

Libraries are so important, people who care enough to teach and help children and adults learn are so important and your contributions to changing the world for the better are so important. Remember, you can make a difference. Rock on librarians and everyone who is supporting Blog Action Day!

Reality Bites & How You can Change it

/ dwakimoto / 1 Comment

First off today, I have to give props out to Tom H. who has been awesome in commenting on this blog. Thank you! I am so glad someone is reading and enjoying the posts.

Now to the main topic today: reality bites. That sounds a little pessimistic, doesn’t it? Well, some parts of reality really do bite–like povery, global warming, students cheating, librarians thinking that they can be outsourced and the fact that I haven’t been able to find veggie gyoza at Trader Joe’s for the last 3 weeks.

But parts of reality rock–like Jim Butcher having two new books coming out, people helping out because it is the right thing to do, librarians helping to Rock the Vote, and autumn weather that is warm during the day but perfect for a quilt at night.

So what specifically made me write this type of post today? Two things, actually.

First this YouTube video on cheating that has been going around the Internet. I found out through Tame the Web blog and you can see it here. Did she even think about the consequences of posting this video on YouTube? I mean, it is scary that students are posting videos about how to cheat and the comments to these videos are even scarier. I really dislike the “but everyone else is doing it” defense. No, they are not and cheating is just plain wrong. I am going to show this to my Information Literacy class so we can discuss the implications of the video. But I’m not completely disheartened by this because I still believe that most students are honest and hard-working when they are doing their school work.

Anyone read the latest Backtalk column in Library Journal (October 1, 2008 edition)? Another person who is pessimistic about the future of librarianship–believing that we have caused ourselves to become obsolete through our increased reliance on technology. While I agree that the human touch is very important in what we do as librarians, I don’t believe that technology can be considered the downfall of the profession or libraries in general. Though, I may be a little biased in this as I am an Online Literacy librarian. I think technology, if anything, has made our role as librarians even more important for the efficient finding, analyzing and evaluating of information. I don’t feel obsolete and I am proud of my work as a librarian. What do you think?

I think that our perceptions truly become our reality. If we think we are obsolete, we will fulfill that thought. But if we truly believe that librarians are important, than our thoughts and subsequent actions will make it so. Yes, it is annoying to answer the tenth question in an hour about the location of the bathroom. But we also help people with so many important questions and concerns. We also design websites that are accessible, have events that gather together communities and help students find information that is personally relevant to them. And through these actions, we change reality into something better.

And to end on a somewhat positive note, the Wednesday post of this blog will be in support of Blog Action Day 2008 where bloggers around the world are going to be posting only about poverty for one day in order to raise awareness and hopefully get people to help end world-wide poverty. We can all do something to better ourselves, our communities, our libraries and our world, if we only work together.

Reference Desk and Basic Tech

/ dwakimoto / 2 Comments

I just got my Fall issue of Reference & User Services Quarterly and there is an article that I think everyone should check out. Written by LIS student, Marcella Knibbe-Haanstra, the article is titled “Reference Desk Dilemmas: The Impact of New Demands on Librarianship.” The article reiterates literature on stereotypes of librarians and stress caused by technology and it is a very nice synthesis of the literature on stress management, user expectations, changing technology and shifting roles of the reference librarian. I think it is a great starting point for a conversation on how we can handle our increased workloads and technical competencies that we need in our jobs today. Way to go to publish while in library school too, Marcella!

Now, something practical to help with the technology stress. Here is a great post from Pogue’s Posts hosted by The New York Times. Listed are tech tips and tricks for basic computer use. The comments expand on this post and there are some great tips. I even discovered some shortcuts I didn’t know about, which is super cool. Share the tips with your friends and patrons so we all can use the computer a little more efficiently.

Enjoy the rest of the day and remember–computers are stupid, it is the person who uses the computer that makes them perform great feats!