Technology

Handheld Librarians' Mobile Tech Tutorial Pre-conference Workshop

/ dwakimoto / 1 Comment

Today’s post is on the “Handheld Librarians’ Mobile Tech Tutorial” presented by Joe Murphy and Chad Mairn as part of the pre-conference workshops at Internet Librarian 2010. (There will also be a break in our regularly scheduled programming to introduce you all to my awesome friend, Monika, and the Monterey Bay Aquarium that you should totally go visit while you are in Monterey for the conference, but more on that later.) But first, let’s talk about mobile technology. Allons-y!

We are going to have an interaction discussion session today. (Yay for doing a needs analysis! Slightly annoying though that introductions take so much time out of the workshop session time.) Going to do lots of practical examples and going to have some guest speakers.

Framework for Mobile Tech
Looking at it via a concept of mobile literacy: three components.

  • Being aware of the mobile technology landscape: look at the trends (Twitter and blogs are great for finding this information); what tech is out there; how to use it
  • Understanding their impacts: on information engagements, on information systems, and user expectations.
  • How to look at applications: how to apply the mobile tech in a savvy way in the library

Mobile Applications for Androids
App Inventor: can use to create applications for Android. (As an aside, I can’t believe I’m the only one in the audience with an Android phone! Come on, people–Android rocks!) App Inventor allows you to to create applications without knowing a lot of coding–very much like drag and drop editing. (Chad likes the idea of web apps (especially with having HTML5 now) more than mobile apps–good to know about both. Joe sees the mobile v. web apps debate as a resource development issue.) App Inventor uses Java for editing the apps. Allows you to code/create applications on your computer and see real time changes on the phone–very cool. [Having a bit of technical difficulties at the moment, but I’m excited about this tool so I hope it works.] It looks a lot like building a puzzle–cute interface. After creating your app, need to put it in the Android market so your patrons users can download the app.

Developing and Designing the Mobile Devices
“Mobile users are on the go.” You need to develop for people who are on the go–should help developing streamlined apps. Test, test, test again when designing for mobile devices! Try out everything on different phones, different browsers, etc. You need to be adaptable because technology changes a lot. (Think perpetual beta and don’t worry about throwing out an app that is no longer relevant) My library definitely needs a mobile OPAC.

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WordPress Pre-conference Session

/ dwakimoto / 2 Comments

Pre-conference started out with a bang–first no wi-fi in the room and then we got our own wireless router hooked up! Thank you awesome conference staff! Now I don’t have to worry about this blog post will be erased due to loss of wi-fi. This pre-conference session is on WordPress by Polly-Alida Farrington and Kyle Jones (via Skype). [Resources (session notes) available at lib20.pbworks.com] Kyle blogs at The Corkboard. Polly blogs at pafa.net.

Goals: Get the pieces of the puzzle and decide what to get into deeper after the session: Content Management System (CMS) Tips & Tricks, Coding, Safe & Secure, Plugins, etc.

New WordPress books:
Digging into WordPress (updated for version 3.0) by Jeff Starr and Chris Coyier and Beginning WordPress 3 by Stephanie Leary
Kyle and Polly are publishing a book on WordPress in the spring via ALA Tech Reports

Basics 101
WordPress has a web interface–you can do everything online; you don’t need an application installed on your computer. It’s a content management system that is open source. (Yay for open source!) This is great because the WordPress community can develop new plugins and templates. There are 28 million installations of WordPress–very large community of people.

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Getting Net Neutrality Right Talk Recap

/ dwakimoto / 1 Comment

Net Neutrality: it’s a hot topic and buzzword phrase in the news right now. But how much do you really know about Net Neutrality? It’s a fascinating, important, and complex issue that deserves careful consideration. Luckily for those of us who live in the Bay Area (and could make it to Berkeley last night), we were treated to a talk on Net Neutrality by Richard Esguerra (staff activitst) from the Electronic Frontier Foundation, an organization that works to protect people’s digital civil liberties. It was a great talk, even with some rather crazy technical issues, sponsored by the San Francisco Bay Region Chapter of SLA. So I thought I’d try to share the highlights with you.* (If you just want the bare bones executive summary, skip to the end of the post.)

So without going back to the very beginning of the Internet and making us sit through hours of history lessons, Richard gave us “Internet Architecture Lite.” The most important concept is the “end-to-end principle” which, in simplified terms, means that most of the control, processing, and changes to packets of information (the requests sent over the Internet for data, webpages, etc.) should only occur at the ends of the process. So if you request a website by typing the URL into your browser, there should not be changes made to that request as it is sent through the various nodes as it is routed to the server that can serve up the website page. Control and processing should reside with your computer (one end) and with the server that is fulfilling the request (the other end). Thus the “end-to-end principle.” Net Neutrality could then be seen as the transferring of the “end-to-end principle” into a law or policy requirement, as Richard explained later.

But first we have to talk about a very important Supreme Court Case, National Cable & Telecommunications Association v. Brand X Internet Services. (Trust me, this is important). This ruling decided basically that cable companies were not telecommunication services and therefore not subject to the same regulations. While telecommunication services, such as AT&T, have to let competitors use their infrastructures for reasonable rates, information services do not have to follow this regulation. Brand X, an Internet Service Provider (ISP), wanted to rent infrastructure from Comcast in order to run Internet service over Comcast’s cable infrastructure like other ISPs use different companies telephone lines to provide DSL service. Due to this ruling Comcast did not and does not have to let competitors use their infrastructure which is why if you want cable internet, you pretty much only have one choice of service provider.

After this ruling, the FCC issued a Broadband Policy Statement that had four clauses that became part of the foundation of Net Neutrality. In order to preserve open internet, consumers should have:

  1. access to the lawful internet content of their choice
  2. the ability to run applications and use services of their choice
  3. the ability to connect their choice of legal devices that do not harm the network
  4. the right to competition among network providers.

All of this sounds good, but as Richard pointed out there is a major problem with the FCC issuing a policy out of basically thin air. Who ever gave the FCC the power to make and enforce such a policy? The story gets even more interesting when independent research by the EFF and Associated Press showed in 2007 that despite Comcast’s denials, it was actually throttling BitTorrent (it was denying requests for BitTorrent downloads on its infrastructure). This brings us full-circle back to the “end-to-end principle,” which Comcast wasn’t following as it was filtering and denying requests by users who wanted to use BitTorrent to share files. Now obviously ISPs need to have some ability to manage network traffic, so we get into a gray area of what is “reasonable” network management. The FCC ruled that Comcast needed to stop blocking BitTorrent traffic in 2008 and Comcast challenged the ruling.

Because of this, the court ruled in April 2010 that the FCC cannot enforce broadband policy. This nullified the FCC’s Broadband Policy Statement, which it had just expanded in late 2009. This leaves us in a bit of muddle because there is no clear way forward and no one wants to see an internet that is tiered like the graphic shown below:

Tiered Internet Service

Tiered Internet Service

From CrunchGear

So why is all this history important? Because, as noted before, we are in a quandary over how to proceed. Currently there are four main options put forth as the way to Net Neutrality:

  1. Reclassify broadband as a telecommunication service so it falls under more regulation
  2. Partially classify broadband as a telecommunication service
  3. Genachowski’s Third Way: the FCC would have regulatory control over certain, select bits of broadband
  4. Congress should pass a Net Neutrality law (which would probably give regulatory authority to the FCC

As you can see, there isn’t any clear path and any path to Net Neutrality has potential problems such as: Congress moves slow and has the potential to be swayed by special interest groups, giving the FCC more power might lead to “regulatory capture” where the FCC is eventually steered by the very companies it is supposed to be regulating, etc.

Summary
In short, Net Neutrality is a super-important, pressing issue and the implementation of Net Neutrality is so much more complex than I thought it was before the talk. There are so many areas of grey and lots of issues surrounding free speech, civil liberties, copyright, fair use, creative works, and innovation that I really hadn’t considered. I think, if nothing else, a safe lesson to take away from last night’s awesome talk is that everyone should have a healthy amount of skepticism about any plan about how to implement and regulate Net Neutrality. Stay tuned for further developments and check out the section on the Deeplinks blog about Net Neutrality.

Have a fantastic rest of your week. I’ll be blogging from Internet Librarian this coming week, so don’t be surprised to see many posts about conference talks and cool technology to use in the library.

*Any mistakes or inaccuracies in the history or technical aspects are mine and probably due to my hastily scribbled notes from last night and definitely not attributable to Richard of the EFF.

Design, Photography, and Libraries

/ dwakimoto

I was talking with one of our interns about signage in the library today and it got me thinking about design in libraries. Now, I have no experience or expertise in designing library buildings, so I’m not going to go there. Instead, I want to talk about design and photography as it relates to library signage and marketing materials.

A lot have probably seen the signage posts on the blog, Tame the Web. These posts, more often than not, showcase bad, ugly, or unfriendly signage spotted around libraries. Obviously we could use some help with our signage and design in general.

I was inspired to think more about, and be more mindful of, designing beautiful and useful materials after reading this post by Seth Godin: getting better at seeing. The book mentioned in the post, Before & After: How to Design Cool Stuff, is a fabulous, accessible resource for anyone interested in designing better marketing materials. I think it should be required reading for anyone designing signage in the library (not to mention designing websites, flyers, videos, or other promotional materials).

There are so many resources available for studying and improving design skills that really, we have no excuse not to make better signs. Also, because so often our promotional materials (and sometimes signs) contain photographs, we really should improve our photography skills as well. (I know I definitely need to.)

If you must take photographs with your phone (and I mean, who doesn’t?), check out Lifehacker’s guides to best photography apps for your Android or best photography apps for your iPhone to improve the photographs you take.

For more professional looking photographs, you may want to check out another Lifehacker article on using an 18% gray card for better color balance in your photos. If you are shooting for a marketing campaign for your library, or going to create banners from your photographs, please, please, please shoot high resolution photographs. I’m always amazed when I see images in libraries that are obviously pixelated. (And, if you are going on a photography shooting trek, check out how a Tenba insert turns your messenger bag into a stealth camera bag. Now maybe I have an excuse to buy another Timbuk2 bag.)

All I’m saying is take some time to really see what your signs and marketing materials are saying about your library and see if there isn’t a way you can improve what’s being said. Libraries are fantastic resources, we all know this, but now we need to be communicating this fact through our design. Beautifully designed stuff is not only aesthetically pleasing, but also more user-friendly.

If you need some inspiration of your own, check out Beautiful Portals. It’s truly one of the most beautiful Tumblr feeds I’ve seen and a great inspiration to libraries which are often likened to portals of knowledge.

The Waki Librarian will be back with more on Blog Action Day. Until then, enjoy your day designing cool stuff.

Balancing

/ dwakimoto

Do you ever think about balancing? And while you’re pondering that question, I have another one for you: how do you define balance? When you hear the word “balance” what does it bring to mind? Work-life balance? A balanced ecosystem? A balanced checkbook? Harmony? Balance is a hot topic in the library world right now, even if few writers actually use the term. We are trying to balance service to our patrons with acknowledging that we cannot do everything with smaller budgets and overworked staff. We try to balance fostering a personalized learning experience for our students with ever increasing class sizes. Balance, in other words, seems to come up most often when we are talking about systems, people, lifestyles that are out of balance. So today I’d like to write about a few different types of balance and a few technology tools that may help with your productivity so you can attempt to find balance in your work and life.

This issue comes up at my library when people talk about workload issues, especially when we talk about our teaching load. I always find it interesting to talk about workload issues because I am definitely for drawing boundaries (see last week’s post), I’m also someone who believes you finish the task you agreed to or were assigned and don’t count the hours. My philosophy has usually been work until you’re done. That being said, one can easily get consumed by work so when the school year starts (which coincides with the restarting of committee work on the library and university level and therefore an increase in workload), I always think about how to achieve balance. If I ever figure out the secret, I’ll let you know. But I did find this article by Lifehacker, establishing boundaries between work and play, to be a good reminder about the importance of getting both physically and mentally “out of the office.” WebWorkerDaily also has a great article to help out with the issue of balance, time management beyond the task list.

I think one of the biggest issues is how to decide how technology can help create a balance in your life versus which just sucks away your precious time. Now, depending on how you use it, a smartphone can either be an intense distraction that breaks your concentration or a huge time-saver. For me, as long as I don’t check Twitter every couple of minutes, it has been a great time-saver. For those of you that have smartphones, check out two guides from Lifehacker, best Android apps for getting things done and best iPhone apps for productivity. (Never let it be said I didn’t give equal space to Android and iOS.) So how do you balance your use of technology or use it to facilitate productivity and allow you more time to relax or do whatever else you want to do in your life? How do you help your patrons navigate the ever-changing realm of technology and communication tools? If you need something to get you focused on using technology as the tool it is supposed to be (and not the ‘end all and be all’), check out this lovely article, Achieving Techno-Literacy.

Balance takes on another cast when we talk about instruction in the classroom and at the reference desk. How do we balance different learning styles and personalities in the classroom? How do we balance the time it takes to help someone at the desk when there is a line of other patrons who also need help? I think that this is where the side of our profession and training that is an art form comes in. I don’t think there is a formula that can tell you how to manage a class or exactly how many minutes to spend helping someone with a reference questions. (Of course there are books one can read and classes one can take to get better at teaching or inter-personal skills, but there is no magic key that makes everything work out smoothly.) I think everyone has to learn this kind of balance for themselves. It comes down to being human.

Learning balance, in all facets of life, is a process, a process I think that goes more smoothly (and with less falling) if we help each other. So let’s all try to not get caught up in the mentality that ‘more hours at work equals better work’ or that being up on email at 3am is a desirable activity. And if you have any techniques for balance, in any area of your life, I’d love to hear about it.

And for Friday’s fun, check out this wonderful promo for the BBC show, Being Human, and be thankful that no matter what you have to balance, at least you don’t have to pretend to be human.

The Waki Librarian will be back next week; enjoy your weekend and let me know what you’re reading. Thank you and namaste.

Flying, Cloud Computing, and Archives

/ dwakimoto

Okay, so yeah, it was a stretch to get all three things into one post–it made a lot more sense in my head. But for a quick, mid-week technology and information world hit, I am going to share some cool links about all three topics: flying, cloud computing, and archives. So as the Doctor would say, “Allons-y!”

Did you see the announcement that NARA released guidelines for records management in cloud computing environments? (NARA stands for National Archives and Records Administration.) You can read the NARA bulletin in full, here. Just when you thought records management couldn’t get any more complicated in the digital environment, along comes the cloud. Have I ever mentioned before how happy I am not being a records manager? Unfortunately, cloud computing impacts archivists’ work too–anyone have any experience with cloud computing in the archives?

Now that we are all worrying about cloud computing and archives, let’s move on to something a bit easier to wrap one’s head around: flying and airlines, or rather how to make travel a little less onerous. (And I will say, once more for the record, that I am so glad Internet Librarian is close enough to my home that I don’t have to fly.)

Once again Lifehacker comes to the rescue with a couple of great articles for flyers: how to spend less time in line at the airport and how to master airline loyalty programs.

Oh, and if you have to be in an airport this week, pick up a “banned book” to read and celebrate Banned Books Week! Check out the list of the most frequently challenged books in 2009 on ALA’s website.

Have a wonderful rest of your day and week. The Waki Librarian will be back on Friday with a post about balance (and no, you don’t have to read it while standing in Tree pose.)

Social Good Day

/ dwakimoto

Did you know that today is Social Good Day? (RED) and Mashable have gotten together and asked the question, “Can social media make the world a better place?” I have to agree with their thought that social media can be leveraged to make the world a better place. To find out more, check out their website and if you post something on Twitter about Social Good Day, tag it #SocialGood. Because people are encouraged to blog, in addition to tweeting about Social Good Day, I thought I’d share just three examples of people and groups that are using social media to better the world.

My friend, and former university colleague, Michelle Pacansky-Brock (check out her blog, MPB Reflections, here), uses social media to make the world a better place, one online class and instruction section at a time. While she is now an entrepreneur and frequent speaker at conferences and facilitator of workshops, she was (and still is at heart) a teacher. She taught art history for many years and used social media to connect with her students, to connect her students to each other, and to connect them all to the art. Her use of social networks, such as Ning, and online modules, such as VoiceThread are inspirational. The interaction, in an online environment, prove that with human connection comes inspiration and the ability to change a student’s outlook on learning. To me, that’s changing the world for the better in a profound and lasting way.

The second person that always comes to mind when I think about using social media for the social good is BJ Fogg, check out his website here. I had the good fortune to hear him speak at a conference a few years ago and was delighted to hear about using technology and persuasion (aka captology) in a positive manner. To quote from his website, “Another focus in my lab is what we call ‘peace innovation.’ We’re investigating how technology can help change attitudes and behaviors in ways that bring about global harmony.” This is a man, and his team, who understands technology, social networks, and psychology and can use them together to create something that may just change the world for the better.

Finally, in the realm of utilizing social media in positive ways to form community and “decrease world suck” is the Nerdfighter community, facilitated by the Vlogbrothers–Hank and John Green. I’ve featured many of their videos on this blog and use them in my classes. Not only is this a wonderful community whose members support each other, this is a community that does things like The Project for Awesome and positive pranking. This is one of the best examples of creating community and using social media to make the world a better place, both on an individual level and on a global scale, that I have ever seen. DFTBA! (Don’t Forget To Be Awesome)

So what does any of this have to do with librarians and archivists? Well, we all know how “library as place” is a super-important concept in the physical world and some libraries are already created digital spaces through Facebook accounts, Twitter feeds, etc. But what we really need to do is somehow create real, interactive communities so that we can work together to create changes in our local communities and reach out across the world. And I’m not just talking about public libraries, but academic, government, and special libraries too–not to mention archives and museums. We have some of the most tech savvy and creative people working in our profession, it’s about time we utilize our talents in recognizable ways. We need to be leaders and not just persuade behind the scenes, although that is important too. We have access to so much information and talent, why don’t we get together and do something? Suggestions?

One way to get excited about utilizing technology in new ways is to go to a conference, and one of the best is Internet Librarian. I’ll be there next month and will be blogging. If you are going, let me know in the comments and hopefully we’ll be able to say hello in person at the conference.

Have a wonderful Social Good Day. Use the day to help someone and support a cause you believe in. The Waki Librarian will be back tomorrow.

More about privacy and language

/ dwakimoto

Hello, dear readers. A post on the weekend? I know, it’s shocking. But I feel I need to apologize for my last post after being told by a friend that it contained rather atrocious sentence construction and lacked a certain level of variety in vocabulary so as to irritate those most demanding critics, English majors. My apologies. If I am allowed an excuse, it was a long and tiring week and I really wanted to share some cool technology lists, but lacked the time to edit the post to exacting standards given the 5 hour meeting yesterday. (I also happen to be a fan of Godin’s “just ship it” approach and the Cult of Done, but that’s to be discussed at some other time.) So I feel that I owe you, dear reader, a bit more coherent and thoughtful post. Therefore, let’s talk about two subjects that just keep popping up in the blogosphere: privacy (a very important topic) and language (something I love to talk about, and hopefully will not mutilate in this post). Allons-y!

EDUCAUSE has a new publication on the 7 things you should know about privacy in Web 2.0 learning environments which would be lovely to share with your patrons and instructors given the increasing level of interest and use of Web 2.0 technologies in education. While I’m all for being in compliance with student privacy acts and regulations, I do hope that the legal concerns over privacy do not dissuade instructors from incorporating emerging technologies and tools in their courses. As Michelle Pacansky-Brock notes over on her blog, MPB Reflections: 21st Century Teaching and Learning, there are so many possibilities of incorporating interactive, social media tools in the classroom that it would be a huge disservice to our students to exclude these tools. Instead, we as librarians and educators should frame this issue as an educational opportunity to teach our students (and faculty) about safe and effective uses of Web 2.0 technologies–a great opportunity to show the value and applicability of information literacy for the instructional librarians among us.

If you are leaving a job and need to return a laptop to your employer, check out Lifehacker’s What should I do to my work laptop before I leave my job? article. This is a must read if you want to make sure that your files, passwords, etc. do stay private even after you return the laptop. Just another facet of privacy that may interest you.

Secret codes happen to be a way of communicating messages semi-privately, even on a PA system, if most people don’t understand the code. If you are interested in some of the more commonly used phrases and codes, or just wanted to know what “paging Dr. Firestone” means, check out the post. See, learning can be both fun and useful.

While secret codes are fun to learn but may or may not be that useful, this post on commonly misheard expressions to avoid (or fix) in your writing is quite useful. I’m sure all but the English majors among us have committed some of these errors and could use a quick review. Now you should be able to avoid these mistakes that may cause confusion in your communications. And, limiting confusion definitely will increase your productivity (as you won’t have to answer emails explaining to people what you thought you had explained already) and decrease the time spent wanting to bang your head against a wall, both of which are very good things.

I thought it might be nice to end with a fun video (which I unfortunately cannot embed) from The Big Bang Theory. (If you haven’t ever watched The Big Bang Theory, I suggest that you do–it is quite funny.) I’m a bit rusty in physics, so if someone could explain to me how, in a multiverse, being a clown made of candy in a few universes means one cannot dance in any of them, I would be most appreciative. Please leave your explanation in comments.

Dear readers, I hope this post made a bit more sense than Friday’s post. As always, I wish you a fantastic weekend and a productive, stress-free, and lovely week to follow. The Waki Librarian will be back on Friday.

Tech lists

/ dwakimoto

Happy Friday! So, wow, does anyone else feel like they’ve had a really long week that went quite quickly because of all the meetings and chaos? Hm, maybe that’s just me. Anyway, it’s beginning to get busy on campus again as classes start up next week and I’ve been in meetings what seems like all week, so this is going to be a relatively short post this week. It’s all about technology and includes some lists of technology fun (mainly because I like lists and Lifehacker has had a bunch of them recently). So sit back, grab a cup of tea, and read on for some tech tips to put on your list of things to do this weekend for fun.

For those who aren’t Mac and Linux people, the release of Windows 7 was a pretty big deal. It’s definitely a vast improvement over Vista and slicker than XP. For those who still aren’t quite sure what to do with it, check out Lifehacker’s list of the top 10 things to do with a new Windows 7 system.

Also, for more fun hacks, check out 8 clever ways to take advantage of free calling in Gmail. Who doesn’t like free when it comes to technology? Also, if you have an external hard drive lying around and you’re not quite sure how to utilize it most effectively, check out the top 10 external hard drive tricks.

Not a list, but still about technology and an issue near and dear to my heart, accessibility, is Gizmodo’s article: “How Blind People See the Internet”. Take the time to read it, then take the time to share it with the website people at your library and help make your library’s website more accessible. Oh, and kudos to WordPress for being quite an accessible online platform according to the fabulous Web2Access. (Web2Access is a great resource for quickly checking out the level of accessibility of various online products and tools.)

Now that you’ve become an even more savvy technology user, you deserve something fun. Therefore check out the guide on how to customize almost anything you buy. My friends and I love some of these customizing sites–great for creating personalized gifts. Plus, it is just fun to play around with customizing different items, so have some fun this weekend and allow your inner artist to play.

While this post has been about technology lists, I just couldn’t help but highlight this article from Seth Godin that came through on my reader: turning the tables on critical trolls. We’ve all had to deal with people that criticize new ideas; this seems to happen especially when it comes to trying out new technologies for supplementing or improving services in the libraries. It is so much easier to criticize than actually create or put your ideas on the line, as Godin notes, and his simple way of dealing with the trolls is fantastic. Really, take the time and put it to use in the next meeting you’re in. And remember, don’t be a troll–they’re not made of awesome.

And, because it wouldn’t be Friday if I didn’t have something fun, wacky, or just plain silly to share, here is a library video that is making its way around the blogosphere. I have to give major props to anyone brave enough to sing in a YouTube video:

Have a fantastic weekend full of relaxing and reading. The Waki Librarian will be back next week.

Young librarians, technology, and language

/ dwakimoto / 1 Comment

Happy Friday! I hope you are having a good day. I’m enjoying a weekend break with my family before the fall term starts. I thought today I might write a bit about some intersections among librarians, technology and language. The first two concepts won’t be surprising to anyone who has been reading this blog for a bit, but the third might seem a little odd. Allow me to explain. I study changes in language in archives and libraries as part of my research; I’m slightly fascinating (okay, I’m actually super-fascinated) with how language shapes our perceptions and why this discourse matters to librarians and archivists. So that’s what is up for today.

Why young librarians and not just librarians for today’s focus? Mainly because I recently read get in the goddamn wagon and the associated comments. Really, go click through the link and read it, I’ll wait here. I agree with the main argument that younger librarians need to be the ones starting to push agendas and change in the slow-moving organizations. But I also agree that age is really just a number, and just because someone isn’t in the 22-35 year old demographic doesn’t mean s/he doesn’t have awesome ideas to contribute to the profession. The post plus comments remind me of one of the best definitions of “old” I’ve ever heard: you are old when you refuse to learn and refuse to change. I think that as soon as you utter the words, “I’m too old to change,” you are old. I’ve heard people my age (yes, I fit within the 22-35 demographic) who refuse to change and to learn and to grow and frankly, I want them out of the profession a lot more than the “old” colleagues I have that are cool with texting and tweeting students, write blogs, and can argue coherently with me about the pros and cons of iOS and Android.

I also thought about my fellow librarians, young and old, while reading Seth Godin’s post about whatever happened to labor? Just start changing and becoming irreplaceable and opportunities will open up. The up and coming generation of librarians (and archivists) can’t wait around for jobs to open up–because we all know how the supposed “glut of jobs on the market because of retirements” has played out. We need to work together, not in committees, but on small scale, local ways to help each other and get into positions of power to change the institutions and “way we’ve always done things” from the inside. And once you’ve “made it,” don’t forget to give back and to keep learning and growing so you don’t smother the possibility for changes in your institution (oh, and don’t form a ton of committees if you want things to be done rapidly). As Godin would say, race to the top, not the bottom.

Oh, and if you would like to see why age isn’t as important as a willingness to learn, check out the report on an increase in older adults using social media. Yay for adopting technology, making it work for you, and not fulfilling the stereotypes that “old” people can’t be comfortable with technology.

As we are on the topic of technology, I’d like you to check out the stream of digital consciousness photograph from a presentation. I direct your attention to the line that says “Don’t Obsess about Metadata.” Now from the rest of the points on the slide, I think this must have been a very interesting and wonderful talk. I even agree with a lot of what is said on the slide, but not worrying about metadata makes me twinge. I’m probably especially sensitive to talk about metadata as archivists have to worry about it when it comes to digital preservation, and we think about metadata, a lot. I also wonder if the presenter ever thought about metadata in the context of Google’s Book search. This article aptly points out the problems of having inadequate, inaccurate, and plain outrageous metadata. I especially like the line that says, “But books aren’t simply vehicles for communicating information, and managing a vast library collection requires different skills, approaches, and data than those that enabled Google to dominate Web searching.” Metadata is important, so let’s do it right (you can still be innovative and have good metadata.)

Metadata is a very structured type of language and all language shapes how we talk and think about life (at least in my opinion). Check out this incredibly interesting article on different languages and different realities. It’s interesting even if you aren’t a language geek, really, and something to keep in mind when you are writing for your library or posting signage.

In the midst of lots of reading for my research, I like to take breaks to read fiction, pop non-fiction, and assorted “popcorn” books as my friend, Hanna, calls them. One of the books I’m currently reading is The Power of a Positive No because, quite frankly, I’m really, really bad at saying no to people. So far the book is quite good and I’m looking forward to implementing some of the techniques the next time my gut reaction is to say no, but I’m waffling because I don’t want to hurt anyone’s feelings. Find out a little bit about the concept through Lifehacker’s article on how to use the power of a positive no. Yet another example of the power of language and the difference between saying no without destroying the other person and saying no in a way that hurts people’s feelings (and makes you feel guilty). Connotations and discourse matter–a key principle that my fellow young librarians need to remember as we try to improve the library world (and get more people to see technology as a tool and not the enemy).

And finally, an extra for all the students that are back in school, tools and tips for better online reading. Save yourself some eyestrain because you know you’ll be reading a lot of articles online. You can thank me later.

Of course, it wouldn’t be a Friday post without something fun, so check out some of the cool new stuff over at ThinkGeek and a clip from The Big Bang Theory.

Have a wonderful weekend with lots of time for reading and relaxing (and going outside to talk to people). The Waki Librarian will be back next week.