How to be Happy in Library and Other Work…06.06.09

(Image from WhatConsumesMe.com)

This is a relevant excerpt from LifeHacker post The Road to Happiness in Your Work Lies in the Horray! Zone:

“…We’ve found things we want to do, and can be paid for, but we’re not the best game in town. Mediocrity is not a sustainable strategy. Being able to recognize your own weakness is a profound strength, and acting to improve what you do is key to any kind of long term growth and stability. Find the best talent and steal them. Learn how your competitors run their businesses, and copy what works…”

25 Tools for Learning Professionals…06.06.09

25 Tools: A Toolbox for Learning Professionals 2009

View more OpenOffice presentations from Jane Hart.

Library User Studies Results…06.06.09

The above is from Things that happen elsewhere – user studies say on the hangingtogether blog based on “OCLC Research just completed a symposium on user studies for the RLG Partnership.” The post relates:

“…Community does not happen in the catalog...”

Our investments in catalog-based social tools should be minimal. The valence of the catalog and passion don’t make for a combination. Our investments should follow the contour of expectations. Those expectations can be understood through good user studies. Those user studies don’t have to be done locally and rarely have to be repeated. Our resources should go to structuring our assets so the passionate can take them where they are best used. And users know best where that is>”

First Library System to Drop Dewey…06.05.09

Library Journal reported today:

“The six-branch (plus bookmobile) Rangeview Library District, Adams County, CO, will be the first library system in the country to fully drop the Dewey Decimal Classification in favor of a system adapted from that used in the book industry.  

While Dewey has been dropped in some smaller branches, Rangeview’s biggest building will have 85,000 items.

Rangeview’s WordThink system, like that in the Perry branch of Maricopa County Library District, outside Phoenix, draws on BISAC (Book Industry Standards and Communications)…

Some other libraries, according to Rangeview, are experimenting with BISAC: Frankfort Public Library District, IL; Richmond Public Library, BC; and Arapahoe Library District, CO.”

“HOME” NEW Film ONLINE FREE Today…06.05.09

An interesting piece of propaganda with lots of nice video footage described as:

“We are living in exceptional times. Scientists tell us that we have 10 years to change the way we live, avert the depletion of natural resources and the catastrophic evolution of the Earth’s climate.

The stakes are high for us and our children. Everyone should take part in the effort, and HOME has been conceived to take a message of mobilization out to every human being.

For this purpose, HOME needs to be free. A patron, the PPR Group, made this possible. EuropaCorp, the distributor, also pledged not to make any profit because Home is a non-profit film.

HOME has been made for you : share it! And act for the planet.”

University Library Loans Kindles to Faculty…06.05.09

Gerrit van Dyk of Shaping Libraries shared the following today:

“…Our Interlibrary Loan Office [BYU] was recently approved to officially start a pilot loaning Amazon Kindles to our university faculty.

Rationale

We looked at the number of requests facutly requests which we had to cancel, either because they were too new or too popular (no other library would lend them). We found that about 10% of these requests could have been filled by purchasing a Kindle Book. Why not try to fill these in a faster, and often, cheaper way?

An interesting sidenote: almost half of the requests we could have filled through the Kindle Store were scholarly monographs.

Audience

So far we are limiting the service to faculty only but this is just to keep the demand down. If it takes off we will buy more devices and open it up to other university populations (staff, grad students, etc)…”

New Google Maps Streetview Navigation…06.05.09

New Smart Phone Releases Represent a Major Transition in Both the Mobile Phone Industry and in Mobile Computing…06.05.09

TechCrunch says there is a tremdous shift taking place this summer as related in It’s Gonna Be a Summer of SmartPhone Love:

“…The serenades have already begun for the June 6 launch of the Palm Pre. Next week, Apple will reveal it’snext iPhone (you know MG is going to get one). Blackberry might come out with itssecond Storm by summer’s end. And the lovefest will continue throughout the year withlaunch after launch of new Android phones as well. It will be practically nonstop…

These aren’t just attractive new playthings. They represent something much deeper and more meaningful. They represent a major transition in both the mobile phone industry and in mobile computing. The iPhone paved the way, but now the Web phones are ready to take over the world. Their relative numbers compared to basic feature phones may still be small, but their mindshare and profits are large. Already, the iPhone and Blackberry Web phones are gobbling up a majority of the industry’s profits.

Why? It has nothing to do with making phone calls. The Web in your pocket means you always have something to read, you are always connected to your digital network, and you can always reach out and Tweet someone or poke them or send them an email. And if all that fails, you can still call. But the problem with actually speaking to someone is that you can only carry on one conversation at a time. With a Web phone, you can keep track of your entire conversation stream…”

2009 Value of Social Networks…06.05.09

TechCrunch has posted Modeling the True Value of Social Networks: 2009 Edition:

“A year ago we modeled out the true value of various social networks based on the idea that users in high-value online advertising markets like Japan, the UK and the U.S. were worth more (financially speaking) than those in lower value online advertising markets. Facebook had recently become the largest worldwide social network in terms of users, but based on our model MySpace was still by far the most valuable social network.

We’ve now remodeled social network valuations based on current user numbersand Facebook’s most recent $10 billion valuation. The results are dramatically different…

“9 Ways People Respond to Your Content Online”…06.04.09

Thanks to iLibrarian by Ellyssa for pointing out Life Beyond Code blog post 9 Ways People Respond to Your Content Online with this great graphic:

“…So, here are the nine ways your audience will respond to your online content:

1. Spam: If your content does not provide a reasonable ROII (return-on-investment for an interaction) for the reader or is self-serving or simply useless, the reader will mark it as spam. Posting something that may be assessed, as “spam” is the fastest way to losing credibility.
2. Skip: The reader makes an assessment that he or she won’t lose much by reading it. In this case, the reader has not written you off yet but if you consistently create content that is worth “skipping,” the reader might write you off.
3. Scan: The reader thinks there are only a few parts that are of relevance and wants to get right to the core of the content and skip the rest.
4. Stop: The reader is touched by the article and stops to think about the article, it’s relevance and what it means to him or her personally and professionally.
5. Save: The content is so good that the reader might want to re-visit this multiple times.
6. Shift: The article is transformational. The reader is so deeply affected (in a positive way) by the article that it shifts some of their values and beliefs. In other words, this piece of writing will transform the reader and make him or her grow.
7. Send: The content is not only useful to the reader but also to one or more people in the reader’s network. The reader simply emails the article or a link to it to people that he or she cares.
8. Spread: The reader finds the article fascinating enough to spread it to anyone and everyone via a blog, twitter or the social networks that he or she belongs.
9. Subscribe: This is the ultimate expression of engagement and a vote of confidence that you will continue to provide great content. When the reader wants to continue listening to your thoughts, he or she will subscribe…”

Canada’s McGill University Library to Participate in Digitize on Demand with Kirtasbooks.com…06.04.09

Here is the announcemnt from McGill University:

“McGill University Library is pleased to announce a partnership with Kirtas Technologies and its Canadian partner Ristech, which will allow students, faculty and the general public to request to have books scanned and made available through the new Digitize on Demand program…

The program will offer books that are difficult to find, because they are generally out of print. They are also in the public domain, meaning that there are no copyright restrictions.

Using existing information from the Library’s catalogue records, Kirtas will make the books available through its retail site, www.kirtasbooks.com. Customers can search for a desired title and place a request to have it digitized. The book is then digitized at very high-quality using Kirtas’s innovative automatic page-turning scanner that was purchased by the Library in 2008. What also makes this approach unique is that the books can be offered before they are ever digitized, so there is no up-front printing, production or storage cost…

Kirtas currently has 12 partnerships with universities and public libraries to make special collections available for sale online, with McGill University the first to participate in Canada…”

CrunchPad – “Web Tablet” for Under $200 Moves Forward…06.04.09

TechCrunch today gave an update on its “CrunchPad” web tablet device which they advertise with “Welcome to Couch Computing” in “CrunchPad: The Launch Prototype“:

“We’ve been working hard behind the scenes on the CrunchPad since our last update in April, and have just about nailed down the final design for the device. We’re showing the conceptual drawings here today. In another few weeks we’ll have the first working prototypes in our office.

This launch prototype is another significant step forward from the last prototype. The screen is now flush with the case and we’ve decreased the overall thickness to about 18 mm. The case will be aluminum, which is more expensive than plastic but is sturdier and lets us shave a little more off the overall thickness of the device.

I believe the device now actually looks better than the original concept design we published last summer. Compare the images below to the first prototype and you can see how far we’ve come. If you’re interested, here’s Prototype B. Pictures of Prototype C, which is the device we’re actually demo’ing to people now, are here…”

O’Fallon Library Launches “State of the Art Drupal Website”…06.04.09

Here  is an interesting press release about the new O’Fallon, Illinois library website using Drupal 6:

“The library website development team at YourLibrarySite.com (a website development initiative offered by CraftySpace CMS) announces the launch of the O’Fallon Library website, which fully utilizes the latest features available in Drupal 6.

‘Our development team incorporated many features new in Drupal 6 as well as programming two notable enhancements for this project. Both code enhancements have been contributed to the Drupal.org development community’” said Joseph Muennich, partner and senior project director.

The enhancements include a new Flexifield module used to improve the user interface for content administration, written by partner and senior programmer, Alex Bronstein, and an enhanced Promos module created by YourLibrarySite’s senior programmer Justin Dodge, which greatly extends page layout flexibility. Additional notable features programmed for the O’Fallon site include a modified Calendar of Events, upgraded blog technology, and a rotating slideshow on the Home Page that is extremely easy to administer.

‘I think we now have the best library website in the area. Easy to work with. Very professional looking product. I think our money was well spent. This is the best website so far in my career working at libraries’, said Molly Scanlan, Library Director of O’Fallon Public Library.

‘Our entire staff is very pleased with this project using the new Drupal 6′ YourLibrarySite’s Muennich stated. ‘We are soon to launch our first SOPAC 2 integration for California’s Palos Verdes Library District, and we are excited to see how well we are able to work with this latest version of Drupal, which is required for SOPAC. Launch announcement for the PVLD site and case studies of the project will be posted to our website in the near future. We will be using Drupal 6 in all of our future projects, including our subscription packages so that the addition of SOPAC can be an option for all of our library clients.’

CraftySpace CMS created YourLibrarySite to provide website packages and web development services to Public, Academic, and Special libraries. YourLibrarySite uses the Drupal open source CMS platform and is a well-established participant in the Drupal open source community. YourLibrarySite also actively works with John Blyberg and Thesocialopac.net, in implementing SOPAC 2 community-driven online catalog systems. Please visit www.yourlibrarysite.com.”

The Future of E-book Readers – NEW Forrester Research Data…06.04.09

This just released from Forrester Research (click on images for larger versions):

Here is the executive summary of their report How Big is the eReader Opportunity?:

“The eReader market is hot: Barely a day goes by without an announcement of a new device release or acquisition. Amazon.com, leveraging its position as a dominant book retailer, has catalyzed the market for eBooks, but that’s just the beginning of the eReader revolution. Competitors will attack Amazon’s market position by launching new features, expanding content beyond books, dominating markets outside the US, reducing costs, and improving relationships with publishers. While frequent book readers drive device and content sales today, the next five years will see an explosion of the eReader textbook market, and in 10 years, the market will be driven by businesses going green in government, education, health, and other sectors. With retailers, mobile operators, and device manufacturers all vying for a piece of the eReader action, publishers should proactively shape their own eReader opportunity — or miss their last best chance to control their own destiny.”

Google Squared Goes Live…06.03.09

As Eric Schonfeld reports on TechCrunch:

“Google is taking a step towards taking all the messy, unstructured information on the Web and putting it into neat little, labeled boxes. Literally, that is what Google Squared does. First announced at last month’s Searchology event, Google Squared is now live. You can try it out.

Google Squared is an experimental search engine that is in its own ‘labs.’ It gives you topical search results broken down by categories, something that Bing does in a different way with guided results in the left explore pane. Google Squared is more comparable to Wolfram Alpha in that it is A) really early stage, and B) goes and finds out every facet of a subject based on a single keyword search. But unlike Wolfram Alpha, it does not ‘compute’ answers based on data that it has ingested into its own databases. Its database is the Web.

Does Google Squared crush Wolfram Alpha today? No. But as I originally suggested when it was announced, adding structure to the Web will eventually win out over a self-contained database. Even if it seems primitive today, its approach scales better than Wolfram’s...”

FREE SnagIt! Screen Capture Software…06.03.09

TechSmith is giving away fully licensed, free, legal version of Snagit 7.2.5 through 5 pm (EST) on June 5, 2009 (version 7.2.5). Although this special offer is exclusively for all CT readers, but anyone can grab this free full version of SnagIt.

I downloaded it and really like what it can do.  This version, however, does NOT work with Windows Vista.

“Here’s how to obtain free license key for SnagIt.

1. Visit this promo page.
2. Enter the required details and click ‘Send My Key’. Make sure you use valid email.
3. Check your email for SnagIt license key. Note the key.
4. Download the setup installer of SnagIt and install it.
5. At the first launch of SnagIt, a SnagIt Message Center window will open. Select Unlock and key in your name and the software license key to convert SnagIt into a full retail version.”

NEW FREE Conference Online for ALL Librarians – OPALESCENCE…06.03.09

NO FEES – NO DUES – NO TRAVEL —- Just Right!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Something ALL Librarians Should Support

OPAL (Online Programming for All Libraries) is planning something special:

Thursday, August 13, 2009 beginning at noon Eastern Time, 11:00 a.m. Central, 10:00 a.m. Mountain, 9:00 a.m. Pacific, and 4:00 p.m. GMT:

OPALESCENCE: A Free Online Conference for All LibrariansHas your travel budget dried up? Still want that conference experience of fresh ideas, lively conversations, and networking with colleagues? Participate in OPALESCENCE, a free online conference for all librarians and fellow travelers. We’re planning a series of interesting and informative presentations and discussions spread over a two-day period. Watch this space for more announcements.

Host: TAP Information Services Schedule of Events: OPALESCENCE Conference Schedule (coming soon)

Send FREE Faxes Anywhere…06.03.09

Send FREE faxes online – try MyFax

Creating a Social Media Policy…06.03.09

Here are some good points from Sharlyn Lauby’s Mashable! post 10 Must-Haves for Your Social Media Policy:

1. Introduce the purpose of social media…

2. Be responsible for what you write…

3. Be authentic…

4. Consider your audience…

5. Excercise good judgment…

6. Understand the concept of community…

7. Respect copyrights and fair use…

8. Remember to protect confidential and proprietary info

9. Bring value…

10.  Productivity matters…”

The posting also lists a real, sample social media policy statement.

FREE Webcast “Understanding the Next-Gen User”…06.03.09

Thanks to the Distant Librarian for noting the following FREE webcast:

“Library Journal is hosting a series of free webcasts on Returning the Researcher to the Library.  The first runs this Thursday from Noon – 1PM EDT – you can register online.

Title: Returning the Researcher to the Library: A Series in Four Parts

Part 1 – Understanding the Next-Gen User

Sponsored by Serials Solutions

Live event: Thursday, June 4, 2009 – 12:00 pm (noon) Eastern Daylight Time – 60 minutes

Users’ expectations of information search changed dramatically in the wake of Google and continue to evolve. Some studies point to a slow, but steady disintermediation of the library from the research process. Yet, libraries have a powerful competitive advantage in the quality, breadth and authority of their content – an advantage recognized and valued by users, especially in the academic library. This four-part series explores how libraries are taking back their role as the starting point for research by focusing on the user experience and supporting it with innovative technology. The opening learning session in the series – Understanding the Next-Gen User – brings together Joan Lippincott and Alison Head, leaders in research on next-gen research habits, for an insightful exploration into the needs and expectations of students and how libraries can respond in ways they respect and understand.

Panelists:

Joan Lippincott, Associate Executive Director of the Coalition for Networked Information (CNI) and an authority on learning, engagement and technology

Alison Head, acclaimed researcher on user experience, currently leading Project Information Literacy

Moderator: John Law, Vice President, Discovery Services, Serials Solutions

Register now for the inaugural Understanding the Next-Gen Webcast, sponsored by Serials Solutions, Thursday, June 4, 12:00 PM (noon) Eastern Daylight Time. If you can’t join us on June 4, register now and we’ll send you an email when the archive is ready to be viewed, at your convenience.”

Windows 7 Coming this Fall…06.03.09

The official release date for the Windows 7 operating system from Microsoft is October 22, 2009.

If you’re interested, you can read Windows 7 Versus Mac OS X Leopard: The Feature-by-Feature Showdown [Lifehacker Faceoff]

YouTubeXL Released today…06.02.09

YouTubeXL launched today.

Mashable! explains it this way:

“Although YouTube remains king of online video, competitors like Hulu and Boxee have brought quality video not only to the Web, but to the living room as well. What YouTube is releasing today is a very bold move to make their service a part of this experience as well, and it’s called YouTube XL.

YouTube XL, in a nutshell, is YouTube optimized for the TV. It is made to be simple to use and interact with on big screens. We’ve just been given an in-person demo at YouTube headquarters, and we have to tell you: the thing is slick. Interestingly enough, it looks and feels a lot like a DVD menu, which if you think about it, is an interface made specifically for the TV…”

FREE Webcast “Consider the Source: The Integrated Library System Marketplace”…06.02.09

Consider the Source: The Integrated Library System Marketplace

Sponsored by Polaris Library Systems. Starts June 16, 2009, Tuesday, 2:00-3:00 PM Eastern Daylight Time

When it comes to selecting an Integrated Library System (ILS), there are many factors to be considered with respect to both commercial and open source solutions. Customer support, third party integration, consortia concerns, underlying platform, and institutional stability are key parts of the equation. More than ever, libraries must consider the source of the software applications that keep all library resources accessible, manageable, and affordable, with the ILS at the center of its operations.

PANELISTS:

Ross McLachlan, Deputy Director, Technical Services, Phoenix Public Library (AZ) – McLachlan will discuss the library’s recent integrated library system conversion, and how Phoenix Public Library reached their selection decision. Phoenix Public Library is using application programming interfaces (API) to foster a Web 2.0 friendly environment for both its staff and patrons. In this environment, PPL is able to take advantage of open source applications and discovery level search tools such as Endeca which can enhance the library’s service and content management.

Jim Duncan, Director, Networking and Resource Sharing, Colorado State Library – Duncan will discuss the process being used by the state of Colorado in its investigation of the feasibility of a state-wide integrated library system. Categories of concern include support issues and funding sources. Concerns of existing consortia must also be considered. Proprietary/licensed and open source solutions are being reviewed, as is the success of several hybrid systems currently in operation.

Scott Reinhart, Assistant Director, Carroll County Public Library (MD) – Carroll County Public Library is currently in the process of reviewing both proprietary and open source integrated library system solutions. Reinhart will report on the findings, present an overview of ILS options for libraries today, and how to identify the right technology partners for your library.

Moderator: Josh Hadro, Technology Editor, Library Journal

The inaugural showing of Considering the Source: Integrating Library Systems, sponsored by Polaris Library Systems, is on Tuesday, June 16, 2:00-3:00 PM Eastern Daylight Time. If you can’t join us on June 16, register now and we’ll send you an email when the archive is ready to be viewed, at your convenience.

“Ask, The Libraries will Answer” – Spain’s New Multi-Lingual Virtual Reference Service…06.02.09

Thanks to the Biligual Librarian for this about Spain’s new online reference service:

“The Ministry of Culture and the Autonomous Communities in Spain have joined forces to offer a new online reference system called “Pregunte: Las Bibliotecas Responden” (Ask, The Libraries will Answer). The project’s goal is to answer questions through email, and virtual reference, in an effort to encourage the active use of local libraries and their services.

The services functions 24 hours a day, 365 days a year and librarians promise to respond to inquiries within 3 days. The site functions in Spanish, Catalan, Basque, Galician, and English…”

“Web 3.0 Concepts Explained in Plain English”…06.02.09

Thanks to David Feighan on his  Bibliothekia blog for pointing to “Web 3.0 Concepts Explained in Plain English (Presentations)”  from Amit Agarwal {see a couple of the presentations in the posts below}.

David Feighan relates:

“Like a lot of people, I am getting my head around Web 3.0 (a.k.a The Semantic Web) and what this will mean for libraries, their patrons, their collections, and the delivery of information…

So, for libraries who are starting to get their head around integrating Web 2.0 stuff like, patrons sharing tags and adding comments, or linking in with external social networking platforms; chop chop, there is no time to rest. The Semantic Web will be upon us before we know it (and as the semantic web has the potential to significantly improve the quality of searches through the linking and association of an object’s or concept’s attributes) this is something librarians really do need to understand…”

Web 3.0 explained with a stamp (pt I: the basics)

View more OpenOffice presentations from Freek Bijl.

Web 3.0 explained with a stamp (pt II: techniques)

View more OpenOffice presentations from Freek Bijl.

Web3.0

View more OpenOffice presentations from Johannes Bhakdi.

The Evolution of Web 3.0

View more Microsoft Word documents from Marta Strickland.

Essential FREE Windows Downloads…06.02.09

Check out the LifeHacker Pack 2009: Our List of Essential Free Windows Downloads post.  Once you have read the list and about the FREE downloads, you can take them up on the following offer:

“…Want to grab some or all of these applications at once to save a little time? We’ve created a Lifehacker Pack bundle that combines Phil Crosby‘s excellent InstallPad app and our own Lifehacker Pack as its default installation list.

To use it, download the Lifehacker Pack bundle, extract the two files from it into a folder or onto your desktop, and then run the InstallPad app; you’ll see our must-have list ready to download and install in a snap. You can un-check the apps you already have or don’t want, install apps individually, or mass install everything you’ve got checked with one click. We included everything in the InstallPad list except iTunes, Songbird, and the Mozy backup software; the former two because they’re somewhat of an either/or choice (at least in our list), and the latter because it requires a sign-up and registration to really install and use properly…”