The Hubble Ultra Deep Field in 3D – Must See Video…08.14.09

Library Goes Live With QR Codes…08.14.09

The Civil Librarian has posted about the Sacramento Public Library with their first application of QR Codes:

“Sacramento Public Library has ‘gone live’ with our first application of QR codes! This is a small one but I’m excited nonetheless because of the great potential that QR codes have in improving our services. On our library blog, Grand Central, we now have a QR code posted in the sidebar that, when scanned, will load the contact information for our SMS reference service directly into the user’s phone…”

Books In and Out of Copyright…08.13.09

From the FT article Books: A Plan to Scan

Library Patron to Patron Borrowing…08.13.09

Thanks to the Shaping Libraries posting Borrowing From Our Users to Fill #ILL Requests for this interesting concept:

“…When a user can’t find an item in our catalog they go to ILL. ILL then contacts various libraries to see if they would lend the item in question. What if ILL instead contacted local users who have volunteered their personal library “holdings” as potential lenders?

I am calling this Patron-to-Patron Lending. Here’s what it would look like: The loaning local user would bring their book to the ILL office. ILL would then check out the book for a typical checkout period to the borrowing local user. When finished with the item, the borrower would then return the book to the ILL office to be returned to the loaner.

The borrowing patron would never know their request was filled by a local user; ILL would be the full mediator of the exchange.

This could also have implications for items that we do own but are currently checked out. This could be a way to alleviate pressure on long queues for holds on popular items…”

New Book on Suffering and Evil…08.13.09

I can not remember ever reviewing books here but one that will be published by Random House under their Waterbrook Press imprint this September is something that stands out.  I could not put down a pre-publication sampling of the manuscript.  Whether or not you are a Christian or even believe in the existence of God, you will appreciate reading

From the publisher description:

“Every one of us will experience suffering. Many of us are experiencing it now. As we have seen in recent years, evil is real in our world, present and close to each one of us.

In such difficult times, suffering and evil beg questions about God–Why would an all-good and all-powerful God create a world full of evil and suffering? And then, how can there be a God if suffering and evil exist?

These are ancient questions, but also modern ones as well. Atheists such as Richard Dawkins, Christopher Hitchens, and even former believers like Bart Ehrman answer the question simply: The existence of suffering and evil proves there is no God…

As he did in his best-selling book, Heaven, Randy Alcorn delves deep into a profound subject…”

You can download the first two chapters FREE.

Wikipedia’s Diminishing Resources…08.13.09

The Guardian‘s article Wikipedia approaches its limits is excerpted here:

“…The website that has become one of the biggest open repositories of knowledge is due – within the next week or so – to hit the mark of 3m articles in English..During Wikipedia’s first burst of activity between 2004 and 2007, the number of active users on the site rocketed from just a few thousand to more than 300,000…

However, statistics released by the site’s analytics team suggest Wikipedia’s explosive growth is all but finished. The quickening pace that helped the site reach the 2m article milestone just 17 months after breaking the 1m barrier suddenly evaporated: adding the next million has taken nearly two years. While the encyclopedia is still growing overall, the number of articles being added has reduced from an average of 2,200 a day in July 2007 to around 1,300 today.

Elsewhere, the number of active Wikipedians (those contributing to the site in some way) now comes in at just under 500,000. That is a 61% increase in the past two years; hardly shabby, but nowhere near the increases seen in the past. At the same time, however, the base of highly active editors (who contribute new words to the project and marshall the billions of pieces of information the site contains) has remained more or less static…”

Facebook Impact on U.S. Online Market…08.13.09

OPALescence: A Free Online Library Conference for Everyone – Starts Today at 12 Noon EDT…08.13.09

Thursday and Friday, August 13 and 14, 2009 beginning both days 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 Everyone

Has 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 everyone. We’re planning a series of interesting and informative presentations and discussions spread over a two-day period.

Host: TAP Information Services

This is a free conference, but please Register:tinyURL.com/N4JMV7

Schedule of Events: OPALEescence Conference Schedule

Sony E-Reader Signs Library Marketing Deal With Leading Global Distributor of E-Books…08.13.09

Overdrive’s press release states:

“OverDrive (www.overdrive.com), the leading global digital distributor of eBooks and audiobooks to libraries, announced today a joint marketing agreement with Sony Electronics, Inc., developer of the Sony Reader Digital Book (www.sony.com/reader).  OverDrive and Sony will cross-market OverDrive’s library network and the Reader, the leading eBook device that is compatible with industry standard eBook formats offered by libraries.

Thousands of libraries in the OverDrive network  (http://search.overdrive.com) offer eBooks compatible with the Sony Reader.  Users simply browse or search their library website, check out their selected eBook with a valid library card, and download to a PC.  Once downloaded, the eBook may then be transferred to the Sony Reader via free Adobe Digital Editions software.

‘Sony Reader customers will benefit from a whole new world of eBooks when they find and use the download services at their public library,’ said David Burleigh, OverDrive’s Director of Marketing. ‘We’re excited to spread the word about downloads as well as our service’s compatibility with one of the leading eBook reading devices on the market today.’

‘Because our Reader supports industry standard formats, we can continue to surprise and delight our customers with new options for premium content,’ said Bob Nell, director of business development for Sony’s Digital Reading Business Division. ‘The library is a great way to experience your perennial favorites as well as new releases and best sellers for free’…”

NEW – “Social Gadgets for iGoogle”…08.12.09

TOMORROW – OPALescence: FREE Online Library Conference…08.12.09

OPALescence

Thursday, August 13, 2009

Noon Eastern Time, 11 a.m. Central, 10 Mountain, 9 Pacific, and 4 p.m. GMT:

Opening Keynote: The Future of User Experience in Libraries
Speaker: Nate Bolt
The User Experience (UX) primarily involves the experience of the library user, drawing from the successes and failures of human-to-technology interface design. Usability, aesthetics, community, collections and customer service are the key tenants of this user-centric service initiative. But you don’t have to have a huge staff or big tech budget. UX Expert, Nate Bolt shares ideas for free and easy Library UX improvements.
Location: Rialto

1 p.m. Eastern Time, noon Central, 11 a.m. Mountain, 10 Pacific, and 5 p.m. GMT:

Topic: Librarians in Virtual Environments: From Classrooms to Communities
Speaker: Alison Miller
Libraries and librarians have made great progress in engaging in virtual environments. We are often the first to try new things: technology, social media/networks, enhanced services, etc. Alison will share ideas and examples of successful engagement along with areas identified as needing improvement.
Location: Rialto

Unconference Session: Discuss the topics and trends you want!
Discussion Facilitator: Joshua Neff

Location: Strand

2 p.m. Eastern Time, 1 Central, noon Mountain, 11 a.m. Pacific and 6 p.m. GMT: One-Hour Break Time!

3 p.m. Eastern Time, 2 Central, 1 Mountain, noon Pacific, and 7 p.m. GMT:

Topic: Collaboration 2.0
Speaker: Robin Hastings
Join Robin in a discussion of the use of cloud computing tools (Google’s Apps, Blogs, Wikis & other social networking sites) as they are being used in libraries. Learn real-world uses of these tools and discover other ways that libraries could make use of free, easy-to-use cloud computing resources.
Location: Rialto

Unconference Session: Building a Learning Culture
Discussion Facilitators: Cindi Hickey, Brenda Hough, Stephanie Gerding, Betha Gutsche, Kim Priest
Location: Strand

4 p.m. Eastern Time, 3 Central, 2 Mountain, 1 Pacific, and 8 p.m. GMT:

Topic: Erin’s Hour of Awesomeness: Best Practices for Web 2.0 in Schools
Speaker: Erin Downey Howerton
Find out what Web 2.0 tools are being used by teachers around the world to pump up their lesson plans, and what learning institutions can do to help them succeed.
Location: Rialto

Unconference Session: Discuss the topics and trends you want!
Discussion Facilitator: Kaijsa Calkins
Location: Strand

Friday, August 14, 2009

Noon Eastern Time, 11 a.m. Central, 10 Mountain, 9 Pacific, and 4 p.m. GMT:

Topic: Listening to the Future of Reading: Readers’ Advisory and Audio Books
Speaker: Kaite Stover
Audiobooks have been steadily increasing in circulation for many libraries in the past five years. Patrons are beginning to demand certain titles in audio and library staff need to know how to suggest titles to avid listeners. Learn how to employ standard readers’ advisory training to promote titles to library patrons, including “how to listen to a book in fifteen minutes.”
Location: Rialto

Unconference Session: Discuss the topics and trends you want!
Discussion Facilitator: Joe Kraus
Location: Strand

1 p.m. Eastern Time, noon Central, 11 a.m. Mountain, 10 Pacific, and 5 p.m. GMT:

Topic: How American Libraries Are Using Web 2.0 Tools for Marketing
Speaker: Curtis Rogers
Location: Rialto

Unconference Session: Discuss the topics and trends you want!
Discussion Facilitator: Kendra Levine
Location: Strand

2 p.m. Eastern Time, 1 Central, noon Mountain, 11 a.m. Pacific, and 6 p.m. GMT: One-Hour Break Time!

3 p.m. Eastern Time, 2 Central, 1 Mountain, noon Pacific, and 7 p.m. GMT:

Topic: Beyond the Basics: Training for Technological Fluency
Speaker: Brenda Hough
Are you offering technology training for staff and patrons? Join this discussion to share ideas and interactive techniques to address varying skill levels, adapt to multiple learning styles, and deliver technology with greater impact. Provide opportunities for learners to develop skills that will help them adapt and succeed tomorrow as well as meet their needs today.
Location: Rialto

Unconference Session: Discuss the topics and trends you want!
Discussion Facilitator: Michelle Boule
Location: Strand

4 p.m. Eastern Time, 3 Central, 2 Mountain, 1 Pacific, and 8 p.m. GMT:

Closing Keynote: Networking Library Services: A Glimpse at the Future–Moving Library Management Services to Web-Scale
Speaker: Andrew Pace
In April, OCLC announced a strategy to create the first Web-scale, cooperative library management service, extending WorldCat Local to include delivery and circulation, print and electronic acquisitions, and license management. This highly scalable service will allow libraries to preserve the core functionality they require to manage their collections while also creating a platform on which they can better manage and evolve library workflows. Moreover, the service-oriented architecture will allow libraries to interoperate more easily with other local business process systems. Andrew Pace will give a summary of the effort, highlighting key milestones for the project and the opportunities for positive change in libraries.
Location: Rialto

Declaration of Intent – Blogging Clarification…08.12.09

As noted in the “About” page of the Proverbial Lone Wolf Librarian blog:

“…I will post to this site a running commentary on my solo librarian ‘…experiences setting up a library from scratch…and on a shoestring budget’ along with relevant links and posts from others that I find helpful in my position and in keeping me current with the state of librarianship. [This is a non-commercial, personal blog not associated with my employer.]…”

New E-Reader Steps into the E-Book Fray…08.12.09

Yesterday I tweeted about a post from engadget titled Astak’s $199 EZ Reader Pocket PRO Wants to Give Kindle a ‘run for its money‘ about yet another new e-reader vying for the e-book market:

Last we heard from Astak, it was quietly peddling some off-the-wall Mentor e-book reader based on adrab OEM model that every other no-name reader manufacturer uses. Now, however, it seems the company has a bit more pep in its step (though it’s still copying others, this time the BeBook), as it has proudly proclaimed that the new 5-inch EZ Reader Pocket PRO is primed to ‘give Amazon’s Kindle a run for its money.’ With Adobe’s blessing, the device is able to support over 20 open file formats along with DRM-laced PDF files; also of note, a sure-to-be-controversial text-to-speech feature can read back documents aloud…”

Recordr…Record Yourself Live With a Microphone and a Web Cam…08.12.09

Thanks to Jane’s E-Learning Pick of the Day for pointing out Recordr:

“Odyssey”- FREE Interlibrary Loan Software…08.11.09

Thanks to Planet Cataloging for pointing out the FREE Odyssey ILL software from Atlas Systems, Inc.:

“The Odyssey software allows sites to send and receive electronic documents to other Odyssey sites, OCLC ILLiad sites, and other vendor’s software that supports the Odyssey protocol.

Odyssey was designed with low cost, ease of use, and network security in mind. The software is a client/server application which allows the processing application to be split off from the delivery service function. This controls cost by allowing sites to expand by just adding the processing functionality to additional machines. It helps with network security by allowing the delivery service function of the software to be run o..n a server/workstation that may or may not be located in the ILL office…”

Did I mention it was FREE?

Download your FREE copy of Odyssey!

Library Director’s Good Use of YouTube – The Monday Minute…08.11.09

Bad Leaders Stifle Dissent…08.11.09

Here is part of a great post from Ed Batista titled Bad Leader! Stifling Dissent which is worth reviewing for library leaders or potential leaders:

“…Today Bret [Simmons] has a great post on how bad leaders stifle dissent:

1) Your people never see you say no.  You never disagree or challenge the people you work for, so your people never learn from you how to do this with purpose.  You send the very clear message that “no” is not acceptable around here.

2) People that have told you no are gone.  You have systematically removed from your inner circle everyone that disagreed or challenged your policies and decisions.  But that’s ok, because everyone knows they were not team players, or were disloyal or disrespectful.  This is the rhetoric of conformity and exclusion.

I’d add a third behavior to this list: Failing to accept differences of opinion and pushing beyond a reasonable point to obtain uniform public agreement.  Your people don’t feel free to voice disagreement because you hound them until they change their mind (or at least that’s what they appear to be doing.)…”

Google Launches “Caffeine”…08.11.09

PC World reported today:

“Google is rolling out new ‘under-the-hood’ search technology, codenamed ‘Caffeine,’ that could change how your company ranks in its search results. For those businesses that live-and-die based on Google-generated traffic, this is potentially a very big deal.

In a blog post announcing the project, Google suggested that Caffeine could change search results, which raises the prospect of companies’ needing to change their search engine optimization (SEO) to protect their Google ranking.

It is unclear at this point whether Caffeine will be more or less amiable to the magic worked by SEO practitioners, whose mysterious art is aimed at winning the coveted first page of Google results for keyword searches of interest to their client.

It’s probably too early to make changes, but web developers and others with SEO interests are doubtless already running searches using their existing keywords to see what changes appear in their rankings.

This also means a field day for those selling quick fixes that will supposedly give companies a top Google ranking. There’s nothing quite like something most people don’t understand, but that can dramatically effect your business, to give some people anxiety…”

You can read the Google blog about “Caffeine” which says:

“…For the last several months, a large team of Googlers has been working on a secret project: a next-generation architecture for Google’s web search. It’s the first step in a process that will let us push the envelope on size, indexing speed, accuracy, comprehensiveness and other dimensions. The new infrastructure sits ‘under the hood’ of Google’s search engine, which means that most users won’t notice a difference in search results. But web developers and power searchers might notice a few differences, so we’re opening up a web developer preview to collect feedback…”

Libraries and QR Codes…08.11.09

(QR Code for the Lone Wolf Librarian blog)

There hasn’t been much discussion of libraries and QR codes lately but today there is a good post from the Emily Brown, Outreach Librarian at Northeastern State University, Muskogee campus, on her blog brownez@thelibrary titled Tuesday Two.Oh! Tools for Advertising which is excerpted here:

“…We will actually be taking a look at two sites today, both of which are easy to use and easy to navigate. So, get out those cell phones and let’s start talking QR Codes…

I was introduced to this technology by an innovative librarian at the University of Central Oklahoma, Amanda Lemon. Amanda and Jason Cimock (also of UCO) presented at this years COIL workshop, unCOILed. They spoke about mobile phones in the classroom, and their presentation can be found here. Part of the presentation focused on todays tool, QR Codes. It’s a very interesting presentation, and if you have time, I suggest that you take a look.

On to the tools! The first tool we’ll be taking a look at is Mircosoft Tag Beta…

There are a lot of potential uses for this technology.

To be fair, there are a lot of code creations sites out there. Spend a little time on Google and you’ll find a site that fits your needs. With that in mind, let’s look at another code creation option. Q-Lytics…”

Of course, Europeans seem to be more committed to QR Codes as this video will attest:

What’s the Point of a Having a Great User Interface If Your Library Collection Sucks?…08.10.09

This is a great question regarding catalogs (or catalogues for our Canadian and Brit friends), OPACs, SOPACs, web user design experience work, etc. posed by The Cataloguing Librarian from her posting today Interesting Conversation: Great Catalogues, Poor Collections:

“…Social catalogues will finally allow those hidden gems in our collection to be discovered so that users can find what is relevant to them. Imbedded read-a-likes based on user borrowing patterns and user-generated reading recommendations may, at least, satisfy users’ needs while they wait 6 months for (for example) that new James Patterson novel. These new catalogues will (or will in the near future) allow social interaction at the community level which will allow readers to recommend books to each other while they wait on the holds list. It will also allow aquisitions to examine where they need to grow the collection and what our readers want.

This is a point that I don’t think many of us have considered while so much attention is being placed on next generation catalogues – will these catalogues that allow for exploration and discovery reveal that our collections are not as good as we think they are? What happens when our catalogues grow in popularity and discoverability only to reveal that our collections can’t fulfill our users’ needs?“

OPALescence: A Free Online Library Conference This Week for Everyone…08.10.09

Thursday and Friday, August 13 and 14, 2009 beginning both days 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 Everyone

Has 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 everyone. We’re planning a series of interesting and informative presentations and discussions spread over a two-day period.

Host: TAP Information Services

This is a free conference, but please Register:tinyURL.com/N4JMV7

Schedule of Events: OPALEescence Conference Schedule

Public Library Marketing Campaign…08.10.09

Although I don’t presently work in a public library, it was good to see such a library have a coordinated marketing or “awareness” plan so I here is a link to the Jacksonville Public Library’s recent marketing plan for review and reference which includes radio, TV, billboard, and internet marketing, including social media. This was highlighted in the NEFLIN blog today.

Library Digital User Experience Briefs…08.10.09

David Lee King posted today a very useful post titled Writing an Experience Brief excerpted here for further review:

“…First of all – what exactly is an Experience Brief? It’s related to the Creative Brief, from marketing land. A Creative Brief is used to succinctly describe all the stuff the creative group plans to do to promote a new product. An experience brief uses that same concept … but helps define the experiences a customer should experience while using your website…”

Is Amazon’s Kindle in Danger of Becoming the 21st Century Betamax?…08.10.09

(Sony’s first Betamax video recorder)

An article in today’s Wall Street Journal - Kindle in danger of becoming a Betamax – excerpted below explains how Amazon is facing stiff competition quickly:

“…Amazon’s competitors, after fumbling around like the Washington Nationals for the past couple of years, are starting to get their act together. They’re moving towards a shared e-book format, called ePub, that’s different from the one on the Kindle.

And Allen Weiner, an expert on the e-book business at the technology consultancy Gartner, Inc., says he knows other manufacturers are poised to launch new reading devices with Kindle-style 3-G wireless connections. Some may be announced as early as the next few weeks, he says…”

Maybe it’s a good thing I have waited to get an e-reader…time will tell.

Using the GALILEO Toolbar…08.10.09

This Galileo toolbar looks pretty nice – worth a look:

Netflix- Culture of Success…08.10.09

This presentation from Netflix is worth reviewing:

“Virtual Bookplates”…08.10.09

This post Virtual Bookplates post from the Libology blog discusses an interesting topic:

“With our increasing reliance on electronic record keeping, especially online records, it makes a lot of sense to consider the use of virtual bookplates for those items which would normally have a printed label affixed within the book:

• An item with a Virtual Bookplate from the University of Florida Smathers Libraries, which utilizes an 856 MARC field link to the virtual bookplate.
• A search box on their Donor web page gives donors (and others) an easy way to locate the donated items.
• The virtual bookplate for the item.
• A presentation on Slideshare (14 slides) providing an overview of their process…”

Digital Reference In Academic Libraries…08.10.09

From the Digital Reference post Presentation at Princeton:

“…I hope that I succeeded in my talk in focusing on four key points:

1. For a variety of reasons, IM software (and widgets) are more popular than ever among libraries that want to offer synchronous online reference, as new digital reference services are launched using IM (as opposed to using web chat clients from QuestionPoint, Altarama, etc.) and other libraries (like Temple) are moving to drop their longstanding subscriptions to web chat software.
2. The last few years have seen an explosion of new ways to communicate online with our patrons; pilot projects to try out these new tools and see what works are flowering everywhere. Some tools and technologies that either just launched this year or will very soon (such as Google Wave) are worth keeping an eye on, as they might expand the ways that we our patrons can reach us and enrich reference interactions.
3. Collaborative reference services continue to grow and offer an institution a viable alternative to trying to staff an online reference alone.
4. We need to find more ways to expose reference work to raise the profile of all our reference services. Much as Lorcan Dempsey has suggested we need to make (library) data work harder, we also need to make the traces of reference transactions work harder by repurposing and reusing them in various ways…”

Networking – How to Work a Crowd…08.09.09

Rules for “Friending” Employees…08.07.09

There is a very interesting and potentially “useful” post on MakeUseOf.com today titled Friending Your Employees: What Are the Rules? excerpted here to pique your thoughts:

“…What benefits could there be from friending employees? Social media’s great strength is building connections and sharing information, no matter where you are…It’s also a faster way to disseminate information to others.

What drawbacks could there be from friending employees? You could quickly learn about things you never wanted to know, and vice-versa…

What’s considered ‘safe’? It’s fine to interact with employees (and bosses, board members, and potential clients) on professional social networks, primarily LinkedIn.

And Twitter? Should I follow my employees? Unless the person has a private Twitter account, it’s not generally a problem. In fact, this may be the best way to get to know an employee outside of work without violating his or her privacy. And your tweets will hopefully provide some insight or even lessons to your team. Yes, there have been incidents like ‘Cisco Fatty,’ where a 22 year old lost a job offer via Twitter, but these instances are very rare.

How about Facebook and MySpace? These are the tricky ones. For many, these are personal and private accounts that provide a looking glass into aspects close to him or her. Because of that, my personal suggestion is to ask before friending on these social networks. There are benefits to a closer relationship with your staff, but don’t invade their privacy or make them feel uncomfortable by friending out of the blue. If you’re still unsure, I highly recommend a CNN/CareerBuilder article on the subject.

So what should my ground rule be? Have a point to your social media friending… .Be respectful of privacy, don’t say anything you wouldn’t want your mom to hear, and ask when you’re unsure, and you should navigate the waters of personal social media use just fine…”