Empowering Library Users to Work with Digital Media…12.11.09

Pew Research Focus on Millennials…12.11.09

From Pew Research:

“…America’s newest generation, the Millennials,¹ is in the middle of this coming-of-age phase of its life cycle. Its oldest members are approaching age 30; its youngest are approaching adolescence.

Who are they? How are they different from — and similar to — their parents? How is their moment in history shaping them? And how might they, in turn, reshape America in the decades ahead?

The Pew Research Center will try to answer these questions through a yearlong series of original reports that explore the behaviors, values and opinions of today’s teens and twenty-somethings.

Even without further research, we already know a few big things about the Millennials.

• They are the most ethnically and racially diverse cohort of youth in the nation’s history. Among those ages 13 to 29: 18.5% are Hispanic; 14.2% are black; 4.3% are Asian; 3.2% are mixed race or other; and 59.8%, a record low, are white.
• They are starting out as the most politically progressive age group in modern history. In the 2008 election, Millennials voted for Barack Obama over John McCain by 66%-32%, while adults ages 30 and over split their votes 50%-49%. In the four decades since the development of Election Day exit polling, this is the largest gap ever seen in a presidential election between the votes of those under and over age 30.
• They are the first generation in human history who regard behaviors like tweeting and texting, along with websites like Facebook, YouTube, Google and Wikipedia, not as astonishing innovations of the digital era, but as everyday parts of their social lives and their search for understanding.
• They are the least religiously observant youths since survey research began charting religious behavior.
• They are more inclined toward trust in institutions than were either of their two predecessor generations — Gen Xers (who are now ages 30 to 45) and Baby Boomers (now ages 46 to 64) when they were coming of age…”

What Seniors Do Online…12.11.09

Get Legislators in Your Library…12.10.09

Real Time Web is Not Fast Enough…12.10.09

From Jeremiah Owyang:

“…Real time data is exploding at a rapid pace with the influx of status features and mobile devices.  This brings new opportunities for people to get information when they need it and opportunities and the companies that want to provide contextual information.  Yet, despite the opportunities, most companies are unable to keep up with the ‘Slow time’ web as it is.  In fact, those that can’t keep up risk missing opportunities, or worse –heading off detractors before they become mainstream.  To best leverage real time data, companies must adopt three strategies:  1) Start listening now, and quickly offer social personalization features, 2) Develop an unpaid army of advocates who can respond when you’re not there, and 3) Start to invest in systems –like social CRM– that can support their overall strategy…”

Twitter at Your Library…12.10.09

New Guide to Using Web 2.0 in Libraries…12.10.09

Every American 34 Gigabytes a Day…12.10.09

From Libraries to Lifebraries…12.10.09

The Virtual Private Library and Deep Web…12.09.09

Google Goggles – Visual Search…12.09.09

Crowdsourcing for Libraries…12.09.09

FREE Webinar – “The Future of Libraries, Books, and Reading”…12.09.09

From OPAL (Online Programming for all Libraries):

Wednesday, December 16, 2009 at 2:00 p.m. Eastern Time, 1:00 Central, noon Mountain, 11:00 a.m. Pacific, and 7:00 p.m. GMT:

FiLBeRt Roundtable Discussion: The Future of Libraries, Books, and Reading 

The shared futures of libraries, books, and reading seem very hazy at present. Join us for a monthly, lively, informal discussion of new developments, challenges, and opportunities. It’ll be a roundtable, so everyone is welcome to chime in. If it’s a FiLBeRt discussion, it’s going to be nutty! 

Host: TAP Information Services 

Location: OPAL Auditorium

“A Day in the INTERNET”…12.09.09

Public Library Information Literacy…12.08.09

The Content Pyramid…12.08.09

From The Content Pyramid

Google’s NEW Real Time Search…12.07.09

Marketing of Digital Libraries…12.07.09

Academic Library Social Media Training Plan…12.07.09

The “Social Media Training Plan” from Bryan Carnes, Roen Janyk, and Erin Rickbeil provides an detailed 8-week plan for teaching social media in academic libraries.

Inkmesh – E-Book Search Engine…12.07.09

Inkmesh is an e-book search enging so you can “Find FREE ebooks and compare ebook prices for the Kindle, iPhone, Nook, Sony Reader and more.”

Nook E-Reader Reviews…12.07.09

Here is an overview of Nook e-reader reviews excerpted from Nook Review Roundup:

“…The grand conclusion after factoring in every nook review and every nook vs kindle comparison seems to be -

1. Things aren’t perfect and they aren’t bad. The Nook has significant pros and significant cons and its a good competitor for the Kindle.
2. The Nook is slow and the lack of speed is it’s main flaw. B&N blame Android 1.5 and promise to fix the speed issue with a January software update. 
3. Averaging out reactions gives the Kindle a slight edge. 

Let’s dig deeper into each nook review and after that we’ll go over the Nook speed problem and all the pros and cons.  

What does each Nook review conclude on Nook Vs Kindle?

1. Technologizer Nook Review – They recommend delaying your decision since Nook isn’t available for Christmas and needs to get the January software update to fix its issues so it can trump the Kindle. 
2. Engadget Nook Reader Review – Feel the Nook doesn’t fulfill its potential. 
3. Slashgear Nook Reader Review – Very pro-Nook and pick it as the best eReader. They state the UI as the Nook’s biggest advantage (Yup, it is strange they’d pick the one element every other reviewer thinks is a weakness). 
4. Gizmodo Nook Review – ‘if you have to pick one, stick with the Kindle’.
5. Bloomberg – It sort of says the Nook’s slow speed kills it. However, it concludes that a multi-purpose device will kill dedicated eReaders.

Average out these reactions and the Kindle holds the edge – you might want to dig into a deeper Nook Vs Kindle comparison post…”

Here is a Nook Review on video:

Google Wants QR Codes (2D barcodes) to Be Mainstream in America…12.07.09

Excerpted from TechCrunch post See That Funny 2D Barcode In The Store Window? It Might Pull Up A Google Listing:

“…Google has mailed out window stickers with two-dimensional bar codes (aka, QR codes) to the most-searched for or clicked-on businesses in its local business directory. Anyone with a QR code reader in their phone can scan it to call up a Google Mobile local directory page for one of these ‘Favorite Places,’ which generally includes a map, phone number, directions, address, reviews, and a link to the store’s website. (It’s a mobile version of Google Places).

Local businesses can also set up coupon offers through their Google directory page, which would turn the QR code into a mobile coupon, and help entice someone standing outside a store to come in: ‘If you found us on Google, you get 20% off.’

Japan is already QR-crazy. Google wants the U.S. to be next. In conjunction with the QR code sticker roll-out, Google is also giving away 40,000 Quickmark QR Code Reader apps for the iPhone, which normally cost $1.99 apiece. But you can use any QR code reader. There are a bunch of free ones, some on Android phones as well.

There are now over a million local businesses which have claimed their Google local listing, up from a few hundred thousand last summer. If these QR code stickers become popular in the U.S., it could encourage more small businesses to claim their listings and give Google cleaner data…”

Finding the Best E-Reader…12.06.09

The Hyperlinked Library…12.06.09

How to Measure Social Media ROI (Return on Investment) — for Libraries…12.05.09

Map of Wikipedia Article-Density By Nation…12.05.09

 

From Map of Wikipedia Article-Density By Nation

Social Web Involvement Infographic…12.05.09

From Global Web Index:

“…• The social web is mass market: Hundreds of millions of web users are creating and sharing content every month
• The massive impact of China: The vast Internet population coupled with hugely socially active set of web users, makes for a massive volume of content creators. However due to the inward looking nature of Chinas internet economy combined with the language mean that this volume of content does not impact the broader Internet
• Low engagement in Japan: We also associate Japan with technology innovation, and actual while you might not think it, the low engagement is indicative of progress. Why? Our map shows PC activity and we know from this research that a huge number of Japanese users are bypassing PC altogether and using mobile devices to access social platforms and create and share content. Just over 34% of social network users only accessed through mobile in the month of the research, this is compared to 3% in the UK, a staggering indication of where the future is heading
• The low level of microblog engagement: Despite the Twitter hype, microblogging is still not a mass social activity and nowhere near the size and scale of blogging…”

New e-Readers…12.05.09

Excerpted from new eReaders – Digibook eReader, Pocketbook 901:

“…Digibook ADB 106 eReader

Ambiance Technology of Netherlands announced the Digibook ADB-106 eReaderwith these specifications (see the flyer on your kindle - at-digibook) -

Display – 6 Inches Electronic Paper Display
Resolution – 600×800 pixel (16bit Greyscale )
Processor – Samsung Arm 9 Core
Operating System – Linux 2.6
RAM Memory – 64MB SDRAM
Battery – 900mAh Li-ion Battery
I/O – High Speed USB 2.0
Expandable Memory – SD Card/ MMC
Text Format – TXT, PDF, EPUB, RTF, TCR, PDB, PRC,MOBI, OPF, OEB,HTM, HTML, CHM,FB2, DJVU, IW44, IW4, DJV
Supported Audio – MP3 (32kbps-384kbps)
Supported Image – JPEG, PNG, TIF, GIF, BMP
Languages Supported – English, German, French, Spanish, Dutch,Portuguese, Italian, Russian
Dimension – 178(L) x 128.4 (W) x 9.9(H) mm
Weight – 228g

PocketBook 901

PocketBook 901 has a 9.7″ plastic eInk screen and goes on sale in early 2010. The large screen size and the flexible screen seem to be the big selling points.

Here are more details -

Uses a flexible plastic screen that is resistant to shock and bending.

Light weight of only 350 grams.

Small size – Dimensions of 24.02 × 18.07 × 1.1 cm. 

Flexible plastic screen is 9.7 inches.

Slot for an SD-card reader;

Availability of dictionaries. 

High-capacity rechargeable battery;

Ability to simultaneously store up to 10 000 books in memory and map the device

 More details at this translated page.

Scan eReader

Scan 5″ eReader from Scan.co.uk - 155 pounds (on sale for a few days) and includes ePub, PDF and Doc support.  The details -

Media Format Supported: TEXT: TXT, HTXT, HTML, PDF, EPUB, DOC
Audio: MP3/WMA/WAV Sound and Speakers too.
Image: JPG, TIF, BMP, PNG, GIF
Background Music.
Screen: 5″ 800×600 Hi-Res Monochrome Screen.
Memory: 4Gb Memory with SD Card.

To see more of the various eReaders that are available please check out myElectronic Book Reader landscape post…”

Library Lens On New Technologies…12.05.09

Google Wants To Speed Up Your Internet…Free…12.04.09