Neal-Schuman Library Technology Companion

Why Is Sharing So Much Harder Than Selling?

2012-01-04T12:11:00.000-05:00

Barbara Fister has a provocative post on her Library Babel Fish blog at Inside Higher Ed -- see http://www.insidehighered.com/blogs/why-sharing-so-much-harder-selling -- that looks at how libraries have been bypassed as information providers. We have all the stuff, but we have issues with being able to share it as broadly as Amazon and Google can, and we also have a huge marketing gap that keeps people from knowing what we actually have. Her analysis of the expenses of accessing materials through libraries and through these providers is very interesting.

The Good, the Bad, and the Sexy: Our Espresso Book Machine Experience « The Scholarly Kitchen

2011-08-05T08:44:00.001-04:00

The Good, the Bad, and the Sexy: Our Espresso Book Machine Experience « The Scholarly Kitchen - a reflection on one academic library's use of an Expresso Book Machine, that gives you the potential of accessing three million digital titles and printing them out quickly on demand. Both that number and the adjective "quickly" come with asterisks, but it's interesting to contemplate what my library (and yours) would look like with one of these on hand.

Automated underground library storage - cool!

2011-05-31T16:18:00.001-04:00

Take a look at this YouTube video "The Joe and Rika Mansueto Library: How It Works" to see a way to store books beneath a library and retrieve them on request for patrons. And there's a cool dome to study in! It's another approach to focusing on public space, moving collections out of the center, beyond the removal of physical items and replacing them with digital versions. Very interesting.

SXSW 2011: The Year of the Librarian - The Atlantic

2011-03-23T14:00:00.000-04:00

Here's a great post from the blog on The Atlantic's site about the South by Southwest Conference - it features a quote from Justine Grimes that I loved: "'Librarians are the boots on the ground,' Grimes told me. 'We don't care what the tech is, we care about what the user actually needs. That's our mandate.'"

SXSW 2011: The Year of the Librarian - The Atlantic

E-Book Lending Clubs | ALA TechSource

2011-02-25T12:14:00.001-05:00

This development fascinates me (both the Amazon decision to allow Kindle users to lend books to one another and the growth of these lending exchanges) - see a list of E-Book Lending Clubs (from ALA TechSource). The downside for libraries is still that you can only lend a title you own once (forever, apparently). Otherwise, I wondered if joining one of these services might be a way to share the Kindle books we've purchased with our patrons (and a larger set of patrons) who might not have Kindles, but would have Kindle apps on their mobile devices, Macs, and PCs. Well, still waiting for the world to change. 8-)

Just the books, m'am

2010-10-25T20:23:00.000-04:00

Thanks to Bernie Sloan on the LITA-L list:

"From the Wall Street Journal:

"In this suburb of St. Paul, the new library branch has no librarians, no card
catalog and no comfortable chairs in which to curl up and read. Instead, the
Library Express is a stack of metal lockers outside city hall. When patrons
want a book or DVD, they order it online and pick it up from a digitally
locked, glove-compartment- sized cubby a few days later."

Full text: http://bit.ly/dij9y8"

It's an interesting way to provide library service, or at least the basics of supply and demand of materials. It's not the whole picture of libraries by any means, but it might have a place in giving access to materials in a place that can't support a full branch.

Technology explained in plain English

2010-10-04T10:37:00.000-04:00

If you haven't seen these before on YouTube or elsewhere, let me recommend these technology videos from Common Craft. They give very straightforward, visually interesting introductions to a variety of technologies "In Plain English."

Microfilm? Really?

2010-09-17T17:15:00.001-04:00

Does Analog Still Matter? - Here's a vendor site endorsing archiving digital materials in microfilm. Microfilm is not that popular these days, mainly because it's not as flexible or efficient as full-text documents are for searching and retrieval.

That being said, microfilm does last, without the issues digital information can have of needing to change storage media (magnetic media doesn't last forever) and retrieval equipment as technology advances.

It's been interesting reading responses to a posting of this announcement in some library lists. One of these, by Laval Hunsucker on the NGC4LIB list, offers an interesting perspective, and some great examples, on an even longer lasting medium: paper.

Obsolete Skills - searching a card catalog

2010-07-28T13:00:00.000-04:00

Sad (in some ways), but true, the act of searching a card catalog is an obsolete skill. I love the mention of using the rods for swordplay. Here's a short article on card catalogs for the uninitiated at LISWiki.

Of course, whenever I see a technology dying, I know that there are still people using it somewhere in this wide world. Anyone out there know of one? I knew of a couple in public libraries in the greater Cincinnati area that were still in place, and I can imagine some smaller collections (or some larger catalogs that were maintained up to the point that an online catalog was added and still sit in a library - the University of Michigan just did away with one in their graduate library back in February).

Futures and trends in academic libraries (with technology in mind)

2010-06-25T14:34:00.000-04:00

Here are two academic-library-minded items that speak to (1) trends in current library activities and (2) 26 possible scenarios for academic libraries' future. As you might imagine, they both lean heavily on technology.

2010 top ten trends in academic libraries [College & Research Libraries News] lists one trend specifically noting technology ("Technology will continue to change services and required skills") and yet most of the remaining trends reflect changes in publishing and research methods, our conception of the library as place, librarian skill sets, budget demands, etc., are all impacted by technology.

'Futures Thinking for Academic Librarians: Higher Education in 2025,' a report from ACRL, posits 26 possible scenarios for where academic libraries will stand in 2025. It was written by David Staley, a historian at Ohio State University, and Kara Malefant of ACRL, and was based on a survey of ACRL members. The future could be rather dark for libraries in two of the scenarios, one in which libraries are all but extinct, and another where librarians no longer earn tenure (which is already true in a number of settings). Other alterations would have huge impacts, but have more positive outcomes. There is also a brief podcast on the 33 page report at the link above.

I am intrigued to study these suggested futures and ongoing trends to see how well they fit what we're doing in our library and how we're envisioning the future. It's interesting to learn from the perspectives of others.

#Ask4stuff via twitter from WorldCat

2010-06-25T09:26:00.001-04:00

From Bill Drew, writing at Baby Boomer Librarian, I learned this morning about a new Twitter-based service that queries the WorldCat database (see #Ask4stuff via twitter from WorldCat. Sending tweets with the tag #Ask4stuff followed by one or several search terms will return a link to results in WorldCat. You can also specify that the results come from a WorldCat Local instance. This has some real possibilities.

Swiss Army Librarian � Staff Technology Competencies :: Brian Herzog

2010-06-17T09:08:00.000-04:00

Here's a link to a blog post by Brian Herzog - Swiss Army Librarian � Staff Technology Competencies - that describes a model for identifying and listing core technology competencies for library staff at three levels: basic, intermediate, and advanced (which correspond to types of positions within the library). I think this is a useful approach to identify specific skills that each library position should be able to complete. It can then be used to focus training, or to identify where individuals fit into a library organization based on their skill sets.

Why E-Books Failed In 2000, And What It Means For 2010

2010-03-22T12:06:00.000-04:00

An article by Michael Mace from Business Insider, Why E-Books Failed In 2000, And What It Means For 2010, looks at the current state of e-books and e-book devices in light of earlier failures. It's a very useful listing of the economic and behavior barriers that have kept e-books from taking off thus far, along with Mace's suggestions on what has changed and what issues still remain. Great for getting to the heart of this enduring issues for authors, publishers, the reading public, and, of course, libraries.

Taking it to them

2010-03-12T11:21:00.000-05:00

Here's a recent post from the 21st Century Library blog that touches on both library staff competencies and how library services are impacted by generational technology competencies. In particular, I think it makes a good case that one of the technology skills we all need is the ability to keep learning about technologies (despite barriers and limits we all face) in order to prepare ourselves and our libraries for generational changes already here and growing in dimension.

TechTrends Midwinter 2010

2010-03-02T17:35:00.000-05:00

Here's an archived, hour-long ALA TechSource webinar entitled "TechTrends Midwinter 2010." It presents four speakers discussing technologies and larger trends from the exhibit floor and elsewhere at MidWinter.

I also meant to post a link to the LITA Top Technology Trends discussion from Midwinter - this is the twice annual update from the Top Technology Trends Committee. Here's a link to the LITA blog that has a summary of the conversation as well as a link to video of the event - http://litablog.org/2010/01/alamwttt/ It also offers a link to all the links in the conversation.

Enjoy your trend discovery!

Listen to Library Tech Experts!

2010-03-01T09:28:00.000-05:00

There's a new series of library tech books, The Tech Set series, coming out from Neal-Schuman in March 2010. Whether you decide to buy the books or not, have a listen to a collection of podcasts from authors in the series at Tech Set Author Podcasts - The Tech Set. You can use the scrolling menu on the left to see which author goes with which book, and also find more information on the whole set. The podcasts are set as conversations between the author and series editor Ellyssa Kroski. I think they are great introductions to the topics covered in the series, and I hope you'll find them useful

Tech Gadgets Galore!

2010-02-25T17:51:00.000-05:00

A recent (Feb. 9) webcast from Library Journal showcased a selection of web gadgets and apps of interest to the library community. A link to the webcast and links to products and services mentioned is available at http://www.libraryjournal.com/article/CA6718984.html

Core Competencies of Librarianship . . . What Role Technology?

2009-12-01T12:39:00.001-05:00

Here's a post from the ADL Librarian blog that adds a contrary point to some of my thoughts on developing competencies, particular in terms of technology. The blogger questions the efficacy of projecting out what technologies will be in vogue five years from now, and then adjusting our training/education/etc. to meet the needs of that time. This point comes up in commentary on an article from the Medical Library Association News by Ellen Detlfesen, entitled “Are Library Schools Teaching What the Next Generation of Librarians Needs to Know?”

I can see the point - as the blogger notes, how often do our guesses pan out? But I still think it's useful to think about skills that will likely carry through the technologies we can forsee and the ones we actually end up with.

It looks like the ADL Librarian will be posting more thoughts on this article in future posts, so it's worth following.

Useful tech links from American Libraries

2009-11-09T20:44:00.000-05:00

The "Technology News" section of the November 2009 American Libraries offers the following five links that look interesting and potentially useful:

Web Work 101: Be Your Own Tech Support - a list of 10 ways to troubleshoot basic computer problems in a post to WebWorkerDaily.

7 Steps to Make Computers Accessible for the Elderly - a blog post from MakeUseOf that offers techniques to adapt Windows to make using a computer easier for folks "of a certain age."

300+ Resources to Help You Become a WordPress Expert - a post from WebDesigner Depot that offers many (and I mean many) resources for working with the WordPress blogging platform.

The Top 10 Things Library Administrators Should Know About Technology - Ten great pieces of advice from Roy Tennant (who knows a thing or two about technology in libraries) for library administrators who may have qualms about innovating with or implementing technology.

6 Ways We Gave Up Our Privacy - Post from CSO Online noting that by sharing pieces of ourselves through social networking, Google, GPS', the Kindle, RFID tags, and the Patriot Act, we have lost privacy in large part. How to get it back? Read the post, for starters.

Talking about expected library technology competencies

2009-11-07T14:30:00.002-05:00

I had a nice opportunity recently to talk about my findings on expected technology competencies in libraries and how we can (corporately and individually) grow our skills.

I gave a Technology Spotlight presentation at the Academic Library Association of Ohio's Annual Conference in Wilmington, OH on October 30. You can see my presentation and handout here.

I then spoke at the Michigan Library Association's Annual Conference in Lansing, MI on November 4. The presentation and handouts are here. That was a great trip for me, in part because it gave me an opportunity to visit my old stomping grounds as an undergraduate at Michigan State University.

Both presentations were entitled "Are You Ready to Roll?: Expected Technology Competencies and the Library Worker." That is the key question for all of us with technology, I suppose: are we ready to roll? Are we ready to take on the challenges that come with working in libraries today? We all come into our jobs with skills and abilities and knowledge in various related and not-exactly-related areas. Can we find ways to keep track of new developments and to add to our skills as we go? I think we can, and that combining a personal assessment like the survey I did last year (and many other options out there) with some goals to grow our knowledge can get us on the right track. I hope these presentations may be of some help to you as you look at your technology skills and desires for professional growth.

I should also include in here a presentation I did back in August on similar ground for the Ohio Library Support Staff Institute.

Keep learning, keep succeeding!

Viva faceted catalogs and discovery layers!

2009-09-29T14:40:00.001-04:00

After Losing Users in Catalogs, Libraries Find Better Search Software - Technology - The Chronicle of Higher Education

This story from the Chronicle of Higher Ed is a good introduction to a) alternate search interfaces for library materials, and b) ways to bring together and search the complex collections of digital and physical resources that libraries provide. Chapter 6 in my book offers more details. There are a variety of commercial and open-source products available, including the one we have at Miami University.

A competency of change?

2009-09-29T14:23:00.001-04:00

explodedlibrary bunker: Librarian 2.0: the most adaptable to change? by Helen Partridge, Queensland University of Technology - this blog post makes an interesting suggestion about needed competencies for library staff today: the ability for constant change. Based on the results of my survey and a lot of commentary, resistance to change does block a lot of technology development in libraries (often resistance for its own sake rather than constructive, careful consideration of new technologies - aimed at avoiding big jumps being made for no good purpose). What do you think?

Digitize your library on the cheap

2009-07-17T15:40:00.001-04:00

I came across this site (DIY High-Speed Book Scanner from Trash and Cheap Cameras) in an article on Slate and it really struck me. I'm not a great do-it-yourself-er, but what if libraries created these, and scanned stuff, and made it available for free and . . .

Wake up! Well, of course it's not legal (for materials still under copyright), but this is an interesting application of re-using old technologies (environmentally sound!) to convert materials from print to digital. I'm not saying that the e-book trumps the printed book, either, but there are some very intriguing convergences here.

Please do not try this at work. But at home . . . 8-)

Top Tech Trends from LITA at ALA

2009-07-16T14:09:00.001-04:00

The twice a year run-down of technology trends has just had its most recent report from ALA. Here's a summary of the trends by David Lee King LITA’s Top Tech Trends | David Lee King (there's also a link on David's page to a webcast recording of the session. It's always interesting to listen to the tech experts give their takes on what we should be watching or adopting next.

Check out the cover!

2009-07-06T09:43:00.003-04:00

Just to update you on the progress of the 3rd edition of the book, printing is moving forward and the book should be done sometime this month. The new cover is displayed on the blog now. I think it looks great! It's very mobile technology-focused, which really speaks to me as an intriguing development for society at large and libraries in particular. I hope that focus also shows in the book (not that I don't cover a wide array of other technologies, too . . . ).

It's been fun to see the covers evolve over the editions (I've liked each of them in turn, but it's nice to see it change with each new book). It's also linked on the Neal-Schuman site and orders can be sent in at any time. I hope you'll enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it!

Technology - and other - Competencies from WebJunction

2009-07-06T09:42:00.002-04:00

WebJunction - Competencies - Here's the site to find a set of competencies for library staff skills. There is a lengthy report to download and to use in your own library in setting expectations for competencies. They have also posted the results of their technology skills survey, which I am quite curious to compare to my survey results to see what overlaps and divergences exist. This is a very interesting project and could prove very useful for libraries to determine what individuals in different positions need to know and for individuals to plot out areas to grow in. I'll be interested to hear how individuals and libraries make use of it.

Three New Search Services: Wolfram|Alpha, Microsoft Bing, Google Squared | Disruptive Library Technology Jester

2009-06-16T11:59:00.001-04:00

Three New Search Services: Wolfram|Alpha, Microsoft Bing, Google Squared | Disruptive Library Technology Jester

Here's a great comparison of three new search tools created by Peter Murray (the Disruptive Library Technology Jester). He describes each of the tools and then suggests some sample searches to use to compare them. He also has a screencast on the page of sample searches he has used on the tools to highlight their capabilities.

Speaking of technology competencies . . .

2009-04-21T14:08:00.003-04:00

WebJunction has a survey up and running to "define technology competencies for the field and to connect them to learning opportunities." You can take the survey at WebJunction Technology Competencies Evaluation - it's up and running through May 20, 2009. You can also see the list of competencies that WebJunction has created and tied into the courses they offer.

I think it will be interesting to see how respondents rate themselves on the various technology tasks included in the survey.

5 Things I Didn’t Realize I’d Be Working on…

2009-04-13T14:23:00.001-04:00

5 Things I Didn’t Realize I’d Be Working on… - This is an interesting post on the ACRLog that covers five responsibilities the poster didn't expect to have when entering library work. Though aimed at academic libraries, I think that the "unknowns" (all technology-related) illustrate a pretty common phenomenon among library workers: there's always some new technology that our library, our patrons, our parent organization, our community movers and shakers are using, and we need to help support it.

"Mobile platforms" is bound to be one that we'll all run into eventually (if my thoughts on mobile library use are on track). "Unofficial student technical support" is probably something that most libraries see - helping (whether students or other patrons) handle operations in MS Office applications or other quote-unquote non-library operations.

Are there surprises (technology-wise) that you face in your library?

Kindling yet?

2009-04-10T15:42:00.002-04:00

Well, I found this post on Gerrit van Dyk's Shaping Libraries blog very interesting because my library has just taken the plunge and purchased a Kindle 2. It gives some hope to library checkout of the Kindle, assuming that Amazon is contacted and allows you to do so (given the fluidity of their terms of service agreement).

We're not to the point of checking our Kindle out yet, but we're building to that point and choosing titles.

Is anyone using the Kindle at their libraries? How about the Sony Reader?

MaintainIT Webinars

2009-02-25T21:26:00.002-05:00

I came across the MaintainIT Project when I was making updates for the third edition. There's a lot of usual information on the site, and this is something new: free webinars on a variety of technology topics: the 23 Things staff development project, an IT book discussion, and grantwriting for technology in libraries. Check it out!

Technology petting zoo?

2009-02-16T22:19:00.002-05:00

Here's an idea for increasing staff comfort with new technologies -- give them a chance to play around with the technology! This presentation at Slideshare from Maurice Coleman and Annette Gaskins (they presented it at the Maryland Library Association conference in 2008 gives a useful overview of how to set up such an event, where to get the technology, and how to make it work. Great idea!

Oh - there is a lot more on this from a webinar archived at WebJunction. Check out their page here for a flash video of the webinar and a bunch of documents.

Top Technology Trends - ALA Midwinter 2009

2009-02-16T22:08:00.003-05:00

Head to the LITA blog to read, watch, and hear the discussion of top tech trends from this year's ALA Midwinter. To be honest, I have yet to listen or watch it in full, but I do check this out after each ALA conference to see what trends continue to impact the library world and which new ones bear following. I'll chime in with my thoughts once I've had a chance to listen fully, but I thought I'd be sure to pass it along before I forget.

New edition forthcoming!

2009-01-25T18:21:00.003-05:00

I mentioned this briefly in my last post, but I am happy to announce that a third edition of The Neal Schuman Library Technology Companion will be coming out this summer! I submitted a manuscript, and am working on revising it now. Aside from a chapter on technology skills which includes the survey data mentioned below, the new edition updates every area of the work that has altered over the two and one-half years since the last edition. I'll let you know more about it as the work progresses.

Technology skills in libraries survey results

2009-01-25T14:58:00.011-05:00

In late November/early December 2008, I created a web survey on technology skills in libraries (the questions used in the survey are available here). Respondents were solicited from 14 electronic discussion groups which covered multiple library types as well as a diverse range of specialties or areas of focus in libraries. Over the three week period that the survey was available, exactly 1800 individuals responded.

The respondents are not a perfect cross-section of library staff from all types of libraries. 54% work in academic libraries, 25% in public libraries, 11% in special libraries, and 10% in school libraries. In terms of education, 80% listed an MLS degree, other masters degree, or other graduate work as their highest level of education. Those who chose a single primary area of responsibility were fairly well distributed among library departments and tasks: 16.4% in cataloging, 16.3% in library administration, 13.7% in reference, 10.2% in library IT/systems, and 8.1% in instruction. 20% of respondents chose “Other” on that question, and nearly half of that group said that they performed all or nearly all of the tasks in their libraries. 36% of respondents have worked for 10 or fewer years, 35% for 21 or more years, and 28% between 11 and 20 years.

Respondents were asked to select from a list the technologies or technology skills that they used on a regular basis in their jobs. The ten most common ones, with the percentage of respondents who selected them, were:

E-mail - 97.9
Word processing - 96.2
Web searching - 94.1
Searching library databases - 92.7
Using an integrated library system - 86.3
Web navigation - 80.7
Teaching others to use technology - 79.1
Spreadsheets - 78.3
File management/operating system navigation skills - 62.3
Troubleshooting technology - 61.9

The remaining items in the list of technologies showed a great diversity of skills on hand, including instant messaging (at 32.6%; a percentage I thought might be higher) and creating online instructional materials/products (at 43%). "Making technology purchase decisions", at 40.2%, indicated to me that these decisions are not being made widely throughout organizations, but this role appears to reach beyond the percentage of respondents indicating their primary duties as administrative.

The "Other" category on this question exposed a number of technologies that I should have included in my list, most notably wikis and social networking in general.

I asked respondents "what technology skill could you learn to help ou do your job better?" The most common answers were web design, HTML, various Web 2.0 applications, creating databases, and using Access. Nearly 200 indicated that they did not see a need for additional technology skills (some suggesting that technology skills are not the answer to all needs in their libraries). A very common response was a need for more time to learn any number of things about current and developing technologies.

I also asked them "what technology or technology skill would you most like to see added to your library?" The most common responses here involved blogging, instant messaging, podcasting, SMART boards, wireless (access, printing, etc.), new integrated library systems (ILS), and talents in web design, Web 2.0 technologies, programming, and graphic design. A sizable number of responses suggested that they and their colleagues needed to be more comfortable with the technologies they already had.

More details from the survey will be available in the new edition of my book, which should be in print this summer. I hope these results are of interest and advance our collective understanding of what skills and competencies are widely present and/or required in libraries. I would be happy to answer any questions you might have on the survey.

Perceptions 2008: an International Survey of Library Automation

2009-01-20T12:36:00.001-05:00

Perceptions 2008: an International Survey of Library Automation
The results of Marshall Breeding's most recent survey of library automation systems. It's an interesting look at libraries' satisfaction with the systems they are using and the glimpse of the market share each system enjoys.

Who The Hell Writes Wikipedia, Anyway?

2009-01-05T15:13:00.001-05:00

Who The Hell Writes Wikipedia, Anyway? - Some interesting background on the population of contributors who create and alter Wikipedia entries. It's a big group of occasional contributors whose articles are massaged by a smaller group of "insiders." Definitely worth a read.

Google Books vs. BISON - 6/15/2008 - Library Journal

2008-06-18T17:54:00.001-04:00

Here's an article from Library Journal comparing searches in an individual library catalog vs. searching Google Books: Google Books vs. BISON - 6/15/2008 - Library Journal. It raises interesting questions about the service that the local catalog provides set against the ever-expanding collection of materials at Google Books.

7 Things You Should Know About... | EDUCAUSE

2008-06-12T09:41:00.001-04:00

This is an excellent resource for quick (two page) reads on a variety of new technologies or web resources (lots of library and web 2.0 items). We have shared a number of these with our faculty members.

Inserting RSS feeds on Your Library Site

2007-09-14T12:30:00.001-04:00

Would you like your library blog or other RSS feeds to show up on a page on your library site? The following link gives some examples for doing so (all are free):

RSS to Web Page: Tool Output Examples

Some nifty Microsoft things

2007-08-04T21:07:00.002-04:00

Two quick links to two new Microsoft technologies: the table computer (see a brief video and a link to a parody of it at http://geek.lisnews.org/article.pl?sid=07/08/03/0634226. Move stuff around on a big flat table screen; draw and browse with your hands!

The other is Photosynth (see a video presentation of it at http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/view/id/129 and try out the tech preview on your own computer at http://labs.live.com/photosynth/). Intriguing visual technology that lets you easily zoom in and out of images while maintaining incredible resolution. Well, there's more to it than that, but take a look!

Mashups and Customized Search Engines

2007-08-04T21:03:00.001-04:00

Here's a link to a presentation I gave recently (well, on Friday) on mashups and CSEs. Some interesting examples are linked from the site, and a few work in progress efforts of my own. Check it out: http://www.users.muohio.edu/burkejj/mashups.html

Make mine a mashup!

2007-03-17T19:57:00.002-04:00

I just listened to a great podcast from the Sirsi Dynix Institute (a great technology updating tool, by the way) by Darlene Fichter on mashups (check out the PDF of resources and listen to the podcast yourself).

What are mashups, you may ask? Mashups are combinations of data from two (or more) different sources to create a new resource or service. For instance, the BBC News Map combines an RSS feed of stories featured on the BBC with Google Maps. The result is a visual representation of where in the UK recent news stories have occurred.

Libraries are trying to use mashups to enhance services to their users. Darlene notes some interesting examples in her PDF file and presentation. One that I found useful is Libraries 411, which identifies your location from your IP address and then shows the locations of nearby public libraries. Another mashup by Edward Vielmetti combines Amazon book covers with links from the Ann Arbor District Library's catalog to create the Wall of Books.

I have been messing around with Yahoo Pipes to make some mashups. It's a very nice click and drag way to visually construct a mashup. A very simple one I have working so far is this one, which combines recent news stories from the Association Press, the BBC, and World Press Review, and sorts them by title. Is this useful? Well, maybe. But it's a start. I'll let you know as my mashup experiments continue.

Survey says . . .

2007-02-11T00:01:00.001-05:00

Here is a link to a survey on Technology Innovation in Academic Libraries: https://surveys.montclair.edu/survey/entry.jsp?id=1170955344511. While it has an academic focus (it's for a panel session at the upcoming ACRL conference at the end of March), the questions may be food for thought on how you and your library are using technologies, seeking to innovate, or perceiving disruptive technologies in your setting. I'll post the results of the survey once they become available.

Quick CSE Search Update

2007-02-09T13:12:00.001-05:00

I know it's been a while since my last post. Here is a quick update on my CSE topic (see below). Bill Drew (SUNY - Morrisville) posted the following Google search which results in CSEs that are related to libraries or librarians in some way: http://tinyurl.com/39hco7 will get you there.

It doesn't include my still-in-progress Ohio academic library CSE, and others may also be left out, but it's an intersteing look at what people are doing with this in libraryland.

Library 2.0? Come again?

2007-01-23T12:41:00.001-05:00

You can hardly turn around in the world of library technology without running into mention of Library 2.0 and its impact on today's libraries and their services. I thought I'd put a brief post together linking you to a lengthy definition and a shorter interpretation of it, and an interesting meme map that brings together many of the concepts behind Library 2.0 in a single diagram (my thanks to David Rothman and Meredith Farkas for posting these links to the Web4lib discussion group). Of course, here is also the link to an evolving definition of Library 2.0 at Wikipedia.

Sneakily, I have failed to offer my own sense of Library 2.0. I am still working on that and will share my thoughts here as they coalesce. And, for truth in advertising, the term "Library 2.0" does not appear in my book, but I would say that a lot of the concepts and technologies wrapped up in the term are addressed quite well in three of my chapters (and piecemeal elsewhere). Chapters 9 ("A is for Amazon, G is for Google: The Internet’s Impact on Finding Information"), 10 ("Universal Design and Adaptive/Assistive Technology: Meeting and Supporting Patron Technology Needs"), and 11 ("Virtual Reference, Blogs, and Usability: Library Web Sites and Web Services").

Balance and innovation

2007-01-08T20:35:00.001-05:00

Two articles in the January 2007 American Libraries caught my eye. "Balancing the Online Life" (pp. 42-45), by Meredith Farkas, introduces a new AL column of hers called "Technology in Practice" -- highlighting stories of technological innovations and success stories from libraries. The article itself is a good read on the current state of Web tools that many in the library community have brought into our daily lives (and she also touches on the issue that while we may have a generation divide in these technologies, that may be narrowing).

Also, Stephen Abram's short piece "20 Tips to Inspire Innovation" (pp. 47-48) is a quick read of thoughts on approaching changes in your library. Not all of them are technological in nature, but I think they can be applied to the larger picture of our library services. Three, "1. Good not perfect," "3. Prefer action over study," and "17. Cheap is expensive," really spoke to me.

The virtual presence of libraries

2007-01-08T20:17:00.001-05:00

In case you missed the Fall 2006 netConnect supplement to Library Journal, let me recommend Karen Coombs article "Planning for Now and Then." It's a great (albeit short) introduction to the concept of Library 2.0 and some of the tools that libraries are putting in place to enhance their virtual reach. Links to a variety of existing projects and discussions are provided.

Alas, poor NOTIS! I knew him, Horatio . . .

2007-01-06T16:50:00.002-05:00

Marshall Breeding's excellent Library Technology Guides site offers a visual chronology of library systems and mergers and acquisitions in the industry. It does give one some pause as you consider the possibilities of choosing a vendor (for library systems or anything else) who may not be around for more than a few years. NOTIS was around for nearly twenty years and now is ten years gone. On the other hand, a some of the vendors have been around in some form for 20 or 30 years.

Longevity of any technology provider, let alone the technologies themselves, is something of a crap-shoot. This state of affairs does show the importance of flexibility in technology planning and adaptation. We need to go into any new system or service with the idea that future events could alter them entirely, staying aware of those events and being prepared to shift when the time comes. As well, existing, foundational pieces of our library services must also be viewed with question.

The chart shows that predictions are few, changes are many, and that yet, somehow, libraries and their technologies persevere.

Books: Print 'em as you need 'em!

2007-01-06T16:27:00.001-05:00

As will soon become obvious, I am catching up on a few topics that I meant to get to in December. First (well, maybe second after the CSE update): the Espresso Book Machine from OnDemandBooks. A
story from CNN provides the details, and the vendor's site includes some further links and a video of the machine in operation.

Fast facts: Two books, printed and fully bound, created in seven minutes. The New York Public Library will receive one in February. You can have one of your own for $50,000. 2.5 million books are currently available (1 million in English, all in the public domain).

So, does this mean that providing printed books on demand is a viable concept in libraries? Well, not exactly, at least until the number of books expands and the entry price goes down. But for the moment, it is an interesting possibility for a library to use to expand its collection without expanding the required space for printed copies. Small libraries could expand their collections exponentially for a $50K investment. Larger libraries could avoid using interlibrary loan to track down public domain materials; just print them in house. There's quite a move on now to just buy inexpensive copies of ILL-requested items from Amazon.com auctions and then give the book to the patron. Isn't this much the same?

Well, there are obviously a lot of holes here. But I am interested to see NYPL give this a try and watch how the idea expands. I hope we'll hear more about this in the months to come.

A CSE attempt

2007-01-06T15:57:00.001-05:00

As a follow-up to my post on CSEs, I have created one (almost two, but I haven't had the time to finish the other). I set up a CSE that searches the websites of Ohio's twenty-three regional campuses. I know what you're thinking: "how can I advertise on this search engine?" 8-) Is this a useful thing? Will this help anyone? Why would I make my own search engine? Well, I am trying to answer all of these questions, and I am about to announce this search engine to a wider group of people to see what might come of it. I'll let you know. Oh, and if you'd like to see it yourself -- here it is: Ohio Regional Campus Search.

The Year That Was . . . 2006

2006-12-16T15:25:00.001-05:00

If you're looking for a quick wrap-up of stories and activities from the library world of last year, check out the LIS News Ten Stories That Shaped 2006 . There are a goodly number of technology-related happenings to take note of (or that update ongoing issues noted in the book). I especially liked the bonus quote in #6, and the link to a discussion of barriers that tech-savvy library staff.

Digital Divide: The Three Stages (Jakob Nielsen's Alertbox)

2006-11-21T09:38:00.001-05:00

A very interesting discussion (and recasting) of the digital divide (which I cover in Chapter 10) by Jakob Nielsen - usability and web design guru. He brings in further issues that separate people from using computers and the Internet at all, or even if they have access, from using them fully. Aside from the economic and usability barriers, his comments on empowerment and individuals' lack of intiative to fully participate in the digital world are worthwhile to consider. Check it out!

So what is a CSE, anyway?

2006-11-10T18:46:00.001-05:00

There has been a bit of discussion lately on whether or not enough librarians have been blogging about the relatively new Google Co-op project (http://www.google.com/coop/), which gives users a chance to create Custom Search Engines (CSE). In response, I thought it was time for me to say a little something about CSE and the opportunity they present for libraries and library users.

CSE's have the potential of creating more focused, topical searches of the Google database. The CSE creator (anyone can play) chooses URLs to include in the search. What you end up with can be a search engine limited to sites that you expect will return great results on your topic. And, as you create the CSE, you can still choose to include general Google results in your CSE results (but with primacy given to your chosen URLs).

An example of a CSE is David Rothman's "Consumer Health and Patient Information Search Engine" (http://davidrothman.net/consumer-health-and-patient-education-information-search-engine). It's a great collection of sites, pretty well fine-tuned to provide health and medical information for the average Joe from respected government agency and health organization sites.

A potential fear to have here is that, since you are choosing the sites, you might miss out on information on sites that are unknown to you or from newly created sites. One man's focus is another man's having blinders on, I guess. Anyone who has used Google knows that searching the full swath, even with a well constructed search and the relevancy sorting of the search engine, can be improved on. This might be a good start. I'm going to give it a try, and I'll post my results here.

The Library as Place: The changing nature and enduring appeal of library buildings and spaces

2006-10-09T17:12:00.001-04:00

A two-part, September 2006 collection of summaries related to library space and building planning at UI Current LIS Clips: A Current Awareness Service for the Library and Information Community. The summaries of the articles and links to additional resources would be a quite helpful addition to my Chapter 15 on "Ergonomics, Infrastructure, and Space: Building the Library Technology Environment." Not every detail is technology-related, but a good number of them are.

Of security systems and RFID

2006-10-03T23:22:00.001-04:00

I recently toured a newly renovated academic library (very impressive: over 130 workstations plus wireless laptops to checkout, plus a Starbucks). The materials had never been stripped for a typical electromagnetic security system, and the staff had considered adding that or an RFID system. In the end, they opted to budget to replace any items that disappeared, and see just what the lack of a system would cost them.

It's an intriguing idea and question: just how much does the average library lose (without a system), and does the system pay off? I know what the industry will tell you, but the truth of the matter could be quite different. And again, situations differ, but I wonder if anyone has really established such a record of loss to absolutely justify adding a system.

Audio e-books: choices, choices!

2006-08-16T21:34:00.001-04:00

I have been looking into audio e-books for a while now, experimenting a bit to see what might work best in my library setting. I have been unable (long story I won't go into here) to get into the downloadable models offered by Overdrive and NetLibrary (where patrons can download audio- or text- e-books to view/listen to on their PCs, PDAs, or MP3 players -- or in some cases burn them to CD). I've been looking at Playaway as a possibility. Playaway sells audio books as little MP3 players loaded with a single book. You can circulate them as single item (much as you would a print book) or you can also provide patrons with headphones or FM transmitters.

I see the plus with Playaway in that patrons who are not already comfortable with MP3 players do not have the hurdles of a) downloading the title, b) then getting the title onto their MP3 player, and c) getting the title to play correctly. Even with MP3-friendly folks, there are real technical support issues to consider on getting all the pieces to work together. With Playaway, though, will each title get enough use to justify purchasing it? The device is not reloadable at the library level, so if I really wanted three copies of Memoirs of a Geisha, and no one ever checks out How to Prevent a Robot Uprising (great read/listen, by the way), I can't wipe out the latter to accomodate another copy of the former.

Or, should I give up on any of these options because the titles are not the best fit for an academic library setting? We buy a fair amount of fiction and rent McNaughtons for popular reading, so this might not be that different. What do you think?

Disruptive Innovation and the Academic Library

2006-07-11T00:12:00.002-04:00

Presentation materials from David W. Lewis, who spoke at the OhioLINK Annual Directors' Meeting in March 2006. I think this PowerPoint captures the elements he spoke about regarding the transition in libraries from physically-owned and licensed electronic resources to open web and open access resources over a 25 year span. He analyzes libraries and their provision of information using the ideas developed by Clayton Christiansen in his "Innovator's Dilemma" and other books.

I apologize for being somewhat academic-focused, but does the sort of transition Lewis forsees for academic libraries have relevance for public libraries? Can public libraries continue as more (though not all or, in time, even majority-) print focused institutions when compared to academics?

E-resources, front and center!

2006-06-24T22:31:00.001-04:00

For the past month (and for two months to come), my library is in an intriguing situation. After a lengthy addition of a new roof during the spring (the smell of tar does get to you after a while), we have been forced to abandon the library for the summer while we get a new HVAC system and a new ceiling (all new ductwork). We've set up a small library access center in a room just off of our main computer lab (which is on the lower level of the library, but they have their own HVAC system - go figure).

Anyway, it brings our e-resources front and center, since there is no "library" to browse around in. We're still accessing the collection twice per day (so the ability of patrons to self-request items to be pulled from the collection has been huge) and shelving periodicals (they have to go somewhere). But everything is under plastic sheeting, and the library staff are camping out in a trailer.

We're just out back of the library (so it was easy to run networking and phone lines out to us), and we can still get into our back workroom for the bathroom. We'll be happy to have it over, but it will be worth it.

It has been interesting to let people know about upcoming changes and see their reactions. Many users already access our resources remotely, and so there is no big change. A few patrons (even though it's summer) are really dependent on the "in-person" experience and drop by the assistance center quite a bit. Most common are folks who are used to accessing us from home or their offices on campus, but every now and then just like to drop by to browse or grab a particular periodical. Everyone is surviving, but it does give me a new perspective on what the library might become (everything physical in storage; some sort of place for people to gather and interact with library staff; vast amounts of use of e-resources as a first choice. Maybe that's already happening.

It's the end, or is it?

2006-06-03T13:43:00.001-04:00

A great presentation by Thomas Dowling of OhioLINK at the May 3, 2006, Southwestern Ohio Council on Higher Education (SOCHE) Library Conference: "Academic Libraries in a Googleized World": "Imminent Death of Libraries: Film at 11"

One interesting part of Thomas' presentation involved the need for a single search box (whether a meta-search or a site search option) on every library web site. You can see what I'm doing at our library site. Does everybody have one of these? Should we all?

Anybody remember floppy disks?

2006-04-06T16:56:00.001-04:00

A column on information storage formats going obsolete from the Seattle Post-Intelligencer: Anybody remember floppy disks?

For me, I'm ready to see floppies die. We have patrons dropping in all the time who saved documents to a floppy, and now cannot get it to work on any machine on campus. I know they're not exactly dirt cheap (or as cheap as a floppy yet), but I wouldn't trust my data to anything other than a flash drive.

TechEssence.Info | The essence of technology for library decision-makers.

2006-04-06T16:51:00.001-04:00

This is a new blog that could have some very interesting discussions on it, given the list of contributors TechEssence.Info | The essence of technology for library decision-makers.

Digital books start a new chapter - BusinessWeek Online - MSNBC.com

2006-03-01T13:02:00.001-05:00

Some interesting developments in the ongoing digital/e-book discussion.
Digital books start a new chapter - BusinessWeek Online - MSNBC.com

The End of Books

2006-02-27T10:08:00.001-05:00

The End of Books

See? Even in 1894 they saw the end coming. Right. Any day now. 8-)