Post #4 Librarian Migrations

After an exhausting five days in Washington D.C. I return with many spoils from the great librarian migration of summer 2007 (aka ALA annual conference) .  With the amount of stuff I brought back I feel as though I have covered a lot of ground these past five days, armloads of books, tons of free bags and a new knowledge of many aspects of librarianship.  Of course I also returned with a few things that I could have done without, such as sore feet, a lighter wallet and a pesky cold.

I went to some great programs and I would be remiss if I did not mention them here.  That is what a blog is for right?  The two that I learned the most from were Midlly Delirious Libraries:  Transforming Your Library from Top to Bottom, and Using Technology to Market to Young Adults.  The Mildly Delirious Libraries program was presented by the West Palm Beach Public Library and their librarians, graphic designer and interior designer were all there ready to share their story about how much a new outlook and a facelift to the library changed them for the better.  Their full power point and presentation can be found here.  Overall I was really impressed with their presentation and the ideas that were brought to the library profession.

The second program that I really appreciated was Marketing Technology to Young Adults by Dr. Michael Stephens and Kimberly Bolan.  Kimberly presented intregal aspects of marketing that are so critical to accomplishing successful programs.  She even has a blog and I must say I am a big fan.   Dr. Stephens took over the rest of the program full of high energy and humor.  His part of the presentation focused on aspects of technology that teens are using and then presented other ideas of how to connect with the teen presence or lack thereof in the library.  If you have some time you should read Dr. Stephens’ blog Tame the Web,  just to warn you though there’s a lot of information here so take it slow.

Post #2 Virtual Worlds; A Waste of Time?

Recently I read an article in Library Journal about Second Life.  I actually had some mixed feelings about this article; which did not have any thing positive to say about the virtual world.  The author claimed that he had been “wasting a part of my life that I’ll never get back”, and that “we have a fair amount of people in our profession who really need to get a life.”  This is a statement; among others that I have issues with.  The only comment that the author made that I did somewhat agree with is the question of, “what are we hoping to accomplish with Second Life?”

 I appreciate Second Life for what it is, and yes there are some aspects that I don’t like.  Some examples that really need work are the graphics, which are not very visually pleasing and the controls for the avatars need an overhaul.  I’m no stranger to computer games yet I am constantly running into things with my avatar.

Having been an active member of virtual worlds for the past two years I can say that I don’t believe them to be a waste of time.  In my own opinion I think that that virtual worlds have a lot of potential for libraries and for communication.  My own foray into virtual worlds such as World of Warcraft and City of Villains have led me to unexpected people from all over the world.  For example; in World of Warcraft; one of my guild members (regular people you play with) started talking about a paper he was working on and asked for assistance.  I; being the energetic library student that I am; immediately conducted a reference interview and was able to guide him to relevant websites and databases that he had access to to get him the information.  All of this was conducted in game through typing and using a voice chat program.  This is an experience I hope to repeat in the Second Life environment.  People are using Second Life as a conference place, a learning center and in a host of other ways. 

I think that libraries should branch out and attempt to become a presence on games that are as far reaching as these.  I give great applause to those who are already involved in Second Life, but what about other virtual worlds? Let your presence be known in the video game world and open yourself for business.  A vast majority of people who play MMORPG’s are students (usually men) in high school or college.  Last time I checked they were a demographic that were being targeted by libraries for potential users.  Well here they are folks, come and get them.   Start a library guild and let your services be known, hey you can even play the game and mabey you’ll have some fun!

Post #1 “Podcasting”

  I never really listened to podcasts before I got my nifty IPod and went to the ITunes store.  I was of the mind that you needed an MP3 player in order to get the most out of podcasts.  Boy was I wrong!  Almost all of the podcasts that I listen to (which are free) emphasize the fact that no MP3 player is needed to listen to and enjoy podcasts.  Now when I find a good podcast that I think others will like I let them know:  “All you need is a computer with some speakers!” 

I think podcasting is doing something really great for all kinds of different communities.  My own podcast taste is varied and I am greatful that there are so many different kinds of sites to listen to.  I am a big gamer and play World of Warcraft and there are even podcasts for that!!  There are completely ridiculous podcasts and really beneficial podcasts.  One that I found very helpful is that of “Grammar Girl” from QDNow.com.  They are short 5-7 min. clips of grammar questions and answers.  By the way, if my grammar isn’t so great; don’t blame Grammar Girl; she does what she can. 

In my own opinion, I think that libraries should have pathfinders to podcasts for their patrons.  It would be something useful to have for those who are in a rush or who don’t really enjoy reading yet still want to use library services.  It’s really convenient to listen to podcasts when your stuck in traffic or doing the dishes or waiting for the kids after soccer practice.  The point is that people have the ability to learn something constructive while doing things that they don’t necessarily want to be doing.  Podcasts have the ability to bring something fun and worthwhile to dead time.

Hello world!

This is the birth of the blog!! This blog is in response to my LIS 753 class which deals with Internet fundamentals and web design.