Blogging Section of SLA-IT

An alternative to Profiles in Facebook

Last year, Facebook deleted profiles created by libraries. Librarians were reduced to using Groups. But now, Facebook has added the Page application which seems just perfect for libraries (as well as businesses, organizations or brands). You create a Page and get Fans. Here is the description from the Help files:

A musical artist, business, or brand can create Facebook Pages to share information, interact with their fans, and create a highly engaging presence plugged into Facebook’s social graph. These Pages are distinct presences, separate from users’ profiles, and optimized for these entities’ needs to communicate, distribute information/content, engage their fans, and capture new audiences virally through their fans’ recommendations to their friends. Facebook Pages are designed to be a media rich, valuable presence solution for any artist, business, or brand that can be integrated seamlessly into the user experience with socially-relevant applications.

To note, the USF Tampa Library already has a Page.

Update: I just created a Page for my own library, the USF Lakeland Library. Easy and quick.

Pandora Radio

I mentioned this to a Division member at the Leadership Summit and he said I should blog about it, so I am.

I have tried several Internet radio stations over the years and last fall got a tip about Pandora Radio from someone on Twitter.  (See...Twitter can be useful!)  Pandora Radio allows you to build your own "stations" and then share those stations with your friends.  You start by telling it the name of your favorite artist or song.  Pandora then uses that information to play a song that it thinks you will like.  If it has access to music from that specific artist (or the specific song you entered), it will play that.  Otherwise, it uses its "intelligence" to pick something similar.  If you like that song, then it will begin playing songs that have similar qualities.  As songs play, you can vote on them (like/dislike) as well as tell Pandora additional artists whose work you like.  As you use Pandora and tell it your likes, the station you have created is able to grow.

Of course, you can create more than one station.  Right now, I have four stations based on the music of:

• James Taylor
• Chicago
• Brian Setzer
• The Brian Setzer Orchestra

At the moment, I'm playing the James Taylor station a lot and I must admit that it now as a wide variety of music in it!

To share a station with a friend, you have to send them an email message from Pandora.  So if anyone wants to hear my James Taylor station, send a message to me at hurst at hurstassociates.com and put Pandora in the subject.

I'm using Pandora for free, but there is a fee-based version.  For $36/year, you can listen to Pandora on Sprint phones or in-home with specific hardware.  And there are no ads.

If you want to think green, consider this...Pandora is using your Internet connection and PC.  It is not drawing any additional power in your office, so using it instead of a radio is saving energy. 

Create your own business card

In addition to the cards provided to me by my company, I have some personal cards that I designed on VistaPrint.  While VistaPrint has been around for ages, there is a new option I just learned about that might be worth poking at (I know I will once I run out of cards).  I learned about this new tool, Deyey via Lifehacker.

Build your own attractive business cards online with free webapp Deyey. The site's built-in templates are attractive, simple to use, and easy to customize (just check out their demo to see how easy), and when you're finished you can save the card at Deyey or download it to your computer to print off there.

Sounds pretty handy.

Leadership Summit - Friday and Saturday

The agenda was full for the Leadership Summit on Friday.  We began with breakfast, networking, and dissecting the events on Thursday.  (BTW breakfast is available for the attendees on both days, which is a very nice touch.)  Then the meetings began.  First was an update on the new Association management system (AMS) that is being installed.  Then there were concurrent sessions:

• Hands-On AMS Training
• Public Speaking Skills

Those were then followed by the Chapter Cabinet Meeting and the Division Cabinet Meeting, and then by the Joint Cabinet Meeting.  The Chapter and Division Cabinet Meetings are important, since this is where units can formally bring up issues or proposals.  And often useful information is presented during these meetings (as well as the Joint Cabinet Meeting).  Three topics that were touched on were:

• The "green" initiative
• New accounting practices that our treasurers will need to understand  (If you are a unit treasurer, the not-quite-yet-defined banking changes will affect you later this year.)
• Placing unit discussion lists and web sites at sla.org if that would give units a cost savings.  (It would also more closely identify those things with SLA and thus might be seen more as being a member benefit.)

Personally, my hope is that the green initiative doesn't just shift where things happen, but that it truly looks to reduce, reuse and recycle.  [For example, instead printed programs being available at the Leadership Summit, we were told to print our own and bring them with us.  That may have reduced the amount of paper used.  However, what it clearly did was shift the cost of that item from HQ to individual members.]

After lunch, were extremely short (in other words, too short) presentations on collaboration tools available to the units through HQ.  There were also presentations on some of the mentoring activities that units are doing.  Finally, there was a brainstorming session on unit-level ideas for celebrating SLA's Centennial in 2009.  WOW!  The room got very noisy and lots of great ideas where contributed.  I can't wait to see how we (units and individuals) will help to celebrate the 100th anniversary of this organization's birth.

While some people left Friday evening, many stayed.  We got to enjoy more restaurants and the Louisville nightlife.  Someone told me that there was nothing to do in Louisville, but that person was definitely wrong.  Fourth Street Live! is "happening".

On Saturday, there were several division board meetings in the morning.  Some of us spent the afternoon exploring Louisville before heading to the airport.  Three of us went to 21c Museum Hotel, which is an art museum inside a hotel and then to Glassworks, which is a hot-glass studio and gallery.  (These two places are also near the Louisville Slugger Museum & Factory.)  It was nice to get out and walk, and look at the architecture.  Nope, Louisville is not boring!

The Kentucky Chapter did a wonderful job hosting this event.  Their attention to detail and Southern hospitality were very evident.  If you are unsure what Southern hospitality is, then spend time with members of the Kentucky Chapter.  Some of us also saw evidence of Southern hospitality on the street (sanitation workers who yelled out walking directions to us) and at the airport (where there are one-quart zip-lock bags by security in case you need one). 

HQ has not yet set the location for the 2009 Leadership Summit. Lots of people are hoping for a warmer location.  Perhaps a location will be known before the Annual Conference in Seattle.

Finally, there were a few conversations about how to justify the Leadership Summit to your management. The Leadership Summit is a time to learn more about SLA and how organizations run.  It is also a time to learn more about your role in SLA.  What you take back to the job, though, may not be hard skills, but rather:

• a better understanding of professional resources available to you
• a broader network
• an understanding roles and responsibilities that you may not get from work

If anyone else can add-in other things that you take back from the Summit to your job, please leave them here as comments.  (Thanks!)

Facebook Apps for Librarians

There are constantly new apps added to Facebook.  I’m finding it hard to keep my list manageable.  I am constantly turning down zombie and vampire invites (what do I need those for), but there are also some very useful apps in Facebook. 

iLibrarian has three parts listing great apps for librarians:

• Part 1
• Part 2
• Part 3

In addition to these, Worldcat now has a Facebook app that you might be interested in.

Add to all of this that you can now become fans of library pages on Facebook and you now have an amazing social networking tool for librarians!

IBM Reveals Five Innovations that Will Change Our Lives Over the Next Five Years

http://www-03.ibm.com/press/us/en/pressrelease/22683.wss

"Your cell phone will be your wallet, your ticket broker, your concierge, your bank, your shopping buddy, and more..."

Yes, but what will your library be?

c.

Just in case you're feeling old

Lilia Efimova over at Mathemagenic has an interesting post on 'Why it's good to be a digital immigrant'.

I especially like the thought of picking and choosing from the fruits of the land rather than accepting everything as something I need. For instance, I like the status in Gmail and don't feel the need to Twitter. (Even though I think it's a little cool.)

c.

Great Tools for Special Libraries

I don't know if we've mentioned the OPL Plus blog on here before - but I find that it often has great posts that not only apply to One Person Libraries - but special libraries.  This week's post was a list of five most notable legal sites.

This is certainly a blog to add to your reader as a special librarian.

Leadership Summit - Thursday

This was a very full day.  Two interesting events happened....

First, the mayor of Louisville proclaimed this the be the Special Libraries Association Week!

Second, Gloria Zamora -- SLA's President-Elect -- was named a Kentucky Colonel by the governor for being the first Kentucky Chapter member to become president of the Association (in 2009)!  Others who have been given this honor include Mae West  and Tiger Woods.  It was pointed out tonight that Gloria is not only a member of the Kentucky Chapter, but that she is also a member of the Rio Grande and Washington D.C. Chapters.   

As for speakers, we heard from:

• Andy Hines on "Anticipating the Future" (keynote).  He noted that they do not predict the future, but instead look for possibilities and indicators in order to construct alternate future.  I have many notes ...
• How do you do foresight?
• Framing
• Scanning
• Forecasting
• Visioning
• Planning
• Acting
• You need to probe beneath the surface.
• What is the current problem?
• What are the driving forces? (trends analysis)
• What are the world views? (breadth and depth analysis)
• What are the archetypes? (myth/metaphor analysis)
• You need to leverage changes in their early stages (when they are just emerging).  If you wait too long, then the flexibility is gone. 
• The Earth is divided into three worlds:
• Affluent -- ~1 billion people -- postmodern (focus on self expression, not possessions)
• Emerging -- Most people -- modern
• Poor  -- 1 - 2 billion -- traditional
• Although the U.S. is affluent, our values are more traditional.
• Think of the postmodern values as being derived from the Woodstock generation that has grown up.
• We are practicing ethical consumption.  We vote our values with our dollars.
• 25% of young adults don't distinguish between those friends that they interact with face-to-face and virtually.  Some have best friends that they are never met.
• 75% of those over 55 years old want to continue to do things (e.g., work, learn).
• Gen-X and Gen-Y don't trust institutions; they trust each other.
• Young adults value friends, family and faith.
• Stephen Abram on "Reality 2.0: Attracting, retaining and engaging the Association 2.0 member." 
• Recession is not good for libraries.
• Toilet seat economy (it goes up and down).
• Relationships -- not content -- are king.
• The future is already here, it just not evenly distributed yet.
• Need to get SLA members to understand the value of their ID and password on the SLA web site.
• Need to promote the resources that are available to members.
• Thousands of Click U courses
• 900+ ebooks
• NewsGator
• Factiva alerts
• In other words...there is a lot of content on the web site that we are not  using.
• Innovation lab and 23 Things (blog post)
• Janice LaChance gave a review of 2007 as well as looked ahead to what will be occurring in 2008.
• New association management system (AMS)
• More outreach
• Interaction with other associations and strategic partners
• Strong financial health of the association
• Took a public stance on issues around the globe that impact libraries
• Strategic alignment project
• Membership growth
• 124 new members during the membership campaign (recruited by 90+ individuals)
• Legal Division gained the most new members (94)
• Knowledge Management Division gain the largest percentage of new members
• Illinois Chapter gained the most new members (65)
• Oklahoma Chapter gained the largest percentage of new members
• A member in D.C. (Jerome ) recruited 11 members
• Members from Fleishman Hillard on "Positioning SLA for the Future."  This is the group that has been hired to work on the strategic alignment project along with Outsell and Andy Hines.  What was important about their presentation is that they have a real process for doing this work.  This work will definitely help us understand who we are, what we value, what others perceive our value to be, etc.  Out of this work then we can set a direction for SLA, decide on how to market the Association, and position the Association for the future.
• In the afternoon, we worked in small groups on "Remembering the Future."  We spent time thinking about our ourselves and our organizations over the next 2.5 years.  (From the perceptive that it was June 2010 and thinking about what had happened since Jan. 2008.)  Then we focused on the Association.  The notes from this will be available online.  The bottom line is that we all saw interesting changes in store for the Association -- changes that we seem very ready for.

After a full day, there were some smaller meetings, then we headed to Louisville Slugger Museum & Factory for the Kentucky Chapter Welcome Reception.  We ate, talked, watched a movie, watched them  make baseball bats, used the batting cage, shopped and  more.

BTW the weather here is colder than we all expected.  We walked briskly to the Reception in 10 - 14 (F) degree weather. Any illusions of Louisville having Southern temperatures have been shattered.

Scientific Conversations about Open Access Scientific Articles

I wanted to highlight what I think is quite an interesting development. 

Basically the link is to a writeup by Jon Udell, Microsoft Evangelist (lovely job title ;-)). Some of you may know Jon, who is familiar with library and scholarly communication issues and has contributed to open source tools for libraries (e.g. his LibraryLookup bookmarklet made him quite famous in the library world several years ago). Anyway, his post is interesting because it describes a method for anyone to track conversations surrounding scientific journal literature published in open access journals.  I'm not sure if it is correct to call this tool (originally developed by Alf Eaton at Nature) a mashup, but it is a really inventive way to make use of existing tools, identifiers, and APIs.

Leadership Summit - Wednesday

Although some of SLA's leaders had been in Louisville for a few days, most of us arrived on Wednesday.  For me, networking began at the Cincinnati airport when I spotted a woman carrying the conference bag from Denver.  "Are you staying at the conference hotel?"  Yup...she was and I had someone to share a cab with.  Then at baggage claim in Louisville, we found two more to add to our cab.  During our cab ride, our driver pointed out a few sites.

The Marriott is a very large hotel.  I learned last night that it replaced several businesses that the downtown no longer wanted.  However, the "boutique" across the street that sells sexual stuff is in a historic building (first poured concrete building in Louisville), so it is here to stay.

The reception last night was fun and a time to catch up with people, talk about job changes (congrats to everyone), discuss how our chapters and divisions are doing, and engage in some work-chat.  Also last night were several dine-arounds.  I went with James Manasco to the Maker's Mark Bourbon House & Lounge on Fourth Street (where the action is).  This Lounge is like something you'd see in NYC.  We sat "on the stage" on couches and looked out over the bar area.  The food was wonderful and the conversation was just as good.  Thanks to SLA for bringing back the dine-arounds!

As I type this, first timers are at breakfast and the rest of us will join them at 8 a.m., then it is a full day of meetings.  Time for me to get moving!

Article: Thumbs Race as Japan’s Best Sellers Go Cellular

Many of the technology advances we take for granted began overseas.  And some still have not made their way to the North America, like the cellphone novel. The New York Times article talks about the cellphone novels in Japan and how they have gone mainstream. (Free registration may be required in order to read the article.)

Until recently, cellphone novels — composed on phone keypads by young women wielding dexterous thumbs and read by fans on their tiny screens — had been dismissed in Japan. as a subgenre unworthy of the country that gave the world its first novel, “The Tale of Genji,” a millennium ago. Then last month, the year-end best-seller tally showed that cellphone novels, republished in book form, have not only infiltrated the mainstream but have come to dominate it.

I sometimes ask people if they have read a book on their PDA.  Most have not.  I often carry a book on mine so I have something to read while waiting for a meeting to begin.  And -- yes -- I have actually read several books on my PDA.  I wonder how many of us have even thought about reading books on our cellphones?

Thanking Donors

Looking for a way to thank your donors?  Princeton Theological Seminary Library has come up with a great way to thank donors who donate special collections to the library.  As a thank you to Dr. Samuel Hugh Moffett and Mrs. Eileen Flower Moffett, who donated books, manuscripts and photos, the special collections department used Blurb.com to create a book of pictures.  The tool has some quirks, but once you figure out how to use it, it's a great way to create a print on demand gift for your donors and those interested in their collections.

The California Library Association has a Second Life

Details here.  I'm envious...

Once the individuals are trained in the basics of SL, regularly scheduled meetings of all interested mentors and protégés will take place once or twice a month at an auditorium in SL with a curriculum built around the information needs of our protégés. This will not only allow for more extensive sharing of the expertise of the librarian mentors, but also open the door for protégés to train their mentors in SL!  This venue will also provide the opportunity to bring in other knowledgeable experts and encourage the creation of a strong cohort that can continue their professional relationships after the formal mentorship experience is completed.

Free Software

Money Tip Central has an essential list of free software (most of which is open source).

Free software can save you hundreds and possibly thousands of dollars. The software listed below is completely free, doesn’t have malware or adware, is completely legal, and I use each of them personally. Most of them are Open Source.

The list includes things from operating systems down to email applications.  Check out the list and see how you can save some money for yourself and your library.

How to blog a conference

Thanks to Christina Pikas for finding this.  "Tips for conference bloggers" is a six-page document that outlines some do's and dont's for live blogging a conference.  For some, this provides good reminders.  For others, this is a nice guide for being effective.  For example, he encourages us not to write everything about a presentation:

Sometimes even just three key points will do, as long as they capture the relevant parts of the speech or of your analysis.

SLA Going Green

SLA has just announced an initiative to go green.  Already SLA Headquarters staff are implementing a number of environmentally friendly initiatives in the office.  According to the press release, SLA members and conference-goers will see some changes, particularly at the 2008 Annual Conference in Seattle.  Bloggers, take special note.  From the press release:

SLA will be working with INFO-EXPO exhibitors and conference sponsors as well as attendees on how they can participate in this initiative by offering options such as providing the opportunity for them to purchase their own carbon offsets, and supplying free wireless Internet access throughout the conference center, allowing attendees to access hand-outs electronically and eliminating the need to print thousands of paper copies. [my emphasis]

This is terrific news.  Go SLA!

New Year’s Resolution: Blog more!

OK, I admit it – I’m blog shy.  While I have a sincere interest in it, performance anxiety bubbles up inside which renders me completely useless as a blogger.  I resolve in 2008 to become a better blogger for the IT Division and for my lesser-known blog known as LibrarySherpa.com.  With so many tech savvy individuals reading and contributing to this blog, it can be a little intimidating (if only to me) to post!

Onward and upward:  The CES is underway!  I’m trying to keep up with news coming out of the show.  I haven’t heard of anything truly earth-shattering yet.  Click HERE for CES Straight Talk, the official blog of the Interational CES.

Lots of psychics like to announce their celebrity predictions at this time of year.  What trends or products will make a debut in the library tech world in 2008?  Many of the political candidates are clamoring for change on the campaign trail.  What changes will we see in our professional lives this year?

NFAIS - Early Bird Registration Ending Soon

Join NFAIS for its:  50th Anniversary (1958 – 2008)

The cut-off date for the early bird conference registration fee is only days away - Tuesday, January 8, 2008!!  The conference, scheduled for February 24-26, 2008 in Philadelphia, PA,  is for all information providers – publishers, librarians and educators - who want to learn more about the user behavior and expectations that are driving the new information order and the technologies, business practices and strategies that are required to adapt products and services to a new generation of information seekers.

The Conference theme - The New Information Order:  Its Culture, Content and Economy will look at how the rapid adoption of information technology is creating a user-centric, technology-driven society with its own unique culture, value propositions, behavior and economy, and will highlight the opportunities that are available to all who are willing to adapt to the New Order. The preliminary program, registration forms and general information are now available at: http://www.nfais.org/2008_Tier_Program.htm.

Highlights include:

• Trends that are driving the new information order from noted author David Weinberger, (Everything is Miscellaneous: The Power of the New Digital Disorder ClueTrain Manifesto, etc.)

• Emerging technologies and the future of information discovery

• User perceptions of the value of content based upon recent surveys from Outsell, Inc.

• Corporate and library business practices and revenue models that reflect the culture of today's information society

• The geographic shift in the information economy and the opportunities offered by China as a new source of content

• Strategies for success in the New Information Order form the perspective of corporate, academic and government executives

This 2008 NFAIS Annual Conference will be a very special event as NFAIS will be marking the 50^th Anniversary of its founding.  The City of Philadelphia will proclaim the opening day, February 24, 2008, as "NFAIS Day," the Gala celebration will be held in the ballroom of the historic Academy of Music, the oldest grand opera house in the U.S. that is still used for its original purpose, and the meeting itself will be held in the Park Hyatt at the Bellevue, a national historic hotel. Join us and find out how your organization can thrive in the New Information Order!

For more information, contact Jill O'Neill, NFAIS Director of Communication and Planning (jilloneill@nfais.org or 215-893-1561) or visit the NFAIS Web site at http://www.nfais.org/events/event_details.cfm?id=44.

Tips for 2008 from eNetworking 101

To start 2008, I wrote five blogs posts (in one of my other blogs) that contain tips that anyone can apply in order to save time and be more efficient in this New Year.  For example:

• Customize the toolbar in your Internet browser with links to those sites you visit frequently.
• Only use those tools that provide a discernable positive impact to you and the work that you do.
• Recognize that you do not need to respond to every message you receive.

To read all of the tips follow these links:

• Tips for 2008 -- #1 -- Budget your time
• Tips for 2008 -- #2 -- Don't answer every communication (and if you must answer, be efficient)
• Tips for 2008 -- #3 -- Use the tools that add value 
• Tips for 2008 -- #4 -- Find ways to work smarter
• Tips for 2008 -- #5 -- Connect and reconnect

Get blog updates by email

If you would like to receive updates of this blog by email, you can now use the new Feedblitz tool to register your email address. Just look at the top of the right-hand column.

Jenkins Law Library uses WordPress

While this isn't big news, many libraries are using WordPress these days, Web Developer, RayAna Park has written a great explanation of the technical details associated with implementing WordPress at Jenkins. 

I had initially thought that incorporating WordPress into our current site design would be the most difficult task. However, after dumping the contents of the old Jenkins Webblits (our homegrown blog) into the new software, it was easy to wrap our existing templates around the blog.

This post may be of use to other special libraries considering to do the same (or similar) thing.

LISjobs.com Launches Online Community

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
For further information, contact Rachel Singer Gordon, rachel@lisjobs.com
January 2, 2008

LISjobs.com Launches Online Community

New discussion forums now open

LISjobs.com, the largest free library career portal on the Internet, is pleased to announce the launch of its new online community for librarians. Devoted entirely to career development and job hunting, these forums provide a space for librarians, LIS students, library workers, and information professionals to discuss professional development issues: http://lisjobs.com/forum/.

“I’m excited to be able to offer this space for collaboration and discussion,” says Rachel Singer Gordon, webmaster, LISjobs.com. “As librarians, we know that we work and learn best in community -- I look forward to watching the forums grow.” Current forum moderators include:

• Michael Stephens, LIS schools
• Jess Bruckner, Jumpstart your career
• Meredith Farkas, Professional development and participation
• Susanne Markgren, Talking tenure
• Kim Dority, Professional writing
• Sophie Brookover, Work/life balance

In recent related developments, Info Career Trends, LISjobs.com’s professional development newsletter, has moved to the Wordpress platform to better serve its subscribers. Its long-time career Q&A columnists, Tiffany Allen and Susanne Markgren, have moved to their own blog, and author/entrepreneur Kim Dority joins in with her new monthly column on “Rethinking Information Careers.”

Info Career Trends continues to fill an underserved niche, devoted entirely to career and professional development issues for librarians and information professionals. The newsletter and column content are accessible at: http://www.lisjobs.com/career_trends/. Rachel Singer Gordon shares: “I’m so pleased to bring Kim on board, and to watch the Library Career People column evolve in its new blog format. I look forward to hearing others’ opinions across the LISjobs.com online community.”

LISjobs.com, launched in 1996, provides free library-related job listings to both employers and job seekers, as well as related services from resume postings to career development blogs.

###

LISjobs.com: http://www.lisjobs.com
Online community: http://www.lisjobs.com/forum
Info Career Trends newsletter: http://www.lisjobs.com/career_trends/
Contact: Rachel Singer Gordon, rachel@lisjobs.com