Blogging Section of SLA-IT

10 Things Library Administration Should Know About Technology

Roy Tennant, who gave a great presentation at SLA 2007 on the future of the library catalog, has posted a thoughtful list of ten things administration needs to keep in mind when making technology decisions.  Avoid getting hung up on perfection, have the courage to release a beta version, don't be afraid to fail are just a few pieces of advice from the list.  View the full list.

It's time to vote!

Voting is now open for the 2010 Board of Directors.
The candidates are:

• President-Elect: Agnes Mattis and Cindy Romaine
• Treasurer: Karen Reczek and Dan Trefethen
• Chapter Cabinet Chair-Elect: Liz Blankson-Hemans and Debal C. Kar
• Division Cabinet Chair-Elect: Mary Ellen Bates and Stacey Greenwell

Polls close October 1st at 5pmEST, so cast your vote now!

inspiration...

we all need some inspiration every now and then. sometimes it's hard to remember that great idea you had for a new project, or find a solution to that problem that has been irking you for months, or figure out a new way to present your year-end report without killing everyone with bullet points and clip art.

when i find myself in this situation, i watch a TED Talk. these are 18 minute presentations given at the annual TED (Technology Education Design) conference. have no fear, this is far from death-by-powerpoint. these are slick presentations (want to see some seriously good-looking stats?) given by remarkable people (a brain researcher discusses what she went through while having a stroke) on a wide variety of topics (this one is a personal favourite).

and TED Talks aren't the only ones out there - Mashable created a list of the "Top 7 Places to Watch Great Minds in Action" showcasing other conferences which have posted their talks online for everyone to enjoy.

to give you a taste of how these talks can give you a little boost when you need it, check out Seth Godin's TED Talk on the tribes we lead:

what is your favourite TED Talk?

Library Mashups Published

For those of you who attended my talk at SLA 2009 for the IT Division (and those who wanted to attend by couldn't) you might be interested in knowing that my Library Mashups book has finally been published!!  If you pre-ordered a copy at the conference you should get it soon, if not you can order your copy from the links on the official book website at http://mashups.web2learning.net.

Thanks to all of you who expressed an interest at the conference and those who have kept up with my progress on the book.